Persona: The Phantom Masquerade.

(The next chap will be a regular chap.)

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[Noir, The Detective]

As Haru put the final touches on her rooftop garden, she turned to find Ren, his face smudged with dirt. A smile tugged at her lips as she watched him attempt to wipe it off, and she found his efforts adorable.

She strongly suspected Ren was a Phantom Thief. The timing was too perfect: Sugimura had a change of heart just before the Phantom Thieves' public announcement, and Ren was the only person aware of her predicament. 

Though it was a wild guess, her instincts told her she was right. She would keep his secret to her grave, knowing they were trying to help people. She was determined to support them in any way she could. If anything, she looked up to them. One of her dreams was to be a superhero and help people.

"Hmm… tastes a bit sour…" Ren muttered, biting into a tomato they had grown together.

"It's not ripe yet," Haru giggled, her eyes twinkling as she handed him a smaller, ripe tomato. "Here, try this one."

Ren's eyes widened as he took a bite, a spark of an idea flickering across his face.

"What is it?" Haru asked, intrigued by his sudden expression.

"Ah, it's nothing. You bought these seeds from the flower shop, right?" He asked.

"Are you going to try to grow more?" Haru's excitement bubbled over as she rummaged through her bag and pulled out a few more seeds.

"Something like that. I have a different type of soil, so I'm curious how they'll grow in it." Ren replied, a bright smile spreading across his face.

"Really? Can I help?" Haru's enthusiasm was palpable.

Ren paused, considering, before shaking his head. 

"Maybe next time. It's more of an experiment right now, so I'm not sure how it'll turn out." He noticed her downcast look and chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Don't worry, I'm not abandoning our little garden."

Haru's smile returned as she handed the seeds to Ren. 

"I'll hold you to that, okay?"

To her, the rooftop garden felt like their own secret spot. A peaceful place in which she could talk about her day and unwind.

— — —

Haru tiptoed down the grand staircase of the Okumura house, her footsteps barely making a sound on the polished wood. It was an old habit she had picked up from when she used to dance ballet, and she enjoyed moving about like a spy, a small game she played in her mind.

It was late at night, so the house was quiet. All the lights were turned off as she wandered about, but she noticed the light to her father's office was still on, so she decided to head over there to check on him. 

She was trying to get closer to him now that she wasn't going to get married, and she was actually succeeding slightly. She had even had a chance to eat a few more meals with her father when he usually had been too busy to spend time with her. He was in a great mood, and with every day that passed, he continued to become happier and happier.

'Maybe I can even ask him if he wants to try out some of the vegetables we grew…' Haru thought as she quietly approached the office.

As she arrived, she saw the door was closed, but she could still hear her father talking through the phone.

"Yes, he will take care of it." Okumura muttered. "No, there will be no evidence or loose ends. You can trust us. It doesn't matter how well-guarded they are. We can get any job done for the right price."

As she heard those words, Haru froze. Her heart pounded in her chest as she subconsciously drew closer, trying to listen to the rest of the conversation.

"Yes, that is something we can do. Are you aware of Sugimura? We took care of him. I promise you, the target you have in mind is not someone we can't handle. The job will be completed as long as the payment goes through."

Haru's mind instantly began to rush. She knew that her ex-fiancee's dad had died from a mental shutdown. She hadn't thought much about it before, but after hearing her father, all the dots suddenly connected. She was so caught off guard that she accidentally made a noise.

Suddenly, Okumura's gaze flicked towards the door. Haru's breath caught in her throat as she quickly ducked behind a nearby cabinet. She pressed herself against the cool wood, praying he hadn't seen her.

After what felt like an eternity, she heard his footsteps, and the study door open for a few moments before it clicked shut. 

Haru released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding the moment she felt safe again. 

She needed to find out more, but confronting her father directly was out of the question. She was afraid of what she would hear if she did.

Haru quietly moved to her room, her mind rushing as she finally closed the door behind her. She paced the floor, trying to piece together what she had overheard. She couldn't stand idly by if her father was involved in something so sinister. But what could she do?

Suddenly, an idea struck her. Ren. She had a feeling that if anyone could make sense of it would be him. He was her only real friend, and so far, she had been able to talk to him about everything. She even thought him to be a Phantom Thief. But as she pulled out her phone, she hesitated.

"Dad…" she muttered, unsure as to what to do.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

[The Collective Unconsious]

"Hey! Give it back, or I will report you to the Phantom Thieves!" a young boy shouted to another kid who was running around, holding a toy in his hand.

"Yeah, well, they can't get me 'cause I have all the powers!" the other kid retorted, laughing as he continued to dart around.

"I'm serious!" the first boy insisted, his voice filled with determination as he chased his friend through the busy street.

The city buzzed with the hum of daily life, but beneath the surface, a new and strange group had captured the collective unconscious. The Phantom Thieves, a mysterious band of vigilantes, had quickly become a part of the public consciousness. 

Their exact methods were a mystery, but the results were undeniable: hearts kept changing, confessions of crimes became regular, and more and more people began to believe in their power.

Moving through the city, it was remarkable to see how quickly some people had embraced the Thieves, while others remained skeptical.

"I think I might send a calling card to my teacher. Maybe he will raise my grades if I tell him I will steal his heart, hehe." A teenage boy laughed, picking up a replica calling card from a stall.

"Oooh, that's smart! Maybe if I drop a request on their website, they can change his heart for real. I bet that creep is hiding something," a girl giggled, playing along. She lifted a mask similar to the one in the Thieves' logo and placed it over her face.

Snippets of conversation drifted through the air as people shared stories of change and redemption:

"My boss confessed to stealing wages…"

"The stalker finally turned himself into the police…"

"My dad promised that he was going to stop drinking…"

"The author finally published a new chapter! That lazy bum got distracted with his new story."

As the sun beat down on him, the man couldn't help but sigh. He had been sent from Kyoto to investigate, but there was nothing to find. He had even checked with the local police departments, and they had nothing.

He wandered into a ramen shop for lunch, his eyes scanning the packed tables. The place buzzed with energy, filled with the lively chatter of patrons. 

Among them, a young man with bleached blonde hair held onto a book, complaining loudly as he ate. He was surrounded by other young people, likely school-aged, engrossed in their school books.

"I wonder if Akane will be fine in her exams…" he mused, glancing at the menu and suppressing a sigh as he noticed the 'Phantom Thief Special.'

Settling into a corner, he pulled out his laptop and began browsing through various articles and forums. The theories about the Phantom Thieves were endless. Some believed they used blackmail, but there was no evidence to support this. It felt like chasing ghosts.

He couldn't help but wish for a stroke of luck, a chance encounter that would lead him to the truth. But that was probably impossible.

"Man, how are you so bad at history? You oughta stop reading so much psychology and pick up a history book once in a while." The blonde-haired kid laughed, causing a black-haired young man to bury his face deeper into a textbook.

"Makoto… save me… If you give me the answers, I promise I'll study next time." The dark-haired man joked, prompting a brown-haired girl to laugh as she took the book from him.

"Oh, come on Ren, you haven't even read it. It's actually pretty interesting if you put your mind to it." Makoto answered, gently smacking Ren with the history book.

Their lively conversation drew his attention. He pulled out his phone, attempting to text his daughter, but as he expected, there was no reply.

As he sipped his ramen, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was on the brink of uncovering something significant, even if it still felt just out of reach. But in the end, he left the shop to go back on his mission, passing by a politician trying to campaign in the middle of the street.

"Tokyo sure is lively…" He mused as he saw a few of the people watching the politician shouting at him.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

[Track Club]

Ryuji had been waiting until after they had dealt with Madarame, and now that they had stolen his treasure, he finally had the chance to go to the Kirijo Group Track Team and try out. 

He had considered not joining because they were somewhat suspicious, but after they met to discuss Naoto's offer, everyone encouraged him to go ahead and join.

If he was being honest, he was slightly nervous. After his incident in Shujin, he felt a bit of discomfort in his stomach when he thought about joining, but thankfully, he wasn't alone.

"Are you sure you wanna join? How are you gonna have time to do anything? Ya'll are effin busy already." Ryuji said, turning to the people next to him

"Could be a fun activity. I probably won't be able to join the team since I am busy, but I don't mind coming to run with you whenever I get the chance." Shiho gave him a thumbs-up as they stepped off from the train.

"I agree. I am also busy with all of my different responsibilities, but I wouldn't mind replacing some of our workouts with coming to the track to support you." Makoto added as she stepped off from the train.

Finally, as Ren stepped off from the train, he simply gave Rruji a thumbs up.

"Are you sure you didn't want us here because you are worried we will be faster than you?" Ren taunted Ryuji with a smile.

"Yeah, you effin' wish." Ryuji chuckled as he heard him.

Together, they all walked, looking at the massive field.

As they stepped out of the bus, he made his way onto a massive field, with a gigantic building not too far off in the distance. It was clear how rich the Kirijo group was from looking at the track field. 

They signed in through the front desk and then made their way to get ready for the tryout. They changed and put all of their stuff into a locker before running into the field with a gigantic building next to it.

A few athletes of all ages were warming up, stretching, and running laps. It was surprising just how organized everything was.

As they moved through, a woman with darker skin and long black hair waved at them. She was wearing a simple gym uniform with the Kirijo Group logo. Judging by the watch and whistle hanging on her neck, she appeared to be the one in charge.

"Which one of you is Sakamoto?" She asked with a smile as she saw the group approaching.

Ryuji raised his hand and gave a small bow to introduce himself.

"It's me Miss…" Ryuji began, acting more formal than usual because of how nervous he was.

"Nishiwaki." She answered, chuckling slightly. "But feel free to just call me Yuko. I'm honestly used to it by this point since I am pretty close with most of the team. There's no need to be nervous. Even if you don't join this team, we manage other different track groups, so we can find one for you."

Nodding, the group stood to the side.

"Let's make sure to start with a few warmups and stretches. I'll give you ten minutes, and then I will let you know when we are ready to start." She said with a smile before moving and grabbing a small notebook.

Noticing how nervous he was, Shiho gave him an encouraging pat on the back.

"Just imagine there is a Mara behind you. Then you'll be able to run like your life depends on it." She said, chuckling slightly as she saw Ryuji roll his eyes.

"Yeah, good ol' Willy the Chariot." He answered, feeling some of his anxiety vanish away as his mind wandered back to their time fighting in Mementos.

With his mind slightly more focused, he took a few deep breaths, hearing the gentle sounds of waves in his ears. He couldn't fully communicate with Kidd, but he could at least tell that he was trying to support him in his own way.

As he finished warming up, he saw Ren quietly move beside him.

"Hey… you are still grabbing onto your leg. Are you ok?" Ren asked, and as if realizing it, Ryuji looked back down.

"Huh… I guess I am… Honestly, it's effin' weird. It doesn't hurt anymore, but it kinda does sometimes." He muttered, shaking his head. "Don't worry about it. I am just a bit nervous, that's it."

The two of them talked for a bit before Yuko's voice broke through.

"Alright, everyone, let's gather up!" she called out, her voice carrying across the field. Ryuji jogged to the starting line, feeling a surge of adrenaline.

"Alright, show me what you can do." she said, pointing to the starting line.

Ryuji nodded and took his position. The familiar tension of a race settled over him. The whistle felt like a thunderclap as he felt his body explode off the line. His muscles remembering the usual rhythm and pace.

Strangely, the sound of the storm continued to echo in his mind, becoming louder with every step. 

'Charge, Kid.'

He wasn't sure why, but he felt as if he could push himself harder. And trusting his instinct, he began to sprint. As he dashed around the track, he could feel his heart thumping against his chest, a feeling he had missed for a long time.

When he finally completed the lap, he slowed to a stop, breathing heavily but with a wide smile on his face.

"Damn, kid, you're fast." Yuko whistled as she wrote down his time, but noticing how tired he looked, she chuckled and threw him a towel. "How come I haven't heard about you? I usually keep an eye on people who run track."

"I had an accident some time ago, so I wasn't able to join a team for some time." Ryuji answered while grinning. "But I am ready to work hard to make up for the break I had to take."

"Good. We have a lot of potential here, and I expect you to push your limits."

As Ryuji wiped the sweat from his face, he couldn't help but feel a renewed sense of purpose. 

As he glanced around, he saw the Thieves cheering for him while some of the other track members were looking at him with impressed faces and sending him some thumbs-ups

"I usually am not supposed to say this, but you're on the team. You'll get a proper invitation in a few days through the mail." Yuko told him with a smile. "Feel free to enjoy the track field with your friends while I finish sending all the paperwork. I'm glad I got asked to come and look over your tryout."

~A/N~

(I usually like to give out fun details, so here is another one. I usually try to have Captain Kidd refer to Ryuji as Kid/Captain. Since it's already almost 3k words long, I am gonna stop the diaries chap here, but look forward to the following entries:

Mona's Day Out, The Phan-Club, The Desk Behind, and many more. The next chap is a regular chap, but feel free to drop Diary suggestions. It's usually a good chance to check out other characters' POVs.)