"For the love of God Ren, can we please turn up the AC?" Ann Takamaki lay strewn across the couch in Ren Amamiya's room, fanning her face with both hands. It had been a few weeks since Ann's incident at the train station and summer was in full swing. A sweltering heat wave had washed over Shibuya the day before, causing temperatures to rise to record highs in the city. It was Saturday, and Ren had agreed to hang out with Ann, but the unbearable heat prevented the two from travelling anywhere.

"I told you, it's already on full blast. There's nothing more to do." Replied Ren, not taking his eyes off the light novel he was reading. "You're welcome to raid the kitchen." Ren had come to Shibuya at the start of the schoolyear and brought a reputation with him. Many people avoided him because he was branded as delinquent and troublemaker. Ann was ashamed to say she was part of that group, but since then she had gotten to know Ren very well. He was a kind, thoughtful, well-spoken guy who cared about his friends and those close to him. He defied every rumor Ann had heard about him.

"He's also pretty easy on the eyes. Chirped Carmen within Ann's mind. "Look at him, he's so cute when he's concentrating" Carmen was Ann's Persona, an insatiable flirt who loved nothing more than to see Ann indulge in her more sensual urges. Ann shushed Carmen, but looked over to Ren anyways. The boy's wavy black hair fell in thick locks all around his head, resting on the rims of his large, black framed glasses. His face was a contradiction, with soft, dark puppy dog eyes underscored by a sharp nose, thin lips, and a pointed chin. He wore a plain white T-shirt that was dotted with sweat and a pair of khaki shorts. His feet were bare, propped up on the small table next to the couch. Ren lowered his book and returned her gaze. Ann realized she was staring and quickly rose from the couch.

"Well, then, I'm gonna get some ice or something." She replied, marching off to the stairs, her bare feet slapping against the floor. She made her way down into the empty café without hesitation and slid behind the counter to the refrigerator. Sojiro hadn't bothered to open up shop that morning, so the place was empty.

"It's too damn hot for coffee today!" He had declared before leaving. "I'm going home, don't burn the place down."

Ann opened the freezer part of the fridge and retrieved a small piece of ice from within. She sighed in relief as cool air caressed her face and for a moment Ann was tempted to stick her whole head in the freezer. She restrained herself, however, and closed the door, rubbing the ice on the back of her neck. It quickly melted against her warm skin, trickling water on her white tank top. Ann moved the ice to the front of her neck and ran it all the way up her cheek, grateful for the brief relief it provided. In a moment the ice had melted, and Ann groaned.

"It's too damn hot!" She said aloud, mimicking Sojiro. If she were at home, this would be a day she laid around in her room watching bad romance movies in her underwear.

"That's still an option." Observed Carmen, a playful tone in her voice.

"No." Replied Ann with a thought. She set her forehead against the cool metal of the fridge. "Ren has said before he doesn't care much for romance movies. He prefers crime and mystery stuff."

"I was talking about the whole laying around in your underwear thing."

Ann blushed and pushed off the fridge.

"Carmen, now is not the time!" Ann opened a nearby cupboard and pulled out a large plastic bowl. She opened the freezer once more and set about filling the bowl with ice.

"What do you mean? Now is the perfect time!" Protested Carmen "You have a cute boy all to yourself in a locked-up building with no justifiable excuse to leave. He's already agreed to spend the day with you, you could do anything you want!"

Ann didn't answer, her lips pursed as she shoveled more ice into the bowl.

"Admit it, you like the idea."

"Carmen, I don't even know if Ren likes me that way and what you're suggesting is just… just… ridiculous!" Ann slammed the freezer close, the bowl now filled with ice. She set it on the counter and wiped her hands on her daisy duke shorts.

"So test the waters, put out some feelers! You'll never know if you don't try something."

"So what I just strip naked and run back upstairs?" Asked Ann sarcastically. "Hey Ren, how ya doing! It's just too hot for clothes today ya know!?" She was being hard on Carmen, the truth was she liked Ren, a lot. But the boy was impossible to read! Ann could never tell what he was thinking and that drove her crazy.

"Hohoho, nothing quite so drastic. Listen darling, one of the perks of being a woman is that you don't have to make the first move. You just have to make sure he wants to. Give him a tease, do something to catch his attention."

"A tease huh." Ann felt her stomach flutter with excitement. The last time she had 'teased' someone she ended up showing a bit more skin than she had intended. "What would you suggest?"

"I can't give you all the answers darling." Replied Carmen, her voice fading. "Just ask yourself, what would Panther do?"

There it was 'what would Panther do?'. That had become Carmen's token phrase during Ann's extra training sessions. Panther was Ann's alter ego that she took on while working in the metaverse. It was always easier for Ann to step out of her comfort zone when she wore the mask of Panther. Panther could do anything, be anything, have anyone. So, when faced with a task she felt like she couldn't accomplish, all Ann had to do was ask herself;

"What would Panther do?" Ann repeated the phrase, her stomach warming with a familiar fire. The young blonde grabbed the bottom edge of her tank top and pulled it upward over itself, revealing her high hip bones and bellybutton. She repeated the maneuver, resting the folded cloth just overtop her lower ribs and effectively turning her shirt into a crop top.

"Panther would demand attention."

Ann regarded her flat stomach with a smile, she had worked hard during her training over the past few weeks and was beginning to see real results. Would this be enough? Ann knew Ren would notice, he noticed everything, it was one of his traits that made him such a fantastic Phantom Thief. But would it grab his attention?

"No." She concluded. Ann needed more. A quick glance around the room ensured she was alone. With a pinch Ann undid the button on her shorts and shimmied them down an inch or so with a wiggle of her tanned, curvy hips. From her perspective Ann could see the top of her blue and white striped panties, just barely hidden beneath the flared corners of her undone shorts. Her chest tightened with anxiety. She planned to blame the heat for her outfit modification, but she worried that Ren would see through the lie.

"Ann you okay down there?" Ren's voice shook Ann from her thoughts.

"Y-yeah." She called back, her voice faltering for a moment. She grabbed the ice bowl and held it against her hip with one hand, quickly fixing her hair and adjusting her bust with the other. "Be right up!" Ann bounced up the stairs to Ren's room, careful not to spill the ice. When she rounded the corner, Ren glanced up from his book. His eyes went from her face to the ice bowl before flicking over her waist. Ann could've sworn she saw the corner of his lips tug at a smile before he went back to his book. She swallowed hard, setting the bowl on the table and returning to her place on the couch. Ren leaned forward and grabbed a piece of ice, popping it into his mouth.

Ann followed suit, taking another piece of ice and rubbing it on her warm face as she laid back. She looked at Ren out of the corner of her eye, his face as difficult to read as ever. It wasn't fair. He was always so calm, no matter the situation, while she got flustered at the slightest bit of excitement.

"That's why he's the leader." She thought to herself in annoyance. "He's Joker, the trump card, the unshakeable head of the Phantom Thieves… and I'm just, just…"

"Panther." Finished Carmen with a purr. Ann felt a shiver run through her body, but it wasn't because of the ice on her face. Ensuring Ren was still focused on his book, Ann reached one arm over her head and the other down towards her hips, feigning a stretch. She discreetly took hold of the zipper on her shorts and inhaled deeply. Ann pulled the zipper to its bottom limit, sighing loudly to cover the noise. The flared top of her shorts opened further, revealing a small triangle of horizontal blue and white stripes underneath. At this point the ice in Ann's hand had melted, and she got an idea.

"Ugh, it's too hot…" She said, pulling down on the neck of her tank top. Ann rubbed the cool water that coated her hand on her chest and let her shirt fall back into place. The water bled through, causing the soft blue imprint of her bra to become visible. Ren glanced at Ann over the top of his book, his eyes quickly running over the length of her sprawled body. Ann's heart fluttered but Ren simply returned once more to his reading.

"I'm sorry." He replied. Ann could hear the sincerity in his voice. "There's not much else we can do besides wait it out." Ann groaned and took a small piece of ice from the bowl. She was going to have this boy's attention if it killed her.

"Hey, nerd." She called, tossing the ice at Ren. It hit him squarely on his forehead and fell into his lap. "I'm bored, let's play a game or something." Ren lowered his book in resignation and placed it on the table. He set his feet on the floor and leaned forward.

"What would you suggest?" He asked as he plucked the ice off his lap and tossed it into his mouth with a crunch. Ann sat up and glanced around the room.

"How about… cards?" She replied, spotting a deck sitting on Ren's end table. "You like cards, right? Teach me how to play."

"Alright then, I know a few two player games." Ren made as if to stand but Ann quickly hopped to her feet.

"Don't worry I got'em." No sooner had Ann taken a step, her loosened shorts slid down to nearly her mid-thigh, revealing most of her panties. Ren's eyes went wide. The thin fabric of Ann's panties hugged her frame tightly, creating small indentions wherever the elastic pressed into her skin. Ren blinked and looked to the side, a small grin on his lips.

"W-whoops, hahaha." Stuttered Ann, trying to play off her embarrassment with a weak laugh. She quickly yanked her shorts back to their proper place, her face burning. She hadn't expected them to fall like that, they used to be tight enough to stay in place even when undone, but apparently she had lost more weight during her training than she realized.

"Well, I think you have his attention now, at least." Giggled Carmen. Ann crossed the room and grabbed the cards, zipping up her shorts halfway so they would at least stay in place.

"Shut up Carmen, it was just panties. It was just panties. It was just panties." Ann repeated in her head. "Ren's seen me in a bikini before, right? There's literally no difference. I mean my bikini bottom probably showed more skin than my panties did. Yeah, no big deal… right?"

Carmen laughed.

"You know it's not the same."

Ann returned to her seat on the couch, trying to quell the butterflies running rampant in her stomach. Ren removed his glasses as Ann handed him the deck of cards. He set his spectacles on the table, sliding the ice bowl to the side as he did.

"So, there are plenty of simple high card low card games we could play, like War for example." Ren slid the cards from the pack and discarded the case, turning the deck over in his hands. "But those are too simple, I think, for Phantom Thieves. We need a challenge, a game won by a combination of skill and luck, not just random chance. Ironically, we will play without the joker cards." Ren removed the top two cards from the deck and discarded them as well. "This game is called Rummy, and it's one of my favorites, we'll play a simple version of it since this is your first time."

Ren began to explain the rules of the game, but Ann was only half listening. She watched as Ren deftly slid the cards between his long, slender fingers, shuffling them as he talked. The muscles in his toned forearms shifted and rolled as the cards flipped from hand to hand, dancing for him. The cards were placed, piled, combined, and redistributed more times than Ann could track. She was mesmerized by his sleight of hand and lulled into a trance as he handled the cards with a practiced ease. A few minutes passed, and suddenly Ann snapped back to reality at the call of her name.

"Ann? Are you ready?" Asked Ren. Ann blinked hard and adjusted in her seat.

"Sorry, what?" She asked. Ren smiled and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you ready to play?" He repeated, indicating to the table. Ann looked down and realized Ren had dealt her ten cards. They laid face down in front of her in a messy pile. Ren already had his hand collected, set in a neat fan between his forefinger and thumb. The rest of the deck sat face down in the middle of the table, with a single card face up beside it. It was the two of hearts.

"Oh yeah, yeah." Muttered Ann quickly. She haphazardly swept the cards together and attempted to arrange them into her hand the way Ren had. It took her an agonizingly long time, but Ren waited patiently, his usual unreadable gaze staring out at her from behind his cards. Finally, Ann got her ten cards fanned out in front of her, using both hands to hold them up. She blew a stray strand of hair out of her face. "Okay, ready!"

"So, what's the wager?" Asked Ren.

"What?" Asked Ann in confusion.

"Well we can hardly play a proper game of cards without a wager. What'll it be?"

"I don't… I didn't bring any money." Ann looked down at her person. She hadn't brought anything to gamble with, and the last of her money had been spent at the station earlier that day. All she had on her was her phone and her clothes. Her clothes. She had heard of people playing strip poker before, the very thought made Ann blush. Ren tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Well, I could check to see if Sojiro keeps any candies behind the counter. If nothing else, we could use coffee beans." He began to rise from his seat. "I'll be right b-"

"Clothes!" Said Ann suddenly, with more force than she intended. Ren sat back down, his face a picture of bewildered amusement.

"You want to wager… clothes?" He asked. It took a moment for Ann to find her voice.

"Y-yeah, what's wrong with that? It's hot enough for it." She said, staring at Ren defiantly, her heart pounding. Ren held her gaze for a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity.

"And here I thought you were shy about this type of stuff, Ann." He said finally. "Where was this confidence when we were dealing with Yusuke?"

"People can change." Ann shot back. She swallowed the lump in her throat and smiled sweetly. "What's wrong? I wouldn't expect the great Joker to back down from a challenge. Scared you'll lose?"

Ren's face changed suddenly, his soft eyes took on a predatory air as they narrowed in on Ann's face. He smiled knowingly. Ann knew that look; Ren often wore it under his mask when the Phantom Thieves were on a mission. It was a confident, aloof glare that made people and Shadows alike second guess their intentions. Ann had secretly dubbed it "The Joker Stare".

"Alright then, Panther." He replied coolly in a dangerous tone. Ann felt goosebumps form on her legs. "The game is Rummy and the wager is clothes, the loser of each round removes one piece of clothing. Agreed?" Ann simply nodded; afraid her voice would betray her heart if she spoke. What had she just gotten herself into? "Well, I dealt, so it's your lead. Remember, you must take and discard one card each round. You're trying to get a complete set of runs and or sets of a kind, with three being the minimum."

Ann looked to the cards in her hands and panicked as she realized she had no idea how to play. What had Ren just said, runs and sets? Sets meant sets of the same card, right? And decided to go with that, mostly because she had no other option. The two of hearts sat face up in the middle of the table, Ann had no other two's in her hand, so she grabbed a card from the deck. It was the three of clubs. Ann looked and saw she already had the three of diamonds in her hand, so she set the two next to each other and pulled out a random card she didn't have any matches for, placing it face up on the two of diamonds. Ren looked at the card, quickly picked it up, and set it into his hand, then placed the nine of spades on the table.

The two went back and forth like this for several minutes, with Ann taking noticeably longer than Ren to make her plays. The longer the round went, the more anxious Ann became. She was getting closer and closer to having a complete hand, but she knew with each passing turn the odds of Ren beating her there became greater. A drop of sweat ran down Ann's back, but she didn't dare reach for the ice and risk distracting herself. Ren, on the other hand, had been routinely snatching pieces of ice from the bucket and crunching down on them thoughtfully.

On Ren's next turn he drew a card from the deck, took a moment to examine his hand, and smiled. Ann's heart dropped. Ren placed the drawn card into his fan and removed another, placing it face down on the discard pile. He laid his hand out for Ann to see, three twos, three eights, and the five, six, seven, eight of spades.

"That must be what a run is." Ann thought to herself.

"I win, two sets of three and a run of spades." He declared, confirming Ann's conclusion. Ren had maintained his Joker Stare for the entirety of the round and now his eyes were fixed on Ann rather than the cards. His gaze seemed to pierce through her very soul, it was immensely unnerving. Ann set her losing hand on the table, the gravity of the situation pressing down on her. She had to remove a piece of her clothing.

"R-right, you won." Stuttered Ann, slowly rising to her feet. "S-so I just uh…" Ann grabbed the rolled-up edge of her tank top, trying desperately to keep her knees from shaking. Ren laced his fingers together under his chin, set his elbows on his knees, and stared at her wordlessly. Ann's chest tightened, she could barely breath.

"What's the matter? This is what you wanted right?" Chided Carmen. "Come on, you've got nothing to be ashamed of, give him a show!" Ann steeled her heart and pulled her shirt over her head, her breasts bouncing free of the restraining top. She did it quick, like taking off a band aid, so that she wouldn't have time to second guess herself. For a split-second Ren's eyes went wide with surprise, but then it was gone, and Ann wondered if she had just been seeing things. "See, he didn't think you would do it." Said Carmen.

Ann dropped her shirt and instinctively raised her arms to her chest in a feeble attempt to hide her bust. The light blue fabric of her bra darkened wherever she touched from the moisture on her arms. Ann blushed deeply under Ren's gaze, her skin reddening all the way from her face to her chest.

"So," Ren said, his eyes lingering on Ann's chest for a moment. "Next round?" Ann held up a finger and attempted a smile.

"O-one sec. It's really hot in here. I-I need some air." Before Ren could respond Ann spun on her heel and quickly walked to the window next to Ren's bed. With her back to him, Ann reached for the left side of the frame and tried to slide it to the right. To her dismay, the window was stuck fast.

"Oh, the latch sometimes sticks." Came Ren's voice from behind her. "Here let me help y-"

"No no!" Yelled Ann over her shoulder. "I've got it just, just stay there." Ann grabbed the window with both hands and set her feet, jerking hard on the stubborn sill. With each yank, Ann's unbuttoned shorts slid further and further down her hips, until half of her shapely butt was exposed. The heated girl did not seem to notice as her panties bounced with each of her pulls, accentuating the curvature of her bottom. Ren opened his mouth to say something as he stared at Ann's near bare backside, but just as he was about to speak, Ann gave one final jerk and the window flew wide open. The sudden give took Ann by surprise, and she fell forward with a surprised scream.

"Aaaahhhh!" Ren jumped to his feet as Ann's top half disappeared over the edge of the windowsill, her hips connecting with the wall and raising her legs into the air like a seesaw. Ren took a step and lunged forward, just catching Ann's legs underneath his right arm. He reached out with the other, finding purchase on the back of her shorts, and pulled. The shorts slid off Ann's butt with little resistance, revealing the entirety of her striped, jiggling behind.

"Hey!" Came Ann's cry of indignation from beyond the window. Ren huffed and reached forward again, as his grip on Ann's glistening legs began to slip. He wrapped his left arm around Ann's hips, pressing his face into the small of her back to ensure she wouldn't slip away. Ann yelped in surprise at the strange sensation. Ren laid a foot against the wall and heaved backwards with all his weight. For a moment he feared that Ann was going to break free from his grasp, but then the momentum shifted, and she came tumbling back into the room with a loud SNAP! The two rolled backward on the floor in a tangle of limbs and sweat.

When they finally came to rest Ann was laying on top of Ren, her shorts around her knees and her butt in the air. Ann's panties had shifted in the commotion, revealing a gracious amount of her round cheeks.

"Oouuch." Moaned Ann as she got her hands underneath her and pushed herself up. She locked her arms and looked around for Ren before realizing he was directly underneath her. "Oh my gosh, Ren, are you okay?" She asked. "Thank you so much! You didn't get hurt, did you?"

Ren didn't respond as he was staring wide eyed at Ann's chest, his mouth slightly agape and the ridge of his nose tinged pink. Ann was almost shocked; she had never seen Ren blush before, and his expression was so different from just a moment ago that he looked like an entirely different person. She followed his gaze and realized why he was so shaken. Ann's bare breasts hung down below her, rising and falling in sync with her rapid breaths. Her perky nipples hung mere inches from Ren's face, their pink tips shaking in the air. Ann's mouth dropped open.

"Oh my God!" She screamed, leaning back on her haunches as she tried desperately to cover herself. The shorts around her knees went taught and she fell backward, her bare bottom smacking against the floor. She used her arms to catch herself, exposing her gleaming breasts once again. Ann looked down and saw the state of her panties. "Oh my God." She repeated, her voice shaking. Ren sat up and slid backwards, unsure of what to do but unable to take his eyes of Ann's near naked body.

Ann scrambled to her feet, flashing all sorts of skin as she did. She turned her back to Ren before pulling up her panties, giving him a brief view of her exposed behind. Her shorts quickly followed, covering the blue and white stripes Ren had become all too familiar with. Ann crossed her arms and covered her chest once more as she scanned the room for her bra. She spotted it, caught on a small hook protruding from the windowsill, blowing gently in the breeze. Ann stepped over and snatched it up with one hand, Using the other to cover herself. She examined the snapped, frayed strap on the back and realized in terror that she wouldn't be able to put it back on. There was a shuffling behind her and Ann turned to see Ren standing next to the table, her white tank top in his hand. He extended it to her, trying and failing not to look at her while doing so. He was still blushing.

"Well would you look at that." Cooed Carmen in Ann's mind. "The big bad thief king isn't so calm and collected now. You did that Ann, look at him, he has no clue what to do!" Ann stepped over to Ren and faced him. The embarrassment of her situation was nearly paralyzing, but through it all Ann felt another emotion bubble up inside her and realized it was pride. Carmen was right, though she may not have meant it, Ann had broken through Ren's façade. Joker was gone, and only Panther remained, if Ann could manage to pull her out one more time.

Ann took a deep breath and reached out with both hands, taking her tank top from Ren. The boy's blush deepened, and Ann felt a wave of heat flush into her face as she slowly slid the white fabric over her head, stuck her arms through the holes, fixed her hair, and finally pulled the edge of her shirt down over her breasts. Ren tried to maintain eye contact through the entire process, and failed miserably, his eyes darting downward several times to sneak a look. Ann's shirt was still wet from earlier, allowing the tan color of her breasts to bleed through, surrounding the small, pink protrusions her nipples made. Ann noticed this and bit her lip to keep herself from covering up, she put her hands on her hips and rolled her shoulders back, daring Ren to say something.

"I um…" He said weakly. "I'm going to get some water." Ren turned towards the stairs and banged his knee on the table, ignoring the pain, he made a beeline for the stairs. As his hand reached the railing, Ann called out to him. He turned slowly; Ann's eyes were like ice.

"R-ren." She said, her voice cracking. "What happens up here, stays between us, okay?" Ren nodded and practically ran down the stairwell. As soon as he was gone, Ann collapsed on the couch, clutching the edge with trembling arms to steady herself. "Oh. My. God." She whispered. Carmen was practically shaking with delight inside Ann's mind.

"What a performance!" She squealed. "A bit of a slip at the end with your words but otherwise marvelous! Today the mighty Panther triumphed over Joker, hohohoho!"

"You're incorrigible, Carmen." Ann replied, breathing deeply as she tugged at the front of her shirt, praying it would dry quickly.

"And you are unstoppable! Oh, I can't wait to see what you do during round two!" Ann's breath caught in her throat as she looked upon the cards spread out on the table.

"Y-yeah, me too."

Downstairs, Ren held a glass cup underneath the running faucet, staring at the overflowing water with glazed eyes as it trickled over his hand and splattered loudly against the metal bottom of the sink. He looked for all the world like a statue frozen in place.

"Not enough Guts…" He mumbled to himself quietly. "Not enough Guts… Not enough Guts… Not enough Guts…"