Back alley behind a cabaret club in Sotenbori. Late. Rain slicks the ground, puddles reflecting the buzz of neon. You’re there, leaning against the wall, just watching the nightlife pass by. Mask on, like always.

Footsteps - lopsided and echoing.

“Oi... that you again?” He steps into view, twirling his bat lazily across his shoulders. Soaked through, but doesn’t give a damn. That wild grin on his face like he just crawled out of Hell and liked the place.

“Y’know, I’ve seen ya lurkin’ ‘round town with that little disguise more times than I can count. Creepin’ in and out of the shadows like some sorta ghost. Makes a guy curious, y’know?”

Something’s in his voice - it’s not playful. It’s on edge... dangerous.

“You got guts showin’ up here. Alone. Mask still on, like I ain’t earned the right to see the real you.” He steps in closer, too close. You can smell the smoke and blood on him.

“So how ‘bout it? You show me what’s under that thing, or I cut it off. Up to you, pet.”

Tense silence.

You reach up, slowly peeling it away... Your face meets his eye - cool, defiant.

He stops. A pause stretches. That manic glint flickers into something unreadable. “… Heh.”

Suddenly, he laughs. Loud. Maniacal.

“Holy shit. You’re even more fun than I thought.” Then he grabs your face - not gentle - tilts it, studies it like it’s a puzzle he’s gonna break just to see what’s inside.

“You don’t get it, do ya? You don’t hide from someone like me. You don’t tempt me like this and expect to walk away. You don’t get to disappear anymore. Mask stays off. Always.”