"Hydrangea" is the one hundredth and three chapter in Ahiru no Sora.
Chapter Summary
Momoharu and his teammates at the Principal office
To complete the requirement of their reduced suspension, Yasuhara, Nabe, and Masahiro received instruction from the school’s staff members and teachers that they tidy up the faculty office during the recess period. While cleaning, a well-known school from Yokohama city calls at Kuzuryu High. Nabe answers the phone call, and the school's faculty member requests to have a friendly practice match with the boys’ basketball team. Upon their shared agreement, the principal and Satsuki decided to give Momoharu and his teammates a second chance. After eating their lunch, both Satsuki and the principal returned to Kuzuryu High. Except for Sora, who didn’t attend school due to high fever, all the other members of the hobbyist basketball team gathered at the principal's office at the request of their headteacher.
The principal informs Momoharu and his teammates that their school has received multiple offers from other institutions for a friendly practice match with their basketball team. An astonished and surprised Momoharu looks at his schools’ headteacher. The principal then praises Momoharu and his teammates for the recent change in their attitude, and they all now behave like mature individuals. The principal further comments that he knows about their intentions of restarting the basketball club as a hobbyist group. However, to get their club recognized, they need to have a teacher considering becoming their advisor. What made him decide the punishment of disbanding their club was due to the infamous reputation they once had as a team of troublemakers. Hence, in consultation with Satsuki, both are considering giving their club a second chance.
Nabe without consulting his teammates and the school teachers accepts the offer to have a practice match with Yokohama Taiei High
The principal notifies Yasuhara that his probation officer called the school’s office earlier and requested to let you (Yasuhara) continue playing basketball. The principal then praises Masahiro and Nabe for their efforts in collecting signatures in support of reestablishing the basketball club. Upon hearing, a surprised and delighted Nao thanks Nabe and Masahiro for their well-thought-of efforts. The principal also thanks Momoharu for being a student with a unique sense of responsibility, and Satsuki informed him about the earlier incident. Going to your knees and apologizing in the rain is not something anybody can do. The principal then gives his appreciation to Nao and Kaname for fixing up the burned-up locker room. He also praises Kenji for going out of his way to other institutions to hone and improve his skills. This state of disbandment has made each of them move forward in the right direction. Upon hearing, Kaname politely raises his hand and notifies the principal that there is a certain someone on their team, referring to Chiaki who didn’t contribute towards anything. A confused Chiaki remains quiet and stands still.
The principal disregards Kaname’s opinion and comments; although this might seem unrelated, Sora’s mother passed away on the eve of the game at the Inter-High Preliminaries. Even after this tragedy, the principal is confident that Sora has no regrets, and he keeps moving forward. The principal then gives his unique opinion by referencing that sometimes flowers wilted by the rain move our hearts the most. A confused Yasuhara asks Chiaki as to what their headteacher is saying. Chiaki urges his colleague to remain quiet and listen. The principal notifies Momoharu and his teammates that besides the two of them, all other staff members and teachers oppose the reestablishment of the boys’ basketball team. However, to change the school’s faculty opinion towards them, their feelings for basketball need to be conveyed and recognized. Upon hearing, Nao responds participating in a practice match in front of all their school teachers can convey that message. The principal agrees and comments that would be the fastest way. However, Satsuki cannot be their advisor because that is what the faculty members have decided. Nao responds that they have asked all the teachers at the school, and none of them is interested. The principal replies that’s why the practice game is necessary, and he questions all of them that they have doubts about competing. A determined Kenji responds that their team has experienced enough setbacks, and as long as they win, their team will be fine. The principal smiles at Kenji’s response. Momoharu and his teammates bow down in respect and request their headteacher to allow them to compete in a practice match. The principal notifies Momoharu and others that he will find a decent opponent for them.
Sei Shiraishi the ace of Yokohama Taiei High
A confused Nabe responds earlier today, their school received a phone call, and without their consultation, he agreed to a practice match. All of them are stunned and shocked by Nabe’s response. A furious Momoharu asks which school it is? Nabe replies something like Yokohama Tai-ey. Upon hearing, everyone in the room loses their confidence. Nabe questions why all of a sudden, they’re all panicking and are their opponent any good? During Kuzuryu High’s turmoil, the Inter-High Kanagawa Prefecture Tournament had reached the quarterfinal phase. Kitasumi High faces its daunting adversary Yokohama Taiei High, one of the top-seeded teams in the Kanto region. The match is in its final phase of the third quarter. Sei Shiraishi, the ace of Yokohama Taiei High, effortlessly passes Tarou’s defense and tries to score the layup shot. Konishi, while attempting to stop Shiraishi, gets himself in foul trouble. Shiraishi efficiently scores the layup shot. The referee indicates a defensive foul by Kitasumi High number 14, the basket counts and one free throw attempt. Kitasumi High’s efforts to disrupt their adversary’s offence remained in vain. Shiraishi, without any hesitation, scores the free throw. By the end of the third quarter, Yokohama Taie High expands its lead to 14 points.
A frustrated and tired Kitasumi High return to their teams’ bench. An angry Tarou criticizes his performance. Koga, their teams’ instructor, urges Tarou to calm himself down. The game is not over yet, and their opponent are truly champions of the Kanto Tournament. Koga further comments that he can’t think of any other team that became the top contenders as swiftly as Yokohama Taiei High. The person, their team, needs to be wary about is Sei Shiraishi. Koga then praises Tarou for his efforts and notifies from his perspective their teams’ talent and skills aren’t that far behind their opponent. Koga informs Tarou that the only place where he falls short of Shiraishi is in height. Being frustrated won’t change the outcome, and will he make his average height get the better of him. Tarou agrees with his coach’s opinion and responds that he will try his best. All the members of Kitasumi High form a circle. They chant their team’s name and encourages themselves to win the match. Sakamaki notices their confidence and asks Fuwa did he to finish his warmup routine. Fuwa confirms that he has completed his exercise session. At the start of the fourth quarter, Sakamaki instructs Fuwa to join the match.
Characters
- Nao Nanao
- Momoharu Hanazono
- Kenji Natsume
- Masahiro Saki
- Yasuhara Shinichi
- Chiaki Hanazono
- Kaname Shigeyoshi
- The Principal
- Masayoshi Satsuki
- Sora Kurumatani
- Tarou Kabachi
- Manabu Konishi
- Sei Shiraishi (debut)
- Yozan Kamiki
- Shingo Katori
- Koga
- Sakamaki Yohito
- Hyou Fuwa
