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Takagi walked in through her school doors with a skip, eagerly awaiting the moment when she’d step back out of them that afternoon. While she normally enjoyed school more than most others, today was very special - she had been saving up her allowance for months and today was the big fall shopping sale at the mall! On top of that, Sumire and several other friends were all hyped up to go together and help each other pick out cute winter outfits. To say that Takagi was excited was an understatement.
As she headed to her classroom, Takagi thought about what she would buy. She was already set on getting at least one warm sweater for the cold but wondered if she could find any dark denim jeans as well. Whatever she bought, they all needed to match - she enjoyed following fashion trends and liked to stay cute.
She walked into the mostly empty classroom to her and Nisihkata’s desks. She’d once forced him to go swimsuit shopping, but what types of winter clothing did he like? Takagi smirked—Nishikata would never admit what he found attractive or not, but could she somehow trick him into hinting something? She set down her school bag and glanced into his desk for ideas, but of course, that didn’t help.
Maybe she could just ask? He would probably end up spilling the beans one way or another. Takagi shrugged, then went to pull out her chair and sit down.
And she paused. Something was different. Nishikata’s, and everyone else’s chairs were more or less pushed into the desks at various angles, but hers was perfectly pushed in and aligned. Most teens would not notice such subtlety, but Takagi had a very keen eye, especially when it came to her mischievous crush’s antics.
She crouched down to inspect the chair, and sure enough, found two party poppers tied between each chair leg and the legs of her desk, aimed up towards her. Pulling out her chair would have caused them to explode all over her.
She giggled softly, impressed at Nishikata’s new level of planning. Still, it was not, and would never be, enough to fool her. Her eyebrows furrowed deviously as she carefully untied the party poppers without breaking them, then copied Nishikata’s clever knotwork to set up the trap under his desk in exactly the same way .
Takagi then proceeded to sit down at her own trap-free desk and wait for him to arrive. If Nishikata had been there, she might have been too distracted saying hello to notice the trap—well no, she would have picked up on his feigned innocence and figured it out then too. It was slightly surprising though, now that she thought about it, that Nishikata hadn’t been there to witness his trap going off in the first place, as he often did with other pranks.
A quarter of an hour passed during which most of Takagi’s classmates gradually filed in, talking amongst themselves. But Nishikata hadn’t arrived yet. Takagi too had wanted to see his reaction, but grew bored of waiting and wandered over to her friends to talk about their upcoming shopping spree. A few minutes later, even Tanabe-sensei arrived, a clear sign that school was about to begin. Takagi went back to her desk at the back of the room, still sitting by herself.
The back door creaked open and Takagi turned excitedly to see Nishikata finally walking in, nearly late. She only just managed to contain that excitement and greeted him with a warm hello. He would undoubtedly be surprised that Takagi was sitting soundly and happily at her desk, completely free of confetti.
Nishikata gave a small smile and mirrored her hello back, stepping behind her to get to his seat. Takagi felt herself getting excitedly riled up and leaned away with her eyes closed tight as Nishikata yanked his chair out to sit down.
There was a massive POPPPP!!!, followed by an even louder shocked yell and cloud of colorful confetti paper that reached nearly up to Nishikata’s stunned face. He frantically jumped back from the explosion and into the cubbies behind him, making them wobble. It was too funny, and Takagi couldn’t contain her laughter as the boy’s face grew from surprised to beet-red out of embarrassment.
“Nishikata!!” Tanabe-sensei shouted angrily from the front, “School hasn’t even started and you’re already too loud! Shut it!”
“I’m sorry!” Nishikata called back shakily, brushing the confetti off his uniform and finally sitting down next to his classmate, who was now chortling into her desk.
“I can’t believe you forgot about your own prank!” Takagi laughed, trying to settle down as the bell finally rang. She wiped away a tear and looked up at him to see his red contorted face, which nearly spiked another fit of giggles. Nishikata groaned and looked away up at the teacher as he began the first class.
“Hey,” she said quietly, getting him to turn back, “You nearly fooled me this time. Good try.” He still looked concerned, but red was slowly fading from his face. He hesitated for a second before slowly nodding back at her, then turned back to the front.
Takagi raised an eyebrow. Normally Nishikata was more flustered than this, especially after getting yelled at. She was expecting some immediate form of challenge to get back at her. But he had hardly given her any response.
A minute later, she tried starting a conversation. “I’m really excited for the mall sale after school! What about you, are you perhaps thinking of getting new sneakers?”
Nishikata muttered back that he would think about it, but this time he didn’t even turn to look at her.
What was up?
The first hour passed, and Takagi was oddly getting nowhere. She kept trying to tease Nishikata, start small whispered conversations as usual, ask him if he preferred jeans to skirts, or even just borrow his eraser (legitimately, this time). But he was remarkably unresponsive, without even the faintest glimmer of suspicion as he accepted his eraser back from her.
After another hour, she had given up and was becoming apprehensive. Why wasn’t Nishikata paying her any attention today? Was the backfiring prank too shocking, or was he growing sick of her constant teasing? That didn’t logically make sense as he usually enjoyed their dynamic and originally set the trap up, but she couldn't help but worry.
Takagi peeked over at Nishikata who was still staring up at the blackboard, watching the teacher write down math equations. Could he be concerned about the upcoming test and was trying unusually hard to pay attention? That would be a first.
Takagi strained her eyes, doing her best to remain inconspicuous, and realized that Nishikata’s gaze was unfocused. He wasn’t actually paying attention to the front; was he just spacing off? Did he not get enough sleep reading Manga and forget about the trap he had set?
At this point, Takagi had been staring at Nishikata for a solid minute and not once had he picked up on it. He didn’t exactly look tired, but he wasn’t happy either. Was that look on his face agitation?
Something was definitely wrong.
“Nishikata,” she whispered more forcefully than usual, leaning over and tapping his forearm to break the trance. “Hey, Nishikata!” He blinked a few times and turned back to her, the look disappearing.
“Huh?”
“Are you okay?”
Nishikata’s eyes narrowed just slightly as he stared back at her. “I’m fine.” And with that, he pulled out his phone and looked away. Yet again, ignoring her.
Ouch. Trying to trick her was one thing, something she was used to and even encouraged. But giving her the cold shoulder? Was he really that mad at her for redirecting his prank? She scooted her chair slightly away and tried to focus on the lecture, biting her lip.
When the lunch bell rang, Takagi got up and left to find her friends without a word. If Nishikata really didn’t want her around, then she wouldn’t get in his way. Thinking about that really hurt, but she would confront him to ask what she did wrong once this mood passed.
Does he still like me? she continued to think restlessly, I really hope he still likes me .
Takagi tried distracting herself by engaging in her friends’ conversations at a lunch table. Sumire had listed out all the stores with the best discounts and was working with the others to order which were the highest priority and which to skip.
Luckily, with such a fun subject, it was easy to forget about the morning and Takagi quickly grew excited again for their upcoming afternoon adventure. As the topics turned from stores to actual clothing, she got out her phone to note all the different outfit items she could try to pair together along with their rough costs, laughing as her friends suggested increasingly ridiculous combinations. Some of her friends were concerned about the upcoming test too, but Takagi had already prepared and usually did well on tests anyway.
After finishing her lunch, Takagi was back to her usual sprightly self, humming one of her favorite songs by Rie Takahashi as she walked back to homeroom to finish the day.
As she turned the corner to go down a set of stairs, she noticed a black-haired boy sitting at the bottom of them. Nishikata hadn’t noticed her and was holding his own seemingly untouched bento box.
That uneasiness Takagi had felt before was immediately back in full force. She was a bother to him; he didn’t want anything to do with her today. It was almost too much, thinking about how disinterested he was in her. She frowned and took a step back, ready to find another staircase.
But she paused. Sure, he wasn’t being friendly, but… How could she know that it was her fault? Nishikata wasn’t just avoiding her , he wasn’t around anybody. All of his friends were at school today; why was he all alone?
Takagi hesitated at the top. She didn’t want to drive him further away if he really was mad, with or without reason. She felt scared to go down and risk hurting her chances with him.
Takagi gulped, then nervously looked back down the stairs. Nishikata was gripping his lunch in one hand, his face resting in the other. She heard a sniff.
No. Something had to be wrong, and Takagi cared too much to let it go. Something had happened to Nishikata and she was going to find out what.
Takagi gripped her empty lunch box and cautiously started down the stairs. Nishikata must have heard her footsteps and he set down his own lunch, scooted out of the way, and started rubbing his face. He hid his face as she reached his step, probably expecting the bypasser to continue on their way.
But Takagi didn’t continue on her way. She took one more step down, then took a seat next to her crush and faced him. A moment later, Nishikata shyly turned back to look at her, face red and looking surprised.
“Nishikata, please tell me, what’s wrong?” she asked him as endearingly as she could muster. The boy looked away again, hiding his face with his other hand.
“I’m—I’m fine,” he squeaked back.
Takagi scooted closer, not backing down. “No, you aren’t fine. You’ve been avoiding me and everyone else all day. Did something happen? Are you feeling sick? You look upset.”
Nishikata slowly lowered his hand, eyeing her worried expression. He looked even more defensive than usual and attempted to sit up straighter.
“I said I’m fine .”
Takagi’s heart twisted slightly. Was he worried she was just going to make fun of him, and that’s why he was distancing himself from her? Had she gone too far with her jokes, to the point where he just wouldn’t trust her?
Takagi’s lip wobbled, but only for a moment. “I promise I won’t tease you right now. Did somebody do something mean? Did you get in a fight with your parents?”
He looked so sad, quickly making her just as sad. But why wasn’t he talking to her? All he did was stare back.
“Why won’t you say anything?”
Was he about to reject her, or shoo her away? Was that it? She could hardly take the hostility, if that’s what this was, and had a growing urge to just run away.
Takagi couldn’t hold the gaze and looked away. But she couldn’t leave without asking the ultimate question. This time, she couldn’t keep her voice from cracking.
“Is it because of m-me? D-Do you not want me around anym–”
“NO!” Nishikata interrupted with a shout, making her jump in fright. Panic flashed across his eyes. Then realizing his forceful exclamation, he reached his hand forward apologetically.
“Sorry. But this isn’t your fault, Takagi-san.”
Overwhelming relief flooded Takagi’s mind. She let out a shaky breath and put a hand up to her chest to calm her pacing heart. No more spiraling worries that she had somehow ruined their relationship. For a second, her heart soared that he would reject that idea so immediately.
Then she chided herself for getting caught up in that. Nishikata was still having a bad day, and she didn’t know why.
“Then what is it?”
Nishikata turned back down to look at the last few stairs, but he wasn’t trying to hide his face anymore. Were his eyes red too; was this not just the typical embarrassed blush?
“Please, Nishikata, you can talk to me. Whatever’s bothering you is making me really sad too.” She hesitated for a second, then more quietly added on something she had never said out loud. “You’re my best friend.”
And so much more than that, too. If only she had the courage to say it.
Nishikata looked back at her with newfound worry in his eyes, but with something else new, too. He opened his mouth to speak, then shut it again. The bell rang, signaling classes starting again in a few more minutes, but Takagi barely even registered it.
“But it isn’t c-cool, I should just be stronger... You really won’t tease me?”
Takagi nodded, feeling guilty that he would be hesitant to talk to her in the first place. “I won’t make jokes when it’s something this important.”
Nishikata hesitated for a few more moments, taking several deep breaths.
“It’s… It’s my Grangran -er, my grandma,” he got out, struggling to maintain eye contact. “She- Early this morning, she… She had a really b-bad fall in her house. The doctors don’t know if she’s g-gonna make it.”
Takagi’s heart sank. This whole day, she had been self-centered and worried about her own problems, while Nishikata was carrying such bad news all by himself? She felt awful.
“That sounds terrible... Do you know what’s going on?”
Nishikata shook his head, wiping his eyes. “An ambulance took her to the ER a few hours ago; my grandpa c-called home right before I left and said they’ll need to do emergency hip surgery.”
“That sounds really scary. Maybe you should just go home.”
He shook his head. “There’s nothing I can do but I won’t just give up, I can do school. And we’ve got our big test review right now and I have to start doing better if I want to get into the same school as—” he cut himself off, looking away.
“Besides, there’s just one more class until school’s out,” he continued, “And then I can go home and s-see what happened.”
Takagi felt overwhelming love for Nishikata, who sat shaking with distress for his poor grandma. She wanted nothing more than to hug him tight and comfort him. But he wasn’t ready for that and it wouldn’t fix the problem. She had never even met the lady, but was close to tears herself after seeing how much he cared for her.
“I’m so sorry, Nishikata.”
He planted a hand on the stairs right by hers to steady himself, staring ahead. “In c-class today, I read that thousands of elderly folks die from falls every year,” he said. “I’ve never lost anyone though. If Grangran doesn’t make it—”
He cut off again, unable to finish.
It was a really tough situation. Takagi did her best to comfort him, but she couldn’t give false hope. As Nishikata shared more details, she learned that his grandma was nearly 74, at which age a fall could really mean life or death.
Several minutes later, the second bell rang, signaling the start of the last class before the weekend. Thankfully, after opening up about it and releasing his stress, Nishikata was looking marginally better. He wiped his eyes once more, then grabbed his bento box and stood up.
“Are you sure you’re okay going to class?” she asked worriedly. He nodded.
“I’ll take good notes and help you study later too, okay?”
Nishikata smiled slightly and nodded to that too. As they began walking back to class late, he asked one final question.
“Why are you being so nice to me, Takagi-san?”
She smiled slightly back, the worry of the apparently ongoing surgery still looming over her. Normally she would say something vague like “Who knows~”, but not today.
“Because… Because I care about you; you’re my best friend.”
Even now, she was too timid to truly admit her feelings. But he blushed and smiled a bit wider anyway.
For the rest of class, Takagi was laser-focused on every word the teacher said, her flying pencil scribbling down the review lecture nearly verbatim. If Nishikata couldn’t focus well for the test review, then she would make up for it and ensure he got at 100%. When class finally let out, her hand ached from the writing, with graphite smeared all along the outer side of her palm. She looked down at the 6 full pages of notes she had taken, satisfied.
“Thanks again for talking with me, Takagi-san,” Nishikata said as he stood up, giving her a genuine, mischief-free smile. “I’ll text you what happens later tonight.”
Takagi looked up worriedly at him. “You sure you’re okay?”
His smile faltered slightly, but he nodded assuringly. “I’ll b-be fine. I hope you enjoy the mall.” With that, Nishikata grabbed his bag and walked away.
Takagi watched her crush until he turned and disappeared from view. She felt happy that she could lift his spirits, even just a little, but still hated seeing him distraught.
Still, she had done her best. Takagi would be sure to call him tonight if she didn’t hear back. But for now, she supposed all she could do now was wait.
“Takagi-chan!”
Takagi jerked her head forward to see Sumire and her other friends approaching her desk excitedly, and her heart skipped a beat. How had she completely forgotten about the Fall sale!? It looked like even Mano and Houjou had decided to tag along at the last moment; they would all take the same bus to the mall and get dinner at the food court too. She broke into a smile and jumped up to go with them.
As the group of girls left the school, Takagi pulled out her list of outfit ideas on her phone. She was getting a sweater no matter what, but what color would stand out the most, or should it be more neutral in order to match more outfits? What should she pair it with, a skirt, jeans, or leggings?
With the prices this low and all the money she had saved up, maybe she could just get all three!
Takagi laughed at the enthusiastic conversation from the other girls as they approached the bus stop. It was already a blast.
The bus schedule indicated that the next one would be here in a few minutes. A few elderly people sat on the bench waiting, and a middle-aged couple stood nearby as well, looking at a phone together. Takagi watched as the man then pocketed the phone and grabbed his wife’s hand.
She smiled, hoping that one day, that could be her. She almost subconsciously glanced down at her own hand, then up to the person beside her.
But of course, it wasn’t Nishikata. He wasn’t going with them; he was on his own, heading home.
He was walking home, completely by himself, to some potentially awful news. Takagi blinked.
That just didn’t feel right.
C’mon Takagi, you’ve already done your best to support him, she thought to herself, You can’t do anything to help his grandma.
Takagi pulled out her phone again, scrolling through the different sales to recheck which of her favorite stores had any. The mall was fairly big, and she reasoned she should probably start deciding how to navigate through it and which stores to visit when. Her friends were already talking about that very thing.
But she couldn’t concentrate.
She looked back up at the couple, at their hands tightly clasping each other. They undoubtedly really loved one another.
This just didn’t feel right!
You already made him feel better and he told you he was fine. He didn’t ask you to do anything! What else could you do? He’s probably already home by now, and you’ve been looking forward to this sale for months! You deserve this!!
Nishikata had looked fine when he left and thanked her, right? She had done exactly what a best friend would do and had done it well. He could handle things from here.
She blinked again.
...But I’m not just his best friend.
Takagi looked back in the direction of the school. Then she glanced around longingly at all her friends chatting and laughing. She spotted the bus appearing in the distance, ready to take the group, and bit her lip hard. How greatly she wanted to go!
But no, all they were getting were clothes. Clothes didn’t matter. She could buy them another day.
Nishikata had been trying to be tough at school, but nobody should have to be ‘tough’ about family emergencies. If there was even the slightest possibility that he wasn’t okay, she just had to be there for him.
With great effort, Takagi apologized to the group that she had to go. Some of the girls looked confused, but Sumire seemed to understand, giving her a soft smile and waving her off. Takagi glanced one last time back at them, wishing it could be, then took off running back home.
What am I doing?! she thought agonizingly as she ran, school bag flopping awkwardly in her right hand. I’m throwing away this golden opportunity, and Nishikata probably doesn’t even need me anymore!
She blazed past the school and felt eyes boring into her as she ran in her uniform, beginning to pant from the effort. If Nishikata took his bike today, there was no way she could catch up. And even if not, what if he had run back too? He was so much faster than her! Why was she doing this? If something terrible had happened, wouldn’t his family be there for him instead? She wasn’t his girlfriend or anything; wouldn’t she just be a nuisance?!
Tears sprang from her eyes as she ran, but she shook her head and kept going as long as she could. Takagi loved Nishikata, even if it meant humiliating herself and giving up her greatly anticipated evening. Maybe he didn’t ask for anything, and maybe he was already home and she was just wasting her time running, but she would still be there for him if he needed her, no matter what .
Takagi had run more than halfway home and was now completely out of breath, with increasingly negative thoughts coursing through her tiring mind and no sight of Nishikata. Why was she doing this? He didn’t need her at all!
She nearly tripped as she rounded a corner, but kept going. After getting her balance, she looked back up, and there he was , far ahead, walking next to the usual grove of trees they passed. With relief she slowed to a stop, sputtering to catch her breath. Then she picked up a light jog to close the remaining distance between them.
As she approached, Takagi realized that Nishikata was just standing there. Had he already noticed and was waiting for her? With only meters left between, she slowed to a walk, and he finally turned to see her.
Nishikata’s expression changed from worried to astonished. “Takagi-san?!” he exclaimed as she stood there, holding her side and gasping for breath. “But- But I saw you going to the bus stop! What are you doing here!?”
Takagi dropped her bag and bowed over, still panting. “I *huff* I just *huff* wanted to make sure you *wheeze* were okay.”
“Huuhh!? But, you— you ran all the way here? What about the mall?”
Takagi didn’t respond, wiping her face as her gasps slowed. She probably looked terrible right now.
“I— I don’t know what to say,” Nishikata said, turning red. “Are- Are you okay?” He stooped down and picked up her bag along with his own.
She felt so embarrassed. Who in their right mind would run like a maniac like that? If Nishikata wanted to finally succeed at teasing her, now was a prime opportunity.
Nishikata began looking around. Suddenly he focused on something. “C’mon,” he said, going towards the shrine they liked to stop at, “You need to sit down”.
Takagi followed after him ashamedly. She was just getting in his way, forcing him to wait longer before going home.
“You don’t have to wait with me,” she called out as he sat down at the bench behind the shrine, mirroring her thoughts. “I was just worried *huff* that it would be hard for you to go home. I don’t want to get in your way.”
Nishikata said nothing as Takagi slumped down beside him. He pulled out a water bottle and handed it to her to drink, still looking surprised.
As he should be, too. He’s about to find out exactly how bad his grandma is doing, and then I just come throw myself at him? What am I thinking!?
She turned to look at him with concern. “You really don’t have to wait for me,” she repeated.
“You’re completely right,” he said simply, that dark shade of red ever-present on his face.
“..Hmm?”
“How do you always read my mind, Takagi-san? Even if I'm not tricking you… you just know!” He turned away, also ashamed, and scratched his head.
“How did you figure out that… That I’m just too scared to go home?”
All of Takagi’s worries, all of her embarrassment were gone in an instant. Poof. In their place came intense gratitude for whatever thing that had urged her to come back to him.
He really had needed her.
“This really sucks,” she said. “Nobody deserves to go through things like this alone.”
Nishikata nodded slowly. She could see all the wrinkles on his forehead, sweat beading between them out of stress.
He just sat there for a minute, obviously struggling to speak.
“I just—I’m too anxious to go home. What if it’s really bad news? What if she d-didn’t make it? What will we do? I'm not ready for that!”
Takagi hated it. She hated seeing him suffer. And worst of all, she couldn’t wish the problem away for him.
“I’m really sorry, Nishikata.”
But as she thought, she realized there was one thing she could do.
“Whenever I’m upset, I come to this shrine,” she said, looking around at the red and orange-leafed surroundings. “You’ve even cheered me up here before. But I usually don’t just sit here. I’ll offer up a prayer too, for whatever it is that’s bothering me.”
Nishikata looked at her, gripping the bench. He hesitated, thinking it over. Then he slowly nodded, but looked down.
“I don’t have any money, though.”
Takagi pulled out her wallet, looking through her months of allowance savings that she had packed earlier that morning. She had taken out all of her usual coins and notes to make room. Gritting her teeth, she pulled out a 5000 yen note. “Take this,” she said, thrusting it into his hands.
Nishikata’s eyes went wide as he held up the large note, almost as if it were imaginary.
“Where did you get that?! That’s way too much, Takagi-san, I just need a coin!”
“Offer it for your Grangran. It’s important.” She delicately closed his hands around it, then guided them towards the box of offerings.
“Takagi-san…”
She blushed. “You’re my best friend, Nishikata. Do it for me.”
Nishikata gulped, thanked her quietly, and stared at the note. Then, with trembling hands, he deposited it into the offerings box, clapped his hands and bowed, and began a heartfelt prayer.
Thirty minutes later in the late afternoon, they stood in front of Nishikata’s house. His nervousness had grown even stronger, but Takagi kept urging him forward. The truth was hard to face, but he needed to face it nonetheless.
“I’ll be out here,” she soothed, “But don’t worry about me. You’ll get through it.”
“You’re being too nice to me,” he said, but couldn’t muster up a smile for her. And that was okay.
“Please be alright,” he whispered, slowly stepping up to the door. He looked back once more at her, then opened the door and slipped inside.
Takagi leaned back against the fence gates, and waited.
The dreaded moment had come. Did Nishikata’s grandma make it? If so, how badly would this mess her up? And how would Nishikata take it? How badly would this mess him up? Takagi clasped her hands together nervously, waiting by the gate.
Several minutes passed with no news, and her anticipation only grew. If he hadn’t come out, it couldn’t have been good news.
He probably needs to be with his family, she thought sadly, So I should probably go .
Takagi felt utter despair at how much this would hurt Nishikata. She had done her very best, but it wasn’t enough. Why couldn’t she just make the problem disappear?
With reluctance, she turned away and began the walk back to her own house. She would probably get a text in a few hours, and could only hope it wasn’t the worst-case scenario.
A yell came from inside the house.
Hmm?
Takagi turned back around to see…
...Nishikata bolting out of his house towards her, tears streaming down his face. Her eyes went wide as he bear-hugged her, lifted her up, and began spinning her!
“She’s okay, Takagi, my Grangran’s okay!” he cried into her ear, still spinning her. “They just called and the surgery went really well and she’s already recovering!”
Nishikata suddenly realized what he was doing, let out a loud embarrassed gasp, set the dazed girl down, and jumped six feet back.
“AAAAAUUUGGGHH!! I’m sorry, I’m sorry for touching you!” he exclaimed, burying his face in his hands. “AAAaaahhh I have no idea why I did that, please forgive me!”
Takagi stared at him open-mouthed, still feeling the warm sensation of his whole body wrapping around hers. Was this a dream? She was stunned speechless, wide eyes glued to the recoiling boy, her cheeks turning as red as the autumn leaves surrounding them.
"Oh no you’re mad, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that, I'm sorry!"
She pinched herself and jumped. No, this was real! A fresh smile lit up her face and she almost squealed with joy. Nishikata’s grandma was okay, and Nishikata was so happy that his first instinct was to pick her up?!!
“I’m so sorry, I’m sorry, I’m s–”
“Nishikata,” she called out, interrupting him. He slowly looked back up.
“Wha–”
Nishikata was again interrupted as Takagi wrapped her arms around him, giving him her first-ever hug back. He grew as stiff as a board as she pressed herself up to him.
“I forgive you,” she whispered into his ear, “And I’m so happy for you and your Grangran.” Takagi could feel tears of her own beginning to roll down her cheeks too. She held him tightly for a few seconds.
“...Yeah,” Nishikata finally responded back, cautiously inching his arms around her back to return the hug. “She-she was really lucky and should b-be home in under a week, and make a full recovery. It’s a miracle.” She could feel him shaking and had begun shaking as well.
They stood there for several more seconds, both sniffing slightly. This was why Takagi had skipped her activity, run across town, and donated part of her allowance, and it was worth every part of it. They had jumped forward ten steps in their relationship and Nishikata was okay , and she was beyond happy. She nuzzled her head into his shoulder, just wanting to jump for joy.
Feeling a new surge of confidence, Takagi leaned forward and whispered one last thing into his ear.
“I hope you’ll keep hugging me, Nishikata. After all, I’m your best friend… and more .”
With that, she promptly pulled away and hid her blushing face, giggling as she straightened out her dirty uniform.
Nishikata’s arms remained outstretched as if he were still holding her, and he stared down, processing. Finally, his eyes shot back up, looking slightly crazed. He gaped at her then let out a confused shriek, turning her giggle into a full-blown laugh.
“What do you mean, Takagi, um, -san? Are- Are you teasing me again?!”
She flipped her hair and cocked her head back at him with a sly grin. “Who knows~”
Nishikata cried out again, looking suspicious and making her laugh even more. He was back to normal. Everything was okay.
Nishikata’s expression shifted, looking depressed again. “But wait,” he said softly, “You missed your shopping trip and it’s all my fault,” He hung his head.
Once her laughter died down, Takagi shrugged. “It’s no big deal. I’m just happy that you and your grandma are okay.”
He shook his head, still looking upset.
And it was true; she had really wanted to go buy some cute outfits and enjoy the time with her friends.
Suddenly she knew how to put the cherry on the cake. She deserved this one.
“Well, all of my friends already went today, but a few sales are still going on tomorrow. If you wanna make it up to me, will you take me to the mall to find some cute clothes instead?”
Nishikata poked his head up woozily, looking as though he had just got off a triple-loop roller coaster.
“But… But that sounds like a d- d- d- d-”
Takagi clasped her hands behind her back and beamed at him. “You’re right, that’s your punishment. It’s a date!”
“GAAAAaaaaaahaaaaAA!!!”
I too shout “GAAAAaaaaaahaaaaAA!!!” whenever I finish reading this. I had a ton of fun writing it and I hope you enjoyed reading it too! I’ve been writing fanfics for years, but this is my first attempt at a Takagi-san one so hopefully I did okay. I’m posting this in preparation not only for Season 3, but for a longer multi-chapter fic with a similar focus on character development. So if you enjoyed it, you’re welcome to follow me and stick around!
This story tries to bring to light some specific points. We all know that Takagi sure likes Nishikata, but she’s got a separate life too, complete with her own interests and flaws. The show typically shows just Nishikata’s POV, so I wanted to bring out Takagi’s otherwise hidden thought process a little to portray what she might sometimes be thinking behind her usually confident demeanor. Additionally, both of them have real families with real-life concerns, so I wanted to depict how they might learn to treat each other when something unexpected comes up.
If you liked it or have any feedback, PLEASE drop me a quick comment or review! I want to hear it all, good and bad. These make my day and push me to improve my writing and bring more new content to you!
I’m thinking about translating this story into Spanish. I lived in Spain for 2 years and speak/read well enough, but have less writing experience. If any native speakers are interested in helping proofread a draft and pointing out my (many) Gringo mistakes, please reach out!