Chapter 43: Skilled Workers

The temperature in March is much warmer than in winter, but the nights are still very cold. At this time of year, there are fewer people on the road, especially on the small roads in residential areas.

But on the side path of Suginohara's house, a slender figure lingered for a long time.

Yuzuru Hanyu looked down at the row of read messages in his LINE chat box, but he hadn't received any response from Le, and his phone call remained unanswered. Heat emanated from his loose collar and slender neck, reflecting off the streetlights like a manifestation of his anxiety.

Just after Le left angrily, he finally understood what was going on from his parents' scolding.

Feng told me that she doesn't really support Le and you dating. We didn't discuss the specific reasons. She said she wouldn't stop you, but she wouldn't change her opinion of your relationship just for my sake.

His mother's words were concise and to the point, and the clever Yuzuru Hanyu quickly grasped the spirit of the words.

He also found out what he wanted to know, although he didn't learn it directly from Le.

The phone was still busy, and Yuzuru Hanyu hung up the phone in frustration. He looked up at the window, and a rather unreliable idea came to his mind.

Yuzuru Hanyu sent many messages, and Le did indeed read them and then hung up her phone, rejecting the calls as well. But she hadn't answered the last few calls. Her phone lay lonely on the desk. No one was in the room; the owner had gone to take a shower and hadn't returned yet.

Amid the roar of the hair dryer, Le was looking at himself in the mirror where the fog had not yet dissipated, thinking about what happened today.

Yuzuru Hanyu was definitely upset when he was pushed away so directly during the video call. However, the last time he argued with his mother over the video call was because of Yuzuru Hanyu. If he suddenly appeared in the video call, who knows if there would be another unpleasant incident.

The last argument with my mother is still fresh in my mind.

"Le, I never meddle in any of your relationships because you're always sober in relationships and wouldn't change your choices for anyone. But why you've chosen to return to Japan to develop your career is something only you know."

Yuzuru Hanyu was one of the reasons for her return to Japan, but not the only one. After comprehensive consideration, she felt Japan was the more suitable place for her development. However, since her mother had already mentioned this, further explanation seemed pointless, and she didn't want to continue arguing. The unpleasant call ended after Feng had said this.

I dried my hair and returned to the room. The room was still quiet.

Le opened the phone that was lying on the table, and the messages from Yuzuru Hanyu and the missed call notifications almost covered the entire lock screen interface.

clang--

A crisp sound came from outside the window, startling Le, who was concentrating on reading messages on her phone. "Could it be a bird that hit the window?" she thought nervously, not daring to open the curtains.

After a while, the same sound was heard again.

This time she heard it clearly, as if something hard had hit the glass. It didn't sound like a bird, and it wasn't likely that a bird would hit the window so late at night.

After making a judgment, Le finally mustered up the courage to open the curtains.

Outside the window was the sidewalk, beneath the streetlight his grandfather had hung himself. Yuzuru Hanyu was raising a stone, preparing to throw his third. He saw the drawn curtains and Le peering in, and quickly dropped the stone, pulled his phone from his pocket, and called her again.

The call was connected almost the moment the busy tone sounded.

"What are you doing?" Before he could say anything, Le spoke first.

"I called you so many times but you didn't answer, and you didn't reply to my messages. So I came to find you."

"Then come in. It's not like Grandpa won't open the door for you."

"Um..." He scratched his ear and tidied the hair beside his ear with a bit of embarrassment, "I think it's better if we don't let Grandpa Sosuke and Grandma Keiko misunderstand that we had a quarrel."

"You were the one who got angry first..." Le muttered softly.

"It's because you didn't tell me anything. Even things that my parents knew, I didn't know." Yuzuru Hanyu said this, looking up at her stubbornly under the streetlight. A floor away, and wearing a mask, he couldn't see clearly, but she could see the expression on his face that said, "We didn't argue."

"In short, I will make Aunt Feng recognize me! So, don't be embarrassed or worry. I'll take care of everything!" He suddenly patted his chest and looked up at the person in the window and said.

"puff--"

His solemn promise didn't move Le; instead, she started laughing. This made Yuzuru Hanyu feel a little frustrated and embarrassed. He ducked his feet and protested, "I'm serious! What are you laughing at?"

"I'm not in a difficult situation, and Mom didn't say she didn't approve of you. She's worried that I'll get carried away because of you. This is something I need to prove myself. Why are you taking on responsibility?" Le opened the window, leaned on the windowsill, and looked at him with a smile in her eyes.

Yuzuru Hanyu, who was standing downstairs, had a serious expression on his face and did not seem to be joking.

"First, close the window to avoid catching a cold," he said seriously. "Second, how could your situation have nothing to do with me? Besides, I was the one who asked you to date me, and I was the one who asked you to return to Japan. So you have to prove that you were right to come back, and I have to prove that I'm not a burden to you."

"Wait, I didn't go back to Japan for you!"

Not only did Le not close the window, but his words even infuriated him, his ears reddening as he leaned forward to argue. The dangerous look of him sticking half his body out startled Yuzuru Hanyu.

"Okay, okay, no, no! Go in quickly!" Seeing her obediently retreat back into the house and close the window, Yuzuru Hanyu patted his chest and breathed a sigh of relief, then continued talking on the phone, "Anyway, your problems are all related to me, whether you like it or not, that's it! If you encounter anything in the future, you must tell me directly, I want to be the first to know! Also, I must go with you to Tokyo, that's it! Go to bed! Good night!"

He finished his words in a rush, then simply hung up the phone, stuffed it back into his pocket, and left quickly. He put his hands in his trouser pockets, his hat pulled down low, and walked quickly as if he was afraid Le would call out to him.

By the time he got home, Yuzuru Hanyu was already covered in a thin layer of sweat. He tugged at the collar of his sweatshirt and swiftly pulled it off, slipping on a casual T-shirt. He also took a moment to check the Switch lying on the desk. The screen's glow had dimmed slightly, but it still stubbornly lit up. His owner had turned off the screen-off timer when he returned home that day.

The little people in Animal Crossing were still shaking their heads, completely oblivious to the fact that the flowerbed in front of them had been dug out long ago, and some of the decorations and furniture in the house had also been moved away.

Yuzuru Hanyu straightened his shirt, grabbed the Switch from the table, and sat cross-legged on the bed. He flicked the joystick to control his in-game self, examining the island. Looking at the empty island, he smiled and shook his head, then tossed the Switch aside and continued to play.

Soon, a visitor arrived on Yuzuru Hanyu's island. A little figure in a cute dress circled his tattered flowerbed, finally scattering a pile of colorful flowers onto the open space beside it. After scattering the flowers, the figure stood there for a moment, making no move to plant the flowers with a shovel. Instead, she ran into his room, dumped a bunch of furniture and ornaments, and finally walked away, pushing the door open.

As soon as the visitor left, the owner who was standing on the island in a daze suddenly came alive. He busily planted the bouquets that were scattered on the ground one by one in the flowerbed with a small shovel, and then went back to the house to put the scattered ornaments back in their places one by one.

After cleaning up the island, Yuzuru Hanyu finally quit the game and turned off the switch with peace of mind.

Ever since he started playing this game with Le, Hanyu Yuzuru discovered that Le liked to do bad things secretly when he was AFK, but most of the time he would just dig two bunches of his favorite flowers and that was it.

But that time, he had just returned to Japan from Stockholm, settled into his quarantine hotel, logged into the game, and had just taken a shower when he returned to the island, which was mostly empty. Only Le could do whatever he wanted on his island.

He had just video-called him. After the World Championships, Le hadn't answered his calls for several days, either saying he was busy or that he didn't want to disturb his rest. It was clearly an excuse, but Hanyu, who only reported good news and not bad news, felt guilty and had no choice but to accept it. That day's video call went through quickly.

"You went to my island to move things?"

"Huh? No~" She blinked her eyes, with an innocent look on her face, and immediately changed the subject, "Have you settled down in the hotel?

"

"Yeah, it's okay." He turned the camera around and briefly showed her the environment he was isolated in. When the camera turned back, Le's expression seemed different from when he first connected, although he couldn't quite put his finger on what was different.

The two exchanged a few words over video chat before hanging up. Just as Hanyu was about to exit the game, a small figure sneaked onto the island, carrying a small shovel and replanting the flowers for him one bunch at a time. After planting a few bunches of flowers, the figure turned around, dug them up again, and dumped the flowers next to the pit. The flowers were scattered all over the ground, and then everything they had taken was thrown back at his door. Satisfied, it circled around twice before leaving.

Yuzuru Hanyu, who was pretending to be idle, saw the entire operation clearly. He suddenly understood and laughed heartily, lying back on the bed.

From then on, whenever he felt guilty, he would log in and wait for the angry little thief to come and move the island. After all, it wouldn't be long before a soft-hearted little thief would return the items. Even if not, he could always find another opportunity to secretly move them back.

The little thief tonight was not soft-hearted, she just calmed down.

Yuzuru Hanyu's foot has been getting better lately, and his desire to skate has grown stronger. The day before yesterday, I accompanied him to rehab, and he was asking when he could skate again. While he was in the bathroom, Xiaojie took Le aside and explained his situation.

Now that his foot doesn't hurt anymore and he feels better, you must take good care of him. Whether he can recover fully depends on his recovery. It would be best to take him to the University of Tokyo Hospital for another checkup.

She also agreed with what Xiaojie said at that time. Coincidentally, she also had the contact information of the attending physician of Yuzuru Hanyu who was recuperating at the University of Tokyo Hospital in 2017. However, when she mentioned this matter,

"Doctor Suzuki? No... We can have a follow-up check in Sendai, why go to Tokyo? No, no." He shook his head like a rattle, leaving Le confused.

Seeing his resistance, Le didn't know what to say. Unexpectedly, an opportunity presented itself, giving her a reason to go to Tokyo. So, upon arriving at Hanyu's house, she secretly conspired with Aunt Yumi, coaxing him to go with her.

Although the process was tortuous, the result was not bad.