Chapter 49: Day 44

When Naegi said they were going somewhere, Togami's mind had switched to autopilot. He didn't remember putting on a pair of slacks and his usual white button-up. He couldn't recall locking his dorm door, the walk down the corridor, any of the trip. They could have done laps around the school, for all he knew. He could see the way they were going, but at the center of his mental vision were the flames consuming his family's corporation. His ears rang with the echoes of words from those who reported to him that his family had been killed or were found dead.

And yet he instinctively trusted Naegi, and his body followed the brunette blindly down the hallway towards the large area outside the dining hall, where they turned and entered the empty bathhouse. For a few seconds, he questioned what on Earth they were possibly doing in such a place so late at night, but Naegi, with his warm smile and caring gaze, assured Togami this would be for the best. And so, still on autopilot, he got undressed, grabbed a towel, and entered the bathhouse.

Unlike the dorm room, the bathhouse was brightly lit, even at this time of night. The steam slowly rose from the hot water, and Togami awkwardly slid into one of the baths only to reflexively sigh in relief. He couldn't understand why Naegi thought coming here would be the best of ideas. He himself had never been in the bathhouse, at least to his current knowledge. But already he could feel the water working its magic, unraveling the knots in his chest.

He sighed and looked down at his reflection. There were bags under his eyes, and he looked a little paler than usual. His eyes were also red, indicating just how much he had wept when he awoke. He cupped his hands together to collect some of the hot water and splashed it across his face, a second sigh of relief escaping his lips as it wiped away what felt like remaining tear stains.

Feeling movement and ripples in the water, he glanced over to see Naegi smiling gently at him. His boyfriend moved to sit in front of him rather than next to him. "You've never been in here, right?" asked Naegi, keeping his voice soft as he spoke.

Togami shook his head no.

"I've only been here once, as far as I remember."

"Was it…while we've been working under Monokuma?" Togami questioned, his voice still shot from his earlier scream. But the water and steam were forcing him to relax almost against his will. His mental vision was starting to return. The whirling in his ears was subsiding.

He was slowly returning to reality.

"No. It was from before."

Togami slowly nodded. "Before…" he reflected aloud. "Before… When I had power. A position of dominance. Wealth. Everything anyone could ever ask for."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He swallowed hard enough for it to reverberate in the otherwise empty bathhouse. "I… I will need to, yes," he stated. "Particularly if I am to make a report tomorrow. This is…important to share."

"Take a moment to relax. There's no rush."

"Is that why you brought me here?"

"To relax?"

"Yes."

Naegi nodded. "You needed out of that bed and the bedroom in general. I figured it would be bright here, and the water might help calm you down. More than a quick shower. And I wasn't letting you lie back down in bed and try to sleep. You were…" Naegi's smile fell. "You were shouting and thrashing in your sleep. And I didn't want to have you go back to that so soon. A-And when you weren't responding, when I shouted your name and you just held your head, l-like you were in pain, I… I just didn't want…" Togami nodded in understanding. Naegi sighed and whispered, "I just figured nobody would be around here this late at night."

Togami let his head fall forward, his chin nearly touching his chest. "I…apologize. I certainly woke you up."

"It's all right." Togami glanced up to see Naegi was smiling once more. He moved closer to him, taking one of his hands in his own. "Take your time."

Togami hated how weak he felt, but the sensation of Naegi's hand kept him grounded. His thoughts consistently wandered back to the dream, of his family's corporate building burning to the ground, of the classroom television monitor… But Naegi's hand gave him something to cling to. Something to make him focus on. Their fingers moved just enough to require his attention, delicately intertwining yet never stopping. And the surrounding water, the hot steam, and the reflection of himself were helping. His thoughts were clearing. Reality was returning in full force, both the good and the bad. He could feel his mind returning to the present.

After a moment of silence, Togami inhaled, then slowly exhaled. "My family…is dead," he whispered. He saw Naegi's eyes widen in the water's reflection. Togami stared down at the water, unable to look up quite yet. "All of them. I… I recalled the day I was told by the teachers. I saw… I saw the corporation burn down. I saw the news articles. And I heard the words, the confirmations, that my family was dead. From the Tragedy."

"I… I-I'm so sorry…"

Togami shook his head. "It would explain so much," he caustically spat. "Why nobody has come to find me. Why nobody has sought me out. All those battles and duels and fights… And there's nothing left to show for it."

"When you say family, do you mean…?"

Togami nodded. "My parents. My half-siblings. All of them."

"Aloysius, too?"

At the name, Togami blinked and looked up at Naegi. Now that he thought on it… No, Aloysius's name wasn't coming up in the memories. Was that because he wasn't involved? Or did he die, too, and the weight of Togami's sorrow had been too much to bear? "I… I don't know," Togami honestly answered.

"Perhaps he's out there now, looking for you," Naegi offered.

"Perhaps… Though I don't know why he would seek me out."

"What do you mean?"

"I have nothing to my name." Togami's chest tightened once more as he spoke the words. "Without the company, I have nothing. No connections, no alliances, no wealth, no assets… All of that has to be gone now." He sighed heavily. "All that work I've been doing to prepare us to escape, and it's all for nothing."

"But that's not right." Togami's eyebrows furrowed at the confusing statement. Naegi's expression was one of fierce determination, yet his eyes were somehow still soft as he looked directly at Togami. "No, it was definitely for something," he argued. "If Aloysius is still out there, you might be able to learn more about what your former employees are doing. What it's like out there. And even though he was your butler, you said you relied on him more than anyone else, right? I'm sure he would be so happy to see you're alive, and he would do anything he could to help you get back on your feet."

Recalling his stoic butler, Togami slowly nodded. "That…is true. Aloysius was always quite resourceful… There is a chance he is still alive."

"And if he made sure you won the competition with your siblings, then, going from your perspective, you'd be too much of an investment for him to lose. Why would he give up on you now? Especially if you're the only Togami left."

Togami felt his eyebrows rise and his eyes widen. "What…do you mean?"

Naegi smiled. "I mean, you said that the entire Togami family died. But they didn't. Because… Because you're still here, Byakuya. We can find Aloysius, and we can figure out what happened to the company. To everything that you had. Maybe your own assets are still out there? You said you had things that weren't tied to the corporation, right?"

"That is true, but–"

"Then we can use that to rebuild."

"Rebuild…?" Togami's lips parted at the thought. "You mean, rebuild the Togami Corporation?"

"Why not? There has to be people out there who used to work for your family. Beyond Aloysius. We can all work together and figure out what happened to them. Then use your resources to rebuild it."

"Assuming I have resources…" Yet as Togami's words trailed off, plans started to formulate in his mind. He could return to the corporation, or the ruins of it, and see what information he could gather. "If Aloysius is indeed alive, then I could learn from him what all transpired to our employees and the corporate files," he reflected. "I could reestablish connection with remaining members of the council. Or their families. Or…or people who were connected to them. There has to be some who are still alive. They couldn't all have died. And even if they did, then… Then Naegi's right. My own assets might not be touched. I could…"

"You always say we're not powerless." The words cut through Togami's thoughts and forced him to look once more at Naegi. Naegi, for his part, was smiling at Togami, moving his hands slowly in the water to create more ripples. "And I don't think we are. You have to have something of yours still out there. Former employees, Aloysius, cash, if it's still worth anything, something. And we'll all be there to help, you know? You wouldn't be alone in this."

"I… You're right." Splashing his face once more with the hot water, Togami shook his head and said, "I can return to the corporation. I can see what's there with my own eyes. And I can figure something out."

"Exactly!" Naegi exclaimed. "And let's assume the worst. Everything is gone. What's stopping you from restarting it all?"

"Restarting the Togami Corporation…" It was a thought that would overwhelm most fools, but Togami wasn't a fool. Togami had been chosen to lead his family. He had won the battles, defeated his half-siblings.

He realized, in that moment, the awesome responsibility it entailed…and, in an ironic twist, the amount of freedom it granted him. "If the Togami Corporation really is burned to the ground, then it is my duty to see it rebuilt. The way I want it rebuilt. Not just leeching off of previous connections, who may or may not be dead, but with new purpose. If the end of the world truly happened, then the Togami Corporation can rise from the ashes with myself at the head. I can… I can make it better than ever before. I can make a corporation that would withstand any disaster or crisis. Clearly if it fell, then the corporation was not infallible. But I can work to make it so."

Togami looked at Naegi and felt a smile tug at his lips. "Would you be interested in assisting me with such a task?" he asked. "I don't know what I could offer, but I still would keep my promise to seek out your family as well as the others'. Now that I know I don't have to find my own, we can use more resources once I confirm Aloysius's current status."

"You don't need to offer me anything," Naegi countered.

"No, that's not acceptable," Togami argued. "Nothing is free in this world."

"Then take me with you." The words shocked Togami, and his heart fluttered in his chest as Naegi said, "As payment, take me with you. Let me help you rebuild the world. Let me help you bring some stability. By myself, I have a whole lot of nothing, and once I find my family, I'm not going to be able to do much. But I want to do something if it's chaos out there. Especially if your powerful family was wiped out… I can't imagine what things are like. I… I almost don't want to think about it. But if we can get your corporation back up and running, I think… I think it will be a sign of hope for a lot of people. At least for me."

Togami slowly nodded, then chuckled. "You act as though I wouldn't drag you with me regardless," he muttered.

"Then that's a deal," Naegi replied with a wide grin.

Reaching forward, Togami pulled Naegi into a soft embrace, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend's shoulders. Naegi adjusted himself to sit in Togami's lap, and Togami smiled as he set his chin against his shoulder. "And, for what it's worth…" Naegi whispered the words. "Your fights, your battles… They weren't for nothing. Because they made you who you are today. And I'm happy they did."

Togami felt himself tighten his grip. "Makoto…"

"We'll fight this together, Byakuya. I promise."

Rather than answering with words, Togami placed a gentle kiss against Naegi's cheek, then rested his forehead against his shoulder. Inhaling the steam from the hot water, Togami closed his eyes and sighed, finally letting his muscles relax. The last bit of tightness in his chest loosened, and he felt exhaustion begin to settle in, replacing the earlier fear and stress. But rather than moving, he simply held onto Naegi, not out of desperation, but out of care and comfort and…

…and love.

He looked up into Naegi's bright, hazel eyes and smiled. A warmth began to replace the pain in his chest. "Thank you, Makoto." Words of gratitude, said with such emotion that he never thought he would utter, flowed through his lips. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Byakuya."