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

Chapter 25: Shadows of Symphonys

"It must take her 5 minutes to get to the bottom of her garden!" Komaru exclaimed, "what, is she gonna have some butlers serve us tea in a giant hall with a massive table!?"

"It is indeed...more high class than I imagined..." Monomi trembled inside Makoto's hood.

"It's not THAT big!" Shuichi deadpanned, "only two people live here, remember?"

"Even still, I'm no longer nervous about getting inside," Komaru cried, "I'm more worried that I'll go in and feel so totally out of place!"

"That is still the LEAST of our worries!" Makoto snapped, "how do we even get in? Just convince Kaede to let us in?"

"Sweet-talk her Shuichi!" Komaru gave him a thumbs up, "it's up to you!"

"I am flattered that you think I have THAT much charisma to the point where I'm capable of "sweet-talking" someone..." Shuichi chuckled at his own self-burn, "still though, I guess it is up to me to convince her to let us in."

Shuichi examined the area and found an intercom, pressing the buzzer. Some audio crackled through the speaker, until a familiar voice came through.

"Hello?"

"Kaede-chan, it's me," Shuichi called back, "can you let me in please?"

"Shuichi-kun?" Kaede asked back, "what's going on? Why are you here?"

"Um...You left one of your textbooks at school, so I thought I'd pop by to bring it to you," Shuichi fibbed, "would you mind letting me in?"

"Um...Well, alright. Mom's not home, so I guess I can quickly let you in?" she thought, "I'll unlock the gate for you."

The call cut and was followed by a loud buzzing. The gate suddenly swung open, allowing them access to the winding path up to the house. After taking a deep breath, Makoto, Komaru and Shuichi stepped into the large mansion garden.

Shuichi took the lead and approached the mansion door first. Kaede, who had been expecting them, opened it, still dressed in her school uniform.

"Hey Shuichi-Huh!? Naegi-senpai too!? And Komaru-chan!?"

"Helloooo!" Komaru tried her best to look jovial and merry.

"We were just on our way to...a really great cafe that Komaru's friend's family owns!" Makoto played along, "we passed by the neighborhood and Shuichi remembered he

"You're here for Kaori's sake, aren't you?" she asked bluntly.

Naturally, the three of them froze.

"Wh-What? What gave you that idea?" Makoto tried his best to play dumb, "you already told us we should drop that case."

"Yeah, yeah, we're all friendly here!" Komaru began to sweat again, "and we wouldn't betray your trust like that, would we?"

"Guys...I know I said all that, but I had a feeling you were here to snoop around," Kaede sighed, "not only did I remember telling Shuichi when my mom wasn't here, I literally just checked all my textbooks. They were all accounted for."

"Oh..." Shuichi was defeated.

"Look...If you guys wanted to come here to find evidence of Kaori's past and finding a link to her crimes," Kaede made a depressed smile, "you literally could have just asked me."

"Wait, really?" Komaru perked up.

"I'm not an unreasonable person! Unlike my mom..." Kaede chuckled, "if the police need my help with an investigation, I'll cooperate."

"Well...we're grateful for that," Makoto relaxed, "truth be told, we're actually here to find proof that Kaori ISN'T responsible for the crimes levelled against her."