Concerned for Mai’s safety, Sakuta attempts to reach out to Touko for some answers. Not going to lie, I wasn’t entirely sure if he’d actually address the message by left his alternate self. Like, I know Mai is in danger but Sakuta did sleep on the previous message for one movie and eight episodes so I got pretty used to the plot saving Touko for later. Kind of ridiculous that Sakuta actually did manage to memorize Touko’s number when he only saw it for a few seconds but then again, the man has been proven to have some insane recall. Some neat attention to detail in this development is that Sakuta does ask Ikumi to contact her alternate self for more information. The plan unfortunately doesn’t work but to be fair, it is overall a good thing that Ikumi is completely free of her Puberty Syndrome.
Eventually, Touko does call Sakuta back and she tells him that she’s only available to talk to him on December 2, which also happens to be Mai’s birthday. Considering that Touko is living the life of a ghost and has nothing but free time, she is definitely being stingy on purpose. Naturally, Sakuta and Mai aren’t happy with the terms but they reluctantly go with it since they need more information. Determined to still do something special on the special day, Mai and Sakuta make an impromptu trip to the mall, where Sakuta buys Mai a ring as a birthday present. It’s a very cute scene but I can’t help but feel disappointed that Sakuta doesn’t actually buy an engagement ring. Like come on, you two already have a certificate in hand. Just plan the wedding already!
True to her word, Touko does show up at the rendezvous point. She and Sakuta head to a nearby patisserie to chat. Touko largely still keeps to herself though she does divulge some information, if only so that Sakuta will pester her less. She reveals that her music plays a part in her ability to give people Puberty Syndrome and she’s working to release a new song in time for Christmas as one big “present” for everyone who listens in. If it wasn’t for the seasonal affectation, the plan frankly sounds rather ominous. As for Mai, Touko admits that she has a grudge towards her but she denies having any intention to harm her. It’s possible that Touko really does mean it but if that’s the case, you have to wonder what the Sakuta from the alternate reality knows that the main one doesn’t. It also doesn’t discount the possibility that whatever Touko does next could still put Mai in danger.
Once Touko takes her leave, Sakuta heads back home to spend the rest of the evening celebrating Mai’s birthday. I love that Uzuki is just there again and she doesn’t even pretend that she’s there for any reason other than the free food. Adding her to the family gatherings has been one of this season’s best ideas so far. After everyone leaves, Mai asks Sakuta to leave the 24th and 25th open so that they can spend Christmas together at a resort in Hakone. While Sakuta is over the moon over the plan (seriously, this might be the happiest he’s ever been in this show), there is one potential complication that he’ll need to contend with.
So while trying to contact Touko, Sakuta has a dream where he is asked by the cram school principal to accept Sara as a student. This event ultimately happens in real life the following day. It appears that Sakuta is experiencing those prophetic dreams people keep posting about on social media. Later, Sakuta has a dream where he goes on a date with Sara during Christmas Eve, promising to Sara that he won’t cure her of Puberty Syndrome. After work, he meets up with Sara, who confirms that she experienced the same dream and that she indeed has Puberty Syndrome. Sara is curiously vague about her Puberty Syndrome, only stating that it was triggered by heartbreak she experienced earlier in the year, so much so that she decides to challenge Sakuta to figure it out. Clearly, this girl does not realize who she is dealing with. I’m curious what Sakuta plans on doing next. I highly doubt he wants that Christmas Eve date to happen. Aside from it simply conflicting with his holiday plans with Mai, that’s just a disaster waiting to happen. At the same time, Sakuta is aware that trying to change the future can have its own ramifications and it wouldn’t be like him to ignore that a student of his is affected by Puberty Syndrome.
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