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Ann checked her phone for what had to have been the millionth time. She felt so awkward like this, standing and waiting around for Kasumi to arrive. It wasn’t Kasumi’s fault, Ann was the one who had gotten here early after all. It was still fifteen minutes before Kasumi was supposed to meet her, but Ann couldn’t help but be a bundle of nerves. The crowd passing by in Shibuya wasn’t helping. Here she was, a lone girl standing around in public, clearly waiting for someone, giving the impression that she might have been stood up. A lone white girl, her blonde hair and blue eyes easily making her stand out, in Shibuya looking stood up; it was bound to draw attention. Which, in turn, only served to make her feel more embarrassed and uncomfortable.
“Hey girl,” some strange voice intoned from her right. Ann fumbled her phone, just barely catching it, her heart pounding even faster than it already had been. “You look lonely.” Ann turned to see the man, easily ten years her senior. He looked like a pretty standard office worker. She put on a fake laugh, a painfully fake laugh, running her free hand through her twintails. She started to try to reply, but a familiar voice interrupted her.
“Senpai!” Kasumi shouted, running up to her. The man clicked his tongue and harrumphed, looking at the brunette approaching and walking off. Ann breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to her partner.
“You’re early!” Ann said, a bit shocked to see her. It looked like they both had the same idea. Before any more could be said, Kasumi had pulled her into another big hug. The first time it had happened, Ann had had no idea what to do with herself. Her arms up in the air, awkwardly accepting Kasumi’s affection, she blushed thinking about it. And they’d been alone at the time, so there wasn’t even the embarrassment of doing it in public to think about. Still, this time, Ann was able to reciprocate, pulling Kasumi closer and holding on to her. She was like a shockingly fit teddy bear, able to be hugged and held and all the stress would melt away. They stood like that for a few seconds, holding each other close before letting go, Kasumi beaming with joy and Ann smiling awkwardly, blushing.
“Not as early as you, it seems.” Kasumi pointed out, replying to Ann’s prior declaration. The former gymnast and leader of the Phantom Thieves giggled. Some of them, namely Ryuji, had let the whole “Phantom Thief” thing really go to their heads and hardly passed as normal high school students. Kasumi? Despite all the rumors, despite her record and ruined career, despite her utter badassery, still just acted like a normal, polite, cheerful girl all the time. Ann knew it wasn’t acting. She wondered if that was part of the reason Kasumi had her unique power, the ability to wield multiple Personas. She’d seen where some of them came from, had helped Kasumi recruit shadows into herself, and yet all too often Kasumi would bust out some new one on the battlefield, leaving Ann confused and no further able to understand how it worked.
Ann awkwardly laughed. Kasumi must have been planning to wait up for her, given that she herself was here over ten minutes early. Still, her timing had been inadvertently impeccable. “Yeah, well, I was… nervous.” Ann admitted, rubbing the back of her head. Ann then noticed the massive difference in their outfits. Kasumi was wearing an utterly beautiful, yet simple blue dress. The shade of the blue struck Ann as something that looked like it belonged in a dream, something almost magical. Ann meanwhile was wearing a red and black camouflage tanktop and denim shorts. She felt woefully underdressed in comparison to her girlfriend.
“Well, to be honest, I was too.” Kasumi smiled, blushing. “But you look amazing, senpai!”
“Really?! I mean, look at you! That dress! Where did you even get it? It looks so good. It really matches you, and that color!” Ann hoped her complements didn’t sound as stupid to Kasumi as they felt coming out of her mouth. “Between the two of us, you’re the one who looks like a model right now. I didn’t dress up nearly as much.” Ann looked down, wishing she’d gone with something a bit more formal to match. Kasumi took her hand, making her look back up at her.
“You look fantastic.” Kasumi smiled a huge smile, causing Ann to smile back. “I wouldn’t want you to change your look, it’s because it’s yours that it looks so good.” Ann wasn’t sure she could turn any redder at this point, even with the hot summer sun beating down on them. Thankfully, she had sunblock.
“Y-you! You always know the perfect thing to say! It’s not fair!” Ann playfully complained, teasing Kasumi.
“It’s just the power of my Persona,” Kasumi giggled, the sort of giggle someone has when they know they’ve told you the truth and you’ll write it off as a joke.
“Yeah yeah, of course.” Kasumi shifted her position from holding Ann’s hands in hers to just holding Ann’s hand. The two of them walked off further into Shibuya, off for their shopping date. Waiting to cross the wide road, the two of them stood there hand in hand, smiling.
“So, where to first?” Ann asked, letting their leader guide her. Kasumi really was something else, a woman of many difference facets. It was almost hard to believe that they were all the same woman. On one hand, there was this adorable girl, someone so sweet and kind and caring. Then, deeper under that there was the lonely, hurt Kasumi, the one who had been separated from the twin she’d spent her whole life with because of doing the right thing, dealing with the fallout of caring about others without letting it distort her.
On the other hand, there was the aloof and cocky leader of the Phantom Thieves, Rose. But Rose could differ in personality too. Dealing with the palaces, she showed a playful, dramatic side, always posing and doing things with the utmost flair. Dealing with the suffering of others, she showed such great compassion. She could be such a caring, worried, and supportive leader. And then she’d drag them into Mementos for a six hour training session, pushing them to their absolute limits and then further beyond that. She’d drive Mona up and down the floors, getting them into so many fights than Ann thought she might collapse of exhaustion. And then, Rose would pull out a giant bundle of sweets and food, sodas and health drinks and energy drinks, and Ann would feel right back at 100% and ready for another two hours of fighting.
On their most recent training session, right before they went to change Futaba’s heart, Rose had done something that had shocked her. They’d just begun dating the week before and were still finding their footing, so Ann wasn’t really sure how the dynamic would work amongst the team. They’d made it to a safe platform, everyone absolutely exhausted, collapsing into the seats and feeling like they could barely move. As usual, out came the massive bundle of snacks (Ann still had no idea how or where she was carrying them). Before Ann could even begin, Rose had walked over to her with a box of chunky katsu.
“You’re completely drained, right senpai?” She had asked Ann. Ann had nodded weakly, confirming the obvious. Rose told her to open her mouth, which she had done unquestioningly and Rose began feeding her the katsu, one bite after another. Ann was still shocked at herself for letting that happen in front of everyone. Even as Ryuji spilled his entire drink on the floor and Morgana made the most upset cat noises someone who claimed to not be a cat ever had made, the feeding continued without interruption. Ann had greedily devoured each bite, all the while Rose smiled down at her and continued feeding her. By the time it was done, Ann felt more reinvigorated than even the food could have done, only furthered by Rose ruffling her hair and giving her a kiss on top of the head. If the others hadn’t known they were dating beforehand, they sure did now.
Kasumi’s voice brought Ann back out of her reminiscing, all the while pulling her along to cross the street. “I wanted to stop at the bookstore first, if that’s okay with you.” Ann nodded, following her girlfriend to their destination. When they arrived, Kasumi immediately made a beeline for the new releases section, rapidly perusing through what they had. Ann knew that Kasumi had a preference for non-fiction, something that differed between them. In record time, Kasumi had scooped up a few different selections and rejoined Ann, who had been standing and watching her.
“Is there anything here you’d want, senpai?” Kasumi asked, smiling and holding her books.
“Well… don’t laugh, okay?” Ann fiddled with her hands, embarrassed. Kasumi’s tastes were so mature, and yet here Ann was a year older than her. She couldn’t help but feel a bit silly in comparison.
“Of course not!” Kasumi forcefully replied, supporting her.
“I… I wanted to look at the romance novels.” Ann admitted, getting a smile from Kasumi. Ann led her over to the section and began to browse, Kasumi herself also looking at the titles. Kasumi set her haul on the ground to free her hands, picking through and looking at book after book. The two of them perused, sharing titles and blurbs with each other, laughing over the absurdity of some of the plots or getting excited at the concept. They even found one which was apparently written and published in record time about a so-called “leader of the Phantom Thieves” and what had to be the most obvious off-brand Akechi, which both of them had found hilarious enough to add to the pile of purchases. The design of the guy on the cover was so ridiculous to them, some boy with shaggy black hair, red gloves, and a black trenchcoat. The white mask was surprisingly a good guess, but it sure was a far cry from Rose’s stunning red, white, and gold gymnast-like outfit.
Having picked out a good pile, the two of them approached the register. Kasumi put all of them, both her own and Ann’s, on the counter. Ann wanted to protest, say that she would pay for her own books, but Kasumi gave her a look. It was stunning how, even like this, the Rose inside her could come out so strongly. It was the same look of fierce determination that she would have in battle, a look that immediately made Ann follow her orders and trust her completely.
“That’ll be 25,325.” The cashier said, making Ann once again feel uncomfortable. Her family was loaded and Kasumi lived in an attic above a cafe, how could she let Kasumi spend that much when most of it was on her? Kasumi just smiled and paid, taking the bag and heading out, Ann following like a puppy.
“Hey!” Ann protested when they got outside. “I didn’t realize it would be that expensive…” Ann pouted, looking down at the ground. “You shouldn’t have paid for my books too, I could have…” Before she could continue, Kasumi interrupted her.
“Don’t worry about it, senpai. I wanted to get them for you.” Kasumi smiled innocently, looking proud of herself.
“But!” Ann started to protest, but Kasumi cut her off again.
“If you’re worried about the cost, don’t be. I’m carrying a five million yen.” Kasumi said slyly, a conspiratorial look on her face.
“FIVE MILLION?!” Ann screamed out, stunned. Kasumi was loaded?! “HOW?!”
“Well, Kaneshiro was right about one thing. The Metaverse is very profitable. Why do you think I collect all those odds and ends that the shadows drop? Iwai-san will buy just about anything. He’s a wonderful fence.” Kasumi giggled, an all-too-innocent giggle for what she was admitting. Thinking back at the sheer amount of gold and gems she’d seen Kasumi collect over the last few months, she wondered if the Phantom Thieves were going to destabilize the market.
“How do you even carry all that stuff to sell?” Ann finally asked. She’d been wondering, what with the food and drinks and loot and medicine. It was just too much. Kasumi seemed to have an utterly bottomless supply.
“Morgana.” Kasumi said. Ann decided to leave it at that, not wanting to know more. After they had escaped Futaba’s collapsing palace, Morgana caught them in the bus with what she could only describe as his very literal bussy. She never wanted to think about the cat’s anatomy again after that.
“By the way Kasumi-chan, where is he? Usually he’s in your bag, yeah?” Ann asked, looking at the surprisingly cat-less brown leather bag usually draped on Kasumi’s shoulder, currently being filled with books.
“I told him I was going on a date with you and he excused himself. Said he didn’t want to be a third wheel and wanted to respect your desires. I guess he’s off doing cat things now.” Kasumi giggled at her joke.
“But he’s not a cat.” Ann joked back, also giggling. Despite his many protests, even his behavior was too cat-like to ignore. The two of them continued onwards, looking at the various shops and debating if they wanted anything there. Then, the enticing smells grabbed them by the nose and began dragging them over to a different shop.
“Let’s get crepes!” Ann said with the longing desire of an addict. Kasumi excitedly agreed with her and the two of them got in line, waiting for the wonderful sweets.
“What kind should we get, senpai?” Kasumi asked, not taking her eyes off the menu. There were so many options, and they all sounded delicious. Ann likewise was wide-eyed and staring the menu down, also enchanted by the various different flavors on offer.
“Ummmm… gahh! There’s so many good ones!” Ann complained. The worst curse possible: too many good options. From the nutella to the cinnamon sugar snickerdoodle to the strawberry and cream to the raspberry to the lemon, they all looked, sounded, and smelled so amazing.
“Well, if we’re both getting one, why don’t we both get one that we both want and then we can split both?” Kasumi suggested, looking pleased with herself for finding a way to double up on flavors. Ann looked at her, eyeing her for ulterior motives.
“Are you sure you’re not just looking for another excuse to feed me?” Ann questioned with playful suspicion.
“Why senpai, how could you be so suspicious of me?” Kasumi teased back. “But, if you insist, I can hold the crepe for you while you eat it.” Ann’s expression turned to a mix of happiness, embarrassment, and love. “But, only if you do the same for me.”
“What?! I… I can’t… that’s so embarrassing though!” Ann stuttered out, looking around in nervousness. Kasumi was an absolute expert at flustering her. “S-so many p-people are going to be w-w-watching us!”
“So? I don’t care.” Kasumi smiled sweetly. “I love you, senpai. Everyone can know that.” Ann could only imagine she was about as red as her thief suit at this point. Kasumi’s sweetness was greater than any crepe.
“I-I-I-I-I…” Ann’s brain short circuited trying to respond, having hit pure cuteness overload. Kasumi leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek, stroking her hair. Ann looked at her and, with a pause, somewhat awkwardly pulled her in for a proper kiss. The two of them parted, looking into each other’s eyes. “...There.” Ann said. Kasumi giggled, hugging her quickly.
“Oh hey, we’re up.” Kasumi pointed out, causing a startled shriek from Ann.
“But I don’t know what I want yet!” Ann ran up to her, rapidly trying to decide. Kasumi stroked her back, calming her as she came to a conclusion. “Uhh… the strawberry and cream!” She said. The woman working the counter smiled and laughed, confirming her order.
“And you, sweetie?” She asked Kasumi.
“I’ll get the cinnamon sugar snickerdoodle!” Kasumi said pridefully, getting one of the most childish types possible. Ann looked at her girlfriend with amazement at her utter lack of shame or moderation.
“Alright then! It’ll be just a moment.” The woman working the crepe stand gave them a conspiratorial look. “Are you two both planning to share them?” Ann averted her eyes, her capacity for embarrassment being pushed to its absolute limit today.
“Yeah! Senpai and I are on a date!” Kasumi eagerly told her. Ann just stood there, too whelmed by it all to cope.
“Ahh, young love. I’ll be rooting for the two of you!” The woman said, making the crepes. She handed them over and Kasumi paid, them each with a crepe in one hand and the other’s hand in their other. The two of them walked over to a nearby wall, eating half of their own crepes and making moans and chirps of joy at the deliciousness. They both eagerly devoured them, trying their best to hold back in order to relish the flavor and failing entirely. Finally, they reached the halfway point. Kasumi reached out and offered hers to Ann.
“Uhh… well… uhh.. here goes!” Ann took a bite from the crepe that Kasumi was holding. It was amazing, so amazing that she couldn’t even think about the crowd of passerbys who must have been watching them. Ann extended hers out to Kasumi, who happily chomped down on it and moaned with joy. The two of them went back and forth until finally, both crepes were utterly consumed.
“That was amazing, senpai!” Kasumi declared with glee, clapping in joy. Ann looked down shyly, her hands behind her back.
“Yeah… it was.” Ann didn’t just mean the crepes. She got the appeal now. Seeing Kasumi eat something as she fed her it like that was absolutely adorable. If they hadn’t actively been eating, she’d have kissed her on the spot. Now though? Ann rapidly repositioned, putting herself between Kasumi and the wall, leaning forward so her hands were on the wall above Kasumi’s shoulders. Kasumi looked into her eyes and smiled, blushing herself for once. “Now it’s my turn.” Ann kissed her, deeply. The two’s tongues touched as their lips parted, them shamelessly making out in the middle of Shibuya, not a concern in the world. Having taken control, Ann no longer felt embarrassed about if people were watching. Let them watch, let them see her be happy and in love. Kasumi wrapped her arms around Ann, pulling her closer to her as they continued to make out, her strong but slender arms having a tight grip on Ann.
As the kiss broke, both of them panted. They gave that their all, and it was still the middle of summer. Kasumi felt Ann’s sweat dripping on her, but she didn’t mind. As Kasumi was looking into Ann’s beautifully blue eyes, like the ocean trapped in a snowglobe, the model began to speak. “Sorry I couldn’t say it earlier, but… I love you, Kasumi-chan.” Ann smiled and blushed, but didn’t look away.
“I love you too, senpai.” Kasumi smiled, still looking up at her. Ann blurted out the first thing that came into her mind without thinking.
“So why don’t you call me Ann-chan more often?” Ann asked. Kasumi beamed.
“I like that you’re my senpai, silly! But, if you insist… I love you too, Ann-chan.” Kasumi pecked her on the lips. Ann felt like she was going to collapse into a puddle of love and joy, pulling Kasumi into a hug as much because she wanted to as because she needed to hold on to her just to remain standing.