Chapter Text
Odaiba Seaside Park
You've been waiting for this.
As a self-professed "circus otaku" from Tokyo, your knowledge of, and appreciation for, the circus arts know no boundaries. Ever since attending your first show as a little kid, you couldn't help but seek out and attend whatever performances caught your attention. It's hard to say which particular kinds of acts are your favorite. The big aerial acts like the flying trapeze, high wire, and aerial silks always manage to leave you star-struck from their life-or-death tension, as do the grand illusions staged by magicians and escape artists, which only seem to grow more elaborate and death-defying over time. Ground-based acts capture your imagination just as well, from the sensuality of contortion to the intensity of juggling. And clowns are always nice too; personally, you have never been afraid of clowns and consider yourself proud of that fact. Even the ones that involve exotic animals… Well, maybe not those, at least ever since you learned about the unfortunate abuse of said animals that happens all too often behind the scenes, and even on stage. But, despite your more discerning tastes as a young adult, you will always consider yourself a "ride-or-die" circus aficionado.
Of the many production companies you could name off the top of your head, one in particular holds a special place in your heart: Cirque Velours. Meaning "velvet circus" in French, you would admit this to be a strange name, especially given that it is based in Tokyo as well. But, that doesn't change the fact that Cirque Velours, being the first circus you ever went to see, is what ignited your passion in the first place. Despite your best research, its origins remain shrouded in mystery, made all the more so considering the fact that it hasn't put on any new productions in what seemed like ages -- and certainly not for lack of activity. For the past couple of years, there have been buzzings about new performers signing with the troupe. Some of them have even given solo performances for various outside campaigns in the meantime, but on the rare occasions when they agreed to give interviews, they would remain adamantly tight-lipped about what bigger plans they had up their proverbial sleeves.
Finally, all that speculation could now be laid to rest. The distinctive blue-and-white big-top tent of Cirque Velours had been raised on one of Odaiba's man-made islands, and its ticket booth was now open for business. Being as in-the-loop as you were, of course, you had the wisdom to pre-order your tickets online, for you and your "special someone", as soon as they were made available. Once you managed to lock those down, the wait until the actual showtime seemed interminable, but sure enough, the day arrived at last. Come the early hours of the summer twilight, the two of you found yourselves standing in line, eagerly discussing what you each hope to see as you wait for your turn to enter the big-top.
Upon reaching the front of the line, you were greeted a pleasant, if strange-looking, usher, a woman with a silver bobcut. She wore a blue sleeveless dress and matching cap, along with a nametag introducing her as Elizabeth. Already prepared, you showed her the QR code on your smartphone for her to scan. Once it was accepted, she smiled, handed you a pair of pamphlets, and beckoned you inside the tent. You pass through a lobby area before entering the arena itself, which was dominated by a single round stage, ringed about three-quarters of the way around by seating areas. The lights are bright enough to ensure you find your places, but tinged with a cool tint to match the blue-and-white striped tent roof above. You easily find your places, a side-by-side pair of front-row seats with a commanding view of the stage before you.
As you and your date wait for the show to start, you thumb through the pamphlets given to you by Elizabeth. The pamphlet offers introductions to the show itself, an original story titled "The Phantom Thieves of Hearts", and its cast. Strangely, there is no mention of the performers' actual identities; instead, they are all referred to in terms of their characters and their specialties: Joker the magician, Skull the sword swallower, and Panther the tiger trainer, to name a few.
Your partner glances over in your direction and asks, "So, do you know any of these guys?"
"…Yes and no," you answer after some thought. "I've seen some of them do solo gigs here and there, but I couldn't tell you a thing about them personally. Apparently, ever since they joined Cirque Velours, they've never shown a single hint as to their true identities. It wasn't impossible, but even I've had trouble digging up even the slightest bits of evidence. It's been driving me crazy…"
"Huh… Why would they do that?" But then, as if to answer their own question, your mate looks back at the page they had open, examining its full-body photo of the character Joker more closely. Shown posing in his costume, a black suit with a long-tailed jacket and red gloves, a sly, cocky gleam in his eyes peeks through from behind his white domino mask. It takes a while longer for them to come to some kind of conclusion, but soon enough you hear them murmur, "This guy… I think I've seen him before."
"Really?"
"Yeah, he and I went to school together."
"You mean Shujin?" you ask, recalling that your date not only used to attend Shujin Academy, but was a member of the school's newspaper club. After receiving a nod of confirmation, you add, "What can you tell me about him?"
"Well, his name was… Ren, and he transferred there just after starting his second year, but pretty much as soon as he arrived, all kinds of rumors started flying around about him. Apparently, he was on probation for assaulting some guy. You know, that famous magician… Shido, was it?"
"Wait, for real? Masayoshi Shido?" You're certainly familiar with Shido, what with him being among the most popular and daring illusionists Japan has ever seen in recent memory. "Oh yeah," you recall, "there was that one time when Shido's assistant almost killed him during this one trick. You know, the one where he's supposed to catch a bullet in his teeth? I don't know why, but they used a real bullet for some reason -- I guess he just loves to make his acts even more dangerous. Anyway, he barely survived the shot, but then… well, I never got to find out what happened next. I heard there was some kind of embarrassing commotion, but none of the news stories about the incident seem to mention it."
"Hold up, are you saying this guy tried to murder Shido? That doesn't sound like the Ren I knew. I mean, if we're talking about the same person, that still sounds kind of hard to believe. I mean, I didn't know him really well or anything, and he never wanted to talk about his past, but he seemed like a good guy. Easy-going, hard-working, you know."
"Huh…" Sensing that nothing will come from this line of questioning, you turn your attention back to the pamphlet. "Anyway, what about the other performers? Recognize anyone else?"
"Well, these two…" Your friend points two fingers at the page, simultaneously indicating Skull and Panther. "I could pick them out from a rush-hour crowd at Buchiko crossing any day." Despite the diverse masks covering the upper halves of their faces, much like with Joker, you instantly see why. Skull, the sword-swallower and strongman, is a boisterous-looking, athletically-built man sporting a black, leather-coated suit and short, spiky hair bleached into a buttery blond color. Panther, the animal trainer, is a woman with platinum-blonde hair tied into bushy side-tails, cutting a slim, statuesque figure in her clingy red-vinyl bodysuit. Even if you were to meet them in their everyday clothes, you certainly would never forget meeting them based on appearances alone. "This Skull guy -- Ryuji -- was kind of a delinquent, but he got pretty popular posting video clips of himself doing parkour stunts. And Panther, or Ann, I think she used to live abroad in… America or something? Anyway, almost every boy in school -- even a couple of teachers -- tried to put the moves on her, but she barely even gave 'em the time of day."
"So, was she lesbian or something?"
"More like just going through some tough feelings. After I did some digging, I learned that they used to perform in the same circus, but both quit while they were studying at Shujin. It wasn't this circus or anything, it was the… Kamoshida Circus, I think?"
"Oof," you grunt sympathetically. Kamoshida Circus was infamous for its many scandals over the past few years, countless reports of both its human and animal performers suffering abusive treatment behind the scenes. So numerous were these scandals that you can't manage to remember which ones these two performers may have been involved with. For the moment, you notice that the crowds around you had just about filled all of the arena's seating, and you feel that the show could start at any moment, so you decide to pick up the pace. Turning the page, you hurriedly ask your partner, "What about these guys?"
"Hmm…" they pondered, first pointing a finger on the picture of a juggler named Fox. Despite the man's puffy-sleeved, high-collared jumpsuit hiding his build, he seemed less athletic than either Skull or Joker, but portrayed a vibe that was no less theatrical. "I've never seen that guy before. He must have gone to a different school, but they still talked about him at Shujin. His name's Yusuke. I think he was adopted by Madarame, the rakugo storyteller who was accused of stealing story ideas." Admittedly, your expertise in performing arts doesn't extend quite so far into such traditional Japanese arts as rakugo, but you do seem to recall that particular scandal in the news a while ago. Could Yusuke have been a whistleblower in that affair? you wonder.
Before you can bring up this connection to your partner, they point at two other profiles on the page: Queen the handbalancer, a fierce-looking brunette woman in a clingy catsuit of dark blues and blacks, and Noir the tightrope walker, a graceful, floofy-haired lady whose fancy costume was accented by maroon bloomers and a pink blouse. "I do recognize those two from Shujin, though," your mate continued. "They graduated after my freshman year, but Makoto -- that's Queen -- was the student council president, and Haru, or Noir, is the daughter of some rich CEO. They kept out of trouble while they were at Shujin, at least as far as I noticed."
"Huh…" As you trail off, you take a second look at Queen and Noir's profiles, when suddenly your mind starts to make a few connections. "Hold on, I think I recognize them myself. Makoto used to perform with her her older sister, but they broke up over some kind of creative differences and never spoke to each other again. Haru used to be a famous ballerina, until her father arranged a marriage for her and she stood up her fiance at the altar."
Your friend stared at you for a while in stunned silence. "…Really? What happened to them after all that?"
"Here's the interesting part," you explain. "After each of their scandals, they pretty much dropped out of the public eye. Same with the other guys I mentioned. It's almost like they just… stopped existing, you know? And yet, here they are. Looks like they just ran away to train at Cirque Velours instead."
"Running away to join the circus…" your date mused aloud. "Even under their circumstances, that sounds romantic."
You sigh wistfully in agreement as you turn another page. There are only two profiles visible here, for Violet the trapeze artist and Crow the knife thrower. "Okay, now I definitely know who Violet is," you declare. The girl in question sported a black leotard, coat, and thigh-high boots, with a crimson ponytail flowing out behind her head. "She was one of the Flying Yoshizawas, an aerialist duo, along with her sister, who died attempting some big stunt without a net."
"Whoa… You think they're gonna use safety nets and stuff in this show?"
"Hard to say. I saw another one of Cirque Velours' shows way back when I was little, and I don't think they had those kinds of safety measures, at least none that I noticed. Then again, a lot's changed since then, so who knows? Anyway, what about this guy?" you ask, pointing on the page at Crow, a shoulder-length-brunet lad in a resplendent, red-caped faux-military uniform. You can't surmise anything about the man from this picture alone, and a glance at your partner's expression seems to indicate the same thing. But, before either of you can discuss the matter any further, the lights around you suddenly darken and a female announcer's voice rings out over the PA system.
"Ladies and gentlemen, our show is about to start. The performances you are about to witness over the course of our show carry with them a severe risk of injury or death, and our performers have perfected them over years of intense training. We request of our audience that you never attempt any of these acts yourself, at home or anywhere else. We also ask that you remain as quiet as possible throughout the show, holding your applause until indicated by our performers, and while you are welcome to take pictures during the show, please turn off any flash bulbs on your devices if you choose to do so. And with all that said… Ladies, gentlemen, boys and girls, and all of our guests, please sit back and enjoy yourselves, as the Cirque Velours presents our brand-new show… 'The Phantom Thieves of Hearts'!"
The mere mention of the show's title, carefully placed at the end of this announcement, is enough to elicit a rousing cheer from the audience. Naturally, the two of you join in, taking the opportunity to let out some of your excitement. That burst of energy is followed by a dark silence, as if the entire big-top has just been swallowed up into a space-like void of nothingness, while you and everyone else in attendance wait with bated breath for what may transpire next. Then, suddenly, the darkness is pierced by a single spotlight stabbing downwards into the center of the stage, illuminating a sole, bizarre-looking figure in a blue ringmaster's costume. The man's slender, lanky, but not overly tall body is topped by an oversized head, dotted by a long, pointy nose, elfin ears, and a pair of round, bulbous, piercing white eyes. With a wide sweeping gesture of his hands, he bowed deeply and announced in a high, lilting voice, "Welcome to the Velvet Circus! I am Igor, your ringmaster, here to take you to a world existing between dream and reality, mind and matter. For tonight's show, we present to you the story of the Phantom Thieves, a band of outlaws who use their refined talents to rebel against the evildoers of their world, stealing the source of their distorted desires in order to bring hope to those who need it most. And who knows…" he adds with a wink, "…perhaps they may steal the hearts of you fine guests in the process! But, let us tarry no longer… On with the show!"
With that, Igor grinned from ear to ear, almost literally, and bowed once again, subtly throwing a smoke bomb at the stage beneath his feet. As the smoke enveloped his body, he began to cackle in a voice which suddenly dropped to a much lower register than what he had just been speaking in. By the time his wicked-sounding laughter ceased echoing and the smoke cleared, Igor himself was nowhere to be seen. Clearly, you can tell this show will be full of twists and surprises. The only thing you can expect at this point is that you will never know what to expect from this production. Only one thing is for sure, however…
What will transpire over the next hour or two will undoubtedly become one of your most treasured memories.