HANEBADO! (はねバド！)

It was frustrating.

It was sometimes painful.

But it was fun.

"I'll become the best in Japan."

"I'll play on the world stage."

That's what I thought.

Hanesaki Ayano Aragaki Nagisa

But...

No matter how I hit it...

No matter where I sent it...

The shuttle never landed on her court.

She was overpowering.

I'm back.

Welcome back, Ayano.

Though really, I guess I'm the one who just got back...

I hear you qualified for the Inter-High.

Uchika-shan...

You and Ayano have had a deep connection...

...through badminton for a long, long time.

Won't you consider coming home?

I wonder if she's gotten good.

While I was gone...

Has she really gotten good?

#10 "The Backhand Grip Is Like This"

They seem kind of... intense.

Dang it...

17-14.

That was close!

Coach Tachibana was an Olympic hopeful, right?

But I wonder why Ayano-chan...

...suddenly wants to play him.

21-17. Game, Coach Tachibana.

Boy, playing you is exhausting...

One more game.

Nope.

I'm getting too old for this.

No fair! You can't just run off!

C'mon, let's play!

How about you?

Let's play. It'll be a dry run for the finals.

It's hard to get real practice against anyone else, you know?

I bet you want to play me, too, Nagisa-chan.

W-Wait a minute...

You don't have to play each other yet!

Riko-chan, you're so uptight!

It's just practice.

I know that.

But...

Hey, everyone, over here!

Let's go!

The boys' prelims are tomorrow.

Hayama, Isehara, this is your final tournament.

Give it your best.

Okay.

Okay.

Give it your best!

Gotta say, getting paired against one of last year's final four...

I'm pretty unlucky!

You never know what'll happen in a match.

Just give him the best you have.

Okay!

Gaku, let's meet in the finals.

That's not possible.

We're in the same bracket. We'd meet in the semis.

I know that!

You've got no sense of humor...

Don't take everything literally! It's just a joke!

S-Still, it's amazing for two girls from our school to be the finalists, huh?

Yeah!

And it means they're both going to nationals!

I just hope it's a good match.

That might be tough.

I mean, we all know that Nagisa-chan...

...doesn't stand a chance against me now, right?

Y-You won't know that until you play...

Nagisa... Um...

I'm gonna stop by the gym teacher's office.

Head on without me.

Aw, no fun.

Excuse me.

Hey.

What is it?

How's your knee feeling?

It's a little tense, but it isn't affecting me on the court.

You're already going to the Inter-High.

You don't need to push yourself.

Are you telling me to forfeit?

You can wait to face Hanesaki on the national stage.

There's no guarantee we'll get matched up.

If you keep winning, you'll face her eventually.

You're both capable of going that far.

Don't get so fixated on every single match.

Think about your future.

Well, give it a few days' thought.

Boy, am I hungry!

Well, see you later!

I've told you before, but he went really far.

He was in the running for the Olympics, right?

His knee was hurting, too.

There was a big international match...

But he was a shoe-in for the Olympics,

so he chose not to participate, for his own health.

Winner Mr. Tachibana Kentaro For winning the 50th All Japan High School Kanagawa Prefecture Men's Badminton Singles Preliminaries, you are hereby presented with this award.

Then another Japanese player came out with a surprise win.

The slot went to that player instead.

That's when he retired.

You mean...

He was so worried about his knee, he let his chance slip away?

Then...

He's been through that same awful thing,

and he's still telling you to be careful.

I think he understands how you feel better than anyone.

Try to understand, that's where his advice is coming from.

What did Coach Tachibana want to talk about?

My knee.

I see.

If you have a choice, I think you shouldn't play.

Besides... Ayano-chan has been acting more and more strangely these days.

I guess I don't really want you two to play each other.

Sorry. I know it's still your choice.

Forget what I said.

I see!

She was really good, then?

Oh, I know that.

Leave it to me.

I'll be in touch soon.

Godnat, Connie.

2018 All Japan High School Athletics Tournament Kanagawa Prefecture Preliminaries Badminton Boys' Singles Venue

Yes!

Gaku-senpai's on fire, huh?

Yeah.

Isehara-kun!

Give it your best!

Gakkun! Fight!

Those girls don't go to our school.

He got some fan letters earlier, too.

For real?!

Gaku-senpai's really handsome, after all.

I guess... Yeah, he's pretty good-looking.

Nice smash!

Get another point on that board!

Venue: Kanagawa Prefectural Gymnasium Isehara Gaku 1st Match 2nd Match

Isehara-kun.

Keep it up. See if you can conserve energy through your second match, too!

Okay.

Gakkun, fight!

Big brother.

Don't get cocky, okay?

Was he... being cocky?

No clue.

Follow in Isehara's footsteps, Hayama.

Sure.

Do your best!

Hey now, where's your usual passion?

I'll check you out in the early game.

If you hit him hard and get him flustered early, you can open things up.