  To help constrain the origin of the peculiar X-ray emission of gamma Cas
stars, we conducted a simultaneous optical and X-ray monitoring of pi Aqr in
2018. At that time, the star appeared optically bright and active, with a very
strong Halpha emission. Our monitoring covers three 84d orbital cycles,
allowing us to probe phase-locked variations as well as longer-term changes. In
the new optical data, the radial velocity variations seem to span a smaller
range than previously reported, which might indicate possible biases. The X-ray
emission is variable, but without any obvious correlation with orbital phase or
Halpha line strength. Furthermore, the average X-ray flux and the relative
range of flux variations are similar to those recorded in previous data,
although the latter data were taken when the star was less bright and its disk
had nearly entirely disappeared. Only the local absorption component in the
X-ray spectrum appears to have strengthened in the new data. This absence of
large changes in X-ray properties despite dramatic disk changes appears at odds
with previous observations of other gamma Cas stars. It also constrains
scenarios proposed to explain the gamma Cas phenomenon.
