Chapter 83 It's Even
At four in the morning, the lights in the room were still on, the computer's fluorescent light seeming less cold under the warm glow. Music played, intermittently following the rhythm of Yuzuru Hanyu's tapping on the keyboard and touchpad. He stared intently at the screen, his black-framed glasses sliding quietly down his nose, only to be pushed back into place by his index finger just as they threatened to fall.
He tapped the spacebar decisively, and the video on the screen began playing. The sound and image matched perfectly, and Yuzuru Hanyu finally took off his glasses with relief, pinched the bridge of his nose, leaned back in his chair, and stretched.
Yuzuru Hanyu recently launched a YouTube channel, and video editing can only be done in between busy schedules. Luckily, he has experience editing music videos, so the process is familiar. However, beyond the YouTube channel, he now has to personally handle various tasks for ice performances. The workload is substantial, so he can only prepare more whenever he has time. So, on a sleepless night like this, he simply gets up and rushes to finish the work.
He had a little over six hours until he had to record his 24-hour show. He should have been sleeping now, resting his mind for tomorrow's show, but he couldn't. The introduction and rondo kept replaying in his head. He turned over, hugging his pillow, and the only sound he could hear was his own heartbeat.
It was 2 o'clock in the morning, and the phone screen, which had been in Do Not Disturb mode, lit up.
【Raku: I found the background music that suits the vlog you mentioned last time. 】
【Raku: Link】
Before he could finish reading the messages, they were withdrawn. Two seconds later, they were resent without any changes.
Yuzu: You haven't slept yet?
【Raku: I knew it...】
【Raku: Wait, you didn’t sleep either? 】
Having said that, Yuzuru Hanyu was too lazy to send any more messages and just made a video call.
The video link was quickly connected, and on the other side was the familiar room. Le was leaning against the headboard in pajamas, her hair pinned back with a clip. Her eyes were clear, without a trace of sleepiness. Clearly, she hadn't even bothered pretending to sleep.
"Are you nervous about tomorrow, oh no, it should be tonight, about tonight's performance? Director Suginohara~" Yuzuru Hanyu smiled at Le with his eyes curved and teased her.
"It's the same, professional player Hanyu-san." She raised an eyebrow and fought back.
"Who said that? I just can't sleep because I have too much work to do and I feel a little confused." He pouts and argues.
"Yeah, so I'm also worried about your workload. I'll send you any good music I think of." This time it was her turn to smile.
Her sparkling eyes instantly dispelled the unspoken anxiety in Yuzuru Hanyu's heart. He took a deep breath and smiled calmly, as if he had been defeated by her.
"Okay, even though you probably pulled this song from my playlist, I'll still accept it. Go to bed now. You don't have to dance on stage tonight, but you'll probably have interviews after the performance, which is hard work."
Two hours ago, this late-night surprise video ended after everyone said goodnight to each other.
He didn't know if Le had fallen asleep in Yokohama, but he himself was still sleepless. Perhaps it was because his body clock had been so messed up lately. He thought to himself in despair, then simply rolled over and got up to start editing the video.
After editing the video, I looked at my phone and saw that the message interface was quiet.
Le should have fallen asleep...
The day after the fireworks display, Le followed the dance troupe back to Yokohama. Still in the process of transitioning to a new role and building a team, his hometown, more familiar to him, was naturally his first choice for work. Sendai Ice Rink was incredibly accommodating, both in terms of recording videos and livestreaming. Thus, they returned to their current situation of being separated.
"Are you addicted to being in different places? What's the matter? Isn't it better to be apart than to be reunited?" Xiaojie complained to him like this after sending Le to the station.
"It can't be helped... Sendai isn't far from Yokohama, and this is just temporary." Hanyu Yuzuru shrugged. His casual response earned him a look of alarm. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I feel like I'm going to be victimized again. I don't want to eat any bitterness, vinegar, or dog food. Can you go and persecute Hasegawa?"
I still find it funny to think about Morimoto Kosuke's exaggerated expression.
Was he really that exaggerated? Yuzuru Hanyu, leaning back on the sofa with his eyes closed, couldn't help but reflect. He sat up, leaning over the coffee table in front of him, staring at the large, red-tailed goldfish in the small aquarium, and tapping the wall with his knuckles.
"Goldfish-san, do I keep complaining about being in a different place? No, right..." He spoke seriously to the goldfish, who responded by turning around without hesitation, leaving behind her large red tail. The reaction was so well-timed, as if she understood what he was saying but was about to throw a tantrum, which made Yuzuru Hanyu laugh. "It seems I really went a little too far, and even Goldfish-san is angry. Then I'll feed you some fish food, so don't be angry."
He took the fish food, crushed it with his hands, and sprinkled it into the water little by little like salt.
"But, I really didn't complain about anything this time..." He continued to talk to himself.
If he always felt a little uneasy and nervous besides missing his family when they were in different places before, this time was indeed a little different.
This time, he still missed her, but he felt extra reassured. There was no self-righteous "consideration for the other person" or willful "self-willed decision-making"; this choice was what they had agreed on.
By the river during the Tanabata Festival, fireworks burst into life in the sky, scattering like shooting stars. In that romantic, comic-book-like scene, he didn't know how the topic of conversation suddenly changed from the candy apples being too crisp and sweet to the topic of "How can I make a candy apple without any crunch?"
"The dance drama I produced is about to be performed. The troupe has arranged an interview for me." She didn't look at him, but instead looked up at the fireworks in the distance. Hanyu Yuzuru didn't know how to respond to this sudden remark, but she turned to look at him, her proud smile a little forced. "I'm going to be a public figure too, Hanyu superstar."
"Why are you calling me a big star?" He protested with a pout. "Becoming a public figure, then what?"
"So, you're not the only one who made our relationship different. Don't feel guilty~" She acted like an older sister and patted his head.
"I……"
"I can see it all. Stop quibbling." Le took his hand. "If you're talking about guilt, I'm actually more guilty. It's because it's so easy for the media to dig up my past, which makes things even more difficult for you..."
She lowered her eyes and played with his fingers, her tone full of helplessness, which made Yuzuru Hanyu feel uncomfortable. He took the initiative and took over, intertwining his fingers with hers.
"There's no way to settle this matter completely," he said in a relaxed tone. "So let's just call it a draw and never mention it again." He raised his hand, gently tucking her wind-blown hair behind her ears with his fingertips, and gently stroked her cheek with his palm, looking at her affectionately and firmly. "You said you were going to become a public figure, and I really want to make it public right away. Tell the whole world that no one should have any ideas about you. But... now I..."
He didn't continue. His future after the job change was uncertain, and he was filled with anxiety about the future. How could he possibly give Le, who had always disbelieved in the "future," a greater sense of security?
"Silly boy." She pinched his cheek, interrupting the uneasiness building in his eyes. "Didn't I tell you before? If you're caught on camera, it'll be made public. Have you forgotten?"
Yuzuru Hanyu's eyes widened in shock at her words and he froze in place.
"Are you afraid of going public?" she continued. Hanyu immediately shook his head vigorously. Le raised his chin, eyebrows raised, and said, "I'm not afraid either. Since we're not afraid, we just want to choose the right time. Why not leave it to fate? We'll just live and work normally. If we're photographed, we'll go public. What do you say?"
The brilliant fireworks illuminated her profile, her eyes sparkling, drawing him closer. He raised his hand to her chin and kissed her lips, sealing his answer like a vow.
"good."
Speaking of normal life and work, then rushing to see the premiere of Le's dance drama tonight should also be considered a normal part of life and work. Yuzuru Hanyu thought smugly, resisting the urge to pull out his phone and reveal his whereabouts. He patted the fish food crumbs on his hands and returned to his room to catch up on some sleep and recharge.
He didn't know that Le in Yokohama was also trying to resist the urge to send a message.
She looked at the photo of the ticket on her phone, hesitated for a moment, then gave up on sending it and exited the chat box. Yuzuru Hanyu was incredibly busy with work, and he had to record a 24-hour program today. He'd probably miss the premiere, but there was nothing she could do about it. And she also wanted to see him perform his revenge spin live.
Le sighed, turned off the screen of his phone and put it aside, trying to close his eyes and fall asleep.
The room was completely quiet. Closing her eyes allowed her to more clearly detect the subtle sounds around her, including the rustling of leaves in the breeze outside the window and the rhythmic pounding of her own heartbeat against the pillow. The scene of today's stage rehearsal kept replaying in her mind.
"The ballet has been rehearsed very well, there will be no problem." She murmured to herself, as if opening her eyes would declare her failure to fall asleep, and closed her eyes stubbornly, "The ballet will go smoothly, and so will Yuzuru's revenge..."
Unfortunately... He seemed to have told her that for the sake of show effect, the production team would not give him a white light screen like in the competition...
If only there was an opportunity for revenge exactly like on the field.
At this thought, Le suddenly opened his eyes and sat up from the bed, grabbing his phone. His fingers quickly typed a message on the screen and sent it. After sending it, he remembered that he had just said goodnight, and his lack of sleep was completely exposed.
The gray unread mark next to the message turned into a cute green check mark with a pop.
Looking at this change, Le couldn't help laughing.
[Raku: Let's officially have a revenge spin on Gift! This aligns with the timeline we discussed last time!]
Yuzu: Okay.
Yuzu: The performance will go smoothly. We will all be fine. Director Suginohara, go to sleep!
Yuzu: Don't reply. Warning.jpg
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