Togami hadn't consciously meant to head for the library… but when he'd seen the doors looming in front of him, it had made a kind of sense. With his head too full of unfamiliar thoughts and his heart too sore for peace, his only hope of refuge lay in books. He'd always found libraries calming, a sanctuary of sorts where he could gather himself to face the threats of the world around him… and for all the terrible memories marring the Hope's Peak library, there had been good moments there as well. Maybe if he could lose himself in written words, just for a few minutes, it would give him the chance to regain some semblance of control.

But when he opened the door and saw the girl he hated most, that hope turned to dust in his heart.

She had the nerve to kneel right in the middle of the floor, right where Naegi had fallen, her dark gloved fingers skittering across the ground like spider legs. She'd been peering down at something, squinting at the ground from just inches away — but the creak of the door broke her concentration. She looked up with a start as he entered, and Togami found himself meeting her widening silver eyes.

Why was she here? Why was she pawing at the ground where a body had fallen, as if they'd been called to another one of the mastermind's investigations? There had been a murder, yes, but there was no mystery here for her to uncover. She knew the answers, knew the truth, knew so much more than she ever shared with anyone — and now she wanted to play detective with all the suffering of Naegi's final hours?

He didn't even realize he'd lunged forward until she sprang to her feet to meet him, wary mask descending on her face once more.

Togami stopped short, recognizing the stance of a fighter prepared to defend herself. Her talent might not have been a physical one, but she'd obviously had training at some point. For all he knew, she was another member of Fenrir, just like Ikusaba had apparently been — and if so, he was in no shape to tangle with her one-on-one. He forced his fingers to unclench from the fists they'd formed, and he could see her eyes dart down to track the motions.

The tension didn't leave her posture, but a touch of caution disappeared from Kirigiri's eyes when she saw his hands relax. Or at least… that was how it appeared. But he knew just how skilled she was at hiding her thoughts. Why would she let glimpses of them cross her face now?

Togami supposed that she had to be playing some kind of twisted game, that there was some manipulation in her actions that he could unravel if he tried to analyze them… but even the idea of the effort it would take made his stomach twist. He didn't have it in him to play games with her, not now. The machinations that once came to him as easily as breathing had become more than he could bear. All he could think now, as he stared at the girl in front of him, was that she had no right to be alive. Not when she'd manipulated that trial. Not when Naegi was dead.

He didn't want to play games with her any longer. He just wanted her gone.

But… his eyes flickered up at the cameras, then at her defensive stance. He couldn't achieve it… not when she was prepared, not with the mastermind at her back. He couldn't rid his world of her… couldn't match the layers of deception tangled through her words… what could he do?

What could Naegi have done?

That thought hurt… not the dull ache of not knowing, but a sharp sting of knowing all too well. Naegi would do what he'd always done, and reacted to the girl who'd all but killed him with kindness and honesty. Togami knew that he didn't have kindness in him… hadn't had it even when Naegi had been here at his side… but that still left another path that he could see.

"You have no right to be here."

There was almost no venom in the words… they didn't need it, not when they had the all the force of the blunt, unvarnished truth. She quirked an eyebrow up like she was waiting for him to elaborate, to fall into the same pattern of accusation and hate that he'd taken so many times before — but he wouldn't give her the satisfaction. He'd told her the truth, rather than letting her dance around it with lies and subterfuge. Let her figure out how to cope with it.

It took her a moment, but eventually she must have realized that the ball was in her court. She gave a one-shouldered shrug and crossed her arms. "I suppose it's fortunate that the decision isn't yours to make. And considering that you're here as well, I doubt you intend to reinstate Celeste's rule about nighttime."

Togami's lip curled up in an expression that was more snarl than his usual superior sneer. "I'm not talking about the rules. After everything that happened to him here, you don't get to mess around in this room!"

"So I'm not allowed to go anywhere that Naegi has been? That will rather severely limit my movements." Kirigiri reached up to tug at her braid before remembering it had been a casualty of Jill's assault earlier that evening. She settled for trying to tuck the lopsided remaining strands behind one ear. "In any case, that would defeat the purpose."

In spite of himself, Togami's eyebrows snapped together at her words. "What are you talking about?"

"Curious?" A hint of a smile twisted one corner of her mouth. "Well, you should know that this is hardly the time. So if you'll excuse me…" She brushed past him, and before he could decide whether to block her path, she was out the door. "I think I need a bath before the night ends," she said over her shoulder as she disappeared down the hall.

Togami frowned after her. He knew she of all people wouldn't have forgotten that the water was off at night… so any reference to baths had to mean the bathhouse. And now that he thought about it… she'd tried to suggest that they talk in the bathhouse earlier as well, when the four remaining students had met in the cafeteria. Why would the mastermind's pet want to talk in a place where the mastermind couldn't eavesdrop?

Why did she ever do anything? Togami shook his head sharply, trying to dismiss her from his thoughts. He had no intention of following her, so it didn't matter what she'd wanted. She wouldn't get it. Instead of worrying over her nonsense, he turned back to the library.

But whatever urge for peace had called him here, there was no chance that he would find it. No matter where he looked in the library, all he could see was the spot where Naegi had fallen, where Kirigiri had been. What could she have wanted there? After everything she'd done, she could hardly do anything worse to Naegi.

Could she?

Togami closed his eyes for a moment, then gathered enough courage to stride over and kneel down in the same place he'd found Naegi unconscious and bloody. It was exactly where Kirigiri had been… but even so, he couldn't see what she might have been examining. Yes, there were traces of blood left on the ground where Jill hadn't finished cleaning, but what did that signify? Even if she hadn't been around when Naegi had been injured, it wasn't as though Jill's attack had been a secret. Anyone who'd looked at Naegi could have seen the results. She hardly needed to poke around the library to see that much.

He glanced around the library again, trying to see if there was anything else she might have been after… but it could have been anything. Who knew what would draw her attention? He could see too much from here, too many reminders of everything that had happened. The door to the archives… the destroyed bookshelves… the scattered cleaning supplies Jill had left behind when she'd been attacked and imprisoned… the gleam of scissors she'd left behind…

The gleam of scissors.

Togami froze, eyes locked on the silver blades tucked so innocently among the cleaning supplies. Even from a distance he could see the evidence of scouring on the sharp edges, scratches where Jill must have tried to scrub away the dried blood. Had she left them to dry after cleaning them, or had they been abandoned as too damaged for further use? He couldn't tell… but either way, it was clear that she hadn't come back to the library in search of them today.

He stood and crossed the room, seizing the scissors and tucking them into the waistband of his sweatpants. Once he was sure they were fully concealed from sight, a dark smile tugged at the corners of his lips, and he turned to head for the library door. Maybe he had a reason to join Kirigiri in the bathhouse after all.