Chapter 56: Day 49

Two days had passed since Kirigiri spoke to Togami and Naegi about her father. During that time, Togami had held Naegi back from bothering the Ultimate Detective, telling him and reminding him that she needed her space. Besides, they had the back-up to work on as well as preparations for their departure from Hope's Peak Academy. They had begun packing their belongings, stuffing clothes and other items into backpacks and suitcases. Togami had a bag full of books from the archive in a corner of his room that he hoped to compare to his notes back at the Togami Corporation. There was too much to worry about to babysit the Ultimate Detective, and Togami reminded Naegi that he didn't think this way because he wasn't concerned. Rather, he knew the Ultimate Detective could handle herself. It was his way of showing he trusted her, and so they had to trust her.

And with the hours winding down, the tension in the atmosphere was palpable. It felt like time was simultaneously standing still and moving too quickly. Togami wasn't the only one feeling the effects, either. As they neared the 12:00 pm deadline for their time working on the back-up, he could see the others fidgeting and messing around with the robot. It was an atrocious monstrosity: a robot designed as a rabbit in a ballet outfit, with a star wand sticking out of its one hand. It worked…to a degree. He could press the remote and turn it on, and the robot would power up and walk around the gymnasium with jerky movements. But Enoshima wanted it to have bigger bunny ears, Fujisaki was fine-tuning the wiring, and the others were playing around with the remaining parts, coming up with useless ideas that died as soon as they were spoken.

Everyone was antsy. Everyone just wanted to get out of here…and feared that they wouldn't be allowed to do so. Almost as much as they feared what waited for them beyond the guarded entrance. It was a band-aid everyone wanted to pull off but couldn't.

When the clock struck noon, all the students released a heavy sigh of relief. Togami glanced around to find that Monokuma had yet to appear. He had been half-expecting the animatronic bear to make an appearance since Kirigiri found the remains of her father, the former principal. Yet it never happened. "Or maybe he is harassing Kirigiri instead." The thought made his hands clench into fists.

"Soooooo we almost ready to get outta here?" Hiro asked as he collapsed on the floor of the gymnasium, lying on his back with a wrench still in his hand.

"You know it, dude," Owada muttered. "I need to find my bros."

"We're still planning on going as a group, correct?" asked Fujisaki. "I know some people weren't thrilled with the initial idea…"

Eyes traveled to Maizono, who looked up at Togami with a serious expression. "You said you'd help us find our friends, right?" she asked in a pleading voice.

Togami nodded. "Using my family's resources, I plan on tracking down all of the people we know…or knew."

"R-Right… Then… Then I'm okay with our plan."

"I'll go w-wherever M-Master drags me," Fukawa commented. The fact that nobody even budged at her statement made Togami question when they had just accepted the fact that they had a psychotic writer in their group.

"Sakura and I have been packing up food," Hina noted with a smile. "We should be good for at least two weeks!"

"Try and pack for a month," Togami stated. "We don't know what resources are going to look like out there."

Ogami nodded. "Understood."

"Yeah, but like, what if we run out after the fact?" Kuwata complained. "I mean, if it's really, really bad, we might be fucked regardless."

"We won't know until we've escaped this place," Naegi replied.

"I guess…"

Togami nodded in agreement. "We can only plan so far ahead. Don't forget, we're in the middle of a city. We'll know right away what's happening. But we shouldn't lock this place behind us. If we need supplies, we'll know we can come back here for them."

"Not that I ever want to step foot in this fucking place again," Owada complained.

"If you do, Brother, I'll be there with you!" Taka declared.

"We'll certainly gain bonuses to our stats once we've left and gained new quest knowledge," Hifumi remarked.

"Though we better not be traveling for too far," Celeste retorted. "I will certainly need to stop somewhere for milk tea and a hot bath."

Enoshima groaned. "I don't think that's gonna be real realistic, there."

"Well then I am going to take a bath right now."

"And I'm gonna go for a swim!" Hina exclaimed. "I mean, who knows when I'll see a pool again!"

"We should really take advantage of our time here," Fujisaki commented. "I mean, we have many luxuries right now… Who knows what will happen to those when we leave."

"Already working on it." Togami blinked and watched as Celeste began exiting the gymnasium. Hina and Ogami quickly followed behind. He then watched Owada look over at Taka and down at Fujisaki. For a brief second, he recalled his dream, and he realized that he hadn't seen Fujisaki much since his recovery from Monokuma's attack.

He easily put two and two together on what the programmer had since been up to when Owada sheepishly asked Fujisaki if he wanted to practice billiards some more. Fujisaki nodded in agreement, a wide grin across his face, and Taka and Kuwata agreed to bring sodas up and participate.

"So what do you want to do?" asked Naegi, looking up with a smile at Togami.

Togami looked around at the others, and his eyes landed on the psychotic writer, who was chewing her fingernails and looking at him like she wanted to tackle him. He immediately looked back down at Naegi. "Take advantage of our privacy before we completely lose it," he admitted.

Naegi chuckled and nodded in agreement. "Fair enough. Got any ideas?"

When Naegi snaked his hand into Togami's, uncurling his fist and intertwining their fingers, Togami smirked. "Some. But only if you don't have any."

By now, most of the students were in the process of exiting the gymnasium. Only Togami saw the curious glint in Naegi's expression as he whispered, "I have a few…"

Togami felt his smirk widen. "Well then, you better impress me."

The two were covered in sweat, the sounds of their panting filling the dorm room. Togami slowly ran a hand through his damp hair before looking down at Naegi, who was nestled next to his side with an arm draped loosely over his chest. His skin tingled in the afterglow, and he took a minute to calm his breathing, watching Naegi's eyelids remain at half mast. Once he caught his breath, Togami leaned forward and gently kissed Naegi's lips, only to chuckle when Naegi barely had the energy to respond.

"You okay?" he whispered.

"Oh yeah," Naegi whispered back. "Just… Yeah. That was… Phew."

Togami smirked and simply nodded in agreement. Inhaling a steady breath of air, he let himself relax for a moment, knowing that the silence and comfort that surrounded them would soon be a thing of the past. The knowledge made him tighten his grip on Naegi ever so slightly. Soon he felt Naegi's hand start to move against his chest, then up to his neck and cheek, pulling him back towards him. Togami smiled and kissed the brunette once more before pushing himself up slightly so that he was on his side. Looking directly at the Ultimate Lucky Student, he asked, "Want to get a shower?"

"Just a shower, right?" Naegi jested. "I don't think I can go another round."

"Two was enough for now," Togami conceded. "And besides, I don't want the day to be over quite yet."

"Oh?" Naegi blinked and watched as Togami sat up. "What do you have in mind?"

Togami smirked, running his hand through Naegi's messy, brown hair. "I know you too well," he admitted as he stood from the bed. "So we're going to shower, then we're going to check in on Kirigiri."

Naegi's eyes widened. "But didn't you say–"

"I can tell when you're stressed, and you've been stressed," Togami interrupted. "We've given her some time. Now, we can check in on her without being considered pests. Besides, I want to make sure Monokuma isn't up to something."

Naegi smiled and nodded. With wobbly legs, he managed to stand up and follow Togami into the shower room, where the corporate heir was already running the hot water from the shower. He looked Naegi up and down and smiled when Naegi's hazel eyes met his own blue ones. "Are you going to be all right?"

"Yeah…" Naegi chuckled and stepped into the shower. "Though I think, uh… That was definitely different."

"Not for the worse, I assume?"

"Oh no! Not at all. Just…uh…"

"What is it?"

Naegi blushed beet red, yet he smiled as he stuttered, "That was…a bit more aggressive than before. In a good way. A really good way."

Feeling bold, Togami smirked mischievously, leaned forward, and whispered, "You're saying that you liked me fucking you until you were practically screaming?"

"Don't whisper that in my ear," Naegi complained, though it came out laced with need. He grabbed Togami's face, pulled him in, and kissed him before admitting, "I literally can't handle that right now."

"That makes two of us," Togami agreed. "Though I'll keep it in mind."

"Yeah, we need to do that again before we leave. I'm going to miss our privacy soooo much…"

Togami nodded. "I will, as well," he whispered as he stood tall and began washing himself off. "But it will only be temporary, I promise. Once we find a safe place, we'll make sure to have our own room."

Naegi nodded and soon joined in on washing off. The two managed to clean themselves and get dressed without too much fuss, though Togami despised how difficult it was to keep his hands to himself. Not that he wanted to have even more sex with the brunette in the shower; he didn't have the energy for it. But he wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around him and hold him tight. To promise him that everything would be okay. To take advantage of every single moment during this calm before the impending storm.

It finally caused the corporate heir to crack and speak his emotions. Now fully dressed and ready to go, Togami quickly pressed his lips to Naegi's and whispered, "I love you, Makoto."

Naegi smiled cheerfully and returned the kiss. "Love you too, Byakuya."

He smirked and admitted, "And I hate that you've brought this side out of me, just so you know."

"You seemed pretty happy about it a bit ago."

Togami snorted. "Perhaps…"

"Definitely."

"Come on, let's get some coffee. We can make Kirigiri a cup. I'm sure the shock of us sharing will entice her to let us into her room to visit."

Naegi laughed, and the two quickly exited his dorm and headed down the hallway to the dining room and kitchen area. He realized that they had spent all afternoon together, as many of the students were sitting at the long table eating dinner. Ignoring the majority of them, he headed straight to the kitchen, letting Naegi come up with excuses as to why they wouldn't be joining the others for a meal. He then watched as Naegi began putting the coffee together and saw that Hina had made a large pot of soup and crackers for everyone. "Might as well make sure she eats something…" Togami blanched at the realization that he was actually worrying about yet another person, yet the photos from his previous school life flashed before his mental vision. "I guess I just need to concede that I do, in fact, care about some of these people. A bit."

Gathering a tray together, he poured himself, Naegi, and Kirigiri each a bowl of soup, making sure to grab some spoons and napkins for them. He then set the cups of coffee on the tray and carefully balanced it. He felt his cheeks burn as he heard the other students gasp in shock as he strolled past the table with food and drinks, no doubt looking like some servant boy, but Naegi kept by his side and led him all the way back to Kirigiri's dorm. He waited impatiently as Naegi knocked.

A moment passed before Kirigiri called out, "Who is it?"

"It's Byakuya and me!" Naegi answered. Togami half expected Kirigiri to tell them to leave; however, he heard the sound of the lock click open and watched as she appeared in the doorway. Her eyes widened at the sight before her.

"You…brought me food?"

"Figured it would work as a bribe," Togami stated. "Clearly it did."

She chuckled. Togami took a second to look her up and down, and he noted she appeared a bit more tired than before. There were a few bags under her eyes, indicating she hadn't been sleeping well. But otherwise, she stood just as tall and proud as ever. She stepped to the side and gestured them to enter, noting with a smile, "Well, I suppose I could go for some dinner right now."

"How are you feeling?" asked Naegi as the two stepped into her room. Togami found the present box was on her desk with the lid open. The skull sat on a towel on the desk, evidently cleaned and taken care of, while the remaining bones were still in the box. It was morbid to see the eye sockets staring back at him. He placed the tray down on the table and looked back to her as she shut the door, ignoring the remains of her father.

"I am okay," she answered.

"You aren't lying to us?" pressed Togami.

"No. I'm fine. I haven't spent my entire time moping in here."

"What have you been up to, then?" questioned Naegi. Togami waited for the two to sit before distributing the bowls of soup and coffee. He swiftly took his seat and sipped his drink.

"Investigating the headmaster's room," she answered. "Looking for information. Getting ready for our escape from this place."

"Did you find anything of value?" asked Togami.

"I…" Taking a long, slow sip of soup, she admitted, "Not really. Nothing for our investigation. I have been mostly looking into…personal matters."

Togami nodded. "Completely understandable," he stated, taking a sip of his own soup.

"Did you find anything about your family?" Naegi asked. "I mean, that's just as important as our investigation. I'd say even more so, now that our investigation is basically done."

She smiled softly. "I… I did. I didn't have the greatest relationship with my father, but I… I found some things. Things that put certain decisions into perspective. It's given me a sense of closure."

"That… That's good, Kirigiri."

She looked up and nodded to them. "Any progress on the back-up?"

"It's basically done," Togami answered. "Just need to add finishing touches tomorrow."

She nodded once again. "Then I'll begin packing my bags."

"You don't think Monokuma will try to do something?" asked Naegi.

The glare Kirigiri shot Naegi caused Togami's eyes to widen in surprise. "If he does, he'll have to get through me, first," she hissed.

"We'll get out of here, and we'll head to Togami Corporate headquarters," Togami declared. "We all agreed to go. From there, we can begin searching for our families."

"And other survivors," Kirigiri added. "There has to be others out there." Sighing, she took another long, slow sip of soup before muttering, "This is nice."

Togami smiled and looked over to Naegi, who looked back to him with a wide grin. Letting silence take hold, the three dug into their meals, their thoughts drifting to the days ahead.