Chapter 1- Trial Bike Championship
"And Kyoichi Shido is our new Trial Bike Champion!" the emcee of Trial Bike Championship as he saw Kyoichi reach the lap first. Makoto jumped with happiness though her parents showed ordinary smile. Makoto was so overjoyed that she went to everyone and shouted, "He's my brother!"And then others were showing her 'we know that' expression. Kyoichi waved to Makoto from right hand, holding the trophy in his left hand atop. He had last been so happy just two months ago, on Makoto's 9th birthday.
She ran down the stairs to reach the platform where her brother was standing with the trophy and the organizer of the event. But when she approached the platform, she saw a huge crowd of girls, equal to Kyoichi's height and maybe also equal to his age? They were preventing her to meet her brother and even to see him. But Makoto frowned; she didn't go inside as she had not much dare to do that. She just vanished from there.
On the other side, Kyoichi was helpless. He wanted to meet his sister, his precious gem. But there was a big mountain or better said 'fan girls' who keened to click his photos with them and also get autographs. Kyoichi had no other option to get away from this barrier. It was not like his track in which he could do a bunny hop to get away from the hurdles of the way. So he just quickly signed off a few tees and gave a few fake smiles with his trophy rather than with the girls.
After coming out of, at last, he saw no sign of his precious gem. He saw up in the where his parents were sitting but again, no sign! He ran back inside the crowd to find Makoto in the strong gusts of perfumes, but again she wasn't there. He now came out again and saw his parents coming towards him, just showing the ordinary smile as usual. He reached them and asked for Makoto. His mother told him that she was already off to home on her Neptune.
Kyoichi then sat on his Thunder Emperor and followed the marks left by the MTB, Neptune. On the half way, he figured out, where she had been. He pedaled quickly until he reached the bridge on the river which appeared brownish red due to the orange sky. He spotted the blue MTB and a girl in pink skirt and purple jacket sitting beside it. He approached her slowly while on his MTB.
"You won." Makoto stated calmly. "You know that, you're happy, aren't you?" Her brother asked knowing the awkwardness in his sister's voice. "Yeah, of course I am" she sounded a bit bored now. She continued, "I can never become like you." and sighed. "That's not it; you will surely become like me, maybe better?" Kyoichi said nonchalantly.
Makoto again remembered the scene; that horrified moment when girls surrounded her brother and maybe urging to hug him and kiss him on his cheek which was her task!
She now started believing that due to this increasing fame, his brother will put her last on his priority list and maybe someday, would remove her from that list! She got stressed as that afternoon scene kept on repeating in her mind. She now unexpectedly said, "I also want to win like you." "You will, some day!" He assured her. Makoto now imagined about that day when some boys of her age would be running behind her desperately to hug her and she, running away from them with the trophy in her hand.
"You're acting strange, Makoto. I think you're tired after waiting for the race and watching it. Today's practice canceled. You are free to go to home." He smiled as he said.
Makoto again sat on her Neptune. Normally, she didn't sit on her MTB before Kyoichi sat on his. But she was just staring ahead and Kyoichi thinking, "What's wrong with my precious gem?" They set off for the home now as the orange sky started turning to deep blue and the stars started shining in the sky.