Deep Edges | Yuzuru Hanyu

15.

"Is there anything going on with you and Yuzuru?"

Whatever the thought process behind Tsuzuki-sensei's question was, it baffled her that he even thought something like that could be possible.

She highly doubted Yuzuru told him anything and truthfully, there was really nothing to tell.

In fact, if anything, she barely knew the older skater.

Their conversation had been great and the banter was funny but all at the same time, it wasn't as if that made them that close. At least not close enough for a question like that to even be on the table.

Could it be that he was testing her? Seeing if she would cave and admit that there was something about Yuzuru Hanyu that her body and mind seemed to like?

Would he even judge her if she admitted that maybe there was a small crush on the older skater? It wasn't as if it wasn't a common occurrence in the Japanese female population to like his looks, the man was certainly admired by many.

Her answer came hesitant. The knowledge of his eyes completely focused on her every reaction only increasing the nervous feeling on her body.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Are you dating?" he asked straight away.

"Dating? No!"

"Sleeping together?"

Seeing the coach being so straightforward in his questions was the one thing that caught her completely red-handed. How could you even think fast enough to answer something like that?

"No!"

"You don't have to lie to me, I won't judge."

"There's nothing, Tsuzuki-sensei, I barely know Hanyu-san. I don't know what type of image you have of me but..."

"Hey, hey! That's not where I wanted this conversation to get... I just thought I saw something, I was wrong. I prefer to know for sure instead of just assuming things."

"There is nothing going on, that I can assure you."

"Good."

"Good."

Awkwardness filled the room. It was still hard for her to believe that her coach had just asked something like that. Izumi could understand why he wanted to know, but it was still baffling that he had the courage to ask so directly and openly.

There was no doubt that the matter would stay in her head now, analyzing every small detail that might have resulted in making him think this way.

The old man was looking at her with that look again, the one that always managed to scare her.

"I don't want things to be awkward."

"I just don't understand how you could think of that even being a possibility."

"You're both young, it could happen. You were just so different today that I thought that maybe he was the one to blame for that."

Izumi had to admit that her renewed happiness could be almost directly associated with their conversation but it had merely to do with the fact that it helped her see things in a different way.

Wasn't that what he wanted all along?

Not knowing what to say once again, she just allowed the first thoughts in her brain to come out.

"He's 5 years older than me."

"So?"

5 years in her head was a lot, but for someone who lived 85, it was a barely significant difference.

"And he's very famous."

The smile that settled on the coach's face should have told her how she had just gotten herself in deep trouble, but Izumi only realized when he spoke again.

"Are you trying to give me all the arguments as to why it wouldn't work?"

"Of course, just to make it clear."

"To me or yourself?"

Tsuzuki-sensei had just gotten to the very root of the problem without much fight and Izumi had never felt so exposed in front of her coach.

"Sensei..."

"I won't discuss this if you don't want to, but let me just say that Age or Fame isn't enough of an argument to deny feelings."

Izumi looked at the ground, thinking carefully about what he had just said and considering seriously everything it meant.

But Feelings? She could say she maybe had a small crush on the man, but that was only normal given who he was and his accolades in the sport. Izumi had admired Hanyu even before they had met.

How could Tsuzuki-sensei think that he could know things better than her?

No, she didn't have any feelings.

"There aren't any feelings, Tsuzuki-sensei, forget about it."

"Just think about it. Skating will disappear at some point. You need more things in life than your job, don't ever forget about it."

Izumi stared at his face seriously for the first time on that night. When he first asked her the question whether there was anything going on between her and Yuzuru, she figured that he wanted to lecture her about it. Now, as she heard these last words, she was seriously wondering what was on his mind.

Was he trying to set them up? Was that why he even asked Yuzuru to come and talk to her in the first place?

That logic didn't make sense in her head but at the same time, it was the only explanation she seemed to find for his words.

"Whatever you think it's going on, it really isn't, Sensei."

"I won't say anything else, Izumi. All I want is for those I care about to be happy." he said with all the calm in the world. 

If there was something about Tsuzuki-sensei, it was that he couldn't hide who his favorite students were and in those days, Izumi was very proud to be in that category. Well, she wasn't the only one. The girl was certain that Hanyu was his absolute favorite.

"Ok" she merely answered with a gentle fight. No one had the guts to fight with the old man and she wasn't any different.

"Now rest. You still have the free to do."