The restaurant was a small, cozy place, tucked away on a side street. All warm brick, soft lighting, and the delicious smell of garlic and baking bread. It was a world away from the sterile desperation of the hotel. A friendly waiter showed them to a round table in the corner. They all slid into it, a tight, intimate squeeze.
Makoto sat between Mafuyu and Mika, with Yuna and Ayane across from him. "You can order whatever you want," he said, picking up the menu. "It's my treat tonight."
Mafuyu looked at the menu, her eyes wide with excitement and deep uncertainty. It had been a long time since someone had asked her what she wanted. She looked up, her eyes meeting his across the table. "Thank you for everything."
"Don't thank him yet," Yuna grumbled, pointing at him with her menu. "He's going to work us like slaves for the next week." But there was no real heat in her words, only a deep, grudging affection. The war was over, and the victory feast was about to begin.
Makoto flicked Yuna's forehead with a fond smile. "Is that how you treat your sponsor and your older brother? There will be no dessert for you later, Yuna."
"OW!" Yuna yelped, rubbing her forehead with theatrical betrayal. The threat of no dessert, however, was far more serious. Her face contorted in horror.
"You can't do that, big bro!" she shrieked, her voice reaching a pitch of childish panic that turned a few heads at a nearby table. "That's cruel and unusual punishment! That's a violation of the Geneva Convention! I need my tiramisu!"
Ayane just snickered into her menu. "You shouldn't have bitten the hand that feeds you, gremlin."
Makoto turned to Mafuyu with caring eyes and a mischievous glint. "How do you feel, Mafuyu-nee. Was I too rough earlier?"
The shift in his tone, from teasing tyrant to gentle caregiver, was immediate and stark. The chaotic energy at the table softened as his focus narrowed entirely on Mafuyu. She flinched, as if his soft question were a physical touch.
"No." Her voice was raw and intimate, meant only for him. "It was perfect." She looked away, a small, secret smile touching her lips. "It was what I needed. You woke me up."
A deep blush started at her neck and worked its way up to the tips of her ears. She stared down at the menu, her hands trembling slightly in her lap. She traced the elegant script of "Bruschetta al Pomodoro" with a shaky finger.
Then she took a small, shuddering breath. When she finally looked up, her eyes were shining with a complex mix of emotions: lingering arousal, profound gratitude, and shy, dawning confidence.
Makoto leaned in to whisper, a fond smile on his face as he felt his cock recovering just from being next to his childhood crush. "Ahem, I don't mind waking you up every day like that, Mafuyu." He looked at Mika with a mischievous glint. "Ahem, you should order something meaty, too, Mika. You don't have to eat just salad all the time."
Mika didn't even look up from her menu. The smile on her face remained as serene and angelic as ever, but the pressure of her fingernails digging into his arm was a sharp, undeniable point of steel.
"Oh, you don't have to worry about me." Her voice was soft and sweet with terrifying poison underneath. "I always get exactly what I want." She finally turned to look at him.
Mika leaned in, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, a direct parody of his own. "And right now, what I want is the squid ink risotto. It turns your mouth black, very dramatic." She released his arm, leaving four perfect little crescent moons in his skin.
Mafuyu, caught in the crossfire of Makoto's whispered lewdness and Mika's subtle power play, turned a shade of crimson so deep it was almost purple. She dropped her menu onto the table with a soft clatter, her hands flying up to cover her face.
"For fuck's sake, can you two stop with the foreplay?" Yuna groaned, slamming her own menu down. "Some of us are trying to order food before we die of starvation. I swear, it's like sitting at a table with a bunch of rabbits in heat."
Ayane just leaned back, a slow, predatory grin spreading across her face. She took a long sip of her water, her eyes crinkling in amusement as she watched the drama unfold. "I don't know. I think the appetizers are fantastic."
She winked at Makoto. "Keep cooking, chef. This is way better than the breadsticks."
===
They managed to order three mains, two appetizers, and some wine glasses to share.
Makoto cleared his throat. "Oh, not for you, Ayane. You can only have mocktails or non-alcoholic drinks. I don't want your impromptu karaoke show tonight."
"What?!" Ayane's jaw dropped. She pointed her black-manicured finger at him. "You're cutting me off before I've even started? That's discrimination! I'm a responsible adult!"
"You're a menace," Yuna snorted, not even looking up from the bread basket she was currently monopolizing. "Last time you had two glasses of wine, you literally tried to fight a pigeon. And you lost."
Mika just giggled, a soft, musical sound. "He's just being a good, responsible boyfriend. He's looking out for you." She gave his arm a gentle squeeze.
Ayane scoffed, dramatic and long-suffering. She leaned back in her chair. "Fine. I'll have a Shirley Temple. But if I don't get at least one cherry, I'm singing anyway."
Mafuyu, who had been quietly observing this exchange with awe and disbelief, let out a small giggle. It was a fragile sound, like the chiming of a tiny bell. The other three girls all turned to look at her with silent, surprised admiration.
And Mafuyu, for the first time all night, didn't flinch. She just smiled, a small, tentative smile. "I think I'd like to hear her sing."
Makoto giggled. "Hmm, then we can go for karaoke afterwards." He looked at them, his eyes sparkling.
"Karaoke?!" Ayane's eyes lit up with manic glee. She slammed her hands on the table. "Yes! Finally! My debut performance! I'm doing the entire Macross Frontier soundtrack. Prepare to be emotionally devastated."
He ignored the over-energetic Ayane and continued, "They're a bit weird and chaotic, but they're all kind, Mafuyu-nee."
Yuna let out a groan that seemed to come from the very depths of her soul. "Kind? Who are you calling kind, you fat pig? We're monsters. We literally tied up a guy and filmed you fucking his girlfriend. That's not 'kind,' that's Tuesday." Despite her words, she was trying very hard to hide a small, pleased smile behind her water glass.
"He just means that we have a strong and particular moral code," Mika said. She patted his hand, her expression filled with sweet devotion, it was almost terrifying.
Mafuyu looked around the table, from Ayane's dramatic posing, to Yuna's fierce denial, to Mika's serene, possessive smile. She looked at him, the calm, smiling center of this chaotic storm. Her expression was one of pure wonder. "Yes. They are kind, indeed."