Chapter 28 Christmas Eve
The All Japan Championships always fall on Christmas Day, as if stubbornly adhering to some subtle pattern. But this year, Yuzuru Hanyu wasn't the only one missing out on Christmas. Suginohara Raku was also tied up in the project team.
December 24th is Christmas Eve, and it's also a crucial rehearsal day. Today, we're testing the connections between several programs, and with so many people involved, the schedule is a bit unpredictable. It's already 6 p.m., and the rehearsal hasn't finished yet. Le is working in the gym, constantly pulling his phone out of his pocket to check the time.
Has his game started?
At the Saitama Arena, Yuzuru Hanyu, having changed into his karsten, sat in the locker room for final adjustments. There were no pre-tournament messages from Le Dingdian, only a brief phone call earlier. She said she had important work to do today and wouldn't be able to check her phone. Amidst the urging voices around her, she quickly said, "Minus けないで!" and hung up.
Actually, there is no need to do that. Just focus on her own business.
Yuzuru Hanyu scrolled through his LINE chat history, thinking. After all, he had said everything he wanted to say on the day of the draw.
Yuzu: [Selfie] The trophy has shrunk. PS: The draw is over. The 24th is perfect for the match day.
[Raku: JSF is so stingy. You have to return the big trophy. You have to bring such a big thing back for the lottery every year. It really works hard for you.]
Yuzu: That's actually quite thoughtful. After all, five large trophies would still take up too much space. Small trophies are much more convenient.
[Raku: You're right. PS. Wearing a suit makes you look quite muscular~]
Yuzu: Eh! Are you saying I'm fat? My weight is still within the normal range!
Raku: "You look better in a suit than before! I don't understand this, Hanyu! Something's wrong with you! Are you nervous? That shouldn't be the case~ Isn't it just a full-day event?"
Yuzu: Is it good? I'm a little shy when you say that. It's only a full-day trip, but it's about whether I can go to Beijing, so I can't help but feel a little nervous.
【Raku: If it's Yuzuru Hanyu, there's no problem! As always, negative! 】
"Yeah! Come on! I won't lose!" Yuzuru Hanyu muttered to himself. He decisively turned off his phone, closed his eyes, and took a final breath. He tucked his phone into the inner pocket of his backpack and zipped it up. He reached out and grabbed Pusan, who had been lying nearby, tucked him into his arms, and pushed open the locker room door.
"Hanyu's score was 111.31 points."
Sitting in the taxi, Le watched the match replay on her phone. Only after hearing this announcement did she finally relax her clenched fists. Even though she had already received the news from Yuzuru Hanyu, she still wanted to see his performance in person.
The taxi drove past a shopping district adorned with Christmas lights. By the time it reached the neighborhood, the Christmas atmosphere was almost gone. Christmas Eve seemed like just another ordinary, quiet night. The car stopped steadily at the entrance of the complex. Her favorite Christmas music played in her headphones as she walked home, head bowed, stepping through the snow.
Christmas Eve fell on a Friday this time. Guan Yue and Fang Li had already planned a romantic weekend getaway, so no one would be home today. Even so, Le habitually looked up when he could see his own window, and froze in his tracks.
The windowsill, which should have been dark, was lit up by a string of star lights. There were no fancy colors or flashing functions, just simple warm yellow lights, as if the stars that lit up the entire building were hanging there.
[The Moon Can't Be Confined: Lele, you haven't come home yet? It's almost 11 o'clock. If you don't come home, Christmas Eve will be over!]
Le clutched the phone to his chest as he read the message and hurried home. The house wasn't completely dark; a small Christmas tree with colorful lights hanging from it in the living room added a touch of warmth. Turning on the lights, he discovered several beautifully wrapped gifts beneath the tree.
The ringing of the cell phone broke the empty silence.
"Le Le, are you home yet? I sent you a message but you ignored me!" Guan Yue's anxious voice came from the other end of the phone. After hearing Le Le's slightly nasal reply, she was obviously relieved. "Are you touched? Let me make it clear, I won't take credit for anything! But, the Christmas tree was my idea and Fang Li and I took care of it. As for the star lights, we were just responsible for hanging them up. You can ask your champion for anything else~"
After saying that, she hung up the phone.
In fact, even without Guan Yue saying it, she knew that this star lantern must have been chosen by Yuzuru Hanyu.
"Don't underestimate this IKEA lamp because it looks ordinary. This warm yellow color hanging on the windowsill is the warmth left for the family during the long and dark winter nights, waiting for everyone to come home and reunite." On Christmas Day in 2017, Yue explained to Yuzuru Hanyu the significance of these decorations while directing him to hang the lights in his dormitory.
Yuzuru Hanyu's video call came at the perfect time, as Le was opening a present.
The soft and furry scarf was taken out and put on her neck. It looked just as beautiful as he had imagined. The red color set off her fair skin, and the furry wrapping looked very warm.
"And don't forget your hat and gloves. Keep warm and don't get sick again!" he urged in the video, as Le opened another gift box. Inside was a box of Fazer gingerbread and a box of pinwheel cookies. He continued, as if explaining, "I imagine you might be very busy this year and don't have time to make these treats yourself. But it wouldn't be Christmas without gingerbread and pinwheel cookies, right?"
"Do you really have to repeat the card you wrote?" Le smiled and shook the card in his hand towards the camera.
Across from her, Yuzuru Hanyu pouted, but didn't calm down. As she unpacked the third gift box and pulled out a bottle of non-alcoholic Glogi, he continued, "This is the non-alcoholic version for you! So don't make it yourself. You fall asleep too quickly after drinking red wine!"
As Yuzuru Hanyu spoke, he recalled Christmas 2017.
That year, Le stayed alone in Tokyo instead of returning to Finland. Perhaps feeling lonely spending the holidays alone, she invited Yuzuru Hanyu, who had withdrawn from the All-Japan Games, to her Tokyo apartment. The small, one-person apartment was adorned with Christmas decorations, the warm aroma of ginger-baked goods filled the air, and a black-and-white American film, "It's a Wonderful Life," played on the computer on her desk. Le brought out two steaming drinks and handed one to him.
"This is the Glogi we must drink on Christmas. The non-alcoholic version is for the kids." After saying this, she proudly patted the top of Hanyu Yuzuru's head who was lying on the kotatsu table.
"How can a child be allergic to alcohol?" The [child] protested, shaking his head like a puppy.
Le didn't argue with him and sat down on the side of the kotatsu, taking a sip from his own cup of mulled wine. The cinnamon and orange aromas, or the slightly bitter taste of the wine, quickly warmed his body. Between the kotatsu and the movie music, he soon felt drowsy.
After Hanyu finished a task with his Switch, Yuzuru looked up to find Le asleep on the table. Glancing at the half-empty glass of mulled wine in her glass, he couldn't help but laugh. He put down his Switch and grabbed his phone, ready to take a picture to use as evidence to mock her for being a "not-so-powerful adult" tomorrow.
He held the phone and almost lay on the table, moving closer. In the camera, Le's eyelashes trembled slightly under her even breathing, and the obvious blush on her cheeks softened the edges of her face like a soft light under the light. The camera zoomed in and seemed to be able to feel the fleshiness of her cheeks.
I kind of want to pinch...
A world champion with a knack for action, he followed his instructions. He reached out and gently pinched her cheek. Because of the alcohol, her cheek felt slightly warm under his fingertips. Perhaps he hadn't used enough force, but Le let out a soft moan, startling him so much that he flinched back, his ears red. She didn't wake, but simply adjusted her sleeping position.
She was sleeping so soundly that even the noise Yuzuru Hanyu made when he clumsily carried her back to the house didn't wake her. She even found a comfortable position in his arms. Thinking of this, Yuzuru Hanyu's face grew hot, and he said more seriously, "Anyway, save your red wine for when I'm around. You're so unsafe!"
"Oh... I've been very busy lately and I didn't plan to cook." Le answered as a matter of course.
Although Yuzuru Hanyu didn't have a competition tomorrow, it was still part of his schedule, so the two didn't say much and quickly ended the video call. Le checked the international package delivery status again and sighed softly. She gazed at the star-shaped lights on the windowsill, took a piece of gingerbread from the box, and put it in her mouth. The crisp texture and the taste of ginger and brown sugar were exactly the taste of Christmas in her memory. It was a taste she had always strived to capture during these years of being alone in a foreign land.
[Marrku: Merry Christmas! I hope everything is going well for you in China. Remember to call Feng and me when you have time. I hope you meet a lucky young person who will make you happy this year.]
The message from Finland lit up the phone, and Le read it and replied with a smile.
【Raku: Maybe he has already met me.】
Perhaps it was a lucky Christmas, but on December 26th, Le not only received the good news that his international package had been signed for, but also unexpectedly got a half-day off. Being able to sit at home and watch his game live, Le felt much more at ease.
Unfortunately, luck did not seem to be able to be transmitted to Yuzuru Hanyu who was far away in Japan, and his 4A did not land smoothly on the ice.
Le sat on the sofa, clutching her phone, staring blankly at the message box. She'd already deleted it several times, but she still hadn't figured out what to say. While she was hesitating, a pale green new message bubble appeared on the screen.
Yuzu: Ah! What a pity! I was a bit anxious. If I could control the rhythm a little more and slow down the speed a little, I should be able to get a 4A.
The familiar regret made Le feel relieved.
[Raku: But you're the champion~ That's why Miss 4A wants you to come to Beijing~]
Yuzuru Hanyu in Japan couldn't help but curl his lips when he saw the reply on his phone. Yeah, now that Beijing was the final destination, he just had to give it his all!
Thinking of this, Yuzuru Hanyu suddenly felt his blood boil, and he packed his bag more quickly. He reached out and grabbed the corner of the towel, and with a firm pull of his wrist, he was about to stuff it into his bag. He didn't notice that the phone he had just placed on the towel fell to the ground.
"ah!"
The junior players who were passing by the rest area heard the screams from their seniors. They looked over and saw Hanyu senior, who was only wearing one shoe and squatting on the ground, carefully checking his mobile phone.
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