WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Teasing Master Takagi-san Season 3, Episode 5 segment, "Dislikes," now streaming on HIDIVE.
Teasing Master Takagi-san has been playing the typical "will-they-won't-they" shenanigans that come with romantic comedies for some time now. Though Season 3 has taken large strides to show that more is on the horizon for the Nishikata and Takagi's relationship, there still hasn't been much in the way of what canonical confirmation might entail.
Taken in isolation, the first few scenes of Season 3, Episode 5 seem to be more of the pair's usual flirtatious games. However, the debut of a brand new character may provide just the proof necessary to verify their future together.
Episode 3's first named segment "Dislikes" is a normal interaction for Takagi-san's two main characters in every way. Takagi tricks Nishikata into admitting his distaste for green peppers, which is essentially the Japanese equivalent of a kid disliking broccoli. After failing to guess what food Takagi hates, Takagi pokes fun at Nishikata by saying one day she'll cook him some green peppers that he'll enjoy.
Though the scene is undeniably cute on its own, had it been the true start to the episode, it wouldn't have very much significance. However, when viewed alongside the unnamed first vignette, some surprising revelations come into view. The opening portion of Episode 5 drops three unknown characters into the mix without any warning, one of whom bears a stunning physical resemblance to Takagi.
The segment's content mirrors the following one as well. Takagi's doppelganger, revealed to be named "Chi" in the credits, starts by griping about the fact that there are green peppers in her lunch. Her complaints are cut short by a young man with a deadpan expression, who snatches up her peppers and eats them before casually claiming that he did it for love. Chi's flabbergasted reaction to the boy's unapologetically forward response is easily on par with any of Nishikata's over-the-top responses to Takagi's jokes.
The connection becomes clear at this point. Chi doesn't just look like Takagi -- her personality, dietary preferences and proclivity for embarrassment are a dead ringer for Nishikata. Yet even though the intersection of these traits leaves little room for speculation on her heritage, the scene continues to drop hints. As Chi's would-be admirer leaves the room, the camera pans out to show a wall covered in their class's calligraphy exercises, each of which read "mirai" -- the Japanese word for "future" -- spelling out that this moment takes place years after the series proper.
After putting the hints together, it's pretty easy to see what Teasing Master Takagi-san is implying. Chi is most likely Takagi and Nishikata's daughter who will face her own endearing, albeit awkward romance years after her parents'. By extension, this would mean that one way or another, Takagi and Nishikata are destined to become a couple.
This is corroborated by one final clue when Chi recalls her mother's advice that kids usually tease their crushes. In turn, the line is accompanied by a shot of a woman, presumably Chi's mother, hanging up laundry. Even with her face obscured and her grown-up figure, there is little mistaking Takagi's familiar appearance.
In fact, this is not the first time fans have encountered the mysterious future version of Takagi. Season 2, Episode 7 showed the same woman looking nostalgically at a photo album containing pictures of Takagi and Nishikata from their class camping trip. Though the implications were not as clear back then, this Season 3 Episode 5 finally puts it into perspective.
Still, there has been neither mention nor appearance of a future Nishikata. Chi does not mention a father at all in the short amount of allotted time, leaving some ambiguity surrounding his status down the line. Nevertheless, Chi's presence in Teasing Master Takagi-san Season 3 is yet another bold decision showing where Nishikata and Takagi are headed. With their progeny now becoming part of the equation, an undeniable confession of love may be closer than ever before.
