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

Chapter 104: Novel Detective's Detective Novel

Suspicion - Persona 5

The Thieves' Den was normally a place rich with camaraderie and respite. A place the Phantom Thieves went to wind down after a hard day, or to get into the zone during strategy meetings.

But these days, the Thieves' Den was almost chronically thick with exhaustion, and little else. The group lounged in various states of weariness after another grueling day of sneaking and fighting through the labyrinthine halls of Ashikawa's Palace.

And after leaving the place today with little to show for it, that went double.

"Is it just me..." Komaru let out a groan, her face buried in the depths of the beanbag chair, "...or does it somehow feel like this sucky Palace just got...suckier?"

"If by that you mean it's taking longer to clear it and get through the traps and tricks," Chiaki, sitting cross-legged on the floor with a gaming console in her lap, didn't look up as she sighed, "then yes...it got suckier."

A soft chuckle broke through the fatigue. Kaede, limping but smiling, handed out cold drinks to the group. Much like in the situation with fighting Shadow Ando and Izayoi, Kaede had been benched on account of her injuries and wasn't permitted to be in the field until she was sure she was better.

This was obviously to her chagrin, but she respected the team code.

"Don't worry, guys," she said warmly, smiling at them. "I'm sure you're all doing better than you think. It's probably just because I can't join you in the field that things feel slow."

"Well, you do have a way of sweeping through hordes of enemies," Hajime, who had been leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed, scoffed lightly. "Pretty unlike a thief who should be sneaking around..."

"Kyoko did once call me the barbarian of the group..." Kaede laughed, tapping a finger to her chin in faux contemplation.

"It's also probably more exhausting because our healer's on sabbatical," Makoto added. "Be it the Palace or Mementos, getting through it without Monomi having our backs is an inconvenient challenge..."

"I doubt it matters," Toko scoffed, arms folded and expression sharp. "Even if she was here, our 'healer' would probably just let us get blown up again while she goes on the fritz."

At that, the air in the room shifted. Everyone turned toward Toko with frowns, some more pronounced than others. Chiaki, in particular, fixed her with a rare look of disappointment.

"Toko..."

Toko clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry, that was a bit much..." she grouched. "But I still haven't forgiven her for letting that happen to Kaede."

"I'm totally fine, Toko!" Kaede said brightly, waving her hands as if to dispel the tension. "I feel better already now that I've had some rest!"

"I know it's frustrating, but Monomi has guided us this far," Makoto said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "We can't treat her like a pet or a teacher before we treat her as a person. She just needs time."

"Well, we don't have time!" Toko scowled. "If she doesn't get her act together, we might find ourselves at the end of a smoking barrel! Aimed at us by the Steering Committee!"

A heavy silence followed her words. The reminder settled over them like an oppressive fog.

In just a few days, the Steering Committee would open their investigation into the student body. If they didn't steal Ashikawa's heart before then, their vigilante group, and everything they had fought for, would be over.