The Aeon Arcana

Jealousy and Rage

Evening

You and Akechi woke up from your nap and got ready to go. Akechi changed his shirt into a dress shirt with a jacket, and you changed into the dress you bought with Hifumi. On the way to the train station, Akechi seemed a bit more clingy than usual, and was touching you in subtle ways. Was he nervous about something, or was he just being horny?

You arrived at the event. Hifumi had texted you the tickets, which you showed to the front. You were surprised at the amount of diverse people who had shown up to the event, seemingly interested in the craft. Several news reporters had cameras set up, recording Hifumi and interviewing her in the corner.

You took your assigned seats. It took all of your willpower to not lean your head on Akechi in public, especially with the vibes of a serious Shogi match. Akechi seemed more at home than you were, but you had no idea what to expect. He seemed to notice your nervousness, and he put an arm around you. "It might get a little boring, but you'll be fine," whispered Akechi.

"I can play…kind of," you said.

"I've never really had many opponents," said Akechi. "Maybe Togo-san will grace me with a match one day."

The Phantom Thieves arrived shortly, their assigned seats next to yours and Akechi's. Ren took the seat next to you, and you could feel Akechi's gloved fingers grip into your arm.

"Pancakes," you leaned over to Akechi and whispered.

Akechi relaxed and released his grip on you. Red marks had formed on your arm where he had been squeezing you.

"Hey," said Ren quietly.

"Hi Ren," you smiled.

Akechi shifted uncomfortably in his seat and played with his gloves.

"Hey, are you okay? Did you get hurt? There's a bruise on your neck," asked Ren.

Your heart stopped. Oh no! The makeup must have rubbed off!!

Akechi was giving Ren the most bone-chilling stare you had ever seen.

You rubbed your neck and blushed. "Um…"

Ren was staring right back at Akechi with a grin on his face. 

You could feel the tension between them. It wasn't pleasant, especially since you were basically in a jealousy sandwich.

To save you was the beginning of the match. Hifumi made quick work of her opponent, her change in demeanor and cute catchphrases keeping everything entertaining. You had seen this before when you had played Shogi with her, where she'd pretend to be a powerful queen who dominated her opponents.

The match eventually ended. Akechi did not lay a hand on you despite him seething in jealousy the entire match. You felt empowered by the fact he had respected your boundaries so much, even over something as little as touching you. You didn't want him to stop touching you completely in that instance though, the safe word just slipped out when he was accidentally hurting you a bit too much.

Hifumi was once again caught outside by news reporters when everyone left the match. They were asking her question after question, her strong will not crumbling under the pressure. Suddenly, though, the reporters noticed the famous Goro Akechi, and swarmed him. He sighed and pushed you behind him, shielding you from the cameras. 

While the reporters were harassing Akechi, you looked over to see how Hifumi was doing. Ren, to your surprised, was talking to her about something. She seemed cold, but as they talked her body language and expression softened. Was that a blush you noticed? They exchanged numbers, and you couldn't help but feel pride welling up in your chest. Hifumi's getting another friend? Ren is really nice…