Episode 17

"
**It's just a snowman / It's just a snowball fight / It's just the end of the year / It's just New Year's**" is the fifth episode of the second season of the Komi-san wa Komyushou Desu anime series.

## Synopsis

Komi, Tadano, and Najimi get up early to create a snowman outside Komi's house. Later Komi participates in a snowball game with some elementary kids against her high school peers.

## Summary

### It's just a snowman

This short is almost completely silent. Awakening in her room, Komi sees that it snowed outside and then spots Tadano and Najimi down in her yard. After quickly getting dressed, Komi meets with the two outside and finds Najimi trying to wake Tadano up after the latter fell asleep on the spot waiting for Komi. It is shown that Najimi has been up since 3:00 am, too excited to go to sleep because of the snow. Eventually, they visited and woke up Tadano at 5:00 am, leading them to go to Komi’s at 6:00 am. As the trio begin playing in the snow, Tadano makes a small snowman on a wall which Komi finds adorable; seeing this, Najimi suggests they all make a giant snowman together. Once the body is completed, Najimi lists off the items they'll need to finish it. Komi understands, but before she can help fetch them she is left terrified by a realistic hand made of snow that Najimi created. The group eventually finishes the snowman, and Shuuko invites them inside for some warm soup. Komi stays outside, builds her own tiny snowman, and places it by Tadano's. Both Najimi and Tadano then return with some warm soup for Komi and to talk.

### It's just a snowball fight

Now joined by others, Najimi proposes a snowball fight where getting hit by a snowball results in “death”. Two teams are formed, the High school team consisting of Tadano, Najimi, Agari, Yamai, and Yadano vs. the Elementary team consisting of Komi and a group of elementary school kids that live in her neighborhood: Shiota Shouta, Michisato Lola, Saiko Chii, and Oki Itsuya. Although the Elementary kids are fired up, their mood is ruined by Komi, who is too nervous being with new people to do much (as Najimi had intended). The snowball fight begins: Najimi, Yadano, and Yamai do well, but Tadano and Agari prove to be helpless. Oki is the first Elementary student to go down. Shiota, the leader of the group, asks Komi to throw a snowball, but she's so scared to do it in the fear she may hurt someone that she simply plops it in front of her, and Saiko is soon taken out. Michisato is then taken out, and after a dramatic moment between them, Shiota, in a fiery rage, takes out Tadano and Agari. However, immediately after this, Shiota is taken out, and all that's left is Komi. With no other choice, Komi walks over to the other side. Najimi and Yadano are about to pelt her with snowballs, but Yamai sees this and promptly takes them out with friendly fire. Yamai tries to use this to appeal to Komi, only for Komi to unceremoniously drop a snowball onto Yamai. The elementary school kids win, and they all become Komi’s friends, bringing her total to nineteen.

### It's just the end of the year

The Komi family go back to visit Yuiko in her home in preparation for New Year’s, and after they greet her, Ryouko appears and greets them. Putting away her shoes, Shouko spots Akira, who is again acting shy. To loosen her up, Shouko teasingly scares her, resulting in a playful chase around the house between them. With the tension over, they sit in one of the sitting rooms where Akira suggests they play some Hanafuda. Shouko accepts, and Akira weeps with joy. It's decided that they'll play Koi-Koi, but Shouko does not know how to play. Before Akira can teach her, however, Yuiko then appears and decides to play against Akira, wagering her New Year's money; confidently, Akira accepts. However, Akira oversteps her bounds while playing, and she ends up losing 3,400 yen of her New Year's money. While Akira is distraught by her loss, Yuiko asks if Shouko would like to play and wagers if she manages to get a single point against her, she'll void Akira's loss. In the end, Shouko - through sheer guessing and tangential knowledge of the game - manages to beat her grandmother in the game, which elates Akira.

### It's just New Year's

On New Year’s Day, Shouko and Akira - dressed in kimonos - go with Yuiko to the temple to pay homage, leaving Shuuko behind. Yuiko asks if Komi's wish last year came true, and she confirms it. Pleased to hear that, Yuiko asks that Komi gives thanks for that. Once they're finished, they visit the Head Priest, who needs help filling in a vacant Shrine Maiden position. Yuiko volunteers Shouko for the job, and after being dressed in the Shrine Maiden outfit, she's introduced to the other Shrine Maiden, who happens to be Inaka. Inaka doesn’t realize at first that it is Komi, and upon figuring it out, is mortified that her secret has come out. Flustered that she'd be ostracized as a country bumpkin because of Komi, she decides to plays it cool by claiming she's someone else, but Komi - being hardly acquainted with Inaka - barely recognizes her and is too anxious to ask if she does know her. Inaka hopes to not have to speak to Komi and that Komi will figure out the stall quickly, but this soon proves to not be the case when she sees Komi unable to communicate with a customer. At the expense of her secret, Inaka decides to help her out by offering her a pad of paper to write down on, and it works. Afterward, Komi thanks Inaka for her help - revealing she does know her in the process - and wishes her a happy new year which she mutually agrees.

## Characters

*In order of appearance. Bold denotes debuting characters.*

* Komi Shouko
* Tadano Hitohito
* Najimi Osana
* Komi Shuuko
* Agari Himiko
* Yadano Makeru
* Ren Yamai
* Shota Shiota
* **Laura Michisato**
* **Chii Saiko**
* **Itsuya Oki**
* Shousuke Komi
* Komi Masayoshi
* Komi Yuiko
* Komi Ryouko
* Komi Akira
* Komi Sadayoshi (Mentioned)
* Inaka Nokoko

## Adaptation Notes

**This episode adapts the following material:**

* Manga Volume 7
	+ Communication 89: Snowmen
	+ Communication 90: Snowball Fight
	+ Communication 91: Year's End
	+ Communication 92: New Year's Day
	+ Communication 93: Shrine Maiden
	+ Communication 99.5: Bonus (second page)