This is the story of Ayame, a young artistic gymnast who, due to a stroke of fate, can no longer practise her sport. In search of a new purpose in life, she comes to Sendai from her home town of Sapporo by chance to work in the house of a famous fig...
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"How am I supposed to get along without you?" Sakura grumbled and wrapped both arms around Ayame. It had all happened so quickly that it was hard to believe. They were standing at the station in Sapporo, Ayame's luggage had already been sent ahead, so she could comfortably board the Shinkansen with a small suitcase and her backpack to travel to Sendai again - and this time for longer.
***
When Ayame had returned from Sendai on June 16th and sat down to dinner with Sakura in their shared apartment, she had told her everything. Told her that she had accepted the job, had already met her future employer and had seen his house. He had shown her the room she would be living in and everything had been arranged as far as her duties, earnings and free time were concerned. He had been nice and pleasant and everything had been extremely professional.
What Ayame hadn't told her best friend, however, was how she had really experienced him. The encounter in front of his house, when she didn't yet know who he was. None of the looks. And his clearly visible change when he had welcomed her into his home just a little later.
It wasn't just that specific detail in her contract that kept her from sharing. She was not allowed to let anything leak out about what was happening with Yuzuru, in his house and in his life. That was an absolute and important condition that she had had to agree to. For her, however, it felt natural to adhere to this requirement anyway and not to betray the trust placed in her. Especially after she had seen him in such different states...
Nevertheless, Ayame knew that Sakura wanted to satisfy her curiosity and learn a few personal things about Yuzuru. And so she had had to tell her that this would probably not be possible in order to protect his privacy 100 %.
Sakura had been a little disappointed at first, since that had been one of the reasons Ayame had applied in the first place. She was supposed to find out what was going on with Yuzuru! Eventually, of course, Sakura realized that the original idea had been very disrespectful.
And she noticed something else: there was something different about Ayame since she had been in Sendai. Something that Sakura could not yet understand. But she didn't want to press her friend about it and decided to let the matter rest for the moment.
"It's the 'Yuzuru effect'," she said with a laugh. "The 'Yuzuru effect'?" Ayame asked, frowning, not knowing what Sakura suddenly meant by that. "Yes, the 'Yuzuru effect'. There's something about him that makes us suddenly do things we wouldn't have done before. He sometimes changes something in people..."
Ayame was taken aback by Sakura's statement. Was she right? She had actually approached this job application with the intention of finding out more about Yuzuru and telling Sakura. But at the same time, she had also wanted to protect him from the start. And now that she had actually met and experienced him, she didn't want to tell her friend any of the details. And it wasn't just because of the binding conditions of her contract. There was something else. Maybe it was actually the "Yuzuru effect."
***
And now the time had come. She was only a few minutes away from leaving her hometown. She had arranged everything and had resigned from her job at the kindergarten with a heavy heart. She had already said goodbye to her family the night before, tearfully, but also full of hope for a new start in another city.
Sakura was with her and had got up extra early to take her to the station. She really wanted to and wouldn't be talked out of it. "It's obvious that I'm giving my best friend an escort on her difficult journey into a new future," she joked and laughed.
Ayame laughed just as freely. There had been a certain heaviness on them over the last few days. It wasn't easy to say goodbye, they were attached to each other and she didn't know when would be able to return to Sapporo for a visit."
"I'll come and visit you in Sendai, I've always wanted to go there and take a photo with Yuzuru's cardboard figure at the station," Sakura joked. "Naa, I'm serious, I'm definitely coming! And only because of you!"
A few more tears flowed and it was already time to go to the platform of the bullet train and board the Shinkansen. Ayame turned one last time to her friend, who had stayed behind in the visitors' area. A final wave and she boarded the train, which set off a little later - in the direction of a new challenge.
