The Last Days of August.

Ren slickly pulled his phone out of his pocket, spun it in his hand with a flourish, and opened the calendar. In a day he'd be returning home, again.

I spent nearly every day with Sumire, we exercised, watched films, went on dates, but why can't I shake the feeling that I'm missing something? A bout of anxiety clawed at the back of Ren's mind. He was forgetting… something.

"Oh well," Ren brushed off the thought, "Ann wanted me to check out her modeling gig today, you want in?" He looked to Morgana, who was grooming himself.

"Is that even a question? Of course I do! Are you going to invite Sumire?" Morgana answered.

"Of course."

Ren closed his calendar and opened Sumire's contact.

"Hello, Ren-senpai."

"Hello, Sumire. Considering we have the day off from practice, a now self-proclaimed one, would you like to go see Ann's modeling gig with me?"

Ren heard a giggle.

"That sounds fun! Ann-senpai is a fashion genius! I still have so much to learn from her."

"That's… one way to put it. Honestly, the way you keep surprising me is dangerous. Every few days you'll appear in a new, cute outfit and I can feel my heart trying to blow up."

"I'm happy to hear that, Ren-senpai. I hope that, one day, I'll be able to pick out all of my outfits without Ann-senpai's assistance." Sumire replied.

"You look great in everything, Sumire. Don't worry too much about it."

Ren could feel the heat of Sumire's face through his phone.

"Ah-um-ah… Thank you! I'll get ready and head over now!"

"See you soon, Sumi."

"Now I owe you a kiss, Ren-senpai."

The call ended, and Ren grinned. He had forgotten the deal they made. Every time he called her Sumi, she'd kiss him. Why haven't I been doing that more? He chastised himself while adjusting his jacket and stumbling down the stairs.

"Morning, kid." Sojiro gave Ren a disinterested remark. His face was buried in a newspaper.

"Morning, Sojiro," Ren walked over and sat on the bar stool next to Sojiro, "Anything interesting?" he asked while scanning the newspaper.

"Not really. Nothing compares to the things you pulled off last year," Sojiro replied dryly.

"Huh. By the way," Ren motioned for Sojiro to put down the newspaper, "This is my last week here."

Ren immediately saw Sojiro wince, ever-so-slightly, before assuming his neutral face and mood.

"Is that so? I had just gotten used to having you here again."

Ren grinned. "Are you gonna miss me, old man?"

Sojiro chuckled and flipped the newspaper onto the counter.

"I'm not sure. Will you miss this?"

Ren's grin disappeared. He thought he'd try and break Sojiro's shell a bit, but instead found himself saddened by the news he delivered. His shoulder's sunk, and his voice grew distant.

"...Yeah…"

Sojiro frowned.

"Ah, jeez. Sorry, kid. In any case, don't you graduate after this year? My door's always open for you. Are you going to college after?"

Ren cracked a small smile, knowing Sojiro wanted to change the topic.

"I will be going, yes. I think I want to help people, like Dr. Maruki."

"The Doc… huh," Sojiro rubbed his chin, his eyes widened in surprise, "It suits you, though. You made so many friends here, and helped a lot of people, from what I hear. You helped me become a real father, too."

"I just listened, really," Ren leaned back and stretched, "but even so, Dr. Maruki asked me to continue where he left off. Even after everything he did, he saw the fire in my eyes…"

"Maybe that's all people need, kid. Someone to listen to their problems. You don't treat them differently, and you don't make a fuss, either." Sojiro stood up and walked behind the counter.

Ren pulled out his phone and saw an unread IM.

Sah, dude! You busy today?

Ryuji. Ren had barely hung out with him over the break.

I was gonna go to Ann's modeling gig with Sumire.

Mind if I tag along? I want to talk about somethin' after.

Sure. Meet me at Leblanc.

Ren pinched his nose between his index finger and thumb. This wasn't really a date, so he had no reason to refuse Ryuji. Even so, the fact that Ryuji wanted to talk about something brought back that same anxiety from when he woke up. What was he forgetting?

While Ren waited for Sumire and Ryuji to show up, he silently ate his breakfast, consisting of curry and coffee. He left his phone on the counter. The air stood silent, the sound of coffee brewing being the only noise in the cafe. Sojiro had gone back to his newspaper.

"Kept you waiting, didn't I?!" Futaba yelled as the door swung open.

"No, you didn't. How many times do I have to tell you not to swing the door so fast?" Sojiro gave her an intense glare.

"Eep! Sojiro's about to use all his buffs and become Swolejiro! Ren, protect me!" Futaba jumped back.

"Just listen to Sojiro, Futaba. Anyway, what's up?"

Futaba formally entered the cafe after closing the door and re-opening it, slowly, letting the bell chime.

"Well, I was texted by Ryuji to come to Leblanc, so here I am."

Ren gave her a puzzled glance. "Huh," and scratched his head. What was Ryuji planning?

Sojiro stood up and gazed at the two. "I'm going to go shopping. Don't wreck the place, alright?"

He wandered out of the cafe, and before long, Makoto and Haru entered, wearing their casual summer wear.

"Were you two told to come here, too?" Ren asked curiously, now sitting at a booth.

"Hm? Why yes, we were. Is there something strange about that?" Makoto asked in reply.

"No, not like that. I just think Ryuji is planning something." Ren replied.

"My! Hello, everyone. Don't be so mean, Mako-chan. I know you've missed hanging out with everyone!" Haru placed her hands on Makoto's shoulders, a wide smile on her face. Makoto began to blush.

The doorbell chimed again, and Yusuke entered.

"Greetings, all. It appears we all received the same message." He glanced around the room. "Where is Ryuji? He told me to come here… yet… he is nowhere to be seen."

As Ren opened his mouth to answer, his phone began ringing.

"Ren-kun, denwa!" Futaba exclaimed, grabbing the phone and passing it to Ren.

"Hello?" Ren simply asked, unsure of who called him.

"It's me again, dude! Is everyone there?"

"Hey Ryuji. Sumire isn't here yet."

"That's alright! As soon as she gets there, have everyone come to Akihabara!"

"Akihabara?" Ren asked in complete confusion, "What about Ann's gig?"

"That's where the gig is! Did you forget?"

Ren remembered her saying it was at the sunset bridge. When did it change to Akihabara?

"I guess I did. We'll meet you there, then."

A few seconds later, Ren saw an IM from Ann appear.
Sorry, Ren, but my gig got moved to Akihabara. It'll be starting in a few hours. Hope you can still make it!

And there it was. Were Ryuji and Ann colluding? He couldn't begin to guess what mischief they had planned.

"I guess Ryuji is in Akihabara, waiting for us," Ren announced, "We'll depart when Sumire arrives."

As if on cue, Sumire slowly opened the door, causing the doorbell to chime.

"Oh… hello everyone!" she muttered, surprised at the presence of most of the group.

Sumire wore a collared white shirt, covered by a gray sweater with the sleeves rolled to the elbows, and high-waisted black shorts. Her hair was tied in its new signature fashion, with a ribbon tied at the bottom of her hair. She looked at Ren and blushed, expecting a reaction.

Ren immediately felt his knees giving out, metaphorically. He felt like he would have a heart attack. Sumire walked over and kissed him on the cheek, only making him weaker.

"H-hey Sumire. You look great."

Sumire looked at him with a wide-brimmed smile that melted his heart.

"Hello, Ren-senpai."

"Oh, Sumire. Hello," Yusuke raised an arm.

"Sumiiiiiiiiire!" Futaba ran over and leaped into her.

"Hello! Futaba, please calm down!" Sumire blushed and lightly wrapped an arm around Futaba, who held her in a bear hug.

"Hello, Sumi-chan!" Haru waved. "Good to see you, Yoshizawa-san," Makoto remarked.

Ren collected himself and settled down.

"Now that you're here, Sumire, we're going to Akihabara. Ann's gig moved."

"Oh, I see," Sumire replied, "Let's get going, then!"

The former Phantom Thieves gathered their things and made their way to the Yongen-Jaya station.

As the group stepped off onto the platform, Ren pulled out his phone and called Ann.

"Heya, Ann. Where exactly is your gig? We're at the Akihabara station."

"Oh! It's actually at the maid cafe! Ryuji's already here!"

The maid cafe? What kind of modeling gig happens at the maid cafe? Ren was thoroughly confused.

"We'll meet you there, then."

"Cool! See you soon!"

Ann hung up, and Ren shrugged. This was certainly not what he was expecting, but where was the harm in this?

"Alright, everyone. We're going to the… maid cafe!" Ren tried to play it cool but could barely keep himself together.

Futaba's eyes immediately began sparking, and her gaze moved to Sumire. Sumire immediately got flustered, and began nervously tapping her foot. Yusuke nodded. Haru smiled and looked at Makoto, who blushed. One-by-one, they all followed Ren to the maid cafe.

After traversing the streets of Akihabara, dodging otaku, cosplayer, and cat maid alike, they made it to the maid cafe where Ren had gone many times, to no one's knowledge. Many a horrible omelette was eaten here for the special menu.

As they walked up the pink and white steps into the interior, they found the cafe vacant.

"Hello?" Ren muttered in confusion.

"Greetings, meowster!"

From behind a corner hallway, Ann emerged, wearing a full maid outfit and a set of cat ears.

"Ann?" Most of the thieves muttered simultaneously in surprise. One of the Ann's had a "senpai" attached. Morgana burst out of Ren's bag and immediately took in the sight.

"W-wow! Lady Ann in a maid costume! I think I can die in peace…"

"Hey! No cats allowed!" Another voice boomed from the hallway. Ryuji emerged next to Ann, wearing a full butler outfit.

"Ryuji?" Ren asked. "Oh, I understand everything now."

"Uhhuh! This is a special gig!" Ann pointed a finger at Ren, answering in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Wh-what exactly is it?" Sumire asked meekly.

"Well, you see Sumire, we invited everyone here so you can participate! Today, we're the maids and butlers of the cafe!" Ann replied.

"H-huh!?" Sumire immediately lit up red. Thank you, Ann, Ren thought to himself.

Ren chuckled and looked to Ann again.

"This doesn't sound like modeling at all, but I'm in."

"That's what I like to hear! We have outfits for everyone, so get changed!" Ann began to motion for them to enter the back rooms.

Each of the former thieves looked at one another, confused, before accepting their fate. As Ren led them, Morgana glared directly at Ryuji.

"I'll have you know I've been in here ple-" Ren, flustered and red, shoved Morgana into his bag.

"Hey! Nyaeh! What're you-!"

After a few seconds, Ren could only hear muffled meows.

Makoto hid behind Haru. "Do we really have to do this? I'm not sure…"

Haru looked back and gave her a smile. "You'll look cute, Mako-chan! Do it for me!"

"For you… fine."

As confused as Ren was, he was very eager to see Sumire in a maid outfit, with cat ears. Actually, could he even handle it? This might not be a good idea. Actually, no , it was an amazing idea. Onward!

Ren internally fought himself while walking into a changing room. He fit perfectly into his butler uniform. It was tight yet baggy, allowing him to move around easily. It reminded him of his Metaverse outfit. With a hint of nostalgia, he adjusted his red gloves. He had noticed Ryuji was wearing yellow gloves, which would mean Yusuke would have blue ones.

He missed his days as a Phantom Thief, now that he thought about it. But this wasn't the time nor place. He had to see Sumire in a maid outfit.

Ren opened the door and made his way back to the main thoroughfare. Ann, Ryuji, Yusuke, Makoto and Haru were all changed and waiting. Ren looked them all over, giving nods of approval.

"Man, you look just like you did in the Metaverse!" Ryuji clapped a hand on Ren's shoulder.

"Indeed. It is almost identical to your Metaverse attire," Yusuke added.

"I knew this was the perfect plan!" Ryuji fist pumped with his free hand.

"You all look wonderful!" Haru commented.

"This is absurd…" Makoto whispered.

"Where are Futaba and Sumire?" Ren asked, looking toward Haru.

"I believe Sumire was too shy to come out, and Futaba is trying to get her to."

Ren nodded and adjusted his glove. He walked over to the hallway.

"Sumire! I'm in my butler outfit! It'd be a real shame if you didn't get to see it!"

Almost immediately, he heard a reply.

"Wait! I'm coming!"

Ren walked back and joined his friends. After a solid minute, Futaba eagerly stepped out, a wide grin on her face.

"Wait till you see this!"

She reached over to her side, pulling Sumire out from the cover of the hallway corner.

Like the rest of the girls, she wore a long-sleeved, long-skirted black and white, traditional maid uniform. Her glasses did nothing to cover her burning red face. Atop her head was a pair of black cat ears.

"Say the line Sumire!" Futaba nudged her forward.

"H-h-hello m-m-meowster," Sumire spoke with a whisper, barely audible.

"Aww, come on, Ren's right here!" Futaba clapped her back, pushing her toward Ren.

"H-hello meowster!" Sumire muttered to Ren, who had a wide grin on his face.

"Nice to meow-t you, beautiful," Ren winked at her.

Sumire felt her heart melt on the spot. He was handsome. Too handsome. Her heart was beating way too fast for her to comprehend...anything.

With her hair frazzled, her face as red as her hair, and her eyes staring directly into his, she asked him.

"Um… can you please be my butler?"

Sumire wanted to retreat into her uniform, never to be seen again. Why did she ask THAT of all things? Before she could run, Ren took her hand and got on a knee.

"Of course, my lady," he stated before kissing her hand.

"Ah-Um-I-uh-I-uh-" Sumire stumbled over every word, unable to process what was going on.

Futaba whipped out her phone and began snapping pictures.

"A+ content guys! Keep it up!"

Yusuke framed his hands like a canvas, content with the situation. Haru looked over the couple and decided to mimic Ren, getting on one knee.

"Ah-Haru, you really don't need to-"

"How may I be of service to you?"

Makoto froze.

"Man… you girls look great! I'm such a genius!" Ryuji held his hand on his chin inquisitively, looking over the girls.

Ann clapped her hands together.

"All right, everyone! We're going to be opening soon, so get ready!"

"Oh, alright!" Sumire shook her head and pulled Ren up. The Phantom Maids were now on duty.

As customers began to filter in, the group noticed that there was a mixture of men and women. Traditionally, a maid cafe would usually only have male customers. Ren thought about the ways Ann might have advertised how there were butlers, too. While walking around, he eavesdropped on some of his friends.

"Could you take this omelette back? It's undercooked?"

"Undercooked? This is artistically designed to be the perfect omelette! Can you not see that?"

Yusuke was as eccentric as ever. I wonder if girls would like that? Ren filtered his thoughts.

"Wh-what'll it be mister?"

"You're so cute! Just keep trying!"

Futaba, despite her act earlier, still suffered social anxiety. Thankfully, there was an audience for that. Ren kept an eye out just in case anyone attempted anything.

"Make these pancakes over again. You forgot the chocolate chips."

"My apologies, sir. However, you will have to take it as it is."

"Pssh! Fine!" The man waved off Makoto, before whispering "Bitch" under his breath.

"What was that?"

Makoto spun around and slammed her fist into the table, nearly breaking it in two.

"Ah! Nothing! Nothing! These are fine!"

Makoto cracked her knuckles and walked away.

"That was kinda hot…" the man whispered.

Ren raised an eyebrow and moved on.

"Ah, shit, sorry. I cook for my mom all the time and I messed up! I'll redo it right now!"
"It's fine, it's fine! Really! I'm sorry for being picky!"

Ryuji actually seemed to be into his role as a butler, even if he still was swearing.

Ren went on to observe Sumire, Haru, and Ann. Unlike the others, they perfectly fit into the roles. Ann was sociable and could easily put on a cheerful personality. Sumire was similar. Any time she faltered, she was easily forgiven on account of her cuteness, which Ren understood. Haru spoke with a very motherly tone, and no man dared speak back to her.

After two or so hours, the customer base died down, and eventually stopped. Everyone fell into a seat, extremely tired.

"Can't deal… no stamina… no HP… Futaba out…"

Futaba planted her face on a table.

"Hah… thank you, everyone. That went really well!" Ann waved her hand in front of her face.

"That was actually really fun," Ren stated, "Fun for me, at least, watching Sumire."

"Ren-senpai!" Sumire puffed her cheeks and turned red.

"Well, now that we're done with that, Ann, you owe me one," Ryuji pointed at Ann.

"Huh? Sure," she replied nonchalantly.

"Ahha! Alright then! Help me with my summer homework! Please!"

Everything clicked in Ren's head suddenly. Homework.

He had forgotten to do his summer homework.

"Really, Ryuji? Actually… I haven't done mine…" Ann's eyes went wide as she began to panic.

"I already did mine…" Sumire muttered, feeling guilty.

"That's a good thing, Sumire," Ren commented, "I still have to do mine…"

Ren hung his head in shame. He was so wrapped up in spending time with Sumire he forgot all about his homework. Not that he wanted to do it.

"Futaba-sensei, Makoto-sensei! Please, help us!"

Ryuji got on his knees and begged.

"Fine, fine. This is just like last year… I thought you'd learn, Ryuji." Makoto pinched her nose with her index finger and thumb.

"Listen! I got distracted!"

"By video games?" Futaba leaned in.

"Hey! Did you even do yours? You play games all the time, too!" Ryuji gawked back at Futaba.

"It was the first thing I did! Everyone knows that the first thing you do for summer break is your homework! Then you can slack off all you want!" She tapped her head with a finger.

"Agggh! Yusuke doesn't have any… but Ren! You're with me this time!"

"Yeah… unfortunately…" Ren felt humiliated, but he didn't regret the time he spent with Sumire.

"Ann, you too!" Ryuji whined.

"It's good that you reminded me, Ryuji! Let's go to Leblanc!" Ann jumped up, knocking a chair over.

"I can help you, Ren-senpai. I'm sorry for distracting you…" Sumire looked at Ren, guilt-ridden.

"It's not your fault, Sumire! It's all on me!" Ren replied.

"We'll get through it together!" Haru exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

Each of the Phantom Maids got up and changed, making their way back to Leblanc in record time.

By the time Ren opened the door and entered Leblanc alongside his friends, the sun was setting. Ryuji, Ann and him had to finish all of their summer homework by tomorrow. Ren sprinted upstairs and found his school bag. Surely enough, it was filled with homework. He dragged it down and slammed it onto a booth table.

"This is out last goal of this summer break! Everyone, give it your all!"

Ren slammed his hand on the table and glanced around the room.

"But Ren, only Ryuji, Ann and you have to do the work."

Makoto gave him a death glare.

"Well… sure but, if we all work together we'll finish super fast!"

Ryuji stood next to Ren, a hand on his shoulder. Ann walked up and to the other side of Ren.

"Y-yeah! Teamwork is the best!"

Makoto let out a heavy sigh.

"Don't worry too much about it, Mako-chan!" Haru commented before turning to the trio.

"We'll help you!"

"Sumire and I will help too!"

Futaba leaped up and down, standing behind Sumire.

"Of course I want to help Ren-senpai!" Sumire replied in a determined tone, nodding.

"I will not be of much assistance, but I would like to participate."

Yusuke calmly sat on a bar stool, watching.

Ren pulled out his pen, spinning it between his fingers and pulling out the first sheet.

"It's showtime!"

After approximately four hours…

Ren, Ryuji, and Ann slammed their hand down and stretched.

"We did it!" They yelled.

"It's almost midnight, quiet down."

Makoto pointed at the clock in Leblanc.

"Oh, damn!" Ryuji almost yelled before covering his mouth.

"I need to be on the train home in the morning. Classes start tomorrow…" Ren groaned.

Makoto looked over the original Phantom Thieves, the three that, alongside Morgana, changed Kamoshida's heart and created the group.

"Luckily for you three, Futaba and I were able to fill in the discrepancies between your homework. All three of you are attending different schools now, which made it more difficult."

"I'm never doin' that again…"

Ryuji breathed in relief.

"Lady Ann! You did amazing! Good work!"

Morgana sat in Sumire's lap, purring.

"I barely did anything… it was all Makoto and Futaba. Even Sumire did more than me."

Ann twirled one of her twintails, leaning back up.

Ren looked over at Sumire and Futaba, who were both petting Morgana.

"Thanks, you two," Ren turned back to Makoto and Haru, "Now, I apologize, but I need to get to bed."

"Agreed," Yusuke commented, eating a jagariko.

"You didn't do anything!" Ann quietly exclaimed.

"Mentally picturing ways to paint the events of this day have proved mentally taxing…"

"That's very admirable of you, Yusuke-senpai," Sumire replied, "But please, don't paint me in a maid outfit."

"But you looked so cute!" Ren shot up from his seat, "Futaba, you have to send me every single picture."

"On it! I got over 200!"

Sumire turned a shade of deep red.

"Wh-what? Futaba!"

"I might have even got some upskirt shots…" Futaba snickered.

"Delete those ones!" Ren practically yelled, now flustered.

"Aww… you're no fun. Fine."

Futaba swiped her fingers a few times, deleting whatever photos were not meant to see the light of day.

"I was joking, by the way. I sent you the gallery."

Bless your soul, Futaba. You've done a great deed. Not that I'll ever say that out loud, Ren saluted her, internally.

Makoto and Haru stood up.

"Today was quite fun. I'm glad we got to spend some time together before the break ended. Everyone is going back to pursue their own goals."

Makoto gave the group a determined glance.

"That's right," Ren replied, "I can't wait to see you all again in the winter, though. I'll be back here for a short break."

"We'll make sure we're around, dude!" Ryuji clapped Ren's back.

"I'll always be available in Shibuya," Yusuke added.

"If you downloaded that MMO we could play together like we were never apart!" Futaba scolded him.

"Feel free to text me! I'm going back overseas, but I'm always happy to hear from you!" Ann gave him a wink.

"No matter where I am, I'll come running if you need me man, you know that!" Ryuji pumped his fist.

"You'll probably find me at a Big Bang Burger, inspecting it," Haru stated with a giggle.

"I'll be thinking of you when I practice. You knew that, 'll probably call me every night, too. Not that I mind."

Sumire gave her boyfriend a playful grin. He blushed in response.

"Thanks, everyone. After I graduate, I'm going to move back here permanently and attend a college nearby. Might even get myself an apartment."

Ren rubbed the back of his head, smiling.

"Sounds good man!" Ryuji stood up, "Let's get going, guys! Last train is leavin' soon!"

Each of the former Phantom Thieves said their goodbyes and began to make their way out of Leblanc, leaving Ren, Morgana and Sumire alone.

Silently, the two walked upstairs and sat down on the bed next to each other. Morgana stayed downstairs.

"Summer break went by so fast, didn't it?" Sumire slowly wrapped her arms around him.

"It did. I don't regret a minute of it, though. Thank you, Sumire." Ren looked down at her with a small smile.

"I-I'm going to miss you… touching you… I mean."

Sumire began to blush, tripping over her words.

Wordlessly, Ren perked her up, wrapping his hand under her chin and pushing her face up.
"Let's make tonight special, then. You hold me as tightly as you can, and I'll hold you in return."

"Ah-um-I'd like that very much!" Sumire buried her face in his chest. Ren stroked her hair and buried his face in it. Silence came over the couple as they laid down and fell asleep in each other's arms, cherishing every last minute of their break.