Chapter 74: Time to Hand in the Paper
The temperature in Shizuoka was slightly cooler than in Kobe. When Le, led by Fukutani, entered the venue, Hanyu was sitting at the edge of the ice rink, discussing something with a staff member. The staff member was holding a document with a confirmed role, seemingly discussing something related to the performance.
"Senior should be discussing the encore repertoire for Dai Chiaki." Naoki Fukutani noticed Le's eyes and explained his guess to her, "Ms. Suginohara is still waiting for you in the stands?" His question seemed to be asked knowingly. After all, before she could answer, he had already skillfully started to introduce where the media cameras in the venue were today and suggested where Le would sit safely.
To Le, all of Fugu's words faded into the background. Her attention was focused on the man who was having a serious conversation with the staff.
Yuzuru Hanyu, always beaming, was now stern and serious. Unlike his proud, kingly demeanor on the ice, he listened attentively and humbly to suggestions and offered feedback. After frequent nods, both sides seemed to have reached an agreement. Hanyu turned and waved to the control panel. The music started, and he entered the center of the rink.
"Le, actually, I think I've almost figured it out..." That day at the Juxing Terrace on Mount Rokko, he looked up at the distant scenery and said to himself, "For this Daqianqiu, I want to skate a piece that I regretted in previous competitions. Just think of it as... a test for all my years~"
After he finished speaking, there seemed to be stars twinkling in his eyes as he looked at her... Under the moonlight, Le couldn't see it clearly, or perhaps, it wasn't starlight.
Is it a song that is a bit regrettable?
After he finished speaking that day, Le Momo thought about a list of possibilities in her mind. But no matter how she guessed, he just smiled mysteriously and refused to tell her the correct answer.
Now the answer is revealed. Although the music starts from the middle, the music matches the answer in an instant.
Notre Dame de Paris.
"Suginohara-san? Suginohara-san?" Fukutani Kenraku seemed to be in a daze, and she brought her attention back.
"Ah... sorry! I've remembered the camera position you mentioned. You go ahead and do your work. It's very convenient for me to come in and out with my work ID." She withdrew her gaze, but the music was still playing. She just wanted to finish the usual social greetings quickly and go to check out the answers to the exam prepared by Yuzuru Hanyu in advance.
However, Fugu and her didn't seem to understand each other at all. He stood there with a frown on his face, a look of worry and hesitation. After a moment, he spoke hesitantly.
"Although I might be a bit nosy, I know Suginohara-san is already very careful. But... maybe it's better to be more low-key." He said this, and judging by Le's expression, he probably hit the mark. So he nodded and left.
Yuzu: Eh? Le, where are you?
Yuzuru Hanyu finished rehearsal and made his usual circle around the edge of the ice rink, politely greeting the surrounding media while searching the audience for his girlfriend. However, after a full circle, he couldn't find her anywhere near where Le Chang sat.
【Raku: I'm backstage. 】
The reply made Yuzuru Hanyu tilt her head in a quizzical way. Hadn't she always wanted to know what the encore piece her own Da Qianqiu had prepared? Why hadn't she stayed to see it?
With a towel draped around his neck and his skates clacking against the floor as he walked, Yuzuru Hanyu, filled with doubt, began his backstage search for his girlfriend. Finally, he found her in an open space around a corner, chatting with Gabriella, a member of the ice dance duo. His approach caught their attention, and Gabriella waved enthusiastically, prompting him to move in.
"Yuzuru, you actually asked Raku to be your choreographer, and you didn't even tell me that day?"
The choreographer's identity left Yuzuru Hanyu stunned. He glanced at Le. The fingers he'd quietly raised to hook her hand were momentarily taken aback, but then he calmly lowered them. He put on a polite smile, stood beside Le, and squinted at Gabriella, as if begging for mercy.
"Speaking of which, Raku, I haven't seen you update your vlog recently. I thought it was about the recent..."
"I've been on vacation in the group recently, so I've been lazy." Le interrupted Gabriella with a smile, "You reminded me now. I haven't prepared any materials recently. It will be troublesome when I have to submit the manuscript later." Her expression was smart and she looked very distressed.
Yuzuru Hanyu had been quietly listening to their conversation. This sudden change of topic made him momentarily doubt his hearing. Although his spoken English wasn't always perfect, he was quite attentive to his listening skills.
"recent?"
"Hi! What are you guys talking about?"
His question was interrupted by a voice filled with high emotions. Oda Nobunaga came over and put his arms around Hanyu Yuzuru's neck from behind. His blind spot made him miss the flash of displeasure in Hanyu Yuzuru's eyes.
"Who is this..." Oda asked enthusiastically, "I think I've seen you in Kobe~"
"I'm Hanyu-san's choreographer." Le took a small, unnoticeable step back in response to Oda's greeting, introducing herself with a polite smile. Looking up, she saw Hanyu Yuzuru looking directly at her, and she raised her eyebrows slightly.
"Wow, Yuzuru is so lucky to have so many great choreographers to work with. I wonder if we will have the chance to collaborate with each other." He said and wanted to ask for Le's business card.
"Maybe I'm not very good at Oda-kun's style." Although she smiled politely, her intention to keep people at a distance was particularly obvious.
"Oda-kun, you're going too far! Are you trying to poach my business partner right in front of me?" Yuzuru Hanyu curled his lips, glanced at Oda Nobumasa, then glanced at Le. "Well, there's nothing I can do. I can't block Suginohara-san's business. How about Suginohara-san give me a business card?"
“…I didn’t bring it…”
"Then maybe next time~ Suginohara-san, let's go over the choreography for the show~" With that, he turned and left, not giving Le time to reply. She was also happy about this, nodded to the two of them, and followed Yuzuru Hanyu out of the scene.
The two of them left the venue quietly, one after the other, without exchanging a word. Le followed him, his steps occasionally syncing with his own. Observing the shifts was a fascinating experience, filling the gap in the otherwise silent and boring journey. When they returned to the hotel, the elevator dinged to their floor, and Yuzuru Hanyu was the first to step out, but he held one hand behind his back, flexing his fingers a few times as if in greeting.
This familiar action made Le breathe a sigh of relief. He quickened his pace to catch up with him, hooked his fingers behind his back, and walked into the house side by side.
However……
"Where's the choreographer~ When is Le-chan going to change her career?" As soon as he entered the house, he pushed Le against the wall of the entrance and looked at her with a smile.
"What else?" Le calmed down and blinked innocently, "Isn't this the most reasonable identity? Look, both Gabriella and Oda believed it, didn't they?"
She spoke so confidently that Yuzuru Hanyu couldn't find a better way to refute her.
"..." He silently loosened his grip on her wrist. Seeing Le about to slip away right under his nose, he reluctantly pulled her back and pushed her against the wall, bullying her for a while until her eyes misted over, her face flushed slightly, and she raised her hand to punch his chest, then he let her go.
He raised his hand and gently stroked the slightly red corners of her eyes with the tip of his thumb. Somehow, the image of Le crying bitterly that night because of his questioning suddenly came to his mind. His willful words to declare their relationship were stuck in his throat, changing direction before he could speak them.
"Since you're a choreographer, please do your job well and choreograph a piece for me as soon as possible," he said, scratching her nose.
There's probably no need to rush into making the relationship public.
Although there's no rush, the thought of this matter lingers in my mind, becoming a way to balance between thinking about the future and focusing on the performance. Especially when I'm distracted by listening to everyone's casual conversation, it's the best time to think about it.
For example, right now, Yuzuru Hanyu was leaning against the wall in his dressing room, habitually lifting a tuft of hair from his head and playing with it in his hand, lost in thought as he stared at the mirror. He was lost in thought, but he didn't expect the conversation to suddenly turn to him.
"Yuzuru really knows how to charm the audience at FAOI this year. Fans really let loose~"
"Yeah, yeah, are you still lifting your clothes today?"
When asked this question, Yuzuru Hanyu curled the corners of his mouth and smiled a little bitterly.
He really hasn't been deliberately lifting his clothes recently, of course, showing it when he jumps doesn't count.
The main reason that no one knows is that I was scolded during the performance in Nagoya.
"I advise you to respect yourself." Those words replayed in Hanyu Yuzuru's mind, and he sighed unconsciously. This time, he was caught.
"Why are you sighing? You sound like a henpecked husband." Oda teased half-jokingly.
“…” It would have been better if he hadn’t mentioned it, as this actually aroused some rebellious emotions in athlete Hanyu.
So, in the opening sequence that followed, Yuzuru Hanyu sang along to the lyrics of a song, lifted the hem of his shirt, held it between his lips, and waved his finger towards the audience. Everything seemed under control, his eyes revealing a certainty of his own charm. However, there are always unexpected surprises. The ice king has always possessed exceptional control on the ice, but when he gets carried away, mistakes are inevitable. For example, right now, he was turning in the direction of happiness.
He immediately spotted his girlfriend sitting in the front row, wearing a mask and frowning. Her expression wasn't one of anger, but definitely one of disgust.
The effect was instantly broken.
This scene was captured by the camera without missing a second.
The trending phrase #Hanyu Yuzuru is only cool for three seconds before he starts acting cute# later became widely circulated among fans, but that’s another story.
Although Hanyu was still somewhat unhappy about Le claiming to be a choreographer, the fact that she could enter and exit backstage more easily was also a good thing. Sitting in the lounge, leaning against the wall, phone in hand, Hanyu silently congratulated her for her quick thinking. Da Qianqiu only had six more performances to go, and the time he had given himself to feel anxious and hesitant was also counting down.
Yuzu: Le, can you come backstage? I've asked the staff to wait for you.
Holding the phone to my chest, I tried to calm my nervous heartbeat and followed the staff backstage.
Just now, she received a LINE message from Yuzuru Hanyu during the intermission. This was the first time in the two-week ice show that he asked her to go backstage during the performance.
Was he injured? Or something happened?
Pushing open the door to the lounge, Yuzuru Hanyu had already changed into his costume for the next show and was thoughtfully fiddling with the bracelet on his wrist. Seeing Le come in, he patted the chair next to him, motioning for her to come sit.
"Why do you suddenly want me to come over here?" Le was a little nervous. She went over to see if he was injured anywhere.
"I have something to give you." He took Le's hand and passed the two bracelets on his left and right hands to her.
Raison's choreography is very difficult, so he always takes off his bracelet before skating this program and puts it away himself to avoid losing it again. However, today he seemed to have other considerations...
"Actually, I've been thinking recently, or even in the past few years, about what all these years of figure skating have really brought me. Have I really grown? Is all the effort really worth it? Is the figure skating I'm pursuing the right way?"
"Today is the last ice show. Teacher Nizuma and I have discussed a special encore program. I want to find my final answer in that program. Until I figure it out, can Le keep these two bracelets for me?"
The energy stone bracelet was crystal clear, swaying on Le's fair wrist as she shook it.
[The second half of the performance is about to begin. Please return to your seats as soon as possible.] A mechanical female voice echoed from the ice rink to the backstage.
"Okay, I'll keep it safe. I'll bring it to you after you finish skating." Le stood up, cupped his face, and lightly kissed him on the lips. "Perform well. I'll watch carefully."
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Nervous... Le felt that he rarely felt so nervous.
Perhaps it was because her seat was too close to the ice, but she felt her feet gradually losing warmth in her shoes and turning cold. She clasped her hands together and caressed the bracelet on her wrist, carefully rubbing every line and angle on the energy stone with her fingertips.
The programs ended one by one, and the special encore performance that Yuzuru Hanyu mentioned was getting closer and closer.
After he finished his Raison, the lights on the ice went dark.
A beam of light hits the stage where the artists are performing. The sound of wooden guitar breaks the silence. The singing of violin lights up the stage. The music played is the familiar Notre Dame de Paris.
Yuzuru Hanyu, dressed in white, ran from the stage to his ice rink like a devout believer sacrificing himself, as if he was willing to dance his last dance with all his life.
Le's vision blurred. His spins and blade drags on the ice—every movement seemed to mirror the boy she had first seen at the Espoo rink ten years ago. The boy with the cross on his chest, skating with unyielding and stubborn determination.
Ten years ago, when I was disappointed with the world, I saw you dancing hard on the ice, and you brought vitality to my life.
If miracles really have an image, I think it is not the starry sky in the Northern Lights, but the beam of light you brought to me in my darkest time.
The curtain was closed behind him, and Yuzuru Hanyu quickly ran behind the curtain, but immediately fell to the ground due to exhaustion.
So tired... I feel like I'm using up all my life...
But, I'm so happy.
Every cell and every muscle in his body was telling him: Yuzuru Hanyu, you are very different from what you were ten years ago, and all your efforts have not been in vain.
The curtain was suddenly drawn aside, and Le stood before him, blocking all his view of the outside world. Her eyes were red, but she still smiled, and she reached out to pull him up.
"Do you have to lie down on your stomach after sliding down Notre Dame?" She deliberately made fun of him with a strong nasal tone.
"The jade is returned intact. This bracelet is more suitable for you. It is too big for me." She returned the bracelet on her hand to his wrist.
"It's not just competitions that require a bit of luck, so you still have to wear it well. Got it?"
"Um."
"You've made a decision, haven't you?"
"Um."
"Okay. I'll stay with you."
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