The crowning glory of Yamabiko South High's
Athletic Festival is the Hikonan Race.
It is a long and grueling battle.
Ayumu!
Yes?
Ayumu,
your brother is preparing for this race even as we speak.
In order to...
be victorious!
The enthusiastic support of his family is a necessity!
Then I'm going to cheer him on with all I've got!
That's the spirit.
But to get him over the finish line,
he's going to need something more
than normal cheering.
Therefore,
I'm giving you this.
But that's a...
Episode 5
Red Bean Soup And Eel & A Wedding Dress
So, whether you win or lose,
we ask you all to give us your best.
The representatives will now come forward
and give their team pledge.
We pledge for our team!
We swear to compete
to the best of our abilities
while observing the rules of sportsmanship.
I, Hina Sakai, swear as the representative of the Red Team.
I, Tsumugi Toudou, swear as the representative of the White Team.
Here we go!
The Yamabiko South High's Athletic Festival has officially begun!
Receiving overwhelming support from
the White Team's male participants,
on this side, we have Tsumugi Toudou!
And on this side, beloved by all the girls on her team,
we have Hina Sakai!
After the ceremonial pledge by both teams,
the fuse for this explosive battle has been lit!
The live commentary will be
brought to you by me, Daigo Minamikokubaru.
And now, for our very first event,
we have the bread eating competition!
Get set...
Zoom...
She's fast!
What else did you expect from the girl
who eats more than she talks on the phone;
a person who snacks four times a day? That's Nakatsugawa for you!
And let's see how Koumoto's doing...
The pole has come down because the poles went up...
Koumoto has finally cleared the course!
Now for the girls' 100 meter dash!
The favorite is Hina Sakai!
Oh, she looked at me!
No, she didn't; she was looking at me!
On your marks.
Get set.
She did it! She won!
She's so cool!
The girls really do like her.
Get set...
Oh no...
Huh?
Why?
Mugi...
I guess she's just a little too... curvy.
The junior high mixed-gender ball toss has begun!
Until last year, the red team has always dominated this event.
Who will be victorious this year?
Ayumu!
Go get 'em!
You don't have to wave.
Get set...
Next, we've got the scavenger hunt!
In this game, the players have to follow the instructions
on their cards to win.
What will each player's card demand of them?!
Big Breasts
Big breasts...
Oh yeah, Madoka.
Madoka, could you-
I forgot:
she's got her male phobia.
So, what's next?
The archery club is going to give a demonstration.
The archery club? So that means...
Yeah!
Ibuki is their representative!
And now, we will see
an archery demonstration, performed by the
Archery Club's Ibuki Hinata!
Is that okay?
Sharing the bottle would be like an indirect kiss...
No, no. I can't let my mind wander.
I have to concentrate.
It's your fault!
What's wrong?
Nothing. A shiver just ran down my spine...
Ui, we're over here.
Mom! Dad!
Mom, these two are-
Why don't you sit down first?
Thank you.
You're Kazuma, right?
Yes. I'm Kazuma Hoshino.
I guess you really do look a bit like Hajime.
Hajime is the name of our son.
Ui's clung to him since she's was a little girl.
Mom, you're embarrassing me!
And you're his little brother Ayumu?
Yes.
Well, you better keep a firm grip on your brother,
if you don't want Ui to steal him.
What?
Geez, Mom!!
Where's Ibuki?
She has to change,
so she told us to go ahead and start without her.
And Daigo has to do some things as the announcer.
Okay.
Well then, let's unveil your special athletic festival lunch!
The first tier is something for the eyes:
a colorful assortment of side-dishes.
For the second tier,
we have meat-centric side dishes to fill you up.
The last tier
Amazing
is crammed full of assorted rice balls
with sour plum, salted roe, bonito flakes and salmon!
But wait, there's more!
A completely identical set!
Is this the shopping network or what?
Our lunch is just as good!
Sis!
This is a special Yorozuyo lunch box.
I brought it over for you.
Madoka, we brought your favorite: sweet inari sushi!
There's so many!
I tried to make a lot for the athletic festival.
Isn't this nice?
It sure is.
A Bridge To the Starry Skies
Hoshizora E Kakaru Hashi
Bums, bums, so many bums!
It's a treasure trove of bums!
Nakatsukawa, Koumoto, Sakai, Minamikokubaru
The Mothers' Bum Sumo Battle!
The mothers are giving their best!
Still in!
Her bum is still in!
Now that our mothers' bum sumo
competition has come to a close,
it's the event you've all been waiting for.
It's time to start the Hikonan Race!
Before we start, let's first introduce the key runners.
Her stomach is as big as her dreams...
representing the Backpipe,
we've got Ui Nakatsugawa!
Go get 'em, Ui!
If I win, I want an extra large Jumbo Parfait!
Next, representing the Sakai Liquor Store,
we've got the cool beauty Hina Sakai!
Hina, don't you dare lose!
This is so embarrassing.
Next, representing the Yamagen Plant Shop
as a last-minute entry, we've got Koyori Toudou!
Now one of our most talked-about entries,
representing Yorozuyo,
our transfer student from the big city, Kazuma Hoshino!
Kazuma!
Here's your chance
to show off all the special training you did!
Sis, what are you talking about?
Good luck, big brother!
Rah, rah, Kazuma!
Knock 'em dead, Kazuma!
Yeah!
Ayumu, why are you wearing that?!
Daigo said that cheering you on in this outfit
would really perk up your fighting spirit.
Daigo!
No, you see... I...
Huh?
Good job!
On your mark.
Get set.
And the horses are...
What am I saying? Our runners have started off!
And now, let's connect to our reporter, Kasane Toudou.
Miss Kasane, can you hear me? Miss Kasane?
Yes! My name is Kasane Toudou.
I'm standing at the very first checkpoint,
where runners will be receiving their first assignment.
Participants will be required
to finish off 30 bowls of the
Azuki Palace's famous sweet red-bean soup.
You don't say!
So for their first assignment,
they'll have to eat 30 bowls of sweet red-bean soup!
Now, according to our report,
Nakatsugawa had bet on the competitive eating part
of the race to be ramen and secretly practiced,
but it looks like she was barking up the wrong tree!
Ui...
Mom, do you think Ui's going to be okay?
Of course she is!
This is incredible!
Nakatsugawa has finished the
30 bowls of red-bean soup in an instant!
I'm seeing her do it with my own eyes,
yet I can't even begin to comprehend
where she's putting all this food!
Told ya.
Hello and sorry to keep you waiting!
I'm Kasane Toudou,
reporting now from the second checkpoint!
Here we have a special pool,
filled with eels provided by the downtown
"Unagin" Eel shop.
Our runners won't be
able to move on
until they have caught ten eels.
Unbelievable!
So the next task is eel catching?!
All eels caught will later be enjoyed by the staff.
I don't think I want to eat anything sweet again for a LONG time.
That weeded out a lot of guys.
Oh no, I'm soaking wet!
Eek, an eel just went up my shirt!
Hey Ui! Where are you going?
Why don't you ask this eel?!
Classic Ui...
Our runners are all struggling
to capture their eels at checkpoint two,
but it looks like Toudou has no trouble
with her exquisite technique!
She honed her skills by
catching loaches in the rice paddies and
eating them raw as a snack.
I never did that!!
All right! Now, I've just got to stay in the lead.
At checkpoint three,
our runners will be putting on costumes!
Your costume is determined by the card you draw.
We can't wait to see
what our runners will be coming back dressed as!
It looks like our current lead runner Toudou's costume is...
a wedding dress!
Why did I have to get a costume
that's so hard to run in?
What?
It looks like most of our runners have
reached checkpoint three.
They've changed into various costumes, but...
What's this?! Nakatsugawa! That's a... that's a...
That's so cute.
I want to squeeze it.
She's making weird noises!
If I can make it-
If I can make it to the finish line,
I can keep my promise to Keita.
I can make him better again!
Almost, only a little bit...
I'm almost there...
What's wrong?
Hey! Are you all right?
I'm fine!
Did you hurt your leg?
Oh no, what happened?
You can't run on that.
You should quit.
Never!
Why not?
Because I made a promise to Keita.
Keita?
Oh... is Keita Gengoro's grandson?
I told him that I'd win the Hikonan Race.
If I win, he promised to feel better,
and go into his operation feeling good,
and beat this sickness!
I understand.
Then I'll let you lean on my shoulder until the finish line.
Don't be an idiot!
Do you think I could be victorious, coming in arm and arm with my enemy?!
This is not the time to be saying that.
No!
I'm going to make it to the finish line myself
and then Keita...
Why is she chasing me?!
We've got to do something!
What are you doing?
Just shut up and trust me!
You want to win, don't you?
You want to win for Keita, no matter what, right?!
Just trust me on this one.
And heeeeeeeeere they come!!!!
Who do we have in the lead?
It's my brother!
I can't believe it! Hoshino is running with Toudou in his arms!
And, and, and...
They officially finished!
And now, I'd like to announce
the staff's verdict for the race.
According to our photos,
a part of Toudou's body reached the tape first,
putting her in first place,
with Hoshino in second place.
And as you all know,
it was time once again for the annual Hikonan Race.
I wonder which store won this year?
We've got our reporter Kyouko covering the story.
Kyouko?
I'm here!
Kyouko
Live from Yamabiko City Yamabiko South High
Reporting live for Yahho,
I'm Kyouko.
Right now, I'm a guest at Yamabiko South High.
It's time to interview the winners of the race!
If you could tell us your name and which business you're representing...
Keita, are you watching this?!
I won, just like I promised I would!
Now you've got to feel your best
and kick that sickness in the rear!
I will!
Koumoto's mother won at the Mothers' Bum Sumo.
What would you say lead you to victory?
I think it was the fact that I knew that my biggest ass-versary is myself.
And a word from the runner-up, Mrs. Minamikokubaru.
I think I was simply not ass-ertive enough.
Oh no, it's already time for the preview!
Next time on A Bridge to the Starry Skies: Episode 6
Episode 6
When the Bucket Drops
Mrs. Nakatsugawa,
thank you for covering my butt.