Dangerous Lines | Yuzuru Hanyu

42. Gesture

Saga often reminded her of Sendai. It was still a big city but the peace of it was still undeniable.

Yaeko would almost admit that she was enjoying her life there.

Having a job was refreshing and the light atmosphere in the shop only made everything better.

She now knew most of her neighbors and a lot of them were elders, often taking care of her like a granddaughter.

Yaeko often found herself surrounded with homemade food and little gifts from their farming and it was hard to repay them with anything but company.

If it wasn't for the fact that she had met Yuzuru, Yaeko would have probably considered living there for a while.

Still, one of the best news she received during her time there was that a certain skater was planning a show in the small city.

Everyone was instantly excited and she was very surprised to learn that his shows there always had a huge economic impact that made everyone excited.

Every day that went by, Yaeko learned new details about the man she loved and his impact on other people's lives through small gestures.

Her neighbours just kept saying how he was so nice for going there, despite the obvious troubles for fans to travel to the remote location and find accommodation. He knew well how much the city needed it and seemed to make sure to stop there with his most recent tour.

It seemed like Yuzu didn't just have an impact on her but also everyone around him.

As much as she tried to hide it, the excitement of knowing he was going there seemed to be too noticeable. Yaeko just shrugged her shoulders at her nosy neighbours when they made sure to point it out.

"I think a lot of people love Hanyu-san. It's a privilege to see him live."

She didn't know it then, but that was just the comment she needed to make the neighbours step into action.

A few weeks later she was handed a closed envelope while the ladies had huge smiles from ear to ear.

"Take it as a gift" one of them said.

While opening it, Yaeko couldn't believe her eyes. They had gotten her tickets for Yuzuru's show and seemed very proud of it.

"These are expensive and hard to get... I can't possibly..."

"We saw Yuzu-kun last year. It's only fair that you get to watch him too. We have friends at the arena who have access to the VIP area tickets."

While processing all the information being said to her, Yaeko gulped as her eyes set on the VIP wording on the ticket.

She always thought her neighbors to be simple countryside women but they were showing her that the connections in this small place were more important than most would realize.

Was it really that bad if she went?

One thing was certain, telling Agent Miura was completely out of the question. The man would most likely tell her to get some sense in her head and forget all about it.

The women were staring at her with a knowing smile, fully aware that they had left her speechless.

"You should dress well, you never know who you can meet there."

Yaeko knew very well it was just another pun at the fact that she was single and living alone but what these women couldn't possibly know was how much she longed to meet a certain someone.

Well, realistically speaking, she was both excited and terrified about it. Meeting Yuzuru there had both perks and consequences. Finding the balance wasn't often easy.

Still, the chances of actually having him close enough to promote any danger were very low.

So maybe her concerns were completely unfounded.

Looking at the eager women in front of her, Yaeko smiled and thanked them with a deep bow.

"This is an incredible opportunity. Thank you."

"Make sure you have fun!"

Yaeko instantly found an excitement that had been dormant for a while. She hadn't looked forward to anything this much in a while and even if there was always a feeling that she was going into something forbidden.

These people who barely knew her, who didn't even know her real name, had given her more than she could have ever asked for, more than Yaeko had gotten from her family for years on end.

As sad as it was, it showed her that life wasn't supposed to be like that. You could be surrounded by people you love and care about you without the emotional torture of seeing crime all over.

If anything, no matter what happened, her life would always change for the better and even if it didn't?

Yaeko was now sure that she would prefer death to the psychological warfare that was her previous life.

Maybe seeing things this way was wrong but given how useless she felt for the majority of the past 10 years, Yaeko couldn't take it off her mind.

After being literally sold by her own father and living under the confinements of her marriage for the years that followed, it was hard to see that life as livable after knowing what it felt like to have somewhat of a normal scenario around her.

She was willing to take every risk needed but all at the same time, it wasn't just her life on the line now.

Yaeko loved Yuzuru with all of her heart and now that the Yakuza knew about him, she couldn't let them be free.

It didn't matter how many bodyguards Yuzuru could hire, she would never feel confident about his safety with those people on the loose.

Whatever the trial brought, she would be ready for it.