It was a muggy, sweltering night. A lukewarm breeze stirred the hair of the young people loitering in the convenience store parking lot. Only the sign for Everymart Uruma Central Store felt painfully bright. "[excited]Ranga! Over here, over here!" Reki, his reddish-brown hair spiked up, waved his arm broadly. His usual bandana was tied around his forehead, and his round, bright brown eyes brimmed with energy. In the hand holding his skateboard, he clutched another board wrapped in cloth. "[gentle]Sorry I'm late. I was practicing at the skate park a little." Ranga slowly parked his bicycle. His bluish-silver hair flowed softly in the night breeze. His clear, pale blue eyes sparkled like stars, catching the light from the convenience store. A loose hoodie, distressed jeans, and beat-up skate shoes. The silver piercing in his left ear swayed faintly. It was a tall, slim, half-Japanese silhouette you'd rarely see in Okinawa. "[sarcastic]That's your excuse for being late? Just how much of a skateboarding idiot are you?" A small shadow looked up at Ranga, shaking black hair that flipped up like cat ears. The tips were dyed light blue. Her large cat-like eyes were a deep green, and they were currently glaring at Ranga with annoyance. She stood at just 148 centimeters tall. Her build was as delicate as you'd expect from a middle schooler, but her gaze looked down on the older Ranga and Reki with absolute disdain. "[laughing]Sorry, Miya. But the new board was feeling really good." Ranga laughed without a trace of guilt. "[cold]Wait time: fifteen minutes. That'll be three ice creams." "Huh? Why?" "[angry]Obviously as punishment for making me wait! Jeez, being that dense should be a crime." Even as she said it, the corners of Miya's mouth softened just a little. Her sharp tongue was the flip side of her embarrassment and her trust in her friends. At her core, she had a kindness that made her the first to help whenever Ranga and the others were in trouble. But because she couldn't express it honestly, it came out like this. Reki yanked the wrapping cloth off with a flourish. "[excited]Look! Check it out, Ranga! The next deck!" The skateboard deck that appeared had a design of red and black flames intertwined. Every single line was carefully carved out, making it obvious at a glance how much time Reki had poured into it. Ranga's eyes lit up instantly. "[surprised]You made this, Reki? Amazing! It's way too cool!" "[excited]Right? I spent three nights finishing it. I made the concave a little stronger to match your riding style. I also replaced the grip tape with a fresh sheet, adjusted the trucks—" As Reki was explaining enthusiastically, a group of about four female skaters came out of the convenience store entrance. They were probably heading to "S" tonight too. Noticing Ranga's silver hair, they whispered among themselves. When Ranga noticed their gazes— He grinned and waved. "[laughing]Oh, good evening! Are you guys going to S too?" The female skaters let out high-pitched squeals. When one of them mustered the courage to wave back, Ranga smiled even more happily. The smile vanished from Reki's face. (*I even stayed up three whole nights making it...*) Ranga was completely oblivious to Reki's complicated expression. He kept touching the new deck repeatedly, yet his gaze was directed toward where the girls had gone. "[excited]Reki, this board feels amazing! Oh, those people earlier had nice boards too. Everyone really loves skating, huh." "[serious]...Are you seriously saying that?" "Huh? Yeah." Reki let out a huge sigh. Miya snickered. "[sarcastic]Give it up, Reki. You'll never beat this naturally popular guy in a million years." "[embarrassed]I'm not popular! I was just saying hello." "[sarcastic]That total lack of self-awareness is the worst part." The three got on their bicycles and rode off into the night city. Their destination was the former Camp Falcon site. It was an old U.S. military communications facility located in the hills north of Uruma City. Now an abandoned ruin, on weekend midnights it hosted S—the most dangerous and most狂热 unofficial downhill skate race in Uruma. "S" had rules. The most important one was "real exposure"—meaning you couldn't post real names or schools online. Breaking that meant permanent banishment from this scene. There were also one-on-one duels called "beefs," where the winner took the bet. Money, boards, sometimes even "date rights." Everything was managed through an anonymous social media app called "Vortex," where follower count directly translated to a skater's status. Ranga vaguely recalled the rules he'd been taught. But the details didn't matter to him. He just wanted to skate. Cutting through the wind, sliding through the darkness. That alone was enough. When they ducked through the broken fence at Camp Falcon, a large crowd of skaters had already gathered. The starting point was "Gate Zero"—the rooftop of the old administration building. Elevation: 85 meters. From here, they'd bomb down the slope in one go. Ranga placed the new deck on the ground and started gliding lightly. With just a single push against the ground, the board slid smoothly forward. Ranga's body swayed with a unique rhythm honed by snowboarding. As if sliding down a snowy slope, he flowed over the asphalt. Before anyone knew it, the eyes of the surrounding skaters were fixed on Ranga. "...What's that?" "That's snowboarding movement." Ranga paid absolutely no attention to the attention. Or rather, he didn't comprehend it. (*Everyone really loves skating, huh.*) Smiling cheerfully, he pulled off a spinning turn. More high-pitched squeals rose from the female skaters. "[excited]Everyone really loves skating!" Ranga's eyes as he smiled at Reki were the picture of innocence. "[cold]...You, man." Reki scratched his head, but still managed a small laugh. This idiotically pure best friend of his was infuriating. But—he was still amazing. The race began. Over a dozen people launched out simultaneously. The sound of wheels biting into asphalt echoed through the nighttime ruins. They immediately plunged into the first major obstacle, "Black Pipe." It was an abandoned tunnel for communication cables, 180 meters in total length. They'd skate through complete darkness at over 50 kilometers per hour. The only guide was the small light at the exit. Ranga felt no fear. He had experience snowboarding down through whiteout conditions on Canada's snowy mountains. Even with zero visibility, he could read the line just from the sound of the wind and the vibrations transmitted through the soles of his feet. Right, left, then right again. The board skimmed past the walls. As skaters around him dropped out or decelerated one after another, Ranga shot through the tunnel as precisely as if it were broad daylight. The next obstacle, "Death Corner," loomed ahead. A sharp curve on the edge of a cliff, with no guardrail or anything. If you fell, you'd be smashed against the limestone eight meters below. Three people had broken bones there in the past. Everyone hit the brakes. But— Ranga accelerated instead. (*That rock. I can go from there.*) Right at the cliff's very edge, he kicked off a small protrusion that no one would normally ever step on, using his right foot. The board lifted for an instant, then landed as if sucked toward the inner side of the cliff by gravity. Cheers and screams erupted at the same time. "[excited]Did you see that!?" "That foreigner's insane!" A little behind, Reki stared intently at Ranga's back. (*As I thought, he's incredible...*) Frustration and pride swirled together in his chest. (*You're going further and further away. Can I—can I ever catch up?*) Ranga burst into the goal area, "The Pit." Thunderous cheers echoed through the old parking lot, packed with nearly 200 spectators. From the simple DJ booth, music celebrating the victor began to play. Immediately, Ranga's smartphone buzzed. The Vortex rankings had updated, and Ranga's name had jumped to first place. His follower count skyrocketed in an instant. "[excited]Yes! Ranga, you're number one!" Reki, who had reached the goal later, pointed at the smartphone screen. Miya caught up quickly too, and the three exchanged glances. "[laughing]Amazing! But it's all thanks to you guys." "[sarcastic]There you go again. Don't just say whatever sounds good." Even as Miya spat out her venom, she was smiling. Reki lightly tapped Ranga on the shoulder. That was when it happened. Miya's expression suddenly froze. "[scared]...Wait a second." She held out her own smartphone. The Vortex timeline was open. There— Was a photo of a little boy. Wearing a chubby snowman costume, a silver-haired child smiling shyly but happily. "The true identity of S's new star?" Such a caption was attached, and it had already been reposted thousands of times. The comment section overflowed with ridicule and curiosity. "[scared]This... is you, isn't it, Ranga." The color drained from Ranga's face. "[whispers]Why... this is from an album back in Canada..." "[serious]It means someone took a picture and spread it around." Miya began analyzing it coolly. "[cold]This angle... it was taken from a position close to you. At the very least, the culprit is someone around you. A mole, basically." "[angry]There's no way! Everyone's a friend!" Uncharacteristically, Ranga raised his voice. But Reki— Was silent. Reki, who had been laughing together with them just moments ago, suddenly became quiet and wouldn't meet Ranga's eyes. Restlessly, he scratched at the grip tape of his own board with his fingers. "...Reki?" Even when Ranga called out to him, Reki kept his head down. (*Why? Something's off with him.*) For the first time, a small sense of unease sprouted within Ranga. What was this stirring in his chest? Reki averting his eyes from him—that had never happened before, not even once. But— Ranga's mind quickly veered in a different direction. "[gentle]Reki, does your stomach hurt or something? Are you okay?" Miya did a pratfall. "[angry]Wrooooong!! How do you even get there, you seriously can't read the room at all!!" "[surprised]Huh, but Reki looks pale..." "[angry]Well yeah, but that's not the reason!!" Miya's shouting echoed through the nighttime ruins. But Reki still didn't say a single word. He just stared fixedly at the ground, biting his lip. Ranga tilted his head, completely bewildered. (*Everyone's acting weird. But I don't really get it.*) In the distance, the countdown signaling the start of the next race could be heard. The muggy Okinawan night breeze slipped through the space between the three of them. Someone laughed, someone shouted, someone fell silent. The night of S was not yet over. The shadow of suspicion quietly settled into a corner of Ranga's heart. But what it meant—he still didn't understand.