Ep. 27: Fresh Girls Cup Announced With New Rules for Starlight Queen Challenge

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The Fresh Girls Cup is announced, allowing students to challenge Mizuki for the Starlight Queen title. Ran, who competed last year before Ichigo and Aoi transferred, describes Mizuki’s impressive record of facing every student, noting the difficulty of defeating her and other rivals. Mizuki introduces a strict new rule requiring three on-demand special appeals or immediate failure, significantly raising the competition level. Ichigo and her friends train intensely, but Ichigo feels something is missing until a call from Raichi reveals the key is to have fun and appeal to fans. On the day of the event, Ichigo, Aoi, Ran, Otome, Yurika, and Sakura are grouped together. Only Ichigo, Aoi, and Ran successfully complete the special appeals until the end, qualifying for the semifinals.