Chapter 88 Tomorrow's Promise
In the K-group's physiotherapy room, Tohara Kazuki was lying on the massage bed, silently enduring the massage from the physiotherapist. He had been rehearsing for a performance recently, and preparing for auditions for new roles, so he had been coming to the physiotherapy room for appointments more frequently than usual.
"Haven't you decided on the casting for La Traviata yet?"
The physiotherapist chatted with He Jiu while massaging.
"It's almost done now. The roles of the male and female protagonists are basically decided, but the pairing has not yet been decided."
"Oh? So you'll probably be partnering with Matsuno?" The therapist's question went unanswered, but he wasn't surprised. He just smiled to himself, neither stopping his movements nor shutting up. "Matsuno may be a bit arrogant, but he's still the group's leader and very capable. There's no need for you to dislike him so much. Of course, you'd definitely prefer partnering with Suginohara."
As soon as Le's name came out, even though He Jiu didn't say anything, the physical therapist knew that he had touched on his heart. After all, at that moment, He Jiu's muscles tensed up reflexively, and as a physical therapist, he could immediately detect it.
But he himself won't admit it.
"That's not true. Suginohara is not an actor in the troupe and is not included in the audition this time." He Jiu argued for himself.
"It's hard to say. I heard today that the troupe is considering discussing her return to rehearsal for the current production of La Traviata, and they're most likely planning to have her play Margaret."
"Stop talking nonsense." He Jiu thought the physical therapist was just lying to him and didn't take it seriously.
"I'm not kidding, I have a reliable source! This time, Master JN really admires Suginohara. You're well aware of this, right?"
"Yeah." He Jiu responded.
The importance of this production of La Traviata is due to the personal guidance of JN, the choreographer of the H Company. The goal is to achieve a more faithful reproduction of JN's version of La Traviata and elevate the performance of dramatic ballet for the company members. In recent casting auditions, the choreographers of the K Company and JN, the choreographers, jointly served as the judging panel for each scene.
In the large rehearsal room, besides the actors competing for the role, the judges' seats were also filled with the invisible smoke of competition. They took turns making demands and suggestions to the auditioning actors, and each closing comment from Master JN was like a mystery being revealed: whoever's comments were closest to Master JN's ideas would be the winner.
In this game, Suginohara Raku is currently leading by a large margin.
"Look, the details I designed are perfect, aren't they? Armand during the White Double era is supposed to be filled with a passionate sense of happiness, and every step he takes towards Marguerite must be firm and direct..."
That day, standing before the bulletin board, looking at the casting list for Armand, Le proudly gazed at the name on the board, taking credit for it to He Jiu, who was beside her. He Jiu, also immersed in the joy of getting the role, nodded frequently in agreement with Le, mentally pondering how to thank her. Neither of them noticed Master JN standing nearby.
"Raku, your feelings are always right." The master suddenly spoke, and the noisy crowd suddenly quieted down. "But to be honest, He Jiu's performance in the audition did not meet my expectations."
"Where do you think..." After the master pointed out his shortcomings directly, He Jiu immediately wanted to know more specific issues.
"When I saw Raku working with you in the dance studio that day, you made me see Armand, but it was still a little short on the day of the audition... But I believe you can do it, keep going." After the master said this, he patted He Jiu's shoulder and left.
Could it be that...
The physiotherapist's next words confirmed He Jiu's guess.
"Master JN seemed to have said that he'd love to see Raku dance Marguerite. Because she seems to be really good at bringing out Armand's emotions, especially when he was practicing alone with you, he kept saying it."
"Say it again...?"
"Yeah, everyone's been talking about this lately. It must be fitting that Master JN says the atmosphere is great. Everyone wants to see it~ Hey, what are you doing getting up? You haven't finished pressing it yet!"
"I remembered something, so I'll leave first."
Hejiu didn't even bother to put on his shoes. He just slipped on his heels and ran out grabbing his bag.
Rehearsal in Rehearsal Room 3 had concluded, and the actors sat in groups of three or four, stretching and chatting. The actresses had removed their pointe shoes, their backs relaxed, giving them a somewhat lazy look as they relaxed freely. Seeing He Jiu approach, the discussion suddenly quieted down.
This silence further illustrates his guess.
He Jiu snorted coldly, not wanting to say more, and looked around the rehearsal room. Not finding Le, he turned around and was about to leave when someone spoke to him and stopped him.
"Looking for your Margaret? She went back and didn't look for you? Maybe she went to see the Duke~"
As soon as these words were spoken, the rehearsal room, which had originally been quiet, suddenly burst into laughter.
As I couldn't see him because his back was turned, I couldn't identify who was making the voice, but it was probably just one of the old main dancers who loved to gossip.
"My Margaret hasn't been announced yet. You definitely won't find her here. Blame me, blame me. I'll go look somewhere else first." He Jiu turned around with a smile, his handsome face radiating an especially sincere expression. It wasn't a big deal, but speaking to a room full of actresses who hadn't been chosen for Margaret was a perfect example of sarcasm.
He left without any hesitation after he finished speaking.
The person who was being talked about and metaphorically implied has indeed returned home, as everyone said.
The evenings have been much darker lately than in the summer. As Le slipped on her slippers, the entrance sensor light automatically turned on. She put her shoes in the shoe cabinet and walked into the house barefoot. Her feet, once bound by pointe shoes, were now relaxing on the floor like this, a way to relax for the day.
She walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a can of beer. Her fingertips clasped the ring, then she hesitated for a moment, put the beer back in the fridge, and grabbed a bottle of soda. She unscrewed it, tilted her head back, and took a long sip. All in one smooth motion, she felt a great deal more relaxed.
The ringing of her cell phone broke her relaxing and peaceful moment.
"You're going home so early today? Didn't you say you were going to rehearse? Are you standing me up?"
He Jiu was breathless when talking to him on the phone, clearly a little anxious, but all he said was accusations. Le smiled and shook his head. The whispers in the group were so loud now that He Jiu must have heard it too. But, did he really have to talk like that?
"I have something to think about today. I need to think it through. Can't I just give you a day off?" She raised an eyebrow and said something unreasonable. She raised her head and took another sip of soda water, then put down the can. "Tomorrow, definitely."
"Can it be done tomorrow?"
"Don't underestimate me."
"OK, I'll see you tomorrow."
After hanging up the phone, Le breathed a sigh of relief.
Tomorrow...
Suginohara, please think about this carefully. At your age, and since you're in good shape, it would be a shame not to perform. With such a great opportunity like this, the troupe will definitely give you the green light. Think about it for a while, but it can't be too long. The premiere is at the end of December, and rehearsal time is tight. Let me know tomorrow.
This is what the director told her today.
So, will it work tomorrow?
Le smiled wryly and took another sip of soda. Unlike cola, soda water lacked a hint of sweetness, yet it didn't have the malt aroma of beer. Instead, it was just a dense, bubbly mixture of flavorless water that assaulted her tongue. But the stimulation seemed just right, and she continued to drink it at the sideboard.
On the calendar hanging in front of the sideboard, her and Yuzuru Hanyu's schedule was written in colorful marker. The next day after watching the group's gala, Yuzuru Hanyu rushed back to Sendai early. His hometown TV station has been busy with live interviews lately, so he's been spending most of his time in Sendai. Le looked at it carefully, hesitated for a moment, and then dialed Line.
After a brief busy tone, the voice call was connected.
"Le? Why are you calling at this hour? Are you off work? Why are you so early today?" Hanyu Yuzuru spoke quickly, and the series of questions made Le burst out laughing. "What are you laughing at?"
"You ask me so many questions, what should I answer first?"
"You can answer whatever you want~"
The bright voice on the other end of the phone gave me a moment's respite from the stress.
"I suddenly understand Marguerite's feelings better in Shirasu-ri~" she blurted out, realizing she might be confusing Yuzuru Hanyu. She quickly explained, "I'm talking about the pas de deux in La Dame aux Camélias. It's the one Marguerite dances with Armand after their conflict with the Duke. I've always felt that Alina's version, while so sweet and beautiful, felt emotionally incoherent in the storytelling. Now I suddenly understand."
It was Armand's passionate and sincere feelings that freed Marguerite from all constraints...
"Hey... When we get back, I want to watch it with you~" Yuzuru Hanyu continued, "So, dedicated Director Suginohara, is there something you're calling me about? Did you miss me?"
"Well, yeah, can't I?"
"Eh?" Yuzuru Hanyu was stunned. Le's response was too quick, beyond his expectations. Suddenly, there was a clatter in the background, and a rustling sound from the receiver, as if he had covered the phone.
"Are you busy? Then go ahead and do your work~" Le was about to hang up the phone when he was stopped by the voice on the other end of the phone.
"I'll be back tomorrow, Le, wait for me~" He spoke in a low voice with a long tone, and then hung up the phone.
For Suginohara Raku, her appointments for tomorrow suddenly became numerous, but no one had given a specific time, leaving her unable to prioritize them. She could only let things take their course.
First, I will sort out some of the character insights I figured out this afternoon. No matter what the ending of "tomorrow" is, these insights will always be useful.
Le, who couldn't sleep, thought so and went to the living room to turn on the TV.
At 12:00 AM, Yuzuru, carrying his suitcase, tiptoed to his door. He placed his finger on the fingerprint lock and heard the door lock click. He guessed Le was asleep, since the door was locked. He had been planning to return early today, wanting to give Le a surprise. He had been a little panicked when he received the call in the car. Fortunately, she hadn't delved into the details, and fortunately, she hadn't turned the safety lock...
When I opened the door, there was light in the living room.
The warm reading lamp, the fluorescent light on the TV and the dancing flames of the scented candles make the light in the living room constantly change, just like the changes of notes along with Chopin's piano music.
Le looked at the person at the door in disbelief. She had just heard the sound of the door and guessed that it was Yuzuru Hanyu who had returned. But when she saw him, she was still a little surprised.
"Didn't you say tomorrow..."
"Tomorrow is now~" he replied with a smile, "I'm back~"
"Welcome back."
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