Junko had drugged him… even the thought sent shudders of revulsion twisting through Naegi's insides. He could almost believe that he could feel whatever horrific concoction she'd injected into him, using the slow beat of his heart to pump itself deep into his veins. What had she decided to do to him now that she'd given up on murder?

"Aw, don't look at me like that!" Junko pouted theatrically at him, twirling the empty syringe between her fingers. "Seeing you act so suspicious when I'm only trying to help hurts my feelings!"

Coming from anyone else, the words would've sounded sincere… but Naegi knew better than to believe her for a second about any of it. No matter what she said about wanting to help, it had to be a lie. After being an enemy for so long, she had no reason to make such a sudden about-face to an ally, especially when he hadn't done anything to change her mind. There had to be a trick to it somewhere, even if he couldn't quite work out where.

And as for the rest of her claim… he didn't believe that the mastermind had any feelings left to hurt. She'd manipulated her friends into murdering one another, executed the ones who fell victim to her traps, even murdered her sister — horrors that should have driven even the most stoic person to tears. But he knew she hadn't cried… she couldn't have, not when she'd taunted them with tasteless jokes and malicious laughter through Monokuma's mouth. If she could still smile cheerfully after all of that, there was no way his frown could affect her.

But even as he reminded himself how easily Junko could lie to him about wanting to help… he realized that the pain wracking his body had begun to recede. It wasn't that it stopped hurting, not exactly… but he felt as though he'd drifted away from it, leaving the physical sensations somewhere far away. That couldn't be his own body healing itself… it had to be some kind of reaction to whatever Juno had injected into his arm. There was something worrying in that, since facing down the mastermind was dangerous enough without the influence of drugs… but his thoughts didn't feel any fuzzier than they already had. So what had she given him…?

"Worrying like that will give you wrinkles!" Junko's hand snaked forward, and Naegi blinked as her fingertip bounced against the furrow between his eyebrows. "Chill, okay? It was just some of the super strong painkillers I cleaned out of the clinic before I gave you guys free rein. Can't leave the good stuff lying around for anyone to mess with — my network has a strict anti-drug policy!"

Painkillers… well, that did make sense. The kind of painkillers that hospitals used could definitely push away even the terrible pain from his injuries. But… Junko's talents weren't anything medical… so how had she decided how much to give him? Had she just guessed?

"I even checked the dosage before I gave you anything," Junko went on, waving the syringe above him as if presenting evidence. "Like I said, I want you as sane as possible. We already met the class lunatic quota, and watching someone writhe around in mindless agony is way more boring than you'd think."

Boring… yes, that was right. Naegi's newly restored memories reminded him that Junko hated being bored, and she would never tolerate doing anything repetitive or by rote if there was a way to change it halfway through. Doing group projects with her had been nearly impossible as she jumped from one good idea to the next before they could make even a few steps of progress. He could almost twist his mind around enough to see that she'd prefer a captive capable of interacting with her to one too injured to amuse her.

Was that the piece he'd been missing? Had she brought him here just for some kind of entertainment during the moments she didn't have to give the killing game her full attention? She did seem to be finding some enjoyment in pretending they were friends… but he didn't see how that entertainment value could last long while he was immobilized and unable to interact with her. What would she do when she finally lost interest in him?

"But man oh man, that was some fit you had!" She shook her head disapprovingly as though she thought he'd been overcome by pain on purpose. "You've really gotta be more careful of your health, sweetie — just think how terrible it would be if something completely preventable did you in after all the other stuff you've been through!"

Was that a threat? It almost sounded as though it could be… but she sounded so genuinely concerned for him that he found himself doubting his own ears. Why would she be concerned about one of her victims? But then again, why would she threaten him after going through so much trouble to help him? His mind swayed between the two possibilities, unable to confirm or rule out either of them.

"I really would've thought you'd be more responsible about your own life after promising all your friends you'd take care of yourself," Junko went on, eyes wide and sad. "But you won't even try to stay hydrated after losing all that blood!" She bent down to pick up the glass of water again, the soft slosh of liquid filling the air.

Naegi tried to swallow, but his dry throat couldn't quite produce enough moisture to manage it. He was still thirsty, now more than ever, and the sound of the water splashing gently against the edge of the glass only made it worse. He needed to drink something, needed it badly, and he could feel himself losing his grip on his certainty that it was a bad idea. After all, she had him at her mercy, didn't she? He hadn't even had the power to stop her from emptying that syringe in his arm. If Junko wanted to poison or drug him, she didn't need to trick him into drinking it.

And in the end, it didn't really matter whether this was a trap or not — he was stuck here either way, his injuries holding him prisoner more effectively than any restraints could have. He couldn't leave, even if she opened the door and let him try. And if he wanted to keep any hope of surviving whatever she had planned for him… then he would have to drink what she was offering.

Naegi looked up to meet Junko's eyes, wondering how to communicate when his mouth was too dry for speech — but a wide grin blazed bright across her face before he could even make an attempt.

"Smart choice, sweetie!" She held out the glass, tilting it so the straw fell just in reach of his mouth. "I'm glad you're finally starting to see things my way!"

A voice in the back of Naegi's mind still screamed that no, no, couldn't he see that this was a terrible idea — but he did his best to force it into silence as he closed his lips around the straw. He didn't have any other options, no matter what his instincts had to say.

And then, finally, water flooded into the desert of his mouth. Cool and clean, sweeter than any sugar-laden drink he'd ever tasted, water washed away the sandpapery roughness coating his tongue and soothed the ache in his burning throat. He'd never known that plain water could be so delicious, and before he knew it the straw slurped along the bottom of the empty glass.

"There we go!" Junko beamed proudly at him as she set the glass back on the floor. "I bet you feel a whole lot better now, right?"

Naegi took a long, slow breath through his nose, steadying himself as the air flowed in and out of his lungs… and then opened his mouth again. "Yes."

The word barely stirred the air as he forced it out of his mouth… but at least it hadn't hurt, not like his last agonizing attempt at speaking. That had to count for something.

Junko clapped her hands cheerfully, pigtails bouncing at the impact. "Awesome! Then we can get started on that nice long gossip session we've been putting off!" She leaned forward, lowering her voice even though there was no one else around to hear. "So… where do you want to start?"