The night breeze hummed faintly outside the window. Katsuki Yuuri rested his arms on the edge of the bath in Yu-topia Katsuki's grand bathing hall, "Tsuru no Yu," gazing absently at the ceiling. The hot spring water, flowing directly from the source, slowly melted away the exhaustion of the day. That three-way mini-competition from earlier. Victor's words, heard out on the ice, were still spinning around and around in his head. —A rival isn't an enemy. They're a mirror reflecting yourself. Alexei's desperate face. Yuri's anger-filled performance. And his own moment, rising back up after that fall. "[whispers] A mirror, huh..." His murmured voice dissolved into the steam and vanished. What did Yuri see reflected in me? What did Alexei see in my skating? As he thought about these things, a strange feeling welled up deep in his chest—ticklish, almost itchy. *Rattle-rattle-rattle.* Suddenly, the sliding door to the changing room burst open with force. "[excited] Ahh, the water's just perfect!" A familiar loud voice. His blond, frizzy hair even more explosive than usual, Alexei Bradov came charging in, stark naked. Then, spotting Yuuri beyond the steam, his movements came to an abrupt halt. His freckled face rapidly turned red. "[angry] W-What are you doing in here?! If you were already in, you should've said so!" Alexei shouted, his face bright red, but there was no backing out now. Reluctantly, he washed his body and slipped into the bath, settling at the very edge opposite Yuuri. Opposite ends of the spacious bath. The two of them sat with their backs to each other, hugging their knees in silence. Despite the generous size of the bath, the space felt suffocating, like a tiny prison cell. Yuuri stared only at the steam before him, while Alexei began counting the wood grains on the wall. The most awkward silence in the world. "[sad] ...You should've said something first." Alexei muttered quietly. His voice was so small and faint, it was hard to believe he'd been shouting moments ago. "[gentle] My, my, are you two getting along in there?" From the hallway came the carefree voice of Yuuri's mother, Hiroko. "[angry] We're not getting along!" "[angry] We're not getting along at all!" Their voices overlapped perfectly. A single beat of silence. *Pfft.* Alexei was the first to let out a small snicker. His shoulders trembled faintly. Yuuri, catching it, felt the corners of his own mouth loosen into a soft smile. The tense atmosphere lightened, just a little. "[sad] ...Victor-sama told me," After a long silence, Alexei was the first to speak. Still staring at the wood grains on the wall, he began to talk, bit by bit. "[whispers] That I'm only using half of my skating." His voice trembled within the steam. "[gentle] ...He told me the same thing at first. That I was empty inside." "[surprised] What?! He said the same thing to you?!" Alexei whipped around with force, sending bathwater splashing. Seeing his surprised face, Yuuri gave a small nod. "[sad] Victor says the same thing to everyone. Probably because it's the truth." Alexei bit his lip. Then, turning back toward the wall, he began to speak again in a small voice. "[sad] When I was eight years old, I was at the edge of a rink in Moscow, watching Victor-sama." Alexei's voice continued, as if tracing the lines of a distant memory. "[sad] There were lots of adults around, and I was so small, no one noticed me. But when Victor-sama finished his performance and was leaving the ice, he looked only at me and waved. At just one, insignificant little brat." Alexei's blue eyes gazed at the droplets of water falling into the bath. "[crying] From that day on, earning Victor-sama's recognition was everything to me. But then you showed up... and watching your skating, I thought for the first time—I want to find my own skating, too. Not for anyone else's approval." His voice trembled more and more, until it seemed to fade away entirely. Mid-sentence, tears spilled over, and Alexei splashed his face with bathwater, insisting, "I'm not crying." Yuuri watched him quietly. A warmth spread gently through his chest. (*This kid's been fighting all alone.*) Chasing only Victor's back. Unable to tell anyone how he felt. "[gentle] ...You know, I—" This time, it was Yuuri who spoke, stretching his legs out in the water. The sound of his own heartbeat felt terribly loud. "[embarrassed] I think... I'm in love with Victor. Not just as a coach." His voice dropped so low it surprised even himself. "[surprised] I know." Alexei spun around, this time answering instantly with an exasperated look. The sheer immediacy of his reply made Yuuri freeze. "[embarrassed] H-How do you know?!" "[sarcastic] It's written all over your face. When you look at Victor-sama, your expression practically melts." Yuuri clutched his head, feeling like he might sink beneath the water. *It really shows that much?* he groaned quietly. "[serious] Victor-sama definitely knows, too. That man understands everything and enjoys it." "[sad] That's what scares me the most..." Their eyes met. For the first time, they laughed together as equals. The laughter welling up inside them dissolved into the steam and faded. The hostility, the jealousy—it all thinned, just a little. "[serious] We'll settle this at the World Championships. After I beat Yuri, this time I'll make Victor-sama truly turn around and see me." "[serious] ...I won't lose, either." In the bath, they reached out their hands. Their hands, wet with hot water, clasped tightly together. At that moment— *Rattle-rattle-rattle-rattle!!* The sliding door flew open, this time with truly dramatic force. "[excited] Hey, let me join you!" His long silver hair casually tied back, Victor Nikiforov stood there in perfect nudity, gleaming amidst the steam. "[scared] Why now?!" "[excited] Victor-sama?!" Alexei started to stand up in the bath, slipped spectacularly, and tumbled into the water with a splash. Yuuri covered his face with both hands. "[playful] Well, I've been waiting in the hallway this whole time, but you two never came out." Victor said this smoothly, stepping into the bath as if nothing had happened. The color drained from both Yuuri and Alexei's faces in an instant. "[scared] You were listening?!" "[laughing] I overheard, ahaha!" "[angry] This isn't 'ahaha'!!" Yuuri couldn't help but splash water everywhere. Victor dodged it, laughing delightedly. Alexei flailed around in the bath like he'd swallowed a bar of soap. "[angry] Shut uuuuup!!" From the open-air bath beyond the wall, Yuri Plisetsky's furious yell echoed through the space. "[surprised] Oh, Yuri was in there too?" "[angry] I'm not in here! ...I'm in here a little!" At that desperate, half-crazed reply, Victor burst out laughing. Alexei, catching it, started laughing too, and Yuuri finally couldn't hold back anymore and cracked up. The scattered laughter of the four of them overlapped for the first time in the baths of Yu-topia Katsuki. After the laughter subsided, Victor called out toward the other side of the wall. "[gentle] I'm looking forward to the World Championships." A moment of silence. "[serious] ...In front of Victor-sama, this time I'll skate my own performance." Alexei's voice, unlike his tearful tone from earlier, was utterly serious. "[angry] I'm going to crush everyone. I'll take first place there, and without any complaints, I'll be Victor's successor." An awkward declaration of war flew in from beyond the wall. No one denied it. Yuuri looked up at the night sky spreading above the open-air bath. The stars felt closer than usual. (*I've changed, too.*) Over these past few days, something inside him had definitely changed. It might still be a small shift. But he had come to understand, just a little—the meaning of Victor's words, the warmth of Alexei's tears, the other side of Yuri's anger. His heart beat with a quiet heat. The next morning. A large suitcase sat in the entrance of Yu-topia Katsuki. Alexei, his usual frizzy hair swaying, turned around. "[serious] I'm going now. Thanks for everything." Victor and Yuuri, along with a sullen-looking Yuri and a gently smiling Yuuko, had gathered to see him off. "[gentle] Oh, you're leaving already? You're welcome to come back anytime." Yuuko placed a hand on her slightly rounded belly and smiled softly. "[serious] Yuuri, the next time we meet will be on the ice in Helsinki. I'll defeat you with my own skating—mine alone." "[gentle] Yeah. ...I'm looking forward to it." As they shook hands, it felt as though the warmth of yesterday's bath still lingered there. Alexei climbed into the taxi, leaned out the window, and waved broadly toward the town of Hasetsu. After seeing him off, Victor stepped right up beside Yuuri and whispered softly into his ear. "[whispers] You've become stronger." Yuuri looked down. His reply—*Not yet, not nearly*—trembled faintly. His cheeks burned. Surely his face was bright red right now. Victor knew that, and had whispered on purpose. The next battle was the World Championships. And then, how to move forward with these feelings he still couldn't put into words. In the cold air of winter's end, Yuuri's heart alone pounded with an almost unbearable loudness. The wind gently swayed the shop curtain at the entrance.