The Aeon Arcana

Epilogue 1: Valentine's Day

Sunday, February 12. Evening.

Tempering the chocolate was probably the most difficult task of your chocolate-making endeavor. You had researched and watched videos on how to make chocolate truffles, opting for a homemade effort over a store-bought one. You made caramel, strawberry, and chocolate fillings, hoping the effort would surely impress your boyfriend.

You tapped on your smartphone. It was the newest, fastest model money could buy, wrapped in a cute phone case to keep it secure. Akechi had made sure you were set up with communication before he left, since Shido had destroyed your old one several months prior.

You had only just said goodbye to him that morning. You had been so busy with the chaos of everything, you had forgotten to even think of Valentines Day. You had quickly rushed to the store after heading home from the station, gathering ingredients to make him chocolates. If you hurried, you could perhaps send him some in an overnight shipment.

You didn't know the address of where he was going to be staying. This was to protect you, so you wouldn't get caught up in any legal troubles. The person who did know was the secretary Akechi had set up for you. You had only briefly met her, but you had her contact information.

You deliberated texting her for several minutes before opening your chat app.

You

Do you think it's possible I could send--

You stopped. You weren't sure how you were supposed to refer to Akechi now. Was he "Shido-san" to his employees? Was he still going by Akechi? You didn't know the intricacies of this. You decided to just stick with Akechi, since that's what he was known as to the general public, at least.

You

--a Valentine's Day package to Akechi?

You swallowed your anxiety and resumed your chocolate making. It wasn't until you had finished filling the silicone molds did you get a response.

The secretary agreed to assist you, as told you to drop off the package at her office tomorrow morning before school. You thanked her, and started putting together boxes to give out.

You made the biggest box of chocolates with the most beautiful truffles for Akechi. In smaller boxes you placed the rest, for Ren, Yusuke, and Ryuji. Cats couldn't have chocolate, so you were going to give some dried tuna to Morgana instead. You placed the boxes in the fridge, and started working on a box to ship to Akechi.

You entered his office. He had taken none of his featherman merchandise with him. He had seemed reluctant to go, treating his departure as some sort of prison. You wanted him to be as comfortable as possible, and decided to send him something small from his collection.

You had texted Futaba for advice, and she recommended a couple of figurines and a keychain that could handle being shipped. You wrapped them gently and placed them in the box.

Once that was done, you entered your bedroom. Had he forgotten anything? You started rifling through his drawers, looking for anything important you could put in the box. He seemed to have taken everything, including his best clothing. The only thing you found was a half used box of condoms. It made you smile for a moment. You really did trust him, even if you were going to be separated for an unknown amount of time. He didn't take them, because he simply didn't need them.

You closed the drawer. He was as efficient as ever. You looked in the bathroom, and saw some unopened jars of bath salts. He certainly didn't take any of these, so you decided to pack one into the box.