Meikoh Cup, Girls' Preliminary (Part 1) (Japanese: 名港杯 初級女子FS編① Meikou-hai Shokyuu Joshi FS-hen 1) is the fourth chapter of the Medalist manga.
Characters[]
Story[]
A flashback shows a young Inori taken by her mother to watch her older sister Mika's skating competition, her beauty leaving leaving a deep impression on Inori and inspiring her to pursue figure skating.
In the present, Inori is woken up by an affectionate and enthusiastic Mika, who has returned from Canada to watch her compete at the Meikoh Cup today. Inori tries on her new skating outfit, which their mother had stayed up all night adjusting. Nozomi is exhausted from staying up all night adjusting Inori's outfit and quarrels with her husband, while Mika assures Inori that she is excited not because she returned to visit, but because she's looking forward to seeing Inori perform.
Arriving at the rink, Inori spots Ryoka Miketa and wonders if they will be able to mend their friendship once the competition is over. Practice time for Inori's group starts, but she struggles, falling repeatedly, even failing a Flying Sit Spin. Concerned, Nozomi calls Tsukasa aside and asks him to lower the difficulty of Inori's program. She argues that what matters is for Inori to have fun, and she doesn't want Inori to feel like she also failed at skating. Inori overhears the exchange, growing frustrated that she's not good enough, and that she cannot change.
Just then, a mother and her young daughter pass by. They comment on Inori's prettiness, and the little girl tells her mother that she wants to be like Inori and learn how to skate. In a moment of clarity, Inori realizes that she, in fact, has already changed. Inori confronts her mother, assuring her that she'll be fine — even if she makes mistakes and cannot win every time, it is her wish to be a medalist and athlete. Internally, she recognizes that it wasn't skating itself that felt special. It was Mika who made it feel that way, and now, it is her turn to do the same.
Before her turn, Inori once again grabs Tsukasa's hoodie strings to calm her nerves. Tsukasa tells her not to be scared of falling and promises that he'll guide her to her goals no matter how she performs today. When her turn starts, Inori falls but quickly recovers and performs the rest of her program flawlessly. In the audience, Nozomi tears up, realizing that she in fact had been the weak one. When she reaches her Flying Sit Spin, she shocks everyone by transitioning into a Broken Leg position, a move she had only tried once during practice.
| Order | Element | Base Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1A1A | 1.10 |
| 2 | 1Lo1Lo | 0.50 |
| 3 | 1Lz1Lz + 1A1A | 1.70 |
| 4 | 1F1F | 0.50 |
| 5 | FSSp2FSSp2 | 2.30 |
Back at rinkside, Tsukasa and Inori exchange bright smiles and a fist bump before Tsukasa bursts into tears. Nozomi joins them along with Mika, asking Inori what kind of medalist she wants to become. Caught off guard, she hesitantly stammers her honest response: an Olympic medalist. Acknowledging her answer, Nozomi embraces Inori, telling her how wonderful she was and acknowledging her hard work. She apologizes for not being there for her while she worked so hard on her own, and promises that from now on, she will do everything she can to support her dreams.
Meanwhile, the judges announce the results: Inori scores 12.64, placing her in first.