Chapter 52: Adoration

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A huge wave of cheers erupted from the audience. "If I were Yakov, it'd be an instant lecture," Victor says.

I looked up at him and playfully pushed him. "Oh come on, dear! Just praise the guy!" I said and clapped my hands along with the others.

On one side, Minami is clapping violently, with tears streaming out of his eyes. "Yuuri-kun!" He cries out. I'm sure he also wasn't able to do anything but get captivated by Yuuri.

Yuuri waved at the audience til his eyes fell upon us. He smiled and rubbed the back of his head. Victor moved and stepped in front of me, blocking me. He facepalmed and placed his other hand on his hip. But eventually, he looked up and raised both of his arms, asking for a hug from Yuuri.

Well, I couldn't see Yuuri so I don't know his reaction but I'm pretty sure he is smiling right now and is about to run towards Victor.

"Victor!" He shouted. Well, I guess my prediction is right: Yuuri is now running towards Victor. I can see a bit of his figure jumping in front of Victor but at the last second, Victor moves aside and I catch Yuuri in my arms. Boy, if I wasn't here, Yuuri might hit his head on the floor and well, his nosebleed might intensify.

"Oops, watch the nosebleed," Victor says raising his hands in the air. I rolled my eyes at him and hugged Yuuri tighter.

"Yuuri that was so good! If you can only see yourself while you were there I'm sure you'll also get mesmerized!" I said.

"The scores, please, for Katsuki Yuuri-san. His free skate program score: 165.20. His total score: 295.56," again, roars of cheers erupted from the audience.

I let Yuuri go and it is now Victor's turn on him. Victor placed his hands on Yuuri's shoulder and shook him. "It's amazing you scored that high after a jump like that. Thanks for proving to us that you're able to get a lot of PCS points. You can score even higher, so don't feel down, okay, Yuuri?" Victor said and pat his head.

I walked in front of Yuuri. I placed a tissue on his nose and squeezed. "You gotta be careful next time, Yuuri. Physical appearance is one of the charms," I say. I rubbed and squeezed his nose a few more times to clean it and at least prevent some more blood from coming out.

"Yuuri-kun!" Minami called. The three of us turned around to look at him. "I totally lost to you. I want to face you in the Grand Prix series someday! Until then, please don't quit!"

I couldn't help myself but feel happy for Yuuri, and Minami as well. "You know what? You're the sweetest, come here!" I said and brought my arms sidewards. Minami smiled and ran to me. He hugged me tightly and I hugged him back. "I look forward to seeing you compete in the series someday! You're a really good guy and you deserve lots of love," I said.

"Thank you so much!" Minami gave a final squeeze before letting go. "And another thing!" He turns to face Yuuri. "Please give me your autograph!" He brought out a notepad and a green pen.

"Me, too!"

"Can I take a photo with you?"

The other participants also crowded around Yuuri. He was, of course, quite surprised by such adoring people. He looked at me as if asking me what to to do.

"What are you waiting for?" I asked as I tilted my head towards the direction of the younger boys. Yuuri took Minami's notepad and signed it, as well as the other guy's. He then stood beside the third guy and Minami took their picture. All three of them thanked Yuuri and walked away, talking to each other about how they adored Yuuri.

I patted Yuuri on the back and told him we should go. He nodded and we made our way towards the lobby where Minako and Takeshi are waiting. On our way back, I gave him 2 plies of tissue for him to put it in his nose.

"Yuuri! I was so impressed! It was so obvious that you took the younger skaters seriously as rivals," Minako said with tears at the corner of her eyes.

"What if you'd gotten hurt, slamming into the wall like that at the end?!" Takeshi scolded.

"S-sorry," he said and removed the tissues off his nose. "At first, I was just desperate because I didn't want to lose, but somehow, I started having a lot of fun in the middle. I don't remember a lot about it."

"Huh?" Minako and Takeshi said in unison. I have to admit, that is also what I felt before. As soon as the music begins, I drift off into the story I will tell and put my whole self in it and trust me, it feels wonderful.

Before we knew it, Yuuri was called back inside to receive the certificate and stand on the platforms. Victor, Yuuri, and I quickly went back inside.

Yuuri separated from us since he has to go back to the rink, leaving Victor and me alone. I suddenly hugged him and buried my face on his chest. "I'm proud!" I squealed.

Victor chuckled and hugged me back. "We also did well in coaching him, I may say."

I quickly let go and looked at Yuuri across the rink. Victor held my hand and our fingers entwined. "Your talks with him also played an important role in getting Yuuri open to us," he said and kissed my forehead.

It has been a very long day, and it is time to go. The people inside became less and less until only the rink staffs are inside. We also left as soon as the other competitors did.

The walk back to the hotel was short. Once we got there we immediately ate dinner. Sometimes, we wouldn't know how hungry we are until we see food served in front of us.

After dinner, we began packing our stuff, placing them back in our bag. This is one of the things I miss with competing. This feeling you feel whenever you travel, whenever you stay in one place and the moment you prepare for the department. Somehow, these places were part of our journey and it somehow feels a little melancholic to leave them but that's what must be done.

Before going to bed, we took a shower to get ourselves cleaned because we'll leave first thing in the morning. After taking a shower, I blow-dried my hair so I wouldn't be sleeping with my hair wet.

As soon as everyone is done, the lights were turned off and each one of us let ourselves get drifted off to the place of dreams.


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