Makoto held Ayane's hand as they entered the backroom. "Geez, I don't know who is the more masochist between you and Mafuyu. Do you really, really want it? I'm not forcing you to… you know…"
Ayane let out a chuckle that echoed in the small backroom. The room smelled of antiseptic and a faint metallic tang of fresh blood. "Makoto, this has nothing to do with masochism," she purred as she hopped onto the padded leather chair.
The piercing artist, a woman with intricate tattoos snaking up her arms, calmly prepared a tray of sterile instruments.
"This is about ownership, you know!" Ayane leaned back, casual and confident, while looking at him. "A bite mark fades. A tattoo can be covered up." She took a deep, shuddering breath as the artist swabbed her nipple with a cold, stinging antiseptic wipe.
"But this…" she said, her voice a little shaky and breathless now. "This is a permanent modification of my body. A reminder, every single day, of who I belong to."
When the female artist picked up the needle, Ayane reached for Makoto's hand, her grip tightened. "And besides, I think you'll really, really like playing with them." She squeezed his hand, her knuckles white. "And I'm going to make sure that the other girls know it."
"Tchh, I should have known it when you dared me to press that safety pin on you back then," he gripped her hands back. "I will play with them every day. Just… don't let Asuka see it yet."
Ayane let out a strangled gasp as the needle went through. It was a quick but painful motion. Her entire body went rigid, her nails digging into his hand with desperate force, but she didn't scream or whimper. The second piercing was just as fast and painful as the first.
And Ayane just took it.
When it was over, her face was pale, and her breathing was a series of short and shallow gasps. But her eyes were shining with a wild light. "See?" I told you that I could take it." She looked down at her chest, at the two small silver barbells that were now a permanent part of her, with a satisfied smile on her face.
"And don't worry about Asuka. I'll just tell her that they're robot parts." She looked at him with a wicked glint in her eyes.
Makoto gently tugged at the barbell, careful not to hurt her. "Don't teach bad things to our innocent daughter. Did that hurt?"
Ayane let out a sharp intake of breath through her teeth, her whole body tensing as Makoto touched the raw piercing. Her hand, which had relaxed, clamped down on his again with startling force. "Ah! Don't do that, you idiot! It's still a fresh wound."
She watched him for a moment, her gaze softening as she saw the genuine concern in his eyes. The tough act melted away, leaving something honest. "Okay," she admitted. "Yeah. It hurt like a motherfucker."
She took another look down at her chest, at the twin points of silver that were now a permanent part of her. "But it was a good hurt. The kind that reminds you that I'm alive. And that I'm yours."
After that, they bought the game, of course, and walked together to the restaurant. The place was chic and upscale, with soft lighting and a quiet, romantic ambiance.
The others were already seated at a large circular booth in the back corner. Yuna was wearing a sleek black off-the-shoulder dress, her gray hair pulled back in an elegant twist. She looked like a young and cool CEO, a far cry from the Mimikyu-clad gremlin of this morning.
Mafuyu was all soft grace, in a flowing dark-blue maternity dress that accentuated her gentle curves and growing bump. And Mika was something else entirely. She was in a simple, elegant white silk dress that looked expensive and clung to her in all the right places. Her hair was down, cascading over her shoulders in a shimmering wave. She looked like a fallen, dangerous angel.
Makoto and Ayane slid into the booth, and the atmosphere, which had been a quiet scene of three beautiful women waiting, immediately shifted.
"You all look… gorgeous." Makoto looked at Mika, Yuna, and Mafuyu, almost dumbfounded by the sight before his eyes.
Yuna let out a hump, ignoring his compliment. Her eyes narrowed when she gave Ayane a deliberate once-over. "Took you long enough. Did you two get lost or something?"
Mafuyu just offered a warm smile. "We ordered you some water," she said, her voice a calm, soothing presence in the suddenly charged atmosphere.
Ayane, completely unfazed, just grinned widely. "We were busy buying some presents." She slid two shopping bags onto the table. One was a familiar, blocky shape from the video game store. The other was an elegant, innocent-looking box from the jewelry store.
And then she leaned forward, her movement deliberate. Her shirt, a simple, unassuming V-neck, gaped just enough. And there, for a split second, in the soft romantic lighting of the restaurant, they could see it. The faint, unmistakable glint of silver on both sides.
The effect was instantaneous. Yuna's jaw, which had been set in a firm line, went slack. Her eyes widened with shock and a horrified respect. "You… you bitch. You actually did it?"
Mika's serene smile froze on her face. Her eyes, which had been a soft brown-pink, darkened. The mask of calm control shattered for a split second, revealing the seething yandere underneath. She said nothing, but the look on her face was a silent declaration of war.
Mafuyu just gasped, her hand flew to her own chest in shock, and something that looked a lot like envy. Ayane just casually leaned back in her seat and took a deliberate sip of her water, her eyes sparkling.
Makoto looked away and prayed that nobody asked. Not sure what to do, he walked to his seat. "Ahem, let's order something for our anniversary, shall we?" But the four of them just stared at him like a terrifying quartet of goddesses. And he was right in the middle of it.
And then the waiter arrived. "Good evening, are we ready to order?"
"Umm, we will get some sparkling waters and a salad first," Makoto stuttered, and then gave the menu to Yuna. "Why don't you order, then, my main wife?"
Yuna, who had been staring daggers at Ayane, whipped her head around to face him. Her fury melted into a breathtaking blush. The "main wife" comment was a direct hit that completely bypassed her defenses.
"H-Hmph," she stammered, snatching the menu from his hand. "Of course I'll order. It's not like I trust any of you idiots to pick a decent appetizer." But she was preening with a small smug smile on her face that she couldn't quite suppress.
Mika's calm smile returned, but it had teeth now, her eyes now a deep, almost bottomless pink. "Of course, the main wife should always get her way. You're a very considerate husband today, darling."
Ayane just rolled her eyes with unearned superiority. "Let the child have her fun, she's going to need all the help she can get."
Mafuyu just took a calming sip of her water, her eyes darting between the three of them like a spectator at a particularly brutal tennis match.