Chapter 21: Day 19

Togami slowly wrapped the bandages around Hiro's hand and cut the medical tape as he muttered the same warning he gave each time he cleaned the clairvoyant's bandages. Hiro smiled and nodded while Kuwata waited, the baseball star leaning against the wall of the infirmary with arms crossed over his chest. For the past two days, Togami and the rest of the team had had to pick up the pace with item collection, as Hiro and Kuwata were considered out of commission. The two were ordered to rest in their rooms, and once the morning's tasks were finished, Togami would meet them in the nurse's station, where he would clean their bandages, check for signs of infection, and tell them to visit him again before nighttime hours initiated.

It was an annoying process, but Togami had to remind himself of Monokuma's words. If he didn't do this right, they would be down two people the rest of their time here.

"Thanks, man!" Hiro exclaimed as he stood from the edge of the bed. Togami stood from his seat and tossed the used materials into the nearby trash can, including his gloves. Fortunately they were just precautionary at this point, as Hiro's hand was healing quickly.

"It's nothing," Togami replied, pushing the cart of items back into the corner.

"I gotta admit, you're pretty good at this kinda thing," continued Hiro as he looked over his hand. "I thought for sure I'd lose my hand! Have to cut it off and get rid of it or something!"

"Just keep letting it rest, and it will heal completely in another few days," answered Togami, half-listening to the moronic statement.

"Will do. Thanks, man." Togami waited for Hiro to leave with Kuwata before sighing heavily.

He was tired. He hated admitting it, but he hated denying reality even more.

He glanced up to see that it was already mid-afternoon. Thoughts of going to the library entered his mind, only for Fukawa's incessant stalking habits to ruin the idea. Then the idea of the archive hit him...but he honestly didn't feel up to solving Monokuma's riddle, either. The pool hall seemed far away, and he had been searching the rec room for items anyway.

"I'm going back to my room," he decided with a heavy sigh, shoving his hands in his pockets after exiting the infirmary and shutting the door behind him. He looked both ways to find Fukawa "hiding" around the corner, shooting that awkward smile of hers his way. He rolled his eyes and turned, heading in the direction of the dormitories. Fortunately he ran into no one else on his way, including Naegi.

Togami took out his dorm key as thoughts of the brown-haired student filled his mental vision. He opened the door, stepped inside, and made sure it was locked before tossing the key onto the nearby bookshelf. Taking a seat, he crossed his arms and merely stared at the handbook on his table without really seeing it. After all, there was something else troubling him, something beyond his general fatigue. Much as he couldn't deny his tired state, he also couldn't deny his growing attachment to the 'lucky' student.

Despite his initial shock, Togami had already come to terms with Monokuma's taunting, having accepted the fact that the bear clearly knew things about his life that he shouldn't. It made a sick, twisted sense that a 'mastermind,' even one like Monokuma, would have crucial information on them, particularly given the files Togami had uncovered in the archive. The school had a stash of information that only those in his family and the few above them had access to; was it so strange that the mastermind was also privy to Togami's personal information? He had accepted that part of the conversation, no matter how insane it was, and moved on.

But then the second half of that day lingered… The part when Naegi had arrived after the conversation with Monokuma. And even, if he was being honest with himself, the time before that, when Togami had been working to initially clean Hiro's wound in the infirmary. Since then, Naegi had shot odd, concerned looks at Togami whenever the two were near one another. He had come to the library the previous evening and sat at the same table, acting as casually as he could, but Togami wasn't foolish. He saw how little the other student turned the pages of his book. He knew what it meant.

Naegi was wondering where Togami had picked up his knowledge of cleaning wounds. That much was blatantly clear. There was also the fact that Togami had allowed Naegi to see him in a moment of weakness, and given the student's natural inclination to get involved, it was evident from his behavior that he wanted to offer some sort of support. On the flip side, the commoner clearly didn't know how to approach the topic without upsetting Togami. It was so obvious it was almost comical.

And yet Togami felt pity for him. He almost wanted to tell Naegi even though it was far from his place to know, just to stop the apparent, ridiculous struggle. After all, Monokuma may have been stirring the pot, and Togami's imagination was clearly running wild by consistently returning to his bizarre dream, thus filling Togami with physical sensations that weren't plausible to pursue or even give credence to. But Togami also couldn't deny the facts.

No, it was clear to him at this point. Togami liked his time spent with Naegi. He had to accept that fact, as it was, indeed, a fact. The boy's smiles… No, merely his presence always seemed to make Togami feel...lighter? Was that the word? He wasn't sure. But the idea that his silence was causing Naegi internal turmoil was now just as hideous as the idea had been of him somehow being abusive towards the lucky student two weeks ago. He didn't know if it was weakness from the moment with Monokuma still lingering or just a natural progression from their time spent together. He assumed it was a combination of the two. But that riddle wouldn't solve his ultimate dilemma.

Did he take pity on Naegi and just tell him the information he was so obviously desperate to know, even though it wasn't Naegi's place or position to have such knowledge? Or did he let the matter drop, no doubt causing the other student some grief in the process?

Ding dong.

"Right…" Togami rolled his eyes. "I still need that damn programmer." Standing from his seat, Togami fully expected Naegi to be standing at his doorway. Thus it was a surprise when the first thing he saw was a head of lavender hair and a simultaneously blank and serious expression greeting him.

"Kirigiri."

Kirigiri nodded and tilted her head slightly to the side. "Am I interrupting anything?" she asked.

"No. Why?"

"We need to talk."

"Of course we do." Despite his curt response, Togami stepped aside, allowing Kirigiri into his room. "Although I suppose this works. I wanted to talk to you about something, as well."

"Oh?"

Shutting the door, Togami remarked, "Monokuma has spoken to me twice since we last talked, and both conversations were…interesting, to say the least."

"I see." Togami watched as Kirigiri stood in the center of the room, her vision landing on the sheet music on the music stand. Recalling her startled expression, Togami took a step forward.

"Do you know that music?"

She shook her head. "I don't play."

"Then why did you–"

"I'll explain in a minute. First, what did Monokuma tell you?"

Togami sighed in frustration before gesturing to the table. Kirigiri slowly took her seat, her eyes still wandering towards the music stand. Togami, for his part, sat on the edge of the bed to face her. "A few days ago, when I was working with the others to make the parts, Monokuma suddenly appeared," Togami explained, crossing one leg over the other as he spoke. "He remarked how he noticed several of us exploring places we shouldn't be in or tempting locked doors. He noted it was a "friendly reminder" to leave things alone; however, the threat was still there that if we continue pursuing our investigation, he will be forced to deal with us."

"I see…" Kirigiri frowned. "It's odd that he focused on the locked doors aspect of it, i.e. the physical investigation."

"You believe he doesn't yet know about Fujisaki?"

"I don't believe so. He would have moved against us by now. We have refused to connect too much or too long to the network to avoid raising suspicions. I've also checked the data center every night, and the cameras still aren't turned on, meaning he's still not watching us."

"You mean the mastermind?"

"Correct. The mastermind, at this point, can only see what he sees through Monokuma."

"Then there may be more than one Monokuma bear running around. Because the information he alludes to in his conversations indicates he's privy to at least some private gatherings."

"That's a possibility I've already considered. I assume there's at least one bear per floor, but I can't confirm this. I also suspect that the mastermind can only control one bear at a time, only because I would think he'd swarm us with them to prove his power."

"Makes sense...in an odd sort of way." Inhaling slowly, Togami added, "There was... another discussion. One that occurred two days ago, when the incident with Kuwata and Hiro occurred. Monokuma saw me in the data center and...said some things. Some personal things. Things that he absolutely shouldn't be able to know, events that occurred years prior to arriving here at the academy." Adjusting his glasses, Togami stated, "It was meant to be mocking, but it proved that the mastermind's knowledge and pool of resources are far beyond our expectations."

"And yet he has us making backup bears like sweatshop workers."

Togami slowly nodded, chuckling despite himself at the analogy. "Yes, we have yet to be threatened with such information. But it's clear he has it available."

"He's also making it obvious that he knows how to strike us. He tells you more information than you perhaps care to hear, while he outright refuses to tell me information I wish to know."

"He's not going to give away his game, Kirigiri."

"I know, but I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about who I am."

Togami blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Do you recall our first day here? How we all introduced ourselves at dinner?" Togami slowly shook his head; though it had only been a little over two weeks, it felt like a lifetime ago that they had their mockery of an opening ceremony. Noticing his reaction, Kirigiri stated, "Well I, too, got some odd stares from the others because my 'ultimate' title wasn't marked. I don't know why I was invited to Hope's Peak Academy in the first place."

Togami quirked an eyebrow. "You don't remember why you're here?"

"No. It's why Fujisaki's search for answers has taken longer than anticipated. Before anything, I need to know what the mastermind did to me. Because I wouldn't have come here without a good reason, and that reason has been stolen from me." With a deadly serious expression, Kirigiri said, "I am almost certain that the mastermind has stolen some of my memories. And that those memories may be the key to solving this school's puzzle."

A few seconds passed as Togami's jaw dropped in shock. "You… You honestly believe the mastermind has distorted your memories?"

"If the information you were given by Monokuma was true, wouldn't such a man have the power to do so?"

"Well, perhaps, but…" "But that's...insanity."

"If he distorted my memories, there is a very high probability he has distorted all of our memories," Kirigiri continued. "Proving that the mastermind did something with our past is no doubt vital to solving why we were actually brought here in the first place. And for the record, I have told nobody this information beyond you and Fujisaki. Not even Taka nor Naegi."

"What does Fujisaki think of this theory?"

"She is...open to it. Do you recall the day she felt sick?" Togami nodded. "She actually wasn't feeling ill. She, well… She had a dream. A vivid, intense dream. And while I know you of all people will probably scoff at this, it was powerful enough to make her take the day off. She told me later that it regarded all of us… That she dreamt we were here, but it was a normal school, with normal classrooms, and she was tutoring a few of us in mathematics. She said it was real enough that, when she awoke, she actually thought she recalled her daily schedule, only to see the metal plates on the window."

Togami's eyes widened. Kirigiri, noticing his change in expression, frowned and pressed on. "She's not the only one. Naegi also mentioned offhand having an intense, realistic dream of us as classmates. I didn't pry, and he seemed a little embarrassed after mentioning it. But that's two people who–"

"Make it three." Togami shifted uncomfortably at Kirigiri's look of surprise. "I… I may have had a dream as well that struck me as odd."

"About us?"

"About some of us."

"I...see." Standing from her seat, she glanced over at the music stand and nodded. "I didn't have a dream, but I… I recognized something. When Naegi gave you the music. I felt like I had seen it before. Not in the gym, and obviously not under these circumstances, but I've witnessed him giving you sheet music before. Or at least… I think I have…" She stood and walked over to the music stand. "No… I definitely saw you and Naegi…"

Togami inhaled and slowly exhaled as he stood from his seat, mimicking her behavior. Crossing his arms over his chest, he asked, "What do we plan to do about all of this? Assuming that something has been done to you, if not all of us?"

"We lay low," Kirigiri instructed, turning once again to face him. "As I said, nobody else has mentioned anything. The others are more concerned about how long we've been here, though most are now just taking this as a 'vacation.' But we can't avoid the reality that we've been trapped here for nearly three weeks, and nobody has yet to show up to help us or break us out of here. We need more information, but we can't tip off Monokuma anymore than we already have. So we lay low, and we keep the others happy to avoid chaos. If everyone starts panicking, the mastermind might be pushed into doing something serious."

Togami slowly nodded in agreement. "I obviously haven't told anyone about my dream, and I assume you will keep said information a secret."

"As much a secret as you'll keep this conversation," Kirigiri retorted. "I'll continue having Fujisaki research. That doesn't seem to bother Monokuma, if he's picked up on it at all. I will keep my search of the grounds spaced out enough to avoid drawing more attention. You may want to stay out of the archive for a few days. Otherwise, I'll continue updating you on any information I find."

"I suppose we'll see," Togami muttered. Kirigiri smirked and nodded before turning and leaving. Togami closed the door behind her, but his hand remained on the handle as he glanced over his shoulder to look over at the music stand.

Despite Kirigiri's warning, he suddenly wanted nothing more than to tear the archive apart, to find some evidence, any evidence, for her claims. But for now, he'd have to bide his time and wait. "Because if our memories were manipulated, and that dream I saw was reality, then… Then what does that mean…?"