During the ski trip, Ryuuji wonders why Taiga had not told him about meeting Yuusaku on New Year's. Hisamitsu gets into a fight with Maya concerning her attempts to be around Yuusaku. Ryuuji has a brief talk with Minori about how to deal with it; Minori puts on the hairpin Ryuuji got for her, saying Taiga gave it to her. When confronted by Yuusaku, Hisamitsu, and Haruta, Ryuuji reveals he has a crush on Minori. Later, they investigate the girl's room in order to find out the true reason behind Minori's rejection, only to end up hiding in a closet along with Taiga, when Ami, Minori, Maya, and Nanako come in. Ami brings up the topic of Ryuuji's rejection by Minori, and the two get angry at each other. The next day, Taiga and Minori accidentally run into Ami on their sled. Ami feels that they did it on purpose because of last night's argument and engages in a physical fight with Minori. Minori drops her hairpin on a nearby slope and Taiga goes to search for it by herself, but ends up falling down without the others noticing. When Taiga does not return, Yuusaku, Minori, and Ryuuji search for her. Ryuuji contemplates his feelings for Taiga as he realizes he left her alone again. Ryuuji finds her at the bottom of a hill, bleeding and covered in snow. As Ryuuji carries her back, a barely conscious Taiga thinking that he is Yuusaku, apologizes and confesses that she cannot stop loving Ryuuji. (Source: Wikipedia)

Aired on: 2/25/2009