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

Chapter 86: Androgène

Alright - Persona 5

Makoto yawned as he made his way down to the hotel dining area for breakfast, still feeling a bit groggy from the long flight. The smell of fresh pastries and coffee filled the air, instantly waking him up a bit more as he spotted Kyoko, Toko, and Chiaki already seated at a table near the window. The morning sunlight spilled in, casting a warm glow over the bustling dining room.

"Morning," Makoto greeted, sliding into an empty seat next to Kyoko. He grabbed a croissant from a basket in the middle of the table and began to butter it.

"Good morning," Kyoko replied, giving him a small nod. Chiaki waved lazily, her eyes half-closed as she sipped on her clearly sweetened-up coffee, still waking up as well.

Toko, however, seemed more animated than usual. She leaned in, her eyes narrowing.

"Hey...I feel like you should probably know, but I texted Komaru last night," she began without preamble, her voice sharp. "Turns out she and Hajime have been overworking themselves. They didn't even sleep the night before."

Makoto nearly dropped his croissant.

"Wait, what?" he asked, "They stayed up all night?"

"Yeah," Toko nodded emphatically. "They're so dedicated to getting the information we need that she's burning herself out while we're off enjoying Paris! Hajime too—he's barely keeping it together with all the pressure. Honestly, what were they thinking?"

Her tone was frustrated, but there was clear concern in her voice. Chiaki perked up at this, blinking away her grogginess.

"That's not good...Hajime's letting the pressure to be useful get to him again," she said, sadness in her tone. "They need to pace themselves, especially since cracking into Matsuda's laptop could take a while."

"I knew they'd be working hard, but I didn't think it'd be this bad," Makoto's brow furrowed with worry. "I should've checked in on them."

"Thinking about it now, we should've expected this. Komaru and Hajime are nothing if not stubborn," Toko huffed, crossing her arms. "I told her to take it easy, but you know how she is. She's always been determined to prove herself, just like the rest of us; Hajime even more so."

Kyoko rested her chin on her hand, thinking for a moment.

"Hajime's under a lot of pressure, especially with the connection to the Hope Cultivation Plan," she recalled. "This is personal for him. It makes sense he would lose sleep over it."

Makoto sighed, guilt creeping in.

"Maybe we put too much pressure on them," he said. "We left all that work to them while we're here on this trip, and now they're afraid of us coming back with no progress done."

"Sadly, we didn't have much of a choice. Since the rest of us were required to go on these trips, they're the only ones we can leave this to," Kyoko placed a hand on his arm, offering him a calming look. "If it helps you in any way, you're supporting them by staying safe and keeping things steady here. But we can still check in on them. Make sure they're resting."

"Exactly," Chiaki chimed in, setting down her coffee. "They need to be reminded that they're not alone in this. Maybe we should send them a message, just to keep their spirits up?"

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea," Makoto nodded. "I'll text Komaru after breakfast, make sure they're okay and remind them to take a break."

"They better be resting," Toko, still looking worried but slightly appeased, muttered. "If not, Komaru's going to get an earful from me later."