Clouded Minds

Chapter 13: Honesty

Nishikata stood by Takagi's front fence, fidgeting with the golden buttons on his school uniform. He felt slightly frustrated with himself, as even after their mutual confession, waiting for her still made him nervous! Isn't this supposed to go away since we know we like each other? he thought.

Then again, they hadn't seen each other the day prior, not since that extremely embarrassing yet awe-inspiring night at the shrine two nights before.

He still couldn't believe it. Nishikata couldn't have possibly been this dense. Had Takagi really been in love with him for years? And somehow he had really always bought that all those hints and comments were nothing but teasing?

The front door opened and Takagi slipped out, keeping her eyes to the ground. She slowly crossed her front yard and closed the gate behind her before looking at him.

She was clearly blushing, and not just from the chilly morning air. Nishikata could still remember when her mom teased a blush out of her earlier before their group picnic in the summer, the first one he had really noticed. Had he always missed these as well?

"Hi," she said simply, her smile glowing up at him.

"H-hi," Nishikata replied back, definitely blushing more than her. She stared back at him. Takagi was just so pretty. Was is possible that she had grown even more pretty since he last saw her? Or was it just that she like him back that made her even more attractive?

"Shall we?"

Nishikata jumped back. "Sorry, uh, yeah!" Takagi giggled as they began their final walk to school of the year.

Nishikata was hyper-aware of their distance as he walked. They were about 18 inches apart. Now they knew their feelings for one another - was that okay? Or was he supposed to hold her hand? They weren't actually a couple yet - or were they?

"Uhm... how was your day yesterday?" he asked awkwardly.

Takagi was looking at the ground as they walked, her lips twitched upwards. "What do you think?" she asked quietly.

This felt embarrassing. "Uh- good? ...Did you have a good time visiting your grandma?"

Takagi nodded, moving her bag to the hand opposite of him. "It was the second-best day I've had in months," she said. "She lives a bit far away so it takes awhile to get there, but it also let me set a few things up for later today. Seeing and talking with her was really special."

She was smiling so much, even more than in the past. It was far better than seeing her sad, but he felt uneasy. It didn't even make sense why she would like him in the first place, so how should he know how to act around her now?

"Also... my grandma might want to meet you," Takagi whispered.

"Oh.. r-r-really?"

"Gosh, you're so jittery today, Nishikata," she laughed, "It's just me!"

Just you, Nishikata repeated in his head as he looked away to hide his blush, Just you is like everything! What am I supposed to do after two days ago!?

"Are you excited for this afternoon?"

"Mmm," he replied distractedly. Did that mean Takagi had talked about him with her grandma? That wasn't a tease, right? Sure, Nishikata was more than happy that she returned his feelings, but would her grandma think they were a couple? Did Takagi already view them as a couple?

He had been so upset and focused on trying to make Takagi happy that he hadn't thought about what him being in a relationship was like at all!

Nishikata paused, realizing that something had changed. The sun was rising and he and Takagi were still walking to school at their normal pace. But she wasn't talking anymore. She had moved her bag behind her, holding it with both hands as she sometimes liked to do. She was looking at him, but quickly glanced away when he looked back.