The stage loved attention. In fact, it demanded it. Prettied up in an extravagant costume of various lights, it stood, waiting for the next worthy person to make use of it. The lights beamed down on the face of the stage, as though they were trying to imitate the radiance of the sun, illuminating the scratches and nicks it bore from repeated use. The stage wore these imperfections proudly, for it knew the brilliance of whatever it would present that day would overshadow anything.
Rows upon rows of empty seats, soon to hold thousands of expectant and excited faces, sat before the grand stage. The stage would demand their utmost attention, and in return, it would provide its loyal audience with flawless entertainment; it was a contract forged through the mutual respect between performer and spectator.
This well known cycle was daunting to even those with the strongest of nerves, and Maki could feel her knees shake as she gazed upon what would be the setting of their debut concert.
The week had flown by, most of their time having been devoted to meticulously practicing No Brand Girls, and now μ's had stepped foot on their largest stage so far. The venue could hold tens of thousands of people, and judging by the popularity of other idol groups working under Shining Star Entertainment, it wasn't crazy to expect many of the seats to be filled.
Maki swallowed a lump in her throat as Yuka showed them around the venue. They were scheduled to perform at 9:00 that night after the main groups were done, so they only had a few hours to prepare themselves. Maki clenched her fists and took deep breaths, trying to calm her frazzled nerves.
Yuka brought them to a small room backstage that would serve as their changing area. The outfits they had used when they first performed No Brand Girls hung on hangers in the back of the room.
"I think I've shown you everything you needed to see," Yuka said, "You'll be following the performances of some of our really well known groups, so I highly recommend that you take some time on stage right now to get a proper feel for it. That's always helped our idols in the past."
With a smile, Yuka waved them goodbye and walked out of room. As soon as the rest of the μ's members were sufficiently distracted by the contents of their changing area, Maki slipped out of the room, and made her way towards the stage. She bowed her head politely as she passed several men and woman who were working on making sure everything was in place for that night's concert.
Upon reaching her destination, she paused, taking time to glance out at the stage. At the moment, it was completely empty. Maki took small, apprehensive steps out onto the massive stage. She inched her way towards the center, her eyes fixed on the thousands of empty seats that sat beyond the stage. How many people would show up? Maki knew their group had gained some popularity by winning the Love Live, and the advertising team for the company had apparently spread the word everywhere, but in this world filled with so many talented groups, would they be able to stand out? Would μ's be able to be as successful as they wanted?
Maki shook her head. There wasn't a point in worrying about those kinds of things so soon after they started. Maki wanted nothing more than for her friends to be successful at whatever the endeavored to do, but letting her love for her friends drive her into worry wouldn't help anyone.
"We've come really far, haven't we?" Maki heard Nico's voice from behind her. Nico approached Maki until she stood right beside her. Maki smiled slightly. It appeared she hadn't slipped away completely unnoticed.
"Yeah, we have," Maki replied, "I'm amazed we're even standing here right now. Before all of this happened, the idea of standing on a stage this magnificent seemed so... strange. But here we are, just a few hours away from our first major performance. I can scarcely believe it." Nico hummed in agreement.
"I don't like to talk about this much," Nico mumbled, "But there was a time when I thought I'd never actually make it. After my first idol group left me, I was really down for a long time. I just sat alone in the Idol Research Club room every day after school. I had been so excited at the thought of achieving my dream that I had grasped at it too tightly, killing it slowly in the process. It's my fault they left. I hindered my own progress."
Maki stared at the tiny girl, her eyes wide, her body frozen in place. She could see Nico's face flush, and the older girl's gaze darted everywhere but Maki's direction. It had never been easy for Nico to talk about emotionally heavy events that were cemented so firmly in her memory. Maki's chest tightened as she felt emotion well up within her.
"I grew to accept the likelihood of me never achieving my dream," Nico continued, "I branded myself in the world of idols as someone who would never be anything more than just a spectator. It was...hard on me. I focused on my passion for idols by supporting them in any way that I could, and since no one else shared that same passion, I was lonely. And then I met you... I met all of you, and now here we are..." Nico's voice trailed off.
A tender smile graced Maki's lips, admiration pooling in her eyes. Seeing Nico's willingness to talk so openly about something that had obviously impacted her severely filled Maki with pride. She saw Nico peek over at her, and upon noticing Maki's expression, the twin tailed girl's face burned bright red.
"O-Of course, this wasn't a surprising development at all!" Nico stammered, hiding behind her cocky front, "Nico-nii was born to be an idol, so I don't know why I ever thought I wouldn't end up here! I'm the number one idol in the universe, after all! Once the world sees me perform, they'll all love me!"
"They will," Maki affirmed, flashing an uncharacteristically toothy grin, "They'll all get to see you shine up there tonight, and they'll absolutely love you."
Nico's eyes widened slightly, and her mouth opened and closed repeatedly, words failing to form.
Nico spun around quickly, her back to Maki, and mumbled, "Now you're the one who's being embarrassing..."
Maki, her body moving on its own, stepped closer to Nico and wrapped her arms around the smaller girl's waist. She rested her head on Nico's shoulder and tightened her embrace.
"You're being surprisingly affectionate for someone who gets embarrassed by the slightest bit of PDA," Nico grumbled. Maki let out a breathy laugh.
"You've worked really hard," Maki whispered into Nico's ear, her voice dripping with affection for the girl in her embrace, "I'm proud of you." Maki felt Nico lean into her. The older girl's small hands grasped Maki's forearms and squeezed, and Maki could of sworn she heard a quiet "thanks" come from the older girl.
Maki heard someone clear their voice. She looked up and noticed Eli standing a few feet away, her arms crossed, her weight shifted to one side. Catching Maki's eyes, she nodded knowingly, a soft smile on her face. Maki removed her arms from around Nico's waist. In the moment, she had forgotten that they were far from being alone. Maki looked away, trying to conceal her reddening cheeks.
"Sorry to interrupt, but we're all about to gather up to prep for tonight's concert," Eli announced, "We want to go through a few things on stage before the concert starts, so I just wanted to make sure you two were aware in case you weren't expecting...interruption." Maki felt as though her face were on fire. She crossed her arms and fixed her gaze on the floor.
"T-There was nothing to interrupt!" Nico protested, "Why are the rest of them still backstage anyway?"
"We're having some...difficulties getting some of the members to come out here," Eli answered. Maki cocked her head to the side. She saw no good reason why some of her friends would refuse to come on stage. Noticing their confused faces, Eli beckoned for them to follow.
Backstage, Maki spotted Umi clinging desperately to the door frame of their changing room. Kotori tugged tirelessly at Umi's waist, but her vain effort proved useless as Umi sustained her iron grip.
"Umi, please let go! It won't be that bad! I promise!" Kotori pled, "You've performed lots of times before, and you did great! This time won't be any different."
"I can't..." Umi groaned, "There's going to be so many people staring at me... We've never performed in front of so many people before... I can't..." Umi visibly shuddered and tightened her grip on the doorframe.
"Honoka, help me!" Kotori requested, throwing a frantic glance over at her friend. Honoka rushed over, and gripping Kotori's waist, she tugged with as much strength as she could muster.
"Y-You'll be okay, U-Umi," Hanayo stuttered. "I-It's normal to b-be nervous before a p-performance." The brown haired girl slowly backed further into the depths of the small room.
"Aw not you too, Kayochin!" Rin darted behind Hanayo and forcibly pushed her back towards the entrance of the room, a wide grin on her face. "I won't let you run away! You're going to go out there tonight and show everyone how cute you are!"
Kotori and Honoka relentlessly tried to remove Umi from the doorframe, but it was to no avail, and they eventually collapsed on the ground, their arms weak from exhaustion. Hanayo, succumbing to her own bout of nervousness, pushed back against Rin's offensive tactics, who laughed in delight at the sudden resistance.
Maki pinched the bridge of her nose, "How did we ever manage to come this far? This group is full of idiots..." The blonde girl standing beside her chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her neck.
Nozomi, a noticeable twinkle in her eyes, stepped into the middle of the chaos, "Now, now ladies. This won't do. This won't do at all. I can't allow my juniors to act in such a stubborn, rebellious way. If you don't shape up, I'll have to punish you." Nozomi extended her arms in front of her, making grabbing motions with her hands.
Umi and Hanayo, both familiar with the type of punishment Nozomi had in mind, stood up straight and marched swiftly in the direction of the stage, not bothering to spare even a single glance at the rest of the members.
"That goes for the rest of you as well," Nozomi smiled mischievously. With nervous laughter, the rest of the members of μ's followed Umi and Hanayo. Maki walked with fervency, eager to put significant distance between her and the touchy feely girl.
"Not that Elicchi would mind receiving that punishment." Maki heard Nozomi snicker behind her. She heard Eli choke on air in response.
"Nozomi!"
"Alright girl's, gather 'round," Hikari, who had arrived a few minutes before they had gathered dressed up and ready to go, waved them over, "Ya only got a few minutes till ya head on stage. Before ya go on, I wanna stress one really important thing. We've talked about this a couple times before, but I wanna make sure ya know how important your beginnin' introductions are."
Maki remembered Nico talking about idol introductions one day during practice on the rooftop of Otonokizaka Academy. They were used for the sole purpose of establishing a connection between the idol and the audience. Those in the crowd were more likely to respond positively to idols who gave a strong introduction.
Maki fiddled with the belt on her outfit. She wasn't good with introducing herself to people. Her generally introverted nature often caused her to retreat into her shell, something that wouldn't end well in front of an important audience. The palms of Maki's hands were wet with sweat, and a dull throbbing ache settled in her head. How would she pull this off?
"Make sure ya give it your all," Hikari continued, "First impressions are real important if ya wanna be successful in the idol industry. You'll be walkin' out from stage left, so make sure you're in the right position for the beginnin' of the song right from the start. That means you'll be headin' on stage first, Maki. Honoka will start off the introductions, and then you'll go down the line from stage left to stage right."
Maki sighed. She was going first on stage and last in introductions, so whatever she ended up doing would definitely stick in the audience's minds.
"All right! You're headin' on in a few minutes so I'll leave it there! Good luck!" With that, Hikari wandered off further backstage.
After what felt like only a few mere seconds since Hikari had left them, one of the men working backstage signaled for them to proceed onstage. With a deep breath, Maki took the first step forward.
The lights on the stage were borderline blinding now that the night sky shrouded everything else in darkness, and it took a few seconds for Maki's eyes to adjust. As she walked across the stage, the cheering voices of the crowd drew her gaze towards the audience.
The stadium was packed with people, most equipped with glow sticks of various colors. Maki's breath came out in short, rapid bursts. She stood in her position at stage right, her heart thumping and her knees trembling.
"Hello everyone!" Maki heard Honoka start, "We're the idol group μ's! Some of you may have seen us perform at the Love Live, but tonight, we're debuting as a full fledged professional idol group! I'm Honoka Kousaka, and I hope you enjoy the song we wrote from deep within our hearts!"
The sounds of wild cheers filled the stadium. One by one, the girl's went down the line introducing themselves.
"I-I'm Umi Sonoda, and I-I'll shoot right through your hearts! Love arrow, shoot!" Umi drew her arm back to imitate the motion of pulling a bowstring. Realizing she had taken on her fantasy idol persona in front of thousands of people, Umi froze in place, her eyes wide in dismay. The crowd roared in appreciation for Umi's cutesy display as she buried her face in her hands.
They continued down the line, each girl receiving loud support from the members of the audience. Maki fought to sort through the endless stream thoughts that flew through her mind. She still had little idea of what she would say when it was finally her turn. As each one of her friends gave a successful introduction, Maki felt less and less confident in her own ideas. What could she do to make a good first impression?
When it hit Nico's turn, Maki let herself stray away from her worries to observe her girlfriend in action.
Nico stepped forward, "Nico-Nico-nii! I'm Nico Yazawa and I'll Nico-nii your heart!" Nico put her fingers together in a heart shape, put her hands near her heart, and then extended her arms out towards the audience. There was a deafening round of applause and cheers from the crowd as Nico stepped back into position. Maki caught Nico's eyes, who beamed back at her, and nodded in approval.
Should she come up with an idol persona like Nico? It was received well, but there was no time left for her to think about one, and Maki was unconfident in her ability to come up with one on the spot. She internally kicked herself for not taking Nico's idol lessons seriously.
Before she could think of any other solutions, it was her turn, and Maki stepped forward. Without thinking it through, she blurted the first thing that came to mind.
"I'm Maki Nishikino. Thanks for coming out tonight. Enjoy the show and make sure you pay attention!" She flipped her hair on her right side and stepped backwards, her hands placed firmly on her hips and her weight shifted to one side. Maki held her breath as she waited for the audience to react.
Applause. Maki saw Nico throw her a grin and give her a subtle thumbs up. Maki released the breath she was holding, and she felt tension leave her neck and shoulders. That hadn't been too bad.
A quick signal from Honoka moved the group into formation, their backs turned away from the audience. Maki struck her beginning pose, her right hand on her hip and her left raised straight in the air. As the music started, she shifted her weight to the other side, her left hand now on her hip and her right hand out to the side with her palm facing up. Excitement budded in her chest.
So far so good. A steady beat had each girl jump in place, eventually moving in a full 180 until they faced the audience. She clasped hands with Kotori. Jump. Maki moved towards the back as Kotori circled her, and spun clockwise until she was directly behind Nico. Maki, her earlier worry completely draining from her body, felt a familiar rush of exhilaration. She opened her mouth, and her velvety voice floated across the stage, beginning the first verse of the song.
As Maki made her way towards the front of the stage, a genuine smile formed on her face. Nico's voice rang in her ears, warming her heart and fueling the excitement running through her veins, as she struck various poses.
Maki's body moved easily, muscle memory working in her favor. She channeled as much energy as she could into every move she made. She mirrored Nozomi, who stood across from her, thrusting her hips to the side. She spun around, her back now facing the audience, and repeated the same motion.
Maki twirled back around to the front, and shot her fist into the air enthusiastically as they hit the chorus. She felt unadulterated giddiness in every inch of her body, a feeling that couldn't be replicated offstage. That sensation only accompanied Maki when she could absorb herself in music, and it was one of the few things that made her feel truly alive. This feeling was why she was an idol.
Maki released every ounce of energy she had built up throughout the performance as they reached the last leg of the song. With a few more arm thrusts into the air and energetic twirls, Maki landed in her final position. As the song came to an end, Maki struck her last pose, a wave satisfaction crashing through her. The lights dimmed, signaling the end of their performance.