Inori & Tsukasa have their focus set on the Junior Grand Prix Series. As he mentions, Inori should be seeking to get at least 1 gold and a silver if she doesn’t get two gold. Interestingly, we see Kohei’s point of the two going overboard. As both come to reality, with Tsukasa not thinking of a full plan and Inori being matched up against Iruka at first. Which is a rough first match.
Miho Kanayumi makes her entrance, and she is a medical trainer with a Judo Bonesetting License. Tsukasa going for what Inori needs and is relentless as usual. Though her presence in the club is huge, it has been stated before that Inori isn’t fully listening to Tsukasa. We see that when Miho talks, her full attention is on her, even if Tsukasa is saying the same thing. Of course her being a female is an important deal too. Also, her dynamic with Tsukasa is fun because, unlike Hitomi she is willing to lecture him if he gets too wild.
Inori starts off with a strong performance with a score of 65. However, before the competition, Iruka passed on some interesting advice to Inori, saying, “You can’t win by just having better cards than everyone else.” As Tsukasa mentions, there are restrictions on you. Basically you are restricted in what cards you may play. Optimally your hand might be the best, but not under these restrictions. This is a challenge Inori has to overcome because before she was able to push through with effort and choosing what she was best at. Now she has the restrictions to factor in, which will make things tricky because her optimal play might not be what she is best at.
Inori sees Iruka put out a top-notch performance. Of course, from a technical aspect, she is impressive, but in terms of poise and beauty, she executes flawlessly. It is clear that she loves to dance, and even if Miki isn’t with her anymore, her love on the ice is as high as it has always been. Though it’s interesting that Inori & Iruka problems are quite distant. Inori is overprotected and sheltered, as we know. While it is understandable for someone like that to be wishing they would have more freedom and knowing if someone is holding back the truth. As Iruka points out, there are people out there who don’t have that and would love to have it. Iruka’s parents sound awful, and sadly her friendship with Miki broke off. It’s clear that Inori could never hurt someone, and it’s just another sign for Inori to continue working on her confidence first and not sweat the small stuff.
Towards the end of the volume, we see Riley Fox, who won Olympic gold for the USA at the age of 16, wanting to recruit Inori for her club. As usual, we have the classic Tsukasa wanting to know anything to help Inori. Usually for an athlete, they would do anything if it means that they can improve. As the conversation turns from comedy to more serious, Tsukasa highlights that moving is a major commitment because it is not like ice skating is the only thing that will affect Inori. If those other factors become too great, they can affect her performance. Tsukasa knows his boundaries because moving is something the family needs to be a part of, and it would be rude to seriously talk about that stuff. It’s hard to say if Riley was testing Tsukasa. It is also good that Inori has her own convictions when the question of her changing clubs to improve comes up. It shows she is growing.
At the end of the volume, we see Shinichirou ending up in the hospital. Though it feels cruel for Hikaru to say to his face that she is switching to Riley’s club. Of course this can mostly be Jun’s decision. It is hard to say without much information. Though you wonder how Riou is handling the fact his dad overworked himself and is in the hospital.
The extra chapter at the end highlighted the relationship that Hitomi & Inori have. She doesn’t spend as much time as she does with Tsukasa, but she is an important person for Inori because she has a comfortable aunt vibe that can help when Inori is traveling overseas. More reasons why sticking with the club is best for now since the risk doesn’t offer too much for Inori.