Chapter 46: Day 41

"So I totally remember doing that crystal ball reading for Fujisaki," Hiro concluded as they sat at the long dining room table. Everyone sipped their mugs of water, tea, or coffee, having finished their meal earlier. "And I remember that the reading was beyond obvious: Fujisaki would come into a grand position of power after she graduated!"

"I, um, I don't remember that…" Fujisaki remarked.

"The reading, or the coming into a grand position of power?" asked Hiro.

Enoshima groaned. "You are such a moron, dude."

"Perhaps it was when you won your summer competition?" asked Maizono with a quivering smile. Togami could tell that, out of all the students here, she was taking the news from yesterday the hardest. Her face was a little paler today, and it was more than obvious she hadn't slept the previous night.

"Maybe…"

Owada leaned forward. "So Hiro, me, and Kuwata all had dreams last night. Seems like we're havin' 'em more and more. Maybe whatever they did to us is wearing off or somethin'?"

"If so, that should make these meetings much easier," Celeste pointed out.

"There's also the fact that the more we hear, the more we may trigger others' memories and recollections," Kirigiri noted. She was writing in a new notebook; Togami had since learned she filled the entire first notebook with details.

"Though we cannot will this away, we must persevere and use our team efforts to combat this mysterious amnesia!" Taka declared.

"And on that note, I'm freakin' exhausted," Hina complained. "Ogami and I spent all afternoon searching the school high and low. Couldn't find anything out of the ordinary."

Togami's eyes widened, and he quickly took a sip of his coffee to hide his expression. "If that's true, then she obviously didn't find the classroom…" He glanced down next to him.

Naegi sat sipping his coffee quietly. The classroom had left Fujisaki and him more than a little jarred, and while the corporate heir would usually mock such behavior as a form of weakness, he found he couldn't bring himself to be condescending. He had waited patiently with Kirigiri as Fujisaki and Naegi looked through the room, taking in the sight with their own eyes, piecing together in their minds what such a display of chaos probably meant regarding the outside world. Even back in their dorm, hours later, Naegi had sat silently in bed. He wasn't quite catatonic, not like Togami was in Naegi's dream, but he was still shocked.

Fortunately, Togami had the power to make Naegi smile. He had played his violin for nearly an hour before they went to sleep, simply playing song after song without rhyme or reason. Just for something to fill the void, something that Naegi could focus on beyond his own fears. And it seemed to work. Naegi had, at the very least, gone to bed with a small smile across his lips.

Still, Naegi wasn't his usual self today. It wasn't that he was sad or depressed. Rather, he seemed distracted.

"I think now would be a good time to adjourn the meeting," said Kirigiri. "We all seem a little tired…"

"I'm all for that," Hina replied as she stood from her seat.

"I'll head to the gym," Ogami stated. "Would anyone care to join me?"

"Do we wanna do another round of soccer?" asked Kuwata.

"I'll be returning to my room, thanks," Celeste noted with a polite bow.

"I'll play some soccer," Maizono muttered. "If others want to play."

"Yeah, I can do that," Owada said. "How 'bout you, Naegi? Wanna join? You were pretty good last time."

Naegi blinked in surprise. "U-Um, I think I'll…"

"We'll watch from the bleachers."

All eyes turned to Togami, and he was grateful that the shock that seemed to accompany every statement of his was now fading. Instead, Owada smirked and nodded. "Sounds good, man. Better than you reaming my ass at pool again. Alright, let's head out!"

"I'll get the soccer ball from the locker!" Taka announced.

"Leave that to me," Ogami said. "Taka, you can get the nets."

"I shall stay with Fujisaki to clean up and ensure our cleanliness factor is at 100% here in the dining hall," Yamada stated.

"And I want to continue looking around and collecting information," Kirigiri declared.

Togami glanced over at her. "Do you wish for some assistance?"

She shook her head. "You all have fun. I need some time alone, anyways."

Nodding in response, Togami stood from his seat and waited for Naegi to do the same before sauntering out of the dining hall and into the lobby. He glanced down at Naegi, who was looking up at him with an expression of appreciation, and reached out to take his hand in his. "Thank you," he whispered. "I, uh, know this isn't your usual thing."

"Don't apologize," Togami instructed. "I made my decision."

"Do you honestly want to watch them play soccer?"

"I honestly want you to feel better. And moping in our bedroom isn't going to solve anything right now."

"R-Right… You've got a point…" Seeing a blush cross Naegi's cheeks, Togami frowned when he heard the brunette mutter, "You called it our bedroom."

"It is, isn't it?" asked Togami.

"I mean… Yeah, I guess it is."

"You're the one who said we've been together for two years, no?"

"Yeah…"

"So is there a problem with calling it that?"

"N-No! Not at all. I…" Releasing his grip on his hand, Naegi wrapped his arm around Togami's waist and continued walking side-by-side. "I'm just really happy you're here, Byakuya."

He whispered it just loud enough for Togami to hear. Wrapping an arm around his shoulder, Togami nodded and whispered, "And I'm happy you're here, Makoto."

The duo entered the gymnasium to find Owada and Taka already setting up the nets. Crossing over to the bleachers, they climbed a few steps before taking their seats. From this position, Togami could clearly see Fukawa scrambling into the opposite bleachers, evidently looking for some vantage point to stare and gawk at him from. Whether it was the Ultimate Writer or the recent statements, Togami couldn't say, but he felt a sudden urge to pull Naegi closer to him, and this time, he didn't fight it. Using his arm, he pulled Naegi against his side, and Naegi smiled and leaned against him, resting his head against his shoulder and chest.

"So Byakuya… Can I ask you something?"

"Of course." Togami hated how much he loved hearing Naegi use his first name.

"How… Well… Um… How damaged do you think the outside world is?"

The corporate heir slowly pursed his lips together, his gaze following Owada and Taka's movements. Others had since entered the gym, and they were already arguing about who would be on what team. "I… I don't know, Makoto. Truly, I don't."

"Any guesses, at least?"

"If my family hasn't come yet to find me, then it is probably… No, it is certainly catastrophic," Togami stated. "I would imagine most of the outside world is in shambles."

"And what do you plan to do once we get out? Knowing that, I mean?"

"I would first need to re-evaluate my assets," Togami answered. "I have my own funds and my own properties. The first step would be in recovering those or ensuring that they're still in my possession. That would give us a base of operations, for starters. From there, I will need to reach out to my family, announce my safety, and reestablish my place amongst my relatives."

"And after that…?"

"After that, I suspect I will be doing what I can to assist you," Togami admitted. "My family is not the only one that needs to be found." He looked down at Naegi and nodded. "We will find your parents and your sister. I promise you this. I will do whatever I can to locate your relatives and ensure they understand you are safe."

Naegi's eyes widened. "I-I… Th-thank you, Byakuya."

"Then, it's a matter of evaluating how severe the damage is and what can be restored. But to plan anything further seems pointless when we don't even know what we'll be facing." Togami glanced up to see the other students had finally split into teams, and the sound of the ball being kicked echoed in the gymnasium.

"What if it's…really bad? Like "no food, no water" bad?"

"We have supplies here. We can always return and collect them."

"That's true…" Naegi's eyes widened, and he smiled up at Togami. "I didn't even think of that! We could definitely pack things from here. It's not like I want to come back anytime soon, but leaving all this food behind would definitely be a waste. Plus the gardening tools up in the gardens, the seed bags…" Naegi's smile grew and grew. "We could find some land, build a farm, restart! We could take water from here, maybe find a water purifier… I'm sure Fujisaki would be able to reverse it and make new ones. And then we… I-It sounds so stupid, but if things really are that bad… I mean–"

"Things may be bad, but we will never be powerless," Togami finished. "We have tools, we have supplies, and we have a team. My family's resources would certainly be useful in such an endeavor. And… I'm sure the others wouldn't mind pitching in."

"Would you be willing to work with them? You said before that your priority was finding administration."

"Things have changed. For one, we need to find administration before leaving. A task I'm certain our Ultimate Detective is working towards as we speak. But also…" Rubbing Naegi's upper arm gently, he whispered, "I will do whatever I can to protect you and your family. And if that involves sticking around everyone else so we have enough supplies to survive, then it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. Even if I have to find their families, too, in order to keep their heads in the game and make them focus on survival. They'd be useless to us if they spread out and searched individually without any means to do so."

Naegi's eyes widened, and the genuine look of awe across his face forced Togami's hand. He leaned forward and gently kissed his cheek, not caring one bit if anyone else saw. Naegi's smile widened even more, and he cuddled into Togami's side before looking out at the soccer game. "Thank you, Byakuya," he whispered.

"Of course."

"What else do you think we could bring?"

"Necessary supplies first. Toiletries, clothes, food, and water. Sleeping gear. I'd want to bring some of the books from the library along. Perhaps you all can pick out games to bring to keep everyone sane." Eyes darting across the room at Fukawa, he added, "Or as sane as some of these people can claim to be."

"We could bring journals and notebooks, too, to keep a record of what we've got," Naegi remarked. "And if we continue remembering things, then we'll need to write down those dreams, too. But… That's all so much to carry."

"Not if we have Ogami."

"Ha, true."

"It all could be for nothing, too. Perhaps there's violence and chaos but not necessarily a loss of resources. We have no idea what to prepare for. The important thing, though, is that we have the items necessary to prepare. We're only at a disadvantage in terms of information."

"You're right. And… I really do think we can pull this off."

"We have to. There's no other option." Naegi nodded. Glancing down, Togami rubbed his arm again and muttered, "By the way… You know you don't have to stay up here with me if you don't want to. I don't mind if you want to go down and play."

"I'm right where I want to be." As if to push the point, Naegi nuzzled into Togami's side as he looked forward, his eyes darting back and forth as the other students kicked the soccer ball around.

Smiling, Togami nodded and kept his arm around the brunette's shoulders. He turned his gaze to the game, watching as the others kicked the ball back and forth, and tried to imagine working with them all outside the school. Ogami carrying equipment with Owada. Maizono, Enoshima, Fujisaki, and Yamada making camps and cooking food. Celeste being intolerable, and him probably having a matching attitude about the terrible conditions they'd have to endure until they reached his family's corporation. And the others just following along, helping to get information and scavenge whatever they needed to survive.

It was a future Togami never would have imagined prior to seeing the bloodied classroom. Something inside him wanted to believe he was overreacting. Something told him to hope that it was a prank or a joke, and that the outside world was just as he had left it two years ago. But reality told him that such a post-apocalyptic nightmare might honestly be waiting for them all.

He glanced down at Naegi, then back to the game. He smirked. It would just be another challenge, one his family was no doubt conquering even now. And besides… "We need to ensure we have the resources to restore at least one facility," he slyly remarked. When Naegi looked up in confusion, he muttered, "I won't let an apocalypse keep me from taking you to the National Concert Hall."