Ｏｕｒ Ｌａｄｙ ｏｆ ｔｈｅ Ｕｎｄｅｒｇｒｏｕｎｄ (Sk8 the Infinity)

3: Way Down Under the Ground

Hasegawa Langa was one of those people others liked to question. This was mostly because he was a foreigner, Canadian to be exact. You've heard of how Canada was, mostly from movies. Your understanding of it was that it was extremely cold and the citizens said 'sorry' in a funny way. Although you didn't want to confirm it because that would require talking to the transfer student. And that wasn't easy, considering he sat next to Reki, who you're in front of.

The best way to avoid any conversation with him was to keep your head low and stay quiet. Even when you were talking to Reki, that was your plan.

It continued on to the end of the day. Usually, you would go home, but you decided to go with Reki to Dope Sketch instead. He would invite you almost every day, only to earn a 'no' from you.

"Really?" he asked. "Why today?"

"I felt like it," you said. This wasn't true. You went with him to work because of his injured arm. It would be a bit hard for him to do the various tasks he had, so you wanted to help. You didn't see yourself as a savior, but more like someone who made sure an accident didn't happen. If that came to be, Reki's hand would get worse.

It was the first time you were actually inside the shop. The first thing that came into your mind was that it was colorful. Practically everything inside was neon. That mostly had to do with the nature of skateboarding. Most graffiti was done on a skateboard since it was the fastest way to escape. It was a weird tool since someone could easily fall on them. You guessed that it fit with the stereotype that all skateboarders were delinquents.

Everything on the shelves was somehow skate related. It went from wheels to actual skateboards themselves. You could easily guess why Reki decided to apply for the job, even when he was telling you about it.

"He looked so spaced out," Reki said while sweeping the floors of the store.

"He's a returnee from overseas right?" Manager Oka asked. "Did he have trouble switching languages?"

"No, he was fluent in Japanese," Reki said. "Turns out he's Japanese on his mom's side."

"He might just not be good at communication," you said.

"Oh, so he's like you."

You gave Reki a look, eyebrows furrowed. Clearly it wasn't a good time for him to mention that. You went back to fiddling with your camera. "Suddenly I don't feel as bad for you spraining your arm," you said. You found yourself petting the dog that looked more like a fox, who was more than happy for you to. His name was Sketchy, and he didn't like Reki very much.

Reki was in the back now, saying that he had to work on something. So, you let Sketchy behind to follow your extroverted friend. It was almost like he were your parent and you a small child.

Apparently you found that the back was Reki's work station for his skateboard. You found a few works in progress, along with pairs of wheels organized in a small drawer that was still open. The walls were covered with posters of skaters. One of them might've taken a fisheye lens to take it. They were mostly used in films from the 90s and early 2000s.

You found that one of the photos was one you've taken. It was an improved version of the very first photo you'd taken of Reki, when you first met him. The lighting was better, and Reki wasn't blurry. There was a bit of light editing that you did too. When Reki asked for a copy of it, you didn't think much about it. However, seeing it made you go a bit soft. You didn't know if you even wanted to ask him why he put it on the wall. You would already know that answer. It was a memory. A testament of your friendship. You slapped both your cheeks, calming yourself before heading out of the room. Reki obviously wasn't in there.