IX
The tattered sheet was no longer needed, as she had the piece in digital form on the computer, but she kept it to remind herself how many changes a composition sometimes demands before one can call it finished. It could be considered an embodiment of her feelings towards the band as well.
Rinko had to wait until the two metal songs currently intended for the forthcoming show in October were done before she could present this one. It was getting increasingly likely that there will be no time to play it before the actual event, let alone extract passages to fit into a ballad for Roselia. She had more urgent matters to attend to, though.
During the last online chat, Yukina and Lisa were talking about the outfits for the concert, and both of them liked the idea of refining the existing ones to make them resemble additions to the repertoire. Ako and Rinko were tasked with preparing them in time. Keyboardist immediately dismissed the idea to add wings to them, leaving the drummer disconsolate.
General theme was in parallel to Ako's style, however, with the tonal balance shifted more towards blacks and deep violets, with crimson red accents in some places. The first step was to complete the design before buying the supplies, and that was no easy task. Rinko was searching for the right proportion between making the outfits darker and maintaining the feel their fans were used to.
What they initially disagreed about was the use of accessories. Ako wished to add more of them to make the clothes more elaborate, while Rinko was more inclined to cut down and head towards simplicity. The conclusion both of them reached was to create a hybrid of the two approaches.
They would get rid of some ribbons in exchange for black and violet flowers, as well as make the dresses less frilly. Rinko, on the other hand, was fine with attaching some metal elements, like buttons or pins. Turning that abstract idea into a concrete drawing was a laborious process, but she was making some progress.
Rinko finished another draft of Yukina's outfit, which she intended to prepare first. A cross in the timetable for piano practice meant that she needed to either play for longer next time, or find a different opportunity. The competition she was talking to Yukina about was taking place a week after the show they were supposed to participate in as a band.
That created some difficulties for her to arrange the schedule in a suitable way. Even though the break from university gave her more freedom, Rinko knew she at least needed to finish two or three outfits to make do with limited time once her curriculum starts again in about a week and a half.
Ako was a huge help in this regard, since she took the burden of finishing the remaining outfits once the designs were complete. Thinking about their current project, Rinko was initially uncertain, but then became impressed with Yukina's bold ideas to turn things around. Together with Sayo, band's leader already had most of the lyrics for the first track done.
At the same time, Rinko was worried about her own miscalculation. Her firm belief in the fact that not much has changed since their high school days could have been naïve.
Pianist was still convinced they could succeed as a band without forgoing their new commitments, although she now fully realized that everything not directly related to Roselia will likely suffer.
She was, nonetheless, motivated to do exactly what is needed. Thanks to playing with them, she got to experience music in a way she had never thought was possible for her. Rinko now felt the connection with everyone in the band and wanted to help it grow.
At that moment, a sound of the incoming message caused her to focus on the computer screen. It was Ako, saying she wanted to meet up with her at their usual spot, near the closed down live house. It was Wednesday, somewhat late in the evening, but she agreed and started getting ready.
Thankfully, Ako lived nearby, which meant Rinko would at times simply walk there. She got a surprised look from her mom, but was still allowed to go out. It wasn't completely dark, but it has gotten chilly, so she wore a blue cardigan on top of her white blouse, and a skirt longer than normally, covering also the knees.
Her curiosity was piqued, so the pianist quickened her pace. After about ten minutes of walking, she noticed a smiling face.
"Hi there, Rin-rin. I'm sorry I'm dragging you, even though it's late and all." Ako seemed worried.
"Not at all, it's okay. Did you want to take a walk?" Rinko thought it was slightly unusual, as they typically talked online.
"Ah, yeah. You're at least prepared, I simply took my usual clothes and now I'm a bit cold," Ako admitted, rubbing her arms.
"Do you want to borrow my cardigan, Ako-chan?" Rinko still had a blouse with long sleeves, after all.
"No way. If I take it, then what about you? I'll be fine," she responded with confidence.
"Um, alright. So, you have something on your mind, related to our project, maybe?" Taller of the two strongly suspected that.
"Yup. Y'see, even if we can make the outfits, there is still all the training during the semester. Will you be fine, Rin-rin?" Ako looked at her with concern.
"Well, I know there is a lot of work to do. I also have to practice the piano. In spite of that, I believe I can manage it, if I leave the composing to Yukina-san and Sayo-san." Her tone reflected mixed emotions welling up inside.
"If you say so…" Ako still sounded rather troubled.
"I thought it'd be a good idea if you just finished Yukina-san's outfit and I took care of all the rest. This way it'd be easier on you, right?" Drummer looked at her, asking.
"Ako-chan… even though it makes me happy to know that you wanted to tackle more work to help me, I… can't have you burden yourself for me, at least not in this situation." It was hard for her to respond.
"Let's stick with what seems the most natural and prepare two of them each, and then, together, we will work on the last one left, ok?" Rinko looked at Ako earnestly.
"Ugh, I really can't say no to that, when you have this look on your face. Ok, we'll do two each and the last one together!" Ako was back in a good mood.
"That sounds… nice." Keyboardist averted her eyes a bit.
The two of them started laughing. Rinko felt relieved when Ako pointed out she likes the fact they can meet up and explain what's been bugging them. It made her glad and it made her resolve clearer, stronger. She planned to leave no tough design decisions for when the university starts, which was at the beginning of September.
Rinko still anticipated having to spend all her time on various types of practice and on preparing outfits, but she had help, and gained more confidence. The two decided to turn back, since it was quickly getting darker. Pianist then noticed Ako started rubbing her arms again.
"Ako-chan, maybe you could take the cardigan now, for our way back? You're cold, aren't you?" Rinko was fretting over her friend.
"Aren't you going to be feeling cold that way?" Ako was probably the same.
Rinko insisted she had the blouse with long sleeves underneath, so she won't be losing warmth immediately. Ako finally agreed, noticing the pledging gaze, and Rinko helped her to put the cardigan on. A giggle from both of them followed, as they saw how it didn't fit the rest of Ako's clothes at all.
There also was a mismatch in length, since it reached all the way to drummer's knees. In spite of the style issues, she thanked Rinko and said she for sure will feel warm for the rest of the walk. The two started to talk about the piano competition and its date. It was taking place only a week after the rock concert, so Rinko had to prepare for both of those events at the same time.
At least the prefectural stage allowed for choosing from a selection of composers to form one's program, so this meant Rinko could play some pieces she already mastered. Ako chimed in, convinced she had the easiest time combining other responsibilities with the training for the event, as drummer didn't attend the university herself.
The only matter she had to cater to was helping with the outfits, which was why Ako tried to take care of almost all of them, as she explained. Lisa was working part-time and had a streaming channel where she taught bass techniques and sometimes received tutoring, too. Yukina and Sayo had their jobs in a music shop, not to mention the vocalist took up another one in the café.
It became obvious to Rinko they had to complete as much work as possible before the new semester started. Ako was aware of that as well. By the time the two of them got back to the closed live house, the sky has already become almost completely dark.
Countless lights of Tokyo made it easy for them to find their way at night, while making it very difficult to spot any stars. Even though, after parting ways with Ako, Rinko stopped for a while to find a few brightest ones visible. She considered herself fortunate to have been able to meet her and everyone in Roselia.