Creatures of the Night (Japanese: 夜の生き物 Yoru no Ikimono) is the forty-seventh chapter of the Medalist manga.
Characters[]
Story[]
Hikaru introduces herself at her new school in Tokyo, quickly getting along with her classmates. Seira Shishido, from a different class, storms into the room to greet of Hikaru after hearing rumors of her transfer. She reveals that she has quit figure skating and returned to speed skating, leaving Miihi Kurosawa behind in Okayama.
After school, Reilly Foxx picks her up in her sports car and brings her to a banquet, where they are joined by Jun Yodaka, Shou Takamine, and Leonid Sorokin. Hikaru questions why Reilly agreed to all of Jun's terms, including providing private rink time and keeping him hidden. Reilly explains that it was Jun's talent that led to the age limit change for the Senior class, which allowed her to enter the Olympics at 16, and she sees this as her way of repaying him.
Following the banquet, the group visits a forest, where Hikaru spots an autumn firefly. Noticing Jun watching it, Hikaru catches the firefly and places it in Jun's hand, allowing him a closer look. A brief flashback shows Hikaru asking Jun to take her to the Olympics, to which he replies by asking if she has the resolve to follow the same path he took. Hikaru asks if she should've made her transfer sooner, since Jun frequently transferred as early as his Novice B days. When Jun reminds her that their contract was for her to win gold in every event she participates in, Hikaru wonders if it's okay for her to only do that much, but the word "only" seems to upset Jun, so she apologizes.
Hikaru mentions that she has many rivals, and among them, there is one girl who while unstable, possesses an abnormal obsession for the ice. She acknowledges that as long as this girl is competing, continuing to win gold will become extremely difficult. However, deducing who she's referring to, Jun says that he's already bored of that girl. He states that the coach interested him, but lost the bet they made, calling him a fool being pushed around by a boring kid. Hikaru struggles to accept Jun's description of Inori as "boring," but Jun reminds her that she should be fighting herself rather than someone else. He warns her that her music rehearsal is tomorrow and, per their contract, if she falls there, their contract will end as well.
The next morning, Hikaru visits Starfox FSC for the first time and is warmly welcomed. Ako is particularly excited, feeling like it's a dream come true. Suzaku, being the oldest member, offers to help Hikaru with any trouble, but loses all confidence when she realizes she is taller than him. Hikaru tries to analyze the hierarchical structure of the club but finds it difficult, noticing how exceedingly casual Coach Reilly is.
Starfox's training routine consists of lots of off-ice training, coming as a surprise to Hikaru. A clubmate explains that off-ice training reduces the risk of injuries and fosters a deeper appreciation for ice time. She shares that since joining the club, she has adjusted the way she bends in her laybacks, which has helped alleviate pains.
Coach Reilly playfully dubs Hikaru "Pikarun" and teases her for overtraining at Meikoh in front of her clubmates, suggesting she felt guilty for winning with less practice and comments on the charm of a genius girl's clumsy side. However, Hikaru does not appreciate these remarks. She asserts that she is not ashamed of her mistakes, and that time spent with her clubmates were precious to her even if it slowed her down, and are not to be made fun of. The other skaters begin pressuring their coach into apologizing, and Reilly, being the pushover she is, complies immediately. Nevertheless, Reilly reassures Hikaru that she needn't worry about hurting others in this new environment, encouraging her to let her heart run wild.
Later, during training, Hikaru overhears a conversation revealing that Inori has won her second event in the JGP, and will be advancing to the finals.
At Hikaru's All-Japan Novice, she executes a 4S4S + 2T2T, the same combo that Inori performed last year. She earns gold, marking her 4th consecutive victory in Novice, while Suzu Kamoto once again falls in second. When asked about her next goal in an interview, she states it's to win next month's All-Japan Junior too. There, she will face Iruka Okazaki, who is determined to reclaim the gold Hikaru took from her last year.
At the All-Japan Junior, Inori greets Hikaru, declaring that she's been waiting for her. This only solidifies Hikaru's belief that there's no way a girl like Inori can be boring. She realizes that Jun considers himself a boring person devoid of personality, which is why he perceives Inori, a mirror of himself, as boring. Right now, Hikaru's only desire is to strip this "little Jun Yodaka" of her gold. Thus, she prays for Inori to become a true "creature of the night" who will make her tremble, and responds, "Me too."