#maskis

And later...

My poor baby Takumi is jealous aww... He's so hot when he's angry though...👀

I'm trying to place the images differently from now on, to make it easier to view? If it helps in any way

??? “Zack. Glad you came.”

The man turned around, and when he saw me, he narrowed his sharp, predator-like eyes and smiled.

Zack “What name are you going by these days? What should I call you?”

??? “Shido is fine.”

Shido “It’s been quite some time for us too, Zack.”

Zack “If you were in New York, you could’ve come visit me in Mexico, you know.” “My home’s always open to you.”

Shido “Something came up.”

Shido swirled the glass he was holding.

Shido “I had a kid.”

Zack “Well, that’s great news! You’re a father, huh?”

Shido “Yeah. That’s why I want to ask you to handle a big job.”

Zack “A big job? What are you planning?”

Shido “It’s nothing shady. There’s something in it for you too, Zack.”

That sly smile he gave, with a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips— looking back now, I realize how much father and son resemble each other.

So, which guy is THE soulmate?

Out of the 4 outstanding LIs we have, there are 2 that, to me, could definitely be defined as the "one true soulmate" for MC. It'd be a battle between Kazuomi and Kei. Not that the other 2 aren't possibilities though.

Yuzuru and Seiichi are absolute gems, with Seiichi even being my actual second favorite "character-wise". Yuzuru's story is also up-there. But the writings that feel the most touching, and even "cinematic" in how events unfold in a beautiful way, to me, are Kazuomi's and Kei's.

I abolutely love Yuzuru as well, and he does have that cinematic quality too. And if we were thinking of who we would most likely love to date in real life, it'd definitely be someone like him, because of his many qualities. Speaking of which, you asked who acts as the best partner for MC, and I think all of them do, in their own beautiful way, but Yuzuru is part of the top.

However, for personal reasons, and because I'm seeing the patterns in the writing and advertisement of Voltage, I'd still think of Kazuomi and Kei as the most likely options as MC's soulmates.

Kei Soejima:

Kei has that very slow burn, beautifully depicted, kind of "forbidden" relationship that encompasses many inner struggles. It's so obvious that his writer pours a lot of love and research especially for him, as he turned out to have more advanced plot twists. Aside from that, his stories follow a more unique narration style, in my opinion.

At multiple times, the narrator refers to Kei and MC as the prince and the saint/his Mary/his princess? Whatever fit the story at that time. It's also seen when MC mentions, after they break up, "But Kei is not my prince, after all." (something around these lines). It's giving me the sense that Kei and MC are written to be the protagonists of a fairy tale, but a more "gothic romance" one. If we look at the other routes, we can see the difference in how Kei's story is handled.

Also, it’s a small detail, but I remember that in the beginning of one or two of Kei’s "core/important" stories, the title of said stories actually appears before you start reading, almost like the title page of a chapter.

It's not just seeing "Episode 1", and then you can start reading like usual. The name of the story pops before that (for only one of two though). It's a small thing, but it shows how much effort goes into making his love story feel like a fairy tale. As if their lives were already intertwined and we’re simply following their journey to their own Eden. Honestly, only people who’ve read Kei will understand what I mean, but it's blatant how Kei has extra care put into his writing starting from a certain point.

It's a beautiful story written out as a tragedy and a path to healing oneself. While the other routes are top tier just as much, it's simply that Kei's has a more cathartic quality to his in my opinion. For this reason, I think he could definitely be seen as MC's one true soulmate.

However... 👀

That's where Kazuomi intervenes.

Kazuomi Shido:

Kazuomi, on the other hand, feels like MC’s soulmate in a completely different way. Their bond isn’t about slow-burn and healing like Kei’s, it’s about intensity, chaos, and unpredictable fate. They are two people who shouldn’t work together on paper, but who end up mirroring each other perfectly in how they chase their ideals.

They look at the same future but walking opposite paths leading up to it. What makes Kazuomi feel like the soulmate is how he pushes MC to question herself, her beliefs, and what she truly wants out of life. In the same way, she makes him question himself, without knowing it herself.

He’s the embodiment of her “other side”, the one who tempts her to live for herself, not just her duty. Their love is dangerous, magnetic, and transformative. Like Kazuomi once told her: “What you and I have between us… It’s not controlled by you or me. It’s both of us… Together, like alchemy…”

Other than that, Kazuomi is the first route to have been released. And as we all know, that typically means he's the poster boy/the original/the true soulmate. Basically, if an anime adaptation were to be made, it'd be fair to assume he would be chosen as the actual LI, regardless of popularity.

While I don't know how otome games are made right at the beginning of their creation, it's fair to assume that the first LI to be created is seen as the representation of the whole title. He has to make a strong impression, as the first to be released. He has to embody the genre the title is going for.

Which is why, Kazuomi definitely represents what Masquerade Kiss is. The others do as well, but he probably owns that fashion even more than they do. The mystery, the chaos, the fun, the "Hollywood" movie vibe, etc... To me, We have so much to discover about him still, and he definitely hides more things than the others do.

While Kei has extra care put into how his story is handled and presented, Kazuomi has a narrative filled with major plot twists that were deliberately built up and concealed from the very beginning.

Also, you can see on multiple occasions that Kei and Yuzuru seem to know less about him and his past. Actually, it's okay to say it: they practically know nothing, and that tells a lot about Kazuomi.

While he seems so open, charismatic and warm, that's all a "masquerade". Everything is carefully concealed, even to his most trusted friends. So, yes, Kazuomi would be MC's actual soulmate given everything I said.

That's what I think, at the very least. At the end of the day, it's more of a simple choice based on who was created first, since I believe most companies work that way. But what I explained is what would happen if they had to choose based on narration alone.

If I were to explain things simply and put it bluntly:

Boss' story would not be suitable IF compared to the others because he has the lowest popularity and has plot holes since the story was finished early. But it'd make for an awesome and mainstream spy x spy romance if we didn't consider the others and he had more content to work with.

Yuzuru is up-there like I said, he'd definitely work well, but I think his personality, as it is at first, can be hard to swallow, so it probably wouldn't give "soulmate" vibes as much as the others. Of course, discovering his true nature is part of the journey, but I think he'd be less appealing as a first choice somehow.

Kei's story is incredibly well written and imo the best written out of other titles. But it comes with hardcore content and graphic scenes that don't always suit a more "universal" taste. It's very unique. It could go as a gothic romance, but even as a route among other titles, his storyline is very distinct and shockingly "raw" (which is not to everyone's taste).

Kazuomi is charismatic and pulls people in. He's very funny and playful, he has suprising sides which easily makes people fond of him. So to me, he's a more natural and simple choice. He's mainstream, and he's a reassuring LI. He also embodies plenty of qualities that are already appreciated in multiple fandoms.

As for who's the best partner?

They're all good partners. In terms of attention and care, they're all better than most real life men haha. If I had to choose, it'd be either Kazuomi and Yuzu.

Boss probably loses points on the fact that he's not as present as the others initially. Which is not really on him though.

And ironically, while I still think he'd make a good soulmate, Kei loses points on the fact that there is a lot of miscommunication sometimes, although it's all part of the process of being a couple. And while it's totally understandable and I don't blame him for it, the decisions he took sometimes in his life, for himself, hurt MC and her feelings weren't always considered. Which, considering Kei's past, is like I said: understandable. But we can't ignore the mutual sacrifice Kei and MC willingly do for each other.

Kazuomi, despite sometimes saying very harsh things he doesn't mean to the MC, is often seen caring for her even with small things. They both influence each other a lot in their couple too, which shows how close they became. They have that "long-lasting" couple aura now. They both didn't want to change for the other and were clear to not do that, but their strong mutual feelings naurally led them to it anyway, without them noticing.

Yuzuru is perfect as well because not only did he change his ways for her (he was a tough nut to crack at first though!! And very rude to her before haha), he's reached a point where protecting their love and nurturing it is a priority in his life. And of course, he cooks and cleans (although that's a basic thing to do, honestly, but he does it especially well).

I'm done yapping now! I exhausted myself 🤣

Anyway, I hope you’re happy, because you made me suffer for this answer 😌😂 But I love you, so I forgive you… this time ❤️

A New Era | Captivating the Whole World

~ Special British Diplomat: Kei Soejima ~

As the UK welcomes a new era,

I was told: “For the sake of Britain, go make the whole world fall in love.”

My goal is to become the ultimate diplomat idol who captivates the world…

Can I really do it? Well, for now, why don’t you get to know my daily life first?

Joshua Cillian White ~ Kei’s childhood friend ~

(Occupation: Priest)

Joshua: I’m supposed to talk about Kei? Eh, wait, this is going to be an official text published to the world? What should I do… Umm…

Kei: Just talk about what we’ve done together recently. That’s fine.

Joshua: In that case, I can tell you. Yesterday, Kei and I baked cookies for charity. Animal cookies. Kei is very skilled with his hands. Look, this one’s a panda, this one’s a tanuki, and this one’s a raccoon. I heard in Japan there’s something called the “Tanuki Police” who are strict about not mixing up tanuki and raccoons. Ah, and this puppy… it looks like Maru, Kei.

Joshua: An idol who captivates the whole world… I think Kei could really become that. But I’d also be happy if he still made time to come to the church like this.

Kei: No matter how busy I get, I’ll definitely keep coming to this church.

Theo Maria Bertolucci ~ Kei’s colleague ~

(Occupation: Founding member of the charity group Garden of Eden)

Theo: If it’s an angel like you, just flashing that smile of yours would be enough to make the world fall in love, right? Still not enough for the “ultimate idol”? Hmm… if you want to make the world fall in love, maybe you should fall in love yourself. If you say “I love you” with that face, there isn’t a world that wouldn’t fall.

Kei: “I love you”… huh. If I spread that across the world, could I really make it fall in love? If that’s what’s expected of me, then maybe I’ll try. Though… it seems like real love can’t be won with just an “I love you.”

Kazuomi Shidō ~3S~

(Occupation: Owner, Leben Resort Group)

Shidō: An interview about Kei? What do you want me to talk about. What’s the rating going to be? (Kazuomi pfff 😂)

Kei: I don’t want any topics that go overboard with the rating. Talk about making the world fall in love with me.

Shidō: You told me you’d leave every woman on Earth to me, didn’t you?

Kei: Shidō—have some tact. This is going to be read all over the world, you know?

Shidō: That’s exactly why it’s perfect. If people meet Kei, they connect to me. I’ll make the whole world fall for you.

Kei: If we limit it to women, I feel like they’ve pretty much already fallen. I can’t do what you do, Shidō, so I guess I’ll have to get by with words.

Kei (continued): Sometimes, lies come with love, right? Even if something’s a lie, there are times you might want to drown in sweet talk.

Yuzuru Shiba ~3S~

(Occupation: CEO, SHIBA Inc)

Yuzuru: Make the whole world Kei’s captive? …Are you trying to destroy the world? Planning to turn it into a dystopia? (No he’s not you-)

Kei: Diplomacy is often compared to romance. I’d love for Yuzu to be only mine, but… (he’s not helping with the gay allegations)

Yuzuru: Why don’t you aim those useless flirtations at the world? I’d be freed of you, and your goal would be achieved too.

Kei: Huh, Yuzu, did you think I was trying to seduce you? (I can’t fight the allegations anymore if you say that Kei…)

Yuzuru: Nobody said that!

Kei: Even if no one said it, it’s the same, I think…

So, do you feel like you got a little bit of who I am? A world in love sparkles and is beautiful… I want to be the bridge to that world. Fake it till you make it.

So that one day I can love the world. May all blessings and protections come to you.

Kei

The Frog Dance

I went with Josh to Scandinavia during the white nights. Everyone danced the Frog Dance, and we ate pickled herring with potatoes. Back in our church days, we often ate potatoes too… but I never thought a day would come when I’d once again sit at the same table with Josh, eating potatoes like this.

Seiji Gotō

I couldn’t help but double-check the title…

Josh… is he a friend? (Gotō)