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[stargirlmaki]

Persona (PROLOGUE: OPERA GHOST)

Phantom!Nanami Kento x fem!Reader (x Gojo Satoru)

masterlist, next chapter: PART ONE- ANGEL OF MUSIC

synopsis: in 1880s Japan, there lived a ghost underneath the Japan opera house who brings terror to the opera company for the benefit of an opera signer who he trains and loves.

cw: Phantom Of The Opera AU (but Phantom gets Christine), minors do not interact, reader is afab and will use she/her pronouns, yandere, ooc nanami, every character is ooc, age gap, eventual smut, gore and violence, use of “YN LN”.

an: this prologue is dedicated for world building purposes, but I do hope that you will still enjoy reading it. If you have read the book by Gaston Leroux, there will certainly be familiarity in this prologue. No posting schedule, I will write at my own pace.

wc: 2.7k

The legend of the opera ghost has long lived within the walls of the Japan opera house; some say since the moment it was built. If you happen to ask any member of the company, the opera ghost’s real identity will certainly distort your imagination, and you might even begin to wonder if there is any truth to its existence at all. The ballet girls whisper that he is able to move through walls, that the naked eye is unable to see him, and that he could change his voice to mimic your loved one’s. The frequent guests of the opera house state that the opera ghost has the face of death himself, the most hideous and frightening, but dresses and moves exactly like any other person, making him able to freely live among us.

But the only time that a person has ever had a close encounter with the ghost, one where there is a close chance of verification of his existence, was through a man named Kiyotaka Ijichi. For twenty years, he worked as the opera house’s chief stagehand, and on one of the rehearsal nights, he claimed that he had seen the opera ghost and, most especially, his face! “As clear as I see you now! ”, quoting the words that came out of his mouth during his conversation with the past manager, Geto Suguru.

“His eyes are so hollow that they appear as just two black holes, like a skull’s. I could see the bones of his face peeking out of his skin; the skin around it had turned a nasty yellow. The black dress coat he wore hangs off him like he is nothing but the skeleton of a dead man. He is extremely skinny but taller than most men. His hair is the color of yellow, as yellow as the sun. And I assume his skin is cold to the touch from the color of it! ”

On the night of the departure gala for managers Shoko Ieiri and Geto Suguru, the body of Kiyotaka Ijichi was found hanging at the fly system of the main stage, a rope around his neck, eyes rolled towards the back of his head, and his skin had turned completely deathly pale.

—

Geto Suguru has earned the reputation of being an excellent practical joker, starting from his school days, and it has (unfortunate for others) increased the moment he became one of the managers at the renowned opera house. Shoko Ieiri has known this fact regarding her co-manager through years of maddening experience and observations. That is why, when Geto Suguru uttered the words, “We will be retiring as the managers of this opera house," Shoko Ieiri was confident that it belonged to one of Geto Suguru’s little jokes that he is extremely fond of doing every single day. Except this time, Geto Suguru clarified that it was indeed not.

Immediately, the woman asked her partner with a hint of disbelief and shock in her voice, “And who will be replacing us?” It was known throughout the opera that manager Shoko Ieiri was not capable of being in a state of anger for too long; she was described as the most gentle on and off stage, but that is currently hanging on by a thread.

Geto Suguru sighed deeply upon hearing his co-manager’s query; the expression on his face contorted like he had just been reminded of something he had been dreading to even think about it at all. “The Zen’in clan had recently purchased the entirety of the house.”

“The Zen’in clan! What do those selfish, money-hungry high-borns even know about opera? Do they even share an ounce of passion for the art that is made here? ”The sudden interruption of Shoko Ieiri’s deafening voice startled Geto Suguru. This wasn’t his first time seeing his partner this way, but this was certainly different from any other time.

“They only care about one thing, the one thing that would help make sense of why they even thought of the opera—and you, I’m sure of it, already know what I am talking about.” Geto Suguru’s voice has increased in volume as well; he hopes that the almost century-old walls are thick enough to make their conversation inaudible to outsiders.

Shoko Ieiri rubs her temple, calming the possible consequences of the overwhelm that threatens to come out of her. The Zen’in clan is well known in Japan to possess the most wealth, and nobody is able to acquire that much wealth with clean, spotless hands. One thing about the clan is that they will never stop until every dime and power is within their ownership, no matter which way they’re going to get it and how many get affected by it. The motivation behind the Zen’in clan’s sudden ownership of the opera house was apparent, maybe not to a regular civilian, but definitely to the managers of the opera, who fear that the essence of the Japanese opera house will be soiled in the hands of the wrong people.

Geto Suguru stands from his chair and adjusts his coat, reaching towards its inner pockets and pulling out an opened letter from one of them. He approaches his co-manager and hands it to her. “That’s the letter sent in this morning; it’s best if you read it yourself.” Shoko Ieiri straightens up and receives the letter in between Geto Suguru’s gloved fingers. She takes note of the residue of the Zen’in clan wax stamp found at the edge of the letter.

Before Shoko Ieiri begins to read the content of the Zen’in letter, Geto Suguru says: “And what will we do about Him?” There is caution laced in his voice, he said in such a low volume that if Shoko Ieiri was even a bit farther away, she wouldn’t have heard him. Geto Suguru knew that Shoko Ieiri understood perfectly what he meant and who he was referring to, and he could tell that his co-manager had been wondering the same thing as well.

—

The gala, celebrated in honor of managers Geto Suguru and Shoko Ieiri as they retire, commenced at six in the evening and was entirely prepared by the Zen’in clan themselves. Each single person who is part of the company was invited and is currently present: the ballet girls occupying the center floor with their dancing, the musicians showing off their talent with the various instruments on stage, and the actors mingling in their own conversations.

Towards the end of the room, there’s a round table fairly decorated in the colors white and gold. A number of people have huddled around it, surrounding and entertaining those that sat in the chairs. Towards the right side of the table, there sat the old managers, Shoko Ieiri and Geto Suguru, each dressed in their best clothing, their hair neatly combed and styled. On the other side sat the new manager, who introduced himself earlier to the entire house as Naoya Zen’in, son of Naobito Zen’in, the current clan head of the Zen’in clan.

Naoya Zen’in is 27 years old and looks like it as well. His complexion embodied the perfect adonis that the people of the opera had fallen for fleetly the minute he waltzed in the opera house. Though his arrogance made an unpleasant first impression on previous manager Geto Suguru, the Zen’in had reportedly refused to shake his hand during their first meeting. Shoko Ieiri took note of Naoya Zen’in’s condescending behavior as she managed to overhear one of his conversations with the woman he had brought with him; they had been shaming everything their eyes landed on. All of this drew the conclusion for the old managers that Naoya Zen’in would change the Japan opera house—in the most horrific way.

“He won’t take it seriously.”

It is eight in the evening. For two hours, the two had contemplated whether to spew the information they had been keeping or continue to hold their tongue about it. Geto Suguru urges Shoko Ieiri that they relay this message to the new beloved manager of the opera; Shoko Ieiri thinks otherwise; she says Naoya Zen’in will treat it as a joke.

“Well, that’s better than not telling him at all! ”Geto Suguru expressed himself, keeping his voice at a minimal volume, though it seems that the people around them are too focused on the new manager to take note of their conversation. Despite Geto Suguru’s apparent desperation, Shoko Ieiri does not succumb to it.

So, Geto Suguru continues: “Listen, we already know that the opera will decline with him as the manager, but if we fail to let him know of the real danger below there, the opera house will suffer even greater consequences! ”While he speaks, his head turns to look around him, fearing that someone may be eavesdropping on their conversation.

Geto Suguru suddenly remembered that he had something incredibly important to divulge to Shoko Ieiri. He remembers that he had placed the folded letter in his pocket before heading to the gala. He reached for it and handed it to the woman sitting beside him. “I have forgotten to give this to you. That may be his final letter to us. It arrived an hour after we'd gotten the Zen’in news.”

“You went to him? ”Shoko Ieiri asked. Raising her eyebrows in curiosity.

Geto Suguru shrugged. “It would be rude not to offer my farewells to the reason why the opera house is still standing.”. Shoko Ieiri breathes in and opens the folded letter. She is greeted by the familiarity of his handwriting. She reads:

My dearest managers:

Your departure upsets me. I will be expecting that the new manager is well informed of my conditions and will be equally acquiescent as you both have been for twenty years—if you wish for peace to continue, that is. I wish you good luck in your future endeavors.

Farewell,

O.G.

Shoko Ieiri huffs and falls into silence, perhaps entering once more in a state of contemplation, and then, after a moment, she finally speaks, “And if we do tell Zen’in, but he refuses to believe us? There is a high possibility of that, judging on how despicable he is.”

“He will know that he has made a mistake.”

Many of those who attended the gala that night recalled how there was a period of the night where the two previous managers requested to speak with Naoya Zen’in alone. The three entered one of the dance rooms outside of the event hall and had a discussion that lasted about ten minutes. Many have said that when Naoya Zen’in returned to his seat, he was laughing like he had been told a joke so hilarious. The two other managers, however, had an expression on their faces that looked like they pitied or were scared for the man that they had spoken to.

“A… ghost?” A grin began to show on Zen’in’s face like he had just been told of a good joke; the two other people in the room could tell from his expression that he was about to burst into laughter.

Candidly, if you were told that a dangerous ghost resides in the opera house that you recently purchased, it is normal to let out a laugh. Particularly if you were someone like Naoya Zen'in, who had been drowning himself in every alcoholic drink at the gala since the start of the night. His flushed cheeks and tipsy movements showed Geto Suguru and Shoko Ieiri that the new manager is nowhere near sober.

Naoya Zen’in’s laughter dies down, but his grin remains on his grotesque (according to Shoko Ieiri) face. “Are you both so enraged about the sudden replacement that you result in this pitiful act?”He ridicules the two predecessor managers in front of him.

“Oh, Jesus...” Shoko Ieiri rolls her eyes immediately upon hearing the man. Geto Suguru stiffens and says, ”This is not about that! This is real, Mr. Zen’in! You have to believe us.”

Shoko Ieiri instantly adds, ”This is for your own good.” said in such a stern manner, she didn’t mean to glare at the high-born in front of her, but she couldn’t help it at all.

Naoya Zen’in scoffs, “A ghost who demands a monthly salary and the box five reserved for him only? This is insanity! If you wanted me gone, you should’ve come up with a better act or whatever you actor freaks get on... Not this, made up—” he giggles in the middle of his sentence, “—ghost in the opera house.”

“He is not made up, sir. He is real, and denying his existence will have dire consequences for you and the Japan opera house.” Shoko Ieiri emphasized each word to him, trying to maintain her composure as she knows her anger won’t result in anything good.

“Oh! Now, the ghost is a man? ”There is a fake intriguement in Naoya Zen’in’s tone, his smile growing larger.

As Geto Suguru walks towards him, a sense of great urgency is evidently evident in his voice when he says, “We speak nothing but the truth; you can ask the rest of the opera, Mr. Zen’in, and they will tell you all about the opera ghost.”

”That is enough!” Naoya Zen’in shouts, filling Geto Suguru and Shoko Ieiri with despair.

Shoko Ieiri leans against the wall, near the wooden double doors, and Geto Suguru stands beside her as the both of them observe Naoya Zen’in, who had now sat at his table—still laughing at the conversation that had occurred just minutes before. They had not successfully convinced the new manager. At this point, Shoko Ieiri refuses to waste any more energy on being frustrated over the Zen’in. She looks over to Geto Suguru, and she can tell that he shares the same sentiments.

—

A month had passed since the gala; Geto Suguru and Shoko Ieiri’s offices are now empty, and Naoya Zen’in had taken over Geto Suguru’s old space. New manager: Naoya Zen’in still refuses the existence of the opera ghost despite numerous warnings that have already been sent his way, and on the night of his seventh day as manager, a letter is seen placed on top of his desk with a symbol on the wax seal that he has never seen before.

Naoya Zen’in slices the envelope open with a knife and pulls out the letter inside of it. Even with the handwriting, no familiarity reaches him; who is this from? He thought. Upon finishing the contents of the letter, he bursts into laughter, harder than he ever did today. Those two just never stop with this joke, do they? Do they really think I will succumb to this? So, I will be so frightened that I’ll hand back the opera to them? Naoya Zen’in chuckled as he downed his whiskey.

The letter reads:

Dear Mr. Manager

I apologize for bothering you at a time when you must be very busy with your tasks. I am very fond of the house’s annual production of ‘Faust’. It delights me that you have chosen it as your first opera during your first month as the new manager—a bold move. I know what you have done for Mei Mei, Ui Ui, and many others, whose talents and genius you have most definitely observed.

When I say “talents and genius,” I do not mean to apply them to Ms. Mei Mei, who has proven in every rehearsal that a dying cow ought to sound better than her. Nor to her brother, Ui Ui, who dances like a flopping fish fished out of water. If it is your dream to turn ‘Faust’ into a clangorous farm house production, this would make more sense.

Your jealousy has prevented the ballet girl, YN LN, from creating any impact on the production. She has proven her genius; you heard of it during the auditions, and I know that you and every person in this opera house were enthralled by her completely. Ever since her triumph in the auditions, all the main roles have been restricted for her.

Mr. Manager, I detest scandals, so I expect that this will be the last time you will treat me with such outrageous disdain.

Your most obedient servant,

O.G.

[stargirlmaki]

my current wip: kenpachi zaraki as feyd-rautha and fem!reader as lady margot in that one seduction scene in dune: part two :))))

[stargirlmaki]

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