"I'm here. Booth B-13."
Yuno Gasai set her phone down.
She flipped it screen-side up, poured herself a glass of champagne, and left it untouched.
Chin in hand, she watched the dance floor where men and women ground against each other.
A few minutes later, her appointment arrived.
A flashy, scantily clad woman sauntered out of the crowd, leading a young Boy by the hand.
She scanned the room, then waved her phone—her slim, color-tattooed arm on full display.
Dragging her prey, she dropped onto the sofa, helped herself to a glass of liquor, gulped it, and fed it to the Boy in a messy kiss.
The shy Boy wiped his mouth.
"Hey, you Yono?"
After teasing her tasty catch, the flamboyant woman leaned to Yuno's ear to shout.
Her free hand kept stroking the Boy's body.
Yuno nodded and showed her chat-app nickname, mask still covering her face.
"What, some rich young lady? You're in a club—loosen up, quit the fake modesty…"
The barely dressed girl pouted, showing her inked arm.
"You want tats like this? Old-school, new-school, realism?"
The jargon marked her as a pro tattooist.
"Exactly the image I sent," Yuno whispered. "Full, no mistakes, no missing parts."
"No mistakes, no missing parts,"
Yuno stressed.
The artist shrugged, pinching the Boy's pec. "My studio's next door—now?"
Yuno agreed, then gestured at the buckets of booze on the table. "These… are for you."
Hmm?
The tattooist turned to the sea of bottles.
Party poppers half her height flanked the display.
Grinning, she waved over the manager and had every pricey bottle logged—under her name, not Fujimoto Matsu's.
Stored with her, she could enjoy them; left with her boyfriend, some bitch would drain them dry.
"Better not bring this… guy. Where I want inked is private."
Yuno negotiated, but the young tattooist wouldn't release her fresh catch.
She raised a brow. "I've got a private room—relax."
"Maybe I shouldn't... I'm a little scared..."
Yuno Gasai spoke timidly, her voice so faint it seemed as if it might vanish into the crowded, surging dance floor if one weren't paying attention.
She looked every bit the sheltered young lady.
The tattoo artist cursed under her breath in dissatisfaction, listening to the intense music as she picked up her glass and took large gulps of her drink.
She leaned into the arms of the Boy beside her; the two of them confirmed their contact information on their phones, seemingly making plans to meet up later.
"Then I'll head out first."
The Boy bid farewell to the young tattoo artist in a shy, low voice. This Boy, currently in college, had no resistance against a female tattoo artist who had already entered society.
"See you in a bit, my Boy."
After saying that, the two of them lingered in a reluctant, intimate embrace right in front of Yuno Gasai for quite a while, until the music overhead changed—only then did she turn around and shoot Yuno Gasai an annoyed glare.
A rich young lady, right?
She must be, right?
Delicate, demanding, troublesome, and picky... Sigh, if I'd known she was this type... Maki looked glum, swirling an ice cube on her tongue... Forget it. She's paying far too much.
Yuno Gasai sat in the corner, quietly watching all of this.
The two of them waited for a while until the female tattoo artist's boyfriend returned.
He carried a bottle of beer, his shirt flamboyantly unbuttoned at the chest, swaying as he walked as if he had drunk too much.
"Hey, Maki, who's this?"
Fujimoto Matsu greeted his girlfriend with a smirk. Seeing Yuno Gasai, his eyes flickered: "Hi~ I'm Fujimoto Matsu."
His flamboyant behavior practically had 'I'm not a good person' written all over his face.
Yuno Gasai gave a timid greeting.
Maki pulled her boyfriend over, and the two began whispering to each other... During their conversation, Fujimoto Matsu seemed to mention something, his eyes drifting straight toward Yuno Gasai, whispering to his girlfriend while staring.
Time moved forward slowly, and the intensity of the music made the crowd even more restless.
Yuno Gasai sat there quietly, legs crossed, her eyes unfocused as she gazed at the boiling desires on the dance floor.
"Hey!"
A soft call came by her ear.
At some point, Maki, having finished talking with her boyfriend, quietly sat down next to Yuno Gasai—
Taking advantage of the girl's inattention, she suddenly yanked off her mask!
It was an incredibly rude gesture.
The strap snapped open with a 'pop,' and the girl's stunning face was exposed, startled, under the flashing lights.
Along with the heart-pounding beat, the ice and snow seemed to melt.
Yuno Gasai turned her head and looked at Maki.
"Hey, it was just a joke. Hahaha!"
Maki twirled the mask on her index finger, looking nonchalant as she turned back to look at Fujimoto Matsu—
The latter smiled slyly and made a gesture to Maki.
Yuno Gasai looked confused.
"Let's go, let's go. I'll take you to my studio."
"By the way, this is my boyfriend. It's fine if he comes, right? Or are you saying I can't even bring my own boyfriend back with me?"
Fujimoto Matsu watched her with a half-smile from the side. "I say, Miss, don't you have a bit too many demands?"
After hesitating for a moment, Yuno Gasai finally nodded.
Seeing this, Maki directly reached out and grabbed Yuno Gasai's hand, pulling the girl up without another word and leading her out of the nightclub.
Fujimoto Matsu chuckled with a smirk, adjusted his belt, and stood up to follow them.
Huh?
"What's this?"
Fujimoto Matsu bent down and pulled a... notebook from the gap in the sofa?
A notebook?
The girl, realizing her notebook was missing, jogged back and snatched it from Fujimoto Matsu's hand. With her head down, she shyly thanked him before scurrying back to catch up with Maki.
Fujimoto Matsu shrugged and followed.
Suddenly, a hurried sound of footsteps came from behind the three of them.
"Excuse me, Miss, are you leaving?"
The manager, who had been watching for a long time, arrived late.
Since it was the weekend, there were far too many things to handle. He had only happened to look back and notice that this young lady was about to leave with strangers.
Is she really being this reckless?
He hurried down the stairs and intercepted Yuno Gasai at the entrance.
Seeing the girl's face fully revealed, even the well-traveled manager was momentarily stunned.
She was truly beautiful.
"Hello, is something the matter? I've already paid for the drinks." Yuno Gasai bowed politely as before.
"No... I wanted to say, that..." The manager looked at Maki and the ill-tempered Fujimoto Matsu, swallowing hard.
Yuno Gasai understood, taking a few steps to the side imperceptibly to distance herself from the couple.
Finding an opening, the manager whispered a warning to the girl: "Miss, you should take a taxi and go straight home. You don't know those two strangers, do you?"
Yuno Gasai replied honestly, "I just met them."
The manager said with some concern, "If I may be so bold, you shouldn't go off to other places with two strangers so easily..."
"Hey, that's enough. What are you chatting about? We have business."
Fujimoto Matsu shouted impatiently toward them, leaving the manager helpless.
In truth, some things weren't his business, but a prick of conscience and a desire to avoid trouble had prompted him to chase after her and offer advice.
But whether it would have any effect—
Looking at the innocent-faced pink-haired girl before him, he sighed.
She was likely doomed.
After all, this tactic of using a woman to approach another woman and then presenting her to a man was an all-too-common trick.
"Well then, we'll be leaving. Thank you for your hospitality today."
Before getting into the taxi, Yuno Gasai very politely expressed her thanks to the manager—while behind her, Fujimoto Matsu gave the manager an extremely displeased glare, as if telling him to mind his own business.
The taxi slowly pulled away, driving into the night and gradually disappearing onto the neon-lit streets.
Leaving the manager alone at the entrance, sighing.
Inside the nightclub behind him, the frenzy continued.
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