Chapter Five

As the first rays of dawn shone through the window, Yukimura's figure had already disappeared on the jogging path. Yuzuru, rubbing her sleepy eyes, finished washing up. Her pink sportswear made her skin look even whiter than snow, and her long, light brown hair was casually styled into a loose bun with the ends sticking up playfully. She jogged downstairs while planning her meals for the day.

The kitchen lights were warm and inviting. She tied on a light beige apron and quickly laid out the ingredients on the cutting board. "Fry two soft-boiled eggs to supplement my protein intake~"

The small frying pan sizzled as the golden egg slowly solidified. "Mini avocado and bacon sandwiches done!" she hummed, her voice slightly off-key. She then carefully pressed the cooked rice into the bento box, muttering, "The rice is packed tightly, it'll fill me up!" As she muttered to herself, the fragrant breakfast and the exquisite bento box were already laid out on the table.

"Good morning, Yukimura! Time to wash up and have breakfast~" As Yukimura pushed open the door, he saw Yuzuru waving in the kitchen, his eyebrows and eyes curved, his smile as bright as the morning sun, his figure as light as a bird.

"Good morning, Momozawa." Yukimura's eyes lit up with a smile. He leaned down and stole a light kiss when she wasn't looking before turning around to wash up.

Yuzuru was left standing there, stunned. His cheeks puffed up like little buns, and his fingertips unconsciously touched the corner of his lips that had been touched, while the tips of his ears turned slightly red.

On the first day of school, before the club's morning training officially began, Yukimura and Yuzuru walked side by side toward the school. The morning light filtered through the branches of the roadside trees, casting dappled shadows on their feet, and a gentle breeze occasionally blew by, carrying the freshness of early spring.

As they approached the school gate, Yuzuru suddenly stopped. "I'll go this way first, see you later~" She waved and, without waiting for Yukimura's reply, ran off like a startled deer, her figure quickly disappearing into the crowd. Yukimura watched her hurried departure, shaking his head helplessly, but his eyes couldn't hide the doting smile.

"Good morning, Seiichi." At the school gate, Sanada Genichiro stood upright and nodded slightly to Yukimura. The two walked into the campus side by side, occasionally greeted by classmates, the atmosphere quiet and harmonious.

In the classroom of Grade 11, Class D, Yuzuru was already sitting in the middle seat by the window. The morning light shone through the glass onto her hair, giving it a soft glow. Yukimura's seat was in the back row. His gaze lingered on her briefly before he went straight to his seat.

"Good morning, Momozawa!" Yuuko, who sat in front of Yuzuru, suddenly turned around, her face showing some worry. "I heard there will be a placement test when school starts. I didn't study at all during the holidays. I'm doomed."

"Huh? A placement test?" Yuzuru's heart tightened, and he quickly rummaged through his bag for his textbooks and notes. "I need to study right away, or I'll fail." With that, he buried himself in his books and began to study diligently.

As soon as the bell rang to end the morning assembly, the homeroom teacher walked into the classroom carrying a stack of mock test papers, with a "kind" smile on her face: "Students, the diagnostic test for the new semester is about to begin."

The exam papers came crashing down like a tidal wave, and the only sound in the classroom was the scratching of pens on paper. After a morning of non-stop exams, Yuzuru felt dizzy and his stomach was growling loudly.

Finally, lunch break arrived, and Yuuko, carrying his bento box, sat down on a bench in the school corridor with Sato Yuko. Opening the bento box, a beautifully presented sandwich, soft-boiled egg, chicken cutlet, tempura, and generously packed rice came into view; the aroma instantly dispelled some of their fatigue. The two ate and chatted, from the fun of the holidays to their anticipation for the new semester, making the atmosphere much more relaxed.

"Oh, right!" Sato Yuko suddenly lowered her voice, her eyes full of gossip, "I have a childhood friend from the tennis club, and he said... apparently Yukimura-senpai got married!!"

"Huh? Really?" Yuzuru paused, his hand holding the chopsticks still calm, but a ripple of emotion stirred within him. "Do you know who it is?"

"I don't know, maybe she's a senior from another school," Sato Yuko guessed, resting her chin on her hand.

"Hmm..." Yuzuru replied casually, but thought to himself: The news travels fast. Luckily, he had discussed it with his teacher beforehand and decided not to change his surname on his student record for the time being, planning to announce the change of his surname to his husband's after graduation, otherwise he would probably be surrounded by people right now.

The afternoon exams were still packed, and Yuzuru forced himself to stay focused until the school bell rang, at which point he finally breathed a sigh of relief. His classmates packed their bags and headed off to their clubs or home in groups.

Yuzuru enrolled in the Chinese club, which includes three roundtable discussions each week and the submission of a handwritten Chinese poem; the rest of the time is relatively free. But today is the first day of school, and she thought she should at least show up to avoid being constantly nagged by the Chinese club president, Hayata An.

Picking up his phone, Yukimura's message arrived just then: "Wait for me to finish, let's go home together." Yuzuru's lips curled into a smile, and his fingers flew across the keyboard as he replied "Okay," then opened Miyamoto Mina's message.

"Hanyu! I saw Tezuka-kun at Seigaku today. I heard he's transferring schools to a tennis club in Germany!"

"Huh? Tezuka-kun?" Yuzuru was somewhat surprised. "Going to Germany should be a great opportunity. Tezuka-kun has always been a steady and reliable person, so there shouldn't be any problems."

"Waaaaah, but he's gone!" Miyamoto Mina's voice was filled with despair. "When will I be able to inherit the great Tezuka's brain? Even just a third of it, and I can safely pass this placement test!"

"It's okay, Mina, do your best, you can definitely do it." Yuzuru replied with a smile, typing words of comfort on the screen.

"I'm done talking, the club has to go for a meeting, I'm leaving now, talk to you later, Yuzuru!"

After putting down her phone, Yuzuru headed to the Chinese Language Club. After a brief meeting, she went straight towards the tennis club. From afar, she could hear the crisp sound of rackets hitting the ball; the tennis club members were diligently practicing their basic skills. Yuzuru found a large, leafy tree to sit under, took out her textbook, and, taking advantage of the early hour, began to preview her new lesson.

After an unknown amount of time, Yuzuru rubbed his sore neck and looked up to see the sun gradually setting in the west. The tennis club's training was also nearing its end. Yukimura, wearing his team uniform, stood with his arms crossed, talking calmly with Renji Yanagi and Genichiro Sanada.

Perhaps her gaze was too focused, for Yukimura suddenly turned to look at her. The moment their eyes met, a gentle smile appeared in his eyes, and he slowly raised his hand to wave at her. Renji Yanagi and Genichiro Sanada followed his gaze and nodded to Yuzuru as a greeting.

The setting sun painted the sky a warm orange-pink, and birds flew across the horizon. Yukimura strode over to Yuzuru and naturally took her bag: "Is it over?"

"Hmm," Yuzuru stood up and patted the corner of his clothes.

Yukimura took her hand, his fingertips warm. "Let's go home."

The two walked side by side on their way home, their shadows stretched long by the sunset.

The days after the start of the school year felt like they were on fast-forward, so busy that it was hard to breathe. Yukimura threw herself into the dual rhythm of studying and tennis training, her focus in the classroom and her sharpness on the court intertwining to outline the tall and upright figure of the young man; Yuzuru was not to be outdone, not only dealing with heavy schoolwork, but also shouldering the expectations of the Chinese club - with her solid Chinese skills, she was selected as a representative of Rikkai University to compete in the National Youth Chinese Recitation Competition.

When selecting the piece, Yuzuru carefully considered the vast amount of manuscripts before finally settling on "Echoes from Distant Mountains".

She had read this passage in her past life, then dismissing it as someone else's expression of homesickness, shrouded in a faint sense of detachment. But now, in a foreign land, every word felt like a warm needle, gently piercing the softest corner of her heart.

"This is it," she said softly, hoping her voice could travel across mountains and seas and gently echo in the direction of her hometown.

From then on, Yuzuru's life was filled with meticulous preparations. She scrutinized the pronunciation and meaning of each word and phrase, memorized the entire text thoroughly, and even pondered the rhythm of her breathing repeatedly.

Every day after school, while others rushed to the playground or went home, she went into the Chinese club's training room and practiced again and again under the teacher's guidance, her eyes focused and determined. Two hours passed in the blink of an eye, and by the time she walked out of the club building, the sky had already been soaked by night, and the stars hung sparsely in the sky.

On a bench near the Chinese club, there was always a familiar figure waiting. After finishing his tennis practice, Yukimura would sit there quietly, smelling faintly of peaches after his workout shower, sometimes flipping through his textbooks, sometimes just gazing in the direction of the club building.

Seeing Yuzuru come out, he immediately stood up and naturally took the heavy file bag from her: "Are you tired today?"

"It's alright, just a bit dry in my throat." Yuzuru rubbed his throat, his eyes showing a hint of fatigue, but unable to hide his gleam.

Yukimura took out some warm honey water from his bag and handed it to him: "Drink slowly, let's go home." The two walked side by side in the night, the streetlights casting long shadows of them. Occasionally, a cool evening breeze would blow by, bringing a sense of peace and tranquility.

The prefectural tournament was held at the Kanagawa Theater. That day happened to be a crucial match for the tennis club in the prefectural tournament, and Yukimura could not be there in person. He could only repeatedly tell them, "Don't be nervous, just play normally."

Mio's mother specially brought a video camera to record this important moment for Yuzuru.

Under the spotlight, Yuzuru Hanyu, dressed in a white shirt and black pleated skirt, stood in the center of the stage, his figure slender yet upright.

Her voice was usually gentle and ethereal, with a hint of delicate charm, but when the background music started, she deliberately lowered her voice, and every word was filled with deep emotion. "That's my hometown!" A clear and powerful cry, full of longing and yearning, echoed in the empty hall for a long time.

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a brief silence, followed by thunderous applause that lasted for a long time. Mio's mother, holding a camera, her eyes slightly red, captured Yuzuru's radiant appearance.

After winning the county championship, Yuzuru fought his way through the competition, making it to the Kanto Championship and then the National Championship.

From then on, whenever Yukimura had free time, he would drop everything and rush to the venue for every match. He carried a camera, and the lens always followed the figure on the stage, carefully recording her every smile, every word, and every gesture.

Sometimes it was the way she slightly furrowed her brows to adjust her breathing, sometimes it was the moment her eyes shone like stars. He cherished those images and sounds, imprinting them deeply in his mind.

The national finals were held at the Tokyo Hall. Family and friends who had come to support him sat in the audience, and Yukimura sat in the front row, his eyes fixed on the stage.

When Yuzuru's voice rang out again, carrying with it the longing that transcends mountains and seas and the perseverance that lasts day after day, the entire audience was immersed in the atmosphere she created.

Finally, at the moment the host announced the winner, Yuzuru stood under the spotlight, looking at the crowd cheering for her below the stage, and tears welled up unexpectedly.

My dearest parents, my former hometown, can you see me? Can you hear me? My voice has truly traveled across mountains and rivers.

After the competition, her family held a lively celebration banquet for Yuzuru, and the Chinese club also organized a dinner party. She was surrounded by blessings and laughter. But when the festivities subsided, Yuzuru returned home and seemed inexplicably downcast, with a lingering sense of melancholy in her eyes.

Night fell, and the bedroom was bathed in a warm, dim light. After a while, Yukimura, having lingered and played with her, shed the fatigue and noise of the day, and the two of them, panting, lay down in each other's arms.

He tightened his arms around her, holding her close, his chin resting on the top of her head, his voice gentle yet firm: "No matter what, I'll be there for you in the future."

Yuzuru buried her face in his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat. Her tense emotions finally relaxed, and tears silently soaked his clothes. She nodded gently, her voice choked with emotion: "Yes, thank you, Seiichi."