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The sound of a bell rang out as a door opened. A familiar sound as someone took their first step into a familiar back alley coffee shop.
Ren glanced around Leblanc, memories pouring in of the time he spent a year here during that second year of high school at Shujin Academy. The year that changed his life forever. The year he experienced so many things and met so many different kinds of people, some which became the closest people to him, even now.
"Hey, you're standing in the doorway ya know?"
A familiar deep voice brought him out of his daze. One of those people he thought of was standing behind the counter.
"You're gonna get in the way of my customers, you know that?" The phrase brought him back to the first day he came here.
Ren smiled silently at Sojiro's greeting for a bit before walking up to the counter giving back his own to Sojiro.
"As Ryuji would say, 'What customers?'" Ren said with a joking smile.
"Oh, don't worry, They'll be here. Just you wait." Sojiro said with a chuckle as he noticed the small deflection Ren did. "Everyone's upstairs already." Sojiro glanced at the stairs for a second before shaking his head. "You know, seeing all you kids be here really took me back to the old days."
"Are we really kids now?" Ren asked with a curious grin.
The Phantom Thieves had all grown past their teenage phase and become fully-fledged adults. All finally learning how to adapt to the society they formed and contributed to in some way. The life they went through many trials to make sure they reached.
"You'll always be those unruly group of kids that hauled up in the attic for….'unknown' reasons." Sojiro had a knowing smirk on his lips as he recalled the famous group that caused trouble all those years ago.
"Yeah, it really feels like we've gone back." Ren looked to his right and noticed 'Sayuri' was still hung up on the wall. Ren wondered if Yusuke took his time looking at it as well.
That was when suddenly recalled what Sojiro said a few moments ago.
"Hey, boss? You said everyone was here?" Ren asked with a confused expression.
"Oh, sorry, Ann-chan's the only one missing." Sojiro finished saying before noticing the oddness of it. "Wait a second….why isn't she with you? I expected you'd both come here together for this little reunion?" Sojiro asked with a curious gaze.
Ren had a look of relief, one that Sojiro was still curious about.
"Yeah, she's out with a long-time friend right now. We're gonna meet up later tonight." Ren explained, but not so clearly.
"Uh-Huh," The look Sojiro gave Ren still showed there was a clear answer he wanted, but he knew Ren would tell him at some point what was going on. "Well, don't keep your guests waiting."
"You make it sound like I own the place." Ren jokingly said.
"With the way you ran things under my nose back then, you might as well have."
"I think your position of authority was never threatened with how you worked me back then." Ren brought up the days Sojiro worked him in Leblanc with a weary smile.
Sojiro could keep the conversation about that point going on for much longer, but he didn't want to keep Ren for long down here and waved it off. After a small bit of small talk, Ren went upstairs and found that a group of people stopped talking as soon as they saw him. They looked like they'd be there a while from how engaged in the conversation they were. Everyone was also comfortably situated somewhere in the attic, seemingly quite familiar with the layout of the room.
"Finally, you showed up!" The loudest of the group said as he walked right up and wrapped his arm around Ren's shoulder. "Why are you always the one forming these get-togethers and always being the last one here?" Ryuji asked.
"Makes me feel cool I guess." Ren jokingly said.
"So, Ren's and Ryuji's joking aside, it seems we're all finally here now?" Makoto didn't let the two's banter continue any longer and wanted things to get underway. "Can we please start discussing the important subject at hand?"
"True, True. It would be best not to delay this for long, lest the person we're discussing begins to grow suspicious." Yusuke agreed with Makoto's decision.
"She's out with Shiho-chan though? I don't assume Ann-chan would think we were up to something?" Haru tried to make it not seem as serious as Yusuke and Makoto were making it out to be.
"Well, I wouldn't put it past Ann to know something is up. She might not be book smart, but she knows how to read people good." Futaba seemed to think Yusuke and Makoto were right on this one. "She's caught me lying I don't know how many times."
Futaba sighed as she recalled all her attempts. "which is weird considering how bad at acting she is."
"Futaba's right, acing point aside, Lady Ann might let her guard down with Shiho, but she's perceptive. It's all up to Shiho, but I think we trust Shiho will be able to give us enough time to plan this out." Morgana said as he gave a believable outlook on their situation.
"You guys say plan but WE aren't doing anything." Ryuji then points to Ren. "It's this guy that's going to do all the work."
"Ryuji does have a point….surprisingly," Morgana ignored the stare Ryuji gave him and continued talking. "Ren's the one who called us here to talk about his plan for Lady Ann and all we're going to be doing is giving our advice…… So-
Everyone looked to Ren with expectant and solemn looks.
"How do you plan on proposing to Lady Ann?"
A girlish squeal escapes Haru as she hears Morgana.
"It's finally happening!" Haru joyfully said as her festive mood broke the serious atmosphere. Everyone looked at Haru and broke into a smile as today's secret discussion was finally revealed.
Ryuji looked to Ren. "Hell yeah! You've been taking your sweet time with it right, Ren-Ren?" Ryuji chuckled as Ren threw Ryuji's arm off him.
"Sweet time? You mean taking my time right?" Ren rebuttaled. "It's a big decision for us and I didn't want to rush it." Ren reasoned.
"I might've taken your word for it if we were still teens, but you've been together with Ann for quite some time," Yusuke added to Ryuji's point. "We're all adults now and clearly you two are serious about one another.
"Most high couples would have already broken off and found someone else by now. You two are a classic high school couple to marriage cliché." Futaba added with a teasing grin.
"I wanted to make sure we were both ready." Ren reasoned once again.
The girls all looked at each other with an unbelieving expression before Makoto spoke.
"You two have clearly been ready for a long time. You know Ann's been waiting all this time right?" Makoto explained.
"Well, I didn't want to affect her career." Ren threw out some other excuse. "Asking her to settle down is-
"You know Ann-chan would never think of your proposal as something to weigh her down. In fact, I think it'd take her to new heights." Haru chided and encouraged Ren. "A woman in love is a beautiful thing, Ren, but if you take too long, it'd make Ann doubt herself, and that in of itself would affect her modeling career."
Ren put his hand behind his neck and looked down, feeling a bit guilty after hearing Haru.
"I gave up on Lady Ann because I believed you'd be the one to make her happy, Ren. So why all the hesitation now?" Morgana asked, a bit of annoyance behind his voice.
"I do want to make her happy but…." Ren stopped his words as he looked a bit downcast.
"Buuuut?" Futaba urged him to continue.
"Well…..If I propose to her….I wanted to….. you know….start something." Ren vaguely said as he looked off to some random corner to avoid the confused looks he got.
"Start something?" Ryuji repeated. "Of course you're gonna start something. You're asking her to stay with you for the rest of your life, man!"
"Start something….Do you mean?" Makoto was the first to pick up on the hints. She looked at Ren a bit incredulously before giving him an understanding look. "I see, that is quite a bomb to drop on her." Thinking about the few serious topics a marriage would bring, Makoto quickly assumed the most likely topic.
"What's he saying, Mako-chan?" Haru and everyone else looked to the perceptive one of their group.
Makoto, despite not doing so on purpose, had this know-it-all smile on her face as her peers gave her expectant looks. All expect Ren, who smiled mildly as he waited for Makoto to reveal it.
"Well then, Ren? What is it I've figured out?" However, it seemed Makoto didn't want to be the one to deliver the news. "You can't really expect someone else to deliver news as big as that." Makoto had an amused smile on her face as she spoke. She never had any intentions of saying so after figuring it out and simply wanted the spotlight to shine more brightly at Ren.
Ren looked surprised for a second before expressing a defeated smile on his lips.
"You've really changed from the Robot Student Council President, Makoto." Ren jokingly brought back, making Makoto blush lightly from the old memory.
"Beep-boop," Futaba suddenly says with a mischievous grin, making the blush on Makoto's face grow a deeper red. It seems Ren had told Futaba that story.
"O-Onto the main topic now, Ren!" Everyone laughed at Makoto's clumsy attempt at directing the conversation back to Ren.
Once everyone calmed down, Ren sighed and decided to be truthful with everyone. Not like he had any reason to keep it from the people closest to him.
"Well….I planned on proposing to Ann and if she feels the same-
"She does, no doubt." Futaba quipped.
"I don't want to assume that. I want to hear it from her." Ren spoke solemnly. "We've spoken about marriage, plenty of times throughout our relationship, but to go through with it. I want to do it seriously."
"Alright, bro. We get it, you're serious about her, so what's got you so hesitant then?" Ryuji chipped in. "What's this 'something' Makoto figured out before the rest of us?"
Ren looked at everyone in the room before continuing.
"You guys all know how Ann's modeling career is going, right?" Ren suddenly asked.
"Quite well from what I've seen and read," Yusuke spoke first. "I never doubted someone as beautiful as Ann would have trouble expressing the beauty she holds to the rest of the world."
"I've gone to quite a few of her photoshoots when I was in the area. Ann-chan's become someone quite well known in the modeling world." Haru followed up on Yusuke's comment with her own.
"Also, knowing there's someone like Ann out in the world, she's obviously built up a following online," Futaba said that with a conflicted expression. "I already told you, but you don't wanna know what they say about her." Futaba waved her hand in front of her face while shaking her head at Ren.
"Why? They talking shit about her?" Ryuji said, already thinking about backing up his friend. Morgana also looked raring to go as he stood up at the implication of his Lady Ann being insulted.
"Oh, well there's always going to be haters online, but I was more so referring to her…fans." Futaba vaguely said. "Let's just say Ren wouldn't really feel happy seeing what people say 'positively' about Ann."
Ren smiled knowingly in silence. He expected those types of people to follow Ann. She was a one-of-a-kind beauty. Though, he felt lucky about the relationship he had with her. If he didn't meet Ann back then, he might have also been just like those fans. Only able to admire Ann's beauty from a distance.
"Yeah, I just call Ann every now and then. Mostly when Ren mentions her in our calls." Ryuji said calmly. "If not, Ann's always calling me to ask about something about him." Ryuji rolled his eyes as sometimes they both asked him the same thing.
"I'm always asking Ren how Lady Ann is doing every day," Morgana said smugly. "So I know everything that goes on in her career."
"and I've been keeping up with Ann's career by buying the magazines she's featured in," Makoto mentioned. "Of course, we all just call and check in on her from time to time, but we're all supportive of her career like she is for us."
Everyone nodded their head at Makoto's statement.
"So, why the mention of her career, Ren? Are you still worried you'd ruin it if you proposed to her?" Haru asked.
"Well, maybe the proposal won't ruin things but, what it means for the both of us that will," Ren said.
After seeing his friends wait patiently for him to continue, Ren continued speaking.
"Me and Ann, we've spoken about marriage. Lots of times, and something that always came up was….kids." Ren finally said.
Everyone, but Makoto who nodded her head knowingly, had a lightbulb appear over their head as it suddenly made sense.
"Damm, already thinking of having little Ren-Ren's and little Ann'-Ann's running around huh?" Ryuji snickered as the thought crossed his mind.
"So, your worry stems from having children with Ann?" Yusuke asked directly.
Ren stayed silent at Yusuke's question.
"You know," Futaba spoke up. "If you're worried being a mom and a model is too much for Ann……" Futaba took a moment to consider her words carefully. "It's not mine or anyone else's place to decide this but, can't you just…..hold off on having kids?"
"Well, like I said it's something we decided on after we'd get married. To take it back would be….."Ren didn't continue, but everyone got the idea.
It seems like Ren wouldn't feel comfortable with the sudden change of mind. It'd make him feel like he was lying to Ann about her dreams for their future.
"Well, who says Ann-chan must give up being a model in order to be a mother?" Haru suggested. "I've heard of plenty of models who've become mothers in the middle of their careers and still manage to succeed in their careers till the very end," Haru said with an encouraging tone.
"Haru's right, Ren." Makoto jumped in on the enthusiasm Haru was bringing. "I'm sure we all know how hardworking Ann is, surely she'd be able to manage balancing between being a mother and being a model."
As everyone was about to get wrapped up in how Ann could easily achieve being a mother and model…..
"Guys, Guys."
Everyone stopped speaking and looked to Morgana.
"I'm sure we all know how great a person Lady Ann is. A woman like her only comes once in a lifetime. Hair as golden as the sun's rays, Eyes as pure blue as clear blue sky, a figure sculpted from the heavens, lips-
"Dude, her soon-to-be fiancé is standing right here…." Ryuji interrupted Morgana's praises.
"You act like that'll stop him from saying that." Ren chuckled.
"Ahem, anyways, Lady Ann is an amazing person, we all know that, but…even Lady Ann is just one person. Even if she could do all these things, there's no doubt at some point she might just exhaust herself. I'm sure that's the point Ren is worried about."
Morgana finished speaking his point.
"True, even if there is a precedent established, it doesn't mean everyone can achieve it easily," Yusuke said as he brooded the subject.
Everyone silently agreed as they thought about it some more. Even if the goal was achievable, it didn't mean everyone could do it.
Still, it seemed with whatever solution they came up with, it'd never work.
"Guys." Ren's voice brought everyone out of their brainstorming. "The moment I propose to Ann…..her career is over."
"Why are you so sure about this?" Ryuji asked curiously. "Knowing how Ann is, I feel like she won't give up on it like you're thinking dude?"
"Because I'm not going to be the one to end it." Ren mysteriously said.
Everyone expressed their confusion in some way before Ren revealed the answer.
"Once I propose to her….and it's official, Ann's most likely going to retire from being a model." Ren seriously said. "No matter what I do, it doesn't matter, because she'll be the one to end it."
Ren sighed as he recalled a conversation he had with Ann before.
"You guys know about Ann's childhood right? How she grew up?" Ren asked everyone in the room.
When they asked that, they all looked a bit downcast.
"She rarely spent time with her family," Yusuke said as he started to get a hint of the point of Ren's question.
"It was more her family that was simply too busy to be with her," Haru answered with a clearer answer.
"So, it's not really you ending her career…but Ann," Futaba said.
"So why you saying it's you're fault?" Ryuji asked Ren. "If Ann wants to end it, let her."
"Well, I'm guessing Ren's problem with this is giving Ann the chance to end it." Makoto clarified to Ryuji before looking to Ren. "The reason for your hesitation on proposing to Ann isn't how you feel about her or how she feels about you, it's more having her sacrifice everything she's built just for your marriage."
"Yeah, that's it," Ren answered in a defeated tone.
Everyone looked at each other before looking a bit conflicted themselves. Like Ren, they all knew Ann had worked so much to be where she was in her career. To have that sort of decision in their hands, they didn't know how Ren, who cared the most about Ann, would feel about ending Ann's dream.
No one wanted to suggest not getting married because they all wanted the best for Ren and Ann and they knew their feelings for each other were genuine. For most couples, getting married was the final stage in a relationship. To just stop short would make them feel like the feelings they had for each wasn't enough to cross that final threshold.
As everyone was silently coming up with their own idea of a response…..
"I was wondering what you were worried about these past few days."
A certain voice cuts through the silence. Everyone froze for a second in shock before looking towards the staircase.
At the staircase, there stood Ann. One hand gripping the strap of her handbag while the other was on her hip. Her outfit had a spring feeling to them, fitting as they approached the end of March.
A light brown top that reached over her waist, loose enough that it would swing the spring breeze. Some fitting white jeans that hugged her waist and long legs showcasing the trained physique she worked for in her modeling career. The open heels allowed her delicate feet to be exposed to the spring weather. Her blondie hair wasn't sported in the usual pigtail twintails that Ren always imagined her in, instead, Ann had her hair styled in a single long ponytail with a pair of red sunglasses perched slightly above her forehead.
While Ren could write a whole book on how beautiful his girlfriend is, now wasn't the moment to go into depth because of the situation.
Those blue eyes that he found himself lost in at times, currently had the whole room silent as no one expected her appearance right now.
A sudden, nervous cough broke the silence.
Everyone, but Ann, in the room turned to look behind Ann and finally notice Ann wasn't alone.
"H-Hey guys!...."Shiho said nervously, knowing she failed her role.
Everyone continued to look at her silently before Shiho finally broke under the silent pressure.
"Um…..sorry…" Shiho looked regretful. "I let it slip."
After hearing her, Ren finally settled down and made an accepting sigh.
"It's no problem, Shiho." Ren didn't show any sign he was upset with the outcome. Everyone else also accepted the situation after hearing Ren's words "I-
"Hey, guys?" Ann stopped Ren to call everyone in the room. "Can me and Ren have a moment to ourselves?"
The request was met with everyone standing up, except for Ren.
"Like it's gonna be a moment," Futaba answered cheekily before a soft tap from Makoto's knuckle stopped her from saying more.
"What's the point of this meeting if it was just gonna end up like this?" Ryuji sighed as everyone started making their way downstairs.
Before leaving, Morgana gave Ren an encouraging look before following everyone downstairs.
Soon enough, it was just Ren and Ann in the attic.
The atmosphere in the attic was awkward as Ren didn't know exactly why Ann wanted to be alone.
After a few moments, Ann finally made a move as she went over to sit on the couch. Her journey over was watched by Ren as he sat still on his bed. As soon as she sat down, Ann patted the spot right next to her. The meaning of it was obvious.
Ren got up from his bed and walked over and sat down, right next to Ann.
There was a few moments of awkward silence before Ann broke it.
"Um….I think there's some kind of misunderstanding here." Ann said with a weak laugh. "It feels like we're about to have some kind of serious talk." Ann suddenly stopped to reconsider her words. "I-I mean of course that doesn't mean this isn't serious! But this is just too much you know?! Like it feels like we're gonna have a fight right now which isn't what I want!" Ann sighed internally at how she was stuttering. "Ugh, this went much better in my head….."
While Ann grumbled over the mood she unintentionally set, Ren looked at her displeased expression and laughed in response.
"Wh-What are you laughing at!?" Ann said with huffed-up cheeks.
"Because you look so cute when you get like this," Ren responded naturally.
Ann's cheeks grew as she looked away for a moment in annoyance. Shortly after her disgruntled frown was replaced with a calm smile.
The tense mood from before was obliterated and they soon returned to an atmosphere that was much more familiar to the two of them.
"So um…" Ren started speaking. "How much did you hear?" Ren finally asked.
"….when you started saying how the moment you propose to me, my career was over," Ann answered calmly.
Ren closed his eyes for a moment in regret before opening them and sighing.
"Definitely not the way I wanted to tell you," Ren said with a self-deprecating laugh.
Ann didn't judge and simply held his hand. Ren looked back in response before grabbing her hand back.
"Hey, you know you're not the only one who wishes it didn't have to happen this way," Ann said with a soft smile.
"…Yeah." Ren felt a bit better hearing Ann say that.
For a few moments, the two just basked in the company of each other. While the surprise element was gone, they were both happy that they knew they'd be together.
"So……I didn't know you cared so much about my career as a model so much," Ann admitted.
Of all the things Ann thought prevented Ren from proposing to her, her modeling career was the last thing she'd think of.
"Well, you've worked so hard to get to where you're at. It feels like a waste to just let end because-
"because I'd want to marry you?" Ann asked in a questioning manner. She was obviously not happy with such reasoning.
Ren sighed at the expected reaction.
"Ann, I-
"Ren." Ann interrupted. "How long were you planning on waiting to ask?"
"…..I guess until you got tired of modeling." Ren said with some regret. "Whenever we spoke about it, it always sounded like you were having the time of your life. It just felt like you never wanted it to end so…." Ren trailed off in silence, the ending obvious.
Ann looked at Ren in thought for a few seconds before signing.
"So, in a way, it's kinda my fault," Ann said.
"That's not what I meant!" Ren quickly denied Ann's claim. "I'm not blaming you of anything…. If anything, it's my fault." Ren admitted.
Ren suddenly clasped Ann's hands between his own as he looked into her eyes.
"there's no doubt in my mind I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I really want to make you the happiest woman in the world…..it's just…." Ren reminisced some talks he had with Ann. "Whenever you spoke about your work, you always sounded so happy to be working. Just like that day I left Tokyo after my record got lifted. It seemed like that'd be your life's work, something you always wanted to do. When I think of you like that, I start feeling guilty for wanting to tie you down with marriage."
"Ren." Ann's hands escaped Ren's own and copied what Ren did. "I'm flattered you're thinking about me so deeply. I didn't think you'd be just as passionate about my work as me." Ann giggled softly. "But if that's the case, then I'll also take blame for this," Ann said again.
"Ann-
"Ren, let me finish," Ann asked.
His silence and attention gave her the all-clear.
"I'm happy you think like that, but it's also my fault for making you think that way." Ann started. "I only told you all the good things� about my career," Ann admitted. "I never told you any of the things that bothered me….or you know, the things I disliked."
"Did someone try something?" Ren immediately asked, concern on his face as he listened. "Did you get hurt or-
"See." Ann pointed out. Tapping her finger on Ren's nose. "A good reason why I didn't say anything."
"Is it wrong for me to be concerned about you?"
"No, but if it's not something I'm concerned about, it's not something I want to concern you about." Ann explained. "but anyways, I painted a bit of a fantasy in your head about my work so you didn't worry. I just never thought that would stop us from being married." Ann sighed. "Maybe it would have been better if I came clean huh?"
Ann sat closer to Ren, practically sticking to him like glue as she rested her head on his shoulder.
Ren wrapped one arm around her waist.
"Well…it's not too late to come clean," Ren said.
After a few seconds, Ann took his words to heart and started speaking.
"You know, I knew it wouldn't be easy." Ann started. "When I made that goal of mine to become the 'number 1 model around". Ann gave a small smile, reminiscing in her younger self being hopeful. "Those people whose hearts we changed in mementos, there was some who were in my line of work….. so you can say….I was prepared for what I'd see in my career."
Ren's spare hand went for one of Ann's.
"So you met someone like that?" Ren asked seriously.
Ann took a few moments of silence before answering.
"…yeah," Ann said in disappointment.
Ren's hand tightly clenched Ann's.
"but it's fine. I never compromised to them." Ann clarified. "I'm good at reading people now so as sad as it is to say, my instincts have always managed to warn me ahead of time of who I work with."
Ann brought out her phone. Unlocking it to find a certain app still not there.
"In those moments, I really wished we still had the metaverse." Ann lightly shook her head. "but that part of our lives is over, so now I had to deal with it with my own methods. It certainly did help that I had parents like mine."
"Yeah, that's good."
"But, after a while, that advantage I had kinda made me feel guilty as of late," Ann revealed.
"Why?"
"Well, it's because I feel privileged in a way."
"You shouldn't feel bad about it if it keeps you safe though!" Ren said.
"You're right, but that's not the reason for me feeling like that."
Ren didn't understand Ann and waited for her to explain.
"You know?" Ann suddenly shifted her mood, seeming a bit playful. "talking about this all has made me feel a bit….old." Ann woefully said. "Maybe it's better to leave in my peak beauty then be chased out."
"What the hell, Ann?" Ren immediately responded. "You've always been beautiful! No matter what anyone says, you are the number one model in the whole world. The number one girl in my world as well."
The feeling Ren put into his words made Ann blush with a big smile.
"Jeez," Ann said with a small giggle. "That part of you never changes does it?" Ann teased.
Though it's not like Ann ever wanted that part to change either.
"But I promise I was going somewhere with that." Ann tried to get back on track, feeling a bit regretful she was going to sour the current mood a bit.
Ren patiently waited again.
"Anyway, I've been in the modeling world for a while now, and….I've seen people come and go. The people leaving look like they knew it was gonna happen and I think…I'm starting to reach that point now too. But it's more so the other side that makes me want to leave."
"The newcomers?" Ren asked. "What? Are they harassing you or something?" Ren looked a bit disgruntled at the thought of someone messing with Ann.
"No, No, No." Ann waved off that conclusion. "It's not that they're harassing me, it's…that I feel bad for them. This goes back to the guilt I was mentioning before, but I'm blessed to have the connections I do. Thanks to my parents, I've made connections in the modeling industry to where even if I run into 'those' sorts of people, they won't be able to ruin my career like they've done to many others."
Ren finally saw where Ann was going with this.
"but….that doesn't mean others are so lucky," Ann said with a regretful look. "I can protect myself…but who's going to be there for those young girls? I've met some of them, Ren. Some kind and some not, but they all want to move forward in their careers…..and there's going to be people who take advantage of their passion."
"Ann…" Ren said softly.
Ren always knew Ann was an empathetic person. Always wanting to help others. That trait didn't disappear as she grew older, it only became more apparent.
"So now, I'm at the point where I'm wondering "can't I do something about it?" I want to help them, but I don't have the power to do so……at least….not now."
Ren's ears perked up at the last part.
"That's when….it came to me." Ann said with a bit more hope in her voice. Ann stood up from the couch suddenly and looked at Ren. "What if I…What if I started my own modeling agency?!" Ann revealed with a bit of excitement.
Suddenly, Ren saw the same spirit in Ann's eyes as the same day Ann declared she'd be the number one model on Shujin academy's rooftop.
"I can be that connection for them! They wouldn't need to worry about being blocked or left behind because I'd work to make it happen for them! The only thing that would stop them in their careers would be themselves! If they've got the guts, I want to see them in their peak!"
Ann started rambling on about all these sorts of girls she's met in recent years.
While Ann spoke with high spirits, Ren watched and listened with attentive and kind care.
"Right….this was the girl I fell in love with. She was this sort of person……If I don't make her mine…….will I really be able to say I love her with all my heart?"
While in his thoughts, Ren soon noticed Ann's excited expression calm down and look thoughtful.
"Ren….I think a big reason I want to open my own agency is that I don't want someone else to go through what I've been through….what Shiho's been through. These girls. They all have a future just waiting for them…and there are some people out there, that will just destroy that for their own satisfaction. So…..I'm done being a model now. I've lived my dream long enough, now, I just want to make sure others get that chance as well."
"I see," Ren said an approving chuckle, feeling Ann's determination to see this through. " I'm sure you can do it. Whatever you want to do, I'm with you 100% of the way."
"Yeah….thanks, Ren." Ann warmly said. "So…" Ann paused a bit. "I'm done with modeling….." Ann stated once more.
Ren wondered why Ann said that when it was very apparent she was going to pursue a different career in the modeling industry.
"Um yeah, Guess you're done," Ren responded; a bit confused at the repetition.
Ann rolled her eyes at Ren's obliviousness.
"I say I'm done, but it'll be a while before I can even make my own modeling agency. I've got a lot of stuff I need to learn….so I'll have a lot free time while I'm learning all that stuff." Ann hinted.
"A lot of free time huh?" Ren repeated.
However, this time, he noticed there was obviously something Ann was trying to tell him. After a few moments of thought, he suddenly recalled why they were having this conversation in the first place.
"Right….Ann's no longer a model…." Ren concluded. "So that means…"
Ren looked at Ann and noticed a sort of expecting expression on her face. Her cheeks had a soft cheery color to them as she realized her intentions finally made it through to Ren.
"Soo…uhhh." Ann spoke in a shaky voice. "I'm really free now soooo….." Despite not having her twintails, Ann still curled her finger in her hair, a habit that never left her in all the time he knew her. "yeah…."
Even Ryuji would have gotten a hint at this point. There was no point in delaying since the surprise factor was gone, so Ren just went for it.
Ren started moving forward and as Ann expected Ren to stand up and walk to her. Ann was surprised to see him slowly kneel down on one knee in front of her. All of the sudden, the realization came to Ann.
"R-Ren!? Are you-
"C'mon Ann." Ren noticed Ann's whole face turn a shade of red. "You should have known when you were goading me that this was gonna happen."
"I-I know I did but I didn't expect you to do it right now!" Ann admitted in a flustered voice.
Ren looked surprised at Ann's reaction and chuckled to himself.
"So in the end, I still managed to surprise her." Ren thought to himself.
Ren looked at the woman to who he was about to propose to. Ann looked at him with bated breath.
When Ren said Ann was the most beautiful person in the world, he said that with his whole heart behind it. No matter if Ann stopped being a model or grew older and lost the illustrious beauty she had now, Ann would always be the most beautiful person in his eyes. Because no matter how she looked on the outside, she was always going to be Ann Takamaki on the inside and that was the lovely person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
Ren reached into his pocket, glad he always carried it around with him and brought out a small box.
At the moment, Ann's heart froze at the sight of that small blue box. Even if she knew this was coming, no matter if she found out minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or even years ago, Ann knew she'd react the same way in all instances because she'd been waiting for this day ever since she knew Ren was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.
"Ann Takamaki." Ann trembling eyes never wandered away from Ren's intense gaze. "The moment I met you, I knew you were special. At the time, I never imagined we'd end up where we are now. While there were some problems we dealt with along the way, I'm thankful for the chance to be where we are today." Ren took a deep breath and exhaled. " and I'd really like to continue being with you, not just for the next hour or day, but for the rest of my life…. I want to be with you every step of the way."
At this moment, the tears streaks down Ann's cheeks had already been running and she did nothing to wipe them away. Ann continued to listen to Ren, covering her mouth and nose to prevent the sniffles from interrupting.
"Though the hard and good times, healthy and sickly, from the last moments of our youthful lives to the end of our old days, I want to be with you as the only man you've given your heart to."
Ren opened the blue box to reveal a ring with a diamond adorning it.
"Will you marry me?" Ren asked the million-dollar question.
Ren's response was immediately met a hug as Ren stood up to receive Ann's affectionate response.
"Yes…Yes I do." Ann sobbed into Ren's shoulders." You idiot…..you made me wait too long……"
"I'm sorry," Ren said with a warm tone.
"I love you, Ren….I really do." Ann said as she buried her face into his shoulders.
"I love you too, Ann." Ren gave her a peck on her neck. "Of all the hearts I've stolen, yours is the one I'm so lucky to have."
Ann giggled softly at Ren's words.
"Mine better be the only one you keep in your heart, Joker, because yours is only one I'll keep in mine," Ann warned her fiancé softly.
"Roger that, Panther," Ren spoke out her old codename warmly.
Ann finally separated herself from Ren's shoulder to look at him in the eyes with Ren doing the same.
Their gaze only lasted a second before finally ending it with a long tender kiss.
"WOOOOOHOOOOO!!!!"
"ALRIGHT!!!!!!!!"
"CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!"
Suddenly, the kiss was interrupted by the sounds of their friends cheering for them. Before Ren and Ann could react they were surrounded by their friends as they were congratulated individually by each of them.
"Were you guys spying on us or something?!" Ann asked with a bit of embarrassment.
Makoto sighed at the question.
"I tried to stop them, Ann. I really did." Makoto said with some exasperation. "but I was the only one who opposed it."
Futaba brought out a laptop.
"Don't worry, we weren't watching through the stairs like some creeps, I captured it all with the cameras I still have up in Sojiro's attic," Futaba explained.
"That doesn't make it any better." Makoto rebuttaled.
Futaba played the video for the couple to watch. The video recorded their whole conversation and the proposal.
As Ann started listening to Ren's vow, she started tearing up.
"Can…Can I get a copy of it, Futaba?" Ann asked.
"Pshhh, do you even have to ask?!" Futaba had no thought to keep it to herself. "I'll give you the only copy, I was planning on recording it anyway, so I'm lucky these old cameras still had enough battery to record the whole thing! Was really sweating as time went on."
"But what use is there now to have these cameras-
An elbow from Futaba shut Yusuke up, with a simple 'later' to prevent him from saying more.
"But anyway…." Shiho spoke up. "you guys aren't finished!"
At first, Ren and Ann looked Shiho, puzzled by the statement, before Ren suddenly recalled the feeling in his hand and saw the ring was still in the box. Ann followed his gaze and they both realized what Shiho meant.
Ren took the ring out of the box and looked at Ann.
Slowly, Ann lifted her hand, trying to keep her nerves down as she tried to keep her hand still.
Everyone watched with held breaths as Ren reached over to Ann's soft hand and slipped the ring onto the appropriate finger.
And with that, the proposal was finally finished. The crowd cheered happily as the couple took the next moment to finalize the event with a short sweet kiss.