All-Japan Junior Women's FS (Part 2) (Japanese: 全日本ジュニア女子FS（後編） Zennihon Junia Joshi FS (Kouhen)) is the fifty-second chapter of the Medalist manga.
Characters[]
Story[]
Reaffirming to herself that she is skating for Inori's sake, Hikaru jumps a 3A3A + 3Lo3Lo combo, upgrading the "queen's leap" from a Lutz + Loop to an Axel + Loop. She continues with a Chreo Sequence and two spins before her final pose, where she holds out her hand toward Inori, symbolizing an invitation. Shown a beacon of hope, Inori cries uncontrollably in the audience amidst the thunderous applause. Hikaru scores 156.54 for her free skate, bringing her total to 227.64 and securing a first-place finish.
| Order | Element | Base Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4Lz4Lz | 11.50 |
| 2 | 4T4T + 3T3T + 2T2T | 15.00 |
| 3 | 4S4S | 9.70 |
| 4 | ? | ? |
| 5 | 3A3A | 8.00 |
| 6 | 3Lz3Lz + 3Lo3Lo | 10.80 |
| 7 | ? | ? |
| 8 | 3A3A + 3Lo3Lo | 12.90 |
| 9 | ChSq1ChSq1 | 3.00 |
| 10 | CCoSp4CCoSp4 | 3.50 |
| 11 | LSp4LSp4 | 2.70 |
At evening practice the next day, Leonid Sorokin is quite displeased with Hikaru's choreography, angry at Hikaru and Reilly for leaving him out. Reilly remains cheery as usual and congratulates Hikaru for her win. When she turns to Jun for his thoughts, Hikaru's heart begins to race. After a period of silence, Jun asks Hikaru why he didn't attempt a recovery after her missed combo. Hikaru explains that she avoided it on the 3Lz3Lz due to leg fatigue, and couldn't do it on the 3Lo3Lo as it was set by music and choreography.
Jun instructs Hikaru to prepare for her next music run, before adding one more shocking announcement — that he will no longer be teaching Hikaru starting today. Hikaru immediately protests, arguing that the fact she won gold should be enough to keep their contract, assuming that Jun is unhappy with her changing things on her own. However, Jun clarifies that it's not the case, finding it odd that Hikaru believes he'd get upset over something so minor.
When Hikaru asks for the real reason, Jun reaffirms her resolve to walk the same path as he did. He explains that he let go of his coaches: though he made lots of transfers and tried to take in various ideas, only the techniques and beliefs he developed himself were indispensable for taking his final gold. He tells Hikaru that as long as he continues guiding her as her "coach," she can never walk the same path as he did; she can only do so by struggling and confronting her own talent. With this, Hikaru comes to realize Jun's decision to keep his role hidden was all in preparation for this day.
Despite his words, Jun proceeds to take the ice and skate to Hikaru's program as one last example. Hikaru recalls when she first asked Jun to teach her skate: he picked her up and skated while holding her, making her feel the cold win brushing against her skin. He explained that this sensation was what urges him to go on the ice, and told her that she too will find what urges her. In the present, Hikaru still wonders what that would be, and tears up as he watches Jun, still finding his skating to be the coolest in the world. Afterwards, Jun leaves his skates behind and never returns.
Following the All-Japan Junior, Reilly invites Shinichiro Sonidori to afternoon tea and asks for his thoughts on Hikaru's performance. Shinichiro admits that Hikaru has never resembled Jun more, and expresses concern over toll her jumps will take on her over time. Reilly assures him not to worry, as she's already convinced Hikaru to limit her quads once she stops growing. Shinichiro is surprised, and Reilly explains that their composition at the All-Japans was for her to take on a great challenge and blow off steam, so she can more easily accept peaking. She promises to protect Hikaru, saying she hates seeing children suffer from the idiocy of adults, prompting Shinichiro to bow deeply before her.
At an interview, Hikaru declares her goal to continue earning more gold medals to show that the life she's chosen is the most dazzling.