Deep Edges | Yuzuru Hanyu

56.

The awkwardness between Izumi and Akito only increased on the next day.

It was clear that any bond they had or any trust that could still be lingering was broken.

On the day that followed, the skater did everything as usual in her competition days. She went to open practice and it was great, before eventually moving on to her room and enduring whatever her fiance felt like.

She was now so completely numb to everything that she could barely recall the events of each night.

When the day of the Free Program eventually came, she had breakfast with Akito, ignoring just how long he took to eat once again. It just seemed like taking a careless approach was both easier on her mental health and strain on her heart.

She had to admit that texting Yuzuru often was helping the situation. Feeling comfortable discussing things with him allowed her to clear her brain when things looked a bit darker. Just a small joke from him was enough to improve her mood and help her stay afloat in the mess that was her relationship.

The male skater decided against doing a repeat performance of the Short, staying well within the safe distance as he watched her wordlessly with Nanami.

Izumi still felt his energy and the relaxing warmth of his eyes. Having his eyes on her made Izumi feel confident and ready despite not talking to him at all. It was all the sheer effect of his eyes on her.

In the end, it showed.

Her performance on the free was as good as her short had been. The only doubts about whether it would be enough or not the grasp the victory were purely due to her lower technical content.

Even so, and despite placing 2nd in the free, the advantage of the short made it so that she was crowned with the gold medal.

Izumi's astonishment was evident when the scores were announced. She couldn't quite believe that things were finally turning around for her after the crazy and unlucky previous seasons.

She celebrated by hugging Nanami, who still wasn't very happy to endure any type of emotional exchanges, but gladly took this one hug.

"Congratulations dear, you deserve this." she heard the woman say, making her smile.

"Thank you, sensei, and thank you for coming with me to Canada."

"Someone had to." she said coldly, resuming her usual stance.

Izumi did look at her fiance, just like she looked at Yuzuru but she didn't greet any of them. Yuzu did offer her a big smile that she returned while Akito just looked indifferent.

Every day that passed made her wonder why she had even decided to wait instead of breaking things off right away.

Surprisingly, right after the medal ceremony where she received her first international gold of the past year, Akito didn't drag her to their room.

Instead, he briefly told her he was leaving and went without her.

Honestly, even if she didn't mind the action a single bit, Izumi still wondered.

His behavior was stranger than usual.

She was still happy since it gave her the opportunity to finally catch up with the girls. After competing together for so many years, it was easy to build a bond with a few of them and it was always nice to have a little friendly chat.

Izumi didn't even mind the fact that they teased her about Yuzuru.

"So...You seem close with Hanyu-san." the youngest skater said with a big smile, almost as if she admired Izumi because of it.

"He's a good friend, yes."

"He has this aura about him that makes him look almost otherworldly."

She chuckled, of course. Izumi had been on that side once, thinking that he was some kind of god. It was funny to think of it now, that she knew the little quirks in his personality that made him so human and the side of his that he reserved to those close enough to be trusted.

"I used to think that way too, but he's very nice once you get to know him better."

"Well, not all of us are that lucky... Either way, did you see the men's competition? Rumor is that Hanyu has been so strict that they want to forbid him from being on the tech panel."

Everyone in the group laughed.

"They are just afraid of good technique." one of the girls said it with the confidence of someone who wasn't afraid of strict judging. Izumi was glad she wasn't the one saying it.

"What do you think, Izumi?"

"About Yuzuru as a tech specialist?"

"Yes, of course."

"I probably think the same that he does. No human is perfect but having someone who isn't afraid of making the calls when they need to be made is the one thing that might be able to save this sport from bad judging. At least they can't blindly give points to people who have terrible techniques. I think Yuzu would probably say that AI would be a good option, just to guide the specialists but it doesn't seem like anyone wants to take that leap."

"Because that would mean that the federations wouldn't have as much  power anymore."

"You did fix your technique, didn't you?" one of them asked, making Izumi nod. "I remember hearing people say that you moved coaches because of it"

"I tried... I mean... there is still a lot of room for improvement but I want to keep working on it, even if the whole thing was a bit forced in the beginning due to my injuries. Being in Japan is also better for me so I enjoy working with Tsuzuki-sensei."

"The old man is a tough one."

"I like the strictness of it. It's refreshing when you reach the high stages."

"I can bet!"

The easiness of conversation was something that didn't come with too many competitors, but it was always nice when you could have a good talk with your peers, even when you were competing against each other.

For Izumi, the sport was more than her job, it was her life and it showed in every decision and action she made.

And with everything in life, it meant that she had to deal with the consequences as well.