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spypidgeon · 1 year ago

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At a Cost Chapter 5

First Chapter

Kasumi turned away from Sumire upon seeing her, wincing in the process as it sent a shock of pain to her stomach, but she didn’t care. She didn’t want to see Sumire right now.

“Kasumi…” She heard Sumire say in disapproval.

“Go away.” Kasumi replied in as close to a neutral tone as she could get.

“No.” Sumire immediately refused, surprising Kasumi. “I’m not leaving until you talk to me.”

Kasumi remained silent, slight frustration brewing in her mind as the surprise wore off. She couldn’t act on it though, that’d just hurt Sumire, the last thing she wanted to do right now.

“Kasumi, please…” Sumire softly said in clear desperation.

Kasumi bit her tongue, doing her best to continue staying quiet.

“Kasumi, talk to me, please…”

Kasumi shook her head, her expression tensing. Sumire didn’t speak anymore, but Kasumi could still feel her stare. Despite the lack of words, Kasumi only tensed up more.

After a few minutes she couldn’t take it anymore.

“Sumire, go away.” Kasumi ordered her.

“I’m staying right here until you talk to me.” Sumire refused once more.

Kasumi let out a deep breath before turning back to Sumire.

“Leave.” Kasumi ordered once more.

“No.” Sumire responded just as simply.

Kasumi began shaking in pure frustration. She didn’t want to hurt Sumire, but her sister wasn’t exactly making it easy.

“I’m not leaving.” Sumire told her.

Kasumi snapped.

“You want an answer?” Kasumi spoke, barely above a whisper.

Sumire sat up straighter in her wheelchair.

“The answer is that I’m a miserable excuse for your sister!” Kasumi shouted. “All I do is bring you pain and suffering! Why the hell would you want to live with that!?”

Shock overtook Sumire, but only for a moment before she regained her composure and snapped right back at her.

“Because you’re my sister!” Sumire cried out in response.

“So what!?” Kasumi retorted. “Ever since we lost gymnastics I’ve been nothing! I’m not the sister I once was! I’m not the person I should be!” Tears began welling in her eyes as her voice cracked. “I-It would be better if I died… I-If I wasn’t saved…”

Kasumi finally broke down into sobs. She shouldn’t be alive, it would’ve been better if she were dead.

It would be better if I was dead.

Kasumi suddenly felt a warm embrace around her. She opened her eyes to see that Sumire was hugging her. Despite herself, despite all the bitter feelings swirling around her head, Kasumi returned the hug.

“No, it wouldn’t.” Sumire told her simply, which was somehow the most comforting thing to Kasumi. “I don’t want to lose you, Kasumi, just like I don’t want to lose Ren. So please, don’t say that I’d be better off if you were dead…”

Kasumi pulled away and gave Sumire a look. “B-But all I’ve done since we got injured was hurt you…”

Sumire shook her head. “That’s not true, Kasumi.” She refuted. “Back when we were first injured, when I was so down about the whole thing… You tried to comfort me. You tried to be a good sister for me.”

“But that was so long ago…” Kasumi retorted weakly. “Besides, Amamiya-senpai did a much better job…”

“Even so,” Sumire assured her. “Thank you for trying.”

Kasumi shook her head. “You really shouldn’t be thanking me…”

“Well, you’ll just have to live with it.” Sumire gave her a smirk.

Kasumi rolled her eyes. “You spend too much time with Amamiya-senpai.”

Sumire giggled, a light blush appearing on her cheeks. “Maybe…” She shook her head. “But seriously, Kasumi. We need to talk…”

Kasumi sighed. “Yeah…” She admitted. “I just… I don’t know what to do anymore, and it just makes me so angry… A-And I don’t want to blame it on you again…”

Sumire put a finger to her chin as she thought. “Well… You’re plenty good at things besides gymnastics, why not pursue one of those?”

“Like what?” Kasumi asked, not knowing what Sumire meant.

“Well… you’ve always gotten top of the class in exams.” Sumire told her. “...And you’re always studying in your room. Why not something related to that?”

Kasumi rested back onto her pillow. She hadn’t thought about it before, so obsessed with no longer being able to do gymnastics.

“Maybe…” Kasumi replied uncertainly. “Maybe…”

Silence overtook the room once more, but it was much more comfortable this time. Eventually, Kasumi spoke up once more, something else finally entering her mind.

“Where are Mom and Dad, by the way?”

“Dad’s at work,” Sumire answered. “And Mom’s running some errands, she was going to take me home after she finished.”

Kasumi nodded. “I see…” She kind of wanted to see her parents right now.

“Uhm… I’m glad we got to talk.” Sumire told her, brushing her bangs with her pinky.

Kasumi nodded her head. “Me too.”

It was genuine, Kasumi really felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of her. She still needed to apologize to her parents though…

“Uhm, Sumire?” Kasumi spoke up, causing Sumire to look at her again. “How long am I going to be here?”

“Oh!” Sumire sat up straight in her seat once more. “I completely forgot to say! They need to run some more tests, but it sounds like you’ll mostly just need to take it easy for a while.”

Kasumi nodded her head. “Uhm… Can you ask Mom and Dad to visit me? I feel I should apologize to them too.”

Sumire gave Kasumi a gentle smile. “Of course.”

“Thank you, Sumire.” Kasumi returned the smile.

It almost felt strange for Kasumi to smile, it’s been so long…

Yet for the first time since she was injured, she feels some kind of hope about her future. Maybe Sumire’s right, maybe she could really pursue something else?

Maybe everything would be alright.

Maybe I will be alright.

***

Sumire held onto Ren’s hand as she sat next to him on his couch. He hadn’t fully recovered yet, so despite knowing their next target, Ren had to spend as much time resting and recovering his strength as he could. During this time, Sumire decided to keep him company.

“I still can’t believe what they did to you…” Sumire spoke up bitterly as she leaned against Ren.

Ren rubbed her back and squeezed her hand. “It’s okay, Sumi. I’m safe…”

“...Until you go after Shido.” Sumire muttered in disapproval.

“You know I have to, Sumi.” Ren replied in a regretful voice.

Sumire sighed. “I know… but until then you’re going to continue resting!”

Ren chuckled. “Yes, Mom…” He teased.

Sumire gave his arm a light smack as she blushed. “Senpai!”

Ren laughed more before pecking her on the cheek. “Don’t worry, I’ll rest.”

“Good!” Sumire pouted, still blushing. “You better!”

Ren gave Sumire a smile and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer. He then began to lean over, but he went farther than Sumire expected him to.

“Senpai? What are you doing?” Sumire asked, confused.

“Resting.” Ren answered simply.

At that point he and Sumire were lying on the cushion of the couch, Ren’s head reaching a pillow he’d set on the side. After that, he pulled Sumire’s legs up off the ground and moved his own until they were both lying down on the couch, Sumire facing away from Ren and lying on his arm.

“Comfortable?” Ren asked with a smirk.

Sumire rolled her eyes at her boyfriend’s silliness but nodded her head. “Yes…”

The two lay there for a while in a comfortable silence, Sumire loving the feeling of Ren’s body against hers as they rested together. They snuggled for a long while, hearing nothing but the sound of their own breathing. At one point Morgana jumped in the room, saw them, gave them whatever the cat equivalent of a smirk was, then jumped out the window into the back alleys again.

Morgana’s sudden appearance did remind Sumire of something though…

“Are you still getting nightmares?” Sumire asked.

The first night watching him after that day was just…

“...Yeah” Ren answered after a while, his voice sounding shaky. “It was just… awful… Th-Thank you for being here, Sumi…”

Sumire reached down and tapped Ren’s arm around her waist with her hand, a signal her boyfriend understood. Sumire began twisting her upper body, Ren helping with her legs so she could turn around properly, until she was facing Ren.

Once in position, and Ren’s arm back around Sumire’s waist, she reached out to touch Ren’s cheek. The closeness of their faces caused her cheeks to redden a bit, but she had something much more important to do.

“I love you, Senpai…” Sumire told him. “You’ve helped me so much; it’s only fair I return the favor.”

Sumire removed his glasses. Understanding what she intended to do, Ren removed hers as well. Once those were out of the way, Sumire wrapped an arm around Ren’s neck and pulled him in for a kiss, which Ren happily accepted.

Ren pulled Sumire closer with the arm wrapped around her, deepening the kiss. They held it for as long as they could, but eventually they had to separate in order to breathe, the two gasping for air as they finally separated.

After catching her breath, Sumire brought her nose to Ren’s and spoke up once more. “I love you so much, Ren.”

Ren gave a few chuckles as he smiled brightly. “I love you too, Sumi. Seriously, thank you for being here for me.”

Sumire returned his smile. “Anytime, Senpai!”

The two shared another kiss. Although the future seemed uncertain, both with Ren as well as her own sister, Sumire felt some peace here as she and Ren held each other, kissed each other.

A part of her, no matter how small, had the feeling that perhaps everything would be alright. She could make up with Kasumi, Ren would win against Shido, and they’d all be safe.

She dearly hoped that part of her was right.

***

Kasumi stared down at her stitched up stab wound as she sat in the living room on her wheelchair. It was still so weird to see it there, to have seen the knife embedded in her flesh the night she’d attempted…

Out of sudden curiosity, Kasumi poked the wound. A shock of pain instantly shot through her, causing her to wince, before quickly settling down to a light sore feeling once again. She rolled her shirt back down, covering the wound again, before leaning back in her chair and sighing.

“You okay, Kasumi?” Sumire asked from where she was sitting, doing her homework.

“I’m fine,” Kasumi breathed out. “The stitches are just irritating me a bit…”

Sumire frowned. “Just leave it alone, you need to heal.”

Kasumi rolled her eyes. Ever since Amamiya faked his death, Sumire had become much more assertive, even motherly. Admittedly, it could be a little annoying, but it was better than when they didn’t talk at all. Besides, it’s not like it wasn’t warranted after Kasumi had attempted suicide herself.

“I know, I know.” Kasumi assured Sumire. “As I said, it's just a little irritating. You should get back to your homework.”

Sumire sighed. “Yeah yeah.” She answered before delving back into her homework.

In order to keep herself distracted from her wound, Kasumi passed a glance at the page Sumire was working on; it was math. Trigonometry to be specific.

She watched Sumire slowly make her way through the paper, taking a long time to deliberate over each question. She should really get some more practice, exams won’t go over well if she’s this slow…

Eventually Sumire got to a question that seemed to stump her, at least for a bit. She tapped her pen against her forehead as though attempting to remember something.

Kasumi took a look at the paper to see what question it was before speaking up:

“The sine is the ratio of the opposite divided by the hypotenuse.” Kasumi informed Sumire.

Sumire looked up at Kasumi before what she said dawned on her and Sumire quickly dove back into the paper, completing the equation.

“Thanks, Kasumi.” Sumire gave her a smile.

Kasumi returned the smile, genuinely happy to have helped.

Sumire went back to her homework and Kasumi continued giving her tips every now and then to keep her on the right track. It felt nice, like the two sisters were finally beginning to approach something closer to normal since they were injured. Or, at least, Kasumi was.

With any luck, Kasumi could reforge the bond she’d lost with her sister.

***

Pen in hand, Kasumi began studying once again in the library of the school. Although before she studied out of the inability to do anything else, now, thanks to Sumire, she had a somewhat clearer goal: Learn as much as possible.

If she did that, maybe she could discover something she was particularly talented in like she was with gymnastics. Something she enjoyed doing and could see herself dedicating most of her life to.

What exactly that was, Kasumi wasn’t certain of, but she had to find out. She never wanted to feel like she did that night again…

Kasumi flipped a page of the textbook as she continued noting down anything that was new to her. Even if she never ended up looking at these specific notes again, writing them down helped her remember them.

The current textbook she was using was all history, which was something she had some interest in, though she preferred math. She found solving equations fun and rewarding.

As she continued studying, however, she began to slow. Although she may have been extremely motivated to study, continuing to do so was becoming increasingly difficult.

The sound of other students talking, chairs moving, even pages flipping, consistently distracted her from her study. Eventually, Kasumi couldn’t take it anymore, so she leaned back in her wheelchair, and placed the pen on her notebook.

She rubbed her head as a slight ache buzzed in her mind. Perhaps she should take a break.

Kasumi let out a sigh as she stretched her arms and back a bit.

“Ugh…” A nearby student groaned.

Kasumi passed a glance in the direction of the sound to see one of her peers grasping a clump of his own hair while staring at a paper in pure confusion. He seemed somewhat panicked about it, something Kasumi well understood.

Kasumi quickly put away her own study materials before going over to the student.

“Need some help?” She offered.

The student seemed surprised by the offer for a moment. “Uhm… Yeah…”

Kasumi gave him a smile in an attempt to make him slightly more comfortable with her help. “Let’s see…” She looked over the paper. “What are you stuck on?”

“Uhhh… This.” The student pointed to a particular question, still seeming uncomfortable, or perhaps just surprised.

Kasumi took a look at the part the student had pointed to. It was Science, Astronomy to be precise. Not exactly Kasumi’s specialty, but she was still rather good at it.

The question was about nuclear fusion: ‘What element does the Sun use for nuclear fusion and what does it turn into?’

“So you’re forgetting what element the Sun uses and creates?” Kasumi asked, now facing the still awkward student.

“Y-Yeah… I suck at remembering this stuff…” The student lamented.

“Well let me help you with that!” Kasumi offered with a smile. “Open up your notebook and grab a pen, preferably a colored one.”

The student blinked a few times before doing as Kasumi said. He grabbed the notebook on the table and flipped to a blank page, then grabbed a dark blue pen from his bag and put it to the page.

“Okay… Now what?” The student asked.

“Now write ‘The Sun sustains itself by fusing hydrogen into helium.’” Kasumi instructed him.

The student did as he was told, writing down the whole sentence as instructed.

“Okay…” The student seemed even more bewildered. “Why did I have to write it down here? Why couldn’t you have just told me?”

“Memorization!” Kasumi cheerily replied. “I find taking notes with a colored pen helps me remember them, even if I forget to review them later.”

“Oh. Uhm… Thanks?”

“No problem!” Kasumi replied. “Now, do you need help with anything else?”

“Yes…” The student shyly admitted. “Do you think you could help me out a little more?”

Kasumi nodded her head enthusiastically. “Of course!”

With that, Kasumi continued helping the student through his whole assignment.

***

“Thanks for coming with me, Amamiya-senpai.” Kasumi gratefully told her senior. “I know you’re taking a huge risk helping me out with this…”

“No worries.” Amamiya shook his head dismissively. “I’d love to help. Besides, Shido and Akechi still think I’m dead, so nobody’s on the lookout for me right now.”

“If you say so…” Kasumi had some doubts.

The two soon arrived at the gym. Despite not being a gymnast for some time, Kasumi still had membership there until the end of the year. She hadn’t really used it often, but some of the equipment there only requires arms, so she could at least remain fit. Thankfully, Amamiya had one as well, as this became his go to gym after Sumire told him about it.

Sumire was invited, but she wasn’t really very interested in working out at the gym anymore either. It was fair, before now Kasumi didn’t have much interest in returning to the gym either.

Kasumi and Amamiya entered the gym, checked in, and went over to the equipment. Kasumi immediately headed over to the bench press, it was one of the very few pieces of equipment she could use.

She hadn’t lifted weights much when she was a gymnast, so she wanted to use this opportunity to try.

“Amamiya-senpai!” Kasumi waved Amamiya over. “Can you help set me up with this?”

Amamiya nodded his head and quickly walked over to Kasumi. She spread her arms out so he could lift her up, but he held up a hand.

“Before we start,” Amamiya spoke, taking a protein shake out of his bag and handing it to her. “We should drink some protein, it’ll help build muscle.”

“Oh!” Kasumi put a hand to her head. “I completely forgot… But… Are you sure I can take this? Won’t you need it for your routine?”

Amamiya waved his hand dismissively. “It’s fine, I have plenty.”

“‘Plenty’?” That felt like an odd way to phrase it. “How much?” Kasumi couldn’t help but ask.

Amamiya twirled a strand of hair between his fingers and avoided Kasumi’s eyes. Kasumi just stared at him. What could be so embarrassing about protein shakes?

“...108,000 Yen’s worth.” Amamiya muttered just barely loud enough for Kasumi to hear.

“One hundred and-” Kasumi’s eyes widened as she gasped. “Y-You’re joking, right???”

To her utter disbelief, Amamiya shook his head.

“W-Wait!” Kasumi suddenly remembered something. “Sumire said something about you taking up a bunch of part time jobs! Was that because of this???”

Amamiya rubbed the back of his neck. “Uhhh… Please don’t tell Sumi…” He requested, sounding genuinely embarrassed.

Kasumi was speechless. She had absolutely no idea what to say.

“Okay???” She eventually replied.

Amamiya gave a sigh of relief. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome???”

Amamiya sighed. “Can we just workout now?”

Kasumi, not knowing what else to do, nodded her head and drank the protein shake. Once that was done, Amamiya helped her onto the bench.

“So… What weight do you want?” Amamiya asked.

“I haven’t done this particular exercise often,” Kasumi told him. “Let’s do just the bar at first and work from there.”

Amamiya nodded his head, standing behind Kasumi as she put her hands to the bar and lifted it up. She lifted it with no issue, as expected. It wasn’t exactly light, but it wasn’t particularly challenging to lift.

Kasumi lowered the bar back onto the rack. “It needs to be heavier.” She informed Amamiya, who understood immediately.

Amamiya grabbed some weighted plates and set them on each side of the bar before Kasumi tried to lift it again.

They went through this process a couple of times before finding a weight that properly challenged Kasumi without being too much for her to bear. Honestly, she was surprised to find that she was still this strong, even if this was less than she probably would have been able to lift before.

After completing a few sets, Kasumi had to set the bar back on the rack and wipe some sweat from her forehead. Getting back into exercising like this could be a lot of fun, even if it didn’t have the same thrill as gymnastics did.

Kasumi reached out a hand and Amamiya grabbed it, helping her into a sitting position before helping her back into her chair.

“Thank you, Amamiya-senpai.” Kasumi bowed her head in gratitude. “Seriously, thank you so much for accompanying me.”

“My pleasure,” Amamiya replied. “Why did you invite me anyway? Don’t you have other friends?” He asked curiously.

Kasumi’s positive mood was immediately dampened upon hearing that question.

“Well… You see…” Kasumi tried to find the right words. “I used to have some friends when I was still doing gymnastics but uhm…” She fidgeted with her gym clothes a bit. “I… pushed them away…”

It was a massive mistake, but she’d basically ghosted them ever since the accident. She didn’t answer their calls or texts for a great while, always locked in her room studying.

“Maybe you could reach out to them?” Amamiya offered. “They’re still your friends, right?”

“Maybe…” Kasumi considered. “What if they’re bitter about me pushing them away for so long though?”

Amamiya chuckled. “Even if they are, do you think they’ll stay that way?”

“W-Well- No…”

“So why not just go for it?” Amamiya suggested.

Kasumi shook her head. “I don’t know…” She sighed before changing the subject. “Do you want to do some exercise yourself before we head back?”

Amamiya smiled. “Sure.”

***

Kasumi stared at her phone as she sat at her desk. Amamiya was right. She should just get it over with.

…But how could she?

Kasumi’s hands were shaking, as she brought them up to her phone, but her nervousness made them far too weak to press the button to turn it on.

What if her friends hated her? What if they didn’t want anything to do with her? These were the sort of thoughts that passed through Kasumi’s mind. Despite knowing Amamiya was right, it was hard to take that step.

Seconds turned into minutes as she continued staring at her phone. Soon a whole half hour had passed while she continued deliberating over what to do in her mind.

She wondered if this was how Sumire used to feel…

Come to think of it, Kasumi would’ve preferred if Sumire had told her how she felt sooner. Even if she should have picked up the signs, it would’ve been nice. Sumire’s a lot better now though, and they’re at least on speaking terms again. Should Kasumi really continue the cycle? No.

With another deep breath, Kasumi called up one of her friends.

Not one ring passed before the other side picked up.

“Kasumi!? It’s been forever!” Her friend excitedly greeted. “How’ve you been?”

“Oh!” Kasumi replied, surprised. “I’ve been better recently, I was just thinking I should call…”

“Well I’m glad you did! Everyone’s been missing you!”

Kasumi felt a smile cross her face at that.

“Really?” Kasumi was pleasantly surprised. “We should hang out again soon then!”

“Of course!” The girl replied. “I’ll let everyone else know! We can go to a movie or something!”

“That’d be great!” Kasumi enthusiastically replied. “Thanks.”

The girl giggled. “You’re welcome!”

“So… See you then?”

“Oh no you don’t!” The girl immediately exclaimed. “You’re going to tell me everything that happened! I have to know after you went dark for so long!”

Kasumi sighed. She did owe it to her friend.

“Fine… But it’s a long story.” Kasumi informed her.

“I don’t have anything else to do right now.” The girl giggled.

Kasumi sighed once more. Here goes another long talk…

***

As Kasumi was heading home from the movie on the train, thankful that there was enough space for her wheelchair, she had a smile on her face. Though she may not yet have a particularly good idea of where she’s headed in life, reconciling with her friends and Sumire has just been so relieving.

Hanging out with her friends again was really nice, and they’d made plans to do things Kasumi could participate in more often. She’d almost forgotten how fun it was to be with them, even if they weren’t training or doing anything physical.

Kasumi leaned back in her seat, satisfied with her evening. Little did she know, it was about to get even better.

As she was sitting in her wheelchair, absentmindedly listening to the news airing on the train, suddenly there was static. Curiously, she looked up at the screen to see… The logo of the Phantom Thieves.

Kasumi grinned.

***

Sumire smiled brightly at the television screen as she sat in the living room with her parents.

Today is the day…

It was finally time for Ren to confront Shido. To finally get justice for what the man had done to him.

Sumire intensely focused on the video streaming all over Japan as she grew more and more excited. Ren hadn’t spoken yet, but she was sure he would, and she anticipated it eagerly.

Finally, Sumire’s prayers were answered and Ren spoke. Sumire immediately blushed upon hearing his leader voice.

“Yes, before that happens, we will take this country!”

It was a far cry from the gentle tone he always took with her, but it was incredible to hear nonetheless.

At that moment, Sumire decided:

She had the world’s coolest boyfriend.

***

“Senpai, you were so cool!” Sumire exclaimed as she was on the phone with Amamiya.

Kasumi giggled a bit as she heard Sumire excitedly talk to her boyfriend about his calling card to Shido. It was much like the days when Sumire consistently gushed about him during dinner. Only this time… Kasumi shared her joy.

Even she had to admit: Amamiya was really cool. Sumire was very lucky to have him, and Kasumi couldn’t be happier that she did.

“Huh? You have to go now?” Sumire asked before pausing a moment. “Love you too, Senpai! Goodbye!”

Sumire ended the call and turned to Kasumi.

“All there is to do now is wait for Shido to confess.” Sumire beamed. “I can’t wait!”

Kasumi giggled once more. “You’re pretty invested in this.”

“Can you blame me!?” Sumire retorted. “Ren-senpai was so cool! Plus, after all Shido’s done to him…” She clenched her fist before shaking her head. “He has to go down.”

Sumire’s more serious tone actually sent a shiver down Kasumi’s spine. It wasn’t particularly threatening, but to hear it come from someone like Sumire…

Sumire shook her head once more. “So… how’ve you been doing, Kasumi? Figured out what you want to do yet?”

That was a very good question. Kasumi had looked into so many things with her books, even looking at what paralympic sports were available but… Nothing stuck out to her. She couldn’t really see herself enjoying anything as a living that didn’t involve the use of her legs. The only thing she had a slight thrill doing was math.

Kasumi shook her head. “I don’t know… I feel like I’ve tried everything…”

Sumire put a finger to her chin in thought.

“Well… You’re always helping me with my studies!” Sumire offered. “Maybe you could be a tutor?”

Teaching… Kasumi remembered something that had happened recently, when she’d helped that student out in Shujin’s library. Hmmm…

“Maybe a teacher…?” Kasumi softly spoke aloud.

“Oh! Even better!” Sumire clapped her hands enthusiastically. “You seem to really enjoy it when you help me! Imagine a whole classroom full of students!”

“Hmmm…” Kasumi considered the possibility.

She had to admit, teaching a class, playing a role in the education of students, sounded really nice. Sumire was always receptive to her help as well, as was that student she’d helped before. Perhaps with proper education in teaching, Kasumi could really pull it off.

Eventually, she made her decision.

“Okay!” Kasumi said with determination. “I’ll do it! I’ll become a teacher!”

***

On the day that the ballots were counted, Shido confessed. The Phantom Thieves all met up to celebrate and Sumire was invited too. Seeing people like Futaba, Haru, and Sojiro express their joy in the downfall of Shido was so heartwarming.

Shido had affected so many people’s lives, even those beyond just the members of the Phantom Thieves.

But he was no longer a threat, and Sumire no longer had to worry about Ren.

After the party, Sumire lingered for a while, snuggled up next to Ren as they sat on the soft bench, hand in hand. Eventually even Sojiro and Futaba left, leaving Ren and Sumire completely alone. Unfortunately, Sumire couldn’t spend the night with him, so she wanted to get as much out of her time with him as she could.

Sumire pecked Ren on the cheek. “It’s all over now…” She finally said, happy to see the lack of any real tension in Ren’s form.

“It finally is…” Ren responded, kissing her cheek right back.

Sumire felt blood rush to her cheeks and she rested her head against Ren’s chest.

“Does this mean we can go back to eating lunch together at school?” Sumire asked.

She’d missed being able to see him during lunch, after all.

“Of course.” Ren assured her, squeezing her hand. “With Shido out of the way, nothing is preventing me from going back to school.”

Sumire’s heart fluttered and she smiled, full of joy and love. Everything was back to normal. She’d mended her relationship with Kasumi, Ren was no longer in danger, everything was perfect.

That night Sumire went home with a smile, satisfied with the life she had.

***

Not long later, on Christmas Eve, Sumire received a call from Ren as she was lying on one of the living room couches with her family. Kasumi was studying how to be a good tutor while Sumire watched Christmas movies with their parents.

“Good afternoon, Senpai!” Sumire greeted excitedly. “Ready for our date later?”

“Uhm…” Ren seemed a bit nervous. “So… We have another mission.”

Another mission…

“Senpai?” Sumire suddenly became worried. “Are you okay?”

Ren gave a sigh. “I’m fine, Sumi. I’m so sorry though… I might miss our date.”

Whatever it was, it must be super important…

“It’s fine, Senpai.” Sumire told him. “Good luck on your mission.”

“Thanks, Sumi.” Ren said, sounding like a heavy weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. “See you later, I love you.”

“Goodbye, Senpai. I love you too…”

The call ended and Sumire ran a hand over her scalp, worried about what Ren was getting himself into. She trusted he would win though, he always did. She just wished it didn’t have to be now.

“Does Amamiya-san have a new target, Sumire?” Shinichi asked.

“I think so?” Sumire replied, unsure. “Uhm… He said he might miss our date though…”

Shinichi grumbled a bit.

After the shock of what happened to Ren wore off, Shinichi’s feelings about the matter became a lot more complicated. He was still fine with Sumire dating Ren, thankfully, but he wasn’t a big fan of what Ren was doing.

At least Shinichi still believed Ren was a good person…

Shaking her head, Sumire returned to watching the movie. Ren would be alright, they could just go on their date tomorrow.

Right?

***

A few hours later, the world began shaking.

Sumire sat herself up from where she was lying on the couch looking around frantically.

“Wh-What’s going on?” Sumire panicked. “Do you guys feel that?”

The television remained on, but through the window Sumire could see gigantic bones shooting through the ground and piercing the sky. Beneath her a strange red liquid began to pool on the ground from the outside.

Sumire’s heart thumped faster and faster as she continued panicking. She saw the rest of her family freaking out too, which didn’t help to keep her calm.

She needed Ren. Sumire quickly whipped out her phone to text him. Surely he’d be out of the Metaverse by now? It was nearly evening, he was always done with his missions by then!

…But Ren’s name wasn’t listed on her contacts.

None of the Phantom Thieves were anymore.

“Wh-Wha?” Sumire began to tear up. “R-Ren…”

Was he gone? She felt a strange emptiness inside, it was different than when she thought he died. For some strange reason, it felt like he just didn’t exist anymore?

Sumire pulled her legs to her chest with her arms as her tears began to fall. She kept muttering Ren’s name over and over as true despair filled her.

***

“We’ll definitely. Definitely… Take the world!”

With that voice, Sumire felt something. She felt Ren. He was alive!

Sumire quickly looked up at the television, which was now displaying the logo of the Phantom Thieves. Ren was fighting as hard as he could, she could feel it. With nothing but love and faith in her beloved boyfriend, Sumire cried out in support of him.

“You can do this, Senpai!” She cried out.

After she cried that out, she noticed her other family were intently staring at the screen too. Kasumi soon joined her in support.

“We’re counting on you, Amamiya-senpai!”

Kasumi then turned to Sumire and gave her a comforting smile, which Sumire returned. They turned their attention back to the screen, continuing to cheer Ren on. Soon their parents joined them, and the whole family cheered for Ren’s victory.

***

Sumire suddenly awoke on the couch, still lying down. Looking around the room, everything was back to normal. The bones she’d seen before were no longer there, and there wasn’t any strange liquid on the ground. Everything was normal.

…Normal.

Sumire suddenly remembered what had happened and quickly grabbed her phone, going through her contacts once more. She nearly cried in relief when she saw Ren’s contact there. She quickly called him.

One ring and he picked up.

“Ren!” Sumire cried out. “I-I was so worried!”

“It’s okay, Sumi.” Ren replied calmly and gently as ever. “We won.” There was a sense of finality to those two words.

We won…

“Thank goodness!” Sumire said in pure relief. “It was so scary, Senpai…”

“I’m sorry, Sumi…” Ren told her. “I’ll make it up to you when you come over tonight.”

“I’m just glad you’re alright, Senpai!” Sumire told him. “But you better tell me everything! Remember our promise?”

“Of course,” Ren soothingly replied. “I promise. I have to go now, but I’ll be at Leblanc soon.”

“Okay, Senpai.” Sumire acknowledged. “See you soon! I love you!”

“I love you too, see you later!” Ren replied.

Sumire ended the call and lied back down on the couch, relieved. Forget talking to Ren about how many part time jobs he takes, she needs to talk to him about how many heart attacks he nearly gives her!

That could come later though, for now, she just wanted to see his face. To finally be certain that everything would be alright. That nothing would get between them, at least until his probation period was over.

Sumire wanted Ren to tell her everything was finally over.

***

Unfortunately, it wasn’t.

Sumire could immediately tell something was off as soon as she saw Ren when she got to Leblanc. She could see through the window that Ren looked nervous, very nervous. By this point, Sumire could be certain it wasn’t about the date.

Sumire said goodbye to her father and then entered the quaint establishment. Thankfully, the door pushed from this side rather than pulled, meaning she didn’t really need any help.

Upon entry, Ren saw her and immediately got up from his seat. He seemed to try his best to hide his nervousness, but parts of it still peeked through as he greeted her.

“G-Good evening, Sumi!” Ren cleared his throat after he stuttered, likely trying to swallow the last bits of nervousness. “You ready for our date?”

Despite her worry, Sumire beamed. “Of course!”

Giving her the best smile he could muster, Ren guided her to one of the tables at the café, then helped her take a seat. Once she was seated, he moved her wheelchair to the corner of the room before taking a seat himself.

Sojiro moved out from behind the counter with two large servings of his signature curry and placed them in front of Sumire and Ren. After that he took off his apron, put on his coat and fedora, and tipped his hat to them.

“Enjoy.”

Without another word, Sojiro left, leaving Ren and Sumire to their date.

Sumire wanted to ask about what was making Ren so nervous, however, knowing he probably wanted the date to go off without a hitch, she said nothing. Instead, Sumire dug into her meal, allowing the absolute delight of the taste to show on her face for Ren to see.

Sumire could see the tension start to release from Ren as she did so. His shoulders slightly loosened up, and his smile felt more real. Mission accomplished.

Soon, Ren began digging into his food as well, making no effort to hide his delight either.

The hungry couple finished their meals in record time.

“Delicious as always!” Sumire cheered after she finished.

Ren nodded his head in response. “Of course.” Then he smirked. “Not as good as your cooking though.”

Sumire giggled a bit. “Don’t let Boss hear you say that!”

Ren laughed too before leaning back in his seat.

“So, I have some Christmas movies lined up upstairs.” Ren explained, pointing a thumb at the stairway behind him. “You got permission to stay the night, right? Wanna head up?”

Sumire nodded her head. “Of course!”

Thankfully it was Christmas Eve, otherwise her parents wouldn’t have even considered letting her stay over.

Ren got up from his seat and went over to Sumire, and reached out to her. Understanding what he wanted, Sumire scooted herself to the edge of the seat and wrapped her arms around Ren. After getting a secure grip on Sumire, Ren hoisted her into the air.

This didn’t scare Sumire anymore, as she had gotten used to it. She did, however, nestle her head into Ren’s neck as he carried her. It was still such a nice feeling…

Eventually, they made it to the top of the stairs and Sumire looked away from Ren’s neck to view his room. He’d moved the table with the TV on it so it was positioned near his bed instead, which was probably a good idea since snuggling on his couch for prolonged periods of time can be pretty uncomfortable…

Ren set her down on the bed, turned on the television, turned off the light, and began playing one of the movies he’d picked out before getting on the bed behind Sumire and holding her close to his chest. Sumire blushed lightly, but turned her attention to the television as the movie started to play.

***

Hours later, after they watched a few of the movies Ren had prepared, the couple was just about ready to get some rest. Ren turned off the television, set it on the window sill, then put both arms around Sumire, dragging her closer to him.

Sumire heavily blushed as she realized what was to happen next: They’d be sleeping in the same bed. They had never done that before.

Sumire shivered slightly at the realization, but tried to relax as she felt Ren’s chest rise and fall. It was time to sleep, after all.

…Or so she thought.

Eventually Ren sighed, turning Sumire onto her back before sitting up on the bed and raising her up with him. At that point Sumire remembered what she saw before: Ren was nervous about something.

“Senpai?” Sumire asked curiously, hoping it wasn’t anything big.

Ren looked away from her, then let out a deep breath as he began speaking. “Sumi… Remember how you made me promise to tell you if anything was going on?”

Sumire nodded her head slowly, not liking where this was going.

“...I’m turning myself in.” Ren finally admitted.

“What? Why!?” Sumire immediately replied.

What reason could there be to turn himself in?

“Sae Niijima talked to me earlier; after you called.” Ren explained. “She said that in order to take down Shido’s conspiracy, I’d have to give testimony. That means turning myself in.”

“But you didn’t do anything wrong!” Sumire desperately exclaimed.

Ren grabbed Sumire’s hands and squeezed them. “I know, Sumi. I know… But the world isn’t always fair. I learned that when I first came here.”

Sumire buried her head in Ren’s chest as the all too familiar tears began pouring once again. “H-How long will you be gone?”

Ren released her hands to stroke her back before replying. “I don’t know, Sumi… Could be months, could be years, could even be… decades…”

No!

“D-Do you have to?” Sumire asked, despite knowing the answer.

“...Yes.”

That one word made Sumire let out a sob.

“Shhh… It’s okay, Sumi…” Ren said.

“It’s not!” Sumire immediately retorted, pulling herself away from Ren’s chest to look him in the eyes. “This was supposed to be done! You won! You beat Shido! So why are you still suffering!? Why can’t things just go back to normal!” Her voice cracked as she continued.

She shoved her head right back into Ren’s chest, breaking down into complete sobs.

“I-I just want you to be here with me…” Sumire cried.

Ren continued rubbing her back as she cried.

“I know… I’m so sorry, Sumi…” Ren gently apologized.

After a while of consoling Sumire, Ren lay back down on the bed. Sumire’s sobs didn’t stop, she just wanted everything to be over.

She just wanted Ren.

***

Sumire rubbed her eyes as she slowly began to wake up. As she opened her eyes she found herself… on her wheelchair? Sumire looked around confused, she was on the main floor of Leblanc. A look at the door told her the store was still closed, which made sense since she wasn’t seeing Sojiro anywhere… but where was Ren?

“Senpai!” Sumire called out.

She heard something begin coming down the stairs after she said that, but it didn’t sound like Ren.

A familiar black and white cat got to the bottom level and looked up at her.

“Yoshizawa-san! Where’s Ren?” Morgana quickly asked.

Sumire opened her mouth to say she didn’t know, until she remembered. Then she cried all over again.

“Yoshizawa-san! What’s wrong!?” Morgana cried out.

Sumire tried to swallow her sorrow just long enough to explain. “S-Senpai… H-He turned himself in…”

“WHAT!?” Morgana cried out. “Why!?”

“H-He…” Sumire was on the verge of breaking down once more.

Suddenly the door to the café opened, revealing Makoto.

“I can explain that…”

***

Sumire sat in depressed silence in her living room. The rest of the Phantom Thieves wanted to celebrate the victory against Yaldabaoth with Ren, but he wasn’t there. Makoto explained the situation and…

The looks on their faces were just…

Sumire let out a sigh. Why did all of this have to happen to Ren? From his probation to being singled out by Kamoshida, to the constant threat of arrest during his time as a Phantom Thief, to the assassination attempt, finally to him going to jail. Ren was such a good person, Sumire would even go as far as to say he was her hero.

…And yet he still suffered.

“Sumire? Are you alright?”

Sumire turned around to see Kasumi making her way over to her with her wheelchair. Sumire debated lying. Saying she was fine and not to worry about it… but Kasumi would find out anyway.

Sumire shook her head, wiping away the tears that had formed in her eyes once again.

“...Is it about Amamiya-senpai?” Kasumi asked.

Sumire nodded.

Kasumi’s expression tensed. “Did he hurt you?”

Sumire frantically shook her head.

“...So what happened?” Kasumi pressed.

She might as well explain…

Swallowing her sorrows once again, Sumire explained everything to her sister. She nearly broke down again several times, but eventually she explained the whole story.

Kasumi, upon hearing everything, quickly leaned over and wrapped Sumire in a tight hug.

“I’m so sorry, Sumire…” She said. “I can’t imagine how you’re feeling right now…”

“...Ren’s worse.” Sumire weakly retorted.

“I know, I know…” Kasumi replied. “But you guys have plans to get him out, right?”

“Yeah…” Sumire nodded her head. “I just wish we didn’t have to… I just wish that Ren could be here right now…”

“I understand.” Kasumi assured her. “Can I help?”

Sumire’s eyes widened as she looked at Kasumi. “Are you sure?”

“Of course!” Kasumi told her. “This is important to you, isn’t it?”

“W-Well, yes…”

“Then why wouldn’t I want to help?” Kasumi asked.

Sumire gave Kasumi a small smile. “I suppose… Should we try to get Dad to run a segment? Maybe we could contact Coach Hiraguchi too?”

“Sounds like a good idea!” Kasumi replied. “But uhhh… Hiraguchi isn’t our coach anymore.”

“R-Right, force of habit.” Sumire blushed slightly in embarrassment.

“We shouldn’t waste any time though!” Kasumi enthusiastically told her. “Let’s get started!”

“R-Right!”

***

Sumire was going on her daily trek to Leblanc like she had every other day since Ren turned himself in. They’d done it to discuss anything new that may have come up in regards to proving Ren’s innocence. If anything big happened, they’d pass on the information to Sae Niijima, who was working with them to free Ren.

It had been a couple of months since Ren’s arrest and they were getting ever closer to getting him out of jail.

With that thought in mind, Sumire finished her trek to Leblanc and entered to see… Only Sojiro.

That was strange… Usually at least Futaba would be here by now.

“Boss? Where is everyone?” Sumire asked as she went up to the counter.

“I don’t know,” Sojiro shrugged. “Futaba went out with the rest of the group last night and hasn’t come back yet, I figured you would’ve been included?”

Sumire shook her head. “No, this is the first I’ve heard of it.”

Sojiro stroked his beard. “Weird… I’m gonna call Futaba just in case.”

Sumire nodded her head and moved her chair away from the counter as she deliberated what could have happened in her mind. The Metaverse was gone, so any official Phantom Thieves business was out of the question. Perhaps they simply wanted to go do something physical? That’d make sense, she felt they were really connecting over the course of helping Ren, so she doubted they’d just ditch her for no good reason.

Soon, Sojiro called out to her. Sumire looked up at him and he began to explain.

“Turns out they were in Odaiba? They said they’ll be coming right away.” Sojiro explained.

Sumire nodded her head in acknowledgement. She could wait, but she definitely had questions for them once they arrived…

***

Not long later, the Phantom Thieves arrived at the café, each of them with confused and worried expressions on their faces.

“Where’ve you guys been?” Sumire asked. “We were supposed to meet half an hour ago…”

“We were…?” Ryuji asked.

“What?” Sumire had to ask. They couldn’t be serious, right? “We’ve been meeting every day for the past two months!”

“Let me handle this,” Makoto put an arm on Ryuji’s shoulder. “Sorry, uhm… I think our memories of the past two months are quite different from yours…”

“Different?”

“Yes.” Makoto confirmed. “Now, do you think you could tell us where Ren is?”

Ren?

“You seriously don’t remember?” Sumire questioned. “He’s been in jail for the past two months! That’s what these meetings were for!”

Makoto sighed. “We have a lot to talk about…”

***

“So, the school counselor manipulated reality in an attempt to make everyone… happy?” Sumire asked.

Makoto nodded her head.

“I see…”

She hadn’t really talked to Dr. Maruki very much during her time at school. Sumire wasn’t one of the people required to take a session with him so she simply never did. Perhaps things would have been solved more quickly if she and Kasumi had… but she’s mostly happy with where she is now. She just needed Ren back, that’s all.

“Well, in my case, Ren turned himself in on Christmas morning.” Sumire somberly recalled. “Everything that’s happened since then has been an effort to get him back. We’re so close though! I can feel it!” She exclaimed.

Makoto smiled. “Then we should all get right back on track getting him out.” She turned to the others. “Right, team?”

“Right!” Everyone exclaimed.

Sumire and Sojiro spent the rest of the meeting catching the thieves up on what happened.

***

Only a week later, Sumire was informed that they won, that Ren would be released from jail, and that they’d be able to reunite that day. As soon as she got the news, she told her family she’d be going to Leblanc and left the house, hurrying there to see Ren as soon as possible.

The time it took to get to Shibuya, transfer, and get to Yongen-Jaya was incredibly nerve-racking. Sumire wanted to get to Leblanc and see Ren, see that he was fine. She wanted to hug him, kiss him, cuddle with him, be carried by him, tell him how much she missed him, everything.

Sumire soon made it to Leblanc and immediately opened the door, making her way inside. Once she got there she saw him.

Ren, standing in the middle of the café while the other Phantom Thieves were scattered about.

Sumire slowly approached him in her wheelchair, savoring the sight of him, before wrapping her arms around him and pulling him towards her. She gave him the tightest most loving hug she could. He was finally here!

All too soon, they separated, and Sumire looked up at Ren.

“Please tell me you’re finally done…” Sumire begged him. “I don’t know how much more my heart can take!”

Ren laughed before kissing her cheek. “I hope so. I missed you, Sumi…”

Sumire smiled at him. “I missed you even more! It’s been over two months for me!”

Ren chuckled once more. “So the others told you?”

Sumire nodded her head. “Mhm! They told me everything!” She then smirked. “I think you need to apologize to everyone here for the scare!”

Ren laughed. “Of course,” He then turned to everyone else. “I’m sorry, guys.”

“No worries!” Ann quickly responded. “Just keep being adorable with your girlfriend!”

Ren and Sumire laughed at that before turning their attention back to each other. Not wanting to wait a moment longer, Sumire reached up to Ren’s neck and pulled him in for a kiss. She didn’t care there was an audience at this point, she wanted to feel his lips on hers again, a feeling she so desperately missed.

Ren’s arms soon found their way around her as the two tried to give each other as much love as they possibly could. This was how things should be.

Everything was finally right with the world.

***

After some absolutely amazing valentine’s and white day dates with Ren, it was unfortunately time for him to go back to his hometown. Sumire was saddened by this, but at least it wasn’t prison. They could still call and talk, and Sumire could still visit him when she had enough freetime to justify it. So it wasn’t all bad.

Plus, she, Kasumi, and their other friends had set up a surprise for Ren to make their departure easier: They were going to drive Ren all the way back to his hometown. Thankfully, Makoto had a license, so they actually could do so. With the help of her older sister, Makoto was also able to get a van that could fit all of them.

The arrangements would be: Ren, Sumire, and Kasumi in the back, Yusuke, Futaba, Ryuji, and Ann squeezed in the middle, then Haru and Makoto in the front. Sumire and Kasumi’s wheelchairs would be put in the trunk.

They knew where Ren needed to go to get to the station and intended to pick him up from there. So they sat parked until Ren got there. Unfortunately they began to have engine issues, a result of the thing being used, which they put Morgana on the case of solving.

Soon their waiting was rewarded with the sight of Ren in the distance. Sumire gave him the biggest smile she could through the window as he approached them.

“Senpai!” She called out as she waved.

Ren soon approached the van and gave Sumire a smile.

“You guys are driving me home?” He asked, sounding genuinely touched.

“Of course!” Sumire told him. “We’re all on break, after all!”

Ren gave her a smile before handing his bag to Ryuji and getting in, then he got in the backseat with Sumire and Kasumi.

“Long time no see, Amamiya-senpai.” Kasumi greeted as she looked up from a book she was reading through.

“It’s been a while, Yoshizawa-san.” Ren nodded at her.

Kasumi smiled. “You better not scare Sumire again!”

Ren chuckled. “I’ll do my best!” He gave Kasumi two thumbs up, causing her to giggle.

Ren then scooted over to Sumire and wrapped an arm around her, causing her to rest her head on his shoulder.

“Alright, I fixed the engine!” Morgana called out as he hopped in. “We can go now!”

“Good job, Morgana!” Sumire cheered while her sister gave her a weird look before just rolling her eyes.

Sumire had tried to explain everything with Morgana to Kasumi but… Eventually Kasumi just gave up on understanding and just accepted that Morgana could talk. Mostly, anyway.

Makoto nodded her head and started the engine, which finally worked. Curiously, Sumire turned her head to look through the back window at the car that had been tailing them, but… Now it was stalled? Sumire felt she had a good idea of how Morgana fixed the van…

Soon she felt Ren’s grip on her tighten as they began moving. With a bright smile on her face, Sumire snuggled up to him. She felt a smirk from Kasumi, but she didn’t care.

Although Ren was going home, she once again had the thought:

Everything was finally perfect.

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#persona 5 #shusumi #ren amamiya #sumire yoshizawa #kasumi yoshizawa #fanfiction

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