[Aqua blinks. While he was hoping for a reaction like that, he hadn't expected it to be so strong. Nor for it to affect him like this, a secret pang in his chest.

He hides it by slipping the keychain out of the badge holder. The ID itself is illegible now, but Ai's chibi-style face has survived intact. Aqua closes his hand around it. When he looks up, his gaze is as clear as her voice.]

This probably sounds awful, but I'm sure he did. I can't say how I know... except that he had a really important patient in his care. There's no way he would have run out on them just then.

[Not when his favorite idol needed him most.]

...I'm probably the only one who remembers enough about him to think it was weird, how he never showed up again.