Chapter 113 Friendly Reminder
The morning light from the dance studio filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a hazy shadow on the wooden floor. The air was thick with the faint scent of pine. Dancers gathered in groups of three or four at the barre, each doing their own warm-up exercises. Some sat on the floor, stretching their legs, tapping their toes lightly to feel the stretch in their muscles. Others, holding onto the barre, performed small kicks, their insteps slicing smoothly into arcs, their ankles appearing slender and powerful in the morning light.
"The kotatsu in winter is so evil. I sit in it motionless and keep eating the rice cakes I brought back from my hometown. I feel like I have gained at least two kilograms now." A female dancer sighed helplessly while stretching her legs, which drew laughter from the people next to her.
"Don't worry, you'll feel thinner after today's morning class." Another person casually draped a towel over his shoulder, lifted one foot onto the barre, and gently massaged his calf with his fingers. After the New Year holiday, I always feel a little less flexible.
In the corner, Suginohara Raku was expertly wrapping a ribbon, stuffing her feet into her newly softened pointe shoes, and gently twisting her ankles.
"Eh? Senior, you came to the classroom early to warm up again today?" Although Lio said this, there was not much surprise in her tone. After all, she knew Senior's curling attributes too well. However, Suginohara Raku was stunned for a moment and quickly took off his pointe shoes, which scared her. "Senior, what are you doing..."
"I forgot... and I put it on accidentally." Le brushed the hair beside his ear awkwardly.
The pianist opened the door and entered. The familiar melodies flowed slowly from her fingertips, like a call. The dancers gradually stopped chatting, adjusted their postures, and took their respective positions. The first notes of the piano echoed softly in the room, the gentle melody like the morning light filtering through the pinewood floor, bringing a warm rhythm that awakened each dancer's body. Gathered around the barre, the dancers adjusted their stances, breathing in rhythmic rhythm, ready for another day of training.
"First position." The voice of the morning class instruction fell softly, and the dancers quickly got into the state, with their toes turned outward and their postures straight, as if a silent ceremony was about to begin.
Le Ye stood among them, holding onto the barre, adjusting her footing naturally, her muscles stretching habitually. But she could sense something wasn't right—she'd been aware of it since the previous night. During the co-choreography session, she'd hoped the exchange with the international choreographer would spark a spark of inspiration, but she repeatedly stumbled over the combination design, and her rhythmic control became hesitant, unlike her usual smooth flow. She tossed and turned that night, pondering the root of her problem. However, the night's troubles didn't dissipate in the morning light, instead leaving a dull, lingering sense of fatigue.
The piano melody continued to flow, and training officially began. The dancers executed the pliés smoothly to the rhythm, knees gently bent, backs straight, and their breathing became even as the movements progressed. Le's movements remained precise, her muscle memory preventing her from making basic mistakes. However, her footwork lacked the usual lightness and fluidity. It was as if an invisible resistance was pulling at her body, causing her to unconsciously lose a beat.
The dancers, holding onto the barre, practiced intently. The only sounds in the room were the soft scraping of their shoes against the floor and the chords played on the piano. However, when the music was in the tendu, the extension of the instep wasn't as smooth as usual, and there was a moment's hesitation as the toes retracted. While the movement wasn't flawless, it lacked the necessary strength and determination.
"Raku, instep." The voice of the morning class instructor fell gently and accurately into her ears.
Le was slightly startled, then quickly nodded and adjusted her movements for the next one. However, as the training progressed, she still noticed that her strength was unevenly distributed, the amplitude of the rond de jambe was slightly off, and the shift in her center of gravity even made Lio, who was standing next to her, look at her more with a hint of inquiry.
The piano music remained brisk and flowing, and the dancers stretched their limbs to the rhythm, smoothly completing one combination after another, like a continuous river, following the trajectory of the music. However, Le seemed to be standing in the river, trying to adjust his direction, but unable to fully integrate into this smooth flow.
She closed her eyes, trying to adjust her thoughts, but the troubles of last night still lingered in her mind. She needed to find a rhythm, a balance that would allow her to immerse herself in it. But at this moment, she was still trapped in that vague boundary, unable to fully return to her best state.
"Seniors also tend to slack off during their vacation..." During the break after finishing the barre, Lio joked while passing her pointe shoes, "Did you work too hard last night?"
"Oh...it is indeed very hard." Le answered seriously.
This answer left Lio unsure whether Le had grasped her joke. She blinked blankly, then, as the instructor urged the middle group into position, quickly tied the ribbons of her pointe shoes and stood in the center of the classroom. Behind Le, watching her toned and stretched back muscles perform each graceful movement to the music, she couldn't help but search for clues between her sweat-stained fair skin, to understand if the hardship was as hard as she'd imagined.
Yuzuru Hanyu was waiting in the NHK studios. The surrounding staff came and went, all absorbed in their work, making him stand out from the crowd. Even more so, a camera, recording behind-the-scenes footage, was following him closely. He was used to using mindfulness training to block out the external noise, but the formal suit hindered his muscle memory and natural reactions.
I feel uncomfortable, uncomfortable all over.
He'd already given the camera crew a room tour of the studio, and had exhausted all the praise he could muster. Hanyu glanced at the cameras, forced a smile and a "yeah" sign, then turned back to fiddling with his two gold medals.
At this time, the mobile phone handed over by Hasegawa became a life-saving straw.
Yuzuru Hanyu bowed and apologized to the photographer next to him, then walked away from the camera and started checking messages on his mobile phone.
[Raku: I won't be rehearsing with you tonight. I've already told Teacher Mikiko.]
Yuzu: Eh… why?
Yuzuru Hanyu replied with a pout. Gift was already in the final stages of polishing. While Mikiko-sensei could handle quality control, her smiley face always reminded him of the pressure from Coach Yamada. When they were having fun, the two of them would joke around, and while it was full of venom, it was still a bit more bearable.
【Raku: I'm not in good shape, even I hate myself. 】
[Yuzu: Uh...]
Sometimes, Hanyu Yuzuru could understand why Le wasn't particularly popular within the dance troupe. After all, someone as sharp-tongued and unknowingly sharp-tongued as her probably wouldn't be very popular in Japan. He shrank back and sent Le a message expressing his concern for her well-being.
"Has athlete Hanyu encountered any difficult problems?" The program director of News Every came to Hasegawa and asked.
"It should be nothing, just dealing with some of his personal matters. Is the show about to start? Then I'll remind him."
"Oh, that's not the case." The program director smiled and waved his hand. "It's a personal matter. Come to think of it, I thought he wouldn't come alone to participate in the NHK live program. Didn't he bring his family to the last Red and White Song Festival?"
"We have to thank NHK for the free tickets, which allowed Hanyu-san to bring his family along. Also, NHK has always respected his privacy and protected his family very well." Hasegawa said with a smile while observing the expression of the program director.
The other person, without a trace of embarrassment, smiled calmly and continued the conversation naturally. He explained how it was the first time he'd encountered a public figure like Hanyu who was so protective of the privacy of his family and friends, and the recent trending topic online about searching for Hanyu's girlfriend, who was seated at the Red and White Song Festival.
After talking for a long time, he finally noticed the stiffness on Hasegawa's face.
"Please don't mind, Mr. Hasegawa. I really admire Yuzuru Hanyu for keeping a clear distinction between public and private life. But I also hope you can understand that sometimes people make some assumptions out of inertia. For those of us who make TV programs, sometimes we face too many letters and questions, and it is inevitable that we need to make some explanations and inquiries for the audience." The program director explained himself with a smile.
This made Hasegawa squint his eyes. Just as he was about to ask a question, he was interrupted again.
"Of course, don't worry, the program of our live broadcast will not be changed. We are a serious news program." The person in charge laughed and patted Hasegawa's nervous back. "However, curiosity can be very troublesome if it is not guided...don't you think?" He raised an eyebrow and said, and stopped chatting with Hasegawa and turned around to do his own thing.
Hasegawa was left alone to savor this subtle conversation.
guide……
Doesn’t he want to?
But preparing for the gift was already overwhelming enough for him, and helping Yuzuru Hanyu connect with his 500-person team was nearly filling his worksheets. He couldn't even bear to read the unpredictable and overwhelming inquiries on social media, let alone the scheming media outlets. He was thankful that his boss, like him, was blocking them, but could some things really be avoided?
"What are you sighing about?" Yuzuru Hanyu poked Hasegawa's waist with his phone from behind, watching him jump in surprise and grinning like a triumphant little scoundrel. Seeing Hasegawa's grimace, which even his mask couldn't hide, he frowned, "What's wrong? You're not in a good mood today either?"
"Who else is in bad shape?" Hasegawa grasped a strange point.
"Let's have fun..." he said with a sigh, "Tonight's training..." Before he could finish his words, the voice of the live broadcast countdown called him over, and the key information left behind successfully led Hasegawa into a new reading comprehension question.
When Ms. Suginohara is in a bad mood, her patience seems to be particularly poor...
"Yuzuru Hanyu, can you control your nerve endings? This is like the Whomping Willow..."
Yuzuru Hanyu, are you the drum of Taiko no Tatsujin? Every note should vibrate through your body.
…
Hasegawa looked at Yuzuru Hanyu who was answering the host's questions obediently in front of the camera, but the sharp-tongued remarks he had heard before flashed through his mind uncontrollably. He tried hard to tighten the corners of his mouth to prevent himself from laughing out loud.
Looks like today will be another day for abdominal training.
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