The mornings in Hasetsu carried a slightly chilly wind from the sea. Katsuki Yuuri stood on the ice at Ice Castle Hasetsu. It was his usual early morning practice. The spectator seats were empty. In the vast rink, only his own breath rose white and visible. (*Today, I really need to focus.*) But last night's events kept swirling around in his head. Victor had watched Alexei's skating with such an amused expression. His eyes had been different from when he watched Yuuri—like a child who had just found a fascinating new toy. (*Am I... jealous?*) He hated that about himself. Victor was his coach, someone who believed in his talent. That alone should have been enough. He tried to concentrate on the sensation of his skate blades biting into the ice. But it wasn't working. Just then, the door at the rinkside opened. "Good morning, Yuuri-kun!" It was Nishigoori Yuuko's voice. Her shoulder-length black hair was tied back in a single ponytail, and she waved with a smile, one hand resting on her slightly rounded belly. Behind her, there was one more person. "[excited]Good morning! Yuri!" Alexei burst in, his blazing blue eyes sparkling. His curly blond hair bounced with every step. A huge grin spread across his freckled face, revealing his double tooth. In his hand, he clutched a smartphone in a silver case covered with Victor stickers. "Ah, Alexei-kun." Yuuri reflexively responded in polite Japanese. "I asked Yuuko-san! I'm going to have Victor-sama watch my skating!" Yuuko spoke up, sounding a little apologetic. "[gentle]He absolutely insisted that Victor-san watch him. And he asked if he could borrow the rink for a bit." Yuuri moved to the edge of the rink. His heart was pounding. He had a bad feeling about this. "[playful]Oh my, it's quite lively this morning." Swaying his long silver hair, Victor settled onto a bench at the rinkside. In his hand, he held a teacup that looked like it had been brought over from Yu-topia Katsuki. Steam rose from it in gentle wisps. "[excited]Victor-sama! Please watch my skating!" Alexei had already changed into his skates. He leaped onto the ice and glided straight toward the center. "[gentle]Alright. Let's see what you've got, then." Victor wore his usual composed smile. All Yuuri could do was stand at the rinkside railing, hands gripping the bar, and watch. (*Why am I so restless?*) Alexei stopped at the center of the rink. Then, he took a deep breath. Music began to play. It was the piece Victor had used at the Grand Prix Final three years ago. Alexei started to move. From the very first step, it was different. His speed was on another level entirely. His edges bit deep into the ice, a sharp hissing sound echoing through the rink. Three-turns, Mohawks, Choctaws. Everything was fast and razor-sharp. "[suprised]Amazing..." Yuuko's eyes went wide. And then, Alexei jumped. A quadruple toe loop. He spun round and round in the air. He landed. He stopped perfectly still. The flow carried through. Yuuri held his breath. This was different from yesterday, when he had only watched from the spectator seats. This was on the same rink, just a few meters away. The pressure of it stabbed into his skin. (*This kid... and he's still a junior.*) Alexei didn't stop. He moved into a spin, then launched into a combination jump. Everything was a copy of Victor. The angle of his hands, the direction of his face, his interpretation of the music. Everything, everything, was exactly as Victor had once done it. Yuuri looked at Victor. Victor was still holding his teacup, staring intently at the rink. But his blue eyes were not smiling. (*I know those eyes.*) They weren't the eyes he only showed during competitions, when he saw a truly great performance. They were colder. The eyes he had when he was calculating something. The music ended. Breathless, Alexei skated over toward Victor. "[excited]How was it, Victor-sama! Did you see my quad!" His face glistened with sweat, but his eyes were sparkling. It was the face of someone fully expecting to be praised. Victor slowly stood up. "[serious]Alexei, your technique is the real deal." Alexei's face lit up instantly. But Victor paused for a beat before continuing. "[cold]However, it's all just a copy of my performances. The musical interpretation, the angle of your hands, the direction of your face. It's an empty shell. A papier-mâché imitation." He said it clearly, with a smile. The rink froze over. The color drained from Alexei's face. His blazing blue eyes remained wide open, motionless. "[angry]Victor-san!" Yuuko let out a small shriek. "[serious]I'm only telling the truth." Victor replied smoothly. Alexei's feet stopped right where he was. He stood rooted to the ice, not moving a muscle. It was as if he had turned into an ice statue. (*It's just like that time.*) A sharp pain struck deep in Yuuri's chest. The night he had come in last place at the Grand Prix Final. He had cried alone in the venue's bathroom. He had stifled his sobs so no one would find him. He had thought he had no talent. He had thought he should just end it all. Alexei's back overlapped with the image of himself from that time. Before he knew it, Yuuri had stepped out onto the ice. "[gentle]Hey, Alexei." Alexei didn't answer. But Yuuri could see his shoulders trembling slightly. "[gentle]You have your own skating. I'm sure you have your own unique expression—something that isn't just a copy of Victor." It was the best encouragement he could offer. Slowly, Alexei lifted his face. Tears had welled up in his blue eyes. But deeper within them, something even hotter flickered. "[cold]...I don't want to hear that from you, Yuri." His voice was low. It wasn't his usual loud, boisterous tone. "I was supposed to be the one closest to Victor-sama." His voice began to tremble. "And yet, you're the one who's here now. Victor-sama is coaching you." A tear traced its way down over his freckles. "[crying]I've been thinking about Victor-sama for so, so much longer than you!" His emotions finally exploded. "[angry]I will absolutely never lose to you, Yuri! Not in skating, and not in winning Victor-sama!" His shout echoed throughout the rink. Yuuri froze. His hands, resting on the railing, clenched tight. (*Winning...?*) He had meant to encourage the boy, but instead, he had poured fuel on an outrageous fire. "[surprised]Huh... Winning...?" Yuuko was speechless. Alexei stood there, pointing at Yuuri, his shoulders heaving as he caught his breath. That was when it happened. "[laughing]Hehe." Victor laughed. He was sipping hot cocoa from the rinkside café, smiling pleasantly as he watched the carnage unfold. "[angry]Victor-san! Say something!" Yuuko pressed him. "[playful]You both really love skating, don't you? Wonderful." Victor declared this nonchalantly. "[angry]That's not what this is about!" Yuuko snapped back. His mind gone completely blank, Yuuri somehow managed to open his mouth. "Uh, um, Alexei-kun..." "[angry]Shut up! Keep quiet, Yuri!" Alexei roughly wiped his tears away with the back of his hand. Then, he spun on his heel and dashed out of the rink. --- That evening. At the entrance of Yu-topia Katsuki, a loud clattering noise rang out. Alexei was dragging a massive suitcase toward the front door. His face was still a little red, and his eyes were swollen. "[sad]I don't want to be in a place like this anymore. I'm going home." Yuuri watched the scene from the top of the stairs. (*It's finally over...*) Honestly, he felt relieved. Now, his quiet daily life would return. He could practice alone with Victor. That special time would come back to him. But there was a small pang of guilt deep in his chest, too. (*After all, that kid genuinely loves skating.*) Alexei had just placed his hand on the sliding door when it happened. "[gentle]You're leaving? What a waste." Victor's voice came from deep within the hallway. Swaying his silver hair, he slowly approached. "After coming all the way to Hasetsu." Victor had said it casually. But Alexei stopped dead in his tracks in front of the door. His hand, gripping the suitcase, tightened. He turned around. Traces of tears still remained in his blue eyes. But something was burning deep within them. "[serious]...I'm not going home." Yuuri's heart leaped in his chest. "[serious]I'm going to watch every single one of Yuri's practices and study his weaknesses. In front of Victor-sama, I'll show him I can skate better than Yuri." He shoved his suitcase back into the corner of the entryway. It landed with a heavy thud. "[sarcastic]Ah, you're not leaving..." A strained smile appeared on Yuuri's face. "[sad]Why does it have to be like this..." Yuuko, who had come out from the dining area at some point, looked up at the ceiling in despair. Only Victor was smiling, looking thoroughly entertained. "[excited]Things are getting interesting." Seeing that smile, Yuuri felt a sharp, stinging pain deep in his chest. (*Victor is interested in that kid.*) Jealousy slowly spread through his heart. --- The next morning at 6 AM. Yuuri arrived at the rink at Ice Castle Hasetsu and caught his breath. Alexei was sitting on the bench at the rinkside. In his hands were a notebook and a pen. His curly blond hair was a mess of bedhead, but his eyes were wide open and alert. "[serious]Observation will now commence." Alexei made his declaration. "I'm going to take notes on everything. What Yuri practices, what he's bad at. I'll also observe what kind of coaching Victor-sama gives." Yuuri was dumbfounded. (*This was supposed to be my practice rink.*) Early morning practice, just him and Victor. The time spent skating on the ice, listening only to Victor's voice. That was Yuuri's most precious time. But it wasn't coming back. Alexei opened his notebook and readied his pen. His eyes were dead serious. "[sad]...Fine." Yuuri let out a small sigh and stepped onto the ice. His practice, now under surveillance, had just begun.