Episode 3

**"The Anti-Monkey Rock"** (猿ましら返しの岩, *Mashira-gaeshi no Iwa*) is the third episode of the *Hang On! Sport Climbing Girls* anime series.

## Characters

* Sayo Yotsuba
* Jun Uehara
* Konomi Kasahara
* Nonoka Sugiura
* Kikuko Goto
* Juzo Goto

## Summary

Sayo informs Konomi that they need to build her body and strength, in order to be able to continue climbing. Nonoka even comments that Konomi is chubby and states she needs to lose more weight and gain muscles for it. They start variety of exercises and training programs, all of which Konomi finds quite hard to do, while also can't stop thinking of how she was called chubby.

At lunch, Konomi sees Jun preparing to eat alone and invites her to eat with her. Jun comments that if Konomi can't keep with the regime, she won't be able to pass the prelims next time too. She realizes she was too harsh and that's the reason she doesn't have friends. As she attempts to leave, Konomi stops her and explains that Jun saw through her and she is right, but she never worked with a team for a common goal and she is enjoying it and will love to eat with her again. Jun wonders if she is sure about it as if she is around lunch with her, she will monitor her calorie intake, which scares Konomi a little.

They finish training earlier and inform Konomi their are going on a trip tomorrow to the Anti-Monkey Rock, a place that even the monkey's can't climb. On the next day, Konomi waits for the rest, but wonders why no one is there yet. She texts June, who informs her she is a hour earlier. Having extra time, she goes around and sees a girl playing on her phone. She recognizes the game by the sounds and the girl realizing Konomi had played the game, asks her for a 1v1 game. Konomi comments she is quite good, but the girl is confident as she never faced someone better than her. She ends up loosing ten times to Konomi and decides to call her Master. Her father then calls her and the girl explains she needs to leave, but is happy that she played with Konomi. Konomi sees a hour had passed and returns to the meeting place, and Jun scolds her for being a hour early, yet still late.

Reaching the river where the Anti-Monkey Rock is, they see Juzo Goto who climbs a cliff. Sayo introduces him and explains that he is bouldering specialist who holds numerous outdoor climbing records and coaches them from time to time. His daughter Kikuko Goto shows up and Konomi recognizes her as the girl from earlier, surprising the girls that she knows Kikuko and that she even calls her master. Konomi explains she met her earlier, but the girls are still surprised she talked with her as Kikuko doesn't talk with them. Looking at the rock, Konomi sees various paths and one that she could climb and Sayo confirms that's the path she needs to attempt to climb. Attempting it, Konomi is surprised by the difference of actual rock and the holds on the climbing wall, she ends up getting scared and is unable to get to far up. Jun then manages to climb a hard route. Kikuko then decides to climb and goes against the hardest route, but climbs it without issues. Konomi is impressed, but Kikuko explains she has been climbing the rock for years, but the eyes and analytics Konomi has are great. She explains her dream is to climb the most difficult problem in Japan, which was first climbing and announced by her father. Kikuko states she doesn't mind Konomi becoming her mother too and asks her to climb rocks and become a free climber like her. The girls decide to continue practice and Konomi promises to think about it.

Konomi attempts one more climb, but again fears the fall. While heading home, the girls tell her that its natural that she was afraid, but to overcome the fear, she needs a stronger body and having one she can trust it and know that she won't fall. Konomi gets motivated and spends the next following days training hard with the rest.