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

Chapter 45: Electric Arcade Boogaloo

Kichijoji 199X - Persona 5 Royal

Makoto felt relieved as he no longer found himself stuck in the house alone with the girls. There was a limit to what each of them could do if he kept them sitting around the table, and he suspected that should they get bored enough, they might go exploring.

Then one of them may end up in his bedroom, or in another room where he didn't want any of them going, and...well, you get the picture.

Granted, Mukuro was the only one of the three who hadn't seen his bedroom. He hadn't been especially shy with Kyoko or Sayaka seeing it, since he didn't feel he had much reason to. But if he was distracted dealing with the other two girls, he was worried about what the third could find if they poked about for too long.

After all, as innocent and kind-hearted as he was, Makoto was still a teenage boy. He wasn't about to let a girl his age into his room without having a careful eye on them at all times.

So instead, he proposed they take this "group date" elsewhere. So what had he decided to do? Well, put plainly, he decided to invite the three classmates to join him at the arcade.

Makoto had guessed beforehand that none of the three girls, given their upbringing and backgrounds, had ever truly spent time at the arcade before, and for the most part, he was correct. Kyoko and Mukuro certainly hadn't, given the former's sheltered childhood, and the latter's...insensitivity to everything, being on the battlefield for so long.

Sayaka HAD been to an arcade before but admitted that she hadn't done so for many years, not since before high school; especially not after making her debut as an idol. She'd always been quite scared to come alone, but despite feeling a little sour over Mukuro and Kyoko's presence up until now, with the four of them going to hang out as classmates, it made for a better cover than someone catching her alone or with Makoto by himself.

Just to be on the safe side, she did don a cap and mask, as well as put her sunglasses to hide her face. Though she was still recognizable enough to the other three.

The girls were astounded by the loud noises and brilliant lights as soon as they walked into the arcade; which Makoto noticed and was best pleased by. Entering the arcade felt like stepping into a sea of color, sound, and excitement. The sounds of pinball machines pinging, tokens clinking, and friends laughing together over a multiplayer game filled the air. Each game's neon lights beckoned players to try their hand at beloved classics like Pec-Men or brand-new hits like Jazz Jazz Resolution.

"So? What should we do first?" he asked with a smile.

"Hm..." Kyoko's eyes scanned the floor for anything that might catch her interest, "how about that one over there? It looks like a car?"

Everyone turned in the direction of what she was pointing at. The title of the game was "Too Slow? Too Bad!" and was a racing game fit with a surround-sound seat, pedals, and a wheel for an immersive experience.

"Oh, that's a driving sim," Makoto explained, "the machine is designed to simulate driving in a car race. It's pretty simple in concept, but honestly? Some of those games can get really challenging."

"Looks like there are four seats available on it," Sayaka acknowledged, "why don't we try that one first?"

"You guys go claim the seats," Makoto advised, "I'm gonna go get us some yen. We'll need to pay the machine to play it."

"You're paying?" Mukuro frowned, "we couldn't ask you to do that."

"Don't worry about it," he assured her, "I'm supposed to be the host here. Let me spoil you guys this once."