Disclaimer: I don't own Teasing Master Takagi-San. All I own are my ideas and any OCs. Please Don't Sue.
A/N 1: It's been a while since I updated this, so I am giving you a two for one special on these chapters. I hope you like it. If you do, please leave a review, and for my AO3 viewers, leave a kudo as well.
A/N 2: As noted before in this story, this story will have swearing and sexual content. This chapter is the starting point of a more adult storyline. It was teased last chapter, but this chapter will be a lot more explicit with it.
A/N 3: All that being said, this story is still lighthearted, so please stick around for more chapters to come.
Chapter 3: Seems Shifty
At precisely 5pm, in the middle of a town near Tokyo, a quiet, reserved young woman wakes up with a jump, startled by the loud ringing of her alarm. Turning off her alarm and looking around, Mano breathes a sigh of relief, before a blush consumes her face.
I can't believe I had that dream. Nishikata and I in so many compromising positions. It was…awesome.
Shaking her head so rapidly it might actually fall off, Mano chides herself.
No! I love Nakai! Not Nishikata! Besides, even if I did, I'm with Nakai, and Nishikata is Takagi's man. Just get your head out of the gutter, Mano. You need to get ready for your date with Ni-Nakai! Dammit!
Checking her phone for the time, she is shocked that she has been thinking for 10 minutes. Rushing to her bathroom, she practically rips off her clothes and hops into the shower, the hot water scalding her skin before the temperature evens out.
I need to get rid of these dirty thoughts. Oh, what the hell is wrong with me?
In her discombobulated state, Mano nearly trips twice, and drops her bar of soap three times. It takes her 40 minutes to finish up her shower. She gets out and checks the time again before her eyes go wide and she rushes to her room, barely getting dressed and ready before her doorbell rings.
Going down the stairs and flinging her front door open, she pulls Nakai inside and plants a big one on him, surprising him greatly, the lilies he brought dropping to the floor.
Come on Nakai! Reciprocate! Get Hard! I need some comfort in your arms. I need to stop thinking about other men and focus my thoughts on you and me. Please!
To her satisfaction, she feels him pull her closer and deepen the kiss. To her further satisfaction, she also feels him get hard. She briefly glances at his rocket and is pleased by what she sees.
Oh, thank God. He's just as big as Nishikata is. Now I can stop thinking about him.
Unfortunately for her, her thoughts would not stop going to Nishikata for the rest of her date with Nakai. But for now, she just enjoys the moment. After a few long moments, Mano breaks the kiss.
Nakai takes a moment to catch his breath before asking, "What was that for?"
Mano blushes and says, "I am just happy to see you. I really missed you."
Nakai raises an eyebrow and says, "Not that I'm complaining, but you saw me at lunch today and we're in the same class. You shouldn't miss me that much. Did something happen?"
Mano says quickly, too quickly for Nakai's taste, "Nope, nothing happened. So, I know I said I was going to cook you a meal tonight, but I got tired after school, so how about we go out instead? My treat."
Nakai lets out a sigh.
She's acting suspicious. She answered that question way too fast, and now she's changing the subject. What is she hiding?
Nakai says slowly, "Sure. Why don't we go out for some Italian food? Some tortellini sound good."
Mano nods and says, "Perfect. Let's go."
Mano takes a step towards the door, before noticing the lilies on the floor. Picking them up, she says, "These are nice. Thank you Nakai. I'll go put them in a vase right away."
Mano walks into her kitchen, grabs a vase from her cabinet, and puts some water in it, then the flowers. Nakai stands by the doorway, watching her every move.
Hmm, she seems like normal right now. Maybe my concerns are unfounded. We should just go out and have a nice time.
Despite his thoughts, Nakai still can't put that nagging suspicion out of his mind. Noticing Nakai looking at her, Mano shoots him a smile. Setting the vase on her kitchen table, with the intent to move them into her room later, Mano walks over to Nakai, gives him a short kiss, and walks over to her front door. Taking a moment to let his body calm down, Nakai walks over to the door as well. Making sure to grab her purse, Mano leaves the house, Nakai following closely behind. Locking the door, Mano grabs Nakai's hand and they walk hand-in-hand to their favorite Italian restaurant.
On the way to the restaurant, Nakai asks Mano, "So, how do you think you did on the test? After going to the United States, I expect it was easy for you."
Mano nods her head and says, "Like Takagi and Nishikata, I think I aced the test. All those lessons before the trip really paid off. If only we can go back there. It was so much fun."
After a second, Mano asks Nakai, "How'd you do on the test, you think?"
Nakai raises an eyebrow and says, "I think I did pretty well. An 85 at least. Um, speaking of the test, how do you know what Nishikata got on it?"
Mano blushes slightly and says, "Well, I seen him turn in his test around the same time as Takagi, so I just assumed."
Nakai looks at Mano, with a hint of something in his eyes, something Mano doesn't recognize. Mano shoots him a smile. After a full minute, Nakai starts walking faster and says, "Right".
Immensely concerned, Mano pulls Nakai to a stop and asks, "Is something wrong?"
Nakai sighs and says, "I saw Nishikata on his bike earlier, coming from the direction of your house. He was carrying a bag and had a smile on his face that I've never seen before. Did something happen between you two? You have seemed really squirrely since I came over. I want the truth. I need to know if Nishikata is macking on my girlfriend."
Mano stares into Nakai's eyes for a long moment. Nakai can see regret in her eyes but can also see a fire in them. Inside, Mano is conflicted.
Damn, what do I do here? On the one hand, I want to tell him the truth. That Nishikata was over to get advice about his upcoming Valentine's Day date. On the other hand, telling him that might ruin Nishikata's plans, and those plans already came under fire today. Not to mention if I mention that he was over, it might piss off Nakai. I know one thing's for sure. I absolutely cannot tell him about the dream I had. I don't know why I had it. I have some idea, but I still need time to digest and dissect it. Okay, that thought, what I am going to do here? If I don't tell him something to reassure him that I'm his and only his, he's going to leave in a huff, and will probably break up with me.
Getting a headache from all of her heavy thinking, Mano says, "I can't lie to you. Nishikata was over. He wanted to discuss something with me. I can't tell you what he wanted to talk about. It was something big for him though."
Mano blushes at the thought of "something big" and "Nishikata", but powers through and says, "I can say with 100% certainty that him and I are not doing anything other than being friends to one another. He's not "macking" on me. I am yours and yours alone."
Mano says with unshed tears in her eyes, "You are just going to have to trust me on this".
Nakai stands still, frozen by what Mano said.
So, he was over her house. And he was discussing something big with her. But they're not seeing each other? Do I really trust that that's the case? I've never known Mano to lie. But she's acting so suspicious. Is she still hiding something? And what the hell was Nishikata discussing with her?
After a few moments to collect himself, Nakai wipes Mano's tears away and says, "I don't know what's going on, but I trust you. If you say there is nothing going on, then that's that. I do have one request though."
Mano looks relieved, but nervous at that last sentence. She nods and asks, "What would that be?"
Nakai says, "It's really two requests. My first request is that when you can tell me what Nishikata is up to, that you do so. And my second request is that if you fall in love with anyone else, you'll tell me right away so I can move on with my life as soon as possible."
The thought of Nakai breaking up with her, and her breaking up with him, scares Mano to the bone. It also causes her to gulp, knowing that she still hasn't told him about her dream.
If I tell him now about that dream, he is for sure breaking up with me. He'll think I'm in love with Nishikata. I'm on thin ice as it is.
Terrified, Mano gives Nakai a hug, holding him as tightly as possible, afraid to ever let him go. After seeing Mano gulp, Nakai debates for a second before deciding to hug her back, holding her tightly as well. He can feel her shaking and realizes quickly that she is bawling into his shoulder. Nakai waits for her to calm down before escorting her back to her house, quickly calling an audible and deciding to cook for her for a nice change of pace. While he does, Mano gets cleaned up. They end up enjoying a nice meal of Chicken Cordon Blue with green beans and mashed potatoes on the side. And while the date is going well, Mano can't help but feel that Nakai is being cold to her in a way, like he's distancing himself from her. As she consumes the meal, guilt consumes her.
I can't take this much more. I have to tell him about the dream, come hell or high water. But how do I get to that subject without going into the full story? Life is being a real bitch today, isn't it?
Mano takes a deep breath and says, "Nakai, I need to tell you something else, but I'm not sure how to say it, so I'm just going to come out and say it."
Nakai finishes his bite of potatoes and looks at Mano, unsure of where this conversation is going to go.
Mano continues with, "Before I say what I'm going to say, I need to remind you that I love you. After all that hard work I spent getting you to like me, and after all the fun we've had together, it's impossible for my feelings to be anything but love for you. That said, you wanted me to be honest, and when we were talking before, I wasn't. Not completely anyways. The truth is when I took my nap earlier, I had a dream. An adult dream. About Nishikata."
Nakai's fork drops to the table with a small clank, and his jaw drops. His face gets red.
Mano, with shame in her eyes, sighs and, unable to look at Nakai any longer, looks down and says, "Something happened earlier today, and I accidently caught a peek at Nishikata's "rocket". I know what you must be thinking, but it was a complete accident. Anyways, that was probably the reason I had the dream. I'm really sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I feel so ashamed."
Nakai stands up, walks to the door, and says, "I need time to think. I'm not breaking up with you, but I think it's best if we stay away from each other for a while."
Nakai then walks out the door, slamming it shut as he does so.
I'm not going to kill him. I'm not going to kill him.
Nakai marches his entire way home, beyond pissed. Making it home without encountering anybody from school, he goes to his room and practically destroys his punching bag. Meanwhile, in her house, Mano dashes up her stairs to her room. Slamming her door shut, she pounces on her bed, attacking her pillow, screaming until her throat is raw, before crying herself to sleep.
Oblivious to the growing drama (and possible threat coming his way), Nishikata reflects upon his day. In addition to his working out, he has been attempting to meditate daily after seeing it on an episode of 100% Unrequited Love, to mixed results. He blushes because as soon as he came home for the day, he had to endure a million questions from his parents. It took him an hour and a half to explain his crush on Takagi and his plans for Valentine's Day. After that, he was given advice for the next 30 minutes over dinner about what to do on the date and about the more physical aspects of dating. Thoroughly embarrassed, though very grateful nonetheless, he goes to his room, leading to now. Deciding to get some rest early, Nishikata does his daily pushups. He has increased his pushups from 3 to 10 every time Takagi teases him.
She only teased me twice, so that's only 20 pushups, which is nothing now. However, "Jr" needs to calm down, so I'm adding some for the embarrassment "he" put me through.
Over the next 30 minutes, Nishikata does an impressive 70 pushups. Climbing into bed, completely exhausted, he turns off the lights and go to sleep, falling into a sweet dream where his Valentine's Day plans go off without a hitch.
