Chapter 5

"So... You and Aigis aren't girlfriends?" Fuuka had dragged me to the couch when we were alone in the lobby. I was surprised to learn that she had overheard everything about my confession to Aigis through her Persona in Tartarus. Of course, it wasn't her intention to eavesdrop, but monitoring us in the tower was her duty. I had no choice but to be honest with her; lying would be futile anyway.

"Um, the truth is, no. We confessed our feelings, but we haven't defined the status of our relationship."

"When will you ask her, then?" That was a good question. When would I ask her about our relationship? We had classes tomorrow, so perhaps I could ask her out after school. I'd have to skip volleyball club, but I could tell Rio early that I wouldn't be able to attend.

"I'll invite her tomorrow after school. That's when I'll ask," I replied. Aigis usually didn't stay at school long after classes ended, though she sometimes lingered near me. She waited for me to finish club or student council activities to accompany me back to the dorm, so there was a good chance we could leave school together and find a quiet place to talk. The best spot would undoubtedly be the shrine, where there were usually few people. It was an excellent place for us to be alone without any interruptions. It was a solid plan.

After that, Fuuka seemed satisfied and assumed there was no need to keep me occupied any longer. It was late, and we had just returned from a Tartarus expedition. Fatigue hit me abruptly after being more relaxed for a while. Fuuka bid me farewell, and I watched her climb the stairs to her room. I stood alone in the middle of the lobby in the dead of night, with only a faint light illuminating the area.

"Aigis and me, huh? Who would've thought?" Not too long ago, I couldn't picture myself in a relationship, let alone being in love. Throughout this year since I arrived at the dorm, I'd experienced many things, gained people to trust, made friends, and now, I had fallen in love. There was still more than half a month before the arrival of Nyx. Win or lose, I would do everything in my power to spend as much time as possible with Aigis.

With my decision made, I turned off the lobby light and headed to my room. Before reaching it, I stopped in front of Aigis's room. There was no sound coming from inside. Was I the only one feeling nervous between the two of us? I continued to my room in silence. I didn't want anyone to hear me, especially Mitsuru or Yukari, who might already be asleep. Most importantly, I didn't want Aigis to hear me and come out to see me. I wasn't ready for any kind of conversation with her yet.

Once in my room, I sat on my chair, pulled out a small notebook I had stored in my desk drawer, and opened it to the first blank page. "Dear diary," too cliché. Besides, this wasn't even a diary; it was just a planner. I started jotting down different places that would be nice to visit with Aigis after having "the talk" at Naganaki Shrine. A restaurant was out of the question; Aigis didn't need to eat, and forcing her to eat for my sake seemed uncomfortable. Besides, Aigis wouldn't say something like, "I like watching you eat," right? What kind of dialogue was that? Aigis wouldn't say such a thing, would she? I felt my body temperature rise. I didn't need to look in a mirror to know how red I had turned.

I spent a while writing down different ideas for a date with Aigis, but each idea felt worse than the previous one. Restaurants were off the table, Aigis didn't need to eat, and making her eat for my sake didn't seem pleasant. Also, Aigis wouldn't be able to sing or understand the concept of going to a karaoke together. A club was out of the question; we couldn't drink alcohol, and we probably wouldn't even be allowed to enter. Shopping wasn't the most feasible option either. Aigis didn't know about fashion. Maybe the Game Parade was the best option; many arcade machines were easy to understand, and we could have fun together. I still found flaws, but it didn't sound bad. Unintentionally, I had been writing and crossing out ideas in my notebook for an hour. So many emotions had made me forget about my fatigue. It was already late, and if I didn't get enough sleep, I might ruin my plans for the day. I stored the notebook and started changing into my pajamas before lying down. Would Aigis agree? And if she did, would our date go well? Doubts began to invade me, but my time to sleep was running out. I had to sleep quickly, but nerves wouldn't let me. And so, my time to sleep evaporated without me realizing it.