Ann felt certain now that it was Rinto who had inspired her to resist Kamoshida, helping her find the courage she lacked on her own.
In that desperate moment, the reason she hadn't fallen into despair, but instead managed to ignite the flame of rebellion, was definitely because of the strength he'd lent her.
Ann wasn't entirely sure how it worked, but she was absolutely convinced of it.
Rinto had fortified her heart, ignited her desires, and guided her onto a new path.
…Therefore, he truly was her savior—there was no doubt about it.
Moreover, he'd faithfully fulfilled his duties as leader, guiding her—a total rookie—into the Phantom Thieves. She was even his very first teammate!
Wait…doesn't that mean I'm actually super special to him? Like…super, super special?
[Obviously, my dear other self~♡]
The devilish embodiment of Ann's inner self—her Persona, the glamorous gypsy seductress Carmen—whispered enticingly.
But this Carmen wasn't the exaggerated form from the Metaverse; rather, she was Ann herself, mature and alluring, dressed in a vividly sensual crimson gown.
Even Ann was dazzled by this mature vision of herself, struck by the narcissistic realization: "Damn, I'm actually super hot."
Carmen-Ann exuded flirtatious charm, gently lifting her other self's chin and leaving a seductive lipstick mark on her cheek:
[You know it already, don't you? Of course you're special. You're Ann Takamaki, one-of-a-kind in the entire world—mature, beautiful, and you've been modeling for magazines since middle school. Men are practically dying to get your attention~♡]
[Naturally, you don't want to fool around with those shallow guys. You've been waiting patiently for your destined prince, haven't you? Now, after everything that's happened, you two even defeated that disgusting pervert who tormented you… If that doesn't prove he's your prince, what else possibly could? Honestly, I'd have dragged him to my bed a long time ago~♡]
Ehhh—?!
Ann startled herself with the explicit intensity of her own hidden desires.
Oh my god, that's exactly how Kamoshida thought! I definitely don't want to end up like him! (｡>﹏<｡)
But still, Carmen had a point... Rinto really was special to her.
And logically, that meant she must be special to him too, right?
After all, she was his very first partner—he himself had said so (even if it had only lasted about a day).
He'd even offered to cook lunches for her, and they'd had that almost destined first encounter… Didn't that mean he'd actually been pursuing her all along?!
Wait, so I've just been ignoring his advances this entire time?!
But this isn't America! I didn't even realize that was a thing here! (?>﹏<｡)
Ann gazed deeply into the eyes of her Persona, the internationally renowned femme fatale Carmen, her heart hammering in her chest.
She could practically hear the passionate strains of Carmen's Overture playing dramatically in her ears, making her feel dizzy and weightless.
…And in a situation like this…
The final, thin thread that could still restrain her runaway emotions was something called friendship.
"…R-Rinto!"
Returning to the classroom to retrieve their lunch boxes, Ann suddenly spoke up passionately.
Her face had become even redder than before, making Rinto genuinely worry she had a fever.
She kept nervously biting her lips, causing them to glisten even more attractively:
"I want to bring Shiho to join us for lunch today! To celebrate her finally being free of Kamoshida! Can we? Please?"
Ann clasped her hands together desperately, making Rinto wonder why she seemed so frantic about such a simple request.
"Of course, no problem."
Rinto had no reason to refuse—nor did he see any need to. Casually, he took out his phone:
"I'll let the others know in the group chat not to mention Phantom Thief stuff during lunch. I'll take the lunchboxes down to the courtyard. You go get Shiho first."
"…Thanks, Rinto, you're the absolute best!"
Ann was so ecstatic that Rinto couldn't quite understand why she was this happy.
And then, even more astonishingly—
In full view of their classmates, Ann suddenly leaned forward, gripping Rinto's shoulders, stood on her tiptoes, and firmly kissed his cheek!
The sudden impact was so unexpected, Rinto's neck made an alarming crack sound.
Oblivious as always, Ann flashed him a dazzling smile and immediately dashed out of the classroom without a second thought.
Click~♡
The classroom's gossip-loving girls swiftly whipped out their phones, capturing photos of Rinto's stunned expression, giggling mischievously.
Rinto touched his now slightly damp cheek. This kiss had felt entirely different from the fleeting pecks he'd shared with the Yoshizawa twins. He could practically feel the shape of Ann's full lips still imprinted clearly on his skin.
…Well, it's Ann we're talking about. She probably didn't mean anything by it.
The more time he spent around this impulsive half-foreigner, the more evident her carefree, spontaneous side became. Such displays of affection were just natural for her.
This wasn't a bad thing, of course. Rinto decided he'd simply appreciate her sincere friendship without overthinking it.
...
A short while later.
The Phantom Thieves had gathered around a table in the courtyard, piled high with lunch boxes.
Morgana hopped out of Rinto's bag, happily munching a rice cracker that Rinto had specially prepared for him.
Honestly, the crackers would taste much better drizzled with a bit of honey syrup—turning them into something like the pancakes from dessert shops. But good honey was expensive, and Rinto's household finances were tight, so they had to settle.
"Sorry I'm late~! Let me introduce everyone! This is my best friend, Shiho Suzui—the star player of the volleyball team! And these are the famous first-year twins, Kasumi and Sumire Yoshizawa. Shiho, you probably already know them."
The twins immediately smiled warmly at Shiho. Of course, they already knew her. After all, they'd once stayed together at that love hotel, even sharing a bed (…?) at one point.
Ann glanced around curiously. "Where's Ryuji? Isn't he joining us?"
Rinto replied calmly, "He said he was going to buy bread from the cafeteria and then talk to the track team members about Kamoshida. He looked pretty determined, so I just let him go."
With Kamoshida's case finally settled, naturally Ann and Ryuji had been affected the most.
Ann seemed fine with that—everything felt right.
Without hesitation, Ann gently pushed Shiho down to sit next to Rinto, stunning the Yoshizawa twins sitting opposite.
Then Ann squeezed in beside Shiho, nudging her closer to Rinto as she cheerfully spoke:
"I'm so glad Kamoshida's finally dealt with! Now the volleyball club can finally have some peace! Shiho, you can play volleyball with peace of mind again—I'm looking forward to seeing you at nationals!"
"And we owe all this to Rinto! If we hadn't bumped into him at the drugstore before, who knows what would've happened to you, Shiho. You two definitely have some special fate connecting you~♡"
"…Y-yeah. It all happened so fast, I haven't really processed it yet."
Shiho smiled weakly as always, her drooping eyebrows giving her a perpetually delicate, timid appearance.
Despite her impressive 180cm height, Shiho always hunched her shoulders nervously, resembling a shy little squirrel afraid of attention.
She kept glancing furtively at Rinto, seemingly terrified their shoulders might accidentally touch and upset him.
Then Shiho smiled hesitantly, a complex expression on her face:
"Actually… I might not keep playing volleyball anymore. I'm thinking of quitting the team."
"…Eh?"
Ann froze in shock, and the homemade meatball she'd been about to feed Shiho dropped neatly back into the lunchbox.