Hello everyone! I said I'd deliver, and I delivered. I hope you still like this!
Also, tws for this chapter: allusions to suicide, body shaming courtesy of Kuzuryuu.
Chapter Two, Part One
komaeda theater
"So how do I feel?
"Well, having a skewer shoved through your heart is unimaginably painful. But it also killed me instantly, so I didn't feel any of the other wounds, or anything else at that. But I guess I've come to expect this kind of thing. Anyone else might've been stabbed five or six times and slowly bled to death, but once again my luck conquers all, doesn't it? If I had I might have screamed, and then they might have found me faster, and then I might have had to look into their faces as I died.
"But really, I couldn't be happier or more proud of you all. And I think I'm feeling very good about what I did. I guess I could be hurt that Hanamura-kun called me a monster, even after everything I've done to help him…but I suppose I deserve it, useless as I am. And besides, this is death, isn't it? It's the state of being where nothing anyone does in the world of the living can ever hurt you again. So I'll be forgiving. I'll understand that Hanamura-kun didn't even realize the hope that he was invoking. And Togami-kun…don't even get me started on him. I'll bore you if I haven't already!
"Teruteru Hanamura-kun, Super High School Level Chef, in that brief moment when you thought you weren't going to die, that Togami-kun was going to take your place and you could walk free of your crime with no consequences, what were you feeling? Regret? Joy? Anger? Or was it another feeling, the one that Togami-kun sacrificed so that you could have it if for only a moment?
"But I'm not talking to Hanamura-kun. He's gone somewhere even I can't reach him. Perhaps a Super High School Level Medium could, though. Do you think that might be your talent, Hinata-kun? We might as well give it a sho –
"Um, this is an announcement from Hope's Peak Academy's Field Trip Executive Committee... Good morning, you bastards! It's another perfect tropical day! Let's enjoy it for all it's worth!"
It took another moment before Hinata could find the energy to open his eyes. He could practically feel the sleep he didn't get, but now that he was awake there was really no turning back.
He sat up, stumbled out of bed, and headed for the bathroom. He'd been dreaming, he knew. Something about Hanamura and mediums…something Komaeda had been telling him, in the dream. He couldn't remember exactly - but he did remember Komaeda attempting to kill. And Hanamura succeeding. And the trial, and everything that came after.
He didn't want the memories, but he could do his best to pretend they weren't there, at least for the walk to the restaurant. He was quite hungry – dinner had been interrupted somewhat – but he was reluctant to see everyone. He knew he'd have to face them, knew life would have to go on, but "going on" didn't feel real when it hadn't happened yet.
Just as he'd expected, several people were at the restaurant when he arrived. Awkward hellos were exchanged as Hinata sat down to eat, but no conversation could sustain itself. Everyone knew just whose faces were missing, but no one wanted to be the first to acknowledge it – at least not until Saionji bounded in with a smile on her face.
"Eh? What's with all the long faces?" she said once she got a good look at everyone. "Geez, it's dead as Komaeda and Hanamura in here!"
A shiver ran down Hinata's back at her words, and everyone else looked at least uncomfortable, but Tsumiki's shaking was the most dramatic. "B-but…how…how can you –"
"I didn't ask to see or hear you, ugly." Tsumiki whimpered and apologized, but Saionji paid her no more mind. "Really, guys? Really? I don't get it. How can you get all worked up like this over two murderers? We should be grateful they killed each other before they killed any of us."
"While it is true that their souls have flown from us, their judgment is still at hand." Tanaka posed dramatically, with a hamster in his hand. "Ibis awaits to weigh their sins on the scales of justice. If their hearts are lighter than the featherweight, let them pass safely to the other side, but if not –!"
"I can understand how you feel, Saionji," Pekoyama said, ignoring Tanaka. "But in the case of Hanamura…"
"Whatever excuse you want to make, I don't want to hear it." Saionji gave Pekoyama a look that scared even Hinata. "Maybe you actually think that Mr. Porkfeet should have died in his place?"
The atmosphere somehow grew even thicker. Hinata hadn't even wanted to remember what Togami had done – but now it was clearly on everyone's minds. "No," Pekoyama said. "That is absolutely not what I was going to say –"
"Um, I'm sorry, but s-speaking of Togami-kun…" Tsumiki spoke so quietly Hinata could hardly hear her. "He and Kuzuryuu-kun, they're the only ones not here…"
"I saw Kuzuryuu earlier," Pekoyama said quickly. "He's not coming."
"That's not surprising. But…" Hinata looked around the restaurant again. "Is Togami really not here?"
"I think if he was we'd know by now," Souda said.
"Yeah, but it's weird, isn't it?" Owari put a hand to her chin. "I wouldn't think he'd be late for breakfast…"
"Or anything at all, at that," Nidai said quickly. "Does anyone know where he is?"
"Not really, no," Koizumi said. "And he calls himself our leader?"
"Ibuki knocked on his door this morning, but he didn't answer!" Mioda said. "Maybe Ibuki didn't knock hard enough? From now on Ibuki will always knock and yell at the same time! That way there's no mistake!"
"No, your knocking was loud enough," Owari said. "And I thought the Monobear announcement was bad…"
"We can check again, Mioda-san," Nanami said. "But for now, when was the last time anyone saw Togami-kun? That might give us a clue…I think."
Everyone's answers were the same – they hadn't seen Togami since they had exited the trial chamber. Before long Hinata was the last one who hadn't spoken. Nothing I have said to you tonight is to be shared with any of the others, Togami had said, but Hinata didn't know how far that extended, or whether what he knew would be at all helpful anyway. "I don't know," he said for the time being.
"Maybe he went and did himself in?" Saionji said. "He seemed pretty eager last night. Or maybe –"
"Enough, Saionji-san," Sonia said. "We shouldn't be making those kinds of assumptions."
"Someone should probably go and find him, though." Hinata looked to the stairwell. "Just to make sure he's alright."
"Are you volunteering, then?" Pekoyama said.
"Well…now that you've put me on the spot, looks like I have." He tried to laugh it off, but the best he could manage was a strained smile. "It might take a while to comb the island by myself, though."
"Ooh! Ibuki'll come too!" Mioda said, already rushing for the stairs. "Can she? Can she?"
"Well, sure," Hinata said. "I don't know why you'd need my permission."
"You know what, I'll come too," Owari said. "Anything to get away from this smell."
"Smell?" No sooner had Hinata spoken than he suddenly realized what she was talking about – and clamped his hand over his nose as fast as he could. "Wait a minute – what IS that smell?"
The smell turned out to be coming from Saionji, who confessed in tears that she didn't know how to tie her own obi and had thus not been bathing. Koizumi offered to help her, but Hinata never heard Saionji's response – Owari yelled at him to hurry up, drowning it out, and so he left the restaurant with Mioda at his heels.
Once out of the building, the three of them split up. Mioda claimed the hotel grounds and beach and Owari the supermarket and airport, leaving Hinata the old lodge, the farm, and the central island. The lodge had been excluded from Mioda's claim due to its size, but as Hinata walked towards the building he felt a bit wary of what he might find inside, and was certain Owari and Mioda had felt the same. This is where Komaeda died, he remembered with every step. And I'll never understand why.
Still, he knew he wouldn't be surprised if Togami were there – so he was even less surprised when the office, supply closet, bathroom, and kitchen were deserted. It took some time for Hinata to work up the nerve to open up the banquet hall – he had to tell himself quite sternly that there was nothing to fear. But when he did, he found it bare. All of the tables were gone, and all traces of the murder, including Komaeda's body, had been completely cleaned away. Only the food-stained carpet remained as evidence that the party had ever happened at all.
Hinata turned to go, stood in the doorway for a moment, then turned right back and walked to the edge of the carpet, where Komaeda's body had lain. He examined the floorboards and scrutinized every fiber of the carpet, looking for a strand of hair, a fleck of blood, anything that might have been Komaeda's. But he found nothing. He stood, and put his hands in his pockets.
"I guess…I'm glad I didn't have to see that again," he said aloud to himself. "But where could his body have gone? And who took it?"
"Upupupu! Secrets, secrets!"
A pair of feet appeared in Hinata's peripheral vision, and he turned to see Monobear leaning against the wall. "You," Hinata grumbled. "What do you want?"
"What do I want? Don't you already know that, Hinata-kun?"
"I'm not really in the mood to talk to you."
"No? Not even me, an adorable ball of fun?" Monobear laughed and laughed. "If I can be so bold, I'm looking for a good friend of mine as well! Well, no, that's not quite right – I know exactly where my Monobeast is, and I'm looking for the dirty rat that destroyed them!"
"Wait – what?" Hinata's eyebrows furrowed. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Hey! It isn't my responsibility to tell!" Monobear threw his paws up and stomped his feet. "But really, if you find who I'm looking for, do me a favor and kill them, would you? It would spice things up a bit, and it'd be our little secret!"
"I don't have time for this." Hinata turned and started for the exit. "I need to find Togami. And I'm not killing anyone."
"Upupu…that's what they all say, and the ones that mean it make wonderful victims. But I have better things to do with my time than talk to you. Go on, keep wandering around until you're satisfied!"
Hinata reached the doors of the main hall and shut them behind him, blocking out Monobear's voice. He exited the lodge, and once his feet hit the ground he broke into a run. If the second island had been opened, he'd need a lot more help than he had.
He found Mioda checking behind all the cottages as he was passing through the hotel grounds. He convinced her to come back to the lobby with him, where they ran into Owari right in front of the entrance. Neither Mioda nor Owari had found Togami, but they had both also encountered Monobear and been given the same cryptic message about the Monobeast. Owari told Hinata that she had run right back to tell everyone, and they agreed that it was likely that Togami was on either the central or second island, though what he was doing there none of them knew.
As they entered the lobby, they were surprised to see everyone else exiting the restaurant – and even more surprised to hear that they already knew the second island was open. Nanami explained that they had been visited by Monomi, who told them she had "obwiterated" one of the Monobeasts, opening up the second island for them to explore. Hinata, in turn, told them that they had been unable to find Togami, and shared their hypothesis that he was on one of the other islands.
"I wouldn't be surprised if he went to explore ahead of us, even if it is odd that he didn't tell anyone," Sonia said. "This second island might hold a clue as to how to leave. We probably have nothing to worry about at all."
"I dunno." Saionji grinned. "If we wait a little while he might wash up in the next tide –"
"Saionji-san, enough!" Sonia made a sweeping motion with her arm.
"Sonia-chan's right, Hiyoko-chan," Koizumi said. "We need to look on the second island before we jump to those kinds of conclusions."
"But you promised to help me with my obi!" Saionji's eyes filled with tears. "I'm not going to go around with everyone telling me I stink!"
So Saionji pulled Koizumi back towards the cottages, and the rest of them headed away from the hotel, all deep in talk about what they might find. They took the bridge, passed through the central island (also empty, apart from the other three Monobeasts), and crossed the next bridge, over to the new island.
After they had all gone their separate ways, the first thing Hinata approached was the ruin. It was tall, greyish-brown, and covered in vines in various stages of death and decay. It looked somehow familiar, though Hinata couldn't place where he had seen it. Nanami was the only other one there, standing fast asleep. When Hinata woke her she told him that she planned to explore the ruin on her own, and directly told him to leave.
Hinata kept an eye out for Togami as he continued down the road, but he saw nothing but flowers, trees, and another, fancier building looming ahead. He didn't want to be as worried as he was – Togami was a businessman, after all, the very definition of someone who could take care of himself. But being mystified by his behavior was an acceptable substitute. But you weren't responsible for everyone, he remembered him saying. This is not a collapse.
There were multiple conclusions he could come to from this alone, but they were all assumptions, none of which fit Togami's mold just right. He'd need more information, and he didn't know exactly what he would get, if anything.
He entered the fancy building and found himself in an expansive library, which, upon examination, he found to be full of books in languages he could not read. Only Sonia and Pekoyama were inside of it. Pekoyama was looking at the spines, trying to find something in Japanese or so she explained, while Sonia told him quite cheerfully about the occult magazines she had found and the serial killers described therein.
Hinata listened to her for a while, but soon left. If he couldn't read any of the books, there was nothing else to interest him there. He walked some distance around the island, and was just about to enter another building – a pharmacy, from the looks of it – when he heard a series of indistinct shouts from several buildings away.
Immediately he knew the pharmacy would have to wait. He set off down the road, each step taking him closer to a metallic building labeled "DINER" in large, English letters. As he crossed into the parking lot he saw someone standing in the building's doorway, and was just about to walk up and ask what was going on when he realized who it was.
He doubled back and hid around the corner. He couldn't see what was going on – not without being seen, he was sure – but he could hear the voices loud and clear. "Maybe I wasn't clear," Kuzuryuu said. "Either you get out of my way, or I ram my foot up your ass!"
"What a childish threat." Togami. "I won't be bullied out of here, and you're wasting your time trying. Either you behave like a civilized human being, or you leave."
"I don't have to listen to you," Kuzuryuu said.
"But you should. I'm not done exploring this area yet. I won't be leaving until I'm satisfied with my conclusions."
"Conclusions, my ass! All I saw was you sitting there stuffing your face!"
"And if I was, what's it to you? Everyone eats. Weren't you, just now, coming here to eat?" Kuzuryuu made a brief, indistinct sound before Togami talked over him, speaking very quickly. "But that doesn't matter. There really is no need for this argument to be happening."
"Then book it," Kuzuryuu said.
"That's not what I meant. I mean that you have no need to confront me. I understand if you want to be alone. You may get your food and do that."
"What, with your permission? You really think we need that?"
"I don't think you understand," Togami said. "I'm conceding. In fact, there are things I need to check outside."
There was a long pause. "I'll take my sweet time," Kuzuryuu said, followed by the opening and closing of a door.
There was a short silence, then the sound of footsteps. Hinata inched closer to the edge of the building, and then looked out to see that Togami had stepped outside the diner. He turned his head to the side, and Hinata ducked away again - but the next thing he heard was Togami's footsteps coming closer. "Oy, who's there?"
"Uh-" Hinata looked out from behind the corner to find Togami farther away than he had thought, and looking in the opposite direction. "Me."
Togami started, and then turned to face him, oddly unsurprised. "Hinata," he said.
"Togami." Hinata stood and walked into full view, brushing himself off. It felt very odd to be seeing Togami again, given the way their last conversation had gone. "How'd you know I was here?"
"I thought saw you out of the corner of my eye." Togami folded his arms. "But I suppose there's no harm in you overhearing anything, if you're going to reveal yourself so easily."
"Reveal myself? But – wait, no, that doesn't matter right now." Hinata walked closer to Togami. "Everyone's been looking for you. How long have you been here?"
"Not long." Togami paused and looked askance for a moment before continuing. Hinata looked up at his face, and for the first time noticed his unkempt hair and the dark, heavy circles under his eyes. "I've explored the entire island, looking for anything that might help or hinder us. Thus far there are only…very few…items of concern, but I digress. How did you discover the island was open, Hinata? And how did Kuzuryuu, for that matter?"
"I don't know about Kuzuryuu," Hinata said, "but Monomi found the rest of us at breakfast –"
"Wait, breakfast? What time is it?"
"Uh…noon?"
"Noon?" Togami's face contorted. "But – no! How did it get to be that late already? I can't have been –"
"What? Wait, what time did you think it –"
"Where is everyone, Hinata?" Togami said, sounding desperate. "Are they all on the island? Are they –?"
There was a soft jingling sound; Hinata turned to see Kuzuryuu exiting the diner, a burger in hand. He brushed past Hinata and walked briskly down the street without looking at either of them. Togami waited for him to get to the road, and then turned for the diner. "We have work to do," he said. "Come inside."
"Huh?" Hinata said, but Togami didn't answer him – he went inside, and so Hinata followed.
The diner was a dull, metallic place, covered in neon signs. There were several booths off to the right, and as soon as Hinata saw that one of them was covered in empty plates Togami rocketed toward it, stacking the plates at high speed.
"Now, you didn't answer me," he said.
"You didn't finish your question." Hinata looked over at the serving counter.
"I didn't? Yes I did. Or did I…it doesn't matter. Is everyone on the island? Where are they, exactly?"
"I think they're all here," Hinata said, "But I can't really say for sure. They're moving all over. And why do you need to know, anyway?"
"This is new terrain, Hinata. Monobear could have put anything here." Togami picked up the stack of dishes. "Dangers, traps, hidden motives…"
"But didn't you just say there wasn't anything to worry about?" Hinata looked over at the plates Togami was carrying. "Do you…need any help?"
"No." Togami deposited the dishes behind the counter and turned to face Hinata. "And of course there is. This is a catastrophe. If I'm not there to keep everyone together, what do you think would happen?"
"Well, honestly, Togami, we've been fine all morning –"
"But what if you weren't?" Togami closed his eyes, and pressed a hand to his temple. "But perhaps I've got it wrong – do you think I'm incapable of protecting anyone, Hinata?"
"I… didn't say anything like that at all –"
"You didn't tell anyone anything I said last night, did you?" Togami pinched the bridge of his nose.
"What – no!"
"Then you have no reason not to answer this." Togami removed his hand from his face. It hit Hinata just how red his eyes looked. "Is there anyone at the large building with the vines? The one with the gun turret?"
"Gun turret?" Hinata didn't remember seeing anything of the sort. "Just Nanami, she wanted to explore it herself –"
"This is worse than I imagined." Togami rushed back down the aisle, towards the exit. "How could any of you have thought this was a good idea?" he mumbled. "How could you be so disorganized? No, no, how could I be so negligent –?"
"Wait, Togami!" Hinata ran in front of him, trying to position himself in front of the exit. "Slow down for a second-"
"Byakuya-chan?"
Togami stopped, and Hinata jumped back. Mioda was leaning against the door, smooshing her face into the glass and waving enthusiastically. Behind her, Hinata could see Owari and Nidai stop in their tracks and then rush for the door.
"Mioda –!" Hinata opened the door, and Mioda bounded in with a smile. "There you are!" she said. "Oh, and Hajime-chan! Why didn't you tell us you'd found Byakuya-chan?"
Hinata shrugged. "I haven't really had the chance…"
"I didn't need to be found, Mioda." Togami's expression shifted inside a second – his usual condescending look was back. "I knew where I was."
"Aw!" Mioda pouted. "But Ibuki looked all over for you!"
"Yeah, us too!" Owari leaned against the door, swinging it back open. "You could've at least left a note."
"I didn't think I'd be gone long enough to warrant one, and in any case you had no need to be alarmed." Togami covered his mouth, suppressing something that sounded like a cross between a cough and a yawn. "I…what was it…"
"Lost track of time?" Nidai offered from outside.
"Of course not, that would be foolish. I was on a walk. That was all."
"An all-morning walk all alone?" Mioda scratched her head. "Ibuki's more confused than ever…"
"Look, does it matter?" Togami scowled. "For that matter, why do you think you can question me like this? Isn't it well within my right for your leader do things you won't understand and not have to explain them to you?"
This is definitely not what Togami told me a second ago, Hinata thought – and then realization struck him. "Togami," he said, "did you sleep at all last night?"
Togami narrowed his eyes at Hinata, and now more than ever it was clear he was struggling to keep them open. "And why does that matter at all?"
"TOGAMI!" Nidai shouted. "DID YOU SLEEP AT ALL LAST NIGHT?"
Hinata jumped, Mioda whooped and laughed, and Owari lifted an eyebrow. Togami covered one ear and grimaced. "…No," he said after some time.
"And the night before that?" Hinata said, remembering the letter.
"An amount," Togami mumbled.
"That would explain a lot," Nidai said. "Disjointed thoughts, inconsistent behavior…Togami, we understand what you're trying to do, but right now it may be best for you to go and get some sleep."
"No…" Togami forced his eyes wide open. "What are you talking about? I'm perfectly fine."
"No you're not, take my word for it," Owari said. "After day two without sleep you start seeing things."
"Ibuki completely agrees!" Mioda said. "One time when Ibuki was on tour she didn't sleep for three days straight. But she doesn't actually remember what happened!"
"But that's just you. I'm not seeing anything, and in fact I have business elsewhere." Togami folded his arms. "Out of my way, Hinata. You're blocking the door with your body."
"Togami, the door's over there." Hinata took a step back, avoiding Togami's attempt to move past him. Behind them, Mioda giggled. "Look," he started, then racked his brain for a second, desperately searching for wisdom that Togami wouldn't reject. "Isn't part of being a leader sometimes accepting that the people around you can see things you can't? I mean, you can't be right all the time."
"And what makes you so sure of that?" Togami said, his voice oddly low. "Isn't my name Byakuya Togami? Aren't I qualified to carry out my duty, no matter what may hold a lesser person back –"
"Look, we'll be fine," Owari said. "If anyone tries to hurt anyone, I'll punch them in the face. You can count on me!"
"Wouldn't that just be you hurting someone, though?" Hinata said.
While Owari laughed at Hinata, Togami stood still, as if frozen, then put a hand to his chin and closed his eyes. "Perhaps this is the price I have to pay," he mumbled before looking up again. "Alright. I'll go."
"A wise choice!" Nidai laughed. "Then let's go! There's no time to waste!"
"Tch. I don't need an escort. But you may accompany me if it suits you." He turned back to Hinata. "Hinata, I designate you leader in the interim. You are to keep everyone together until I return. Do you understand?"
"Wait – what? Togami, you can't –" Hinata's protests went unheard. Togami had already left with Nidai, stumbling slightly in the parking lot as he went.
Hinata's first order of business was to make Mioda and Owari swear not to breathe a word about him being "interim leader", but even then he wasn't sure whether it would pop out at the worst moment. He went back to the pharmacy, where he saw Tsumiki positively enraptured with all the medicine, and had just reached the beach on the far end of the island when Nanami appeared to tell him that everyone was meeting at the ruins, and he should head back as soon as possible.
As it turned out he was the last one she had tracked down, so he ended up walking back with her as the sun inched lower in the sky. Hinata told her about Togami's discovery, which, to his surprise, she already knew about – she'd passed Nidai and Togami on her way to get the others. Togami had warned her not to go near the ruins, saying they were dangerous. She'd thanked him for his input, then continued to the library to call Sonia and Pekoyama to the ruins. She didn't seem to understand why Hinata was laughing so hard at this.
Everyone else was there when they arrived, apart from Togami. Even Koizumi, Saionji, and Kuzuryuu had shown up, and Nidai told them that Togami had left him at the bridge, saying he would go the rest of the way himself. He, Owari and Mioda had already told everyone about Togami, leaving in rather more details than Hinata might have, and everyone was discussing the news, along with their findings on the rest of the island.
"Yay!" Saionji said, jumping up and down. "Mr. Porkfeet's not dead! For now!"
"But what was he even doing?" Souda said. "If he really wanted to explore the island, why didn't he wait for us?"
"If you ask me, he's acting pretty irresponsibly," Koizumi said. "A leader needs to serve the people they lead. He can't just do all this impulsive stuff nobody understands."
"I don't think he's doing it on purpose," Sonia offered. "He puts an immense amount of pressure on himself. And taking responsibility for everything that has happened may be too great a weight to bear..."
"But do we know whether or not it is?" Pekoyama said. "He's a Super High School Level Heir, so I'd imagine he's handled worse."
"From my understanding, his behavior came from a lack of sleep," Nidai said. "He should be back to normal after he has some rest."
"Then that'd be a good time to ask him about it," Hinata said. If he was going to be interim leader, whether anyone knew it or not, he might as well assert himself. "But for now – Nanami, what did you have to show us?"
"If it's not a way out of here you're wasting my time," Kuzuryuu said.
Nanami shook her head. As it turned out, she had explored the entire perimeter of the building, but hadn't found a way in – or anything at all except a bulkhead, a number pad, and the gun turret Togami had mentioned. The bulkhead's door looked like it had once been covered in dirt, but a good amount of it had been wiped off. There was a word carved into the door: Future.
At that point, Monobear and Monomi showed up, both saying that they had absolutely no idea what was behind the door. Monobear then told them about an organization of "World Destroyers", of which Monobear and Monomi may or may not be a part, and gave them more information about the supposed traitor in their midst – particularly that they were a member of these World Destroyers, and that they should be found and killed.
By the time they disappeared, no one really understood what they'd said or why. Given that it was getting late, Nanami suggested calling it a night, which everyone readily agreed to.
The sun sank below the horizon as Hinata walked back to his cottage. The lights in Togami's cottage were out; he was either asleep or not there. Hinata chose not to concern himself with that right now. His legs and eyelids felt heavy; he only wished he'd had this kind of exhaustion a day ago. He fell right into his bed without doing anything else.
komaeda theater
"Have you forgotten me yet?
"I lived down the road from you, but you could go for days without passing my nameplate, or even remembering that it still exists. You could forget my cottage completely. Did you ever know it was there at all?
"Have you forgotten me yet? There's no sign I'm gone. The crowd's so large two people gone don't make a difference. You can replace me, and easily have.
"Have you forgotten me yet? You only knew me for three days, after all. Will you remember me briefly, and wonder why you did? Will you know what I meant to you? How will you know if it matters? How will you know if I know?
"Have you forgotten me yet? Do you wonder what could have been? Do I weigh on your mind night after night? You would, if I were there and you were here. The difference might be that you would wonder what you did to deserve this, and I would know exactly.
"Have you forgotten me? Well, I won't be insecure anymore. After all, I know you won't."
Togami not only showed up to breakfast in the morning, but was one of the first to do so.
He arrived not long after Hinata, who had just greeted Koizumi, Saionji, Sonia, and Tsumiki when he saw him coming up the stairs. He hadn't realized just how long it had been since he'd seen Togami looking well-rested. It was a definite improvement, he thought.
When Togami reached the top, he looked up at all of them and cleared his throat. No one reacted, so he did it again. "Good morning," he said when at least two of them had looked up.
"Oh – hey," Hinata said, but he was the only one to do so immediately. Koizumi scowled, Tsumiki wrung her hands, and Saionji grunted. Sonia hesitated for an uncomfortable second before she could say anything. "Ah, hello…are you feeling better, Togami-san?"
"Feeling better?" Togami looked at Hinata, then over at Sonia. He pushed his glasses up his face. "What are you talking about?"
"W-well…" Tsumiki seemed frightened of the sound of her own voice. "We didn't see you at all yesterday…and Mioda-san and Owari-san, they said…"
"Whatever they said, it was an exaggeration. I had matters to attend to yesterday. I'm fine." Again Togami glanced at Hinata; Hinata wasn't sure if he was trying to tell him something. "But no doubt you believed them? How pathetic."
"Isn't she, though?" Saionji laughed, and Tsumiki whimpered.
"Hiyoko-chan…" Koizumi shook her head, and then turned to Togami. "Hey, where do you get off talking to Mikan-chan that way?"
"To Tsumiki, you mean?" Togami folded his arms. "I wasn't speaking to her. I was speaking to everyone. I don't recall you having a complaint before."
"And that means I can't complain now? Is that a law you just made up?" Koizumi rolled her eyes. "Congratulations on showing up, by the way. It's not like the rest of us do that every day or anything."
Everyone's eyes went wide. Sonia made a soft "oooo" sound, and Tsumiki whimpered more loudly. Togami was silent for a beat. "Do you have a problem, Koizumi?"
"Do I have a problem?" Koizumi stood from her chair so fast she practically knocked it over. "You…okay, it was bad enough that you appointed yourself to something we should've chosen as a group. And I accepted it, I knew that no one else wanted the job, but given your behavior –"
"Koizumi, I don't think…" Hinata instantly regretted speaking, as he didn't know how to finish his sentence. He saw that Mioda, Gundam, and Souda had arrived in the meantime, and they stood at the top of the stairway in stunned silence. As Hinata watched, Owari swung herself up by the banister, grinning all the while.
"This is not your argument, Hinata," Togami said. "Koizumi, are you angry that I didn't keep my promise?"
"Promise? That… I don't know what you would've done," Koizumi said, "But you know what you could've done? Oh, I don't know, maybe not intentionally keep secrets from us? Would we really have fallen to pieces if we knew Komaeda was going to kill someone?"
"Koizumi-san," Sonia said, "secrecy is a vital part of leadership and I would have done the same –"
"And maybe if you want to be a leader, why don't you actually lead instead of disappearing for a full day without telling anyone?" Koizumi looked around at everyone that had arrived – which was now everyone, apart from Kuzuryuu. "But don't you think we got along fine without Togami, everyone?"
"Whoa, whoa, don't pull us into this!" Souda said, holding up his hands. "Long as I'm not dead, I'm cool!" Several other people made general noises of assent.
"Don't pull you into this? If he's your leader, you already have been." Koizumi walked up to Togami and glared straight ahead, which, given the height difference, meant she was staring into his tie. "Come on, Togami. Where were you yesterday? We have a right to know."
Togami tilted his head down, his formerly immovable expression broken by a twitching eyebrow. Hinata saw Mioda and Owari look over at each other, and Nidai clear his throat, but say nothing. "If you must know, I was cleaning the lodge," he said.
Koizumi blinked. "You were…what?"
"Cleaning the lodge. I meant to retrieve Komaeda's body, but it had been removed, though nothing else had been touched."
"Then why was Byakuya-chan on the second island?" Mioda said.
"Yeah, why were you?" Koizumi said. "Akane-chan said you were hanging around the diner talking nonsense-"
"All I said was he was a little out of it –"
"Whatever happened, that is an exaggeration," Togami said, hitting the final word hard. "It's true I didn't sleep last night. I meant to go ahead to the second island and report my findings to all of you at breakfast, but it took much longer than anticipated, and Hinata found me before I was done."
"Hinata?" Koizumi looked over at Hinata as though she had just noticed he was there. "Why didn't you say anything? How typical."
"I didn't really need to. You already knew." Hinata shrugged. He didn't know what made him more uncomfortable – Koizumi's glare, or just how much Togami was covering up about what had really happened the previous day.
"Didn't say anything?" Togami raised an eyebrow. "Well, I suppose that's not surprising. But either way, once found I was advised that I was not in any condition to carry out my responsibilities until I had been rested. And now I've told you the truth. Are we done here?"
"Sure, whatever, but that doesn't change that a leader should –"
"Oy, are you still blathering about that?" Togami glared down at her. "Don't you realize the danger we're in? Does it truly matter what I'm doing at every moment? Do I ask the same thing of any of you?"
"If you did, you would not be able to handle the truth!" Tanaka bellowed.
"Sure," Koizumi said, rolling her eyes. She still looked mad, but not nearly as worked up. "It doesn't matter if it's us. If you're going to be our leader, we need to be able to trust you."
"I know. But I have nothing more to offer you than that. It's your decision whether or not to trust me," Togami said. "Yesterday has passed. Today has its own challenges. Our responsibility from here forward –"
"Mr. Porkfeet, can you get to the point so I can leave?" Saionji folded her arms.
"Our responsibility from here forward," Togami continued, "Is to find a way off the island and to prevent any more murders from occurring. There is no more that can be done for Komaeda and Hanamura. But we can learn from their memory so as not to repeat their mistakes. And if anyone is feeling as if the murder of another student is their only escape… please consider coming to me first, for other options."
Togami sighed, and looked around. While he had been speaking, several of the others – Saionji, Owari, Souda, and Tsumiki – had moved from their spots and begun to get their breakfast. Most of the others headed there now without another word to Togami, but Mioda and Tanaka still stood as if enraptured, and Nidai was rooted to his seat by Nanami, who had been sleeping against his arm the entire time. Koizumi gave him a look that was somewhere between animosity and confusion, then turned her back on him as well.
Hinata looked over at Togami. "That was…intense," he found he needed to say.
"It needed to be." Togami nodded, but did not continue the conversation. Hinata waited a moment, then turned as well, and headed for the breakfast tables, where the conversation had moved on to other things.
From there it wasn't a particularly eventful day, for the most part. Hinata spent his morning walking around the beach with Koizumi and Nanami – but mostly Nanami, Hinata liked to think. Koizumi still seemed to be in a bit of a foul mood, and she hardly spoke to Hinata, but the walk seemed to do her some good. In the afternoon he, Souda, and Tanaka hung out in the diner and had an intense conversation about hamster breeding and the sociopolitical sphere of the wizarding world – or rather, Tanaka talked and Hinata and Souda sat stunned.
He didn't really interact with Togami, though from time to time he saw him on one island or another, examining the buildings or simply staring at the waves. From what he could learn in conversation he knew that no one else was really interacting with him either.
For some it wasn't for lack of trying. During a lull in their education about magic and hamsters, Souda and Hinata got to talking about the ruins, and Souda told Hinata that he'd run into Togami earlier and tried to strike up a conversation. They didn't have much in common, but Togami had grilled him excessively about the ruins and what had been found there. He'd listened with rapt attention, until Souda mentioned what Monobear had said about a traitor. At that point Togami cut him off, saying "This foolishness again? There is no traitor, Monobear is a liar," and stomped away.
"That almost proves he isn't the traitor," Souda said to Hinata. "'Cause denying it like that's like painting a big target on your chest."
"And besides," Hinata replied, "If we're going to say anything for sure about this World Destroyers business we're probably going to need some more proof first. We can't just go around accusing people of being the traitor just because we think they're weird."
"If we did, there'd be a lot of traitors on this island." Souda laughed.
Still, it was a normal day through and through. Or so it went until about eight o'clock, when, not five seconds after Hinata arrived back in his dorm to rest before dinner, Monobear appeared on his room's screen, telling everyone to go immediately to Jabberwock Park.
It was odd, he thought, but up until that second he'd almost forgotten about Monobear again.
"That's right, this game is you bastards' new motive! A motive to make you bastards kill one of your classmates! I mean, unless someone does something soon, I'm going to get very bored!"
It was not, in the least, what Hinata had thought it would be, even if he'd always expected some kind of new torture. Still, he didn't think he looked as surprised as the others. Nanami in particular looked thunderstruck at the idea of the game being a motive. They'd all been confused when they first arrived, that much was for sure, but now that confusion had some anger mixed in, both for Hinata and for those around him.
There were a few scattered shouts about not playing the game, but Monobear laughed them off. "How can you be so sure everyone's thinking the same way?" he said. "In fact, I can make sure you're not sure – this game's theme is missed connections, after all. Between those who make the connections and those that don't…who do you think is going to have the advantage?"
"Advantage? Missed connections?" Hinata looked down at Monobear. "What the hell does that mean?"
"That's for me to know and you to…" Monobear pressed his paw to his chin in an exaggerated manner. "Well, I suppose we'll see, won't we?" And then he was gone, laughing as he disappeared.
Everyone around Hinata exploded into chatter. "Really?" Souda yelled above it all. "Is he really going to pull something like that on us?"
"This doesn't make any sense," Koizumi said. "What are we supposed to do with this?"
"One thing's for sure," Pekoyama said. "None of us should go near this until we have a better idea of what it is."
"Until?" Togami gave Pekoyama an incredulous look. "Are you implying we should wait to take action on this?"
"That's…not what I said at all." Pekoyama folded her arms.
Togami didn't respond – he walked away from her and towards the front of the group. "Have you all forgotten what kind of situation we're in, or do I need to remind you again?" He gestured wildly towards the game cabinet. "If this game could make someone decide to kill someone else, then it's the most dangerous thing on this island as of yet. That, along with our own curiosity."
"But no one's going to play it," Sonia said. "Right?"
"You don't know that. You don't know who could be planning to play it right now."
"But if that's the case…" Tsumiki trembled. "Maybe if we all play it right now, we c-can protect ourselves from it…"
"That's the kind of thinking that will get someone killed, not protect us. As your leader, I'm putting a stop to this completely. No one is to touch the game." Togami glared down at all of them, and Hinata could swear his eyes were full of fear. "At all."
Some among them looked awed, others confused. Hinata felt a mix of both. He was about to ask how Togami planned to do that when Kuzuryuu preempted him. "And how are you gonna stop that?" he said, grinning. "Are you gonna block the screen with your double-wide ass?"
"Actually, yes, in a manner of speaking," Togami said without any change in expression. "From now on this game will be under guard twenty-four hours a day. Until we can leave this island, I will not have it leaving our sight."
"Isn't that kind of extreme?" Koizumi said.
"We are in kind of an extreme situation." Hinata could see everyone around him talking to each other, but wasn't sure what they were saying or whether they supported Togami's logic or not. "But who's going to guard it? Togami can't be here all the time…"
"Of course not. That would impair my vigilance. And for that matter, I can't be here alone. We must all keep an eye on each other, as well as on the game…" Togami pointed directly at Hinata. "Hinata, you and I will take the first watch!"
"Wait – what?" Hinata stepped back. "Why do you guys always think I'm volunteering for things?"
"Rest assured, Hinata, I volunteered you." Togami folded his arms. "Why? Do you have any objections to helping me?"
"Well, I was kind of looking forward to sleeping – I wasn't going to say no," he backpedaled when he saw the look on Togami's face. "I'll do it, it's cool."
"Yes, good." Togami chuckled. "That's what I thought you were going to do."
"Will we all share the responsibility?" Tanaka said.
"Wow, did you really just say that?" Saionji said. "You're like the kid in class who asks the teacher if there's going to be any homework. You know, the ones that always get beat up."
"I don't believe full involvement would be practical, actually." Togami put a hand to his chin. "Protecting this will require a certain degree of physical skill. Now, who are the most physically capable people here…" He pointed into the crowd. "Nidai! Owari! Pekoyama!"
"Whoa, whoa!" Owari threw up her hands. "Don't I get a say in this?"
"No," Togami said.
"If this is what needs to be done, then I will do it." Pekoyama nodded, but did not look up at Togami. Nidai also nodded his ascent.
"Very well." Togami looked out at all of them. "That's five. We need one more person."
Sonia began to raise her hand, but couldn't get it above her waist before Mioda's hand shot up, bobbing above the crowd as she jumped up and down. "Ooh! Ooh! Ibuki volunteers!"
"Very well. Then Nidai and Owari will take the next watch, and Mioda and Pekoyama the next, and so on. These teams will rotate every six hours –"
"Six hours!" Nidai exclaimed. "That is entirely too long to stand in one place!"
"Too long?" Togami's eyes narrowed. "Why, do you think you have something better to do than defend your friends?"
"CERTAINLY NOT!" Nidai bellowed. "BUT WHAT IF I FEEL AN URGE? WE MUST BE MINDFUL OF OUR PHYSICAL NEEDS!"
"Then you can dig a little hole in the ground and conduct your business there. But you're not leaving your position."
"A little hole will not suffice!" Souda sputtered with laughter, but he was the only one that dared to move a muscle.
"Fine. Four hours," Togami said. A screen nearby flashed to life, and Monobear's Night Time announcement began to play. "And now that that's settled, you can rest easy, can't you?"
There were a few nods, but Hinata thought most of his classmates looked more uncomfortable than they had before. Saionji, Koizumi, Owari, and Mioda set off immediately; Kuzuryuu attempted to get ahead of them, but Sonia walked in front of him and said something to him Hinata couldn't hear.
"We should take our positions, Hinata," Togami said from behind him.
"Uh, sure." Hinata turned to face Togami. "Are we going to be right next to the game?"
"As long as we have it in our sights we can probably be anywhere we like."
Hinata looked around. "Do you see anywhere to sit?"
"You can sit. I'll stand."
"Alright." Hinata walked over to the pedestal and leaned against it, while Togami stood some distance away, equidistant from him and the game. Only three of the others remained now – Nanami, who was standing by the game with a wistful look on her face, and Sonia and Kuzuryuu, who were still talking. As Hinata watched, Sonia grabbed Kuzuryuu's arm and marched him over to where Togami stood.
"Togami-san," she said, releasing Kuzuryuu, "I believe Kuzuryuu-san owes you an apology."
"Really?" Togami looked surprised at first, but then gave Kuzuryuu a look as if he were daring him to run. "Does he think he owes me an apology?"
"Yeah, I do," Kuzuryuu smirked. "I'm sorry you have a big ass."
"Kuzuryuu-san!" Sonia looked about ready to slap him, but Togami held up a hand, stopping her.
"You know, that's funny," he said, "because I'm not. Get out of my sight, Kuzuryuu."
Kuzuryuu grunted. He turned away, but did not begin walking. "Hey, Togami," he said. "What if I killed someone? Just to spite you?"
Togami did not answer, nor did he show any sign of considering it. Kuzuryuu laughed and walked away, his hands in his pockets.
Sonia glared after him for a moment, then shook her head and turned back to Togami. "Togami-san, I apologize. If I had known he was going to say that I would have –"
"You meant well," Togami said. "Don't dwell on it."
"Ah…alright." Sonia looked worried for a moment, but her smile soon returned. "If it's not a bother to you, then I won't."
"I would hope not. Goodnight, Sonia."
"Goodnight, both of you." Sonia smiled, then turned and walked back down the path to the first bridge. Nanami lingered only a moment longer before wishing them goodnight and joining Sonia.
The island suddenly felt very large and very empty. Hinata didn't really have anything to look at apart from Togami, and so he saw him take off his glasses, clean them on his lapel, put them back on, and stare intently down the path.
It didn't take long for the silence to grate on Hinata's nerves. He stood up, still leaning against the pedestal. "Togami?"
"Hinata?" Togami didn't take his eyes off the road.
"You didn't really answer my question earlier," Hinata said. "Why do you keep volunteering me for things? This is probably the third time."
"You're usually nearby," Togami said. "Why? Do you not want to be volunteered?"
"It doesn't matter," Hinata said. "I don't know. I'm no more special than anyone else."
"I think you forget you're in a gathering of special people," Togami said. "Even if I know I am the greatest among them, I can see that."
"I don't think I'm getting that the way you think I am."
"Does that mean you still don't remember your talent?"
"No." Hinata felt a sharp pain in his forehead. "But I can't think of why I wouldn't."
"Perhaps we'll know when we're able to extract answers from Monomi." Togami pushed his glasses up his face. "Or Monobear, for that matter. Souda told me about your visit to the ruins, incidentally. These 'World Destroyers'…I'm not sure if it was Monobear or Souda being so vague that it's as if I haven't learned anything at all."
"It was Monobear," Hinata said. "I thought you said they were too dangerous to go near."
"Did I?" He paused long enough that Hinata was tricked into thinking that the conversation was over. "Hinata, do you trust me?"
"Huh?"
"As a leader. Do you trust me?"
"Well…" Hinata wondered whether this was another one of those conversations that would go back around to Komaeda. He didn't think he was in the mood for that. "I don't think you've done anything to make me not trust you, if that's what you mean."
"I see." Togami nodded. "And the others?"
"You mean Koizumi?" Hinata said. "She's –"
"Koizumi's a capable leader in her own right," Togami said. "She isn't so esteemed as myself, but I know she is a respected – do you hear footsteps?"
Togami put a finger to his lips, and looked down the road that led to the bridges. In the nighttime quiet, Hinata could, indeed, hear a series of footsteps coming closer. "Someone's coming," he said.
"If it comes to an altercation, run," Togami said.
"Wait – if I'm just going to run, why am I here?"
"Stop asking silly questions." Togami raised his voice. "Who's there? Show yourself!"
There was a loud yelp, followed by several stomping footsteps. Then – to Hinata's considerable surprise – Mioda came into view, running down the path at top speed. As odd as this would have been on its own, it was made even stranger when Hinata saw that she was carrying a plastic lunch tray with three bowls of instant noodles on it, balanced perfectly even as she ran.
"What in the name of –" Togami shook his head. "Mioda, what are you doing?"
"Hooah! Ibuki's been spotted!" Mioda stopped just short of the pedestal, slopping some of the noodle broth onto the tray. "Don't shoot! Ibuki is only bringing snacks!"
"Snacks?" Togami looked down at the noodles as if seeing them for the first time. His mouth fell open slightly. "That's...unexpected of you, Mioda."
"Heehee! Rule number one of Ibuki is Ibuki is always full of surprises. Byakuya-chan should always remember that!" As she spoke, Mioda set the tray down, sat down next to it, broke her chopsticks apart, and picked up one of the styrofoam cups. "Time to eat –"
"Hold on," Togami said. "Take one of the other ones."
"Huh?" Mioda immediately set the cup down and picked up another. "Why?"
"That's all I needed to see. It's alright, Hinata, they're not poisoned." Togami sat down and took the bowl Mioda had been about to take, but waited until Mioda had begun eating before diving into his.
"Really, Togami?" Hinata sat down between them and picked up the remaining cup. "Why would anyone ever do that?"
Mioda laughed. "Thorough and careful about everything! Just as I expected from Byakuya-chan!"
Togami had a mouth full of noodles and thus could not reply, but his eyes went wide at Mioda's words. Hinata knew he needed to pick up the slack. "Come to think of it, why are you doing this at all? You didn't really need to."
"Oh, right, that's the other thing!" Mioda pointed skyward. "Hajime-chan! Ibuki's taking your shift!"
"Taking my shift?" Hinata picked up some noodles with his chopsticks. "Wait – why?"
Togami swallowed. "Yes, why?"
"Well, Hajime-chan said he was sleepy, right?" Mioda grinned. "Ibuki had a five hour nap today! She's so awake she's not even blinking!"
"That's nice, I guess, but I'm not that tired." Hinata tasted the noodles experimentally; they tasted like every other bowl of instant noodles he'd ever had. "You don't need to take over for me."
"But..." Mioda bit her lip. "But Ibuki was so excited about this she just couldn't wait! She –"
"I didn't mean you had to argue," Hinata said. "It's okay, you can take it."
"She can?" Togami stopped his next mouthful of noodles halfway to his mouth. "Are you sure?"
"Yes he is! Isn't he, Hajime-chan?" Mioda winked at Hinata, then winked again. Hinata wasn't entirely sure what to make of that, but he did nod. "See?" Mioda turned to look at Togami with an expression of delight. "He is! So can Ibuki stay here? Tonight? Maybe?"
Hinata was surprised by Togami's expression at first. Was it bewilderment? It wasn't something he'd seen on his face before. But then his familiar smirk returned. "Heh…you're quite enthusiastic about this, aren't you? Very well. Hinata, you will join Pekoyama tomorrow morning."
"Eeeyeas!" Mioda jumped up. "You hear that, Hajime-chan? Get to bed right this instant!"
"Okay," Hinata said, "Just as soon as I finish –"
"Ibuki said right now! Why is Hajime-chan still here?" Mioda knelt down and pushed against Hinata's back.
"Alright, alright, I'm going…" Hinata stood, taking his noodles with him. "Uh…stay out of trouble, okay?"
"Hmmmm, maybe!" Mioda winked again. "Go away, Hajime-chan!"
"G'night," Hinata called back as he walked down the path to the bridge. He could hear Mioda's voice behind him, but not what she was saying, and soon even that sound was lost to him.
I swear that'll be the only Nidai poop joke I'm sorry I just needed to. Up next, more Chapter 2!
- Carth
