Medalist (メダリスト)

Why does Kago always give me half-eaten food?

Oh? Huh?

This sucks.

If I wasn't going first, Mom and Tsukasa could have made it in time.

- Tsukasa? - Oh…

Sorry. Are you okay?

Wait. Not that. Here.

Sorry! I'm fine!

But…

Do you need something from Rinna?

No…

I'm Shoya Kijita, the Assistant Coach at Meikoh.

I'm Tsukasa Akeuraji from Lux Higashiyama.

I'm sorry. It looked as though she was crying, so…

Crying? You're such a pain.

- Come on. - Oh.

Okay.

You're skating first, huh?

Good luck.

MY CARDS

A jump! Wow, wow!

Hmm?

I want to go home already.

Huh?

I don't know what I'm supposed to be watching.

Has the competition started?

No.

I think I heard them say they're still practicing.

When is it gonna start?

Let me see. Oh?

WELCOME TO DANCING ON ICE ICE DANCE CHAMPIONSHIP MEIJO CUP

You're curious about Tsukasa, aren't you?

What?

I'll be fine here. You go and watch.

Oh

We made a promise, didn't we?

Once you're better, the three of us are going to watch it together.

I'm looking forward to you teaching me

all of the little rules about figure skating then.

I don't know either. Let me ask somebody.

Hmm.

Oh.

- Excuse me. - Huh?

How do you watch figure skating properly?

What?

I-Is this your first time?

Exactly. I'm happy watching it without knowing the rules,

but I want her to get something out of it too.

Right?

The thing is the rules are really quite complicated,

so explaining them to a child is…

Aren't there any important bits and bobs that a newbie might understand?

How do you get an elementary school girl who knows nothing about figure skating

to understand such complicated rules?

Just leave it. We're bothering him.

Of course we're not!

Are we?

Of course not.

One of the main things to enjoy is the beauty and expression of the performance.

Other than that, it's also great fun to watch a high-stakes gamble unfold.

Like, betting?

Gambling…

For normal people,

the ice isn't exactly lovely and smooth, but more just slippery.

People are usually on the verge of falling.

Nothing feels certain and safe.

And in such an uncertain environment,

Novice A skaters have just three minutes to perform.

They're allowed a maximum of two combination jumps.

Four jumps and three spins.

The challenge is to build a program that combines ten techniques

into a single step sequence.

If they manage to do it without falling, do they win first place?

It's not as easy as that.

Take a look.

Number one, Rinna Sarukawa, from Meikoh Wind FSC.

It's starting!

She's about to jump. Watch carefully.

Oh, that was amazing!

Was that a triple?

It was a triple Lutz.

The Lutz…

Is one type of jump.

There are six types of jumps in total.

In order of the highest score, it goes: Axel, Lutz, flip, loop, Salchow, toe loop.

Jumps with higher scores are generally more difficult,

which makes them easier to mess up.

That's why they usually attempt their most difficult jump first,

when they have maximum stamina and focus.

The standard strategy is to start with a big, high-scoring move.

If they nail that part,

the chance of getting a high score overall goes up dramatically.

Even though the coach has a calm expression,

he's probably cheering silently to himself.

Crying just because you have to skate first? I don't get it.

You're probably the only one who can go first and still pull a solid high score.

She fell?

This is the tricky part of skating.

Just because you land a difficult jump,

it doesn't mean the rest of the performance will go smoothly.

As the performance progresses,

concentration and physical strength decline.

It's natural to make more mistakes.

So close.

Wow.

That jump was so powerful.

That was an incredibly strong performance.

Huh?

I've seen this on TV.

Ah, that area is called the "kiss and cry."

That's where they wait for the scores with their coach.

Since it's not usually set up for small championships,

you could say it's a special place where only top athletes get to sit.

I never miss the triple Salchow in practice.

- It was magnificent. - Huh?

The opening triple Lutz, the very first jump of this championship.

You must have been crushed by nerves, yet you executed it perfectly.

It was very moving.

Thank you.

- Rinna. - Oh?

Firstly, well done on skating before everyone else, princess.

Coach…

You sound like a host from a club.

Don't worry, we have enough flowers for all the princesses.

Sarukawa's score…

70.04.

Well fought.

I know you can make it to the All-Japans.

70.04…

Is that high?

Considering she was the first to skate, I'd say it's high.

It's a score that will put a considerable amount of pressure

on the skaters who follow.

So everyone has to work hard

- to try and beat her score, right? - I've done all my final checks.

Yes.

And when all the performances are finished,

the top five skaters will advance to the next All-Japans.

Will she defend her spot, or will it be snatched away from her?

The game of musical chairs begins.

Number two, Sakina Anaguma, from Takt Toyohashi FSC.

That girl's fighting for one of the five spots too, huh? It's a tough gig.

Yes. However, in this generation,

there's a skater called Hikaru Kamisaki, who is called an overwhelming genius.

Hikaru Kamisaki…

Hikaru Kamisaki isn't competing in this championship.

So today there's a huge opportunity to win top place.

I bet it's on everyone's mind.

Since Hikaru's not here, I've got no excuse not to succeed.

Today, even I have a chance!