At first, Togami didn't understand what the genocider was trying to say. What kind of motive could be measured in length? She spoke so quickly even now, when everyone had deliberately slowed their words for him to read — the meaning must have gotten garbled somehow, obscured by one of her inane attempts at humor.

Except… something about the numbers struck a chord in his head, as though they ought to mean something to him. Five feet and three inches… it sounded like a measurement of some kind, or…

Or a height.

His eyes shot over to Naegi. He couldn't judge the boy's height with any certainty while he lay bent over the podium, but it did sound about right, considering how small the other boy was compared to him. Even if Jill had pulled the number out of thin air, it made all too much sense that she would have used it as a roundabout way of referring to Naegi.

Except that it didn't make any sense at all.

Togami glared at Jill, eyebrows snapping together so sharply that he felt a sharp twinge through the center of his forehead. "Have you lost what sliver of sanity you had left? How could Naegi possibly be a motive for me to commit a murder? Even if I killed someone and got away with it — then he'd —"

He couldn't bring himself to speak the words, his jaw snapping shut in spite of himself. The thought of condemning his boyfriend to die because he'd callously chosen to escape sent a wave of nausea rippling up from his gut. No… no, he'd known from the first night he'd spent in Naegi's bed that becoming the blackened had ceased to be an option. Even if it meant a lifetime searching for another way to escape the mastermind's trap, there was no way that he could let Naegi die.

But Jill didn't look at all convinced, tapping her scissors against her palm. "Believe me, darling, I get where you're coming from — and sure, any other time I'd be more than happy to get right behind you, all up close and personal! But the whole reason you wanna keep your hands clean is so you can keep your cutie safe and sound, right?" She heaved a sigh, tossing her braids back over her shoulder. "Well, not like I wanna remind you about it or anything — but he's definitely not either of those things."

"No thanks to you," Togami pointed out darkly. If she thought he'd forgiven her role in Naegi's injuries just because he'd allowed her to assist him in the more overpowering events that had followed, she was very badly mistaken. "But as much as I want to see Naegi well again, killing someone and beginning another trial would hardly be likely to achieve that. It may come as a shock to you, but murder doesn't actually solve every problem."

"You'd be surprised what a good murder can do!" Jill's mouth stretched out in what should have been a grin, if it had contained any of her normal brightness. "Especially when you know how to pick your victims. Sure, you didn't have a reason to try to win the game, not if you wanted a happily ever after with sleeping beauty over there — but you sure as hell had a reason to want to end it."

Togami rolled his eyes. "Oh, please — we all want to put an end to this game. It's hardly a unique sentiment."

"Sure, no one likes it," Jill said with a one-armed shrug. "But you're the only one who had a ticking clock. Sure, I know more about letting blood out than keeping it in, but it doesn't take a medical degree to know your boy needs more than the Ogre's got to give. You already admitted you'd stay in a place you hate just to keep him safe — so how far would you go if it came right down to it?"

Togami stared at the girl in frustrated confusion, trying to work out exactly what she meant. She was serious about whatever it was she was trying to say — that much was all too clear. The cheerful enthusiasm of her usual demeanor had drained away, leaving only the bare-boned intensity that had always lain beneath it, terrifying and raw. He'd never been entirely sure what the serial killer really thought about anything, or how much or her jabber reflected her true feelings… and now he was starting to regret not putting more effort into trying to understand her.

A fluttering movement on the other side of the circle distracted him from his contemplation, and his head jerked the other way to see Kirigiri waving a notebook through the air. Once she'd caught his gaze, she nodded briskly and returned the book to her pocket. Togami only had a moment for the outraged realization to sink in that she'd been gesturing at him — like some sort of disobedient pet! — before her lips began moving.

"When I told Naegi about my meeting with Ikusaba, he asked if he could share the information with you as well. From everything that we've heard since, I think it's safe to say that he did." She clenched her fists, staring at him head-on. "So let's hear it, then — when exactly did Naegi tell you about Mukuro Ikusaba?"

Togami blinked at the question. He'd braced himself for some kind of piercing question — but this hadn't been the sort he'd expected. He recognized the look of a hunter in Kirigiri's eye — she meant this question as an attack, that was obvious enough. But it had never been her style to launch unsupported questions out of left field, when the debate was progressing in a different direction. She liked to build on what had gone before, using the words of the other students to trap her victims. He'd certainly seen her do it often enough to the others, taking advantage of Naegi's reasoning to corner a culprit. Why would she switch her methods now?

She wouldn't. She hadn't, not when she was watching him with all the impatience of a quick student waiting for the slower minds to catch up. Togami could have slapped her for it — but after forcing himself to stay awake so long that he could feel his hands tremble with the effort of pushing off his exhaustion, he knew he wasn't at his best. He had to grasp for thoughts that should have been well within reach, work to connect ideas that normally flowed with ease. She was right to look at him that way, damn her, because for the life of him he couldn't see the link between her question about Ikusaba and Jill's claim that Naegi was his motive.

But he knew had to respond somehow, if he wanted to keep the girls from returning to their scrutiny of Naegi. Lying about it would be too much of a risk when he couldn't work out why she was asking. No, better to play along for now, at least until he understood her plan. He crossed his arms and did his best to look unconcerned. "Naegi told me your story about Ikusaba at the first opportunity he had the next day."

"Which would be?" Kirigiri prompted.

He glared at her. "When I came down to check on him after his injuries."

She glanced over at Ogami. "Can you confirm the time?"

Ogami frowned. "Well… yes, it was a little before ten last night. I left them alone while I went to the kitchen, and the nighttime announcement sounded just as I returned."

"I see," Kirigiri said, tapping her finger against her chin. "So you and Naegi had a nice long chat about our murder victim. And since he was apparently feeling chatty, can we assume this was when he told you about the map, too?"

Togami had the distinct sensation of a trap being laid. She wanted him to elaborate on the lie, exposing holes that she could attack. Well, he wasn't going to give her the chance. "Think what you want — you will anyway."

She smiled. "At least we agree on one point. So it seems that Naegi told you all about Ikusaba and his shiny new map — and he did it before Ikusaba was killed."

Was that all she was getting at? It wasn't anywhere near as damning as she'd been acting — but Togami didn't let himself relax just yet. "So he made sure I knew everything he did — hardly extraordinary."

"Hmm… maybe not." But in spite of her apparent agreement, Kirigiri didn't look like she'd given in. On the contrary, her smile widened just a hair. "But on the other hand… tell me, what did you think when Naegi told about what I was doing? Did you accept the story as he explained it?" She leaned forward. "Or did you suspect that Mukuro Ikusaba was the mastermind behind this game?"