The Morning
Recap time(spoilers for the end of season 3!)
"Ahhhhhhh what just happened?" Nishikata was face down on the couch as he struggled to grasp what just happened. He had chased down Takagi(who was in a car BTW) for several kilometers before she had stopped and turned around. Then the two of t-them shared a moment.... but after Takagi told Nishikata her feelings of him coming to her. They ran out of wind of their sails. After an awkward moment. Takagi offered to walk with him to the bus, as Takagi had left hers in order to talk to him.
There is many ways to interpret the ending but for me, initial I thought Nishikita gave the chocolate to her as a well to repay her for what she's done for him. Not really as a romantic gesture, but he as a symbolic and kind gift. Plus partially from Hamaguichi's egging. And Nishikita's too dense to fully realise what he did so for this book, the white day gift serves a stepping stone for their relationship. But the status quo shall remain.
Important: This is going to a SLOW BURN, if you wanted quick progress, this is not the book. This book is going to focus on plot and romantic progression. Little drama, few out of character moments. That's what this book is going to focus on. This book would be written more in a style fusing the manga and anime. So some chapters would be written in style of something in the manga, others would be like the anime, so both fans can enjoy, or fans of both. anyways ciao
End of Recap
They barely talked on the walk back. Until Takagi offered again if he would want to walk to the shrine with her.
"Ah! Well I don't know if I should but....."
"I know you want to right?" Takagi teased as she leaned in closer
"Oh no it's not like that! What are you talking about!? I just want to kill time.. so yeah I will go! Yeah okay!" Nishikata rubbed his back in embarrassment.
"Ok how bout tomorrow?"
"Ok"
Nishikata opened the door to his room and went inside, he wondered
"(Ah I wonder if Takagi likes me like that)?" The question kept on reaping in his head. He smacked himself lightly on his forehead
"(No She CAN'T LIKE ME! There is no way! Right?)" He sat down on his bed as an idea popped in his head.
Tomorrow,
Nishikata confidently walked to the entrance of the shrine. "Boo!" Takagi suddenly bumped his shoulder for behind the gate.
"ahh you scared me Takagi" Nishikata faked ignorance.
(Something is up....) Takagi noted.
(I can tell when he has something up in his sleeve.) Takagi slowly walked alongside Nishikata
The two friends made it to the shrines step
"Hey Takagi? Since we are here... How bout we play a game!?" Nishikata was bristling with excitement
"Sure ok!" Takagi replied
" (Ah...I wanted to do something else with him)" She quietly admitted to herself
"Let's play 21(One who counts to 21 first loses, both take turns and can only maximum count 3 at a time)
Except there is a twist! First to make it up the steps of the shrine wins and how many numbers you count will dictate how many steps you take!" Nishikawa was proud of this idea as he had a huge advantage if he went first. (IF Takagi tries counting three at a time, as long as I go first, I win!
t=takagi
n=nishikata
"(3t ,6n ,9t, 12n, 15t, 18n, 21t)!" He thought to himself
"Hmm ok let's play, I am already thinking of a punishment for you" Takagi replied, smiling in anticipation.
"We will see about That! I will go first!" Nishikata shot back with fire in his eyes
"1,2,3" Nishikata took three steps forward
"4,5,6" Replied Takagi as she took three steps forward
"7,8,9" Nishikata had a smug look on his face.
"10,11,12" Takagi caught up to him
(There is at most 6 steps to the shrine, I've win before she would even get her fatal last move! I will finally win after so long!)
"Nishikata? If you beat me, I'll kiss you" Takagi whispered into his ear
"Huh!?!?!" Nishikata was shocked but he made a plan just in case she would try something as sneaky as that!
"Ok but you can only kiss my shoe!" Nishikata shouted back, waving his hand in a victory pose.
(This is genius, sure she could kiss me, but I would't even feel it, plus who even wants to kiss someone's sho-
"Sure!" Replied excitedly Takagi as she took three steps forward"
(WhAT!?!? The audacity of her! Well ok! It's not like I am scared of some pretty girl kissing my fee...not pretty girl kissing my fe.. I mean shoe! Wait she still kissing me though! No no no! I can't do that!"
"13..." Nishikata replied, sounding defeated
Takagi smirked at him as she leaned over to him
"Scared of your first kiss?"
"No I mean why would you even kiss my shoe! That's so weird and gross and.... I don't know"
"Well my Mom once told me that love makes you do weird or crazy thing" She smiled again, inches away from his face. Staring eye to eye.
"w-What are you s-saying!?"
"Well isn't it obvious? I just really LOVE...
"your shoes. . . . . . . ."
Takagi laughed
as Nishikata blushed in what she just said.
"Well it seems you like I won, so for your punishment, you have to reply to all of texts within 30 minutes of them being send!" She declared
Takagi prayed that he would agree to her punishment. She always had secretly disliked how it took him hours, maybe even days before he would reply to her texts.
"Fine...." Nishikata replied, looking over in shyness.
"Yay!" Takagi beamed in happiness.
"Now let's go home, I am tired" Nishikata grudgingly asked
"Why? How about we hang out some more?" Takagi looked at him, begging him to say yes
"Why should we?" Nishikata countered
"Because I want to" Came her nearly instant reply She looked at him with sincerity/hopefulness
Nishikata blushed from her words, struggling to regain composure of himself. "Fine, but only tomorrow"
Nishikita's POV:
The night's presence sent shivers down my spine. I think of everything that happened in the last two days. I wonder, did everything I tell Takagi the truth? I felt an odd stirring in my chest, as if it was telling me something
I felt my heart speed up and my cheeks turn hot
"Ahhhh, what if she thought that me giving her chocolates on white day meant that I was accepting her love invitation!? What if she did it to tease me and I had just fallen for her trap!?" I quickly squirmed around in my bed
I looked at hands, then at the ceiling. Well I did find Takagi cute I guess, I really like her looks, and I kind of like....her teasing. I'll admit, but, I don't have feelings for her yet right? So there is nothing to lose if she makes fun of me or declines my white day message. I turn around, getting ready to sleep
Only to feel my phone vibrate
over the phone, 3rd POV
Takagi
"Can I come over now?"
Nishikata
"No"
Takagi
"Why not?"
Nishikata
Because I said so
Takagi
"I am coming over if you don't tell me a better reason
Nishikata
No wait a minute!
Nishikata dropped his phone in agony.
(She got me again, gosh damm it)
He looked up, to see his phone buzzing,
(great now someone's calling me)
"Yes?" Replied a disinterested Nishikata
"Hi~" Came a cute voice over the phone, sending shivers down his spine.
(Gosh her voices sounds so much cuter over the phone, wait no no stay in character!)
Nishikata went back into character of being bored "What do you want?"
"To talk to you Nishikata~" Nishikata could practically hear her giggling from the other side
He was losing his composure very quickly but managed
"Why else?"
"That's it Nishikata" She pressed her advantage hoping he will lose it his mental will.
"a-ah bye Takagi I need to go do the uhh.... laundry"
He quickly closed the call
"Ahhhh she got me again... I should clean my room" Nishikata mumbled
Little did he know, Takagi was equally flustered as he was
The two regularly hung out for a while, their relationship for a moment stagnated, their relationship slowly crawled along until the start of their last summer break As the two went to bed. Little did they knew, A new stage of their relationship would begin!
Takao sat on a bench, waiting in agony when he heard footsteps down the road from him, looking up, he saw a black haired boy appear over him
"Hey Nishikita, can we talk?"