Chapter Text
The wind began to pick up speed and slowly everything around our protagonists started to turn darker.
The smile on Takagi's face slowly turned into surprise as she looked up, Nishikata noticed this and looked up with her, a large gray cloud began to cover up the sun. The wind now began to blow harder, tangling Takagi's hair and messing up Nishikata's loose threads. They slowly let go of each others hands.
Nishikata, without saying a thing, put his chocolate back inside his pocket and looked at Takagi, who was still looking up as the last bit of light disappeared behind her.
'Maybe I can buy something later today.' Nishikata thought to himself, he kept staring at Takagi until she finally looked down and made eye contact.
"You're staring at me again," Takagi said as a smile began to appear on her face again.
"Th- That's not true," He replied softly, not shouting, Nishikata's face quickly turned slightly red, he wasn't too flustered compared to the first year of middle school.
Takagi's blush also began to form, and not trying to hide it, she began walking towards Nishikata, quickly passing by him.
"Hey, Nishikata," She said softly while she passed him. "Let's go back home, it'll get dangerous if we stay here."
Nishikata turned around and quickly picked up his pace to start walking next to Takagi, now walking in silence from where Nishikata was coming, nearing a bus stop, in complete silence, only the sound of rustling leaves and the wind howling around them.
Not long after, they arrived at the bus stop and got inside the shelter waiting for a bus to arrive.
Soon enough, they tuned out the sound of the wind and every noise around them, now it was just them sitting in silence, Takagi with her usual smile and Nishikata staring at the floor.
"Hey Nishikata." Takagi called calmly to him and then pointed to his pocket.
Nishikata didn't say a word, he just looked down at his own pocket while slightly blushing. "I- I can't give it to you, it's all crushed surely." He looked away from Takagi.
"I still want it, I'm hungry." Takagi said with a smile and leaned in closer to Nishikata, and slightly opened her mouth.
'Wait, why is she opening her mouth'. Nishikata thought to himself, he reached inside the pocket and began opening the wrap. 'Does she want me to... Feed... Her?' His ears slowly started turning red too, his blush and startled face began to appear again.
Takagi closed her eyes and smiled as she opened her mouth. "Ahhh" She said softly, confirming Nishikata's suspicion and request to be fed.
"T- Takagi-san, I think it's best you open it." Nishikata kept fiddling with the wrapper and then held out the chocolate. Takagi opened her eyes and stared at him.
"I don't mind you feeding me, Nishikata." Takagi smiled as she continued to tease him. "How about we have a contest?"
Nishikata's blush quickly began to die down as she looked at Takagi with curiosity. "Eh? A contest?" He asked curiously, 'Damn it, Takagi-san. What do you have planned this time? Already wanting to tease me?' He cursed as he quickly tried to decipher what she was up to, however to no clear answer, he agreed. "Yeah, what type of contest?"
"If I can guess what type of chocolate it is, I win, and if I can't guess, then you win, deal?" Takagi said excited, almost as if she already knew the result of this contest.
Nishikata thought about it for a bit and then looked at Takagi with a determined face. "Sure Takagi-san, but you only get one guess." Nishikata said confident. 'There's no way that Takagi-san knows what I got her, out of so many boxes, so many special editions, so many options about me even making homemade chocolate, there's less than 10% chance that she'll guess this correctly. Too bad Takagi-san, but you've already lost this contest.' Nishikata laughed to himself thinking this, Takagi didn't seem fazed.
She once again leaned in closer, closed her eyes and opened her mouth "Ahhh." Her soft voice echoed in the cabin.
'Damn you Takagi-san! You know you've lost already so you're just trying to get back at me by making me get all embarrassed.' He opened up the chocolate to reveal homemade chocolate in a small white box, although a bit crushed, he grabbed a random piece without even looking. 'Jokes on you Takagi-san, this is nothing anymore... Right? Either way, it is my win completely!'
His hand began to tremble as he put it closer to Takagi's mouth, his eyes focused on her lips, they looked soft, moist even, a bit of light glossy pink. He shook his head and closed his eyes, and in one swift movement closed the distance between his hand and her lips. Takagi felt the chocolate touch her lips very softly, and then she felt another texture, it was Nishikata's finger, lightly brushing along her lip. She didn't hesitate, and leaned in a bit closer to close her lips on the tip of his finger, leaving it slightly glossy.
Nishikata also felt this weird texture on his finger, and quickly opened his eyes to see what was going on, as soon as he did Takagi was already chewing on his chocolate. Nishikata quickly brought his fingers to his face, and saw that the tip was a little moist, glossy almost. 'Did... Did she just try to kiss my fingers?' Nishikata thought this and immediately his face turned beet red. 'N- No no, she couldn't have, it's just my mind playing tricks on me, the chocolate was probably melting and that's probably it!' He kept making excuses in his head, trying to find an answer other than what he suspected.
As he got these thoughts, he glanced at Takagi, who was still chewing on the chocolate, her calm smile indicated she was really enjoying this chocolate bar.
"S- so... Takagi-san, can you guess what type of chocolate I just... gave you?" Nishikata could barely look at Takagi, however he tried his best to keep his composure.
Takagi finally swallowed and then stared at the ceiling of the cabin for a bit, she started thinking and took a moment to answer, all the while Nishikata just sat there in silence, still thinking about his finger.
"Ah! I got it!" Takagi said happily. "This is homemade chocolate isn't it?" She smiled as she put her finger near her lips and chuckled a bit.
Nishikata stunned in place didn't react until the answer finally registered in his head. "What!?!?" He shouted inside the cabin, now ringing with that echo of his voice. Takagi burst into laughter as Nishikata sat there shocked about her answer. "How did you know!? It's literally impossible for you to know that!" Nishikata tried looking for an answer, however Takagi kept laughing.
"Sorry sorry!" Takagi said trying to hold in her laughter. "The other day I overheard you talking to Mano-chan about making homemade chocolate. It's pretty easy to put two and two together." She kept chuckling at the fact that Nishikata was so oblivious, asking Mano in the middle of the classroom without being discreet.
"But, that makes me very happy." Takagi stopped laughing and once again looked at Nishikata and leaned in a bit closer. "Because making homemade chocolate is way more special than store bought chocolate." She smiled to Nishikata, expecting to see him blush more.
"No! It's not like that!" Nishikata tried refusing with all his might. Obviously blushing much more than he was before.
"Ehh? So you didn't make it for me?" Takagi smiled and leaned a bit more to his face, putting her hands on the seat and moving her fingers closer to Nishikata's fingers.
Nishikata was now at a loss for words. "I mean, I- I did! But!" He was out of ideas, so he just stopped and nodded silently. "Yeah... I did." This time, feeling defeated he looked at the floor again. 'Damn it, that's completely my fault! How could I be so stupid and forget that Takagi-san was in the damned classroom when I asked that, no wonder Mano-san went to Takagi-san immediately after.'
Takagi eventually stopped laughing and was now just looking at Nishikata, as they both sat straight up when they heard the engine of the bus nearing them. Hearing this, Nishikata slowly put the rest of his chocolate back in his pocket.
The bus stopped in front of them and opened its doors, Nishikata and Takagi greeted the driver and then went to the back of the bus, luckily the bus wasn't full, a few people were on, some sleeping, others reading newspapers, or looking at their phone.
"I wonder what your punishment should be." Takagi spoke softly to Nishikata as she sat down and then invited him to do the same. Nishikata followed, still defeated and already thinking on how to get back at his rival.
"What would you say is fair, Nishikata?" Takagi asked and once again leaned over to Nishikata, with her head just barely over his shoulder.
Nishikata once again began to stutter, his cheeks turning red with each second passing by. "I- I don't know, Takagi-san. Maybe I could treat you to some juice on our way home!" Nishikata suggested, all flustered and worried. 'Takagi-san! You're too close right now! If anyone comes in, they're gonna think we're a... a...' Nishikata stopped his thinking right there and then, as in front of them, two seats over, there was an actual couple, with the girl resting her head on the guys shoulder. 'We'll be seen like that! Damn it Takagi-san!'
Takagi thought for a bit, and then kept leaning in, with her cheek almost touching Nishikata's shoulder. "I'm not in the mood for juice... I want something a lot sweeter. Can you guess what it is?" Takagi asked teasing Nishikata further, Nishikata decided to look away and the bus engine began to roar again.
"I- I'll figure it out... Eventually." Nishikata said, giving up once again to her teasing, he thought to himself that those were another 6 push-ups in less than a minute. Takagi laughed a bit but kept her position right where she was. Nishikata looked away, hiding his flustered face from Takagi and avoiding to be teased further.
The sky outside was still gray, covered fully by clouds, no rain in sight though. Nishikata kept looking outside as he soon began to recognize streets the he was running by, he knew that sooner rather than later, they'd arrive at a nearby bus stop.
While lost in his thoughts, he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder, not too heavy, but it was very noticeable, he slowly turned his head over and there he saw Takagi laying on his shoulder.
"T- Taka- Takagi-san?" He stuttered softly. He was able to make out the fact that Takagi was now sleeping, realizing that she was breathing heavily and her eyes were closed. 'She fell asleep... On my shoulder...' Nishikata thought to himself, he could hear his heart beating in his ears. Takagi's perfume filled the air with a soft, sweet scent and Nishikata could smell the gentle fragrance coming from her hair. 'She smells nice... sweet...' He decided not to disturb her, however he did go back to looking out the window, the wind seemed to be getting less intense, but it was still cloudy.
Not long passed until Nishikata began to realize that they were only a few stops away from theirs, and in that moment he realized that he was going to need to wake Takagi up. He began to softly speak to Takagi, yet there was no reaction, he slowly began to speak louder and louder, making his embarrassment slowly turn into curiosity and urgency to wake her up.
"Ehm... Takagi-san, we'll be arriving soon, wake up." Nishikata now began poking her head, and it was obvious it was working, as a slow peaceful smile began to form on her face. "Takagi-san, I know you're awake, we're about to arrive, let's go." Nishikata now began to get a bit flustered as he realized the situation he was in again.
Takagi opened her eyes slowly and looked up at Nishikata, with a slight blush forming on her cheeks, barely noticeable if someone really paid attention. Nishikata got embarrassed while making eye contact with Takagi and looked away.
"Thank you for letting me rest." Takagi said calmly as she got up and stretched, then she got up from the seat and began walking to the front. "Let's go, we're about to arrive." She happily said as the bus came to a stop, Nishikata followed behind her, still thinking of what had just happened, although he didn't give it much of a thought.
They both got off the bus and thanked the driver, and once the bus left from in front of them, Takagi looked across the street and then looked at Nishikata.
"Hey, Nishikata." Takagi called to him while he was looking around, figuring out where to go, however now paying attention to Takagi.
"What is it, Takagi-san?" He wasn't as flustered as before, but still very jumpy and prepared as to what she would say.
Takagi easily noticed this and walked up to him. "I know what I want you to do as a punishment..." Takagi softly whispered near him, Nishikata's obvious blush began to form again.
"I want you to give me..." She leaned in a lot closer, their faces inches away from one another. "Some kisses." Takagi smiled at this and leaned in just a bit more.
Nishikata's head began spinning to the words that he heard. 'What, a k- a kiss??? Did she just say a kiss?' His heart once again beating very fast. "T- T- Takagi-san, w- what do you m- mean?" His cheeks becoming even more red than before.
"You know Nishikata, some kisses." She distanced herself from Nishikata and pointed across the street. "This way, you can buy me chocolate and give me your homemade chocolate, does that sound good, Nishikata?" She pointed to a candy shop across the street, and smiled sweetly at Nishikata, who was still standing flustered. "You know the Kisses Chocolates, right? Or did you misunderstand something?"
"Y- you know perfectly well what you said." Nishikata tried to defend himself, but still fell into Takagi's trap.
Takagi burst into laughter once again and then crossed the street. "Let's go, Nishikata!" She spoke loudly, they both crossed the street and entered the candy shop, the owner greeted them with a nice gentle bow, it was an elderly woman, however she seemed to be surprisingly energetic.
"Welcome youngsters! Feel free to grab anything you'd like." She said calmly, as she finished restocking some flower bouquets. "Such a young couple like yourselves, enjoy every single day of it."
Nishikata blushed and quickly denied it. "W- We're not a couple." He said softly, however he looked down at his hand, the same hand that held Takagi's hand on the summer festival, the same hand that gave her chocolate, the same hand that pulled her from falling into a river, the same hand that lost to Takagi in arm wrestling. He remembered the feeling, the soft tender hand of Takagi with his. 'We aren't... A c- couple... Right?' He thought to himself, slightly blushing.
The elderly woman laughed and then went behind the counter, Takagi also chuckled and began looking at the flowers that were just recently put, specifically looking at the flowers labeled 'Wasuneragusa', which translates to 'Forget-me-not'. She stared at them, almost in a trance, until Nishikata interrupted her.
"Hey Takagi-san, are these fine for you?" He held up a pack of Hershey's kisses chocolate. He noticed the flowers in the background, but didn't give them much thought, at least not at that moment.
Takagi nodded and grabbed the pack of chocolate as they both walked up to the counter. "I'll take this please." Nishikata spoke calmly as he looked inside his wallet, counting everything, even though he had lots to spare, he took out 600 yen and paid, then gave the chocolate to Takagi.
"T- Takagi-san, here you go, you can start eating them outside, I wanna buy something for myself." He blushed a little bit, determined to stick with his plan. "A- Actually! How about a contest?" He said determined, his blush quickly disappeared as this took Takagi by surprise.
"A contest? So suddenly?" Takagi's eyes widened, but she received the chocolate and quickly accepted.
"The rules are simple, you go out, and try to guess what I'm going to buy... If you get it wrong, then I win." Nishikata let go of the chocolates and began walking Takagi to the door as he opened it.
"Hmmm, are you planning on getting us a couple's gift?" She said teasingly, peeking once more at the flowers. She smiled and then looked back at Nishikata's red face. "Your face is red." She chuckled.
"I- It's you imagination!" He said as he closed the door behind Takagi, and through the door he could hear Takagi laughing as she opened the packet of chocolate. 'Damn you, Takagi-san. This time, you'll be the one blushing non-stop.' However when he turned to the counter, he already saw the woman with the thing he wanted the most.
"I'll give it to you at a discount young man, 25% off, since today is White Day." She said with a soft gentle smile.
Nishikata paid and then started making his way to the door. On the other side, Takagi was eating the chocolate, her heart beating heavily as she let out deep breaths and ate the chocolate, her smile stretching from cheek to cheek as her brain reminded her of the texture of Nishikata's finger on her lips. Her blush was slowly starting to fade when she suddenly heard the door open, she looked over and saw Nishikata's head peeking out.
"Hey, Nishikata, did you get what you wanted?" She said calmly with her bright and cheerful voice.
"Y- Yeah, Takagi-san, but can you guess what I got?" He said, determined and nervous at the same time.
The clouds that made the whole environment gray, now slowly passed by, and suddenly the sun was beginning to brighten up everything else, first shinning on Takagi and it started reaching Nishikata.
"Hmmm, the latest edition of 100% unrequited love?" Takagi teased to Nishikata as she squinted her eyes to adjust for the sudden brightness, making everything that she could see blurry.
Nishikata didn't say a word, however he noticed Takagi partially closing her eyes, and he quickly walked to her, as the sun also reached him, he bit his lip with bravery and held out the item.
Takagi's eyes finished adjusting as she opened them fully and the focus of everything around her began to fix. She saw Nishikata standing there, red as a sunset, but what he had in his hands was something she didn't expect, she looked at Nishikata once again, who was looking to a side, obviously trying to hide his blush, but to no avail.
"H- Here... T- Takagi-san... This is... is also for... W- White Day..." He stuttered but held his own ground, as his arms extended forward, with a bouquet of Wasuneragusa flowers.
Takagi took advantage that Nishikata wasn't looking, and let out her own blush. 'But... You already returned the favor... What do you mean by this... Nishikata' Takagi for the first time ever, confused by Nishikata's intentions, only being able to suspect about the fact if this was a romantic intention, or if he had just seen her admiring the flowers.
"I- I know I already... Returned the favor... But... It... F- Felt right..." Nishikata spoke nervously as she received the flowers, her hands touching Nishikata's with no hesitation. Quickly her shock turned into a sweet and genuine smile filled with gratitude.
"Thank you! Nishikata!" She said happily, joining her hands with his and tightening them up, just as they were a few hours ago, with the chocolate in front of the cherry blossom.