Unfortunately for Sengoku, there isn’t a cloud in the sky on Sports Day. Fortunately for Izumi, it’s cool enough that wearing long sleeves isn’t uncomfortable. But he’s still weary: it’s the last sports day of his high school career, and the previous ones were shit because he wasn’t great at sports and didn’t talk to anyone.
Of course, that’s before he met Kyouko and the others, and the fact that he’s rooting for her and she’s rooting for him—even though they’re on different teams and want to beat each other—he’s not only engaged, but actually having fun. Then Remi makes sure to capitalize on how easily flustered Kyouko gets to beat her in hurdles!
After a brief Honoka sighting, we have Izumi joining Remi and Sakura in cheering for Ishikawa. Kyouko disappoints all the boys by showing up in a boy’s cheer suit, but all the girls love her.
Meanwhile Remi’s cheer squad wins the support of most of the boys. While this is all a little gender-binary, I appreciate the fact that neither method is deemed better than the other. I’m sure Remi and Sakura would have looked just as cute in black suits!
As the day wears on, Izumi continues to marvel at how much fun he’s having on sports day, all thanks to Kyouko and his friends. When a teacher picks him to fill in for an absent student in the scavenger hunt, fate pits him against Kyouko, as she has to find the student council president, and he has to find a skinny guy. The end up compromising by dragging Sengoku across the finish line at the same time for a draw.
Finally we have the mock cavalry battle. Sengoku resents being a rider due to his low weight, but once he’s on top of the world he’s loving every minute of it. He’s pitted against fellow rider Izumi, supported by Ishikawa. The two are pretty evenly matched, until Izumi pulls what Remi pulled to beat Kyouko in the hurdles: he tricks him.
By telling him to basically “look over there” at the girl on his shoulder, Sengoku looks away, allowing Izumi to easily snatch his headband and win the battle. And even though it means Kyouko’s team loses, she can’t conceal how proud of and happy for Izumi she is.
Izumi’s only regret on the day is that he never saw Kyouko in a cheerleading skirt, but he actually gets that when he spots her in the hall, having changed for the class picture. Izumi tells her she looked great in the boy’s suit, but she also looks cute here.
The compliment is too much for Kyouko, who calls him a dummy, then smiles and runs off. The bottom line is, Kyouko is versatile: she can be a tough customer, a blushing cutie, and everything in between. It’s definitely the best sports day ever for Izumi.
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