Yuna and Ayane were waiting with Mafuyu by the door as Makoto and Mika approached the still-bound Tatsuya. The air in the hotel room carried the afterglow of vengeance, a strange mix of righteous fury and carnal satisfaction.
"You'd better not come near Mafuyu or touch her again." Makoto's voice dropped low, dangerous. A final warning to the broken man. "Otherwise..." He gave Mika a pointed look. "It would be better if you told him the consequences yourself, Mika."
Mika's gentle smile never wavered. It was beautiful and terrifying in equal measure. She knelt in front of the pathetic man in the chair, moving with fluid grace. So close that their knees almost touched.
Tatsuya flinched, a small whimper escaping his lips around the buzzing vibrator.
"Consequences?" Mika repeated softly. She reached out and, with an almost tender motion, plucked a piece of lint from his expensive silk robe. "Oh, I don't think he'll be a problem anymore."
Her gaze fixed on him with a look of absolute, terrifying pity. She leaned in, her breath warm against his ear.
"Ayane-chan got some wonderful HD footage." She pulled back, her smile widening. "And Yuna-chan was kind enough to give me your mother's phone number and your sister's Instagram handle. And the email for your company's HR department, too." Her eyes, which had been so soft and gentle, turned hard and cold.
"So, if you ever so much as think of approaching Mafuyu-san's again..." Her voice became a whisper, soft but final. "I will make sure that every single person you have ever known, and every person you will ever meet, sees exactly what kind of small, pathetic, helpless little man you really are."
She stood, smoothing down her skirt with deliberate care. "But I'm sure that won't be necessary." She turned and, without a second glance, walked toward the door. Her hand found Makoto as she passed. "Shall we go, darling? I'm feeling a little hungry."
They left the shady love hotel, the five of them, and breathed in the fresh night air. The city lights seemed brighter, the sounds of distant traffic a comforting, normal hum.
Mafuyu squeezed his hand, a small, convulsive gesture. The wild, triumphant creature from the hotel room was gone, replaced by a woman who looked fragile and exhausted, but more beautiful than he had ever seen her.
Tears streamed down her face, but for the first time, they weren't tears of fear or sadness. Just tears of pure relief.
"Well, we're done, I guess." Makoto chuckled as he looked at the girls. "I think that now you owe us some dinners, Mafuyu-nee."
She looked at his teasing smile, then at the three fierce, beautiful girls standing with him. A watery, wobbly smile broke through the tears. "Okay." Her voice was raw, broken, and impossibly happy. "I'll cook for you. Anything you want."
"I want Hamburg steak!" Yuna immediately declared, her voice loud and demanding. The murderous rage had been replaced by a familiar, hangry glint in her eyes. "And tamagoyaki. A lot of it." She looked at Mafuyu, and for a moment, her hard expression softened. "And maybe that miso soup you used to make."
Ayane stretched, a long, languid motion like a cat who had just finished a satisfying meal. "I'm not picky. As long as there's beer." She winked at Mafuyu. "You've earned it tonight, girl. We all did."
Mika just smiled, her arm looped possessively through Makoto's. "Anything you make will be wonderful, Mafuyu-san." She gave him a gentle squeeze. "We've worked up quite an appetite."
She looked at Mafuyu, her eyes shining with something almost welcoming. "Welcome to the family."
Makoto shrugged and sighed as they walked home, a fond smile on his face. "Yeah, having another hand to help with the cooking and the sewing would help, Mafuyu-nee. We're really tight on the deadline here."
He looked at them, his eyes sparkling. "Only one week left to complete the costumes before we prepare the merch."
Mafuyu's laughter was soft, watery, and incredibly beautiful. It was the sound of a spring thaw after a long, brutal winter. "Sewing?" She sounded a little breathless, a little incredulous.
"I haven't sewn anything in years. Not since Tatsuya said that it was a waste of time." The name, which just a few hours ago had held so much power, was now just a word, a memory, or maybe a ghost.
"But I used to love it." Her voice dropped to a raw whisper, filled with nostalgia and newfound hope. "I used to make all of Yuna-chan's kindergarten costumes." She looked at Yuna with a small, tentative smile.
Yuna scoffed, sharp and derisive, but she wasn't looking at Mafuyu. She stared at her own feet, a deep blush spreading across her face. "They were okay. The pumpkin costume was a little clumsy."
Ayane threw her head back and laughed. "A natural talent! Perfect! You can help me with Mitsuri's ridiculously complicated haori gradient. I'm about to lose my mind."
Mika, ever the strategist, was already planning. "With another set of hands, we can finish the costumes in five days. That will give us two full days for the photoshoot, and then a week for printing and production."
She winked at Makoto. "And it will give you plenty of time to get your Muzan costume modified, darling."
Makoto just groped Mafuyu's ass, a teasing and possessive gesture. "If you speak of his name again, I will spank you, Mafuyu."
She let out a sharp, surprised squeak as his hand closed over her ass. A deep blush exploded across her face, but she didn't pull away. Instead, a small, almost inaudible giggle escaped her lips. "Okay." Her voice was raw and broken. "I won't."
Then he turned to the girls. "All that fucking earlier has made me hungry, though. Let's get a fancy dinner as a celebration. Any ideas, everyone?"
"Fancy dinner?" Yuna's eyes lit up, her previous embarrassment forgotten. "Yakiniku! All-you-can-eat Wagyu! And I'm not sharing the kalbi with anyone!"
Ayane just groaned, dramatic and long-suffering. "No more Japanese food. We had that last night. I want a big, greasy, American-style cheeseburger. The kind with a heart attack on the side."
"I think we should let Mafuyu-san decide." Mika looked at Mafuyu, her eyes shining. "It's a special occasion, after all. A celebration of her freedom."
All eyes turned to Mafuyu. She looked from Yuna's demanding, almost feral glare to Ayane's lazy smirk, to Mika's serene smile. She looked at Makoto, his hand still a warm, possessive weight on her ass.
And for the first time in a very long time, she looked happy.
"I..." Her voice was low and hesitant. "I've always wanted to try that new Italian place." She looked up with a tentative smile. "Is that okay?"
"Of course. Let's try it, Mafuyu-nee. We'll need the energy for the tiring work later." Makoto nodded. The decision was made. The small, chaotic group turned as a unit, moving through the city night. They followed her direction to the restaurant with a fond smile.
Mafuyu walked beside him, his hand still firmly on her ass, a silent, public declaration. She was a beautiful shade of crimson, but she walked with her head held high. On his other side, Mika's arm was looped through his, a possessive anchor. Yuna and Ayane walked just ahead, their argument a familiar, almost comforting background noise.
"Italian food is just fancy bread," Yuna grumbled, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Yakiniku has protein. It's better for our cosplay muscles."
"Oh, shut up." Ayane rolled her eyes. "You just wanted to set something on fire." She slung an arm around Yuna's shoulders. "Besides, pasta is perfect for carbs. For all the 'tiring work' we have to do later." She winked over her shoulder, first at Makoto, then at the blushing Mafuyu.