Beyond the Sound | Yuzuru Hanyu

44.

Maya made the video call to her mother with uncertainty, not sure how the older woman would take it.

They still kept a lot of contact, even if Maya chose to go back to visit her with the excuse of work.

It wasn't as if she didn't want to see her mother, it was just that Maya wasn't one to take time off work. Even if she was legally allowed to and even if she did take two weeks to be with Yuzu in Sendai.

To no one's surprise, her mother could tell how nervous she was from the moment the call started.

"Maya, what's going on?"

Being addressed in Italian was still odd to her. Most of her days were so surrounded by Japanese that anything else was weird.

Not even Chiara spoke Italian at home anymore.

"It's nothing bad..."

"Whatever it is, you can tell me."

"I met someone." was all that Maya told her, reluctantly.

"a boy?"

"yeah."

"that you like."

"That I love." Maya corrected.

"I see."

"Mom..."

"Why are you so worried to tell me?"

"He's Japanese."

"I expected that. If you love him, it doesn't really matter, does it?"

Maya smiled at her mother and nodded. It wasn't as if you could control these things.

"What's his name?"

She was a bit reluctant. Maya doubted that her mother would know his name, but Yuzuru wasn't such a common name.
Still, she had no to know eventually.

"Yuzuru."

"And what does he do?"

"Are you going to ask me about his whole life story?" Maya asked jokingly

"I'm just curious about this man you seem so sure about."

"He's an athlete."

At that revelation, her mother seemed to be in deep thought.

"Athlete? It isn't figure skating by any chance, is it?"

Maya widened her eyes.

There was no way her mother knew him. As far as she knew, Giulia didn't follow sports at all, especially not figure skating.

"How? How do you know that?"

"Wait... Hanyu?"

"Yeah. You're scaring me, mom?"

"Have you met Yumi?"

"How?"

"And Hidetoshi?"

"You're freaking me out."

Giulia laughed at her daughter's reaction, she was hilarious when she looked like that.

"What are the odds..."

"Mom...do you mind explaining?"

"It is not as creepy as you think. Yumi is an old friend. I don't know much, but her youngest son, Yuzuru, did figure skating... How time passes..."

"She is what? How have I never heard of this?"

"We haven't kept in touch, unfortunately. When I first went to Japan, Sendai was the place I lived in but then I met your father."

"You're joking... There's no way."

"Is Yuzuru still skating? His mother always said that was all he thought about."

"He is, yes." Maya said with a smile. Maybe her mother wasn't truly aware of who the boy had become. At least she didn't seem to be.

"Oh, that's good... This brings back so many memories. You're making me wish I kept contact"

"Well... I'm not in Sendai, but I can speak to her if I happen to see her. Maybe she misses you too."

"Yeah."

"Mom?"

"Yes, dear?"

"I was wondering... If maybe you would like to visit?"

"Go there?"

"yeah. I know you're in a love-hate relationship with Japan but..."

"You know what? Maybe that will be nice."

Maya didn't expect it to be so easy to convince her mother but it seemed like the prospect of getting in contact with an old friend was more than enough to make her eager.

"Let me know when."

"I need to see with work, Tesoro."

"I know, I know"

"This is crazy!"

"Tell me about it."

What are the chances of the man she fell in love with being the son of an old friend of her mother? Slim, for sure, but even in this, it seemed as if all of it was pre-written.

"I want to meet this special boy of yours too."

"Well, he's just like Yumi."

"Is he? I remember him vaguely as a child in some pictures."

"Yeah."

"You really love him, don't you?"

"Oh, Mom, he's just... So different from everyone else I've met..."

"I can't wait to meet him then."

"I'm relieved now." Maya admitted with a chuckle.

"Were you that worried about my reaction?"

"It's just that I know you..."

"You know, being this worried only shows me how much you care about him. You want me to approve."

"I do, yes."

"How serious?"

"Hum?"

"How serious is it? Because if I see Yumi, it's only natural if we get a bit carried away with everything and..."

"I think I want to marry him, if he wants that, of course."

It wasn't that hard to admit it out loud after the conversation of marriage had been so present in the past days. Even if she still wondered how serious it was on his side.

"Then don't be too surprised if we start organizing the wedding."

"Mom!"

"I'm just saying... You managed to get the biggest of coincidences out of this situation and I will fully enjoy the fact that he's the son of one of my best friends."

With a chuckle, Maya only shook her head in disappointment.

The doorbell rang but she didn't worry too much about it since Chiara was at home.

Keeping the conversation with her mother, she was a bit stunned when her bedroom door opened to the sight of the man she had been talking about.

"Bad time?" he muttered as he noticed she was on call.

"Actually... Best of times. You won't believe it."