Chapitre 2.2

Nishikata got up from his bed. He was getting ready to go back to school that morning for the first time since the summer festival. Since they had held hands, Nishikata had done his best not to run into Takagi again, despite all the messages she had sent him offering to spend time with him. Once again, he didn't want to be confronted with his «friend», because he already knew that he was going to blush throughout their meeting. After getting ready, he quickly left his house to reach the school without running into Takagi.

''I know I'm going to see her in class anyway, but I can't be alone with her right now...'' he thought to himself as he ran faster.

He came to the intersection where he usually met Takagi, then looked towards the path that led to his friend's house.

''Phew, she's not here yet !'' he said with a look of relief.

''Boo !''

''AAAAAH..!'' shouted Nishikata as he stepped back in surprise. ''TAKAGI-SAN !?''

''Your reactions are truly the best in the world, Nishikata !'' she said, holding her stomach while laughing, so hard she had tears in her eyes.

''BUT !...'' he paused for a moment to calm down and stop blushing.''What are you doing here so early... and how did you know I'd arrive now ?''

''I left home early to come to your house because I wanted to hold your hand on the way to school...'' she replied teasingly.

''Ho...Holding hands ?!'' Nishikata gasped, his cheeks as red as the sun that was rising in the sky.

''Ahahahaha, Nishikata, you don't know how funny you look !'' she laughed again, almost feeling guilt at laughing so hard. ''And cute...''

She took a few seconds to calm down again, then admitted with a grin on her face, which was making Nishikata blush :

''I'm on cleaning duty today ! Besides, I just heard you coming since you're thinking out loud...'' she replied in a mocking tone.

''Damn, I should have thought of that...'' Nishikata regretted, his head lowered to the ground as a sign of defeat.

''And you, what are you doing here so early in the morning ? Don't tell me you got up on purpose to go to school with me ?'' she asked in order to embarrass her classmate, still smiling.

''N-No...Of course not, I...'' answered Nishikata with a blush on his face, before calming down for a few seconds to think of a credible answer. ''I just thought it would be nice to go to school while jogging...for once''

''Even if it meant we wouldn't have walk to school together ?'' she answered with fake sad eyes.

''Yes...well no...I mean...I didn't really think about that...'' stammered Nishikata as he looked away from his friend, not wanting to make her think he didn't want to see her, even if that was more or less the truth.

''Are you sure ?'' she asked, raising an eyebrow, a smirk on her face.

''Don't tell me she guessed again by reading my mind ?'' he thought suspiciously. ''No, she must be bluffing….''

He finally didn't answer and they both started walking to school. The way to the school was quiet, neither of the two friends dared to talk to each other. Nishikata's cheeks were still red from what Takagi had told him earlier, wondering why she wanted to walk to school with him so badly, then a strange feeling came over his body, which made him jump slightly. He looked shyly at his friend who was next to him, then noticed that she had a sad look on her face, which was not usual. g.

''Why does she look sad like that ? Maybe I should... talk to her ?'' He thought as he stared at his feet, not wanting to disturb Takagi who seemed to be thinking very seriously.

As he was about to say something, Takagi turned her head in his direction, then suddenly smiled.

''Is something wrong, Nishikata ? Do I have something on my forehead ? Or maybe you think I'm so cute that you can't stop looking at me ?'' she said with a big smile, which showed that seeing her friend staring at her had slightly cheered her up.

''N-No it's not that, I…'' he stammered, with red cheeks and a trembling voice.

''So you don't think I'm cute ?'' she cut him off, pretending to be sad.

''I...I didn't say that...'' he replied, looking away, trying to hide his embarrassment.

''Answer me then. Do you think I'm cute ?'' she asked, with a mischievous smile on her lips but eyes that seemed to want an honest answer.

''I could never tell her she's cute ! Even though...''

He looked at his classmate, who had in the meantime looked away from him, and he was stuck once more. He blushed as he looked at her, unable to take his eyes off his friend.

''I never noticed it before, but...she's so cute !'' he thought, not being able to close his jaw anymore as his friend's face seemed to shine, because of the rising sun reflecting on her.

Takagi noticed again. She turned her head towards him, then let out a questioning 'Hmmm ?' accompanied by a teasing smile.

''N-NOTHING !'' exclaimed Nishikata, finally looking away, his cheeks redder than a ripe tomato.

''Ahahahah ! Your reactions, I'd like to see them for the rest of my life, Nishikata !'' she laughed, holding her stomach again, laughing too hard.

''The… The rest of her life ?!'' thought Nishikata, who wasn't sure if Takagi was teasing him or being honest. ''Could it be possible that...? No, it's impossible, Takagi is the most popular girl in school, she would never be interested in someone like me !''

''Say, Takagi-san ?'' he eventually began, snapping Takagi out of her thoughts once again.

''Yes Nishikata ?'' Takagi replied, a forced smile on her face.

''I may be wrong, but...you look a bit…sad...Is something wrong ?'' he questioned worriedly.

''He noticed...'' thought Takagi, who tried her best to hide it. ''I promised him I would never lie to him, I have to turn the lie into the truth'' she thought.

''Don't worry'' she finally said, ''It's nothing, I'm lost in my thoughts, that's all.''

In reality, she wasn't doing very well. The fact that Nishikata had turned down every single one of her requests to go out since the festival had made her deeply sad and she couldn't really get over her emotions.

''Maybe I teased him too much, and now he's tired of it...'' thought Takagi sadly, not wanting the thing that brought them together to also be the thing that drove them apart. ''Ne, Nishikata ?''

''Yes, Takagi-san ?'' he replied, while remaining alert, fearing that Takagi was trying to tease him.

''Would you like me to stop teasing you ?'' she said with a slight blush and a sad voice.

Nishikata stopped when he heard these words.

''Would I want her to stop teasing me ? A few months ago, I would have said yes obviously, but now...'' He looked up at the cloudy sky, and went into a flashback of those moments spent being teased. ''It's true that her teasing makes me feel uncomfortable, but...For the few times Takagi has been away from me...I missed them a little...''

When he was about to answer, he realised that they had already reached the school, and that they had to go through their lockers to change their shoes. Seeing that the students from the other classes who were on cleaning day were looking at them, he decided to keep quiet and move a few meters away from Takagi.

''I don't want them to think we are dating'' he thought, with a bead of sweat on his forehead.

He finally reached his classroom without Takagi, whom he had lost sight of, and opened the door, to see that no one was there yet. He waited a few moments to see if Takagi would join him in the classroom, and seeing that she didn't arrive, an idea came to him.

''I'll hide in the broom closet to scare Takagi !'' he thought with a satisfied smile on his face.

He put his plan into action, went in the broom closet, closed and waited. For a long time. A very long time. He looked at the time on his mobile phone, he had been hiding inside for 15 minutes now.

''What's she doing ?'' he thought impatiently. Suddenly the classroom door opened. ''There she is !'' he exclaimed inwardly. He waited a few seconds for her to approach the closet, then opened the door and shouted.

''AAAAAH !'' the girl reacted, slapping Nishikata's cheek in fear before backing away sharply. ''Ni-Nishikata ?'' she exclaimed as her cheeks turned all red.

''Yu-Yukari-chan ?'' he exclaimed as he held his cheek in pain. ''Wh-what are you doing here ?''

''Uh...Well...I'm going to do my chores, why ?'' she replied wryly to her 'attacker'. ''I should be the one who ask you what you're doing here...''

''I...well...Takagi-san told me she was on cleaning day, so I hid to scare her...'' he finally replied with shame, his cheeks all red as well.

Yukari, who was still in shock from Nishikata's intervention, looked at him with wide eyes and a smile on the corner of her lips.

''Are you by any chance...in a relationship with Takagi-san ?'' she asked curiously, wanting to konw everything about her classmates, especially on the issue of relationships.

''Wh-what ? No...Of course not I'm not in relationship with her...Why does everyone think we are ?'' he questioned with a blush on his cheeks.

''Ah...too bad...You'd make a great couple...'' Yukari reacted with a hint of disappointment.

''A...nice couple?!'' Nishikata asked, surprised that his classmates share the idea that he and Takagi could make a good couple.

''Well yes !'' she replied excitedly. ''You and she spent a lot of time together, and from what we can see you're...Made for each other...''

''We're made for each other'' Nishikata thought, a little embarrassed to talk about this with Yukari.

''If you say so...'' he finally replied. ''Well, it's not that I don't like talking to you, but with all this I still don't know where Takagi-san is, so if you'll excuse me...''

''But...it's not her cleaning day, so she is probably not in the school yet...!'' she reminded him before he walked out the door.

''Don't worry !'' Nishikata replied, ''I know she's here, I just...I have a feeling!'' he finished before closing the door.

''Funny feeling...'' Yukari thought, before picking up the brush to start cleaning the painting.

Nishikata looked for Takagi in all the corridors, rooms and even the dining hall, but he couldn't find anyone. After 15 minutes, as classes were about to start, he came across Nakai and Mano sitting on the stairs, talking. He was about to walk past to greet them, but he heard Takagi's name come up in their conversation. So he hid next to them and decided to listen.

''Are you sure ?'' Nakai asked Mano with a surprised voice.

''Yes ! I just saw Takagi talking with a boy from another class, and I even heard the boy ask her to follow him to the school roof !''