Episode 21

"
**It's just the second day of the school trip.**" is the ninth episode of the second season of the Komi-san wa Komyushou Desu anime series.

## Synopsis

On the second day of the trip, Komi enjoys her time with Sasaki and Kato, both of who have aspirations of becoming a yo-yo champion and Shoji master.

## Summary

On the second day of the field trip, the teacher allows the students to do whatever they please for the second day, as long as they stay in their groups. Komi is approached by her group members Katou and Sasaki to go explore, and they head off awkwardly. Before things can get worse, Katou reveals that, per the pact she made with Sasaki the previous day, she created an itinerary for the three of them that they were too nervous to come up with as a group. Eager to do anything to break the tension, Sasaki and Komi agree, only to discover that Katou’s plan is to leave Kyoto all together and travel the whole Kansai region as quickly as possible.

Their first stop is Universal Studios Japan (called Utopia Street Japan), where Katou has secured VIP passes for them, and they enjoy various snacks and go on the Spider-Man and Jaws rides. During the train ride, Katou describes how her passion is shogi, and is learning from her champion grandfather to be a champion herself; when asked the same question, Sasaki avoids it by saying she lounges around, and Komi says the same thing (except she actually means it). Eventually, Kato claims their next destination is getting takoyaki, despite it still being morning. Katou devours hers as quickly as possible while they are still piping hot, and then has the group take a train to the Todaji Temple, where they feed the deer, with Komi getting particularly attached to one. As they barely make their train back to Kyoto, Sasaki muses how she is tired and offhandedly asks Katou why she planned so much. This accidentally offends Katou, who retorts that Sasaki’s decision to not walk around with the takoyaki made them late. With the tension building up, Komi breaks it up by showing them pictures of their day, and says over text that she had fun. This works, and Sasaki and Katou reconcile while saying they had fun too. Back in Kyoto, Katou reveals that she intended to visit Futomaki Movie Land (Toei Kyoto Studio Park), but believes they should cancel it as it's getting late in the day and it'll close soon. However, Komi suggests they can still go if they run, and they do so.

At Futomaki Movie Land, Komi dresses up like a geisha, attracting an audience of people including Sasaki and Katou, the latter of whom cries in relief at managing to get there. Soon, after Sasaki leaves to go to the restroom, an improv ninja troupe appears and, as part of a skit, tries to “capture” Komi (who is terrified) while Katou looks in awe. Sasaki sees this from afar and thinks Komi is actually in danger. Pondering what to do, she sees a nearby Hannya Mask. Meanwhile, as the ninjas approach Komi, a masked and gloved figure appears brandishing a set of yo-yos. It proceeds to do numerous professional tricks, intimidating the ninja actors and causing them to flee the scene, before running away as well. In the aftermath, Komi and Katou sit down to rest when Sasaki approaches them, claiming to have also encountered the yo-yo figure running away. However, she is shown wearing a glove, revealing to Katou that Sasaki, in fact, WAS the yo-yo figure (though Komi remains oblivious).

That evening, the trio return to the hotel and flop on their beds, but despite Sasaki’s desire to sleep, Katou suddenly becomes serious and decides to get Sasaki to confess that she was the yo-yo figure. Laying her cards on the table like in a shogi game, Katou says she has deduced that Sasaki is a champion yo-yo master who keeps her hobby a secret out of embarrassment for how childish yo-yos seem, but Sasaki rebuffs all of Katou’s claims, including the offer to search her bag for the mask, all while Komi thinks they are fighting again. This eventually leads to Katou detailing her dream of becoming a shogi master and how she hates the disparity between male and female players. She also says that any true champion would take their talent with pride. Despite this sentimental appeal, Sasaki rebuffs her again, causing Katou to lose her cool and try to grab Sasaki's bag to prove her point. As both Sasaki and Katou scuffle over Sasaki's bag, Komi writes that she'd like to personally thank the yo-yo figure, even if the scene involving the ninjas was just an act. Dumbfounded at finally realizing it was an act, Sasaki goes to use the bathroom, where she freaks out internally about how embarrassing it was to ruin the act. Looking at her yo-yo, Sasaki has a flashback of a group of boys criticizing her for being a girl playing with a yo-yo. Not wanting to be bound to her past, and finding Katou’s and Komi’s words inspirational, Sasaki decides to embrace her skills by putting on the Hannya mask and showing her yo-yo skills to the girls. The narrator also reveals that Sasaki would become a world champion yo-yo master under the stage name “Y. Y. Hannya”.

Eventually, it is time for lights out, but while
Komi expects to go to sleep, Sasaki and Katou rope her into a girl talk session about their crushes. Sasaki goes first, admitting she doesn’t particularly like anyone but is a burgeoning matchmaker instead. Sasaki then asks Katou if she has a crush, and she sheepishly answers that she is interested in Katai, but insists poorly it isn’t a crush. Lastly, Komi goes despite both Katou and Sasaki assuming who she likes, but Komi happens to not know what a crush is, and has not fully registered what it means to like someone. Katou explains that when you like someone, you feel relaxed around them, your heart races when you see them, and you think about them a lot. Komi ponders this for a few seconds, before flushing red as she realizes she does have someone she loves. Noticing this, Katou and Sasaki quickly try to get her to say who, and to make things easier, ask her to just write his given initial. Although extremely flustered, Komi does so; the initial is “H”, causing Katou and Sasaki to sigh contentedly as they, Komi, and the audience realize that Komi is in love with Tadano Hitohito.

The next day, everyone gets on the train at the last minute, with Nakanaka dropping her sword in the process. On the train ride home, everyone sits with their groups now closer than ever. With her group, Komi falls asleep after not getting much rest either of the two previous nights. Sasaki and Katou watch her and think amongst themselves that compared to the near-superhuman image they built up of Komi, she’s actually a normal and cute person. A few seconds later, Sasaki suddenly flashes a devilish grin, and reveals a plan to get Komi alone with her newfound crush. She and Katou go over to Tadano, claiming she is being attacked by a ninja and that he must save her. Confused, he heads over. Sasaki then plops Katou in Tadano’s seat directly next to Katai to also get them together, much to their dismay. Tadano finds Komi asleep, but before he can head back, Sasaki intimidates him into sitting with Komi. He does so while trying not to look at her while she sleeps, but then Komi slumps over, her head resting on Tadano’s shoulder, stunning him into submission.

A few minutes later, Komi awakens and realizes she slept on his shoulder, leaving her equally embarrassed. As they both calm down, Tadano breaks the ice by asking what all Komi did on the trip. She thus shows him a bunch of pictures that she took all throughout the day. At the end of it, Tadano asks if she had fun, and she says yes. Soon they're joined by Najimi, and while the trio settle in together, Komi decides to ask Tadano what the pictures he took of the guys shirtless was about; Tadano stammers trying to explain as Najimi tries looking at them. Tadano and Najimi eventually go back to their seats, leaving Komi to ponder over sleeping on Tadano’s shoulder and the newfound realization that she loves him. Sasaki and Katou then arrive with the former teasing both of them, and they each are added to the list of friends, bringing Komi’s total to 21.

## Characters

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

* Komi Shouko
* Sasaki Ayami
* Katou Mikuni
* Tadano Hitohito
* Katai Makoto
* Omoharu Nakanaka
* Najimi Osana
* Ren Yamai
* Inaka Nokoko
* Nene Onemine
* Otori Kaede
* Agari Himiko
* Yadano Makeru
* Sonoda Taisei
* Shinobino Mono
* Chiarai Shigeo
* Naruse Shisuto
* Chushaku Kometani
* Kishi Himeko

## Adaptation Notes

**This episode adapts the following material:**

* Manga Volume 8
	+ Communication 108: Free Time
	+ Communication 109: Studio Park
	+ Communication 111: Yo-yo Hannya
	+ Communication 112: The Second Night
	+ Communication 113: The Return Shinkansen
	+ Communication 113.5: Bonus (second page)