The Kansei University track team runs into Tokyo Sport University at Lake Shirakaba, where they’re holding their training camp. Sakaki insistently provokes Kakeru over his past actions. Pushes to his limit, Kakeru grabs ahold of him, but his friends come between them before anything can happen. Later they begin their grueling practice, but Kakeru can’t stop recalling heavy memories from his high school days: a cruel past that pushed a group of elite runners to their breaking point. Recalling how he chose his own destruction, Kakeru agonizes over his past. That night, the sky is full of stars. Haiji appears next to Kakeru as he’s hanging around by himself…

His teammates faced death to pass the sash along. Bearing that weight in his mind, Yuki prepares for the race. Shindo approaches him. Turning his overflowing anxiety and regrets into strength, Yuki waits for the race to start. Meanwhile, in Yokohama, Kakeru and Haiji wait for Sections 9 and 10 to start. However, when Haiji is nowhere to be found, Kakeru grows uneasy. As though confirming his concerns, a sports doctor exits Haiji’s room. Kakeru interrogates Haiji, but Haiji remains the same calm Haiji he’s always been. It’s 8AM. The second half begins!