Kotone & Aigis

Chapter 1: Unknown Feelings

It was a beautiful, starry January night; we were making final preparations to go to Tartarus to continue climbing the final floors of the tower. Everyone was in their rooms, except for me, who was in the lobby with a drink, watching television, waiting for the others. I was always the first one to finish getting ready. I had never really thought about it, but perhaps at the beginning, having nothing to lose made me worry less, but now it was different. These months I had spent living with the others in the Iwatodai Dorm had changed me. Now I had a reason to fight and people I wanted to spend more of my life with, people I wanted to have fun, laugh, cry, get angry, and even fall in love with.

That's when she appeared, descending the stairs, a beautiful girl with blonde hair and a slender figure, but there was something different about her, something that set her apart from any other girl in the world: she was an android created by the Kirijo company to exterminate the shadows that had escaped ten years ago. I stared at Aigis as she came down the stairs. When she finally reached the lobby, our eyes met. Out of reflex, I averted my gaze back to the television. Truth be told, I had stopped paying attention to the television a long time ago, and it wasn't even the same program I had started watching. Why did I look away? Well, the answer was simpler than it seemed. Since Aigis had decided to fight alongside us against Nyx, I had been spending more time with her. I had been helping her better understand humans and learn to be more like one. But during this time, Aigis had changed a lot, even if she hadn't noticed it herself. She had become more expressive, showing her feelings more openly, with gestures like a small smile when petting a cat, expressions of suffering in art class, or signs of concern if one of us was hurt in Tartarus. If Aigis had shown up before me today without telling me she was an android, I might have just mistaken her for a very shy girl. The subtle expressions she began to display every time she told me she wanted to be by my side, that she wanted to protect me from all harm, had started to sow a feeling in me. I wasn't sure what that feeling was yet, but what I was sure of was that sooner or later, I would figure it out.

When Aigis finally reached where I was, she stared at me intently, something she used to do frequently, and it didn't bother me in the past, but now it was different. Her gaze provoked a feeling I couldn't explain; my heart began to race, and I felt the temperature in the room rise. Even now, close to ten o'clock at night in January, I felt like I might start sweating at any moment. Aigis, seeing me in this state, decided to ask.

- Kotone, are you okay? Your face is red - she said. Her face came even closer to mine, and the feeling intensified, and for a moment, I thought I might faint.

- Y-yes, I'm fine. Why do you ask? - I stammered, trying to appear calm to prevent her from getting closer.

- Your face is red; it could be a fever. Maybe it's best not to go to Tartarus tonight - she replied, pressing her forehead against mine immediately. I felt my body temperature rise, although it had nothing to do with a fever.

- In fact, your body temperature is a bit high. Maybe it's best to stay in the dormitory tonight and leave the Tartarus expedition for another night. -

- W-wait, I'm fine, see? It's just that it's really warm tonight. Don't worry about tonight's expedition. Besides, we have very little time left to finish exploring Tartarus, right? We can't afford to miss a single day. -

- I care a lot about your health, but if you say you're fine, I can't go against our leader. However, I'll be by your side if your temperature keeps rising. - I managed to hide my embarrassment in front of Aigis for now. However, if she planned to be closer to me in Tartarus, perhaps going today wasn't the best idea.

Finally, the rest of the team arrived in the lobby, so we decided to head to Tartarus immediately.

"This story was originally written in Spanish and later translated. I would appreciate any feedback on the translation for improvement."