Chapter 90 Gambling
October is already late autumn in Yokohama, and nightfall is coming earlier and earlier, especially since it's raining today...
Le stood under the eaves at the company's entrance and peered into the parking lot, but saw no cars waiting. He glanced down at his phone again. The message box from Yuzuru Hanyu read "10 minutes ago."
Yuzu: I've already left, Le can get ready to go out~
It should be here soon...
Thinking so, she closed the dialog box.
Raindrops fell from the eaves, creating a fine, delicate splash on the ground and steps. Le watched the patter of water droplets, his fingertip pressing the button on the side of his phone to pause the music in his headphones. He stood beneath the eaves, listening to the rain. The sound of the rain, soft and lingering, was a natural ASMA sound effect, offering a moment's relaxation to his overworked brain.
I've been very busy lately.
While her duties as a choreographer continued, rehearsals for La Traviata, returning to her role as a dancer, were no easy feat. Besides practicing the dance itself, she also faced numerous other tasks. Having to perform a nearly three-hour ballet in one sitting, Le, having not performed on stage for a long time, presented a significant challenge both physically and technically. Furthermore, preparations for the prologue and the gift were also in full swing, leaving her wishing she could split her time into three parts each day.
Seizing every opportunity to work is Le's most efficient way of working now, but occasionally, like now, he wants to take a short break from his busy schedule and give his brain a nap.
But this precious moment of emptiness was soon broken.
"Hey, Suginohara? Why are you here?" Several colleagues from the same crew came out together. Their lively conversation came to an abrupt end when they saw Suginohara Le at the door. One of them exchanged glances with a few people before coming up to ask.
"Ah... I'm waiting for someone." Because there was no sound in the headphones, Le was too lazy to take them off and just turned around to answer.
"Oh~" Several people raised their voices in unison, and the person who spoke first winked, "Are you waiting for Tohara? Then go in and wait. I see he has a physical therapy appointment."
"No..." Le was about to explain when a light flashed from the parking lot. She looked over and saw a black Honda with a familiar license plate. "I'm leaving now. Are you guys going out for dinner? Have fun!" she said, then turned and ran into the rain, running towards the car that was obviously waiting for her under everyone's gaze.
The people under the eaves watched the car drive away, each with their own thoughts. At times like this, someone always speaks up first.
"Do you know whose car that is?"
"I don't know." One of them shrugged and replied, "Maybe it's a boyfriend? I remember Suginohara had a boyfriend."
"Didn't they break up?" someone interrupted the speculation in surprise.
"Ah? Is that true?"
"That should be the case. She has been so close to Tohara recently, they should be together, right? Did you see their rehearsal today? Their eyes were so charming!" The person who made the speculation deliberately strengthened his tone to emphasize the reliability of his assertion.
"Don't underestimate Suginohara. Who told you that you have to break up before dating someone new?"
The speaker raised an eyebrow suggestively, and the others naturally sighed meaningfully. The topic didn't end there; each person offered two sentences of "supplementary testimony," which became the main topic of their after-work dinner.
The two protagonists of the topic were unaware that their relationship had been broken up by a piece of gossip. Perhaps even if they had heard it in person, they would have shrugged and turned around to go about their business. After all, now, sitting in the car driving in the rain, they were also busy with their computers and iPads. Hasegawa glanced at the two people in the back seat in the rearview mirror and silently slowed down at a red light from a distance, making the car more stable.
The countdown on the traffic light steadily changed, and Hasegawa felt a little anxious watching it. Perhaps it was because just when he turned in the dance troupe parking lot, he had clearly seen the women talking in the reflection in the rearview mirror, leaning over each other, and smiling with their hands covering their mouths. It was particularly...uncomfortable.
As someone with experience working in an agency, Hasegawa intuitively felt that they were not discussing any serious matters.
He looked up at the rearview mirror again and happened to meet the eyes of Yuzuru Hanyu who was looking up in thought.
"Hiroshige-san, is there something wrong?" Yuzuru Hanyu asked with his head tilted.
"Ahem... no..." Hasegawa cleared his throat and continued driving. After passing an intersection, he considered and spoke, "Hanyu-san, I hope you don't blame me for meddling in your business. After all, I'm your assistant too..."
Hasegawa's hesitant approach made Hanyu laugh. He waved his hand and, smiling, urged Hasegawa to relax and just speak frankly.
"Also, as I said, just call me Yuzuru~" He closed the laptop on his lap, sat up straight and leaned forward slightly, thinking that Hasegawa's indecision might mean he was going to mention some personal matter like asking for leave. But he was wrong. This wasn't Hasegawa's personal matter at all, nor was it the trivial matter he'd politely referred to. It was a serious matter.
Why can't adults in the workplace be more direct?
Yuzuru Hanyu sat on the sofa at home, holding the information given to him by Hasegawa in his hand, and couldn't help but complain about this sentence in his heart.
In his hand was a contingency plan for revealing his and Le's relationship. It had been carefully thought out, with various scenarios in mind. It also included all the gossip about him from the past, serving as crucial reference material for his scenario analysis.
"What are you looking at? You look so serious..." Le came over and sat next to him. He leaned over to look at the document in his hand and read the eye-catching words on it word by word. "Purely fabricated case reference, 2016... What is this?"
"Hasegawa's PR plan..." He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes wearily. After all, after reading these past cases, he always felt like dead memories were attacking him. "If I hadn't read this, I would have almost forgotten how diverse the media and public opinion rumors could be."
Just days after the 2016 New Year, he saw a headline in the news that made his pupils tremble. He briefly thought it was a New Year's visit with Le, and that someone had photographed them at the dance studio late at night, which made him extremely nervous. Fortunately, the story had nothing to do with Le. The main article, aside from the blurred names, was written with vivid, powerful language. However, from his perspective, it felt like a fanfiction...
However, even such an original rumor made him feel the power of rumors...
"That's why I said I hate reporters..." Le took the information from him, flipping through it while wholeheartedly agreeing with Hanyu's words. She'd experienced the rigor of reporters writing like that before her. "But, does it really need to be so complicated? They'll tell you what they mean anyway, so just ignore them..."
This is the best response plan summarized from her experience, and it is also what Hasegawa wrote in the summary of her case that year.
Don't try to explain anything to the public through journalists or the media; you'll likely make things worse.
He is quite knowledgeable.
The joy is felt silently in my heart.
It's not just the media, though. Rumors don't need professionals like journalists to spread them. For example, ever since I accepted the role of Margaret, the whispers haven't stopped. Instead of arguing, I should cherish this opportunity and perform well in the role.
"I can choose not to listen. After all, I've been told everything over the years..." Yuzuru Hanyu turned to look at Le, who was poring over some documents beside him, and sighed. If Le were to suffer because of him, it was hard to say whether he could remain calm. His wild thoughts hadn't yet run wild when a pain in his cheek pulled him back.
Le put down the information in his hand and pinched Yuzuru Hanyu's cheeks with both hands.
"Why are you sighing again? Are you thinking about something that might get you into trouble?" She frowned, as if she could see through his thoughts. "I've told you, I'm a public figure now, even if I don't have as much influence as you. But it's hard to say who attracted the paparazzi first."
"Is there any need to think about this?" He covered his cheek which was pinched painfully, and was aroused by an inexplicable desire to win.
"Huh, who knows? How about we make a bet and see who gets reported first?"
"It must be me."
"Buy it and leave it."
Hasegawa was still feeling uneasy while waiting for a reply on his proposal. If he knew that the young couple he was worried about was actually betting on his worries, he would definitely not stay up for three nights to write the proposal.
Hasegawa wasn't the only office worker who'd worked through three nights without receiving the expected feedback. At a convenience store near his apartment, Kanai Jiro used the restroom to wash his face, then bought two rice balls. He sat on a bench near the entrance and finished his late-night dinner in a few bites.
This was already his second day squatting here.
Three days ago, he stumbled upon Yuzuru Hanyu at the Shinkansen station. Though he kept a low profile, wearing a hat and mask, and dressed in black casual attire, looking like an ordinary college student, his professional instinct as an entertainment reporter prompted him to take a second look, and he successfully captured a photo of Hanyu's profile.
However, when he excitedly returned to the office with the footage he had shot and presented his results at the group's daily meeting, he did not receive any recognition.
“Kanai, you have to know that Yuzuru Hanyu has retired now. He’s probably afraid of being forgotten, so he’s been going on shows everywhere to make his presence felt. And I heard that he’s also often running around looking for collaborations. The photo you took of him at the station is nothing to write home about.” The senior in the group folded his arms, leaned back in his chair, and looked disdainful.
"But senior, didn't you say last time that following entertainment news doesn't have to be as complicated as serious news, and the material is just an introduction..." Jin Jing couldn't help but defend himself, but in the end he only got ridicule from his senior.
Thinking of this, he became even more dissatisfied. They clearly had no material at all, and they had already written a manuscript. Why was it his turn, and they had already taken photos, but they still wouldn't let him write.
He angrily took a bite of his chocolate bar and pulled out his phone to check Twitter to calm himself. Perhaps his phone was listening to his thoughts, but the blue bird updated the page with a beep. A message on the front page made his eyes widen.
[Dancing Girls Special: Oh my goodness! I just found this while scrolling through my phone photos. What the hell is this K-Parasite anniversary party?! Not only did I see Suginohara Raku back on stage after a long absence, but I also thought I saw Yuzuru Hanyu at the end of the show!!! But that shouldn't be right. Yuzuru Hanyu should have been in Sendai on the day of the anniversary show, after all, wasn't there a live show the next day... Maybe I was mistaken.]
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