Potential To Be Strong

Chapter 19: Appreciated

After I arrived in Japan, Yuzuru has been treating me like I'm fragile. He's very careful with everything he says and does. It took me about a week to convince him that he didn't need to treat me any differently just because my family is falling apart. I just want to enjoy my time with him before I need to return to my family, or what it used to be.

Yuzuru has an interview at one of the famous interview shows that I have seen him go on several times so I decide to skip out on watching him there and walk around. I walk over to the closet convenience store, or conbini as they call it here in Japan. They have 7-Elevens here like in Canada. But the conbini's in Japan are almost like little grocery stores. They have much more to offer than just junk food. I grab some pocky and other chocolate treats. I make sure to grab some Ghana chocolate. After I saw the commercial with Yuzuru advertising the Ghana chocolate, I knew I had to grab some when I go to Japan. While I'm perusing the snack isle, a couple of girls walk up to me with nervous looks on their faces. I offer a gentle smile to calm their nerves.

"Hello there," I greet them happily.

"Hello. I hope we are not bothering you, but are you Mai Vincenté?" One of the girls asks nervously. She has a short bob and scarf around her neck.

"Yes, I am," I answer softly. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"No. Um... You are the one dating Yuzuru Hanyu-san," the other girl, with long hair and a bow in her hair, states lowly.

"Oh! Yes! Yuzu is my boyfriend. He's at an interview right now."

"Right, we're going to watch it later. We're surprised to see you not at his interview," says the girl with the bob. "Oh my. We haven't introduced ourselves. I'm Suki Tsumito and this is Kana Oishino. We are big fans of Yuzuru Hanyu."

"Well, it's very nice to meet you two. I decided not to join him this time. I know he can function without me. I'm not acting as his manager at the moment so my presence isn't mandatory."

"We always expect to see you by his side, but I guess that's just because you're his girlfriend and translator. You work and date him. Many fan are jealous of your status."-Suki

"Well, I'm grateful for the people that support him. I may be his girlfriend, but his fan mean so much to him. He tells me about all the stuffed Poohs he used to get from his fans before he had to stop because his room couldn't handle so many Poohs. I'm lucky to have a place in Yuzuru's heart."

"But you're the embodiment of all of his fans when you're by his side. It's so cute seeing him react to you at the side of the rink. And dedicating his whole season to you was so romantic. Fans can only dream of what that's like. You really are the lucky one. And Hanyu-san said he didn't even know how to date, but he managed to find a girlfriend in you. What a dream."-Kana

"I don't know if Yuzuru ever intended to find a girlfriend in me, but I guess over time we both developed feelings for one another and then we started dating. Between you and I, Yuzu is my first boyfriend and I'm his first girlfriend so we both are learning how to be in a relationship with one another. It's not always a dream, but we try to make it work no matter what. I do put my job first. Just because Yuzuru is my boyfriend doesn't mean he can slack off when I'm his manager."

"You are so amazing, Vincenté-san. We really admire you, Mai-san. I know not every fan is happy to see their idol in a relationship, but we are."-Kana

"That's very kind of you to say. I really appreciate that. I'm usually so focused on Yuzu and other things that people's opinions about our relationship have never crossed my mind. But I'm glad that there are people who support us. Thank you very much for your kind words."

"We hope you guys stay together for a very long time! We will continue support you no matter what. Do you think we could get a picture with you?"-Suki

"Sure, I don't mind."

I take a selfie with the two girls, each on their individual phones. They smile happily at the photos on their phones. I can't help but smile back at them.

"We're really happy you're in Hanyu-san's life. We have seen such an improvement and change in him and I know not everyone likes our hero being taken, but we're happy he's with someone who loves him and helps him so much," says Kana. Her and Suki share large smiles on their faces. I revel in their happiness.

"Do you mind taking a picture with me? And if you have any social media, I'd love to be able to contact the two of you some time in the future. I'll see if I can get Yuzuru to send you two a signed card or something," I say to them, adding a little wink at the end.

The girls looks at each other with elated expressions. They tell me their Instagram usernames and I immediately follow them. I also take a photo with them to show Yuzuru when he gets back from his interview. The girls thank me profusely. They bow to me and I bow back. They leave the conbini happily chatting away looking at their phones

I smile at their retreating forms as I head over to the checkout counter. While I'm walking over there, I see a magazine with Yuzuru's face in it. I begin to flip through it. It's a whole magazine dedicated to Yuzuru. From his early novice years to the Olympics this year. There is a whole section dedicated to our relationship. There are some quotes from Yuzuru about us. He says some cheesy, but cute things. I have to buy this magazine and play around with Yuzuru with it. I'll definitely get a laugh out of it.

I shop around at a near-by shopping center after I leave the conbini. I pick up some cute stationary items, like letter sets and pens, and a couple of shirts I like. I stop by a different conbini to grab some food for Yuzuru and I. It's the off-season, but I get something that fits within Yuzuru's training diet. I make sure I get him a dessert just to spoil him a little bit. I know how he likes chocolate so I get him small chocolate cake. I get myself a tonkatsu bento and a coffee jelly. I smile to myself on how this day is gone by and I can't wait to see Yuzuru.