[ Though Sonico knows Suzu doesn't mean anything by it, she still feels a pang of -- guilt? shame? -- something painful in her chest at hearing the status of their band. Of course they won't have been performing -- there's only so much you can do without your guitarist and main vocalist but it still stings. She thinks so often of First Astronomical Velocity as a permanently welded together unit that the idea of Suzu and Fuuri being without her is... strange, surreal. Almost the same kind of surreal as trying to imagine herself just... going back to it all now.

She hopes Suzu can't see that in her eyes. Suzu's always been so good at reading her and Sonico's a little scared that she can see everything. But she also knows she's not quite the same girl Suzu used to prod and poke and tease -- she's still smiling and the brightness in her eyes at seeing her best friend again is genuine enough. But there's something flat and reflective behind it, rebuffing Suzu and making sure she doesn't see exactly what's going on until Sonico feels like she can actually tell her. ]

You've been so busy...! Eheh, I guess we all had our minds on practice. I've not had a chance to play much but I've been doing some here and there -- I keep telling myself I'd put some more time to one side for it but everything's been so busy...

[ she trails off, realizing she's getting dangerously close to the topic of herself and her plans again and quickly derails that train of thought. ]

Oh, speaking of busy...! Have you seen Manager-san or Ouka-chan around? Do you know how they're doing?