Togami hurried back towards the second floor, doing his best to make up for the time he'd lost in the dorms. He knew he shouldn't have let himself get sidetracked for so long – but he hadn't realized just how difficult it would be to return to the room where Naegi was. Under the circumstances, he supposed that he'd managed to get in and out as quickly as he could have expected.
As he opened the door to the library again, he braced himself to face the worst. Any number of things might have happened in his absence – Monokuma could have reactivated himself, the mastermind could have returned, or Jill could have gotten bored and done something destructive. The possibilities were endless.
But it seemed like for once, matters were falling out in his favor. The library looked just the way it had been when he'd left it, down to every pile of ruined books and shattered furniture. Even Jill was in the same place, leaning against the wall at the corner of the row of bookcases where she could see both areas of the room. She'd looked bored when he opened the door, toying idly with the ends of her long braids, but at the sound of his footsteps, she snapped to attention, her mouth twisting into her usual wide grin.
"There you are, White Knight! What kept you?" she bounded over to his side, only to have to spin in place and return the way she'd come when he didn't pause his strides towards the screened-off space.
"I was busy," Togami said shortly, not at all inclined to give a known murderer unnecessary information.
But apparently she didn't need it. "Stopped by to check on sleeping beauty, huh? So did true love's kiss work its magic?"
True love – those words from her lips stopped Togami in his tracks, prickling along his skin like jabbing needles. He'd only come to realize how deeply he felt for Naegi a single day ago, and with the ensuing fight, the knowledge of his own emotions still lay raw and unhealed in his heart. What right did she have to talk about love, when he hadn't even said the word aloud yet? How dare she mock his feelings when he still didn't know if Naegi felt the same?
"That is none of your business," Togami snapped.
"Guess that means it didn't work." Jill shook her head, undaunted by his anger. "But come on, no way he'd leave a catch like you behind. I bet any time now –"
"Shut up," Togami cut her off, voice low and harsh. "Or if you can't manage to keep your mouth shut for two seconds together, say something useful and tell me what happened while I was gone."
"That's all you want?" Jill tilted her head. "Come on, baby, ask me for something fun next time! What's the point of having me follow your orders if all I get to report is that nothing happened?"
Togami turned to glare directly at her, searching her face for any sign of deception. "Nothing happened at all? You're sure?"
"Could've been Saturday night for how boring it was in here," Jill confirmed. "Gotta say, baby, you've given me some tall orders before, but sticking around here to watch a whole lot of nothing? That's the toughest one yet!"
Togami tuned out her blather, continuing on towards the area where the frozen Monokuma had been. If nothing had happened while he was retrieving the toolkit, that had to mean that the mastermind was still out of touch. If they'd returned, surely dealing with the deactivated Monokuma would be a top priority, to prevent the students from getting their hands on it. That meant the opportunity hadn't passed, not quite yet. He could still learn something valuable.
The tang of blood still hung in the air as Togami rounded the bookcase corner – but it seemed less oppressive now than it had the first time he'd returned here to investigate. The air around him was only empty space, not a physical force choking him with the memory of what had happened in this place. Was it that he knew what he'd find now that he'd faced it once already, giving the scene less power over him? Or was it that he had a goal now, a purpose that could give him a way to progress beyond the horror of this place?
Whatever the reason, when Togami turned the corner, he found himself able to avert his eyes from the wreckage still scattered across the floor with little more than a shudder. The bloodstained reminder of the past no longer held his focus, and he could look instead at the new path ahead.
Monokuma still stood frozen in the middle of the area, just as Jill had claimed. Togami scanned the area carefully, this time paying special attention to the floor, walls, and ceiling nearby – but he didn't see any obvious evidence of a trap. Of course, that was no guarantee that it was safe, since he knew of several dangerous traps that could only be detected by closer examination – but thus far, the mastermind hadn't shown much inclination to use such things. Their preference seemed to be for the flamboyant threats, with enormous guns and heavily locked doors promising dire consequences if they were ignored.
Still, there was no point in taking chances. Togami pulled a book from the nearest shelf and lobbed it forward, holding his breath as he watched its progress. The book hit the ground at a wide angle, spinning fast along the floor until it skidded to a stop at Monokuma's feet.
Nothing else happened.
Togami exhaled slowly, considering what that meant. It ought to have been a good sign that the book had made it to the stuffed bear without encountering a rain of bullets or a blast of flames – but the tension coiling through his stomach didn't abate in the slightest. If anything, the lack of any obvious reaction made things worse.
"And here I thought you were all about respecting the written word!" Jill said, bouncing up to stand too close to Togami's shoulder. "Let me know if we're gonna do a book burning next!"
Togami turned to face her again, narrowing his eyes as he considered the girl. "Tell me – when you found this thing originally, did you get close enough to touch it?"
"Aw, are you jealous?" Jill laughed. "Don't worry, baby, I didn't get any closer than this. I only want to get my hands on you!"
Togami curled his lip at that horrifying suggestion. "Don't even think about trying it."
"Ooh, trying to order around my fantasies now, too?" Jill asked brightly. "Tell me, baby, how are you gonna know if I just can't control myself?" She laughed. "But gotta say, that wasn't the order I thought you were gonna give."
"What are you talking about?" Togami asked suspiciously.
"No need to pretend, I get it," Jill said. "My noble White Knight just can't bring himself to order such a fragile, demure maiden to throw herself into danger, right?" She cackled with wild amusement at her own jokes. "Mm, those big bold demands of yours sure do give a girl the tingles – but time's a-wasting, so I say we skip the foreplay and get right to the main event!"
Before Togami could demand an explanation for this barrage of absurdity, Jill sprang – not towards him, but across the room in the direction of Monokuma.
Togami froze as Jill landed at the bear's side, letting all her weight fall on the floorboards around him. It was true that he'd been about to order her to approach Monokuma first, to check for any traps that might only be triggered by a human presence. It had seemed only fair that she be the one to take that risk first, considering how close she'd come to committing murder in this very spot.
But she hadn't made him demand it. She'd offered.
Jill seemed completely unaware of the confusion she'd caused as she circled Monokuma, waving her hands through the air around him. When she'd made two full circuits, she stopped short at the bear's side, one hand snaking out to land on top of him. Togami stared in disbelief at the sight of one remorseless killer patting another on the head.
Finally, she looked back over at him with a careless shrug. "Doesn't seem like he's gonna bite anytime soon."
"Apparently not," Togami agreed, giving the ceiling one last glance – but it still remained unnervingly free from weaponry. As far as he could tell, there were no dangers in approaching the deactivated Monokuma – and after Jill had done so, he couldn't very well avoid it.
Taking a deep breath, Togami strode across the floor, not stopping until he'd joined Jill at Monokuma's side.
