Maki's Dream • Danganronpa V3

4. The Village Thief

It wasn't long before I found myself entering the new town. I take in my surroundings as I tie Daisy to a fence. The market is nearby and buzzing with life. As I look around, I see all sorts of stuff for sale, clothes, food, jewellery... Though I'm interested in none of that. The third stall to the right sold a bunch of strange trinkets that appeared to come from all around the world. As I approach the stall, the seller looks up at me, his yellow eyes staring into my soul.

"Hello there" Korekiyo says. "Are you interested in making a purchase?" I nod as I place the piece of paper and money Tsumugi gave me onto the table. He silently reads it before looking back up at me. "Very well then" he says, reaching under the table. After a few seconds he hands me some fabrics in many different colours. "Is there anything else I can do for you? I recently managed to stock up on some lovely rope" I shake my head "No thank you..." I respond. I quickly take a step back and start walking back to the village entrance.

As soon as I step out of the crowd I stop dead in my tracks. A cloaked figure could be seen cutting Daisy free before hopping onto her back. A sudden breeze blows the figure's hood off to reveal a head of purple hair. Kokichi. I should've known. "HEY!" I yell. He gets startled and starts riding off. I sprint after him into the forest.

"Neeheehee- Oh frick she's fast HURRY UP YOU STUPID HORSE" He yells as he sees me approaching. I'm too focused on catching him that I don't notice the rock on the path in front of me, causing me to trip and fall face first onto the ground. I quickly bounce back onto my feet but Kokichi is nowhere to be seen. "DAMMIT!" I shout. How am I supposed to explain this to Rantaro?? I slowly make my way back to the town and enter a small tavern.

Once I'm seated I sigh and rest my head on the table. Rantaro will certainly kill me if I told him about Daisy. Maybe I should just wait in this town until midnight... but then I won't be able to give Tsumugi her fabrics, and Kaede will be waiting for a while... "...If only Kokichi didn't take my damn horse..." I mutter. "...Did you just say Kokichi?" I look up to see one of the waitresses looking at me from behind the bar. She had short, almost green dirty-blonde hair that covered half of her face. "...Yeah, he stole my horse." I respond. She sighs and rests her arm on the counter.

"He didn't happen to have purple hair did he?" She asks. She's staring at me intently. "He did actually, why?" I ask. She shakes her head in disappointment while muttering something I couldn't hear under her breath. She looks back up at me. "I happen to know where he lives" she explains. My eyes widen. "Really?? Would you mind telling me how to get there??" She smiles and takes my map. "This is the dwarf mines" she says, pointing at a spot in the woods. "He's been living there for the past few weeks, it isn't a long journey by foot." "Wow, thank you so much!" I say, though I shouldn't be surprised. She has always been willing to help. "Is there any way I can repay you?" She smiles softly "Oh, no need. All I ask is that you give him a message." "Go on" I say. She looks me dead in the eyes before saying "Tell him Tojo isn't happy he broke his promise." I nod. "Thanks again!" I say as I leave the tavern. Kirumi waves before getting back to work.

It only took around ten minutes to find the Dwarf mines, the entrance looking like one belonging to a cave. As I look around for Daisy, a guy came out of the mines. He's wearing a green hat and had pointy ears, and is barely as tall as a child. "Why hello there traveller, my name is Ryoma Hoshi." He says. He doesn't seem to be a thief like Kokichi was. "Hello there" I say "By any chance does Kokichi live here?" He nods "Yes he does, why do you ask?"

"He stole my horse" I explain, crossing my arms. Ryoma sighs "Ouma! Get out here!" He yelled. Around a minute later a familiar purple-haired gremlin came out from the cave. Now that he's right in front of me I notice he also has pointy ears. "Ugh what is it now Ryoma- oh" He says once he notices me. "Why is this traveller saying you took her horse?" Ryoma asks, narrowing his eyes at him. "Whaaat? I found that horse in the woods! It belonged to nobody!" Kokichi says. "I literally saw you untie her!" I say. He puts his hands on his hips. "Nuh-uh! I found it in the forest!" I let out an exasperated sigh. "Tojo isn't  happy that you've broken your promise" I say. Kokichi's face turns white. "Y-you know Kirumi???" I nod. "Uh- I'll be right back with your horse!" Kokichi runs into the cave and Ryoma turns back to me. "I'm sorry about him, he still has a ways to go with our lifestyle" he explains with an apologetic expression. "It's alright, it wasn't your fault I guess..." I say. Suddenly Kokichi comes out of the cave with Daisy. "Here you go!" He says, handing me the reigns. Ryoma glares at him. "Hmph" I hop onto Daisy and start trotting off. "Goodbye traveller!" Ryoma says. Kokichi rolls his eyes and makes his way back into the cave.

The silence is peaceful as I make my way back to the village riding Daisy. I can hear a few birds chirping from somewhere above me. This place isn't so bad... "Hmm... So far I've met thirteen members of my class here, so that just leaves-"
I suddenly hear a twig snap from behind me. "Huh?" I stop. Some rustling can be heard from the bushes in front of me. "Who's there???" No reply. "I know you're there!" Suddenly, a bear makes it's way out of the bushes. It's fur is black and white, though it seems to only be as intelligent as a regular brown bear. These must be the bears Kiibo was talking about. I reach for my knife, only to realise that my outfit doesn't have pockets. "Dammit!" I turn Daisy around only to see another bear exactly like the first one. They start to close in on me. This isn't good....