Naegi could see Togami turning towards him for an explanation of what had just happened, as he'd done the other times Monokuma had spoken to them — but this time, he didn't know how to translate the bear's nonsensical ramblings for the other boy. Studying? Cheat sheets? Normally he could figure out what Monokuma was going on about if he thought for a moment — but with his head aching badly enough that the world blurred around him, he couldn't quite muster the concentration to decipher Monokuma's meaning.
But at least he didn't seem to be the only one who was confused. Kirigiri narrowed her eyes at Monokuma, one finger tapping rapidly against the elbow of her opposite arm. "What are you talking about?"
"Uh oh… you mean you don't know?" Monokuma's paws flew to his mouth. "It wasn't supposed to be a secret, was it? Oops!" He laughed again.
And this time, behind the unnervingly cute sound they'd all quickly learned to despise, a second laugh rang in Naegi's ears, gleeful and cruel. It was a laugh he knew… it was… a girl's laugh?
"Naegi? What is he talking about?"
But he didn't know any girls who laughed like that, did he? No… no, he didn't, he was sure of it. He could never have forgotten a laugh that scraped across his soul like broken glass.
"Are you listening to me?"
It was so hard to think now, with pain pulsing through his head like a second heartbeat, battering against the confines of his skull with every breath he took. There was something he needed to do, a question he needed to answer… but what was it? He could barely remember any longer.
"Naegi!"
At the sound of Kirigiri's shout, the strange wisps of broken thoughts scattered again, blown too far out of reach to reconnect. Naegi looked up at the girl across the circle, not quite certain if it had really been her who had called his name. Even at her angriest, he'd never heard her raise her voice like that.
But the icy glare she was sending in his direction said that this time, she definitely had. "I don't know what you think you're doing, but this is not the time. We're in the middle of a class trial — and I know you understand how important this is."
Their conversation in the bathhouse flashed across Naegi's memory, an anchor of quiet sanity in the midst of the confusion bleeding through the rest of his mind. Kirigiri thought she had a way out of this mess of a trial, if only she could succeed in her gamble to unmask the mastermind — and the only thing she'd asked of him was to trust her. It was such a small request in the face of the risk she'd been willing to take on — he couldn't let her think that he'd forgotten.
"I know… and I'm sorry." Naegi did his best to smile in her direction, but his mouth didn't quite seem to remember the motions. "I'll try not to get distracted again."
"You're not simply distracted!" Ogami burst out, sounding too appalled by his choice of words to wait for Kirigiri to answer. "You're clearly in need of real medical attention, not the little I can do with my first aid! I thought I saw some symptoms of a head injury earlier, and now —"
"What are you talking about?" Togami's sharp words cut across the circle, and only when he turned back to face his boyfriend did Naegi realize that Togami wouldn't have been able to read his lips as he faced Kirigiri. "What the hell is going on over there?"
"Nothing," Naegi started to say — but as he looked into Togami's eyes, wide with overpowering fear and helpless fury, the words froze in his throat. He'd seen that look before, burnt black into his heart… except that he hadn't, he knew he hadn't…
… stay with me… you have to stay with me… promise you won't leave me alone…
The words whirled round and round through Naegi's head, a storm of half-formed pleas raging through his entire trembling body. The black tendrils of unconsciousness began snaking their way through his head, and he could feel himself swaying back and forth as he tried to fight them off. But even though he managed to cling to consciousness, his knees buckled and he slumped forward against the podium, clutching desperately at it with his one working hand.
A mechanical buzz filled Naegi's ears, but he didn't realize the sound came from outside his head until it mingled with the sound of Monokuma's laughter. "Sorry, but no one gets to leave their seat until the final bell rings!"
The words sent a chill down Naegi's spine, alarming him enough that he forced his eyes up just enough to see what was happening. He couldn't quite lift his head enough to see the rest of the trial room itself… but the twisted mirrors around the edges of the room gave him enough scattered pieces to put the picture together. The buzzing had been the sound of the hidden machine guns descending from the ceiling… and if the reflections didn't lie, they were pointed straight at Togami.
Terror flooded through Naegi, a sharp new emotion that dragged his awareness back from the darkness that had been encircling him. They'd all had horrible proof of just how deadly those guns could be when they'd torn through Asahina at the end of the last trial… he couldn't bear it if they took Togami, too. Not because of his own inability to cope with the strain of his injuries.
"Don't," Naegi croaked out desperately, struggling to lift his head enough for Togami to read the words. "Please… please don't…"
He would have liked to say more, to reassure his worried boyfriend that he really was fine and it was all a big misunderstanding — but even that small effort left him breathless, every gasp of air shuddering in his lungs. As he fought desperately to catch his breath and regain some semblance of equilibrium, he prayed that Togami had understood what he meant. No matter how unwell he felt, that was no reason for the other boy to do anything drastic.
"Is this charade really necessary?"
Naegi blinked at the unexpected sound of Kirigiri's voice cutting through the air like a blade, sharp and impatient. In the ring of broken mirrors, a dozen twisted reflections of the girl crossed their arms into alien tangles and sent distorted glares in Monokuma's direction.
"What's that? You want to start a new game before we finish the first one?" Monokuma asked, black and white spinning madly around the room as he tilted his head. "Well, I guess if you're that determined, I can play along. Are you going to tell me how many words it is, or do you want to jump right into your act?"
"I'm not the one playing games," Kirigiri snapped. "I'm trying to have a rational discussion — the thing you brought us here to do. And I'm certain we could all do it much more effectively without the needless dramatics."
"Aww… you mean you're not having fun?" Monokuma had the nerve to sound like he was genuinely shocked and dismayed at this discovery. "Well, if that's the case, I guess I don't have any choice!" He laughed again, but the bright sound was nearly drowned out by the mechanical whirring overhead. As the reflections of the guns disappeared back into the broken images of the ceiling, Naegi felt as though he could finally breathe again.
But from what he could see, Kirigiri didn't look relieved at all. She turned away from Monokuma, and an entire row of bulging eyes jeered at him from the mirrors. "Now, I want an answer to my question. What cheat sheet was Monokuma talking about?"
Naegi hadn't expected to be yanked back into the conversation so suddenly, but he was so used to Kirigiri asking him questions to object. She'd never asked him a question that wasn't important, after all — he had no reason to think she'd start now. But even so… what had Monokuma been talking about? He felt as though he ought to know… but when he tried to search his memory, white-hot agony blazed through his head.
"Leave him alone!" Togami's voice snarled through the air. "Can't you see he's not up to dealing with whatever idiocy Monokuma's been spewing?"
"He is," Kirigiri said, calm to counter the other boy's fury. "I know he is."
Knowing that Kirigiri had that kind of faith in him brought a little warmth back into Naegi's veins… but still, it wasn't enough to dredge up an answer from the aching depths of his mind. He couldn't even find the strength to raise his head, not when the slightest motion brought a fresh onslaught of pain.
"Looks like he doesn't want to play!" The sheer glee in Monokuma's voice made Naegi's stomach churn. "Too bad! I guess he's gonna leave everything up to his sweetiepie to answer instead — after all, he already threw the whole thing his way!"
Kirigiri didn't answer, but Naegi could see her reflections lifting gloved fingers to press against cracked and broken lips. At least she'd found something to think about in Monokuma's crazy ramblings, even if Naegi couldn't decipher them.
"What's he talking about now?" Togami demanded, frustration barely controlled in his voice. "More stupidity?"
"No — not this time," Kirigiri said. "Togami, I think you ought to take a look at the e-handbook Naegi threw at you. Monokuma seems to be saying that there's something unusual about it."
