Nishikata took a deep, uneven breath before ringing Takagi's doorbell. He heard the faint rustling of activity from inside the house, followed by a "bye mom, bye dad" from just behind the door. His heart sped up a bit as the door opened to reveal an excited Takagi. She was wearing a lavender sweater with her backpack slung across one shoulder, her hair was in a ponytail, and a grin was plastered across her face. It was a new look, and Nishikata liked it. The thought was pushed out of his mind by her greeting.
"Good morning, Nishikata," She greeted. "Are you as excited as I am?" Nishikata rolled his eyes.
"You know I hate roller coasters," Nishikata grumbled, looking away. "That's the whole reason we're going to the theme park."
"Ah, that's right," Takagi pretended to suddenly remember. "Shall we?" She gestured down the road. Nishikata nodded and the two began walking toward their bus stop.
At first they walked in silence, Nishikata dreading the day too much to initiate small talk. He had never liked amusement parks, least of all roller coasters. Last time he had ridden one, during elementary school, it was terrifying and nauseating, and he had sworn then that it was the last time he'd ever ride one. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad this time, since he was a little older. And even if he didn't like it, it would bring him one step closer to a win over Takagi, which made it all worth it.
"You know, Nishikata," Takagi looked at him. "Maybe you should get two points for today."
"Why?" Nishikata cocked his head.
"You're doing two scary things," Takagi said plainly. When Nishikata simply narrowed his eyes suspiciously, she continued. "Riding a roller coaster, and taking a girl out on a date."
"W-what?!" Nishikata blurted as they arrived at the bus stop. "T-this isn't a date! It's a competition, remember?"
"Are you sure?" Takagi said mischievously, leaning towards him. "You weren't going to ask to ride the tunnel of love?"
"O-of course not!" Nishikata stammered. "Besides, it's supposed to rain later, so we'll probably only have time to ride the roller coaster."
"Hmm?" Takagi pressed further. "That's the only reason, huh?"
Instead of responding, Nishikata simply groaned in annoyance as their bus arrived, coming to a creaky halt in front of them. The two stepped on silently, and took their seats near the front of the bus.
"Your loss then," Takagi sighed. "I'll give you an extra point if you admit this is a date."
"There's nothing date-like about a test of courage," Nishikata crossed his arms.
"No?" Takagi sang. "You invited me out to the amusement park, came to my house to pick me up, we're gonna ride a roller coaster together…" She leaned in close to him and said quietly, "I even got all dressed up for you. Did you notice?"
"D-did you now?" Nishikata pretended to not have noticed.
"Oh well," Takagi finally relented. "If you won't admit it, I guess we'll just be tied at the end of the day."
The bus finally arrived at the amusement park, and the two hopped out and joined the short line at the entrance. Because of the impending bad weather, the pair were through the gates in only a couple of minutes.
The amusement park wasn't very big; it was home to a Ferris wheel, a carousel, some paddle-boats, a tunnel of love (which Nishikata was eager to steer clear of), a few games and food stalls, and the Sky Princess, a moderately-sized wooden roller coaster that Nishikata had only barely survived a few years ago. His heart began to race faster and faster as he and Takagi passed the food stalls on the way to the coaster. As they joined the queue line, he had a thought.
"Hey Takagi-san," he beckoned. "Aren't you scared too?"
"Hmm? You're the one who's afraid of roller coasters, right?" Takagi asked earnestly.
"This one is kind of high up though," He said, gesturing to the lift hill, which was probably thirty or forty feet high. "And I know you're afraid of heights…"
"I'm not afraid of heights," Takagi said. Her tone was neutral, but a hint of a smile played across her features.
She got over it that quickly? Nishikata thought to himself incredulously. Were they supposed to be getting over their fears? He was definitely still afraid of snakes, and he was sure he would still be afraid of roller coasters after today. Maybe Takagi was just messing with him?
Before he could decide what to think, the two were being corralled into one of the roller coaster trains, which was sitting in a small, narrow wooden station.
"Where to sit…" Takagi pondered. "How about the front row?" Nishikata scoffed.
"Nice try," He said with a smug grin. "The back should be the least scary."
"Hmm… I heard that the back is the scariest," Takagi said, without a hint of malice in her tone. Nishikata almost believed her. "But whatever you want," She conceded.
The two found themselves in the back row, Takagi on his right, and the ride attendant came by and secured their restraints before giving a thumbs up to another attendant. A few seconds later, Nishikata's heart lurched as the train began slowly moving up the lift hill.
"Yep, just what I thought," Takagi said, holding her phone up to show Nishikata an article she'd found. "The back gets the most 'hang-time'." Nishikata wasn't sure he could take much more anxiety.
"Huh," He lilted softly. "How 'bout that."
Moments later, the weight of the front of the train cresting the hill began to pull him and Takagi forward, and they began to feel weightless. Nishikata flailed wildly, eventually finding Takagi's sleeve and gripping it desperately as the pair went careening down the hill. Nishikata screwed his eyes shut but could hear Takagi's hooping and hollering with joy, barely audible over his own cries of terror and the rush of the wind in his ears. After what felt like minutes but was probably only seconds, the pair were pushed firmly back into their seats and they crumpled against each other as the track bottomed out. Before Nishikata could catch his breath, the train tilted and turned to the right and he felt himself press up against Takagi. In any other circumstance the proximity might have embarrassed him, but at that moment he didn't even register it.
As they reached the end of the helix, the train had slowed slightly and straightened up, the roaring sound of the wind had quieted some, and Nishikata dared to open his eyes. Looking around, they were cruising comfortably through a wooded area, near to the ground. He looked to Takagi, who looked to be having the time of her life.
At least she's having fun, he thought to himself, finally lucid enough to think.
A few smaller drops and turns later, and the train was back in the station. For a moment, Nishikata thought he would be fine as soon as they left the ride, but he was surprised by how dizzy he was, and how shaky and unstable his legs were when he stood up. He stumbled and shuffled toward the ride's exit, hardly noticing Takagi had run off for a moment. Nishikata felt her presence approach with the sound of her sneakers on the wood.
"Hey Nishikata!" She beckoned excitedly. When he simply stared ahead, dazed and disoriented, her excitement faltered.
"Nishikata?" She asked, craning her neck to see his face. "Are you okay?"
"Ugh…" Nishikata groaned in response.
"Here, let's find a place to sit," Takagi suggested, resting a supportive hand on his back. The two slowly and carefully made their way towards an area filled with picnic tables, where several families were sitting and enjoying carnival snacks such as corn dogs and funnel cakes. Takagi helped him sit, then sat next to him. Finally looking at her, she looked very concerned, almost guilty. Nishikata was grateful that she wasn't teasing him for once.
"Did we over-do it?" She asked.
"Eh, I'll be okay," Nishikata croaked. "Maybe I should eat something, to settle my stomach."
"Hmm…" Takagi looked around. "Wanna share a funnel cake?"
Nishikata simply nodded, and Takagi sped off to a booth with uncharacteristic urgency, leaving her backpack on the picnic table, its contents spilling out slightly. He didn't want to snoop, but he couldn't help but notice a photo that had slid out of the bag. Upon closer inspection, it was an on-ride photo of him and Takagi on the roller coaster. He must have missed the flash, as his eyes were closed. He cringed internally at how he was clutching her sleeve in the photo, looking downright terrified next to Takagi, who looked to be thoroughly enjoying herself. He picked the photo up and looked at it more closely. He supposed he understood why she liked to get a reaction out of him; his face was pretty funny in the photo.
Without noticing he was smiling, he saw Takagi approach with their funnel cake. She no longer looked guilty or concerned, instead donning her usual easy-going smile.
"Looks like you found the photo," she noted. Nishikata bolted upright.
"I, uh - I wasn't snooping in your bag or anything," he stammered. "It just kind of fell out…"
"It's a cute photo, huh?" Takagi didn't seem to mind him looking.
"I-I don't know about cute…" Nishikata mumbled. Takagi simply handed him a white plastic fork, which he took gratefully. "Thanks for the funnel cake."
"Sharing a funnel cake at the amusement park," Takagi said wistfully. "You're sure you don't want the extra point for taking me on a date?" Nishikata reddened immediately.
"I told you, it's a test of courage!" Nishikata protested through a mouthful of funnel cake, which was starting to make him feel better. He swallowed and continued, "which I passed, by the way."
"Ah, that you did," she conceded. "Which reminds me, I guess it's my turn now, right?"
"Yeah, I guess it is," Nishikata agreed. He looked up at the sky, which was darkening on the horizon. "It's going to rain soon, though. Will we be able to do whatever it is you have in mind?"
"Yep!" Takagi chirped. "We can do it at my house."
The weather remained favorable during their trek to Takagi's house, although the sky was rapidly darkening. By the time they arrived, Nishikata was feeling totally back to normal, although he hoped whatever Takagi had in mind wasn't scary to him; his nerves had already had enough that day.
"Tadaima!" Takagi shouted as they entered the house, slipping off their shoes.
"Ojama shimasu!" Nishikata called politely.
"Welcome back!" The voice of Takagi's mother came from the other side of the house. "I'm just doing laundry, so make yourselves at home!"
Nishikata watched as Takagi walked over to her living room couch and began moving pillows out of the way.
"We'll have to wait a little bit longer for the scary thing," Takagi announced cryptically. "Want to watch some TV?"
Nishikata pondered for a moment, then was hit with a realization. The new episode of 100% Unrequited Love was supposed to air at 11:30, and it was 11:25.
"Um, actually…" He said, shifting nervously. He knew Takagi was aware how much he loved the show, but it was embarrassing to acknowledge it out loud.
"Hmm?" Takagi sang, resting her elbows on the back of the couch and her chin in her hands, leaning towards him. "Was there something in particular you wanted to watch?"
"Well…" Nishikata stammered.
"Is there a certain anime you wanted to watch?" Takagi narrowed her eyes knowingly. "One that has a new episode in five minutes?"
"Come on, are you really gonna make me say it?" Nishikata protested. Takagi giggled and apparently relented.
"Alright, let's watch it," She said, plopping down on the sofa and patting the spot next to her.
Nishikata awkwardly shuffled over to the couch and sat down on her right as she grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, changing the channel and turning up the volume.
As the episode began, Nishikata could hear the rain start to fall on Takagi's roof and windows. It seemed like they had made it just in the nick of time. Nishikata wondered if Takagi's mysterious "scary thing" had to be done outside, which is why they were waiting around watching TV. It didn't really matter to him; between the dim light, his favorite TV show, and the sound of rain, he had started to relax and really enjoy himself.
Not even a minute after the show began, a flash of light lit up the room momentarily, followed by a rumbling of thunder. Nishikata knew it was going to rain, but was not aware it was a storm. Now he was really glad they had hurried home. To his left, Takagi pulled her feet up onto the couch, resting her chin on her knees. Nishikata noticed this but didn't say anything.
Another few moments later, another, brighter flash of lightning illuminated the room, followed quickly by a louder clap of thunder. Takagi quickly scooted closer to Nishikata to the point where they were just barely touching. It instantly clicked - this was the scary thing: Takagi was afraid of thunderstorms.
From then on, every time there was thunder, Takagi moved a little closer, snuggling more and more into him. By the time they were half-way through the show, she was leaning onto him completely, her legs no longer curled in front of her, instead out to her left side. Her head rested on his shoulder, her face so close to his that he could smell her shampoo. He didn't dislike it, but he was still a little embarrassed to be… cuddling with Takagi. Plus, he just knew she was going to bring it up later and tease him about it.
Around the time the episode ended, the rain had let up, and he expected Takagi to get up and act like nothing had happened. Instead, however, he heard the sound of faint snoring, signaling that she had fallen asleep. He laughed internally. How scared could she have been if she literally fell asleep?
However, he didn't have the heart to wake her up, especially since that would mean acknowledging she was sleeping on him in the first place, something he was not interested in doing to her face. Instead, he decided to keep watching TV and wait until she woke up on her own.
Not long after that, he felt his own consciousness slowly drifting away…
When Nishikata awoke, he had forgotten where he was. He was splayed out on a leather couch, face down, his left arm dangling off the end.
"Perfect timing," a familiar voice came. As he registered who it was, he shot up on the couch, suddenly remembering everything. Had it been real? Was it a dream?
"W-what happened?" Nishikata asked, careful not to imply anything in case it had been real.
"I made us lunch," Takagi said, a bento box in each hand. Nishikata wanted to clarify his question, but that would definitely imply something.
"Oh," he said softly instead. "Thanks." Takagi set the boxes down on the coffee table and sat next to him on the couch.
"So," Takagi began, picking up her chopsticks. "What did you think of the new episode of 100% Unrequited Love?"
Nishikata, who was already chewing a bite of his lunch, nearly choked. This meant it had been real. He swallowed quickly.
"I, uh…" He stammered. "I enjoyed it."
"Good," She said simply. After a pause, she continued. Still looking down at her food. "To be honest, I was a little distracted."
"So I guess that was the scary thing, then?" Nishikata asked, avoiding saying it outright so as not to be rude. He had noticed she avoided saying her fears out loud; she must have been embarrassed to share them.
"Yep," She confirmed. "So now it's your turn. What's next?"
"Hmm…" Nishikata pondered, his free hand on his chin. "All I can think of is needles, but how would that work?"
"Needles?" Takagi echoed, putting her own hand on her chin in thought. "Have you gotten your flu shot this year?"
"No, have you?" Nishikata started to understand where this was going.
"Nope, me neither," Takagi shook her head. "We could go get them together. The pharmacy down the road has them."
"I – I guess we could do that…" Nishikata mumbled. He wasn't too thrilled about the idea, especially after how terrifying the roller coaster was. But he was willing to endure it a little longer; surely Takagi would either run out of ideas, or be too afraid to face something soon.
For the sake of his nerves, he sure hoped so.