Chapter 7: Sick

After a painful night full of nightmares, I woke up in a cold sweat and my body feels like it's been battered by pro fighters all day long. I try to inhale, but my throat feels like it's been ground with sandpaper.

Nishikata: "Oh crap, why now?"

I cough violently and feel drained of energy. I rest my head against the pillow and try to open my eyes, but my eyes feels incredibly heavy.

This is bad. I promised Takagi I would spend time with her, considering little time we had for the festival. As it stands, I don't have the strength to reach out my phone and call her. Even so, she needs to know, or she'll wait for me all day.

I don't need to be a genius to know how badly she will take it if I don't show up without an explanation. I try to force my body to move and reach my phone, but it's futile, I feel weak and tired. Even so, I have to force myself and bear the cold pain.

I crawl like an oversized caterpillar to the edge of my bed and slap the phone onto my bedside, where it lands on my right hand. I quickly select Takagi on my contact list and called her number.

Before long, I hear a cheerful voice from the other side.

Takagi "Nishikata, are you alright? It's still early in the morning."

Nishikata: "I'm sorry if I woke you up-"

I cough violently again.

Takagi: "Oh dear! That sounded awful!"

Nishikata: "D-Don't worry about me, it's just a little cold."

Takagi: "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Nishikata: "I'm just here calling so that I can say-"

My coughing is so bad that I don't even get a chance to finish my sentence before my finger slips and accidentally makes the call end.

Crap, my phone is dead as well.

I close my eyes and feel another nightmare enveloping me.

In it, I see Takagi standing on the school rooftop, tears streaming down her face. She takes a step forward and-

I reach out to her and grab her waist before she can jump off.

Just as I do, black mist covers everything and the scene distorts. My eyes open, and I filled with anxiety.

My eyes struggle to stay open for much longer. They close again, and I see Takagi sitting on the floor of her room, covering her face with her hands as she cries loudly.

In the dream, I try to walk up to her, only to find myself unable to move. I try calling out to her, but my voice is gone.

Eventually she gets up and shows me her face to reveal a pair of red eyes that burns with hatred for me failing her.

Just as she lunges at me with screams that she detests me for neglecting her, the dream distorts and changes again.

I find myself alone in the darkness. All I can hear is my won heartbeat. Then suddenly, I see Takagi walking towards me, asking why I never supported her when she suffered, and why I only lived for myself.

She then starts repeating the word 'why' over and over again, before the voice magnifies and duplicates. Until I hear an entire choir asking me why I was such a terrible friend.

Nishikata: "I'm…sorry…"

I hear myself pleading with voices, but they don't let up. They start accusing me, pointing to the events why I was such a blockhead for not knowing all the hints that she gave to me.

Nishikata: "I'm…sorry!"

I wake up completely drenched in cold sweat. It seems like the shock from the dream caused me to wake up. I feel fresh tears running down my face as my entire body keeps switching between burning hot, and freezing cold.

As I breathe in a relief for a moment and think about how horrible my predicament was, I realize that my dreams were exclusively only me and Takagi.

…It's the I hear footsteps down below. Cold horror grabs onto me as I realize that I forgot to lock on the door last night before going into bed.

The footsteps are coming closer. Whoever my intruder may be, they are clearly coming towards me. I know I'm defenceless in my condition, and there's no hope for me to escape either.

I see my doorknob turning. My heart is beating furiously as I try to come up with a means of escape. It's then I hear a familiar voice call out to me.

Takagi: "Nishikata?"

I sigh in relief as I see Takagi enter my room, carrying a tray with some tea.

Nishikata: "Ta-Takagi!?"

Takagi: "Did I startle you? I'm so sorry if I did!"

I shake my head and she sighs in relief.

Nishikata: "Just…what are you doing here? How? Why?"

Takagi: "I was worried about you, you sounded quite sick."

Nishikata: "Takagi…"

As I look at her, my head is overwhelmed with all kinds of thought and feelings.

Takagi: "Please don't tell me to leave. I won't…"

I clench my fist. I know she speaks the truth, even if I had the strength to force her away, I know that she wouldn't want this.

Takagi: "I already called Sayori-san and your homeroom teacher, telling both that you're sick."

Come to think of it, she also is not on her uniform today. She seems to have made the decision to skip school and tale care of me.

Nishikata: "And what about you? Won't you get an absence?"

Takagi: "Don't worry about me, I lied and told them I was sick too."

Nishikata: "What!? Why?"

TakagI: "I…want to be with you. You have nobody to take care of you, right?"

Nishikata: "Y-Yeah…"

Takagi: "Then it's settled! Just like you won't abandon me with my condition, I won't leave until you've recovered!"

Nishikata: "Please go home…I don't want you to get sick as well."

Takagi: "Nope! Besides, I won't get sick. I just have to believe that really hard, and I'll be a-okay! And well, talking care of you really makes me happy!"

I don't know whether it's from the temperature or my awkwardness at the situation, but I feel my cheeks is turning red hot.

Takagi: "Ehehe, you're blushing!"

Nishikata: "W-Wait! Don't tell me that you're also gonna tease me while I'm sick!"

Takagi: "What's the fun if we did not have a little laugh around."

Nishikata: "I was about give you a compliment…"

Takagi laugh and then smiles, expressing her gratitude.

Takagi: "Let's not joke around now…just trust me. I'll make you feel better."

She walks over me, sits down on a chair near my bed and put a hand in my forehead.

Takagi: "Hmm…okay."

She gently begins running her fingers down my neck.

Takagi: "I see!"

Nishikata: "Uhh, Takagi?"

She sighs

Takagi: "Thank goodness."

Nishikata: "Hello? Earth to Takagi?"

She snaps out of her trance and sighs.

Takagi: "You seem to have a fever, but it doesn't seem all too serious. Give it a few days, and you'll be back to normal."

I throw her a heavily confused look and keep opening and closing my mouth like a dazzled crap.

Takagi: "I just read a lot of book about medicine when I'm alone. Because…you know…"

I nod without saying anything.

Takagi: "Anyway, just drink this for now."

She pours some tea into a cup and hands it to me. It's hot to the touch, and I nearly drop it as soon as I take hold of it. Eventually, I manage to put the liquid to my lips and gulp down a few sips.

Nishikata: "Hmmm…this is really goo-"

No sooner do I speak up than a terrible burning notion fills my throat. I cough violently and spills the tea over my bedsheet.

Nishikata: "F-Fire! Fire in my throat!"

Takagi: "I-I'm sorry! Did I make it too strong?"

I merely nod.

Nishikata: "What…the heck did you put in it?"

Takagi: "Well, the book I read said that ginger tea works when you have a sore throat. So, I looked through the fridge and found a bunch of ginger."

I feel nervous sweat roll down my back, fear grips on me as I realize what she did.

Nishikata: "How much did you put in that tea?"

Takagi: "An entire root."

Even though I'm in clear pain, I knew Takagi only wanted to help me. The problem is that I was planning on throwing the ginger away, since it was past expiration date.

Takagi realizes that she made a mistake and I can see her smile is fading away and her eyes starting to darken.

Takagi: "I'm sorry, I just wanted to help. But of course, I had to mess up."

She speaks in a much lower, harsher tone than I've ever heard before.

Nishikata: "Well, I appreciate it nonetheless."

Takagi: "Sorry, I should leave. I only made everything worse."

As she about to get up, I grab her hands. This gesture surprises her enough to make her hesitate and I see her look down on me with an indescribable look in her eyes.

Nishikata: "Please, don't leave…"

My voice is barely stronger than a whisper at this point.

Takagi: "Why? I'm just a nuisance…"

She also lowers her voice and bites her lip to prevent from crying again.

Takagi: "I tried to help you, but I only made you feel worse again…"

I shake my head.

Nishikata: "I want you…to stay…"

Takagi: "Even if I'm useless? Even if I can't help you, since I know almost nothing about how to treat illnesses and am so clumsy that I somehow make everything worse!?"

I try to nod.

Nishikata: "Yes. The day had only just begun…we can make it better."

Takagi gasp and sit down. I look up, and judging from her expression, my words seem to have struck a chord in her heart.

Nishikata: "You can help me, just like I can help you."

She says nothing. She clearly in deep though.

Nishikata: "Takagi?"

Takagi": "How can I help you, Nishikata?"

Nishikata: "Well, I need painkillers. But I can't get up. But more than that, I hear people recover faster when they're happy."

Takagi: "Oh, right. Sorry."

She dashes after I describe to her where to find the painkillers and returns with a glass of water and a medicine.

After I gulp it down to douse the fire in my chest and ease my overall pain, I lie down. Either of us speaks, but even with my eyes closed, I can feel Takagi keeps her gaze onto me.

All of the sudden, she breaks the silence.

Takagi: 'I'm sorry if I got all negative there. I really don't know what came over me, it's just…Like this voice in my head keeps telling me useless and worthless whenever I messed up."

I turn to face her, and weakly stroke her hair with my fingers.

Nishikata: "Then we've just gotta make it shut up. And if you can't do anything against it, I'll give it a go when I get better."

Takagi: "Why? Why are you doing this?"

Nishikata: "Why not? I could ask you the same thing right now. Why didn't you go to school when I'm sick?"

Takagi: "You're my best friend! How could I let you suffer alone! I know that you have nobody else to take care of you right now."

I nod.

Nishikata: "Wouldn't you say you deserve the same kind of treatment?"

Takagi falls silent.

Nishikata: "Takagi?"

Takagi: "I don't know…I really don't know…Do I really deserve that?"

Nishikata: 'What do you mean?"

Takagi: "I…"

She seems to have a hard time finding courage to put up her feelings into words.

Nishikata: "You can tell me anything."

Takagi: "I don't know if I'm ready to tell you yet. I'm…"

It sounds like she's in pain. Whatever is the reason for her mindset seems to be really personal to her. But on the other hand, this might be my only chance to find out the root of the problem. If I could learn what made her think this way, I could do something to help her.

However, Takagi might break under pressure, I can see she wants to tell me, but…

Nishikata: "Please don't push yourself."

Takagi: "…I'm sorry, It's not that I trust you…and I know you, of all people, deserves to know…but I…"

I silently nod.

Nishikata: "I won't deny that I want to know, but you look really uncomfortable. This is clearly important to you, and I don't want you to force yourself to confess it if you're not ready.

I can, and will, wait. Because I'm serious about wanting to help for you. But for that to happen, I need to know why you think you have no worth."

Takagi: "Thanks, I really appreciate it."

She sighs and shake her head again.

Takagi: "I wish this wasn't so unfair."

Nishikata: "I'm not going anywhere, Takagi."

Takagi: "I know. I promise, I'll tell you when you're ready."

I feel my painkillers taking effect on me, and my vision is getting blurry.

Takagi: "So, is the medicine is taking effect already?"

Nishikata: "Y-Yeah…"

Takagi: "Good, take a nap. I'll wait for you to get up."

Takagi: "Maybe then, I'll have the courage to tell you…"