Togami was fairly certain he'd lost his mind. Being locked in Hope's Peak had clearly unhinged him. That was the only explanation he could think of for his actions the previous day. He'd tried to calm himself down by concentrating on a book, tucked in the back corner of the physics lab where the air purifier would block him from view, but the words kept swimming out of focus as he flashed back to that moment in the archive.

Makoto Naegi? What had he been thinking? It wasn't even as though he could blame it on hormones or thinking with his dick, not when he'd been with someone as average and unextraordinary as Naegi. Boys like him came crawling out of the woodwork at any common high school, and none of them had ever been worth a passing glance.

Of course, none of them could win a vicious argument under life-and-death pressure, either. Naegi obviously had hidden depths, which was why Togami had let the boy spend time with him. Something about Naegi wasn't as ordinary as he seemed, and Togami had wanted to understand what that was. That kind of contradiction could cause problems, especially in a situation like this one.

But none of that explained why he'd dragged Naegi into the archive to kiss him, or how the kiss had led to a wild mess of wanting that had consumed him so thoroughly. He had always prided himself on control, on icy logic and measured reactions. He'd thought he knew what his own response would be to any situation, but yesterday had proved him wrong.

And that wasn't even the worst of it. He could almost – almost – accept that he found Naegi attractive enough for sex, if it hadn't been for what had happened afterwards. Awash with endorphins and dizzy from pleasure, he'd chosen to hold Naegi close and kiss him with what he could only call affection. That wasn't the dispassionate dismissal he should have used if he'd only wanted to satisfy a physical need – that had been the soft embrace of a lover.

It would have been understandable if he'd done it as some kind of trick, a way to lull Naegi into a false sense of trust in him – but he knew that such thoughts hadn't entered his head. He'd wanted to wrap his arms around Naegi and feel the boy curl into him, to let his body give voice to some part of the contentment he'd felt.

And that was dangerous. Didn't he know the situation here, with murder lingering in the air like a promise? Hadn't he been the one to say that being around the others would only create the potential for disaster? Any connection to another person created a vulnerability that could be exploited.

A connection like the one he and Naegi had just forged.

He could feel it settling on him like a noose around his neck, the start of a force that could drag him to his doom. It could mean an opening for another killer to exploit, an opportunity for betrayal, or, worst of all, a moment of hesitation on his own part.

Would he still be able to commit a murder, knowing that successfully winning the game would lead to Naegi's death? He thought he still could – but now there was a hint of doubt, where previously there'd been only certainty.

He slammed his book down, frustration exploding through him. Doubt? Uncertainty? Where had those thoughts even come from? If there was one thing he'd learned from winning his position as the Togami heir, it was that victory did not allow room for doubt.

He had to stop this connection, before it got any stronger. It was still new and weak now, so it didn't fully have its hooks in him yet. If he could break the fragile beginnings of this bond, he'd have no reason left to hesitate when the time came for him to make his move in the game.

In most situations, he would have assumed that he'd need nothing more than his own force of will to cut off the connection on his own end. However, based on the intensity of his response to Naegi, he couldn't trust himself to maintain the icy distance necessary to achieve that.

No, he would have to arrange the situation to leave himself no quarter, no hope of respite. If he really meant to win the killing game, he had to destroy any feelings Naegi had for him.

And so, after the final Monokuma announcement sounded for the night, he slipped silently through the dark dormitory halls and pressed the doorbell outside Naegi's room.

Naegi opened the door, and the way his face brightened made Togami's heart clench. He'd been the cause of the happiness on Naegi's face, and he didn't want to wipe it away.

Which only made it more imperative that he do so.

"We need to talk," Togami said, letting the door lock behind him as he entered Naegi's room.