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

Chapter 103: Devil's Medicine

Suspicion - Persona 5

The dim glow of the Phantom Thieves' hideout cast long shadows over the room, their usual camaraderie tinged with an air of seriousness.

Makoto sat in one of the chairs, his head tilted slightly as Kaede worked diligently, evening out the uneven patches in his hair. The solution Seiko had used to restore his hair to normal after the growth pill had done its work, but it had left his hair uneven in places. A minor inconvenience, but one Kaede had insisted on fixing.

Komaru, however, was far from calm.

"So she just waltzed right in and threatened her to her face!?" she nearly shouted, fists clenched on the table. "What is that girl's problem!?"

"Yeah...it was a full-blown threat," Makoto exhaled, shaking his head. "Seiko was already struggling to hold her ground, but now they've backed her into a corner."

"Jesus, Makoto..." across from them, Hajime sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "You're seriously like a magnet for this kind of controversy. How do you always find yourself stuck in these situations? As if being thrown into a dumpster by Mondo Owada wasn't enough, you almost got turned into a Pop-Up Pirate!"

"Well, I have dabbled in fate a few times," Makoto managed a small, weary smirk, but he sobered quickly. "But that doesn't matter right now. What matters is that Seiko is in danger. Ando and Izayoi have gone too far."

"It's hard to believe..." Shuichi adjusted his collar, his expression unreadable. "I mean, Ando-san is always so bubbly, and Izayoi-san is so stoic. Looking at them, I never would've guessed they were capable of something this...cruel. But it turns out they're quite the foul pair of people..."

"They're not just cruel," Hajime said, leaning forward and resting his arms on the table. "They're threatening to get Kimura expelled if she doesn't give in to their demands. And as painful as it is to admit...getting expelled from Hope's Peak Academy is basically social suicide. If that happens, Seiko won't find opportunities anywhere. No one will trust her, regardless of how or why she was expelled."

"That's why I'm resorting to these extremes. Ordinarily, I wouldn't deploy the Metaverse for something so personal, but I think this is warranted," Makoto clenched his fist. "Seiko-senpai has resolved to do good things with her life, even if she hasn't always gone about it in the healthiest way. I won't stand by and let Ruruka Ando and Sonosuke Izayoi destroy it!"

Kaede set down her scissors and stepped back, inspecting Makoto's now even hair before crossing her arms. Her brows were knit together in frustration.

"I agree. Manipulating her with a false sense of friendship is one thing, but this?" she scowled. "This is straight-up blackmail."

"Looks like we're all in agreement, then," Toko scoffed, adjusting her glasses with a smirk. "Let's go kick their asses in Mementos and make them repent like always."

"Wait...but won't it be difficult for us to do it without Monomi-sensei?" Chiaki, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke, her voice tinged with concern. "Not only do I not want to leave her behind, but she was kind of our main method of transport..."

Makoto nodded, expecting the concern. They still hadn't heard back from their mascot teacher, and it was clear that Chiaki especially was starting to worry. For the Phantom Thieves, these missions were usually all or none of them, but since Monomi had run off on her own, there wasn't much they could do about that.

"I have Personas that can reach high speeds, and Persephone could probably carry us too. It's not the Usamobile, but it'll have to do," his expression softened as he turned toward Chiaki. "I know you're worried, Chiaki-senpai, but Monomi clearly isn't going to lend us any more aid until she gets to the bottom of what's bothering her. Considering what happened, and how volatile those bears made her, I think that's for the best."