February 13th, night.

As Sumire changed into her nightwear, a black tank top and pajama shorts, she neatly untied her ribbon and folded it alongside her school uniform. She pulled up her phone and set an alarm for two hours before she normally woke up. If the chocolates were freshly baked the day of, it'd blow Ren away! She thought. He seemed overjoyed by the fact that he finally got to cuddle with her again earlier. She felt the same way, but wanted to do even more. Over the course of the past week, she had meticulously planned around surprising Ren on Valentines Day. She didn't know for certain if Ren would be free by then, but she kept her faith, knowing he had garnered the support of many people.

Over the course of the past 10 days, Sumire and the other Phantom Thieves traveled together, informing Ren's acquaintances of his status. She remembers meeting a blonde fortune teller, an intimidating, yet friendly looking gun shop owner, an old politician who was very kind, a punk doctor, and a reporter, who specifically vowed to find the original victim from his assault case. Futaba mentioned a kid with a "Get Smoked" hat, and Yusuke had mentioned a Shoji Player. Sumire couldn't help but wonder how Ren spent his free time. While she reminisced about the past few days, she looked over at the dress she had bought for herself and the gift she had bought for Ren. The night before, Sumire asked Ann for help in purchasing a gift and finding a good outfit.

February 12th (past)

Hello, Ann-senpai? Are you available right now?

Hi Sumire! I'm hanging out in the Shibuya underground mall right now. What's up?

I see. I, um… I wanted to surprise Ren-senpai if he is able to come back by Valentines Day. I have a strong feeling that he'll be freed by then.

Oh…! Sure thing! You just got out of practice, right? Meet me here and I'll make you look like a model!

Thank you, Ann-senpai!

Sumire made her way to the underground mall and found Ann.

"Hello again, Ann-senpai!"

"Hi Sumire. So, what are you looking to surprise him with?"

"Well… I wanted to find a gift for him, and I wanted to find a new dress to surprise him with."

"A gift? Wouldn't the chocolates be enough?"

"Normally, I'd think so, but…" She pointed to her heart ring. "I wanted to do something more."

Ann nodded, beaming a smile. "Okay then! Let's get you some clothes!"

Ann and Sumire headed into a clothing store that was familiar to Sumire. It was where she decided that she wanted to see Ren's reaction to her trying new outfits.

"Have you been here before, Sumire?"

"Oh, um, yes. I picked out a blue dress that Ren-senpai loved."

"Ohhhh?" Ann's curiosity peaked. "What did he say when he saw you?"

"He said 'I'm in love.'"

Ann looked at her in surprise. "He confessed right there?"

Sumire frowned. "Um… he did, but I misinterpreted it and thought he was talking about the dress… I must have disappointed him."

Ann placed a hand on Sumire's shoulder. "But you confessed to him after, right? Ren would have waited until the end of time for you. Don't sweat it!"

"Thank you, Ann-senpai… um… before I bought that dress, I actually was looking at that." Sumire pointed to the leopard print shirt with the decal "TORA" written across it. Ann's jaw dropped, her eyes-widened.

"Oh… um… that's… an interesting choice." She shook her head and put on her smile. "Let's look for something like the blue dress you picked out!"

Sumire nodded, deciding to leave it to the expert. After trying on a few outfits, Ann's eyes sparkled. "This is it! You look cute and attractive all at once!"

Sumire looked in the mirror and saw herself wearing a long red dress that cut off at her thighs along with a long-sleeved black jacket that cut off at her navel, and black tights with a pair of black heels. The outfit perfectly contrasted with her black-framed glasses and loose, crimson hair.

"Wow! This is amazing, Ann-senpai! Thank you so much!"

"It's no problem! You look so cute! He's gonna be blown away! Just stay warm and don't show off too much!"

Sumire beamed a smile at Ann. "Right!" After, she changed again and purchased the outfit, meeting with Ann outside the store.

"Now as for a gift… oh, I know!" Ann excitedly led Sumire by the arm to a jewelry shop. Within a minute, Ann had spoken to the shopkeeper, cut a deal, and acquired a silver bangle encrusted with heart shapes.

"Wow… Ann-senpai, you're incredible!"

"Not really, but thank you! He'll love this, I guarantee it."

"How can you tell?"

"Sumire," Ann took her hand, "He'll love anything you give him, because you're the one giving him something. This silver bangle will just give you your bang for your buck. Don't worry."

Sumire wanted to cry. Ann was so warm, welcoming, and caring.

"Thank you… Ann-senpai. How much is it?"

"Don't worry about that. My only price is that you show off to him in that dress, and tell me how he reacts to it, and to when you give him the gift!"

Sumire nodded excitedly.
"Got it! Thank you so much!"

The two exited the store and went home.

Sumire calmly looked at the bangle, and silently thanked Ann again. She had a plan, she thought to herself. It wouldn't hurt to ask for some tips, right? She looked at her phone again, and called Futaba.

"Yo, Sumire. It's really late. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Futaba-senpai. I know I was in a rough spot the past few days, and I wanted to thank you again for being there for me the whole way through. Reuniting with Ren-senpai washed my worries away."

"Call me Futaba-sensei, young padawan. It's my duty as your sensei to watch over you and make sure you're alright!" Futaba spoke nervously, but eagerly at the same time.

Sumire giggled. "Okay, Futaba-sensei. I, um, I wanted to know if you had any experience with Valentine's Day."

"Oh-ho! Of course I do! First off, you're going to want something that really shows your figure!"

Sumire went red, hundreds of ideas running through her mind about what Futaba meant.

"Ahhhhh! Ummm, Futaba-sensei, I meant like a date!"

"Bah, you're no fun. Lucky for you..." Futaba snickered and laughed, "I'm an expert both romantically and… you know."

"J-j-just romantically, please and thank you!"

"Alrighty! First off, you can't just present the chocolate to him. You have to give it to him when he least expects it! He's prone to forget it's Valentine's Day, or act like he doesn't know. Don't let him fool you. That's why you need to be four parallel universes ahead!"

"F-four parallel universes?" Sumire muttered, absolutely lost.

"R-right! Basically, surprise him when he's distracted! That's how you catch him off guard! As soon as you do, give him the chocolates! It's a flawless plan!"

"...I see. Thank you, Futaba-sensei. I'll be sure to do that tomorrow."

"As it should be. Futaba-sensei, out." Futaba hung up the phone.

"Distracted… hmmm…" Sumire thought out loud.

"Are you alright, Sumire?" A voice whispered from her bedroom door.

"Ah, mom! Sorry, I'm just going to bed!"

"Tomorrow's Valentines Day, and you haven't even told me about your boyfriend!"

Sumire blushed again, caught off guard.
"Well… that's… I didn't know when to tell you…"

"Don't underestimate a mother's intuition. The ingredients, the footprint indents in the carpet. He was in your room before, wasn't he!?"

Sumire wanted to fold into nothing, dying of embarrassment.

"W-we didn't do anything like that!"

"Like what?"

"Ah… ummmmmm…. Nothing! Anyway, his name is Ren Amamiya… he's got curly black hair, soft hands, gray eyes… a really heartfelt smile… he's kind of like a cat?"

"Ha! He sounds fun. You should introduce him formally, next time. Anyway, do you have any plans?

"Well… right now… I might just stop by his place to give him the chocolates…"

"Hmmm… way back, a long time ago now, I took your father to the planetarium in Ikebukuro for Valentines Day."

"The planetarium…"

"Right. I got a private booth and we watched the planets align. Then, I gave him the chocolates! He practically asked to marry me right there!"

"M-marriage?"

"Hey, you're the one wearing a ring already, Sumire."

"M-mom! Um… thank you. I think I can rest now."

"You're so cute, Sumire. Blow him away like a Big Bang! Burger! Goodnight."

Sumire watched her mother close the door to her room. She turned her lights off and made herself fall asleep.

Sumire woke up around 4:30 A.M. Luckily for her, she was well energized, and her previous sessions in Mementos and the Palace actually helped her in fighting through exhaustion. She climbed out of bed and walked to the kitchen, where she put on an apron. She carefully prepared the ingredients, mixing them in the exact proportions. Then, she meticulously poured the chocolate onto a baking sheet, and put them into the oven. She performed the rest of her morning routine while she waited for them to warm up and solidify. After about an hour and thirty minutes, her alarm rang and she took the chocolates out. They were shaped like Ren's Joker mask and the Phantom Thieves logo.

She waited a few minutes before carefully pouring them into a red, heart-shaped tin with red ribbons wrapped around it. The tin was attached to a teddy bear plush she had purchased a few days prior. It had its own small, red ribbon tied on top, much like her own. For the last step, she pulled out the silver bangle and attached a small, white lotus emblem to it. The emblem was made from metal. Then, she slid the bangle between the teddy bear and box. It fit tightly, and didn't fall out.

Sumire placed a hand on her chin and nodded happily. It was perfect. Probably.

"Oh, good morning, Sumire." Shinichi walked into the kitchen, preparing to leave for work. "Valentines chocolate, I see. For Amamiya-san, right? I swear I remember seeing him around New Years, but my memory is waning." He laughed.

"That's right, dad. I want to blow him away like mom did with you."
"Oh, so she told you her master plan? I'll tell you, it worked. Good luck today!" As quickly as he entered the kitchen he had exited, the television crew calling his name. Sumire followed soon after, carefully hiding the teddy bear in her bag, changing, and going to school.

Ren woke up around noon, taking full advantage of the fact that he didn't need to go to school and could sleep in a good, warm bed. He lazily rolled downstairs in his barista outfit.

"Mornin, Sojiro."

"It's after noon, kid. If I wasn't so busy, I would've woken you up by now. This is your only day off, but that doesn't mean you can slack off." Sojiro replied in a gruff tone, Leblanc filled to the brim with couples.

"Oh… sorry, sir!" Ren dashed behind the counter and began working. After several hours of nonstop onslaughts of couples, Ren and Sojiro finally caught a break. Ren looked up at the clock and saw that it was around 6. P.M. He realized Sumire was getting out of practice soon.

"Hey, Sojiro."

"Hmm? What's up, kid? Good job catching up so quick, by the way."

"You notice who all the customers were?"

"If I recall correctly it was a whole lot of young couples. Wait… today's Valentines Day, isn't it?"

Ren nodded.

"I'm sorry kid. I didn't even think about it. You probably had plans with that girl. Yoshizawa, right?"

"Yeah, but I still have time. I want to surprise her at practice."

"You realize that the girls are supposed to do the work today, right?"

"That's just not my style, Sojiro. If I don't embarrass her somehow, I'm not doing my job." Ren spoke in a smug tone with a sly grin.

"Uhhuh. Fine. Get going." Sojiro sighed, and smirked. "If you think this is impressive, you should hear more about me. When I was young, hoo boy…"

"Yeah, sure old man." Ren eagerly made his way upstairs to change. Morgana napped all day, figuring this was a personal day for Ren and Sumire. Ren ran back downstairs in his casual wear, a thick balck coat, a black jacket, white long-sleeved shirt, blue jeans and brown shoes.

"Alright. I'm outta here!"

"Sure, kid," Sojiro replied with a half-grin.

Ren made his way to Kichijoji, where Sumire normally had practice. As he entered the building, he saw Sumire alongside several other girls from Shujin Academy. Normally, she worked alone with Hiraguchi, but this was still a club, he thought. Using what Metaverse stealth he still had, she snuck around the perimeter of the gym, staying out of her line of sight. He knew how focused she got, so he didn't need to try too hard. After watching for a few minutes, the group finished their routine. Ren silently snuck up behind Sumire, who was wiping her brow.

"Helloooooo, Sumire!" He tapped her right shoulder and dashed around her left side.

"Huh, wait, Ren-senpai?" She quickly turned to face him.

"Hi."

"Wh-what are you doing here?" She asked sheepishly.

"I wanted to greet my beautiful girlfriend after practice, that's all," he proudly proclaimed.

Several of the club members immediately began to gossip.

"Told you they were dating."

"I thought he was a delinquent, though? It's been a while… I don't really remember."

"When I look at him, he's actually pretty handsome."

"Yoshizawa-san's an honors student and is pretty, to boot. How'd he get so lucky."

Sumire blushed, flustered at Ren's nonchalant attitude.

"R-Ren-senpai… no." Sumire placed her hands around his head and pulled him in for a kiss.

The club members audibly gasped and began to giddily gossip more.

"Did you see that? I thought Yoshizawa-san was all about being graceful, but she's bold too!"
"Everyone is totally gonna get a kick out of this!"

Sumire let go of the kiss and smiled proudly at Ren. He grinned at her. She began blushing again.

"Well… um… I should go change…" she nervously let him go and went off to change. This will never get old, Ren high-fived himself in his mind.

After a few minutes, the other girl club members began to make their way to the locker room while Sumire exited. She wore her winter school uniform. She walked up to Ren, slowly hyping herself up with each step. Today was HER day to blow him away. He can't keep getting away with this.

"Ren-senpai, I'd like to stop by my house to change, and then I want to go out with you."

"Say no more, I'm on board," he replied with his Joker-esque grin.

The two locked hands and made their way to the train station, heading for Kichijoji. Sumire stopped by her house to change. She put on her red dress, but hid it beneath her large, red coat. Waiting until the time was right was her best option, she figured. Her mother gave her a wink as she left.

"You look different today," Ren immediately commented. How'd he already notice? She screamed internally. "Your ribbon…" Oh, right. She had put on a green plaid ribbon, which she rarely wore. "It's cute. Just like the rest of you."

"Thank you, Ren-senpai. Um… I wanted to take you to Ikebukuro."

"Fine by me."

"Okay. Let's go."

Like that, they found themselves back at the train station, and on their way to Ikebukuro. As they stepped off the train, they took in some of the sights of the commercial and entertainment district. Sumire didn't pay too much mind, focusing solely on getting to the planetarium. They found themselves there after a few minutes of walking, and entered. Sumire approached the clerk.

"Ah, hello. I'd like to reserve two seats for the next showing, in a private booth."

The clerk was an older woman with average features. Black hair, a welcoming smile, a blue outfit reminiscent of the Velvet Room attire.

"Very well. Right this way." Sumire paid for the seats, and the two followed the clerk. They found themselves perched above the rest of the seats. "The showing will begin soon,"the clerk commented before leaving.

The couple sat nervously in the room. Sumire felt her palms growing sweaty. She wanted to do this right. Eventually, the lights dimmed, and the ceiling turned into an endless trail of stars against a black void.
"Wow…" Sumire gasped. Ren crossed his legs, familiar with the sight, having gone with Yusuke. They watched as the planets orbited, comets flew by, stars grew and shrunk. Eventually, something Ren didn't expect began to happen. Slowly, the planets aligned all at once, creating a line. Ren gasped, and Sumire knew this was her chance. She sneakily reached into her bag and pulled out the teddy bear.

"Happy Valentines Day, Ren-senpai."

The show ended, and the lights in the room turned back on as Ren blinked.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. Sumire could tell he was genuinely surprised. "Thank you!"

Sumire giggled, full of glee that Futaba's and her mother's plans worked. Ren began to unwrap the tin, and opened it.

"Oh? Shaped like my mask and our logo? I'm touched! This is amazing!"

"They're homemade, too."

"I'm just… wow… thank you, Sumire."

"You're very welcome."

Ren opened his mouth and picked up a Joker mask piece of chocolate.

"Now, without further ado!" He spoke in an exaggerated tone. Sumire grew self-conscious and began to panic. What if I made them wrong? Wait! Wait! She began to scream to herself.

"Wha-! Hold on!"

Ren looked at her, holding the same pose, about to drop the chocolate into his mouth.

"What, I can't eat it now?"

Sumire blushed a deep red, and covered her face in her hands. "No, wait, yes! It's just… embarrassing."

"Embarrassing?" This was the jackpot, Ren fist pumped internally.

"Well… um… it's like… when you surprise me at a performance… I'd be really happy… but then I'd become self-conscious of how I performed since you were watching…?

Ren laughed. "Fine. I'll give you ten seconds to prepare."

"H-huh? W-what should I do?"

"Ten! Nine!"

"H-how about you take it home and eat it there?"

"Eight-seven-six-five-four-three-two-one! Zero! Here goes!" Ren plopped the chocolate into his mouth, chewed it, and gulped it down.

"Ah-" Sumire wanted to explode, again. Disappear into the void. She couldn't take it. After an eternity, she peeked between her fingers. "H-how was it?" She barely whispered.

"That was delicious! Thank you, Sumire, really."

Sumire let out a long, audible sigh of relief, regaining her composure.

"There's um… something else." She pointed at the tin.

"Hmm?" Ren investigated it in the same way he'd look at a Will Seed. "What's this?" A small glimmer caught his eye. He deftly reached in two fingers and pulled out the silver bangle.

He grew wide-eyed, and began looking it over. "Incredible… it's even got a lotus!"

"Haru-senpai told me about what we would be if we were flowers. She mentioned to me that she hoped cherry blossoms would bloom for us… but I'm not sure what she meant."

Ren laughed, and slipped the bangle onto his wrist.

"Haru's sweet, but you're even sweeter, Sumire. I'll treasure this, forever."

Sumire nervously laughed, and began stroking her hair.
"Compared to what you've done for me… this is nothing."

"This is everything, Sumire." He bumped his forehead against hers. "I mean it."

Sumire, defeated by his persistence, kissed him.

"Then I'll keep giving you everything I have, since you do the same for me."

Ren pushed his nose against hers, causing their glasses to bump as well.

"Good. Do you… want to head to Leblanc for a bit?"

Sumire closed her eyes.

"Yes. But, one more thing."

Sumire stood up and undid the buttons of her coat. "Close your eyes." Ren followed her command.

She neatly took off her large, red coat, folded it, and placed it on her seat. "Okay. Open them."

Ren opened his eyes and saw the red dress, with Sumire posing, holding her hand behind her head, leaning slightly forward, her other hand on her hip. He could feel his jaw drop, and she saw it drop.

"W-woah. You look… wow… um…" Ren was at a loss for words. "This is our reality, right?"

Sumire giggled and nodded. "Yes!"

"I'm so happy right now…"

"Then I'm happy, too. I'm finally living for myself, as myself. Ever since that day I performed for you, even if it's in our memory, now. From now on, I always will."

Ren buried his face in his hands, overwhelmed with happiness. After a few seconds, he looked up at Sumire, a serious look on his face.

"We'll make that memory real again. Let's perform for Coach Hiraguchi once more. I'm not totally sure of how much she remembers, but we'll make sure she can never forget this performance!"

Sumire felt her heart preparing to burst from her chest. Her smile widened.

"Yes! Let's!"

Ren closed the tin and put the teddy bear in his own bag. Sumire put her coat back on, and with their hands held, they made their way out of the planetarium and headed to Leblanc.

Upon entering Leblanc, they saw it was empty. Ren noticed a small, handwritten note on the corner of the booth.

Figured you'd bring your lady here. Closed the place early for ya. You're welcome. - Sojiro.

Just what did he think they were going to do? Ren asked himself, leading Sumire upstairs. They sat down on his couch. Ren sighed, having a strong hunch about the elephant in the room they needed to address.

Sumire turned to him, still smiling. "You're going back to your hometown soon, yet?"

"Yeah. I want to make the most of the time we have left. Then again, it's not like I have to stay forever. I'm going back for now because, well, I suppose I have to show them I've "reformed" and so on. I might rent out my own apartment after summer break. They're still my parents." He took a deep breath. "But, who knows, after I graduate, I think I'll move back here to Tokyo, start living in this attic again, and attend college. Want to come with me, for now?"

Sumire giggled. "It's sweet of you to ask, but I'm going to keep working hard. We both know I'm here at Shujin because of a scholarship. And…" she briefly drifted away, "I owe it to Kasumi to finish school here. She… never wore the school uniform."

Ren silently put an arm around her shoulder. She took a deep breath.

"But, I'm going to keep working hard. Wherever you are, I'll make sure you hear about me. Coach doubled down on me practicing, so I'm going to be busy for a while. We won't be able to hang out like this as much, but Kasumi always said she performed best when thinking about someone she loved… I think I finally understand her now. I understand what she was trying to say. When I think about you… I get the feeling any competition I go to will go just fine... You know what I mean." Sumire closed her eyes and rested her head on Ren's shoulder.

"Of course, we can text each other every day. And send pictures, and call." Ren added.

"Mhm… today was more mentally exhausting than I thought it'd be. I was so nervous."

"Nervous? You don't need to worry about anything now, Sumi. The world stage, it's ours."

"Heheh… world champions," Sumire grasped her left hand around Ren's right, and he rested his head on hers. The couple sat in contempt silence for a while. After some time, Ren escorted Sumire to the train station, her mission a success. They kissed one last time before Sumire got on the train. Ren looked at the silver bangle wrapped around his wrist and smiled before walking back to Leblanc, watching the snow fall.