Chapter Text
Kaen heard the sound of a soft door closing right as she was opening her eyes slowly.
She blinked slowly, her eyes adjusting slowly to the brightness of the room.
Next to her, now the bed was empty, however surprisingly the bed was made with her still on top of it.
"R- Rie-onee-chan..." She said sleepily, sitting up and rubbing her eye lightly.
She looked down from the bed, the futon now wasn't there.
Then she stared outside, she could tell it had just stopped raining.
She slowly got out of Nishikata's bed, since it was a bit tall she made sure to be careful as to not fall. She stretched her arms in the air and took a deep breath.
Soon however she began hearing plates moving around downstairs, and curious as she was, she began making herself downstairs slowly, hearing Takagi's laugh followed by Nishikata's slightly loud voice.
However it quickly came accompanied by actual conversation, and although she couldn't make out what was happening, she knew that now it was calm in the kitchen.
"Takagi-san, can you pass me the pan in the oven please." Nishikata said calmly, he was concentrated mixing something inside a bowl.
Takagi looked at him and quickly did so, immediately after she looked up and opened a cabinet.
Nishikata just nodded as he received the pan next to him, and then saw the open cabinet.
He reached up, looking for what seemed to be maple syrup, while looking down back at the bowl, he suddenly felt something warm. It wasn't a bottle, definitely not. He stopped when he felt this.
He looked back up and there was his hand, crashing with Takagi's who seemed to be reaching for the same thing.
They both slowly turned to look at each other, only centimeters apart.
Takagi's face turned from surprise into a gentle smile, Nishikata was only in shock.
It seemed as though time had stopped once again.
Suddenly from behind both of them they heard a soft voice.
"B- Big brother?" Kaen said surprised.
Both of them without moving an inch on hey they were, turned to look at her. She was just staring, blushing a little.
"K- Kaen..." Nishikata said softly before being interrupted by his sister again.
"Why are you wearing Rie-onee-chan's jacket?" She said curiously, pointing her finger directly at Nishikata's torso.
Nishikata flinched back as he looked at his own torso, realizing she was very much correct, he hadn't even noticed himself. Speechless he just looked back at Kaen who was now staring at Takagi's neck.
"Rie-onee-chan..." She continued, now pointing to Takagi's neck. "...Why are you wearing big brother's scarf?" She said, her voice so innocent.
They still didn't know what to say, they just stared in shock as Kaen as she squinted her eyes lightly.
"Why are you guys so... close?" She said, as if her tiny kid brain was trying to solve the worlds biggest problems.
Now both teens were blushing lightly, not exactly knowing what to saw as they saw Kaen's face slowly turn from confusion into shock. Covering her tiny mouth with her hands.
"W- Were you guys... G- Going to kiss!?" She said, very surprised, coming to this conclusion just because she saw these two very close together.
Her cheeks immediately blushed red and she covered her face with both of her hands. "S- Sorry! I'll... Uhm... Pretend I didn't see anything!"
She quickly walked away from the kitchen door and her small footsteps could be heard running upstairs again.
"W- Wait Kaen! That's not it!" Nishikata spoke loudly, however Kaen's steps kept distancing from them.
He quickly walked to the door frame of the kitchen, not leaving yet, just trying to hear if Kaen replied.
He could hear Takagi chuckle a little in the background. "It's not what, Nishikata?" She said, obviously not trying to miss this opportunity.
"W- We weren't..." Nishikata stopped himself before replying, realizing what he was going to say.
"Weren't what?" She said, taking a step closer to him while giving a smug smile.
"N- Nothing! Help me finish this up so we can eat before my parents get home." Nishikata looked away back at the bowl he was using earlier.
Takagi simply laughed and got back to helping him out.
Not long after, both of them had made some pancakes, being early teens, they often craved sweet, and Kaen just made a better excuse to make more.
Shortly after making the full batch of pancakes, they called Kaen, who came down fully changed, it seemed as though she completely forgot about everything that happened earlier. Nishikata and Takagi didn't even bring it up.
With this, the morning went by normally, just as lunch and dinner passed by yesterday, and after some time, all three of them were casually sitting on the living room floor, talking about various childish things that Kaen loved.
"And then, my best friend tried to confess to her crush, but she couldn't she said she had a fever!" She said happily, trying to make light out of her friend. "It was so funny seeing her blush!" She said not looking at either of them, rather looking at the roof and walls as if she were recreating the scene.
Takagi seemed intrigued in the story as Nishikata simply sighed and laughed with her.
And soon after this story was told, they heard keys outside the door. Kaen immediately knew who it was.
"Mom! Dad! They're back!" She said quickly getting up and running to the entryway, this time not opening the door, just hopping up and down as she waited for the door to open.
Nishikata got up after her, and after seeing her disappear from the entryway, he looked at Takagi who was still sitting on the floor. He gave out a slight blush but still indicated her to get up and follow her to meet his parents.
Although Takagi had met his parents in the past, for some reason, having Nishikata present made matters worse.
However before they could even make it to the door, they heard it open followed by Kaen's laughs while she said hi to their mom and dad.
"Mom! Dad! I missed you both so so much!" She said, hugging them both. Nishikata and Takagi were quick to make their way to the entryway.
"H- Hey mom, hey dad, welcome home!" Nishikata said, for some reason he tried to seem a lot more respectful than he should've. Having said this he gave a small bow and then hugged both of them. They hugged back and were also quick to great Takagi.
"Ah! Takagi-chan, so great to have you back!" Nishikata's mom spoke, letting go of her children and doing a small bow.
Takagi bowed back at both of them. "Thank you for having me, it's been a while, hasn't it!" She said cheerfully.
"Yeah, your parents say hi and wish you well while you're here with us for the day." Nishikata's dad spoke, also giving a small bow.
As the two adults removed their shoes on the entryway, they quickly made their way to the living room.
'W- What... for... today!??!?' Nishikata's brain slowly processed this new information as he closed the door, Kaen following their parents and Takagi waiting for him, a smug smile formed on her face as she read him like an open book.
"Oh Takagi-chan, you have to tell me all about Yuki once we come out, make yourself a home while we get ready and start making lunch, does that sound good?" Nishikata's dad spoke as he started making his way to the stairs, their mother already halfway up the stairs giggling about his son.
Kaen also went upstairs with them, her high pitched voice could already be heard telling them all about her day yesterday. However curiously enough, she never mentioned anything weird or romantic about Nishikata and Takagi.
Nishikata raised his eyebrow at this and Takagi, who was now looking back at the stairs, just stood still.
"Good thing she knows how to keep secrets, right, Nishikata?~" She said, hands behind her back as she began making her way to the living room once again.
'S- Secrets...' He quickly thought to himself. "Y- yeah... I guess so..." He said nervously, walking behind Takagi.
They both sat on the couch as they turned the TV on, it was almost like yesterday, when they were looking for something interesting to watch, the only difference being, they were alone this time.
They could hear steps upstairs, indicating a lot of movement from Nishikata's parents and especially from Kaen, who seemed to be running around the whole second floor.
The silence seemed to be consuming them, even though they had quickly found a show to watch, it seemed as though the TV didn't even exist.
"Hey, Nishikata." Takagi said calmly, since they were now sitting next to each other, even the slightest whisper could be heard.
She glanced over at him and lifted up her finger pointed to the window.
"You still have a punishment you need to do, right?" She said, a small cheeky smile forming on her face.
Nishikata looked at the window and stared in confusion. 'Punishment? What for?' He thought to himself, trying to put the dots together.
"You have to do anything I say, remember?" Her soft voice called him once more, as Nishikata turned over to look at her.
His eyes widened as the memories from yesterdays talk came to his mind. 'The- The rain!' His inside voice yelled, at the same time he remembered the same exact flowery scent that Takagi's hair had let out. And with the scent, he remembered one of his boldest moves that he had ever done.
He looked away and nodded. "Y- Yeah..." He spoke softly. "W- What do you w- want me to do... T- Takagi-san." Embarrassed as he was, he tried to stutter out a sentence as best he could.
Takagi chuckled as she leaned her shoulder closer to his, clashing lightly and putting some of her weight on her. "If you can guess what I'm going to ask, you win something." Her smug smile formed once again, eyes wide open, trying to catch Nishikata's gaze.
Nishikata obviously began to flinch back, meeting her eyes as he tried to stutter out something.
"You have 10 seconds." Takagi continued to lean on him, Nishikata couldn't even process the sudden time limit as Takagi began counting down.
Nishikata tried to come up with an answer but as Takagi finished counting, she gave the same smirk again and just leaned in a bit closer, her face centimeters away from his.
"You have to~... Spend the day... with me..." A sudden pause filled the room. They both sat completely still on the couch before Takagi spoke again.
"...and your family." She finally said happily, leaning back to her side of the couch as Nishikata stayed in place, stunned and surprised.
"W- what, that's it?" He said, sitting back, his blush quickly fading.
Takagi chuckled and smiled. "Yep, unless you're disappointed with that punishment, and want something more~" Her teasing continued, Nishikata just avoided her gaze as they both waited for Nishikata's parents to come back down.
Luckily for him, Kaen's footsteps could be heard quickly coming down. "Big brother! Rie-onee-chan!" She yelled from the stairs. "Dad asks if you wanna go out and eat or eat here!"
Nishikata taking advantage of this quickly looked at Kaen, leaving Takagi's gaze.
"I wanna go out, there's this new place that opened nearby!" Takagi interrupted Nishikata before he could even say anything.
"Tell dad we can go there, okay Kaen?" Nishikata said cheerfully too, without giving much thought of the sudden gesture he just showed Takagi.
Kaen simply smile and nodded as she disappeared upstairs once more. Nishikata gave a warm smile, Kaen's presence always gave him a sense of calm whenever she wasn't trying to tease him.
"How come you heard of this new place?" Nishikata now turned to Takagi, who was still with her smile, completely relaxed on the couch.
"I was just walking by with family, we saw it and found it interesting." Takagi said calmly taking her phone out and opening her gallery.
"Look, these are some pictures from the outside." She said as she help up her phone to Nishikata's view. "You can scroll to look at more pictures." She then added tilting her head slightly.
Nishikata stared in awe, it did actually look pretty big, he began thinking of everything that they could serve and various thing that could be inside, since from the outside it seemed to be a place for more than food.
He held his finger out and began swiping the screen looking at the restaurant from different angles.
"Wow, it looks really nice." He said calmly, swiping one more time only to see something that made his heart stop.
It was the picture of both of them, sleeping side by side, fingers intertwined on Takagi's chest.
Nishikata was quick to take a second and analyze the picture, before swallowing hard and swiping back to the pictures of the restaurant.
"I- I bet the food tastes good." He said looking back at Takagi as she brought the screen to her own face.
"Right? I can't wait!" Her cheerful voice said in a high pitched tone, almost mimicking Kaen's.
It wasn't long after that the rest of Nishikata's family slowly gathered back in the living room.
And before Nishikata could even process what was going on, he was suddenly walking side by side with Takagi, as they led the way to the new restaurant.
Kaen was in front of the family, being sure not to run too far as Takagi and Nishikata led the way with Nishikata's parents walking behind them.
"Hey Takagi-san." Nishikata broke the silence. "Where is this place exactly?" His eyes not parting from his young sister who was skipping along pointing out various shrines along the way.
Takagi stared at Nishikata and her smile disappeared for a second, thinking for just a second before looking at Kaen too.
"Well, it's like in between here and Angel's Road." She said, being sure to speak loudly to make Kaen hear her.
"Angel's Road..." Nishikata repeated softly. "I- Isn't that where-" His sudden sentence was cut by Kaen who began walking up them.
"I love Angel's Road!" She said, he eyes almost shining from the thought of it. "It's so pretty to go there!" However her happiness turned into a sour pout.
"But I've only been there when the oceans covering it." She crossed her arms and turned around walking a bit.
"Kaen, I've told you that's always because you wanna go at night, you have to go in the afternoon." Nishikata said, walking once again at Takagi's pace as Kaen slowly turned to him, her eyes once again filled with joy.
"Wait, can we go there today!?" She said happily running to her parents in the back.
"We'll be sure to take you Kaen." Their father spoke softly while patting her head.
She cheered on and once again made it to the front of the group as they all kept walking.
Takagi seemed to be correct about the location, since it really didn't take long for the family to reach the restaurant.
Kaen stood at the doorway in awe. "Woahhh." She said, her tiny voice echoing inside.
A young lady waiting at the entrance with a folder in her hands waited for the rest of the family to show up.
"Woah, it's bigger than thought." Nishikata said, walking up behind Kaen and staring.
"Welcome! A table for a family of three?" The lady said kindly bowing to the three.
To this Nishikata hesitated as he realized that Takagi was standing next to him.
"I- uhm- n- no! It's a table f- for five..." He said, pointing at his parents in thw background.
The lady quickly apologized and bowed once again. "Sorry sorry! Please follow me." She said, leading the way to the second floor of the restaurant.
The first floor was just tables, the open kitchen where they were all greeted, a small bar area and that was it. However none of them were ready for the second floor.
While still filled with tables and and open kitchen, the walls were not covered in bookshelves filled with hundreds of manga.
Not only that, but there was also a small area filled with few arcade machines.
"For the younger clients we usually take them here, lots of coloring books and manga for teens and kids to entertain themselves." The waitress explained kindly, pointing to their table. "Please have a seat and you'll be served soon!" She said, and as the family got near the table, she left to wait back at the entrance.
The parents sat next to each other, along with Kaen sitting in the middle, Kaen immediately grabbed the menu book to see what she wanted to eat.
As Nishikata was waiting for Takagi to sit first, in front of the parents, he never saw her get close.
"Let's explore around for a bit, Kaen-chan do you wanna come along?" Takagi said, turning to Kaen who turned her focus over to the arcades and immediately nodded.
"You kids go, we'll see what to eat together." Their mother spoke softly, grabbing the menu as Kaen left the table.
Kaen was the first to bolt to the arcade section of the restaurant, as Nishikata and Takagi explored all the mangas separately. Nishikata occasionally picked one up, read the quick synopsis that the restaurant provided and then put it back down, just shrugging his shoulders.
Takagi was doing the same on her side, all was fine, until Nishikata saw something that made his heart drop.
'W- What... N- No way...' He said, his hand shaking to the very manga he had just found. 'They're selling... T- The latest volume of 100% Unrequited Love!?' A huge smile formed on his face as he picked it up, read the synopsis and then almost shouted in victory.
'There's no way this place has it before all the bookstores had it in stock! This place really is the best, Takagi-san!' His mind filled with gratitude towards Takagi as he began scanning the isles to see if Takagi was near him.
He turned left, no one, just the sight of more manga and a balcony that had a view of Angel's Road in the distance.
He looked to his right, the silhouette of Takagi looking at other manga was visible to him. 'Great, how do I buy this without having Takagi-san see me?' He thought to himself, he contemplated the art cover and put the manga back down slowly.
'Maybe... Another time...' He said, looking over to Takagi who seemed to be reading various romantic mangas.
"Hey, Nishikata." She said, turning to him.
Kaen could be heard in the distance, not showing much interest in the mangas themselves, but rather on the arcade machines.
Nishikata took quick note of this and decided to stick with Takagi. "Yeah, what's up, Takagi-san?" He said lightly glancing over at Kaen.
"Did you find anything you like?" Takagi asked curiously, looking back at all the romantic mangas.
"Hmmm..." Nishikata looked too, the sight of many couples as the art covers from these mangas made him blush a little, but he grabbed a random one to seem interested in it. "I- I guess this one."
He turned the book over and stared at the synopsis. Takagi leaned over to read with him.
Nishikata began reading out loud, not paying much attention to the sudden closeness by Takagi.
"A mischievous girl enjoys teasing the quiet boy who sits beside her every day. While he constantly tries to get even, their ordinary days slowly become something much more precious." He read out loud, Takagi's eyes following his pace with the text.
Nishikata frowned a little. "That sounds a little annoying." He turned the manga over again, revealing the simple art cover, this one compared to many, didn't show a couple, just a simple tree on the top of a hill.
Takagi giggled at Nishikata's comment. "Really?~" She said playfully, leaning away from Nishikata to create some distance. "I think it sounds like a nice story." She said cheerfully, grabbing the manga from Nishikata's hands.
"I'd just get tired of losing every time." He said complaining, looking at the manga now in Takagi's hands.
Takagi stayed silent, a small smug appeared on her face as she turned to look at Nishikata. "Well, if he keeps spending time with her... maybe he doesn't mind losing at all, don't you think?" Squinting her eyes lightly and making eye contact with Nishikata, she hugged the book.
Nishikata stood there speechless, a slight shade of pink formed on his cheeks. "I- I guess so..."
Takagi looked back down at the cover, gently running a thumb along its spine. "I think I'll buy it."
Suddenly in the distance, they heard Kaen's high pitched voice. "Big brother! Rie-onee-chan! Come heeeereeee!" She said, obviously excited about something she had seen.
Takagi and Nishikata looked at each other and they both chuckled, for some reason, whenever Kaen was present, they'd always find some weird sense of comfort.
They both happily walked towards Kaen and they saw her focused on one specific claw machine. "I want that one! Please get it big brother!" She said, pointing at a heart shaped plush that was inside.
Nishikata without saying a word, searched in his pockets for some spare change and surprisingly he had some. He put the coin inside and the game begun.
He grabbed the controller and took a deep breath. 'Alright, Nishikata, this isn't like those other times where you lost to Takagi-san, I'm about to show you both what I can really do!' He thought determined.
Slowly moving the claw over the heart and once he felt correct, he hit the button so the claw would extend downwards and grab the heart. It seemed as though time was moving slowly when it picked it up and slowly dragged the plush to the box.
And on the first try... It fell in.
Kaen cheered loudly as Takagi clapped softly behind her. "Well done, Nishikata!" She said, genuinely happy for him. Nishikata couldn't even believe it, usually he'd take between 2 or 3 tried to even get this.
Kaen opened the little hatch and grabbed the plush. "Rie-onee-chan! Look what big brother got me!" She said proudly holding it up. "He's the best, right?"
Takagi laughed lightly, still clapping slightly. "He really is, Kaen-chan."
Nishikata for some reason found this praise both embarrassing but fulfilling, especially coming from Takagi, like he had accomplished something that helped him verify... something, but he couldn't quite explain it yet.
Just then, they heard Nishikata's parents call out to all three of them, as their food had arrived.
Surprising to all of them, the portions were bigger than they had thought. They all joined hands and in union spoke. "Thank you for the meal!" Before grabbing their chopsticks and beginning to eat.
At the table, everything seemed peaceful, natural, as if this had been happening all the time. Including with Takagi there, she just seemed to blend in with everyone.
Even though the plates were bigger than they had anticipated, they still managed to finish everything, and at a rather fast pace too.
Nishikata's father settled the bill while the others waited near the entrance. Kaen was already hugging the heart-shaped plush Nishikata had won for her, happily swinging it back and forth.
The family without saying much, eventually left the restaurant after thanking everyone inside.
They walked silently and slowly throughout the town once more, keeping an eye on Angel's Road.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Nishikata's mom spoke gently, Kaen barely able to walk looked at it.
"It's so pretty when the sun is hitting the water like that." She said stunned, and then walked over back to her mother.
Nishikata also looked over and stared. "Yeah... Maybe Kaen would like to go there right now?" He suggested, trying to keep the mood lively.
However as he turned around he realized Kaen was now being carried by their father. To this Takagi giggled lightly.
"She's likely to enter a food coma, right?" She said, looking at Kaen cutely as she dozed off.
"Yeah, it always happens, she's just a kid at the end of the day." Nishikata's dad spoke lightly, chuckling softly as to not wake her.
"Why don't you guys go explore the town a bit more, your dad and I will stay behind with Kaen, go have fun." Nishikata's mom said kindly, taking her husband's hand and leading him to a nearby park.
Takagi's eyes met with Nishikata's mom, her surprise was genuine, she never knew that Nishikata's mom would help her in such a way.
The mother of the family gave her a warm smile and a gentle nod. Mouthing the words 'Go get it, Takagi-chan.'
Takagi's eyes illuminated as she grabbed Nishikata by the arm and began dragging him.
"T- That sounds like a wonderful idea!" She said happily. "Nishikata will let you know if anything happens!" She said screaming as they left the adults behind.
Nishikata showed surprising little to no resistance, he was just surprised of Takagi's actions but simply waved at his parents as they created some distance.
Once out of view, Takagi's hand still wrapped around Nishikata's arm, she finally spoke.
"I'm surprised you haven't said anything, Nishikata." She said happily, way happier than Nishikata had ever seen her.
This gave him a sense of calm and happiness filled him too. "I- uhm-... You just seem very eager... To go somewhere..." He said looking the other way, towards the Angel's Road.
Takagi giggled lightly and kept speaking. It almost reminded Nishikata of Kaen. "So you'll follow me everywhere I take you?" She said, not wanting to tease, but trying to get to know more about Nishikata.
Nishikata flinched a little but kept his arm firmly in place for Takagi. "I... Well..." He stuttered and struggled to find his words. And suddenly he found a great opportunity to change the topic.
"O- oh Takagi-san, where is the manga you bought?"
Takagi turned to face him, the background of Angel's Road made him stand out so much more, her eyes widened and a blush appeared on her cheeks, quickly dismissing this and going back to the topic.
"Your mom offered to take it for me, so you'll hold on to it until first day starts." She said, her smile wider than usual.
Nishikata looked away from Takagi's gaze and simply nodded.
They kept walking in silence, the sky slowly turning orange as a slight breeze hit them from time to time.
The only sound that could fill their silence was their footsteps, along with the voices of other people.
The distant sound of waves crashing against the shore were slowly getting closer as they made their way towards the beach.
"Hey, Nishikata." Takagi broke the silence, the sight of various other couples made them seamlessly blend in with everyone else.
Nishikata flinched a little, he was aware about how they were walking, having Takagi hug his arm as they walked obviously embarrassed him, yet he didn't do anything about it.
"W- What it is, Takagi-san?" He stuttered, his heart was beating hard, trying not to die of embarrassment.
"How about we go down to the beach, just like good old times." She said, her smile not fading.
Nishikata looked at her confused. "Good old times?" He tilted his head in confusion.
"Remember... When you ran all the way to shore... Just to show me the sun." Her smug smile appeared.
Nishikata kept walking, stunned for a second before opening his mouth once more. "I- I told you it was to show you I could run that far..." He turned away and looked forward, noticing a path that lead directly to the beach as the sun kept setting.
Takagi giggled lightly and just hugged his arm tighter, leading him to the path. "Let's go." She said happily, almost hopping along the way.
Takagi seemed to be very energetic, so much so that Nishikata couldn't even catch up, Takagi had to let go of his arm as she went along.
They reached the beach, their feet slowly sinking in the loose sand. In front of them, Angel's Road.
They stared in awe, Takagi seemed way too excited for some reason, but Nishikata paid no attention to this. He just squatted and began playing with the sand, picking up small fist fulls and letting them go.
Takagi turned to him and squatted with him. "You like the beach?" She asked, doing a small heart in the sand along with other things like smiling faces and stars.
Nishikata, without looking up at her just nodded as a warm smile filled his face, he looked at the thin stretch of sand that connected the two places and then looked at Takagi.
Walking through this stretch were many couples, always holding hands, and once making it to the other side and back they always celebrated, Nishikata didn't know why, but this felt nice to him, the slight breeze gave him a calm feeling. He stood up and took a deep breath before looking down at Takagi.
She was staring right back at him, her typical smile filling her face.
"H- Hey Takagi-san... Wanna go to the other side?" He said, gently, without even realizing what he had just asked.
Takagi's smile turned into quick surprise, a light pink shade formed on her cheeks as she nodded, without getting up yet.
Nishikata flinched a little at her blush and then looked away back at Angel's Road, all while offering his hand so Takagi could get up.
Takagi took his hand without thinking it twice and felt as Nishikata pulled her up.
"Such a gentleman." Takagi teased lightly, not letting go of his hand.
Nishikata blushed a little and looked away. "I- you could slip... S- so it's better this way."
He slowly took a step forward wanting to cross Angel's Road without trying to hear another tease from Takagi.
Takagi only giggle and followed him. "Thank you, Nishikata." She said gently behind him.
And so the two of them walked, the tide was just beginning to lower slowly, revealing the path to them.
Some couples had purposely gone in with high tide, reached their ankles, Nishikata looked down at his own feet and then at Takagi's, he knew that if they wanted to cross without getting wet it would had to be quick.
Takagi also seemed to noticed this as her pace began to quicken. "Come on, Nishikata, we don't wanna get all wet." She said happily, tugging on his arm. Nishikata had no choice but to follow.
And that's when they entered the stretch. The wet sand gave them a loose yet somehow hard surface to step on, hands tightening around each other with each step, as to provide balance to one another. The sun shined on their faces as they walked nearing the middle.
With Takagi now in the front slightly, she looked over her shoulder at Nishikata and gave a smug smile. "Wow, you actually will follow me wherever I take you." She said giggling a little, although the sound of waves crashing on the shore was loud, it wasn't deafening.
Nishikata paused for no more than a second as he had to keep up with Takagi, looking down he just whispered. "I-... I guess..."
Takagi giggled lightly and turned to face him completely, now marching backwards but still following the stretch of land. "Really?~"
Marching backwards, her hand still joined with Nishikata definitely caught him off guard, now making eye contact, he turned away to a side to not look at her.
"Y- Yeah..." He said, not knowing what else to add.
Takagi smiled gently at him and tilted her head closing her eyes, her pace slowed down naturally.
"Good." She said gently, now with her eyes closed and having Nishikata looking down, they both slowed down.
Nishikata looked to his side and realized, they were now at the middle of the stretch. He stopped in his tracks, successfully making Takagi stop with him since she felt a sudden tug.
"Is everything okay, Nishikata?" She asked curious, however when she turned around herself, she found the answer of the very question she asked.
Nishikata just nodded and pointed with his free hand.
In front of them, a flock of birds seen crossing the sun that shined brightly in front of them, no clouds in sight to be covering the blue skies that stretched along.
Takagi stood there stunned as she could feel the small drops of the ocean waves hitting her face, a gentle breeze ran through them both, reminding them that their hands still held together.
They both looked at each other again.
Takagi smiled gently. "Ready?" She asked him, forming a small smile on her face.
Nishikata looked confused for a bit, but then realizing she was talking about reaching the other end, he nodded with a serious face.
Takagi giggled lightly and looked at him. "I can't wait one second longer~" She said happily, turning back around and leading the way, not letting go of him.
They kept walking for a few minutes, attempting not to trip or sink into the loose sand, from time to time it seemed as though either of them would end up slipping, however since they were holding hands, they were able to help each other up.
After a little more walking and finally, they had reached it.
They had reached Nakayo Island.
In the distance they could see the two other islands that followed Angel's Road, Koyo Island and Oyo Island. However Takagi seemed really satisfied only making it to this one.
She let go of Nishikata's hand and sat down on the island, somewhere that the ocean hadn't reached yet.
"We made it!" She said happily, almost laying fully on the beach.
Nishikata looked at her, not saying a word, he just smiled and stood next to her. "Yeah... It took longer than I expected..." He said, sitting down later without doing much.
Takagi simply looked at him. "I enjoyed every second of it."
Nishikata looked at her too, some seagulls flew behind her in the distance, the sun made it seem like she was the center of that island right then and there.
Takagi leaned in closer to him, not saying a word, her hand getting closer to his face.
Nishikata was so stunned, his mind didn't even register the contact first, he simply let it happen, his cheeks slowly beginning to burn.
Takagi rubber her thumb on Nishikata's cheek and then brought it back to her. "You already got sand in your face... Dummy." She said, her typical smile not fading at all.
Only then did Nishikata register what was happening, and she was correct, he felt with his own hand his other cheek and somehow it had moist sand resting on it. 'W- What... How did that even happen..?' He thought to himself.
"Surely some drops hit your face and they had some sand in it." She said happily, rubbing away the sand on her finger.
Nishikata nodded, now looking at Takagi's face, checking to see if she had any sand on her face.
"You're staring again... Nishikata." She said cheerfully, her teasing tone filled the air.
Nishikata flinched back and looked away. "I- Uhm... M- Maybe you had... Something on your face..." He said nervously, looking at everything except her. "B- But you don't... Have anything... Takagi-san."
Takagi giggled as she got up and began shaking off sand that stuck to her body. "Well then, ready to go back, Nishikata?" She said cheerfully, turning back to him and extending her hand this time.
"Y- Yeah..." He said nervously taking Takagi's hand as he was pulled up, he also shook off the sand on his body and looked at the way back.
Surrounding them were many couples, everyone holding hands or hugging as they were making their way back, Takagi noticing this, simply extended her hand again and stared at Nishikata.
"Ready for round two?" She said happily, opening up her fingers too.
Nishikata hesitated for a second, however slowly he intertwined his fingers with hers, and without saying a word they both started walking back to the mainland, Tonosho.
'T- This is something only couples do...' Nishikata slowly began to panic, realizing that many older couples were looking at them, and other passed them in similar situations.
'W- Why are we even going this...?' His mind kept trying to look for an answer, however he shook his head lightly, trying to distract himself best he could.
Takagi just hummed happily as she made her way to the mainland, occasionally looking back at Nishikata and smiling at him, only to then continue her humming.
'She's never been this excited for... Anything... It's weird seeing her like this... B- But... It feels... N- nice...' He thought, a soft gentle smile formed on his face.
"Say Takagi-san..." Nishikata broke the silence slowly as they made their way to Tonosho again.
Takagi looked over her shoulder again, waiting for Nishikata to complete his answer.
"Why did you want to come here... You seem so... excited, right?" Nishikata thought to himself, genuinely trying to create a conversation with her.
Takagi looked back forwards. "Hmmm..." She happily thought for a second, before turning once more to start marching backwards, not letting go. "Just because, Nishikata~" She said happily
Nishikata simply shrugged his shoulder and smiled, for once, he accepted this answer, accepted what was happening, and... enjoyed the moment.
This time, the way back felt much shorter than the first time, they walked and as they made it closer, they realized the amount of people also leaving Angel's Road.
Nishikata had gotten so comfortable to the point of making casual conversation with Takagi as they approached the end of the stretch.
Once they stopped, realizing they had made it all the way, they looked back at the stretch of land again, only to realize the tide was beginning to rise once more, they both stared, shocked.
"Looks like we made it out in the nick of time... Right, Nishikata?" Takagi turned to him, smiling wider than ever.
Nishikata looked at her too and smiled gently. "Yeah... Lucky us I guess." He said, turning to now leave the beach. "We should go back with my parents, they may be worried about us." He said, slowly letting go of Takagi's hand since she was standing still.
Takagi noticed this and took a deep breath, simply letting it happen. "Actually, I have to head back home now." She said softly, catching up to Nishikata as they left the beach.
Nishikata stood shocked. "Eh? Back home?" He asked her, to which Takagi simply nodded began leading the way.
"My parents haven't seen me in a full day, they must be worried too." Takagi said, walking a little bit in front of Nishikata.
Nishikata simply agreed as they both started making their way to her house.
They walked in silence, the voice of many couples seemed to disappear behind them. Only the sound of birds flying by could be heard from time to time.
Their footsteps in sync as they entered her neighborhood. Takagi decided to break the silence.
"Thanks." She said gently, joining her hands behind her back and holding her head up high.
Nishikata just looked at her, speechless for a second before taking a deep breath and speaking again. "No problem, Takagi-san." He said, glancing at her with a poker face.
He didn't question why at this point, he simply tried to enjoy himself as best as he could.
It wasn't long after that they had reached Takagi's house, she opened the gate slowly, and walked to the front door. "Well, this is it, Nishikata. Thank you for taking me home... As you usually do." She added in her teasing tone.
This broke Nishikata's character a little, a slight shade of pink filled his cheeks, but he took not importance to it. "I- It's nothing, Takagi-san... W- we do have... A promise... Y'know..." He said nervously, scratching the back of his head as he was preparing to close the gate.
Suddenly, the front door swung open and through it, Takagi's mom peeked her head out.
"Ah, Rie! You're back." She said softly and excited, she gave her daughter a hug and Takagi gave it back.
Once they separated she opened her eyes and saw the boy standing there. The signature teasing smile appeared on her face.
"And you must be Nishikata-kun."
Nishikata flinched a little backwards but eventually nodded.
"Why don't you come inside, have a cup of tea." She said bowing gently at Nishikata. "After all, we must show our gratitude since you took such good care of our daughter."
Nishikata tried to refuse but remembered the sudden back story that their families had.
"I... Uhm... S- Sure, I can stay a while." He said gently, bowing further down than she did.
Takagi gave a slight blush but invited Nishikata to come inside, to which he did.
Once he was in the entry way, he took off his shoes and as per custom, yelled out. "Pardon the intrusion!" and slowly began following Takagi and her mom to the kitchen.
"My husband is our shopping right now, how unfortunate that he couldn't be here with us." Takagi's mom said calmly, putting some water in a kettle with a few leaves.
"What about Takumi, mom?" Takagi asked curious as she pulled out a chair for Nishikata to sit.
"You know him, always going to where his father goes." Her mother chuckled, sitting across from Nishikata, who was now sitting next to Takagi.
"Reminds me of a little someone I know~" Takagi said gently, glancing to Nishikata, at the same time he felt Takagi's mom gaze also look at him and they made eye contact.
"Don't worry about not telling your parents, Nishikata-kun, I'll be sure to let them know you left my daughter here and stayed a while, I'm sure Rie has told you all about our history together." The mother spoke softly, trying to make Nishikata feel as welcomed as he could.
Nishikata nodded gently and waited for another topic to start on.
However simple silence hit the room, the two Takagi's were looking at each other, as if they were having a conversation in their minds. All was well until the mother turned once more to Nishikata.
"So, Nishikata-kun, tell me, how well did my daughter behave at your house." She said, resting her chin on her arm.
Nishikata thought for a bit and then replied respectfully. "S- She wasn't trouble at all, in fact... She helped me lots with my little sister, Kaen." He said, lowering his head as to do a little bow.
Takagi's mom chuckled and eyed her daughter. "That's good to know, Nishikata-kun. Hasn't she told you yet about her secret?" She asked, squinting her eyes and giving a smug smile to Takagi.
Nishikata looked confused and tilted his head gently. "S- Secret?" He said softly, however quickly interrupted by Takagi.
"Mom! N- not yet!" She said loudly, both bothered and laughing, as if it were all a joke. Takagi's mom laughed with her.
"Alright Rie, alright." She said calmly.
This sudden burst of laughter was cut off by the kettle boiling.
Takagi's mom quickly got up and served three small mugs of tea, it seemed as if in the blink of an eye she was sitting down with them again.
They all drank their tea in silence, not wanting to be disrespectful, Nishikata was the one to finish first, as he waited for mother and daughter to finish.
"Once again, thank you Nishikata-kun, for caring for our daughter tremendously." Takagi's mom spoke, Takagi herself let out a small blush but eventually nodded.
Nishikata noticed this, but not breaking eye contact with her mother, simply nodded. "I- It was no problem, really... S- She's welcome whenever she'd like to come."
Nishikata immediately noticed what he said and just like that regretted it, however he couldn't take it back, it was said and this sentence had left both Takagi's stunned.
They both giggled lightly, the same giggle Nishikata had been hearing for years, until the mother spoke. "I'll be sure to send her whenever the opportunity presents itself." She said lightly.
Takagi simply nodded and agreed, however something in the back of Nishikata's mind bothered him.
The fact that Takagi would be going alone, without anyone, from her house to his, even if it did happen, which was already unlikely, he knew that it wasn't the best idea, not after last time it happened.
"P- please! A- Allow me... T- To pick... Her... U- up..." Nishikata said bravely, he knew that getting these sudden adrenaline rushes wasn't usual of him, and for him to suddenly say this immediately filled his cheeks with a deep red.
However to the mom, this act made her sigh slightly in relief, as Takagi tried to hide her face, she had never seen Nishikata be this bold, especially towards some important figure like her mother. An obvious blush formed on her face too.
"You may, Nishikata-kun, thank you again." She said, this time standing up and giving a light bow.
Nishikata also stood up, almost automatically and bowed lower. "T- Thank you... For the tea, I mean..." He said, not really sure what he was thanking about yet, other than the tea, however it felt right.
The minutes quickly passed by and sooner rather than later, Nishikata was out at the front doorstep again.
"I'll be going now..." He said softly. "T- Thanks again..." He said as he turned around and began walking away.
Both Takagi's stood at the doorway and simply waved, wishing him well as he created distance.
"...He's a nice kid." Takagi's mom said gently, putting her hand on Takagi's shoulder
"He sure is..." Takagi spoke, now letting out a small sigh as she grabbed her phone and began writing a quick message.
"You almost blew my cover, mom." She said, slightly annoyed but also laughing at this, as if something ridiculous had happened right in front of her.
"Sorry sorry, I really thought you would've done it by now." Her mom said, scratching the back of her head lightly, inviting her daughter to walk back inside the house, followed by her closing the door.
Nishikata was slowly making his way home, his heart beating heavily. 'W- What did I just do... What did I even witness?' His mind thought, he wasn't sure what was really going on.
His body felt hot, he could hear his heart beating in his ears, his eyes were slightly watery, his body even felt weak. 'A- Am I getting sick..?' He thought, trying to come up with some logical answer to all of his symptoms.
He looked at his hands, shaking. 'This isn't... normal... Right?' However, even though all of this was happening, he was calm, happy even. 'I... Can't explain it...'
Suddenly he got a text, the classic ding came from his phone. He quickly checked it and the notification said "Takagi-san".
"Thank you for everything, Nishikata."
Nishikata simply stared at the message before typing out a reply.
"Thank you, Takagi-san, I'll see you in school on Monday."
He waited for what felt like an eternity, until he saw Takagi starting to text back.
"I'll be looking forward to it."
This message came accompanied by a sticker of a cat with a thumbs up and a cat with a comically big heart saying "Thank you" in Hiragana.
Nishikata stared at this message for a second too long when he saw another message from Takagi pop up in his screen.
"By the way, I left my backpack in your house... And my manga too, you can read it if you want."
The message quickly came followed by a sticker of a cat with the caption "Oops." written on it.
Nishikata stared at the message again and quickly typed out a reply before putting his phone in his pocket again.
"Sure, Takagi... I'll see you on Monday, goodbye!"
The message followed by a sticker of his own of a cat saying "Thank you." A different one from the one Takagi had sent.
'Why does Takagi... Make me feel this way...' He thought to himself, a bigger smile forming on his face with a slight blush fading away.
'Maybe the lady at the shop wasn't so wrong after all...'