Ojiro arrived at the rink on time. Acknowledging everyone on his way, he greeted Sakiko-chan first before she could, which surprised her a little. She noticed his cheerful demeanor as she read to him that day's schedule. He didn't have that usual furrow on his forehead.

He met with Minoru-san, his coach, for his training. Ojiro gave him a report about the current state of his injury and then after that, he made Ojiro do some exercises on and off the ice to observe his condition. In practicing his short program, he only did double jumps, just as instructed.

Even Minoru-san is wondering why Ojiro's being miraculously too obedient, in complete contrast to his usual stubbornness during training. He only shrugged and let him have his break after reminding him of their doctor's appointment regarding his injury.

"Hmm..." Ojiro nodded. "Wakatta." He wiped his sweaty face with a towel before he went off the ice and put on his edge covers. Sakiko-chan handed him his amino acid drink and retreated to the lockers where he left his luggage.

Only then, when he made sure that no one was around, did he take out his phone from his jacket's pocket and went straight to his messages.

I'm off to work now. Later! The text from Louise read.

A smile automatically tugged on Ojiro's chapped lips.

After finding out where they parked their car, he bolted straight to it and waited there for Louise. He managed to get her number despite the side eye Jackson was giving him during the exchange. He can imagine those typical shy Japanese men saluting him.

He quickly typed a reply. The weather is good today, and the ice condition as well. It's a nice day for practice.

Good to know that :> Louise replied.

He bit his lip to keep his smile from going wider, but he couldn't help it.

They've been messaging each other for a while now, but it usually took hours for her to text back, and sometimes he would only receive an emoji as a reply. That was fine with him though. He knew that the studio was quite busy. He knew because he made Sakiko-chan do reports about the studio project's progress.

"Good to know that." He repeated with a smile on his face.

Does that mean she feels good about knowing what I'm doing?

He had never typed a reply faster in his life. He needed to keep the conversation going, or else she'd come back again for another couple of hours. This could be the longest chat they'd ever had, and he wanted to take the chance. To finally ask her out.

He tried asking her through text, and it was a disaster. He sent her the wrong emoji. A disgusting three-droplet emoji that he didn't even know what it meant. In his nervous attempt to correct it, he accidentally tapped on the call button. He ended the call immediately but tapped the video on instead

He flinched in embarrassment at the memory.

He wanted to keep up with his workload that's why he wanted to ask her sooner, and if text messages wouldn't work for him, desperate circumstances called for equally desperate actions. He's going to ask her out in person.

Ojiro looked at the small mirror on his locker's door, checking out his looks. He sighs, shifting into a serious mode. Heimagines Louise before him and clears his throat.

"Hey Louise, are you free this weekend?" He spoke in a low, deep, sultry voice just like he had practiced before. "Do you want to go somewhere? Grab some coffee? Or beer? Ugh, enough with the beer, but... What do you think? It would be nice, right?"

He smiled at the mirror, which faded to a frown. He let out a sigh. Ojiro never thought this would be more difficult than jumping quads.

He closed the locker's door and found a familiar face with a diabolic smirk.

"Yes, Ojiro, coffee and beer would be nice. But a trip to the love hotel with you would be nicer!" Nissho, his skater friend, spoke in a girly, flirty tone.

Ojiro blinked at him and kept his face blank, composing himself. He turned around and left him there, pretending he didn't see him.

"Oi! Not so fast! You think you could get away from me that easy?" Nissho followed him around like a mosquito.

"Get away from me Nissho." He muttered, walking straight with his skates on the ground toward the rink's enclosure.

"Ehhh? Louise?" He nudged him teasingly.

"Urusai!"

Ojiro quickly got on ice to continue practicing his program and to avoid Nissho, but the nosy ass devil won't leave him alone.

"Look at that stupid smile." He teased again when he caught him checking his phone for Louise's reply.

"Just quit it, Nissho. What are you even doing here?"

"What an insensitive question. I'm here to train!" He waves both his gloved hands to him.

Ojiro didn't even remember if this lazy ass friend of his trained at all, and he still managed to enter the top five, earning the points to qualify him for the Worlds along with a kohai from the senior division.

"Do you want to go somewhere? Grab some coffee?" Nissho mimicked Ojiro, still laughing his ass off.

Ojiro skated forward, ignoring him.

"Love is such a beautiful thing~" Nissho sang in a frog-like voice as he tried to keep up with him.

Ojiro couldn't help but face palm. Of all people, Nissho was the one to catch him doing something stupid.

This only skater friend of his and a close descendant of Satan will never stop bugging him unless he spilled the tea.

Nissho wrapped his arm around Ojiro's neck, not letting him go anywhere.

"Get off of me!"

"So? Who's this Louise?" Locking Ojiro's neck tighter in his arm.

"I'm not telling you anything!" Ojiro shrieks, wriggling out of his hold.

"Oi! Hey! Break time is over! Go back to your positions!" Minoru-san, who caught the two boys goofing around, shouted at them from a distance.

"Haaaai..." They both drawled, moving away from each other immediately.

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