The Next Qualification (Japanese: 目指す資格 Mezasu Shikaku) is the thirty-sixth chapter of the Medalist manga.
Characters[]
Story[]
Starfox FSC's Ako Koara scores 110.40 and places third, having executed a successful Triple Axel and delivered a flawless program. Reilly Foxx reports the good news to Kakeru Uobuchi, who also helped Ako with her jumps. Inori, unfortunately, narrowly misses the podium with her score of 109.88, due largely to a downgrade on her Triple Axel.
After the event, Inori sits atop a rock climbing wall in a nearby park. Speaking with Tsukasa, she finds herself surprisingly calm despite failing to fulfill her promises. She finds happiness in others acknowledging her as a genius for landing a quad and not judging her for giving it her all. Inori thanks Tsukasa for believing in her and calling her a "great kid," which brought her heightened expectations from others and leaves her feeling refreshed. However, Tsukasa emphasizes that her worth isn't solely based on external evaluations, and encourages Inori to strive freely toward her goals, whether or not people expect it from her. Their conversation ends with Tsukasa promising an award ceremony for all the "Tsukasa Medals" she earned.
Returning to the hotel with Mika and Nozomi, Inori has a dream that night: She dozes off while catching up on schoolwork alone in the classroom and is called awake by a teacher, who tells her to go home for the day and work on catching up little by little. On her way home, she reads over her figure skating book. She feels that she can dedicate herself entirely to skating, but acknowledges it as meaningless if she can't become a skater. Forcing herself to stop, she discards the book into a trash can, but can't help but retrieve it after someone tosses a spilling soda can on top. She clutches the book tightly and weeps, until Tsukasa arrives and invites her to the skating rink with a bright smile. The environment transforms, and Inori joyfully skates with her coach on a frozen lake, beneath a sky lit by sparkling fireworks. When she wakes up from the dream, Inori cries uncontrollably, confronted by the intensity of her unfulfilled aspiration to reach the top.
Meanwhile, Tsukasa runs through the midnight rain, frustrated for his failure. He is then confronted by Hikaru, who mocks his "no sacrifices" coaching philosophy, blaming it for Inori's loss. She argues that Inori's unique strength comes precisely from her willingness to give everything away for skating, and that Tsukasa's sheltering is only holding her back. However, Tsukasa remains firm in his opposition, expressing his belief that there's nothing noble about sacrifice. He reflects painfully on his past, admitting he's made costly sacrifices himself that ultimately didn't guarantee success. He emphasizes that competition is unpredictable — sacrifices don't always guarantee victory, nor are they always necessary for success.
At this point, Hikaru aggressively presses her hand against Tsukasa's mouth, demanding that he stop yelling in her face. She claims that Tsukasa merely fears criticism for failing to protect a child, and suggests that his dreams remain unfulfilled because he still had sacrifices to offer, but lacked courage to go through with it. Pushed to his limits, Tsukasa asks if he could raise his voice again. When permitted, he yells that his life has been nothing but ups and downs, which he refuses to let anyone belittle. He then asserts that even adults have vulnerabilities and the same sacrifice carries a different weight for each individual, warning her against arrogantly imposing her values on others.
Hikaru concedes that individuals have varying mental strengths, and admits owing Tsukasa gratitude for putting the smile back on Rioh's face. Despite this, she maintains that achieving greatness without sacrifice is unrealistic, and indicates that if Inori loses again in next year's Juniors, she'll no longer doubt Jun Yodaka about anything. Before departing, she asks whether Inori will continue to pursue her as fiercely as before, noting that she did not appear particularly frustrated. However, Tsukasa is confident that her competitive spirits still remain strong. Meanwhile, in her hotel room, Inori tearfully resolves never to lose again and vows fiercely to prove her strength by securing a gold medal.
Thus, Inori's Novice era comes to an end. After a time skip, Inori is now a middle school student and a first-year Junior skater, preparing for her seventh badge test. Tsukasa has left the club to study for Inori's Junior career while she trains under Kohei and Hitomi in the meantime. While she's eating outside however, Tsukasa unexpectedly returns, carrying with his a lost dog he found along the way, which is later returned to its owner. He brings with him exciting news: Inori has been designated a "Junior Skater B" by the Japan Skating Federation.