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The Ice Prince

It was a brilliantly shining memories from my youth⁠—a memory so nestled in the core of my heart that it’s become a part of my very being.

In my early childhood, I was brought to the outdoor rink in front of the brick warehouses instead of the city’s arena. By then, my dad had already taught me how to skate, as naturally as how a parent would teach their child how to walk. Before I considered skating fun, the thoughts I had about it boiled down to a constant need to improve and learn how to do difficult spins and jumps.

“Yukikaze, there’s no doubt that you will be a gold medalist in the future. This is all for your own sake.”

That was how I was raised, as if it were the obvious course for my life to take. No matter where I was, I would always have to skate.

After being taken to the outdoor rink, the fact that I wouldn’t be able to skate as well as I usually did jabbed at my sides and caused me to lose my composure.

But my dad told me something.

“Kaede-kun’s parents are away for the time being, so your uncle told me to take care of him. You should teach him how to skate, since you have the chance to.” As he explained the circumstances to me, he held the hand of a small child trailing behind him⁠—my cousin.

“Kaede-chan’s parents are away for the time being, so your uncle told me to take care of her. You should teach her how to skate, since you have the chance to.” As he explained the circumstances to me, he held the hand of a small child trailing behind him⁠—my cousin.

Although my father was a formidable coach, he wasn’t very good at looking after children, so with a curt “I’ll come and pick you up later,” he left my cousin in my care and departed without another word.

I looked at him, bundled up in his scarf and hat, before I took his hand clad in fluffy woollen gloves and decided that I would teach him how to skate.

It was a cold and cloudy weekday that called for snow later in the afternoon, so there was barely anyone else at the rink besides us. With few people to distract us, I was able to guide my cousin around the rink as he started to skate for the very first time.

I looked at her, bundled up in her scarf and hat, before I took her hand clad in fluffy woollen gloves and decided that I would teach her how to skate.

It was a cold and cloudy weekday that called for snow later in the afternoon, so there was barely anyone else at the rink besides us. With few people to distract us, I was able to guide my cousin around the rink as she started to skate for the very first time.

As the songs over the speakers changed, we would change the way we skated together. We glided around slowly for the low-tempo songs and spun around hand-in-hand for the more upbeat songs.

It didn’t take much for Kaede to squeal in delight, having fun and laughing the whole time, despite taking quite a few falls. But he was still small and delicate, so he grew tired quickly and asked for us to leave the rink for a break.

As he sat on a bench and started to remove his soaked gloves, I offered to lend him mine.

It didn’t take much for Kaede to squeal in delight, having fun and laughing the whole time, despite taking quite a few falls. But she was still small and delicate, so she grew tired quickly and asked for us to leave the rink for a break.

As she sat on a bench and started to remove her soaked gloves, I offered to lend her mine.

“That’s okay! I wanna see you skate, Yuki-nii! Can you show me that dancing thingy you always do?”

My cousins came to visit and watch me practice on occasion, so I assumed that was how he knew about my skating.

My cousins came to visit me and watch me practice on occasion, so I assumed that was how she knew about my skating.

“…But my skating’s boring.” That’s what I thought, at least. I was terrible; I couldn’t even handle single jumps. There were kids who started taking lessons later than I did, but they were already able to make all of the jumps. I couldn’t do any of that, even though I was the son of a professional figure skater.

“What? It’s not boring. I watched you practice, so I wanna see more!” He looked at me with widened eyes and tilted his head. As he did, the music playing from the speakers changed. “You should dance to this song, Yuki-nii!” I could feel his innocent smile pushing me towards the ice.

“What? It’s not boring. I watched you practice, so I wanna see more!” She looked at me with widened eyes and tilted her head. As she did, the music playing from the speakers changed. “You should dance to this song, Yuki-nii!” I could feel her innocent smile pushing me towards the ice.

The piece that was playing was the Polovtsian Dances. I had recognized it from the program of an older kid who attended my lessons and used it for a junior’s competition.

“…Okay. I’ll try.” Jumps weren’t allowed in outdoor rinks anyway. So maybe I wouldn’t be as bad as I had thought.

Wanting to make my cousin happy, I stood alone in the center of the rink. In time with the music, I gestured with my arms, I attempted twizzles that I hadn’t practiced enough yet, I stepped with all of my will.

Ah, this isn’t good enough. I’m awful. I must be a bore to watch.

But what I saw when I raised my head took me by surprise.

My cousin was watching me, with wonder in his eyes and a wide smile on his face.

I decided to see it through to the end. Under his gaze, I finished my clumsy interpretation of the piece with a final upright spin. Desperate to keep myself from drifting off time, I spun as fast as I possibly could. If my dad were watching, he’d be shocked and angry at me. “You can’t afford to be this sloppy,” he would say.

My cousin was watching me, with wonder in her eyes and a wide smile on her face.

I decided to see it through to the end. Under her gaze, I finished my clumsy interpretation of the piece with a final upright spin. Desperate to keep myself from drifting off time, I spun as fast as I possibly could. If my dad were watching, he’d be shocked and angry at me. “You can’t afford to be this sloppy,” he would say.

But the only person there was my cousin.

Attempting to show off, I ended with a pose. Kaede shouted in excitement and hopped off the bench to rush over to the edge of the rink. Although his small, gloveless hands were already slightly numb from the cold, he clapped them together with enough vigor to turn his palms red. With his cheeks and nose dusted in a soft pink, he turned his head up to look at me with sparkles in his eyes.

“That was so cool, Yuki-nii! You’re like a prince! An ice prince!” Hearing him unconditionally praise my mediocre performance sparked a strange heat from within my chest.

Attempting to show off, I ended with a pose. Kaede shouted in excitement and hopped off the bench to rush over to the edge of the rink. Although her small, gloveless hands were already slightly numb from the cold, she clapped them together with enough vigor to turn her palms red. With her cheeks and nose dusted in a soft pink, she turned her head up to look at me with sparkles in her eyes.

“That was so cool, Yuki-nii! You’re like a prince! An ice prince!” Hearing her unconditionally praise my mediocre performance sparked a strange heat from within my chest.

I was simply happy.

A thought entered my mind: If I had the ability to make someone this happy with my skating, maybe I could actually win medals.

“It was super pretty! You’re the coolest skater in the whole world Yuki-nii!”

“…I’m glad you liked it.”

After I stepped off of the ice, I removed my gloves and placed my hands on his adorable, small cheeks. My hands, hot from all of the skating I had done, were in stark contrast to how cold his skin was.

After I stepped off of the ice, I removed my gloves and placed my hands on her adorable, small cheeks. My hands, hot from all of the skating I had done, were in stark contrast to how cold her skin was.

But my heart felt warm.

That night, my cousin was spending the night at my house, and after I put him to sleep and climbed into bed myself, I had a dream.

That night, my cousin was spending the night at my house, and after I put her to sleep and climbed into bed myself, I had a dream.

It was a strange dream.

I was skating.

I was skating on a lake that seemed to stretch out infinitely in every direction. High above me was a castle of pure ice, shining brilliantly in all the colors of an aurora. The Polovtsian Dances were playing from somewhere I couldn’t pinpoint.

Up until this point, it had seemed like a relatively normal dream, but within it, I was moving my arms and legs incredibly smoothly, free of any and all restrictions. At the time, I could truly feel those movements. Meticulous and detailed steps, agile and flawless spins, and jumps that flew high enough to touch the clouds in the sky…

Is this who I’ll be in the future? Will I actually be able to skate like this one day? With this much freedom, with this much joy…? As I dreamt, I wished with all of my heart.