Episode 142 - I Want to Say Thank You

I Want to Say Thank You (ありがとうが言いたくて) is the 142nd episode of Aikatsu! TV anime series and the 41st episode of its "3rd Season". The episode aired on July 16, 2015.

Story
The day that Starlight School exchange student Kokone Kurisu must return to Kobe is fast approaching. Although Akari Ōzora is fired up as the chairwoman of the "Kokone Farewell Party" executive committee, the crucial Kokone ends up wanting to say "I don't want to be transferred back"...

Summary
One morning, the girls discuss their plans of holding Kokone a special send-off party. They are somewhat saddened to know she has to leave, but she comes from Kobe, so staying permanently was never an option. Akari reveals the special booklet she made, assigning roles to everyone; but before she is able to go over them, the girls spot Kokone. They run up to greet her and she responds, but as Akari tries to discuss the send-off, Kokone begins to yell and runs off.

Later, Kokone is in the middle of a dance lesson when Johnny tells them to break into a pose before ending it. In the hallway, the girls are waiting for them to finish, but when they run inside, Johnny reveals that Kokone has just ran out the door opposite of the one they stood at. They decide to give chase, not seeing her as she passes the hallway down the path from their own.

Eventually the girls stop at the Gazebo outside to chat about the situation. Akari wonders if maybe Kokone doesn't really want to leave, causing the girls to recall her response from that morning. Hinaki points out that she probably can't stay, since the exchange student program is only short-term. However, the girls decide to ask Orihime to find out if Kokone would be able to stay or not. But after they get there, it seems as they worried, and she cannot stay.

That night, Sumire and Akari continue discussing Kokone's predicament. Akari then gets a text from Miyabi and reveals to Sumire that she sent a message to her earlier that day to see if she heard from Kokone. Miyabi discusses an event that she and Kokone had together coming up, and mentions how much her fans have missed her. She knows that Kokone's Kobe Fans mean a lot to her as well, so she is sure that Kokone actually has no intention to stay there. With that the message ends, and Akari mentions that even though they have gone through this already with Miyabi - she feels really sad knowing Kokone has to go. Sumire mentions that it is entirely possible that Kokone feels the same way though, causing Akari to admit she never thought of that.

The girls regroup to go over Akari's plans, as she made copies for everybody. The girls are excited, so Juri shows everybody the outfits she managed to get. While Madoka reveals what she found out from a classmate, Sumire prepares her hair for her. Knowing that Kokone has been running around doing various things makes the girls wonder what she may be up to.

In the kitchen, Kokone is busy working on something. Yotsuba offers to take over for her, so that she can get some sleep but Kokone refuses; because this is something special for Starlight Academy. She wants to entirely do it on her own, but she stops momentarily to express her joy in getting to meet him, since she idolized him so much. She mentions how she never imagined a day when they could stand side-by-side back at Kobe, causing Yotsuba to reveal that he felt the same as an Idol. Back when he knew what he was doing, but felt unfulfilled and really couldn't see where his path would lead him. His dream was to always be a chef, and because he took the first step onto this path, here he is now. Kokone feels the same way and she goes over how much she learned while there, which is why she intends to do all of this herself. Yotsuba agrees to this before wishing her luck.

Later, a mysterious figure runs through the hallway. They come to Akari and Sumire's room and drop off a letter for each girl, shut with a single clover sticker. They decide to open them and are surprised to find out it's only from Kokone. She requests that they come to the Cafeteria, so the girls change and meet up with their friends, classmates, and staff, who all got the letter. They step inside to find that it has been decorated and Kokone steps out to welcome them. She has prepared a thank you party for everybody. She gives a small speech and has it begin. Right away the girls approach her to chat with her, and they find out that Miyabi informed her of the part they threw for her before she left; so she had a hunch they would end up doing the same thing.

Akari then asks her if she plans on staying at Starlight for good; but to their surprise, Kokone claims she is going home. They ask her why she was so against a send-off party, and Kokone claims that this is because it would have felt like they were telling her to leave. So by throwing a party herself, she is able to stay in the center and send her thanks out to everyone instead. Yotsuba joins the group and mentions how Kokone went and prepared everything - but she admits that she did need his help just a little bit, and some of the food came from her families shop. While happy with this change in event, Akari brings up her special plan and comments that they will still be going through with it. They practiced very hard for it, so they can't just not do it now.

With that Akari steps to the side of the room, where a small stage has been set up. She introduces it as Kokone Theater and Sumire narrates. She brings by bringing up their first time meeting Kokone, with Rin acting as Johnny-sensei and Madoka playing Kokone. While Orihime finds Rin's performance amusing, Johnny is shocked. With that, Madoka steps onto stage and acts like Kokone and they recall how nobody understood her catchphrase at first. The students find this amusing, while Kokone pouts and compares the situation to a bad joke. Hinaki takes over as the narrator and brings up how Kokone and Miyabi formed their unit, Sweet & Soft Nadeshiko, with Juri cast as the role of Miyabi. Kokone compares the two girls before they go over the incident when Kokone got hiccups; which makes everybody laugh, Kokone included.

Akari starts to narrate next, bringing up their play they all put on together. After finishing, everybody thanks Kokone for attending the school. Orihime and Johnny discuss how the girls bonded with Kokone, and she thanks the girls for what they did, complimenting Madoka for a job well done. With that, she reveals that she has a surprise for everybody.

She runs up and reveals something to them, trays of special donuts she made. She is sure that as long as they stay on the menu, nobody will forget her. But the girls tell her that they could never forget her, because they know their paths will cross again, and they will always be connected through Aikatsu. Kokone is touched by these words before Rin and Madoka tell her that she will be putting on a performance before going. She agrees and runs backstage to change, then appears on stage to perform to "Love Like Caramelize".

Afterwards, the eventual day for Kokone to leave arrived. The girls, along with Orihime came to see her off. Kokone admits that she feels saddened, but compared to the gratitude she feels, it means nothing. Akari tells her they are all just as happy to have met her, which everybody agrees with. Kokone tells them that she is really happy she came there, and she promises to never forget it. Before going, she gives her catchphrase, making a minor alteration to it.

Characters

 * Kokone Kurisu
 * Akari Ōzora
 * Sumire Hikami
 * Hinaki Shinjō
 * Juri Kurebayashi
 * Rin Kurosawa
 * Madoka Amahane
 * Miyabi Fujiwara


 * Orihime Mitsuishi
 * Naoto Suzukawa
 * Johnny Bepp
 * Shun Yotsuba

Trivia

 * This is the first 41st episode of a season not to a feature the debut of an eight-member unit.
 * This is the first episode Kokone has used her catchphrase on something other than people.