Chapter 36: Day 33

The sound of typing filled Togami's ears, and he watched as Fujisaki finished bringing up whatever program they were using to hack the system. Kirigiri poured them each a hot cup of tea, observing that she hated seeing Naegi follow Togami down the coffee rabbit hole. As she did, both Togami and Naegi took out their notebooks, with Naegi's full of random items from his time with Kirigiri while Togami's contained diagram images.

Finally, Kirigiri took her seat and opened her own notebook, which was practically full of notes.

"So, I found a good amount of information that may or may not help us," Fujisaki started. "And one of those items is something we've been pondering for quite some time."

"Something about the school?" asked Naegi.

"Something about us," Fujisaki replied. "And before I start, I checked to make sure that this was okay to share."

Togami frowned as Naegi asked, "What do you mean, 'okay'?"

"Well… We finally solved one mystery. I found Kirigiri's title."

Naegi gasped as Togami's eyes widened, but as he looked over at Kirigiri, he couldn't help but notice that her expression was less than joyful. "What, is it something embarrassing?" he questioned, his eyebrow rising as he spoke.

Kirigiri immediately shook her head no. "It's actually quite on point," she stated with a serious tone.

Fujisaki chuckled. "It is. She's the Ultimate High School Detective."

"The Ultimate…Detective?" repeated Naegi.

"Well, that certainly explains quite a bit," remarked the corporate heir as he took a sip of the hot tea.

"Yes, it certainly does," Kirigiri remarked.

"But that's good, right?" asked Naegi. "I mean, knowing your title."

"Well, there's more to it than that," she replied, slowly sipping the tea. "Fujisaki…"

"How did you even find that information?" inquired Togami as he locked his gaze onto the Ultimate Programmer.

"I found the student registry," Fujisaki answered. "It contained our names, titles, and basic profiles. There seemed to be a page or two missing, but I can't determine yet if that's because of the program or just because of how much time has passed. But Kirigiri and her title were listed there, as well as her connection to this school."

Togami frowned as he sipped his tea once more. A tense moment passed, during which Kirigiri and Fujisaki shot each other an odd look. It was the first time, he realized, that he was seeing Kirigiri look hesitant. Up until now, she marched forward with a determination that rivaled his own. Even when she looked stunned in the gym, she later approached him regarding the matter, determined to get to the bottom of the matter.

Now, there was something there in her expression that told him she didn't want to move on…but knew she had to. It was the first time he saw her having to reconcile something.

Finally, a sense of understanding must have passed, for Fujisaki looked at both Togami and Naegi and said, "The headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy…was Kirigiri's father."

Togami's eyes widened in shock as Naegi all but shouted, "Wait, the headmaster is… But is he…?!"

"We don't know if he's still here or not," Fujisaki continued. "And then there's the matter of–"

"He is." The two words silenced the group as all eyes turned to look at Kirigiri. With head slightly bowed, cup in hand, Kirigiri muttered the words, "He is here. I know he's here. He shut down the school, closed it down for some unknown reason, and abdicated his position as headmaster. But he is here. And I… I will find him."

"But… Does that mean that the headmaster is controlling…" Naegi stuttered, clearly not knowing how to phrase his statement. Togami, however, knew exactly what he was implying. Instead of finishing for Naegi, the corporate heir looked directly at Kirigiri, suddenly recalling a conversation that felt like it occurred a lifetime ago.

"That's why you said you firmly believed the headmaster wasn't the mastermind." Togami finished his cup of tea before leaning forward slightly, still looking directly at Kirigiri. "While you may not have recalled your relationship to the headmaster, you knew instinctively that he couldn't be the mastermind. You told me it was gut instinct, and I dismissed it. And yet–"

"–And yet our gut instincts appear to be more accurate than even we believe," Kirigiri remarked. She finally looked up from her cup of tea at the others. "After all, you have felt differently about Naegi since the moment we arrived. I knew, I simply knew, that the headmaster couldn't be the mastermind."

"But then…where is he?" asked Naegi. "The headmaster, I mean?"

"This school was shut down over a year ago," Togami remarked. "It's almost a certainty that he's no longer here."

"On the contrary, it's almost a certainty that he is," Kirigiri countered. "I came to this school to talk to my father. To reconnect with him."

"'Reconnect'?" Naegi repeated.

"It's…a long story."

"But if–"

"Naegi." Togami cut the other boy off and reached forward, refilling their cups of tea as he said, "Focus on what's important. Kirigiri's personal family life isn't the reason we're having this meeting right now." He then turned his attention back to Kirigiri and asked, "So, if you believe he's truly here, then where do you think he is?"

"No doubt in one of the locked rooms," she answered. "I don't know if the mastermind is keeping him hostage, or if something else is going on, but just as I know he isn't the mastermind, I know he is still in the walls of this school."

Togami scowled as he mused, "And you have already had the mastermind admit that, if we try to enter one of those locked rooms, he will attack and make an example out of us."

"I think you proved that more than me, to be fair."

"I didn't enter a locked room."

"Yes, but the mastermind still didn't want you in there and certainly made an example of you."

Togami sipped his tea. "In any event…"

"It sounds like, if we find the headmaster, we may be able to find out more about the mastermind," Fujisaki stated.

"But how are we going to find him?" asked Naegi.

"By doing what we've been doing: looking and waiting," Togami answered. Crossing his arms over his chest, he stated, "After all, I proved the mastermind will harm us if we go into places he doesn't want us in. However, he opened up the network to us, didn't he?" Togami shot a look at Fujisaki. "I suspect that more information will become available the closer we get to our deadline. He may even open up a few doors for us to investigate."

"Why would he do that, though?" asked Fujisaki. "Wouldn't that help our investigation?"

"It would, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's for our benefit. None of this is for our benefit, and to convince ourselves otherwise is foolish."

"So then…why would the mastermind…"

Kirigiri's head shot up, her eyes wide. "You think he wants us to find out what happened outside?"

"I think that's absolutely a possibility."

"But…" Fujisaki's voice trailed off as they asked, "Why would they…"

"Because he wants us to make a mistake. Another mistake. My entering the archive closet and finding the photos has shifted his game. Before, it was simply holding us hostage. Now, it's about manipulating us emotionally, dangling information we need in front of us like animals. And he can and will do that to distract us from our true goal: the backups. His threat makes it clear - he doesn't plan on letting us leave unless he absolutely has to. And if we become trapped by our investigation, if we find out information that keeps us from focusing, then he wins. He is going to try and toy with us, using this investigation, now that he has decided to allow us to pursue it. All the information that comes our way from here on out is going to be what he wants us to see."

"Why would he want us to stay longer, though?"

"That's a question for him, not me. And I, quite frankly, would rather not know."

"So then, should we… I mean, do we even want to–"

"We have to keep moving forward." Kirigiri's tone left no room for argument as she said, "We have to know what happened to the outside world…and why we woke up here. Even if it's a terrible truth, we have to know."

"I agree," Togami stated. "Running away is a fool's errand, and staying here for the rest of my life is unappealing at best."

"So then… I guess I'll keep looking for information," Fujisaki stated. "See what Monokuma sends me and keep you all updated."

"We appreciate it, Fujisaki," Naegi said. "After all, only you would be able to figure out this computer stuff."

Fujisaki chuckled and blushed before finally taking a sip of their drink.

"Well, does that conclude the meeting?" asked Togami. Already closing his notebook, he was surprised when Fujisaki suddenly shook their head no. All eyes turned to them as they set their cup of tea down and inhaled a deep breath of air.

"Fujisaki…?" Naegi frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I… I told you all I would come clean, and now that we're learning more about ourselves and each other, and things are coming up, I… I really should tell you all." Biting their lower lip, Fujisaki inhaled once more before looking up with an expression so serious, so grave, that even Togami was slightly taken aback. But he knew. He couldn't understand what they were going through, but he knew what they were discussing.

His dream. When everyone knew Fujisaki's true nature…

"I'm a boy."

The three words hung in the air. They had been spoken so quickly, so softly, that it was questionable whether they were even spoken. But nobody moved. Nobody spoke.

"I'm a boy."

Fujisaki repeated the words louder this time. He stared at each of them, nodding in confirmation. "I've always been a boy…and I've always hidden myself as a girl."

"Fu… Fujisaki?" Naegi said their name…his name…as though hearing it for the first time.

"I have my reasons," he said. "And, like Kirigiri, I'd rather not get into them. Not right now. But… since Togami already knows…"

"That was part of your dream, wasn't it?" asked Kirigiri. Togami glanced over to see the Ultimate Detective looking at him. "That's why, when you woke up in the nurse's station, you referred to Fujisaki as 'he.' You said, 'He was part of my dream.'"

Togami nodded. "It wasn't a big deal in the dream… We all seemed keenly aware of it. In fact, Naegi asked me if Fujisaki had chosen to wear men's clothes during the snowball fight."

"Were… Was anybody…mad or anything?" Fujisaki seemed to have to force the question, and he bit his lower lip.

Togami shook his head. "Much as everyone was aware of Naegi and I, we were all aware and supportive of you. That was, at least, the impression I had."

Fujisaki released a sigh of relief. "That… That's good to hear."

Kirigiri returned her gaze to Fujisaki. "You said you're telling us this because something came up… Are you referring to Togami's dream?"

"No. I'm referring to Owada's dream." Everyone blinked in surprise. "Owada approached me yesterday after we were done collecting items. He said he had a dream of all of us in a tech workshop. We were working late at night, and he had to carry some heavy items for me. He asked me about training with the other girls, about working out and getting stronger, and I… I don't know why, as I don't recall that moment, but apparently I told him the truth. That I wasn't a girl. And he promised to keep it a secret after the shock subsided."

"So Owada now knows you're male, as well," Kirigiri observed.

"He promised to keep it a secret, still," Fujisaki stated. "But…"

"...but that means he's also having dreams of our past school life." Naegi finished. Fujisaki nodded.

"No."

Kirigiri said it before anyone had a chance, but Togami was secretly grateful she did. He knew what Naegi would ask.

"But why not?" Naegi shot back. "If he's having dreams, too, then he can help–"

"We've gone over this enough times," Kirigiri argued. "Especially now that Monokuma is indirectly 'aiding' our investigation. More people involved means more ways for him to manipulate us."

"I… But…"

Togami looked at Fujisaki. "What did you say to Owada when he told you about his dream?"

"I admitted I've had one or two dreams," Fujisaki answered. "But then I chalked it up to us just being trapped here for a month."

"And he bought that?"

"Yes."

"Then let him be. We can continue on our own."

"Please don't tell anyone else," Fujisaki said. "I know Owada will keep his promise. I… As Kirigiri says, my gut instinct tells me he will. And I know I can trust you all. So please… Let me tell the others in my own time."

Everyone slowly nodded. Kirigiri inhaled slowly and stood from her seat. "Well, I think that's a good stopping point for today," she remarked. Togami nodded and also went to stand when the Ultimate Detective suddenly shot them all a smile. "And since we've been pushing ourselves a bit, why don't we have some fun?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I heard the others talking about how they're going to all be in the pool this afternoon. That means the rec room is available to us…" Shooting a smirk at Togami, she said, "I'm sure you wouldn't mind a few rounds of billiards."

"That depends." Glancing down at Naegi, he asked, "Do you?"

Naegi's bright smile shattered whatever tension remained in the air from their conversation. "Of course not! Though we should probably clean up these teacups, first…"

"You two head upstairs to claim the table," Kirigiri instructed. "Fujisaki and I will join shortly."

The four stood from their seats and soon filed out of the room, Fujisaki and Kirigiri walking ahead of Togami and Naegi. Togami purposely walked slowly, to Naegi's obvious confusion, before he felt comfortable enough that he could speak without the Ultimate Detective overhearing. Finally, he leaned down and whispered, "Before we head upstairs, go to your room and grab some clothes."

Naegi blinked in confusion. "What? Why?"

"Because if you're spending the night again with me, you're not crossing the hallway in your pajamas like a walking target for Fukawa to pounce on every morning. And if everyone's upstairs in the pool, now's the perfect time to get your things."

Naegi blushed before nodding and rushing to his room. Togami casually strolled to his own dorm room door and unlocked it, watching with amusement as Naegi soon came out with a small, disorganized ball of clothes in his hands. He rolled his eyes as the other student tossed them carelessly onto the table in Togami's room. "I will teach you one day to take care of your things," he whispered as he shut and locked the door. Wrapping his arm around Naegi's shoulders, he led him down the hallway, not minding the slow pace they fell into.