TORADORA: TURNS & TWIST!

Chapter 3: Dodge and Play

Ryuuji knelt beside Taiga, his hand resting lightly on her shoulder, eyes filled with concern. The room was quiet, save for the soft rustle of the wind brushing against the windows. Taiga had stopped crying, but the silence between them was thick with unsaid words.

"Taiga... what happened with your mother?" Ryuuji asked gently, his voice probing but careful.

Taiga stiffened at the question, her fingers curling around her knees. She had been dreading this moment, the inevitable confrontation. Her gaze dropped to the floor as her mind raced for a way out.

"It's nothing, really," she mumbled, her voice low and unconvincing.

But Ryuuji wasn't backing down. He leaned closer, his brow furrowed, trying to catch her eye. "You've been acting off ever since you came back. Did something happen when you were living with her? Did she—"

"No!" Taiga interrupted, her voice sharp. She quickly composed herself, realizing how defensive she sounded. "I mean... it's not what you think. It's just... complicated."

Ryuuji wasn't satisfied. He could feel the tension in her words, the way she was dancing around the truth. His heart clenched at the thought that something could've gone wrong while she was with her mother. "Taiga... you can tell me. Whatever it is, you don't have to carry it alone."

For a moment, Taiga remained silent, the weight of his words pressing against her. But instead of answering, she suddenly turned to him, her eyes narrowing mischievously.

"Ryuuji..." she began, her voice soft but curious. "What if I asked you a question?"

Ryuuji blinked, caught off guard by the shift in her tone. "Huh? A question?"

"Yeah," she continued, leaning back against the wall, her arms still wrapped around her knees. "If you could change one thing about our time together... what would it be?"

The question hung in the air, startling Ryuuji. He wasn't sure where this was going, and it completely defused the intensity of the moment. He opened his mouth to answer, but no words came out right away. Taiga's sudden shift threw him off balance, and he couldn't tell if she was genuinely curious or just trying to change the subject.

"Wait, what? Where did that come from?" Ryuuji asked, his brow furrowed, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"I dunno," Taiga said, shrugging with feigned nonchalance. "Just popped into my head." Her eyes glinted with something playful now, the tension between them starting to ease.

Ryuuji's face softened, his intensity melting away into something more lighthearted. He scratched the back of his head, thinking. "I don't know if I'd change anything. Even the bad stuff made us... us, right?"

"Really? Even the part where I kicked you in the face when we first met?" Taiga teased, a smirk crossing her lips.

Ryuuji chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah, even that. I mean, I didn't enjoy it, but... if it hadn't happened, who knows where we'd be?"

Taiga's smirk widened, and for the first time that day, she felt the tight knot in her chest loosen just a little. "You're such a sap, Ryuuji."

"And you're impossible," Ryuuji shot back, though there was no bite in his words. He reached out and ruffled her hair, knowing full well she hated when he did that.