The Promised Day (Japanese: 約束の日 Yakusoku no hi) is the forty-eighth chapter of the Medalist manga.
Characters[]
(cameo)
Story[]
At the Junior All-Japans opening ceremony, Iruka notices that Inori has grown her hair longer. Inori explains that she wants to style it like Iruka's, making her slightly blush, though she then tells Inori to drop the "cute junior" act, reminding her that she must drag down others to reach the Olympics. However, Iruka's friends call out her bluff, pointing out her blush and how obviously happy she is.
A news article announces the women's singles finalists for the JGP series: two skaters from the U.S., one from Korea, one from Italy, along with Inori Yuitsuka and Iruka Okazaki.
Outside of KOSÉ Shin Yokohama Skate Center, Kohei shows Inori an older photo of him, Tsukasa, and Juna in front of the rink. Hitomi introduces the location as their home rink from back in their skating days. Learning this, Inori excitedly examines the location for traces of Tsukasa's presence, and her resolve to win first place is further solidified. Tsukasa spots Hikaru passing by, and is reminded of their encounter a year prior. He finds himself unable to come to terms with himself until he leads Inori to the gold he promised.
Yoh and Koichi are once again in the audience as practice time begins. Koichi remarks that the All-Japans must be easy since Inori has already won internationally, but Mika Yuitsuka, sitting nearby, corrects him, explaining that the All-Japans is actually far more intense.
The announcer introduces the skaters, including Neneko Kurekuma, who also does pairs skating, and Kino Takaihara, who stands out for her height. Mika explains to Koichi that the Junior All-Japans is where skaters determine their career path. If they decide to aim higher, their results in this competition are crucial for becoming designated skaters and advancing to higher-level competitions. She shares that she quit skating before reaching the Junior level and is content with what she left behind, though she admires those who continue to compete in the harsh world of Junior skating.
For the short program, Hikaru draws first in the skating order. Her first jump is a 3A3A + 3T3T: although the Junior SP rules forbid a 3A3A on its own, skaters who can do a 3A3A in a combo can break free of this constraint. This time, Hikaru also achieves a Level 4 Step Sequence, closing the gap Inori had previously exploited. However, she falls on her next 3Lz3Lz near the end of her program.
| Order | Element | Base Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3A3A + 3T3T | 12.20 |
| 2 | ? | ? |
| 3 | ? | ? |
| 4 | 2A2A | 3.30 |
| 5 | StSq4StSq4 | 3.90 |
| 6 | 3Lz3Lz (Fall) | 5.90 |
| 7 | CCoSp?CCoSp? | ? |
When asked about her fall, Hikaru explains that she nearly jumped a single and had to forcibly adjust her axis midair, but mistimed the landing. Jumping a single would've hurt her score more than the fall, but the TV crew are baffled upon hearing that she adjusted her rotation speed mid-air. Hikaru earns a score of 71.10, which while impressive, still falls short of Iruka's 74 at the JGP.
Practice time for Iruka's group arrives. Iruka's jumps stand out for their height, landing weight, and extension. Hikaru acknowledges that she's yet incapable of these qualities due to the necessary muscle and weight requirements. She opts to not watch Iruka's program and stick to Jun's schedule, but is interrupted by Shinichiro Sonidori's arrival. Having recovered from his hospitalization, Shinichiro notes Hikaru's improvement in her Layback Spin, and encourages her to face tomorrow's Free Skate with confidence. Meanwhile, Jun receives a call from Leonid, who blames his composition for Hikaru's fall and asks if he will alter tomorrow's FS program, but Jun deems it unnecessary, stating that if this is where she loses, so be it.
Midway through practice, Iruka unexpectedly suffers an injury that forces her to withdraw from the competition. This comes as a surprise to Tsukasa, knowing how cautious Coach Seiji is regarding injuries. Inori and Dahlia are both shocked, but seeing Dahlia mentally shaken on the ice, Iruka shouts at her to pull herself together as Coach Seiji carries her away. Meanwhile, Inori abruptly leaves the audience. When Tsukasa follows her out, he finds her taking deep breaths, determined to remain composed.
When Inori's turn comes up, Hikaru joins Ako in the audience, learning of Iruka's injury just before Inori's program starts.