The room was a chaotic mess. The air was thick with the smell of sex and sweat and cheap, fruity perfume. The floor was a battlefield of discarded clothes.
Makoto lay down and collapsed next to Ayane and Mafuyu. "Come here too, Yuna, Mika. Are we still going to work on those cosplays next?" He called out.
Yuna let out a sound between a huff and a sigh. "Of course we are, you fat, lazy pig!" she muttered, but she was already crawling over the tangle of limbs. Her movements were clumsy and shaky.
She wedged herself into the small space on his other side, her body warm and familiar against him. Her body smelled of sweat and strawberries. "And yes, we're still working on the cosplay," she added. "We were supposed to work on them tonight, after the first round of Smash Bro."
Mika followed, her calm presence in the midst of the chaos. She didn't wedge herself in, just flowed like a cool, calming presence that filled all the empty spaces. She draped an arm over Makoto's chest, her head resting on Yuna's shoulder. "I think," she said softly. "That we could all use a little break first."
Ayane just groaned. She was a dead weight, a warm puddle of satisfaction. "Ten more minutes," she mumbled, her voice muffled against Mafuyu's shoulder. "Or a week. Whatever!" And Mafuyu was silent. Her eyes were half-open, but she wasn't seeing anything. She just allowed the drowsiness to lure her into sleep.
===
The dead of night pressed down on the house like a heavy blanket. The only sound was the soft breathing of tangled bodies on the living room futon.
Mafuyu surfaced from a deep sleep, a simple need pulling her from the warmth of their chaotic nest. She carefully freed herself from the tangle of limbs. Ayane was still a dead weight, one arm thrown across her chest. Yuna was now curled against Makoto's back.
Mafuyu moved silently, her bare feet making no sound on the floor.
The bathroom was cool and dark. As she sat on the toilet, the events of the day came crashing back: The Smash Bros. game, the stripping, and the way she had volunteered to join their perverted final game.
The taste of his cum still lingered in her mouth, and so is the feel of him inside of her. She remembered how she had let Ayane press her breasts against hers, and how much she had liked it.
A deep blush bloomed in the darkness, a wave of heat that had nothing to do with the temperature. She had been a different person, a shameless woman, like she was back then in the hotel.
She washed her hands, her reflection pale and ghostly in the dark mirror. And then, she started to cry again. They were tears of release, tears of happiness.
Mafuyu tiptoed back towards the living room, but thirst led her to the kitchen instead. She stood by the sink, the cool glass of water a comfort in her trembling hands, and she looked out the window at the dark city.
The happiness was still there, a warm ember in her chest. But a new tendril of fear was beginning to snake around it. Tomorrow, she had to go back to collect her stuff. Back to Tatsuya's apartment. Back to her cage.
"Makoto will be there", a small part of her brain whispered. "He'll protect you."
But the other part, the part that had been conditioned by a year of fear and control, just screamed. "What if he can't? What if I'm not strong enough?"
"You're awake too?"
The voice cut through the darkness like ice. Mafuyu jumped, the glass slipping from her hand and shattering on the tiled floor with a loud crash.
"Oh, dear," Mika's voice said from the darkness. "Now look what you've done."
A light flicked on, its harsh fluorescent glare made Mafuyu squint.
Mika was standing in the doorway, a calm smile on her face. She was wearing one of Makoto's old, oversized hoodies. The fabric hung down to her bare thighs.
She ignored the shattered glass and looked at Mafuyu's face. "You're scared," Mika said. It wasn't a question.
Mika didn't move. She just stood there, silent and watchful in the doorway. The shattered glass was a mess at Mafuyu's feet. "I... I'm sorry," Mafuyu whispered. "I'll... I'll clean it up." She bent down, her hands trembling, and began to pick up the larger shards.
"Don't," Mika's voice was soft but firm. "You'll cut yourself." She glided into the kitchen to retrieve a broom and a dustpan from a nearby closet. Then she began to sweep up the glass, the soft scrape of the bristles against the tile the only sound in the room.
"You're scared of him," Mika said, "and of tomorrow." She didn't look at Mafuyu. She just focused on her task. "You're afraid that he'll get in your head. That he'll convince you to stay." She swept the last of the glass into the dustpan with a final motion. "And you're afraid that you'll listen."
Mafuyu just stared at her, her mouth slightly open. Mika had just laid her entire soul bare in a few sentences. "...How did you know?" Mafuyu whispered.
Mika just smiled, a sad, knowing smile. "Because I'm a manipulative, heartless bitch," she said softly. "And it takes one to know one." She leaned the broom against the counter and turned to face Mafuyu.
Her eyes, in the harsh light of the kitchen, were clear and honest. Devoid of their usual teasing glint. "We're not so different, you and I," Mika said quietly. "We both crave attention and validation, we just use different methods: I use my cute face, my good-girl appearance. And you... you use a pillow to smother them with kindness until they can't breathe."
She took a step closer. "But we both want the same thing, Mafuyu. We want to be loved, but we're terrified that we don't deserve it."
Mafuyu's eyes widened. The quiet analysis was a strange form of empathy. It wasn't comforting. But it was true. "...This is... crazy," Mafuyu whispered. "This whole... this whole family. You're all... you're all insane."
Mika just laughed, a soft sound that echoed in the quiet kitchen. "Yes," she said, her voice content. "We are." She took a step closer, her hand coming up to gently touch Mafuyu's cheek. "But we're in this together."
She looked at Mafuyu, her eyes shining with a strange, welcoming light. "And now, you are, too."
Mafuyu just stood there, frozen. "...I don't know how to be like you," she whispered. "I'm not strong enough, or crazy enough."
Mika's smile softened. "You don't have to be like me," she said gently. "You just have to be yourself, you're crazy enough, trust me." She took a step back. "But you have to make your choice. Makoto can't save you, we can't save you either."
She looked at Mafuyu, her eyes wide with concern. "Only you can save yourself." She turned, graceful and fluid. "And tomorrow," she said. "You will."
"Come back and become my ally. Yuna needs someone to hold her in check!" Mika's voice turned low and final as she walked out of the kitchen, a silent predator in the darkness. Going back to bed, back to Makoto, leaving Mafuyu alone with her own thoughts.