Summary
The girls go to Tokyo for their idol audition, where Yuka gets nerves upon seeing the competition and falls into a bad emotional state, slipping up during one of their dance moves during the audition and not making it through. Yuka reveals that her idea was for them to pass the audition so they could go to Tokyo and be with Saki, which again triggers Natsumi’s unwillingness to let Saki go, making a quiet wish for summer to never end.
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Impression
Oh man, I felt so bad for Yuka all the way through that audition! From the moment she stepped into the building and developed that “oh shit” face once she realized how tough the competition was, I forgot all thoughts of criticizing her for her overconfidence and kept praying that she would make it through without breaking down. I mean, Yuka’s always been…Yuka, the one who’s always upbeat and cheerful. It’s just not right seeing her look so terrified, and all through the dancing I kept noticing how she had a strained face, more like a forced smile compared to the others. And of course my heart sank when she slipped and fell ;_; Kudos to her for getting back up and continuing, though.
Natsumi’s not giving up on Saki, huh? Good on her! I know she’s always been the most open about not wanting Saki to leave, even if the others are helping in roundabout ways too (if they all became idols as per Yuka’s idea, they’d have to move to Tokyo with Saki). Saki herself doesn’t want to leave, though she’s long accepted the fact that it’s for a better benefit to the people that are in need of healthcare. I still strongly believe in Natsumi x Saki – if one of them confessed, it’d make all the more reason for Saki to stay, though on the other hand it’s also true that it’ll make their farewell very, very emotional.
And in comes the big rock to save the day, albeit it being yet another different rock to the one before. What we have here is a time loop thing, and it seems they’ve woken up on the day of the audition, meaning they’ve gone back in time one day. Definitely the biggest wish the rock has granted thus far, though I have a feeling it’s not permanent like all the other wishes the rock has granted, and instead it’s meant to teach them something. Messing around with time may seem like a deus ex machina thing, but put it this way – at least it’s not Endless Eight.