Kotone & Aigis

Chapter 6: Fuuka's POV

Another day had arrived, and as I got ready to study, I saw Kotone coming down the stairs. She looked quite distracted, as if her mind was elsewhere. I remembered our conversation from yesterday, where she told me she had confessed to Aigis, and while Aigis reciprocated her feelings, they hadn't officially established their relationship. Both lacked experience in this area, and I thought about romantic stories where, at this point, the couple was already dating. I already knew most of Kotone's story about how she developed feelings for Aigis and what happened last night in Tartarus.

During yesterday's Dark Hour, while I was with Juno monitoring the group in Tartarus, Kotone informed me they would split into two groups. I didn't fully understand the reason at that moment, so I decided to divide my attention, providing support to each pair as needed. Ken and Koromaru's pair chose to stay exploring and searching for items on the same floor, while Kotone and Aigis opted to go up to the next floor. Since they were the two strongest members of SEES, I didn't see a significant problem in them continuing alone. However, when I checked on them again, I noticed something strange: both were holding hands. Did something happen between them? I was familiar with scenes like this in romantic stories, but was it normal between friends? Natsuki and I never walked hand in hand; maybe we weren't close enough?

While providing support during the battle, I heard Kotone say something surprising: "I-I love you, Aigis." I was stunned. Love? In this context, it could only mean romantic love, right? They were always together, but mainly by Aigis's choice rather than Kotone's. Or did they always have this kind of relationship and were hiding it? If that was the case, they had kept it well hidden. My curiosity compelled me to listen more, but embarrassment stopped me. I couldn't help but feel intrigued by their conversation. I decided to listen a bit more, but heard nothing else. Using Juno, I saw them on their knees hugging. It was a beautiful scene, but it startled me. I disconnected Juno's view from them and went back to Ken and Koromaru to check on their status. Maybe I had been too curious, but there was no turning back now.

When the Dark Hour was about to end, I saw Ken and Koromaru exit the teleporter. They greeted us and joined the rest of the group to return to the dormitory. Then, Aigis came out, followed by Kotone, who looked extremely happy. No one knew why, except for me. I thought about everything I had seen and blushed, remembering that Kotone caught me. I couldn't help but feel guilty.

Once in the dormitory, everyone said their goodbyes and headed to their rooms. My curiosity wouldn't let me sleep, so I decided to wait until everyone left. When I was sure we were alone, I called Kotone before she climbed the stairs. From her look, I knew she knew exactly what I wanted to talk about. I invited her to the lounge. Neither of us knew how to start the conversation, so I decided to take the first step.

"So... You and Aigis aren't girlfriends?" Our conversation began with a simple question but turned into something much more complicated than I initially thought. It didn't last too long, but longer than I had first imagined. In the end, it seemed Kotone didn't tell Aigis anything about being girlfriends, and that thought was bothering her. It was clear that everything would unfold naturally from now on, but seeing her in that state made me want to encourage her in her relationship. I urged her to ask Aigis if she wanted to go on a date tomorrow. With that, our little late-night conversation concluded. I said goodbye to her, and she went to her room, thinking about my good deed to help a couple. That's what I thought last night, but Kotone explained to me that not only because of planning but also because of her nerves, she hadn't slept all night. I felt very guilty.

"Um, I-I'm sorry. It's my fault. If I hadn't put those ideas into your head last night..."

"Ah! No, Fuuka, it's not your fault. In fact, thank you for last night. You gave me the confidence I needed to move forward. Maybe I'll ask for your advice again in the future."

"It was nothing, but I don't have experience in this kind of thing. I only know what I've read in romance novels."

"Well, then you'll have to tell me more about those novels in the future."

"Y-yes, I'd love to."

And so, with a big smile, Kotone continued on her way to the lounge. Maybe getting involved wasn't as bad as I thought.