Number 14, Inori Yuitsuka, from Lux Higashiyama FSC.
Then I've got this.
Yeah, you do!
Right!
Inori improves with every competition she takes part in.
She's always carving her own path forward.
I've seen it again... and again... and again.
But today, she's on the path I laid out for her.
I've got a secret weapon.
With it, I can face the other Novice A skaters head-on!
ASCENDANCE
For my first jump, a triple loop.
Yes!
My, she's shown dramatic improvement.
Tsukasa must really be pushing her.
Wow.
I knew she'd pull off something impressive.
But she's placed her combination jumps in the first half of her routine.
She's prioritizing stamina over points.
Whoa, she's amazing.
What an amazing performance.
Which club's she with?
- Wow... - She did it again!
It's crazy!
She's making this look easy. I think she might be the best skater here.
She has two more jumps to get through.
Everything's going smoothly so far.
Wait. If she keeps this up...
She'll have a flawless run!
If she keeps going like this, with no mistakes...
She's sure to make the top five.
A single jump?
Did she do that by mistake?
Come on. I built your program with one goal in mind.
And that's helping you become a gold medalist.
I believe in you. Use your secret weapon...
Play your ace...
We're betting everything on this jump.
Keep our promise...
Keep that promise...
I know you'll keep it...
- No matter what happens! - No matter what happens!
For a combination jump,
you're usually forced to launch your second jump from your right leg.
But if you transition with a Euler,
you can instead launch off your left leg...
for a Salchow.
Land it.
Land it!
From a double axel...
- To a Euler! - To a Triple Salchow?
Plus she did it in the second half!
And she hasn't made a single mistake!
To think that they put that combination jump
into the very end of her program...
And on top of that, her very last jump was a triple...
That's an incredibly risky move.
Rather than play it safe,
she put all her faith in herself.
I see it now... How Tsukasa got so entranced by this sport.
It's more than art and it's not just beautiful.
It's not all about winning or losing even.
This feels like a sport that makes miracles possible.
This is it. My first kiss and cry.
Okay, Coach Hitomi, go ahead.
Huh?
You're the one who got her here, so sit. Support your pupil!
My neck...
Interesting, so that young guy is her coach?
I wonder if he's new. But he's certainly got a good student there.
Wow, so nostalgic.
It's nostalgic?
What do you mean? This has to be your first time here, right?
Oh, it is...
but when I was really little,
I used to have dreams where I was sitting here all the time.
I didn't know much back then, but I could tell this place is for proper ice skaters.
So, yeah, when I woke from those dreams, I would always make the same wish.
"Please, let these dreams stop.
'Cause it hurts that they're not real."
Well, you don't need that wish anymore.
From now on, you're gonna find yourself sitting here a lot.
All those memories of waking up sad will fade away.
Yeah!
Inori Yuitsuka's score: 81.20.
She's currently ranked in first place.
NO. 14 INORI YUITSUKA
I knew I wouldn't make the top five,
but I wanted to compete just once without falling.
- Hina! - Huh?
I talked to Dad and he said we're gonna eat out today.
Cool...
Hey, did you hear? Inori Yuitsuka, the girl who won...
She started skating last year!
What? No way!
Not only did I not win,
I didn't even make it to the top five...
I really thought I'd reach the All-Japans.
Like, okay, I get it...
No one's ever gonna call me a prodigy.
But it'd be nice if people from school could just see how hard I tried.
I wanna prove that I can do this.
Yeah, I know.
8TH MOMOGA TAKEDA
The heck are you acting all gloomy for? Don't be sore losers. That'd be lame!
Shut up!
Could you stop choking her?
I'm outta here, Yuna. But I'll see you at training camp, 'kay?
Are you gonna go home wearing your medal?
Sure am. Can't help it, I'm so happy!
Bye-bye!
2ND YUNA YAGI - MEIKOH WIND FSC
Of course you're happy. Why wouldn't you be?
You're a medalist.
Huh?
13TH YOTSUHA USHIKAWA
Hey! Are you good, Yotsuha?
What's got you so upset right now?
To be honest, I just feel, like, so done with this, you know?
Huh?
When Hikaru kinda took over,
and everyone started to quit, I thought about doing the same.
But you, you never stopped trying your best to improve.
And I loved watching you land harder and harder jumps. It was magical.
So I stuck with it...
because I... because...
I wanted to see... I was so excited to see you get gold!
Yotsuha...
It's okay.
I'm never gonna let myself give up, no matter what...
So, don't worry, okay?
I'm good at playing catch up.
You know you're not alone, right?
Yes, Coach.
Putting a triple Lutz with a triple loop was quite the daredevil move.
I'll build a program around that combination.
One that showcases the full range of your abilities.
We'll head to the All-Japans with heads held high
and we'll aim to win the championship.
Right!
A gold medal...
Yeah.
This is a dream come true, right?
I guess.
Huh?
I mean... It's definitely what we dreamed of, right?
Just gotta check the "came true" part.
So, let's pinch ourselves.
Oh, uh, yeah.
So, I guess it's safe to celebrate then?
Uh, of course, yeah!
Let's go live it up! We'll party with plus five GOE points and--
- Inori! - Uh...
Not again...
Hey, Mom!
Sis, you came to watch too?
Yeah, and I'm so glad I did.
I made it just in time to watch your amazing performance.
You liked it?
Course! I couldn't believe that triple Salchow.
You got so good!
Yeah.
I'm glad you got into this. We're so proud.
Thank you, sis...
We're so grateful for everything you've done. Thanks for all your hard work.
Uh, sure...
I hope you know how happy this made our daughter.
I mean, wow! She got a gold medal.
I mean, I didn't do that much...
It's not over yet.
Huh?
I won today, but I'm not stopping.
The All-Japans are next!
And when she makes it to the Senior Level, she'll compete in the Olympics.
Are you serious?
Mmm.
I've got no doubt you can do it, Inori.
After all...
you've dreamed of this your whole life! And you've never wavered once.
I think a figure skater is what you were meant to be.
Mmm!
Take care, and be sure to rest up.
I will. Thanks again for everything, coach.
Oh...
Now that I'm out of fight-or-flight mode, I'm hungry...
You're Coach Tsukasa, aren't you?
Oh... Huh?
Let's hang out. A few of us coaches are planning to go out
and have a little celebration dinner.
I'm sure they'd all like to meet you.
Uh... Meet me?
Don't act too humble or it'll come off as fake to some folks.
You did coach the gold medalist, yeah?
Oh, I suppose I did.
Crazy. Guess I should be polite and say hi at least.
Big mistake. What am I doing here...
Oh, and don't worry about paying.
Atsu always treats us after big events.
That's nice of him.
Actually, I dropped my wallet somewhere.
Again, huh?
Gee, you'd better freeze your credit cards.
Hmm...
Uh-oh, I lost my phone too, so I can't do squat.
Then go back to the rink and look.
I will once I've eaten.
Go now. We'll be here.
What a world we live in...
Whatever.
Guess I should make introductions.
We'll start with me, Rintaro. I'm with Meijo Crown.
This is Atsushi Wani, an assistant coach at Aisei Ride.
3 MANAKA ATSUSHI WANI
- And... - We already met earlier.
Right, you were Rinna's coach...
2 YUNA - 5 RINNA SHOYA KIJITA
The name's Shoya Kijita and I'm with Meikoh Wind.
Oh, I see. Got it...
So, each of us coached a skater who made it to All-Japans, is that right?
Yeah, that's why I said it's a celebration dinner.
Though, I guess you could also call it a strategy meeting...
A strategy meeting?
He's back on his soapbox...
Still don't see what we stand to gain from talking.
Shut up, you two.
A real coach is constantly learning.
Four years?
Except for Hikaru.
That's right. For the past four years, the top ten seats at the All-Japans
have gone to skaters from Kansai and Tokyo.
'Cause everyone from those regions can land super tough triples...
Stop stuffing your face and go find your wallet.
He's right. To stand out at that level,
you need a triple Lutz at least.
With that in mind, I wanna talk about how we in the Chubu Block
can make it onto the podium.
Understood.
- Which brings me to Coach Tsukasa. - Oh, yeah?
I hear that you helped Inori Yuitsuka get this good in only a year.
We're gonna need you to spill all your secrets about how you pulled that off.
Huh?
What, is that a problem?
Were you hoping you could follow us here and then stuff your face,
then stick us with the bill and be on your way
- without doing anything for us? - I only came because you invited me.
Oh, it's my assistant.
- Mmm. - Oh...
Huh?
No way...
Why's he sitting beside me?
- Coach Akeuraji. - Yeah, what's up?
Since you appear somewhat perplexed, I'll explain.
The reason I tend eat my salad first is to avoid spiking my blood sugar.
Well, it's certainly good to hear that you're watching your health, sir.
More importantly, he pulled a fast one on us!
You, talk.
Since when could Yuna pull off a triple Lutz?
She put in the work to learn it.
Oh, did she? I knew that diplomacy was the only kind of answer I was gonna get.
Pretty distasteful, man...
I mean, pressuring a newer coach to give up his secrets.
Don't you have any self-respect?
You were literally just doing the same thing.
She's not the only one who put in work.
Coaching counts for a lot too.
And Coach Shinichiro is insanely good.
He's tuned into all the latest coaching methods,
and he's extremely dedicated to supporting his students,
no matter what they need.
This man is exactly the kind of coach I wish I'd had back when I was competing.
And that's coming from wild child Shoya!
Then it's no surprise that Yuna and Hikaru are so strong.
They've got a great mentor.
Hmm...
Hikaru's kind of a special case though, don't you think?
It does seem like she was born with a special sense for skating.
She's a real handful.
Really?
But she's your star student.
No one else here seems to know
that Jun Yodaka is Hikaru's main coach. Strange...
GRILLED MEAT - DAISOGEN JIRO
Thank you for the food.
I'll be taking a cab home, so I'll say goodbye here.
Understood, sir. We'll be on our way.
So, take care and get home safe.
Coach Akeuraji.
Huh, y-yeah?
I really must thank you again for--
If this is about Rioh,
you've thanked me enough for a lifetime! I promise.
I see.
Then, would you mind walking with me so I can ask you something?
You have a question?
That's right.
It's about the program that you created for Yuitsuka.
It was a moving performance.
But I was surprised that you set such lofty goals
for a skater who was at the beginner level just a year ago.
So, why did you choose to take that risk?
I wanted to build momentum so people would start believing in her.
If you asked her to clear a bar that high
without knowing she could do it, that would be reckless.
And I'd have to revise my evaluation of you.
Agreed... It was a gamble.
But I knew that she could do it.
Is that so?
I found something while looking over Inori's practice records.
Since she got it down, she hasn't missed a triple Salchow once.
Regardless of the jumps around it, her physical condition,
or where it is in the program, she lands it every time.
There's no mistake.
This is Inori's secret weapon.
With a success rate like this, she could even
include combinations in the back half of her program.
And if she pulls all of them off, then...
So, you were aiming for a gold medal from the start then?
I was.
Inori has to have that gold medal to serve as her passport.
With it, she can breach the walls around what seems possible.
This was the only way to challenge Hikaru Kamisaki.
And...
Mm-hmm?
Nothing...
And to challenge Jun Yodaka.
I think this confirms it. You know about Jun, don't you?
Ah...
I'm in your debt. Thank you for not mentioning it earlier.
Wait a sec...
I know that even if you haven't been coaching her directly,
you're supporting her.
Supervising students at practice is just half of it.
You've attended all of Hikaru Kamisaki's competitions and guided her through them.
You're a good coach.
I wouldn't say anything that could make people get the wrong idea about you.
Tell me, Coach Akeuraji, do you have some time to spare right now?
Huh?