Naegi stared up at Monokuma's image on the television screen in shock. Why had the bear appeared to give his usual nighttime announcement after refusing to interact with the students for most of the day? How could he even be there on the screen when Togami had spent the last several hours taking him apart in the library?
Before he could ask, Togami shifted behind him, edging himself slowly off the bed. The other boy seemed much more concerned with making sure he could stand without moving any of Naegi's injuries than with the fact that Monokuma had just reappeared. Naegi might have thought about asking anyway - but his arm twinged a little as the bed moved beneath him, just enough to remind him that there was a reason Togami was being so careful. The pain might have receded until it lurked just out of reach, but it would be all too easy to bring it rushing back. Naegi wasn't sure he could stand enduring that again - and he definitely didn't want Togami to think he'd been the cause of it. He closed his eyes and did his best to look like he barely noticed the movements, at least until Togami had managed to untangle himself from their embrace.
When Naegi opened his eyes again, the television screen had gone dark, the announcement ending just as it usually did. Togami still paid it no attention, crossing the room towards the door without so much as glancing up at the screen. He braced a hand against the door frame and opened the door a crack, tensing as though he was prepared to slam it shut again at a moment's notice.
But after a moment, he relaxed a hair, swinging the door further open to allow Ogami to enter the room, carrying a large crate filled with a variety of thermoses, cans, bottles, and other rattling supplies. She hardly seemed to notice the weight, even though it had to be considerable with everything she'd loaded into it, balancing the crate with one arm as she immediately turned to look up at the television screen.
"Was that Monokuma I heard?" she asked, staring up at the black screen like she expected the bear to come bounding out of it to attack them all. Ridiculous as the idea sounded when put into words, if it had actually happened, Naegi wouldn't have been at all surprised.
"Obviously," Togami said, peering at the crate Ogami was holding. "What did you do, clean out the nurse's office?"
"What?" Ogami blinked, taken aback by the change of subject. "Oh - yes, I went back there after I finished in the cafeteria. But —" Her gaze went back to the television. "Is he back? I couldn't see a screen from the hallway - but that voice is impossible to mistake."
"Yes, it was definitely him," Naegi said. "And he looked just the same as always."
"Of course he did," Togami said, his lip curling. "The nighttime announcements are obviously prerecorded and set to play at specific times, just like the morning ones."
"Are they?" Ogami asked, startled. "Did you discover that during your investigation of Monokuma?"
"No… it's because the announcements are always exactly the same, isn't it?" Naegi said slowly, the connection coming together in his head. "I guess that makes sense — otherwise it would be pretty hard for him to time it perfectly every day."
"Exactly," Togami said, giving Naegi a brief nod of approval. "The body discovery announcement also has to be a recording, but the trigger couldn't be automated - someone has to play it whenever the minimum number of people have found a corpse. The only live messages we've seen have been the ones that summoned us to assemblies."
"Then you believe Monokuma is still missing?" Ogami gave the television screen another worried glance.
"For now, at least." Togami scowled in the direction of the door. "Which means I should return to my investigation." He glanced at Ogami. "I assume you've found everything you need for the rest of the night?"
"I believe so." Ogami set the box on the table across from the bed. "I brought back some soups and juices and filled every thermos I could find with water. And while I had the opportunity, I rechecked the clinic for other useful supplies. I intended to search for painkillers, but I didn't have time to inspect every bottle. In the end, I simply brought everything to sort through here."
Togami frowned. "If you do find painkillers, be cautious with the dosage. The only reason the mastermind would have made them available would be as potential murder weapons."
Ogami's eyes widened. "Understood. I have no intention of asking Naegi to consume anything that I'm not confident about."
"Good." Togami looked back in Naegi's direction, something in his gaze softening as he met Naegi's eyes. "And what about you? Is there anything else you'd like before I leave?"
Stay with me.
The words hung heavy on Naegi's tongue, pressing against his lips in a desperate wish to be said. The thought of watching the other boy walk out the door now, knowing that the mastermind seemed to have a plot brewing… it sent cold shudders down Naegi's spine. Wasn't it bad enough that he'd already had to watch Kirigiri walk off to disappear into the hidden areas of the school, caught in the middle of the mastermind's trap? Did he really have to sit back and let Togami do the same thing? Faced with the reality of the moment, the plea not to go burned in his throat.
But… he knew he couldn't say it. He couldn't ask something like that of Togami — not when there was a chance that the other boy would actually give in to his request. It hadn't been all that long ago that Togami had been so upset at Naegi's poisoning that he'd considered staying trapped in Hope's Peak for the rest of his life. He seemed to have shaken off the fear and rediscovered his determination… but Naegi didn't want to encourage him to regress. No matter how much he wanted the other boy at his side, Naegi knew he couldn't ask Togami to stay.
"Just be careful," Naegi said at last. "And stay safe."
Togami rolled his eyes. "I think that would be more appropriate advice for you to keep in mind for yourself." He crossed his arms. "Drink as much as you can to recover from the blood loss, and get some rest. I expect noticeable improvements when I return."
Naegi had to smile at that — Togami couldn't help but give orders even when trying to be kind. "I'll do my best."
"Good." Togami hesitated for a moment, his gaze flickering in Ogami's direction — but then the faint uncertainty morphed into a deep scowl as he strode back across the room. When he reached the bed, he bent to place a firm kiss on Naegi's forehead for the briefest of moments, before jerking away with two high spots of red flushing on his cheeks. He spun and headed back towards the door, pausing only to glower at Ogami. "Take care of him."
She gave him a deep nod in return, and for a moment Naegi almost had the impression of an ancient samurai swearing fealty. "To the best of my abilities."
And without another backward glance, Togami swept out of the room and into the hall. Naegi craned his head to watch even after the other boy had left his line of sight, not giving up until the door swung closed with a click audible even from across the room. Naegi sighed and settled back into the bed, trying not to let himself wish too hard that Togami hadn't gone.
