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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For the next four and a half minutes, Ayame felt as if time stood still. The lyrics, sung partly in English and partly in Japanese, were a declaration of love that could not have been more beautiful. Perhaps a little cheesy, but Yuzuru's interpretation gave the lines a simple and clear beauty, a truthfulness.
Two people had found each other and now decided to go their own way together forever. No matter what happened, they would face whatever came their way together, perhaps not with all their strength at first, but eventually they would overcome it. And they would stay together...
She saw him dancing on the ice and her heart almost stopped. The music filled the hall and she couldn't take her eyes off him. Slowly but surely, tears welled up in her eyes...
She had the feeling that he was skating on the ice just for her, not only because she was the only one still watching him... he was connecting with her in a way that only they could understand.
Ayame thought of all the little statements, the looks, his affection, his warmth... ever since she had been with him. And it suddenly felt so clear what was happening, because he was also somehow telling their story together!
Yuzuru ended up in a final kneeling pose, one arm stretched longingly in Ayame's direction, before he drew his hands back up to his chest and remained silent for a few moments in a gathered final pose, head bowed.
The song had faded. It had suddenly become very quiet. Only the low humming, steady sound of the rink's cooling system could still be heard.
Ayame sat motionless in her seat, the blanket had slipped off her knees, but she hadn't even noticed. The tears were still on her face when Yuzuru got up from the ice and slowly skated towards her.
He picked up his skate guards and walked to the exit, where he put them on and took his leave of the white surface with a long bow and his hands on the ice in thanks.
He turned and looked at Ayame. He had recognized that she was crying. And his heart contracted for a moment. She didn't say a word.
Yuzuru went to her and sat down next to her on the blue bench. He saw her blanket lying on the floor and bent down to pull it back up over her knees.
He looked at her in silence for a moment. Her hair hung a little in her face, which was wet with tears. Without thinking about it, he lifted his hand and stroked a strand out of her face in an infinitely tender gesture.
He bent slightly towards her, put an arm around her and pulled her a little closer, kissing her on the forehead. His lips lingered there for a long time.
Ayame intensely felt the heat that his whole body gave off after training, yet she shivered.
Yuzuru had noticed her shivering, and when he finally released the kiss, he simply took her completely in his arms and whispered softly in her ear: "I'm sorry you're cold... But thank you for sharing this moment with me... it was so infinitely important to me."
"So... so gladly", Ayame had stammered. That was all she could manage. She was overwhelmed by all the feelings running through her.
Yuzuru had simply looked at her as he released her from his arms. He felt so many different emotions welling up inside him that it was almost too much for his sensitive heart.
He stood up slowly, saying only that he would take a quick shower and then they could go home. Then he walked away, his skates still on his feet.
Ayame had just nodded and stayed behind. She had to figure out what had just happened.
Had he really just confessed his love for her? Or had he wanted to thank her for her support on his difficult journey? But then what did that long kiss on the forehead mean? And the hug? Was she like a friend to him now or did he feel more for her? But she was his employee! She couldn't make sense of it, too many things had happened in the last few days, some of them contradictory, and now it had all culminated in a declaration of love? With a dance on the ice? In the end, it was just a song, nothing more! But why had he chosen this particular song?
While all these questions were still running through her head, Yuzuru was suddenly back. He handed her his bag in which he had put her clothes. That's right, she hadn't changed again.... "Thank you!" she said quietly.
Yuzuru put his skates, which he was now holding in his hand, back in the suitcase, took Pooh-san off the shelf and lovingly put him in his bag. He put it back in the suitcase with all the other remaining things and closed it.
"Can we go?" he asked Ayame. "Yes, of course, just the blanket...". She stood up, folded the blanket and was ready to leave.
