courage dear heart | Yuki Ishikawa

40

Ishikawa's POV

I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing.
I reached over and grabbed it from the bedside table.
"Hello?" I answered, my voice still hoarse.

Nabi, who was curled up against me, buried her face into my chest, and I tried to adjust to a more comfortable position for her.

"Yuki, we have a problem. Can you come down a few hours before the interview?" I recognized the voice of my manager.

"What happened?"

"It's about Chō. Social media has gone crazy." I looked down at her, still asleep. "There were already rumors circulating when she wore your jersey in Aspen, but after yesterday, things have escalated..."

I gently moved my arm from under Nabi's head and placed a pillow for her so she wouldn't wake up.

I closed myself in the bathroom. "What are they saying?"

"Besides the usual gossip, people are asking who she really is. Other than the fact that she's on the national team, no one knows much about her. So, people are going wild trying to get more info or making things up... There are photos of her in Aspen talking to a guy, a snowboarder, while Kunitake Kaito had his arm around her shoulders."

I already know where this was going.

"So, they're spreading some nasty rumors about her..."

There it is...

I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to calm myself.

I've always been grateful for the support I receive from people, but I've never tolerated baseless online harassment.

"What do you think we should do?" I asked.

"You two need to talk and figure out what you want. If you're okay with going public with your relationship... Although, her manager told me she values her privacy a lot..."

It wasn't a secret how important her privacy was to her, and I was worried since my life was anything but private.
Not being an idol or an actor, my personal life didn't really affect my career, so I never thought much about it.

But Nabi was the opposite. She didn't tell anyone anything, not even me sometimes. Not that it bothered me—I never wanted to pressure her. I wanted her to open up to me on her own because she trusted me.

"I'll talk to her then, and decide what to say during the interview. I'm sure the reporters will have a lot of questions about her."

I sighed before leaving the bathroom.

She was already awake, sitting up and looking at me, covered only by a sheet. "Everything okay?"

I sat down in front of her and took her hands, gently stroking them with my thumbs.

"I'm not sure if you've seen what's been going around on social media these days," I began carefully.

She shook her head.

"There's been a lot of content online about you in Aspen, wearing my jersey. A lot of people linked it to the time the team and I went to the mountains to watch your event."
She listened, waiting for me to continue.

"After yesterday's game, things got a little out of control. Many are curious about who you are, and others," I tried to choose my words carefully to hurt her as little as possible, "others aren't very happy about our relationship."

I searched her face for any reaction, but she simply nodded and paused before responding, "I don't want to be an obstacle for your career."

I squeezed her hands. "You're not an obstacle at all. I'm just worried about you. I know how much you value your privacy, and I'm sure having thousands of people playing detective isn't ideal."

Since she didn't respond, I continued, "I have an interview later, and my manager warned me that I should expect to be bombarded with questions about you and our relationship."

Her expression shifted slightly.
"I'd like to know what you think and what you'd like me to do."

I kept stroking her hands, trying to reassure her.

She opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it again.

After a few seconds, she tried again, "I'd like to keep my privacy." I felt my heart tighten.

"But I don't want to separate from you. You make me feel good." I sighed in relief internally.

"So, if possible, you can say that, yes, we're seeing each other, but we don't plan to say more than that." Her voice and eyes were firm, but I knew her mind was filled with thoughts.

I pulled her onto my lap and cupped her face with one hand to make sure she was really looking at me.

"You make me feel good too, and I'll do everything I can to protect what we have."

She studied my face closely, and without saying anything, she kissed me.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The atmosphere was tense as I entered the room for the interview. The cameras were already set up, and reporters sat ready with their questions, some scribbling in their notebooks while others adjusted their microphones. I took a deep breath, knowing what was coming.

The usual questions came first—about the game, my performance, and the team's strategy. I answered each one smoothly, but I could sense the shift in the room when the conversation turned personal, exactly as I had expected.

"Yuki, there's been a lot of speculation online after some photos surfaced from Aspen and the game yesterday. There's been talk about Chō, the snowboarder who was seen in your jersey at Aspen. And, well, there are pictures of you two after yesterday's match, embracing on the court. Can you tell us what's going on?"

I stayed calm, just like Nabi and I had discussed. I nodded and leaned forward slightly.

"Yes, at Aspen, Chō was there, and she wore my jersey during the event. And yes, after the game yesterday, we were seen together," I began, keeping my voice steady and neutral. "We've been spending time together, but I'd like to clarify that we're both very private people. What you saw was just a personal moment after an important win, nothing more."

Another reporter quickly followed up, not letting the subject drop. "So, does that mean you're officially together? Is this a serious relationship?"

I paused, remembering what Nabi had asked me to say. I kept my smile relaxed.

"We're seeing each other, but both of us value our privacy a lot. We don't want to share more about our personal lives right now. I hope everyone can respect that."

A few murmurs passed through the room, and I could see some reporters trying to push further. They asked about how long we had been together, if our relationship had any impact on our careers, but I stuck to the same message.

"As I said, we'd like to keep things private. Our focus is on our careers."

The questions eventually shifted back to volleyball, but I knew this wouldn't be the last time the subject came up. Still, I had done what Nabi asked—kept our relationship out of the spotlight as much as possible, while still acknowledging it in a way that wouldn't fuel the rumor mill even more.

I could only hope that would be enough.