3rd POV

Early the following day, (Y/n) had already gotten up and left the Drive-In. It would be unusual for her to be up at this hour, but there was a lot on her mind. She needed some time to think, but she didn't want to be alone when doing it.

She figured that Langa and Reki would be in a rush to get to school, so she didn't bother to go to their house and ask to chat with them for a bit. Kojiro and Kaoru were probably doing the things they do best, like cooking at a restaurant and doing some calligraphy for a living. Hiromi was more than likely at the flower shop flirting with his manager, or at least trying.

The nine-year-old sighs as she looks down at the time on her phone. The beautiful orange and pink sky reflects off the screen and reaches her eyes which are barely open due to her lack of sleep. She only slept a few hours because her mind was still active and would not turn off.

"Where can I go to get things off my mind?" (Y/n) asks herself as she puts her phone in the pocket of her black leggings. Looking up, she sees that she made it to the skatepark she and her two friends would always go to. But just looking at it doesn't give her any comfort.

Closing her eyes, she thinks if there is anyone else she could go see at that moment. 'Maybe I could go skating around the area just to familiarize myself with everything around. I could also probably skate by the calligraphy building Cherry works at, the restaurant Joe works at, and the flower shop Shadow works at.'

(Y/n) frowns as she shakes her head at the thought. 'Argh!! What is wrong with me today? Am I really that affected by what's going on with Reki? I've never felt this way before. So I guess skating around outside won't be a good option for me. I could skate over at Crazy Rock where Miya was teaching Reki how to pull a rail slide, but I don't--'

The girl's eyes open out of realization. 'Miya.' She remembers that Miya skates at that indoor skatepark she went to that one time. It's early in the day and she knows that the cat boy goes there almost all the time.

"I'll just hope that he's there," (Y/n) says as she grabs the skateboard that she was holding under her arm. Getting on, she skated in the direction she remembered going when she went to spy on that cat boy.

After a few minutes of skating, the child finally made it to the building she recognized seeing a long time ago. At some point in her journey, she had trouble remembering which way to go along the way. Her poor head couldn't take all of those turns and rotations, so she had to use her phone.

Taking a deep breath, she skips to the doors of the building and walks in through the entrance with ease. Upon looking at her surroundings, she clutched onto her phone as a way to not lose it. 'My phone is valuable to me right now. This is the only thing I could use to communicate with Miya... If I find him.' (Y/n) thinks to herself with a determined look on her face.

The only thing the nine-year-old could hear is the sound of wheels rolling on the smooth floor along with thuds when the wheels make contact after landing a cool trick. Knowing very much that Miya is into pulling awesome tricks like how a Japan national team member would, (Y/n) decided to go in the direction where there were a lot of skaters.

In the middle of the skating rink, there was an open concreted-like boarded floor for skaters to kate on casually. The child took notice that there was someone skating on that platform all by themself and got curious. After each step (Y/n) took toward the skater, she would see how this skater looked familiarly like someone she already knows.

This boy had a white-collared shirt with a red stripe going across his torso along with navy blue shorts going a little past his knee pads. A light-green helmet covered his short black hair that sprouted out at the ends.

It wasn't until (Y/n) had her hands resting on the railing that surrounded the skating platform that she recognized who that boy was. She slightly gasped at the sight of the cat skater she was meaning to meet up with.

"Miya," the (h/c)-nette says to herself with her eyes slightly wide. Upon hearing his name being called from a distance, Miya's cat-like eyes turn and meet (Y/n)'s amazed ones. His facial expression changed from an expressionless one to a surprised yet confused one. He was not expecting the Phoenix skater to be at the indoor skatepark at this hour. In fact, he didn't even know that she figured out that this was where he skated most of the time.

After picking up his skateboard, Miya walks towards (Y/n) and stops once he was standing in front of the railing, which prevented him from going any further. "Hey, (Y/n). What are you doing here?" the black-haired boy asks the girl as he continued to wonder why she was there in the first place.

He hoped that (Y/n) understood what he was saying because he didn't really feel like repeating what he just said, especially if he had to say it in English. But lucky for him, the nine-year-old studied enough Japanese to at least understand what he said.

"Hi, Miya. I was just... uh... wanting to... see you," (Y/n) was able to say in Japanese, but she was not sure if she said it correctly. Just as long as the boy understood what she was saying, then it wouldn't make that much of a difficult time talking with him.

Miya didn't struggle to try to understand what the nine-year-old meant, it only made him confused about why she wanted to see him. This is basically the first time she had ever met up with him in public without the presence of either Reki or Langa. The cat boy was curious and had to ask why.

"Why's that? Is there something on your mind?" Miya asks as he tilts his head to the side a bit. Observing (Y/n)'s reaction with his green cat eyes, he noticed that the grip the girl had on her phone tightened a bit as she held the device close to her chest as her face expressed confusion towards the boy's words.

It made sense to him that (Y/n) didn't understand what he said, so, letting out a sigh, he extends his hand out to the girl with his palm facing up, making a gesture for her to hand her phone over to him. (Y/n) understood what he wanted and goes forth with his obligation. She hands her phone to the black-haired male and he starts typing something on the screen.

The child waited patiently for his next action until he turned the screen so that it was now facing her. Curious about what he did, she saw that Miya had typed something in Japanese, more than likely it was what he said before, and the translation popped up just below it.

She read, "Why's that? Is there something on your mind?"

After reading those two sentences, she felt her heart pounding inside her chest as she looks down, almost in an ashamed manner. She knows that she hasn't been doing so well and was distracted most of the time. It was the thought of Reki that made her feel down, and it seems that Miya took note of her facial expression once she was done reading.

The boy hums to himself as he takes a few glances around him. If there was a chance for her to talk with him, he would rather do it where they were not in the center of attention. He looks to the far corner of the building and finds an area where there are barely any people hanging around. Quickly putting the girl's phone in his back pocket, he goes under the railing and stands back up once he was on the other side and is standing in front of (Y/n).

The said girl looks up when she sees Miya get up from his bent position in her peripheral vision. Her (e/c) eyes meet his cat-like ones, which makes him look so serious in this sort of circumstance. It wasn't until (Y/n) felt the teenager's hand grip her arm, the one that wasn't holding her skateboard, that she broke away from his gaze for a split second to look at his hand and then back up at him.

"Follow me," He told her as he gestured his head towards the corner section of the skated area. She understood what he was telling her, so she followed the boy so that he wouldn't have to drag her away himself.

Upon sitting down on a bench, the two sat beside each other in complete silence. No one knew how to start the conversation back up again. (Y/n) was fidgeting with her hands resting on her knees while Miya was kind of looking in the other direction. After letting out a sigh, the said boy looks down at the phone he was still holding. He knew he had to start the conversation, which is something he's not good at, but he has to if he wants to know what was going on in (Y/n)'s head.

But before the cat boy could speak and translate his words, his head slowly turns as his eyes met with the child's somewhat distressed posture. He noticed how nervous she looked as she shifted her sitting position to where her left knee was now brought close to her chest and her right foot was rested on her skateboard and started rocking it back and forth.

He didn't know why, he just felt a tad bit worried for the Phoenix skater. Miya's never experienced having these sorts of feelings before. It all started ever since (Y/n) declared that the both of them were friends. He was thankful that she at least went to him, out of everyone else in the group, to talk with him.

With a deep inhale, Miya pressed the microphone button on the screen and persistently, yet hesitantly, spoke in his language.

"What's going on with you?"

(Y/n) looks down at the phone and reads the translated side of the screen. After hearing the sentence play out in her head, it was as if those words powered up the gears in her head to start spinning. She wanted to tell Miya everything, but she doesn't know how to say everything all at once.

Taking a deep breath, the child presses the microphone button on the screen as Miya is still holding onto the phone, which was being held equally between the two, and speaks her language.

"I've been thinking about Reki lately. I just feel that something is going on with him and I want to help him. I don't know if it was me who caused him to be this way or if it was something else." The (h/c)-haired girl stops for a few seconds to give Miya some time to read what is currently being translated before she continues to rant about her emotions. "I guess the thought of the tournament Adam is hosting is getting to me as well. I'm not sure if I made the right decision."

Miya looks down at the phone he's holding and reads off everything that was said by the girl. He looks in her direction with a cat-like stare and he observes her every move. He could see how much all of that is overwhelming her. Considering that she's practically the youngest member of the friend group, he wouldn't be surprised to see her out of everyone acting this way.

Miya presses the microphone button and speaks. "What decision did you go for? For the tournament?" (Y/n) looks down and reads the translated words in English. She lets out a sigh in defeat as she thinks back on the night she got the invitation.

She was afraid to say what she decided on doing. She didn't want anyone to think that she's being too scared to do it, but she also doesn't want to appear like a coward either. Whatever happened last night was set in stone and now she cannot get rid of it.

.

.

.

"I accepted."

The cat boy raises his eyebrow after reading what the girl said. He was impressed that she was actually going to be a part of the tournament, but he was confused. Was she nervous about doing it or was there something else about it that was bothering her?

"Did someone force you to choose or did you accept the invitation on your own?"

(Y/n) looks at the screen of her phone and reads the question. She shakes her head as she speaks to the mic. "No, I chose to do this. I'm only nervous because... I know Langa made a promise to Reki, saying that he wouldn't skate against Adam again. I wasn't there when he promised that, but I felt as if I made a promise to him as well... And I'm breaking it." The child looks down as she tries to stop the tears that are threatening to fall from her eyes.

Miya nods as he finally understands why his (h/c)-haired friend is in distress. He looks down at her phone in his hand, staring at his reflection on the screen, and then shifting it so that he could see (Y/n)'s. He's always seen the Phoenix skater differently than everyone else. Ever since the night he raced against Langa and (Y/n) accepted him as her friend, it's like he's put her in a special spot in his heart to always look out for her. And at this moment, he feels he should be the one to give her the big-brother advice that she needs to hear.

"So you're worried about what Reki might think about you, then, huh?" Hearing his voice, the nine-year-old girl looks down at the screen of her phone, reading off what the black-haired boy is saying. "I get it. I was sort of the same thing. I never wanted to lose my friends, so I decided to start seeing everyone as my enemy... But that wasn't until I met you."

The girl's eyes widened after reading that and then looks up at the boy as he stares down to the floor, continuing to explain his feelings and opinions.

"I see a spark in you, (Y/n). One that shines brighter than anyone else. You have the potential to skate at your own free will. You shouldn't let other people decide how you should succeed. If you think that your way is better, then go for it. Yeah, sometimes your decisions may hurt or disappoint others, but at the end of the day, it's your life." The boy looks at the girl and you could see the ends of his mouth going up, forming a small yet comforting smile. "No one can control that. Just you and only you."

(Y/n) read over what Miya said on her phone and she feels something tugging inside her heart. Those words were very inspiring to her and that caused her to see things from a different perspective. But nonetheless, she smiles back at him. She was glad to have someone like Miya around.

"Thanks, Miya," (Y/n) says, changing her dialogue to Japanese. The said boy nods as a way of saying "You're welcome." He grabs onto the girl's fragile hand and places her phone on top of it, and then places his other hand on top of both.

"Don't give up on doing the things you love doing. Keep working hard and let that little spark in you burn." Even though (Y/n) only understood very little of what he said, her smile brightens like a spark turning into a flame.

"See you... later," (Y/n) lastly struggled to say as she turns around and left after waving the boy goodbye. Miya waves back as he watches her leave.

Something about that girl amazes him every single day. She may be different, but she's different in her own way. That's what makes her a unique child.

~~~~~~~~~~

It's been a few hours since (Y/n) saw Miya and she was basically doing her own thing throughout the day. She would practice skating outside near the Drive-In as a way to prepare herself for the tournament. She never bothered going to the skatepark because she was afraid that she might see Reki there and she was nervous to tell him about the tournament.

But now, as the sun was going down, the Phoenix skater was walking down the streets. You may be wondering where she's going, so this is what's going on in her head:

'Keep it together, (Y/n). You can do this. I don't want to distance myself from Reki, so I'm going to march my way to his house and see him... And maybe tell him that I entered a tournament that he more than likely doesn't want to take part in.'

She let out a sigh as she clutches her skateboard close to her chest before placing it down and hopping on top of it, causing the acceleration in the speed to increase. She kicks her foot against the ground to go faster. She doesn't want to miss her chance of talking to Reki even if it's through using her phone.

As she gets closer to Reki's home, the sun started to go down even more. The sky illuminates the shades of pink and orange, which slowly start to get darker as time passes. The child could see the house in the distance as she continues walking up the sidewalk, but a figure also caught her attention. Someone else was standing by Reki's house, which confused her a bit.

(Y/n) squints her eyes as a way to see the person better. As soon as she was under a street lamp, she was able to make out the image of her snowboarder friend standing there with his head looking down. The nine-year-old's eyes widen in surprise at the sight of Langa as she pulls her hood off her head.

"Langa!" She calls out to him, which causes the said teen to look up in her direction. His eyes meet hers and his expression changes to a shocked one.

"Hey, (Y/n). What are you doing here?" he asks her as she was now at arm's length away from him. The girl holds her skateboard close to her chest as she explains why she's out here.

"I was going to see Reki. I wanted to tell him that I entered the tournament that Adam is hosting just so that he's aware," (Y/n) explains. Langa seemed to tense up after hearing her say that, which is something that the child saw, which causes her to tilt her head to the side a bit. "Why are you out here?" she then asks her light-blue-haired friend.

Langa takes a deep breath before replying. "The same reason why you're here." He pauses for a second before talking again. "I didn't know you wanted to be involved in the tournament. Is this really what you want to do? It could be dangerous," Langa said, sounding worried for (Y/n)'s safety.

The said girl looks down, thinking that maybe Langa would be mad at her for accepting the invitation. "Yeah. I know it's dangerous, but I want to do this for a reason." The child thinks of some way to explain her reason without saying that she's doing it as a way to find her dad, who she has never found yet during her time in Okinawa. "Skating is something I really enjoy doing and I want to do it forever. It's my passion and I don't want to give that up."

(Y/n) looks up at Langa with a curious look on her face. "You understand, do you, Langa?" The snowboarder looks down at her, feeling touched by her words. She has been saying things like that for the past few times, the first time being when he was going to race against Miya. He smiles sweetly at her as he pats her head in reassurance.

"Of course I understand. That's why I'm racing as well. That good feeling you told me to find is the reason why I continue to skate. You and Reki helped me to find that passion and I can't thank you enough," Langa tells the girl.

A smile forms on the nine-year-old's face as her eyes sparkle with happiness. She was surprised to know that it was because of her that Langa is the skater he is now. She drops her skateboard and wraps her arms around his waist as she buries her face to his shirt. "And I can't thank you enough either, Langa. You were always there for me," (Y/n) says, which causes the said teen to wrap his arms around her.

"You're welcome, (Y/n). And I will continue to be there for you if you ever need me. I'm here to listen. I'll never leave you hanging," the snowboarder says with a soft tone.

After a few minutes of them standing there in a warm embrace, Langa felt a water drop land on his head. He looks up and noticed that it started raining. His soft look quickly changed to a concerned one as he looks back down at his friend. "It's starting to rain. You should probably head back home," he says as his and the girl's clothing started to get wet from the rain.

(Y/n) shakes her head as she looks up at Langa. "No. I need to see Reki before I go," she informs him. The snowboarder nods his head to show that he understands as he pulls the child's hood over her head, making sure that she stays as dry as possible. He keeps his arm around her shoulder as the two continue to wait for their redhead friend to show up.

The rain started to fall down hard to the ground as the two skaters waited patiently for their friend. By now, it was already dark and the only thing providing light was the street lamps outside. Langa looks down at (Y/n), who was starting to shiver from the cold as her gaze is facing down. She may be wearing her jacket, but the rain still bugs her. He gives her a worried look at the sight of her slightly shaking, hoping that Reki would show up right about now.

The boy looks up from her and to the sidewalk he was on. He looks at the light from the street lamp shining down on the pavement, but he also saw a figure walking in their direction. Langa could barely make out who it was, but he got a good look at them once they were underneath the street lamp light.

It was Reki.

The said redhead boy notices the two standing there by his house and was about to turn to walk away, but a familiar voice stops him from doing so. "Reki!" Langa calls out to him, causing him to stop in his tracks, but he doesn't turn around to look at him. Hearing the boy's name causes (Y/n) to look in the direction Langa is looking at. Her eyes widen at the sight of her friend.

"Reki," she mumbles as she and Langa walk towards him with their skateboards under their arms. They stop once they were a few feet away from each other and Langa breaks the silence.

"Welcome back," he greets him with a smile, but that soonly fades away as he sees the look on Reki's face. He was looking down as a way to avoid eye contact with Langa and (Y/n). Reki didn't want to see them, Langa especially, because he feels like he's not like them. "What do you want, Langa?" Reki asks him with a sound of annoyance slightly in the tone of his voice.

"Adam's hosting a tournament." Right as Langa mentioned the psychopathic of a skater's name, Rei's grip on his skateboard tightens as he becomes stiff.

"So what?" Reki asks, not breaking his gaze away from the concrete floor as the rain continues to fall on the three skaters.

"I think I want to enter," Langa replies to the redhead. Something inside Reki gives him a slight pain in his heart. It felt as if the snowboarder broke something and didn't apologize for it. A frown starts to form on Reki's face as he speaks again. "What about the promise you made?"

Langa's face changes to an expression filled with guilt as he thinks back on the promise he made to him while (Y/n) just stands there with her head tilted to the side as she tries to understand what the two were saying to each other. It's obvious that there's something going on with the two and she believes it has something to do with what Langa told her earlier.

"Oh, that," he mumbles to himself while looking down, feeling ashamed for breaking his promise.

"You swore you wouldn't go up against Adam again!" Reki says as his anger started to build up again. He couldn't hold it back and he felt like he was going to burst at any minute. Langa tried to calm him down as he tries to explain himself. "I know. And I'm sorry--"

"Don't say that!" Reki yells, which catches Langa and (Y/n) off guard. The girl took a step back out of reflex, looking more confused about what the two were conversing about but was able to understand a few words. "You're apologizing because you've already decided to break your promise! Do you know how much I trusted you?"

It started to pour harder outside as the rain already drenched the three kids from where they were standing. Reki looks back down as he walks past Langa and (Y/n). "Forget it," he says with a huff.

(Y/n) was about to reach out and grab his hand, but stops when Langa beats her to it. "Reki! Listen! C'mon, it's just a race!"

"Against a monster!" Reki yells back as he yanks his arm out of Langa's grip. Langa was not affected by it. He continued to explain everything in his opinion and how he sees the pro skater.

"Against an amazing skater. I know you understand what that's like. Competing against someone so good is exhilarating!"

Reki couldn't believe what he was hearing. His best friend was taking his side with someone as dangerous as Adam. He felt the bond between them breaking as his eyes start to tear up, but you could barely tell that they are because of the rain.

"You're excited?" he asks as he thinks back on the time he raced against Adam. That mask of his never left his mind. It felt as if the darkness in his eyes could really see through everything. "Well, I..." It's almost like that psycho can read your inner thoughts. "I don't get excited. I gotta say you're freaking me out. I don't see how you consider this fun. I don't get you at all!" Reki yells as his voice cracks a bit.

Langa's face changes to one of sadness as a low gasp escapes his mouth. He knew he hurt his friend badly and wants to make it up for it, but there was no doubt the redhead would let him. (Y/n) sees the look he has and instantly gets worried. She looks up at Reki with a concerned look as she observes his facial expression. It's filled with sadness, heartbreak, and betrayal. It was until then that she knew what was going on.

"You and Adam are nothing like me. Not a single bit." Reki goes silent after saying that, the only thing that could be heard was the raindrops hitting the sidewalk and street. But that didn't last long as he continues to talk. "Do what you want. I don't care. Phsyco geniuses have to stick together, I guess. Have fun with that."

With that said, Reki turns around and continues to walk in the direction of his house, feeling like he lost his dignity to skate. "Not like I could keep up. I thought you were different. Such a stupid mistake," he mumbles but makes sure that it was loud enough for Langa to hear.

Langa wanted to say something. He really wanted to... but he couldn't find the courage to speak. His eyes remain on his friend as he watches him walk away, but then something else caught his attention. He looks to the side and sees (Y/n) running towards Reki. She grabs onto his arm to stop him from walking any further as she drops her skateboard.

"Reki! Wait!" she tells him even though he doesn't know what she's saying. He looks down at her with emptiness filling his eyes. He was hoping that she would at least not do the tournament considering that she could easily get hurt, but he won't know if he doesn't ask.

"(Y/n)... Are you planning on joining the tournament as well?" He asks her in a low voice. The one thing that the girl understood was the word "tournament," which causes her eyes to go wide a bit, already knowing what he was asking her. She needed to tell him at some point, so she looks down in shame as her hand still has a firm grip on the boy's arm.

Seeing the gesture she made, he already knew the answer. He lets out a low chuckle as he shakes his head. "Of course you are. I should have known," he pauses for a moment before continuing. "I thought you would be different, considering that you are. But I guess even the slightest difference in people doesn't change a thing about them."

(Y/n) tilts her head to the side in confusion as she hears him talk in the Japanese dialogue. She places her hand in her jacket pocket as she looks up at him with innocent eyes. Reki sees the confused look on her face as he glares down at her. "You're nothing like me... Not like any of us. I don't even know why you stayed around with us. I see how much you want to fit in with everyone around, how much you struggle with that, but just forget it. You'll never fit in!"

The loud tone of his voice causes the girl to flinch as she takes a step back, almost on the bridge of tears. She might not know what he's saying, but those words sound like they could hurt a person's feelings. Reki turns his head away from her and starts to walk back to his house again.

"Why am I even bothering trying to point that out to you? It's not like I would care if you get sent back to where you came from. It's where you belong, anyway."

Langa's eyes go wide after hearing Reki say that. How could he say that about (Y/n)? He stands there in complete shock as watches the redhead walk away from them. He soon breaks out of the shock state as he looks in (Y/n)'s direction. He sees her looking down with her back facing him.

He knows that she didn't understand what Reki was saying, so he walks over to the child to try and reassure her that everything was all right. Once he was within arm's reach, he rests his hand on her shoulder with a comforting smile. "Hey, don't worry about what he said, (Y/n). It's nothing for you to worry ab--" Langa cuts himself off short when he realizes that (Y/n) was not looking at the ground but at something in her hand. He follows her gaze and sees that she was holding her phone. She audio-recorded everything Reki said to her from her jacket pocket and translated everything into English.

Langa's eyes widen at the sight of that. The nine-year-old had her other hand over her mouth as tears streamed down her face after reading everything. The only thing she felt was sadness. It hurt reading those words that once came out of Reki's mouth.

The snowboarder looks down at the girl with a look of pity and sympathy. He didn't like seeing her sad. It breaks his heart when he sees how sad and heartbroken she is. "(Y/n)..." Langa tries to say something, but the said girl turns off her phone and shoves it into her pocket.

"It's fine Langa. I'm fine," she says as she picks up her skateboard from the ground and starts to make her way back to the abandoned Drive-In. Langa reaches his hand out to her to try and stop her.

"Wait, (Y/n)," he tries to call her back, but she doesn't stop walking as her head hangs low with a blank look being expressed on her face.

The child lets out a shaky breath as she closes her eyes. "I just need some time alone right now, Langa. I'll be okay," (Y/n) says as she continues to walk ahead, the gap between the two getting bigger after each second.

Once she was at a good distance, she runs the rest of the way back to the Drive-In as more tears continued to roll down her cheeks, slowly flying off her face as the wind carries them away. She was feeling so many emotions right now that she couldn't hold them back anymore.

What did she do to deserve this?

A/n: Hey, my fellow readers. Sorry if my writing was a little bad. I was half awake while writing this chapter after this busy weekend. But I just want to thank you all for reading my story and reaching up to 5.5k reads. I didn't know this book would get that far! I really appreciate all the votes and love you share towards this book and that always encourages me to continue writing. It's getting pretty late for me right now so I'll just leave it at that. I'll see you guys in the next chapter!