Chapter 49: The Story of the Stars and the Moon
"Well, that's fine. I'm relieved then. You guys can rest."
Seeing the person on the other end of the video nodded and hung up first, Feng finally put the phone upside down on the sofa. She patted her chest, trying to calm down the panic she had just felt. She took the hot tea handed to her by Marrku, took a sip, and finally felt that the roller coaster of tension that had just been felt had finally come to an end.
"The travel restrictions will probably be over soon, so let's go back to Japan. You must miss Raku too." Marrku said calmly, as if he was talking about the weather.
"When did I say that?"
"It's all written all over your face from the video just now. And you still can't trust Yuzu? I see he's taking good care of Raku."
In the video just now, the two children's faces were squeezed into a small video frame. There was no bright light, but Feng could roughly see their expressions. Le's face looked normal, and he didn't seem to be frightened, which made her feel a lot more at ease.
Le wasn't a particularly courageous child. When they lived together in Tokyo, he'd always curl up in her arms during earthquakes. His childish voice would try to comfort Feng, whispering lessons he'd learned from kindergarten evacuation drills and reminding her to be careful.
It’s just that Le was too young at that time, and now he probably doesn’t remember anything.
Fortunately, earthquakes rarely occurred in the area where she lived for many years, so Feng no longer had to worry. Now...
Thinking of this, she sighed heavily.
"Whether she can be trusted or not is not something that can be determined in just a few moments. Although I believe Yumi can raise a good son, I am still worried about my daughter."
"I understand. You don't have to explain to me. I believe Raku understands too." Marrku patted Feng's shoulder.
The evenings in Finland in March are no longer as dark as they are around December. Instead, there is some sunset glow outside the window, like torches burning in the sky, which is very beautiful.
Back in Japan, it was already late at night. The power supply had basically been restored, and the restroom in the elementary school auditorium was now accessible, though one still had to walk through a dark corridor.
In the bathroom, Le lowered her head under the faucet and gently washed the bloodstains from her left hand with her right hand. Slowly wiping away the bloodstains, she turned on the faucet, picked up the flashlight by the sink, and without even glancing at the mirror, pushed the door open.
Outside the door, Yuzuru Hanyu was leaning against the wall, staring blankly with a flashlight. He went to meet her when he saw her come out.
"Why are you here?"
"The power in the corridor is not on because I'm afraid you'd be scared." Yuzuru Hanyu took her hand and led her towards the auditorium.
"I'm not scared." Le pouted.
"Really?" He suddenly stepped in front of Le, raised the flashlight to his chest, and let the light shine upwards from his chin.
"Ah!" Le subconsciously raised his hand and hit him, slapping his chest with his bandaged hand, making him grimace in pain.
"Are you stupid? Have you forgotten about the wound on your hand?" He hurriedly pulled her hand over and examined it with the flashlight. Seeing no more bleeding, he breathed a sigh of relief. It looked like the bandage was done well; the bleeding had stopped.
He walked ahead, flashlight in hand, his hand behind his back, gently hooking Le's finger as he led her toward the auditorium. They both walked quietly, barely making any noise in the quiet corridor. Suddenly, their hooked finger dropped empty. He turned to see Le, her head tilted to one side, gazing outside. It was past midnight, and the moon had slowly drifted from its prime position. Standing in the corridor, she could just see it through the eaves, its light pouring down from the roof, mesmerizing her.
"The moon is so bright today that I can't even see the stars." Le sighed to himself.
"It's because the power supply has been restored, so there are lights." Yuzuru Hanyu went over and rubbed Le's head. "I remember when the earthquake happened..."
"The sky is full of bright stars~" She interrupted him and looked up into his eyes.
He'd said this often before, ever since his first visit to Finland, when he and Le were chatting and stargazing on the balcony. Back then, he'd insisted it was the most beautiful starry sky he'd ever seen. Le hadn't quite figured out what he was talking about, but she refused to accept the term. So, she took him to the lake, pointed at the brilliant sea of stars, and declared that this was the most beautiful sky. He'd just shake his head and say it was different.
Now Le seemed to understand a little bit about the difference. How could the tranquility of nature and the silence after a disaster be the same? Even someone like Le who loved silence, at this moment, he wanted to hear more sounds.
Yuzuru Hanyu was embarrassed when she called him out for being too long-winded. He scratched his ear and said quibblingly, "I didn't say it so many times. It makes me sound like an uncle who likes to tell stories."
"It's okay. It's okay to tell some stories more than once." She took his hand. "I can continue your story from now on. Just say that you saw a very bright and beautiful moon that day."
Yuzuru Hanyu was stunned for a moment before he understood what she meant, and suddenly he choked up. He put his arm around her shoulders, leaned his head against hers, and murmured, "Not every story has to be told by you and me together."
"What does it matter? You're here anyway, aren't you?" She was too embarrassed to look at him, and her voice was as if she was talking to herself.
"Yes, I will definitely be here, always." His firm and clear promise did not receive a response from Le, which made him feel a little uncomfortable. "Why don't you say something?"
"What did I say? Oh, I'm sleepy. Go back to bed."
After saying this, Le broke free from his arm and walked quickly towards the auditorium.
"Hey, how can you be like this! My confession is so romantic!" Yuzuru Hanyu said as he chased after him.
"Shh!" Standing at the door of the auditorium, Le turned around and reminded him to keep quiet.
It was past 1 a.m., and two-thirds of the lights in the auditorium were off, with only a handful of incandescent bulbs diligently providing some illumination. The tents were completely silent, with even the sound of snoring audible.
The two men tiptoed to the tent that Xiaojie had set up and climbed in using their hands and feet.
Morimoto Kosuke was already lying on his side in the tent, his arms folded and his hands tucked under his armpits, pressing tightly against the corner of the tent, leaving a large space.
"Is Xiaojie asleep?" Yuzuru Hanyu asked in a low voice.
"Shh!" Le didn't answer him but just urged him to lie down quickly.
Kosuke was about to fall asleep. When Yuzuru Hanyu went out to chase him, worried about Raku, Morimoto Kosuke immediately lay down. He had to fall asleep before the two of them came back! That was his plan.
After treating Le's wound, he took the opportunity to return the medical supplies and tried to find a tent. However, the supplies were already insufficient, and it was difficult to find space for a new tent in the small auditorium. So he gritted his teeth and acted like a light bulb in this tent. He felt that it was immoral to open his eyes to such a thing that harmed others and did not benefit himself.
But Yuzuru Hanyu is making too much noise!
There was a constant rustling in his ears, filling the gaps between the rhythmic snoring from next door. Not opening his eyes was Xiaojie's last act of stubbornness.
"Be gentle."
Le's whispered reproach broke Xiaojie's last bit of stubbornness. He opened his eyes and looked at the tarpaulin in front of him in despair, silently praying that Yuzuru Hanyu would stop.
"Well, go to sleep, good night."
Hearing Yuzuru Hanyu's soft goodnight, Morimoto Kosuke breathed a sigh of relief, closed his eyes, and prepared to fall asleep again. But things didn't go as planned.
The tent, which should have been quiet, suddenly became noisier. Yuzuru Hanyu, who was lying beside him, suddenly stirred, as if trying to get up. Soon, even the flashlight came on.
"Hanyu! Can you please just take a break?"
Xiaojie finally lost his patience and threw off the blanket, sitting up and venting his frustration in a low voice. However, the two people before him were not what he had imagined. Hanyu Yuzuru was kneeling with his back to him, holding Le's head as if examining something. Not only was there no ambiguous atmosphere, but there was even a sense of tension and seriousness.
Yuzuru Hanyu lifted Le's bangs, revealing a purple lump on his forehead.
"Don't you feel any pain?" Hanyu Yuzuru asked, distressed and annoyed. "Why didn't you tell me before? Where did you hit?" His question was a bit unnecessary. She had, of course, been hurt during the earthquake. But she hadn't mentioned it from beginning to end. In the dim light of the night, the injury was hidden under her bangs and had never been discovered.
If he had not leaned over to kiss her forehead just before going to bed and heard her groan of pain in the dark, he would not have noticed.
"There's no bleeding. It will be fine in two days."
Le wanted him to release his hands that were holding her face, but he was a little too strong, and it was a bit uncomfortable to force her head back.
"What are you thinking? You got such a big bump, what if you get a concussion?"
"You're fine now, but you're not that fragile. You see, she speaks and walks normally, so there shouldn't be any big problem. Shouldn't you know this best? I'll get an ice pack." Xiaojie patted Yuzuru Hanyu's shoulder and left the tent consciously.
The tent suddenly became quiet again, and Le looked at Yuzuru Hanyu's serious face with a guilty conscience.
She hadn't been hiding it on purpose. Falling wasn't something only Hanyu Yuzuru was familiar with; she'd experienced it all the time. Since there wasn't any bleeding, it would heal in a few days if she didn't touch it. As for the pain, it was something she could just endure.
Yuzuru Hanyu frowned, held her face again, and gently rubbed her wound with the tip of his thumb.
"Does it hurt?"
"It's okay, it really doesn't matter."
"Tell me about this later."
"ah?"
"Otherwise, I won't tell you if I get hurt in the future." He puffed up his cheeks angrily.
"How could that be?" Le was a little amused, but seeing his determined and angry look, she couldn't help but want to confront him. "It doesn't matter. Even if you don't tell me, I will know it anyway."
"Don't ask Xiaojie!"
"I'll find out even if you don't ask."
Le's retort choked Yuzuru Hanyu. He had indeed rarely managed to hide his injuries from her. Seeing Le's smug expression, Yuzuru Hanyu felt incredibly unconvinced. Suddenly, his rage turned, and he bit the tip of her nose, which was perked up in triumph.
"Ah! What are you doing? Are you born in the Year of the Dog?"
"Yes." He answered as a matter of course.
I was so angry. How could there be such a person? He was such a scoundrel. Before I could react, I was pulled into his arms.
"I'll find out later, so don't hide it from me. Otherwise I'll punish you!"
This threat didn't sound intimidating at all, but Le didn't bother to refute it. She just snuggled in his arms and hummed.
Xiaojie, standing outside the tent, hesitated. Judging from the faint light and shadows, the young couple must be hugging each other again. Although he understood that the earthquake had just occurred and might have triggered the so-called suspension bridge effect, and although he also understood that Yuzuru Hanyu had endured living apart for so long.
But can you restrain yourself a little???
"Why did Xiaojie hold an ice pack for so long?"
He heard Yuzuru Hanyu's voice through the tent, rolled his eyes, and deliberately pinched the tent curtain to make some noise before pulling it open and going in. He planned to go to Mr. Kikuchi to apply for work injury compensation after daybreak.
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