Chapter 75: Thanks
The 2022 FaOI has finally come to an end.
Le sat in the venue, watching the lively crowd slowly disperse.
"Miss, the performance is over and there will be no encore." The audience who were leaving the venue kindly reminded the still stubborn Le.
"Well, thanks for the reminder. I'm waiting for a friend. He went to take some pictures. If he comes back and sees that I'm not here, he might be a little sad." Le answered with a smile and eyes curved. Seeing that person leave with a puzzled look on his face, she didn't say anything more to explain.
The venue, bustling with activity just moments ago, suddenly fell silent. The lights came on, and the ice crew began dismantling the stage from the white ice. A weary figure emerged from the emergency exit. He didn't take his usual light, three-two steps; each step was heavy. His drooping shoulders betrayed his fatigue.
When he saw the staff, he immediately straightened his back and walked over to shake hands respectfully with the gray-haired ice maker, thanking him sincerely. Finally, he walked over, squatted in front of the ice, and reverently placed his palms on the ice.
"Thank you so much for your company. We'll probably see each other more often in the future," he muttered to himself, patting the ice as if patting an old friend on the shoulder. He stood up with a thud, propping himself up on his knees. He looked up and tried to scan the now empty auditorium. To his surprise, there was still one spectator there.
She remained seated in the center of the audience. When their eyes met, her gaze brightened, as if she'd been waiting for him for a long time. She lowered her head, pulled something soft from her bag, and unfolded it in her hands. It was his old ANA towel from home, with the blue and white inscription "Fly Yuzu." She waved the towel, imitating the cheering fans at ice performances, to attract the attention of her favorite skater.
He really wanted to tell her that this was too much trouble.
She was clearly the only one in the stands. Just one person, but that alone was enough to bring tears to his eyes again. He put his hand to his mouth, making a trumpet shape, but no sound came out. He mouthed something exaggerated, then turned and walked away with a casual gesture, simply raising his arm and waving, signaling that they were seeing each other.
If she didn't want to see his lonely eyes, she had to see him act so cocky again, making her laugh and cry. But the phrase "ありがとうございました." made her seem to empathize with the audience. This thank you was loud and clear.
This time, he chose to return home to Sendai. Leaving the station and climbing into Hanyu Hideki's van, Yuzuru Hanyu finally relaxed completely, no longer needing to work. The physical exertion of the performance, combined with the exhaustion from crying, left his eyelids drooping.
"Let's just go home?" Hanyu Hidetoshi whispered to Hanyu Yumi who was sitting in the passenger seat.
"Let's go back to the apartment, otherwise it's so late and Le will have to disturb Grandpa Sosuke and the others." The person who was just dozing off suddenly spoke from the back seat.
Hanyu Hidetoshi exchanged a glance with his wife. His son's argument was well-reasoned, so he didn't want to say anything more. He stepped on the accelerator and drove towards Hanyu Yuzuru's apartment in Sendai.
"I just knew I was going to cause trouble for Xiaole."
A whisper of accusation emanated from the passenger seat, but Hanyu was completely oblivious. The dimly lit streetscape that followed him backwards was a perfect soporific image, yet he still managed to muster the energy to drag his luggage home on his own. However, the moment he entered the house, exhaustion struck again. This time, Hanyu surrendered completely, entering low-energy mode. He even had to be pushed into the bathroom by Le.
"Yuzuru? Yuzuru?"
Seeing him stay in the bathroom longer than usual, Le grew concerned. He knocked on the door and peeked in, finding him dozing off in the tub. His long, slender neck, so proud of itself, was now a liability, barely supporting his sleepy little head, which kept nodding back and forth. His frequent nods not only woke him up but also left his neck a bit sore.
Just before he tilted his head and was about to knock his head again, Le hurried over, supported his head with his palm, pinched his cheek, and woke him up.
"Hurry up and dry yourself off and go to bed."
"Hmm..." He said softly, like a spoiled child. He blinked his heavy eyelids and climbed out of the tub obediently, rubbing the towel over himself. Le wasn't idle either, helping him roughly dry his hair and then giving it a blow dryer, not caring about the style.
Just like that, a furry cat that had just taken a bath ran out of the bathroom, jumped into the bed, and fell into a deep sleep.
Looking at his sleeping face, Le recalled the round back of his head shaking uncontrollably in the gap between the front seats that he could see from time to time on the Shinkansen.
The double pressure of the hat and the back of the chair caused the ends of her hair to curl up in a strange arc, which was particularly cute and matched her lovely sleeping face very well.
While he was asleep, Le grabbed his slightly long bangs and playfully tied them into a small bun. After taking a photo, she went to wash up with peace of mind.
Unlike Yuzuru Hanyu who was sleepy, Le felt much more energetic after taking a bath.
The ups and downs along the way have put her in good spirits. While her mind and emotions are still active, why not finish her homework?
I once thought about ending it all.
Just because I saw the seagulls crying on the pier
Seabirds drifting with the current
Please eat my past and fly away.
Mika Nakashima's voice belted out these straightforward yet profound lyrics from the small speakers in the living room. Le sat cross-legged on the mat, clutching her notebook. The note beneath the song's title remained blank. She had listened to this song countless times, and every line held a unique memory for those who had experienced despair. If it were just acting out the scene, it wouldn't be difficult for Le.
But… she really didn't want to express despair.
She knew very well why the group recommended this song.
"The case of that internet celebrity has been decided. The people who were slandered by the reporter have now launched a joint lawsuit. We think this is a good opportunity for you to break away from the past. You don't want to face media questions related to the fabricated scandal when your work is released, right?" This is what the head of the public relations department of the group talked to her that day.
"Also, I think this song is perfect for you." When the PR person pushed the piece in front of her, they clearly noticed the displeasure of the artistic director and the boss, so they changed the subject. "Of course, I'm not insisting on it. You can consider it. We can coordinate with the publicity department."
"Suginohara, we won't interfere with your choreography and song selection. Don't worry too much. Just apply for leave and relax. When you come back, the group will take care of everything else for you." The group leader patted Le on the shoulder as they left the meeting room, which comforted her considerably.
However, the PR department's advice is often given from the perspective of gaining maximum public support, and gaining sympathy is often one of the easiest ways to gain the support of the majority.
The plan is reasonable, but I don’t want it.
Perhaps because she had listened to it too many times, or perhaps because her thoughts had drifted too far, the song seemed to have become a background noise that would slip away from her ears. Le sat there, unable to catch a single note. The song played over and over again tirelessly.
"Le, why aren't you sleeping yet? Do you want to do your homework?" Yuzuru Hanyu's sticky voice sounded at the door behind him, drawing Le's attention back.
When she turned around, she saw a big baby with messy hair, a cute little bun on his head, and rubbing his sleepy eyes standing at the door.
"I'm not sleepy yet, so I'm thinking about it. Did I disturb you?" Le said as he reached out to turn off the speaker, but was stopped by Yuzuru Hanyu.
"Don't make a fuss. I'll stay with you," Yuzuru Hanyu said, crossing his legs and sitting next to her. He felt sleepy again after a while, closing his eyes. "I'm not sleeping. I'm just imagining the scene. Listen carefully to the lyrics," he argued.
Le didn't expose him. He was attracted by his words and couldn't help but pay attention to the lyrics.
I once thought about ending it all.
I haven't met you yet
Because there are people like you.
I'm starting to like this world a little bit.
Because there are people like you.
I began to look forward to this world a little
The "you" in the lyrics automatically equated in Le's mind with the half-asleep Yuzuru Hanyu beside her. The memory of Notre Dame Cathedral is still fresh today, but Le will never forget the Finland Cup that year. Even though he lacked technique, emotional expression, and physical strength, he was as vibrant as the sun. It made her wonder if perhaps the world wasn't so bad after all.
Yuzuru Hanyu, who was standing beside her, couldn't resist the sleepiness and fell asleep on Le's shoulder. But she also understood the meaning of the song.
She reached out and stroked his face, and he blinked and tried to wake up.
"Yuzuru, thank you." Because of your existence, I think I can also have some expectations for this world.
"Well, no thanks~" Although he didn't fully understand what she was thanking him for, he accepted it happily. He put his arm around Le's waist and kissed her on the cheek, "Let's go to bed. I'm really sleepy..."
"good."
That evening, his notebook remained blank. But Le's new vlog was completed incredibly quickly. On the day of its release, Hanyu was in a meeting with his team to discuss matters related to his job transfer announcement. The moment the meeting ended and everyone left, Hanyu quickly pulled out his headphones, plugged them in, and began watching Le's new dance piece.
Before clicking on the page, he was still a little unhappy about missing out on the sofa. But when he clicked on the page, he found that the first highly praised comment was from the original singer of the song, Mika Nakashima.
Mika: Thank you, Suginohara-san, for conveying the meaning of this song so well. Thank you very much.
In the video, Le is dressed in an off-white dress, her hair untied and her pointe shoes absent. The music is based on a version recorded by Mika Nakashima after her hearing was restored. She enters the role over a repetitive, soothing prelude, eschewing any dramatic body movements. Instead, she follows Nakashima's delicate vocals, like someone who has just regained the ability to walk and dance, cautiously testing the waters, fearing that a single excitement would reveal it all to be a fleeting dream.
She didn't portray any of the struggle and unyielding spirit of the song. Instead, she seemed to be reconciling with the past, focusing on rediscovering her dancing legs. As the song progressed, her movements became increasingly firm and powerful. Past hesitations, sorrows, and anger seemed to transform into comfort and hope in her dance.
At the end of the music, she stood in front of the camera, looked at it with firm eyes and smiled.
The scene switched, leaving only one sentence in the center of the black screen: "When you are disappointed, what you need is the opportunity to continue loving the world." I am lucky, and I think you are too.
The progress bar ended there, and Yuzuru Hanyu stared at the words on the screen, stunned. He knew she'd been composing this piece recently, and he was so worried the lyrics would bring back painful memories of the past. But his music was truly different. He cared about the present; he wanted the present.
Yuzu: I really underestimated you.
【Raku: ???】
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