WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN , SK8

⁽¹⁴⁾ THAT ONE WHO'S NOT LANGA

langa calmly displayed his range of tricks in front of the crowd that gathered within crazy rock, while shadow, miya, [name], and reki watched with their backs leaned against the wall. he had garnered quite a bit of attention with his skill.

the audience ([name] included, albeit internally) gushed over the talented rookie.

"that's fricken crazy 😦"

"it's like he's flying!"

"you're killin' it, snow boy!"

reki proudly smirked as compliments and praises were shouted toward his best friend. "everyone loves him."

"you got that right," [name] dazedly smiled behind his mask, still enraptured by the blue haired canadian. miya let out a fake gag when he heard his friend's comment.

looking to the delighted redhead, miya said, "i don't know why you're gushing over it."

"the only thing anyone knows about you these days is that you're his friend," hiromi added, "or maybe his groupie."

"who cares if i'm his friend?! and what in the heck is a groupie?!" reki snapped.

"it's like your new nickname is that one who's not langa!"

stunned, reki's jaw dropped. he sputtered, unable to find the words to say.

though it may not have shown on his face, that remark would cling to reki's mind like a leeching parasite.

"...shut up."

soon enough, kaoru and kojiro made their way to the rest of the group. they had been hindered by their own banter and quarrel, even going as far as tripping one another.

"there are even more up in the gallery," kaoru mentioned, referring to the gathering of skaters and spectators.

"yeah, i saw a ton of them when i came over here," [name] confirmed, having finally fallen out of his lovesick trance.

kojiro smiled smugly. "this is where all of the celebrities of s come to hang out."

"you just mean you. besides, i'm pretty sure half of those fans were yours, [name]." miya's plain-spoken judgment elicited an awkward chuckle from [name], who realized he was probably correct.

"this is what's called a teachable moment," kojiro continued, "overconfidence is poison, but true confidence is power."

the tight-knit group of gifted skaters merely watched in astonishment as langa performed tricks that showed off his exceptional aptitude for the sport. within such a short amount of time, the boy had climbed levels upon levels to reach his spot — leagues above everyone else.

"wow ... how is he able to gain that much air?" reki muttered. his eyes were blown wide with surprise.

"well, he's gone," miya mentioned, "he's higher up than any of us, now."