Preparations on the way

From there on out, things had been out of my hands. I continued my usual work, hoping for things to turn out well. And they did! There had been updates in between, but in the end, we got the confirmation: Changing venues would work. Apparently the administrative work had been a lot, so respect to the workers that had taken care of it.
As a side note, the office lady that was despairing in the beginning had gotten a visit from RainySunshine, which made her day and caused her to cheer up immensely.
Naturally, it hadn’t flown that well with the personal behind the actual events and the venue owners. Despite their complaints, in the end, they were pacified by telling them about the more useful outcome of the choice, which would mean more money for them. Of course that would stop the bickering. In the end, it didn’t really matter to them too much which band played, as long as the house was full.

After hearing this everyone got hyped, and started practicing even more. Since the Silver Crows had helped us with this exchange from a formal point of view, they were allowed to use the practice and recording rooms for free. Remembering the talk I had with Seiko during the last concert I had attended, it was probably to show them how good we were, and sweeten the deal, so they would join the company in the end.
However, since someone had to supervise them, and I knew them from before, and had brought them here, it was decided I had to accompany them throughout the building, and stay on standby. Basically, a glorified watchdog. I couldn't do much with the technical aspects, nor really give tips on their songs other than my opinion.
From time to time I would text with the idols, and see how things went on their end. Swimmingly, from the info I got.
Saji had an idea of a meet-up, to get to know each-other better. After all, they had to thank each-other for a positive development. And while the idea was not rejected, it had been postponed. It was decided to hold a get together the day after the concert. While there would be an after-party for all personal involved with the concerts, the locations were far apart, making a trip time consuming. Not only that, a private get together might be calmer, and everyone would be more well rested.

***

One day, had a chance to catch up with them in person, even if ti was just for a short moment. Then, when we parted ways, I was asked a favor. “Could you help Hanekawa out? She visited us earlier, and had complained about having to carry a lot of thing.”
“If I can, naturally.” I didn’t know the specifics, and neither did they, so saying I would just do it would have been irresponsible.
A few messages later, we arranged for things. In the end, I helped her load documents, files, folders and so on into a company car. To my surprise, it came with a driver. On the way to, we made some small talk.
“So, why do you have to transport those?” Didn’t seem to fit into what I knew of her job.
“Most of these are designs and reference-material. It was deemed good that I had them on hand, in case I was unable to come to work for whatever reason, and needed to work from home. But I that were the case, I need to use a PC or phone for talks anyway, meaning I could also have them as files on there and ti would work the same. I guess some people just really like their paperwork…” She heaved a sigh. “Sorry for ranting. It is just a tad annoying for me, is all.”
“Don’t worry, the feeling is mutual.” I shuddered to remember the first time I had to work on a tax return.
The drive was relatively short, and we offloaded our cargo. Once that was done, we headed back. On the way back, I took a moment to appreciate the car. Not what I was used to, the rough practical ones for security, but a cushy high class one. The only problem was the silence. I mean, if it was that both didn’t mind, it was okay. But this was the uncomfortable kind, at least for me. And I had used up my points of talk on the first ride.

As is usual during this age, when people have nothing to do, they go to their phones. Seeing hers, I caught a sight of something that would make for a conversation.
“So you have the same one too.”
“Pardon?” She looked up to me.
“Oh, right, sorry. That just kind of slipped out. Here, I meant this.” I pulled out my phone, and showed of the strap attached to it with a smile. It had the same design as the one attached to hers. It was a special limited goods item from RainySunshine.
“How did you get yours?”
“Oh, it wasn’t much, really. They gave it to me as a present. As a thanks for looking after them properly. Though, it must feel ironic, since I left them not shortly after.”
“They don’t.” She immediately shot that one down. I was a bit surprised by the speed of that, so I didn’t give a direct reply. Realizing this, she gave me an explanation. “See, these aren’t part of the official merchandise, they only hand them out to people they know. And seeing as they gave one to you, they must trust you a lot.”
“Because they are so rare and I might sell it?”
“No. Because they see at as a sign of genuine friendship.”
“Heh.” That made me realize something. “So they see you as a friend, despite you trying to keep your distance.” She blushed slightly at my statement.
“This and that are separate matters.”
“How so?”
“You…” I shouldn’t tease her too much, or she would explode. A short moment of silence followed, but I wasn’t as uncomfortable. “When did they give it to you?” Was she slightly pouty? Anyway, I should tell her properly.
“Around the two month mark of working together, I guess. There wasn’t anything special to commemorate, at least in my opinion.”
“Did you do anything special at the time?”
I thought and murmured to myself “…Can you count that as special? Maybe?”
“Thought of something?”
“Yes. Well, maybe. I guess you could say that.” She glared at me for a moment. I guess I should get to the point. “While it was only my job to do security work, there wasn’t much to do. So I thought I should try to help them out.

In the beginning, I helped Megumi prepare their breaks, or carried around the heavier equipment. But as time went on, I sometimes checked in on their training like you do. That was when our squabbles started, so surely you remember.
From there, I was sometimes asked for my opinion, or help with a few minor problems. I helped Haru pick out fitting sporting equipment and poses for a photo shoot that should show her as a fighter or something.
Then, another time Shizuka came to me for advice. She has a quiet voice. After one incident where I shouted several annoyances away, she asked me for help to be able to raise her voice. Well, it was mostly a mindset thing. Now, she can do it for songs where more volume is needed. Some people tend to be more quiet than others, and that is fine. You don’t need to change yourself for others, just be yourself. That’s why I only aimed for that stage. And it worked. I think she got a bit more outspoken too. And as for Asumi, there was that time in spring last year with the obsessive people… Hm? Something wrong? Sorry if I droned on for too long.”
“No, that’s not in.” She seemed to be in a bit of a pensive mood.
“Well, that went on for a while, and they gave it to me as a thank you. Can’t say I am a fan of these, but it was a nice gesture, so I keep it strapped. So, how did you get yours?”
“…They simply presented it to me.”
‘No story to go with it?’ “Well, that must mean you have helped them or done something for them without realizing.”
“Huh?”
“I mean, that’s the obvious thing. You said yourself they don’t simply hand them out. So you must have done something, consciously or not.” ‘Looks like that gave her food for thought. Maybe she hasn’t completely realized how much those visits of hers have grown on them?’
To occupy my thoughts and give Hanekawa some time, I inspected the strap once more, examining it carefully. It was a colorful rainbow between a raincloud and a sun. Fitting for their name. At the time, I had also asked them why they chose that name. The answer had been simple: You need both to form a rainbow, a universal sign of good seen by everyone in the world. Wishing to spread good influence anywhere, it had been their choice of a motive.
Despite both of us being in thoughts and the air being still again, it wasn’t uncomfortable anymore. At least, not as much. The short exchange has helped with that. And even if we didn’t learn more about each other, it seemed to have improved her opinion on me.

***

Sleeping a few nights more, and the big day arrived. Since both concerts were at the same day, we had to split up. Having been with the Silver Crows the most out of everyone, I was naturally assigned to them.
Before we left, I wished all of the girls good luck for today, where they answered me full of confidence. Not only that, Takeshi assured me they would be safe with him, and Hanekawa told me to she would watch after them. Apparently, talking to her must have had some kind of effect, as she would go backstage with the girls. Whether she had asked them, or they approached her and she accepted, didn’t matter. As long as they got closer, it was mission successful.

The trip to the venue lasted longer than usual, as we needed to head to a very large one, and there weren’t as many around. And once we were there, oh boy, did it look impressive. It was bigger than what I had imagined. Very much bigger. This could fill ten thousand people easily. Returning from my early patrol path, to memorize where I had to go, I went straight to the band members. They were all in a light hearted mood, joking around while they did final adjustments to their instruments.
I didn’t want to be the voice of bad omen, but wanted to make sure they knew what they were up against. “Say, will we really fill up?”
“The stadium? Oh yeah, no problem. We already sold out all tickets that were available in reservation. Some are always kept for evening sale when someone shows up without.”
I was a bit shocked. “You guys never told me you were this successful.”
“Hey! We invited you, but you never showed up to our concerts.”
“You knew I had school and work.”
“Well, all the better.” The other three gave him looks. “Think of it this way. This will be the first time he sees us live. Just another reason we we should absolutely rock this one.”
“Take a look at yourself. Your knees are shacking.”
“And so are yours!”
The banter between them went on, filled with laughter. Whether it was their way to get rid of nervousness, or simply how they aways were, I couldn’t tell. But I knew, they would never separate.
“Well, better let you guys get ready. I’ll head back to work too.”
“Be ready to get blown away tonight.”
“That would be bad. Then I can’t do my job.”
“Then you gotta make sure to do both.”

Security had a final meeting regarding which risks could happen, how to respond, and got assigned our stations. Once the fans came in, things got loud. Before the concert even started, they were brimming with excitement. Not many bad things happened. A few fans were unhappy that we confiscated their alcohol and glass bottles, but most were well behaved. When some didn’t want to comply, the other attendees around them were quick to jump in, with remarks like: “C’mon, don’t ruin this for other people.” - or - “This is their first major event. Don’t let there be bad press.” Realizing their situation, they were quick to comply. Which sparked a conversation between me and my coworker, a senior of mine, even if just by a few years.
“I thought they would give us more trouble.”
“Because it’s a rock-band?”
“Kinda.”
“It can happen. But these kinds of people usually crowd around one band where it is known that their fans are aggressive, ruining it for other people. Sometimes, these bands get dragged down so much, they dissolve.”
“That’s sad, having to quit your job because of someone else’s wrongdoing.”
“That’s why it is part of a band’s job to regulate their fan base, too. Sometimes, the vocalist shouts into the crowd to stop bad behavior, too.”
“That’s direct.”
“Often it works, but at other times, it can spark an outrage. Either at the band, or if a single person was called out, they can be at the receiving end of a lot of people’s anger. If any of these happen, our job turns rough. We can always consider ourselves lucky when we get a well behaved band with a well behaved following.”
“I guess that is part of the work experience one gets.”
“Not necessarily just work. If you go to concerts regularly, you are bound to stumble across these kind of things. Also, did you just call me old?!”
Soon enough our banter would fade away. Not because we needed to pay attention — mind you, we were doing that the whole time — but because it would not be audible anymore.
The concert started, with the band taking to the stage.