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

Chapter 18: Affection and Reflection.

Beneath the Beautiful Dead - NoteBlock

"Hey, hey! Did you guys see the news?"

"You mean that stuff about Fuhito Kirigiri?"

"His granddaughter in the Main Course, right? And the boy he victimized..."

"He admitted to having manipulated both of them...I hope they're both ok..."

"Kirigiri-san from Class 78 hasn't come in today...Apparently, she's trying to fix things with her family's agency..."

"Were the Phantom Thieves really involved?"

"Phantom Thieves? You mean the guys who targeted Haiji Towa?"

"Come to think of it, he confessed out of the blue as well...AND he got the same kind of calling card..."

"So the calling card thing with Towa and Kyoko-senpai's grandfather was real?"

"Surely not...I mean, it's ridiculous!"

These kinds of whispers came and went, passing through Makoto Naegi's ears on this day, and though he tried to hide it, he couldn't prevent this overwhelming swelling of pride that built up inside him.

It sucked that Kyoko had become so busy out of nowhere due to the scandal, and none of Makoto's classmates could talk to her. They had been worried sick about her since Fuhito Kirigiri's confession on the breakfast show. It had also become a fair bit harder to meet up, given that Shuichi's classmates, who were similarly concerned for his wellbeing, had begun coddling him like they were their collective pet. Fortunately by now, he had convinced them to give him some space.

After getting through his day, comforting his worried classmates where he needed to, and acting like a diligent student, he grabbed his things and returned to the team's usual meetup spot by the park bench. By the time he got there, Toko, Komaru, and Shuichi were all already waiting for him. His little sister in particular was beaming with delight. He placed his bag down on the bench and sat down as Monomi clambered out and sat on his lap.

"Isn't it amazing!?" Komaru gushed, "people have been talking about us all day! I've been hearing so many cool things about the Phantom Thieves both in and out of school! We've really made a name for ourselves with Towa and Kirigiri under our belt now! We're FAMOOOUS!"

She made a punk gesture with her hands and stuck her tongue out. Makoto rolled his eyes.

"I guess it is a little exciting," he admitted, "but honestly, I'm just glad that both Kyoko and Shuichi are free of that guy above everything else."

"And I am eternally grateful for it. If it wasn't for you, I might still be wearing that cap and looking down at my shoes instead of up at the truth," Shuichi placed a hand on his chest, "you saved me, my uncle, and countless other detectives. You basically just saved all of PI law enforcement from Kirigiri's twisted reign. Nothing I could ever do will be good enough as thanks."

"You really don't have to think that hard about it," Makoto assured him, "we're friends. Best friends. It's what we do for each other. And like Komaru said, it worked out greatly for us in the end."

"Oh, that reminds me!" Komaru sat up straight and looked towards him, "what's been going on with Shinichi and Tsubaki now? Kirigiri confessed to the harassment, and your uncle's legitimacy has been proven. Please tell me they've been terminated by now?"

"Our lives have certainly gotten a lot more chaotic since then," Shuichi scratched his face and chuckled as he explained his circumstances, "we went from basically having no cases to far too many to tackle at once. Kyoko-sama has been a major help. The contract my uncle signed with Fuhito was abolished, and now that the truth has come to light, people have started to believe in us again. She's also been making use of the agency's security to stop any people with ill intentions from coming to our home until the excitement dies down. Plus, my uncle's started hiring people again. Now that we have a much steadier income, he's been using the funds wisely, and we've been eating much more filling meals."