Chapter 6: Day 4
By the evening of Day 4, Togami had deduced several things about his current predicament.
The first was that, at every possible opportunity, he would force the others aside and be the one giving orders for the diagrams. The time in the gym was time very poorly spent, as Hagakure, or 'Hiro' as he wanted to be called, had attempted to read off the instructions for the necessary Greek statue only to confuse everyone and cause frustration. Togami soon took over, his need to get the item finished outweighing his desire to distance himself from the group. With his leadership, the statue was completed with just a few minutes before noon to spare. Naegi had thanked him in the end on behalf of the group for forcing Hiro out of his "leadership" position, and Togami put it in the commoner's ear to put the corporate heir in charge of such matters from here on out.
The second was that the Ultimate Writing Prodigy clearly had issues. Severe issues. Despite being assigned to the cleaning team, Fukawa had been caught numerous times standing idly outside the gym while the gatherers worked on their assigned task, and more than once did Togami see her looking directly at him. She would fidget, gasp, and flee each time he locked eyes with her, but that didn't seem to stop her from trying again and again and again. Even now at dinner, as Hina, Ogami, and Fujisaki distributed the plates of food amongst the group, Fukawa stood near Togami's table without taking a seat.
And it was just as well. After all, even from his position, he could ascertain that a distinct, pungent odor was coming from her. The further away she was, the better.
Fujisaki smiled warmly as she set the plate down in front of Togami. "You know, Togami," she muttered in that soft voice of hers, "You're always welcome to join us at the big table."
Togami offered a simple "hmph" before picking up his silverware. Fujisaki bit her lower lip, which started to quiver ever so slightly, and spun around to head back to the rest of the students. In order to make his point even clearer that he didn't want to be bothered by anyone, Togami pulled out his current book and began to read, the words and characters drowning out the dull thrum of the others' conversations. He ate slowly and sipped at his water, the bland food mostly forgotten as he read page after page.
Thus the third thing he had learned: the library was evidently going to be his saving grace in this chaos and the key to maintaining his sanity.
In fact, as he set his fork down and wiped his lips upon finishing his meal, he glanced around at the sudden silence that struck him. Everyone was gone, the long table where everyone had previously sat at having since been cleared off. Even that Fukawa girl seemingly vanished into thin air. Glancing up at the clock, Togami blinked in surprise upon seeing that it was already 19:30. He smirked victoriously, having once again dodged the group's antics without much effort, and went to stand when he noticed an additional piece of tableware next to his now empty cup of water.
A small porcelain cup on a dainty saucer, filled to the brim with coffee.
A slow smile crossed Togami's lips as he sat back down. Pushing his plate and empty cup to the side, he carefully pulled the saucer forward. The smell of the coffee wafted up to his face, filling his nostrils with the beautiful scent, and he carefully lifted the cup up to his lips. Immediately he knew Naegi had been the one to make it. True to his word, the Togami heir was only drinking coffee made by Naegi, much to the chagrin of Hina that morning. Her coffee had been made using the same method, but even without sipping it, Togami could tell right away that someone other than the brown-haired boy had brewed it. There was just something about the way Naegi made the coffee that made it obvious it was the commoner's doing, and for some reason, it made each cup that much better.
Togami sighed in contentment and stood from his seat. Taking his dirty dishware to the kitchen and placing them in the dishwasher, he returned to the table and picked up both his book and the cup of coffee. He exited the dining room and looked around, noticing a group of the girls heading into the bathhouse with a few bags of items. Shrugging, he turned and walked down the now memorized path past the store, past the nurse's station, past the gym, and up the stairs to the second floor library. Before he entered, however, he looked over both shoulders.
"No sign of Fukawa," he thought with great relief. "She hadn't been with the girls downstairs, so clearly that crazed writer is wandering about. If need be, I'll simply lock myself in the archive." Opening the door, he stepped inside and immediately noticed that the lights were already on. His heart sank as the thought of the writer waiting in hiding amongst the bookshelves entered his imagination, but as he glanced around, his gaze fell on someone else. It wasn't the writer sitting at one of the tables. It was Naegi Makoto.
"How is it that you're always where I need to be?" inquired Togami as he shut the door behind him. Naegi jumped up in surprise at the voice and looked up only to blush in embarrassment.
"O-Oh, sorry," Naegi muttered. "I figured since you were downstairs reading…"
Togami waved his hand, silencing the 'Lucky' student. "I suppose I can't keep you from here." Taking his seat at a separate table, Togami set the cup of coffee down and opened his book. Before he began to read, though, he turned to observe the brown-haired boy. "I must admit, I'm surprised you're not spending time with the others. Don't you all usually hang out and do whatever it is that you do after dinner?"
"Um, well, the girls decided they wanted to use the bath and check out the sauna," Naegi answered. Too late did Togami realize his mistake; his question had clearly been interpreted as an invitation for Naegi to move to a closer seat. Togami watched as the boy stood and brought his book to his table, taking a seat at the opposite end. "And Hiro was going on about some occult stuff, while Owada wanted to check out the gardens. I, uh, was kinda tired, especially after today in the gym, so I figured I'd find something easy to do."
Togami glanced down at the book Naegi was reading and saw it was a manga. "That explains the 'easy' factor," he sardonically thought.
"What are you reading?" asked Naegi, smiling warmly at Togami and looking at him with wide, hazel eyes. "That's a different book from yesterday, right?"
"Something that would no doubt bore a plebeian like you," Togami answered, noting how his comment caused the boy's expression to fall ever so slightly. Something odd pricked at him upon seeing the change, and before he could catch himself, he sighed and explained, "It's a novel set in France during the time of Napoleon. It focuses on a man who aspires to greatness but soon develops delusions of grandeur. The story is meant to be a cautionary tale but is also a criticism of the ideals held by certain classes during that time period of French history."
He peeked over, half expecting Naegi to look incredibly bored. Much to his surprise, Naegi appeared almost entranced by the description. "Wow, that… That sounds really awesome," he remarked. Blushing, he added, "I probably don't even know enough about French history to understand what that book is talking about, though."
"How did you make it in high school without learning at least a little about French history?"
"I mean, we had a European history class that covered the major stuff, like the big wars and a few kings. It just didn't go into that much detail. Our teacher kept complaining that there was too much to cover and too little time."
"Sounds like a poor excuse for a teacher. Any teacher worth their salt would utilize their time to their utmost ability rather than complain about the limitations."
"At least it made it an easy class." Chuckling, Naegi remarked, "We hardly ever had homework, and when we did, it was always super easy catch-up work."
"So you learned practically nothing. What a waste."
Naegi's blush deepened as he glanced down at his book. "Yeah… I mean, compared to your education, it probably seems like it."
"'Seems' like it?" Togami scoffed and took a sip of his coffee, which he lamented was starting to become cold. "No, it clearly was."
"So are those the kind of books you like?" Naegi suddenly asked, once again looking up from his manga. "Historical novels?"
"For the most part, although a few science fiction and even one or two horror novels have managed to capture my attention," answered Togami, somewhat shocked by his own admission. "But yes, if I had to choose, no doubt historical fiction would be at the top of my list. Crime and mystery novels would then be a close second."
"Would you recommend any?"
"No. I'd advise you to do your own research and find novels that would best suit you. You shouldn't let others dictate your likes and dislikes, after all. But then again…" Togami was about to say that that seemed exactly like the type of thing Naegi did, yet something once again caused him to stop. Perhaps it was the cup of coffee in his hand, or the topic of conversation being something of a genuine interest to him. Rather than sending a snide comment the commoner's way, however, Togami merely shrugged and concluded, "You'll find some good novels in this library. It shouldn't be that difficult, even for you."
"Maybe I'll look around for one after I finish this," Naegi mused. Placing his cheek against the palm of his hand, he smiled at Togami before looking back down at his book and continuing to read. Togami, for his part, finished the rest of his coffee and set the empty cup to the side before picking up his own novel. Soon the boy's existence was forgotten, and it wasn't until the nighttime announcement burst onto the monitor that the two were startled from their inner worlds and inclined to return to their dorm rooms.
It was only when Togami was getting ready to lie down in bed that he registered the fact he had spent another calm, relaxing night with the "Ultimate Lucky Student." He frowned at the realization, then shrugged. "I suppose he isn't harming me or bothering me that much," he thought as he turned off the lights and laid down under the sheets. "There could be worse fates in this school, after all. Much worse."