Naegi made his way to the trial ground, step by careful step. Moving too fast set his head spinning, and he knew that for the ordeal ahead, he would need to have his mind as clear as possible. He would just have to go at a pace he could manage, and that would have to be enough. After all, he was pretty sure the trial wouldn't start without him.
The hallway was as eerily silent as ever as he approached the red door. He turned the handle and tried to push it open – but that door was heavy even on a good day. After a dose of poison on top of days of exhaustion, Naegi found that his arms shook a little under the weight.
And then the pressure eased a little. Naegi looked up to see that Ogami had reached over to hold the door open for him, looking down at him in concern. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Naegi did his best to sound normal, but judging from the looks the other students gave him as he entered, he didn't succeed.
Togami stepped forward, lips going tight as his gaze pierced through Naegi. Naegi straightened and tucked his injured hand in his pocket, trying not to sway on his feet. He could feel Togami's eyes scanning carefully over him, taking note of everything, and he wanted to give the other boy as little to worry about as possible. With the trial about to begin, Togami ought to be focusing on that, not on what might have happened to Naegi.
Togami didn't seem to agree, though. He crossed his arms and glared at Naegi. "You," he said distinctly, "are not fine. What the hell happened?"
Naegi shrugged. "It's not important right now."
Togami looked at him for another moment, then swung around to Kirigiri. "What did you do to him?"
She raised an eyebrow at him. "What makes you think I did anything?"
Togami glared at her. "You were the only one in there with him. And even if you didn't do whatever happened personally, it would still be your fault."
"I'm sure you'd like to think that," Kirigiri said calmly.
Her lack of reaction only seemed to make Togami angrier. But before he could say another word, Monokuma came springing out among them to land in the middle of the room. He rubbed sleepily at his eyes, looking around.
"Oh, is everyone here already? We're not missing anyone? It's getting so hard to be sure these days." He shook his head and heaved a too-heavy sigh. "I must be getting old – all worn out and used up. Soon, everyone will move on to some newer mascot, with a cuter design and a more charmingly violent flair. No one will want me around when they can have someone newer."
"No one wants you around anyway," Togami said coldly.
"So it's starting already? Maybe soon I'll be replaced with a cute piglet with perky ears and a jaunty curl to its tail."
Naegi stared at Monokuma blankly. He was pretty sure that even without the poison and head injury, none of that would make much sense to him. "What are you talking about?"
"Huh? You don't agree?" Monokuma tilted his head at Naegi. "You think there's no way something could be cuter than little ol' me?"
"I didn't say that –"
"Well, you're right!" A wide grin spread over Monokuma's face. "Nothing out-cutes a bear, and I'm the cutest bear there is! Good thing I remembered that before I did something drastic!" He threw his head back and laughed wildly. "Now, everyone into the elevator. See you all down there!" As the elevator doors opened, he disappeared.
"That was weird," Asahina said, frowning at the place where Monokuma had been.
Togami shrugged. "No more than usual."
Naegi gulped, watching each of the others glance hesitantly at the elevator before looking away again. He understood how they felt, thinking about the situation. So the culprit… the person who had knocked everyone in Ogami's room unconscious and then murdered Hagakure… that person was here, among them? It seemed unbelievable…
But they couldn't think like that. They couldn't bury their heads in the sand and pretend it wasn't happening. If they did, they'd all end up just as dead as Hagakure was.
"Come on," Naegi said, taking the first step towards the elevator. "It's time to put an end to this."
But even though he tried to sound strong and confident as he headed into the elevator, every step he took felt like one more move away from his goal. Stepping into the elevator was just as chilling this time as it had been every time before, somehow made even more terrifying by the familiarity it was starting to have for him. Nothing made it easier.
But as the steel doors to the prison closed, shutting all six remaining students inside, warm fingers settled gently around Naegi's hand. When Naegi looked up, he saw Togami staring fixedly at the door rather than meeting his eyes – but that did make sense. After all, they were technically still supposed to be separated. Actually, if he was going to play fair, Naegi knew he ought to shake Togami's hand off and step aside.
He couldn't bring himself to do it. Not after the horror of today, with another murder and the fast-approaching trial. With so much darkness surrounding him at every turn, he needed to have this one small moment of light. Naegi let his fingers curl back around Togami's, their hands fitting together like puzzle pieces.
Turning his attention back to the front of the elevator, Naegi noticed that Kirigiri was looking over at him, narrowed eyes fixed on his hand in Togami's. Naegi had the brief impulse to snatch his hand away and pretend it hadn't happened – but there wouldn't be much point when she'd obviously seen already. He just hoped she wouldn't take it the wrong way.
However she took it, Kirigiri didn't say anything. She looked away from the boys' entwined hands, face unreadable, and stood in silence until the doors opened on the trial ground.
This room wasn't quite as elaborate as the gothic midnight room they'd been in last time, but not by much. The walls were bedecked in heavy red curtains, and between them huge golden pillars stretched to the ceiling, covered in elaborate ancient carvings. The circle of small wooden podiums looked almost out of place among the other furnishings.
Reluctantly, Naegi let go of Togami's hand and headed over to his place in the circle, while the others did the same. It was strange to see them all so spaced out, when at first the circle had been crowded with faces and voices. Now, there were more pictures of the dead than there were living students among them. With Maizono and Yamada on either side of him, harsh red Xs painted across their portraits, Naegi couldn't escape the memories of what had come before this.
"Just the six of you, huh?" Monokuma dropped his head in a mockery of a sad pose. "That's so few. You must be lonely!"
Naegi glared up at him. "You say that like it's not your fault we're all that's left!"
Monokuma laughed in response. "I wonder, how many classmates will you lose in this trial? Who will be found guilty, and who will go on to live another day? Or maybe your school life come to an end completely! Who knows!" He grinned. "Now, are we ready to begin?"
Naegi took a deep breath, bracing himself as he looked around at the faces of the other students. Another class trial – another life and death battle against a friend – and no matter how things ended today, another tragedy. But he knew that there was no other choice. He had to do this.
It was time to begin.
