Episode 16

"Running Through the Night / Middle of the Slope" is episode 16 of the anime adaptation of Sangatsu No Lion.

Synopsis
Hayashida takes Rei to an after school science club so he can write up a report. Gotou and Shimada compete in their final game of the tournament.

Chapter 32: Running Through the Night
Realizing that Rei is short one make-up report due to his absences, Hayashida takes Rei to the After School Bunsen Burners Club (nicknamed the "Burners Club") to look for an experiment that Rei can write a report about due to the scientific focus of the club's activities. The club president Noguchi agrees to support Rei after Rei accidentally helps make their homemade soap's scent more palatable when being introduced to the club. On their way out of school, Hayashida suggests Rei join the Burners Club after seeing Rei socialize and enjoy his time with the club members. After advising Rei the importance of relying on help while helping others, Rei immediately thinks about the Kawamoto sisters. Hayashida then ushers Rei to run to see the final shōgi tournament game between Gotou and Shimada.

Upon arriving at the shōgi hall, Rei realizes the match has already concluded and that Shimada has won. He watches from across the playing room as a haggard Shimada is interviewed, and Shimada is frank about being unenthusiastic to face Souya as the winner of the tournament due to the toll of the stress on his health. However, as interviewers from Shimada's hometown arrive and remind him of those who are cheering him on, his outlook turns for the better, and makes Rei realize he has never put his entire effort to winning before like Shimada. After the interviewers leave, Rei summons the courage to ask about joining Shimada's shōgi workshop, only to be surprised that Shimada asks Rei the same thing simultaneously.

Chapter 33: Middle of the Slope
At the Kawamoto house, Akari and Hinata are working on stencil designs for assorted treat boxes to sell for the upcoming Girls' Festival holiday. The sisters decide to make inari sushi to celebrate when the holiday arrives. As Hinata thinks about sharing some with Rei, she becomes frustrated about his absence of late due to his loss in the tournament. Someji tells Hinata to wait for Rei to recover his pride as a man, which only frustrates her more.

Rei eventually finds and arrives at Shimada's residence on the middle of a slope to attend his shōgi workshop. He finds Nikaido and a grumpy-looking player named Morio Shigeta in attendance, and the three soon get into heated arguments about each other's play styles during the analysis portion of the workshop. As Shimada loses control of his workshop, he ends the session by claiming to have stomach issues. Nikaido and Rei walk home and continue arguing about each other's strategy, but are interrupted after seeing a duck dive into the river and not resurfacing while they argue. The two then seem to forget about their argument as they passionately run to find the identity of the duck and an explanation for its behavior.