Nishikata sat groggily at his school desk, waiting for his Friday morning class to begin. He had stayed up late the night before, glued to the TV, watching a new game show called Exposure Therapy. In it, contestants had to complete some frightening challenge - letting spiders crawl on them, doing loop-de-loops in an airplane, et cetera, - and if they could endure it, they won a prize. Nishikata felt tough watching it. He wasn't afraid of spiders, he could totally win the prize money. As long as there weren't snakes involved - he hated snakes. Or roller coasters - he had been on a roller coaster in fifth grade and almost lost his lunch. Or needles…
"Good morning, Nishikata," Takagi's familiar voice came, and he shot up straight, not realizing he had started to doze off. "Up late last night?"
"Yeah," He admitted. "I was watching that new TV show Exposure Therapy."
"Ooh, you too?" She asked, sitting down and letting out a yawn. "I stayed up until midnight watching it."
"You like it?" Nishikata asked excitedly, his grogginess temporarily forgotten. "It looks like it'd be fun to be a contestant."
"Oh really?" Takagi raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't get scared?" She pried.
"No way!" Nishikata boasted. "I'm not afraid of that kind of stuff. Give me spiders any day." Takagi giggled at his confidence.
"What are you afraid of then?" She asked, leaning toward him.
"Y-you know…" Nishikata stammered, not meeting her gaze. "The normal stuff…"
"Hmm?" Takagi leaned closer. "Are you afraid of heights?"
"No," Nishikata countered, crossing his arms.
"Lightning?" She pressed.
"Why should I tell you?" He bristled, finally looking at her, but still red in the face.
"I'll tell you mine," She offered.
"You will?" Nishikata relaxed a little, uncrossing his arms.
"Cross my heart," She promised. Nishikata considered this earnestly for a moment, but asked instead,
"You won't use it to tease me?"
For a moment, hurt flashed across her face, but was quickly replaced by a look of deep thought.
"Let's make it a competition," She finally suggested with a smile. "Like our own version of Exposure Therapy."
"What do you mean?" Nishikata asked, getting a little excited.
"We'll each take turns doing something we think is scary. Whoever faces more of their fears wins." She explained.
Nishikata chewed on this for a long while. On the one hand, even just telling Takagi his greatest fears was bad enough. But then to let her watch him face them? That was almost too much to bear. But on the other hand, getting to see her biggest fears would give him ammunition forever - a secret weapon of sorts. Plus, the rules never said he had to not be afraid, just that he needed to 'face' his fear. If he could get through it, afraid or not, he would end up knowing Takagi's weaknesses and getting a win all at the same time! It was a big risk, but ultimately seemed worth it.
"Deal," Nishikata said with a confident smirk. He thought for another moment, and his smile faltered. "But how do we do it? What if our fear is something dangerous, or out of our control?"
"Hmm…" Takagi put a hand on her chin in thought. "Do you have a fear like that?" Nishikata's breath caught in his throat. He wasn't sure he was ready to reveal one of his fears just yet. But he supposed he had no choice.
"S-snakes…" He mumbled.
"Sorry, I didn't catch that," Takagi said, narrowing her eyes mischievously. "What was that?"
"Where are we going to get snakes?" Nishikata cut to the chase. "They're wild animals, and they're dangerous too!" Instead of laughing at him, Takagi went back to thinking.
"Isn't there a snake petting zoo in town?" She pondered aloud. Nishikata's heart dropped.
"A what?" He cried. "There is?!" Takagi was already on her phone, looking it up on the internet. A moment later, she held up the phone to him.
"See? It's not too far from here." Sure enough, there it was - the 'Tonosho Snake Petting Zoo' - and it was practically walking distance from his house.
What kind of sick person runs a snake petting zoo? He thought incredulously to himself.
"How do I know you won't just do something easy and say it's scary when it's your turn?" He asked.
"I pinky-promise I'll do something really scary," She assured him, holding out her pinky finger. With a tinge of red on his face, and a moment of hesitation, Nishikata wrapped his pinky around hers.
"Tomorrow, then?" He suggested apprehensively. "Might as well get it over with."
"It's a date," Takagi agreed.
"It most certainly is not!" Nishikata hissed, turning bright red. "It's a competition, got it? Com. Pe. Tition!" For her part, Takagi simply laughed. Nishikata groaned nervously.
A win is a win, right?
A good night's sleep is a great way to clear one's head. Nishikata was hoping a good night's sleep would have helped him calm his nerves to go to the snake petting zoo. Instead, sleep had only made clear to him how insane this idea was. He was going to have to touch, and maybe even hold a snake. Maybe even several snakes. How big would they be? Surely they would be little snakes; big snakes like boa constrictors and pythons would be too dangerous to let kids hold… right?
These thoughts and worries swirled around his head as he sat at his kitchen table the next morning, his knee bouncing anxiously, when finally the doorbell rang. He sprung up, called out a farewell to his parents, and rushed to the door. He flung it open, hoping to get this trip over with as quickly as possible.
Takagi was standing there, looking a little surprised at the heft with which he had opened the door.
"Oh!" She yelped, then grinned. "You must have been excited to see me."
"Yeah, yeah," Nishikata rolled his eyes. "Let's just get this over with."
The pair caught a bus and were quickly on their way to the petting zoo. Nishikata resumed bouncing his leg nervously. Takagi eyed his knee.
"You know, if you're really scared, you could hold my hand," She offered quietly.
"Like I'd want to hold a snake and be embarrassed in public," Nishikata grumbled sarcastically.
"Ooh, you're going to hold the snakes? I was going to let you get away with just touching them," Takagi teased. Nishikata's knee stopped bouncing for a moment as he felt regret wash over him for having said too much.
"Will you hold my hand when it's my turn?" Takagi asked. Nishikata reddened further.
"Isn't that embarrassing?" Nishikata mumbled incredulously, finally looking at her. She averted her own gaze.
"What kind of snake are you the most afraid of?" Takagi asked.
"Jeez, you're insistent today," Nishikata groaned. He wasn't going to fall for it. "The little ones," He lied. He figured she was asking so she could make him hold the scariest snake there.
"Hmm?" She pried. "Are you sure?"
Mercifully, they reached their stop and they hopped off without finishing the conversation. The short walk from the bus stop to the petting zoo was thankfully silent until they reached their destination.
"Ah, here we are," Takagi said, gesturing happily to the inconspicuous building. Nishikata looked at the sign and gulped nervously.
Well, it's now or never, he thought.
The two entered the building, and paid the admission fee at a small booth just inside. The place reminded him of a pet store - there were a handful of rows of glass tanks containing all kinds of reptiles, snakes included. He relaxed a little; when they were inside their tanks, the snakes were a little less freaky.
"Good morning," A woman in black slacks and a black polo shirt greeted them. "Welcome to the Tonosho Snake Petting Zoo! Feel free to take a look around, and let one of our staff know if you'd like to pet or hold a snake." Nishikata kept his expression neutral, but couldn't help but blanch internally at the words this woman was saying with a straight face.
"T-thanks," Nishikata stammered, and Takagi nodded her agreement. The two began walking down a row of snake tanks.
The first tank they came to contained a small, rust-colored snake that was curled up in a spiral.
"Corn Snake," Takagi read the information pamphlet. "Corn Snakes are a non-venomous snake that lives in the United States. They feed on rodents, birds, eggs, and other small snakes." She paused and looked at Nishikata. "Are you scared yet?"
"Hmm…" Nishikata pondered. "It's a little creepy, but it doesn't sound very dangerous."
"Let's keep looking," Takagi beckoned, continuing down the row.
The second snake they came to was a slightly larger, dark brown snake, similarly curled up in a ball, not doing much.
"You know, this isn't so bad," Nishikata said with a relieved smile. "This one looks pretty harmless too."
"Black Mamba," Takagi read. "The Black Mamba is the most venomous snake in Africa, and the fastest snake in the world. Without antivenom, a bite from this snake is 100% fatal in less than twenty minutes."
Nishikata practically squeaked in horror, jumping back and almost bumping into a pair of elementary school kids who were looking at another snake nearby. Takagi couldn't contain her laughter.
"Would you like to hold one?" A man's voice came from behind Takagi and Nishikata. Nishikata whirled around in disbelief and saw another worker had approached them.
"W-what?!" He cried. "Aren't they venomous?"
"I didn't mean this snake," The worker clarified. "We have several non-venomous snakes you can hold."
"Well, Nishikata?" Takagi prodded. "You wanted a big one, right?"
"Wh – I didn't –" Nishikata stammered.
"Because you said you were afraid of the small ones?" Takagi reminded him with a knowing smile.
"I-it's more that I don't like the fast ones. The small ones are fast…" Nishikata clarified.
"Ah," The worker interjected. "We have an older snake that's very docile and quite slow."
"Yes!" Nishikata agreed a bit too quickly. "Docile and slow is good!" The worker gave him a friendly smile and nodded.
"Sure thing, I'll be right back," The worker said. Nishikata glared at Takagi, who simply smiled gleefully at him.
That was a close one, Nishikata thought to himself. She almost volunteered me to hold one of the big –
He was pulled from his thoughts when he noticed the worker returning with what could only be described as a behemoth white-and-yellow snake wrapped around his shoulders like a scarf. It was curled in on itself several times to avoid dragging its tail on the floor. The worker even seemed to be struggling a little bit to carry the immense weight. It was bigger around than Nishikata's legs, both of which were shaking at this point.
"What the heck is that thing?!" Nishikata blurted.
"This is Hercules," the worker explained casually, as if he was introducing a friend. "He's an Albino Burmese Python. He's about twenty feet long and two hundred pounds, so both of you will need to hold him at the same time."
Nishikata looked between the beaming Takagi and the way-too-relaxed worker in panic. Finally his gaze fixed on Takagi.
This was all her idea, he thought. She's probably enjoying herself right now. But this is my chance to prove myself! If I can do this, she'll have to do something just as scary, and then I'll be the one smiling. I'll show you!
"Alright," he said, his voice trembling a bit more than he'd like. "Let's do it."
He screwed his eyes shut in anticipation - and so that he didn't have to see Takagi's grin boring into him - and felt the massive heft of the cold-blooded constrictor on his neck and shoulders. It felt as if someone had lowered a slithering cold leather tube, filled with meat, onto him. True to the worker's word, it didn't wriggle quickly or try to bite him. It was slow, and didn't seem to mind being draped on him. After a moment, he dared a peek out of his right eye and saw Takagi, looking almost entranced, as the worker lowered the other half of the snake onto her. He had given her the head-end of the snake, perhaps sensing Nishikata's nervousness, and it was resting its head on the back of Takagi's outstretched hand. She looked like some sort of fairy-tale princess who could communicate with animals, except instead of squirrels and birds, Takagi could talk to giant reptiles that eat squirrels and birds.
"He's sweet," Takagi said simply, looking over at him. The snake looked at him too, and Nishikata tensed a little. "What do you think?"
"I… I think I won this challenge…" Nishikata croaked.
"Burmese Pythons are one of the largest species of snakes in the world," The worker explained. "They're native to southeast Asia."
As the worker went on explaining all the admittedly interesting facts about the python, it began curling ever so slightly, forcing Nishikata and Takagi closer together until they were pressed up against each other. The worker noticed this and switched his tone, chuckling slightly.
"Aww, looks like he likes you guys; he's trying to give you a hug," He remarked. Then after a beat, he began reaching forward. "Just kidding, he's actually trying to constrict and eat you, so we'll take him back now."
Nishikata turned white and looked at Takagi as the snake was lifted from their shoulders. Takagi looked surprised for a moment, but then laughed when she saw Nishikata's reaction. But right now, the laughter didn't bother him, because the ordeal was over. He had done it. He had faced his fear of snakes! Sure, it had tried to eat him, and he was still just as scared of snakes as before, but he was one step closer to beating Takagi, and that made it all worth it.
"Ahh, that was a lot of fun," Takagi sighed contentedly as the pair exited the petting zoo, Nishikata stumbling on shaking legs like a zombie. "I guess that's one point for you, huh?" Nishikata straightened and looked at Takagi with a smirk.
"That's right," he declared. "Now I'm winning. How does that feel?"
"Pretty unusual," Takagi teased. She paused for a moment. "Hey, it's still pretty early. There's a place nearby where we can do one of my fears."
"What fear is that?" Nishikata inquired.
"You'll see," Takagi said, not meeting his gaze.
As the pair entered Shikai Nature Park, Nishikata started to piece together what Takagi's fear must be. In this park, there was only one thing that was scary: the Shikai Suspension Bridge. It was a rickety wood-and-rope bridge over a deep gorge, a tourist attraction for thrill-seekers from all over the region.
Nishikata was sure of it - Takagi was afraid of heights.
Luckily for him, Nishikata was not afraid of heights, which meant that it was his turn to sit back, relax, and watch Takagi squirm.
"Hey, Nishikata," Takagi beckoned. "Are you afraid of heights?"
"Nope," Nishikata's voice lilted. "Not at all."
"Good. We're going somewhere high up." Her tone was a bit subdued, and she looked straight ahead. He knew she got like this when she was scared, so he decided he would wait to tease her until after they crossed the bridge. Another few moments passed in silence, before they finally arrived at the bridge.
"Well," Takagi let out a nervous breath. "Here it is."
The bridge was probably only twenty yards long, made of rectangular wooden planks held together by thick ropes, suspended probably a hundred feet up above a serene but rocky brook below. Even Nishikata had to admit the way it swayed back and forth in the wind was a little sketchy. He looked to Takagi, who held her hands together tightly behind her back. All things considered, she was remarkably well-composed.
The two stood for a moment in anticipation. Then, Takagi took a deep breath to steady herself, rolled her shoulders, and grabbed Nishikata's hand.
"Alright, here we go," she said with a look of determination, and stepped forward onto the bridge, Nishikata close behind. Nishikata started to protest, but was already being pulled along the bridge before he could. Normally he would be completely freaking out at Takagi holding his hand, but after the summer festival a few months ago, the concept wasn't totally alien to him anymore.
Despite the rickitiness of the bridge, Takagi was navigating it quite confidently, pulling Nishikata along with a fair amount of force. He had to concentrate hard to focus on stepping on the wooden slats while simultaneously mentally processing the fact that Takagi had taken his hand. Her grasp was firm but not uncomfortable. Nishikata wondered if perhaps she had taken his hand to fluster him so he couldn't tease her for being scared. He supposed it had worked, because before he knew it, the two had crossed the bridge.
As soon as their feet touched solid ground, Takagi relinquished his hand. Before he could notice the pang of disappointment, she spoke.
"Phew!" She brought a hand to her chest. "That was scary."
He had to give it to her - that had clearly been a frightening experience for her, especially judging by how red her face was. But, just like the giant snake earlier that day, she had faced her fear.
"I guess this means we're tied, huh?" She asked, finally looking at him, still breathing a little hard. He was still too embarrassed to meet her gaze, so he looked off to the side.
"Yeah," he mumbled. "I guess so."
"Hey, Nishikata," she called earnestly, her breathing having slowed. He turned to face her, her face even more red than before. "Thanks for helping me face my fear." It was Nishikata's turn to redden, and once again he averted his gaze.
"S-sure thing," he muttered.
"So," Takagi chirped. "Next time it'll be your turn. What's your next fear?"
"Hmm…" Nishikata pondered for a moment. "I guess… roller coasters."