Phantom Thieves of Hope - A Danganronpa X Persona 5 Story.

Chapter 95: Promise the Moon

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Makoto's head throbbed as he blinked his eyes open, only to find himself surrounded by darkness, his body curled up in an impossibly tight space.

The faint scent of wood and dust reached him, and he realized he was trapped in some kind of crate. With weak strength in his arms, he tried to push on the surface, but it wouldn't budge. Barely any light was spilling in, so he couldn't see what he was doing.

As the hazy memory of Mondo's punch came flooding back, Makoto shifted, feeling for his phone, but it was gone.

*Shit...*

It made sense that Mondo had taken it so he couldn't call for help, but the notion of being shoved in a crate like this was just insulting to put nicely. Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself, and with his limited movement, slipped his hand into his back pocket, where he had hidden his lockpicks.

*Right. I've gotten out of worse...* he thought. 

Closing his eyes, he let muscle memory take over, recalling the precise movements he'd practiced as a Phantom Thief. His fingers found the inside latch, deftly working at the lock. With a faint click, the crate's lid popped open, and he lifted it, spilling out into the dim light.

He found himself on a deserted street just outside the academy's grounds. The chill of the evening air cleared his mind, and he took a few moments to gather his bearings. His heart beat faster as he processed what Mondo had done.

*Well, at least he didn't kill me...* Makoto breathed a half-baked sigh of relief.

Without his phone, he didn't have many options. It wasn't as if he could confront Mondo again or go tattling to anyone without much evidence. Right now, the best course of action, he determined, was to get back to the Thieves' Den and regroup with his teammates. They'd know what to do, and he'd need their help.

As he started down the street, he kept to the shadows, weaving between alleyways and ducking around corners.

*Why would Mondo lock me up instead of... talking things out?* he wondered, replaying the intense confrontation in his mind. *And who's Daiya? The name sounds familiar...like he's mentioned it before, but I forgot...*

Makoto hoped his teammates would be willing to gather. He needed to piece together what had happened...and figure out how to help Chihiro and Mondo before things spiraled even further out of control.

Erosion - Persona 5

Fortunately, when Makoto got to the Thieves' Den, Hajime was waiting for him; as was Monomi. (Makoto wasn't sure how she had made her way over there. She was turning out more like a cat than a rabbit these days.) He gave them a very brief rundown of what had happened, and Hajime quickly relayed the information to the other Phantom Thieves through his phone.

After a short while, the group gathered at the Den.

Once everyone arrived, they huddled around Makoto, their expressions a mix of concern and focus as he recounted the events. Fortunately, aside from a stinging head, he was uninjured and mostly fine.

Hajime listened with a frown, Chiaki looked deeply thoughtful, and Kaede's hands clenched as she tried to hold back her anger over Mondo's interference.

Makoto also took the opportunity to tell his teammates that Chihiro wasn't actually a girl. He didn't want to go behind the programmer's back and reveal the secret without his permission, but since Kaede already knew, and the team needed the full context, he didn't have much choice.