Mai

A quiet, popping sound when the air filled the empty space, Sakuta left behind was the only sound in Futaba’s living room. Mai hadn’t moved an inch, still halfway standing up from the couch, her arm stretched in the direction where Sakuta was just a moment ago.
Tears started to fill her eyes; she wasn’t able to hold her calm facade anymore, even with Futaba in the same room.
“What...”, she began asking, but nothing more followed out of her mouth.
Futaba, in her usual calm voice, answered: “He gave in to his fears. He’d rather be apart from you than to risk that something happens to you. That wish manifested within the syndrome itself”
“I didn’t ask for- Sorry. I didn’t mean to lash out at you like this. It’s just...”
“I know. He is a real self-sacrificing idiot. I’ll kick his teeth in after the date”, Futaba jumped in while Mai was still searching for the right words. If she was surprised by Mai’s sudden emotional outbreak, she didn’t show it.
“The date? Do you really think it will still happen?”
“Of course it will happen. Sakuta might be a self-sacrificing idiot, but he’s able to think, once his first instincts wear off. The date will happen, I assure you.”
“You assure me...”
Mai managed to smile at the sound of that word. It was one of two, that helped Sakuta remembering her. She wondered if Futaba knew and said it on purpose or if it just was a lucky coincidence. In any case, Mai reclaimed control of herself, and started to think the situation through. Her professional mind was quickly going over the resources they could muster and what they could do within two days.
“Let’s call Koga”, she said out of nowhere, bringing Futaba to raise an eyebrow.
“You know”, she explained herself, “we are the only female friends he has, and the more we can muster, the better the date might become”
“That sounds logical”, Futaba nodded, “I will call her over”

“Woah, Senpai! Your home is awesome!”
Koga’s voice was loud and clear even from the living room where Mai waited while Futaba went to the door to let her in.

“Senpai!”
At the sight of Mai, Koga let out an audible gasp of surprise again. Apparently, Futaba didn’t fill her in greatly when calling her.
“Thank you for making time to come here on such a short notice, Koga”, Mai answered smilingly. The shock from a few minutes ago was gone, deep below the surface of her perfect façade.
“What’s the matter, Senpai? Futaba only told me that she needed help with Sakuta. She didn’t even mention that you were here!”
Maybe Futaba was worried that Koga wouldn’t have come over if she would’ve known that Mai was here? Without showing it, Mai pushed that thought aside ; it didn’t matter now. There were more important things to do.
“Yes, we need help with Sakuta. I am planning a Christmas Date to the Enoshima Lights for him, so I wanted to ask you for ideas, since you are one of the only female friends he has. I am sorry for inconveniencing you because of something like this but I want it to be perfect.”
When Koga heard the words “Christmas Date”, her face brightened up. Before, there was a hint of confusion, worry even, but now the only emotions left were bright joy and excitement.
“No need to say sorry, Senpai! I’d love to plan something with you! Not long ago, Ruka got herself a date too so all the dos and don’ts are still fresh”, Koga answered in a voice that matched her bright expression perfectly.
“Thank you very much.”
Still smiling, Mai listened to Koga’s story about that Ruka having her date and how it went down. Meanwhile, Futaba took the chance to brew fresh coffee - an energy boost which Mai was very thankful for after having slept so badly the last few days.
“Ah, sorry! I totally went off on a tangent there!”
Koga had just ended her story and realized after a quick look on her smartphone that she had been talking about her friend for quite some time now.
“Don’t worry”, said Mai, “You certainly showed us that you have quite some expertise”
With a slight blush, the youngest girl in the room nodded. After a moment of silence, Koga’s face lit up again: “I have an idea! The Enoshima Lights, yes? I’ve heard the Aquarium there throws a special show too. And the fire works! It really is the perfect place for a date!”
“That sounds very nice indeed”, Futaba threw in, with a slight look of nostalgia on her face, “Especially since you don’t need to confess anymore.”
Mai thought about that idea. Her plan for Enoshima was just a vague thought so far but Koga’s ideas were quite perfect, although there was still a bit of fear and dread within her thoughts. What if that was exactly the date that was planned in Sakuta’s other timeline? What if he would refuse to go no matter what? What if – at this point, her professional instincts took over. She had to deal with all sorts of anxieties since she was a little kid. Speaking in front of large crowds, the pressure to not make any mistake in public, not being good enough for Showbiz… She was trained to take control over her fears since she was a little kid, and so she simply did so once again. Although it felt more difficult than before, with the feelings revolving around the man she dreamt of. Still, she managed to do it and prepared her answer: “Yes, that sounds wonderful. What if we took some more time to plan for more than just the fireworks and the Aquarium? I want it to be as perfect as possible.”
“Hmmm. What about the Shrines, then? It’s a classic event for dates, and people usually only go to the big attraction during the light show. It would be a bit calmer, and perfect for taking a little break between the Lights and the Aquarium.”

“Thank you very much!”, said Mai, when it was time for Koga to leave. They spent the last two hours planning and chitchatting about the potential date, and the ever excited Kouhai helped Mai forget the dire situation she was in for a moment. For the time being, they were just three girls talking about their plans for a date, no puberty syndrome or anything. A calmness returned inside the house, the moment Koga closed the door behind her.
“Want to go through it once more?”
Futaba held a sheet of paper out to Mai. She took at and let her eyes scan carefully over every word again. It wasn’t too detailed, but it was enough of a fundamental plan for Mai to build on. It read:

17:15 Meet at Fujisawa Station

17:35 Arrive at Enoshima Train Station

18:00 Visit Enoshima Lights

18:00-18:30 Samuel Cocking Garden and the Sea Candle Tower

18:35-19:00 Between the Woods, the Tunnel of Crystal and Kamegaoka Square

19:05-19:30 Nakatsumiya Square (Enoshima Jinja Shrine and Nakatsunomiya Shrine), have some food

19:45-20:30 Visit the Aquarium

20:30 Watch the Fireworks

21:00 Go home

A slight smile went over her face seeing how neatly everything was written out. Almost like the manual for a scientific experiment.
“Want to stay at my place for the night?”
“Pardon me?”
“Do you want to stay at my place for the night”, Futaba repeated the question, “You look like you could use not being alone right now”
“Yeah... Yeah, I think that would be a good idea”, Mai answered as she felt a slight wave of relief. Only now she realised that she was afraid of the moment she had to walk home alone. Nodoka was giving a Christmas Concert, so she wouldn’t be home until very late, leaving Mai alone in her empty apartment.
A warm smile appeared on Futaba’s lips. She didn’t smile often, but every time she did, one would feel comforted, taken care of. A feeling Mai normally gave, rather than received. “I’ll get the extra Futon then”, the Logical Witch said.