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

Chapter 106: Boiling the Broth

Despair Searching - Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony

The morning air was crisp, the sky a dull gray as Makoto approached the old warehouse building. Despite being close to Hope's Peak Academy, it felt very different and more ominous. He tightened his coat around him, exhaling a breath that misted in the cool air.

The previous evening, Shuichi had explained his plan: a practice séance, a test run of the Caged Child ritual to understand how it worked before making any assumptions about its role in Noriko Noya's death. It wasn't exactly the way Makoto had expected to spend his morning, but he couldn't deny that he was curious.

As he stepped inside, the scent of dust and aged wood filled his nose. The warehouse was vast and mostly empty, save for a few crates pushed to the side, as well as the collection of people who had gathered there.

Shuichi and Momoji stood near the setup, deep in quiet conversation. When they noticed him, Shuichi broke away and offered a small smile.

"Makoto, you made it."

"Yeah. This isn't really what I had in mind for today," Makoto admitted, "but if it helps us find the truth, I'm in."

"I really appreciate it," Shuichi said, sincerity evident in his voice. Before they could say more, Kaede approached, hands tucked into her sleeves.

"Morning," she greeted, though her expression showed the same apprehension he felt. "Looks like we've got quite the group."

Makoto glanced around, noticing the others scattered throughout the warehouse. Kaito Momota stood with his arms crossed, clearly nervous, but here nonetheless. Maki Harukawa lingered beside him, her gaze assessing, as if deciding whether this was a complete waste of time.

Tenko Chabashira and Himiko Yumeno were a stark contrast. Tenko was tense, looking like she might punch something if the séance went wrong, while Himiko...well, she looked like she could fall asleep standing up.

Then there was Kokichi Ouma, grinning as if this was the funniest thing he'd ever witnessed, and Miu Iruma, who had her arms wrapped around herself, occasionally muttering complaints about how creepy this all was.

"This is everyone?" Makoto asked.

"Not yet," Shuichi told him. "All we're doing now is waiting for Kiyo to arrive. He's the expert on this ritual, after all. We couldn't exactly do this thing without his guidance."

Makoto looked around again. The group's mood ranged from cautious to outright skeptical. Still, they were all here, which meant, on some level, they were willing to go through with this.

"So...how exactly are we doing this?" Kaede exhaled, rubbing her hands together.

"Kiyo should be here soon," Shuichi said, adjusting his cuffs. "Once he arrives, he'll bring everything we need from his research lab. We have our roles set. Kiyo, Kokichi, Himiko, and I will take the four corners of the room. Tenko has volunteered to be the medium."

"If we're gonna do this, we're gonna do it right!" Tenko declared, her usual fiery determination all over her face.

"The rest of us," Shuichi gestured to the others, "will be outside helpers. That includes Makoto-senpai, Kaede, Maki, Kaito, Miu, and Momoji. Your job is to make sure everything stays in order and to step in if something goes wrong."

"Uh..." Makoto frowned. "Define 'something going wrong.'"

"Well..." Shuichi hesitated. "This is just for practice. We're not actually summoning a spirit, so I don't think we have to worry about anything supernatural...but if the setup collapses, or if Tenko starts feeling unwell, or if an external factor interrupts the ritual, you'll have to intervene."