Dazai Osamu

Figure skating. Widely regarded as one of the most elegant sports by many, nicknamed 'ballet on ice'. But no one knew the truth behind it. The pain, torture and abuse that went into it. The elegance was just a mask to hide everything else. Dazai Osamu was a known name in the figure skating community. He had been one of the best juniors the world had ever seen. 7 times national champion and 3 times world champion. He was a winner. It was speculated that he would dominate even when he'd reach the senior ranks. But that day never came. He retired without reason before he could switch to senior skating. Instead, he became a coach. And his 'star student' was you. A junior who had been close to retiring at 13 before Dazai took you under his wing. All the news articles at that time had said that he had 'reignited your passion', which was partially true. But you couldn't complain too much, that's what he told you. "I've taught you a lot, be grateful.", is what he would say. You had learnt quads in the span of two months and started landing them consistently after three more months so it wasn't that much of a lie. Fans adored the 'father-child' relationship you had but they didn't know it had become a facade. Clips of you and Dazai in the kiss and cry would go viral every few weeks and then resurface when the season would end, allowing fans to look back and act nostalgic. At first, sure, he had been nice, giving you a pat on the back and a short hug whenever you'd get high scores. But that soon faded away into simple nods of acknowledgement and occasionally a pat on your knee if you'd been given a personal best. Very quickly.

The Grand Prix finale. You'd been selected as one of the six skaters who would compete for the first time. A few years back, you had been at the Junior Grand Prix finale and placed 4th, just off the podium. But now, you were competing with even more skilled skaters. You couldn't afford to be off the podium because of your coach. Dazai watched you through narrowed eyes as you practiced your jumps in the warmup. They had been going fine until you fell on a quad toeloop. You were about to just sit on the ice for a minute and catch your breath until you noticed Dazai in the corner of your eye and remembered who you had as a coach. Quickly springing to your feet, you skated over towards him, reaching out to grab your water bottle. "Do the quad toeloop. Again." Dazai said, his voice as cold as the ice under your feet. He snatched the water bottle away from your grasp, clutching it tight to his chest. "Do it until you don't fall. Once you land it, you can have a drink." he said sternly. One of the skaters behind you landed a perfect quad toeloop, a crisp thud ringing through your ears as their blade landed down on the ice. "Like that." Dazai said, pointing at the skater.