Episode 17: “The Fist of Love! Accept it, a Maiden’s Spirit!”
Summary: Otani’s injury is now healed. Koizumi and Nobu are watching the basketball practice between Maity-sensei and Otani. Otani gets through Maity quite easily this time and gets a shot. Koizumi appears quite impressed with this. Nobu sarcastically asks Koizumi “Weren’t you meant to be cheering for Maity?” Koizumi replies that Maity is wonderful as usual, but Otani tries his best despite being short and deserves some praise. Nobu asks what’s going on now with Koizumi and Otani. Koizumi says they’ve gone back to being a comedy duo. Nobu is not happy about this at all.
The Maity club members then appear asking if the club is now disbanded since they’ve just learned that Maity has a fiancée. This is news to Koizumi and Nobu and they decide to ask Maity about this. Maity confirms it. Nobu then informs Maity that Koizumi and Otani are back to being a comedy duo and asks him to say something to Koizumi. Maity says he’s glad Otani is better now and says that he’s spell hasn’t broken yet. Koizumi still wonders if Otani had been jealous over her crush for Maity then brushes this off and reminds herself that she isn’t going to hold onto any hope about this matter anymore. Otani and Nakao then finishes practice. Otani greets Koizumi with a punch in the head saying that she’s in the way. Koizumi replies by tripping Otani sarcastically saying sorry that her legs are too long. He ends up chasing Koizumi for some revenge. Nobu and Nakao wonder if it’s fine to go back to being a comedy duo.
On the way home, Koizumi tells Otani that she’ll go watch the basketball match and that she’ll bring lemons and wonders if it’s dipped in soy sauce or vinegar. Otani asks her not to bother since it sounds weird and will probably just make them sick if they eat it. Koizumi says she’ll just make them for Maity instead. Otani informs her that Maity won’t be coaching the team anymore since the real coach is back. Otani then tells her to please dip the lemons in honey instead. Nobu and Nakao are walking behind them and overhears everything. Nobu gets annoyed by Otani and Koizumi back to were they started and notes that Otani holds the key to all of this after all.
The next day at school, Nobu tells Koizumi to do her best again. Koizumi says she doesn’t want to hold onto any hope. Nobu asks if Koizumi hasn’t really given up on Otani and if Koizumi will not do anything besides just sit and wait for Otani to confess. Otani then arrives. Nobu whispers to Chiharu that waiting for Otani to take the initiative to confess is like fishing in a swimming pool. Later, Otani tells Koizumi that he’s really excited about the basketball match and that when he goes for it, he really goes for it. He jokingly tells Koizumi not to blame him if she falls for him again. Koizumi thinks to herself that she just can’t give up liking Otani after all and wonders if it’s bad to hold onto a little bit of hope. Later at basketball practice, the group is energetic aiming for the finals. Nakao then appears with the competition draw. Otani suddenly looks terrified after seeing that they will be going up against last years champion as their first opponent. Otani says it’s now impossible for them to win. Later at home, Koizumi makes some banners and headbands to cheer Otani and the team. She thinks that if she just lets things go the way it was before without doing anything, she might later regret it, so it doesn’t matter what Otani thinks of her.
The next day, Koizumi is late in meeting up with Chiharu, Suzuki and Nobu. She looks really tired since she wasn’t able to get some sleep as she stayed up all night doing the cheering stuff and the lemons dipped in honey. Meanwhile, Otani and the team seem depressed because they have to go against the former champions and feel hopeless about it. Koizumi then looks around for Otani to wish him well. Koizumi tells him they came to cheer him on. Otani sadly says they don’t need to cheer since they’d lose anyway. This hopeless attitude earns him a punch from Koizumi. She angrily says if Otani keeps saying they’ll lose they won’t be able to win even if they have a chance. Koizumi says she’s not going to cheer for them anymore and that she’ll call Otani a loser-chibi for the rest of his life and throws her bag at him. Otani wonders what’s up with Koizumi then notices the cheering banner she made for him inside the bag.
Koizumi then goes over to Nobu and the rest and tells them that she’s going home since she’s tired and will not be cheering anymore. Otani then appears wearing his basketball uniform and tells Koizumi that she can’t go home yet until she has cheered him on properly. He says that his now fired up to play after Koizumi gave him that “idiot punch” earlier. Otani then tells Koizumi, “Watch closely. You’ll fall for me again!” Otani performs impressively in the match, going against the much taller guys. Koizumi and the gang cheer him on.
After the match, Otani and Koizumi are sitting on the bench outside. Otani is eating the lemons wondering what they’re dipped in. Koizumi informs him it’s dipped in rice wine since they had no honey at home. Otani thanks her for coming and cheering them on even if they lost the game. Koizumi notes it’s okay and that Otani looked cool and that he made her fall for him again. Otani replies it’s thanks to Koizumi that he played well. Otani then says “I know you said you’ve given up on me but don’t. I guess I’m just no good without you, Koizumi.” Apparently, while he was saying this Koizumi fell asleep beside him since she was so tired.
~ end of episode
My Impression: I was complaining last episode that they left out the “don’t stop liking me” line by Otani on the final scene. It appears they did make up for it during the final scene of this episode with Otani finally gathering up the courage to tell Koizumi he needs her after all. Unfortunately, the tables have turned and Koizumi this time didn’t get to hear the sweet things he said since she fell asleep beside him whil Otani was saying them! ~Lol.
I thought this was a better episode than last time. It had it’s usual nice funny moments. Nobu is also her usual self getting worked up and irritated with what’s happening between Koizumi and Otani and those scenes with Nobu and Nakao are cute. Can’t wait for next episode!
Next episode: It’s Koizumi’s birthday and the rest of the gang prepare something special for her. What could Otani’s present for Koizumi be? ^_^
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