[ oh? now this is news. usually it's shylock who would bring up natori in normal conversation with matoba, so he's pleasantly surprised to hear matoba talk about him for once. or their fans, for that matter. ]

A little bit of drama would benefit you two for the long run. Or at least with Mr. Natori and his rising status as a star. [ no such thing as bad publicity. ] And don't you worry about the Celestials and their ever-fleeting taste in people. If anything, you should have taken advantage of their goodwill and ask them for more information -- for a fee, of course.

[ capitalism, ahoy! at the mention of intoxication, shylock mirrors matoba's furtive smirk and takes a short bow. ]

I will. And I'll also show you how much I learned since the first and last time we'd drank matcha together. One moment, please.

[ just going to make a short exit towards the backroom where he's sure he'd purchased some matcha and a special whisk for the occasion-- ]