Roadshow
Chapter 2:
Heard It On The X
"Ugh, I hate going on long flights," Ritsu Tainaka said to Mio Akiyama at campus as they waited for the others to come over. The drums were placed next to her in their container, waiting to be hauled by the bus that was on its way. "You start to feel a little cramped, then you try to move your legs and you can't even feel them."
"Tokyo to Las Vegas is supposed to be a ten-hour flight," Mio said, checking her watch. "But your legs should be fine. Anyway, our flight is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. It's already 3:00. I can't believe the others aren't here yet."
"There's two of them," Ritsu said, her eyes flatlined as she spotted Ui and Yui waving.
"Ricchan, Mio-chan...good evening!" Yui said.
"Good evening," said Ui.
"All right. Everybody's rolling up for the Magical Mystery Tour. Are you guys ready to go?" Ritsu asked.
Yui saluted the drummer with the hairband "I am, Captain!"
"Did she have any sleep?" Mio asked Ui.
"She was hugging Giita so that she could sleep," she replied.
"Typical."
Yui scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. "Eheheheheheh..."
Ritsu scanned for a few more arrivals. "Azusa and Jun are here! Hello!"
"Yo!" Jun Suzuki said, hyped up for the trip.
"Everyone, good evening," Azusa Nakano said to them. "Where are Mugi-sempai, Nodoka-sempai and Miss Sawako?"
"On their way, I think," Mio replied.
"I'm here," Tsumugi Kotobuki said behind Mio. "Surprise!"
"Aaaaaaaah! Where did you come from?"
"I like to be mysterious," she said with a wink.
"That's what she said," Yui said to Ui, who giggled.
"Evening all," said Nodoka Manabe, walking over.
"Nodoka-chan!" Yui embraced Nodoka wholeheartedly. "Glad you could finally make it to this one!"
"I've got everything ready in my bag. It's refreshing to go out like this once in a while." She looked around. "I think we're all hyped up."
"As you should be," said Miss Sawako Yamanaka, arriving with the others. "How's everyone doing?"
"Fine," they all said.
"All right. Are you all going to have a good time?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"I can't hear you! I said, are you all going to have a good time?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Good." A flock of songbirds trailed across the campus in the evening twilight. The sounds of a large chartered bus could be heard as it parked in front of the campus. "Ah, here it is."
Ritsu and Tsumugi helped pack in the drums and keyboard in the compartments underneath the seats. Azusa, Mio and Yui were going to have to carry their guitars on board with them to prevent them from being damaged.
"And, there we go," Yui said, placing Giita inside the top compartment above the seats before plopping down into her seat. "Standby, ready for takeoff, Captain. All systems go."
"Roger that, Yui," Ritsu said with a salute.
"Mio-sempai, what do they have besides casinos?" Azusa asked her.
"Well, there's buffets..."
"BUFFETS?" Jun and Yui exclaimed.
"What do they serve there?" Nodoka asked Mio.
"Plenty of crab and lobster," Sawako added.
"CRAB AND LOBSTER?" the others said, shocked.
Jun was overwhelmed by the possibilities. "Sweet baby butter Jesus..."
"I've been to Vegas before," Sawako explained, "and I know there is this one buffet that serves Maine lobsters, lobster tails, roasted crab legs, truffles, tons of oysters. giant gulf shrimp cocktails, caviar, beef tenderloin, rack of lamb, filet mignon, prime rib, chocolate truffles & peanut butter, cakes, and assorted pastries..."
"Stop, stop, stop it with your torturing!" Jun said, protecting herself with vulcan salutes. "If I hear any more of these dishes of awesome I could be dead at any moment!"
"Jun," Azusa deadpanned. "You'll be fine. Take a deep breath, and just, for the love of God, think of Max Burger and its simple fare."
"Max Burger, Max Burger, Max Burger...oh God, the lobster! I want! I want! Azusa, help me...are we in Vegas yet?" Jun was in tears as she snuggled Azusa. The others laughed at her helplessness.
"You're beyond pathetic."
"Urrrrggghhh..."
"I don't think we came here just for the buffets," Nodoka said to all of them. "You have a show to do, and me, Jun and Ui are tagging along."
"Exactly! And we also are going to-" Tsumugi held her tongue.
"What is it, Mugi?" Ritsu asked. "Mugi?"
She was blushing. "I'll keep it silent for now..."
But Ritsu still wanted to know what Mugi was trying to say. Where were they going to go, besides the usual itinerary of flight in, hotel stay, practice, concert, flight out?
Was it Fremont Street? Hoover Dam? Laughlin? A detour to Phoenix? The jury in her mind was still out for deliberations and tea as the bus began its trip from the school to Narita.
"Attention, attention, Hokago Tea Time Group," said the bus driver over the intercom. "In about ten minutes, we're going to be entering Narita International Airport. Please be sure to have all your belongings with you when you leave the coach. Thank you very much."
"We're almost there!" Jun said, punching the air.
"Not quite," Mugi replied.
"She's fired up for this, isn't she?" Mio asked Azusa.
"That's how she is."
Ritsu watched the city skyline of Tokyo in the distance. "Look at that wonderful skyline, everybody."
"Aren't those things pretty or what?" Sawako said with a smile. "We're gonna be leaving this town in about one hour, give or take, and we're trading these city lights for that of the Strip for one week."
"So beautiful," Yui said.
"Somehow, I think of Usagi Tsukino and how she looked at the Minato Ward skyline with a sense of reflection," Ui said to them.
"You like that show?" Sawako said to her. "Cold, hard fact: you all were babies when Sailor Moon came out. But that was a great show to watch while it lasted."
"I've never heard of that show," Azusa said to her.
Sawako studied her. "Hmmmm. You would easily pass for Sailor Moon if we bleached your hair and made odango out of it."
"Wh...what's that supposed to mean?" she shot back, flustered.
"Everything. But Yui-chan, over here," Sawako said, pointing, "would be a better version of Usagi because she is klutzy and likes sweets."
"Who?" Yui asked.
"Never mind." They all shared a laugh. "You wouldn't understand."
"Ehhhhhh?"
"They had a live-action version of that show, didn't they?" Mugi asked them. "I like Miss Sawai in that show. She was Usagi, I think."
"Yes, that's correct. 100 points for Miss Kotobuki!"
"Woot, woot! Holler!"
"All right, Hokago Tea Time group," said the driver over the intercom, "we are here at Narita International Airport. Please take all of your belongings with you and thank you for choosing Japan Grey Line!"
One of the attendees at the airport provided a baggage card to accommodate their instruments. "Giita," a sobbing Yui said, "I am going to miss you..."
"Quit being so overdramatic, Yui-sempai," said Azusa.
"So, where to next?" Jun asked Mio as they all went inside Terminal 2.
"Well, we just sit and wait, I guess."
They didn't have to wait too long. Cue a few chimes on the intercom, and a voice. "Attention patrons, Japan Airlines Flight JL62 departing for Los Angeles International Airport is now boarding. All passengers please board at Gate 61. Once again, Japan Airlines Flight JL62 departing for Los Angeles International Airport is now boarding. All passengers please board at Gate 61. Thank you."
"That's our flight," Sawako said to them. "Let's go!"
"All right, onward!" said Yui, who nearly tripped. Ui broke her fall.
"Are you okay, onee-chan?" she asked her.
"Eheheheheh, I'm all right."
"You have to be careful; I don't want to see you fall!"
"Don't worry, don't worry. I am fearless."
"What's taking you so long?" Mio asked with the others about to leave her behind. "Hurry!"
"Wait up!" Yui and Ui were able to catch up to the other seven as they made their way to Gate 61. The band's instrument cargo were already inside the plane as they took their seats at the front. Not a lot of passengers were on this flight to Los Angeles; just a few foreigners making their way back to California, nothing more.
"At last, we finally enter our seats," Ritsu said.
Nodoka looked at the other planes that were already leaving. "They must all be heading for Los Angeles, huh?"
"Miss Sawako," Azusa asked, "why are we heading to Los Angeles? I thought this flight was heading to Tokyo."
"We're going to connect to another flight, which is a charter flight, to Las Vegas," Sawako explained.
"A charter flight?" Yui asked. "You mean we're not going to go on the other planes like the regular people?"
"Oh, that's not to say rock bands are regular people playing music, huh?" Ritsu said to her, clearly disgusted with the remark.
"You'll find out when we get there, Yui-chan," Sawako assured her.
"Ohhhhh."
"I feel the plane moving," Tsumugi said as JL62 taxied on to the runway.
Jun was captive. "Here we go! Ritsu-sempai, I feel my heart racing!"
"Mine's too, Jun," she replied. "Here we go!"
The plane finally lifted itself off the runway and into the skies as it began its flight towards LAX.
"Greetings aboard Japan Airlines Flight JL62 heading nonstop towards Los Angeles International Airport," the pilot said over the intercom. "My name is Kenji Wakamoto; I will be your pilot today. Our co-pilots are Keisuke Mori and Shun Honda. We are pleased to have you along for the ride. We will be arriving in Los Angeles in approximately nine hours and 45 minutes, which means that we will be in Los Angeles at 10:00 a.m. local time..." Kenji went over the usual safety procedures and red tape.
"Boy, that was a mouthful," Ritsu said as one of the flight attendants came over with a tray of beverages. "Uh, one tonic water, please."
"That will be 150 yen," she said.
Ritsu flipped a 500-yen coin to her. "Keep the change."
"Ritsu!" Mio was sitting next to her. "Why did you tip her?"
"We're not in Japan anymore, sunshine," Ritsu reminded her. "We are in this space called international airspace, and here, it is okay to tip." She took a sip. "Ugh. Quinine."
"You are gonna be making a habit of this, I swear to God!"
Tsumugi lifted the blind covering the window. "Wow..." She saw swaths of white clouds floating under the blue horizon and the sun. Tuning to her iPod, she played a song that the band composed, "Honey Sweet Tea Time," losing herself to the music as she fell asleep.
"Mugi-sempai's already asleep?" Azusa said. "While listening to the music on her iPod...so beautiful."
"Have you ever played poker?" Sawako asked the other girls who were awake.
"I've only watched it once," Mio replied.
"Is it like dai hin min?" Yui asked her.
"No, it's different," Sawako said.
She pouted. "Sawa-chan, you're mean."
"Yui, poker is a different type of card game," Ritsu said to her.
"It is?"
"Let me explain," Sawako said on the plane. "Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually (but not always) hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown (in some games, the pot is split between the high and low hands), limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed."
"Oooooh, I think my head is starting to spin."
"In most modern poker games, the first round of betting begins with some form of forced bet by one of the players. In standard poker, each player is betting that the hand he has will be the highest ranked. The action then proceeds clockwise around the table and each player in turn must either match the maximum previous bet or fold, losing the amount bet so far and all further interest in the hand. A player who matches a bet may also "raise", or increase the bet. The betting round ends when all players have either matched the last bet or have folded. If all but one player fold on any round, then the remaining player collects the pot and may choose to show or conceal their hand. If more than one player remains in contention after the final betting round, then the hands are revealed and the player with the winning hand takes the pot. With the exception of initial forced bets, money is only placed into the pot voluntarily by a player who, at least in theory, rationally believes the bet has positive expected value. Thus, while the outcome of any particular hand significantly involves chance, the long-run expectations of the players are determined by their actions chosen based on probability, psychology and game theory."
"That's impressive," Ui said.
"But you guys can't play it yet because you aren't 21 yet, sorry," Sawako said, sticking her tongue out playfully.
"Sawa-chan is mean," Ritsu and Yui chuffed with a pout.
"Well, excuse me for being honest with you girls; I can't help it!"
"You can." Inconsolable.
"Goddamnit you two," Mio groaned. She got this all the time
"Are you all right, onee-chan?" Ui asked Yui.
"I'm fine."
"You sure?"
"Positive."
"All right. I'm just worried, that's all."
Mugi was giggling in her sleep. "Macau...tee hee..."
"Have you guys ever been to Macau?" Jun asked the crew on board.
"I haven't," Ritsu replied.
"Nope," said Nodoka.
"Macau?" Yui said.
Azusa gave a little geography lesson. "It's next door to China and Hong Kong, Yui-sempai."
"The place is a dump," Sawako said to them.
"It is, Sawa-chan?" Ritsu meant to find out.
"But I thought it looked better than Las Vegas, from what I heard," Mio asked the teacher.
"Lies," she said. "They don't hold anything to Las Vegas. First off, there is literally no alcohol on the premises because it's technically a part of China. The people are there are quiet as grass, and you don't see any hooting and hollering from the patrons. Very few restaurants and the food is pricey and terrible. The party scene doesn't begin until 3:00 a.m., whereas in Las Vegas, the wildlife heads into high gear at 12:00 midnight. Then you nothing but hookers and middle-aged tourists from India bumping and grinding in the nightclubs. Finally, the local currency isn't even accepted there. It's Hong Kong Dollars or take a hike. It is a dump."
"I see."
"So it's going to be rowdy when we get over there?" Yui asked, interested.
"Well, you guys are starting to get exposure out on the other side of the Pacific. Take a look at this."
Sawako handed Mio an article from the Las Vegas Sun. "Who are Hokago Tea Time?" she read. "Good thing I can understand some English. According to this article, some fans know who we are. And it says that...oh my God!"
"Let me take a look!" Ritsu said, grabbing the paper. "Oh, it says one fan bought front-row tickets just to see your stripes."
"Quit saying that, you perv! Mou!"
"Tee hee. Are you wearing them now?" A headbump. "OW!"
"Stupid Ritsu!" Her ladyfriend was sobbing. "I still love you, babe." A kiss, and suddenly Ritsu was dozing off in Mio's lap like a baby on sedatives.
"Ritsu and Mio sitting in a tree," Yui chanted. "Nosebleed rush in one, two, three!"
As if on cue, Tsumugi's nose was trickling blood as she slept. Nodoka, who was sitting next to her, took a tissue and plugged her nostrils in order to stop the bleeding. She stroked her long tresses, savoring the rich, fragrant scent and her smile.
"Are you a psychic?" the bespectacled student council president asked her long-time confidant seating across from her.
"Eheheheheheh...who knows?"
"It's going to be a long flight," Sawako said to the girls, "so I think we should get some sleep while we have the chance. Good night, everyone."
"Already?" Jun asked her.
"We need to rest before the plane gets to Los Angeles," Azusa said.
"Azusa-chan's right, Jun-chan," Ui said. "See? Onee-chan is sleeping right now." Mio was also sleeping, holding Ritsu tight.
"Fine, I guess I'm feeling a little bit sleepy, too," Jun said, yawning before closing her eyes. "Good night."
"Good night everyone," Nodoka said before falling asleep.
"Good night, Azusa-chan," Ui said to Azusa as she slumbered.
Azusa looked at the window, seeing waves and waves of water flowing underneath a starry sky as the plane neared crossing the International Date Line, turning back the clock for several hours. After blinking a few times, Azusa closed her eyes.
"Eh?" Azusa opened her eyes. She was floating in the air. "What happened? Where is everybody?"
Azusa looked at herself. She was wearing a white jacket with a little teal bowtie. And she wasn't wearing any pants. Just blue and white striped panties. Taking a mirror from a pocket in her jacket, she looked at herself and was speechless.
Her twintails tied back with white ribbons, and she was wearing actual cat ears. She felt her behind and could see a tail sticking out, moving and twisting. And she wasn't wearing any stockings. Her legs were in abbreviated propellers of a beige color with the flag of Romagna.
"Oh my god...I'm her..."
Azusa had become Francesca Lucchini, and she was maneuvering her body to fly. A certain BoB song was playing in her head as she rediscovered her newfound freedom over the Pacific Ocean.
"It's like I am not wearing anything at all! It's so breezy!" Her tears of bliss splashed on to the water below as she flew across the sky, arms spread out. "It's so much fun!"
"Hey Lucchini, what are you doing?" Charlotte E. Yeager said, calling her out.
"So that's who I am referred to as," she said to herself as she flew over the long-haired brunette with bunny ears and tail to go with a red jacket.
"You forgot your gun," she said, tossing it over to her.
"Eh, what do I do with this?"
"Don't tell me you don't know! Come on, the others are waiting for you! We've got some Neuroi to shoot down!"
"O...Okay...by the way, who are you again?"
"Shirley, duh. Quit it with your amnesia and let's go kiddo."
"Right." Azusa was trying to remember everything from that show, and what she saw were the nine others on the team firing towards the core of a Neuroi that looked like a giant floating taiyaki. "A taiyaki?"
"That's a neuroi, Lucchini," Shirley said. "We have to stop it before it destroys Fuso."
"Fuso?" It clicked. That was Japan. The home of Yoshika Miyafuji and Mio Sakamoto. "Oh yeah..."
"Hey guys," Shirley said, "she's here."
"Better late than never," Mio said. "God, it's tough when all of us aren't here."
"Lucchini-chan!" Yoshika said. "Thank God you're here."
"Lucchini-chan?" Azusa asked herself.
"I don't think I can hold off this thing much longer," said Gertrud Barkhorn.
"Just try, Trude," Erica Hartman shouted, firing some rounds at the neuroi in a sortie.
"I can't locate the core anywhere, peoples!" Perrine H. Clostermann said to the group as she searched all over the place.
"Keep looking, Perrine!" exclaimed Lynette Bishop. "It's gotta be here somewhere!"
"Did you look at the center?" Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen asked Sanya V. Litvyak, who was scanning the entire makeup of the taiyaki Neuroi. "Or is it near the tail?"
"It's floating around the head," she said monotonously.
"Okay, this is what you have to do," said Minna Dietlinde Wilcke to Azusa. "Everyone is going to be aiming for the head. When we expose it, you go in and finish it off. Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Azusa said, following the others. She watched the others perform spectacular maneuvers and tricks as they inched close to exposing the core. After about three minutes of watching, something red shined.
"There it is!" Yoshika said. "Lucchini-chan, now!"
With a blood-curdling scream, Azusa flew towards the core. "Take...THAT!" One big blast from her gun destroyed the core, but before it exploded, it was able to return one final blast at Azusa. Everyone else was helpless to stop her from getting in the way of the blast, which destroyed her striker unit and left Azusa badly damaged, bloodied and battered as she fell towards the ocean, her clothes tattered and torn.
"Shirley, go after her!" Mio shouted.
"I got her!" With her Mach 1 speed, she was able to rescue Azusa before she plunged into the waters.
"Shirley," Azusa whispered through her tears and blood coming down her face. "I'm sorry. I'm..." And she breathed her last.
Tears came from Shirley's eyes as she hoped against hope that she would awaken. She clutched Azusa tight as she also cried, her desperation reaching its peak in her darkest hour.
"No! Please don't die! Wake up, Lucchini! Wake up! Wake up! WAKE UP!" It was all over. It was all over...
...or was it?
"Wake up, wake up!" Jun said to Azusa. "We're almost here! Look!"
"Huh?" She looked at the window. The evening turned to morning. "Was this all a dream?"
Azusa was known for having visions of happy dreams turn into unforgettable nightmares. The plane was still hovering over the Pacific Ocean, but in the horizons was California, and Los Angeles.
"Whoa, look at that sunrise," Ritsu said to Mio, who slowly awoke. "It looks like one of the headbumps you give me every day." A whack. "There's another."
"Ironically, that's what I'm listening to," Nodoka said, tuning in to the smooth jazz on her iPod. Simply Red and Mick Hucknall's shameless plagiarism of Daryl Hall, John Oates and Ace.
"How long have I been sleeping?" Mio asked Ritsu.
"I think we've been sleeping for eight hours, so we're good."
"I'm getting hungry, Ui," Yui said, her stomach growling.
"Onee-chan, there should be some snacks at the airport."
"Really?"
"It's an airport, Yui," Ritsu deadpanned. "Of course there will be a gift shop that has snacks. So you won't be hungry."
"Yay! Thank you, Ricchan!"
"What were you dreaming about, Azusa?" Jun asked.
"I dreamt I was an airplane. I dream I was Fr-er..."
"Francesca Lucchini?" she said slyly.
Azusa was alarmed. "H...How did you know?"
"I think there might be a place in Las Vegas that has a butt-plug tail, striped panties and bra, a jacket and other trinkets," Sawako said, drinking a can of coffee.
She covered her breasts even though she was wearing something to cover them. "M...Miss Sawako?"
"Azunyan would make a good Lucchini," Yui said to everyone.
"You're right," Ritsu said.
"Who is Francesca Lucchini?" Tsumugi asked the others.
"You heard of the show 'Strike Witches'?"
"No."
"It's a rather perverted show about all these girls flying around without any pants or skirts on."
"Ooooh. Sounds fun. And Azusa-chan is a fan of it."
"She apparently is. Aren't you? Bad kitty."
"Ritsu-sempai, enough already!" Azusa exclaimed, blushing.
"And who is Shirley?" Tsumugi asked.
"Charlotte E. Yeager," Ritsu said. "Francesca's fighting partner with tits as big as yours."
"Eh? Is that so...I should try watching that show."
"Looks like everyone is up and ready to go," Sawako said to them. "I think we can use a little food in our tummies." She saw the flight attendants bring trays to passengers. "Ladies, I think our hunger problem is solved."
"Let's see what we got here," Ritsu said as she received her tray. "We could get used to these pancakes, bacon and eggs, you guys. How is it, Yui?" She peered over and was speechless as she noticed that her plate was just about cleared. "My God, have your dreams taken you to Darfur or something?"
"I didn't eat anything yesterday because I thought there would be a buffet on the plane."
"They would not be stupid enough to do that. And actually, yesterday is today because we crossed the date line."
"Date...line?"
Ui gave an explanation. "Onee-chan, essentially our Saturday got extended by several hours because of the way the world turns and the time zone differences. When we go back, we jump several hours because of said differences."
"I wish every day was Saturday," said Jun.
"Me too," Mio added.
"I don't treat my weekends any different than I do my weekdays," Nodoka said.
"You're in the clear minority, Nodoka."
"Thank you."
Kenji spoke over the intercom. "Ladies and gentlemen, we will be arriving at Los Angeles International Airport in 10 minutes. Please fasten your seatbelts and remain seated until the plane comes to a complete stop. Thank you for flying Japan Air Lines."
"Does everyone have their passports with them?" Sawako asked the eight of them?"
"Yes, ma'am!" they said, raising them high.
"Keep them with you, because you're going to need them when we go through security."
As they nodded, the plane touched down on the runway before taxiing towards the Tom Bradley International Terminal. "Ladies and gentlemen," Kenji said on the intercom, "this plane has now arrived at Los Angeles International Airport. Welcome to the United States of America. Please be sure to have all your personal belongings with you before you leave the plane. Once again, thank you very much for flying Japan Air Lines. We hope you have a wonderful day."
Mio checked her watch. "10:00 a.m. here. Right on schedule."
"So this is America," Ritsu said. "Good God."
"There's so many people going in and out," Jun said.
"LAX is one of the busiest airports in the world for a reason," said Tsumugi.
The good thing for all nine members was that they and their luggage/instruments all passed security without snags. This meant...there was no need for pat-downs.
"Mio-chan," asked Yui while the others exited the terminal and got on to the runway, "what's a pat-down."
"Basically they check every part of your body for any explosives, so they essentially touch you in your most intimate parts..."
"Intimate...parts?" The thought stimulated Yui's naughtiness. "I wanna be patted-down!" she shouted to the others, who shook their heads.
"Onee-chan," Ui said, "It's all right. You'll be okay."
"Hey, is that our plane?" Azusa asked them all. It was a Southwest Airlines plane with special livery featuring the band. "Wow! Cool! But what's with the guys in suits following us?"
"They're band security," Sawako said. "They're escorting us to our plane. Do you hear the screams from the terminals?"
"Oh yeah, I can," Ritsu said to her. "Heheh, looks like some of our California supporters found us. That is one awesome plane, though."
"It's only going to be us and the security people on the plane, so it shouldn't be as bad," said Sawako.
"I like how we're on this plane," Yui said. "It's awesome! It's like we've made it as a band. We get our own jet, Ui!"
"Mmm-hmmm!"
"One plane to another," Tsumugi said to herself, clutching her teddy bear, which she could carry-on. "Next stop...Vegas."
"And we're going in style, Mugi-sempai!" Jun said.
"This is fantastic!" Mio exclaimed.
"All right, we're here," Sawako said to the group as they got to the stairs leading up to the plane. "Everybody get on board, Vegas is waiting!"
Airport staff loaded the instruments and other checked luggage to the bottom of the plane. "I wish Narita had direct flights to Las Vegas," Azusa said to everybody as they took their seats. "Then we wouldn't have to be connecting."
"But then we wouldn't have this special charter plane, now would we?"
"That's true."
"Is this the band Hokago Tea Time?" asked the pilot, who spoke fluent Japanese.
"Yeah!" they all said.
"Welcome to the United States of America. Is this your first time here?"
"That's correct," Sawako said to them.
"All right. Well, welcome aboard Southwest Airlines Flight WN362, flying nonstop to Las Vegas McCarran International Airport. My names is James O'Connor, I will be your pilot for this special charter flight. We are honored to serve you as you prepare for your concert next weekend."
"Thank you," they all said.
"If you are comfortable talking to me in English, feel free to do so; I have been fluent in speaking Japanese for well over a decade and I have been to Tokyo many times before. A wonderful place."
"Thank you," they all said in English.
"Hey, you spoke in English. You guys will be naturals in a hurry." They all laughed as the plane began to take off. "It's going to be pretty hot out there, so be sure to be hydrated and wear plenty of sunblock as you enjoy your week in Vegas. We will be arriving at our destination in one hour."
"This is so awesome," Yui said to everybody, tears forming in her eyes. "America, I love you!"
"Easy, easy," Ritsu said. "It's only the first day."
But the group's overall morale as high as the skies that the plane cruised through as it began its flight towards Las Vegas, Nevada. The invasion was only getting started.
END CHAPTER 2
