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【4】
The Connectivity Between Oni Intuition and Jealousy: A Continuing Study
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Akiri wandered through the crowds of passersby, making her way towards a more barren edge of the ballroom. She stifled a sigh as she studied the strangers around herself, an anxious feeling nagging at her gut.
It had been a few hours into their masquerade mission, and yet they still hadn't made much progress in finding their culprit.
Well... Maybe not all of them.
Gold had told Akiri that Aurora was on a lead about an hour ago. The oni was especially glad that the android had notified her so quickly; had she not been given proper context, the next thing she saw would've confused her beyond belief.
Not long after Gold had given her the update, Akiri ventured onto the second floor, where she'd spotted Aurora from the balcony.
And she was dancing with a complete stranger.
Akiri had stared at the strange interaction for far longer than she'd meant to. Aurora didn't seem like she was enjoying herself in the slightest, but Akiri nevertheless couldn't help but feel upset about it.
How could she not, watching her crush dance with someone else?
Sure, it was just jealousy overcoming her common sense. Aurora obviously wasn't dancing on her own accord, but Akiri's inner doubts outweighed her reality.
She'd only recently realized that Aurora had become much more than just her best friend. She'd had plenty of time to reflect on how that would affect their relationship, in which numerous questions had popped into her thoughts without her control.
Would Aurora even be interested in her that way? Was she even interested in women in general? How would she react if Akiri ever brought it up? How would she even START that conversation to begin with???
Akiri had known Aurora for such a long time, and yet even she was unsure of the answers to those questions. But she did know one thing for certain.
Watching Aurora dance with a stranger only added salt to the wound.
Akiri felt so childish for being jealous, but she couldn't help it. Aurora meant everything to her– she just had to figure out a way to express that to her properly.
Akiri tried repeatedly to refocus on the mission, yet her attempts failed every time. She found herself thinking back to what she'd seen, dredging up more of her insecurity.
Worse yet, that wasn't the only thing weighing her down– something else had her on edge. Akiri couldn't entirely determine why, but an unsettling feeling had pushed its way into her chest a long while ago. She found herself being much more attentive to her surroundings as time drew on, an instinctive tension resting on her shoulders. It was as though her body was warning her of something to come entirely on its own.
Yet the hidden oni only disregarded the feeling, assuming it was the result of her jealousy. What else could it have been?
Quit being so overdramatic.
Akiri scolded herself.
You can worry about what Aura thinks of you later. You're on a mission, so don't disappoint her!
Akiri rubbed at her temples, trying to usher away the negative thoughts that plagued her mind. In another attempt to refocus, she discreetly tapped the button on her communicator, clicking to a different channel.
A monotone voice read the number of each line as she shifted through them. Recognizing Aurora's number first, Akiri switched to a different line, knowing she was likely too busy to respond.
Instead, she landed on Onyx and Eris' channel; maybe they'd gotten a break in between the card games?
"Guys?" Akiri called out. "You there?"
But there wasn't a response from either of her friends. The oni assumed they were preoccupied as well, so she clicked to the next line.
"Yuri?" Akiri called out.
Much to her relief, the hypnobrai was quick to answer.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Yuri asked, more than ready to come to her aid.
"Everything's fine." Akiri assured, despite the fact that she felt far from it. "I'm just checking in."
For a moment, Yuri was silent. Akiri could practically feel the hypnobrai's doubt emanating from the opposite end of the channel.
"You sure?" She questioned, concerned. "That's Gold's job tonight. You don't usually do this."
Akiri opened her mouth to object, but that was when the anxious feeling in her chest intensified without her control. Conflicted, she absentmindedly picked at her fingernails, her nervousness making her antsy.
Heaving a sigh, she caved in.
"Maybe not, honestly." She admitted, lowering her voice. "Nothing's wrong mission-wise, though, so it's really nothing. I should probably just get back to searching."
"Well, mission or not, it's important." Yuri didn't give her the chance to leave the call. "You know I've got time. I haven't seen any movement outside of the venue since you got here. So what's up?"
"It's just..." Akiri trailed off, trying to find the right words. "Complicated? I guess? I don't know."
She frowned as she turned on her heel, resuming her walk through the crowds as the conversation continued.
"You... don't know?" Yuri repeated, confused. "Akiri, are you really okay? Did someone pull something at the party?"
"No, no, nothing like that." Akiri promised. "It's just that..."
She paused, unsure of how to continue. She'd never brought up how she felt about Aurora to anyone yet, not even her closest friends. This would be a first, but how could she explain something like that so suddenly?
Though, Akiri knew she'd feel better if she talked about it. She swallowed away her uncertainty, pressing on.
"Don't tell the others, but I think I'm... jealous." She confessed.
"Jealous...?" Yuri echoed, clueless. "Of what?"
Akiri pursed her lips together as she slowed to a halt, breaking away from the crowds and stopping in an emptier clearing. She hesitated before she continued, not allowing herself the chance to back down now.
"Okay, this is going to sound super childish, mostly because it is." She laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. "But I just... Really wanted to dance with Aura."
"Oh."
For a short while, Yuri was silent, making Akiri all the more uneasy. After all, it was the first time she'd told her friends of her crush– she hadn't even stopped to consider what they might say about it.
"...Oh, wow, that's so... surprising." Yuri replied at last. "I... never would've guessed."
Overwhelmed by her conflicting feelings, Akiri didn't take notice of the hypnobrai's pre-existing knowledge.
"I know, I know," she released a long exhale. "It's stupid, isn't it?"
"I don't think so." Yuri denied. "Your feelings matter, Akiri."
"Yeah, but I still shouldn't be so selfish." Akiri shook her head, despite the fact that the hypnobrai couldn't see her. "Especially now. I should be focused."
"But you shouldn't disregard your feelings like that, either." Yuri urged. "And it's not selfish to want something, is it?"
"I mean... Maybe? Probably? I honestly don't know." Akiri ran a hand through her hair, contemplating the question. "This is all so confusing..."
"Akiri, I really don't think you're being selfish," Yuri added. "But if it would make you feel better, we could change the subject?"
"That... might actually be better," the oni accepted her offer. "I seriously need to clear my head."
"That's okay!" There was a distinct sound of shuffling on the other end of the line; Akiri guessed Yuri was scrambling to a higher ledge on the roof. "Eris actually called me earlier, too. She keeps mixing my line up with Gold's."
"Still?" Akiri grinned.
"Still." Yuri affirmed. "She had me send a message to Gold for her. She said, and I quote, 'Onyx is absolutely demolishing these guys at poker, over and out.'"
Akiri burst into laughter at the comment.
"I really wish I could've been there to see it happen," Yuri chuckled with her. "I bet it would be funny to watch."
"I saw them a while ago," Akiri laughed again just thinking about it. "Onyx was definitely egging on her opponents, but Eris is having her win practically every game."
"I really hope Gold caught some of that on camera, then." The hypnobrai snickered. "I'd love to watch back the footage later."
"You and me both." Akiri agreed.
A small smile lifted across the hidden oni's features, making her feel a bit better. There was still an obvious, unnerving tension weighing against her muscles, but Akiri nevertheless was reassured. Surely, that unsettling feeling was nothing more than an overreaction.
Besides, she'd have more time to discern those emotions later. Right now, she had a job to do.
"Thanks for talking with me, Yuri," she spoke up. "I didn't realize how bad I needed it."
"Of course!" Yuri assured. "Even during missions, you matter to us. I'm sure the others would've done the same."
"I appreciate it." Akiri's gaze moved back to the other partygoers. "But I should probably get going now. I've taken long enough of a break."
Akiri surveyed the crowds just as Yuri had started to respond, trying to determine where to move next. Yet the hypnobrai's words were drowned out completely by a new voice altogether.
"Yuri?! Akiri?! Can you hear me?!"
Akiri's apprehension only spiked even further the second she heard the android's frantic call.
"Gold??" Akiri replied. "What's wrong?? Is everything okay?"
"Aura's in trouble!" They shouted, frantic. "She— she was on the third floor, with the– the culprit, and—"
Akiri's heart skipped a beat, the brighter moment long gone.
"I– I don't know what happened! She got the shot, but then, she was– I couldn't see or hear her anymore!" They hurriedly explained, tripping over their words. "She– she was on the third floor! You guys need to hurry, I– I can't see her anymore!"
The android didn't need to remind her. Akiri was pelting through the crowds before they had even finished, swerving around passersby with a rising speed.
"I'll search the windows." Yuri immediately set to work. She added something else, most likely reassurement to Gold, but Akiri wasn't listening to them anymore.
Rushing towards the steps leading to the third floor, Akiri realized that her lingering unease had been more than just a nuisance.
She knew it had been trying to tell her something– but she hadn't expected it to act as a literal warning.
Yet the oni had to save that perception for a later day. Now, the only thought on Akiri's mind was Aurora's safety.
Akiri skidded onto the third floor a mere few heartbeats later, digging the heels of her flats into the ground to halt abruptly. Ignoring the stares from passersby, she closed her eyes, dulling her other senses to focus on her acute hearing.
As expected, it didn't take very long for her to locate Aurora's familiar voice, muffled and distant. The oni wasted no time, pounding through the corridors without a second to spare. Her instincts drove her forwards, fueling her to move as fast as her legs would allow.
Although Aurora was unaware of the oni's feelings for her, that didn't change just how much she meant to Akiri. Aurora was undoubtedly the one Akiri cared for most in the world. Despite their differences, she'd been there for her since the moment they'd met. Aurora had brought a light into Akiri's life that the oni didn't even realize she needed.
And she wasn't intending to let that light diminish anytime soon.
As she rounded a corner, closing in on Aurora's location, a new thought surfaced into Akiri's mind. It solidified into a single, perseverant resolution.
Friends or more, Aurora was her entire world.
Akiri would keep her safe– or go down trying.