Chapter 30: Day ?

Togami's favorite season, ever since he was a child, was winter. Others complained about it constantly, but he found it was the best season. The cold weather, the hot beverages, a comforting fireplace in the study...and the snow.

Togami had always loved the snow.

He sat outside, wrapped in a warm, dark green coat, light green scarf, and gloves, watching as a light snow came down. It didn't bother him that the snowflakes were hitting his glasses or getting in his hair. Sitting on the thick layer of snow already blanketing the ground underneath a large tree, he watched Owada and Taka hurl empty insults at each other as their teams prepared for an "epic snowball fight of Ultimate Student proportions."

Togami rolled his eyes at their games, but even he had to admit he was somewhat entertained by it all. Not everyone was participating, as well, meaning he didn't stand out like normal. Enoshima wanted to stay indoors, stating she hated the cold weather, and Fukawa was being Fukawa. And then there was -

"Got the last two hot chocolates!"

Togami chuckled in amusement as Naegi ran through the snow towards him, a bright smile across his face. Reaching out, he took one of the disposable, lidded cups and felt the warmth through his gloves. Naegi carefully took a seat next to him, leaning against his arm ever so slightly. It made Togami smile seeing Naegi wearing the brown winter coat he bought him for Christmas. "So, did I miss anything?" he asked.

"Nothing beyond Owada's terrible taunting," Togami answered.

"Is he still pretending he and Taka are rivals?"

"I think 'pretending' is a strong word, even at this point. If he's pretending anything, it's that he doesn't have an interest in Fujisaki."

"Did Fujisaki keep his promise? Is he wearing guy clothes today?"

Togami nodded and pointed over to a makeshift snowbank, where Fujisaki could be seen wearing jeans, boots, and a thick jacket. A dark blue hat covered his head of hair, which was still kept long. Naegi nodded as well, then peeked around the tree before shooting Togami a curious look. "No Fukawa?"

Togami shook his head. "No Fukawa." Naegi smiled and leaned forward, planting a kiss on Togami's cheek. Togami smirked and turned, returning the quick kiss but this time on Naegi's lips. He took a few brief seconds to stare into Naegi's beautiful eyes, caressing the boy's cheek lightly with his fingers. Leaning forward, he whispered, "I wasn't...too harsh last night, was I?"

"Absolutely not," Naegi answered, and his wide grin set Togami's nerves at ease. "I told you in the shower that that was freakin' awesome. We better get more snow days if it means doing that again."

Togami blushed slightly, thankful he could blame the cold for the color in his cheeks. "I'm sure we can figure something out. After all, they're not going to kick you out for sleeping in my dorm room anymore."

"True. Though Fukawa will no doubt hound me about it..."

"Her ridiculous delusions are her problem, not ours." Kissing Naegi once again, Togami said, "I'm not letting her or anyone else dictate what I can and can't do if it has to do with us. That's not for them to decide."

Naegi smiled as he awkwardly asked, "So you wouldn't mind if I spent the night in your room more frequently?"

"I wouldn't mind if you spent every night with me."

Naegi's smile widened, and he leaned forward, pressing a soft yet passionate kiss against Togami's lips. Togami pressed back, letting his fingers trail along Naegi's jawline, when the sound of approaching footsteps caught his attention. He broke away and glanced up to see Kirigiri and Hina approaching. "Hey you two lovebirds!" Hina exclaimed, giggling sweetly as she approached.

"Hey Hina," Naegi replied. Togami leaned back against the tree and nodded at the two before he took a sip of his hot chocolate.

"Not joining in on the fun, I see," Kirigiri noted, a genuine smile across her face.

"And miss out on Owada and Kuwata thrashing Taka?" countered Togami. "Not a chance, since that's where the real fun is."

Hina laughed as she nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Kuwata's gonna deck them. Maizono already asked him to 'ignore' her."

"Isn't that cheating?" asked Togami.

"Weren't you the one in philosophy class arguing that there are no morals in war?" Kirigiri shot back.

"Hmph. So you were paying attention."

"Of course. I'm writing a counterargument just for you on the subject."

"Oh?" Smirking, Togami said, "Well, I'm sure it will be an enlightening read."

Kirigiri returned the smirk as Hina rolled her eyes. "All right, all right, we get it. You're both stupid smart. Now come on, Kirigiri! Let's get going! Oh, and Naegi!" Pointing down, she asked, "Is that hot chocolate?"

"Yeah, but it was–"

"Hot chocolate!" Sprinting away, Hina ran into the crowd of other students, her calls for 'hot chocolate' ringing in the air.

Naegi and Togami both chuckled and took a sip of their drinks. "So, in comparison to my coffee, how does it rank?" asked Naegi.

"Nothing compares to your coffee," Togami confidently answered. "After all, you took over a month to perfect it."

"It was worth learning." Winking, Naegi said, "And just remember, you made that bet. If I made a cup of coffee that impressed you, you'd go on a date with me."

Togami smirked and took another sip. "That, I did."

"And here we are…" Naegi smiled brightly as he sipped his hot chocolate. Suddenly he looked up and asked, "You said you liked winter, right?"

"Yes. It's by far my favorite time of the year."

"Maybe we can go for a walk later in the snow? After they're done with the snowball fight?"

Togami took another sip of his drink, feeling a warmth spread in his chest for a completely different reason. "I'd really like that," he whispered. He watched as Naegi cuddled against him, holding his cup in his hand as he pressed his head against Togami's shoulder. The feeling of his boyfriend leaning against him made him smile.

"Hey Byakuya?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

Togami let his free hand slide down into Naegi's, and he gently interlaced their gloved fingers together.

"I love you too, Makoto."

"All right!" Taka's shout echoed throughout the courtyard, and both students turned to watch as the Ultimate Moral Compass declared, "This year's Ultimate Student Snowball Tournament shall begin!"

The first sensation Togami felt was that of the soft sheets covering the majority of his body. He could hear a soft humming, like an air conditioner, and white light pierced its way through his eyelids. Slowly, Togami opened his eyes and was greeted by bright, fluorescent white lights and a white ceiling. His vision was blurry, and his body felt heavy. "What… Where… Where am I?"

He didn't know how long he laid there, staring up at the ceiling with an unfocused gaze. All he knew was that he wasn't in his room, nor was he outside. His thoughts were slow, and his vision seemed to ebb and flow. He was keenly aware of each breath of air he took. "What time is it? What day… Is it...is it still snowing outside? Makoto… Where are you, Makoto? Is the snowball fight...already over? Who won? Why am I…lying here? Where am I?"

Raising a hand to his face, he pressed down on his eyes and realized part of the problem was that his glasses weren't on. He cautiously pushed himself up to a seated position only to feel his stomach turn as he did so. He groaned as a wave of nausea rolled over him. Closing his eyes, he waited for the feeling to pass before reopening his eyelids and scanning his surroundings. Even with his vision blurred, he could tell he was in the nurse's station. He was lying in the center bed with the white sheets and comforter covering the lower half of his body. His jacket and cross tie were nowhere to be found, yet he was still dressed in his white button-up and black slacks. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone.

"What happened? I was… We were outside… No, no, wait. Wait a minute." His eyes widened, and he quickly reached out to a small table next to his bed where his glasses were placed and put them on. Sure enough, next to his glasses was the e-Handbook. He grabbed it to see that it was 15:14. The list of necessary items for the next Monokuma backup appeared as he clicked on the handbook, as did the locations of several students. He peeked over the side of the bed to see that his shoes were also next to the table on the floor.

"No… It's not snowing outside. I wasn't outside… I haven't been outside in over a month. That was all just a dream. Or, not a dream. A...a memory." As though a switch went off, Togami's mind went from slow to exceedingly fast, to the point where he could hardly keep up with his own thoughts. "I was in the closet in the archive. I found the box of pictures. Of all of us in class together. Proving Kirigiri's hypothesis. Then Monokuma showed up. Used gas on me. How long have I been out? And that memory. We've been here… We've been here for at least a year. Perhaps longer. What season is it? What month? What day? How long have we been stuck here?"

Togami felt his heart beat loudly in his chest as his breaths came in short gasps. His mind was piecing together everything he could remember, working in overdrive. He let his head fall into the palm of his free hand as he stared blankly at the bedsheets, the e-Handbook lying forgotten in his lap. "That… That dream happened. That really, truly happened. We were all…all in class together. We were classmates. I was… Fujisaki was...is male? Kirigiri and I were rivals in class? And Makoto… Naegi and I… We… We had… We were…"

Togami swallowed hard as the truth, what he knew was the truth, hit him full force. "We were in love. Enough that we were sleeping together. And everyone… Everyone knew about it. About us. They even supported us."

"You're awake."

The voice caused Togami to look up. Standing in the doorway was Kirigiri. The image of her standing outside in winter clothes flashed across his mental vision, and he watched as she shut the door behind her and sauntered over. "How are you feeling?" she asked, pulling up a small, circular, wheeled chair as she did so.

"I'm…fine." Togami's voice sounded distant, even to himself.

Kirigiri's eyes widened. "You're pale. Are you still feeling the effects of the gas?"

Togami slowly shook his head. "Maybe? But I had a dream…about us all." He blinked and looked back up. "What happened to the box?"

"If you're referring to something that was in the archive closet, it's long gone," Kirigiri answered. "Monokuma got rid of whatever it was you found. The closet was emptied, and the button used to access the closet was destroyed." Leaning forward, she whispered, "What did you find, Togami?"

"Evidence." Togami's voice cracked, and Kirigiri quickly stood and walked over to the sink, getting a small cup of water for the corporate heir. She returned and handed it over, and Togami quickly took it and downed it in one elongated gulp. The cold water made him shiver once more, but it made his throat feel better. He looked back up at her and was surprised to see genuine worry across her features. "There was evidence...of your hypothesis," he continued. "Pictures of us all in class...together. Wearing… I guess they were the school's uniforms."

"What was the date of the photo?"

"There wasn't a date. They were…" Togami shook his head, his time in the archive still colliding with the memory in his brain. He shivered as another wave of nausea came and went.

"I'm sorry. I'm pushing you too much." Taking the cup from his hand, Kirigiri set it on the table. "You should know, we told everyone you passed out from a fever. They don't know what actually happened. Only Naegi and Fujisaki know."

"Fujisaki?" Togami looked back up to see Kirigiri frowning in confusion. "Sorry, he was part of my dream, as well."

"'He'? Togami, what did you dream of?"

"It was winter," Togami answered. "And we were outside...watching a snowball fight. Fujisaki was on Owada's team. Hina wanted hot chocolate. You were writing an essay to argue against one of my essays, and Makoto… Naegi and I… We were watching and…"

"We'll talk later." Kirigiri gently placed a hand on Togami's shoulder. Leaning forward, she stated, "Don't tell anyone what you remember. We'll discuss it once you've recovered."

"How long have I been out?"

"Less than a day." Glancing down at her own e-Handbook, she pointed at the time and explained, "You've been unconscious for a little over 15 hours now."

"Isn't the backup due tomorrow?"

"Yes, which is why it's imperative you continue resting. We can discuss everything once you've fully recovered. And…" Smiling, she added, "I'll let the others, particularly Naegi, know you've woken up. Though I may keep that from Fukawa… She's been wandering the hallways screaming about how Naegi let you down. We've tried to keep her away, but there's only so much we can do." Togami sighed and shook his head in frustration. Kirigiri chuckled as she continued, "But you should sleep some more. You look terrible, and Monokuma said the gas might impair you for at least a full day. We'll wake you up tonight for a late dinner, okay?"

Togami slowly nodded as he laid back down, too exhausted and too disoriented to argue the matter. Taking his glasses off, he set them back on the table next to his empty water cup and listened to Kirigiri leave. Before she did, however, she turned and smiled again. "I'm happy you're okay," she said. "I admit, I didn't trust Monokuma when he said the gas was harmless. I thought… Well, it's over now."

Togami nodded once more and watched as she left. He meant to stay up and wait for the others to arrive, and he rolled on his side to face the doorway. But the second he closed his eyes, he felt the fatigue wash over him, and he drifted off to sleep once more.