This is my 2nd time doing something like this again. That, and I was just a bit bored. I don't really know whether or not I should continue this story, since a lot of parts in this thing hints of some sort of continuation, or no continuation at all. It could either be that or make more chapters that aren't related to each other as well and are more special stories or something (maybe get in a bit of moto ;) ), but i dunno (Maybe even make more stuff that's more related to the manga or something, or just small teasing chapters). This was also kind of a messy and bad story too but it's whatever I guess. Criticism is appreciated, thank you and enjoy.
The story takes palce after the summer festival/Vol. 7 Chapter 62 from the manga
Another day, another tease fest waiting for him.
Nishikata woke up thanks to his alarm clock, turning it off he got up, organized his things needed for the new school day, dressed, and proceeded to go eat and finish breakfast. "I'm off to school!" Nishikata notified to his mom, "Okay, take care!" His mom yelled back to him. And so he walked down the road, and started to think.
Nishikata changed into a thinking posture, and started smirking "I can't be wrong about this one, everything is set in motion for today. If I'm able to just bait her-" He stopped at both talking and dead on his tracks, and engaged at looking everywhere. He's already passed the spot where he and Takagi-san usually meet, which resulted in him growing extremely suspicious of his surroundings as he looked everywhere "(Left, right, behind... Maybe she's hiding somewhere)" he thought as he still couldn't find her yet. Looking around every object and possible hiding spot around him he still couldn't find her which kind of surprised him for a bit.
"That's strange... What was I doing all this time then..." He said, as he started thinking about the minutes he probably wasted and should've instead used to get to school, but regardless he still had time and was in no rush, although this did make him question some things. "She can't miss today... We're just getting back from summer vacation... So where is sh-Huh?" Nishikata said, as he saw Takagi without her bike, walking down the road, yet something felt off as he observed her, her eyes were a tiny bit shut and her cheeks seemed a bit redder than usual. As Takagi-san noticed him as well she smiled and said "Ah, good morning Nishikata" "...Oh uh, good morning Takagi-san" He said quickly recovering from his thoughts. "I thought you went on ahead without me, did you really want to walk with me that much?" she said, then grinning.
"What ? no... It's just that well, ya know, it kinda felt just a bit off walking alone when most of the time we walk together, especially after summer vacation" He explained quickly while also blushing, causing her to reply with an "Ehhhh ?" as she got a bit closer to his face, intensifying the blush. "... Well then, off we go to school" She said, proceeding to walk back down the road while Nishikata was thinking "(Darn you Takagi-san...)" As he also walked down the road, although he couldn't shake off the feeling that something wasn't right.
They proceeded to walk and walk, as Nishikata also built up a lot of curiosity about why she was a bit late and why she didn't have her bicycle with her. "So uhh... Did something happen at home?" He asked her directly. This caught Takagi-san a bit off guard as she thought he'd challenge her to some sort of game related to that, but regardless she replied "Oh, I just happened to not actually have all of my stuff ready for the new school year was all, I was a bit in a rush after that so I kind of forgot my bike on my way here", Nishikata then replied "Oh..Haha, how can you be so clumsy Takagi-san? not only forgetting one thing but 2 things" he said in a smuggish way. "Oh yeah, haha, I guess I do tend to forget things every once in a while..." She replied, which instantaneously made Nishikata's smirk disappear, not only because his response hadn't quite gotten him the results he wanted, but Something felt off about that response, specifically for him.
Regardless, even when something was off he was still teased on the way to school, except what confused him even more is that there were less teasing this time. As they made it in and started opening their shoe lockers he heard a thud, as it was actually Takagi-san's school case that she had dropped and then picked up. They then made it to class but barely had any time to talk or do any challenges alone before a lot more students popped up and the school period started. As the teacher started doing their usual first day speeches and project checks, Nishikata took the opportunity to think about what's happened so far and what he's taken note of so far: Takagi made it a bit late to their usual meeting place on the road due to her being a bit clumsy? Takagi's appearance is rather different from any other day, she didn't bring her bicycle, she's teased him way less than usual... And there's just something about her dropping her school case at the shoe locker. More questions were raised as there was also a big decrease in teasing throughout their classroom periods.
Some time passes by, making it all the way to their lunch period. Nishikata then goes on to meet up with his friends, Kimura, Takao, and Hamaguchi. They started talking about how their summer went, and what topic they did for their projects. After much discussion, Kimura then asked Nishikata "So did you ever find her again at the summer festival Nishikata?" To which Nishikata was surprised about, but also understanding "OH, yeah, I did Kimura" "What're you guys talking about?" Takao asked, as Hamaguchi was also interested "OH, well uh, you see, uh-" "Oh, well you see at the summer festival during the fireworks event, Nishikata got separated from Takagi-san, but I took note to where she was going, and then saw Nishikata, and I yelled at him to go to where she was going" Kimura explained. Takao then said "Oh so that's what you yelled at him for" "You got separated from her? How'd you let that happen'' Hamaguchi questioned, "Oh well uhh.." Nishikata struggled with finding an answer, and then finally thought of something for his response "The crowd was getting way bigger and I lost her within the crowd..." He said in a bit of a sad way "But uhh, thanks to Kimura we got together again" Nishikata said, in a reassuring manner.
Hamaguchi then said "I didn't know you asked her out to go to the festival" Which were the words that made Nishikata realize he made this sound like a date "OH WELL, uhh it wasn't a date or anything we were just going to enjoy the festival together since we didn't have any plans or anyone to go with to the festival" He said in a quick way, but was also shot by a "Surreeee..." By Takao. "Either way, I was happy to help you Nishikata. You should've seen the look on Takagi-san's face, she really tried looking hard for you while also being a bit stressed out" Kimura said, causing Nishikata to blush "O-oh, was she?" "Yeah" Kimura said as he finished his lunch. "Look who's blushing" "I swear it wasn't a date!" Nishikata quickly said back, trying to shut down Takao.
"I do kinda feel sorry for you, you both got seperated right after the fireworks started right?" Hamaguchi asked which made Nishikata realize something and replied "Yeah... I didn't have my phone or anything to be able to contact her... And right when I found her the event had already finished..." Nishikata felt guilty, he realized that they both wouldn't have missed the fireworks together if he just didn't feel embarrassed about anything, it was all his fault... "Well, some stuff comes up I guess, not everything can go your way, but in the end you can always make up for it in the future" Hamaguchi said, which caused the rest of the 3 boys to look at him curiously, but also made Nishikata realize what happened after the summer festival, and the conversation he had with Takagi-san. "What?" Hamaguchi asked, "Well you normally don't kinda say that stuff, so it just kinda caught us off guard" Takao noted, "Heh, I guess I'm just getting smoother with my words" which then made the 3 boys a bit annoyed "Anyways it was nice catching up, I'm off to see Houjo-san and talk to her as well with the time we got, later" As Hamaguchi left. "I'm gonna go ask some other people if they have any leftovers that I can eat" Kimura said, "Oh yeah, I've gotta go and visit the office to pick up something... So uh later Nishikata" and with that, Nishikata was left alone, and also felt a bit dumbfounded about being alone.
Nishikata decided to hit the bathroom after he finished his bento. After using the bathroom and coming across a staircase, he sees Takagi-san sitting alone at the staircase, while he's behind her. "(Hmm.. Maybe I can use this opportunity to get back at her the same way she teases me when she tries to poke my cheek)" he thought as he was about to tap her shoulder, but all of a sudden Nishikata stopped. "(No... I can't...)" He thought, as he felt that he shouldn't do anything at all, this feeling seemed to be a bit too much for him. Takagi then finally turns around to see Nishikata's hand a bit close to her "Hmm? trying to do something to me?" She said smiling, causing Nishikata to panic a bit "What? No no no, it's nothing like that Takagi-San" He said quickly, pulling back his hand which caused Takagi-san to giggle a bit "You gotta be more sneaky than that" She said, then inviting Nishikata saying, "Wanna sit down with me?". Nishikata thought for a bit and then replied "Sure, I don't really have anything else to do anyways" "Hm?" Takagi then questioned.
"Oh you see the guys had other plans now for the rest of this period, so now I'm just the only one with nothing to do now, I was just coming back from the bathroom was all" Nishikata said as Takagi understood. "That reminds me, what're you doing here as well?" Nishiakta questioned, "Oh, well the girls also had other plans as well so now it's just me" she responded back, a bit quickly. Nishikata observed her once more, she was still a bit more red, and began looking a bit tired, he then took notice that she's just already half way through to completing her bento "Do you like looking at me?" She asked, making Nishikata blush and respond quickly once more "N-no! I wasn't looking at all" he said, staring straightforward again, which caused Takagi to laugh a bit and resumed eating.
Once more Nishikata decided to observe her without getting caught, and start getting a feeling that there was definitely something off about her today. He took note that she was also eating a bit more slowly, and her cheeks have gotten a bit more red as well. Takagi then looked at Nishikata and asked him "Do you want the rest of my lunch?" which caught Nishikata off guard a bit and so he asked, "There's no challenge to this?" as Takagi then shook her head while also smiling, holding out the bento to him. "...Are you sure?" "Positive, you seem like you're not satisfied yourself" she said back, which indeed Nishikata did feel like he should've eaten just a tiny bit more.
But this confuses Nishikata further more, as he accepts her bento, he needed to ask about the elephant in the room because this definitely was just not how Takagi normally acts. "Hey uh Takagi-san?" "Yes?" " Takagi replied, "Uhh... Well you see uh.." He looked back at her but quickly looked back at the bento he had on his hands "Is... There something wrong?" He finally asked. Takagi's eyes widened out a bit "Oh, there's nothing wrong, Nishikata... Why do you ask?" Takagi said, "Oh well uhh... (What do I do, do I continue or not...)" Nishikata thought as he struggled with a response, finally thinking of an excuse "Well you aren't teasing me as much as before..." He said.
Takagi then looked back forward giggling a bit "So you're starting to enjoy my teasing now?" "No, that's not it!" Nishikata quickly fired back. Takagi finally answered "There's nothing wrong Nishikata, I guess I'm just feeling a bit under the weather because of my morning" she tried explaining, "Oh, okay..." Nishikata said, taking another small bite of the food that was offered to him. He continued eating but he still felt something wrong even after what he heard, until he started overthinking it. "(This has to be some sort of trick... Or maybe she did something with the food... No... But maybe there really is something that she's hiding...)" As Nishikata went on thinking of all the possibilities of this undergoing event.
Takagi sat there next to him, looking at the window in front of them, her body started to move around as if she was seemingly losing balance which Nishikata took note of as well, "Uhh, something the matter?" "Oh no it's nothing" She said once more trying to shrug it off and trying to stand up straight once again, as she started to be in thought "(I can't lose focus now, it's just a few more periods until we get out... I need something to lay on for just a little while... Why is everything... Closing in on me...)".
Nishikata felt something on his right shoulder, he slowly looked over to his right and all of a sudden it seemed as though time stopped, realizing that Takagi was on his shoulder. Just for a moment, everything seemed to stop in motion, and it was just him and Takagi who was lying on his shoulder... Until he bit down more food he had on his mouth, coming back to his senses he instantly changed his face's color looking as red as a tomato and quickly swallowed the food he had in his mouth. He struggled for a moment looking for words, but he was too distracted and lost in thought, he just had no idea what was going on now and didn't know what to do.
But after a while he stopped panicking and realized how it's only been at least a minute now without Takagi talking at all, he also took note that some of Takagi's breath's were a bit deep. Calming down a bit but still in a bit of shock, he finally mustered up the courage to talk"..u-..uh...T-t..Takagi-san?", only to not get a response back as she still laid there on his shoulder. "(Is this some sort of prank? Game?... Is she asleep?)" Nishikata thought. He put down the bento with his left arm and started thinking once more "(What do I do... Do I call her out again?) ... Uhhhh that's not fair.. Takagi-san..." Yet there was no response, "(Is she really asleep?)".
Nishikata observed her once more, taking note of her deep breaths, but also finally noticing her eyes being closed "Uh... Takagi?" Yet no response was ever given out. "You gotta be kidding me..." Nishikata said a bit quietly, and started thinking once more about his status in the current situation he's in. Some time passed and he then realized, "(What if I get caught like this?)" as he opened his mouth in terror and looked back at Takagi-san panicking once more. He wanted to get out of this as soon as possible, quickly saying "Ahaha okay you win Takagi-san, you can get off now" He said aloud now, but once more received no response.
"There's no way," He said, panicking even more. He looked around quick to see if no one noticed them, also looking for some clock to take note of what time it was until the bell could ring, otherwise some students may be on their way to class and notice them on their way. But even then while panicking, he still felt a bit comfortable with her on his shoulder... "(But why?)" Was the question he had on his mind looking back at her once more. "...(She seems... So peaceful... And pretty...)" coming up with thoughts, until he heard footsteps coming his way from the left, once again going fully red and into panic mode.
"(What do I do, what do I do, WHAT DO I DO!)" He thought as the sound got closer and closer, the person being revealed was Yukari. As she turned her head to the staircase looking at the pair and stopping dead on her tracks, making Nishikata raise his hand at her slowly and moving his mouth without any words coming out, probably saying "It's not what it looks like". Yukari then also blushed for a bit, and after some seconds passed, finally she yelled out "Uh-uh I just remembered! I forgot something back at the lunch room!" she said quickly turning around and walking out which caused nishikata to slowly get up "No wait it's not what it looks li-!" Before realizing he pushed Takagi to the right as he got up, having her slowly fall down to the right side.
Nishikata's instincts then quickly kicked in as he went back to his spot, reaching out for Takagi's arm before she hit a stair. He made it in time as he grabbed her upper arm, preventing the fall. He seemed to have grabbed her a bit too tight though, causing Takagi to slowly wake up and look to her left as she saw Nishikata's hand on her arm and him blushing intensely. "N-Nishikata?" She said, after a second she realized what position she was in and stood up once more also blushing a bit. Nishikata then let go of her arm and looked in the opposite direction, resuming to go back and pretend to eat the bento without taking note of the blush.
Takagi then started thinking quickly about what just happened "(Why'd he have his hand on my arm... Was he pulling me back... I did kind of hear someone yelling... Did I black out?)" she thought blushing a bit more before Nishikata interrupted her thoughts "Uhh, hey... Were you actually asleep..." Nishikata asked. "..Oh! uh...Yes..." Takagi responded, realizing what probably happened "Oh... Okay..." He said. There was then a silence between the two of them as they both started thinking about what just happened exactly.
It didn't take long before the bell rang and Nishikata quickly left to go to his classroom with the bento still on his hand, leaving Takagi-san alone. Quickly entering his classroom and gettin everything setup, and forgetting about the bento he still had as he put it in his case, he sat down along with putting his head down to think. "(What just happened, what just happened, was she actually telling the truth or not, is something actually wrong with her, did I hurt her? Will Yukari get the wrong idea? Should I have stayed with her still? was th-)" Nishikata's thoughts were interrupted when he realized that he was still feeling something. He stood back up and looked at his shoulder "(This was the shoulder she layed on... But why is it still...)" touching his shoulder, he felt it being a bit hot still and a bit wet "(?)". "... This... Has to be normal right?" he whispered to himself "I mean she's a girl and all, and has more hair and-" As more students popped up, so did the teacher as he told everyone to be quiet and take a seat.
Takagi didn't show up until a bit more later, making it at the nick of time as the teacher was just getting at her name, Nishikata observed her until she sat down and quickly turned his head back to the front without trying to make eye contact at all and think once more. "(I'm starting to think about not talking to her at all today after all that... Unless she talks to me first... But then again...)" As Nishikata recalled his shoulder. But even then he decided to not talk to Takagi-san at all.
After all the class periods school was over for today, but there was no teasing done at all during the last few periods. As Nishikata started packing his stuff, Takagi got up "Well, see you later... Nishikata" she said with a smile "Uh... Yeah see you later Takagi-san.." As he saw her take her leave. Nishikata then felt something, but didn't know what he felt at all, the feeling became extremely strong when he no longer saw Takagi-san in sight, he then began to sweat a bit and then think "(W-what is this... Am... Am I worried?). A voice then came up "Something the matter Nishikata?" as it was actually Nakai, "Oh hey Nakai, and uh no... It's nothing" Nishikata said with a bit of a frown making it obvious that something was wrong.
Nakai then sat down next to Nishikata "Aw come on, you're gonna make me sad too with that expression of yours" "Oh, sorry for making you worry then... But I'd just rather not talk about it" Nishikata said. Nakai then started thinking and then finally said "Is it something related to Takagi-san?" making Nishikata blush a bit and then respond "Y-yeah...". Nakai then started thinking once more until he snapped a bit and noted "Now that I think about it, do you think something's wrong with her? She's been acting a bit strange". Nishikata then started thinking once more "(Should I tell him...) ... Yeah... Well uh lately... She has been acting a bit weird, she seems redder than usual... She seems a bit tired... And.." Nishikata blushed a bit "Started talking way less today (As if Ima tell him about her teasing me less)".
Nakai then started thinking a bit more, and then finally spoke once more "Hey Nishikata wait a bit here for me" as he exited the classroom. Nishikata became curious but decided to listen to Nakai and wait, after a while Nakai came back with Mano which made Nishiakta even more curious and a bit confused. Mano then coming close to him, spoke "Hi Nishikata, Nakai told me about what you said and uhmm.. You might wanna hear this then" making Nishikata a bit nervous.
Elsewhere
"... I'm going to make it... I just have to return back home, and get some rest along with getting better... I managed to at least come back for today only so he shouldn't be worried about me..." Takagi said as she walked down the road. "After all.. I wouldn't wanna look that weak in front of him." she said, grinning a bit, but also notably losing her balance. Takagi-san then made it to the abandoned lot, she then sat down on the stack of wooden planks "I'll just... Take a rest here..." she said lying down, and then once more blacking out.
"I need to make it in time, I just need to make it in time!" Was all Nishikata could say to himself, as he ran out the school, and into the road where he and Takagi usually returned. "She needs to be alright... She has to be alright!" Nishikata said, as he recalled the words that were passed down to him.
Earlier...
"I don't mean to be nosy but I've been a bit worried about Takagi as well," Mano said. "She wasn't with her other friends during the lunch period, and she has been looking a lot redder and tired today as well" Mano stated. "Not only that but, Nishikata, Yukari told me about what happened at the staircase" Mano said, which caused Nishikata to blush and quickly reply "NO WAIT, you got it all wrong it's nothing like that we're no-" "I know" Mano quickly responded to Nishikata which calmed him down a bit. "Because there's more to it," Mano continued.
"Yukari then came back to the set of staircases after the bell rang and saw Takagi there going up the staircases, except she saw her struggle a bit as well and a bit in pain too" Mano explained, making Nishikata then look surprised. "After Yukari told me this, we started thinking and then came to the conclusion that she was sick," Mano said, causing Nishikata's eyes to widen, and then slowly turn to his right shoulder. There was a bit of a silence until Nishikata finally spoke "Hey Mano-san..." "Y-yes Nishikata?" She responded. "What symptom is it when someone has an extremely high temperature, that at some points they feel too weak..." Mano's eyes then widened when Nishikata put his hand on his shoulder, widening his eyes out too as they both realized what the problem was.
"She was right there making it obvious to me and I didn't know even after that..." Nishikata said a bit in an angry tone, gritting his teeth a bit. There was a silence...
"(She's probably made it to her house... Yeah, that's it... She's safe... There's nothing to worry about... She's safe... SHE'S SAFE)"
.
.
"(Nishikata...)"
.
.
"(Takagi-san...)"
.
.
"Well then go after her while you still can" Nakai finally said. "... Nakai-" "Nishikata, you walk with Takagi-san all the time, you know where she probably is at this very moment, so while you still have the chance, go after her to see if she's safe!" Nakai said, pulling Nishikata's arm outside the classroom, and then letting it go. pointing at him, he yelled "Now go!" as Nishikata then quickly ran. Nakai then smiled, as Nishikata exited out from sight, Mano then came in "I hope everything turns out fine" "... Takagi-san will be fine... After all it's Nishikata who's gonna go after her right?" Nakai replied, keeping his smile up.
Coming across a vending machine, Nishikata decided to buy 1 cool icy water bottle. He then continued on his way down the road and then stopped to take a breather "Where is she... Maybe she did make it to her house... But she doesn't have her bike with her this time..." panting out. Nishikata started thinking about the spots he probably missed or still hasn't thought about yet "... The abandoned lot..." quickly running after the location in mind.
As Nishikata stopped near the lot, he looked and looked everywhere until he finally saw her passed out once more on the wooden planks, a bit in shock but quickly going over to her side, he sat next to her on the left. "She has to be alright..." He repeated once more, stretching his arm out towards her head while also shaking at the same time. He started blushing once more as his hand got closer... And closer.. But then he stopped "I... I... I can't..." he was too embarrassed about it.
"I.. I really can't do it huh, t-that's strange," Nishikata struggled saying as well, struggling to also make a decent smile as a way to kind of laugh it off. His hand was so close yet so far away in his mind to touch her head. He was about to be lost in thought until he heard heavy breathing coming from Takagi, as he snapped out of it and went in to touch her head successfully. It's like as if he felt a slap on the face when he checked her temperature, he realized this was nothing to be embarrassed about, or else he'll make the situation worse by doing nothing due to him being in an embarrassed state.
Nishikata then quickly grabbed the cool water bottle, as he was about to open it he realized a mistake in his plan while trying to cool off Takagi ,"I forgot a towel". He panicked for a while as he looked around for something, anything honestly that he can use to pour water on and then put on Takagi's head but there was nothing, until he looked at his arm with the bottle, feeling the cold. "... Why am I such an idiot" Nishikata said, as he then put the bottle on her head, while his right hand held it.
He waited... And then waited... And even did more waiting... Until he decided to check how much it had cooled her off, "... Okay she's getting to an okay state..." He said. Nishikata then relaxed a bit, shifting his relieving smile to a sad one, and putting his left arm on his face. Unbeknownst to him was Takagi, now waking up and looking around with her eyes. Takagi managed to look around hard enough to be able to see the cool water bottle and hand, but also heard talking "I kinda am stupid huh... If I really keep losing to her, there's no way I can be helpful to her then" He said in a rather depressed tone.
"... Nishikata..."
. . .
"O-OH you're awake!" Nishikata said while surprised, as his blush returned to him. "I uh, I can explain Takagi-san" "You don't really have to Nishikata... I mean I think I can already imagine how worried you were for me" She said smiling while also actually blushing a bit. Nishikata blushed harder before Takagi continued "Can you look in my case and see if you can find my handkerchief.". Nishikata realized Takagi had her handkerchief with her at all times, so he then got up and took his first few steps towards the suitcase, not realizing his hand with the bottle was still on Takagi's head, "You can take this off while your looking through my case" she said.
"I can't, I don't wanna slow down the cooling," Nishikata replied. Takagi could then tell how worried Nishikata was which made her blush a bit even more, but decided to calm him down a bit more, as she thought of something quick and said "Very well then, let's play a game Nishikata" "Huh?" Nishikata said, being caught off guard. "If you can look through my case and find my handkerchief without taking the bottle off my head, you win, but if you take the bottle off my head throughout that process then it's my win" "Takagi-san, I kinda don't think this is the right time for that.." Nishikata replied. Takagi knew it really wasn't the right time doing this, but she still wanted to calm down Nishikata, then saying "Can't do two things at once hm?" She said, making a smirk on her face.
Nishikata couldn't resist this challenge, especially coming from Takagi. "(Even while she's sick, she still manages to make a challenge huh?... Well she's underestimating me, thinking she's able to win while she's sick) Alright then you're on" Nishikata said, as he looked back at the case and realized how much of a disadvantage he was at. "Good luck" Takagi said as cheerfully as she could.
Not only does Nishikata have to only use one hand, but the case was a bit too out of his reach. Trying his hardest he couldn't quite reach the case with his left hand "(There's no way I'm going to lose!)" He said, a bit traumatized. "You give up?" "As if!" Nishikata quickly replied and then resumed thinking. "(How am I gonna reach this thing)" Nishikata thought. He looked around and just couldn't find anything that can help him reach the case, feeling depressed about his probable loss, he looked down... And then started moving his feet a bit.
"(My feet... That's it!)" Nishikata thought. Nishikata then reached the case with his left leg, maintaining the bottle on Takagi's head, and then thinking "(This is actually harder than it looks huh)". He managed to pull the case over to him with his left leg and then grab it, resulting in him thinking "(Eat that Takagi-san)". And then he realized once again his disadvantage "(Oh right... One hand...)"
It took a whole while before Nishikata managed to finally grab the handkerchief out from the case, "Th-there I-I got it" He said in a tired state. Takagi then giggled and said "You know, this would've been over in a few seconds if you just took the bottle off my head" Which Nishikata really did admit to greatly as he responded, "Sorry..." making Takagi happy. "But a win's a win (Even though I feel like I lost again)" He said before taking the bottle off her head, pouring the water on the handkerchief, and then putting it on her head. Sitting down he then realized and said "Oh that's right, we never really did say what the punishment was going to be..." "We can worry about that later," Takagi said, as she closed her eyes and rested a bit more. Nishikata then sat down once more as he was finally relieved and a bit calmer now as well.
"I didn't really think you'd come for me you know..." Takagi said, which made Nishikata blush once more. "But I'm glad you did" She continued, smiling. "I just... I mean... Well it's just... I was worried about you," He said as he blushed harder, but also made Takagi blush a bit as well. "B-but it wasn't just me th-there were others too you know" Nishikata quickly continued, "Oh... Tell them I'm sorry then..." She replied. Nishikata then became calm once more and everything was quiet again.
Nishikata then wanted to ask her about something, "Hey, Takagi-san?" "Yeah, Nishikata?" Takagi said. "U-um well you see I have one question for you" Nishikata said, as he already began stuttering a bit. "What would that be?" Takagi replied, "Well... It's just... Why didn't you say anything about this earlier..." Nishikata finally asked. It all became a bit quiet until Takagi finally spoke, "I wanted to see you again" which instantly made Nishikata blush and think, "(She's teasing me... She has to be...)". Takagi then continued explaining "I also didn't really wanna make you and others worried about me... It all happened after the festival, after that day I started feeling something, and I guess I shrugged it off until this morning when that feeling took full effect last night, and I thought it would've all been alright if I just slept more... But I guess not" She said, a bit sadly. "I was a bit careless then as I thought I could handle this... But I just made things worse for you and others... You know" Takagi continued, in a sad manner, while Nishikata also became a bit more sad as well. "I guess what I'm saying is... That I was being a terrible friend" She said, while struggling to make a smile as she wanted to play it off in a way, but Nishikata felt a bit stunned.
It was quiet for a moment.
Nishikata took note of Takagi's struggling smile, as he began to see her having a sad face, and taking note of a tear trying to be kept in. Nishikata then said "Takagi-san...". It took a while before a response came in "Yes... Nishikata?". "I don't really think you were being a terrible friend... Because you still really cared about us." Nishikata continued, which made Takagi open her eyes and have a surprised face. "Even then, being dishonest doesn't help... But you know what, you're still here in a decent condition... Not everything can go your way, but you still have a chance to make up for problems and struggles in the future" Nishikata said, as he recalled Hamaguchi's words.
Takagi then blushed a bit more, Nishikata couldn't really take note of this since he'd think it was just the fever. Takagi then thought for a moment, and then smiled before speaking "You really are a good and helpful friend to me Nishikata" which made Nishikata's blush return to him once more. "It makes me very happy to see you with me, and know you cared about me" She continued, making Nishikata turn around the other way and have both his cheeks and ears blush before Nishikata replied, "W-W-well yeah what're friends for" as his voice cracked a bit. Takagi then laughed a bit before saying, "You're blushing aren't you" "I-I'm not! I-It's just the s-sunlight!" Nishikata quickly replied, and thought, "(I-I c-can't t-think. My mind isn't... Working)" before Takagi continued giggling.
After some time, Takagi then sat up from her position while, "You okay for now?" "Yeah, I think I can move more now," Takagi assured Nishikata. She put away the handkerchief. As she was about to get up, she got back into her sitting position and put her hand on her stomach, "Something wrong?" Nishikata asked. Takagi then responded "I'm just a bit hungry is all" She said as she smiled and laughed a bit, "Nothing to worry too much about" she continued saying. "Oh...OH!" Nishikata said as he realized something. He then started going through his case which made Takagi a bit curious. Finally he grabbed what he looked for and revealed it to be her bento box, "Oh my bento!" She said, surprised.
"Yeah, I barely ate anything during our conversation at school and uh..." Nishikata started blushing before continuing, "You sleeping" as they both then blushed. Takagi then opened up her bento, and it was revealed that there indeed was still a decent amount of food left for her, "I forgot I took it with me, sorry" "It's alright, I'm just glad you remembered about it" She said as she started eating. She then got a bit thirsty and then thought of the water bottle "Hey Nishikata, can I drink a bit from the water bottle?" "Oh, yeah sure" He responded, as he handed Takagi the water bottle, and she started to drink.
After a while, she finished up eating, and gave back Nishikata the water bottle that still had some water in storage. Takagi then got back up once again saying, "I think I'm ready this time". "Alright then, let's go" Nishikata responded as they started walking down the road, together this time.
After some walking on the road, Nishikata took note of Takagi once more, that she was losing her balance a bit before they made their way to the separation point. "Thank you Nishikata, I'll make it on my own from here" She said as she started walking off. Nishikata knew this felt a bit off, he needed to say something... He had to say something... And so he finally said something "Hey Takagi-san". Takagi then looked back to Nishikata as he continued talking, "Let me walk you home."
This stunned Takagi and made her blush for a bit before she replied, "I appreciate it Nishikata, but I feel like you've already helped me out too much now, and it doesn't feel fair now". Nishikata then felt like he was caught off guard, as she saw Takagi smile once more before she continued walking home. Nishikata then began thinking hard to come up with some excuse to walk with her before he briefly thought for a moment, "(Wait, isn't this what... A couple do?... No... No, I can't think about this again and screw up... She needs to be safe...)" as he continued thinking. And then he finally came up with something but also blushed hard, "(I... I... This is the only way)" he thought, as he yelled out her name and made his way to her.
"I finally came up with a punishment for our game," Nishikata said, which made Takagi a bit curious. "What is it then?" she asked. "Yo-...I...I have to... We have to be holding hands... Until... We make it to your home...".
It was quiet for a moment
It felt as if time stopped for both of them
.
.
.
Takagi then finally spoke, "You really do wanna hold my hand that ba-" As she was cut off, and felt something on her hand. She saw Nishikata hold her hand and then say, "A punishment is a punishment" He said while blushing hard and looking the other way. Takagi felt a bit shocked and overall caught off guard, and then said "Okay, let's walk," as they both then walked towards her house.
During the walk, Nishikata's blush lessened as he then finally gained his concentration back. He then realized how soft and delicate her hand was once more, and then as he looked at his hand that held Takagi's, he then thought, "(O-oh, I think I'm holding it too tight)" as he softened the grip, as Takagi took note of this, and blushed a bit. Takagi then said, "You could've just said to walk with me" before Nishikata replied "I-...I wanted to make sure you didn't lose your balance was all..." which made Takagi blush once more. After a moment, Takagi then said, "You know, I think I feel a lot better when you're with me like this," which then made Nishikata face as red as a tomato, quickly asking "W-What does that mean?" "Who knows?" Takagi replied back, smiling happily. They continued walking, as Nishikata thought about her response throughout the rest of the walk to her house.
They then finally made it to Takagi's house, "This is it" Takagi said. "Oh, okay" Nishikata responded back.
.
..
...
"You still wanna hold my hand?" Takagi asked, while grinning. Nishikata realized what he was still doing and then let go, "S-sorry" "It's okay, I enjoyed it" Takagi replied, happy, causing Nishikata to blush a bit more harder and look away while thinking, "(Yeah, she definitely has to be teasing me now)". Takagi then made her way to the door but then stopped, and looked back. Takagi then called out, "Nishikata".
"Y-yeah Takagi-san?" Nishikata responded. Takagi then said "Thank you for everything today," while smiling. "Oh, you're welcome Takagi-san" Nishikata responded, blushing a bit. "I enjoyed everything you did for me" She continued, making Nishikata blush a bit and then have his hand on his head while looking a bit down while struggling to smile. "If I can't come back tomorrow, please tell the others I was sorry about making them worry so much," Takagi said. "Alright, I got you" Nishikata responded back.
"Well, goodbye, Nishikata," Takagi said, as she went to open the door. Nishikata then quickly yelled out "I hope you feel better Takagi!". Takagi took a brief pause from entering her house, she then hid a smile and big blush, and then finally entered and closed the door after saying, "Thank you Nishikata".
Inside the house Takagi then stopped for a moment, as she had her hand on her chest. "I don't think... I could've lasted that long anymore" She said, as she exhaled and smiled, but was also in a very big blushed state. "... But... I'll remember this day" She said as her smile grew bigger. She then completely forgot about her fever but it's as if it wasn't there for a moment... How strange. She then finally yelled out "I'm home mom!" as she made her way to her room.
Back with Nishikata
Nishikata then wondered why she stood there for a moment, as he paused for a few moments before he realized, "(OH CRAP I DROPPED HER HONORIFIC)" Nishikata said, as he surrounded his open mouth with his open right hand. But then he looked at his right hand for a bit, he closed his mouth and made a curious face as he started thinking. "... I didn't enjoy that... Did I?" He said as he looked at Takagi's house, and then back at his hand. He stood there for a bit until he realized he had to get back home as soon as possible, and then started running.
On the way home, Nishikata started getting a bit tired and thirsty and then thought about the water bottle that still had some water. He didn't think about the bottle too much yet as he opened it up and started drinking, after all he really was in a hurry, especially for his parents who'd probably be worried sick about him. As he finished up the bottle he then thought about the bottle being on Takagi's Head and started blushing a bit, "... I'm glad I helped her" He said smiling, as he then threw the water bottle to a recycling bin, and continued running home.
He never really did realize what he did exactly in the end, and maybe never did.
End of the special story/chapter 1/whatever