courage dear heart | Yuki Ishikawa

52

"Chō, the manager told me he wants to talk to you!" Ayumu caught up with me, his snowboard in hand just as I was about to head down.

"Where is he?" I asked, moving closer.

"He's already in the van. He called me to say you should come back an hour early," he said, shrugging, equally puzzled.

I hope it's nothing serious...

"See you later then," I replied, making my way to the van with my snowboard in tow.

As I approached, I felt a knot of anxiety in my stomach. What could he possibly want to discuss? I took a deep breath, trying to shake off the worry as I opened the door and stepped inside.

I stepped into the van after practice, feeling a bit uneasy. The team manager was already there, sitting in the front seat, waiting for me. His serious expression made my stomach drop. I had been pulled out of training early, so I assumed something bad must have happened.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, sliding into the back seat, still slightly out of breath from the intense session.

He turned to face me, his expression softening but still looking businesslike. "Nothing to worry about," he said, but I wasn't convinced yet. "I needed to talk to you about something important."

My mind raced.

Did I do something wrong? Is it about the team?

My heart was pounding as I waited for him to continue.

"So," he began, shifting some papers in his lap, "with your recent success, the sponsors have been talking. They've seen your face, they know who you are now, and... they want to take advantage of that."

I blinked, confused for a moment. "Take advantage?"

He smiled a little. "In a good way. They want you to make time for some interviews, commercial shoots, photoshoots—things like that. The exposure could be huge for you. You've become a real asset to them."

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "Oh. That's it?" I couldn't help but laugh softly, relieved it wasn't something worse.

"Yeah, that's it," he said, chuckling at my reaction. "But it'll mean cutting out a few days from your schedule. Can you make that work?"

I sat back, processing it all. Interviews, shoots, sponsorships—sounded like a whirlwind, but it was also an exciting opportunity. I nodded slowly. "Yeah, I think I can figure it out."

"Great, you'll start tomorrow. For the next three days, you'll only train for half the day," the manager explained, his tone matter-of-fact. "Then, over the weekend, you'll need to catch a flight with a few other athletes to Tokyo for some filming. If it helps, Ishikawa will be there too."

Hearing Ishikawa's name made me raise an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" I asked, trying to hide my curiosity.

The manager smiled, noticing my reaction. "Yeah, thought you'd like that."

"From our team, it'll just be you and Kaito," the manager added casually.

I blinked, a little caught off guard. "Just me and Kaito?"

He nodded. "Yep, just the two of you representing us."

I nodded.

"I've already sent all the details for the next few days to your iPad," he said, organizing the documents inside his bag. "Now you can head out; there's someone who came here for you."

Who??

As I stepped out of the van, the crisp evening air greeted me, but it was the sight before me that truly took my breath away. A sleek black car was parked just a few feet away, gleaming under the fading sunlight. Standing next to it was my father, a wide smile spread across his face. In one hand, he held a luxurious branded shopping bag, and in the other, a bouquet of vibrant flowers that added a splash of color to the scene.