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When Kyoko took them to examine Chihiro's body, Byakuya felt a knot grow in his stomach. Something about this felt off, like it was heading in a dangerous direction. When Sakura examined the body and let out a cry of alarm, an unfamiliar feeling of anxiety flowed through him.
"This girl...this girl is....a boy!" she exclaimed, and Byakuya felt his blood run cold and thoughts raced through his mind before he could stop them. Is it true? Was Fujisaki transgender as well? Regrettably, a bigger worry filled the pit of his stomach: How will the others react?
Byakuya liked to think that he was above worrying about the opinions of others, especially those beneath him. But when it pertained to a topic so fundamentally related to himself, he had no tolerance for incorrect claims.
There were three facts about himself that Byakuya required to be acknowledged and respected. One: he was Byakuya Togami, heir to the Togami corporation. Two: he was better than those around him. Three: he was, and always would be, a man. To put any of those into question was to question the validity of the Togami family itself.
"So Chihiro was just a perverted crossdresser pretending to be a girl," Celeste said, tone painted with mild shock. Pretending. Crossdressing. That's what it was to them. Byakuya felt his fingers tremble and his face go hot, but, as usual, he kept his outward composure. Byakuya tuned out the rest of the mindless chatter amongst his classmates as they all reacted with various forms of shock. He only vaguely heard Monokuma's confirmation of this fact before they returned to the courtroom.
"So Chihiro Fujisaki was actually a boy dressed as a girl! Fufufu, how's that for a shocking revelation? Now, let the trial continue!" Monokuma announced.
"I don't know his reason for hiding it, but the fact is, Chihiro was not a girl, but a boy," Kyoko said. Byakuya tightened his grip on his crossed arms, glare hardening. How can you say that so easily when you just said you don't know her reasoning? "Thus, the victim would have had no problem gaining access to the boys' locker room."
A thought crossed Byakuya's mind. "That is, assuming Fujisaki's handbook listed her gender as male."
"Of course his handbook said he was a boy! He may have dressed like a girl and acted like a girl, but he was a boy through and through!" Monokuma chimed in. That was odd. After all, Byakuya himself was listed as male in his handbook, and the secret written on his motive slip confirmed that Monokuma knew he was transgender. If Chihiro's own handbook listed them as male, then perhaps they were just a crossdressing boy after all.
Still, everyone's reactions left a sour taste in his mouth. So when Kyoko spoke, Byakuya interrupted her without thinking. "Then there is no issue with Makoto's theory that the victim was killed in the boys' locker room. Because Chihiro was a boy, he was able to—"
"She." The word was out of Byakuya's mouth before he could even realize he opened it. He just barely stopped himself from slapping a hand over his mouth.
"Huh?" A wave of confusion swept over the room. He didn't know why he'd spoken up; he didn't mean to, but there was no way he could back down now, even if he wanted to. So Byakuya doubled down.
"You heard me. You mean to say: 'Because Chihiro may have been a boy, she was able to access the boy's locker room.'"
"But Chihiro's a boy! We just established this!" Makoto said.
"We don't know that!" His voice cracked, and a feminine tone seeped out, causing his ears to ring. Byakuya winced, then cleared his throat to regain his composure.
"Have you been paying attention at all for the last 10 minutes?!" Asahina exclaimed.
"As a matter of fact, I have. What we established was that Fujisaki was male; however I fail to see how that changes anything about how we refer to her." The only thing keeping his voice from shaking was that damn girlish voice that he knew would pry its way out of his throat if he dared lose control. Kyoko was eyeing him closely, as if she could read his every thought.
"What the fuck are you talking about, man?" Mondo said. Byakuya scoffed.
"Whether or not Fujisaki was physically male is beyond the point. We have no idea what her intentions were for dressing as she did, so there is no reason to change the way we speak about her. We know she went to the boys' locker room, and that is all that matters to the trial. We can still respect her wishes and refer to her as a girl," he explained. He was met with stares from around the room, some blank, some shocked at the fact that he actually seemed to be being considerate.
"Why do you care so much? You've clearly demonstrated how little you care about the rest of us, Chihiro-kun especially. So why be so pedantic about how we speak about a dead man?" Celeste inquired, voice calm yet taunting as always. Byakuya fumed in silence, for once unsure what to say. After all, he wasn't quite sure himself. He could hear Monokuma giggling from his seat.
It was Kyoko who brought them back on topic: "I understand your point, Togami, but that is irrelevant to the topic of finding the culprit. Let's waste no more time on this. We can continue referring to Chihiro as a girl, but be aware that she was able to access the boys' locker room."
Confused noises of agreement filled the room.
The rest of the trial proceeded normally, with few difficulties other than Kiyotaka vehemently defending Oowada, despite all the evidence.
After Oowada's execution, and the disturbing sight of Monokuma eating him on a slab of toast, everyone couldn't wait to get out of the courtroom and clear their minds of this awful trial. Even Byakuya himself couldn't get back to his room soon enough, albeit for different reasons. He stood away from the others as they waited for the elevator to arrive, when he suddenly heard footsteps approach him. His heart rate picked up, fearing the worst. His classmates could be perceptive when need be, namely Kirigiri, and Byakuya feared someone may have been able to pick apart his reactions.
"Um, Byakuya?" Makoto's voice asked meekly.
Of course Makoto would approach him after the trial. That bumbling fool was always trying to get close to him, despite his constant efforts to push him away. Even now, despite what Byakuya had done to Chihiro's body, Makoto was still extending an arm of kindness.
"What?" Byakuya was in no mood to talk.
"Are you...okay? You were acting really weird during the trial." Curse Makoto and his kindness.
"Weird how? Because I tampered with the body?" Byakuya sneered, hoping Makoto would drop the conversation.
"No, I think you know what I mean. Your reaction when we learned Chihiro was a guy."
"I have no reason to tell you anything," Byakuya snapped.
"Oh! Um, okay. Well if you...If you ever need to talk about something, you can always come to me," Makoto said, smiling. Byakuya felt something stir inside him, and he almost came clean right there. Almost.
"I'm—" It almost came out as desparate before Byakuya stopped himself from speaking any further. "I'm under no obligation to speak to you." Makoto made a face.
"Yeah, I know. I was just saying if you wanted—"
"That is your cue to leave me alone." Makoto sighed and finally left, joining the rest of the group.
The elevator finally arrived, and Byakuya earned a couple of weird looks from the others as he entered, making sure to stand in a back corner where he didn't have to face any of his classmates.
Once they returned to the first floor, Byakuya swiftly stormed off to his room.
That night, when Byakuya undressed to go to bed, he didn't look down. He shut his eyes tightly as he removed his binder and put on his pajama shirt.
It wasn't that he felt betrayed by the others (he didn't have any trust or respect for them in the first place). What put him in a foul mood was moreso the painful reminder that no one would ever see him as a man unless he kept hiding. Even someone like Makoto, who was foolishly warm and compassionate, had no hesitation about immediately changing his view of Chihiro to male, throwing aside everything they knew about the programmer as a person for some trivial physical characteristics. If the others knew about Byakuya....
He didn't want to think about that.
I don't need them, it doesn't matter to me if they accept me or not, he tried to reassure himself. They are beneath me. I don't need validation from idiotic peasants.
It didn't make him feel any better.
He sat on his bed, leaning against the headboard, and hugged his knees to his chest, burying his face in them. He felt so weak and pathetic as he frantically wracked his brain to try to find any logical reason why he should still feel this distraught. He was Byakuya Togami. He wasn't supposed to be emotional.
Even in the privacy of his own room, he maintained a steely glare, knowing that was the only thing keeping him from breaking.
Suddenly, he heard a knock at the door. Byakuya did not look up and simply ignored it, until it was followed by an unending series of knocks. Huffing, Byakuya stood up and marched over to the door. He cracked it open and peered out to see Makoto fidgeting.
"What do you want?" Byakuya demanded.
"I wanted to try to talk to you again," Makoto said.
"Leave me alone. I have no need to talk to someone like you."
"You can't just avoid us all. It's natural to feel upset if we did something to you. Humans are social animals, after all," Makoto tried to reassure him. Byakuya smirked.
"I'm surprised you know that much. But I can, and will, avoid you all. I have no reason to form a connection with any of you, especially in this killing game."
"You don't have to tell me, but please at least let me stay here with you. Whatever you're going through, you shouldn't have to be alone," Makoto pleaded.
After almost a full minute of silence, Byakuya spoke up sharply: "Do as you wish." Makoto grinned and ran in, taking a spot on the floor, where he sat cross-legged.
Byakuya sat back down on his bed, crossing his arms. He faced Makoto's direction, but he did not look at him or make eye contact.
The pair remained in silence for several minutes, but it was a peaceful silence, reminiscent of the times Makoto would follow Byakuya around insisting that they "hang out." Although Makoto's presence brought a certain peace (though Byakuya would sooner be caught dead than admitting that), a tension still hung in the air.
Byakuya eyed Makoto, who seemed to be content sitting on Byakuya's floor in silence, showing no signs of leaving anytime soon.
Byakuya decided to speak.
"The reason the class trial earlier was getting to me was because I am...the same as Fujisaki." The words felt bitter leaving his tongue, even if they were said in such a roundabout way. Makoto looked up at Byakuya from his spot on the floor, letting out a small gasp.
"Y-you dress up as a girl?!" Makoto said, standing up and recoiling in shock. Byakuya scoffed.
"I suppose a fool like you would make that assumption. No, it's the other way around. Let's just say that to someone as foolishly closed-minded as you, I could be seen as 'pretending to be a boy.'"
"Wait...you're...YOU'RE A GIRL?!" Rage coursed through Byakuya's body, and he almost kicked Makoto out right then and there.
"No, you idiot! I am still very much a man, and you are starting to make me regret agreeing to speak with you on this matter." Byakuya, in his already vulnerable state, almost felt guilty. He knew he was being confusing, but he didn't have the courage to put it more straightforwardly. Though, he supposed, Makoto should consider it a privilege to be receiving any information about him at all. Makoto cocked his head in confusion.
"Then...what do you mean 'pretending?'" he asked innocently.
"Don't think that just because I let the matter go that I've forgotten about how quick you were to start seeing Fujisaki as a boy. Even if that turned out to be the case in the end, I now know how your perception is of someone like me," Byakuya said.
"I...still have no idea what you're talking about," Makoto confessed.
Wordlessly, Byakuya stood up from the bed and uncrossed his arms, dropping them to his sides, and straightened his posture, revealing the faint outline of his breasts.
"Oh," Makoto said.
"Are you satisfied now, or do you wish for me to reveal more of my deepest, darkest secrets? Am I just some perverted crossdresser?"
"I'm sorry," Makoto said suddenly, much to Byakuya's surprise. He couldn't let his guard down, though. Especially now.
"Sorry for what? That I'm stuck with this accursed body? I don't need your pity," Byakuya snapped, recrossing his arms.
"No, I'm sorry that we made you feel like you had to hide. I'm sorry that we hurt you with the way we talked about Chihiro. We—We shouldn't have assumed so quickly that he didn't identify as female, and I'm sorry that we hurt you with that assumption." Makoto's apology was so heartfelt that Byakuya was almost tempted to accept it, but he had a reputation to maintain.
"You're so irritatingly kind-hearted." Makoto smiled.
"Do you want a hug?" Makoto offered.
Byakuya instinctively wrapped his arms around his chest to cover himself. "Not now." A moment passed, and Makoto was clearly trying not to grin. Byakuya scowled as he realized what he had just said. "Not ever," he corrected.
"Sure, whatever you say. I'll get that hug eventually, though." A moment passed as Makoto (very unsubtly) eyed Byakuya's figure. "Hey wait, so how—"
"I will not be answering any personal questions, Makoto. In fact, you may leave now." Despite being run off, Makoto didn't resist at all. In fact, his face lit up. Byakuya rolled his eyes. "What is the reason for that foolish expression?"
"Well, you called me Makoto! So that means you see finally see me as a friend!" Byakuya shoved away the pinch of embarrassment he felt.
"We're not friends," Byakuya snapped, but Makoto just kept smiling. How foolishly typical of him.
"Alright, whatever you say!" Makoto said as he walked towards the door, "See you tomorrow!" He waved, and Byakuya simply nodded in acknowledgement.
As he sat there alone in silence, Byakuya felt for the first time a weight lift off of his shoulders.