Medalist (メダリスト)

SONIDORI

Oh!

Coach Akeuraji.

Eva F. Rodrigues.

Sorry for bothering you late at night.

I'm afraid Rioh's already gone to bed.

Ah, that's okay.

Thank you.

He'll go bananas tomorrow when he finds out you were here.

Make yourself at home.

You're very kind, Coach Akeuraji.

Kind?

You trust that I have no intention of taking credit for Jun's achievements.

- -

I received a remarkably courteous letter.

He wants me to support Hikaru in her daily life,

while keeping his involvement in her coaching totally confidential.

It's my intention to keep his existence hidden.

To shield Jun and Hikaru.

By "shield," do you mean from the media?

No.

- Well, that too, but… -

You're talking too much, Shinichiro.

Hey, what are you saying and to whom?

BEACON

I first longed to be on the ice when I was in middle school.

I was captivated by what I saw.

Yes.

Now I can dance without falling down.

I feel like I'm able to do a pretty decent imitation of Jun Yodaka.

But who can check if I'm doing it right?

Yes! That was better than last time!

I want someone to tell me…

Do I have talent or not?

If I just knew that, it would give me a reason to chase my dreams like an idiot!

Will I look back on these days with regret when I'm older?

Even though no one wants to see me out there skating on the ice…

Why is he here so late?

It's the dead of night.

It's kind of inconvenient for Coach Sonidori.

I was waiting for you.

How's the jet lag?

This is Coach Akeuraji.

He's the coach who trained Rioh during summer vacation.

His skater won the championship today.

- Right? - Y…

Yeah.

Coach Sonidori's forcing us to interact without knowing the situation.

He smokes.

Even though the Jun Yodaka I've heard of is known for his rigorous self-discipline.

I wonder if he's stopped skating.

I should go home.

Coach Sonidori, thank you so much for today, but it's getting late, so…

- Can we go somewhere else? - Huh?

I've actually booked a slot after this for Jun and I to skate together.

They opened it specially for us even though there's a championship on.

A slot…

You mean at an ice rink?

Yes. If I lend you some skates, do you want to join us?

Skate with Jun Yodaka and Coach Sonidori?

If Coach Sonidori and Jun Yodaka are close enough friends

to skate together at nighttime,

Jun Yodaka probably doesn't want me to come,

but he doesn't want to upset Coach Sonidori by saying so.

WILL YOU GO? A. GO - B. DON'T GO

But Coach Sonidori hasn't realized…

I knew it would be more exciting in the dark,

because it reminds me of skating at exhibitions.

Yeah, maybe.

Where's Coach Akeuraji?

- - Hmm?

- - Coach!

Yes.

Even if the skates for ice dancing and regular skating are different…

I wish the ground would swallow me up.

Sorry, are the skates no good?

I used them up until quite recently.

Ah, no, the shoes aren't bad or anything.

But why did you invite me along?

There's got to be a reason you brought me here, right?

I wanted you to see.

See?

This is…

Jun Yodaka.

It's the first time…

I've seen him skate in real life…

And it's, it's…

I know.

He's even better than when he was still competing.

I wanted you to see Jun in action.

After he retired, Jun couldn't get used to a life that wasn't on the ice.

For people like us, who have devoted our lives to the ice since we were kids,

living in a world unrelated to skating is extremely painful.

It's not just Hikaru, but Jun Yodaka's skating that I want to protect.

The reason Jun was interested in being Hikaru's private coach was also because

it came with the condition of securing a private practice slot.

Someone who tried to live outside the world of ice, but got thrown back in.

The total opposite of me.

Thank you.

I was a huge fan of Jun Yodaka,

so just hearing that story makes me happy.

Ow…

The impact is so much worse when you haven't fallen in a long time.

After trying something out, I get to see the perfect example in 3D.

So Hikaru Kamisaki gets to practice while watching this up close?

Right in front of me is the Jun Yodaka I've always admired but must now defeat.

A genius athlete who is still polishing his skills, even now.

I can't waste a single minute or second.

I have to do everything I can for Miss Inori!

I'll try the takeoff for the Lutz, which can only be done on the ice.

Coach Akeuraji is amazing.

He's getting better and better.

I wonder what's going on inside that head of his.

Shinichiro.

How long did he compete for?

Until he was 24, I think, according to Coach Takamine.

As an athlete, he only competed for two seasons, at age 23 and 24.

After that, he wanted to be cast in an ice show.

Apparently, he only started skating seriously when he was 20.

Twenty…

I think many fans are still hoping to see your performance.

Is your decision to retire final?

Rioh's told me a lot about him.

Yes, I see an incredible talent…

I wouldn't say that.

Hmm?

If you can't prove it in the limited time you're given,

it's the same as having no talent.

- Gimme your phone. -

I just wanna borrow it to take a video.

Where's yours?

It's broken.

Ow…

Oh? Huh?

Can you…

Do a back flip?

Hmm?

A back flip?

Now you.

He'll get an injury, attempting that out of the blue.

I did a jump like that just because I was told to.

You should take this video and start auditioning for ice shows again.

He's right.

A skater who can do a back flip is an asset to any ice show.

With Shinichiro's help, you'll be fine.

You'll definitely land a job.

I don't have that kind of leverage.

I'll ask him to send it to your phone right now.

- No. - Hmm.

Thank you.

But I stepped off that path long ago.

You…

You're aware that you have an extremely rare talent, aren't you?

The way you practiced that jump earlier.

Even though you kept falling at the start,

once you watched me do it, you nailed it in no time.

Even so, you didn't seem that impressed with how quickly you improved.

That suggests you're aware of your own abilities.

That's just…

It's not exactly praise.

The people I competed against, were those who knew the value

of their own abilities and how to use them.

I cannot praise you for giving up your potential at that age.

I remember you, you know.

You're the coach who set reckless goals for his student

last year after the Meikoh Cup.

Reckless…

You must still be able to skate.

Is there really any need to serve the dreams

of a kid who doesn't understand anything?

Jun…

You don't remember, do you?

"I will spend the rest of my life leading this girl to victory!"

That's what I said to you that day.

To you, that kid's big dream might have sounded like nonsense.

But I know how much courage is packed between those words.

Right now, my dream is to put everything into coaching Inori Yuitsuka,

who's aiming to become a gold medalist.

That's how I'm using my potential.