Chapter 4: Herding Cats
When he re-entered the dining hall, he stopped for a second. Only three of the four people who were supposed to be there were present. Nagito was still lying on the ground, his mop of white hair just visible behind the table, with Nekomaru kneeling at his right side. Mikan was standing a little behind them. She jumped when Byakuya opened the door so suddenly.
He resumed walking, quickening his steps. When he reached them, he frowned. The missing student wasn't hidden behind the table either.
"Where is Hajime?" he asked, feeling like he was going to get sick of this question by the next morning. Couldn't they all just stop disappearing for ten minutes?
"I-I didn't have any m-medical supplies to properly treat Nagito, so he went to the supermarket to get some. I did see at least some first-aid kits when I was there the last time. Having one of those would already go a long way, e-even if it isn't much," Mikan replied, wringing her hands nervously. There was blood on the bandages covering her own arms.
Just wonderful. That meant that Hajime was running around alone through the night. He just hoped that he wouldn't run into Teruteru. Who knew what mental state the cook was in right now. Well, there was nothing he could do about that at the moment. For the time being, there were other pressing matters that also demanded his attention.
"How is he?" he asked with a curt nod toward the unmoving boy. His jacket and shirt had been removed and laid discarded to the side. Byakuya noted duly that he was skinnier than expected. He would definitely need to eat more, though the heir couldn't help but wonder if the apocalyptic state of the world had something to do with his physical appearance. But that was something to think about for some other time. Right now, the issue of his injury was more pressing. As it was, Nagito looked even more pale than usual and he hadn't opened his eyes during the previous exchange, but the slight rise and fall of his chest at least meant that he was alive. Plus, Nekomaru was pressing a tablecloth onto his abdomen that was stained red. He wouldn't be trying to stem the blood if Nagito was already dead.
"He has a puncture wound at his side and lost a fair amount of blood, but I should be able to fix him up even without proper medical equipment," Mikan said. Then her gaze wandered down Byakuya's right side. "A-ah, but I should take care of your arm as well!"
Byakuya didn't protest when she hurried over to peel the drying sleeve from his wound. Distress crossed her face once she got a better look at it. "I-It's a pretty deep cut. I'll need some things from the first-aid kit to stitch it up. B-b-but it's g-good that you used the scarf to bind it off! I'm sorry, I should have done that earlier! I'm so useless!" Mikan wailed, already close to breaking into tears.
"No, Nagito's condition was more severe," Byakuya said. "I take it he is not in any immediate danger of dying then?" he tried to confirm.
"Yes. From the shape of the wound it appears that he moved out of the way just in time. The weapon punctured his outer side but missed his organs," she explained, before she added, "H-he was really lucky."
"On the contrary," Nagito butted in quietly, his lips curling into a self-deprecating smile, "this was quite unlucky." His classmates turned to stare at him, but he acted like he wasn't aware of them. He laughed softly to himself and continued as if he was talking to himself. "I really am a failure. Not only was I discovered immediately, I didn't even succeed in getting myself killed. I should have known someone like me couldn't possibly win against someone so completely out of my league. I even ended up putting the Ultimates through the trouble of saving such a worthless piece of trash."
Then his eyes snapped open. They immediately locked onto Byakuya with unabashed admiration. "But what a spectacle it was!" he started gushing, his voice growing stronger with every word. "The sheer amount of precautions you took and the way you stopped me with such efficiency! Just as expected of the Ultimate Affluent Progeny! I am truly honored to have witnessed it! I never would have thought that I would ever get to see true hope. But there it was! It was so bright, for a moment I was almost sure I could see it glowing in the dark, like a beacon to guide us! It was amazing!" He was breathless by the end and he averted his glazed eyes almost shyly.
Hope. There it was again. This word that struck a chord in Byakuya ever since the last trial of the original killing game. One of the two concepts that seemed to have split the world in two. However, in this situation, the lines between them were blurred. This wasn't comparable to when Makoto had given them hope to hold on to, to save them from the impending despair that was grasping at them. The way Nagito referred to it was different. Distant. He was like a child, talking about their dream of becoming an astronaut, despite knowing that they would never achieve it and that the only thing they could do was gaze wistfully at the starry sky.
And there was something in his eyes. A certain darkness swirling within them. He wondered where he had seen a similar expression before, and it all fell into place when a memory of Junko Enoshima drifted to the forefront of his mind, overlapping with the picture of the boy lying in front of him. It was the same, but still different. Nagito spoke about hope while acting like he was full of despair, but unlike Junko, he didn't seem to revel in the feeling. It was puzzling. And very, very alarming.
"Nagito, what are you talking about?" Sonia voiced all of their concerns.
"T-the blood loss must be a-affecting him. He probably doesn't even know what he's s-saying," Mikan said hesitantly.
"No, that's wrong."
A shudder ran down Byakuya's back and it took him a moment to realize it was because of the way Makoto's catchphrase had spilled out of the other lucky student's mouth. It was just as full of conviction, but that was where the similarities ended. While Makoto always made it sound like he was going to say something relevant and helpful to the case at hand, there was a tone in Nagito's voice that made Byakuya dread his next words, out of apprehension that they might be just as delusional as his previous speech.
He was right to be concerned.
"How could I ever not know hope when it's right in front of me? I knew that this killing game would be the perfect opportunity to see it, to awaken the hope slumbering deep inside each and every one of you. But I never expected—," he wheezed in excitement, "—I never expected it so soon, so bright! I could practically feel the hope you emanated washing over me. Like a tidal wave. It almost made my head spin. Yes… I can see it clearly! Byakuya, you truly are the perfect leader who can guide us to hope!"
There was a mixture between a grin and a grimace on his face, like the two expressions were battling for dominance. "And to think—! That I would be the one to…," he swallowed thickly, a wide grin on his face, "that I could be a stepping stone to bring it out."
He laughed, wildly clawing at his face with his left arm that wasn't trapped by Nekomaru's body. Mikan jumped forward to stop him from hurting himself, holding his arm down. Nagito didn't seem to notice. When he continued, his voice was low and hoarse and it sounded like he was laying out a conspiracy to them. "I never would have imagined! It's true, nobody has died yet… That's a shame, but we can't let that stop us from reaching for hope! There will be more opportunities… and I'll gladly—! I'll—"
"Please stop!" Sonia's voice rang out. Her hands were clasped in front of her chest and she looked at Nagito pleadingly. "Please don't say these horrible things! You could have died tonight! We mustn't think about more casualties!"
He blinked at her like he was just woken from a trance. "Ah, I'm sorry," he said. "I probably don't make much sense right now, do I? I'm sorry for not being able to express myself properly. I guess… I am feeling a bit dizzy." Then he smiled and he was back to being the friendly and unremarkable boy from before. Except that he wasn't. They had seen a glimpse of what was hiding beneath that smile. And despite the fact that they were trying to just account it to the injury and the stressful night, neither of them could get the crazed look in his eyes out of their mind.
Byakuya mentally made it a priority to ensure that Nagito was under constant observation.
Thankfully, they were all distracted when the door to the dining room opened. Byakuya scowled when he saw Peko walking in like nothing was wrong.
"What's going on here?" she had the nerve to ask.
He spared another glance at Nagito, but he had closed his eyes again, lying still with a small (blissful?) smile on his face. Then he stepped around Sonia to stand before the swordswoman with his arms crossed. He ignored Mikan's protests at that. His voice was harsh as he asked, "And where have you been?"
She held his gaze for a moment, before she turned her head slightly to the side to look right past him. "It is not important."
"Yes, it is!" he snapped, "You were entrusted with the task of guarding the duralumin case in the office and you just disappeared for no apparent reason! So, I will ask you again: Where have you been until now?"
She sighed, closing her eyes. "You are right, I failed to fulfill my duty." She hesitated again, then she admitted, "I… wasn't feeling too well. I was forced to spend the majority of the evening in the bathroom."
Byakuya was about to say something to that, but her response made Nekomaru perk up with wide eyes. "You mean it's unoccupied now?" And then, without any warning, he shot up, sweat rolling down his face. "Sorry, but I gotta shiiiit!" he hollered, already sprinting out of the room.
Byakuya stared after him. He knew that Ultimates could be a bit eccentric. It was in their nature. After all, prodigies tended to be wired a little differently in comparison to most people. But the more time he spent with this class, the more he felt like some of them weren't just eccentric but slightly insane.
With a deep scowl, he turned back to Peko. "Well, since you messed up until now, how about you make yourself useful for a change and make sure Nagito doesn't bleed out?"
Without any protest she took Mikan's place who had rushed over to keep the sheet pressed on Nagito's wound as soon as Nekomaru had left his post. When that was sorted out, he finally got to address Sonia.
"So, mind explaining to me where you ran off to in the dark?" As he asked that, he turned around to take care of another thing he had noticed before. Since Mikan and Nekomaru had taken the sheet of the table at the far end of the dining hall, his bundled-up jacket containing Nagito's knife was now lying in plain sight. It wouldn't do to leave it like that, so he went over there and snatched it up while Sonia explained.
"Ah, yes! During the blackout, I heard noises that sounded alarmingly like a fight! I couldn't just stand around doing nothing, but without seeing anything, I was unable to help. So, I left the dining hall using the wall to find my way through the darkness to go outside."
"Outside?" he asked and looked up from the knife he had just unwrapped. "What were you doing outside?"
"Well, Chiaki was standing guard there with Monomi, to make sure Monokuma doesn't show up, right? I thought, if anyone can turn the lights back on, it would be Monomi!" she declared.
"You asked Monomi for help?" He went over to the duralumin case containing his own equipment and threw in both the knife and the night-vision goggles he had also picked up. Then he locked that case as well, and slipped the key safely into his pocket, where it joined the other one. "So, the rabbit was the one to fix the circuit breaker?"
"That's right! As soon as I explained what was happening inside, she sprang into action."
"I see." Well, that was certainly interesting, for more than one reason. Firstly, the rabbit seemed to be as eager to help them as she always claimed. Of course, it could be a ploy to get them to trust her, but then again, by resetting the breaker she could have prevented a murder. If she was working together with Monokuma, she would have no reason to do so.
Secondly, Sonia had proven that she was a quick thinker and could act on her own to solve problems. That was good. While he preferred to work alone, because he knew about his own abilities and he refused to have incompetent people mess up his plans, this night had proven that he couldn't possibly do everything himself. There were too many students to keep in check and he couldn't be everywhere at once to settle things. Therefore, he needed some dependable people at his disposal whom he could rely on for important tasks, whether he liked it or not. Sonia was slowly establishing herself as a suitable candidate for the job, as well as Hajime for helping him fend off an attacker he hadn't even seen.
Speaking of dependability, Nekomaru, who threw the doors open as Byakuya was pondering this, was already collecting negative points in that category, as well as Peko. Byakuya impatiently watched the coach approach them with a wide grin and a laugh.
"Sorry I had to leave so suddenly. But whew, I really feel better now."
"Well, am I ever glad about that," Byakuya said, "I think we can all excuse that you had to abandon your duties here just for a visit to the bathroom."
"Thanks! I knew you'd understand!" Nekomaru said cheerfully, giving him an almost painful pat on the back.
"I was being sarcastic," Byakuya hissed through gritted teeth.
God, what had he done to deserve this? He almost preferred life in the destroyed city to this. Sure, he had been surrounded by idiots then, too, but at least they had been coordinated idiots. They had known each other and moreover, most of them had already known the boundaries to unforgiveable stupidity. This island may have seemed idyllic in comparison to the ruins of the mainland, but that was a misjudgment if the only other human beings acted like half of them were at the same level of intelligence as Yasuhiro. For Byakuya, it felt more and more like he was the only sane man stuck in a madhouse.
Fuyuhiko chose that exact moment to prove his point by slamming open the doors.
