A CLASH OF EGOS

It's smooth sailing for Sakuma and friends after the autumn culture festival, and Ushio is fast reclaiming her popularity at school. Just when it seems like the worst is finally behind them, Ushio's old rival barges in with a challenge: defeat him in a race, or rejoin the boys' track-and-field team. It’s an outlandish request, yet—despite being out of practice and at a severe disadvantage—Ushio accepts. Meanwhile, tension is brewing between two of the school’s biggest troublemakers, with Arisa Nishizono on the brink of a violent blowup after repeated provocations from Itsuku Sera. Eventually, her fury boils over, and she takes matters into her own hands in a way no one saw coming. Sparks fly as the youths' resolve is put to the test... When the dust settles, who will be victorious? Series Overview: Growing up in a dreary suburb, Sakuma has little to brighten his humdrum days aside from his best friend. The bright, talented, and attractive Ushio seems to have everything Sakuma lacks, and his good looks, academics, and athletic prowess make him popular with the girls at school. Past trauma—and an understandable inferiority complex—slowly drive the two apart, and by the time they enter high school, they hardly even speak anymore. Thus, Sakuma finds himself alone. Against all odds, he eventually gains a friend in Natsuki, the sweetest girl in class. The two hit it off gushing about their favorite novels, and he falls head over heels for her. But that very same night, he stumbles upon an unexpected sight while walking through a familiar park: his old friend Ushio, dressed in a full-blown schoolgirl’s uniform and sobbing uncontrollably.