PROLOGUE

The following takes place between Seasons 1 and 2 of Love Live.

Dragging their weary feet inside the club room, the girls picked their seats in a rush to get a much-needed respite. The vibrant hues and frills of their costumes dulled under an air of melancholy that filled the room. The girls refused to look at each other, save for club president Nico who winced at the sight of a defeated club. She gritted at the misery of it all, perhaps a live show that went south from the first step or a decision to not hold one. Under the table, her fist chomped at the bit to hit the table in frustration.

Her frustration finally reached a fever pitch. No amount of color and frills would be able to lighten the mood. "Let's try this one more time," she scowled. "WHAT HAPPENED BACK THERE?"

All eyes turned to the angry Nico in an instant. Any trace of fatigue in them went away out of fear. Sitting next to her, Hanayo and Rin felt her wrath the most. Still, the former called for cooler heads to prevail. "Um…let's all calm down. The live show wasn't that…bad."

Peace, however, fell on deaf ears as Nico's tirades continued unopposed. "Of course it wasn't bad. It was a DISASTER! We messed up in front of a bunch of foreign exchange students."

Rin stepped in for Hanayo, now caving in to fear. "But they said we were awesome."

"They probably felt sorry for us. That's why said those things to us." Nico calmed down a little.

Not minding her aching legs, Eli stood and spoke her mind out. "This just goes to show that we still have a long way to go as a school idol group. Had we entered Love Live at this state, we might have totally failed."

"Elicchi is right," Nozomi added. "We have to get our act together if we even hope to win Love Live, let alone qualify."

Maki sent her cynical gaze Nico's way from the other end. Her habit of twirling her hair added insult to injury. "This would've never happened if you hadn't said your stupid catchphrase."

"Keep my Nico-nii out of this, princess," Nico retorted. "If anything, your weird song is to blame."

At that moment, every one of Maki's switches flipped. "EXCUSE ME?! Who was it that insisted on a new song for the guests, huh?"

"I didn't think you would make one so bad that the director couldn't keep a straight face," Nico said. "She'll probably call us later and ask why we flopped."

Kotori also called for cooler heads. "Come on, Nico. You're overreacting a bit, don't you think?"

"I agree," Hanayo concurred. "Blaming each other won't change today's outcome."

Before Nico could let loose another wave of tirades, Umi stepped in. "Let's take today's mishap as a lesson for the future. Remember, we almost lost µ's not too long ago. I don't want to go through that experience again."

Everyone knew what Umi was talking about, Kotori the most. The sudden change in the tense air in the room was proof. Kotori knew what it was, which weighed on her mind more than anything else, and resisted the urge to talk about it. Nothing can ever be more painful than going after a dream in exchange for the comfort of home and friendship old as time. She felt good making the right choice. She felt good saving the group from a tragic end.

The reminder soothed the savage Nico. She sat with her fellow idols. "I'm sorry, everyone. I got too worked up."

"Why don't we all go out somewhere later?" Eli suggested. "It'll help take our mind off of today. I've been kind of craving for a burger lately."

A chirpy Honoka would never let a chance to enjoy fast food pass. "You can count me in!"

"Says µ's leader who has been mum this entire time," Umi sighed.

"Whaaaat? I probably wouldn't be of any help trying to calm everyone down, anyway," Honoka said.

"You could've said something, you know," Umi replied.

"Well, the important thing is that everything's fine now," Honoka continued. "Ah, how I wish school ends today quickly."

"You're unbelievable," Maki sighed. "The day's just started."

The tense air inside the room all but vanished in place of one of joy, supplied by a round of laughter. Just like that, µ's returned to its usual, quirky band of friends. Nothing has changed, not even the eye on the prize at journey's end: victory at Love Live. After today's disaster, however, it was clear that some things have to change.

One such change entered the club room with the director and cut the collective laughter short. In an instant, all eyes turned to an unassuming guest destined with a pivotal role.

"Hello, ladies," the director greeted. "Do you have a minute?"

~O~

In exchange for class credits on the director's behalf, the girls settled in for what would appear to be a long sermon. A line of sight as long as the table separated the director and her guest, and a shaky Nico. This time, the director kept a straight face for the group to see. They played the guessing game in their minds, thinking about the director's remarks about today's disaster of a live show. With the show still fresh in everyone's mind, it was difficult to forget.

"Calm down, girls," said the director. "I'm not here to reprimand you about your live show."

Nine sighs of relief came, but fear was a bastard to rid. Minus the tense faces, the girls lent an ear to the director while still fearing the worst.

"Just the opposite, in fact," the director continued. "I think you girls will seriously benefit from this plan. But first, let me introduce you to someone."

Through a lone window, perhaps the most important event in µ's career unfolded before the world. Cherry blossoms danced in the gust, catching glimpse of the director taking her guest aside amidst the surprise among the school idols. All the shock and awe stayed in the room, not a note to leak out and seep into a bystander or passerby's ear. Not that anyone at the time was still in the halls as first period had already started.

Snapping out of her own dose of shock, Nico hit the rewind on the whole conversation so far. "So let me get this straight. We're getting a…school idol manager?" The rest of the girls exchanged confused looks, trying to make sense of the director's bold proposal.

"Why do you seem surprised?" the director replied. "Big celebrities always have managers to handle their schedules and stuff."

"Well, yes," Umi replied. "But a manager for school idols? Is that even a thing?"

"Having a manager will help the group," the director continued. "Think about one as an extra pair of helping hands in planning for live shows, finalizing costume designs and choreography, and so on."

Umi found some solace in the director's words, but her doubts wouldn't be so easy to allay. "It's true that competing in Love Live requires a lot of planning. But we've always done things on our own."

"I have to agree with Umi," Maki concurred. "We've been holding our own and still do. I don't think we need a manager."

Torpedoed by such blunt words, the guest's heart sank. Regret arrived too late for Maki, now taking flak from almost everyone in the room starting with Rin. "You didn't have to put it like that, Maki."

"Yeah, Maki. Think of how our guest feels," Honoka added.

The redhead mounted a desperate defense. "What? You girls said that we don't need a manager."

But she played right into Nozomi's cheeky smirk. "We never said that we don't need a manager. We only said that a school idol manager is unheard of. It's all about context, Maki."

An ashamed Maki kept the rest of her script to herself. Still, it did little to allay the girls' misgivings, to the director and her guest's dismay. In the midst of the nine voicing their diverse opinions, the guest's words drowned in the noise. Not minding her guest's chagrin clear as day, the director gave a comforting hand and confident smile.

The round of noise piped down the moment the director called the girls' attention. "Ladies, it won't hurt to try something new. Give our guest a chance."

Kotori set the record straight on µ's behalf. "Well, we were never against having a manager. I guess we were just surprised at the fact that we needed one."

"I can speak for the both of us," the director continued. "We want to help you girls achieve whatever goals you have, even winning Love Live. I hope that you all reconsider."

The exchange of confused looks happened a second time but never lasted long. Honoka walked up to the guest and offered a handshake along with a smile. The rest could only watch their charismatic leader make an important decision on their behalf. A happy guest returned the favor with her own hand, sealing the deal. With the director as a witness, Otonokizaka's cherished school idol group has a manager.

"Glad to have you on board," Honoka said. "We look forward to working with you."

Outside, more of the beautiful petals danced in another gust, fanned by fate.

Lightning and Sword Fan Fiction Productions proudly present…

"Otonokizaka School Idol Manager"

A Love Live! School Idol Project fan fiction