Birthday Boy - Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san | Chapter 3
Nishikata cracks open his home's door to find his mum standing in the kitchen, her arms clutching a pot full of Miso soup.
"Ah, you're late. Again." Nishikata rolls his eyes but then says, "Sorry. I had to stay in today for cleaning." The illustrious scent of the liquid was more than enough to just about convince him that what just happened definitely did not occur. Nishikata skips up the steps, entering his room on the second floor. Nishikata slips his suitcase onto the desk, then collapses on the heated carpet. "Contemplation time..." He closes his eyes and imagines, remembers. Back to the moment, when she asked him the death-defying question. Her smile, Takagi's smile, was shimmering in the newborn sun. The glint of the sunlight hitting her eyes, her hair crinkling in the wind. The crackle of her menacing laugh - "Wait, what?" Nishikata shoots straight up, his skin shriveling with goosebumps. "Did I just..."
The second he stops speaking, a attracting aroma causes him to sniff. A cloud of yellow mist ends up surrounding him in his stuffy bedroom. His pupils narrow, and drooling in love, he staggers down to the first floor, to the kitchen table.
Takagi bends down over her front doorstep, instantly dropping down on it. She had small puffs of breathing steaming from her exhaling mouth. Her stomach convulsed with pain. Not like she had been injured, but as if she was cheerful. Happy. A twisted, aching bliss that only a person like Takagi would feel. The very sentences she'd said out of no-where must've dumbfounded him. Her thoughts engulf Takagi in deep reflection. She held her soft hands to her chest, expressing guilt and meaningful sighs. The question she asked, in which she persuaded herself to say, was quite rewarding, to say the least. Her celebration would only last so long, especially outside at this time. The wind growls, shivering the trees to a extreme extent. "Ah! Right, I got to go inside!" She stood up and entered her house. Her mother was standing at the kitchen, smirking strangely. "Mother?" Takagi says, breaking the patter of the stove cooking. "Huh? Oh, hi, Takagi!" her smile blanks once again.
"It's your favorite, Teriyaki Chicken Soup!" Takagi plants her gear at the mat of the door, while grinning. Just when she's about to ask about her homework situation, her mother turns from the pot on her stove and then outright asks, "So, how'd it go?" covered in pink, she opens her mouth. Her relentlessness on what she said earlier stops in it's tracks. "I, uh, ye-" she answers. "P- pretty well." Takagi, in a awed manner, starts murmuring curses. "Well, are you so happy that you even ran a mile?" after hearing that, Takagi shakes her head and returns to her bluffing face. She immediately steers herself to her room upstairs. She paces to the door frame of her real home. Her bedroom. Decorated with magenta wall paint and cute picturing, and of course, a framed selfie-photo of them both - walking home, on top of the dresser. It really shouldn't have been a surprise that her mum had learnt of her so-called hidden relationship with Nishikata. Even though she knew that Nishikata defended and denied him and her being like a couple several times, fantasizing that way was an option. It wasn't only gonna be a relationship that would last a year. She imagined it being full term. To think she met him over a handkerchief... she'd already knew by first sight that they were a match made in heaven. After all of that drama, could there be anymore evidence he liked her? If he didn't... were they even friends?
Nishikata bites down on his chicken, obviously enjoying his tasty meal. "Ah, you seem to be liking that chicken." his mother says. Nishikata stirs his Miso melodramatically. "Must be nice. Be sure to wash down your throat with that soup!" she says. Nishikata ignores her request though, and continues to gnaw at the boneless meat. "Well, I guess I can't fault you for not drinking your Miso. Besides..." she pauses for effect. "Takagi's mum did give the platter of chicken to us." Nishikata spits a mouthful onto his plate and begins to nervously sip his drink. "So was the Miso, sadly." his hair goes nuts, as if applied with a rub of a balloon. His crave for a sip, a bite of chicken. Spiteful. Nishikata rubs his eyes and storms towards his room. "Hey, sorry! I was just joking around!" herds of laughter and cries rise from the living room downstairs. Visibly annoyed, he flips the light switch on in his room. He lies down on his bed, thinking about not only his hunger, but the question. Again. His imagination booming with honest to god wonder. Rays of light scar his eyes. Regret fills his brain. He should've said no. But, that would disappoint her. And he most certainly isn't the down type.
Why am I feeling this?
His silent repression is interrupted by pulses from his pocket. He stumbles, and grabs his cellphone. Scrambling to pin point the letters of his password, he precisely checks his notifications. "Ah, probably Nak-" a literal fire alarm starts in his head. It was a text. This caused a headache. Heartache. Discomfort. And for good reason.
Takagi.
"So what do you say?" Takagi's end to the message astonished Nishikata. He proof reads the text anxiously, repeatedly. After registering this in mind, he responds. "Tomorrow, please." Nishikata breathes in appreciation. She didn't tease him. For even the smallest detail out of place can be used against you. But even though he was under-estimating Takagi, it was quite well known to him that she was a vicious warrior for speech. But the question... the squawks he'll make when he'll confess his opinion. Will tomorrow be the most differentiated day ever? Even more so now?
"Wow, deathly wind, eh?" Takagi says, sauntering along the housing with Nishikata. "Well, good morning, I guess." Nishikata tells her.
"Yeah, it sure is, huh?" Takagi waits for a response. "No, I meant-"
"Meant what?" Takagi overlays. "Uh..."
"You seem a little inclined. Are you going to answer my question?" Takagi teases intolerably. "Wh-" Nishikata blushes.
"Wh- what do you mean? Th- the qu- question? Or..." Takagi leers. "Well, yes, or no?"
"Let's just go to school..." Nishikata replies, emphatically. He really didn't want to be apart of her activities.
"You're kidding, right? No such thing can be done!" she scampers ahead, leaving behind a trail of mystery. A never ending nightmare, to him. To her, it's her reason to love her life.
Although Nishikata always tried to convince Takagi he was impervious to her teasing, but it was hardly a try at deceiving her. Barely. But now, he'd say this was the most appraised tease ever. The entanglement of his situation, the hopefulness of waiting for the end of the day. Endlessly. Maybe curiosity? No, it was the dread, the constant foreshadow of the next action. What was to happen next?
Nishikata sat at his desk emotionless. It was surely a pain in the neck. For at the moment, he was momentarily stunned. What would he tell her?
What would I tell her?
His meditation had lasted about as long as the whole day - exceptionally long. Well, sort of. Not really. Nishikata's conscience was failing him. He'd have to face his fears - and scold Takagi with his answer. But as long as he has wits, he should be fine. Right?
I'm sorry.
I was bold in claims to bring my content in faster. I wish I could've done something to be better. It was the exams - I had testing on at my high school. It broke me up, but I swear, I'll do proper work now. I'm not dead, and this is certainly not the last chapter. I hope you can accept my apology. There aren't any promises, but I'm kind of betting tomorrow I'll get another chapter up. I hope. And I know this chapter is short.
When this story ends, I will write more. I'm a big fan of this series! Please let the anime have a season 2!
Think of it this way: When one door close, another one opens, right?
