Taboo Tattoo (タブー・タトゥー)

A tattoo?

Who are you?!

There's nothing under the bed.

Is this how you write "meat"?

Oh, you're awake?

Whoa! What are you doing in my room?!

And you, you can't just rummage through my desk!

Isn't looking for porno in a boy's room

Glint

part of being a Japanese gentleman?

And aren't you supposed to write "meat" on sleeping people's foreheads?

Right, Tom?

Crease

That's not "meat," it's "crease." That's hard to write. She even added ruby text!

I don't get you.

Surprise Attack

That's right...

I was about to be killed by that bear guy.

If your tattoo hadn't activated,

you may well have died.

My tattoo...

So, Seigi-kun...

What? You're getting awfully friendly.

I'll get right to the point.

I want you to join us.

What?

We're with the US Army.

Our mission is to retrieve the tattoos that were taken from the country

by a certain researcher.

Yours counts as one we need to retrieve.

The army? You guys?

But unfortunately for us,

once a tattoo is affixed to someone, it takes root in the body

and can't be easily removed.

If you refuse to assist us,

we'll have to take one of your arms, at the least.

At the least, mind you.

H-Hey, hang on a second!

Your tattoo creates a nothingness that swallows space,

or in other words, a void,

which is why it's called "Void Maker."

And it's quite unstable, at that.

Failure to control it

has the potential to result in the user's death.

Death?

But with our support, that can be prevented.

We'll even make sure it hinders your current lifestyle as little as possible.

Or would you rather

be devoured by Void Maker and die?

Cut the crap!

I've heard enough!

You're basically saying it's you guys' fault, right?!

Yet instead of apologizing, you tell me to join you!

Stop making this all about you!

You're just a kid, anyway! Who do you think y—

If I may remind you, you're the one who wanted the power.

And you ended up getting it.

You can't get what you want without just compensation.

Just look what happened to me.

I'm in a child's body forever.

I'll give you time to think about it.

Let's meet again soon.

Goodnight.

I look forward to a favorable response.

What the hell is this?

I transferred here from Los Angeles. I'm Bluesy Fruesy.

You can call me Izzy.

That girl...

Wh-Why?!

She's hot...

She's cute!

Seigi-kun!

Everyone be nice to her.

If you're not, I'll get you. That is all.

Nice to meet you, Izzy-san!

What are your measurements?

What celebrity do you most want to he held by?

Your Japanese is so good! Where'd you learn it?

Your hair's so pretty! Is the color natural?

Izzy-san, do you know Akatsuka-kun? What's your relationship?

Well...

Let's just say it's not your normal relationship.

Whoa, hey...

Hold it!

As Seigi's guardian, I cannot allow that remark to slide!

You're the girl who was stalking Seigi, aren't you?

What is it that you want?

Y-You've got it all wrong! This is not funny, seriously!

Protagonist-type guys like you are supposed to swim in the sea, right?!

So off you go!

You're Ichinose Touko, right?

Akatsuka-kun's childhood friend.

How do you know that?

Are you jealous? How cute.

I like that kind of thing.

I-It's not like that.

That chest is unbelievable.

She's developed way too much.

S-Stop... Stop it...

My chest... I...

Whoa, something very sexual is going on!

Please, stop...

Stare

Time to start class. Please take your seats.

What's wrong with all you boys?

Guess I went too far...

Wow! A Japanese specialty, the geisha Fujiyama wall slam!

Shut up! What the hell are you thinking, transferring into my class?!

Being close to you will make things more convenient, won't it?

Well, I had intended to ask you this elsewhere on a later date,

but now works just as well.

What's your answer?

You said that your body is the compensation for your power, right?

The lieutenant is older than me.

Her body stopped growing

when the tattoo was affixed to her.

Her actual age is—

Just like with drugs,

there are side effects if your constitution isn't compatible.

Mine was a rare case, though.

I-It is not as though

we know everything about tattoos, either.

Y-You're really toughing it out...

You see, tattoos are ancient relics

that modern humans are not capable of creating.

Ancient relics?

I'm suggesting this for your benefit.

Not that you have the luxury of choice...

Does getting involved with the army mean

I'll have to do anything dangerous or dirty?

I won't deny it.

If power is justice,

then I want to get stronger.

From the moment I decided to follow in my dad's footsteps,

I was prepared for danger.

Just tell me one thing.

Why are you guys in the army?

To prevent war from breaking out.

We're maintaining a precarious balance at the moment,

but there is deep-seated tension between America and the Kingdom.

And the Kingdom's knowledge and technology

regarding tattoos far exceeds America's.

If they were to use tattoos as weapons of mass destruction...

Fine. I'll join you.

This sounds shady as hell,

but you sound honest about wanting to prevent a war.

But if I ever think what you guys are doing is wrong,

I'll stop you with all I've got.

That's my condition.

That's fine.

Then allow me to formally introduce myself.

I'm Lieutenant Bluesy Fruesy of the US Army.

I'm Sergeant Tom Shredfield.

Welcome to Team Blue Moon.

Thanks.

Whoops, sounds like lunch break's over.

We'll continue this here.

Oh, right. Just be careful around blood.

When you were fighting yesterday, I figured out your tattoo's trigger.

It's blood.

Blood?

It wouldn't have been surprising if

you'd been swallowed by the void then.

He's so naïve.

You persuaded him well.

For now, it's enough to make him see the pros and cons without making him anxious.

Telling the truth is not always the right thing to do.