Beyond the Sound | Yuzuru Hanyu

12.

Having lunch with Yuzuru in his dressing room wasn't how she expected the afternoon to go.

She went from barely knowing the guy to being called his friend and seeing him worry enough to get her lunch.

Maya simply didn't know how to react.

It was uncertain just how long it would take until she fixed the sound and dealt with everything, but this wasn't usually done so last minute either.

What she admired about the skater was that he didn't pressure her a single bit.

"You think it's salvageable?" he asked while eating his gyoza.

"The equipment is top quality. I don't see why it wouldn't. I mean, we're taught that things are not always as easy as they seem, but I just don't understand how you could mess up so bad."

"I didn't want to say anything in front of the guy, but this isn't the usual tech for this venue. I did some digging and the usual one called in sick."

"You knew this and didn't get a backup?"

"I only did the digging after noticing how bad it was. They didn't inform me of anything."

"Seems unprofessional to me. This guy doesn't look like he is used to big shows."

"Unfortunately, when you reach success, it comes with both good and bad things. Not everyone will want your success."

"Are you suggesting that someone did it on purpose?"

"I don't know, Maya. I used to trust everyone but now... I've learned that lesson in the hard way."

"You're back to calling me Maya? I thought we were back to Yamamoto-san." she joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"I don't want anyone to think I'm giving you favoritism."

"Are you?"

"Well, I haven't exactly gotten lunch for anyone else."

They both smiled at each other.

Maya knew that he was doing this because she had come to help him out of nowhere. It seemed like Yuzuru was one of those people who would do anything for those he trusted and cared about.

"I should get back to work..."

Her words completely contradicted her feelings. Truthfully, Maya was enjoying this time with him without formalities. Yuzuru seemed like a nice guy that she enjoyed talking to, even if they didn't know each other that well.

"Yeah... Do you need my help with anything?"

None of them seemed too ecstatic to leave the room. It was almost ridiculous how much they were delaying it.

"I just need time and patience to level and set everything now. I'm afraid I'm on my own on this one."

"Will it bother you if I go on the ice? I was hoping to get some practice done to get used to the venue."

"No. Of course not. You can do whatever you need. I might need you to do a soundcheck later on, but that shouldn't take too long."

"Alright. Anything that comes up, just let me know, ok?"

"Sure... I'm going to go..."

"Okay..."

After 5 minutes of staring at each other awkwardly, Maya finally left him alone in the dressing room and got back to work.

Maya took her in-ear monitors and connected them to the system.

Before setting anything on the speakers, she usually liked to balance the sound using her earphones and then work on the speakers after everything was properly set up.

She was halfway through equalizing when Yuzuru came out wearing his skates and got on the ice.

The girl wouldn't say it out loud but seeing him there was a distraction that she could barely avoid.

He was just skating around, but it was more than enough for Maya to have to force herself and her focus back to the problem in her hands.

She had never seen him skate before.

The man looked so cozy in his oversized jumper while skating around that she almost wanted to join him.

Maya finally finished her equalization but before she turned on any speakers, she wanted to make sure that Yuzuru wouldn't be scared if music suddenly started playing.

At least that was the excuse she used to watch him glide around for a while.

When he finally noticed that she was staring at him, Yuzuru stopped completely in his tracks.

"Everything ok?" he asked while removing the earbuds from his ears, looking worried.

Maya took some minutes to gather her thoughts but eventually answered him.

"I didn't want to scare you, but I need to turn on the speakers now... If it's alright by you, it would help if you told me how it sounds on the ice."

"You could've interrupted me, it was fine."

"It's alright... shouldn't take too long now."

The sound engineer turned on the speakers and played a random song from the show's playlist, slowly raising the volume of each one until she found a good, balanced sound.

Yuzuru's face brightened immediately.

"Wow... You really do pull miracles." he said almost immediately, even before she adjusted anything.

"Is it better for you? I haven't turned on the ones directed at me yet."

"Definitely better. Light years difference."

"That's a relief" she joked "I will turn on the ones for the audience. Just tell me if you detect any delays that bother you on the ice."

Yuzuru seemed happy as he went around the rink and Maya could understand why when she turned on the sound on their end. The difference was drastic in comparison to the mess it was before.

Everything was clear and the sound was well-balanced for her ears.

"Everything sounds perfect for me."

"No balance adjustments?"

"No, I like the way it is."

"Good." she answered with a smile before silence set in once again.

A few members of the staff were watching their every interaction and Maya was starting to see why he tried his best not to look too casual in front of others.

She could guess he had his fair share of assumptions even without any familiarities.

"Thank you, Yamamoto-san. You saved the show."

"Nah. You still have to skate, Hanyu-san. That's what people come for. Make sure it is worth everyone's time."

"I will..."

"Well, if we're done here..."

Yuzuru seemed a bit lost, but he recovered quickly.

"I'll escort you out."

"But you're practicing..."

"I can take 5 minutes off the ice."

He completely discarded her complaints and was quick to place the protections on his blades and walk out with her.

"You didn't have to."

"I wanted to. Thank you once again."

"Just make sure you give a good show."

"Yes, yes..." He seemed a bit uncertain, but the words still left him. "You could come and watch..."