Visiting the beach, for work

The beach. The sun. The ocean. Everything as one would imagine it to be on a trip during summer vacation. However, we were not here to play around, as the suspicious lack of beach goers proved. The emptiness really stood out in the beginning, but didn’t last long. Many people in suits started wandering around, putting down all kinds of equipment in preparation.
And yes, I was one of the unfortunate souls that had to wear formal attire in the blazing sun. But, my load was something else. Under my right arm I was carrying a large umbrella, had a cooler slung over my shoulder, and a large duffel bag occupied my left hand. These were all needed, supposedly.

“Still, a photo shoot at this time of the year? Isn’t it a bit late into the season? I would have assumed most people had already bought their swim wear.” I wondered out loud as I put down the bag.
“Not necessarily.” The answer came from Yuuko, who had waited at the spot for me. “It is summer vacation time for students, where they might spontaneously decide to head out, and still need to buy a new swimsuit. Someone like you would probably be surprised by the market share of people who buy items on a whim because they had seen them while window shopping.”
“…No, I kinda get it.” I had seen it often enough in my own household, after all.
“Still, Chinatsu had explained it to you before, no?”

She was right. Before heading out here, I had gotten a short briefing from Chinatsu, as an addition to the function sheet she had mailed me. That had been two days ago. From there, we had done some prep-work, and then flew over to this island early in the morning.
Then, storing our private luggage in the nearby ryokan, before heading out for work, bringing me to the present.

I let my gaze sweep a bit. The beach wasn’t entirely abandoned, as a few figures could be soon walking around, swimming, and generally having fun. But they weren’t simple civilians. They too worked for the company, but had gotten the job of being background actors, for now. They received some time off before their shift at work began, as a kind of bonus. …I envied them, as their attire was much more fitting for the time and place than my own.

“Hey, you done scanning the surroundings?” A call from Yuuko brought me back to the present. “Did they drill that much into your head in just a year?”
“No, not really.” I set up the umbrella and spread a beach towel for her. “I was just a bit lost in thought.”
“Well, not that it matters too much. Here.” She passed me a bottle. ‘Sun screen?’ “Come on.”
She laid down flat on her stomach, and swung her legs around. ‘…Seriously?’ “I can’t do the back by myself, you know? Or is it, that you are so embarrassed that you can’t bring yourself to do it?” The smug grin on her face was elevating the teasing tone in her voice. “No need to feel shy, it is part of your job, after all.”

The obvious gloating got a bit too much for me. “Yes yes.” And I kneeled down next to her. Applying some of the oil to my hands, I then spread it across her back. After a short moment of tensing up a bit, probably due to the temperature difference, she quickly relaxed more and more as time passed. All the while I remained calm, which seemed to unnerve Yuuko.
“And here I thought you would turn flustered.” She muttered a tad dejectedly after a few minutes had passed.
“Too bad, I am used to this.” I tried putting some confidence into this line.
Which got a rise out of her. “How am I to understand this?”
‘Now, how to explain it?’ “…Remember Seiko? She, my older sister and one more friend of theirs would rope me into these kinds of situations on a regular basis when I was younger. So I had to built up a resistance, if you might call it that.”
She pouted. “That’s not fair.”
I let that comment go with a smile.

“Now, we are done.” I got up. “I am sure you can do the front yourself.”
In response to that, a devious smile spread across her lips. “Surely you wouldn’t be embarrassed of that part, after all your talk, right?”
I contemplated giving her a chop on the head, but settled for a deep sigh. You know I am a guy?”
A soft giggle escaped her. “I know. And I know that you wouldn’t do anything untoward. I know you well enough for that.”
Had we gotten to the point where we could gauge each-other like that? We were pretty frank with each-other, yes, but further than that? While that thought lingered in my mind, Yuuko finished herself up, and gave herself a short check-over before heading off to work.

And my part… was mostly over for now. Sure, I would stick around nearby, waiting with refreshments, and be ready to fetch any props she might need. And while I kept an eye on our surroundings, that wasn't really needed as sec was also present.
So, for the most part, I observed the going-ons of the photo shoot. Operation of camera, light sources, poses, the assistants running around. There was much going on, but all played their part, making it all work.

After spending a few hours standing in the sun, a long break was called. Sure, the calming sound of waves lapping at the beach’ sand and the scent of salt in the air helped set the atmosphere, but that didn’t dissuade the sun from glistening down on us any less.
Well, at least there were some people enjoying it in the background.

Ceasing my observations, I walked over to Yuuko who had some discussions with one of the camera directors. Seeing me arrive, she quickly paused as she received a drink from me. “Thanks.”
“You are welcome. But still, I am a bit surprised.”
“Hm?”
“That all of this work is done for the photo-shoots. I had assumed most of it would be done in a studio, and people would simply edit the background to a beach.”
“That is missing the spirit!” The man interjected. “Don’t you feel it?!”
“W-well…” ‘I might have stepped onto a landmine with that.’ “I mean, the people playing around in the background certainly give it a lively feel, one distinct from just having actors pose there.”
“That’s it! So you get it after all!” With a victorious grin, he explained, “They are the best. Sure, people seriously playing around and not acting might not always make the perfect background, but their liveliness, their realness enhances the essence of the picture, giving it a quality beyond just art direction.”

“…Basically, life makes the art?”
“Precisely! Oh yes, finally someone that gets it! How about becoming my assistant? I am sure we will find a satisfactory position for you!”
‘Is he seriously trying to poach me for a new position?’ However, I had to ruin his plans. “Sorry, but I am quite content with my current employment.” I glanced over to Yuuko, who seemed to ignore the entire conversation.
“Is that so? Well, should you ever change your mind, I should have a position open for you. Now… Hey, you over there! Why are you slacking off?! I told you to bring more…” His voice trailed off as he stomped away, walking towards one of the camera assistants.

“I am surprised you could keep up with him.” Yuuko remarked next to me.
“Hm? I mean, he is just passionate about his work. Isn’t that a good thing?”
My take seemed to dumbfound her a bit. “You really…” At that point, I had already accepted that at least half of our employees were eccentrics of one type or another. “Anyways, we are done for now. Pack up, and let’s get going.”
“Are we already done?” That had been short.
“No. There was a shift in the plan, and the next shoot is scheduled for the night. Apparently there happens to be a full moon tonight, and they want to capitalize on it. So they added some night scenes.”
“…If I remember correctly, aren’t there some sunrise scenes planned for next morning.”
“Yes. So it will be a short night.” I worried a bit at her saying that. I was sued to these things, but I didn't know about her. “Stop frowning like that. It’s just a night, so no big problems.”
“Was it that obvious?”
“Yes, yes it was. Now, let’s pack up.” At her command, I gathered all our things, and we headed back to the hotel.

Things were a bit hectic after that. A quick meal, some more discussions, and the next photo shoot. And while I was mostly only a spectator for it, I had to say, it had been worth it. The display of her standing in the glow of the full moon with the sea behind her reflecting it, it was mesmerizing.
Perhaps that camera guy’s point really had some meaning behind it.

After that, I took care to prepare as many things as possible for her, so Yuuko could sleep some longer. Clothes, outfit, some food and drink, all ready. With my mind now eased a bit, I turned in too.

The night ended shortly, and we went out early again. Where I noticed one thing: Yuuko was not a morning person. I nearly had to lead her to the beach by hand while she drank her second cup of coffee. It was a bit unexpected, since she always looked like she had it all together, but it was cute nonetheless.

Then, the shoot commenced, and she snapped into work mode. Which meant for me once more, being on standby. Which was nothing new. In security, most of the time, I would either stand guard, or patrol the area. Times of action were rare. So I felt right at home.

After occasionally fetching some more props, the last shooting ended without a hitch. We both felt a sense of joy and accomplishment, as we returned to the hotel for our breakfast. Not only that, we talked about what each of us would do for the remainder of the day.

Due to the nature of this job, there was some more time planned in our stay, in case they would need to redo some shots. But, with everything already done, it meant we could laze around. Sure, in a certain sense we would still be working, appearing as background personal for the shoot, but that didn’t matter much.

Now, satisfied with full stomachs, we went to our rooms. However, on our way through the lobby, we met some unexpected guests…