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

Chapter 39: The Phantom Knight.

Melancholy Touch - Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak Academy

Something about this new mysterious Palace put Makoto off. And yes, while that wasn't unusual, this time it was a different sort of unease.

Up until now, every Palace that he and the Phantom Thieves had busted into had been different. Towa's Prison, Kirigiri's Theater, Akamatsu's Gala, and even Mementos all carried their individual traps, tricks, and enemies that the team had battled their way through, snuck around, and explored, but one thing that remained chronic throughout all of them was the ominous sense of foreboding and evil to them. Fitting, considering they WERE places where humanity's distorted desires culminated. However, this Palace felt very...different...This Palace felt...

Calming.

With no other obvious way to get inside, they entered through the front door. Despite how intimidating it looked from the outside when Leprechaun and Usami made it in, the environment around them became very comforting. The air was clean, the walls were white and gold, the area was well-lit, and there wasn't an enemy to be seen.

Which somehow made the experience all the more intimidating. The Thieves leader was so calmed by the atmosphere that he felt himself being lured into a false sense of security, and had to make sure he kept his guard up.

"I'm not quite certain, but this place seems to have taken the form of...some sort of corporate research institute...I wonder what it is they're researching...?" Usami pondered aloud, twiddling her magic stick, "I don't see Chiaki-chan anywhere. Maybe we should head further in?"

"Yeah..." Leprechaun nodded, "But let's stick together. Something's off about this place, and I don't know how comfortable I feel going in when it's just the two of us."

"Don't worry. All we need to do is go in and get Chiaki-chan out," Monomi reassured him, "it won't take that long."

"Don't jinx it..." Leprechaun sighed.

"Hm...I fancy that if we find a way up to that scaffolding above us, it will give us a bird's eye view of the floor," Usami pointed upwards towards some footholds suspended in the air, "it'll make finding Chiaki-chan a lot easier."

Makoto agreed to this idea and cast his grappling hook to the scaffolding, with his rabbit pal casting her own straight after. They hoisted themselves up and scanned the floor for any sign of a human presence.

"I don't see her anywhere...!" Leprechaun growled, "dammit! Where is she!?"

"Calm down Leprechaun!" Usami snapped, "She can't have gone far. Be mindful of your emotions, or else they betray your senses."

"What are you, a Jedi?" he snarked back.

X

"H-Hey! Who's there!?"

Makoto's ears pricked up when he heard the familiar cry of his upperclassman close by.

"That was her!" he exclaimed, "but...where is she!?"

"Leprechaun! Over there!" Usami asserted, pointing one of her chubby paws towards the north of the Palace. Leprechaun followed her gesture to see a wide staircase leading up to what appeared to be a receptionist lobby. And standing right in the middle of it was Chiaki, as Makoto could tell from her backpack.

The two immediately cast out their lines and jumped over a wall separating the rooms, but as they drew closer, they noticed that something black and foreboding was splashed on the crisp white ground in front of the Ultimate Gamer.

She herself seemed to be terrified of it as the ooze approached her, but what happened next was against any and all expectations anyone could have set.