Meikoh Cup, Girls' Novice B (Japanese: 名港杯 ノービスB女子FS編 Meikou-hai Noobisu B Joshi FS-hen) is the sixth chapter of the Medalist manga.
Characters[]
Story[]
A flashback shows Inori asking Tsukasa what inspired him to start skating, which he answers was the gold medal performance of Jun Yodaka at the Olympics.
The women's Novice competition is coming up next. Inori and Ryoka join the audience, with Ryoka still physically clinging to her on her lap. Rioh also arrives, explaining that he's here to watch Hikaru perform. Recalling their first encounter, Inori is shaken by Rioh's presence, but he doesn't even remember her. Meanwhile, Tsukasa spots Coach Shinichiro Sonidori at rinkside. Sonidori, Jun Yodaka's rival and Rioh's father, has Tsukasa completely starstruck.
As Hikaru's turn comes up, Inori is about to cheer for her, only to be completely overshadowed Rioh's deafeningly loud and passionate cheering. Hikaru captivates the audience with a flawless performance consisting of highlights throughout, earning an impressive score of 97.23.
The miracle-like experience compels Inori to go look for Hikaru. However, she instead runs into the man in black from the night of her Badge Test. Startled, she falls off a flight of stairs, but the man, reacting quickly, manages to shield her from the impact. When Tsukasa arrives searching for Inori, he is confronted with the sight of her pouring tea onto the man's face, trying to revive him from the dead.
He tries to stop Inori, but slips and falls on the puddle, knocking himself out as well. When he regains consciousness, Inori is doing the same thing to him. As the man in black dries his hair, Tsukasa and Inori finally recognize him: Jun Yodaka. Jun, in turn, recognizes Tsukasa as the ice dancer failed a lift at the Nationals, but still performed well enough for him to remember.
Jun mentions that Hikaru has already left for her next lesson, revealing himself as Hikaru's coach. Inori asks Yodaka to help deliver a message to Hikaru, thanking her for saying she wanted to compete with her, and asking her to wait a little longer for her to catch up. However, Jun is unimpressed upon learning she's a Prelim, telling her that she'll never catch up to Hikaru.
Hearing this, Tsukasa firmly demands him to take back his words. He argues that as an Olympic medalist, he should be responsible with the weight his words carry and not say things so lightly. Jun remains skeptical, countering that if Tsukasa believes Inori can catch up, he's essentially saying he could win against Jun himself.
Tsukasa only grows more determined. With conviction, he declares that he will lead Inori to victory no matter the opponent, as Jun has no right to dictate their future.