Episode 9

**Ichina Saotome Wants to be a Pro Caddy!** (早乙女イチナはプロキャディーを目指してる *Saotome ichina wa purokyadī o mezashi teru*) is the ninth episode of the anime Birdie Wing.

## Plot

Eve's new life begins as she arrives in Japan to find Aoi and keep her promise. The Girls of the Raiou Golf Academy are about to meet a new classmate.

## Summary

A typical Morning in Japan has begun as the venerable Mt. Fuji towers over the surrounding country. In the dormitory of the Raiou Girls' Academy, Ichina Saotome's alarm goes of yet again, The plucky first-year student wakes up with a start as she realizes that she's going to be late for class. Saotome is part of the Academy's golf team, but her dream is to become a top professional caddy.

Despite her efforts, she misses the shuttle bus to their campus. As she stands there, a limo pulls up with Amane and Aoi in the car. Saotome is surprised by them stopping, and takes the opportunity to offer Aoi some constructive caddy advice regarding a practice round from the previous day, much to Amane's annoyance. Despite the offer of a ride to school from Aoi, Amane reminds her that they have a corporate meeting before they get to school, and they leave Saotome again at the side of the road to get to school late.

Because of her tardiness, her punishment for the day is to cleaning the Golf Building and course Maintenance on the practice hole by the driving range. As she rationalizes her advice to Aoi while mopping, a voice behind her agrees with her assessment of the 6th hole that Saotome had spoken of. It takes a minute for Saotome to realize that she wasn't alone, finding fellow first-year Haruka Misono sitting and reading a golf magazine while skipping classes for the day. Misono wants Saotome to caddy for her, but she is rejected. She follows Saotome to the practice course, asking her to help her beat Aoi, but Saotome continues to say No.

As Saotome rakes the bunker on the practice hole, Misono asks her why she won't help her beat Aoi. Saotome tells her that Aoi out-performs her in the three most important aspects of a golfer's game: Drive distance, Precision, and Putting. She tells her flat out she's not strong enough to beat the "Innocent Tyrant" in any way. As Misono stands there stunned, a very familiar-looking golf ball fires between them, landing about 240 yards from the tee box. Saotome runs to see who hit that shot and finds Eve, dressed in a new outfit, standing at the tee box.

After trying to speak to her in English, Saotome says she is still studying English. Eve then asks in perfect Japanese if she's from around here, much to her own shock, and Saotome's. Misono comes running up, saying that was a dangerous shot to make with people in the bunker, to which Eve says that she was too lazy to walk over so she hit her ball instead to get their attention. Saotome asks her to hit another shot, she wants to see it for herself. A bit nonplussed, Eve agrees. As she's getting her shot ready, the head of the Golf Club, Kinue Jinguji, is approaching the box, arriving before the rest of the team gets there for practice.

As Eve addresses the ball, she realizes that Saotome reminds her of Lily, which brings her a bit of encouragement She sees Eve fire a Blue Bullet past the bunker, much to the delight of Saotome. She starts to run her hands over Eve's body, complimenting on her almost perfect physical form for golf, which scares Eve, who pushes her away with her driver. Misono asks who she is, since non-students are not allowed on the course. Eve tells her she's here to see Aoi, Jinguji walks on to the course, demanding to know who she is, and that non-students are not allowed on campus. Eve pulls out her Nafrecian Passport and say that her name is Evangeline F. Kimishima.

She tells Eve to leave, but Eve says she will once she sees Aoi. Jinguji proposes to her a one-hole match against Misono for the privilege of seeing Aoi. She further incentivizes Misono by offering to elevate her to the 1st team if she wins. Saotome begs Eve to let her be her caddy since she's not familiar with the hole. Misono has honor and launches her tee shot just short of the bunker. Eve responds with another Blue Bullet that lands in the same location as the first two. Misono is shocked, but Jinguji, recognizing Eve from the U-15 Championship, knows that Misono has already lost the hole, despite her laying up her second shot on the edge of the green. Eve's second shot, however, was an almost perfect copy of the Heaven's Red Bullet that sealed both Rose's fate and changed the fortune of her former family, landing less than a foot from the cup for an easy birdie.

Misono tries to line up her shot, but Eve's shots have completely thrown her off her game, which Jinguji sees clearly. Saotome, on the other hand, quietly gives Misono advice for her putt, but despite the advice, Misono's putt stops short, giving the hole to Eve. After she won, Eve asks Jinguji how soon before she can see Aoi, which she answers that she should be there shortly. No sooner do those words come out of her mouth, but Aoi's limo pulls up and Aoi breaks into a dead run, shouting Eve's name. Eve looks shocked then happy as Aoi comes running up and leaps into the air to hug her, but Eve sidesteps her leap and Aoi falls flat to the ground.

Aoi is full of questions: "When did you get here? Why haven't you logged in the game? I though you broke your promise again." Saotome has never seen this side of Aoi before, and doesn't know what to make of it. Amane gets out of the limo and, with an apparent sense of annoyed resignation, sees Eve has once again entered Aoi's life. As Jinguuji looks on, the team's Faculty Advisor, Reiya Amuro, walks to from behind her and recognizes Eve as well. He asks about her elbow injury, and she tells him the doctors say it will be two months before she is fully recovered. Meanwhile, Aoi drags Eve off to the dorms so she can stay with her in her room, saying that they can have their match tomorrow or else Amane will yell at her again.

Saotome approaches Amane and asks her who Eve is, to which she responds that she doesn't know, and that there are some things that even she doesn't know. At the dorms, Eve is standing under a shower head, questioning herself and her actions so far. Aoi asks how long she's going to be staying, and Eve tells her that she doesn't know, but she can't return to Nafrece. Eve tells her that she doesn't have a family anymore, but thinks about Klein, Lily, and the girls back in Nafrece. Aoi begins to tell her of an idea if she doesn't have anywhere to go, but Eve opens the door from the shower room saying they will play their game first. Aoi is frightened by Eve emerging naked from the shower room and demands she put something on, which Eve ignores because she wants their match to happen. Outside the locker room, Amane facepalms herself, knowing that things are about to get crazy again, dreading the next report to Seira about this new development.

Back in Nafrece, Klein and Lily see the girls off as they head to school, dressed in neat school uniforms. Lily wonders if Eve made it to Japan safely, and Klein tells her not to worry, that Eve is no longer a child. Meanwhile, the Academy is welcoming a new transfer student, Eve.

## Characters

* Eve
* Aoi Amawashi
* Amane Shinjo
* Haruka Misono
* Ichina Saotome
* Kinue Jinguji
* Reiya Amuro

## Matches

* **Eve** (w/ Ichina Saotome) vs. Haruka Misono

## Trivia

* The logo on the ball during the Opening Credits is the Crest of the Raiou Girls' Academy Golf Team.