Chapter 33 A Perfect Valentine's Day

In the lobby of the venue, Mr. Noto was looking through his recent photos. Hanyu hadn't been seen in four days, and he'd mostly been photographing other athletes lately, but there hadn't been anything worth looking at. He took a sip of coffee from his paper cup, shook his head at the image on his camera's screen, and quickly pressed a few buttons with his right hand. The screen confirmed the deletion.

If we talk about the highest picture rate, it has to be Hanyu Hanyu.

“Noto-senpai! Noto-senpai!” A fellow photographer, a junior, ran over, shouting his name. “Hurry, Hanyu is at the auxiliary stadium!”

This news really shocked Mr. Noto. He reached out and put the coffee in his hand on the table and pushed it to an arm's length away from the camera. Then he began to hurriedly pack up the camera and materials. He patted his junior on the shoulder, and the two of them ran to the secondary venue with their bags on their backs.

Several international athletes were already practicing on the ice, but Yuzuru Hanyu's position was easy to spot. Just look at the direction the cameras were focused on, and you'll definitely see Hanyu. Mr. Noto looked around and found a spot he thought would be best for capturing Hanyu's image. He asked a junior to set up the tripod while he, camera in hand, began snapping away.

Yuzuru Hanyu, wearing a mask, rested his hands on his hips, his head tilted, as if contemplating what he was going to practice on the ice. The collar of his white Japanese team uniform with red patterns was slightly open, revealing his black training shirt. His hair was flowing, his bangs seeming to have grown a bit, slightly obscuring his features. Despite this seemingly static and casual pose, the entire venue was buzzing with the sound of shutter clicks.

Perhaps he was used to it, and even without headphones, the sound of the shutters did not disrupt his thoughts.

[Whether or not to break up with Bingmian, you need to discuss it with Bingmian yourself.]

This is what Le told him yesterday afternoon.

She was right. She had been skating for 23 years, and the ice had been with her for so long, a lifelong companion. She should have discussed any decision with him. Thinking of this, he nodded, as if confirming his own thoughts. He stood at the entrance of the rink, bent down, and touched the ice: "Long time no see, please."

He lifted his foot and took off the ice skate cover, muttered a few words to it, and then put it on the edge of the ice rink.

He began by slowly skating, stretching his body after three days of inactivity. After a few minutes, he removed his mask and put it in his pocket, then began to check the condition of his ankle and his basic pivot position. He took the painkillers prescribed by his doctor, and the pain in his ankle was only slight, tolerable, and he could clearly feel the condition of his foot.

all is well.

Mr. Noto watched through the camera as Hanyu's expression changed slightly. He glanced up at the ceiling as he skated, then lowered his head and seemed to mutter something to himself. His long experience photographing Hanyu told him to focus on capturing the moment.

Sure enough, he accelerated, jumped, and landed on the ice with his arms open, a beautiful delayed 1A.

A faint smile crossed his face, and he hopped twice on the ice, whether for pleasure or to check the strength of his ankle. Everyone around him stopped to watch, and for a moment, the only sounds in the arena were Yuzuru Hanyu's skating and the click of shutters. Suddenly, he turned around and leaped with a whoosh. The sound of his landing echoed throughout the arena. Then, he turned and leaped forward, landing beautifully. The shutter clicked, and everyone applauded.

I moved my eyes away from the small window of the viewfinder and looked at the few photos I had just taken on the display screen. As expected, Yuzuru Hanyu's 3A is always the most beautiful 3A.

In just that brief moment, he missed the brilliant smile of Yuzuru Hanyu.

As expected, fighting alongside old friends is the best feeling! Yuzuru Hanyu thought to himself as he began today's concert.

----

The children who will be skating for the opening performance are rehearsing on the ice. Le, standing in the stands, helps direct the children's movements through headphones. Children are always full of childlike innocence and energy, but the only challenge is that they need numerous on-site rehearsals to ensure perfect performances. Therefore, the executive team can only accompany the children in between major competitions to hone their programs.

She knew that today was Yuzuru Hanyu's first time on the ice since the competition, and she also knew that whenever he appeared, there would be cameras following him, so she could only trust him and devote herself to her work. After all, he was much more adept at these situations than she was.

After the final rehearsal and applause for the children, I began to wrap up. I looked up at the digital clock opposite me. It was already 5:50. His press conference must have started.

Two volunteers on the side were constantly checking their phones and discussing something from time to time.

"That's great, that's great, he didn't say he was going to retire."

"I'll tell you what! Someone with a sense of ceremony like him definitely wouldn't choose to announce his retirement at a press conference like this. He'd definitely announce it on the ice, right?"

"Huh? How can that be? That's too weird."

"Anyway, he's so kind that he knew to hold a press conference on Valentine's Day to let us know about him. Woohoo, Brother Niu really does love us!"

The chat between the two little girls was a bit funny, and the fans’ chat was even more... really interesting?

It seems Guan Yue isn't like that. Le was thinking about it when her message arrived. As expected, it wasn't to inquire about Hanyu Yuzuru's condition. Except for the day after the free skate, Guan Yue sent her a message asking about Hanyu's condition, but she never mentioned it again.

[The Moon Can't Sleep: Happy Valentine's Day, baby~ Did you prepare chocolate for your champion? ]

【LeLeRaku: Hmm? Chocolate?】

Moon Can't Sleep: You're unprepared! He told the interviewer he wanted chocolate!

Before the question was even posed, Guan Yue sent a video link. In it, Hanyu smiled at the camera and said, "Ah, I want to go back and eat chocolate and instant noodles."

[The Moon Can't Sleep: When I saw it, I thought, he must want to eat the chocolate you gave him!]

Oops! I completely forgot that on Valentine's Day in Japan, girls are supposed to give chocolates!

---

After finishing a series of interviews and returning to the hotel, it was almost midnight. Yuzuru Hanyu opened the door with a bouquet of roses in his hand.

Hanyu Yuzuru felt a bit sorry for not being able to spend their first Valentine's Day together, despite finally being in a different place. He was a bit disappointed not to see chocolate when he woke up that morning, but then he thought, after all, Le grew up in Finland, so maybe the customs are different.

Perhaps men should give their girlfriends roses? Having thought so, I asked my mother to buy a bouquet for me.

Only a few wall lamps were on in the room. An indeterminate program played on the TV, but no one was sitting on the sofa. Yuzuru Hanyu reached out to push against the automatic door, letting it gently close, and peered inside. Behind the small partition behind the sofa, the large double bed was occupied by Le, who was alone, using her computer and scattered documents. She had fallen asleep, propped up on the pillows at the head of the bed.

He brought the bouquet of flowers to Le's side. Her computer screen was black. She must have fallen asleep while working on something. Her hair, still slightly damp, was scattered on the bed. A few strands fell on the neckline of her pajamas. Her long eyelashes formed a small shadow under her eyes, as if to provide a transitional smudge for the dark circles she had been suffering from overwork in the past few days.

Yuzuru Hanyu pulled a corner of the quilt over her and helped her gather the papers that covered the bed. He placed them on the desk along with his computer, then noticed something on top: a box of Ferrero Rocher chocolates. On the floor lay a paper bag from the Olympic Village store, with a crumpled receipt inside. All this suggested the chocolates had been purchased in a hurry.

Even so, Yuzuru Hanyu happily picked up the chocolate, turning it over in his hands for a moment, then carefully tore off the wrapping tape, fearing the noise would wake the sleeper. The chocolate was silky smooth, the nutty aroma lingering between his lips and teeth, so sweet that he couldn't help but lower his head and kiss the sleeper.

"Huh? You're back?" Le was not sleeping soundly. Yuzuru Hanyu's breath was so close to her that it felt itchy on her face, causing her to wake up quickly.

"Well, happy Valentine's Day~" He hadn't completely swallowed the chocolate in his mouth, and his words were a little slurred, but Le could hear them clearly. The smile in his eyes was like a pool of gentle water, soaking the hearts of those who looked into it. Le's face still had the sleepiness of just waking up, and his voice was soft and sticky, smiling like a lazy cat.

He reached out and brushed away the strands of hair on her cheek, tucked them behind her ear along her forehead, and raised his hand to caress the dark circles under her eyes with his thumb. "You go to sleep, I'll go wash up." After saying that, he leaned over and gave her a chocolate-flavored kiss on the corner of her mouth, then got up and went to the bathroom.

When he came out of the bathroom drying his hair, Le Zheng was leaning against the head of the bed playing with the bouquet of flowers he brought back. The sleepiness on her face was completely gone, replaced by a sweet smile, as if she was thinking about something happy.

"Aren't you sleepy anymore?" he said as he sat down in front of her and scratched her nose.

"Did you know? In Finland, February 14th is Friends' Day, when friends give each other flowers. So this is the first time I've received flowers from my boyfriend on Valentine's Day. Thank you, Yuzuru~" After saying that, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

"Is this the first time you've received it?"

"Well, strictly speaking, this is my first Valentine's Day," Le said, lowering his head to play with the flower petals. "I used to think there was some strange law about me that meant no relationship could last until Valentine's Day..."

Before she could finish her words, Yuzuru Hanyu pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard, interrupting the story she was about to tell.

"Don't mention those people anymore. I'll get angry."

【The moon will always hang in the sky】

He seemed to have the scent of roses on him, and the sweetness of chocolate seemed to blend between their lips and teeth.

This Valentine's Day is perfect, with flowers, chocolates, dreams and determination, we have everything.