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“The live suit must have a high affinity with your skin.”
“Really? Is that so…”
Kazuki could distinctly hear Haruka and Aiko’s conversation on the other side of the changing room.
“I guess your suit is pretty fond of you.”
“A-AH, Wait!”
Kazuki froze in his spot when he heard Aiko yelp. He was about ready to burst into the other changing room until he heard Kaede laughing loudly
“Dang, it is pretty stuck, Aiko!”
“Y-You don’t have to touch me there to get the suit off!” Aiko’s voice wavered.
Kaede laughed again. KazBuki felt his entire face explode with heat.
“Minase?” Sagami slapped his partner on the back. “Is the steam getting to you? Your face is all red.”
“Uh, I’m fine.” Kazuki stuttered. He could still hear Kaede giggling profusely and could only imagine what was happening on the other side. His flush deepened in color.
“The hot water is going to run out if you don’t hurry.” Sagami warned and raised his eyebrow when it seemed like Kazuki was still out of it. He simply shrugged and pushed the door leading to the men’s showers, leaving the other to his thoughts.
Kazuki was grateful that he was alone because it wasn’t long until he registered the growing problem under the towel that was around his waist. He decided to wash up later that night to avoid any awkward encounters with the other guys in the showers.
+++
“What are you doing?”
The cold voice made Kazuki’s skin prickle. He turned quickly on his heel to see Kanzaki tapping away on his laptop—or rather he was typing away, but now he was just glaring icicles into Kazuki.
“Shower.” Kazuki replied curtly, regaining his mental footing when he saw who it was. A part of him wanted to punch the other boy when Kanzaki dismissed his reasoning without even so much as a bat of the eyelash, as if he wasn’t important for anything else except as a Diver on a mission, but the other part of him was relieved that he wouldn’t be questioned further. Kazuki continued to the shower room and was delighted to discover that there was still hot water left.
Kazuki was even more pleased to know that there was a bathhouse adjoined to the showers. He didn’t mind that he was the last one to figure that out since it meant that he could enjoy the baths all to himself.
“Aaaaa!” Kazuki released a great sigh when he sat down in the bath and submerged his body in warm water up to his neck.
“H-Hello?”
A gentle voice made the blood in Kazuki’s veins run cold.
“A…Ah… I’m sorry! I didn’t think anyone else would be using the bath this late.”
Kazuki could sense the distress bubbling in the voice… a girl’s voice… Aiko’s voice?!
“Aiko!?” Kazuki almost stood up so he could rush out of the bathhouse without making Aiko any more uncomfortable than she probably was, but he quickly stopped himself when he realized it was probably better if he remained submerged so he didn’t accidentally expose himself to the girl. Kazuki closed his eyes instead and placed his hands over his eyes for good measure. Who in their right mind made it so that the female and male showers connected to the same bath?!
“Kazuki?” Aiko replied softly, her voice shrinking away as if it were scared.
“W-Wait, it’s alright! I didn’t see anything—” Kazuki paused to try and will the various mental images that were popping up in his head away. His damn imagination… “I, uhm, I have my eyes closed right now. I’m so sorry, Aiko. I didn’t think anyone else would be here too. Heh, I guess great minds think alike… but anyways! I can leave right now. Just, er, close your eyes for a bit while I get out.”
When it seemed like a whole minute of silence had passed as he waited for a response, making Kazuki start to think that he had actually scared Aiko away and she had already fled the baths, his ears perked at the sound of splashing water.
“A-Aiko…?”
Kazuki’s heart leapt out of his chest when he suddenly felt the girl’s back press against his in the water.
“Kazuki… could we stay like this for a moment?”
Kazuki tried to keep his eyes shut and his calm at the same time, a balance he hadn’t realized could be so difficult to do. He swallowed hard.
“Y-Yeah.” His voice cracked. “That’s fine.”
He heard Aiko very faintly sigh, as if she were relieved by his answer. Why would Aiko want him to stay? Kazuki had to remind himself that she probably thought nothing more of him than what Kanzaki thought; a Diver just following orders.
Several more minutes of silence passed, and Kazuki found himself beginning to release the tension in his muscles. That is at least until…
“Kazuki,” Aiko started, making the brunet flinch again at the sudden mention of his name. “Do you ever feel like running away?”
Kazuki’s eyes snapped open.
“What do you mean?” Kazuki replied firmly. A seriousness dripped from his voice, and his face darkened. There was no way she knew about his past, right?
“Like… from this mission. Don’t you think it’s kind of scary?”
He could feel Aiko leaning backwards into him, and his expression softened.
“Well.” Kazuki cleared his throat and thought about it. He was at a crossroads of sorts. Should he admit that he was pretty freaked about venturing into a place where no Diver had ever returned from? Or that ever since laying eyes on Aiko, he felt an inexplicable desire to protect her so it didn’t matter?
“The pay is really good.” He opted for a different answer, but immediately regretted it. Geez, he sounded like a money-grabbing jerk. Good job, Kazuki. “I-I mean, like, that’s just one reason why it’s not too bad.”
“Just one reason? There’s another?”
He could hear the curiosity rise in Aiko’s voice. Kazuki’s cheeks burned.
“I think I,” He paused and clenched his jaw. Looking down into the water, he could slightly make out Aiko’s hand in his peripheral. He held his breath and reached to place his hand on top of hers. “I think another reason is that I like you.”
“H-Huh?”
Aiko’s hand slightly shifted under the weight of his.
“When you asked me to help you the first time we met… it sounds weird, but I just felt like I needed to do everything in my power to keep you safe… and that includes why I’m doing this mission too.”
Kazuki gnawed on his lower lip.
“I just feel like I’ve met you before… you give off such a warm and distinct feeling and I must sound selfish, but I want to keep it to myself and keep it safe… Keep you safe.”
“Kazuki…”
Kazuki felt his heart sink. The tone of Aiko’s voice made it sound like she had some bad news to say—like how she was probably going to reject his confession.
“It’s okay, Aiko!” He tried his best to sound like his usual, enthused self. “I must sound crazy. I’m basically a stranger to you, so you don’t have to say anything back.”
Just as Kazuki was about to apologize for making things awkward and suggest that he take his leave now, his eyes widened in surprise when Aiko interlaced their fingers together.
“I like you too.”
“What?” Kazuki looked dumbstruck, and he supposed his voice carried the sense of his expression because Aiko giggled softly in response.
“My ‘like’ might not be the exact same as yours… yet, but I feel like out of everyone, you’re one of the easiest to open up to. I really appreciate that about you.”
Kazuki’s face was painted with a bright red, and he was glad that they were back-to-back so Aiko couldn’t see how embarrassingly red he must’ve looked.
“It’s just… I haven’t been entirely honest with you.” Aiko continued, a seriousness in her voice edging in again.
“What do you mean?”
“Will you promise me one thing first?”
Kazuki’s chest tightened when Aiko squeezed his hand.
“Will you promise me that you’ll let me finish what I need to do for this mission?”
Kazuki furrowed his brow.
“I don’t understand, isn’t that why we’re here? To help you finish this mission?”
Aiko sighed deeply.
“I’m not who you think I am. The person you see… I’m not Aiko Tachibana.”
“Wha-What?” Kazuki breathed the question out softly.
“I’m actually… I’m actually the artificial brain of the original Aiko. These memories that I have, my whole life that I’ve been led to believe I’d lived, they all belong to the real Aiko.”
“What are you saying!” Kazuki shouted, suddenly turning around and taking Aiko by the shoulders so he was staring directly into her eyes. A brilliant and almost panicked look gleamed in his eyes.
“I am…
I am nothing but a fake.” Tears began to well up in the girl’s eyes.
“How could you say that about yourself! You…You have such a nice smile and welcoming personality! And you have your own thoughts and actions, do you not? How could an artificial brain ever do that!” Kazuki’s shoulders slumped when all Aiko could do was stare at him with wide, watery eyes. “Aiko… what are you trying to tell me? You can’t be serious…”
Aiko slowly closed her eyes and let the tears slide down her cheeks.
An overwhelming amount of guilt immediately washed over him.
“Aiko…” Kazuki brought his hand from her shoulder to cup the side of her face. He thumbed the smooth surface of her cheek.
She felt warm under his touch.
The evident sadness that was etched into her face made his heart ache.
“I don’t care.”
Aiko’s eyes fluttered open, tears dotting her eyelashes like fresh dewdrops from an early morning mist. Even with the tears floating down her face, she looked so beautiful to him—it was almost as if all the beautiful things in the world were created just so they could be compared to her.
“I’ve fallen in love with you. So… I don’t care whether you’re the real Aiko or not.”
Aiko broke out into a sob and closed the distance between them. She buried her face into the crook of his neck.
“I swear I’ll be by your side.” He murmured the words quietly into her soft, brown hair, and hugged her close.
+++
“AIKO!!!” Kazuki rushed to the base of the ALSUS. His eyes stung with the threat of tears. “AIKO!!!” He stumbled backwards and watched with horror as the Matter crystallized, turning cold and dark. And just like that, Aiko, his Aiko, was gone.
The tears began to unceremoniously streak down his face.
A strange beat reverberated from inside the ALSUS.
Before he knew it, another Aiko was standing before him. His Aiko.
“Aiko?” Kazuki couldn’t believe his eyes.
“What? Why are you…” Aiko looked dazed. “What? I’m… I’m not dreaming?”
“Aiko!” Kazuki let gravity carry him forward so he could fall to his knees and hold Aiko to his chest. “That’s right…” He sobbed out of relief and crushed the girl to his body.
“It hurts!” Aiko yelped with wonder. “It’s not a dream!”
“Thank goodness…” Kazuki pressed his lips to the top of her head.
Tears sprung forth from Aiko’s eyes, and she wrapped her arms around Kazuki.
“I’m so happy.” Her entire frame shook with both of their cries. “Thank you, Kazuki, for staying by my side…” She whispered between her cries and hugged him close.