Chapter 115 Moving Forward Together

The backstage area of ​​Tokyo Dome was bustling with activity, but somewhere, Yuzuru Hanyu had quietly entered his own world of concentration. He squatted in the preparation area, his clean white skates casting a soft glow under the light from the floor. He lowered his head, his fingers swiftly threading the laces, tightening the buckle one loop at a time before tying a knot with a clean, crisp motion. It was a movement he'd mastered over the years, his muscles memorized the rhythm, but today, his movements were a bit more hurried than usual. A mixture of excitement and nervousness surged through his chest, leaving even his fingertips imbued with an impatience.

Today, he finally gets to skate at Tokyo Dome. This dream venue, this ice surface custom-made for him, is right before his eyes, waiting for him to step onto it.

Yuzuru Hanyu laced his shoes, stood up, and jumped to make sure they fit. His toes tapped the ground with a crisp sound. Without further delay, he straightened his back and strode towards the ice. The pristine white ice, illuminated by the thousands of lights overhead, shimmered in a shimmering blue, like a tranquil lake, waiting for him to step onto it. He leaned down, his fingertips gently touching the ice, as if to comfort, but also as a request: "Please, today too."

He took off his skates and stepped onto the ice. There was no roughness from being worn by anyone, only a smooth, almost silky feel. This was his stage.

He gave a light kick, and the wind whistled past his ears. The entire Tokyo Dome seemed to make way for his figure.

After the skating, he raised the microphone and bowed deeply to the ice-making team on the sidelines. His voice was full of sincere warmth: "Thank you all for making such a good ice surface for me, thank you." He turned and bowed to the music control console on the other side, "Thank you to everyone in the music team too." Then he cast his gaze towards the center console farther away.

Looking across the ice, he could only see the blurry figures on the center console, their silhouettes cut into a series by the light. But he immediately recognized the short-haired figure wearing a rose-colored mask as Teacher Mikiko. The figure next to her, whose face was almost entirely hidden by a white mask, was none other than his girlfriend, Raku Suginohara, who had argued with him at home that morning.

Before going out in the morning, Yuzuru Hanyu just finished looking at the calendar, and the rehearsal scene of the exhibition skating in Beijing a year ago popped into his mind. He couldn't help but laugh and tease Le who was still sitting at the dining table eating breakfast.

"Do I need to stay away from you today?" He lowered his voice and pretended to be serious.

Le looked up at him with a bewildered expression, a freshly bitten baguette in his mouth, his cheeks still puffed up, his eyes hazy with confusion. It was as if he hadn't understood what he was saying, or as if he hadn't woken up from a dream yet.

"Exhibition skating, last year, in Beijing," Yuzuru Hanyu reminded.

A few key words awakened her memory, and Le finally rolled her eyes and snorted in disgust.

"Just hold a grudge."

At that time, she hadn't swallowed the breakfast in her mouth yet, and the scolding was lingering in her mouth, and she couldn't continue. Even more so, there was no chance to continue their small quarrel, which could have lasted the entire morning - because Hasegawa called again on time.

Now, standing on the ice, he saw her standing at the center console, the lights framing her familiar figure. That mischievousness resurfaced.

"And everyone over there, those involved in the project, hi~~~~"

He smiled like a naughty child, waving his arms vigorously at the center console, greeting loudly and conspicuously.

There seemed to be a commotion among the crowd in the distance, and someone was obviously looking down for something. Before Le raised the microphone, Yuzuru Hanyu had already turned his face away contentedly and turned to greet the lighting technician. His movements were brisk and playful, leaving her no chance to fight back.

After skating twice around the entire ice, Yuzuru Hanyu seemed to be completely ignited by the pure ice. The wind in his ears, the scrape of blade against ice, and the familiar rhythm in his body gradually rose. He skated faster and faster, his steps naturally connecting with the preparatory movements for the jump. His body had entered a trajectory that belonged only to him, and in the next second, he was almost airborne.

Just as he was gathering his strength, a cold and unpredictable voice rang out from the venue, interrupting his movements neatly and decisively.

"Hanyu, the ice is not suitable for jumping today. Please take your positions and begin your walk."

A voice came from the microphone on the center console, echoing throughout the gymnasium through the PA system. It was Suginohara Raku's voice.

Yuzuru Hanyu hadn't anticipated her sudden words at this crucial moment. He paused, leaning forward slightly, barely managing to maintain his balance, and awkwardly skidding across the ice in a small braking arc. He steadied himself, but with a touch of frustration, he looked down at the foot that had nearly taken him off the ground.

And at this moment, the microphone that should have been turned off was not completely muted, and what came out was a chuckle that was obviously not suppressed and a little breathy.

——Laughed happily.

The serious tone had barely faded when the sudden laughter, like a sudden gust of wind, swept through the venue, shattering the already tense atmosphere. The staff on the sidelines paused for a moment, then reacted after a few seconds, ducking their heads to stifle laughter—some even managed to cover their mouths and let out a soft chuckle.

Yuzuru Hanyu stood in the center of the venue, looking helplessly towards the center console, and replied in a low voice: "Okay, I understand." His tone was pretending to be well-behaved, and you could tell that he was smiling too.

As he slid to the designated position, he deliberately straightened his back, like a model student who was criticized by the teacher. His seriousness was a little too much, which caused a burst of laughter in the audience.

The atmosphere thus relaxed a lot. The first day of rehearsal, which had seemed heavy due to the intense work, went on perfectly amid this interruption and laughter.

Suginohara Raku stood at the center console, his gaze fixed on the ice. Yuzuru Hanyu executed each movement precisely as instructed, changing costumes, positioning himself, and turning to the rhythm of her stopwatch. Every step of the simulated performance was clean and seamless, without a single delay. His movements coordinated with the lighting and sound effects almost perfectly, and every skate carried a sense of pressure and guidance. He was born to be on this stage.

Tension and excitement surged in her chest like two tides. She tried hard to suppress her emotions and not let them leak out in the commands on the console.

Until that scene appeared——

Yuzuru Hanyu donned his signature pure white coat, its down-like texture gleaming brightly under the interplay of lights and lasers. He stood atop the platform, arms outstretched, his movements reminiscent of the proud yet solitary white swan in his memory. The lights cast a halo of feathers, scattering like snowflakes across the empty arena, creating a dreamlike illusion.

Le almost held his breath, his fingertips unconsciously curled into fists around the edge of the device panel.

Just like this -

Keep going until the show is done; just like that, slide step by step to the end.

She silently prayed in her heart. Almost every staff member in the venue, in their own way, silently and solemnly made the same wish.

But in this moment of breathless concentration, a sudden crack broke the balance.

Yuzuru Hanyu fell down.

He was about to perform a difficult skating turn, but when he landed on the edge, his body lost balance slightly and fell heavily to the ice. He slid a short distance, making a sharp scraping sound.

In an instant, everyone exclaimed.

"Is Hanyu-kun okay?"

"Is there something wrong with the action just now?"

Voices rose and fell from all directions, some whispering questions, others shouting in panic, the emotions spreading like ripples throughout the stadium. Some paused their work, some stood on tiptoe to gaze at the ice, and still others tried to judge Yuzuru Hanyu's expression.

He, however, struggled to stand up, a reaction silently recreated from countless past competitions. His expression remained impassive as he slowly stood up, brushed off the ice chips, looked around, and nodded gently to those around him, "It's okay," even offering a smile.

He stood straight, but only he knew that the pain in his waist made him almost grit his teeth to maintain his smile.

The commotion in the museum gradually died down.

——Sure enough, he still managed to deceive everyone.

But the sudden and rapid footsteps were not covered up by this calmness.

"Click, click, click—"

A familiar figure scurried down the stairs from the center console, sprinting down them in two steps, almost without hesitation through the empty stands and corridors. Like a gust of wind, Suginohara Raku swept down the stairs, grasping the railing and leaping down, heading straight for the ice.

Yuzuru Hanyu stood there in a daze, watching her sprint toward him from the stands. His white lambskin jacket swayed gently in the laser beam, and the light blue square emblem on his chest gradually became clearer as she approached. Only then did he seem to come to his senses and skate towards her.

He stopped in front of her and was about to speak when he suddenly felt a lump in his throat. The corners of his lips trembled slightly, but he couldn't squeeze out the words "I'm fine".

"How is it?" She ran up to him and asked in an unquestionable tone, while pulling off the white mask on her face, revealing her slightly red cheeks and tense brows.

"...My back pain isn't normal," he admitted in a low voice, unable to hide the frustration in his tone.

"Does it hurt when you move?"

He was silent for a moment, his eyes dodging for a moment, and then he nodded, his movements showing obvious hesitation and unwillingness.

"Then let's end the rehearsal." She spoke almost without hesitation, turned around and raised her hand to signal the staff to hand over the microphone.

But he gently pulled her arm.

"But I haven't had a complete rehearsal yet," he lowered his voice, as if suppressing something, "The performance is tomorrow. But there's still halfway... and I haven't tried it yet... I..."

He choked up mid-sentence. His eyes flushed red, like an adult trying to maintain composure, but in the moment he admitted his fear, he became more like an anxious child.

Le looked back at him, her eyes free of reproach, only calm and resolute. She reached out and gently placed her hand over his, which was nervously tugging at her arm, and patted it slowly.

"I believe in you." Her tone was gentle but firm. "I watch you practice the entire program twice a day. I know better than anyone that you can do it. I believe in you. Don't you believe in yourself?"

The microphone was then brought to her. Instead of taking it to speak, she passed it to Hanyu Yuzuru and raised an eyebrow, as if to say, "You decide."

He looked at her raised eyebrows, took a deep breath, took the microphone and nodded.

Turning back to the center of the ice, he raised the microphone, his voice steady but slightly choked:

"Everyone, today's rehearsal may only end here. I will try my best to get back into shape. The rest... may depend on you all. Thank you for your hard work."

After saying this, he wanted to bow as usual, but as soon as he bent down, the pain in his waist made him stagger. In the end, he could only lower his head deeply and stay in that arc for a long time.

No one spoke.

The whole audience was silent, but it was heavier than any applause.

The silence of a few seconds seemed to freeze the air.

Suddenly, someone broke the silence and shouted, "No problem, leave it to me!"

The sound exploded in the huge stadium, like a fuse that ignited some kind of emotion. Then, sounds echoed from every corner of the venue.

"There's no problem on my end!"

"Don't worry!"

The voices merged into a warm and powerful response, surging like a tide towards Yuzuru Hanyu standing on the ice.

His eyes suddenly became moist, and tears threatened to burst out as he fought to hold them back. He tried to clench his teeth, but still couldn't stop the sour taste from welling up in the back of his throat. He didn't dare look up, fearing that the tears would fall.

At this moment, a hand reached out quietly and gently hooked his fingers.

He was stunned for a moment, turned around and saw Le.

She was already standing beside him, having walked onto the ice without him noticing when. Her warm fingers gradually wrapped around his slightly cool knuckles, eventually interlocking their fingers and holding tightly.

"It's okay."

Her voice was so soft, almost loud enough for only him to hear, but it was like the most stable anchor, sinking into the turbulent sea of ​​his heart.

His tears finally fell silently at that moment.