Episode 7

The seventh episode of the Stars Align (Anime) series. It premiered on November 21, 2019.

## Plot

The practice match between Maki and Toma against Sunaga and Oji continues on the third set with Sunaga and Oji taking a 2-0 lead. Toma tries to use Maki strategy, aiming his shot in the field between Sunaga and Oji. This strategy proves to be effective as Sunaga and Oji crash onto one another, giving points to Maki and Toma. The scene flashbacked to when Maki told Toma that Oji’s pair (Sunaga) is no more than an accessory, which could potentially be abused if he aims his shot properly. The match continues with Maki and Toma pressuring Sunaga and Oji by abusing the pair’s weakness and winning the third and fourth set. With a 2-2 score, the match undergoes a final game which annoyed Oji.

During the final game, both teams managed to maintain an equal standing, making the score on a tight margin of 5-6 with Sunaga-Oji taking the lead. Maki unexpectedly manages to return Oji's powerful serve, equalizing their position and forcing a deuce. Both pairs maintain an equal standing and deuce continues to occur until the score reaches 9-9. Oji finally realized that he needs to work together with Sunaga as a team in order to win the match. After taking the lead (9-10), Oji manages to return Maki’s serve near the net. Toma and Maki rushed toward the net but failed to return the ball, giving victory to the Sunaga–Oji pair. Toma and Maki are satisfied with the result and the rest of the team congratulate them for their performance.

The next day, Itsuki changes clothes with the rest of the team for the first time, showing his burn wound to Maki. As the team are motivated to continue improving their skill, Maki seems to disagree with them, implying that they need a break. Sakurai-sensei arrives at the court and tells them that they should not overdo practice, but instead he arranged a barbeque party for the team.

On Sunday, Sakurai-sensei brings a variety of meat. The boys’ soft tennis members gather at the beach with Maki cooking the meat and noodles for the team. As the team enjoy chatting and eating their food, Arashi Oji catches a glimpse of them while jogging with his dog, Kamuy. He then greets them and Maki invites him to join the party. Arashi accepts and joins the fun with the rest of the team. Meanwhile, Yuu approaches Toma, who was sitting by himself at the side of the table. He tells Yuu that he is bad around people and cannot blend in like the rest of the team.

After the team finishes eating, Sakurai-sensei invites them to do the victory dance. All the boys’ soft tennis members and Arashi participate in it, praying for their success on the national summer soft tennis tournament. At the ending scene, Nao’s classroom teacher tells the principal that she received complaints from Nao’s Mother about the grueling schedule of the boys’ soft tennis club.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Yuta Asuka
* Kanako Mitsue
* Toma Shinjo
* Maki Katsuragi
* Arashi Oji
* Shingo Takenouchi
* Tsubasa Soga
* Itsuki Ameno
* Nao Tsukinose
* Taiyou Ishigami
* Rintaro Futsu
* Kadowaki
* Takayuki Sakurai
* Kamuy

## Quotes

* **Yuuta**: Good Luck, Shinjo.
**Mitsue**: Praying isn't going to change anything.
**Yuuta**: But you know how hard they've practiced. I'd feel so bad if they lost.
**Mitsue**: In this world, those who work hard are rarely rewarded.
* It takes two players to play double – **Maki Katsuragi**
* **Kadowaki**: Our pair’s biggest shortcoming is rearing its ugly head.
**Sakurai**: I think my boys are playing the game hoping that this would happen.
**Kadowaki**: My… My… That would be bad news for our Prince Oji.
* I'm bad at being around people, getting along and having fun. How am I supposed to just slip in there. I just don't know what to do. I... Maybe I'm twisted. – **Toma Shinjo**

## Trivia

* In this episode, the opening song Suisou played during the final game.
* The Okinawan Fried Noodle is Maki’s specialty dish. The dish quickly became Arashi's favorite dish and he always mentions the noodle whenever he meets Maki.
* The “little chocolate” that Maki mentioned in this episode refers to cockroaches. In Maki’s previous apartment there’s a lot of cockroaches and Maki’s mother rewarded him 10 Yen (around $ 0.09 by the time of writing this article) for every one he caught.