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Aigis sat in the lounge with the rest of her friends, sans Kotone who had retired earlier during the evening to her room, as she listened attentively to Junpei’s recollection of his time in a place known as the ‘batting cage’ during earlier years in his life.
“-And so naturally I had to give the girls the good ‘ol Iori special while out on the mound, ya know?~”
“Sooo a few missed balls and pick up lines, then?”
“Hey, I resent that! I’ve got the best accuracy on the team! 90% of the time I’m hitting ‘em into the outfield no problem!”
“...Of course that’s the part you’d take issue with. You really do make an ass out of yourself trying to flirt, don’t you?”
Aigis watched as the other members of SEES displayed a wide variety of responses to Yukari’s speculative suggestion to Junpei’s story, unable to help but log their reactions into her database to get a better scope of her teammates' differences when facing the same situation.
Akihiko-san’s expression, once skeptical and disbelieving, relaxed into something more smug and sly as a smile replaced the neutral frown on his face. His slouched posture corrected itself slightly as the stiffness in his crossed arms relaxed. He shook his head as if disagreeing with Yukari’s assessment, but seemed oddly happy with her answer despite that. At Yukari’s second comment he attempted to cover his mouth automatically, a muffled snort coming out. The closest relation she could make to the action was that he was experiencing nausea… but Aikihiko did not look sickly in the least, so she disregarded her assertion and moved on.
Mitsuru-san had similarly seemed intensely invested in Junpei’s story in not dissimilar a manner to Akihiko, though her expression had been far more focused and analyzing. Her seriousness had wavered with Yukari’s first comment, a fond smile etching its way onto her face as her hands shifted in her lap, but upon Yukari’s second assertion she seemed far more scandalized and aghast. Mitsuru's posture had stiffened as she put a hand to her chest and chided Yukari for her language. If Aigis had to assume, it would be for the grammatically incorrect use of ‘ass’ in the sentence instead of a proper noun.
Fuuka-san had seemed pleased with Junpei’s tale, sitting in not dissimilar way to how one would in a classroom setting– with her legs facing him as he spoke with her hands on her lap, smiling as he spoke about the ‘chicks’ he used to draw to himself with his impressive batting skills. Fuuka had squirmed a little at Yukari’s first assertion, turning her head as her cheeks flushed in hue and she bit on her bottom lip. Her composure seemed shaken by Yukari’s antagonistic rebuttal, and by the time Yukari had made her second one– Fuuka had hunched over slightly as brief fits of giggles overtook her, refusing to look at Junpei as her face further reddened. Aigis suspected embarrassment to be the culprit, though the source she could not deduct.
Ken-san had seemed similarly interested to Fuuka in how he watched Junpei as the story's events unfolded, though his posture was more informal as he rested on the couches armrest by Junpei’s side, having to crane his head to be able to look at the older SEES member. His more reserved expression softened at Yukari’s first comment as he shook his head in not too dissimilar a way to Akihiko. He was not at all affected by Yukari’s second comment outside of letting out a short lived chuckle, posture quickly straightening as he sat up properly at Mitsuru’s mention of ‘language!’ as he did his best to look more professional.
Koromaru-san had simply sat by her side, panting happily as she stroked her fingers along his coat in the same direction his fur faced, much to his pleasure. He had only raised his head briefly to stare at everyone in the midst of Yukari’s second assessment.
“Hey!” Junpei had called out, his light and embarrassed an odd fit for the deep set frown on his face. “I’ll have you know I was a suave back in middle school, ya hear me? A suave .”
“O-of course.” Fuuka stammered out, face still red as she continued to unnecessarily withhold her own laughter. Yukari sighed, as if disappointed, but smiled all the same.
“Don’t encourage his delusions Fuuka… He’s bad enough as it is with women.”
“ Hey , I’m committed to a girl now, you know! So clearly I’m doing something right!” He wiggled her brows at her in a manner that Aigis found unreadable. “If you’re such an expert, Yuka-tan, where’s your girlfriend?”
Yukari gawked at that, the flush on her face surely a result of anger as she glared at him. Akihiko tsked with a shake of his head.
“It’s a wonder you managed even that with how immature you are…”
“Wha– you’re not any better, Senpai! You remember Yakushima, don’tcha?”
“ Hey! That’s completely different!”
“Like hell it is!”
“Boys…” Mitsuru let out a deep sigh, much to both Fuuka and Yukari’s amusement. Aigis herself did not understand the words inherent humor in relation to the current situation. She made a mental note to ask later.
“Yakushima? You guys mean the beach where you found Aigis-san, right?” Ken asked curiously, scooting forward with an intense interest in his gaze. “What else happened there?”
“ Nothing important .” Akihko grumbled, folding his arms as he slouched back into his seat, seemingly much to Junpei’s enjoyment.
“‘Nothing important,’ he says.” Junepi turned to face her directly, flashing her a wide grin. “Remind me Aigis– how fast did you turn down Sanada-senpai when we first saw you, huh?”
Aigis couldn’t help but screw her face up in confusion at the illogical question, her flawless memory recalling his words that day as she saw Akihiko-san flushing in her peripheral vision.
“He did not ask me anything other than if I liked the ocean. It was not relevant to my mission at the time, so I told him so. I did not reject his question, as that would have been rude.”
Junpei seemed to find her response hilarious enough to nearly fall off his seat with laughter despite the inclusion of any ‘practical joke’ in her response. Akihiko seemed to find the whole thing far less amusing, standing up off his couch as he looked prepared to tear a shadow in half.
“It’s not like you fared any better!” Akihiko growled out.
“Someone’s jeal-lous .” Junpei responded in a merry tune, as if reciting a televised commercial.
“You’re so–”
“Rrrrgghh… rruff, ruff ruff!”
Everyone’s attention immediately snapped towards her– though they were clearly more focused on Koromaru by her side as he sniffed and rolled around into the rut of the couch. They all looked at her for guidance, a situation she was well versed in by this point as she let out a soft hum, glancing down at Koromaru. She noticed the swish of his tale, the arching of his back before he relaxed, the tone of his bark… She nodded.
“Koromaru-san would like you all to speak quieter. Your argumentative turn in the topic has disrupted his nap.”
Akihiko looked a little lost at that, despite the fact she had been sure to articulate herself perfectly. He slid back into the couch with a pout, arms crossed as he refused to look at Junpei. Junpei on his end just seemed bemused by the turn of events.
“See? Even Koro-chan’s on my side~”
“Hhhhrruf.” Koromaru’s body jumped for a moment as he let out a soft huff, Aigis humming as she turned to face Junpei.
“He says he is not ‘on your side’, he is on my side, both literally and metaphorically.”
“I– metaphorically ?” Junpei gawked.
“You are loud and he would like you to be less so.”
Yukari-san seemed to find quite a bit of amusement in that judging by the way she barked out a laugh, and even Akihiko-san’s mood seemed to dramatically improve from her revealing Koromaru’s allegiances. Junepi scoffed, scratching the back of his head as he attempted to turn away from her.
“C’mon… now I know you’re jus’ makin’ fun of me.”
“I desire no such thing.” She corrected, to which he groaned.
“There’s no way Koro-chan actually said that– he’s… I mean he’s a dog !”
“Grrrrahf!”
“Awh… Junpei, don’t hurt Koro-chan’s feelings.” Fuuka spoke up, pouting at him as Aigis blinked owlishly at her.
“Are you too able to understand Koromaru-san?”
“I mean– I didn’t mean it like that, buddy!” Junpei quickly spoke up before Fuuka could answer, a guilty look to his face as he cringed. “But, like– I mean there’s no way he’s saying stuff that specific. Like, seriously, how do you translate just a single bark into a whole sentence?”
Everyone’s attention turned to her, gazes all intensely interested despite the subtle differences in expression and posture they all displayed.
“I’ve actually been wondering about that too…” Fuuka spoke up next, a tentative yet excited edge to her voice. “How do you translate what Koromaru’s saying, Aigis?”
“He does not speak in literal terms– I am simply able to correctly infer what he wishes to relay with his actions roughly 95% of the time.”
“So… you just guess what he wants to say whenever he barks?” Yukari looked at her, seemingly shocked at her response. Aigis shook her head, figuring further details were needed.
“I do not guess, I make informed deductions based on his body language, posture, tone, and expression. Usually, it is helpful if he is responding to a broader context within a conversation that I made to draw further meaning from, but I am usually still able to ascertain his meaning even if he is interacting with me on his own.”
“Rrrarf.”
Aigis nodded, opening her mouth to relay his message–
“So– and forgive me for the interruption.” Mitsuru held up a hand as she spoke, looking partially apologetic. “Before you tell us what he’s said… What exactly did you infer from what he just did?”
Aigis pursed her lips, taking a moment to recall all she had subtly witnessed of Koromaru in the past few seconds during her explanation.
“He was relaxed during my explanation, and he did not move or startle at any point while I was speaking.” She continued to stroke her fingers along his fur. “That has signified to me I have not said anything or spoken in a manner he disagrees with. His bark was curt and firm, yet content. That further concluded that he agrees with my assertion.”
“...Well, that seems almost a little easy in comparison to what he’s said before, doesn’t it?” Ken spoke up, sounding just as intrigued as he did hesitant. “If all your translations were just whether or not he agreed with something or someone, I might get it more, but… how do you infer more complex things from him. Like what he said about Junpei-san, for example?”
“Don’t gotta use that as the example, man…” Junpei sighed, sagging a little as he made no further rebuttals. Taking this as his silent blessing she thought through her previous rational.
“Koromaru had tensed earlier in your conversation as you and Akihiko-san spoke at higher volumes, and he pressed himself physically further into me in the moment of the altercation. His head burrowed slightly into the couch and his bark was more firm after your accretion that he was ‘on your side’, as they say,” She explained. Everyone stared at her as if she had grown a second head, so she continued.
“Therefore, I could only conclude that he was not metaphorically on your side. I felt the need to recall he was also physically by my side too, in case anyone was unsure, to which he relaxed into my side. I cannot always know if my assertions are correct or not before I say them, but as you all have stated, Koromaru has methods of showing his approval or disapproval in a manner in which even you all can easily understand. In 95% of cases, he does not seek to correct my interpretations, so I can safely assume I have conveyed his meaning well enough.”
The room was silent for a while. Aigis simply continued to pet Koromaru-san, who had at this point fallen asleep by her side.
“...W-wow.” Fuuka was the first to speak, a faint flush to her cheeks and a certain intensity to her gaze. “That’s… that’s kind of amazing Aigis!”
“Here I thought it was just some built in script or hardware or– something .” Yukari was looking at her with a certain level of surprise, seeming almost unsure how to relay her feelings on the matter.
“Geez, who'd have known you were secretly psychoanalyzing the dog all the time… for once, I’m with Yuka-tan. I thought it was just some kinda robot magic.” Junpei let out a wry chuckle. “You don’t oggle us all the time to do the same thing, do you Ai-chan?”
“As a matter of fact I keep a database of all–”
“Woah woah woah, calm down! I… I was kidding!” Junpei shot up, eyes wide. “Do you actually do that?!”
“Yes.” Aigis blinked, suddenly off put by the way each member of the team stared at her as if she’d done something wrong. “It is pertinent information in understanding your intricacies as both teammates and humans, as it is helpful in my ability to properly gauge emotions. Is something wrong with that?”
“...No. No I don’t suppose there is.” Mitsuru spoke up first, a hint of hesitancy in her voice. “It’s just… a little surprising, is all.”
“It is surprising that I would attempt to record data on humans to better understand them?”
“I think what she means is that… it’s kind of shocking ‘cause of how good you are at it.” Yukari spoke up next, giving her an odd look. “Or at least you seemed really good at it when talking about Koromaru… Do you do the same thing with us every time we’re talking to you? Like, do you try and just… guess what we’re going to say before we say it?”
“Well–” She began.
“Holy crap– she’s practically reading our thoughts before we even know them ourselves!”
“If how she explained translating for Koromaru is to be believed, I don’t think she can come even close to that, Junpei-san…” Ken smiled nervously, glancing back at her. “...Right?”
“That is correct. I cannot understand your innermost thoughts in any capacity apart from wild speculation. Attempting to read human body language is much more difficult than reading Koromaru-san’s. Even disregarding his often more simplistic goals and emotions, oftentimes I find human body language conflicts with their actual words and thoughts.”
In stark contrast to earlier, and perhaps as a good testament to her words, she found herself struggling to read the expressions and poses of her teammates as they stared at her. All of them looked similarly thoughtful or musing on the situation, but apart from that, she struggled to gather how they felt about her explained abilities.
“Perhaps if I gave an example, it would help you all better understand my inability to correctly understand human body language.” She turned to Fuuka, bowing her head. “Might I use you as an example, Fuuka-san?”
“Me?” Fuuka seemed taken aback for a bit before quickly smiling, as if almost excited. She leaned forward, nodding her head feverishly. “O-of course, I don’t mind at all!”
“Thank you.” She bowed her head as thanks before continuing. “Fuuka’s current excitement was something I misunderstood upon first meeting her. I needed to speak with her on the matter to fully grasp how she felt about me, because at first I had thought she was scared of me.”
Fuuka blinked, looking lost for a moment, before she let out a squeak.
“W-wait– Aigis–”
“I often found she would spend extended periods of time staring at me when she suspected I was not looking, and would often avert her attention elsewhere whenever I attempted to maintain eye contact. She would also often resort to fidgeting with her hands. I had thought them to be signs that she was afraid of me due to my nature as an Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon, especially my weaponized hands.”
“ Aigis !” Fuuka whispered out more harshly, though her tone lacked true heat to it as she buried her face into her hands. Everyone was looking at her, correctly watching the visual aid as Aigis continued.
“I attempted to resolve the issue by speaking with her at a later date, to which she cleared up with me that she is not at all afraid of me and instead is simply deeply fascinated with how my inner mechanisms and functions work. I had mischaracterized her shy interest as fear and weariness, because unlike Koromaru-san, both Fuuka-san and most other humans often bury their intentions behind gestures that are ambiguous or unconsciously acted upon.”
Whatever partial tension had been in the room was gone now, as the rest of her teammates seemed to look a mixture of amused and happy at her explanation. Fuuka, meanwhile, was exhibiting intense levels of embarrassment as she buried her flushed face into her hands and whined– a similar reaction as to when Aigis had initially confronted her about how much she stared at her upon first meeting.
She had assured Fuuka then that such a reaction was acceptable and did not offend her, and she was sure Fuuka felt the same assurance now and was simply happy to be associated with a friend she found so interesting.
“Ooo– do Yuka-tan next!~” Junpei chimed in, to which Yukari let out a gasp.
“W-what?! No– do him!” She pointed over at Junpei. “With how much he hits on girls I’m sure he sent a hundred mixed messages your way!”
“Are we really going to let this keep going?” Akihiko leaned over, whispering in a tone that most humans wouldn’t have heard to Mitsuru as she let out a soft hum– seemingly pleased as she simply said ‘It’s good training for Aigis.’.
With her purpose in this exercise reaffirmed, she nodded her head to both Junpei and Yukari simultaneously during their bickering as they focused back on him.
“If I may interject– I had the opposing problem when I first met both of you compared to Fuuka-san. I understood your body language, but not how they clashed with what you would say to one another. It had led me to misunderstand your relationship with one another.”
“Huh?! R-relationship?!” Junpei looked as if he were about to gag, which Aigis knew was clearly an over exaggerated emotion by now.
“What?!” Yukari looked similarly perturbed, eyes widening and face flushing. This too was part of the ‘banter’ she had identified.
“I had thought with your words that your hostility toward one another was authentic. You two often engage in rather aggressive discussions and conversations with one another, which I had thought was genuine.” Aigis explained while both Yukari and Junepi seemingly became more and more flustered. She did not usually see this type of reaction in her banter, but pressed on anyway.
“I did not wish to bias myself by asking one of you directly, so I asked for Kotone-san’s perspective on the matter since she has known both of you since SEES was formed and therefore had a broader understanding of your friendship or lack thereof. She explained to me that people often say things they don’t mean to people they care about when they trust them to understand they are joking, and that people sometimes like to ‘bicker’ simply for the sake of it being a fun interaction between parties. This explanation better matches my data of your body language when interacting with one another.”
“W-what body language?!” Junpei yelped, stiffening in his seat.
“Despite your aggressive tones, neither of you display the signs of one who is deeply uncomfortable or becoming hostile towards one another in most situations. The manner in which you both sit and stand displays signs of comfort and safety when arguing. Considering your profiles I have created by observing you both when fighting shadows, I was able to make a clear distinction between the actual aggression you both exhibit when facing a dangerous threat versus the ‘friendly agression’ you share with each other as Kotone-san put it.”
“ C'est magnifique!~ ” Mitsuru clapped her hands, seeming rather satisfied. “Though your understanding of human situations sometimes falls short… your ability to assess a misunderstanding or problem and seek out a solution is unexpectedly human. I should think your analysis of us is proving useful after all.”
“Don’t encourage her!” Junpei gawked, to which Aigis gave him an odd look and a frown.
“Am I doing a bad job of explaining my conclusions? You seem dissatisfied with my analysis.”
“I–” He paused, seemingly at a loss for words. He rubbed the back of his head, unable to quite look her in the eyes. “...I mean ‘course me ‘n Yuka-tan don’t hate each other, Ai-chan. But… I mean geez , you don’t gotta read into it that much.”
Yukari let out a mix between a whine and a hum, not quite facing Junpei nor her.
“Yes, that is the point of my explanations in showing that my analysis is often faulty, and that direct communication is usually a preferable alternative. It is why I do not use it typically to base my understanding of humans.”
“...Well, I think there’s value in observing things to form a first impression, Aigis-san.” Ken spoke up unexpectedly, offering her a soft smile. “Lots of people use body language to try and guess how the people around them are feeling or thinking, even if it’s not always accurate.”
“Amada is absolutely correct in that regard,” Mitsuru added, sounding almost proud. “You ability to assess situations will only improve the more time you spend around people, and though I doubt they’ll ever be completely accurate, they can still be remarkably helpful in learning more about someone.” Mitsuru shifted her legs, crossing them as she folded her hands in her lap. “Out of curiosity… Do you have any observations about me you’d like me to confirm or deny?”
“...Yeah, Ai-chan. Got any observations about Senpai you wanna spill?” Junpei sat forward, suddenly more intrigued in the conversation. Yukari murmured something while moving to slap his arm, a common result of their ‘friendly banter’-- but Aigis ignored them for the time being as she recalled all her data of Mitsuru.
One of her data points stuck out above the others.
“I have come to believe through watching you that you dislike eating food off of a skewer. Is this assertion correct?”
Mitsuru’s smile vanished off her face, replaced with something curious yet confused.
“...Well, before I say– how did you come to that conclusion? I don’t believe I’ve ever brought up a topic like that around you.”
“I concluded as such when we attended the fair with one another and Kotone-san.” Aigis explained, to which Mitsuru’s eyes widened. “Kotone-san had provided a sample for you to enjoy, to which you attempted to decline. Your body language was hesitant and stiff when she handed it to you, and you silently discarded the food after taking a small bite while Kotone-san excused herself to grab everyone some drinks.”
“Senpai!” Yukari had gasped, sounding almost scandalized– though despite her aghast tone, she was struggling to suppress a smile as she moved to cover her mouth. Yet another mismatch Aigis could not correctly identify.
“I–” Mitsuru faltered, cheeks reddening.
“Seeing as the individual components of the skewer, being fruit, vegetables and meat, are of which you have eaten comfortably before, I could only assume that the skewer itself was not to your liking, as it was made of wood.” Aigis nodded, looking at Mitsuru expectantly. “Is my assertion correct or incorrect?”
“You never did like finger foods, did you Mitsu?” Akihiko chimed in before Mitsuru could speak for herself, seemingly oddly pleased with her analysis.
“I-I just do not typically eat things without the proper utensils– and we were all wearing our kimonos that evening so I didn’t–” Mitsuru stammered for a moment, mouth twitching into a frown as Junpei began to snicker under his breath. “Is there something you’d like to say, Iori ?”
Iori seemed to seriously consider if there was something he did want to say before shrugging, offering his senpai a relaxed smile.
“Jus’ didn’t think it was like you to waste food Senpai. That was cold .”
“...Yes, it was not my proudest moment.” Mitsuru deflated, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she let out a sigh. “I should have informed Shiomi I didn’t particularly want it before she could hand it off to me.” She turned to Aigis, offering a nod despite the flush still present on her face. “You’re right in that I typically do not prefer eating off a skewer, to answer your question.”
“Fascinating… thank you for confirming my analysis, Mitsuru-san.”
“Despite what you say… you’re actually remarkably good at reading people, Aigis.” Fuuka gave her a glowing smile, letting out a soft giggle as Aigis couldn’t help the small swell of satisfied pride within her circuits. “You might not always come to the right conclusion… but your ability to draw information just from body language and subtle cues alone is amazing!”
“If you don’t mind me asking, is there any time you’ve completely failed to get a read on someone?” Akihiko spoke up next, to which Aigis tilted her head.
“But I do not read anything about them before I form a profile for them.”
“No–” Akihiko cut himself off with a soft laugh, shaking his head. “I mean, have you ever met someone you couldn’t make any sense of? Someone whose body language didn’t fit what you know?” He leaned back, arms crossed. “If you’re really wanting to train this skill of yours, you have to know where your biggest shortcomings are to work around them. That’s the only way you’ll get stronger.”
“Now you’re just suckin’ all the fun out of it, Senpai…” Junpei shook his head.
“Well… I’m kind of curious too!” Fuuka spoke up, hands in her lap as she gave Aigis an encouraging smile. “What kind of person have you had the hardest time understanding, Aigis?”
That was not a difficult question, and she needed practically no time to ponder it before she arrived at her answer.
“Kotone.”
Similarly to Mitsuru earlier, Aigis was able to readily identify looks of confusion on everyone's faces at her answer. The only one who differed significantly in reaction was Yukari, who looked surprised for a moment but concealed her expression with a frown.
“Ko? Her ? Really?” Junpei let out a disbelieving laugh. “Ai-chan Ai-chan Ai-chan… I think you’ve just got rose-tinted eyes… or, like, eye lenses? Whatever they are.”
“My eyes contain no such thing, nor are my sensors colored red. Most of my internal structures are a metallic gray coloring.”
“That’s ‘sides the point.” Junpei snorted. “Ko wears her heart on her sleeve man! Maybe it’s jus’ ‘cause your mission revolves around her or whatever that’s messin’ with your skills.”
“I doubt it’s that… but I am curious.” Fuuka spoke up next. “I think Kotone-chan is rather forthcoming and open, all things considered…”
“Well clearly Aigis thinks differently.”
Everyone glanced over to Yukari, the girl looking at her with an oddly serious expression.
“...I mean, she’s the expert on most things Kotone, so… We might as well hear her out.” Yukari finished awkwardly, shifting in her seat.
“Looks like she’s not the only one who–”
“Oh shut it!” Yukari rolled her eyes, her mannerisms depicting a tangible level of annoyance in contrast to their usual bickering as she crossed her arms and refused to look at Junpei, instead focusing back on her. “What’s got you thinking you don’t know Kotone as well as you think you do, Aigis?”
Aigis thought best about how to word her findings, not wishing to come off accusatory or suspicious of her friend despite her own misunderstandings with the situation.
“Often, when I am watching her, I believe she shows the wrong emotion in a given situation.”
“In what respect?” Mitsuru spoke up, looking to be genuinely intrigued in the discussion. “Not to dissuade your analysis– but human emotion can vary widely from situation to situation, and we all often act differently from one another even under the same circumstances.”
“I comprehend that, but her actions are still confusing to me even with that context.” Aigis couldn’t help but frown. “Usually, I am able to differentiate it in her smile.”
“Her smile?” Ken pursed his lip.
“I have noticed a pattern of behavior in which she often smiles even when the situation does not call for it.” Aigis closed her eyes, recalling memories deep in her databases. “For example, she will often smile in Tartarus, even after a particularly dangerous or tense encounter in which she has been injured or worn out.”
“...Hmm, I guess she does grin and bear it a lot.” Akihiko let out a hum, nodding along. “That’s not too abnormal a response though. I’d imagine she’s just happy to have gotten us all out of the fight in one piece.”
“She could stand to do it a little less, in my opinion.” Mitsuru spoke up, offering Ahikiho a glance that made him slouch back with a pout. “You and her ‘grin and bear it’ past the point of absurdity at points. I think you’ve been a poor influence on her in that regard.”
“Hey– there’s nothing wrong in showing strength and resolve as a leader.” Akihiko shook his head. “She knows her limits, and if she doesn’t– we’ll pick up on them for her.”
“Grin and bear it…?” Aigis murmured to herself, searching for a definition.
“Oh, that just means to push through adversity.” Akihiko chimed in helpfully.
“Is it? I thought it was more along the lines of doing something you don’t want to do because you know you need to and trying to stay positive despite that…” Ken spoke up wearily, to which Fuuka nodded in silent agreement.
“...Yes. I believe that fits Kotone-san rather well.” Aigis eyes widened as the definition fit well into her profile of the other girl. “She does that often.”
“Grin and bear it?” Junpei tilted his head. “Like, in Tartarus?”
“No, in general. She smiles similarly in her day to day.”
Everyone went quiet for a moment.
“...So it seems fake to you, is what you’re saying?” Yukari spoke up, an oddly sad look to her that Aigis could not completely comprehend the reasoning for, but she nodded all the same.
“Unlike you and Junpei, I have noticed that much of her body language in Tartarus carries over into her day to day activities.”
“Huh?” Junpei’s eyes widened, all the while Akihiko sent her a scandalized look.
“Are you saying she’s getting into fights?!”
“Not to my knowledge.” She furrowed her brows, finding the very idea unacceptable. “If she did I would seek to protect her immediately.”
“Of course, but, uhm… in what ways does it carry over then…?”
Akihiko settled down slightly at Fukka’s question, and she was afforded the silence to continue her explanation.
“I have noticed there are some days in which she acts rather fatigued or tense around others. It is usually why I find her smile to be so misleading. She fails to make any indication that she is anything other than happy and content, despite her body language indicating elsewise.”
“I have seen moments in which she is truly relaxed, and the way in which she smiles in those moments is similarly different. I am aware that smiles are supposed to represent pleasure or happiness, but some of them feel different from others… I am unsure how to describe it.”
She looked at her friends for answers, only to find them all strangely quiet, either looking down at the floor or at their laps as they seemed to be seriously considering the information she’d told them.
“...Have you ever tried asking her about it?” Yukari said after a while, voice quiet. Everyone heard her regardless, glancing at her then back at Aigis herself.
“I did once, but she wished me to not worry about it or bring it up again. She insisted she was just ‘weird’, as they say.”
“...Sounds about right.” Yukari murmured, shaking her head, to which everyone look a mix of surprised and mildly upset at.
“Hold on, I– maybe you’re lookin’ a little too much into this here Ai-chan.” Junpei let out a nervous laugh, scratching the back of his neck– a common result of his own nervousness or lack of confidence. “Maybe you’re just catching her on her off days?”
“Is today an off day, then?” She tilted her head, as if confused. Junpei gawked at that.
“No? It’s– whaddya mean? We all had a great time today! Or– er–” He paused, looking down at his lap. “...I mean sure she went to bed early, but… she seemed pretty fine to me?”
“She often asserts as such, yes.” Aigis agreed, to which Junpei had nothing more to say.
They lingered in silence for a bit.
“...Did she start doing it after what happened with Shinji?”
Aigis felt a small pang of displeasure within her chasist from Akihiko bringing up their fallen teammate, though she disregarded it quickly as to focus on the question at hand. The others spoke as she looked through her own memories.
“I was kind of surprised at how well she seemed to take it… they seemed really close.” Fuuka’s voice was somber and soft.
“I doubted she took it well. I… I just assumed she had her own grieving process she wished to endure alone. I can certainly understand that approach…” Mitsuru sounded forlorn, a hint of vulnerability there Aigis often did not get from her.
“It was not something she began after his unfortunate passing.” Aigis suddenly concluded with a frown, causing everyone to pay attention to her once more. “I believe there was an increased level of mismatching body language after the fact, but I have retroactively discovered many interactions as far back as I’ve known her that fit the criteria I’ve previously laid out.”
“I– all the way back at the beach ?” Junepi paled. Yukari, by his side, furrowed her brows and looked almost irritated– though Aigis could not tell if it was depicted at Junpei or not.
“When does her smile fit her body language, Aigis-san?” Ken asked, a tinge of worry to his voice. “Have you been able to–”
Ken trailed off, the room going quickly silent as footsteps thumped down from across the room. Aigis was the first to make eye contact, but soon everyone was looking at the perpetrator.
Kotone descended the final few steps, rubbing a little at her eyes as she suddenly realized everyone was staring at her. She pulled her earphones from her ears, the music so loud Aigis could easily identify it from across the room, as she glanced between them all curiously.
As everyone continued to stare, a certain awkward tension in the room, Kotone simply smiled slyly.
“You guys are gossiping about me, aren’t you?”
“N-No!” Junpei let out a rather harsh laugh. “Phft– us , gossip? About you ? As if! That’s– oouff! ”
“ He was just being his usual self and thought you overheard him being creepy. Don’t mind him.” Yukari quickly supplied, an edge to her voice as she glared at Junpei. Though he looked taken aback, his posture suggested he was thankful for her intervention despite the verbal denial he let out in response.
Kotone smiled at them. Her stance was forced, feigning an energy that looked odd in comparison to the subtle bags under her eyes. She stood up straight to the point of feeling stiff, leg bouncing a little in a manner Aigis had thought to be a nervous tick– but Kotone had desperately assured her it was just her lacking an outlet to get out her energy when she was excited.
Kotone let out a laugh. It did a much better job of sounding genuine than Junpei’s.
“So you’re all totally gossiping, got it.” She looked sly about the fact, her hands folded together as her thumb rubbed along the skin between her thumb and index finger. “Jus’ came down to grab a snack before bed. I’ll get outta your hair here in just a sec’, promise.”
She moved into the kitchen, where Aigis could not further identify anything about how she moved. The sound of some cupboards opening and closing as the lounge stayed quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Soon enough Kotone returned from around the corner, pursing her lips at them as she held a bag of chips, glancing between them all.
“...Well, I hope you rest well, Shiomi.” Mitsuru spoke up after a beat, clearing her throat as she put on a smile far more unnatural than the one she’d displayed earlier in the night. “I suspect we’ll all be retiring to our own rooms shortly, but do let us know if we’re being too loud.”
“Nah, you’re all fine. You guys have your fun! I got my ways to drown Junpei out anyway.” She tapped her headphones at the same time Junpei let out an exasperated ‘ really ?’
“Night guys.”
Kotone offered a wave, body similarly rigid as she moved to climb back up the stairs she descended on, practically skipping up the stairs–
“W-wait!”
Kotone stopped short, freezing in place as she stared back at Fuuka, the teal haired girl seeming just as frozen in the moment as they stared at one another. Kotone offered her a widened smile as her shoulders tensed.
“Yeah?” She asked simply, curiosity and pep to her tone that seemed ill befitting of someone who was ready for bed.
“...I…” Fuuka trailed off, averting her gaze. “...A-are you, uhm…”
The silence droned on, Kotone’s smile twitched.
“Are you still up f-for cooking tomorrow evening?”
Kotone seemed surprised at that, even as Fuuka herself shifted in her seat after asking her question. She looked a little guilty, as if having said something wrong or incorrect.
Kotone, however, finally seemed to relax. The stiffness in her shoulders loosened, the corners of her smile were less strained, and her tone took on something more reserved yet warm.
“Yeah, ‘course. Sorry about tonight, jus’... kinda wiped out from last night’s expedition is all. We’re still good for tomorrow though, promise!”
“That’s– I-I’m glad.” Fuuka nodded with an attempted smile, as if happy for the conformation while not quite looking the part. “I hope you sleep well!”
“Thanks.”
With that, Kotone fully plugged back in her headphones before ascending the stairs fully. Nobody said anything until they heard the echoing sound of a door shutting make its way down to the lobby.
“...I think I saw it.” Ken spoke up sadly, looking right over at her as he said it. Fuuka let out a soft whimper, shaking her head.
“I just ended up making it worse– I… I wanted to ask her if she was feeling okay but I–” Fuuka, slouched into her hands. “I just made her uncomfortable…”
“...It’s the other way around.”
Fuuka raised her head, looking up at Yukari with an odd look as everyone did the same. Yukari, meanwhile, just looked straight at her with a stern expression.
“That’s when she actually smiled, when Fuuka was talking to her… right?” Yukari asked slowly, looking her right in the eyes. “The rest of it was fake.”
“...I do not know how it could be considered fake.” Aigis pondered, pursing her lips. “But how she acted once Fuuka-san asked about their cooking lessons was in line with when her body language fits her smile. She did not seem nearly as stiff or rigid.”
“How often does she smile like that, Aigis?” Mitsuru suddenly asked, with a seriousness in her tone that Aigis found weird. She was repeating Ken-san’s question, in a way, but Aigis just tilted her head.
“I cannot say. I do not monitor her 24/7 as per your and her request. Most often I see her, her smile is ill matched… But I have noticed she fits her body language more often when around all of you.”
The room fell similarly quiet again, a startling trend Aigis was beginning to pick up on. She could not understand why all her friends seemed uncomfortable.
“Do any of you perhaps know the reason for why Kotone-san acts in such a way?” Aigis tilted her head. “I have yet to come to an answer myself.”
“I’m not sure we should speculate, Aigis.” Fuuka answered her in a tone that was purposefully soft. “If she wanted us to know, then… I think she’d… uhm…”
Fuuka trailed off, unable to finish her thought for whatever reason. Aigis folded her hands into her lap.
“Have I made an error in my approach to understanding Kotone-san?”
“...No.” Yukari spoke resolutely, letting out a sigh. “You probably understand her the best, I guess. The rest of us just didn’t look as hard or didn’t think to say anything…” Yukari leaned into her own arm, murmuring something about how ‘Kotone was difficult’ into her arm that only Aigis could hear with her enhanced sensibilities. She did her best to ignore it.
“So then what are we to do now to understand her further?”
Everyone seemed to need time to mull the question over.
“...I dunno about that , but… uh…” Junpei, trailed off for a moment as he looked at the floor before suddenly raising his head, offering her a wide smile. “ I think this means I gotta take her out more often for lunch. Been a while since I treated her to a beef bowl or two!”
“So you’re going to take her out on a date .” Yukari leveled him a deadpanned look, to which Junpei waved his hand with a laugh.
“Nah– Chidori would kill me if I did. Jus’ a friendly outing is all it is! We used to do it all the time before everything got…” A flash of uncertainty and awkwardness crossed his face. “...y’know, busy .”
“...It’s been a while since we’ve made coffee together.” Ken suddenly spoke up, seeming the smallest bit shy. “I’ve been meaning to ask if she wants to try and learn how to make anything else with me, but I didn’t want to encroach on what Fuuka-san and her had going…”
“O-oh, no! No I think she’d enjoy making whatever with you! She always seems happy to help me learn with how good she is at it, and… uhm… well I wasn’t very good!” Fuuka chimed in, an embarrassed albeit fond smile on her face. “Maybe we can all learn something together sometime– something she likes, even!”
“...She liked when Shinjiro-senpai made chocolate pancakes, didn’t she?” Ken spoke after a beat, to which Fuuka nodded, smile looking a little more forlorn.
“I think she did… I don’t think she’s made any of those in a while… Maybe she’d enjoy that.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask her about resuming our training. It’s been a while since we’ve gone out on our own.” Akihiko stroked his chin, letting out a hum. “She always seems to like taking out her aggression on Shadows…”
“On your own? With Shadows?” Mitsuru raised an eyebrow at him, to which Akihiko suddenly stilled.
“Well– I just mean in general, when we go out for jogs or other training. The fact she likes fighting shadows is unrelated.” He said quickly, Aigis noticed the stiffness in his posture. He relaxed as Mitsuru’s piercing gaze relented however, the Kirijo leader letting out a sigh of her own.
“...I would like to spend more time with her as well. It’s been a while since we’ve had the time to do anything. She did show some interest in possibly riding around on my motorcycle the last time we made tea…”
“Woah– you’d really let her do that?” Junpei gawked at their senpai, to which Mitsuru just smiled.
“Not on her own without the proper training, of course– but at the very least I could ride her around if she’s interested. And I have a few courses I could recommend her should she actually want to get certified–”
“Annnnd there goes the fun…” Junpei sighed, to which Mitsuru let out a haughty huff and crossed her arms.
Everyone let out a soft laugh at that, the atmosphere having improved drastically from its previous state.
“She really likes hanging out with you, you know.”
Aigis lifted her gaze to face Yukari, the girl opposing her looking at her with a certain softness she felt didn’t match the hesitancy of her tone.
She couldn’t help but let the swelling feeling in her chest linger for a moment, despite her discomfort at not knowing exactly what it was or why it occurred. It felt… nice.
“...I am glad.” She nodded, a faint heat rising to her head. She did not know why she was overheating, but she did not question it. “She often says similar things about you. She has told me before that she finds it easy to confide in you, even when she does not mean to.”
Yukari flustered a little at that, opening her mouth as if to say something– but ultimately she kept quiet.
“Please do not share with her that I have told you that, she attempted to swear me to secrecy due to it being an ‘embarrassing’ piece of information.”
“...Yeah, sure.” Yukari let out a snort, a warm smile spreading over her face. “Why not.”
“Hold on, hold on–” Junpei cut in, a sly grin to his face. “What other embarrassing ‘pieces of information’ is she tellin’ ya behind closed doors Ai-Chan? I won’t tell her anything, scouts honor!” He raised a hand to his chest, other hand rising as if to make an oath.
Ken asked him if he was truly in the scouts at the same time Yukari told Aigis to ignore Junpei. The conversation naturally flowed back into small talk as she denied Junpei’s request regardless, the atmosphere similarly warm and lively as they all discussed things they would enjoy doing with Kotone and how grateful they were to have her as a friend. Koromaru even woke up amidst the commission, eagerly barking his praises once he’d realized everyone was speaking on their leader as she conveyed his joy to everyone else.
Aigis still did not particularly understand the significance of Kotone’s body language and its mismatching qualities, though she certainly understood the appreciation all their friends felt for her. Their smiles, she could assure, were warm and fond and fitting of earnest happiness as they discussed her.