Phantom Files Book 2: Rise Of The Monarchs

by sithlorde1988

The sequel to Persona 5-The Phantom Files. A few years after Ren returns home, the Phantom Thieves find themselves drawn back into the Metaverse once again out of nowhere after a mysterious app surfaces with the powers to access the Metaverse. Can the Phantom Thieves stop a mysterious new group of individuals called Monarchs? Better summary in chapter 1! BOTH STORY AND EDITS DONE!

45. Epilogue part 1: Aftermath of a Farewell

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, bringing you another chapter of Phantom Files, Book 2: Rise Of The Monarchs! I'm aware that the last chapter wrapped up the main plot of Persona 5 Strikers, despite it being the end of the ninth Arc! However, despite my most recent poll having ended as of the point this chapter goes up, I do not have the final results ready to share (partly since it's currently 2:04PM on May 29, 2024 as I type this start-of-chapter A/N and I've only posted up to chapter 39 at the point I'm typing this A/N, though rather obviously I'll have posted more than that by the time this chapter is actually up for people to read, and partly because I still have to wait for chapter 44 to be posted proper before I can start figuring out the final results, mostly since as things sit as of the point of typing this start-of-chapter A/N, there's a 4-way tie for 3rd, and that simply will not do.)

So I'm waiting to see if there's still a 4-way tie for 3rd when chapter 44 goes up. If there is, then I have to do a randomizer to break the tie. Technically, there's also a tie for 1st, but it's only a two-way tie, and I can say that those two options take 1st and 2nd place each, and both would be in the top 3. Odds are I'll have the actual final results posted by the time I post the last part of the epilogue Arc, so I'll reveal those in a future A/N when they're available. But for now, let's get to the disclaimer so we can start the epilogue, or the actual reason you're reading this A/N right now.

Disclaimer: I, sithlorde1988, do not own the Persona series in ANY way, shape, or form ((excluding the OCs Kusa/Draconis, Taichi, Momoe, the OC Personas Malefor, Albus, and Cthulhu, along with the Phantom Thief attire for Draconis, Pendragon, or Seraphim, all of which I do own. I do not, however, own the OC Personas Hester and Houdini, nor the Phantom Thief attire concepts for Shiho/Flare or Maruki/Messiah.

The OC Persona Hester and the Phantom Thief attire concepts for Shiho/flare were created by, and thus belong to, thalassatides (at symbol) bsky on X (or Twitter as it used to be called). If you happen to be on X, feel free to look up thelassatides (at symbol) bsky's work, as they do some good work. As for the OC Persona Houdini, that belongs to Flower Boy Jun over on Amino Apps. If you use that site, go look him up, since he has some very interesting OC Persona designs and also does amazing work.

As far as the Phantom Thief attire concept for Akane/Auburn, Atlus technically owns the attire that Akane/Auburn's Phantom Thief attire was based off of, aka her Monarch outfit, but I own the modifications made to the outfit to create her Phantom Thief attire, so I own Akane/Auburn's Phantom Thief attire, but not the outfit it's based on, if that makes sense at all. And with regards to Maruki/Messiah's Phantom Thief attire, it's basically Crow's 'Detective Prince'/'Light' outfit, but very slightly repurposed to fit Maruki, so everyone who developed and designed the Persona games basically owns Maruki/Messiah's Phantom Thief attire.

Also shout-out to jdimock for giving me the idea to make Akane/Auburn's Phantom Thief attire a color-swap of her Monarch outfit, even if I ended up making her Phantom Thief attire largely different from aforementioned Monarch outfit, it was still jdimock's idea, so shout-out and credit to him for having the idea)) and the actual ownership credit for the Persona series belongs to Atlus and Sega (where it comes to Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 5, Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal, as well as Persona 3 FES and Persona 3 Reload), as well as to a point Koei Tecmo (where it pertains to Strikers). The rest of the spinoffs belong to various other companies, all of whom know who they are.

And when it comes to Persona 1, Persona 2-Eternal Punishment, and Persona 2-Innocent Sin? As far as I know, they were made by a different studio, who also knows who they are. Full ownership credit for the Persona spinoffs (Phantom X, Tactica, the 'Arena' games, the 'Dancing' games, and the 'Q' games) belong to the studios that helped make them, as well as Atlus and possibly Sega. And full ownership credits for Persona 1, Persona 2- Eternal Punishment, and Persona 2-Innocent Sin belong to the studios that made those games, so all credit to them.

There we go, one disclaimer done and dusted. I could keep going a bit longer, but you're here to read the epilogue and not a long A/N, yeah? That being said, let us commence the epilogue!

Chapter 45- Coping, Acclimiation, and More! Epilogue part 1

(A few hours after the end of Chapter 44, in the lower level of Leblanc, with Ren, Sumire, and Sojiro)

As Sojiro worked the counter of Leblanc alone, he thought about the journey he'd just shared with his new comrades in the Phantom Thieves. As he worked, he heard the door to Leblanc open, turning in time to see a somber looking Sumire walk in, eventually sitting at a booth seat as Ren sat in the seat next to her and gently patted her on the shoulder comfortingly. Sojiro gave Ren an inquiring look as he spoke up.

"Uhh, why does your girlfriend look so depressed, Ren?" Sojiro asked as Ren spoke up.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry about that, Sojiro. In addition to the rest of us seeing Goro and Akane off, Ichinose-san told us that she was going on a journey to understand the human heart. Apparently, Sophia was so inspired by what her creator was doing that she asked to join Ichinose on said journey. And the reason Sumire is so sad is that we allowed Sophia to go with Ichinose, since we could tell that her heart was set on it. Thus, we told Sophia that we would do our best to support her choices to the best of our abilities.

After all, she basically imprinted on us and managed to worm her way into mine and Sumire's hearts as a child of sorts. As such, we're kinda honor-bound to support our 'daughter' in any way we can. But as you can see, Sumire wasn't expecting it to be so rough to say goodbye. So let's try and be patient with her and comfort her as best we can. I'm sure she'll snap out of it in time, but we have to bear with her until then." Ren explained as Sojiro nodded understandingly and spoke up.

"I see. That makes a lot of sense. And Sumire was rather attached to Sophia, to the point that she was insanely protective of her. The same could also be said for Morgana as well. However, I have a feeling that both Kusa and Futaba will be able to help him in his depressed state. So between all four of us, we can do a pretty good job of holding Sumire and Morgana up while they make their peace with Sophia's decision to go on a journey with Ichinose. Besides, I believe that they both realize deep down that Sophia wouldn't want them to be sad about her leaving.

She would want both of them to keep living their best lives for her sake so that by the time they see her again, they can greet her with a smile. In addition, if they live their best lives in the meantime, they can have plenty of stories to share with Sophia when she returns." Sojiro said as Sumire blinked and spoke up, the look on her face as she spoke making it clear that she was both impressed by Sojiro's wisdom and surprised she'd not considered what he'd said herself.

"That is actually a really good point, Sojiro. I hadn't really considered that, to be honest. Once again, you show how wise you are." Sumire said as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"Naturally. I've been told that a few times before." Sojiro said as Sumire nodded before Sojiro served Ren and Sumire plates of his coffee and curry, which they eagerly enjoyed...

(Meanwhile, over in Inaba, at the rooftop food court of Junes, with Yu, Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, Rise, Teddie, Naoto, and Nanako)

After gathering at the usual meetup spot two days following their return to Inaba with Nanako, the Investigation Team gathered at Junes to discuss the mission they'd just finished undertaking. As the group got situated at the usual table they sat at, with Naoto and Rise getting seats next to their respective husbands, while Nanako sat on Yu's other side and both Yukiko and Chie got seats to either side of Yosuke, leaving Teddie to have to settle for the sole remaining seat to the right of Chie, especially after the side-glare Yu gave him for trying to pull up a chair next to Nanako, much to Rise's amusement and Teddie's chagrin. After everyone was seated, Yu spoke up.

"Alright, let's get this post-case meeting of the Investigation Team underway. And let me just say, wow. This case was way more immense than I thought it'd be. Between a psychotic AI going AWOL and trying to enslave mankind, and Nanako gaining the power of Persona and becoming a Phantom Thief, there was no shortage of surprises to be had this time." Yu said as Rise giggled and spoke up.

"Is that really all the surprises, Yu? I can't help but notice that you left out the part where our dear Nanako-chan also went and got herself a girlfriend to go with her new Persona and status as a Phantom Thief. And she seemed quite happy about everything she got during her stint with the Phantom Thieves. If not for the fact that we're not trying to poach people from other teams, I'd make a motion to have Nanako considered for potential membership in the Investigation Team." Rise said as Yu spoke up.

"And who says Nanako can't be a Phantom Thief while also working with the Investigation Team? If I recall correctly, the two of us, alongside Yosuke and Naoto, also became Phantom Thieves for a short time to stop EMMA. So it's not impossible for Nanako to be part of both teams if she so wishes." Yu said as both Chie and Kanji gasped at this and the latter spoke up.

"Wait, what? So if I understand what you're saying correctly, that means that you, Rise, Yosuke, and my wife are all Phantom Thieves now, Yu-senpai?" Kanji asked as Yu spoke up with a nod.

"Correct. Granted, it was a one-off arrangement that ended once EMMA was defeated. But I suppose we can't rule out the possibility of being called back into action in the future at some point. Besides, I felt like the dynamic between Naoto and Goro was a bit strained." Yu said as Naoto smirked and spoke up.

"If you thought it was strained then, you haven't seen anything yet. You do recall that I mentioned earlier on the way back here that Zenkichi-san reached out to inform me that PubSec has assigned me a new protege for me to teach in regards to being an agent, correct?" Naoto asked as Yu spoke up with a nod.

"I do. That's the internship that starts tomorrow, right? Luckily for you and Kanji, you can drive to and from work, so you don't need to worry about being gone for extended periods of time. But why do you ask?" Yu said as Naoto smirked and spoke up.

"Well, Zenkichi-san reached out again this morning to tell me that the prospective protege was contacted and agreed to work with me. And would you believe that out of all the people to be, it's Goro Amamiya?" Naoto said as Yu, Kanji, Rise, and Yosuke's eyes went wide at this before the latter spoke up.

"Whoa, for real!? The original 'Detective Prince' has to train her 'successor' in the ways of the PubSec agent? I can't imagine Goro's too pleased with that right now. After all, we all know how much he prides himself on having bested Naoto twice in battle." Yosuke said as Naoto smirked and spoke up.

"That's just it though, Yosuke. Goro doesn't know who he's working with yet. I'd imagine his face when he sees me walking over to work with him will be quite glorious to behold. But I think he'll accept the necessity of us working together readily enough. After all, I did admit to him that he's not all that bad and has proven himself worthy in my eyes, given that he has beaten me twice." Naoto said as Nanako giggled and spoke up.

"Regardless, you should try to take a photo of his reaction without him noticing and send it to Big Bro or Big Sis so they can show it to the others." Nanako said as Teddie smirked and spoke up.

"Oh? What a bear-y interesting idea, Nana-chan. But then again, I'm not surprised that you would come up with something like that, given that your 'Big Bro' is the leader of the Investigation Team, after all." Teddie said as Yukiko spoke up, pointedly choosing to ignore the pun that Teddie had cracked in favor of changing the subject slightly.

"Speaking of, did we ever get Nanako-chan's opinion on joining us?" Yukiko asked as Nanako smiled and spoke up.

"As long as it doesn't put me into conflict with my teammates in the Phantom Thieves, I think I can be persuaded to join the Investigation Team while also being a Phantom Thief. If nothing else, I'd enjoy being on the same team as my Big Bro and Big Sis. Sure, I'd have to deal with Teddie making passes at me and stuff, but I can ignore that for the sake of being a part of the Investigation Team. After all, I've been wanting that since I met most of you nine years ago." Nanako said as Chie spoke up.

"I think I can speak for all of us that we feel the same way. Even though you didn't have a Persona during the Inaba case, you were always considered a part of this team, Nanako-chan. Oh, and don't worry about Teddie. If he tries anything with you, just let me know, and I'll show you how to do a 'nutcracker' that will keep him at bay, as well as any other guy who gets any ideas about you. And for the record, we all accept and support that you like both men and women, Nanako. I, for one, think it's absolutely adorable that you have a girlfriend." Chie said as every male present simultaneously put their hands over their crotches subconsciously after Chie's mention of a 'nutcracker', much to the amusement of Chie. Nanako, for her part, shyly blushed and spoke up, the embarrassment she felt from Chie's supportive words plain to see on her face as she spoke.

"Thanks, Chie. Nice to hear you feel that way. But that doesn't mean that Dad will be so accepting of it when he hears that I have a girlfriend and like both genders. But I also realize that I can't hide it from him forever." Nanako said as Teddie smirked and spoke up, seeing Nanako's anxiety about her father's reaction to her coming out to him as both being bisexual and having a girlfriend and deciding to change the subject to try and cheer Nanako up.

"Ooh, did Rise-chan and Nao-chan have sexy Phantom Thief attire like Nana-chan got? Or did they just wear their uniforms like usual?" Teddie asked as Nanako smiled and spoke up.

"No. I was the only one to get Phantom Thief attire. And I think that was because I awakened to Sraosha's power the same way the rest of the Phantom Thieves, minus maybe Mona and Crow, got theirs." Nanako said as Yu frowned and spoke up.

"Nanako is correct. Myself, Rise, Yosuke, and Naoto have not gotten any new attire during the time that we were with them, Teddie. And given that Nanako ended up going through a different awakening for her Persona than the rest of us, it would have made sense that she would get attire that is suited for the Phantom Thieves, whereas all of us awakened to our Personas by confronting our Shadows. Well, I guess I should have said all of us except for me, since I was nudged into the power unknowingly by Izanami during the day that I first came to Inaba. Regardless, I still can't shake the fact that she ultimately empowered the very people who would end her existence over the span of almost a year." Yu said with a smirk that Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"Right!? No one has beaten us yet since we became a team, outside of the Phantom Thieves during our first bout against them. But we avenged ourselves for the most part by forcing a draw in the rematch, so I think we can allow that initial defeat to slide." Yosuke said as Rise nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. Besides, the rematch made it quite clear that our loss was only because Yu underestimated Draconis' resourcefulness. Since Naoto managed to defeat Draconis in the rematch, he wasn't able to step in to help Joker against Yu. Not that Joker needed it, given he was able to fight Yu to a draw, complete with a double KO for good measure." Rise said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"True. Joker did indeed impress me with how well he was able to hold his own against me." Yu said as Nanako nodded her agreement as Naoto spoke up.

"Since Yu was the one to bring it up, and Nanako expressed an interest in it, is there any objections to us adding Nanako-chan to our ranks?" Naoto asked as no one raised an objection as Nanako smirked and spoke up.

"Good. Nice that we're all in agreement on that point. I was hoping that would be the case." Nanako said as Kanji spoke up.

"Well, I for one would say that it's about time we formally added you to the team, Nanako. As Chie-senpai mentioned just now, you've always been an unofficial part of this group, and I'm glad that we can make it official." Kanji said as Teddie nodded and spoke up.

"I agree, Kanji. Nana-chan was way past due to be part of this group. And she does make for quite the bear-y sexy addition, if I do say so myself." Teddie said before blinking as he felt himself get shoved lightly off the bench to land on the ground on his back after being turtled a moment later by a smirking Yosuke and Yu, who high-fived after the deed was done as the latter glared at Teddie and spoke up with a visibly annoyed expression on his face.

"Really!? What part of 'quit hitting on Nanako in my presence' don't you get, Teddie!? Do you really want to push your luck? After all, your girlfriend's not here to save you now since she had to go to a job interview for another potential weather girl job. So I'd think very carefully before flirting with Nanako any further around me. After all, I doubt very much that anyone in this room would say a word if I had Yosuke go and fetch me a pair of switchblades while Chie and Kanji hold you down so I can neuter you." Yu said bluntly as Teddie shuddered and nodded his agreement before fainting at the mental image of Yu mutilating him. Nanako sighed and spoke up.

"Of course Teddie faints at the mention of dismemberment. What a coward. He's lucky that Marie-san likes him, for who knows why." Nanako deadpanned, getting amused chuckles from the rest of her newly minted teammates in the Investigation Team, as the others nodded their agreement and decided to go get some meat and have a meal to celebrate both their new teammate as well as revel in the satisfaction that comes from a job well done, leaving Teddie passed out by the bench they'd been sitting at...

(Back in Yongen-Jaya, at the Sakura house with Kusa, Futaba, and Morgana)

As they sat together on the sofa to watch TV, Futaba frowned as she noticed the idly uninterested look on Morgana's face before nudging Kusa lightly to get his attention and speaking up so only Kusa could hear.

"Is it me, or does Morgana seem really out of it to you, Kusa?" Futaba asked as Kusa spoke up while leaning in so only Futaba could hear.

"Of course he's out of it, Taba. His girlfriend just left to go on a journey with Kuon Ichinose. You can't say you weren't the same way when we were separated for that large chunk of time three years ago. So let's try to show him a bit of understanding and compassion, yeah?" Kusa said as Futaba nodded her understanding as she relaxed on Kusa to watch TV. After a bit, Morgana spoke up.

"I realize this might sound petty of me, but I'm sayin' it anyway. How is it that when I finally got a girlfriend alongside every other Phantom Thief outside of Sojiro and Zenkichi, she ends up leaving town the first chance she gets to go on a journey with her creator who earlier tried to turn her against us? I'm honestly kind of disappointed by that turn of events. But I also don't begrudge Lady Sophia for trying to help others. She's always been kind-hearted that way." Morgana said as Kusa nodded and spoke up while lightly hugging a smiling Futaba close to him.

"That's true, Morgana. But as I said before, there's a really applicable quote for this situation. 'If you love someone, let them go. If it's meant to be, they'll find their way back to you someday.' And I feel like there's a fairly good bet that you and Sophia are meant to be, Morgana. So try and cheer up, yeah? I doubt Sophia would want you to be mopey all the time while she's gone. But I suppose it's also fair if you need time to cope with things." Kusa said as Futaba spoke up from in Kusa's arms.

"Kusa's right. We're here for you, Morgana. But you have to find the strength to keep going sooner or later." Futaba said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"That's true, I suppose. I can't keep moping around forever, can I? But who knew it'd be this tricky to let go of someone I care about?" Morgana said as Kusa smiled and spoke up.

"Believe me, I think Taba and I can relate to that more than you realize, Morgana. Or do I need to remind you of just how close we all came to losing Ren three and a half years ago, as well as how long most of you thought Goro and I were gone after we got separated from you all during the tail end of Shido's Palace? And that's not even getting into how devastated Sumire was when we had to let her think that Ren died as part of our plan to trick Goro and Shido three and a half years ago.

In other words, just remember that you're not the only one who's felt this way, Morgana. We've all been there at least once in the past few years. So just let yourself take things one day at a time. Eventually, you'll start being able to think about Sophia and smile without missing her so much. Also, don't forget that Sophia herself said that we would see her again someday. So it's only a temporary goodbye. As such, try to keep your chin up if you can. If not, Taba and I will do our best to be there for you." Kusa said kindly as he gently pulled Morgana into a one-armed manly hug, making Morgana blink in surprise before smiling as he spoke up.

"You're right, Kusa. Thank you. I'll do my best to stay strong for Lady Sophia's sake." Morgana said as Futaba smiled and spoke up.

"That's all we can ask of you. Well, while you figure things out, I think Kusa owes me some overdue fun time. We'll try not to be too loud so as not to bother you out here. But if you do feel irritated, feel free to turn the TV up out here so you don't have to hear us if we do end up being loud." Futaba said as Morgana nodded and relaxed on the hide-a-bed to watch TV while Futaba led Kusa into her room, pushing the door closed behind them as the only other sound heard at first was two bodies collapsing onto the bed before the sounds of kissing followed, making Morgana turn the TV up to drown it out, one thought going through his mind as he watched TV.

"I hope you're safe and that you're enjoying your journey with Ichinose, wherever you both are right now, Lady Sophia. I'll do my best to stay strong so that by the time we see each other again, we can greet one another with a smile. But that doesn't mean I won't miss you, since I will always be thinking about you. I'll just have to not let myself be constantly upset while doing so, that's all. But never doubt that I love you, now and always." Morgana thought to himself as he let himself be immersed in watching TV...

(Meanwhile, back at Leblanc, with Ren, Sumire, and Sojiro)

As Ren and Sojiro finished tag-teaming the dishes following Sojiro giving Ren and Sumire a meal of curry and coffee, Sojiro spoke up.

"Alright, I think I'm gonna go ahead and head back to the house and check on Kusa and Futaba for now, and make sure Morgana's doing okay. I'll go ahead and trust you to lock up the shop, Ren. And if you and your girl are gonna fool around, make sure it's after you close up. I don't think either of you wants to have customers come in and hear you two going at it upstairs." Sojiro said as Ren nodded as Sojiro left, at which point Ren led Sumire up to the attic, where she sat on the couch and patted the seat next to her as if asking Ren to sit with her, so Ren sat down as Sumire spoke up.

"I know Sojiro has a point that we shouldn't let ourselves be consumed by Sophia's absence, but how was I supposed to know it would be this hard to watch our daughter spread her metaphoric wings and leave the nest, Ren? I'm sure I'll eventually accept that she's following her heart and doing what makes her happy. But in the meantime, even though she's with Ichinose-san, I think it's going to take me time to accept that Sophia's technically out on her own." Sumire said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"I understand that you're probably hurting to some extent right now, beautiful. But look at it this way. We did an excellent job guiding her through finding her own heart and path to the future. So if anything, this speaks positively to our ability to be good parents, not negatively. As for it taking you time to process your feelings, that's fine. I'm here for you every step of the way." Ren said as Sumire smiled and spoke up after pulling Ren into an impromptu kiss, a sly smirk slowly spreading across her face.

"Good answer, Ren. I know it's early in the day, but go lock up the shop and close up for now, since I think I really want you after what you just said. And I agree with Sojiro that we don't need someone walking in on us doing the deed, or at least walk in to the sounds of our passion echoing from upstairs." Sumire said as Ren nodded before hurrying downstairs to flip the sign from 'OPEN' to 'CLOSED', sticking a note on the front of the front door to Leblanc that said 'Closed for family reasons. Will open back up later. Thanks for your understanding. -Leblanc Management' before closing the door and locking the shop up as he made his way upstairs to where Sumire was eagerly waiting for Ren, having already removed her shoes, socks, and pants.

**M-RATED CONTENT STARTS HERE. ANYONE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH READING SMUT AND/OR LEMONS, SKIP AHEAD TO THE SECTION LABELED *END OF M-RATED CONTENT* TO KEEP READING, OTHERWISE KEEP READING PAST THIS POINT AT YOUR OWN RISK. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! LEMON STARTS NOW!**

After he got up to the attic, Ren found himself gently but firmly tugged down to lay on top of a smiling Sumire, who pulled Ren into a heated kiss after tugging his shirt over his head and tossing it to the ground behind her, where it was quickly joined by Sumire's shirt. After getting over his slight surprise at his girlfriend's bold action, Ren smiled as he gently straddled Sumire's waist and returned her kiss passionately, letting the couple get lost in making out heatedly for a while.

Somewhere in that time, both Ren and Sumire had divested themselves of Ren's pants and Sumire's bra, allowing Ren to lovingly nuzzle his face playfully into Sumire's cleavage, making her both blush profusely in embarrassment and give off an appreciative and also distinctly aroused moan as Ren trailed kisses along each of his girlfriend's bare breasts before managing to fish his face out of her cleavage and gently lean his head in to give the closest breast to him a very loving yet sexy kiss.

Taking Sumire's quite appreciative-sounding mewls of pleasure as a cue to keep going, Ren started gently running his tongue along the exposed areola and nipple, making Sumire moan even more as she gently put her hands on Ren's head to gently hold his head in place as Ren smirked, taking the unspoken cue and wrapping his mouth around the breast he'd been kissing, sucking lightly but hungrily on it. Ren's rather brazen actions had the result of making Sumire speak up in a rather sultry-sounding voice.

"Oh my goodness! I think I forgot how nice it feels to have you lavishing attention on my breasts, Ren. Keep going. I love how you're making me feel right now." Sumire said as Ren nodded, taking time to lavish attention on each of Sumire's breasts, making her blush but smile as she sneakily slid one hand into Ren's boxers to jerk him off while using the other to start fingering herself after sliding her panties down to her ankles and kicking them off of one ankle to dangle off of the other ankle, basically giving them both simultaneous stimulation as Ren continued lavishing attention on her chest.

After a long few minutes passed, Sumire found herself impatiently tugging Ren's boxers down to his ankles, making Ren chuckle as he wiggled out of his boxers, tossing them to the ground behind him as Sumire reached down to grab her panties off the ankle they were hanging from, after which she tossed her discarded panties down next to Ren's boxers, leaving them both totally naked as Sumire giggled and spoke up.

"You know, you've been such a good boy by showing me attention, Ren. Maybe it's time I returned the favor?" Sumire said as she lined Ren's length up so it was at her eye level before waiting for Ren to give a singular nod of consent as she wasted little time taking Ren's length into her mouth and sucking on it happily, savoring it like a particularly juicy lollipop, using her hands to caress/massage Ren's balls, getting a husky-sounding groan from Ren as he gently kneaded Sumire's nipple with his teeth, enjoying the slight gasp his actions would get from her before the gasp would be replaced with an extremely aroused sounding moan as she spoke up.

"Ohh, yes! I love it when you play rough with me, Ren! Fucking notice me, Senpai! I love this side of you." Sumire said as Ren nodded, letting himself alternate between sucking on each of Sumire's supple-looking breasts, enjoying the mewls of appreciation Sumire was giving off as she slowly yet sensually ran her tongue up and down the length of Ren's cock, enjoying how hard yet smooth it felt on her tongue, as well as the husky sounding moans Ren was giving off as he felt his girlfriend sucking him off. After a bit, Sumire started feeling adventurous and began bobbing her head up and down as she sucked on Ren's length, making Ren's eyes widen slightly as he spoke up in a moan.

"Holy shit, Sumi! I have no idea where you learned that, but don't stop! That feels so fucking amazing!" Ren said as he started using one hand to massage the breast not currently in his mouth as his other hand moved down to disappear between Sumire's legs, one finger lightly stroking the visible nub between her legs, and two more disappearing into her entrance and going in and out of her at a fast pace, making Sumire gasp in shock before smiling as she felt Ren start fingering her pussy, smiling sexily at Ren as she pulled the ribbon out of her ponytail, letting her hair flow freely down her back, letting it hang down for Ren to see.

Sumire's rather mischievous but bold decision would have the result of making Ren smile widely at seeing his girlfriend with her hair down, both metaphorically and literally, as he used the hand that wasn't currently massaging Sumire's free breast to deftly swat her hard on the ass, which was currently wiggling in the air after she managed to pull her breast free of Ren's mouth with a satisfying sort of 'pop', making Ren smirk after enjoying the visible handprint his actions had left on Sumire's left asscheek, which had jiggled in response to his spanking her.

Afterwards, Ren waited until Sumire subtly nodded once to give her consent before he gently lifted her legs so her lower half was currently planted on his face, allowing him to easily use his fingers to part her slicked-up folds to easily bury his tongue in her moist entrance, wasting little time in licking every inch of her walls, getting a very pleased sounding sort of sexy mewling sound from Sumire as she started bobbing her head up and down enough that nearly all of Ren's cock was in her mouth, to the point that she was almost swallowing his tip.

The feeling of his girlfriend's mouth wrapping itself around nearly his entire cock had the result of making Ren smirk as he started playfully thrusting into Sumire's mouth, making her smile even as she occasionally almost gagged as his tip almost went down her throat, eventually pulling back up before it went all the way down, basically enjoying the feeling of his girlfriend basically deep-throating him for the first time, and gently but sexily rubbing his nose against her nub in response, making her shudder but moan appreciatively as she let herself enjoy her impromptu meal. After what felt like a very long time, but was in actuality only around 10 to 15 minutes, Ren and Sumire both felt themselves arc backwards as Ren spoke up.

"Ooh, wow! I think I'm getting close. But I want you to cum first, beautiful. So, like the gentleman that I am, I'll hold back and let you go first." Ren said as he used his hands to start rubbing up and down on Sumire's clit, making her gasp as she moaned loudly and spoke up, being careful to use her tongue to hold Ren's cock in place as she spoke.

"REN! That feels so fucking nice! Keep going! I think you're driving me towards the edge!" Sumire said as Ren nodded, continuing to both tease his girlfriend's clit with her fingers and use his tongue to eat her pussy like a particularly juicy piece of fruit. After a few minutes, Sumire moaned as she spoke up.

"Oh, I think I'm-! YES! YES, I AM! FUCK YES! I'M GONNA FUCKING CUM, SENPAI!" Sumire said as Ren wrapped his mouth around her pussy in time for her to literally explode in his mouth, feeling tons of juice shoot into his mouth at that moment as Sumire climaxed, savoring every drop of his girlfriend's juices, which tasted very distinctly like bento, curry, and also slight hints of Leblanc coffee as she squirted into his mouth over and over. After a bit, Sumire shuddered but stopped squirting in Ren's mouth, at which point Ren groaned and spoke up.

"I HOPE YOU HAVE ME WHERE YOU WANT ME, SUMI! BECAUSE I THINK I'M ABOUT TO BLOW!" Ren said as Sumire giggled and smiled as she released Ren's cock from her mouth and sat up so she had his cock lined up level with her breasts, just in time for Ren's cock to twitch as strand after strand of white liquid squirted out from Ren's cock onto Sumire's pert and perky breasts, making Ren blush at the sight of his cum sliding down his girlfriend's breasts.

And if Ren thought his blush was bad then, it would only get worse from there, especially once Sumire saw him looking and sexily lifted the closest breast into her mouth to tease Ren by licking every drop of his cum off before doing the same to the other breast, before seeing Ren's cock looking suspiciously close to going limp and gently sandwiching it between her breasts as she rubbed them up and down along Ren's length to get him hard again before giggling as she spread her legs sexily and got on her knees as she spoke up in a sultry-sounding voice.

"Oh, Rennnn! I've been such a bad girl! I want you to punish me by shoving that cock in me and taking me doggy style! I need you to fuck me so hard, Ren! I crave the feeling of your cum staining my pussy walls after you pummel my fucking pussy with that sexy cock of yours! I want your seed in me! Now stick that cock in me and fuck me, Ren!" Sumire said as Ren smirked and obeyed, using the fact that her entrance was still slick with a mix of her sweat and juices to line himself up and easily shove his cock into her entrance from behind, making Sumire gasp and then smile as she spoke up in a very sultry and/or seductive voice.

"YES! I love it! I've been such a bad girl! Now punish me for it by pounding me like a fucking bongo drum, Senpai!" Sumire said, pulling a mirror over so Ren could watch Sumire's breasts jiggle up and down as he fucked her, smirking as he watched her wiggle her ass towards him as if begging him to spank her, which he did, swatting her hard on the ass again, smiling at the visible handprint left behind as Sumire moaned happily and started fondling her own breasts for Ren's enjoyment.

The sight of his girlfriend acting like such a wild yet naughty girl had the result of making Ren smirk sexily as he leaned down to sexily place a butterfly kiss onto each of Sumire's firm yet thicc asscheeks, making Sumire giggled at how gentle yet firm Ren was being with her. And for another long while, Ren and Sumire just stayed like they were, Sumire's ass sexily wiggling up and down as Ren kept thrusting hard and fast into her, each of his thrusts making his cock rub against Sumire's walls, making her moan happily as she felt Ren's cock pounding her pussy like a drum. After a long while, Sumire spoke up happily.

"OOH, YESSS! KEEP GOING, REN! I'M SO CLOSE, BUT I WANT US TO CUM AT THE SAME TIME! I NEED THE FEELING OF YOU RELEASING IN ME, SENPAI!" Sumire said as Ren nodded, thrusting harder and faster as he felt his cock twitch a bit inside her, making a bit of pre-cum shoot out into her, causing Sumire to shudder in excitement as she felt herself draw near the edge of another release. Once she felt Ren reach a hand around to gently massage her clit a few minutes later after using his hands to cup her breasts, that was what drove her over the edge into her release as she felt her walls clench around Ren's cock as she reached another release, the clenching of her walls being enough to make Ren grunt as he spoke up.

"HOLY SHIT! I HOPE YOU'RE CLOSE, SINCE I THINK I'M READY TO CUM AGAIN, SUMI!" Ren said as Sumire smiled huskily and spoke up.

"Go right ahead, Ren. I need to feel your cum in me, Senpai. So please, cum for me." Sumire said sexily, making Ren shudder and then grunt as he felt his cock twitch before he came undone, feeling his seed explode into Sumire, load after load of cum shooting into her walls and near enough filling her walls, making Sumire squeal happily as she felt Ren climaxing inside of her before she spoke up.

"KEEP GOING, REN! I CAN FEEL YOUR CUM IN ME AND I LOVE IT! PLEASE, GIVE ME MORE!" Sumire said as she felt herself release a second time onto Ren's cock in tandem with his release. After a few minutes passed, both Ren and Sumire sagged simultaneously as they collapsed onto each other in a pile of limbs, both very slick with sweat but very much happy with what they'd just done. As they caught their breath, Ren pulled a blanket over himself and his very happy girlfriend as she laid her head on his shoulder and spoke up, neither one concerned in the slightest with their current state of nakedness.

**END OF M-RATED CONTENT. KEEP READING ON FROM THIS POINT IF YOU SKIPPED THE PRECEDING LEMON!**

"Ren, I have no idea what came over us, but I loved every bit of what we just did." Sumire said as she leaned back and smiled contentedly, her eyes seeming to close as Sumire let herself enter a state of blissful contention while Ren smiled and spoke up, wrapping an arm around the waist of his very satisfied and very naked girlfriend as he spoke.

"I'm glad you enjoyed that, Sumi. I apologize if I got too rough with the spanking and the light nibbling on your breasts. But you seemed to enjoy it, so I figured I'd try to give you what you wanted since I enjoy making you happy." Ren said as Sumire smiled and spoke up.

"You weren't too rough at all, Ren. If anything, I loved seeing you let loose and take charge. It was almost like you were letting your inner Joker take over for a time. And I loved every second of it. Did we screw up by not using any protection this time? Probably. Am I upset about it? Nope. Sure, I could end up pregnant from what we just did. But if I do, then so be it. I mean, there is also the matter of me still having gymnastic aspirations. But if I have to put them on hold for a time so I can enjoy my time with my boyfriend, then that's just the way it is.

Do I want to give up my chance to fulfill the dream Kasumi and I shared? No. But I know she'll understand that I saw a chance to be happy with you and seized it. Besides, it's not like I can't still do gymnastics while being a mother on the side." Sumire said serenely as Ren smiled and nodded as he gently ran his hands through Sumire's hair happily while speaking up.

"That's true. The important thing to me is that you're happy. Whether that comes from you making your dreams happen, or it comes as a result of us having a family together, that part makes little difference to me. The part that matters is that I can make you as happy and content as humanly possible. I know your life has not been the easiest these past few years, despite our time as a couple and our friendship. So whatever I can do to make you happy, just let me know. Because that's my goal as your boyfriend, Sumire. I want to make sure I can make you as happy and content as possible. I love you so much." Ren said as Sumire smiled and spoke up as she nuzzled her face into Ren's chest.

"I know you do, Ren. I love you too. I'm sorry if it seems like I'm not doing enough to make you happy lately. I've just been busy with stuff, and then we had Sophia come into our lives. So of course I found myself preoccupied with the joys of being a mother to her, even it was only a surrogate/adoptive mom. And I have to admit, you made a pretty damn good father to her, Ren. Maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing if I stepped back from my gymnastics for a time and focused on starting a family with you. Worst case, I can get back into it in a few years and have you watch the kids while I try to get back in shape and compete.

Sure I hear that 20, 21, and maybe even 22 are considered the prime ages for a woman to do gymnastics. However, I've heard of some girls who can do it as old as their 30s. So as long as I don't step away for more than a couple of years, I should be able to not only achieve the gymnastics dream that Kasumi and I always wanted, but also be able to focus on doing my best to be a loving and supportive girlfriend to you, if not eventually a loving and supportive wife." Sumire said as Ren looked into Sumire's eyes and spoke up.

"Sumire, look at me in my eyes when I tell you this." Ren said as Sumire looked up so she was looking into Ren's eyes as he kept speaking.

"I love you, so much. But you are in NO way either a bad or an unsupportive girlfriend. You are just a very driven woman who has her own goals she wants to achieve. And I want to be able to help you achieve those dreams/goals in any way that I can. If that means our relationship has to be a bit slower while you achieve your dreams, then that's fine. I'd rather see you be able to achieve your dreams and make the most out of your life. If that means that you and I are one of the last couples, if not THE last couple, to get married, then I'm okay with that.

The most important thing to me is your happiness, Sumire. So do not EVER let me hear you say you don't do enough to make me happy. You do plenty just by being there, and letting someone like me continue to call you their girlfriend. So don't feel like you have to do anything specific to make me happy, since you make me very happy just the way you are." Ren said as he leaned in to kiss Sumire reassuringly, making her smile as she returned the kiss before blushing as she spoke up.

"Thank you, Ren. That means so much to me that you feel that way. I think we both have a lot to work on about ourselves, so we'll just have to take things one day at a time. However, if you do decide to pop the question to me, I probably wouldn't mind it. I think at this point, after everything you and I have been through, you're probably the only man I could see myself agreeing to spend the rest of my life with. And while it's true that I might like both genders, you are the one I want to be with, Ren. I might be curious about what it'd be like to fool around with a woman, but I'm not going to put that before you." Sumire said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"I thought that might be the case. You know, I didn't mention this before since I wasn't sure if this would embarrass either you or Sophia, but I saw you checking out Pandora when our daughter had her true Awakening. It's not a crime that you found her attractive. Full disclosure? I thought she was beautiful as well. But she's got nothing on you, Sumire. You are the woman that I love. And you're the only woman, unless you want it otherwise, that I want to be with.

Also, for whatever it's worth? I think you'll make an incredible mother when the time comes. If nothing else, you showed you had strong maternal instincts with Sophia. And to be honest with you? I was so incredibly turned on when you lit into Ichinose-san the day she almost took Sophia from us. Seeing you cuss her out and go full-on 'mama bear' on Ichinose was such a turn-on for me. I think that may have partially been why I was so much extra rough and dominant with you earlier. I didn't hurt you too much, did I?" Ren asked. Sumire spoke up with a very serene and happy smile on her face, her eyes slightly closing as she spoke while nuzzling into Ren's chest.

"Not at all. I may or may not have actually found it quite sexy that you let yourself go so wild on me. Was the spanking and nibbling unexpected? Yes. But dammit, it was also totally hot! From now on, I give you full permission to get a bit rough when we're making love, provided you don't go too crazy with it. Also, I saw you looking at my ass when I was sucking you off. I wouldn't have minded it if you had decided to do stuff to it, within reason. But, I also respect your comfort zone. Just between you and me, I don't mind if you decide to get a bit brazen in future sessions and either stick your tongue, a few fingers, or even your cock in my ass. I understand if you're not into that, though." Sumire said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"To be honest, I've never done anything like that before. Maybe one day in the future we can try it, but not right away. I feel like what we do now is more than enough for the time being. Though I will admit, it felt really nice to feel your breasts rubbing against my cock while you were trying to get me hard again. Maybe next time, we can try having me hump your breasts while you lick my cock if you're feeling adventurous enough. However, maybe we should leave that sort of talk at that, in case any unexpected ears are eavesdropping on us.

Though if I had to guess, Futaba's probably too preoccupied with Kusa to be monitoring her devices right now. But then again, I've learned not to underestimate Alibaba's multitasking prowess. I feel bad for Morgana and possibly Sojiro as well if they get too frisky, since I'm pretty sure the walls are thin over at the Sakura house." Ren said as Sumire giggled and spoke up.

"That's true. I could see those two traumatizing both Morgana and Sojiro with how wild and bold they could be in the bedroom. Unfortunately, I've seen video evidence of this thanks to walking in on Futaba, who was watching back recordings of her and Kusa multiple times while we were in Kyoto. I think I would have been traumatized after seeing those two go at it in those recordings." Sumire said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"I'm sorry to hear that, beautiful. But I can easily do whatever I have to in order to drive those images from your mind. You only need to ask, and if it's within my means to do so, I'll do whatever is necessary to take your mind off of Futaba's shamelessness." Ren said as he then kept speaking while gently but lovingly gazing into Sumire's eyes.

"But now that I think about it, maybe I should be speaking to both your father and mother at some point to get their blessings before we make any big moves towards becoming husband and wife. After all, I feel that it's a common courtesy to ask your parents' permission before I pop the question, and it seems only right not to exclude them from this.

After all, they had already been denied the chance to enjoy the experience of being part of Kasumi's potential courtships and planning her wedding. I'd rather not rob them of that chance with both of their daughters. And not only that, but I know for a fact that both Shinichi and Minako love you a lot, as was evidenced when they had to grit their teeth and bear it while Maruki-san had you actualized into believing you were your deceased elder twin sister for all those months.

But more importantly, I also believe quite fervently that they would love nothing more than to be able to help be part of their only remaining daughter's big day. So not right away, but one day in the not-too-distant future, we should take your parents up on their offer to have dinner with them. If only so we can touch base with them and that I can properly ask your parents for their blessings." Ren said as Sumire smiled and nodded as she spoke up.

"I agree, Ren. We should really do that. If nothing else, they deserve to know that their 'granddaughter' has left the nest and has gone out to see the world for herself while she's on this journey with Ichinose-san." Sumire said as Ren nodded before gently pulling Sumire so she was laying on top of him as he put his arms around her while speaking up.

"That's true. But I think for now, we can table this discussion so you can get a nap, since I probably wore you out with how much I was ravaging you. And while you get some rest, I can go downstairs and mind the cafe for Sojiro while he's at home with Kusa and Futaba. Just make sure you cover yourself up well so that no one comes up here and accidentally gets a glimpse of your naked body if you decide not to put any clothes on while you nap.

Only I get to see that, and maybe Futaba if she's watched her recording devices of us at all. Oh, and those of us who were at Crossroads the night of Ann's birthday, since you did flash your tits to about half the group that night. And judging by the looks on their faces, I believe that Kusa, Morgana, Makoto, Haru, and probably even Goro would rather unsee what they saw." Ren said as Sumire giggled and spoke up.

"Oh really? I had no idea you were so territorial, Ren. But I like that about you. And let me make myself clear here for the two of us. You're the only one, aside from maybe Futaba if you and I both agree, whom I will allow to see me fully naked. That is, unless you count anyone who may have walked past that beach in Kukojima on the day that we arrived there with the others and decided to have a 69 on the beach." Sumire said as she yawned cutely before continuing to speak.

"But I think on that note, I will take you up on your offer and get a nap while I can, since our lovemaking did take a lot out of me. But I'm happy I got to feel your release in me, Ren. You have no idea how fulfilled and happy I felt in that moment." Sumire said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"I'm glad to hear it, beautiful. And if our lack of protection does have the consequences we think it might, we'll deal with them together. I won't make you go through that alone, Sumi. I promise you that. I'm here for you, now and always. Now get some sleep. I'll probably come up and join you if you're not awake before the shop closes for real. But for now, enjoy your nap, Sumire." Ren said as he gently tucked his girlfriend in, kissing her on the cheek as he gently put a pillow under her head and let her watch him as he got dressed in front of her.

As he started getting dressed, Ren found himself smirking in amusement at how attentively Sumire was staring at his manhood as he got dressed, seeming to actually pout a bit as he pulled on a pair of boxers to cover himself before drifting off by the time Ren had finished dressing. Once he saw Sumire peacefully dozing, Ren gently pressed a kiss to the top of her head as he spoke up on his way down the stairs, keeping his voice down so as not to wake her.

"Sleep well, beautiful. Pleasant dreams. I'll try to be back up sooner rather than later, but it depends on how long Sojiro takes to get back. That is, assuming he comes back at all tonight." Ren said as he headed downstairs to open the cafe back up after neatly organizing his girlfriend's clothes into a pile and setting them on the table next to the TV, being careful to tuck her bra into the middle of the pile so no one could see it. As he allowed himself to look back for one last glance at his girlfriend while he headed downstairs to mind the cafe, Ren found himself smiling happily at how dreamily content Sumire looked at that moment...

(Around the same time as Ren re-opening Leblanc, elsewhere in Yongen-Jaya, with Yusuke)

As he walked through Yongen-Jaya to go check on the Sayuri and surprise Ren and Sumire at Leblanc, Yusuke blinked as he heard his name called as a familiar voice spoke up.

"I knew I'd find you here, Yusuke." The voice said as Yusuke turned slowly to his right before smiling as he recognized the dark-haired female who he saw waving at him, despite not having seen her in a few weeks. As Yusuke walked over to his girlfriend as he smiled and spoke up.

"Hifumi? You've returned!?" Yusuke said as Hifumi smiled and spoke up.

"Yup. And sorry for not calling you sooner, as I didn't know you were back from your trip with the others. And before you ask how I know, I may have recognized you in the crowd during that fireworks festival in Yokohama a few nights ago. But by the time I had the chance to try and call out to you, you'd already disappeared. But at least I found you now." Hifumi said as she gently pulled Yusuke into a hug before leaning up to cutely kiss him. After he returned the kiss, Yusuke blinked and spoke up.

"You saw me at the fireworks festival? I thought you were at a summer-long shogi competition with your mom?" Yusuke asked as Hifumi spoke up.

"Clearly you weren't paying attention when I told you that it was only going to be for a month or so. At least I can say I won the tournament, albeit narrowly, so that's good. How was your trip?" Hifumi asked as Yusuke sighed and spoke up.

"Very long and eventful. Suffice it to say, it was a wonderful adventure, to say the least. But as much as I want to go into detail, there are certain parts of that trip that I'm not authorized to mention to just anyone." Yusuke said as Hifumi giggled and spoke up.

"You mean the part where you and your friends don masks and fight crime as the Phantom Thieves?" Hifumi asked slyly, smiling prettily at the sight of Yusuke's jaw dropping before he spoke up after doing a very amusing fish impression.

"W-What did you just say!? Did you just suggest that me and my friends are-?" Yusuke said as Hifumi gave Yusuke a comforting kiss on the cheek and spoke up.

"It's okay, you don't have to lie to me. I've known for a while and the only other person who is aware of my knowledge is Ren-kun. Oh, and pro tip? If you're going to send a calling card to the masses, make sure you check that your girlfriend isn't among the masses who use EMMA. Or rather, isn't someone who previously used EMMA? I uninstalled it after Konoe-san's confession, but my mother had it installed and was among the masses who got the calling card, so I saw the message from her phone.

And I'd have to be a very terrible girlfriend in order to not be able to recognize my own boyfriend's voice when he's speaking. Truth be told, I found it amusing when you accused the masses of letting a false god usurp their sense of self, among other things you said during that calling card. I thought it was very poetic and beautiful. But then, you've always had a certain sort of elegant refinement to you, now that I think about it. Thankfully, my mom finally uninstalled EMMA recently. Or rather, EMMA uninstalled itself from Mother's phone. Either way, I'm proud of what you do." Hifumi said as Yusuke blushed in embarrassment and spoke up.

"You recognized my voice!? I was trying to disguise it specifically to avoid being recognized. Not because I was afraid of your reaction, but because I wanted to try and protect you from being targeted over our relationship. I know I can be hopeless with money, and I'm probably far from the ideal boyfriend, but I do want to try and do my best to keep you both safe and happy, Hifumi. But if we're being honest with one another, I did miss you while you were gone." Yusuke said as Hifumi spoke up.

"In regards to your voiceover during the calling card, you didn't disguise it very well. That, or your voice-changer broke, because it was very easy to recognize your voice. But enough of that. Let's enjoy being together again for now. And fortunately for us, Mother is going to be out of town for another week or so on business, so I have the house to myself. I figured you'd enjoy it if I invited you to spend a night or two with me. That, and I may or may not have missed having you hold me in your arms.

I might not say it often, but I do enjoy how you always try and hold me so gently when we cuddle. It makes me feel both very comfortable and incredibly loved. And if you have no objections, I think it might be high-time that I show you just how much I love you." Hifumi said as Yusuke blushed as the implication of her words registered with him and he spoke up.

"Oh. So you're saying you want to-?" Yusuke asked as Hifumi nodded and spoke up.

"Precisely. Now come with me." Hifumi said as she gently took a shocked Yusuke by the hand and led him to her house...

(A short time later, in the Niijima residence, with Ryuji, Makoto, Sae, and Grace)

As Makoto and Ryuji sat at the dining table together enjoying a meal, Sae looked over at Ryuji's mother, Grace, and spoke up.

"So, you're Ryuji-kun's mother? I won't lie to you, Miss Sakamoto. The way Ryuji speaks about you, I was almost expecting someone more frail than you. I apologize for any offense my words caused you, but I'm simply stating what I thought." Sae said as Grace smiled and spoke up.

"Nah, that's fine. You said your name was Sae, right? I don't mind that you assumed the worst. You at least apologized for it. And from what I can see, your younger sister has been nothing but good for Ryuji, so I can handle a few errant assumptions. But I do have to admit, I wouldn't have pegged you for being a mother figure at your age. But I suppose there's a first time for everything. Also, none of this 'Miss Sakamoto' nonsense. Your sister is my son's girlfriend. I don't mind if you call me Grace." Grace said as Sae smiled wryly and spoke up.

"As you wish, Grace. And when it comes to you saying that raising Makoto is a first for me, you're not wrong. But it was something of a 'borne by necessity' sort of scenario, as Makoto's friend Kusa would put it. Not that I regret taking my little sister in when our father passed. I would do that again for her in a heartbeat if I had to. And yes, that's correct. My name is Sae Niijima." Sae said as Grace nodded and spoke up.

"As you should. But maybe we shouldn't speak about Ryuji and Makoto as if they're not here. That seems rude, I think." Grace said as Sae nodded her agreement and spoke up.

"You're not wrong, Grace. But I figure they can speak for themselves if they're bothered by it." Sae said as Makoto chuckled weakly and spoke up.

"Good point, Sis. I'm just glad you and Grace are getting along to some extent." Makoto said as Ryuji spoke up.

"I'm not surprised by it. She might not look like it, but my mother has some thick skin on her. After all, let's not forget about the fact that she had to deal with most of Shujin trying to belittle her for what they deemed her failure to keep me in line during all that crap Kamoshida caused. So I know that Mom is tougher than most give her credit for. After all, I had to get my resiliency and resolve from somewhere, and it damn sure wasn't my dad." Ryuji said bluntly as Grace spoke up.

"True. If anything, you get your blunt mannerisms from him." Grace said as Sae spoke up.

"Not that being blunt is a bad thing, at least in moderation. I think the better question is what both my sister and her boyfriend might have in store for their future." Sae said in an attempt to change the subject as Makoto got the cue and spoke up.

"We don't have a set-in-stone plan yet, necessarily. Our current plan is to go to college, probably get degrees, then go from there. Depending on how long those degrees take, we might think about more long-term plans after that. But I do know that Ryuji and I are both serious about making what we have work long-term if we can." Makoto said as Ryuji nodded and spoke up.

"Makoto's right. I know I'm probably not the most studious or impressive boyfriend at times, but I really do just want to make her as happy as I can. If that means I have to study more, then so be it. The most important thing to me is Makoto's happiness." Ryuji said as Makoto blushed and spoke up.

"I respect that, but that shouldn't come at the cost of your own happiness or dreams, Ryuji. We are equals in this relationship, after all. But it's sweet that you're so committed to me, I suppose." Makoto said as Grace smiled and spoke up.

"I can see that you two are likely committed to one another for the long haul, so I'm okay with you two as a couple." Grace said as Sae nodded and spoke up.

"As am I. I can see you two want things to work with one another for the long term. The only question I can see would be whether or not you two ever see yourselves getting married at some point. I know you said that some of your friends already popped the question recently to their girlfriends, so you can see why I'd have that question." Sae said as Makoto blushed and spoke up.

"To be honest, I wouldn't be against it if Ryuji did decide to ask me to be his wife. But I also respect it if he needs more time to decide if we're ready for that as well. I know that some of the couples in our friend group, like Ren and Sumire, or more recently Goro and Haru, are taking their time when it comes to moving towards getting engaged. But I think the only reason that both Ann and Kusa proposed to their girlfriends was that they felt the time was right. So I don't think that our group is in a rush to get married, for the most part. But if Ryuji and I were to decide to do that, we'd have to do it as equals for it to work." Makoto said as Ryuji nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly, babe! Also, I wouldn't want you to think I'm just doing it to get on the wedding hype train or something if I do decide to ask you to be my wife. I want you to know that I'm being sincere about popping the question because that's what I truly want. After all, that's not something that should be rushed into or cheapened." Ryuji said as Sae nodded approvingly and spoke up.

"Well said, Ryuji. Looks like you have some smarts in you after all. Maybe you'll surprise my sister yet?" Sae said teasingly as Makoto blushed and spoke up.

"SIS! Don't tease me like that. Besides, you'd be shocked at just how many surprises Ryuji can be full of when he wants to be." Makoto said as Grace spoke up.

"You're not wrong. Ryuji can be quite the master of surprises when he has his mind set on it. So I can see him defying your expectations when you least expect it, Makoto." Grace said as Ryuji blushed and spoke up.

"Wha-? MOM! D'you have to put it like that? You make me sound like some kind of smooth operator. I'm far from it, though. I'm just a simple man who's trying to make something of himself so he can be able to make his mother and girlfriend happy and proud of him. That's all there is to it." Ryuji said as Makoto smiled and spoke up.

"I can't speak for your mother, but I'm already very proud of you, Ryuji. Not just for how far you've come since I met you, but for how hard you work at your goals." Makoto said as Grace spoke up.

"I agree with you, Makoto. Ryuji has come a long way from when he was younger. Sure, he's not a track star like he used to be, but he seems so happy nowadays. I wonder if it's because of the friends he's made? The only other thing I can think of would be that he'd had his heart changed by those Phantom Thieves that everyone's been talking about recently." Grace said as both Makoto and Ryuji almost choked on their drinks at Grace's usage of the words 'Phantom Thieves', and Sae had to disguise a gasp as a cough, as she'd not expected that from Grace. Eventually, Makoto was the first to find her voice as she spoke up.

"D-Did you really just suggest that Ryuji was a victim of a change of heart, Grace?" Makoto asked as Grace nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. After all, why else would he have made such pronounced changes to himself? I doubt, with all apologies to you, that he did it just to impress you, Makoto." Grace said as Ryuji spoke up at that point.

"While you're not wrong to say that Makoto isn't the only reason I've changed the way I have, she is still a big part of that reason. After all, she's my girlfriend, and I wanted to try and better myself so I can say more confidently that I'm a man who's worthy of calling Makoto his girlfriend. However, I can say with confidence that my changes are not the result of a change of heart." Ryuji said as Sae saw the shocked look on Grace's face and spoke up.

"Ryuji's not wrong, Grace. But I think that's all we can comfortably say on that subject for the time being. We'd have to speak to a few others before we could say much else, since there are parts of the response to your question that we presently lack sufficient authorization to reveal to you. But trust me when I say you have nothing to worry about." Sae said as Grace frowned but spoke up.

"If you say so, Sae. I'll trust you on this. But if it's possible, I'd prefer to be able to know the truth sooner rather than later. I feel like I'm out of the loop here, and I find that to be a bit unfair to me since I get the feeling you're in the loop on whatever it is that I'm not being told. And given the friends Ryuji keeps, I feel like I'm one of the few parent figures not in the know on this." Grace said as Makoto and Sae exchanged a wince as the former spoke up.

"The truth is, Ryuji's part of a very secretive group, and said group doesn't disclose things without having reached a unanimous agreement. So even if we wanted to fill you in, we'd have to bring that group together. Just trust that we will speak to the necessary individuals about letting you in on the truth of things, but it will take time since there are quite a few people who have to be gathered together to discuss your request. So can you be patient and trust that we're not trying to exclude you, while also understanding that we'll let you in on things as soon as we can?" Makoto said as Grace thought about it and nodded as she spoke up.

"That's fair. I can tell you have Ryuji's best interests at heart, so I can trust in what you say and be patient for however long I need to. Truthfully, I don't mind whatever brought about my son's change, since I'm proud of what he's become. I just wish I knew who I had to thank for helping Ryuji mature and grow so much as a person." Grace said as Ryuji looked at his mom and spoke up with a smile.

"To be honest? Part of that is thanks to you, Mom. But also, some of it is a result of my friends' influence, and more specifically the influence of Makoto. But really, it's just been everything I've been through in the past few years that's given me a reality check and made me realize I have to keep striving to better myself, both as a person, and as a man." Ryuji said wisely as Grace nodded and spoke up.

"I understand. And I'm proud that I was able to help you change for the better, son. But enough about that. Let's not let this wonderful meal that Sae-san made go to waste, yeah?" Grace said as Ryuji, Makoto, and Sae nodded before the four went back to their meal, three of the four internally breathing sighs of relief at having managed to buy themselves time to gather the rest of the group together to get their take on letting Grace into the loop about the Phantom Thieves...

(At the same time as the dinner conversation with Ryuji, Makoto, Sae, and Grace, at the Togo residence, with Yusuke and Hifumi)

After the two arrived at the front door of a modest, if rather impressive looking house, Hifumi smiled as she unlocked the front door and led Yusuke inside, giggling at the mixed awed/impressed look on his face as he looked around at all the decorations that were arranged.

One wall had a long line of very impressive paintings arranged along it, another had portraits of what Yusuke guessed to be various members of the Togo family, and the one closest to the kitchen was lined with newspaper clippings detailing what appeared to be Hifumi's rise up the ranks of the shogi league prior to her decisive departure from the ranks of pro shogi players following the revelation of her mother's attempt to build Hifumi up using fixed matches and immoral practices that were designed to artificially make Hifumi look talented, purely for the sake of Hifumi's mother wanting to make herself look good.

Fortunately for Hifumi, the Phantom Thieves had stepped in to change the heart of Hifumi's mother, Mitsuyo, after a very climactic and intense showdown with Mitsuyo's Shadow inside of Mementos during the period of time when Ren was thought to be deceased as part of a plan to fool Ren's enemies into thinking he was dead while planning an infiltration of the Palace of one Masayoshi Shido. At that point, Yusuke finally spoke up.

"Incredible! The way this interior is arranged shows a great deal of aesthetic appeal. But more importantly, it's almost as if whoever designed it did so with a keen eye for the arts. Truly the peak of avant-garde design." Yusuke said as Hifumi smiled and spoke up.

"Thank you. I did most of the interior decorating with occasional assists from my father when he was healthy enough to assist." Hifumi said as Yusuke blinked and spoke up.

"Ah, yes. You did say your father has a history of health issues that started within the past few years, didn't you? Truly, you and he make for an incredible team. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry that he's not doing the best. Hopefully he can get better eventually." Yusuke said as Hifumi blushed shyly before speaking up.

"I appreciate it, but you don't have to try to make me feel better, Yusuke. I know full well that it's not a matter of 'if' my father will succumb to his health issues, but 'when'. But I'm doing my best to prepare myself mentally so that when the day comes, I can say goodbye to him with a smile on my face, since he deserves to see me smiling in his final moments. After all, with all due respect to my mother, my father was the one who really encouraged most of my dreams and aspirations. Especially when I told him I aspired to become a pro shogi player like he was.

And to be honest with you? I think that day, after I told him of my dreams to follow in his footsteps, was probably the proudest he's ever been of me that I can remember. Of course, after what Mother pulled, I'm not sure I can ever see shogi the same way I once did. But maybe one day I can make my peace with what she did and be able to love shogi the way I did as a child. But I think that's enough depressing talk. Shall we take this up to my room, Yusuke?" Hifumi asked Yusuke, who smiled and nodded as Hifumi gently took him by the hand and guided him down a hall to a room near the back of the house, pushing the door open to reveal her bedroom in all of its glory for Yusuke to look at.

Yusuke, for his part, blinked as he took in the grey walls of the room, noting the posters of various pro shogi players on the walls of the room, though Yusuke did gasp quietly as he recognized what appeared to be one of Madarame's recreations of the 'Sayuri' hanging on the wall next to the closet, and when he turned around to look at the door that Hifumi had pushed closed behind the two of them and locked, he noticed a poster-sized version of the painting he'd previously entered into a pro exhibition and then given to Ren as a parting gift a few years ago when Ren had taken the train back to Kukojima, 'Hope and Desire', making Yusuke smile as he spoke up.

"Wow. I had no idea you were a fan of art, Hifumi." Yusuke said as Hifumi giggled before smiling prettily as she spoke up.

"Of course. You are into the arts, after all. So I would be a pretty poor girlfriend not to take an interest in my boyfriend's hobbies. Also, I particularly enjoy how well-made the 'Sayuri' is. I know it's not the real thing, since I saw the real 'Sayuri' hanging on the wall once in Leblanc when I came in for a cup of coffee a couple of years ago before a shogi match one day. But I still think this version is a very convincing attempt at it. As for the poster, I thought this painting was some of the best work you've ever done, Yusuke. So of course I bought a poster of it to support your work. After all, that's my job as your girlfriend, is it not? To be there for you and support you." Hifumi said as Yusuke blushed but nodded before he spoke up.

"That's true. But you do that a lot already just by being yourself, Hifumi. And I respect that you show such an interest in what I do. I could probably stand to show more of an interest in shogi, truth be told. However, shogi isn't exactly a game one can learn on their own. And seeing as most of my friends are busy doing their own things, there's not really a lot of time to get people to practice with me.

Furthermore, when you add in the fact that a lot of my spare time is usually tied up between my pursuit of the arts as well as the other work I do with Ren and the others, that doesn't leave me with as much spare time as I'd like for things like shogi and being able to spend time with you. So I do apologize for any inconvenience or hurt feelings that I may have caused you." Yusuke said as Hifumi giggled before blushing shyly as she spoke up.

"That's quite all right, Yusuke. I'm not mad. I know you have things you have to do, just as I have things I have to do. However, you do realize you could always ask me to instruct you in the ways of shogi, yes? I realize I might be an eccentric instructor at times, but I do believe I can help you to get quite proficient at shogi, should you be so inclined to learn how to play it. Also, I think I know a way to motivate you to learn quickly." Hifumi said as Yusuke arched an eyebrow inquiringly and spoke up.

"Oh? And what did you have in mind?" Yusuke asked as Hifumi blushed in embarrassment before speaking up.

"This isn't usually something I do, but since you're my boyfriend, I think that it could be appropriate. That being said, I was thinking I could teach you how to play shogi, with the proviso that for every time you master an aspect of the game, I kiss you. And then once you've learned enough of the game, we could play a rather more intimate version of shogi, with just the two of us." Hifumi said as Yusuke spoke up.

"Alright. You very well have my attention. Please explain what you had in mind for that 'more intimate version' of shogi you were alluding to, Hifumi." Yusuke said as Hifumi blushed and nodded as she spoke up.

"Basically, it would be the same as regular shogi, but the twist here is that each time one of us has a piece taken, we lose a piece of clothing. And then, if we get down to a certain level of remaining clothing, we can start substituting in things like teases and possibly even physical contact. Of course, there's an equal chance that we could end up deciding to stop the game and just take it to the bed at that point. And if you were to somehow defeat me in our special game of shogi, I would allow you a victory prize of your choice, up to and including my virginity." Hifumi said, her face flushing bright red as she spoke the last two words, causing Yusuke's jaw to drop slightly before he spoke up.

"Hold on a moment. Did you say your virginity, Hifumi? Are you-?" Yusuke asked as Hifumi shyly nodded and spoke up, trying to get her blush under control as she spoke.

"Correct. I've not yet slept with anyone, in part at Mother's insistence. But in addition to that, I also refrained because I honestly never found anyone that I could say I had taken an interest in prior to meeting you." Hifumi said as Yusuke smiled and spoke up.

"I see. Well, in the spirit of full disclosure, I've not really had a lot of experience being intimate with anyone either. So if we did take that step, we'd be learning about it together as we went. I do hope that doesn't put you off of anything after hearing what I just said." Yusuke said as Hifumi gently put her hand on Yusuke's while looking into his eyes as she spoke up.

"Not at all. If anything, that just means we get to practice being intimate together and learn from each other. So I'm quite all right with you not having much experience. After all, I'm probably even less experienced than you are in that regard. But that just means we get to learn from one another as we go." Hifumi said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"I agree. That seems like the best way to go about it, Hifumi. But, um? If it's not too sudden, why don't we give shogi a try right now? If nothing else, I don't mind learning from you. And if need be, we can always do the 'special match' later and just let our instincts, as well as our hormones to some extent, show us the way?" Yusuke suggested as Hifumi nodded and spoke up.

"Good idea, Yusuke. Give me a moment while I set up our board." Hifumi said as Yusuke nodded. A short time later, Yusuke and Hifumi were seated across from one another on Hifumi's bed, a shogi board set up between them. Hifumi then started instructing Yusuke on how to play shogi, and being surprised to see that Yusuke was a fairly quick learner, leading to the two of them exchanging multiple kisses as the lessons proceeded.

Eventually, it came to a situation where Yusuke had Hifumi backed into a corner on the shogi board, with three of his pieces lining up to corner Hifumi's remaining two pieces. After Yusuke made a bold move to take one of Hifumi's remaining two pieces, Hifumi giggled as she shocked Yusuke by starting to unbutton the bottom couple of buttons on her shirt, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of her very smoothed and toned stomach before she spoke up.

"Impressive, Yusuke. You've got me in check. Can you get the mate? Think carefully. After all, if you fail, you lose. And I never said what would happen if you lost, did I?" Hifumi said as Yusuke blushed and spoke up.

"N-No, you didn't. But given the fact it would be happening if I lost, I'd guess it's not anything that'll be necessarily pleasant or good for me." Yusuke said as Hifumi slyly smiled and spoke up.

"Perhaps. But at the same time, I never said it wouldn't be pleasant for me, as I recall." Hifumi said as Yusuke blinked before his cheeks went red as he realized what Hifumi was alluding to while he spoke up.

"O-Oh. I get where you're going with that." Yusuke said before he looked at the board, then at the remaining pieces, before seemingly being lost in thought for a short time, before smiling as he moved a piece up vertically and spoke up.

"AHA! Unless I'm wrong, I do believe that you've been put in checkmate, Hifumi. Please feel free to confirm that I'm right, and then concede if I am, in fact, correct." Yusuke said as Hifumi studied the board before blinking in surprise as she realized Yusuke was correct about having put her in checkmate, making her giggle as she spoke up with a sly smile on her face.

"Well done, Yusuke. You're absolutely right. And now for your reward for taking my final piece." Hifumi said as she undid the rest of the buttons on her shirt and tossed it to the ground, revealing her very skin-tight and form-fitting white silk bra that seemed to hug her average-for-her age mid-C cup breasts rather well, drawing Yusuke's eyes to Hifumi's chest briefly before making himself look into her eyes through a lot of willpower as he spoke up.

"Y-Yes, well, I did get rather lucky with that win." Yusuke said before Hifumi giggled and spoke up after gently moving the shogi board and pieces to the ground before gently pushing Yusuke down onto the bed as she straddled him with a rather unreadable look on her face, making Yusuke blush in embarrassment, even as a small part of him shuddered in anticipation of what might be about to happen and he felt his heart beat a bit faster from the look Hifumi was giving him while she spoke.

**M-RATED CONTENT STARTS HERE. ANYONE WHO'S NOT A FAN OF LEMONS AND/OR MATURE CONTENT CAN SKIP DOWN TO WHERE IT SAYS *END OF M-RATED CONTENT* TO KEEP READING, OTHERWISE YOU READ ON FROM HERE AT YOUR OWN RISK. AND WITH THAT, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! CONTINUE READING FROM HERE AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION. LEMON STARTS NOW!**

"Lucky or not, you defeated me fair and square, Yusuke. Congratulations on your victory. As promised, you have won a prize of your choosing. So what will it be? What would you ask of me?" Hifumi asked in a surprisingly sultry voice, making Yusuke shudder despite himself in a mix of surprise, excitement, and a third feeling that he couldn't put his finger on then, but would later realize was arousal. Once he found his voice, Yusuke spoke up.

"To be honest? Given what you're doing now, I think I want my prize to be you, Hifumi. Or more specifically, a chance to let you give yourself to me in whatever capacity you wish to give yourself." Yusuke said as Hifumi giggled and spoke up in a deceptively husky-sounding voice after pulling him into a passionate kiss briefly.

"Good choice. As I said before, I'm not that experienced with such things, so I do apologize if most of our first time is a bit awkward and slow. But I'll do my best to make this as enjoyable as I can for you." Hifumi said as she started undoing the buttons on Yusuke's shirt, making him smile as he looked into Hifumi's eyes and relaxed as he let her slowly unbutton and remove his shirt, allowing her to subconsciously lick her lips appreciatively as she got a glimpse of the swimmer's physique that was revealed once Yusuke's shirt was on the ground as she spoke up again.

"Oh, my! I didn't think you were in such good shape, Yusuke? But I like it." Hifumi said as Yusuke surprised both himself and Hifumi with both what he said next as well as how boldly he said the next words out of his mouth.

"I'm glad you like it. I've been working on it specifically for you, Hifumi. After all, I can't be letting myself disappoint you by giving you an unappealing boyfriend to look at." Yusuke said smoothly as he leaned up to pull Hifumi into a heated kiss, smirking as he saw her face go bright red at how gently yet assertively Yusuke was staking claim to her, which made her both blush prettily and feel her heart flutter as it skipped a few beats from the look of desire in Yusuke's eyes.

After seeing this more take-charge side of Yusuke, a now-blushing Hifumi then decided to try something a bit bolder as she leaned down to gently trail kisses along Yusuke's neckline, enjoying the low yet husky shuddering moan her actions drew from Yusuke in response. After a bit, Hifumi started lightly sucking on Yusuke's collarbone, making him give off a loud yet involuntary groan of approval, enjoying the feeling of Hifumi's lips on his skin. Once Hifumi removed her lips from Yusuke's collarbone, Hifumi giggled as she noticed a visible tightness in Yusuke's pants, making her speak up playfully.

"Ooh, what's that? Are you packing a weapon down there, or are you just that excited for me?" Hifumi said coyly as Yusuke blushed and spoke up.

"N-No, that's not a weapon. That's just what seeing you like this does to me. After all, we both know you're a very beautiful woman, Hifumi. Only a fool would say otherwise. But if you want, I won't stop you if you decide to remove my clothes so you can see that for yourself." Yusuke said as Hifumi giggled and spoke up.

"Maybe in a bit. But I'm not rushing this at all. However, I suppose it is only fair that I show you my bare chest since you showed me yours. Try not to get too excited now, Yusuke. Hee hee!" Hifumi said as she reached behind her back to unclasp, but not quite remove, her bra, allowing the straps to fall down her shoulders, giving Yusuke a very tantalizing glimpse at the tops of her breasts, making Yusuke's eyes widen slightly as he blushed while struggling to not look away from what Hifumi was revealing, making Hifumi giggle as she spoke up.

"Ah, silly me. I forgot that you're a gentleman, Yusuke. But in this case, I give you permission to stare at me. After all, that's the point of what we're doing right now, is it not? Baring it all to one another, bit by bit?" Hifumi said as she slid her bra a bit further down her arms, but not removing it yet, letting Yusuke get a view at most of her decently generous areolae and even a hint of a glimpse at two very pointed spots under her bra that Yusuke guessed to be Hifumi's perked-up nipples. Hifumi giggled as she saw Yusuke blushing while staring at her chest, making her smile as she spoke up.

"Good boy. I'm impressed you resisted the urge to try and grab my bra off or sneak a feel of my skin. I respect that restraint, so here's your reward." Hifumi said as she finally removed and tossed her bra to the ground, allowing Yusuke an unrestricted glimpse of her surprisingly full but also very generously shaped breasts, making Yusuke blush as he spoke up shyly.

"W-Wow. I think those might be the most glorious breasts I've ever laid eyes on. And given how many times I've been taken to see statues of topless women for art exhibitions, that's saying a lot. You truly are a sexy woman, Hifumi." Yusuke said as Hifumi giggled and spoke up.

"Aww, stop. You're gonna make me blush from all these compliments, Yusuke. Also, feel free to do stuff to my breasts, if you like. Within reason, of course." Hifumi said as Yusuke blushed, but shyly nodded, as he reached a hand up to gently caress the closest breast to him, gently running the hand in question along the extremely soft and smooth to touch surface, smiling at how much he felt Hifumi shuddering in a mix of delight, arousal, and what he would later realize was excitement as she felt Yusuke's thumb gently stroking the nipple of the breast he was currently caressing.

Yusuke's rather bold decision to massage Hifumi's breasts in such a gentle yet loving way would end up making Hifumi moan involuntarily as she decided to tease Yusuke a bit by trying a move one of her classmates had told her about previously, in that she lifted her free breast up to her mouth and allowed Yusuke to watch as she slyly yet sexily ran her tongue along her own nipple gently, making Yusuke shudder in arousal as he watched Hifumi tease him.

After a few enjoyable minutes passed of first Yusuke and Hifumi lavishing attention on Hifumi's breasts, and then Hifumi gently trailing kisses along Yusuke's chest and four-pack abs, Hifumi trailed kisses down Yusuke's stomach, stopping short of the area where Yusuke's stomach ended and his pants began as she looked up at Yusuke, her eyes almost pleading. Yusuke smiled and spoke up.

"If you're asking what I think you are, I don't mind if you want to take my pants off, Hifumi. That is your right as my girlfriend, after all." Yusuke said as Hifumi smiled before fumbling briefly with Yusuke's belt, eventually getting it undone as she quickly undid and removed Yusuke's pants, leaving him wearing just a pair of silky-looking dark blue boxers that almost looked indigo from the way the lighting hit them. But what really drew Hifumi's attention was the pronounced tent she could see inside of Yusuke's boxers, making Hifumi giggle as she spoke up.

"Wow, you really were eager for me, weren't you Yusuke?" Hifumi said coyly as she ran her hand along the outside of Yusuke's boxers, blushing at what she felt as she got towards the tent that was visible in his boxers before she kept speaking.

"And you feel so huge, too. May I?" Hifumi asked as Yusuke nodded once before Hifumi reached for the waistband of Yusuke's boxers, sliding them down and throwing them to the ground as she took in the sight of Yusuke's massive erection as it fell free, making Hifumi blush prettily at how huge Yusuke was. Hifumi then blushed in spite of herself as she kept speaking.

"W-Wow. How does that not get painful to deal with when you're aroused, Yusuke?" Hifumi asked as Yusuke spoke up.

"You'd be surprised how rarely that happens to me, Hifumi. I think other than you, the only other time was when one of my art subjects agreed to model for a nude painting for me, back when I was still living with my sen-err, I mean with Madarame. However, I never ended up going through with that painting, mostly because I ended up realizing that it wouldn't be right to take advantage of a friend just to get a new art piece for Madarame.

Besides, even if that subject was also beautiful, you are far more beautiful than she is. Also, you were paying attention before when I said I have very little experience with love and intimacy, were you not? Because I'm about as inexperienced with all of this as you are." Yusuke said honestly as Hifumi smiled and spoke up.

"I see. Umm, would it be all right if I let myself touch you down there and maybe take you into my mouth for a time? Of course, I don't mind if I end up driving you into doing things to me as well in return, within reason." Hifumi said as Yusuke blushed and spoke up.

"N-No, that's quite fine, Hifumi. Go for it." Yusuke said as Hifumi blushed but nodded as she shyly leaned in to run her tongue experimentally along the length of Yusuke's shaft, briefly pausing to press a very cute sort of butterfly kiss to his tip, smiling at both the moan Yusuke gave off, and at the small trail of white that clung to her lower lip as she briefly lifted her mouth up before leaning down and slowly wrapping her mouth over Yusuke's cock, sucking gently on it after sliding it into her mouth, drawing a shuddering yet husky sounding moan from Yusuke as he felt Hifumi start to use her mouth to pleasure him. Hifumi then giggled as she spoke up, even as her mouth was full.

"Oh, um, right. It wouldn't be fair if you were the only one who was fully naked in all this, would it? Excuse me while I make the first steps towards correcting that." Hifumi said as she quickly removed her skirt and tossed it aside, leaving her wearing just a very skimpy yet very sexy pair of black silk panties with red frill along the waistband that hugged her private parts nicely and did a good job of framing her lean yet firm ass perfectly in the back, making Yusuke blush at how sexy Hifumi looked in that moment.

As Hifumi started sucking on Yusuke's cock like a particularly juicy lollipop, she blinked in shock before blushing as she felt something swiftly yet deftly swat her on the ass, blushing as she realized that what she'd felt was Yusuke deciding to be a bit brazen and try spanking her, making her blush but smile at Yusuke as he spoke up.

"My apologies, but I couldn't resist trying that at least once. I've seen couples do that in some of the movies that Ryuji's taken myself and even Kusa to see on occasion. And after seeing it in those movies, I found myself thinking that it might be interesting to try it out for myself at least once." Yusuke said as Hifumi giggled and spoke up.

"That's fine. If anything, I thought it was sexy that you were so bold about that. Don't apologize for wanting to punish me for being such a tease. If anything, I deserve it." Hifumi said as she started bobbing her head up and down on Yusuke's cock, making Yusuke blush but moan as he enjoyed Hifumi's affections for a time. After a bit, Yusuke found his eyes firmly locked onto Hifumi's very well-framed and very shapely ass as it wiggled around happily as she pleasured Yusuke's manhood. Eventually, Yusuke finally spoke up.

"Would I be too inappropriate if I asked you to remove your panties so that we're both naked, Hifumi?" Yusuke asked shyly as Hifumi giggled and spoke up, not caring about her mouth being full as she did so.

"Not at all. Here, I'll even let you watch as I remove them." Hifumi said, using one hand to remove her panties and toss them to the ground, positioning herself so her lower half was straddling Yusuke's face, making her shaved nether regions sit at Yusuke's eye level, making him blush as he stared at the lightly damp signs of Hifumi's desire for him. While Hifumi kept sucking Yusuke off, Yusuke briefly hesitated before eventually deciding to gently run a finger along the just-visible nub between Hifumi's legs experimentally, making Hifumi shudder in a mix of surprise, arousal, and even excitement as she spoke up.

"Ooh, I don't know what you're doing right now, Yusuke? But whatever it is, it feels so good. Keep doing it." Hifumi said happily as Yusuke nodded, using two of the fingers on one hand to gently slide Hifumi's lightly damp folds apart before experimentally sliding two fingers into her entrance, making her gasp briefly at the feeling of something entering her before moaning once she realized what Yusuke was doing, using her hands to gently massage Yusuke's balls in response. For a while, the two lovers laid together using their fingers, or mouth in Hifumi's case, to pleasure each other's private parts.

Eventually, Hifumi was the first to feel herself shudder as she arced backwards slightly while speaking up. not caring that her tongue would stroke Yusuke's cock with each word she spoke.

"Ohhh, yes! I'm really not sure what you're doing to me down there, but whatever it is? I love it sooo effin' much! Please continue to stimulate me, Yusuke." Hifumi said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Very well. I'll do my best to push you over the edge before you push me over, since I believe that the lady should be satisfied before the man when it comes to these sorts of things." Yusuke said as Hifumi blushed but nodded her agreement as she felt Yusuke speed up the thrusts his fingers were doing into her entrance, eventually making her shudder in excitement as she felt her walls clench down on Yusuke as she spoke up.

"YESSSS! OH, FUCK YES! I'M COMIN', YUSUKE!" Hifumi said as she felt herself clench down as she squirted out a release onto a surprised Yusuke's fingers, feeling his fingers become slick with his girlfriend's release, eventually removing his fingers to take a tentative lick, smiling at the very pleasant mix of slightly sweet fruit and slightly pungent curry flavoring that Hifumi's release had to it. Not long after he finished licking his fingers off, he felt his cock twitch in Hifumi's mouth as he spoke up around a shudder.

"OHHH, SWEET MOTHER OF GLORIOUS ORGASMIC SATISFACTION, HELL YES! I THINK I'M COMIN', HIFUMI!" Yusuke said as he felt his length twitch in Hifumi's mouth, seconds before his release exploded into her mouth, load after load shooting down the back of Hifumi's throat, allowing Hifumi to taste the mixed salty and yet creamy richness of her boyfriend's seet as it slid down the back of her throat, being sure to dutifully swallow each drop as she eventually let Yusuke's limp cock fall from her mouth, giggling at what she'd heard Yusuke say moments before, before getting a sexy smirk on her face as she had an idea come to her as she gently lifted her breasts and slid them down on either side of Yusuke's limp cock, rubbing them up and down on it to try and get it hard again. After a bit, she managed to succeed in getting Yusuke erect once more before smiling sexily as she spoke up.

"Well then. Now that we've gotten warmed up by using our mouths on each other, what do you say we go for the main event, Yusuke?" Hifumi asked as Yusuke blushed, but nodded agreeably as he watched Hifumi get on her knees on the bed, spreading her legs behind her to give Yusuke a full view of her privates, which he used to line himself up and slowly slide his erection into her entrance, which was still fairly slick from a combination of sweat and lingering juices from her previous release, allowing him to easily bury himself inside of Hifumi up to the 'hilt', so to speak, stopping short of the barrier he felt himself run across. Afterwards, Yusuke gave Hifumi an uncertain look as he spoke up.

"Are you certain you want this? I've never done this, but I've heard some of the other males who used to live at the atelier with myself and Madarame say that the first penetration is often the most painful for a female when giving up her virginity. So if you don't want to take that step yet, feel free to say so now and we can stop." Yusuke said as Hifumi gently leaned over to kiss Yusuke before speaking up.

"No, it's okay. I want this. Now penetrate me already. We can stop to let me adjust afterwards if needed." Hifumi said as Yusuke nodded before penetrating through Hifumi's barrier with one big forward thrust, making her briefly pause as she whimpered from the feeling of being penetrated, at which point Yusuke stopped to let Hifumi adjust, giving her a comforting shoulder rub as he did so, making Hifumi smile as she enjoyed the feeling of Yusuke's hands on her bare back and shoulders. After a couple of minutes, Hifumi eventually spoke up.

"O-Okay. I think I'm good to keep going now, Yusuke." Hifumi said as Yusuke nodded, resuming his thrusting, trying to keep it at a fairly consistent speed and tempo, making Hifumi blush but moan appreciatively as she felt Yusuke thrusting into her, enjoying the feeling of having Yusuke inside of her. As Yusuke kept thrusting, he felt Hifumi trying to reach for her breast to tease Yusuke, prompting him to spank her once as he spoke up, smirking at both the visible handprint left behind and the very audible moan his response got from Hifumi as he spoke.

"Bad Hifumi! I'm pretty sure the pose you're currently in is what's called 'doggy style'! From what I recall of what Ryuji told me about that pose once, that means you're completely submitting to your lover, or me in this case. As such, you're not allowed to touch yourself, or me for that matter. However, I can understand that you're probably all sorts of stimulated by having me inside of you. So I don't mind if you feel the need to be a bit naughty to get my attention." Yusuke said as Hifumi slyly smiled before sexily rubbing her breasts on the bed enticingly.

Hifumi's naughty display would end up making Yusuke shudder as he upped the speed and intensity of his thrusts, spanking Hifumi roughly for teasing him, and getting a very pleased yet erotic sounding moan for his troubles as Hifumi let herself enjoy being pleasured by Yusuke. After a while of the two riding each other as Yusuke thrusted into Hifumi, the latter of the two arced backwards slightly as she felt her walls shudder a bit and spoke up.

"HOLY CRAP! I think I'm getting close again, Yusuke! KEEP GOING!" Hifumi said as Yusuke grunted in response while upping the intensity of his thrusts as he felt himself twitch slightly to signal he was also close. After a bit longer, Hifumi felt herself come undone as she felt Yusuke's balls slapping against her thighs, making her moan as she spoke up.

"OH MY GOD! I THINK I'M FUCKIN' CUMMIN' AGAIN, YUSUKE!" Hifumi said as she felt herself clench on Yusuke's cock as she released onto Yusuke, the clenching of his cock by her walls driving Yusuke over the edge into his own orgasm, making Hifumi moan happily as she felt Yusuke's seed empty itself into her walls, liking the feeling of having Yusuke release into her. After a few minutes, the two newly-minted lovers both shuddered as they collapsed onto each other, Hifumi managing to pull a blanket over them as she spoke up happily while looking into Yusuke's eyes.

**M-RATED CONTENT ENDS HERE. KEEP READING FROM THIS POINT IF YOU SKIPPED THE PRECEDING M-RATED SCENE**

"Wow. I don't know what I was expecting, but that sure wasn't it. That was amazing, Yusuke. I think we both did quite well for not really knowing what we were doing, don't you?" Hifumi said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up, feeling his heart skip a beat as he felt Hifumi gently laying her head on his shoulder.

"Indeed. Our harmony just now was both truly breathtaking, and quite the beautiful sight to behold. If not for the fact that it would probably be considered a sin to do so, I'd wonder if our lovemaking could make for a dynamic subject to capture on canvas as an art piece." Yusuke said as Hifumi blushed and spoke up.

"Umm, I dunno about that. But I suppose I don't mind posing once in a while if you want to do some nude paintings, provided they're tastefully done and with my consent. I know you have your quirks with art, and as long as you're not taking them anywhere too weird, I don't mind supporting you in your hobbies. After all, that is my job as your girlfriend, Yusuke. To love you, support you, and have your back no matter what." Hifumi said as Yusuke smirked and spoke up.

"But of course. I wouldn't dream of painting you without your consent, Hifumi. I respect and cherish you far too much to disrespect you in such a way. I do hope you realize that. I might not be the most socially graceful at times, but I do at least know enough to respect women. Also, I love you a lot and would never want to embarrass you or make you uncomfortable. After all, how often am I gonna find an amazing woman like you who's willing to date an oddball like myself?" Yusuke said as Hifumi smiled and spoke as she felt Yusuke gently snake an arm around her waist as he held her close to him.

"You're not that much of an oddball, Yusuke. You might be quirky and eccentric, but you do it in the best possible way. And if what we just did ends up having unplanned consequences due to our forgetting to use protection/birth control, I don't regret any of what we just did for an instant. I love you, Yusuke Kitagawa. Never doubt that." Hifumi said as Yusuke smiled as he spoke up while gently leaning down to steal a chaste yet tender kiss from a prettily blushing Hifumi.

"I know you love me. And I love you as well, Hifumi Togo. Now, and forever. And I am truly grateful you were comfortable enough to let me be your first lover. I consider that a true honor." Yusuke said as Hifumi giggled and spoke up while blushing prettily at the look Yusuke was giving her.

"Of course I'm comfortable with you, Yusuke. Now let's relax together and enjoy this moment for now, yeah?" Hifumi said as Yusuke nodded, reaching for the nearby remote to turn on the TV before handing it to Hifumi, who smiled as she found a rom-com to put on, cuddling up to Yusuke as the two watched the movie together, making Yusuke smile towards the end as he looked down to see a very content-looking Hifumi cutely dozing on his chest, making him quietly chuckle to himself as he gently leaned down to kiss Hifumi on the cheek before laying his head on the pillow behind him, nearly instantly falling asleep himself, allowing Hifumi to enjoy being close to Yusuke as the two dozed off together, hoping they'd get to stay like this for some time to come...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And boom, there we go! Finally got another chapter done and dusted for this! Even if these chapters are shorter ones for the most part, we're not quite done with Rise of the Monarchs just yet! There's still at least one more chapter left of the story, if not two or even three. Depends on how many parts I end up making this epilogue. We'll see what happens with that, I think.

Either way, next chapter will be the second part of this epilogue, likely focusing on some of the characters not seen in this chapter, and probably also having at least a slight time-skip involved in it. Assuming I don't end the story next chapter, there will likely as not be a cliffhanger ending at the end of the next chapter to set up the chapter after it. So consider that your previewing for the chapter. But yeah, for now, enjoy the chapter, and enjoy the last arc of Rise of the Monarchs!

And as always, thank you to everyone who has not only read this far into the story, but followed/favorited it, as your support is insanely appreciated! And hopefully this story ends being well-received overall, since I have plans for at least another two, if not three, Persona stories to be posted eventually. And who knows? If I decide to get motivated enough, I might consider posting the two current Phantom Files stories over on A03 (aka Archive Of Our Own) as well, if I can motivate myself to make an account over there. But we'll see what happens there, I think. I'm still undecided on that. Also, I've been posting on this site so long, I dunno if I want to post to a second site as well or not. But we'll see what happens.

EDIT: I have attempted to make an A03 account since posting this chapter, but was unsuccessful since it seems you have to be invited to have an account on that site. So I guess I'm sticking to this site for now. But at least I tried, right? Now back to our regularly-scheduled A/N.

That being said, feel free to leave a review below with your thoughts/feedback/opinions/suggestions on the story (or even on other future stories), since I enjoy hearing from my readers! Or if you're uncomfortable with leaving stuff in reviews, I also accept PMs from readers! So do whatever makes you comfortable! And until next update, sithlorde1988 out!