Chapter Text
In the heart of every great student was a great teacher. No matter what monkey wrench Life threw in the way, the impact left a lasting mark. Something to remember when things got tough. Something to remember when you couldn’t remember yourself. Yuuri knew that feeling all too well. A problem could swallow you up alive if you weren’t careful, and the Japanese skater wasn’t going to surf down the jaws of a monster in this psychological warfare. In truth, it wasn’t much of a warfare. If the war was about Yuuri against himself, then it was simply a mirror that obstructed his path. A shady panel of glass, reflecting the thoughts and voices that Yuuri refused to notice until it was too late.
But all in all, the painful reflections reminded Yuuri of a long-forgotten youth. Something that was almost beyond his reach.
After a disastrous ending at the Grand Prix Finals and in every other major competition, Yuuri packed his bags and moved on. Not back to Hasetsu. Not yet. Yuuri wanted a year away from the people he knew. Just recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the States, Yuuri returned to Tokyo. After all, the skater had spent junior high and high school there.
Close to the airport for traveling. No long waits to board a train or to cross through mountains and the countryside. Just board a taxi and Yuuri were magically at the airport. Luggage in hand while a skating insignia shone brightly over his shoulders. Junior competitions and senior debut, all of that was a skip away since the airport wasn’t far from the apartment complex Yuuri was staying in. His aunt and uncle personally drove him to and from the airport. The very least they could do as loving guardians in the city realm. Back in Hasetsu, Yuuri’s family and friends sent their last calls before he shone over the World’s Stage on TV.
It was tough for everyone involved, but it was the easiest course of action to take. And now, Yuuri was returning to his roots. Just another face amongst millions of other faces. With a beanie donned over his head, it was easy for Yuuri to blend in when he took a taxi car back to his uncle and aunt’s place. They weren’t home. Probably out in the market? Yuuri called them for old time’s sake when he wrestled through his pockets for the room key. After all these years, his aunt and uncle persisted that he should keep the key. Just in case of emergency.
A familiar click of the door and Yuuri wheeled his luggage in, chuckling at what his aunt’s greetings and reassuring her that he had already eaten.
Pulling his coat off, Yuuri folded it neatly and placed it over his sports bag. He sank into the old couch, smiling when his uncle took over and greeted Yuuri. It’d been years since they last spoken to each other. There was a lot of catching up to do, and Yuuri wanted to save the stories for when his aunt and uncle were back from the market. Goodbyes were rough, but they weren’t indefinite. Yuuri and his aunt clung to their last words before they had to let them go.
Easing off the couch, the skater decided to take a walk. Stretch his legs around Tokyo and hopefully distract himself from last season’s defeats. Yuuri thought about visiting his old school. It wasn’t too far, and it brought back memories. Memories were often twisted after years of dust, but Yuuri had a firm grasp of who he was as a student. Not bad, but behind because of all the training and traveling he did when he was young. It wasn’t fair towards his academic life, but Yuuri graduated from a university not too long ago. That was something, and Yuuri had to thank his old school for preparing him for the rigor of an American school-system. Especially, for university.
But enough about that, it was time for Yuuri to go through the school gates. For a prestigious institution like Kunugigaoka Academy, there were still some loopholes around the entrance arrangements. Not that Yuuri was a rebellious student or anything. When he needed to leave the school immediately to catch a flight, Yuuri knew the best secret passages around the grounds. It took a lot of digging and months during breaks for Yuuri to map out all the possible routes he could take. Depending on the day, hour, and urgency of a flight he had to attend. He wondered if his favorite route was still free.
Hidden deep within the bushes surrounding the academy’s gates, if you took a sharp left past a forked tree, there was a trashcan that always sat by the brick walls when the entrance was closed. And if nothing had changed during the past ten or eleven years, there was a flower bed on the other side of the wall. Soft enough to cushion a fall if one landed properly enough.
Checking the wall for sturdiness, Yuuri inspected the trashcan before stepping back. Five meters away from the wall. Shoes tied and arms restriction-free, Yuuri ran. Ballet lessons and figure skating had taught him how to jump with power. Landing squarely onto the trashcan lid before boosting himself upwards. His hands clasped over the top of the school wall, and Yuuri maneuvered himself over. Landing into a familiar roll and back onto his feet in the middle of the flower bed.
Luckily, there weren’t any plants in the patch. Just seeds and Yuuri carefully brushed soil back over them before going his merry way. An adult roaming around the grounds of an academy while school was in session. What could possibly go wrong? Well, a lot of things can go wrong, so Yuuri kept his distance. Staying close to the wall, behind vegetation and trees. Crouching and walking on his hands and knees at times when there weren’t any trees or shadows to blend into. Despite the awkwardness of the situation, it reminded Yuuri of his time at the academy.
Always hiding, blended into his surroundings so that no one found him. Pretty useful when school ranks meant Life or Death, and slowing down the competition was notorious on a rigid school-system like Kunugigaoka Academy. Cheaters were cheaters, and Yuuri wasn’t one to cheat. Even when his grades slipped, it was better to start from scratch than claw up to a title that you didn’t deserve.
Resting in the shade for a break, hints of nostalgia wafted into Yuuri’s mind. Mingling students with their noses behind a book. Pencils scratching over wads of paper. The usual bullies that boasted their ranks before succumbed to their own greed. All sorts of faces on campus, but Yuuri didn’t spent his third year in junior high with any of that. Instead, he was in Class 3-E, up in the mountains behind the academy’s main buildings. The forest behind the school grounds weren’t blocked off, and there wasn’t an obvious trail from the main campus to Class 3-E. A student had to skip the academy’s entrance altogether and march up a crooked trail until the altitude wore their lungs down.
Sneaking out of the main campus, through another secret route, Yuuri trekked his way through the forest and up the mountain. It’d been years since Yuuri last walked up here, and he glanced around at the trees and silence. Steady heartbeat reminding him of the struggle he had, walking up this trail every day for an entire year. True, Yuuri needed to sit down after all the walking, but he wasn’t dead tired. Just nostalgic and taking in all the sights, sounds, and smells that he used to be so familiar with.
The old school building stood as tall as ever. Class was in session. Yuuri saw shadows peeking through from the windows. He didn’t approach the building, but admired from afar. A tinge of regret riding in his heart when he saw the cracked windows and the shedding roof. Bit of a shame. The building used to look healthier when Yuuri was still a student, but it was a decaying matchbox now. Collecting mold and dust. The building had truly seen better days, and Yuuri knew that he couldn’t stay out for long.
If a student saw him and reported his presence to the teacher, it’d be too much explaining on Yuuri’s part. The skater just wanted to visit, not spill like a can of beans to an interrogator. Speaking of interrogator...
A voice singled him out. Yuuri turned around. An agent marched up to him. Voice rough around the edges, but calm enough to ask Yuuri why he was here. Should he lie and say that he was lost? No, who would wander up this far into a mountain if they were “lost”? So instead, Yuuri told the truth. The well-suited man didn’t look like he believed in the story, and Yuuri figured as much. There weren’t many people who’d venture this far into rugged terrain. The only choice now was to accept the consequences, and Yuuri tightened his fists when the agent escorted him down the mountain.
Mr. Karasuma, wasn’t it? Yuuri remembered the name as soon as the agent introduced himself. In all fairness, the man was putting up a polite facade while escorting a civilian. Yuuri played along and gave out his name. No need to lie if Mr. Karasuma wasn’t lying. The agent did stir a bit, recognizing Yuuri’s name from news broadcast and whatnot. Yuuri figured as much and explained that he was in the school vicinity for inspiration. Seeing an old view might jog something back for upcoming themes. Figure skating and all.
Mr. Karasuma suggested sticking to the main campus for safety. Yuuri hid the fact that he used to be a student of Class 3-E. If the agent was hiding something, Yuuri was free to hide something as well. Besides, Mr. Karasuma didn’t look like a man who wanted to drown in paperwork. Best to be on the agent’s good side until his situation balances out. Back at the main campus, Yuuri had no choice but to troop up to the principal’s office. He was already caught, so it was better to come clean than risk soiling his name even more.
About ten minutes later, Yuuri was in the belly of the beast. A cold, distant office hidden in shadows. There was only one light source and that was the sun hovering over Principal Asano. Dull eyes stared back at Yuuri when he retold the same story he told Mr. Karasuma. No strings attached. Every word was true. To say Yuuri was nervous was an understatement, but he and the principal were adults. The balance of power wasn’t so heavily shifted now, but Yuuri had a hidden ace up his sleeves when Principal Asano finally stood up and beckoned Yuuri to come closer.
The athlete did come closer, hesitantly. The principal had a proposition for him. He will grant Yuuri access to the main campus and Classroom 3-E if-- if and only if-- Yuuri agreed to monitor and take notes on Class 3-E. Bizarre offer for a principal who didn’t take things lightly, but Principl Asano assured that everything was in the best of interest. If Yuuri wanted to stay for inspiration, he needed permission. Here was the permission and exchange that Principal Asano was willing to offer. There were more lies and hidden arrangements behind the offer, but Yuuri realized that the principal was true in what he said.
Not a change in stance, not a flicker of the eye. Principal Asano showed no weaknesses towards Yuuri, and Yuuri didn’t expect him to. Promises were made, hands were shook, and the principal guaranteed that Yuuri would be allowed onto the grounds within a few days. Background checks would be done within the hour and an interview was to be set up tomorrow afternoon. By interview, Yuuri knew that Principal Asano meant interrogation.
Despite the sweet civilian facade, Yuuri had a sneaking suspicion about Class 3-E. Ever since Mr. Karasuma showed up to escort him down the hill, the former student knew that there was something fishy. Yuuri scanned the man before him, up and down. Principal Asano was a difficult book, but the man had a reason for pushing a classified folder forward for Yuuri to read. Fixed stare over his eyes when he watched Yuuri open the folder.