Chapter 35: Day 32

Sliding open the door to the library, Togami waited and held it for Naegi, who was carrying not only their cups of coffee but several notebooks and a bag of pens and pencils. He then shut the door behind the two, but not before shooting a glare at Fukawa as much out of habit as out of spite.

Naegi approached the closest table and clumsily set everything down, causing Togami to smirk. "I could have helped, you know."

"You're still recovering," Naegi argued.

"I told you, I'm fine."

"And I told you, you're still recovering."

Togami scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Your ultimate title clearly carries weight. Most people who try to correct me find themselves regretting it." Still, it made Togami inwardly smile, watching Naegi set up their stations at the table as he reflected on the other's behavior.

Naegi had spent the previous night in Togami's room, citing concern that the corporate heir was still suffering from side effects from the gas. That included Naegi sleeping in Togami's bed again. And while Togami had feigned sleep, he listened and felt Naegi watch him for a significant amount of time. Naegi had run his hands through his hair, whispered things like 'I hope you're okay,' and planted more than one soft kiss against Togami's cheek, all while clearly watching for evidence that he was still struggling. Togami had fallen asleep with that thought in mind, making him feel oddly emotional about having so much attention from the other student. They had just restarted the relationship, but the motions felt deeper than that. And while he despised the idea of being seen as weak, he instinctively knew that wasn't why Naegi was monitoring him. It flipped Togami's expectations in a way that he didn't expect. Sure, Togami had had people cater to him, bow to him, and take care of him, but never had he had someone simply watch over him.

It didn't help that Naegi's concerns weren't entirely unfounded. While mostly back to normal, Togami had woken up with a mild yet lingering sense of fatigue. He knew he still wasn't moving quite as quickly as he normally did, and the morning search for items took a greater amount of energy than he would care to admit. Yet Naegi seemed keenly aware of this despite Togami's protestations, as he had done the majority of the work in collecting items and was now ensuring Togami carried around as little as possible.

Togami knew Naegi wouldn't see it this way, but the corporate heir owed the Ultimate Lucky Student. In fact, he probably had a tab for him. He would need to repay his debt at some point.

But now wasn't the time. Walking across the library, Togami approached the archive door and opened it. He then turned on the light and growled as he slowly took in the sight before him.

It was just as Kirigiri had said. The archive had been returned to its former set-up, with all the books that had been meticulously placed on the ground returned to their shelves. The bookshelf in the back was set in place as though nothing was amiss. Togami approached it and moved the books he knew to be in front of the button, revealing the busted pieces of wood. The square was cracked, the wood split in half, with one half sticking out and the other in. He pressed against it and found it was completely jammed.

He inhaled and slowly exhaled. "My one contribution to this damn investigation down the drain…" he thought miserably as he returned the books to the shelf. "Though I suppose that isn't entirely correct. After all, my dreams have helped create the timeline of events Kirigiri is establishing. Still…"

"So Togami…" Hearing Naegi's voice, Togami turned to see the other student standing in the doorway of the archive. "I didn't get a chance to ask, but when I first found you in here that one day…that day you were all worn out and sweaty…did you already know about that door?"

Togami blinked, then slowly nodded. "Yes."

Naegi frowned. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because we had decided to keep you out of the investigation," Togami answered.

"So I've gathered. I guess I don't understand why, though…"

Togami smirked as he slowly approached Naegi. "I assure you, it was for purely good reasons."

"Specifically?"

"Remember when you argued yesterday about telling the others?"

"Yeah."

"That's why. We knew that you wouldn't be able to keep it a secret for very long because you genuinely care for others. You spend a lot of time with the group. If you had suddenly disappeared to investigate, people would've noticed. And if you were sitting around worrying about us, others would have noticed that, too. Subtlety is not your strong suit, and the knowledge that a year or more of memories have been lost is…disturbing, to say the least."

Despite the remark, a soft chuckle escaped Naegi's lips. "So basically you lied because I'm a poor liar?"

"In so many words." Togami questioned saying his remaining thoughts, then realized very little could be as embarrassing as what transpired the previous day. "There's also our personal relationship. I wasn't planning on asking you out because I wanted to keep you distanced from the investigation. If you and I had begun dating, I would have protected you from whatever we discovered, but it would have stopped me cold in my tracks. I wouldn't be able to investigate and would instead worry about keeping everything from you."

"You… You don't have to do that, you know."

"Not anymore. But I would have before."

"So then… Why have me in the loop now?"

Togami scoffed at the silly question. "You saw me suffer a gas attack from Monokuma after finding a hidden archive. Hiding it from you would be more trouble than it's worth. After all, let's say we lied about what happened in this room. Would you really just let it go?"

Naegi chuckled again and shook his head. "No, probably not."

"Exactly. What you lack in subtlety, you more than make up for with your forward nature. And while I was knocked unconscious, I suspect that Kirigiri felt the same way - that bringing you onboard with the investigation was a much simpler solution than lying to you."

"It's rude of you to speak on behalf of someone else," a voice rang out. Both blinked in surprise, and Togami watched as a head of lavender hair appeared behind Naegi. Naegi turned and jumped in surprise.

"Kirigiri!" he exclaimed. "I didn't hear you come in…"

"Of course you didn't. I didn't want to interrupt your conversation. But Togami is correct." Kirigiri smirked at the two. "If we had lied to you, Naegi, you would have hounded Togami about what happened. And quite frankly, I didn't trust Togami to hide the truth from you."

Togami flinched at the statement. "I wouldn't have told him if our group decided it."

"But you would argue the point after Naegi wore you down. And Naegi would have worn you down." Togami frowned, refusing to accept the valid counter, which caused her smirk to widen. "So, are you satisfied with the archive?"

"Odd word choice," Togami remarked. "No, I'm not 'satisfied.' I'm infuriated."

"There's not much we can do about it, unfortunately. But I do have some good news. Fujisaki states her connection has been much smoother on the laptop. I suspect the mastermind has opened some of the internet to us now that he is…amused…by our attempts. We should have a meeting tomorrow to discuss her findings."

Togami and Naegi both nodded. "Then in the meantime, I'm going to work on diagramming our next backup," Togami stated, approaching the two to indicate he was done in the archive. Both exited, and Togami quickly followed suit, turned off the light, and shut the door behind him.

"Is that the reason for the notebooks?" inquired Kirigiri as she pointed at the table.

"Yes. I despise the idea of taking Monokuma's threats seriously, but if he says he plans to extend our stay, well… I want to make sure our diagram is somewhat improved to at least see how he reacts."

"Not a bad decision. Then…" She suddenly held up a small notebook of her own and asked, "Might I work with you all?"

"On the timeline?"

"Yes."

Naegi smiled warmly and nodded. "That'd be awesome!"

"And what are you working on, Naegi?"

"Um, well… N-Nothing, really. I just figured I'd read a bit."

"Then maybe you can assist me." Togami watched as Kirigiri took her seat at the table with their belongings. He mentally shrugged and followed Naegi over, taking his own seat and a sip of coffee before opening his notebook whilst pulling out the e-Handbook. Each of them began their individual task, with a comforting silence settling around them. Kirigiri would ask Naegi to look something over every few minutes, and Naegi would read while she wrote. Meanwhile, Togami focused on the diagram, using the e-Handbook's list of items for their latest backup to calculate what all could be utilized.

Thus it came as a surprise when Naegi suddenly muttered, "I wonder if we've done this before."

"Hmm?" Both Kirigiri and Togami looked up to see Naegi looking back and forth at the two of them.

"What do you mean?" Kirigiri asked slowly.

"I mean, well… This." He pointed at the empty library, then their table. "Study nights. Or just nights where we all worked on school work, or assignments, or just spent time together. You know, before… Well, everything happened."

It was an odd thought, but Togami's mental vision flashed back to the photograph he had seen in the box, of all of them in the classroom with assignments on the board. "More than likely, we did," he noted.

"I would assume so, given the photo Monokuma gave you as an apology," Kirigiri added. "It looked as though you two were studying together in class, what with all the stuff on your desks."

"And my dream," Togami noted with sudden recollection. "My first dream. I was telling you, Naegi, that you had to study for a math test."

Naegi laughed. "That sounds like something you'd do…"

"Not studying sounds like something you would do," Kirigiri countered.

"Yeah, but math sucks!" Naegi exclaimed. Togami chuckled at the reaction and quickly looked down at his notebook, hoping to avoid the threatening blush.

"Yes, but it's imperative to learn," he stated, recalling his words from his dream.

"Well, not right now, it isn't. I mean… Are schools even running anymore in the world?"

"Hopefully we'll learn that at some point."

"Yeah… I suppose so."

Togami peeked over and watched as the other two settled back into their tasks. He could easily envision the three of them studying: Kirigiri and he taking notes while forcing Naegi to pay attention. It was disturbing to think that, some 30 days prior, he had looked at the two as complete strangers, individuals he wanted nothing to do with.

He wondered if he came to Hope's Peak with the same attitude, of wanting to be left alone.

He mentally scoffed and continued his work. "There's no point in wondering about 'what ifs,' after all," he reflected. "If my memories return, then they will answer my questions. But just sitting here pondering wastes time."

Time seemed to fly by once they returned to their tasks, and thus all three were startled when the monitor clicked on and the nighttime announcement played. Kirigiri sighed as she stood, and Togami swiped his notebook before Naegi could claim to carry it. Naegi glared with a smile and picked up the rest of the items on the table, and the trio exited the library and began to head downstairs.

"So… Tomorrow at Fujisaki's room?" asked Kirigiri as they walked down the hallway. "After we've collected items?"

"Sounds like a plan," Naegi stated.

"Well then, I'll see you tomorrow."

Togami watched as Kirigiri walked ahead of them. He then turned to see Naegi walking towards the dining hall. He stopped, wondering what exactly he should say, then decided to wait for Naegi to finish putting the dishes away. He tapped his foot impatiently, hating waiting out in the open, but fortunately Naegi took only a minute or so to return.

"Tomorrow, I'm carrying my cup of coffee," Togami remarked. The two began approaching the dorm rooms, and by now, Kirigiri had disappeared from sight, leaving the two alone, with the possible exception of the stalking Fukawa.

Naegi chuckled. "Okay, okay. But uh…"

"Yes?"

The two stopped in front of Naegi's dorm room. Naegi was chewing his lower lip, evidently uncertain of what to say. Finally, he stuttered, "I, uh, I know you're feeling better and all, and I know that we just, well, started dating, or, uh, re-dating, if that's even a word, but… Um, well…"

Naegi's gaze shot past Togami's arm, and he turned in the direction to see his own dorm room. His eyes widened, realizing what Naegi was trying to ask, and he smirked before looking back down at the brown-haired student. "Name one time I've been able to say no to you since we've been here," Togami stated as he fished out his dorm key.

"Huh?"

"I'm saying, if you want to stay overnight, you're always welcome." The words made Togami's face warm, and he quickly turned to hide his embarrassment. "I'll leave the door unlocked for a bit. If you decide not to come over, I'll lock up for the night. Either way is fine with me. But…" He looked over his shoulder at Naegi, knowing what he wanted to say. "Say it, you idiot," he thought. "It's just words."

"Togami?"

"I'd feel better if you stayed with me." It wasn't what he wanted to say, but the way Naegi's face lit up told Togami that his meaning had come across. Before he could embarrass himself further, the corporate heir approached and unlocked his own dorm door before entering his room. He then quickly shut the door without locking behind him.

He swallowed back the wave of emotions as he tossed the key onto the table. He then grabbed a pair of black pajama pants and a white t-shirt he had obtained from the warehouse before stepping into the bathroom and undressing, feeling the need to quickly shower. He thought about leaving the door slightly ajar, wondering if he would be able to hear the sound of his dorm room door opening over the water, then realized how foolish and weak such a move would be. "And that's assuming Naegi comes over," he reminded himself. "After all, he is correct. Though we were obviously together in a serious capacity, we just restarted this relationship. He may not feel comfortable enough to stay overnight again. Which is…fine… It's fine."

A lump suddenly settled in his stomach, and Togami growled as he quickly washed himself off. "Get it together, you idiot," he scolded himself. "What would the others have to say about you in this state? Yes, you like Naegi, but to be so upset by something like that? Ridiculous." And yet the feeling of uneasiness persisted throughout the shower, throughout drying his hair, throughout his changing into his pajamas –

– He opened the door and blinked in surprise. Lying on his side in bed, already asleep, was Naegi.

He released a sigh of relief and smiled. Entering his room, he swiftly locked his dorm room door and saw Naegi's hoodie and key on the table next to his own. Approaching the bed, he took a good look and saw Naegi was wearing different clothes, as the top of a green t-shirt was visible. "He must have changed for bed, as well." He also noted Naegi's head was on a different pillow; there were now two pillows vying for room on the single bed.

Togami chuckled as he turned off the light. Using his e-Handbook like a flashlight, he made his way over and laid down in bed, setting both his glasses and the handbook on the nearby table. He tried his best to move without disturbing Naegi and managed to settle in before peeking over at the other student.

In the pitch black darkness, Togami felt his smile widen. Flipping on his side to face the back of Naegi, the corporate heir slowly laid his arm over his chest, then moved forward until there was little space between them. Still, Naegi didn't stir.

"Good night, Naegi," he thought aloud. He gently kissed the back of Naegi's shoulder, then settled into the pillow and closed his eyes. Sleep quickly came.