Chapter 33

Aiden Alexander Maddox is a dangerous man. Akari knew that deep in her bones. Having used her power on him, she's seen exactly what he was capable of and it was bone-chilling. In his old world, he'd been bad enough. In a world like theirs, who knew how much worse he could be.

Logically, she knew she should stay away from him. His hidden character aside, he was a manwhore of the highest order. Akari was terrified he'd turn his attention to her. Why? Because she knew she'd never be able to resist wanting him. Her mother took him all of five minutes simply standing naked before she let him bed her. Akari was sure he'd be able to do the same with her. She'd experience through her power all the women he'd ruined before. Her mother was simply the latest. Speaking of, that scene was still vivid in her mind even now.

She'd never have guessed her mother could make such sweet sounds or could lose herself so thoroughly in pleasure. It didn't fit her image.

Seeing her submit to a male like Aiden was...very surreal. Not because it was out of character for Aiden to be able to conquer women--Akari had seen more than enough evidence regarding his skill in that area--but because he was a man also steeped in so much wanton cruelty and bloodshed that the thought of him even being near them made her shudder.

Akari was brave against him that day only because she'd somehow channeled the personality of his brother Ty, who seemed a rather fearless kid if ever there was one. But now? Oh, she quaked in her boots every time she passed him.

He seemed faintly amused by that, too.

Akari knew he'd left his past as a gang leader behind long ago and that he can be a very reasonable person most of the time. She understood she had nothing to fear for him other than losing her maidenhead, and maybe not even that unless he decided he wanted her. Still, it did little to help her fear.

As someone who was actually rather shy, she was even quieter when around him. She hated how she'd stutter or miss a step at his presence so she avoided him whenever possible. She wasn't quite sure if it was because of the attraction or the fear half the time. Maybe both. Either way, her family took notice.

"Akari," Her mother called her to her room one day. "Look, I know you've seen what I and Yuuji have done," She sighed with a finger at her temple, one leg over the other as she sat at the foot of her bed. "It's okay to admit you feel awkward over it. But at least try to get to know him. He's not so scary." Other than in bed, Akiko added silently.

Akari, having now gained Aiden's vast knowledge of women and their tells, knew exactly what just went through her mother's mind. The small dilation of her pupils and slight parting of her lips as she recalled past pleasures was, to Akari, as clear as day now that Aiden's experiences were her own.

She wanted to crawl in a hole. Why did she have to notice her mother's arousal?! Damn Aiden. She wished she'd never gotten curious about him. She really had to fix this bad habit of her's.

Now because of her poking around in his head, she was forced to know every one of her mother's sweet spots. Being able to identify by mere sound what would bring her mother to orgasm was a skill she never wanted.

Same with all the other women here. She couldn't help noticing the little quirks they had. Almost on instinct, she could tell in vivid detail what ways they wanted to be touched or what turned them on. One maid here, for example, was being chastised the other day for accidentally dropping a plate. As Akari watched, she saw a flush to the woman's cheeks. Her hands clutched at her apron and her hips indicated her legs were shaking.

Some would think that nervousness or fright. Akari realized that it was arousal. She was fidgeting because her panties were wet. Akari even followed the woman to confirm. Sure enough, she'd entered her room and Akari heard the opening of drawers. She was changing her underwear.

One woman liked being spanked. Do so hard enough and she let out moans far from ladylike. Another had an oral fixation. All tongue, with long and slow movements good for--well, you can guess. There was even one whose weakness was her ear. Blow in it and she was putty.

You see? She knew all these! She'd tested them!

Kanon? She liked when you held her face and stroked her cheek with a thumb. Akari was not sure how she knew that. But she did. And tested that one out, too. The girl's face turned soft and red almost instantly and became visibly disturbed upon realizing the weird atmosphere Akari's sudden touch had created, stepping back with a strange smile and coughing to mask her feelings.

....Is that how Aiden saw the world? Akari was very unsettled at the thought. Such power was too much for one man.

Anyway, suffice it to say she was suffering from her hasty curiosity.

"Right. Um, okay. Yes, I will," Akari squeaked out. She had no intentions to try and get to know him. She already did. That's the problem here.

She understood why he'd come to them and she is fine with her mother helping him hide from Naoko, she just wished that didn't come with the price of having to keep him in their own house.

Not only because he unsettled her for various reasons, but also because her first impression on him was completely abysmal. She'd reminded him of something so raw, so personal. How could she face him after that?

Akiko had no clue as to her daughter's troubles. Instead, she nodded, pleased at her response. "Our...strange relationship aside, I think you'll get along well with each other. " A momentary flash of sadness and guilt raced across her eyes. "I think he could use a friend near his own age. It's too late for me to try and be sincere with him after...well," She smiled a bit, not choosing to continue that line. "Just talk to him every now and then. Yuuji's had a rough life. You and Kanon getting to know him might help him through it."

Her mother was very kind. But the whole tragic past she believed Yuuji possessed was just something he'd led her to believe so she'd be more willing to offer sympathy and help. Akari felt like laughing at her mother's needless concern.

...The mirth died as quickly as it appeared. Aiden is a man with demons, though. His family's near destruction at his hands had done something to him no one could fix. The fact that after all his efforts to quit the life of the underworld he ended up dying and being sent here, away from his beloved parents and siblings, was a kind of cruel joke that threatened to end him every day.

He was not a man who deserved to be pitied, really. Neither would he appreciate it. But he tried so hard to become better only for something like this to happen to him. Honestly, he's barely holding it together. Old habits die hard and if he's not careful that self-destructive streak in him would rear its ugly head.

Its hard for Akari not to feel a touch morose at the thought given how intimately she'd come to know him due to her power. But no one could help him. His suffering was something he would stubbornly carry on his own

Her mother rose from her seat. "Ah, I didn't know it was so late. I'm sorry, I have to go. Yuuji's next appointment is coming soon."

"I don't see why you keep bringing them. They find nothing every time and then he just gets mad and cusses at them for being conmen."

To explain, her mother had been inviting numerous experts in spell formations to their estate for Aiden to see. He wanted to know whether Naoko had placed any tracking spells on him, or just any spell in general. He'd already seen over ten such experts over the course of the month and none of them found anything wrong.

For some reason, Aiden hadn't believed them at all.

"Ah, I don't know anymore. I'm just humoring him, I guess." Akiko sighed. "He's gotten so worked up over it recently. I don't know why he doesn't trust in their words."

"He's obviously paranoid." Though, when it comes to Naoko maybe that was as to be expected. Aiden and Akari knew that woman was certifiably insane herself. It was no surprise Aiden was like this. He'd died to both her and her daughter, after all.

"Be that as it may, I had a deal to uphold. It's not really any trouble, either. I just hope he'll be able to stop worrying about it soon." Akiko gave a hollow chuckle. "It's a good thing he refused to see Senior Tang. I'm not sure what would happen if he cursed him out like he did the others."

"Didn't he say Senior Tang was also an incompetent con man?"

"Well, yes, but at least Sir Tang wasn't here to hear it. Anyway, I have to go. I've heard Lord Rei's techniques can be quite invasive so I should be there in case Yuuji passes out again."

It had happened several times. Not every spell formation master investigated their target in the same way. So there was an array of side effects that could happen, especially when done on a living person. Nothing serious, but there may be intense pain or other ailments.

"If he's well, why don't you and Kanon take him out of the estate for some fun?"

Akari hesitated. "Do you think he would let us?" Not that she wanted to anyway. But for her mother, she could pretend not to be terrified of the idea of the two of them going out with him. Honestly, she had no justifiable reason to refuse either.

Akiko rolled her eyes. "Oh, tie him up if you have to. He needs to get outside once and a while."

.... If he stays, we'll just end up having sex again, Akiko thought. She felt she was using him for sex way too much recently. It was starting to be a problem, really! She could hardly concentrate at work because she kept itching to get back to him.

He was rather addicting, that man. Especially his tongue. But enough was enough, she decided. It was time for him to get out of the house. And the more he was out, the better for her. She might actually be able to focus on her work instead of thinking about how many orgasms she'd be able to beg from him that day.

***

Every single one of these bastards is useless!

Aiden paced his room irritably. He had just gotten done with a head-splittingly painful session with another one of Akiko's invites, and the man was just like all the others.

"There's nothing. You're clean."

"Clean?" Aiden had simmered with barely contained rage. "Clean? If that's what you consider clean, you must have a dirty ass." He snapped.

He was so obviously not clean, or else Naoko never would've found him that day. Aiden had taken one walk the night of Senior Tang's inspection. One stroll out of the estate.

He thought he was safe, that he was spell-free. Wanted to roam outside a bit, clear his head with some cold air and plan his next move now that he knew she wasn't tracking him.

Then the next morning the bitch shows up and kills his hosts.  So pardon him if he doesn't believe all the cunts saying he's "clean".

Shit, at this rate I'm going to be under that bitch's thumb for--

"Ah, Yuuji."

He heard a familiar voice from his doorway. Kanon. He'd long since had her address him informally. Honorifics weren't his thing.

Standing next to her was Akari. The latter was all too noticeably ill at ease, standing just a bit behind her sister with a closed, guarded posture where she was trying to hide her chest. Her arms were shoved into the pockets of an oversized hoodie and she was busy trying to look anywhere but at him.

He saw the girl and immediately let out a small, almost predatory smirk. He understood very well she was wary of him, this Akari. If any normal person knew what she did about him, they would too. She was scared scared of his violent past but also scared that he'd try to get into her panties.

Of course, he wasn't going to try that. But he wasn't going to tell her that. Seeing her shake was too fun. She was so uppity when she had Ty's personality taking hold of her. It lasted two days, that, and the girl had been insufferable. Now, he was out for revenge. Petty? That was the best kind.

Kanon didn't seem to notice anything between him and her sister, merely waiting for his reply.

"What's up?" He asked, stopping his incessant back and forth across the room.

"You're in luck Yuuji," Kanon smiled serenely. "You get to accompany us today."

He raised a brow. "Accompany you?"

A nod. "You've spent too much time cooped up here. You need a change of pace, and we're here to help with that."

"My apologies," He spoke drily, "But even if I had the luxury of going out, I'd rather it be in the presence of beautiful women."

Kanon's cheeks puffed up. "Are you saying we aren't beautiful?"

"I said, women. Not kids."

The girl gave him a mean look. "Not kids."

"Kids."

"Not kids."

"Kids."

"Not kids!" She stomped her foot, glaring at him. Like a kid.

"Not kids"

"Kids!" The girl exploded.

"Fine, you're a kid."

She nodded, satisfied. "Right, I'm a...huh?"

Aiden chuckled and strolled past her. "You got Loony Tooned....kid."

Kanon sputtered. "You tricked me. That's not fair. I am not a--"

Aiden waved her off, tired of the game. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyway, I can't afford to leave. Have fun without me."

Kanon trailed after him. "What do you mean, can't afford to leave? You don't do anything but lounge around anyway! Come on, let's go out. What about the beach? Get some sun, a bit of fresh air."

"Sounds great. No."

Kanon grabbed his arm. "Too bad. Mother says you absolutely have to get out today."

"The hell?" He looked down at her. "She did?"

"Ask her if you don't believe me." Came the reply. Aiden flicked her on the forehead.

"Shit," Aiden muttered. If even Akiko was saying that, he didn't exactly have much choice. "Ah, fine. If you guys end up dead, don't blame me."

Kanon laughed at that. "Don't be so dramatic. Really, what could you be so afraid of?"

Akari, who was following behind then, grew rather morose at that. She knew exactly what he was scared of.

***

"A spa? Really? I could take a bath at the estate."

Kanon, having dressed in a colorful white Kimono with a sakura petal design, rolled her eyes. "Could you get a Naga massage at the estate? Or a water shiatsu? No, didn't think so."

Aiden wasn't impressed. "Those are just gimmicks. I could give a better massage while drunk off my ass."

"Can you not be so grumpy? We're here because you need to relax, so just enjoy it."

Aiden didn't want to relax. He expected Naoko to jump out any moment and kill him, how the fuck could he relax?  What he wanted was for that bitch to die.

"And why did I have to were this? It's so damn big. I'm not used to these kinds of clothes, I feel ridiculous."

Before they'd left, Kanon had him wear a traditional Japanese-styled attire comprised of a deep blue cloak over a black kimono zori.

"Nonsense. You look very handsome, I think." Kanon's calm tone was made a lie by the sparkle in her eyes as she appreciated his figure. The girl was very innocent so he didn't think anything of it, but even so, he didn't like the way she looked at him. Like a Ken doll she wanted to play dress-up with.

"I know I'm handsome, I just don't like the clothing." Though, he supposed it was better than the robes Akiko's servants had prepared for him that day. That deep V-line was done on purpose, he'd bet his left nut on it.

...Aiden let out a little laugh at the expression. Ty used that one all the time, he recalled. "I'd bet my right, but I lost that in a heated poker game years back," He might say. The reasons for his lost nut would vary greatly and become more humorous and extravagant each time. Obviously, both his nuts were present...presumably. Aiden hadn't ever checked, really, but he's pretty sure they were.

The memories of his lost brother turned his mood even more sour. As always, he forced his mind towards other things. Dwelling on his missing family too much was a kind of pain that grew more pronounced each time.

Aiden grumbled as Kanon grabbed his arm and pulled him further into the building,  He reluctantly followed along until a certain voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

"...Piggy?"

He shot Akari a harsh glare.

What did I fucking tell you?

**********

Author: for anyone who may have missed it, remember that there are character model pics in the discord server provided below.

https://discord.gg/kwQFZ5X2eR