Author's Note: Hey everyone! So fanfiction's site is being a little wonky right now, so I can't see any views or traffic information. I hope it clears up soon, but until then, I'm definitely sticking to the one-chapter-per-week schedule in case some other stuff goes haywire.

Anywho, hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 20: Day 17

For a few seconds, Togami merely stood in the doorway, staring in wonder at Monokuma. He cautiously shut the door just a bit behind him, his gaze instinctively wandering up to the gatling gun built into the ceiling. He made sure not to close the door completely, however, in case he needed to bolt.

Clearly reading Togami's anxiety, Monokuma giggled. "Puhuhuhu! What a cute expression you have there, Nurse Togami!"

"What do you want?" asked the corporate heir as he returned his attention to Monokuma. He also took a step forward to avoid appearing intimidated in front of the bear.

"And here I am doing you a solid by reaching out to ya! Man, you kids just have no manners these days, I'm telling you." Togami scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. Monokuma giggled again before saying, "Ah well, can't teach you kids everything in life. But I can give you a little advice."

"'Advice'?"

"So, Hiro's gash is pretty bad from the sounds of things. And Kuwata's gonna need to keep an eye on his hand, too. But I can't let'cha all outta here to go to a hospital or anything like that. Then I'd lose manpower for my backups! And that just won't do. So I came to inform you of a few changes I'll be making to help accommodate."

"And why can't you let them out?" Togami inquired, his eyes turning to slits as he spoke. "Why are you even keeping us here in the first place?"

"You know, after over two weeks, I thought you'd all forget about it and kinda just sink into the rhythm of things," rambled Monokuma. "But you and that Kirigiri sure are excited to get out. You just can't help yourselves, now can you? I'm serious, though, when I say that certain doors are meant to be locked, meaning I can't just let you out of here willy nilly. We're all here having a good time. Why try to ruin it?"

"What do you mean, a 'good time'? We're trapped here and–"

"What, you don't like spending time with adorable, little Naegi? It's like date night every night, ain't it?" Togami's words cut short, and for a brief second, he felt his cheeks turn red in embarrassment. Laughing at Togami's hesitation, Monokuma continued, "Oh, don't pretend like you don't think Naegi isn't just the most precious!" Blushing profusely, the bear taunted, "I mean, he makes you the best coffee you've ever had despite your insults, and he spends all sorts of time with you even though you're absolutely miserable. Hell, he even wants to hear you play that stupid instrument of yours in your ugly, lavish room! I mean, the boy clearly has something for abuse going on if he thinks spending time with you is fun!"

"That's enough!" Togami shouted, his hands clenching into fists. "Why are you here?!"

"Oh, touch a nerve? Hey, it's not my problem that you had to be the big, ol' badass whom everybody hates. Though I suppose you helping Hiro is gonna change that a little bit. And speaking of–"

Holding out a handbook, Monokuma pressed a few buttons, and Togami felt his e-Handbook vibrate in his pocket. He quickly pulled it out to see that his map had been updated; the nurse's station now had a massive red X over it. "You're going to need to clean Hiro and Kuwata's gashes pretty regularly if you don't want them getting worse, so I'm taking the liberty of blocking off the nurse's station," Monokuma explained. "All items in there will be for the purposes of medical practice only! Nobody should be in there to search for items until Hiro and Kuwata are all healed up! And, 'cuz I'm just so damn nice, I'll also make sure you have cleaning supplies to continue helping them out. See, I'm here for you!"

Slowly, Togami put the handbook back in his pocket. "Fine, though if their conditions do, in fact, worsen, then they will need to be released and sent to a hospital."

"No can do, buddy. You better play a good nurse. Though I suppose that won't be a problem. Not when you've learned all that medical stuff after that duel years ago, am I right?"

The statement brought time to a grinding halt. Togami's eyes widened in shock. His jaw dropped. His hands fell to his sides, and he nearly let go of his handbook. A few seconds of silence passed as the words repeated themselves in Togami's mind. With a voice that barely sounded like his own, he whispered, "What… What did you say?" "No… That's not possible…"

"I mean, that wasn't really fair of your half-brother, was it? It was just supposed to be a simple duel, with the plastic, bendy rods they use in fencing! I forget the term, but you know what I mean! You were there, after all. That's all you had to defend yourself with. And yet that cheeky bastard, your half-brother, oh, what was his name? There were so many of them! Lots of boys in your round of possible Togami heirs. But he cheated and used a real blade! And your dad, holy cow, did your dad think that that was just the funniest thing!"

"Y...You…"

"You were such a mess after that. I mean, your half-bro had a point, and not just the one on his weapon. There was no way you would dodge a blade that many times. And, to be fair, you really didn't. You got slashed all over. So much blood! They all thought you'd end up a big ol' mess on the floor, something they'd have to clean up afterwards. Poor little Byakuya, the youngest boy in the family, getting chopped to bits by a cheap trick. Nobody thought you'd win, did they?"

Togami's hands shook as the memory swept over him. He stood silent as fear, genuine fear, turned his veins to ice. "Just how does Monokuma know about...about any of this?!"

"No wonder you know how to clean up wounds. Your dad sent for a nurse, sure, but he wasn't going to be the one to fix you back up. He was too busy kicking out that traitorous half-brother of yours. Filling out paperwork, getting him a plane ticket to who knows where, the whole bit. And your mom was too busy throwing a hissy fit over it all. That left you all alone to think about how he had managed to sneak a real sword in. How long were you bedridden, again? One week? Two? After all, you could've died! And nobody cared! Nobody would have cried a single tear over small, insignificant Togami Byakuya. It just proved that—"

"Enough!" Togami stepped forward and went to grab Monokuma, rage and confusion blurring his mind and vision. But the bear jumped back and giggled once again.

"Well, try not to go down that rabbit hole when you're managing the others," Monokuma remarked as he sauntered up to the door. Togami watched, too stunned to react, as the bear simply opened the door with its image on it and snuck through. Poking its head out, he said, "Now be a good nurse, Togami, and get some rest this afternoon! Puhuhuhu!"

He could only watch as Monokuma shut the door. The sound of the lock clicking echoed in the silence. Togami's hands shook, and his breath came out in short gasps.

"How… How does… How does he know…" Clutching onto the nearest computer console for stability, he slowly inhaled and exhaled, doing his best to control his emotions. Logically, he knew exactly what was happening. The bear was mocking him, making him question things, throwing him off balance.

And it was working. Because the bear knew. Knew things he had no business of knowing.

"T… Togami?"

Togami's vision blurred as his thoughts traveled back to the fight all those years ago. "It was in a closed arena. Only Father, my half-siblings, and I were there. Nobody else. Not even security. The only footage was in my family's home, to serve as proof of my victory. So how… How did…"

"Togami?"

"And how did he know how long it took for me to heal? Only the nurse came to check in on me. And that...that was infrequently, at best. I had to check the wounds. I had to make sure my bandages were clean. All she did was–"

"Togami?" Feeling a sudden hand on his arm, Togami nearly jumped and looked down to see Naegi standing next to him. "Are you...all right?" Naegi was staring with worry, and Togami realized he was still shivering from shock. He clutched the handbook tightly, hoping it would calm his muscles.

Yes, I… I'm fine," he huffed out. Shaking his head, he managed to say, "I apologize for taking so long to come downstairs. I saw that damn bear and…"

Footsteps in the distance caught his attention. He inhaled sharply before turning to see Fuijsaki and Owada at the door. "Hey, you two all right?!" Owada exclaimed. "We got worried when you ran off like that, Naegi!"

Naegi nodded as Togami cleared his throat. "We were just getting the box finalized," Togami covered, doing his best to sound as normal as possible. "Monokuma showed up and was in a chatty mood, hence the delay."

"Oh?" Fujisaki frowned. "What did he say?"

"Just a complaint about being late to deliver our items." Togami leaned down to pick up the box, doing his best to avoid everyone's stares. "Naegi, go downstairs and make me a cup of coffee. I need one after this morning. I'll deliver this box and meet you in the dining hall."

Fortunately, out of the corner of his eye, Togami could see Naegi nod, indicating he was letting the matter drop. He waited for Naegi to exit the data center room first. Togami then followed behind, and Fujisaki, who was kind enough to hold the door open, waited with Owada before trailing behind him. Togami's heart beat rapidly in his chest, and he had to focus on each step in order to avoid dropping the box. But he made it down to the gymnasium, set his box down, and slowly inhaled and exhaled a large breath of air before looking up at the nearby surveillance camera. "If Monokuma knows that much about me… Then that means he no doubt knows that much about everyone else."

And yet the bear had yet to use such secrets against them.

"Focus, Byakuya. He hasn't used the information. All he has done is demand backups." Mentally shaking off his fear, Togami pulled out the handbook once more, his eyes landing on the red X over the infirmary. "And now I have to make sure those idiots don't make their cuts even worse."

His eyes scanned the remainder of the first floor. Catching sight of the dining hall, he remembered that he had sent Naegi on an errand. Togami shoved the handbook into his pocket, left the gym, and soon came to the dining hall. He could smell the coffee from the kitchen and entered, unable to keep the shadow of a smile from his lips at the sight of Naegi working on brewing his cup of coffee.

Turning, he went back to the long table and all but collapsed into a nearby chair. Seconds passed like hours as the conversation with the bear replayed itself over and over in his mind, but Togami waited patiently, doing his best to rationalize what had transpired and calm his nerves. He couldn't let that bear get to him, no matter how ludicrous the situation seemed. He had to be in control, if not of the situation, then of himself.

By the time Naegi finally came out, set the cup down, and took a seat right next to Togami, the corporate heir had calmed himself enough to gain control of his breathing and his heart rate. He offered a small nod towards Naegi before taking the cup in his hands. The smell of the roasted coffee soothed him, and he muttered a small thanks as he took a slow sip. He fully expected Naegi to leave him at that point, but the other student remained, looking down at his handbook but otherwise staying with Togami in comfortable silence.

For once in his life, Togami was happy for the company.