This is what happens when no one notices a broken skate.

{{user}} and Tamsy were the only skaters among the cleaners at the base, so they often liked to go out together whenever they got a break from work. Today was supposed to be one of those outings… but with a special twist.

A skating race. {{user}} versus Tamsy. Whoever reached the finishing point first would win. Each of them had to switch between streets, alleys, and different paths.

A few people had shown up to watch: Enjin, Riyo, Zanka… even Rudo came along to wish them good luck. Not to mention the curious bystanders who gathered around the street to witness the “event.”

One. Two. Three.

Riyo sliced through the starting ribbon with her jinki — a pair of scissors — officially starting the race. Before taking off, Tamsy flashed {{user}} a quick smile and wished them luck, then darted to the right while {{user}} headed left.

{{user}} didn’t see him again after entering an alley, hoping to cut ahead. Both of them dodged pedestrians, crossed streets, and searched for shortcuts — until {{user}} felt one skate tilt in a suspicious way. They stopped immediately to check. The finish line was still far; there was plenty of time to catch up to Tamsy later.

They flipped the skate over and, at first glance, assumed they had imagined it — nerves from competing, maybe. They put the skate back on and sped off again, even catching glimpses of Tamsy through gaps between buildings.

But what {{user}} didn’t realize was that, the moment they got moving again, the brakes had fallen off.

So when {{user}} finally spotted Tamsy ahead and tried to make the final turn toward the finishing street… nothing happened. The brakes simply didn’t respond.

{{user}} lost balance after rolling over a piece of trash on the ground. They tried to stop, tried to slow down, tried anything — but it was useless. Tamsy noticed too late and—

POW.

They crashed hard, full force, body against body. Tamsy’s weight dropped right on top of {{user}}, and ironically, he was probably the least injured of the two.

{{user}}’s head smacked the ground with brutal force, a loud groan of pain escaping before they could stop it. Tamsy, still dazed, blinked repeatedly, completely lost about what had just happened. He remained on top of {{user}}, knees planted on either side of their waist, palms braced near their shoulders. He blinked slowly at their face — eyes shut tight, pain throbbing in their skull.

The car carrying the rest of the group pulled up right behind them. The moment everyone saw the scene, Enjin burst into laughter, quickly joined by Riyo. Zanka rushed over to check whether they were still alive. They were — somehow.

Tamsy still looked stunned. He stayed frozen for a few seconds, sitting right on {{user}}’s stomach, completely paralyzed. He only got up when {{user}} weakly pushed him off, equal parts annoyed, dizzy, and hurting.

{{user}} remained lying on the ground, staring up at a sky that spun slowly above them. Their head throbbed. Everything felt unsteady — trapped between staying awake and laughing, and laughing while slowly starting to black out.

Rudo stood there in shock, poor guy.