Watch Skate-leading☆stars Episode 7 For Free On... -

Ren looked down. He wasn't wearing his beat-up sneakers anymore. Laced tight to his feet were professional skates, the blades gleaming with a predatory edge. The music—the sweeping, dramatic score of the "Stargazer" routine—began to swell from the rafters.

With a deep breath, Ren pushed off. The ice caught the light as he entered his first triple axel, the world of the internet café a million miles away, replaced by the cold, beautiful reality of the stars. Watch Skate-Leading☆Stars Episode 7 for free on...

"Looking for the lead?" a voice whispered. It didn't come from his headset; it came from the air behind him. Ren looked down

"Episode 7 isn't a broadcast, Ren," the figure said, the voice echoing like steel on ice. "It’s a performance. And you’re late for your cue." The music—the sweeping, dramatic score of the "Stargazer"

The screen didn't fade to a video player. Instead, the browser window stretched, the pixels bleeding into a whirlpool of ice-blue and silver. A cold draft suddenly swept through the tiny cubicle, smelling of freshly resurfaced ice.

Ren spun around. His cubicle was gone. He was standing in the center of the Ion Arena, the spotlight blindingly white against the frozen floor. Across from him stood a figure whose silhouette was unmistakable—the icy, perfectionist aura of Shinozaki.