Trigger warning
This chapter might be triggering to other readers because it contains scenarios that describes an experience of a natural disaster.

—

It was the ideal day to watch a live figure skating competition. Osaka's weather was the average cold for Japanese people in the month of December, but for Louise, it was the most wonderful time of the year to start her daily existential crisis, questioning her life choices while suffering in cold.

Why did I choose this for myself?!

What am I doing in this country?!

She had missed Ojiro's short program as it took place during her working days on the same day as the live airing of Ojiro Korishima's produced anime series called "Ice Dreams" in celebration of his birthday during the Figure skating Japan Nationals on December 25th, and yes, she worked her ass off just to get in the venue on time and show her support to her boyfriend.

It was during the airing of the first episode of the anime that the aftershocks started.

Louise and her team are attending the premiere inside the studio. She's not just greatly delighted that they can finally watch the overall output of the project they had worked on for almost a year come to life, but also, after all this time, she can finally drink alcohol that comes from an expensive top-grade brand in a bottle.

The team raised their glasses and greeted each other for their hard work. Louise gladly clinked her glass with her best friend Jackson, who works with her on the project.

She just took the first sip when the ground beneath them started to shake, making her stumble to her feet and splashing the expensive alcohol into her face.

A magnitude-five earthquake hits near Tokyo that day; the recorded epicenter was reported in between the cities of Kyoto and Osaka. The airing of the anime series was disrupted, and the national TV has switched to mainstream news covering the disaster and reporting safety precautions.

There were inevitable casualties reported while Louise and all the employees from their studio's building evacuated safely.

Disasters like this have never been new to Louise. In fact, she also experienced a few of these firsthand in her home town Jalisco, Mexico, where she grew up. Just like Japan, her home city was also prone to earthquakes.

Ojiro communicated with her during his on-hold short program event for the Nationals in Osaka to checked on her safety.

Louise clasps the package she's holding. Together with Yoshio who picked her up earlier from the train station. They parked at the rink parking lot's most hidden part, patiently waiting for Ojiro.

She's been anticipating this moment to finally come and see him again after almost a month they haven't seen each other.

The car door opened, and Ojiro's head emerges, making her let out a silent gasp. Her stomach and heavy heart were just full of butterflies.

He quickly slides the door closed and gets inside to sit beside her.

He's already in his costume. His hair is fixed in a style that sharpened his handsome facial features. He also wore his team's jacket and cloaked a thicker coat over it. He takes it off and wraps it around Lousie to protect her from the cold, even though she already brought her favorite furry pink coat with her.

She watch him talk with Yoshio first about the situation of the rink's parking lot and other security-related matters, reminding him that more spectators would arrive soon and the media would be flocking around the area, so they'd better watch out.

He then turned to Louise and murmured. "I'm glad you're here," his voice gradually changing into a softer tone.

She fluttered her eyelashes at him, and a sweet, slutty smile curled on her lips as a respond. She  then motions her face closer to him, waiting for a kiss, but Ojiro turns to Yoshio again. They exchange quick nods, and with that, he quickly moves and leaves the car in a hurry, leaving her hanging.

"Hey!" she calls out to him, but he's already gone.

Yoshio, who witnessed the scene, gave her an awkward look.

"Tell your boss I'm firing him," she said in her growling, pissed Spanish madam voice.

Yoshio, who's been holding back laughter, moves his head to her in a small bow.

"Apologies on behalf of Korishima-san, but he really needs to start warming up."

"Oh."

Yoshio is one of Ojiro's younger staff members who made Louise comfortable to get along with. He's nice to her, patient, and very accommodating.

Ojiro is one clever Japon in picking his own staff.

"Well, tell him he had one job. He needs to attend to my body necessities or else I'll be firing him."

The poor security just nodded, going along with her antics.

She then meets up with Ichika, accompanied by her mom; both of them she sponsored a ticket to the front seats with her.

"Iya, iya, iya. It's really nothing," she politely dismisses Ichika's mom, bowing, thanking her repeatedly.

She doesn't want Ichika to get behind her classmates again as the only one who didn't attend a major figure skating competition.

Her useful sidekick deserves a reward after all.

Louise gave them her home-made bento before she separated from them to go to their respective seats inside the dome. She found them later on the other side of the row and waved at them.

She tightened Ojiro's coat around her because she realized she still had it with her, getting comfy in her seat. People are getting inside in an orderly manner, as expected with the management of the Japanese, and soon the whole stadium will be fully occupied, the majority of spectators are from Ojiro's fandom alone.

A voice is announcing that the competition will start soon, while clips of the competitive skaters doing their warm-ups behind the rink are playing on the screen, which has shifted into product commercials endorsed by Ojiro Korishima.

At some point, she's starting to get used to seeing his face everywhere in the rink and attending large events like this.

"He has held the national title for many years now. He can definitely defend it from those small fries and line up for 4CC and Worlds," Kaimen told her in their class. He's been talking about it nonstop.

And she can't just do anything but throw him a look. Does this kid really think I care about that?

The only thing for which she cares right now is Ojiro's safety.

Everyone is talking about it all over the sports news. Ojiro Korishima is finally challenging the quadruple axel in a competition, adding it to his free skating routine at the Nationals.

It's the record-breaking hardest jump in the sport of figure skating.

What are these men thinking?!

To her, it feels like the iconic Michael Jordan slam dunk.

What if he hurt himself doing it?

What if he slips?

What if...

She didn't think her anxiety could handle that well.

She had jumped a double "something" a long time ago, and she almost died trying.

I swear to all the Dark Lords, I'm going to light up a candle for that Axel Paulsen.

Wherever you are right now, my ancestors will come for you!

Louise was already snoring in her seat after the first four groups of skaters presented their routines in the past forty-five minutes. She had just woken up by loud clapping around her, and when she straightened herself up in her seat, she heard the voice announcing the fifth group to get ready while a skater was still on the Kiss and Cry, waiting for his judgement.

She looked up at the screen and saw the group lined up on the rink's side. The camera shows Ojiro jumping up and down, stretching his legs. Completely focus on getting ready to get on ice.

That's when the video on the screen started to distort, like something was playing with the signal, and then everyone gasped as they felt the faint movement of the ground below their feet.

***

The final group of skater's lines up beside the rink, and Ojiro is continuously doing stretches and jumps to shake off his body tensions.

He had put his mind and soul into preparing for this free skate, separating himself from any distractions for a long time.

"You are not ready. It's too dangerous. This is not worth the try. Tell me...why are you even in a hurry to master and jump it?"

He had a lot of disagreements with Minoru-san before he officially presented the list of his routine jumps in the practice session, but here he is now.

"You have all your remaining time and years. You got plenty of it," his coach lectured him earlier.

Minoru-san then pauses to where he stands, suddenly coming to his realization.

"Moshikashite..."

He puts on his jacket, and his eyes averted to the door that leads to the rink. "Arigatou, Minoru-san. I'll be going now," is all that he could say before marching with his skates to the rink's side.