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It wasn’t too long ago that Ren and Sumire confessed their feelings for each other. Sumire had made her feelings clear after about the third time they met, but she wasn’t sure that Ren felt the same way. With everything that’s going on with Takuto and his false reality, romance seemed like something that would have to wait.
However, that day in LeBlanc was certainly one that both of them will always remember.
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1/13 - Friday
Sumire just had her true awakening. Her twin sister, Kasumi Yoshizawa, had fused with her Persona, Cendrillion, and has given Sumire the confidence and resolve to keep going. After fighting survivors guilt and posing as her sister, she finally felt like her own person again.
Once Joker, Crow, Mona and the newly named Violet eliminated the shadows in their way, they helped the others clear the area before finally reaching a safe room.
“Man, these enemies are tougher than the ones we fought in the deepest part of Mementos.” Skull said while catching his breath.
Joker placed a hand on his best friend’s shoulder.
“Yeah, but with Crow back on the team and Violet joining us, we have a much better chance.” Joker said with a smile.
Crow turned to look at Joker who reciprocated.
“I think we need to leave and discuss what to do next. After all, not all of us are up to speed on the current situation.”
Joker nodded in agreement
“Agreed.”
And with that, the Phantom Thieves pulled out their phones and returned to the “real” world.
The Phantom Thieves re-appeared in front of the construction site where the palace is located. Akechi was being questioned left and right by everyone but Ren and Sumire.
Once Ren and Akechi explained everything, the Phantom Thieves went home to get some much needed rest.
After entering LeBlanc, Ren and Morgana read the note that Ren’s caretaker, Sojiro Sakura, left for them.
“Went out to buy groceries for the café with Futaba. Cover for me until I get back.”
Ren put the note back on the counter and walked upstairs to the attic where he’s been residing for almost an entire year. Morgana jumped out of the bag and made his way to the bed that he shared with Ren.
“So, what now? To think our work was finished after fighting Yaldabaoth...”
“I don’t know. Takuto has made his intentions clear and we’re the only ones who can stop him.” Ren said as he took off his winter coat and put down his bag.
“Yeah...” Morgana said dejectedly
“I’m not gonna lie Ren...” Morgana started
Ren turned around with a raised brow.
“I’m wary of Akechi. I mean, what if he goes all crazy again and tries to kill us?
Ren shook his head.
“He won’t. I know he’s on our side for real this time.”
Morgana turned his head confused
“You really trust him after he literally tried to kill you?”
Ren nodded.
“I know it’s odd, but yeah I trust him. It’s like whatever beef he had with me, he settled things on his own. If he hadn’t, then he wouldn’t have saved us at Shido’s palace.”
“I guess so...”
There was a brief silence as the two remembered what happened at Shido’s palace.
“Well, you better get to work Ren. Those coffees aren’t gonna make themselves.” Morgana said in his usual smug voice.
“Yeah yeah, I know. And what are you going to do?”
Morgana blinked a few times before answering.
“Uhh...I don’t know.”
Just then, Ren’s phone starting ringing. It was Sumire. She had a few things on her mind and wanted to talk about it. Morgana noticed the smile on Ren’s face when he got the message.
“Well, I guess I’ll go for a walk.” Morgana said.
Before Ren could ask why, Morgana already ran down the stairs. Ren heard the bell to the door ring as it opened and closed.
“See you later...?”
As Ren walked down the stairs, he replied to Sumire saying she could come over. She responded with a “Great!” and “See you soon!”
With that, Ren finally made his way downstairs to fill in for Sojiro.
About a half hour later, Ren heard the door to LeBlanc open and saw Sumire walk in. She was wearing her Shujin school uniform, but her look was slightly different than usual. Instead of a ponytail, her dark red hair was down and she was wearing a pair of glasses.
She looked at Ren with a slight smile. “Hi Ren!”
Ren reciprocated the smile. “Hey Sumi. Have a seat while I fix us some coffee.”
“Alright.” Sumire sat in the third stool that was in the middle of the bar.
Ren had to crouch down to get the Colombian roast from underneath the counter. As he did, he couldn’t help himself from thinking “How can a girl be cute and beautiful at the same time?”
Ren stood back up with the Colombian roast and started to make it. While the coffee was brewing, he looked up and saw that Sumire had a grim expression on her face.
“That’s a look I didn’t expect to see from you.” Ren stated.
“To be honest...you never really got to see it from me.”
That statement confused Ren. “What do you mean?” He asked.
“Before the illusion in Takudo’s palace was broken, you saw me as Kasumi Yoshizawa, not Sumire. That was her smile, not mine.”
Ren didn’t really know how to respond to that. Luckily, the coffee finished before things got awkward.
“You must have been so surprised.” Sumire said.
“Yeah, that wasn’t something that I expected to find out.” Ren said as he placed the coffee in front of her.
Sumire picked up the drink and sipped it. The flavor was just right. It wasn’t too strong or too weak and had a very pleasant aroma.
“Thank you.” Sumire said with a smile as she placed the drink down.
“No problem.” Ren said with a smile as he adjusted his glasses.
Sumire couldn’t help but smile at him. Even though she has been through a lot, she always felt happy around Ren.
“Are you alright?” Ren asked.
Sumire blinked before she answered. “To be honest with you, I don’t know what to feel right now. So much has happened in such a short time, I don’t know how to react.”
Ren could see the conflict within her from the look on her face. He had to do something to make her feel better.
“I’m here to listen if you want to talk about it. I mean, you’ve been through a lot so getting everything off your chest might do you good.”
Sumire couldn’t stop herself from smiling at that. She was also blushing, even though she didn’t realize it. How long has it been since she confided in someone?
“I...I don’t want to be a burden. You have plenty on your plate already...” Sumire said all shy.
“It’s no burden. What kind of friend would I be if I just left you feeling conflicted and uneasy?”
Ren just knew Sojiro would give him a pat on the back for that one.
“Are you sure?”
“You were the one who said she wanted to talk, remember?” Ren said with a smug grin.
Sumire giggled at that. “You’re right, I did. Well...ok. Here goes...”
Ren watched as she took a deep breath before speaking.
“Well...as you already know...Kasumi and I were both dancers. It was a dream we had when we were little. We were told that both of us were excellent, but I always felt like I was out of my league.”
“You felt that Kasumi was better then you?” Ren asked.
Sumire nodded. “I know that’s a silly thing to say, especially since we got along so well. It’s not like we had a bad relationship. But I always felt like I was in her shadow. I didn’t think I could keep up because she mostly got the praise.” Sumire had a forlorn look on her face as she said this.
Ren noticed this look. “If you don’t want to dig up painful memories, you don’t have to.”
Sumire shook her head.
“It’s alright. It feels nice to open up to you.” She said with a slight smile.
Ren felt a little hesitant because he didn’t want to force her to relive something so traumatizing.
“Well, if it makes you feel better, I think you’re a fantastic dancer.” He said while awkwardly rubbing his neck.
Sumire felt her blush this time as the heat rose up to her cheeks.
“T-thank you. That means a lot to me”. Sumire said with a shy smile.
Ren couldn’t help but smile and call her cute in his head.
“But Kasumi will always be the better dancer. She was always on point. I, on the other hand, was a huge klutz and made a lot of mistakes. Practice was a nightmare for me at times. But no matter how many mistakes I made, Kasumi always said that I was doing great and that I just need a bit more practice.” Sumire smiled as she remembered her sister’s smile as she praised her.
“While I was, and still am, grateful that my sister was always there for me, I still felt ashamed and jealous. And that jealousy is what ended up taking her from me. It’s almost hard to believe that it’s almost been a year since she died.”
The somber look on Sumire’s face really tugged at Ren. He couldn’t stand seeing his teammate, friend and crush this way. But before he could say anything, Sumire continued to speak her mind.
“That day haunted me for the longest time, and it still does. But earlier, when Cendrillion reappeared in Takuto’s palace, I saw her and she spoke to me. She doesn’t blame or hate me for her life ending. And since she fused with my Persona, I know she’ll always be with me and through me, her life continues.”
Sumire’s somber look turned into one of the brightest smiles Ren has ever seen. He couldn’t contain his smile as he watched her face light up.
“I’m just glad you got the closure you needed to move forward. And we’ll be with you every step of the way.” Ren said as he put his hands in his pockets.
“Yeah. I’m no longer going to linger in the past. I’m going to look ahead and never look back, just like Kasumi would. And having you guys right there with me makes it even better.”
Sumire looked really happy, but Ren noticed that she had something else to say. And it was something he did not expect.
I-it’s especially reassuring with y-you, Ren.” Sumire’s blush returned again. “S-so...uh...I-I...” She was trying to tell him something but couldn’t stop tripping on her words.
Ren was both perplexed and interested by what she was trying to say.
“Take it easy, Sumi.” He said.
Sumire swallowed.
“I-i....l-l-like you a lot, R-ren.” Her blush was worsening as the seconds passed. “You’ve always been there for me, protected me and listened to me whenever I needed someone. T-t-there...I said it!” Sumire turned into a blushing mess after saying that.
Ren saw this as a golden opportunity to tease her.
“Oh? Is that so?” Ren has his trademark Joker grin on his face. Care to repeat that?” He said as he leaned in and put his right hand on the bar.
Sumire put her hands up and leaned back a bit. “Uh, I-I-I...”
Her face was now redder than her hair. Ren places his other hand on the bar and leaned even closer.
“R-r-r-ren....” Sumire started to tremble a little bit with her hands still in the air.
Ren then turned his Joker grin into a smile that melted Sumire’s heart and had a small blush of his own.
“I like you too Sumire. I liked you ever since we danced at the School Festival. And seeing you do that solo dance made my feelings stronger.”
Sumire was at a loss for words. The person who she trusted the most reciprocates her feelings. After a few seconds, she stopped trembling and put her hands back on her cup.
“R-really? That’s amazing! I...was honestly worried that you didn’t feel the same way.”
“You’re too cute.” Ren said flat out.
“If you were any closer, you’d bump into my glasses.” She said with her usual sweet voice.
Sumire leaned in closer until her forehead met Ren’s.
“Take my glasses off for me?” She asked while staring into Ren’s eyes.
Ren smiled and did as she asked. Sumire then reciprocated by taking off his glasses. They leaned closer until their lips touched. The feeling of the kiss lasted for about 30 seconds until they broke apart. Ren started to stroke her hair while Sumire used her thumb to rub his face.
Little did they know, Morgana was peering in from the attic stairs and could not wait until Sumire left. Ren may have gotten the girl of his dreams, but the teasing that would ensue is going to be a nightmare