Starlight (Kojiro Nanjo)

Chapter Two: Eyes On The Sky

"I challenge you, Joe."

"Is she for real right now?"

"No way, dude! She's gonna get herself killed!"

"Who does she think she is? She's gonna get destroyed!"

The crowd around them began to erupt into a roar upon the declaration. Whispering to one another, readying their phones to capture live footage of whatever was about to go down. Joe appeared more than pleased he'd found himself an opponent, even if he wasn't sure it'd be much of a match to begin with. To be honest, the woman in front of him didn't look like much, especially with the loose grip she held on to her board and the lack of markings the deck held. It looked like she'd never even touched it. When really, she was so excited to try out her new board, especially at a place like this where she hoped others would share the appreciation.
Cherry could only roll his eyes as the two readied themselves at the starting line. Red lights flashed one by one. Joe held his stare to the woman beside him, even as the crowd roared out his name, cheering on the man they all knew and loved. Surely he had the upperhand, there was no way some nobody could beat the best.
Hoshiko's hands grew shaky as the crowd counted down following the lights. Taking a deep breath, she tried to remind herself what she was about to do; this wasn't entirely about beating Joe. That's not all she was about to do. She was about to skate, and skating was fun. As she dared to glance over to her opponent, she noticed that signature smirk that played on his lips. The overwhelming confidence this man had should've intimidated her, but it only made her blood boil more. So maybe this was about having fun, but she couldn't help but think about how much fun it would be to also wipe that snotty smirk off of his face after she won.

So, when the light flashed green and the alarm sounded, the two were off.

"Try not to break a nail, babe." Joe called out to her, taking the lead on his board. "Or worse, that board."

The only sounded that could be heard were from the various groups of girl who cried in dismay as their number one favorite skated called another woman "babe." Through, the girl herself could only gag and choke back the disgust that she felt when he called her it. Was that the second sexist comment of the night? What a guy he was turning out to be.
The board began to buzz and shake violently beneath her feet at the sheer speed she'd been skating. People were quick to notice the dilemma as the camera zoomed in on her feet. Sucking in a deep breath, she let the air around her engulf her, feeling the concrete graze against her gloved fingertips as she rounded a corner. When she returned to the straight away, the board stilled. She was on solid footing again, but ahead of her was Joe's dumb face staring back with that same smirk he wore at the start. He was as good as they said he was, and she needed to catch up.
Leaning her body forward in an attempt to up her speed, the girl began to whip her head around violently in search of an edge. Anything to give her the upper hand she needed, and there it was: a conveniently placed stone angled upward. There wasn't much time to overthink it, it was now or never, and it was definitely worth the shot.

"Where do you think you're going?" Joe called out to the girl as she suddenly took a sharp left.

"Keep your eyes on the sky." She replied, a smile of her own hidden beneath her mask. "That's where you'll find me."

He wasn't exactly sure what that meant, sending a look of confusion toward the girl as she was lifted into the air. And suddenly it all made sense. His breath hitched in his throat as he looked up and saw her floating through the air like a feather. Her laughter echoed through the area around them as she took the air. A night sky above them riddled with little lights, and somehow she was all he could manage to see.
From the sidelines, people cheered louder than before for the mysterious stranger as she grabbed her board from beneath her feet and held it away from her body, her limbs outstretched as the wind whipped her hair all around. A Christ Air. She'd performed a Christ air. And not only that, but landed herself ahead of Joe in the race for the first time so far. Now, it was her turn to look back to the emerald haired man. Though his face only appeared impressed now, his mouth slightly agape.