Only when a dull ache began throbbing through his forehead too persistently to ignore did Togami start to realize just how long he'd been sitting on the library floor, bent over piles of disassembled electronics. He closed his eyes for a moment, and a spasm of pain seized across his face as the tense muscles there finally had the chance to relax.
Togami leaned back from the pieces of the Monokuma he'd been laboring over, rolling his shoulders until they clicked from tension. He'd spent long stretches of time concentrating on work before – but it had usually been mental work, no more physically taxing than turning pages or squinting at a computer screen. If he'd needed something to be taken apart, there had always been a minion around to do it for him.
But now, delegation wasn't an option. The only person around that he could have ordered to take apart Monokuma was Genocide Jill – and even if she did seem willing to listen when he told her what to do, that only went so far. He didn't believe for a moment that the genocider possessed the skills or the patience necessary to take apart the delicate robot without destroying some critical piece. It had been tricky enough for him to manage, especially since he'd had to take extra care to avoid violating the rules by even accidentally breaking something – and he didn't even want to think about what might have happened if Jill had been the one to encounter the bomb.
He opened his eyes again, looking over at the corner of the room where he'd placed the bomb, wanting to keep it well out of the way. He'd suspected that Monokuma might have some kind of weapon built into him, after the first version of the bear they'd met had exploded when Owada had attacked it, and so he'd been on the alert for danger as he'd unfastened screws and disconnected wires.
But even if he hadn't been watching for it, he could easily have identified the bomb, with its almost cartoonish shape and its bright red motion sensor. Fortunately, the motion sensor had been deactivated, probably at the same time that Monokuma himself had gone still, and Togami had been able to disconnect the bomb from the rest of the robot without too much difficulty. The ease of removing it did make sense, once he thought about it – after all, if the mastermind had ever needed to perform any repairs on their robot, they would presumably have wanted to get the explosive components out of the way first. It didn't seem likely to go off unless someone deliberately turned the motion sensor back on – but there was no point in taking needless risks.
Unfortunately, useless as it was, the bomb was the most interesting thing he'd uncovered in his search so far. Togami had gone into this investigation all too aware of the possible dangers, and so he'd chosen to move slowly. For moment he spent untangling wires or detaching joints, he devoted more than twice that amount of time to tracing the connections between the different parts, making sure that he understood every move before he made it. He knew just how thin a line he was treading, disassembling the mastermind's prized piece of technology, and he wanted to take every possible precaution to stay on the right side of the school regulations. If he didn't… well, the fate of the school's two rule-breakers was always present in the back of his consciousness, reminding him of what he had to avoid.
But knowing how critical caution was in this situation did nothing to temper his frustration at the slow pace of his investigation. He still had no idea why the mastermind had disappeared in the first place, which meant that he also didn't have any way to tell if they might return. The mastermind could come back at any moment, discover what Togami was doing, and put a stop to his investigation before he could uncover any more secrets. There was still so much to the robot that he hadn't even touched yet, a whole intricate mess of its inner workings, and he knew there had to be something of more value than an explosive in there, if he could only find it.
But when he tried to look back down at the pieces of Monokuma in front of him, his vision blurred and wavered, refusing to focus on the electronics or his tools. He'd been sitting here too long without a break, that was the problem. He should have known better than to press on to the point of causing himself physical pain – that would only make his work ineffective, just as bad as not doing it at all.
Togami forced himself to his feet, his knees groaning in protest at the change in position, and tried to stretch his tense muscles. He ached all through his arms and legs, along his spine, through his skull. How long had he been sitting there?
And then he heard noise shuffling off to one side, and his head darted towards it, in spite of the sharp jolt the sudden movement sent down his neck. Jill knelt on the floor a little way off from him, bucket of water beside her and a sponge in her hand. The moment his gaze fell on her, she looked up, a bright grin bursting across her face.
"Hey there, White Knight! Done playing handyman yet?"
"No." Togami looked her over, eyeing the reddened edges of the sponge. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Couldn't let you be the only one doing manual labor, baby!" Jill said. "If you're on board, I had to get in on the fun!"
That didn't explain much of anything. Togami was about to demand that she provide him with an explanation that actually made sense – when he realized just where she was. Jill knelt with her bucket of soapy water just to the side of the wreckage of the bookcase where Naegi had fallen – the place where she'd started to write her signature word bloodlust in Naegi's blood. But looking at the floor now, it was impossible to tell that it had ever said anything of the sort. Jill had washed away all remnants of the word, leaving the floor clean and unmarred.
Togami couldn't help but feel a small rush of relief at the sight of the unmarked floor, ridiculous as that was. It wasn't as though cleaning the floor would erase what had happened to Naegi, or remove Jill's culpability in the matter. But still… he was glad that the genocider's signature had been washed away from the place Naegi had nearly died.
"At least you haven't been wasting your time here," he said, not letting any of his relief seep into his chilly tone. He had no intention of letting her feel like he was praising her for cleaning up a mess that had been her fault in the first place.
"No way, baby," Jill said, bouncing up to her feet. "I could watch you work for hours!"
Hours? Had it been that long? Togami narrowed his eyes. "And just how many hours has it been?"
Jill laughed. "Do I look like a math girl to you? I'll have you know that I'm a brilliant up-and-coming artist – nothing but avant-garde sculptures from me!"
Her babbling made Togami's lip curl. "So you don't even know what time it is?"
"Oh, that?" Jill shrugged. "Past nine, probably. It was getting close when I left to find a new sponge."
Nine? Togami frowned. It was that late? He couldn't quite believe that he'd spent so long working on disassembling Monokuma – but his stomach chose that moment to inform him that yes, it really had been that long. Between the time and the energy he'd spent taking apart the robot, he was starving.
And if it was this late, that meant nighttime rules would go into effect soon. The cafeteria would be closed, and if they needed sleep, they would have to return to a dorm room to do so in safety. Granted, he didn't know how much of that would still matter with Monokuma out of commission – but there was no point in taking chances over something so easily dealt with.
And it wasn't just about him. He knew that one floor below, Sakura Ogami sat at Naegi's side, watching over him while he recovered. She'd vowed not to leave Naegi's side, and Togami believed she would keep her word – which meant that she wouldn't be able to leave the room. If she was going to maintain her vigil, someone really ought to check on her, to make sure she had everything she would need to remain there through the night.
Togami looked around at the little corner of the library, with the scattered electronics and the pieces of wreckage. He didn't like the idea of leaving with a task half-done – but there was no value in forcing himself to carry on in a state where his work would be ineffective. He looked over at Jill.
"Stay here and make sure nothing happens to any of these materials." He turned and headed for the door.
"Sure thing, baby!" Jill called after him. "Give Makyutie a get-well-soon kiss from me!"
Togami didn't even dignify that with a response, letting the library door slam shut behind him as he left.
