After Ren returned home, Ren and Sumire constantly texted one another and often engaged in phone calls that lasted well into the night. They would insist to one another that they should go to sleep, given their busywork. Sumire continued practicing, hiding a picture of Ren that she can look at while dancing. Ren took on odd jobs, tending to avoid his parents at home. He did his best in school, all in an effort to be able to return to Leblanc in the summer.

Eventually, his wish came true, and he is welcomed to return to Leblanc for summer vacation.

Ren took in the sight of the nostalgic yet all-to familiar Yongen-Jaya train platform as he stepped off, teeming with both excitement and anxiety as he thought of what his first words would be to Sumire in person. Would she even be at Leblanc, waiting for him? Just because it was summer break didn't mean she wasn't going to practice. While distracted by his thoughts, he found himself standing at the door to Leblanc, his feet walking him there. Morgana popped out of his bag.

"Ahhh! Home sweet home. I wonder how the Chief's been without you. This place is still open, right?"

Ren pointed at the "OPEN" sign he stood in front of. "He's fine on his own. How do you think he took care of me and the shop for a year at the same time? I guess we shouldn't keep him waiting." With a slight creak the door opened, the signature bell chime ringing in Ren's ears. Futaba looked up from her laptop, and Sojiro looked up from the newspaper he held lazily in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other, sitting on a bar stool.

"Well look who it is," he smirked, "Welcome back. I went ahead and told your friends that you were coming back today. They should be coming shortly. Thank me by cleaning the shop later after the party."

Futaba was wearing a yellow-beige jacket with a yellow tank top, black shorts and a black hat, with a pair of blue headphones snuggly fit over the hat.

"Namaste! Ren's back!" she exclaimed with a smile before frowning, "I wanna see Morganaaaaa."

Ren immediately began laughing. "Hi guys. You're more excited to see Morgana than me, huh?"

Futaba picked up a small bag from the booth seat. "I got Morgana some sushi. Fatty tuna. He can only have it if I get to pet him until I level up my petting skill!"

Morgana practically hopped out of Ren's bag and landed on the booth table. "My fatty tuna! Futaba…! You can pet me all you want! Ren's starved me of any decent food!"

"Have not!" Ren retorted.

Futaba snickered and looked at Ren. "Hehehe. By the way, Ren, if you want to go do your nasty business, she's upstairs." She made an inappropriate hand gesture.

Sojiro scoffed at her. "Cut it out, Futaba. She's been waiting all day for you, kid. Go say hi."

Ren's eyes darted away from Futaba and to his old room. He was f lustered at this point. "Sumire's here? I thought she'd be at practice."

His heart was beating faster than he thought it would. Just the thought of actually seeing her was driving him mad. He slowly placed his bag on the table, and began to make his way upstairs.

While Ren walked, the stairs stretched infinitely, creating an endless path upward. The creak of each step only made his heart flutter further. His legs felt like two rods of cement as he pushed onward. As he turned the corner of the staircase and began his ascent, he slowly opened his mouth to call her name.

"Sumire...?"

With his final steps upward, he saw her. She was asleep on the makeshift bed he slept on for a year. Her hair was loose and messy, as if she had been rolling around anxiously. She wore a white sundress, which surprised him.

Ren slowly approached her, his heart beating at a rate beyond any fight against shadows or gods. He grabbed one of the chairs left in the room, picked it up, and placed it in front of the bed. He slowly sat down, reaching his hand out. What the hell am I doing? He thought to himself. Without answering the question, he ran his hand through the hair covering her forehead, and began to lean in to wake his sleeping beauty with a kiss.

Suddenly, Sumire sprang awake.

"Ren-senp-!"

Sumire quickly swung upward, hitting Ren directly in the face with her own forehead. Her glasses pushed into her as they both groaned.

"Hey, we're still here you know…!" Futaba shouted from downstairs, causing the couple's faces to glow red and pulsate. They both turned and frantically shouted in response.

" IT'S NOTHING LIKE THAT!"

" Uh-huh. Keep it PG-12!" Futaba responded.

Sumire took several deep breaths, taking in the sight of her boyfriend. She gulped and spoke.

"Ren-senpai! I was waiting for you to arrive. I worked so hard that the Coach was willing to switch my day off and I fell asleep while thinking of how to greet you and I'm so so-"

Ren cut her off, wrapping her arms around her. "I've missed you, so much, Sumire." He squeezed her as tightly yet gently as possible.

"I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing and tell me you missed me."

"I missed you, Ren-senpai."

Ren noticed tears forming in her eyes. He simply hugged her harder,

" If you start crying I will too, you know."

The two spend the next few minutes stuck in their embrace, both of them unwilling to let the other go.

"You know, my heart doesn't feel like it's going to burst this time." Sumire lightly giggled.

"Really? I feel like I'm going to explode." A nervous sweat bead dropped from Ren's forehead.

"Anyway, I think the others will be arriving soon. We should head downstairs."

Ren and Sumire made their way downstairs, tightly clung to one another. They sat down in a booth seat, waiting for the other members of the Phantom Thieves to make their way to Leblanc. After a few minutes, the doorbell chimed as a familiar, blonde-haired loudmouth made his way inside.

"What's bonkin?" Ryuji excitedly asked.

"What's bonkin!" Ren and Futaba replied with smiles.

"What's bonking…?" Sumire tilted her head, puzzled.

"Not you too!" Morgana yelled in anguish.

"RenRen! Morgana! Man it's been a while."

Ryuji walked over to the booth and high-fived Ren. He gave Morgana a friendly, yet demeaning glare. He wore a red tank top with the decal "NO MO RULES" written on it, and a pair of black shorts.

"Already at it, you monkey?"

"You looking to start trouble, you cat?"

The two glared dagger at one another before Sumire spoke up.

"Um… Ryuji-senpai… Morgana-senpai… today's a celebration…" Sumire lightly tapped her fingers together with a sad look.

The two dropped their acts almost instantly.

"Shit, sorry about that. Old habits die hard I guess." Ryuji rubbed the back of his head.

"Ah! I'm sorry, Sumire! Don't cry!" Morgana nudged against Sumire's arms.

"Don't worry, Morgana-senpai. I just want everyone to get along!" Sumire gave him a big smile. Sojiro began to prepare the coffee and curry. After a few moments, Ann, Makoto and Haru all come in at the same time.

"Hi hi! I've missed you guys!" Ann excitedly waved, wearing a white shirt with tie-dye decals and blue shorts, a pair of red-framed sunglasses on her face..

"Hello, everyone." Makoto walked in with a light tint of red across her cheeks, wearing a casual white shirt, black jacket and blue jeans.

" Greetings, all. Hello, Sakura-san." Haru walked in behind Makoto, and Ren immediately noticed the two were holding hands. She wore her light pink dress with white stripes lining it, and a white jacket, leading Makoto to the booth across from Ren and Sumire.

Makoto fidgeted nervously in the booth seat, locked in, with Haru sitting in the outer seat.

Ren chuckled and looked at her. "What's up, Prez? You seem a little nervous."

Makoto's eyes darted around the room. "Oh, it's nothing. Really."

The red on her face certainly didn't say that.

Haru giggled and adjusted herself in the booth.

"You see, Ren," She leaned forward, "I asked Mako-chan on a date! She said yes!"

Makoto's face burned a deep red as she went to bury her head out of view. "Haru!" She explained, with no place to hide.

Ann giggled. Ryuji's jaw dropped. "For real…?" Sumire smiled, and Ren nodded alongside Morgana. Sojiro continued to absentmindedly prepare the food.

"Good for you two," Ren replied.

"I didn't want to steal the spotlight, but I was so excited to share!" Haru lightly covered her mouth with her free hand. A few minutes later, the doorbell chimed again, and Yusuke entered, holding a large canvas, wearing his blue shirt and black pants. "Hello, everyone. I apologize for my tardiness. Upon thinking of our reunion, I had the urge to paint. So, I bought this canvas in anticipation."

"Kitagawa-senpai, how smart of you!" Sumire's eyes beamed in admiration.

Futaba groaned and facepalmed. "Don't encourage him…"

"Well, now that everyone is here, we should have a toast." Sojiro finally spoke up and began to hand out cups of coffee.

As he set down the last cup, Ryuji raised his. " Chee-!"

Ann grasped his shoulder with the force of their Metaverse strength, stopping Ryuji from ruining Sojiro's performance.

Sojiro cleared his throat. "To everyone's health, Ren and Sumire's inevitable success in any upcoming competitions, the Olympics, Futaba's entrance into high school, and everyone's futures."

"Cheers!" Everyone exclaimed, lightly lifting their coffee cups and taking a sip.

Ren swiftly downed the cup in a few gulps and began his speech.

"Hello, everyone. I'm glad to be back. I just wanted to say that I'm happy everyone is here!" His voice grew distant, and his expression cold. "Compared to Sojiro, my parents were so cold and distant. I can't really connect with them anymore, and I don't know if I want to. They tried their best, but they didn't really try to help me back when I got falsely accused. They shipped me off and said I wasn't their problem, so going back was difficult. I took up a lot of part-time jobs to stay out of the house, on top of school. But don't worry, I handled it as you'd expect."

Sumire placed her hands on his cheeks and turned him toward her. She smirked.

"By calling me every night and having me lull you to sleep by singing?"

Ren's face began to turn red while Sumire mimicked his signature grin.

Haru spoke in a calm, motherly voice. "It's okay to show us this side of you now, Ren. You helped us all through our hard times, and we're all here for you."

"You know the shop's always open for you," Sojiro commented in a gruff, but gentle manner.

Ryuji kicked his leg up. "So you're still dealing with shitty adults no matter where you go. Uh, wait, sorry. Shouldn't say that about your parents."

"No it's fine. I just wanted to be back here more than anything," Ren shook his head.

Yusuke closed his eyes and held his hands together. " Remember what you taught me, Ren. There is beauty in that ugliness. I believe you found that beauty in Sumire."

Sumire blushed and buried her head in Ren's chest, with Ren placing his hand on her head.

"Kitagawa-senpai…" She muttered, flustered.

"Haha, thanks Yusuke," Ren looked at him with a smile forming.

Ann lightly punched Ryuji's shoulder and smiled at Ren. "Ren, we're all here for you. If you need anything, just say the word."

Ryuji winced in pain and grinned. "I'll run to your hometown if you ever need me!"

Makoto closed her eyes and smiled. "You helped us all find the path we wanted to walk in life. You and Sumire have a dream greater than any of us. We'll help in any way we can."

Futaba pet Morgana, who was sitting on her lap while she sat at a bar chair. " You gave me my life back. I'll do whatever it takes to help you."

Morgana spoke up in a smug manner. "I suppose I'll let you all help. I've been keeping a close eye on him, and made sure to keep him in line!"

Ren felt tears welling up in his eyes, and he buried his face in Sumire's hair.

"Thanks, guys. I want to make our dream come true, no matter what it takes." He looked up at Yusuke. "And Yusuke, thanks. I felt like I had forgotten that."

A loud Ahem shattered the melancholy air as Sojiro picked up two plates of curry. "Remember you two, this is a celebration! From this point on, I only want to see smiles in my establishment."

Ren looked up and smiled at Sojiro. "Alright. You're right. Let's celebrate!"

Sumire lifted her head and faintly smiled. "My apologies, Boss-san. " She took a breath, " So I've been training every day, with Ren supporting me along the way. His smile keeps me going. I've got another competition coming up soon. It's not often I get nights like this."

Ren pressed her head against his shoulder. "We're going to make the best of it. I've got some stuff lined up tonight."

" Ohhhhh? Like what?" Futaba leaned forward with a smug grin.

Ren waved his arm, dismissing her dirty thoughts. " I've got a couple movies lined up. We're gonna snuggle till we pass out."

Futaba smirked and adjusted her glasses."Hoo boy..."

Haru clapped her hands together. " How cute! Are there any films that will make your skin crawl?"

Sumire shivered. "I'm not very good with those… I like silly love stories where the prince helps the princess wake up from a dream or an illusion."

Makoto nodded. "I prefer action-packed narratives, myself."

Yusuke framed his hands like a canvas. "I like any film so long as it invigorates my artistic vigor."

Futaba grabbed Sumire's arm. "Anime! Featherman! Sumire, we have so much more to watch!"

"Of course, Futaba-senpai!" Sumire replied.

"Oh, love stories are so sweet!" Ann smiled.

"I'm more of a vigilante kinda guy. Heroes that'll fight those shitty villains, and adults!" Ryuji pumped his fist.

Ren cupped his hand under Sumire's chin. "I like watching Sumire react."

Sumire's face turned red. "Ren!"

" Heh."

Sojiro laughed. "Alright, it's getting late. Sorry, but I'll have to have Ren clean the shop now."

"We'll help!" The group commented in unison.

"It's fine, guys," Ren waved them off.

"You sure, man? Ryuji asked.

"Yeah. Sumire and I can handle this."

"Ohho, so Sumire's staying, huh?" Futaba giggled mischievously.

"Cut it out, Futaba," Sojiro sighed.

"Very well then. We'll be going," Makoto subtly nudged Haru in the side.

"Hehe. Okay. Goodbye everyone!" Haru stood up, taking Makoto's hand and leading her out.

"Yusuke?" Ren looked around and saw Yusuke behind them, absorbed in his canvas.

"Hold on but a moment! I'm nearly finished with the outline!" Yusuke replied quickly.

"Take your time!" Ren replied.

"We'll get out of your hair! C'mon Ryuji!" Ann nudged Ryuji's back with her elbow.

"Yeah yeah. Text me if you want to go running!" He replied. Ann slowly led him out, leaving Sumire, Sojiro, Futaba, Morgana and Ren.

"C'mon Futaba, let's go home. You don't mind cleaning up alone, right?" Sojiro took a drag of a cigarette.

"Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine," Futaba muttered in a disappointed tone.

Sojiro and Futaba left, leaving Ren and Sumire to themselves. They silently began to clean up. While Ren stood at the sink, washing the plates, Sumire placed her chin on his shoulder.

" You know, you haven't even tried to kiss me."

"I was saving the best for last, of course," Ren replied, grinning as he turned his head.

" Let's make this night last. I want you all to myself. I want to be greedy again."

Sumire stepped back.

"I'm going to change. I'll tell you when to come up."

"Oh? Alright." Ren raised an eyebrow.

Sumire walked upstairs and over to her bag. She pulled out a simple, long-sleeved red shirt with the text "SHIBUYA PARTY NIGHT" written across the front and a pair of brown pajama shorts. She giggled.

"You can come up." Sumire yelled excitedly. Ren ran up, with Morgana following close behind. He took a long look at her shirt and smirked.

"It really is a party now."

Sumire reached into her bag and pulled out a movie disc.

"I figured we could relax and watch a movie together. It's called Faith in a Fool ."

"Let's do it." Ren pumped his fist.

"I'll be asleep on the bed. Have fun…" Morgana yawned and hopped onto the bed.

Ren walked over to the couch and laid down. Sumire positioned herself over him and laid down.

Ren picked up the remote and turned on the film.

"This was worth the wait," Ren whispered into her ear.

"Yes, it was. I love you, Ren-senpai."

"Love you too, Sumire."

The two laid together and watched the film, the warmth of their bodies reminding each other that the wait was worth it.