Kimagure Orange Road episode 23

Kyousuke and Madoka's Big Fight! The Three-Legged Race of Love

Aired:
Sep 7, 1987
Synopsis by:
George Robbert
Kyousuke and Hikaru are out shopping. She comes out in some new running clothes and jumps all over him. Yuusaku sees this and is quite upset. The two have to run off to avoid him. He looks in the wrong dressing room for them and is beaten up by its occupant.

The school is having a marathon, and each class has to select some runners to participate. No one wants to do so, though. Komatsu and Hatta nominate each other out of spite, but then compromise on Kyousuke. The class votes him as the male runner. When the teacher asks who will be the female runner, everyone looks at Madoka's empty seat.

Kyousuke is at Abcb telling Madoka all of this. She is surprised that it is the two of them in the race. She says she is not going to run. Kyousuke wonders why, since this is a school event. She asks him why he wants her to run with him. He brings up what their classmates will misunderstand if they don't, and that this is for her own good. Madoka doesn't care what the others think of her. Kyousuke then says, in that case, he'll be a winner without her. He then fantasizes about hitting her to make her agree with him, accidentally saying out loud, ``I'll never forgive you.'' When she asks what he's not going to forgive, he quickly excuses himself. Outside he mutters to himself about her obstinacy.

The next day at school Kyousuke meets with Komatsu and Hatta who are going to show him their secret method of winning without hard training. They show him the route of the marathon. At a certain point, they sneak off to the side, put on trench coats and take a shortcut. They end up at a restaurant eating dessert with Kurumi and Manami. ``What a coincidence. We didn't know about you two, right Hatta?'' Kyousuke is left out on the street wondering where his trainers have gone. Finally he spots them, and isn't too pleased.

Kyousuke is training some to get into shape. He thinks about using his powers to enable him to win, showing Madoka. Since he can't teleport in public, he checks out a public restroom as a place to teleport from. As he is doing so, Hikaru comes out. She asks what he's doing there. He tells her that he's checking to make sure it's clean, and that he was practicing for the marathon. She's surprised that he's training. Nobody does that. He tells her that he's doing it for a particular person. Of course, she interprets that as being her, and is overjoyed that he is, jumping all over him and saying, ``I love you!''

Hikaru is over at Madoka's house and surprises her by saying that Kyousuke is training for the marathon. He seems to be taking it really seriously. Hikaru is overjoyed that he is. This makes Madoka think. She's so deep in thought that Hikaru has to point out that the record they were listening to has finished.

The next morning at the shoe lockers, Madoka and Kyousuke meet again. Madoka comments on how hard Kyousuke is training, but he fires back that he's not obstinate like she. She replies in kind so he sticks his tongue out at her.

Later, Kyousuke is practicing for the marathon. Hikaru is riding with him on her bicycle, and cheering him on. Kyousuke is obviously beat from the running. Yuusaku comes up and tells her that he too has been chosen to be his class's anchor for the marathon. He remembers her telling him that Kyousuke is running ``for a particular person.'' So he tells her that he is also training for someone special, her. She deliberately doesn't understand who he's talking about and tells him to ``go away. You're disturbing us.''

At home, Manami is applying some medicine to Kyousuke's back. She tells him not to try so hard now, ``you won't be able to run on that day if you do.'' When he asks them why they aren't practicing for the race, Kurumi replies that they have ``power'' and don't have to. She demonstrates by sending Jingoro for a wild ride on a roller-skate. Kyousuke brings up that her use of power was why they had to move last time. Just then their dad walks in, ``Are you using your powers at school? You shouldn't!'' ``We know dad.'' But Kyousuke thinks that this time he may have to rely on it.

Kyousuke is out training again with Hikaru. He's nearly beat as they pass Abcb. Hikaru asks if he want's to take a break, but he sees Madoka washing the window and says to keep going. Madoka sees him stagger past, comes out and feels sorry for the poor guy.

Kyousuke is lying on a park bench trying to recover from this training session. He's thinking of the places where he could teleport during the race to save himself. Madoka walks up, sees him and apologizes for being so obstinate. He's so tired that he doesn't hear what she says. He finally notices that she's there and says, ``thank you for the soda Hikaru.'' Then he realizes that it's Madoka. She apologizes for disturbing him and turns to leave. He grabs her hand and asks her to wait, but she just throws him in the fountain. When Hikaru returns with the soda for him, she finds him there and asks if he's taking a bath.

Kyousuke is sitting in a bath and thinking that the situation is just getting worse between him and Madoka. He wants to get out of it, and can't use his power to do that. He ends up teleporting, nude, into a car where Ushiko and Umao are having a tender evening. This embarrasses all three, Kyousuke jumps out and the car races off. Then, to top it all, it starts to rain on the naked Kyousuke. The next day in class, Kyousuke is missing during role-call. Komatsu says that he's home with a cold. Madoka thinks back to the fountain, and muses, ``I wonder if it was because I did that?''

In the school-yard, Hikaru tells Madoka that Kyousuke was working so hard. ``He was so serious about running. He said he was running for a particular person.'' Hikaru is overjoyed just thinking about this again, and tells Madoka that she's going to go see him after school. With Hikaru's words, ``for a particular person'' going through her head, Madoka walks off.

At home, Kyousuke is lying in bed, lamenting his cold. He's wondering if he should try to run tomorrow, maybe he'll be a loser, but then, if he doesn't go, Madoka will look down on him. The doorbell rings, and Kyousuke opens the front door using his power. It's Madoka. Kyousuke is irritated, wondering who it is ``Kurumi?, Manami?'' He's shocked when Madoka opens his bedroom door and asks, ``Can I come in?'' He slams the door on her. She just stands there, sadly, outside his door for a while.

Finally he lets her in, and she sits in a chair by his bed. She feels his forehead, and he tells her, ``I think I'm ok now.'' This brings a smile to her face; she really was worried about him. She apologizes for being so obstinate, and the two look at each other with eyes full of emotion. He hugs her tightly grateful they're not arguing anymore. But wait, he really is hugging his pillow. She asks, ``Are you worried about running alone tomorrow?'' Things finally click in Kyousuke's mind. ``I think I'm going to be ok. Let's run together.'' Madoka agrees happily. That's what she wanted to hear from him from the beginning.

It is the day of the marathon. It went smoothly for most people. Komatsu and Hatta's little trick with the trenchcoats was discovered. Yuusaku is working too hard, in his own way to impress Hikaru. Kyousuke and Madoka are taking it easy, stopping to rest by a river. They have both realized that the important part of them running the marathon together is not the running. The sun is setting. Hikaru and Yuusaku are at the finish line, waiting for them to show up. Hikaru is lamenting that they're so late, and Yuusaku suggests that they give up and go home. Two figures appear in the distance, and begin running toward them. It's Kyousuke and Madoka, running happily together. Kyousuke narrates, ``I don't know why, but I felt that this was like a three-legged-race, and I could run anywhere with Ayukawa.''