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

Chapter 107: Guttural Instinct

Darkness Time - Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony

The clock on the wall ticked steadily, filling the dimly lit room with its rhythmic, hollow sound. Shuichi lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, but not really seeing anything. His mind was too clouded, too weighed down by the events of the day.

The case was over. Korekiyo Shinguji and Chifuya Noya had both been arrested. Justice had been served.

...So why did it feel like he had lost?

He let out a slow, shaky breath, pressing a hand over his eyes as if to block out the memories clawing at the edges of his thoughts. Korekiyo...Chifuya...Two people he had once believed in. Two people he had thought, deep down, could still be saved. 

But in the end, they had chosen their own paths...Ones that led them away from redemption and into the depths of their own twisted desires. And despite everything, knowing that they had to be stopped, it didn't make the weight on his chest any lighter.

Chifuya's eyes in those final moments before she was taken away haunted him the most.

They were the same eyes he had seen before. They were cold and hollow; almost the same expression that the first criminal he had ever arrested had given him all those years ago. A man who, ironically, just like Chifuya, had killed in the name of revenge.

Shuichi had seen so many criminals since then, had faced so many liars and manipulators. He'd even been the primary victim of one. But somehow, that first arrest had never left him. It had been the moment he truly understood the burden of being a detective...of standing on the other side of justice, looking into the eyes of someone who had given up on any future besides vengeance.

And today, Chifuya had looked at him the exact same way.

Shuichi curled his fingers into the fabric of his blanket, gripping it tightly. He hadn't meant to say what he did to her. Before he could stop them, the words had flowed out, brutal and raw, ripping through her final barriers. He had watched her crumble under their weight, watched her realize, too late, that her path had never truly been one of justice.

Was that what it meant to be a great detective? To cut so deeply with the truth that people shattered in front of him? To drive home the reality of their sins with such brutal finality?

If so...perhaps he should start getting used to being looked at that way.

Realistically, he should take it as a sign that he had grown stronger. That he was no longer the hesitant, unsure detective he had once been. He had done what needed to be done, made the tough calls, and stood firm in the face of emotional manipulation.

And yet...he still felt miserable.

He turned onto his side, staring blankly at the moonlight filtering through his window. Until a soft knock at the door pulled Shuichi from his thoughts.

He barely had time to sit up before it creaked open, and his uncle stepped inside. The older man was still dressed in his usual suit, though his tie had been loosened, and there was a weariness in his eyes that mirrored Shuichi's own. Yet, his expression held warmth as he leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed.

"Well, kid, you did it!" Shinichi said, offering a small, proud smirk. "You cracked the case! Word's already spreading through the department! Some of the officers were saying they haven't seen a trap that clever in years! You really got into his head, didn't you?"

Shuichi exhaled through his nose, looking down at his hands.

"I guess," he muttered. "It doesn't feel like a win, though."