Ayane raised an eyebrow, a predatory grin spreading across her face. "Are you going to sign your name there, Makoto?" she purred dangerously. "That's a cute idea. But I was thinking about something a little more permanent." She leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Like a tattoo."
Makoto just smirked slowly and stole a piece of well-done pork belly from Ayane's bowl.
"Hey! You thief!" Ayane yelped as he snatched the pork belly, but there was no real heat in it. This was their familiar, playful dance.
He looked at her with wicked eyes. "If you want a tattoo, maybe you should tattoo my name on your collarbone or on your boobs. Just like Saki from Metamorphosis." He paused, grinning challengingly. "I know how the other guys in our class peek at your cleavage."
Ayane's smile faded, replaced by a look of raw hunger. Her eyes, which had been sparkling with amusement, darkened with serious intensity. "A tattoo on my collarbone or my boobs, isn't it?" she repeated in a low, throaty purr that vibrated through the quiet room.
She leaned forward, her impressive bust pressing against the edge of the table. "Are you serious?"
She didn't even wait for an answer. "Sure, I will get that," she breathed, her voice breaking with need. "Right here!" She traced a line with her finger from the hollow of her throat down between her breasts.
"Right over my heart. Your name, in your handwriting." She looked him dead in the eyes, a blazing challenge in her gaze. "And I'll get it tomorrow."
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Yuna erupted from his lap like a small volcano. "No tattoos! Tattoos are for delinquents and yakuza! And... and sluts!"
She glared at Ayane, pure jealousy written across her face. "A bite mark is temporary! But a tattoo is forever! You can't just go around branding yourself!" She turned on Makoto, her small fists pounding his chest. "And you! Stop giving her ideas, you fat, stupid, easily seduced idiot!"
Makoto snorted playfully, a knowing glint in his eye. He played with Yuna's hair fondly. "Don't worry. She's just acting tough." He looked at Ayane with teasing eyes. "She's the one who cries from a prickle or a vaccine. She'll cry and run away the second the tattoo needle touches her skin."
Ayane's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. "Is that a challenge?" she growled. She pushed away from the table, her chair scraping loudly against the floor. "Fine," she snarled, her eyes glinting triumphantly. "So you think I'm a coward? You think I'm all talk?"
She reached into her purse and pulled out a small pin. That was a Loid Forger enamel pin[1] from Spy X Family. The one Makoto had won from a gachapon and gave her. She always kept it close.
With a sharp motion, she unlatched it. The point glinted under the fluorescent lights. "Let's test that, shall we?" she said, sweetly but dangerously. She held the pin up, pure madness on her face.
Then she brought the pin near the soft lobe of her ear.
"What is she doing?!" Yuna thought in horror. "She's actually going to pierce herself right here at the dinner table?"
Makoto screamed pathetically and almost dropped his chopsticks. "Stop, Ayane!" His voice cracked slightly with panic. "Okay, I believe you! Is that fine?"
Ayane froze with the pin hovering a millimeter from her earlobe. A slow, devastating smile spread across her face. "Oh, so you believe me now?" she purred with amusement. She calmly refastened the pin and dropped it back in her purse. "Good."
Yuna had been watching with horror. She let out a small, relieved whimper. "That crazy woman was actually going to do it," she thought, both impressed and terrified.
Mika just took a calm sip of her water. "That was very dramatic," she observed softly. "And very effective."
"Give me a pen or something. I can sign my name there instead." Makoto sighed, leaning back into his chair.
Ayane sauntered back to the table with a victorious glint in her eyes. "A pen?" she said as she pulled a permanent marker from her purse. It's a thick, black Sharpie. She uncapped it with a loud click. The smell of chemical ink filled the air. "Here," she said, handing it to him. "Make it pretty."
She leaned forward and pulled down her shirt collar to expose the smooth, pale expanse of her collarbone. Tilting her head back, her eyes fluttered shut in a gesture of complete submission. "Press hard, Makoto. I want to feel it."
Makoto took the pen and gently wrote his name on the spot just below her collarbone and above her breasts. Ayane shivered as the cool tip of the marker moved across her skin. The sensation was strangely intimate, like a chemical brand being applied. A satisfied smile touched her lips, but she kept her eyes closed.
"Here. It's done." Makoto capped the marker with a sigh. "And you're not allowed to hurt yourself. Not now, not later. Geez! You're supposed to be the most normal one in this mess, Ayane." he flopped back in his chair.
"Normal?" she murmured happily. "Honey, the moment I decided to go after a guy who's already sleeping with his stepsister and her best friend, 'normal' left the building."
She finally opened her eyes, and they were sparkling. "But thank you, Makoto," she whispered, her fingers tracing the fresh black ink of his name reverently. "I love it."
"He actually did it," she thought with satisfaction. "Now everyone will know I'm his."
Makoto groaned, "You all should feed me. Managing a harem shouldn't be this exhausting."
Yuna scoffed, but she was already picking up beef with her chopsticks. "Exhausting?" she muttered possessively. "Try being the one who has to compete for attention twenty-four-seven." She shoved the wagyu beef into his mouth with too much force. "Now chew, you lazy pig."
Meanwhile, Mika offered him her gentle smile. She carefully arranged a piece of mushroom, a slice of carrot, and perfectly cooked tofu on a spoon. "Here, darling, say ahhh," she said soothingly as she held the spoon to his lips. "You need to keep your strength up."
Her gaze flickered between Yuna's possessive glare and Ayane's triumphant smirk. "It looks like you're going to be very, very busy tonight."
[1] Yes, if you remember, this is the same pin back then in chapter 89.