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A brisk breeze slithered its way through the halls of Iwatodai Dorm. The Dark Hour had subsided for the day, and gave way to a brilliant blue midnight, which cast rays of light throughout the various windows. One of those rays would happen to be cast upon a particular boy’s only unobscured eye.
“I could really use a drink…”
Makoto thought to himself as he sat up off his bed, taking care to turn off and gently wrap his headphones and MP3 player around his nape. The playlist meant for letting himself relax after a Tartarus mission wasn’t doing much to quell his restlessness tonight, and it sure as hell had no shot at helping with the thirst welling up in his throat either.
Given that the prior day was a Tartarus Exploration day, the members of SEES hadn’t bothered to stock up on the usual necessities like food or drinks, or even the vending machines in the dorm, instead opting for gear.
But he needed something .
And the convenience store en route to school did keep a 24/7 sign up, if he remembered correctly. Shifting to the lower side of his bed to take a peek outside through the window, clouds began to enclose the once dazzling navy skyline.
Maybe it’d be a good idea to keep an umbrella on him, just in case . The thought of damage on his earphones was enough to make even a stoic like him shudder.
Quietly making his way down to the dorm's entrance as to not wake up any of his companions, he traced the surface of the door in the pitch black until he found the knob, slowly opening it with a slight creak until-
A tug.
A tug on the sleeve of his jacket.
His brain was still somewhat adjusting from being out of the hour between each day, as it would turn out. Irrationally so, Makoto twisted his neck back in the other direction and instinctually pulled the evoker to his head.
“PERS-…. Oh.”
Adjusting his eyes to the darkness, he was met with those familiar golden locks of hair, and those lustrous blue eyes.
“-Na.”
Aigis finished his sentence for him, as she tilted her head at him quizzically.
Meeting her eyes, Makoto couldn’t help but feel ever so slightly embarrassed, regardless of the fact that her gaze was by no means a judgmental one.
“Where are you off to, Makoto-kun?”
The automaton swiftly followed up, preventing an awkward silence from setting in.
“Just off to the store for some Dr. Salt. The dry throat is killing me.”
“May I accompany you? There could be a chance that a crook may appear from the shadows and attempt to challenge you in a duel for your honor.”
Her expression of genuine concern was deeply amusing, getting a small chuckle out of the blunette.
“I think you’re getting the Yakuza and your average run of the mill thugs mixed up…”
Beginning their trek towards the store, they made small talk about various subjects along the way. Koromaru accidentally leaves a treat in between the machinery on Aigis’ shoulder, Yukari’s usual bickering with and suspicion of the two, and most rambunctiously of all, Akihiko somehow punching a hole through the dorm computer.
These were mundane times, sure, but with the looming threat of Nyx quite literally over the horizon, these moments became dazzling to the wielder of the Fool arcana. And he was sure that held true for her, as well.
Those fleeting moments could be compared to rain; descending, making their minuscule impact, then immediately dissipating…
Wait a second… Rain?
Drop
Drop
Drop
The aforementioned raindrops began to pitter and patter all around the two, quickly growing in amount and speed.
“Be careful!”
The silicone beauty quickly wrapped her arms around and placed her metallic hands over Makoto’s head, hoping to minimize how much rain got splattered on him. It was enough to make him slightly blush in response.
Makoto himself, however, wasn’t all that bothered by the rain, reaching around his jacket to pull out the retractable umbrella. He was more concerned about her state. But upon opening it… something became clear to him.
It was extraordinarily small. It seemed to be only capable of fitting one person. Aigis quickly observed the
“Hm… you should probably use it only for yourself.”
The girl of the Aeon arcana quickly pulled away from Makoto and stood back in the rain. The sight of her standing under the moonlight in the rain seemed picturesque, ethereal. It was nothing short of beautiful.
Maybe it’d convince Chidori to draw something aside from scribbles and Junpei if she ever caught a glimpse.
“Who am I kidding?”
But unfortunately, it was a sight he couldn’t bear to watch continue for much longer.
“I don’t want you to get wet.”
He quickly tried to raise the umbrella over Aigis’ head, but was met with a swift sidestep on her part.
“…There is no need, Makoto-kun. I ‘even work underwater!’, as… they say…”
That pun seemed a little more half hearted than usual.
“Regardless...”
Aigis turned her head away before Makoto could make a second attempt, but he caught a glimpse of something in those lenses as they turned. It almost seemed like some kind of… yearning? He wasn’t sure how to quite describe the expression.
She was clearly trying to be selfless and ensure he remains healthy but…
Ah.
Makoto then raised the umbrella back over his head, much to Aigis’ initial satisfaction. But then, he gently grasped her smooth metal fingers, and tugged the rest of her to him.
“Wuh-“
Aigis gasped in surprise, not expecting such a gesture from him.
Makoto was clearly aware of how much she valued physical contact, with her witnessing other couples holding each other close around the school, and her previous lack of faith in her abilities to do similar with him. Though they had crossed that barrier long ago with him reaching out to her heart... it was understandable she'd still want to do some of the usual things she saw other couples do.
“I still don’t want you to get wet, even so.”
Aigis’ head, no, her entire torso was now buried in Makoto’s chest. They were tightly squeezed underneath the tiny umbrella, so close that it almost seemed like there was more than enough space for the two of them.
The couple remained like that for a few more seconds, before Aigis looked up at Makoto, her face now dyed a rosy pink, overlaid with a small smile that somehow seemed larger than life itself.
It was a wordless reply to what he said and conveyed through his actions, but it told him everything he needed to know.
This was what she had really wanted.
“T-There is something else…”
“What is it?”
“In one of the novels I had borrowed from a friend… there was a certain scene. The main couple had run through multiple puddles while laughing all the while. I found it to be… simple, but beautiful. If you wouldn’t mind… I-I’d like to do something similar.”
The way Aigis let out that last part was undeniably, spectacularly human in its cadence.
Makoto’s heart skipped a beat.
He then ran his hands through her drenched, yet contradictorily silky hair as he mulled over the idea.
It had a lot going against reenacting that scene.
It was undeniably cheesy.
It’d probably be noisy enough to wake up anybody sleeping at ground level.
And well, he just plainly wasn’t the type to normally do anything such as this, even if pressured.
But for the one who promised to stay by his side and protect him no matter what… if that person in particular wished for it, then it was his command.
“Let’s go.”
He retook her hand in a sensation that could only be described as being enveloped in pure bliss. They dashed through the rest of the route to the store, their shoes and lower garments getting completely soaked as they splashed in the puddles.
And as they ran, the girl made a promise to herself.
l never forget how the nights seemed to pass us by.