HANEBADO! (はねバド！)

Seventy-two...

Seventy-three...

Seventy-four...

How many times was that?!

Seventy... five?

New record!

Let's go!

Four...

Five...

Six...

Please! One more!

No.

You promised we'd stop after the next time you dropped it.

Aw! Just one more time! Please! C'mon!

It had me just bawling!

Can you even make a bad medical drama?

Go on without me, okay?

Ayano... I heard you quit the badminton club.

No one's good enough.

It's okay.

Mom said I should quit.

There's gonna be a girl called Kaoruko on my new team.

She's really good! I can't wait!

Octo-octo...

Your mom left?

Ayano, you're trying for Kitakomachi, too?

Yeah. I wanna go to school with you, Elena.

You're not gonna play badminton anymore?

I think there's gotta be way more fun stuff out there!

Elena... I'll be waiting outside, okay?

You two are pretty close, huh?

But wow! Did you see that smash Ayano-san made before?

So amazing!

I actually squeed when I saw it!

Oh... really?

When I see stuff like that, I start to think I could fall for a girlー

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Sorry, Noriko.

I'm not joining the tennis club after all.

Ayano, come over here!

Wait, Elena!

Are you...

I really think you should be playing badminton.

#3 She Was Perfect

Morning!

Miyako-sensei said we have to have them in by the end of the week.

But I haven't made up my mind yet—

What's wrong, Noriko?

We'd planned to go to a movie. And he just canceled...

Huh? I thought you were after Saionji-senpai...

Yeah? The text is from him.

That's fast! You're dating already?

I was gonna tell him I liked him today...

I failed to seal the deal.

You two want to go instead?

I've got reserved seats...

No way!

We have club today, remember?

Keep it up, Yu!

Ten seconds left!

Okay!

Ten minute break!

Okay!

I think Aragaki-san's turned over a new leaf.

At that age, the smallest thing can throw you off your game,

but you can rocket back just as quickly.

I remember those days myself.

Thanks to you, Tachibana-kun, we can practice for real again!

Everything's great!

No, there's one other person I'm worried about.

Hey, Hanesaki-san.

Is it true you've been playing badminton since elementary school?

No...

Since kindergarten, then?

I think since I was two or—

Wow, you've got great legs.

They've grown up big and strong!

Now the arms! Wow, big muscles!

Today's schedule: Running: 5 minutes Stretches Dashes Footwork Shadow Drills: 1 minute x 3 hits Basic Shots Practice Matches (free)

Ten minute break!

Oh crud!

Fifteen times.

Ayano-chan!

Here!

Last place treats first place to a drink!

That's a Kitakomachi rule!

44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50...

She sure is great at this!

Like, on a totally different level...

Aw... sixty-one!

If she went for it, she could keep it up forever.

Elena?

I relied on you too much, Masao-kun.

I need to change... That's why we had to break up!

But when I was away from you, that's when I learned...

I like having you rely on me!

Thanks for putting up with me after I called out of nowhere.

Wasn't that a great movie?

I love it when a woman wraps a man around her finger!

A text!

He wants to know if I want to grab dinner...

Saionji-senpai?

Yeah. It's pretty bare-bones. No emojis.

Oh, what to do?

Just go.

I planned to eat at home anyway.

I just knew we'd be great friends, Fujisawa-san!

Manag—Fujisawa?

I was a little worried she might not fit in there without me.

But everyone's been so welcoming,

I thought she could stand on her own.

It's been rough on me, too.

Why did Hanesaki quit badminton?

I heard you were childhood friends, so...

During the junior nationals, she was perfect.

On a totally different level than she's playing on now.

Leave it to me! I'll figure it out.

No, this is more than a manager can handle.

I should be going.

Wait! You'll be spotted!

After stretches, we'll do mini-matches.

Everyone find a partner!

Might I join in, perchance?

And I believe I'll play with... her!

Kaoruko-chan! W-Wait!

What a musty old gym.

Do you want to join the club or something?

Little in the way of training equipment...

Hardly an ideal environment, is it?

Excuse me, but we're practicing.

If you're going to be a nuisance, leave.

Did you call me a nuisance?!

What's come over me?

Who is this cool older man?

Serigaya Kaoruko.

She's a first-year, but she's already been named the ace at Konan High School.

Konan?

They've got a pretty strong team, don't they?

What's she doing here?

Come on. Get ready.

I won't move an inch until you agree to play me.

She's really putting Ayano-chan through her paces.

She's predicting Hanesaki's moves and mixing up her attacks based on that.

She's been proficient in psychological warfare since middle school.

She knows how to set her opponent up.

And on top of that, her technique has only improved.