Chapter 28: Day 28
Togami smirked as he watched Naegi sink another ball into the pocket. Owada growled and all but shouted, "What the hell! How'd ya hit that from all the way over there?!"
It was satisfying observing Naegi's vast improvement from their time nearly a week ago, as clearly the student was indeed listening to Togami's advice and learning new tricks while playing against the corporate heir. Owada stood stunned as Naegi sank another ball before missing his next shot. By Togami's count, Naegi was now three ahead.
A few others were also watching the game unfold. Taka loudly cheered on Owada, while Maizono, Fujisaki, and Kirigiri leaned against the wall and watched, chatting with each other and sipping on sodas. The others were at the darts machine once more, with Kuwata keeping a close eye on the music box to ensure his collection of punk music was the only thing guaranteed to play. Fukawa was keeping to a corner, hissing every so often at Naegi to "not let Master down."
The crowd allowed Togami to slide into the background, sipping on the remains of his cup of coffee whilst sitting in one of the few bar chairs available. Which was just as well, for his mind was just as detached from the game as it was from the others. Anyone who tried to interact with him would immediately pick up on the fact that his thoughts were elsewhere. But Togami could only think of one thing as he sat there.
How he had fallen for the Ultimate Lucky Student.
There was no denying it any longer. Waking up in bed, Togami's first thought was the recollection of the feeling of holding hands as he and Naegi walked back to their dorms. It gave him the same warm feelings in his chest that embracing Naegi did. And Togami hadn't lied when he said that even if someone else learned, he wouldn't want coffee from anyone else. Because it was no longer just about the coffee. It was a stolen moment in the morning to talk before groups and tasks were assigned. It was an indication that the day was over, and that the evening hours were theirs to spend as they wished.
The routine was leading towards a neverending cycle. The more time he spent with Naegi, the more time he wanted to spend with him. And while Togami didn't have many friends growing up, he certainly knew social protocol well enough to understand that what he and Naegi were doing, how they were interacting with one another, didn't fit the bill for just a friendship, even a strong one. It was flirting, plain and simple. Flirting that Togami was actively engaging in.
No, if this was a battle, Togami had lost. He had lost his ability to claim nothing was different or developing between Naegi and him. And while losing had always left a bitter taste in Togami's mouth, this loss was different.
Hearing Owada growl in frustration, Togami's attention briefly returned to the game. He watched as Owada and Naegi quickly set up a new round, with Taka shouting advice at a clearly-irritated Owada. Naegi, for his part, shot Togami a quick thumbs up, and Togami nodded in response. A few eyes viewed the exchange, and Togami heard Maizono chuckle with that high-pitched voice of hers, but Togami ignored it and instead finished his cup of coffee.
"So I have a crush on Naegi Makoto, the most common of students here," he reflected, leaning ever so slightly back in his seat. "Naegi, for his part, doesn't seem perturbed by such a notion. In fact, he himself has initiated each of our embraces, and he was the one who came to find me when he had the dream about my...my coma, or whatever happened." Togami frowned. "However, none of this means we're actually dating. We're flirting at best. I don't know where he officially stands on the matter, though I can hazard a guess, but to actually confirm it would require us discussing it. And would that be appropriate here in this school? Would it be appropriate at all? Particularly if Kirigiri's hypothesis turns out correct, and our memories are missing and distorted?"
Togami's frown deepened. "I need to look at the facts, and the fact is, there is an extremely high probability that our vivid dreams are our lost memories, rising to the surface without rhyme or reason. Meaning that Naegi and I...kissed...at some point. That we were most likely a couple, or at least beginning to date. That tells me that, at one point, the fact that I am the Togami heir didn't matter to me, that Naegi was more important than my status and the inheritance system of my family."
It was a thought that simultaneously put him at ease and bothered him to no end. "As the heir of the Togami Corporation, it'll be my sole duty to produce a new batch of heirs. What was I planning to do once I took power? Throw Naegi away? Break up with him? That doesn't seem right… Assuming I fell for him then as I am now, I can't imagine my personality changed that much due to a relationship. And when I commit to something, I commit to it fully. So something made me feel okay with pursuing the relationship… Something that I'm now forgetting."
"But then again, does any of that change what is happening now? I can't say that my feelings for him in the present relate to what we may have felt before… No, the dream was an oddity, but what I'm feeling for him now… This is as though we started from scratch. And if we do find out we dated before, it doesn't even matter. What matters is the present… The nights spent in the library, the free days spent here in the rec room, and the mornings spent collecting useless items for a ridiculous captor." Togami let his attention wander back to the game, and he watched Naegi miss a shot and curse under his breath. Owada smirked and taunted him before aiming for a similar shot and missing it by a wider margin, causing Naegi to cheekily grin his way.
"No, no matter what happened in the past, here in the present, it stands that I have a crush on him." He inhaled and slowly exhaled. "What would Naegi say, I wonder, if I did commit to this and asked him out… After all, he may be oblivious, but even he has to recognize the others' stares and not-so-subtle hints about us. And that doesn't even take into account our behavior towards one another… He's certainly not holding anyone else's hand or giving anyone else hugs. And yet he hasn't mentioned the rumors or complained about my behavior at all. Perhaps none of it bothers him, which would give me an answer in a roundabout way…" Frowning once more, Togami thought, "Kirigiri said he's had vivid dreams like the rest of us. I wonder… I wonder if he's had a dream insinuating things like I have…"
The mere thought caused Togami to swallow. "No, now's not the time to think on that. The point is, Byakuya, you have developed an emotional attachment to someone who you may have dated before but have forgotten. That person has shown no disgust at the prospect of dating once more but also hasn't shown any outward desire beyond flirtation. So, I'm stuck with a choice - do I ask him out or leave it be? And is such a choice even worth making while being held captive in a school during an investigation I am actively trying to keep him out of? Especially with my status as the Togami heir?"
And the answer made Togami's heart sink into his stomach. "If I ask him out now… He'll want to be around me more. I'll want to be around him more. And that will put the investigation of this school on hold. I would protect him from it, and that would hinder my ability to search. While it's galling to think I haven't contributed much to the investigation up until this point, my search would most certainly come to a grinding halt if we were to become a couple."
"Yo, what?!" Togami blinked and watched as two balls sank into the pockets. Owada growled and nearly slammed his stick on the table. "How the heck did'ya do that?! What is Togami even teaching you, man?!"
Naegi smiled and shrugged. "Not much? I just kinda watch him play as we play together to see what he does."
"One more round! I need proof you can do that again!"
"Sure!"
Togami smirked as they set up yet around round, with Taka evidently trying his best to keep Owada from tearing his ridiculous hair out. Togami watched in mild amusement as Owada broke up the triangle, then sank a ball, only for Naegi to swoop in and sink three in a row. As he watched, he felt a smile tug at his lips. He crossed his arms over his chest as he confidently thought, "I found the door in the library. That's a major step in the investigation. I know it is. I'll search what's behind the door, report to Kirigiri and Fujisaki…then confront Naegi. Determine what is going on between us, and what we want to have happen. I won't ask him until at least the archive is figured out. The mystery of this school has to come first to my own feelings. But once it is… Even if it's utterly foolish, even if it developed in this insane asylum of a school, once I solve the mystery, I'll pursue it. I'll have my answers by then."
"Togami!" Owada pointed over at the corporate heir. Togami blinked and examined the table. Makoto had wiped the floor with Owada, and while Owada's beet red face glared in Togami's direction, Makoto smiled that innocent smile of his. "A round between you and me. Right here, right now!"
Togami smirked. "And here I thought you were tired of losing," he taunted, standing from his seat as he spoke.
"Oh ho, we'll see who's about to lose! I'm about to make you pay for teachin' Naegi all your tricks!"
Togami rolled his eyes at the flawed logic as he stepped forward. Naegi held out the cue stick for him, and he took it and nodded down at him. Naegi, for his part, smiled before rushing over to the seat Togami had been sitting in. Seeing such a simple thing made a smirk cross Togami's lips. "In the meantime, we'll keep things the way they are," Togami thought as he chalked up his stick. Owada was setting up the triangle, with Taka warning him against the corporate heir's talents. "I don't mind the flirting, and neither, apparently, does he. But the archive door comes first. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing, and when Kirigiri, Fujisaki, and I finally crack the riddle of this school, then…"
He shot a final look over at Naegi, who was staring and smiling warmly at him. "Then maybe, by then, I'll recall enough to know what happened between us. Why I felt so comfortable dating him when I have the Togami Corporation's entire future in the palm of my hands. And maybe by then...maybe it won't even matter."
"All right, Togami, you're up first!"
"Hmph. That eager to lose?" Lining up his shot, Togami inhaled, focused, and exhaled as it shot the stick forward. The cue ball struck the triangle, and with great satisfaction, he watched as two balls landed in separate pockets, the rest of the balls scattering in all directions. The look of anger on Owada's face caused Togami to smirk once more. "Well, looks like I'll be evens, then," he taunted before lining up his next shot. "Remember, you only have yourself to blame for this."