Chapter Text
Across the island, the group dispersed in different directions, tearing every building apart to find the hidden bombs. Panic pushed them forward. But while the others ran, Hajime fell behind.
For the past hour, he'd gone through each of his indicated spots, but he just couldn't focus at all. Something wasn't right. The logic fell apart the moment he analyzed it. Because if Nagito truly wanted to expose the traitor, giving them a chance to locate and disarm the bombs early defeated the entire point.
Hajime wanted to brush it off as mere overthinking, but deep down, he knew better. Nagito's actions were never accidental. If they were all running around in a circle, it was only because Nagito had designed it that way.
Hajime slowed his pace as he neared Nagito's cottage.
What if Nagito wanted them all running around across the island? What if he wanted them so focused on the bombs that they'd completely miss what was actually happening right under their noses? There were too many questions and zero answers.
Hajime stopped outside Nagito's cottage. If the truth was anywhere, it was in here.
Hajime reached for the handle, carefully pushing the door open.
And then, he saw him.
Nagito sat on the floor beside the bed, pouring the contents of a small vial into an open bottle. He wore a pair of gloves, but most concerningly, a gas mask covered his face.
The sight was so far removed from anything Hajime had anticipated that his voice caught in his throat. "...N-Nagito?"
"Hajime?!" Nagito's head jerked up, the sudden jolt nearly sending the vial tumbling to the floor. But his gloved fingers clamped around the glass just in time, steadying his breath, he stared down at the vial for a second before setting it aside delicately.
Hajime couldn't tell if he was genuinely flustered or just putting on another act. With Nagito, it was always impossible to tell. Yet the gloves and the gas mask made it hard to brush this off as just another one of his antics.
"...Ah. How unfortunate." He sighed, turning his attention back to Hajime. "I suppose my bad luck was bound to strike sooner or later... I just didn't expect it to happen right in the middle of making a bomb... how embarrassing."
Out of everyone on the island, the one person Nagito least expected to show up actually did. Because of course he did.
Hajime stared at him in disbelief. A bomb? This looked nothing like what he'd imagined bomb-making to look like. Then again, it wasn't as if he had any experience with explosives. Still, he doubted it looked like this.
"Huh?" Hajime raised an eyebrow, he stared at the bottle in Nagito's hand, trying to make sense of what he was looking at.
Nagito smiled coldly beneath the mask. "...Did finding me make you feel special, Hajime? Like a real Ultimate Detective?"
"Cut the crap and explain yourself!" He snapped, using his foot to kick the door open further.
His grip on the bottle tightened for a moment before he carefully set it down beside the vial. "Well... before I do." Nagito began, his mind racing for anything that could deflect Hajime's focus. "Could you... do me a quick favor first?"
Hajime stared at him in disbelief. This guy had some nerve. "No, answer me first." Hajime demanded, stepping into the room.
Nagito's breath hitched, his eyes widening. Although the gas mask kept him safe, Hajime was entirely defenseless.
Every second the door remained open, the more the poison seeped further into the air. Nagito couldn't even yell at him to stay back. Doing so would only make Hajime more suspicious.
Suppressing the dread from bleeding into his voice, he managed. "I really wouldn't come any closer if I were you."
Hajime froze, his brows knitting together. "Why...?"
Nagito hesitated, his mind instantly jumping to the worst possible outcomes: If he warned him about the poison, Hajime would figure out what he was up to and ruin the entire plan- But if he kept quiet... Hajime would blindly step into the room, breathe it in, and die right in front of him.
He couldn't allow either scenario to happen. He needed a way out, a distraction, anything.
Hajime glared, his impatience growing by the second. "You better speak up before I take matters into my own hands."
Nagito swallowed hard. Hajime wasn't even considering the possibility of a trap or a weapon. Was he always this blind to danger?
That reckless stubbornness was going to kill him. And no matter how hard Nagito tried to find a clever way out, his mind kept looping back to that same horrific possibility.
A suffocating sense of despair settled over him, he realized then that Hajime wasn't going to listen... not unless Nagito gave him a reason to. "...You're going to die."
Hajime paused, seemingly shaken at first. What...? No, that can't be true.
Tightening his fists at his sides, he decided it was just another bluff. "Is that what you're doing now? Lying just to keep me away from the truth?"
Hearing Hajime accuse him of lying in a situation like this should have hurt. Instead, he felt a stange sense of relief. "Ah... I see." Hajime opened his mouth to argue, but Nagito beat him to it. "You don't trust me."
Hajime was completely right to doubt him. There was nothing about him that deserved trust. The thought of being trusted felt almost unbearable. But not because he didn't want it, because he wanted it far too much...
No. That wasn't right, it was selfish to want something like that.
Nagito tilted his head. "Well, of course you don't. Why would you?" Forcing a hollow smile onto his face, he continued. "I'm Nagito Komaeda, after all. Trusting someone like me would probably be the stupidest thing you could ever do."
It was always easier when he said those things himself. Worthless. Selfish. Dangerous. A jinx who brought nothing but misfortune to everyone around him.
His parents had died because of it. His dog too. Anyone who stayed in his life long enough eventually fell victim to his curse. That was simply how his luck cycle worked. It was inevitable...
Slowly, the unpredictable weight of that truth settled over him. The realization dawning like a bitter reminder of his own existence. If.. Hajime died here, then that too, was Nagito's rotten luck at work.
The dark thoughts pulled him under, his senses beginning to dull. He hadn't even noticed how difficult it was to breathe, nor did he register the pain of his own fingers tugging harshly at his hair.
"Nagito! Stop that!" Hajime's voice cut through the fog. Confusion and frustration written across his face as he looked at the other boy.
Nagito didn't flinch. The usual spark in his eyes was completely gone, replaced by a empty, distant stare.
He sat there for a moment, drifting somewhere beyond reach, before his eyes slowly refocused on Hajime. When he spoke, his voice carried a strange intimacy. "Hajime."
Behind the mask, Nagito's eyes shimmered with desperation. "Please..." Nagito's voice cracked slightly, stripped of all sarcasm. "Just this once... trust me."
A tight knot pulled in Hajime's chest as he looked away.
Trust? How could he possibly trust someone like him? Someone who manipulated everyone around him, repeatedly risking lives for the sake of his own twisted ideals?
He'd be an absolute idiot to trust Nagito. He'd known that ever since the very first trial. And yet, he couldn't help this agonizing urge to reach out, to bridge the gap between them before it was too late.
Hajime squeezed his eyes shut for a brief second, swallowing down the lump in his throat.
Or maybe Hajime just couldn't stand the thought of giving up on him. Leaving Nagito to drown felt like admitting that Nagito was right about himself. That he truly was worthless.
When he opened his eyes again, his voice was quiet. "You could've just said that from the start...".
Then, the weird look in Nagito's eyes slowly vanished. "Haha... Sorry about that." He smiled as though everything that happened was nothing more than an embarrassing misunderstanding.
When Hajime glanced down, a subtle movement caught his attention. Nagito's hands were trembling. "Uhm... Are you... okay?" Hajime asked softly.
Nagito blinked, looking confused. "...Am I?" He followed Hajime's gaze down to his own trembling fingers. He hadn't even realized he was shaking. "Oh..."
He immediately curled his fingers into tight fists in an attempt to force them still. "What a pain..." He sighed beneath the mask. "Just leave, okay?"
Hajime couldn't shake the nagging feeling that Nagito was hiding something far deeper. "Promise you'll let me back in later?" Hajime said, turning back to face him.
Nagito looked up at him. "Of course."
Hajime hesitated, his hand lingering near the door. He desperately wanted the truth, but forcing the issue would accomplish nothing if Nagito refused to open up.
Hajime hesitated one last time before stepping through the doorway. Then the door clicked shut.
Nagito stared at the now empty spot a second longer before letting his shoulders drop. His hands were still trembling, he looked down at them again. Pathetic.
Everything had been going according to plan, up until now... Why did it have to be him? Anyone else would have been easier.
With a heavy sigh, he pushed his thoughts aside. He needed to finish cleaning up. Forcing himself to stand, Nagito picked up the small vial first, checking that the seal was tight before carefully placing it inside the refrigerator.
He crossed the room and pushed the windows wide open. A fresh ocean breeze rushed inside, gradually dispersing the sweet scent of poison lingering in the air.
Next, he walked over to the bottle left on the floor and carried it to the sink. He filled it with water, flushing it out repeatedly until it was completely empty, before dropping it deep into the trash. He pulled off his gloves, discarding those as well. Finally, he pulled the gas mask from his face and slid it beneath the bed.
Nagito stood in the center of the room. Visually, everything looked clean again.
His gaze drifted back toward the entrance, making his way toward it, he reached out and opened the door.
Hajime stood outside the room, he looked up, his eyes meeting Nagito's. Without a word, Hajime's gaze flicked past him into the room. Driven by curiosity, he stepped forward.
Nagito barely had enough time to move aside before Hajime pushed past him and entered the room. He immediately began scanning every corner, though nothing seemed out of the ordinary at first glance.
Nagito closed the door behind him. "You still think I'm hiding something? I told you, I was just making a bomb. Nothing you don't already know."
Hajime turned, his brow furrowing. Nagito's tone only fed his suspicion. "I'll believe it when I see it. So show me it."
Nagito stayed silent. His gaze wandered aimlessly around the room before briefly landing on the refrigerator. He looked away almost instantly.
Hajime caught it. There. Whatever Nagito was so desperate to hide, it was in there.
Without a word, Hajime started walking toward the fridge. He didn't know what he was expecting to find. He only knew that there was a possibilty that something was in there.
With every step Hajime took, Nagito's chest tightened. "Hajime.."
Hajime ignored him. His fingers extended, inches away from gripping the handle, when-
Nagito reached out and grabbed his arm, yanking him back. The sudden movement caught Hajime off guard, making him flinch.
Nagito's eyes dropped to where his fingers were digging into Hajime's arm, and his grip loosened almost immediately. He hadn't meant to grab him so harshly... His body just moved on its own.
"I don't remember giving you permission to explore my room." Nagito said, attempting to steer the attention away from how he'd reacted. "That's not very polite, Hajime."
Hajime avoided eye contact. "If you're not going to talk, then I'll have to investigate it myself."
He released Hajime's arm. "Are you sure you want to do that? What if you find something...impure?"