February
Ice Castle,
Hasetsu, Japan
"Any luck with coaching applications?"
Yuuko grimaces at the sound of her husband entering their shared office, biting into an apple with little to no remorse for the fact that she'd been stuck there for over three hours straight.
The room certainly was not big enough for the two of them.
Yuuko was the type of person who needed a designated area of work - her desk was a glorified table shoved near the window. It allowed the sun to hit her like she was a plant thirsty for light, but close enough to the heater that she wouldn't freeze to death during the winter months.
It did nothing to help with the clutter of the room however. They had repurposed some old gym lockers that were stuck in the basement into storage, shoving them opposite the door. Most of their documents had become digitalised over the years, running on Yuuko's old computer that took aeons to boot up.
Takeshi had somehow squeezed a large communal table into the centre of the room. It took up most of the space, but it was essential for his own work on his pride and joy - the Hasetsu Knights, a middle school hockey team that had found some regional success after he took up coaching them. .
He's holding one of those gameplay books today as well, setting it on the table before moving to kiss his wife's forehead.
"I'm really worried, Takeshi." She sighs heavily, overwhelmed.
"I thought things were looking up, but just because we have loads of skaters wanting to come here doesn't mean coaches do. We're so remote that nobody with the right experience is applying. Maybe, maybe we should settle? If I invite them to the second stage, we'll be able to see how they deal with interacting with the kids."
"But is that what you want?" Takeshi places his hand on Yuuko's shoulder, bringing their foreheads together. Yuuko curls under his warmth, taking a calming breath.
"No. No, it's not, but I'm scared we'll lose the momentum we have now. We might never get this chance again."
"Let's talk this through, then." Takeshi pulls away. "What are we looking for exactly?"
Yuuko looks down at the pile of applicants on her desk. "We need someone who can teach advanced young skaters, ones who want to compete at competitions. I'm talking about regionals and nationals and maybe even Grand Prix events. We're the home of Katsuki Yuuri - we should be a force to be reckoned with."
Takeshi whistles slowly. "That's a lot to ask for. Is there even a person who can?"
" Yuuri can. Have you seen Haru-chan recently? She's flourishing . She's always been a good jumper, but now? She can hold her spins far better, her speed has increased and her edge control is better than ever. She can reach the other side of the rink within ten seconds, I should know, I timed her. It's…" Yuuko swallows, throat thick with emotion. "He's such a good teacher, the change within a week is so big, it's like a miracle."
"But we can't keep relying on Yuuri. He'll be in America starting September."
"That's why I'm so worried!" Yuuko sniffles, her eyes prickling with tears. "What happens when Haru has to deal with a sub-par teacher, after she's had months of being taught by Yuuri? She'lll be stifled . Why do we have to choose between stability or quality?"
"Well, what about the American application?"
Yuuko shrieks as Takeshi freezes, eyes widening as Yuuri leisurely walks through their office door.
"Jesus! Yuuri, give us a warning." He places a hand on his thundering chest.
Yuuri rolls his eyes, making his way through the office to stand behind Yuuko at Takeshi's desk. He pushes his body back so that it faces the inside heater, curling his hand around the heat.
"Why are you even here? Shouldn't you be with Haru?" Takeshi grumbles, nudging Yuuri away from the heater. "Move, idiot. You're blocking the heat."
"Haru doesn't finish school until three." Yuuri pouts, sticking his fingers back on top of the heater. "Yuuko, your husband is being mean to me!"
"Move, Katsuki or I'll rip your hands off- stop blocking the heater- "
"But it's cold!"
" Boys ."
Fear stills both Takeshi and Yuuri at the tone of Yuuko's voice. Her smile has a sinister gleam to it. Properly chastised, they each place their hands behind the backs, looking down at their shoes.
"I don't know what application you're talking about, Yuuri." Yuuko turns towards him, slumping back in her seat. "I've gone through all of the emails, but none of them are good enough for Haru."
"It's your fault." Takeshi gleams. "Haru's refusing to have anyone other than Katsuki-sensei . I have no idea why she's so stuck on you, Minako's an angel in comparison."
Yuuri flips him off, instead leaning across Yuuko's back to point at her computer screen. "That one- I read the application earlier. You always print them off, I'm surprised you hadn't read it yourself."
"..." Yuuko gapes. "Yuuri, that's because it's in English. I put it in the trash."
Yuuri blinks. "Oh. I didn't realise."
"Yo-" Takeshi takes a deep breath, curbing the anger that fills his body. "Forget it, calm , I am a symbol of calmness. Yuuri can't make me angry, I have three triplets that cause havoc. So what if Katsuki is a menace? I can handle it." He chants to himself, ignoring the piercing glare at the side of his head.
"I only glanced at it earlier." Yuuri says, sorting through Yuuko's rejected pile of applications. As he flickers through the folder, Yuuko and Takeshi glance at each other over his hunched over body.
Why is he always here?
It's his training ground, stop being rude
Am I not allowed to be jealous? He's smart and athletic! He doesn't need to remind us of it all the time!
"Here!" Yuuri smiles, interrupting the two as he pulls out a single, printed out file. "Her name's Sophia Suzuki, she's Japanese-American. I guess she must've thought you accepted foreign applicants. Where did you post the vacancy?"
"Twitter, Facebook, and that website you used to find Nobu."
"You mean the official directory of coaches?" Yuuri gasps, waiting for Yuuko to realise. Her mouth drops open.
"Shit, that sends it out to international coaches too?"
Yuuri nods, laughing. "Yeah, that's how I found Celestino's details. Although, from the fact that you had no idea about it, I'm guessing you didn't get many international applicants."
Takeshi scratches his face, eyes narrowing in concentration. "Where have I heard that name from - Suzuki, Suzuki-"
"Well, it is a pretty common surname."
"Shut up, Yuuri-" Yuuko points to her computer screen. She had typed in Sophia's name into a search engine, resulting in hundreds of articles in English.
"What the fuck." Takeshi gapes.
"Yuuri!" Yuuko pinches him. "Quickly, what do they say?"
Yuuri takes control over the mouse, scrolling down the page before clicking on a link.
U.S. Figure Skating - ARCHIVE
[PHOTO: A picture of two skaters holding a trophy in their hands, with gold medals around their necks]
Sophia Suzuki and Glenn Ryan
Five-time U.S. National Champions
1979 - 1983
"Holy fuck." Yuuri's eyes widened. "Sophia Suzuki. The Sophia Suzuki."
Takeshi curses him. "Fucks sake, Yuuri stop speaking English!"
"What- what does it say?!" Yuuko pushes forward, eyes honed in on the article.
"Sorry," He says, but his voice shows that he's not sorry at all. Yuuri's eyes light up with wonder. "You might not know about it because she was a skater from the eighties. She won bronze at the Olympics in pairs. I only remember because they were the only team that stopped a Russian sweep at the Olympics."
In actuality, Yuuri only remembers her name because of Glenn.
The athlete was a commentator that frequented America's domestic competitions. Yuuri, who persistently competed at Skate America during his time with Celestino, had met the man a few times in his other life.
He was kind, always greeting Yuuri even when he was a no-name skater. Glenn had been one of the few older athletes that had not changed their treatment of him following his and Viktor's partnership. Sophia though, Sophia was a complete mystery to Yuuri.
The media always spun some kind of tale around Glenn whenever he was commentating.
The pair had been America's Sweethearts back in the day, the only team able to win a World Championship title against the titans of Russian pair skating. It was always tinged with nostalgic undertones, an insight into the time when the US was the peak of international dominance.
If there's one thing Yuuri knew about past champions, it was that they loved to bring up their past exploits whenever it was possible. So where was Sophia Suzuki in all of this?
It seemed that after her Olympic bronze, the skater disappeared from the public eye. Perhaps she struggled to find her footing in a post-retirement world.
Hundreds of questions floated through Yuuri's mind. Why was she applying for a job halfway around the world? For all intents and purposes, Ice Castle was nothing to the country, let alone the international field.
It wasn't a great skating school like Sports Champions, seeped rich in history and prestige. Why would she come to the backwaters of Japan when the world was at her feet?
"I wonder why she's applying here." Yuuri voices his thoughts out loud. "Can you give me a second, Yuu-chan?"
Yuuko stands up as Yuuri eases into her seat. He goes back to the front page, and wonders what possessed an Olympian to come to now-where Hasetsu, Japan when she had the whole of America at her feet.
"Oh." Yuuri gasps out. It was difficult to find web articles about the skater post-Olympics, but with all of his future insight, Yuuri started to see the story from the gaps being left behind.
Yuuri taps his finger against the desk. "Show me her application again?"
Takeshi hands it towards him, and Yuuri's eyes narrow, skimming through her personal details until he reaches her cover letter.
I believe I have what it takes to help build Ice Castle into the best training grounds for the future of figure skating. From my experience at competing at the highest level of skating, I know what it takes to build an environment where children are able to flourish and be protected against the harsh realities of competitive figure skating…
Yuuri's mouth turns dry. He can see the cracks through the media narrative, and his voice turned dark.
"She must've had a bad break with her coach." Yuuri crosses his arms, glancing up at Yuuko and Takeshi. "There's nothing said about it, but from the fact that Glenn mentions her whenever he's interviewed, I'd say they at least have a good relationship. The only person left would be the coach."
"What do you think went bad?"
Yuuri shrugs. "Who knows? The federation probably sided with him since she's nowhere to be seen. It's not like she was blacklisted either - look, she's headed some well-known skating seminars at big clubs in America. But she's been stuck as an assistant coach for years even though the references say she's an amazing teacher. I definitely think she's being barred from moving up."
A place where children are protected . Yuuri traces the letters of the sentence, eyes narrowing.
Figure skating, for all it's glamour, was colder than ice.
The best analogy he could give was that it was like a pressurised cooker, stewing every emotion as the heat beneath the skater built, and built, and built , until finally, it exploded. What happens after the explosion? Yuuri can already see the things being hastily wiped away, cleaned up with a sponge and erased from view.
Figure skaters give their youth for a sliver of victory - sometimes, the slow climb down could kill. Yuuri had experienced that once - he knew the feeling all too well.
"Well, she's definitely qualified." Yuuri stands up from Yuuko's desk, allowing Yuuko to sit on her chair again. "The question is whether she can teach in Japan. If I was the one setting up the interviews, I'd see how the applicants interact with Haru specifically."
"Because that's our goal for Haru, right?" He stares Yuuko and Takeshi down, and for a split second, Takeshi feels like he's looking at a mountain, an indomitable aura engulfing Yuuri.
"We are preparing her for when she becomes eligible for competition next year. Whoever you hire needs to understand that. We're not teaching amatures - we're training future national athletes."
"But what about the kids who are ice skating for fun?" Yuuko questions. "Most kids in Hasetsu only want lessons because it's a nice activity - only yourself and Haru are serious about skating here."
"Who says we have to hire only one coach?" Yuuri shrugs his shoulders. "Besides, you do well with the lessons now, Yuu-chan. But I think we're being misdirected about our audience - we're not aiming for kids in Hasetsu who just want a cool hobby anymore. What kind of job vacancy did you put out? A one-on-one figure skating coach or a general skating teacher?"
"We were hoping for both." Takeshi concedes.
"Think of it this way," Yuuri says. "You want someone who can teach skating classes and be a coach. Whilst they seem like the same thing, they're two very different jobs. You already have a person who can teach skating classes." Yuuri points to a flushed Yuuko.
"I think the reason you're struggling is because you're trying to kill two birds with one stone. What you are looking at is two different jobs - a coach and a teacher. The easiest distinction is the money."
Yuuri sighs, crossing his arms. "Let's keep the prices for skating classes the same as it's always been - 2,000 yen for a half an hour class. If you are getting individual lessons, it's twice the amount for the same time, and again, these are amature rates."
Yuuri taps the desk repeatedly. "But, if we get a professional coach? The lowest you can charge is 8,000 yen an hour. And if it's for a skater like myself or Haru, we would be skating up to three to four hours a week. Ice Castle would earn from one skater up to 32,000 yen a week."
Takeshi whistles loudly. "Is that how much you owe us?!"
"Continuing from what I was saying - you have two respective audiences for the rink. One: the people who just want to try ice skating because it's fun. Two: competitive athletes like myself and Haru. Who's to say that the kids from group one won't progress to group two?" Yuuri shrugs. "I say set up two different branches - general classes and coaching. You've been having calls about classes for ages, right? This will solve that."
Yuuko gazes down at the application. "Are you sure she's the one?"
Yuuri shrugs. "I like her statement, she fits well with Ice Castle's ethos. You could accept more students as well, I know you still get emails asking if you can train their kids. The problem is whether they'll be willing to travel. That was the main reason all the other staff left, remember? Not enough students means coaches will leave. We could board some skaters though, Ueonomya-san can add them to the ballet dormitory-"
"Wait." Takeshi frowns, scratching his forehead. "What dormitory? Why are you talking to Ueonoyama?"
Yuuri freezes.
"What aren't you telling us?" Yuuko narrows her eyes.
Yuuri bites his lip. "Okay, please don't kill me or tell Minako-sensei because then she will kill me." Yuuko doesn't budge, causing Yuuri to sigh even louder. "Minako-sensei bought it - Demon's Den ."
"What the fuck is Demon's Den ?" Yuuko's forehead crinkles and her mouth turns into a frown.
Takeshi, however, slams his hand against the table, incredulous. "Wait, are you talking about the one next to our high school? The one where I tricked you into getting drunk on my dad's sake?"
"Yes!" Yuuri points his finger, lips widening at the memory of Takeshi throwing up out of the window onto some poor passerby's head. "That's exactly the one. The one where it's so old, we almost fell through the floor!"
"Fuck, that's been abandoned for centuries . Was it an old factory or some shit like that?"
"I think it was an inn, but the hot springs didn't reach that part of town so they went out of business."
"That would explain why it was always fucking cold!" Takeshi grins, turning towards Yuuko. "It's why we called it Demon's Den - the temperature drops below zero even in the spring."
"Moving on from the fact that you two got drunk at an abandoned warehouse, which believe me Takeshi - we will be having a conversation about when we're home-" Takeshi visibly gulps at Yuuko's glare "-Explain why this is relevant to us , Yuuri?"
Yuuri blinks in confusion. "Well, because it fixes all of our problems?"
"Wait- wait, let's discuss this properly." Takeshi holds his hands out, his stomach turning. There is a piercing feeling at the bottom of his belly, and fear starts to well up his body. "Your brain has a tendency to think faster than your mouth. Knights, assemble!"
Yuuri blanches, visibly turning green. "I can't believe you married him, Yuu-chan."
"Neither can I." Yuuko cringes. "Honey, please stop calling our meetings that, it's fucking embarrassing."
"What? How is it embarrassing?!"
"What do you expect, Yuu-chan?" Yuuri grimaces. "He's a hockey player, we should've known."
"I will fucking gut you, Katsuki-"
Yuuko rolls her eyes, but instead of coming in between the two of them, she shoves Takeshi up away from the desk. The two of them make their way towards the table, sitting on chairs and looking at Yuuri pointedly.
He sighs heavily, turning towards the whiteboard opposite the table. It's filled with some kind of strategy that Yuuri never could bring himself to understand, and thankfully, Takeshi is quick to run a cloth through the mess, cleaning it.
Takeshi points at him, eyes narrowing. "Explain on the board before I turn into mush."
"Ugh, I forgot that you're a visual learner." Yuuri complains, catching the pen that Takeshi throws at him without a flicker of doubt.
"Hello everyone, welcome to the team meeting." He mimics a presentation stance, snickering despite the pain of Takeshi kicking him in the shin. "Okay, okay I'll be serious."
"I don't know if you've noticed but it seems that Hasetsu is changing, and it's kind of my fault." Yuuri sends Yuuko and Takeshi a thumbs up, ignoring the shaking of his hands. "I- er, I realised last week that things are different from what I was expecting. Instead of overanalysing everything, I decided, fuck it. Yeah, I don't know what the future holds anymore."
He looks between Takeshi and Yuuko, his hands clenched into fists by his side. "I don't want to seem like I'm cutting into your job, but I'm going to be completely honest with the two of you - you are wasting your talents."
Yuuri closes his eyes, hoping that his friends won't start to berate him - instead, he's met with silence. Yuuko and Takeshi stare at him, eyes wide. "Okay, listen - I'm going to actually explain everything. Please don't interrupt me until the end."
"I've realised that every single one of my choices has a chain reaction, and instead of worrying about said reactions, I'm going to focus on the present. I'm not aiming just to do well at international competitions - I'm going to be the best skater there ever has been. I'm not just going to skate on the same ice as Viktor, I'm going to beat him. I'm going to become the first Japanese skater to win everything. I'm going to win the Olympics . I'll crawl on my hands and feet through an unpaved road until I get to the summit and - and I want you all to be there with me."
"It doesn't matter that I'm moving to America in September. I am going to put Hasetsu on the map. This is my thank you, to both you and Minako, for making me what I am today."
Yuuko gasps her hands coming to cover her mouth. Takeshi is silent, blinking furiously. Yuuri can see tears have formed around his eyes.
He coughs loudly, trying to stop his own tears from falling. "Because I've completely fucked up the future-" Yuuri cuts himself of, biting his lip. "Cause you know, everything is so different from how it was this time last year, I mean, who knows what the future has in store for all of us, not me certainly, haha-"
"Yuuri."
"Right, I'll stop rambling. Okay, so, here's what I'm suggesting. We do what Minako-sensei is doing and strike while the iron is hot."
Yuuko frowns. "But what is Minako-sensei doing?"
"Don't interrupt. Just give me a moment. I had a mental image of Minako running at me with a knife." He lets out a huge exhale. "Don't freak out, but Minako-sensei is turning her studio into an actual school."
Takeshi and Yuuko's screams are in fucking harmony . Yuuri winces, sticking a finger into his ear to help alleviate the pain.
"Holy shit." Yuuko screeches, jumping up from her seat, her lips stretching into a beaming smile.
"Can you be any louder?" Yuuri rushes to close the door. "This is a secret . If Minako-sensei finds out I told you before she can, I'll be killed."
"I can't believe it!" Takeshi's grin is infectious. "That's everything she ever wanted! How did it even happen?"
"The two of us tried to make it seem like everything was under control, but in reality, the studio is being overrun with applicants. She's had to close all applications on her website and set up an automatic email saying that things will open in a few months. We've decided that she will return to her job full time until we travel to Worlds."
"That's why you've been training by yourself." Takeshi's eyes widened.
"Yes." Yuuri bites off the lid of the marker, writing in the middle of the board Sensei's studio . "So, you know those terraced houses that have been here since the beginning of time?"
"Ya mean the one next to the old Hakone Hot Springs?" Yuuri frowns at the mention of their rival hot springs - they may have been out of business for over ten years, but Yuuri still hates them on principle.
"Yeah, the street's been abandoned for years especially with the population dwindling over the last twenty years. That specific set of houses has been empty for decades. The hope was that they would be filled up, but unfortunately, they're so old that even if Hasetsu did have new inhabitants, they wouldn't be able to move in because it's not livable."
"As much as I love talking about our dwindling population, can we please get to the point of how those houses are relevant to the building you and Takeshi used to get drunk in?" Yuuko snickers as Yuuri's cheeks turn red.
"Right, sorry. This is important, just let me gather my information." He takes a deep breath. "Sorry for rambling, okay, so-"
Yuuri stands up next to the whiteboard, tapping his foot against the floor. "Right, this might sound weird, but you wouldn't happen to have a map of Hasetsu, would you?"
Takeshi looks at him as if he asked him to order sushi with nutella. Yuuko thrusts her elbow into his side, ignoring his yelp of pain.
"Let me see," She tells Yuuri hurriedly, opening the lockers behind them. "Oh, the shock and horror!" She sends Yuuri a grin, placing an old folded up map on the table.
The pages had been left to collect dust at the bottom of a box, turning yellow and wrinkling at the side. Yuuri grimaces at the sight, but helps Takeshi and Yuuko to empty the table so that they can unfold the map and lay it across.
The map is an ancient relic, a fossil that deserves to be in the national museum - but since Hasetsu itself was also a fossil, the map's data was not outdated in the slightest.
Yuuri bites off the lid of the marker, circling the street of unhomed houses and then traces the map until he reaches the old building next to their school.
"Ha!" Takeshi points a finger at Yuuri, vindicated. "I was right! It was a factory."
Yuuri ignores him, circling the building. "Okay, look between them, the distance isn't far, right?"
"Yeah." Yuuko understands. "They made those buildings close to the school because they thought it would house families, I remember kaasan talking about it."
Yuuri then circles Minako's studio.
"Oh!" Yuuko cries in realisation. "Minako's place is right between the two of them!"
"It's more than that." Yuuri says, taking the marker and drawing a large circle. "Look, they're all within a five mile radius of each other."
"Okay," Yuuko frowns. "Why have you mentioned the terraced houses though?"
"I'm getting to that." Yuuri points the pen towards Demon's Den . "Minako bought this because she's going to renovate it into her new school."
"Holy fuck." Takeshi screams. "Shit, that's insane. Demon's Den is huge ."
"That's why she bought it, it's size and location."
"And that's why you mentioned Uenoyama-san." Yuuko's eyes widen in realisation. "He owns a construction company."
"The only construction company in Hasetsu." Yuuri crosses his arms. "I made Minako-sensei promise me that if we're doing this, we're using local businesses. She agreed."
Yuuri pulls up a chair, clasping his hands together. He looks up at his best friends, who are sitting opposite him side-by-side. "This is what Minako-sensei and I figured out - Demon's Den is going to be her new school. Uenoyama-san is going to renovate it into a multi-story building, one where multiple classes can be on at the same time. The plan is to separate the floors by levels."
Yuuri taps the pen against the street of terraced houses. "However, these right here, are going to be turned into dormitories."
"You are fucking kidding me." Takeshi gapes. "She's thinking of turning the school into a year-round thing?"
"That's the idea." Yuuri says. "You know sensei's history. She went to fucking Vaganova . She's lived its history. Now, she wants to make her own."
"Minako-sensei is planning on opening a small summer school for the time being. Kaasan has told her that she can house up to twelve students at our inn as a thank you for coaching me for free. So that's the cut-off. Minako-sensei will be sending out interviews for the summer school straight after Worlds, and will invite students here for free to see if her school is feasible."
"This is insane." Yuuko whispers. "No wonder she's never here anymore. I can't imagine the amount of work she has to do."
Yuuri feels a chill run through him. Please don't hate me in the future, Yuuko , he thinks to himself.
"Minako-sensei is all set to run. She's hired six new ballet coaches; they'll be coming down to Hasetsu to be trained by her before the summer school begins."
"That's incredible!" Yuuko's fingers clasp together, holding it up to her lips as tears start to leak out of her eyes.
"It'll be a huge challenge." Yuuri leans back in his seat. "Like I said, both projects need to be completed at the same time, ready for next year in April. It's a fuck-ton of money, but it'll generate so many jobs for Ueonomaya's company."
"Shit." Takeshi whispers. "I completely forgot about that. He had to let almost the entire company go last year because of the recession."
"Which is why …" Yuuri cannot contain his joy, biting his lip to stop it from stretching into a massive smile. "The council decided to step in."
Nothing can contain Takeshi's look of absolute horror. "You are shitting me."
Yuuri laughs, cupping his cheeks to mirror their astonishment. "When sensei told me, I almost threw up. Because the terraced houses were originally council estates, the art council has decided to directly invest into her setting up her school. They're paying entirely for the dormitory."
"You are fucking me over." Yuuko's jaw drops, unable to control his astonishment. "I think I'm going to faint. God, I was so worried Minako-sensei wouldn't have the money to do all of this, but that covers it!"
"It makes complete sense why they would invest though." Yuuri shakes his head, unable to stop the grin on his face.
"Okay, do tell." Takeshi leans forward, ears prickling.
Yuuri smirks. "Think of it this way, there is no major dance school in Japan. Minako is making the very first specialised school. Her plan is to make an all-intensive school that will nurture the future of Japanese dancers. She's starting off with what she knows - ballet - but that doesn't mean that's all she'll do in the future. The Arts Council has already asked if she's willing to extend the school to include Japanese traditional dance."
"To do that, she needs to make an actual, year-long curriculum. The school would need to be registered with the Ministry of Education. Yuuri crosses his leg, leaning back into his seat. "Which means these kids would be staying over at dormitories."
Yuuko covers her mouth, and says "Which also means there's going to be more people coming into Hasetsu."
"Exactly. These kids are going to have to be taught actual academic stuff, which is why this is important." Yuuri taps the place where Demon's Den is on the map.
"Her school will be right next to Hasetsu Higashi. It means that Higashi can work directly with the ballet school. They've already started to make a new schedule that will accommodate the influx of new students when her school gets up and running in two year."
The two are left speechless. What else could they say? The silence stretches on, and Yuuri can feel that the two of them are disappearing from him.
"Guys, why aren't you excited?"
"We are!" Yuuko shouts. "Of course we are! But… erm, why are you telling us this?"
"What do you mean why ? I just explained it!" Yuuri cries. "Look, it's all here-oh shit."
Yuuri scratches the back of his head. "I didn't tell you why it's all relevant, did I?"
"No." Takeshi coughs, hiding his laughter behind his hand. "Mind telling us why, before Minako murder's you?"
"Eeep!" Yuuri cringes. "Okay, look here."
He circles Ice Castle on the map. Whilst it is not far from the other sites, it is further out of the five mile radius that Yuuri had drawn earlier. Yuuko gazes at the map, wondering what Yuuri was trying to point out.
"I don't want to sound egotistic, but at the end of the day, you can kind of say that I'm the centre of all this change. The reason all of this is happening is because sensei decided to coach me, right?"
"Yes," Yuuko's voice trails off, her tone turning curious as she looks at Yuuri.
"But I'm a figure skater, not a ballerina."
"Oh, just spit it out already Yuuri!" Takeshi growls. "I'm tired of you taking the long way around!"
"Look," Yuuri places both of his hands on top of the table. "At first, Sensei wasn't getting any calls because they were all directed here, right?"
"Yeah, people wanted to know if she would coach other skaters." Yuuko says it like it is obvious. "We told them that you were a one-off thing and that she only taught dance."
Yuuri points his finger at her. "Exactly. We directed them to her. To everyone in the country, Ice Castle and Sensei are adjacent schools. We can use that."
"What?" Takeshi gapes. "What are you trying to say?"
"The only reason Sensei is moving at such a fast pace is because she's reknowned . Of course people will move to Hasetsu if it means being taught by the only recipient of the Benois de la Dance in all of Asia . She was a principal at Mariinsky, till this day, she still does seminars all across Asia."
"What does Ice Castle have?" Yuuri points to himself. "Me, and if you hire Sophia Suzuki?"
"We'd be the home of two top skaters." Yuuko's voice becomes louder.
" Sophia can become your Minako." Yuuri reiterates.
Yuuri takes the pen and draws another circle. "You could board people here, too. Look, Minako's dormitories will be in your five mile radius. The entire street can be turned into student dorms. If we show the council that there is an audience for skaters in Hasetsu, then it would give them more of an incentive to fix the town up."
"You are talking out of your ass." Takeshi shakes his head in wonder. "Is this real life? Yuuko, pinch me, I must be dreaming."
Yuuri can feel his heart trying to escape the confines of his chest. How long has it been since he was this excited?
Mari had sacrificed everything for their family. Yuuri had taken the skills Mari had honed from the inn and shown her a new path to take, something that she could call her own. Now, she was travelling to Tokyo every weekend, coming back tired but more alive than he had ever seen her before.
Minako was the same, this school had been her dream , something that had seemed impossible but was now almost at her fingertips. All that was left was Yuuko and Takeshi. How else could Yuuri thank the two who had curbed his loneliness, who had set him off to fulfil everything he could ever dream of?
Ice Castle was Yuuko and Takeshi's life - and Yuuri would make sure that it would always be safe and sound.
When Yuuri had first awakened to this life, he thought it was the end of the world. Now, he would never wish to go back.
He was here. Fuck thinking about the future. Yuuri was going to stay in the present and he was going to thrive. "The entire block is derelict, nobody has lived there for years. If we do this, if we work together with Sensei, we can change the landscape of Hasetsu entirely."
(Yuuko slumps against her husband's side. "He knows we would've chosen her as soon as he picked up her application, right? His words are prophetic."
"Let him suffer a little bit." Takeshi purses his lips, pouting. "It is our rink."
Yuuko narrows her eyes.
"Okay, okay. Yuuri's always right, I get it, I get it." He sulks, looking down at the application in front of them. "Does she even speak Japanese?")
"Katsuki-sensei!" Haruka's grin is stretched across her lips, and Yuuri winces as her voice reverberates across the rink. "I'm here early!"
"Nice to see you, Haru-chan." He ruffles her hair lightly. "Good job, today's my off-day so we can spend as long on the ice as you want."
Yuuri's ears painfully twist at the sound of Haru's joyful screeching. "Don't rejoice yet, we're bumping up the difficulty today."
Haru pouts, already pulling off her skating guards. "You always say that! Ee've been doing skating drills all week. I want to show you my jumps!"
"Jumps aren't everything in skating, Haruka." Yuuri pulls off his jacket, sliding black gloves over his hands to ease the cold of the rink air. "When we get on the ice, I'm showing you the next stage."
"I'll be right there, let me just change!"
"Make sure you warm up first!" He calls after her, shaking his head.
He warms himself up by skating a few laps around the rink. When that's done, he begins by setting up the first half of their lesson. The rink is void of any other skaters, a time blacked off entirely for Haruka and Yuuri alone. Yuuri waits patiently at the rinkside as she rushes through her stretches, grinning as she skates towards him.
"All done!" She smiles. "What are we doing today?"
"Your speed's improved," He compliments. "It would've taken you twice the amount of time to reach me last week."
Haru bites her lip to stop them from spreading into a smile. "Thank you! The exercise you taught me worked. Yuuko-sensei timed me and I can go around the rink in under ten seconds now!"
"Good job. Now, we're moving on to edge control. Do you know what figures are?"
Haru tilts her head, frowning.
"It's where we get the word 'figure' in figure skating."
Her eyes widened, mouth dropping open in wonder. "No way."
Yuuri grins, finding Haru-chan's childish nature adorable. He reaches out to pinch her cheek, before clapping his hand. "It used to be a big part of the competition, but the ISU scrapped it long before either of us were born. But they're still good things to learn - I'll give you an example. Come here."
They reach an area towards the back of the rink, and Yuuri crouches down so that he's level with Haru. He points at the ice. "What do you see in the ice?"
"It's a circle." Haru recognises.
"Right, I made it with my skates."
"No way!" She gapes. "But, it's a perfect circle!"
"Look, I'll show you." Yuuri steps on to the ice, pushing out and making the shape entirely on one foot. "See?"
Haru awes, crouching over to see the indent of the circle into the ice. It perfectly followed the original circle. There wasn't a foot placed wrong.
"Do you know why I'm teaching you this?" Yuuri asks, watching as Haru's face scrunches in concentration.
"Because it's cool?"
He laughs lightly, unable to stop himself from ruffling her hair. "No. I'm going to do it again, and I want you to look closer, at my feet specifically."
Yuuri can feel Haru's eyes drill into his skates. His skates follow his every move, and soon he has drawn the perfect shape of a figure.
"Wow!" Haru claps. "It's number eight!"
"It is." Yuuri steps away to admire his work. "Did you figure out the answer to my question?"
Haru frowns, before looking down at her skates. She shakes her head.
"Come here." Yuuri steps carefully around his figure, until he's at the start. Haru stands next to him, and he points towards his skate. "Don't look at the shape I'm drawing, look at my feet."
Yuuri steps on to the line, with Haru following his every step. She gasps suddenly, and Yuuri smiles, knowing that she can answer the question.
"Sensei!" She's almost vibrating out of her skates. "I know, I know! You're changing the edges."
"Exactly." He steps away, so that the two of them are side by side, looking at the figure. "To do a single circle, you need to have four variations, the inside, outside, backward and forward edges. You need absolute control to be able to create the circle."
"Figures are the basis of all skating. It teaches you how much weight you need to put on your feet to turn your entire body - all you need is to control the edges, and your skating will jump leagues above what you could do before."
Yuuri crouches down so that his hands come to hold onto Haru's. "The most important thing I can do before your next teacher comes is to make sure you know all the proper techniques to keep your body safe."
"You find it difficult to get the axis right for your double axel, don't you?" Haru's head bobs, nodding. "This will help you find how to place your body at the right angle for take off. We won't be focusing on figures the whole lesson, but if you learn how to do them, your body will naturally fall into the proper alignment that can help all your jumps."
"Right - an overview of your training for the time being. Your ten minute warm is figures, after we'll progress to jump exercises and skating drills. I will be doing a skating evaluation at the end of week to track your progress." Haru's throat dries, and she gulps in fear.
Yuuri ruffles her hair. "Don't worry, the evaluation is just to see what we need to work on. If you follow my lessons, your edge control, core strength and body control will have increased exponentially. Your skates will become an extension of your body, like they're a limb."
"Is this how you trained, sensei?"
Yuuri looks down at the compulsory figure. Something begins to build from the edges of his skates, travelling through his body till they form a lump in his throat.
He thinks of all the times Nobu had left him alone at the rink. Yuuri, far too scared to wipe out on a jump, had retreated into his safe spot. Figures were safe, and the foundations of his hobby had built upon him to what he was now - a skater with perfect control over the ice.
"Yes." Yuuri says finally, noticing the attentive sheen Haru's eyes had taken. "It was the only thing I could teach myself."
Haru narrows her eyes, cheeks puffed in concentration. "Then I want to do it. Teach me everything, sensei."
Yuuri raises an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "That's my job, Haru. Come on, let's get started on a simple counter figure, you can already do it but this time I want your spine to be completely straight-"
Mainichi Shimbun
Tokyo, Japan
"Hey, intern!"
"Yes, senpai!" Kaneko shrieks, swivelling on his chair to face his coworker. The movement causes his lanyard to twist into his tie, and he flushes in embarrassment.
Hashimoto shakes her head, before placing four thick files on Kaneko's desk. "Chief is running a follow up on the entrance exams article. He wants to do a spotlight paper on a single kid that's in the top 1%, to show who is leading Japan's future. I need you to go through all of these names and give me a summary on each of them before tomorrow's meeting."
"Is that legal?" Kaneko scratches the back of his head, prodding one of the files with his pen. "Isn't personal information sealed?"
"It's not like we know their bank details." She shrugs. "Chief wants something different from other newspapers. Everyone's still running the story about how fucked up the education system is if over 70% of the population failed."
"But, why do we need to look at these then?" He prods one of the files with the end of his pen.
"Because the Chief wants a success story." Hashimoto says, annoyed. "Listen, kid. There's a lot you need to pick up on. If every single paper is out there hailing doom and gloom, then we need to be different. It's about changing the narrative. If everyone is failing, show me the exceptions."
Matsudo blinks up at his senior, causing Hashimoto to roll her eyes. She stretches out her neck, alleviating the crick that had formed at the base as she tried to explain everything to the newborn journalist. "Just give me something Kaneko. Find me a single student that's going to sell papers."
It was easy enough to agree under the afternoon sunlight that streamed through the ceiling-length windows of the office. Now, his eyes weary and tired under the flickering yellow of his desk lamp, Kaneko sighs to himself as the Mainichi descends into darkness.
The scribble of his pen and the ticking of his wristwatch are the only sounds that accompany him in the empty office. He breathes out slowly, eyes straining as the words of his documents begin to blur and merge into one another.
This internship was supposed to be the start of everything. Instead, all he had been doing was slaving away at menial tasks sent by his senpais.
At least Hashimoto-senpai would give him some kind of investigative work, the others would send him out on coffee runs or emptying out the trash when it overflowed.
"Stop thinking about that." A resounding slap echoes across the empty walls as Kaneko tries to wake himself up, patting his cheeks repeatedly. "Hashimoto-senpai needs this by tomorrow. Only a few more pages left and you can go home."
The top 1%.
At first, it didn't sound like a lot of students, so Kaneko patted himself on the back and thought he would get most of it done before home time. Evidently, it turns out that the top 1% of the nation means the top 1% of the nation - there were sixty thousand students for him to go through.
It made sense when he thinks about it; Japan as a country was home to over two million, but that had little consultation as Kaneko reels through hundreds of pages filled with the same generic shit as always.
Most students were kids from good economic backgrounds, their parents able to afford sending them to prestigious cram schools and private tutoring. Even if there was a student from a poorer background, they almost always graduated from a well-known private school, either through government bursaries or scholarships.
They were all the same type, academic geniuses, yes, but enough for a gripping story? Kaneko couldn't say.
The information Hashimoto-senpai gave him was scarce to begin with. He was right to think that there would be barely any information available to begin with, just their age, school and prefecture.
Some of the information reeled off like a CV, including extracurricular activities that were just extensions of their academic prowess.
Nothing sparked for him.
Kaneko always had a keen eye, and at the moment, he was blind as a bat.
The most interesting person on the list had been a fourth-generation zaibatsu - even then, Kaneko didn't think their audience would want to read about a rich kid who had things handed to him when most of their own children were suffering.
Sighing, he flicks through the rest of the pack.
Maybe he would be forced to write about the zaibatsu , he sulks to himself. Was there even a reason to keep flicking through the files?- Kaneko's eyes widen. .
His hands clench and his fists rub his eyes harshly.
勝生 勇利
Katsuki Yuuri, (18)
Hasetsu, Saga Prefecture,
Kyushu
He scratches the back of his head roughly.
"Where the fuck have I heard that name before?" He whines to himself. Katsuki Yuuri. Katsuki Yuuri- Katsuki Yur-
"Nii-san, please! Let me stay at your house on Friday, just this once, hmm?" Kiyoko whines loudly through the phone. Kaneko can almost see her clasping her hands together and pouting as she repeats the phrase, "Please, please please!"
"No."
His sister cries through the phone, "Then drop Mina and me off at the airport then! Please, kaasan will let me go if I'm with you. Please, oniisan!"
"Tousan will skin me alive if he finds out."
"Please, please, please!" She cries again. "Fine, you don't have to drop us off- just give me 10,000 yen for the bus, nii-san."
"I'm not letting you galavant off to see an idol on a school night." He shouts into the phone.
"Yuuri-kun is not an idol!" She wails. "He's a national athlete! How many times do I have to tell you this?!"
"You don't even like sports!" He counters, aggravated. "Koko, every single week, you fall in love with some other celebrity - it's wearing me out. First it was that idol-turned actor, now it's this athlete. Your big brother's not made of money, you know."
"But you work at Mainichi!"
"You know I'm still in the probation period. I barely make enough money for rent."
"Nii-san, please please please. I couldn't get tickets to his competition so at least let me go to the airport to see a glimpse of him! Katsuki Yuuri is going to change the world, niisan pleaaaase?"
"Fuck."
His chair slams against the other cubicle, and he wrangles his phone out of his pocket. The time blares that it's almost one in the morning, but knowing his thirteen year old sister, she would be wide awake.
" Hello ?"
His watch blares the fact that it's one in the morning, but he rolls his eyes at his thirteen year old sister's attempt at sounding like he'd just woken her from sleep.
"Stop pretending, I know you're awake."
"Well, kaasan doesn't!" She whispers harshly into her phone. " Why are you calling me anyway, traitor?"
Okay, so she's still pouting about his refusal, oh well. "That athlete you and your friends started following, what was his name again?"
"Hmm, you mean Yuuri-kun? " Her voice pipes up, and he can hear the smile in her voice. " He's a figure skater."
"A figure skater?" Kaneko's eyebrows raise, and he scrambles for his notepad. "How old did you say he was again?"
"Hmm, his birthday was in November, so he's eighteen."
His pen drops from his hand. "Eighteen?" He gasps out. "You said he was a national athlete."
"He is! That's why he's so cool. If you rank first in the Junior division, you can compete at the senior Nationals. He did, and guess what? He ranked second in Seniors. It's insane."
Kaneko chokes on his own spit. "Are you sure he's eighteen?"
"Of course I'm sure!" She sounds affronted. "I'm part of the new generation of Yukis! I even know his favourite colour - it's blue, by the way."
"He wouldn't happen to live in Hasetsu, Saga Prefecture?" Kaneko asks with a shaking breath.
"Oh my gosh, how did you know?!"
Kaneko feels his whole body collapse into his chair.
"Why are you asking, niisan?"
"Nothing- nothing." He rubs his chin lightly, feeling his heart thud against his chest. "Listen, I'll speak to you tomorrow."
" Why, nii-san? AAAAAAH! KAASAN, I'M SORRY. I'M NOT ON THE PHONE, I SWE-"
Kaneko hurriedly ends the call, his phone thudding to the desk.
"You're still here?"
Shrieking, Kaneko grips his chest, turning swiftly around. His jaw drops.
"Yoshida-sensei!" He bows low as the Editor-in-Chief strolls up towards his desk, briefcase by his side. Yoshida Seiichi - a name that's been around for decades. "I'm just working on something for Hashimoto-san."
"Miwa-chan?" His eyes sparkle, and he rests his briefcase on the desk next to him. "Ahh, you must be Kaneko-san."
"Ah, hai!" Kaneko flushes. "How- how do you know my name?"
Yoshida laughs lightly. "Miwa-chan praises you a bit. You know, she's not the type to delegate her work to others, but I've found that she has an eye for good reporters. What are you working on so late?"
"Yes- erm, she tasked me to find someone for the follow up on the exam situation."
"Ah, yes. We'll be having a meeting tomorrow morning." Yoshida sits down in the chair next to Kaneko, who takes it as an invitation to slowly drop into his own chair. "Tell me what you've found?"
"Well, most of the students are pretty similar to each other, kids from high ranking families or geniuses with scholarships to good schools. Except for this person."
He hands over the page that lists Yuuri's name, pointing at it. "Katsuki Yuuri."
Yoshida frowns. "The files don't give a lot of information. What's so different about this kid?"
Kaneko can feel his heart trying to escape his chest, its pounding echoing in his ears. He takes a deep breath, before shakingly trying to get his point across. Yoshida leans back in his seat, eyes furrowed.
Kaneko continues, "My sister is a fan of his - he's an athlete."
That piques Yoshida's interest. He leans forward, taking the page from Kaneko's desk. "He does a sport? His file doesn't mention any extracurricular clubs."
"That's because he's not part of one at school." Kaneko turns towards his computer, before typing in Katsuki's name. He can feel Yoshida tense as hundreds of hits and articles pop up on Kaneko's screen. "He's a nationally ranked athlete."
"A- a nationally ranked athlete?"
"Yes, he's a figure skater. I would have skipped over him had I not recognised the name."
"Scroll down." Yoshida points towards the screen. "There, that one, click there- that's our sports department, they've written about him before. Who was the journalist- Matsumi ?!"
Kaneko's eyes widen. Matsumi Ryo.
Of course Kaneko knew who he was - renowned as one of the company's F4 for his idol-like looks, his competence as a journalist made him even more attractive.
Fresh out of college, he had been promoted instantly after uncovering a doping scandal that had infested the football teams. Now, at age twenty-four, his infamy had not faulted, and he had been promoted as the youngest Team Leader in the history of Mainichi's conception.
Rumour has it that in a year he'll be transferring to Lausanne as Editor in Chief of their new branch in Switzerland.
Yoshida pulls out his phone, before tapping the screen with his finger, looking at Kaneko with wide eyes. "Print out everything you have on Katsuki. And turn on some lights." He erupts into action, standing up and spouting rapid-fire questions into his phone.
Kaneko scrambles from his chair, flicking on all the lights in their cubicle, and sending all the articles into the printing room.
He almost drops the printed sheets when he arrives back at his desk, five minutes later. Two other senior journalists were crowded around his desk.
Yoshida beckons him forward, "This young man is the one who found the connection between the two. Kaneko, this is Matsumi-san, he wrote the article about Katsuki-senshu. Turns out that you were right, the figure skater Katsuki Yuuri is the same one on your file."
Matsumi waves away Kaneko's bow, holding his hand out instead to shake it with a warm smile stretching across his face. Kaneko could only look at the man in awe.
"We were lucky Ryo-san was still in the building for preparation." Yoshida slaps Matsumi's back, laughing heartily.
"Preparation?" Kaneko asks.
"Yeah," Matsumi-san responds, stretching his back leisurely. "Myself and Ono-san here are heading the sports column for Mainichi . Katsuki-senshu has been a big deal for some time now."
"So, this is a good link?"
"More than you think." Matsumi grins. "Figure skating used to be a big sport in the eighties, but not so much in the last two decades. And then, Katsuki comes along and breaks two four-year old world records at international competition. In fact, this is probably the first time in history that other countries are naming a Japanese athlete as a favourite to win Worlds."
"What do you mean by Worlds?" Kaneko asks. "I'm sorry, I'm not quite well-versed in figure skating."
Matsumi waves his hands blaisly in front of him, before stabbing his thumb towards the other journalist in the room. "That's where Ono comes in- he's our figure skating specialist."
"The World Championships. Figure skating usually has five major competitions excluding the Olympics - the Grand Prix, Worlds and Europeans and Four Continents. Worlds is the most prestigious, outside of the Olympics of course." Ono tells Kaneko kindly.
"Katsuki-senshu will be competing at Junior Worlds, but his placement there is very important. The maximum spots a single country can have is three entries - to earn that, you need to rank in the top two. We unfortunately have only earned the minimum entry of one spot. If Katsuki wins however, which looks very likely, then it will open up the door for other junior skaters in our country."
"So it's a very important competition for the future of the sport." Matsumi interjects. "Things are changing in the country - figure skating's popularity is moving at a very fast pace, and it would be prudent of us to capitalise on it before other newspapers do."
"The competition is important to Katsuki too - if he wins, he's guaranteed two spots at two different Grand Prix events next year in the senior division. You need two events to qualify for the final. It's essentially a tell-tale sign to how well he'll do in seniors."
"Erm, but what does that have to do with our article?" Kaneko's forehead frowns, and he looks to Yoshida for help.
Yoshida smiles widely. "The sports column is a big part of our newspaper, but it's not the first page. Everyone is still talking about the examination fall out. So on one hand, you have this figure skating genius who is causing a renaissance of the sport in our own country, and on the other, you find out that at the same time, he ranked within the 1% of all students during one of the worst years of academic failure in Japan's history. What would sell more?"
Kaneko's eyes widened in realisation. "If we combine the two stories."
"Exactly." Matsumi snaps his fingers. "Which is why from today on, you'll be the liaison between General Affairs and Sports. You have a passport, right Kaneko-kun?"
"Erm, yes sir, but why?"
"Because you'll be going with Ono-san to Worlds." Matsumi clasps the young intern tightly on his shoulder. "It's in the Czech Republic this year. Oh, you must go to Prague if you have the chance. It's a three hour train from Ostrava, but it's so worth the journey-."
" Hai ?!"
March
Haneda Airport,
Tokyo, Japan
"...How is she doing with the routine?"
"You set her a step sequence that I struggle with!" Yuuko croaks through the static of his flip-phone.
Yuuri snorts, "I can tone it dow-"
"Don't even say that word." Yuuko's voice is thunderous. "Haru's worse than you. She's determined to complete it perfectly. For Katsuki-sensei ."
Something warm floods Yuuri's senses, whether it's embarrassment at being called sensei or happiness at Haru's growth, he doesn't know - perhaps it is a mix of both. "Make sure you send me all of the videos from training. I've bought my IPad, so I can review the lesson on the plane and send you notes tonight."
"Are you kidding me?" Yuuko says, incredulous. "Are you forgetting that you'll be on a flight to Czech in an hour, forget that- shouldn't you be boarding soon?"
"I'm at the airport." Yuuri shrugs, before realising that Yuuko can't see him. "I have to wait for the JSF though, apparently something's happened out front. Minako's sorting it out."
"Focus on your own competition."
"It's just Worlds."
" Just Worlds?!" Yuuri flinches. Shit, why is it so hard for him to remember that other people don't know he's time travelled? He plays off his blase attitude with a laugh, but even to his own ears, the awkwardness seeps through his voice.
"You know what I mean!" He lies through his teeth. "If I focus on something else, I won't stress about the competition!"
"Right." Yuuko says, unassured. "I'll speak to you later, go prepare for the championship."
"If she looks a little disheartened because she can't get it, move on to the spiral sequence. I'll work on her steps when I get back. Make sure her body alignment is correct - she always drops her core which makes the lines messed up. Also, send me all the videos, even the fuck-ups. Oh, and tell her we'll be working on spins when I get back so don't stinge on the rotation exercises i gave her last we-"
"Alright, alright! I got it" Yuuri can hear one of the triplet's cries through the phone and winces at the sound of Yuuko scrambling. "I'll do everything. God, you're a menace. The girls have woken up, so I'll send you all the videos after I get them to sleep again. Talk to you later?"
Yuuri sounds off his reply, sighing quietly to himself in the airport's lounge. He scrolls through his twitter feed, uninsterated. His profile is small and private, only following his friends and Mari.
Minako had mentioned off-handedly that it was important for him to connect with fans - to which Yuuri had reminded her that he was an athlete not a celebrity. The truth, however, was that Yuuri was the type to forget his password before he even set the account up.
Viktor had been in charge of all his promotion - his love of social media meant that he had taken control of Yuuri's account when it became obvious that he was a lost cause.
Minako was right though, as his teacher usually is - it wouldn't do for Yuuri not to be active this time around. If he was going to make Hasetsu into the social hub of his plans, then even if every cell of his body is screaming against his decision, he needs to be in the spotlight.
Maybe he could hire a social media manager? An assistant would be better, he muses. With all the planning he had done for the future, he'd need someone to be his point of contact in Japan when he moves to Detroit.
If only smartphones were around, Yuuri could easily type up his information on a notes app, alas, he's stuck with his flip phone.
He sighs heavily, looking around. His duffle-bag sits in front of him, armed with Mari's iPad (which she had handed down to him after upgrading a small storage room in the inn into an office space with a brand new desktop set-up) and one pair of his skates. His backup skates would be in his luggage, but Yuuri always felt safer to have at least one pair on him at all times. Better to be safe than sorry.
Before he can lose track of his thoughts, Yuuri zips open his bag and pulls out a neat, small leather-bound notebook. He flicks through the pages, settling on a blank spot and making a note of finding a social media manager. He wonders if there is anyone even qualified - social media is big now, but nothing like the conglomerate business it would be in the future.
He sighs heavily, placing an asterisk near his notes to remind him to think about it later. again when he has time.
Turning to a new page, he writes down Haru's name, before making a list of all the things he wants her to work on when he gets back. He's about to cap his pen when a hand comes and swipes the notebook from him. work with her
"Spin elevation, spin position, body alignment- fucking hell, Yuuri. You're actually coaching her." Yuuri doesn't know if Minako's voice is fearful or in awe.
"This is an invasion of privacy - I could report you."
"To who?" She snickers, still flicking through the book. "The federation?"
" Kaasan ."
Minako pales. "Right, here you go." She flings the notebook back down into Yuuri's lap which he is quick to shove inside his bag.
"And what do you mean by coaching her properly?!" Yuuri frowns. "Of course I am."
"You know what I mean." Minako reaches down to take his bag, slinging it over her shoulder as she pulls him from his seat. "I just wouldn't peg you as the coaching type, you know? Especially with how you get around people."
Yuuri turns red at Minako's snickers.
"Don't you remember? Last year at Nationals, you couldn't even meet Tomoe-chan's eyes. All he wanted was a photograph, and you disappeared in two seconds - and he still idolises the ground you walk on! It's so strange seeing how you interact with Haru in comparison - he's only a year older than Haru-chan!"
"It's different." Yuuri argues, but it sounds weak even to him.
He 's different, is what he wants to say.
Minako only shrugs, tucking herself next to Yuuri's side as they make their way down the lounge. He looks towards the ground. "I gave her my word."
Minako's steps slow and she places a hand to stop Yuuri. "You know that's not what I mean. I just didn't expect you to be so good at it, that's all. I see how you train her, you're stern but not harsh, you treat her like an athlete rather than a kid - no, stop blushing, I'm being serious, Yuuri!"
"I've seen the way she's changed under your tutelage. It's like looking at a completely different person. Kura-chan says that she's going to start ballet classes again to 'strengthen her foundations' " Minako raises her fingers in an imitation of quotation marks, her lips spreading into a beaming smile.
"Her exact words. Yuuri, she's twelve . Her entire demeanour is different, so much that even her parents have changed their minds about her sport. Well, I guess if the national champion and Grand Prix gold medalist says that their daughter is good enough for him to personally take control of her coaching even during his own busy training schedule, they can't really say much. Hell, it would convince anyone."
"You're on the same level as people who have already had ten years in the field - no, you're better. I guess, what I'm trying to say Yuuri, is that you take to coaching like you take to skating-" Minako tightens her grip on his arms. "Like you were made for it."
Minako always had a tendency to see right through all of Yuuri's bullshit.
"I just want her to have a chance." Yuuri whispers. "It was so fucking hard, sensei."
To his horror, tears start to form in his eyes, and he closes them tightly, bringing his jacket sleeve up to rub harshly at his eyes. His glasses knock off his face, and Minako sensei is quick to catch them, holding them gently in her hands.
"Every day, I'd wake up anxious out of my mind. I knew I could compete, it was all I ever wanted to do. But, I was so overwhelmed with how much there was that I needed to get done. I needed someone there to coach me , but there wasn't. I didn't want to say anything because there was nothing anyone could do." Yuuri heaves out a large, trembling breath, sniffling.
"I look at Haru and I see exactly what I used to be - wasting potential." His voice trembles, and he takes a deep breath, sniffling. "There's no telling what would've happened to Haru if I didn't step in. I never want anyone else to feel like they're drowning at sea, like I did. It would be a disservice to her and to myself."
"Okukawa-sensei, Katsuki-senshu."
"Miyamoto-san!" Minako startles, turning around towards the familiar figure of the JSF official. She bows, a vision of politeness. Yuuri rubs his eyes harshly, slamming his glasses back on to his face and bowing at her in return.
"Miyamoto-san," Yuuri says, hoping that she would not question his splotchy cheeks or red eyes. The familiar twist in his stomach starts to settle, and he closes his eyes to try and collect his thoughts. "What was the reason for the hold-up?"
"Ahh," Miyamoto sighs heavily, rubbing the back of her neck. "There were some unexpected issues that arose. We found that there are more people waiting at the departure gates than we originally thought there would be. As such, we did not hire any bodyguards for you, Katsuki-senshu. Thankfully, airport security has been dispatched and we can proceed like normal."
"Damn, I wonder who they're here for? Do you think an idol is here?" Yuuri wonders out loud.
"Er- em. Katsuki-senshu-"
Minako groans cuts Miyamoto off, as she massages her temples harshly. "Yuuri, they're here for you."
Yuuri blinks up innocently at Minako. "What? Why?"
She cackles loudly, "Here, my darling pupil!"
She pulls out her phone, tapping furiously before shoving it underneath his nose, a gleam in her eyes.
"Wh- is that a picture of me on your Instagr- WHY DOES IT HAVE A MILLION LIKES?!"
Junior World Championships
Palace of Culture and Sports
Ostrava, Czech Republic,
"Is it just me, or are there more people at this competition than normal?" Viktor adjusts his cap, body twitching at every sudden movement directed towards himself and Plisetsky.
There is nothing he can do to hide this gangly, 180cm body of his, but he hopes that the baseball cap pulled down low to cover his signature silver hair would be enough to keep prying eyes away from him.
Viktor doesn't know if it's luck or misfortune, but Yakov had only been able to score two seats near the back of the arena, a sign of how insanely popular the event was. It was near sold out .
Plisetsky sneers beside him, although he doesn't respond to Viktor's astute analysis. There are more people than normal at the Junior competition. Granted, it was the World Championships - regardless of the skaters level, Worlds is Worlds . Nothing except for the Olympics will beat it in terms of status and prestige.
But it's a first for Viktor, (a first! Viktor was so sure he would never experience another first until he wins gold at the Olympics), to see a crowd this buzzed at a Junior competition.
The audience was smaller than the Grand Prix, which was expected, but there was nothing to hide the sheer anticipation enveloping the audience. The usually empty audience was filled to the brim, to the point where Viktor could not sit still, fear encroaching his entire body at the thought of being discovered.
" Ow!" He whispers harshly, hand clasping his painfully throbbing side.
"Stop fidgeting, you loser." The demon child from his side whispers. "You'll draw attention, and I'd rather be caught dead than being found sitting next to you."
Viktor slumps against his seat, pouting. "How long until Yuuri is skating?"
"Soon."
Viktor's neck almost snaps with the force of speed as he stares at Yuri Plisetsky. There is a tone to Plisetsky's voice that Viktor can only describe as silent wonderment , and nothing more instils a dread of fear into Viktor's body than that.
On the flight over, Viktor had to come to terms with the fact that he was now responsible for a ten-year old menace to society. Yuri Plisetsky was supposed to be a means to an end, but now Viktor's wondering if the pain is worth it. Maybe this was Yakov's punishment - there was no way that spending three days alone with Plisetsky would result in anything lower than Viktor's own demise.
God, how could his two Yuris be so different?
The fact that they shared the same name was already difficult for Viktor to wrap his head around, and it takes everything in him not to be weirded out by it. (People may call Viktor a narcissist, but at least he didn't choose his skating idol based on the fact that they had the same name).
But looking at Yura now is like day and night. His eyes are wide, cheeks flushed from the cold of the rink, but he's leaning forward in his seat. It takes Viktor a moment to recognise the gleam in his eyes. Yuri Plisetsky was afflicted with the same curse that had twisted itself around Viktor's lungs.
If someone had told him a year ago that he would be babysitting a kid from the rink, watching the Junior World Championships instead of training for his own competition, he would have called the hospital to have them admitted for delirium.
Perhaps he's the one suffering from delirious incoherence. What else is there to explain this maddening state?
"Why do you want to see Katsuki?" Viktor prods the young child.
His cheeks flush, but Plisetsky holds his ground. "Why would I tell you?"
The older man shrugs. "Humour me. We've got to suffer through whoever the fuck this is before it's Katsuki's turn to skate."
"You first."
There is a wicked sharpness to Viktor's smile, like a predator waiting to pounce. "I'm scouting a future rival. He's going to be a fucking problem if he learns a quad next year."
"He's going to be a problem regardless." There is a tone of certainty within his voice, like it was fact rather than biased judgement. Viktor's eyes narrow. "Why'd it take you so long to realise? Katsuki's always been like this."
"Well, that's not true. I watched his Grand Prix events and they were not-"
"That wasn't his fault!" Fury burns behind Plisetsky's eyes. It's like a switch has been made, and all of the bottled emotions spill out of Yuri Plisetsky's mouth.
"His old coach was a fucking moronic, talentless swine who literally sabatoged him."
"That's a little out ther-"
"He dropped Katsuki right before the Grand Prix Finals and then all of sudden, he has a job at his rival rink. It was obviously an inside job."
"A- are you being serious?" Viktor shakes his head. "There's no way that's true. He's the best skater in the country, why would they sabotage that?"
Plisetsky rolls his eyes. "You know, I finally understand why Mila calls you an airhead."
"That's so rude-"
"Shut up and listen, senior citizen." Plisetsky crosses his arms, leaning back into his seat. "You are shielded from most of the shitty figure skating politics because you've always been with Yakov. But I haven't so I'll let you know - it's all about money."
Viktor doesn't know how he got into a conversation about money and politics with a ten-year old, but heck, Yuri Plisetesky looks like he knows what he's talking about and Viktor never discriminates on the basis of age.
"Okay, you've sort of lost me, but continue, continue." Viktor wiggles his fingers jokingly, cringing immediately when Plisetsky's eyes narrow.
"What I'm saying is, schools and clubs earn money from their students. We don't really have to worry about that, cause ya know, Yakov's rink is government funded, but it's different for Katsuki in Japan. He's from a small, independent club that has no power in their country. He basically dragged himself through the mud to even get on the international stage. And now, all that prestige and power he earned by being the best Japanese skater goes nowhere but to him and his little independent school. If the other skating schools can't have it, then no-one else can."
"But Yuuri's friends with skaters from those schools, you can't say they all hate him-"
"This has nothing to do with athletes, dummy. It's to do with the people behind skaters. Katsuki teamed up with Minako Okukawa, that's why this season's gone so well for him."
"Who the fuck is tha-"
Plisetsky slaps his arm. Hard . Viktor barely has enough time to rub the red mark on his body before Plisetsky slaps him again. "I'm saving your life here. Whatever you do, don't say that in front of Lilia."
"Minako Okukawa was a principal ballerina when Lilia was a director at Mariinsky. She was Lilia's protege - hell, I think she was one of the first non-European ballerinas to win the Benois de la Danse. How do you not know who she is? Lilia has pictures of the two together in the parlour room."
He sighs deeply, as if pained by Viktor's lack of knowledge. "It's how I found out about Katsuki - Lilia was going off on how Minako let such a "talented danser" be corrupted by the ice".
"He was a ballet dancer first?" Viktor gapes.
"Yes." Plisetsky rolls his eyes.
"God. that explains everything ."
"Katsuki has been on my radar for years. He only started to do well now because he cut off his old Coach and used Minako's name. She makes him untouchable and rumours say he'll be training overseas for seniors."
"By rumours, do you mean twitter-"
"Shut up." Plisetsky's cheeks turn red. "I will bite you."
Viktor shudders at the memory, leaning away quickly. "I give, I give. But that fucking sucks - the other schools should be crawling on their knees for him. He's literally their country's best shot."
Yuri shrugs. "Yeah, well. He's been pretty inconsistent. Like I said, it had to be an inside job to sabotage him because if you're given an athlete that's already a World champion and then within two years, they always rank 5th or 6th? Then there's something very wrong."
"Han Choi of South Korea has earned 67.01 in the Short Program, which leaves him in third place."
There's a tittering of applause, and Yuri turns his attention away from Viktor, eyeing the rink below them.
There's a sharp inhale beside him. Viktor gasps in alarm as Plisetsky grabs his arm.
"You okay?" He frowns at the kid.
Plisetsky is shaking slightly, but his eyes are steady. "This is my first time seeing him in person."
The sound of the applause starts to rise matching the beat of Viktor's thundering heart. All eyes turn towards the boards, where a figure in blue steps on to the rink.
Viktor bites his lip to stop the spread of his smile. "You're in for something special, then."
Trending . japan.
勝生 勇利
[Katsuki Yuuri]
24k
#Matcha-Kun
20k
#JuniorWorlds
214k
#Our+Pride+Yuuri-kun
10k
宮原花 mihana
[VIDEO: A raining parade of stuffed animals, flowers and gifts thrown onto the ice rink after Yuuri's performance. Yuuri looks like he's about to go catatonic trying to dodge all of the gifts, until he's actually hit in the head by a matcha bubble tea stuffed doll. He takes one look at it on the floor before picking it up. He finally makes his way towards the rink border, where he smirks, handing over the doll towards her. His coach takes one look at the stuffed doll and then dies of laughter.]
WHICH ONE OF YOU THREW THE MATCHA DOLL. I AM SCREAMING.
121 ? ﾸﾏ 891 ⟲ 1.2K
jessie-bessie
LOOK AT HIM SMIRKING. HE KNOWS ABOUT MATCHA-KUN.
村巻 久喜 m-kukki
なぜ彼は知っているのか
[Why does he know?!]
IceCastle . 1h
Hasetsu, Japan
[PHOTO: Screenshots from a news article, written by Morooka. The first is a picture of Yuuri mid-skating, the pink fabric of his costume billowing out like cherry blossom petals. The next is an extract taken from Morooka's article for NHK Sports that writes about Yuuri's Championship win.]
?ￂﾠ ➤
Liked by minako-okukawa, nishi-yuu and 123 others
IceCastle 私たちのカツキユウリは、3つの世界記録を破ってジュニア世界選手権に勝ちました！私たちはあなたをとても誇りに思います ✽-(ˆ▽ˆ)/✽ ✽\(ˆ▽ˆ)-✽
[Our very own, Katsuki Yuri, has won the Junior World Championship by breaking three world records! We are so proud of you!]
view all 14 comments
minako-okukawa
Ostrava, Czech Republic,
[PHOTO: A screenshot of the broadcast. It's a frozen moment of Yuuri and Minako in the Kiss & Cry, holding each other tightly in a warm embrace.]
?ￂﾠ ➤
Liked by christophe-gc, v-nikiforov, and 102,231 others.
minako-okukawa
私があなたの先生だったと言って勝るものはありません。私はあなた、私の小さな弟子をこれまで以上に誇りに思ったことはありません。[There is nothing that can beat saying I was your teacher. I have never been more proud of you, my little protege.]
view all 176 comments
Junior World Championships Press Room
Palace of Culture and Sports
Ostrava, Czech Republic,
"You must be really proud of your achievement on the ice, Yuuri. Three new world records in just one competition! Of course, you looked very focused, but how were you actually feeling during the performance?"
Miyamoto had told him that he was contract-bound to at least show his face to a few individual reporters in the time between the medal ceremony and the official press conference.
There wasn't even a real press 'room' in all honesty. It was a glorified hallway, with paper screens set up behind him with the sponsor logos all pasted alongside and cameras set up in a line. It shouldn't have taken him too long. After all, Juniors was not a well-documented competition.
So, imagine his surprise that despite this, the press hallway is over-stuffed with flashing lights and cameras, trained on him like a sniper mark as soon as he is shoved through the door. Miyamoto gulps audibly from his side, similarly having believed that there would be little to no reporters, and she turns to Yuuri with anxiousness and fear seeping out of her eyes.
He pats her arm, handing her the stuffed matcha-doll to hold. "I'll handle it."
Just rip it off like a band-aid, he thinks to himself. The quicker he gets through his, the quicker he can sleep.
Which is how he finds himself here, a camera shoved in front of his face, clasping a microphone in his trembling hands. He recognises 'Eurosport' written across the interviewer's coat, and tries to hardwire his brain back to English. Always one to think negatively, Yuuri's hands start to sweat, but he thinks of all his PR training and forces himself to focus.
"If I'm being honest, I was pretty scared." He takes a deep breath, hoping his English sounds okay. "I get bad performance anxiety, so my coach and I spent most of the time mentally preparing myself for the competition."
"And what a performance it was!" The reporter smiles sweetly, as if she too understood the pains and tribulations of being stared at by hundreds of people. "You did a spectacular job handling that - I couldn't spot that you were nervous at all!"
Yuuri coughs out a laugh, "Well, I didn't expect there to be so many people."
"I was shocked by that too." The reporter commiserates. "I've never seen the crowds so full at a Junior competition. It's almost like Viktor Nikiforov was performing."
"No, I could never be like Viktor Nikiforov. He's too," Yuuri hopes he can play off the embarrassment as endearing. "He's too good."
"But you're just as incredible. You broke his world record in the short program and combined score at the Grand Prix in Beijing. And today, you broke those records again , including the free skate record. It's sufficient to say that you are the next Nikiforov!"
Yuuri freezes. Oh, so that's her angle. He almost smiles to himself. The woman holds out her microphone eagerly. "There is no-one like V- Nikiforov-senhu." He cuts himself off, thinking it would be best to use the Japanese honorifics, lest he be the source of mistranslation.
"I bet you can't wait to go to seniors and compete against him."
"Against, alongside. It doesn't matter to me. So long as we're on the same ice, I'm good." His face stretches into a soft smile. It's heartbreakingly adorable, and the reporter chuckles to herself, motioning towards the cameraman to cut the interview.
"I know this whole awkwardness isn't a persona, but you're too well trained not to be aware."
Yuuri shrugs, although his smile is more impish than innocent. "If it helps, you probably would've gotten more out of me by naming another skater. Nikiforov is kind of my idol."
"Isn't he everyones?" The woman laughs. "Nikita Hart, Eurosports." Yuuri shakes her hand warmly, ignoring the reporter's gleam.
"I'll be keeping an eye on you, Katsuki. You play the media almost as well as Nikiforov." She circles her fingers around him, winking. "That being said, I think I'm still going to run the article, you beating his world records is just enough evidence to get mouths drooling. Can I quote you on him being your idol?"
Yuuri hopes his nod is enough as an answer as Miyamoto starts to shuffle him along the line.
"Katsuki-senshu. My name is Ono. I am a reporter from Mainichi. This is my partner, Kaneko."
Yuuri bows at the introduction, sending what he hopes is a nice enough smile. Ono begins with the typical kind of questions he's been asked by other reporters - what was it like regaining your title? What are you planning next year? Have you chosen a senior coach or are you staying with Okukawa-sensei?
Yuuri reels off the same answers he's always said, the interview finishing similar to the others. He's about to move on when Ono's partner cuts in, eyes wide and cheeks flushed at the imposition.
"I'm so sorry, but one more question before you move on, please." Yuuri nods, recognising a kindred spirit. He smiles in what he hopes is reassuring, and the reporter in front of him takes a deep breath. His partner pats his back, nodding in support.
"As I'm sure you know, this year the college entrance exam sported the lowest pass rate in the history of its conception. How were you able to become the World Champion whilst also being in the top 1% of students in the entire country?"
Oh , fuck . Yuuri thinks.
( "-erm, Yuuri." Mari shakes her brother out of his stupor. "Yuuri, what do your results say? I'm literally dying here. Yuur-"
The entire Katsuki family screams at the sound of thunderous knocks at their front door.
"Kaasan, didn't you say the inn was closed today?" Yuuri complains, holding a hand against his chest to stop his heart from escaping.
"Oh, heavens." Hiroko is quick to tighten the robes of her yukata. "It must be Sato-san with some eggs. Do not say anything until I get back- Sawamura-sensei?!"
"Katsuki-san." Hiroko's eyes widen at the sight of Yuuri's history teacher, leaning over the inn door to keep himself from falling over. He's flushed with exhaustion, gasping for air as he tries to catch his breath. It's only until he stands upright does Hiroko notice three more people rushing towards the inn as well.
"Why- why are you here? Oh my god, is that the principal?!" Hiroko smooths down the front of her hair, very aware that she is still in her sleeping robes as a string of teachers push their way towards the entrance.
A hand comes to smack Sawamura on the back. "Hello, Katsuki-san. I apologise for this one's sudden intrusion. I am Fujiwara-"
Yuuri-kun's homeroom teacher, yes we met at Parent's Evening. Why are you-"
Nevermind that, Katsuki-san!" Sawamura grabs Hiroko by the shoulders. His mouth is etched into a blinding smile. "Yuuri-kun! Where is Yuuri-kun?"
"He- he's opening his results-"
"Quickly!" Sawamura edges himself into the inn, and soon a gaggle of teachers are making their way into Hiroko's home. All she can do is bow them in greeting, allowing them inside.
When she makes it to the banquet hall, the place is overturned with teachers. Her poor baby looks like he's about to throw up, but it's Mari's face that makes her wonder what the fuck is actually happening?
"I- erm, I passed?" Yuuri says. His mouth stretches out into an awkward expression, quite similar to a box in the way his bottom lip is downturned and his teeth are clenched together.
It's an ugly sight, but one Mari is used to. The same smile that Yuuri uses whenever he's embarrassed or confused. It's the face he uses when he wants to downplay everything.
"Oh my god. You did more than pass, didn't you?"
"Yes!" Yuuri's principal cuts in. "We just received confirmation from the examination board ourselves, which is why we came over as soon as we could! Yuuri-kun ranked in the top 1% of students in the entire nation!" )
The rest of the press interviews are better, as most of the reporters seem to be from Japanese media companies and newspapers. After the slight interruption by Kaneko-san - from which he then had to explain to Miyamoto that yes, he did in fact rank high enough that he was in the top 60,000 people of the entire nation - most of his interviews were focused on his skating, just like he wanted them to be.
There were few international reporters interspersed between the Japanese media. It's as he's making his way to the next reporter that Yuuri finds himself becoming drained and tired.
He doesn't know how long he's been here, but it's enough to bore him to sleep. Switching between English and Japanese was hard, he was sure that none of his interviews would be satisfactory at all with how he struggled to form sentences in either language.
"There's just one reporter left, Yuuri-kun." Miyamoto pats his back. "It's an international newspaper. You won't have to worry too much about your English with this one, just a few comments and then we can leave."
"Is there a reason for that?" Yuuri questions.
"Just an observation." Miyamoto responds, motioning towards the end of the line. "I guess his country didn't think it was worth sending their top guns since there aren't many of their skaters who are medaling. We can skip him if you'd like? Most skaters already have, and you have more right than they do."
Yuuri gazes at the reporter, and feels his heart start to bleed. He's elderly, perhaps in his early seventies. The cameraman beside him is only holding a hand-held camera, so different to the bulky, high-definition cameras in comparison. They seem to be waiting for an athlete to stop by, but Yuuri watches as Eric Smirnov, the bronze medalist (the moskovich , his mind summarily reminds him) walks past them, decidedly .
If possible, the reporter slumps lower. His cameraman pats his back reassuringly, but even Yuuri can tell that both of them have become demotivated. He had even raised his hand towards him, to which Smirnov and his team had completely ignored them. How rude, Yuuri glowers at their leaving back.
"I'll talk to him." Yuuri decides. "We still have time before the press conference, right?"
She frowns, "Are you sure?"
Yuuri nods, steeling his expression.
Miyamoto can only sigh, "I don't think he speaks English that well, so just make some vague answer to his questions and we'll move on."
The first thing he sees is the shock of pepper-speckled grey that falls across the reporter's forehead. His sparse hair is combed back neatly, and he's wearing a suit that hangs over his body, worn-out but obviously well-loved.
Yuuri walks towards them, decisively. He sticks his hand out, smiling brightly. "Hello, I'm Yuuri Katsuki."
The two people seem to flounder at the sight of him, The cameraman's mouth splits into a huge smile, so big that it seems painful, and he nudges the reporter's side. Warmth spreads through Yuuri as the reporter stammers to life, gripping Yuuri's extended hand like he needs the added support.
The contrast between the reporter's weak and wrinkled hand next to Yuuri's own smooth one is enough for Yuuri's hostility towards Smirnov to heighten. Fucking pig, he thinks to himself, hoping his smile doesn't take a sharp turn as he thinks about the other skater.
"Mikhail Petrenko." The reporter responds. "This is my coworker, Sergei."
"Hello." Yuuri shakes hands with the cameraman, before clasping his hands together and tries to break the ice. "It's been a long day, hasn't it?"
Mikhail nods in response, although it seems like both he and Sergei do not understand him fully. Yuuri scratches the back of his neck.
"Which newspaper are you from?"
"I- it is a small company, very small-" Mikhail flinches, flushing red. "St. Petersburg, yes, we're from there-"
"St. Petersburg?" Yuuri's eyes widen. "Wait, you're Russian?" Fucking Smirnov. If he sees the kid, he'll deck him to the floor, he swears.
"Yes. I came myself, because… erm, world record - our, Vitya, yes? I'm so sorry about my English-"
"It's far better than my Russian."
Miyamoto freezes next to him. In fact, it seems like all of them freeze at the sound of Yuuri's voice. "Yuuri?" She whispers. He taps her on the back, his entire focus completely on Mikhail.
" Yo- you speak Russian?"
Yuuri raises his hand so that his two fingers are pushed together " Only a little."
" I-wow. Yes, your Russian is good. Very good." His voice seeps out wonder.
"Heh. " Yuuri laughs, rubbing the back of his neck. " You're messing with me. I'm not that good."
"No- no he's right!" Sergei essentially shouts from his side. " There's hardly an accent. In fact, you sound almost like a Saint Petersburg native!"
" You're exaggerating! My coach, you might recognise her. She used to perform at the Mariinsky back in the day. She taught me a little here and there, but I mostly taught myself."
" So that's why I recognised her name on the sheet! Minako- yes, I remember watching her myself!" Mikhail turns towards his coworker, eyes wide. " This, this is incredible. Wow, please, is it okay if we continue in Russian?"
" Of course." Yuuri smiles. " Do bear with me though, my Russian is not as strong as you may assume."
" In previous years, you've struggled with competitions. What has changed this season, to the point where you were able to break the records that Vitya held on so tightly for over four years?"
" Hmm, I think it was a change of mindset." Yuuri pauses, as if to collect his thoughts. "For the past few years, I've been psyching myself out, trying to do more than my body was capable of. This time, I guess I just wanted to enjoy my time in Juniors."
" I guess, I wanted to go back to my roots. My love of skating has always been it's artistry. The past few years I had been so focused on my technical ability that I found myself hating the sport. I used to think of jumps in opposition to everything that I loved in skating - they were two different skills and it made me feel really bad not being able to excel in them. After I switched coaches, I realised that those thoughts were wrong."
Something aches in Yuuri as the language spills from his mouth. Suddenly, Yuuri misses the language- he misses the curl of the vowels, the heaviness behind each word. He wants to reach out and drown himself in the sounds - he wants to speak more .
" There is a beauty in jumps, inside the technical skating, in the athleticism. It was a video of Viktor that really proved it to me, the way his body melts into the jumps. He's so tight and rigid in the air that it looks so effortless. I realised that I was looking at jumps all wrong. I wanted to become a skater that was able to prove the beauty behind the technical aspects of figure skating. I found that hiding them between difficult entries and transitions was my own way of getting rid of the fear around them."
"Sorry ." Yuuri blushes fiercely. " That was a lot. I ramble when I'm nervous ."
"No." Mikhail breathes out lightly. " Not at all. It's awe-inspiring to see such a young man like yourself to think so maturely. I look forward to your time in seniors."
" Thank you." Yuuri bows lightly, smiling.
Sergei motions that he's ended the video, and Mikhail holds his hand out once more for another handshake.
"Exquisite." He shakes his head, eyes alight with wonder. " You're Russian is magnificent. It's hard to think that you taught yourself."
"Well, I had my reasons. " Yuuri shrugs, laughing.
" Oh, may I be privy to them?" The older man winks.
" Off-record?" Yuuri raises an eyebrow, smiling. "I'm a huge fan of Viktor. Like big. I have posters on my wall and everything."
"You're joking." Mikhail's voice turns giddy. " Vitya is the reason I started reporting again. Most don't really want an old man past retirement to still work, but if I can write about Vitya, then anything is possible."
He's incredible, isn't he?" Yuuri gushes. It's like a dam has been opened, and now he can't stop himself from speaking. "I started skating because of him."
" No!" Sergei gasps.
Yuuri nods, laughing loudly. " Yep. Before that I was a ballet dancer."
"So that's how you and Okukawa became close."
"Yes, she's my teacher." Yuuri responds. " She still curses the day that I watched Viktor. It's good that she's retiring as my coach next season, I'm not sure what would happen if she catches a glimpse of him!"
The three of them laugh loudly, attracting other reporters' attention. Yuuri covers his mouth to stop the snickers, before Miyamoto taps him on the shoulder.
"Erm, Yuuri. We- we need to get ready. For the press conference." She's picking at her nails, but her eyes are wide as they look up at him.
"Oh, yes of course." He turns towards the reporters, smiling once again. " Take care. I'll see you at the press conference, right?"
"See you then, Yura." Yuuri stops short at the sound of the nickname. The curl of Mikhail's voice is warm.
Yuuri smiles warmly at the man. He and Miyamoto turn away through the door, and almost immediately, Yuuri's shoulder's begin to droop, relaxing now that he was away from the heat of the camera's gaze.
"Sorry Miyamoto-san." He slings an arm around her shoulder. "Did we run overtime?"
"No." She shakes her head frantically. "No. No, we still have enough time for a break. It's just- erm, Katsuki-senshu?"
"Yes?"
"Since when did you know how to speak Russian?"
Yuuri flushes red. "Not long. Trust me, my Russian was really bad. They were being kind and all-"
"But they looked so shocked! And you can speak English flawlessly too! How many languages can you speak?"
"You're forgetting who your skater is, Miyamoto-san!" Yuuri slings his arm over her shoulder. "Your kid's in the top 1%, remember?"
She elbows him sharply. "Oh, right! Why did you not tell me about the entrance examination results! Do you know how much of a PR story that could've been for the federation?! Yuuri-kun, you truly do not know how the world works, do you?"
"Oh, please." Yuuri groans. "You're worse than Yuuko. Did you know they opened a new Instagram account? They want me to pose for some promotional pictures when I get back- oh, fuck me ."
That lithe, languid gait, that carefree grase of a body stretched taut beneath a grey coat. Yuuri would know that body anywhere.
Blue eyes meet Yuuri from across the hallway and it's like all of time has stopped.
"I started skating because of him ."
They are not words he has never heard before. No, in fact, it would take probably ten hands for Viktor to be able to count the amount of times a skater had said those words to him. Maybe even half of them would be telling the truth.
So what is this emotion, burning up through his body? The heat is nothing compared to now. Katuski, in all of his glory, looked at him from across the hallway. God, he must think he was a complete creep , watching him like a loser. But what else could Viktor do?
The drawl of Katsuki's voice speaking Russian did something to Viktor - he's still not sure what yet, but he does know that he needs ten recordings of it sent to his phone to be used as an morning alarm like ASAP.
His mind then conjures up an image of Yuuri in the morning. He wonders if his voice would have the same drawl, maybe it would be deeper, sweeter , and oh fuck, he's walking over this way-
Viktor is not proud of his actions. He is but a weak, weak man in the face of Yuuri Katsuki strutting towards him, so he does what any sensible person would do - he runs and hides in the bathroom.
"I started skating because of him ."
"Ugh, get out of my head, Katsuki!" He slams his hands against his head, hitting them repeatedly to dispel the delicious sound out.
"I'm sorry?"
Viktor freezes from where he's crouched in front of the sink. His reflection in the mirror looks back at him mockingly, his expression marred in horror. He turns towards the bathroom entrance, and low and behold, a vision of ecstasy and torment, right there in front of him, ready to ridicule.
"Hi." The mirage breathes out. Katsuki's voice is soft, whimsical and everything Viktor remembers. English is a common ground for the both of them, and Viktor's only half-mad that he doesn't speak Russian because it means he can cling to the hope that Katsuki didn't notice him stalking earlier. Half-mad, Viktor's still holding out hope to hear his Russian again.
"Hi." Viktor's voice is evidently less sexy than Katsuki's. It is croaky and ugly, and Viktor wants to die in a hole. "I- I have your hoodie."
"..."
"..."
"My what? "
Fuck. Oh fuck. Fuck. FUCK!
Okay, now Viktor wants to die in a hole.
Well, he can't make himself look more creepy than before, he thinks, sighing heavily. "Erm, your hoodie. In Beijing?"
Katsuki blinks those big brown eyes in confusion. God, he looks even cuter with glasses, like a little chipmunk. Viktor doesn't know how to deal with the two images of Katsuki fighting in his head, but he's sure he'll cope. Mmm, two Yuuri's - he snaps himself from his fantasy back to reality.
"We- we met in Beijing?"
"Yes, we-" Viktor's heart swoops. There's a swift tapping of footsteps making their way towards the door, and he feels his body begin to sweat.
"Fuck. Someone's coming," He says without thinking. "Shit, I'm gonna get caught. This was the one thing Yakov told me to do, not get caught, and I get caught by you of all people, AAH-"
Viktor's eyes squeeze tightly as his body flies across the bathroom. His back is slammed against a cubical wall, and then he smells it, something floral, something familiar. His eyes widen.
"Holy fuck-" Katsuki slams a hand over his mouth, before rising a finger to his lips. Viktor's eyes follow the movement as his index finger pushes into the plump, rose-tinted softness. He seethes in jealousy.
His fantasies don't hold a candle to reality. He's in-between a wall and Yuuri Katsuki of all people. "Holy shit." He can't help his voice from spilling out. Katsuki presses even harder on his mouth.
Hot flushes lick at the bottom of Viktor's stomach. His gasp is caught by Katsuki's hand, and the boy tilts his head at Viktor.
"What are you doing?" He tries to whisper through the muffled hand.
Yuuri raises an eyebrow. "What, you said you can't get caught." He leans closer and Viktor is sure his eyes roll to the back of his head when he feels his breath against his ear.
There's the sound of the bathroom stall beside them flushing, a door opening and then footsteps leaving. Viktor almost whines when Katsuki's hand drops from his lips, but he stops before he makes a bigger fool of himself.
"Wait, did they not wash their fucking hands?" Viktor's face scrunches in disgust. His eyes widen as they meet Katsuki's, and he freezes.
Yuuri stares at him questioningly, before his teeth peek out of his mouth as they bite into his bottom lip. Viktor can only watch the way those teeth prod at the soft stretch of pink, before he realises that Katsuki's lips are trying to smile.
He can't contain it. Katsuki snorts . It's not attractive at all, a guttural sound that sounds like gears skidding to a stop. It scratches against Viktor's ears. It's like the sun finally came out.
Viktor bites his own lip, and then, it's like they cannot stop it. Katsuki laughs so hard he's leaning against him, and Viktor ends up resting a hand on the crook of Katsuki's elbow just to keep himself up.
"Oh my god, this is not how I expected to meet you, Mr. Nikiforov." Katsuki's eyes match his smile, big and wide and gloriously beautiful. His brain has to restart just from having been exposed to that beauty, and it takes him a while to understand Katsuki's words.
"We- we've met before, though." Viktor hopes his voice doesn't expose how distressed he is inside.
Katsuki just frowns, before stammering out, "W-what?"
"At the banquet." Viktor bites his lip. "Remember? I know it was pretty embarrassing of me, but we-"
Katsuki's face pales. Oh. Viktor thinks to himself. Oh no.
"I'm so sorry. I- I don't remember."
Doesn't remember. He doesn't remember. Fuck. It's sheer embarrassment that pricks Viktor's eyes rather than tears. God, he hopes Katsuki doesn't notice. Fuck- shit
"Oi, Viktor!" Great, as if things couldn't get worse. Yuri's voice echoes outside the bathroom. "I know you're in here. Get the fuck out, you dipshit-"
"Shit." If the fact that swearing has made up almost 80% of his conversation with Katsuki doesn't epitomise everything that's wrong with his life, he doesn't know what does. Well, he thinks to himself, if he's already embarrassed beyond repair, he might as well milk it for what it's worth. After all, he is known for his shamelessness.
He conveniently drops his head down so that it lands between the space between Katsuki's shoulder and neck. It's warm and soft, and he feels his body shiver at the touch. "Yuri will blow my cover. Ugh, I never should have left him alone."
Yuuri's body tenses. " Yuri ?"
"I know it's confusing." Viktor shakes his head, whispering. "He has the same name as you. He's a kid from my rink, completely obsessed with you, by the way, but aren't we all-"
"VIKTOR! What are you, constipated?! Hurry the fuck up or I'm telling Yakov you abandoned me-"
"Fuck." Viktor cries softly. "What do I do-"
"Want me to distract him so you can escape?" Katsuki looks up at him with gleaming eyes, as if the whole thing amuses him.
Viktor doesn't want to cry out that the reason he escaped Plisetsky in the first place was so that he could meet Yuuri. "But- I wanted to give you the hoodie back."
"Hmm." Katsuki purses his lip, before he huffs out a smile. "You know that's my favourite fucking hoodie. I've been looking for it for months."
"I- I can give it to you now?" Viktor winces at the sound of his voice. "It's here, I'm holding it now."
Katsuki doesn't even look at the black hoodie Viktor's grasping. "How about tomorrow? At eight?"
Evidently, gravity is a bitch, because at that moment, Viktor would've stumbled to the ground had Katsuki not slung his arm around his waist to catch him. Fainting. Great, he's fainting now.
"Eight?" He's able to eek out.
"I've got practice at nine, so breakfast at Bienvenue? It's a French cafe near my hotel, you'll like it."
"Bienvenue? I- for what?"
"What else?" Katsuki steps back, giving Viktor room to finally breathe. "So you can give me back my hoodie."
Viktor looks down at his hand that's currently gripping Katsuki's hoodie. He looks up at Katsuki again.
"You're being real difficult, Nikforov." Katsuki snickers. He leans across the toilet, pressing the flush button so that it echoes between the two of them. Viktor's belly swoops as Katsuki leans up to whisper low at him again. "Wait until you hear myself and the other Yuri leave."
The wink he sends Viktor almost makes him collapse again.