The Phantom Diaries (Part 1) ~Intermission~

(Hey there, like I said, I wanted to do a Phantom Diaries, so here it is. A bit of an intermission chap to let the creativity flow and explore writing for different characters. Some of you suggested a Journal segment focused on the "blue butterfly," but I thought it would be best to leave it till later, so instead, I did a POV for the twins like someone else suggested.

I also saw one with Mona and the Mona Lisa, but I will leave that one for after Yusuke has less emotional damage lol. If you have any more suggestions, make sure to drop them in the comments. I think the next chap will also be Phantom Diaries, but it should be coming out tomorrow or the day after.

After that, we should go back to regular chaps. Hope You all enjoy it. See ya!)

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[The Reaper]

As the Reaper wandered through the dark halls of Mementos, it couldn't help but look at the change of scenery. The once-empty walls were filled with flowers. It was a strange sight, yet it felt oddly comforting.

He had no real will or consciousness of his own, just one simple goal. To protect the collective unconscious.

He wasn't sure who had given him this role, but it was a mission he had carried out for as long as he could remember.

As he looked at the walls of flowers, he felt one of the walls open and a small kid riding a car drive through, stopping right in front of him.

"Ah, Mr. Reaper! How are you doing?" Jose asked, looking at the unblinking and unresponsive eye of the Reaper.

"Do you like the flowers? My friend gave me the seeds. It's honestly impressive how fast they took to it." Jose continued, jumping out of the car before using his powers to conjure up two smoothies, one for himself and one for the Reaper.

The Reaper simply held the glass, unsure as to how to react.

"Here, you drink it like this." Jose muttered as he drank the glass, letting out a satisfied sigh as he made the glass vanish. 

Jose looked at the unresponsive Reaper before making a complicated expression.

"Hmm…. don't feel like drinking it? That's fine. You don't have to. But um… I have a request… could you not hurt my friends? They were the ones who you chased out that one day, the pirate kid and the one like us. They are nice, so I would prefer it if you didn't hurt them or their friends."

The Reaper only looked on without any answer, causing Jose to sigh before jumping on his car again.

"I guess don't worry about it, thanks for looking after our house. I'll see ya later." Jose said before driving away and leaving the Reaper holding onto the glass, who looked at it curiously before trying to imitate Jose.

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

[The Counselor]

Maruki settled into his chair, offering a supportive smile as he leaned forward slightly.

"Dr. Maruki… I don't understand why… but I keep getting worse. I can't handle it, and I need to keep a smile; otherwise, my parents will worry." Kasumi's arms wrapped around herself as if seeking comfort from her own embrace. "I… I don't know… I feel like… no matter how hard I try, I fail everyone. Like… I can't live up to… myself?"

Maruki nodded thoughtfully, allowing a few moments of silence to pass before responding.

"Sumi… It pains me to see you struggling like this. Helping you is my top priority, so please remember to be as honest as you can with me. Do you remember our previous conversations?"

Kasumi's gaze dropped to the floor, her fists clenching tightly.

"I know… it's not my fault… but… if she was still here then…" The dam broke, and Kasumi's words flowed out unchecked.

Though months had passed since the accident, the weight of survivor's guilt pressed heavily on her shoulders. The memories, once blurred by time, had sharpened, cutting through her thoughts with relentless clarity.

Maruki's expression softened with genuine empathy, though a flicker of confusion darted across his eyes.

"I've been having these nightmares… reliving the moment over and over. I can't escape it. I wish I could just forget. I just want to be free again."

Maruki looked at her, feeling his stomach drop and discomfort. If there was one thing that hurt him more than being hurt himself, it was seeing other people in pain. He wished he could take everyone's pain onto himself, but the best he could do was to make it go away for some time.

"Have you been able to make friends, Sumi? The fireworks festival is coming up, and it might be a good opportunity to relax. You work hard, but breaks are essential for healing."

Kasumi hesitated, then nodded.

"I made a friend… his name is Ren Amamiya. We're quite similar, actually."

Maruki's eyebrows lifted slightly.

"Ren Amamiya… I've spoken with him too. He seems like a good kid."

Kasumi nodded, letting her mind wander.

"We were doing gymnastics together, but… If I am being honest, I am a bit jealous. He seems to have so much natural talent, or he is just that much stronger than me. But he was able to copy the things I taught him so easily. I… actually have been avoiding him." Kasumi admitted.

"Why is that?" Maruki asked gently.

"I…" Kasumi's eyes searched for the right words. "As I said, we're similar… from our conversations, I can tell we both have our issues." She struggled to articulate her feelings.

Maruki nodded, his expression one of gentle encouragement.

"But at the same time… he seems to be thriving in school. I see him hanging out with friends, laughing, and looking so happy that… I feel jealous. I feel like I am not good enough. If we are so similar, then why can he be happy and have friends, but I can't even manage to get a single other friend?"

A soft chuckle escaped her lips, tinged with bitterness.

"I like cooking. It's one of the few things I thought I was good at, but when I brought it up with him, guess what? He's great at cooking too. He lives at a café and makes the best curry, according to him."

Kasumi's voice trembled as she forced out the final words.

"I know it's wrong of me, but… I wish we both were struggling. That way, I could feel like I wasn't even more of a failure than I already am."

Maruki observed her quietly, the weight of her confession settling between them. He chose his words carefully.

"I…" he wanted to say more, but it would have been a breach of Ren's trust to say what he wanted to. "Kasumi, thank you for opening up to me. I know it isn't easy. I hope you won't take this the wrong way, but I think spending more time with Ren could be beneficial for you."

Maruki paused, searching for the right way to convey his thoughts.

"It's okay to feel jealous, but you shouldn't let those feelings stop you from healing. Ren is one of your friends, and trust me, it's easier to heal when you have a shoulder to rely on."

As the session continued, Maruki's expression grew more serious as the end of their session drew closer.

— — —

[The First Patient]

"Doctor, look! I made you a gift at school!" Yuki, the young girl Takemi had healed with the experimental medicine, dashed up to her, thrusting a drawing into her hands. The picture showed Takemi in a superhero outfit, complete with a flowing cape.

Ever since Takemi cured her, Yuki had been visiting regularly. Her once pale complexion now glowed with vitality, and her boundless energy filled the clinic with life. For the first time, she experienced the vibrant colors of the world, and she did so with a level of physical strength she'd never known.

Takemi's lips curved into a warm smile as she ruffled Yuki's hair.

"Thank you, Yuki. I'll need to make an art wall with all the gifts you keep giving me." She turned to a cabinet, retrieving a lollipop for the girl.

Yuki giggled, her eyes sparkling with excitement. 

"Doc! When I grow up, I wanna be a doctor too! You better watch out because I'm going to be the best doctor ever." She flashed a bright smile before dashing out of the clinic, leaving Takemi chuckling behind her.

At home, Yuki paused in front of the mirror, her laughter bubbling up again. She smoothed her hair, focusing on her eyes, or to be more specific, their subtle golden tint.

"My superpowers… hehehe." She giggled before looking out of the window. Focusing her eyes as she felt the world come into focus. It was some sort of enhanced perception, but she could use it to notice things she had never seen before.

"When I grow up, I'm gonna be a doctor and a superhero. I'm not going to be scared of the scary monsters." She whispered to her reflection, determination lighting up her face, until her father's call broke the moment.

— — —

[The Maid]

Kawakami awoke with a groan, rubbing her eyes. 

"Is it my bed that's crappy?" she muttered, rolling onto her back. Ever since she had dozed off in Ren's room, her own bed felt insufficient.

Ren's bed hadn't been particularly more comfortable, but the atmosphere in his room had wrapped her in the sense of calm she couldn't replicate at home, even when she bought a few more flowers as decoration.

"It can't be that I feel safer around him or something?" she wondered aloud, shaking her head. "Geez, what the hell am I thinking?"

She got up quickly, rushing to prepare for school. Her steps felt lighter as she moved through her morning routine, a result of taking fewer maid shifts. Now, she could pour her energy into teaching.

During class, Kawakami's eyes landed on Ren, who appeared to be doodling absentmindedly. She couldn't help but smile. His usual boredom was almost endearing, and she often found herself wanting to make things easier for him.

"Alright, class, for those who turned in your assignment already, you have the next 15 minutes for free reading. Everyone else, use this time to finish your homework," she announced, watching as Ren immediately pulled out a book on psychology.

Kawakami chuckled softly. It was always the same with him. Settling at her desk, she retrieved her own book, a romance where a maid falls for a prince, a guilty pleasure.

She was a bit of a hopeless romantic, so she always loved to read romance books in her free time.

"Master… it's not appropriate… I'm just a maid, and you are…" The maid said, looking down in embarrassment.

The prince lifted her head, looking directly into her eyes before whispering.

"I don't care. Even if society disapproves of our relationship, I want you. My maid, no, Misaki, the reason I have looked after you, the reason I have not yet married the princess of the kingdom of Falmuth… It's because I need you."

The maid blushed slightly before leaning in for a kiss.

"Master…" She muttered, the blush in her face increasing as she felt something hardening. "Would you like me to massage your-"

Kawakami snapped the book shut, coughing awkwardly.

'Why is this book in the school library?' she thought, face flushing. She glanced up, catching Ren's curious gaze and feeling her cheeks burn even hotter as she subconsciously pictured him as the prince in the situation.

"Alright, that's enough reading for me," she whispered, stuffing the book back into her bag.

Later that night, Ren called for her. Despite her attempts to forget the book, it lingered in the back of her mind. When she arrived, she ended up collapsing in his bed after giving Ren a massage. For some reason, he was always full of knots, so she had to work hard to make sure to get rid of all of them.

She had intended to test her mattress theory, since maybe it was actually the bed that was helping her rest properly, but sleep claimed her almost instantly before she could even focus on it.

Her dreams that night were vivid, featuring scenes from the book she'd read earlier.

The prince's words echoed in her mind, and she found herself once again in that imagined embrace.

— — —

[The Twins]

As Justine continued to watch over the Velvet Room, she sat silently, looking at the empty seats with a complicated expression.

"Caroline… isn't it weird for the room to be so… empty?" She asked, looking at the seat in which their master sat.

Caroline walked up to her, looking at the empty theater and sighing.

"It is… I am honestly starting to miss the Trickster…. At least when he is here, it's somewhat lively." Caroline muttered, looking at the wall of masks, in which Tartuffe's mask was glowing slightly.

"Caroline… it's weird… I have the strangest feeling." Justine began, and without needing to finish her sentence, Caroline nodded.

"I know… it feels like something is wrong… but… I don't know what is…"

The two of them sighed slightly as they walked up to the wall full of masks. Looking at Ren's mask.

"I swear, he better not be slacking…" Caroline complained as she picked up the mask.

"I also want to try doing fusions with him again… It would also be fun to go out again." Justine answered, understanding what her sister meant.

The two of them sat in silence, letting time pass. In the Velvet Room, time was a strange thing. It was a place between mind and matter, dream and reality. However, they couldn't deny how weird it was for their master to have disappeared like he did.

"Caroline… I have something in my mind… But I feel like I should not say it." Justine began, sitting on the stage. "It's about our master… he feels…"

"Different." Caroline finished, the two of them exchanging a complicated look before sighing. "This is truly an unjust situation… we are both stuck here while our Trickster gets to enjoy the outside world."

The two of them sat quietly, with Justine raising her head and looking at Caroline.

"Caroline… do you ever want to… break our pact with the room?" 

Caroline hesitated, looking around to ensure no one was listening before nodding.

"I… I want to see the human world. They are fascinating, but…"

"Our Trickster needs us." Justine finished.

The two of them sat in silence again when Justine grunted in discomfort.

"I don't know why… but it hurts to remember. I know our sisters left the room, but I can't remember much else."

"Hey, Justine…. What happened to Geneva? I remember we had another sister, but I don't remember anything about her."

"I don't know… I remember she was always so warm." Justine said as she hugged her own body. "I hope that her Fool is as nice as ours…"

"I hope so too…" Caroline muttered, letting out another sigh. "Hey, Justine… this is truly an unfair game."

"I know… but it is our duty." Justine answered, holding onto the small blue notebook Ren used to take notes.

As they spoke, a small, ethereal butterfly passed through, landing on the door to the Velvet Room. Both of the twins looked at each other, hesitating before following the butterfly that seemed to be calling them.

The very next moment, they saw Ren walk through the door, startling the butterfly and causing it to fly away.

"Yo! Who in here wants to go to Destinyland? I got three tickets. I hear that there is supposed to be a special event today." Ren asked with a smile, holding a pair of Wickey Wouse ears. "Sorry it took me a while to come by, but I was dealing with a stalker. Honestly, I am kinda curious to hear what you guys think about her."

Caroline and Justine both smiled as they looked at each other. Having a silent conversation with each other before nodding and running up to Ren.