Chapter 98 The Tension of Acceptance
When did the walk from the locker room to the court become so long?
At that exact moment, the music in his headphones suddenly faded, leaving only the clacking sound of his skates and blades against the floor. He couldn't see an exit at every turn, and the narrow road twisted and turned like a dragon's gate formation, making him anxious and quickening his pace.
[The next competitor is Yuzuru Hanyu.]
The sound suddenly sounded, as if it was coming from the radio, but also seemed to come from far away.
What should I do? He hasn't arrived yet!
He didn't even care that he was still wearing ice skates, he started running with big strides, his mind full of thoughts about how he could not catch up, what should he do?
"You can't run like this, it's not safe!" Coach Yamada appeared out of nowhere and blocked his way.
"Coach, I'm running out of time!" He tried hard to go around, but was blocked. "Coach, please move aside." Although he said that, he still couldn't find the way. Instead, the walls on both sides suddenly narrowed, and it seemed that he was about to be trapped in the middle and unable to move.
Help--
The cry for help in his dream turned into a whimper, and the sudden weight on his neck jolted him awake. Opening his eyes and staring at the still-dark ceiling for a few seconds, Yuzuru Hanyu finally realized it was all a dream.
He could hear the sound of steady breathing, and he quietly turned his head to glance at the person beside him. After adjusting to the brightness in the room, he could clearly see the profile of Le Men sleeping on his shoulder. Her eyelashes trembled slightly with her breathing, and she seemed to be sleeping soundly.
Fortunately, I didn’t shout out in my sleep and didn’t wake Le up.
Yuzuru Hanyu secretly rejoiced, yet with a touch of heartache, he gently brushed the strands of hair away from her forehead with his fingers. She'd been incredibly exhausted lately, between the ballet performances, the prelude to the ice dance, and her original job as a choreographer. This intense workload had its upsides: at least she was sleeping more soundly now.
He stared at the ceiling for a moment longer, memories of his sleep slowly returning to him. Remembering something important, he quickly reached for his phone beside his pillow. The screensaver read 5:23. He unlocked the screen, and the email screen popped up. The recovery link circle kept spinning, and soon the refresh finished, and the exclamation mark, the new email he'd been waiting for all night, finally appeared.
Carefully, he removed the arm from around his neck, threw back the covers, and got out of bed. He turned around and tucked Le's feet in, then left the room with his phone and computer.
I put on my headphones and carefully listened to the adjusted version sent by the music team again, keeping my eyes fixed on the timer. I tapped on the keyboard and wrote down any mistakes I thought were off. The performance was today, so any further adjustments would have to be polished later in the show.
He typed the email politely and read it over again carefully in his mind.
"The changes I mentioned earlier are perfect... but there are still a few parts that I would like to adjust during the performance in the next few days..."
Le, who suddenly came over to him, followed the cursor on his screen and read out his email.
"Why are you up?" Yuzuru Hanyu took off his headphones and looked at her in surprise. "Did I wake you up?"
Le shook his head and stretched.
"You really are good at bossing people around," she replied, tangentially answering. "Just because of this email from you, I could have gotten two hours of sleep before going to the site, but I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep well."
The weight of one person was missing from the mattress, and the feeling was more obvious than Yuzuru Hanyu had imagined. The temperature change was also obvious without a warm source in the quilt. She also quickly sensed the light from the fluorescent light of his mobile phone, which he was using to look for something.
But none of this matters.
Just like, the nightmares he had been having these days because he was too anxious were not that important at this juncture.
After finishing her rant, Le headed to the bathroom to wash up, ignoring Hanyu's nagging complaints that she'd misinterpreted him. Perhaps it was the relaxing effect of the minty toothpaste, or perhaps it was the refreshing coffee, but neither of them mentioned their tense dreams again until they were in the car heading to the venue.
"Le-chan, how did you sleep last night? Were you nervous?"
The disguise was immediately exposed by Teacher Mikiko upon entering the control room. Having been caught, Le no longer tried to hide it. He shrugged and smiled, replying, "Yeah, it was definitely nerve-wracking. We were both quite nervous."
Mikiko looked over the monitor panel in the direction of Le's raised chin. A figure in black sportswear was skating around the ice, greeting the lighting technicians and photographers as if on cue. The wind from his speed rippled his hair, making him look free and elegant.
If she had not been on the CC list of the series of emails regarding music confirmation and adjustments, she would probably have thought that Le's answer was just an attempt to find a Yuzuru Hanyu to pave the way for her nervousness.
"Actually, I'm pretty nervous too." Teacher Mikiko rested her chin on the table with her hand and tilted her head.
"You're nervous and excited, right? Me too." Le replied with a smile, and the two smiled at each other.
The topic did not continue around this issue. The clock hanging in the venue reminded people that the final round of rehearsal movements needed to begin.
"Hanyu-san, please get ready!" Teacher Mikiko cueed the process into the microphone, turned her head to glance at Le standing beside her, and added, "Sugihara doesn't have a microphone today. So, Hanyu-san, please keep your energy up today and don't rehearse at full strength~"
A quip elicited laughter from the attendees, and the entire venue erupted in laughter, enveloping Yuzuru Hanyu on the ice. He joined the crowd, chuckling on the ice while clutching a microphone. The nervousness of the first performance seemed to dissipate in an instant, and the relaxed atmosphere persisted until the show was about to begin.
Kurokawa, from the lighting team, stood at the top of the venue, watching the bustling crowd of attendees taking their seats. He was somewhat surprised by the diversity of the crowd, young and old, men and women alike. Everyone wore masks, and after taking their seats, they began pulling out support banners from their bags, carefully folding them and laying them flat on their knees. The expectant glances, though not directed at him, made him nervous. Kurokawa tried to smile, but his muscles remained tense.
"Alright, everyone, come here. Today is Mr. Hanyu's first ice show, so go for it!" The team leader snapped his fingers and gathered the team members around him. He extended his hand like a member of a sports club, motioning for everyone to put their hands together. "Go for it!"
The background music for the entrance to the venue suddenly mingled with a few powerful male voices shouting "Come on!", naturally drawing the attention of the audience members seeking seats nearby. The lighting crew quickly retreated, out of sight of the audience.
"Team leader, is this a high school sports club?" Kurokawa couldn't help but complain.
"Isn't figure skating also a sport?" The team leader said righteously, with his hands on his hips, and sent everyone back to their respective posts.
Kurokawa returned to his spot, closest to the backstage spotlight. He was the first spotlight to be cast, a crucial position. As Hanyu's retirement announcement ended and the music of Romeo and Juliet began to play, his heart began to race, and his palms began to sweat again.
“Come on!!! Go!!!”
The sudden sound startled Kurokawa. The audience was so engrossed in watching the VCR on the screen that they didn't seem to notice the voices coming from backstage. There were men and women, and it was hard to tell who was speaking. But the rising energy of the voices had truly infected him.
Yes, figure skating is also a sport! We should get excited!
He straightened his back, held the flashlight and got ready.
In the darkness, he vaguely saw a figure pulling open the curtain, bending down and touching the ice surface.
The audience members with good eyesight also noticed it and started applauding.
Three, two, one
With a snap, the light accurately shone on Yuzuru Hanyu. In his white tracksuit, with his back straight and his expression composed, he looked just like him standing on the court in the past.
Le, nestled behind the control panel, unconsciously sat up straight and peered over it. While the surveillance footage was clearer, the gleaming white ice was still a little dizzying after looking at it for too long. She stubbornly craned her neck to peer out. The six-minute practice countdown ticked by, and people in white kirten jumpers with purple trims glided and jumped across the ice, raising their arms to confirm their takeoff position and trajectory.
Her hands clenched into fists involuntarily, her fingertips digging into the soft flesh of her palms. It wasn't until he calmly bowed to the crowd with an all-clean smile that she realized a row of deep finger marks had formed on her palms. She lowered her head and rubbed her palms, finding the nail marks on her right hand rubbing against the long-established scar, leaving a striking red mark.
"Hey, Le-chan, what's wrong with your hand?" Teacher Mikiko noticed and asked with concern.
"It's okay. I didn't notice it just now because my fingernails are too long." Le smiled and shook her hands to indicate that it was nothing to worry about. When she spoke, she found that the corners of her jaw were sore. "Really, this design looks so much like a stadium that I was even drawn into it." She shook her head self-deprecatingly.
"It's a pity that I didn't go to Pyeongchang to see Seimei in person." Teacher Mikiko shook her head regretfully.
"That's a pity indeed."
That year, looking down from about this height, it was difficult to discern his right foot amidst his rapid movements. Especially since his portrayal of Seimei was so full of vigor and energy, it was hard not to focus on his entire form. On the ice, the black skates danced, stirring up frost. The young man, confident of victory, opened his arms to complete the final dance sequence, each beat treading on her heart.
Same as today.
It was a pity that he didn't have the proud moment of shouting victory in the pouring rain. Now he could calmly take a deep breath and gracefully salute everyone around him. Because he still had the next hour and a half to complete.
But I wanted to run down and hug him.
This idea is the same as that year, without any change.
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