As per Sakuta and Touko’s agreement, Mai denies the rumor that she is the real identity of Touko during a public ceremony on Coming of Age Day. While some people believe her, it appears that most are still convinced that Mai and Touko are one and the same. Regardless of the announcement’s effectiveness however, Touko upholds her end of the deal and she tells Sakuta to meet up with her on January 30th for their date. Much of the date consists of Touko asking Sakuta to purchase some items on her behalf, some of which are Christmas themed (more on that in a bit).
At one point, Touko confirms to Sakuta that she and Takumi were dating for a couple years, up until she contracted Puberty Syndrome and Takumi became unable to perceive her. I find it a little funny that one thing Touko compliments Takumi is how dense he is. That sounds a bit backhanded at first but once Touko elaborates that it enables Takumi to be outgoing and approachable, it does make sense. Given that Touko seems largely concerned for herself, it’s neat to see her talk fondly of someone else for a change. I’ve liked Touko a fair amount though largely because of the intrigue she offered to the plot. Learning about her relationship with Takumi feels like the first time I can truly emphasize with the character.
Sakuta soon recalls that January 30th is Takumi’s birthday and he notices that among the items he bought for Touko is a scarf, similar to one Takumi frequently wears during the winter. Touko then admits that the scarf Takumi wears is a present she gave to him. Seeing that Touko still has feelings towards Takumi, Sakuta asks for her phone and uses it to call Takumi, who is about to board a flight back to Hokkaido. Sakuta and Touko reach the airport in the nick of time but no matter what Sakuta says, Takumi is unable to remember his girlfriend, prompting a heartbroken Touko to flee the scene. It’s an effective scene because Touko has largely not batted an eye over her invisibility for most of the season. This is the first time where we actually see her feel distressed over her predicament.
On the first day of February, Sakuta attends a driving school. I’m guessing he’s getting self-conscious over having Mai drive him around. Too bad it looks like he’s got a way to go with getting his license. After his driving lesson, Sakuta meets up with Miori, who has also been taking classes at the driving school. Miori shows Sakuta an old video of Nene singing a Touko Kirishima song for their university’s beauty pageant. Curiously, the video has stopped receiving clicks around the time the current school year began. As funny as it would be to attribute it to the video website’s algorithm, the more likely cause is Touko’s Puberty Syndrome. Something else that Miori discovers the other people who have covered Touko’s songs are invisible as well. This is demonstrated when Miori plays a cover at full volume that only she and Sakuta can hear them. Now, that’s a scary thought. Considering how popular the Touko persona is, there must be countless other people besides Nene who have become invisible to everyone but a select few. I kind of wish there were more moments. Outside of the #dreaming trend, this season doesn’t necessarily go over just how widespread Puberty Syndrome has become and even if he wanted to, it’s impossible for Sakuta to do much about it.
Back at home, Sakuta gets a call from Takumi, who apologizes for making things awkward back at the airport. Takumi then explains that he returned to his home in Hokkaido after hearing a close friend of his passed away. During the funeral, he heard that his friend did not have a dream during Christmas Eve, leading many to interpret it as an omen that led to his friend’s death. Having heard from Sakuta that Mai didn’t have a dream, Takumi feels the need to relay this info to him. Sakuta once again urges Takumi to try and remember Nene/Touko. I love that what gets Takumi to believe Sakuta more about Touko isn’t the scarf or his reason for attending Yokohama City Univeresity but rather the fact that he got admitted to the university after two years of attempts. That’s something Touko told Sakuta about earlier in the episode. Takumi is so embarrassed about it that he keeps it a secret from almost everyone he knows so for Sakuta to know about it, he can only assume his friend learned from someone super close to him. I worry that the show will conveniently have Takumi start to remember Touko offscreen but regardless, I can see this playing a key role in resolving Touko’s Puberty Syndrome.
There’s then a brief but emotional moment where Sakuta calls Mai right after talking to Takumi. To his relief, Mai is already at his doorstep to pay him a visit and the two share an embrace. I have my doubts that something bad will actually happen to Mai but I honestly do share Sakuta’s concern. Aside from simply being so invested in this couple, this show has killed Mai off before so it’s easy to think that she really is in danger again.
A couple days later, Sakuta is invited to Touko’s apartment to help her clear out with some housecleaning. While taking out some trash, Sakuta notices that Touko has thrown her pageant trophy into the pile. Inside the apartment, Sakuta finds it decorated with a ton of Christmas decorations. In Touko’s defense, though I don’t know if this is the case in Japan, a lot of people start decorating for Christmas long before the actual holiday. Give it some time, people will start to decorating in February like Touko does here. But in all seriousness, it is a pretty eerie sight and I’m only now realizing that I hadn’t wondered why Touko is so fixated on Christmas.
To make matters more concerning, Sakuta discovers that Touko is starting to forgot things, including Takumi and her actual identity as Nene Iwamizawa. Admittedly, Touko could check the front of her apartment and see her real name printed on the sign but that’s probably just an oversight on the show’s part and I’m definitely nitpicking here. Sakuta relays this information with Rio, who has learned from Sara that a lot of official Touko Kirishima videos have Christmas-themed items in them. Rio theorizes then that Touko is starting to double down on assuming the persona for herself. Considering that Touko never had issue before, I wonder if seeing Takumi forget about her again is what’s triggering it. If so, then perhaps Takumi remembering her again really will play a part in resolving her Puberty Syndrome. Another thing to consider is the fact that people still think Mai is Touko, meaning Mai remains a big obstacle for Nene’s efforts in becoming Touko. Since we know what might happen to Mai in the near future, it’s pretty easy to guess what Nene will try to do next episode.
Watch Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus on Crunchyroll
Xenodude Scribbles 