Episode 26: Miki's Nest Box: The Sunlit Garden

Akio and Touga tempt Kozue and Miki to duel against Utena.

This is a summary of episode 26 of the anime series Revolutionary Girl Utena.  You are welcome to link to it, but not to repost it elsewhere.  For more information, and other episode summaries, see the index.

Kozue injures herself jumping out a window to save some baby birds.  Miki catches her; she sustains only a sprained ankle.  Utena and Himimiya accompany Miki and Kozue back to their house, and Himemiya, apparently an expert, gives advice on how to take care of the chicks.  As they are leaving, Kozue makes a big show of throwing out a letter from her and Miki's mother.  Utena and Himemiya walk out through an overgrown garden and speculate that it may be the sunlit garden from the song.

Back at the planetarium, Akio demands to know what Himemiya thought of "her," roughly grabbing her and upsetting a teacup, which breaks on the floor.  Meanwhile the student council members talk about not wanting to let some selfish adult use them for unknown purposes.  Miki talks on the phone with his father, saying that he and Kozue won't be there for the wedding, but that's okay, they don't object.  We only see the father and his new wife-to-be from behind, but she appears to be Himemiya in full Rose Bride finery.  That may be what Miki imagines while on the phone, rather than a literal reporting of who is on the other end.

In the early morning, after Miki has been playing piano all night, Touga comes in and tells Miki that there's someone he would like him to meet.  Then it goes much like the previous episode.  Akio drives up in his red sports car.  Miki is riding shotgun; she claims to be on a date with Akio, and as she, Akio, and Miki ride along (Touga doesn't accompany them), Kozue delivers the pep talk about gaining the power of the Rose Bride.  Then Akio says he will show Miki the End of the World, and climbs up to pose on the hood of the car.

Miki challenges Utena to a duel, which proceeds according to the new formula (gondola, sword from Utena's bosom, cars, etc.) Kozue also attends the duel, wearing a blue Rose Bride gown styled like Himemiya's red one; she pulls a sword from Miki's chest for him to use.  During the duel, Himemiya and Kozue ride the flying car as it circles the arena; they eventually recline the seats and start making out.  Utena wins the duel.

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