Figure skating, as its name suggests, involves skating "figures" on ice. The sport requires competitors to skate selected patterns, or figures, as part of their routines. It is an elegant mix of art and sport, and, if Tsukasa said so himself, he was damn good at it. But no matter how skilled someone was at something, mistakes were inevitable.

As the blond figure skater attempted a quadruple axel for the umpteenth time, he was suddenly blinded by the morning winter sunlight filtering in from the large set of windows lining the rink. As he completed the third spin, he fell right on his back. He usually got further in the jump than that, so he doubted his skills for a few moments as he laid there on the ice like an idiot. But then he remembered that, at his big age, he was supposed to be mature. So, he got up and pathetically skated over to the exit.

Great— he had a competition next week. What good was he if he couldn’t even do a triple axel without falling on his ass!? Lost in his thoughts, as he walked with his arms crossed and his head down, he didn’t realize he had suddenly rammed into someone, nearly stumbling backward before he felt sturdy hands steady him by the waist. He blinked for a few moments before hesitantly looking up.

Someone with bright ginger hair, with what seemed to be a dyed yellow streak in his bangs, and a slightly surprised look in his olive eyes. He recognized this guy— he was the hockey player who always seemed to practice in the same rink as him after he did. Akito Shinonome, Player 12. They never spoke, always too busy with their respective sports. He cleared his throat and spoke in his typical loud and firm tone.

“...I’m terribly sorry for bumping into you! Please forgive my clumsiness!”