The Ahiru Child (Japanese: あひるの子 Ahiru no Ko) is the thirty-third chapter of the Medalist manga.
Characters[]
Story[]
In a flashback, Kohei, Miku, and Juna sit together outside their soon-to-close home rink. Juna attempts to console Miku by sharing his own life experiences but is promptly shut down by Kohei. Miku thanks them both but calmly states that she's decided to quit skating after next year's block event. Kohei, however, encourages her to continue until the All-Japan Junior.
In the present, Inori watches as Miku performs her program, noting the effortless grace of her movements. Elsewhere, Iruka Okazaki and her friends are also watching a stream of the event. However, things take a turn for the worse when Miku's first jump comes up. Intending to perform a 3Lz3Lz + 3T3T, she only manages a 1Lz1Lz. On her next jump, she fails to recover and falls.
At this point, even Chokaku Kamegaya, who had high expectations for Miku, can no longer bear to watch, believing Hikaru's influence has overwhelmed her. Juna, watching the stream from outside, panics and rushes to enter the venue. Kohei is stunned, left wondering why this has to happen to Miku. Despite additional errors, Miku recovers in the second half and successfully lands a triple combo, striving to maximize her score until the end.
| Order | Element | Base Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||
| 2 | 3F3F + 3T3T (Fall) | 9.50 |
| 3 | ? | ? |
| 4 | ? | ? |
| 5 | ? (Fall) | ? |
| 6 | ? (Fall) | ? |
| 7 | ? | ? |
| 8 | ? | ? |
| 9 | 3F3F + 3T3T + 2Lo2Lo | 11.20 |
| 10 | LSp4LSp4 | 2.70 |
Leaving the ice, Miku remarks that it ended so quickly it felt surreal. As she and Kohei sit at the kiss and cry, her score of 74.67 is announced, eliminating her chances to advance to juniors. It begins to dawn on Miku that once she leaves the kiss and cry, her skating career will come to an end. Recalling all of the things she treasured but no longer needs, she finds herself frozen in place and unable to hold back tears.
A flashback shows a young Miku waiting for her father who is running late. The elderly former coach of Kohei and Juna entrusts Miku to their care. This is when Kohei invites Miku to try skating, remarking that she "looks cool when she's all alone out there." This inspires Miku's love for skating, leading her to win a local event at her rink. Back in the present, Kohei sits back down with Miku and places his hand on hers, telling her that she can sit here as long as she needs.
During practice time for the next group, everyone is in bad shape, and Inori leaves the audience. Kohei reflects that although Miku had extraordinary talents, talents alone aren't enough to make one's dreams come true — something he thought he understood after witnessing Tsukasa's journey, but was brutally reminded of again today.
Miihi Kurosawa, who also performed poorly, arrives and, seeing the kiss and cry occupied, sits on the ground in shame. Before Kohei and Miku could leave however, Juna arrives, having had to make his own ID to force his way in. He reassures Miku that she shines in places beyond the ice, and that a new story is starting where she decides where to go. Kohei, too, thanks her for believing what he said and choosing to skate, but assures her that she's no longer alone and will shine wherever she goes.
Inori recalls the conversation where Miku shared her decision to quit skating, explaining she couldn't bear the effort others exerted for her dreams, prompting her to abandon them. However, having chosen to cherish her dream fully unlike Miku, Inori vows to beat Hikaru.
Elsewhere, Iruka and her friends discuss whether they would change their routines to achieve their goals. Dahlia Karasuba says that she wouldn't, stating adjustments based on the competition indicates insufficient preparation. However, Iruka says that she would, believing that bringing luck to one's side is part of real talent.
Inori arrives rinkside as her turn approaches.