"MONA?!"

The black cat leaped up onto a stool, seemingly amused by everyone's shocked gazes.

"H-How are you here?!" Ann gasped. "Didn't you disappear?!"

"I guess that only the Metaverse version of me disappeared." Morgana explained.

The others still seemed to be rather confused.

"So… you stayed here in reality as a cat?" she asked. "How did that happen.

"All I know is that I woke up in Shibuya looking like this." Morgana answered.

"So you were around the entire time?" Ren asked.

"Then why didn't you come back to us sooner?!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"Well, I did just say goodbye…" Morgana trailed off. "It would have been awkward."

"Well, I suppose that was tactful, at least." Yusuke mentioned.

"Tactful? Mona? Woah, that's some serious character development!" Futaba said.

"I figured that I'd wait until you guys saved Ren. Good job on that by the way." Morgana praised. "Not that I'd expect anything less from the group I personally trained!"

"Tch, well ain't you proud of yourself?" Ryuji grumbled.

"You really should have said something." she sighed.

"Hey now, before you all start hugging me, can I take a bath first?" Morgana asked. "I might smell a little from being a stray for a bit."

"This isn't the time for a bath, you jerk!"

"He hasn't changed at all…"

"Bad kitty!"

"Give us our tears back!"

The others were growing increasingly annoyed by Morgan's antics.

Ren, however, simply laughed, patting his lap.

Morgana jumped over, purring softly as Ren scratched behind his ears.

"Glad to have you back, Morgana." Ren said, a bright smile on his face.

Ren's good mood quickly spread to the others, their expressions softening.

"I suppose all's well that ends well." she smiled.

"Yeah. I'm glad that things are finally back to normal." Ann agreed.

"I ain't complainin' or anything, but I'm still kinda confused on how you got back?" Ryuji commented.

"Well, this is just a guess, but… I think it was because you guys all kept me in your mind." Morgana assumed.

"I never doubted that you'd come back to us." she beamed.

"I guess you all thought that there was a place for me in the real world." Morgana smiled.

"Your place is here, with the rest of us." Ren said.

"That's right!" Haru giggled.

"But… I just realized something." Ryuji mumbled. "You're heading back next month, right?"

"Yeah…" Ren responded. "I will be."

"We cleared your name, but people back there will undoubtedly continue to judge you." Yusuke sighed.

"Do you really have to go…?" Ann asked.

"I have to." Ren nodded sadly. "I… want to spend some time with my parents."

The others nodded in understanding.

"But after I finish high school, I plan on returning here." he continued.

"For real?!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"That's great!" Ann beamed.

"I'll be sure to find the time to visit you guys."

"After everything we've been through, I don't think anything could drive us apart." Haru said.

"Well, I've been thinking…" Morgana trailed off. "I think I want to head back with Ren. I might even be able to figure out how to become human if I hang out around him!"

"You're still thinking about that?" Yusuke wondered.

"Of course I am!" Morgana said. "And besides, someone needs to make sure this guy doesn't change into some delinquent!"

She gave a soft giggle. "We'll be counting on you to keep an eye on him, Morgana."

"Glad to have you along, Morgana." Ren told Morgana "I'm sure my parents won't mind you staying."

"For now, though, let's try to make the most of the time we have left." she suggested.

"Hell yeah!" Ryuji shouted.

"Jeez, you kids are loud." Sojiro grumbled, walking in with groceries in hand. "I could even hear you outside."

He turned towards Ren, seeing Morgana still in his lap.

"Oh, there he is." Sojiro said. "I was wondering where the cat went off to. Guess he was just waiting for you to come back, huh?"

"Chief! It's good to see you!" Morgana said.

"Umm…"

"He said it's good to see you again." Ren translated.

"Well, now that everyone's here, let's get this party started!" Ryuji yelled.

"Oh, we should get Sushi, Sojiro!" Futaba grinned.

"Sushi?! I want Sushi!" Morgana yelled.

As the others talked about what food they should get, she glanced over at Ren, who looked happy as can be.

The party gradually began to whittle down, the Thieves gradually leaving one by one, Ren making plans to hang out with each one of them, until finally, it was just her, Ren, and Morgana.

Cuddled up under a blanket with Ren, with Morgana sitting in his lap, the three of them watched a Yakuza movie she had brought over, an excited expression on her face as she watched the intense action on screen.

She heard him give a soft chuckle before placing a peck on her cheek, breaking her out of her trance.

"Is this new?" he asked, eyes focused on screen.

"Just came out a few days ago." she answered. "I was hoping to watch it with you."

"Reminds me of the time we went to the theater together." he reminisced.

"You two get way too into these movies." Morgana mumbled.

…

…

"Hey, are you two even paying attention?!" Morgana yelled.

"H-Huh?" she stammered. "Sorry, Morgana, I just so engrossed…"

"Yeah, it's really good." Ren agreed.

Morgana sighed, laying his head back down.

"Something wrong?" Ren asked.

"You guys… are all right with me staying here, right?" Morgana asked. "Futaba wanted to hang out at the Chief's house later, but...

"Morgana…" she trailed off. "Of course we're fine with you being here. We all really missed you."

She… really wanted to have some alone time with Ren, sure, but she didn't want to be selfish. The others had been without him for just as long.

Ren nodded. "We're friends, after all. We want to spend time with you. And it sounds like the others do too."

"And you'll be spending plenty of time with Ren in his hometown." she pointed out. "Make sure he doesn't work himself too hard, ok?"

"You got it, Queen!" Morgana said excitedly.

"There's not much to see in my hometown, but there's a nice local sushi place." Ren recalled. "I think you'll like it."

"Ooooh… my mouth's watering just thinking about it!" Morgana exclaimed.

Midway through the movie, Sojiro closed up for the day, bringing Morgana with him to his home, leaving just the two of them.

Alone…

And the more the movie went on, the harder she found it to concentrate, her attention instead focused on Ren.

While his safety and freedom were of course the most important to her, S\she'd be lying if she said she hadn't missed the more… intimate moments of their relationship.

Feeling bold, she decided to sneak a hand underneath the blankets, having it rest on his thigh.

"You know… my sis has to stay at the office overnight…" she whispered.

That caught his attention.

As she began to trace small circles on his inner thigh, he turned towards her, a slight flush to his face as he saw the look of pure want on her face.

"Mako, I-Mmmmph!"

She captured his lips with her own, wasting no time in turning it into a battle of tongues.

One that, competitive as she was, she intended to win.

He had been caught off at first, but he quickly recovered, returning the kiss with just as much passion as he lay beneath her on the bed.

She tightened her grip on his shirt, hearing him groan into her mouth as she started to grind her hips against his.

Finally, he broke the kiss, giving her a second to admire how flustered she had made him.

His face was bright red, and his breathing was rabid, as if he had just run for miles.

"Wow…" he breathed. "That… was… wow."

She gave him a smirk before leaving a trail of kisses, sucking and nibbling down his neck.

"A-Ah… Queen."

There was something very... applying about the way he said her codename.

She glanced up at him, but not before noting the newly formed bruise on his neck.

"I missed this." he whispered, placing a hand on her cheek. "I missed you."

"I missed you two." she said.

He pulled her into a softer, gentler, kiss, slipping a hand under her shirt and brushing his fingers from her side to her stomach, sending pleasant shivers throughout her body.

She let out a soft moan as she felt his hands continue to explore, reacquainting themselves with her body, eventually finding their way to her rear, giving it a playful squeeze.

Before his hands could wander any further, however, she swiftly grabbed them, pinning them to the bed.

"You must be rather tired after everything that's happened, so I'll take the lead this time." she declared.

"Sure this isn't just an excuse to be on top?" he smirked.

"Are you complaining?" she smirked right back.

She narrowed her eyes just a tad, not to intimidate him, but to let him know that she was in charge tonight.

"Not at all, Queen." he said. "I love this side of you. It's... kinda sexy, honestly."

She felt the familiar sensation of her cheeks heating up, a smile on her face as she began to get to work at removing his clothing…

"Oh Joker…" she cooed. "There's plenty more where that came from…"

She awoke to a cool morning breeze.

Her eyes fluttering open, she was momentarily confused by her surroundings (and her lack of clothing) until she remembered that she had stayed the night at Leblanc.

Her eyes settled upon her beau, still fast asleep, a small grin on his face.

She must have exhausted him, not that he seemed to mind.

She carefully untangled herself from Ren, who, much to her amusement, seemed to give a little pout in his sleep as she did so.

She crawled out of bed, nearly losing her balance as she did so.

She placed her hand on the wall to steady herself, realizing just how wobbly her legs were.

She couldn't help but blush, recalling the events last night...

They had… certainly made up for lost time…

By the time he had woken up, she had already made breakfast for the two of them.

"Good morning, dear." she beamed from behind the counter. "Are you hungry?"

His shocked expression quickly morphed into one of affection.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling into her neck.

"You didn't have to do this." he whispered.

"I wanted to." she responded. "Especially since today's such a special day."

"Special day?"

"Happy Valentine's Day, Ren."

"Valentine's…" he trailed off. "I didn't-"

"It's ok." she cut him off. "After everything you've been through, I don't blame you."

"At least let me make some coffee." he offered.

"I won't say no to that." she said.

The two of them sat next to each other, enjoying their breakfast and coffee, engaging in casual conversation.

"How have things been with your sister been?" he asked.

"They've been going well." she responded. "She's still needs to work long hours some days, but we've been spending plenty of time together. We even watched movies together on Christmas."

"I'm glad that things have been going so well between you two." he said.

"What about you?" she asked. "Have you called your parents."

"I did." he nodded. "When Sojiro was driving me back. They were very relieved, to say the least. I just feel bad for putting them through so much grief."

"It's not your fault." she assured him. "I'm sure they understand."

"I'm sure they do too." he agreed. "Have the others been doing ok?

"It was tough at first, but everyone's been doing great." she informed him. "In fact, I'd say some of them will be quite busy today."

"Busy?" he repeated.

"Well, I know that Futaba's going on a date, at least." she told him.

"S-Seriously?!" he exclaimed, clearly shocked.

She let out a small giggle. "Relax, Ren. You have to admit that she's come a long way, right?"

"I suppose…" he trailed off. "It's just… I don't know… isn't she a little young?"

Ever the doting surrogate brother, she could tell that the idea of her being alone with a boy unnerved him.

"I thought I was supposed to be the worrier." she joked.

He let out a small laugh. "Well…"

"She's only a year younger than you."

"I know, but…"

"I know that you're concerned for her. I am too. But it's just like you told me when we gave her a tour of Shujin." she reminded him. "She's come so far in such a short amount of time. So let's do our best to support her."

"Ok, ok." he relented. "I suppose, at the very least, I can pull a Sae on her little boyfriend."

"Pull a Sae?" she repeated, confused.

Suddenly, Ren slammed the table, imitating her signature glare.

"What are your intentions with my little sister?!" he exclaimed, doing his best impression of her sister. "Answer me!"

"R-Ren, that's enough." she stammered, trying to stop herself from laughing.

He simply chuckled, kissing her cheek before returning to his meal.

After taking a shower (together, of course!) and getting dressed, they departed for school.

Admittedly, it was a little hard for her to pay attention, her mind constantly drifting to her plans.

She had read up online on any upcoming events that would be occurring on Valentine's. After finding one to her liking, she invited Eiko over to help her make chocolate.

After what felt like an eternity, the final bell rang, and she wasted no time in heading home, texting Ren that she would meet him at Leblanc.

She got home, grabbed her chocolate, and changed into the dress she had gotten with Ann.

She stepped outside her room, heading towards the door until-

"Heading out?"

She whipped her head around, spying her sister enjoying a cup of coffee at the table.

"Oh, sis!" she gasped. "I was just-"

"I know." Sae interrupted, giving a knowing smile. "You should get going. You wouldn't want to keep him waiting, would you?"

"R-Right." she nodded. "I'll see you later, sis!"

"Have fun!" Sae called as she left their apartment.

Along the way to Leblanc, she felt her phone vibrate.

Expecting a text from Ren, she instead got one from Eiko.

Eiko: AHHHHHHHHHHH!

Eiko: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Makoto: Is everything ok?

Eiko: I gave him my chocolate!

Eiko: And guess what?

Makoto: What?

Eiko: HE

Eiko: ASKED

Eiko: ME

Eiko: OUT!

EIKO: AHHHH!

She let out a giggle at her friend's excitement.

Makoto: I'm happy for you.

Eiko: Thanks! Oh, but I saw that Glasses-kun is back!

Eiko: So, was it a romantic and tearful reunion.

Makoto: Something like that…

Eiko: I bet he must have been really happy to see you.

Eiko: Did you two catch up on your 'studying?'

Eiko: Do any 'extracurricular activities'? ;)

She rolled her eyes, putting her phone back into her pocket, having reached her destination.

She walked up to Leblanc, hearing snippets of a conversation as she moved to open the door.

"Y'know, when I was young, hoo boy…"

The bell on the door chimed as she entered, both Sojiro and Ren turning towards her.

She immediately perked up upon seeing Ren's reaction to her new dress, a sight flush to his cheeks.

"...Good evening." she greeted. "Sorry to barge in like this."

Sojiro looked back and forth between the two, a big grin on the older man's face. "Ohhh, you should have just told me. I'll leave the store to you two."

"No worries." Ren said, regaining his cool. "We were actually going to head out, right Mako?"

She nodded. "I've got everything planned out. I hope you don't mind if I borrow him, do you, Boss?"

"Not at all." Sojiro said. "Enjoy yourselves."

Ren took her hand, and began to lead her outside…

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Sojiro called. "Make sure you take a good a good look in the attic later."

"Is something wrong?" Ren asked.

"I got a bunch of noise complaints from last night." Sojiro shrugged. "Figured you might have an idea why."

Upon seeing his blushing cheeks, she couldn't help but let out a laugh despite her own reddening face.

Morgana seemed to have noticed, as she could hear him snickering in the back.

"I-I'm not sure, but I'll keep an eye out!" Ren quickly said, closing the door to Leblanc.

"I got this for you." she smiled, handing him a small Jack Frost figurine.

"Oh, I've been looking for this!" he said excitedly. "I know right where to put it on the shelf! Thank you!"

"And thank you for agreeing to spend time with me." she said as they reached their destination.

Ōsanbashi Pier.

"Of course. I love spending time with you." he responded.

"What do you think of my dress, by the way?" she asked, a bashful smile on her face.

"You look stunning." he confessed. "I didn't know you owned something like that."

"I picked it out recently." she said. "I was hoping you'd like it."

They took a moment to look around, glancing at all the other people around.

"There are so many couples around…" she observed. "And we're one of them."

"Yeah… it's good to be able to be with you again." he said. "How have you been doing lately?"

"I'm glad for a chance to relax and do something fun." she admitted. "After today, I'll have to devote a lot of time to studying for Entrance Exams. Then, I'll be one step closer to becoming Police Commissioner."

"I'll be sure to help you in any way I can." he offered.

"Thank you." she beamed. "And I'll support your dream too. We're both pass our exams with flying colors!"

She heard his phone buzz then, and he picked it out of his pocket before smiling.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's Ryuji." he answered, showing her the chat log. "He's been texting me all day for advice."

"Advice?"

"Yeah. He got chocolate from this one girl he liked, so he asked her out and she said yes."

"Tell him to be respectful… and that I'm happy for him." she said.

"Of course." he replied. "I'm glad for him too. He's a great guy."

He silenced his phone, placing it back in his pocket. "So, what now?"

"Look over there." she said, pointing to a large sign. "Limited Valentine's event: The Key of Vows!"

"What's that about?" he asked.

"It's an event only between lovers." she said, her voice sounding happier with each word. "It's said that when two people close a lock together, they'll be eternally inseparable."

She bent down in front of him, her cheeks slightly flushed. "Do you want to try it?"

"I'd love to." he said, pecking her lips before following her to the locks.

They grabbed a lock, and seeing a bunch of other locks on a chain link fence, decided to do the same.

They both pressed down on the lock, locking it into face, and she could feel her heart fluttering when she noticed that their fingers were forming a heart around the lock.

She watched him pull out his phone with his other hand, taking a picture of her before letting out a chuckle.

"H-Hey! What's so funny?" she stammered.

"Sorry, sorry…" he apologized.

"Is this… too sappy?" she whispered, frowning.

"A little bit." he confessed. "But it's also really sweet. Kinda like you."

"Ren…"

"I'm really happy, Makoto." he said. "Happy to be making more memories with you. And happy that I'm able to make you happy."

"You always know what to say." she cooed, drawing him into a hug.

"Guess I've got the key to your heart." he smirked.

"And you called me corny." she laughed, lightly smacking his chest.

The two found a nearby bench to sit down and talk.

"I wanted to give this to you." she said, handing him his chocolate, presented in panda wrapping paper.

Carefully, he opened it up, seeing the chocolate inside.

"Did you make this yourself?" he asked.

"I did." she admitted. "W-Would you have preferred it I bought them?"

He shook his head. "I really appreciate all the effort you went through to make these for me. That's sweeter than any chocolate."

He plopped one into his mouth, and much to her relief, he seemed to enjoy it.

"Here, you try some." he suggested.

"Are you sure?" she wondered. "I made them for you."

"And I want to share them." he countered.

She relented, taking one of the chocolates and placing it in her mouth.

"Oh, these are really good." she gasped. "I'm glad they turned out so well."

"They really did." he agreed.

A silence fell over the two as they watched the sunset on the bridge.

"Your… heading back next month, aren't you?" she murmured.

"Come with me."

"W-What?! D-Do you really mean that?!" she exclaimed.

When she looked at him, however, he seemed just as shocked as she did.

"I… sorry, that just… came out." he muttered. "I… would really want you to come with me, but I know that you need to be here."

"That's true, but… I'm happy you feel that way." she said.

"April 23rd."

"Hm?"

"That's your birthday, right?" he asked.

"Yes, it is." she beamed, happy that he remembered.

"I'll visit you then." he told her. "I promise."

"And I'll visit you in the summer." she promised. "And for our anniversary."

"And we'll always keep in touch."

He glanced downwards, holding her hand on the bench.

"Of course." she agreed. "After all that waiting, living in two different places doesn't seem like such a big deal."

She took his hand in both of hers, holding it close to her heart.

"And… I've been waiting for you for so long." she expressed, a warm and loving expression on her face as she leaned in for a kiss. "I'm not asking too much… Am I?"

"Never." he whispered, cupping her cheek with his other hand. "I'd do anything for you."

As the sun set on the water in front of them, they shared a soft, gentle kiss.

"Makoto." Ren trailed off as they broke apart. You… are you the most incredible person I've ever met in my life. From the moment I met you, you've done nothing but make my life better. You've helped me out so many times. I… I feel like I've become a better person because of you."

Her smile brightened, tears threatening to spill.

"I love you, and I will come back to you." he continued. "And when I do… there won't be anything else keeping us apart. And…"

He took a deep breath, brushing his thumb on the ring she still had on her finger.

"And then… we can spend the rest of our lives together. Eternally inseparable, right?"

"R-Ren, are you… asking me to m-m-m-mar-"

"Not right now." he cut her off. "But… when we both graduate college, and have stable jobs… I would want that. "I would really, really, want that."

As he poured his heart out to her, she realized something.

That was he was describing… is was what she wanted to.

She didn't care if it sounded naive… there was no one else she could imagine herself spending her life with.

She tackled him into a hug, burying her face into his chest as tears began to fall.

"Yes…" she whispered. "I want that too, Ren. I love you."

"I'm glad." he said, laying a kiss to her hair. "I'm so glad."

He brought her close, the two cuddled together as they watched the sunset.

Eternally inseparable.