Super!
That look super-duper suits you, Kentacchi!
- My heart actually skipped a beat! - After Kenta lost two kilos in a week,
- Saku always makes the best choices! - we figured next was to get him a good outfit,
- Is this okay, King? - so here we are at Lpa.
Yeah, it's more than okay. It's pretty damn good, yo.
Yo!
CHITOSE IS IN THE RAMUNE BOTTLE
Yep, you look exactly as good as we thought, Kentacchi!
And why don't we stop by while we're here?
You'll be meeting your friends there, right?
When are you seeing them, again?
Two weeks from now.
But...
HUH? I THOUGHT YOU LEFT THE GROUP? SURE, I GUESS. I'LL INVITE REN AND HAYATO TOO.
Well, that's awkward.
I don't really get it. What are you even trying to achieve, Kentacchi?
Uh, I just want them to think that I've changed a little.
Oh, that's all?
Excuse me!
Huh?
Wh-What are you doing?
Just roll with it.
Yay! C'mon, smiley-smile now!
Look, Kentacchi!
Wait...
Is that really me?
Don't we look like tight-knit buddies?
You worked on your people skills, got on a diet,
and fixed up your hair and clothes.
The effort you put into taking those first steps has resulted in very real progress.
You really think so?
What matters is holding the "I will change myself, no matter what" mindset
close to your heart and never letting go of it.
I'm gonna put everything I have into the remaining two weeks.
I don't want the help that you, Yuko, and everyone else gave me to be in vain.
Because, uh...
you're my friends, and stuff...
If you're gonna say that, say it confidently. Mumbling it is just weird.
Not many people can change just because they decide to.
One day, when he reflects on this period of his life,
I hope he'll be able to look at himself with pride.
Why's a loser like you hanging with Chitose's group?
Uh, Iwanami-sensei asked King to help me...
"King"? Who, Chitose-kun?
That's so funny!
Now, now.
You'll scare Yamazaki-kun if you all talk to him at once.
You stay out of it, Uchida.
Heck, a plain Jane like you doesn't belong in Chitose-kun's group either.
Believe me, I'm aware.
N-Nah, Uchida-san, if you ask me, you shine plenty bright too.
So you've got the hots for Uchida, and you're using Chitose as a way in?
Th-That's not why!
- Then what is it? Spill it. - You see what's going on. Help me out here.
Damn it. Just when Kenta was starting to make progress.
'Sup!
Chitose, why've you been hanging out with this guy lately?
Huh? And you are...?
Screw you. You know we faced off in the prefectural finals.
Atomu Uemura from Yoko Middle School.
I can't believe you joined this piss-weak school and then quit baseball.
But you're not on the baseball team either, Atomu.
Bah, it just felt dumb to continue playing.
Forget him. I know exactly who that pretty girl over there is.
Nazuna Ayase-chan, right?
Whoa, way to make a girl happy!
Mizushino-kun, Chitose-kun,
you should hang with us instead of these basic bitches.
B-Basic?
I guess being the sporty type really does hurt my feminine charms.
I wasn't talking about you.
Well?
Why this dude?
Because we're friends, duh.
He, Yuko, and I hung out at Lpa last weekend, too.
Give me a frickin' break. With this clout chaser?
No, this is just temporary...
Sorry to say, but I decide who I hang out with. End of story.
Come on, let's stop the sparks flying.
Well, I'm sorry to say I despise kids like you who have never experienced failure.
And you.
Don't make Chitose waste his time on your stupid games.
Okay, Mr. Hedgehog. I can't even tell if he's a nice guy or just plain nasty.
When I said "popular jerks who try to put us down,"
that's the kind of thing I was talking about.
What was I supposed to do back there?
Just don't bother engaging.
Let people think what they want about you.
What matters is whether you can hold your own head high.
As long as you focus on that, you'll stop letting their words affect you.
Hold my own head high, huh...
If I offered to help him in order to maintain my ideal image of Saku Chitose,
I need to hold myself responsible for how things work out.
If Kenta heads out to battle and returns with wounds he can't recover from...
Heya! If you've got time to kill, come join me!
Hup.
Not surprised you're so flexible.
Well, it's part of the fundamentals.
Anyway, what was with the long face back there?
You brought me here to get my mind off things?
Hup.
'Course not. I just get more into it when I'm working out with someone.
That so?
Let's say you were tasked with scoring X number of points in a game,
but you lost because you couldn't hit the quota.
What would you do—
Oww!
Being unable to produce results signifies a lack of ability.
I'd say sorry and just work harder.
Why did you quit baseball?
I didn't want to get a buzz cut.
Someone's trying to dodge the question!
It was obvious from how you played that you cared more than that.
I play a different sport, and even I could tell how much you put into baseball.
Guess I didn't really care all that much, then.
One-on-one, first to ten. Loser has to answer the winner's question.
What are you trying to ask me?
For today, I'll make do with why you were down in the dumps.
Yeesh. Well, if I win, I'll ask you a dirty question!
Loser buys hot food from the convenience store, too!
Okay, bring it!
I-I'm back with snacks.
Took you long enough.
You're heartless! I sprinted to the store after an all-out duel!
So, what was that all about? You can talk to your Haru-chan.
Come on...
It was about Kenta.
That stuff about sticking it to his old friends?
I was thinking about what to do if that didn't go well.
I put him up to this, so I've gotta make it work.
I'm starting to think you're an idiot.
Yamazaki chose to play this game with you as his coach of his own free will.
Succeed or fail, that burden falls squarely on his shoulders.
You're making a mockery of his resolve.
Once a coach has taught all he can,
his job is to trust his players and send 'em off.
And offer a helping hand when they find themselves in trouble.
So much for breaking common ground.
Don't get full of yourself, Chitose.
You act like you've got it all figured out,
but you're better off running around with a baseball.
Am I?
I like you better that way, at least.
Okay, rematch time.
Let's see who can jump farther from the swing.
The loser has to... Oh, I know.
They have to reveal their deepest, darkest secrets to the winner someday.
You're on!
Venus, impatient as ever, had already taken her place in the sky as the Evening Star.
I wish I could fly all the way there.
That way, I wouldn't have to lean on this kind girl
and could stand tall on my own two feet.
It's me.
This is your handler. Sitrep?
This mission is a piece of cake.
I feel like I've been given three whole seconds to unhook a bra.
You're being too shortsighted. As blind as a bat.
Sometimes the hooks are in the front, not the back.
Always expect the unexpected.
I'm impressed with your role-playing skills.
Evening. What say we talk?
Evening. Talk we shall.
Why'd you agree to help Yamazaki?
Kura-sen blackmailed me.
I see. When you've really got something to hide,
you stick to the facts and leave out the details. Smart.
You're saying I'm doing it for a different reason?
Are you sure you want me to spell it out?
Sure, be the pretty girl who helps the male lead discover his true self.
Lots of good romances start that way.
You're doing it because you're Saku Chitose.
And you're Yuzuki Nanase.
Great. Guess I was right.
I don't like people who insist on reading between the lines.
Lots of good romances start with a pretty boy making the worst first impression.
It's too bad you picked Yuko after Ucchi to go talk to Yamazaki, and not me.
I was hoping to get an IOU from you.
I make it a point not to turn down requests from pretty girls, IOU or not.
Guess I'll ask you for a special favor soon, then.
Something like...
Please be my boyfriend?
Surprise attacks... my one weakness.
Never mind.
I got too into the role-playing earlier.
So are your hooks in the front or the back?
I have to know, or I don't think I'll get any sleep tonight.
The back.
And it's blue—as blue as the April sky.
Now I'm definitely not getting any sleep tonight.
Good night, Chitose.
Good night, Nanase.
These three weeks went by in a flash, huh?
You put in the work,
and you've slimmed down nicely.
Heck, I think I've even toned up a little.
Tomorrow's the day you go to battle, huh?
Honestly, I don't even feel like sticking it to them anymore.
I just want them to think I've changed.
Don't worry. You've definitely changed.
Okay, let's hit the field.
Saku!
Kentacchi!
- Hey! They looked my way! - Hey, Chitose.
What say we bet on a game?
You're on. The loser has to do an embarrassing dare.
Bring it.
Are you sure, King?
Quit panicking, man. It's just a game.
I'll send lots of passes your way, so be ready.
Nope! No way!
I'm not even good with my hands, let alone my feet!
You don't have to take part in the dare.
Just chill and try to have fun.
I really can't do this.
Kenta! Go wait by the goal! We'll let you have the best part!
Okay, Kenta.
Finish it!
Whoa!
Swing and a miss! Seriously?!
Way too embarrassing!
No worries, Kentacchi!
Hang in there!
Love that powerful swing.
Would've been a monster home run if you'd connected.
I told you I couldn't do this.
He could just see this as a bit of fun,
but I guess he takes everything seriously.
We enjoyed a good game of soccer after that, passing to everyone, including Kenta.
What's so good about winning by excluding the unathletic types?
Games are the most fun when you get everyone involved.
How long are you gonna keep wasting time on that guy?
Don't be like that. Kenta's got a lot going for him.
Like hell he does.
Score!
TEAM CHITOSE - TEAM UEMURA
Get your head in the game, you guys!
Saku! Show us who's boss!
Make a comeback, and I'll treat you to Hachiban's!
You can do it, Yamazaki-kun!
As you wish, ladies. Kenta!
Let's finish this with a flurry!
O-Okay!
Good enough!
Kenta!
Wanna go for real to finish?
Finally!
Nice!
You'd better score.
This is the best part.
Heck yeah!
Way to go, Saku!
- That's our boy. - You did great, Yamazaki-kun!
We lost, so let's do this right.
Monkey, gorilla, chimpanzee!
- Monkey, gorilla, chimpanzee! - Hey! Squat lower!
- Monkey, gorilla, chimpanzee! - Keep going!
Monkey, gorilla, chimpanzee!
PE was such a riot today.
The fact that I even paint a pretty picture doing bunny hops terrifies me.
Says the guy who got destroyed all the way up to the very end.
It was all Kenta's fault.
I'll never forget Kentacchi's shots.
Miss after miss, and he still kept trying.
Can you believe how competitive that guy is?
Hey, Kentacchi.
You're late. We're going to Hachiban's.
You're seriously gonna act like that was nothing?
What do you mean?
I heard you talking shit and laughing at me!
Listen, I would've teased you the same way to your face.
Uemura-kun was right.
I was just a clown acting as your foil.
Kentacchi, you've got the wrong idea.
Yeah, I guess our deal ends tomorrow, anyway.
What did Atomu say to you?
To us, PE is nothing but suffering.
But you dragged me in anyway,
only to hog the spotlight for yourself in the end.
You have no idea how pathetic it makes us feel!
Everything you people do makes a mockery out of us!
Uh... sorry about that.
Seriously?!
You spent all this time with Saku, and you really think he's like that?
You really think he'd laugh at your failures behind your back?!
Stop.
If I made Kenta feel that way,
then I crossed the line between banter and bullying.
I'm really sorry.
Kenta!
Do your best tomorrow!
I believe in you.
Are you sure this is how you want it to end?
It's fine. We'd agreed that it would be three weeks, tops.
We'll just go our separate ways from tomorrow.
I hope it goes well for Kentacchi.
I know it will.
I mean, you coached him day and night for three weeks.
Hey, you helped a lot, too.
Right, I just "helped."
I wouldn't have gotten involved if you hadn't,
and I didn't really think Kentacchi could change.
That's the difference between you and me.
That's what it takes to be a hero.
I'm no hero.
You're just putting me on a pedestal.
Well, I don't believe that people who claim they're heroes are actually heroes.
The truly good people are the ones who are never really sure they're good enough.
Not sure I believe you, given your taste in men.
Hey, that's mean!
I've had lots of eyes on me ever since I was little,
so I know I have a good eye.
I'll try to trust it as much as I can, then.
Good.
Because it'll probably never change.
Translation: Sriram Gurunathan
Subtitle Editing: Geoff Mazzolini Subtitle Timing: Krzysztof Kunc
Quality Check: Riley Dalton Translation Check: Rei Miyasaka
NEXT TIME THE MARBLE MOON IN THE RAMUNE BOTTLE
"The Marble Moon in the Ramune Bottle."