ID Chapter 8

# Chapter Eight - "The Venue"

### Kanon

    Standing in front of the concert venue Lina has booked for our debut, the thing that stands out the most to me is just how… huge… it is. I'd been here a couple of times before to see performances with friends… back when they were my friends… but we could always only afford the worst seats, way away from the stage. Being here as part of the crowd though, I never felt the enormity of the place because there were so many people and only one building. Now though, with that same space filled by only the seven of us, I couldn't believe that we were already booking a place like this.

    It was… a little intimidating…

    As I stared up at the marquee that would someday light up with our name, everything we had accomplished suddenly felt very real and yet very insignificant compared to what we had still in front of us. I wasn't alone in being overcome by the experience. Nearly all of us were visibly shaken, though none as badly as the girl next to me - the high-pitched little idol who has become my best friend over these last few weeks. She was shaking lightly, wringing her hands together nervously with a glassy look on her face.

    "Hey…" I held out my hand. Honestly, the first time she grabbed my hand to calm her nerves, I'm not sure it was intentional, or that she even did it consciously. I think it was only because Momo wasn't with her and Chiyo's so used to doing something with her hands when she's nervous. It was also a little unusual. Despite what anime and manga say on the matter, two girls our age holding hands isn't entirely common. In fact, if my past experiences are any indication, it can even cause a lot of problems if you aren't careful. But that was back when I was a bit of a delinquent. Before I promised my parents I'd walk the straight and narrow. Not that comforting a friend like this is anything like the same thing, and the occasional look from judgemental strangers doesn't really phase me - usually I just pretend to be listening to music and ignore them - and at times like this, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't find comfort in it too. Holding hands with Chiyo, really, feels kind of…

    She looked at me with cheerful eyes and mouthed a "thank you". I just nodded and gave her hand a squeeze of acknowledgement. Why try to figure out the right words to say - to express how happy I am to have found her in this scary new phase of my life - when I'm lousy with them? Not like…

    Junko looked like she was only moderately intimidated by the circumstances, which made sense. Out of all of us, Chiyo and I are the only ones who haven't performed live. The closest I've come is the television appearance - where we didn't even sing - and playing my guitar at open mic nights. So most of the girls looking a little more in their element than we do made sense. Once the rest of the group moved on, under the massive sign and toward the large row of glass doors, Chiyo and I trailed after them. I felt a bit like the tail of a comet - insubstantial, all ice and vapor chasing a solid core of experience and talent.

    Once at the entrance, we all lined up and stared at the glass entryway, waiting for someone to make the first move. Predictably, the most experienced among us was the first to act. Though, instead of leading the way, she looked us all up and down and teased us for our timidity.

    "What, are you all scared to go in? This is nothing compared to the huge places that I've performed in!" She began to head to the doors, her attention still on us. However, everyone could only look past her as a tiny figure started to rush towards us from inside the building. "Now hurry up, we can't keep-"

    The main doors suddenly flung open, slamming into Eimi and sending her stumbling backwards, reeling from the impact.

    "Hi Hi!! You must be the girls that Lina sent over! I'm Momiji, nice to meet you all!" A short girl with a brown bob cut announced herself boisterously. She wore an oversized red sweater that sank down, covering most of her legs but showing off her shoulders and black top. Her small face and bright green eyes exuded youth as she gestured for us to join her in the building. "Come on in! Don't be shy, we have a lot of work to do!"

    Momiji took Rinko's hand and dragged her inside the foyer. Impulsively, she grabbed Junko's hand, causing her to blush ever so slightly. I wonder if holding hands ever has that effect on me, or if I'm simply more used to it than most, or maybe if there's something different about Rinko's hand and that's why Junko looked like that. I touched my face with my free fingers, but couldn't tell anything. Chiyo didn't look like she was blushing either. She just looked excited to be here, but in a good way… not nervously…

    Chiyo pulled at my hand and we followed quickly behind them, walking past Eimi - who was back on her feet, though clutching her chest with her arms and grimacing. Dam-Bi had a rather pithy remark - "Good thing you have those shock absorbers, huh Eimikins?" - as she walked past, leaving Megumi to help her into the building as she caught her breath. Once inside, our host addressed us as a group.

   "You see, the reason that I wanted to have you all here instead of at the I MY ME building is because I wanted to see your reactions and emotions." Momiji began to explain, leading us to the main hall. "Sure, some people think makeup isn't that important compared to other things, but after hearing how much Lina talks about you, I knew that I had to put maximum effort into this one!"

    "Excuse me, uh, Momiji, was it?" Junko cut in, though politely. "I was just wondering... If you don't mind me asking, how long have you been a makeup artist? It's quite impressive to see someone our age working so hard."

    "Hah!" Momiji snorted. "Me? Your age? Honey, would you believe that I'm actually older than grouchy ol' Lina?" Everyone froze in their tracks as the older woman kept walking deeper into the building, highly confused.

    "There… there's no way." Dam-Bi gasped, her mouth agape in complete disbelief. "You look like you could go to our school!"

    "Y-Yeah. In our grade!" Chiyo squeaked out her first words since we'd arrived.

    "Aw, you're too kind! Flattery will get you everywhere, darling!" She joked back, stopping at a set of black double doors. "But, many people say the best part of being a makeup artist is that you only look as old as you want to. Well, here it is girls! Let me know what you think!"

    She gestured to the dark backstage area, cluttered heavily with wires and cardboard boxes. We tiptoed around the mess until we got to the actual stage. There, we were greeted with a vast sea of seats, ready to fit rows upon rows of potential fans and supporters. However, we had to get these fans first. Eimi already had her multitude of fans, and Dam-Bi had more than a few loyal admirers, but the other girls - even the ones who had previously debuted - were practically unknown in the idol world. Any loyal fans that they had would barely fill a single section. Combined. If they all brought a friend…

    It was a sobering moment, as we had been so excited about the process and the thought of being idols that we hadn't even talked about one of the most important things a group needs.

    Fans.

    Lots and lots of fans.

    There hasn't been a lot of promotion for any of the girls, or even the group as a whole, and while everything was going well behind the scenes - at least as near as I could judge - we also need people to see us and to love us before we can find the success that we're looking for. Even though there were a few months left before our official stage debut, we would have to work harder than we'd ever imagined to strengthen our resolve to make sure that this event was the biggest hit ever. Realizing that Chiyo was still gripping my hand, even after all this time, it was easy to find a reason to work as hard as I needed to.

    I wanted both of us to reach our goal…

    Together.

    I'd learned how important that can be from watching my teammates. Especially…

    "Yes, yes, yes! This is what I wanted to see!" I snapped out of my thoughts to see Momiji clapping her hands in excitement. "I love the determination on your faces! I know exactly what to do! I'll talk with Lina in a bit, but I can see that you all know exactly what to do next, right?"

    Rinko stepped forward, a bright smile on her face, followed by the other girls one by one - or in some cases, two at a time.

    "Yes we do!"

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