Tell me, Naegi

Uh Oh

As I sit here on my couch, I can't help but smile. Naegi likes me... huh. That still doesn't change anything, though. I can be happy and wishful by myself. If it weren't for my father at this point, I would have given up and confessed to him as well. I'm suddenly upset again. I have gotten into a mess of despair and lies, and I don't think I'd ever be happy living this way.

I only have two minutes to myself on my couch before there's a knock on my door. I reluctantly pull myself up and head to the door, opening it apprehensively. It's Ludenburg, and she does not look happy.

She doesn't even look at my face as she slowly walks in. Considering the earlier conversation I had with Naegi, I'm a bit concerned about her demeanor. She looks... dejected. "Celeste?" I lead her over to the couch and sit her down, taking a seat next to her. My heart is pounding and I can't help but to panic a smidge, considering I have no experience with girls' emotions. "What's wrong?"

I watch her sit for a second, thinking carefully about what she wants to say. She turns to me and shrugs. "I'm fine..." Ludenburg then closes her eyes and places her hands neatly in her lap. "I was just wondering what you and Naegi were speaking about."

This conversation is ridiculous. Is she that protective of me? Besides, she wouldn't have anything against me talking to him, right? "How do you know about that?" I try to keep my composure despite my growing anxiety. "We're friends, of course we speak to each other." 

"I came here to talk to you after my lesson," she starts. Her voice has a hint of edge to it despite her calm demeanor. "But you were not present. So, naturally, I assumed you were with Naegi." She pauses, taking a deep breath. "I was outside his door when I noticed it was ajar slightly, so I peeked in. That's when he confessed to you."

I shake my head, trying to talk some sense into the girl. If she knew what we were talking about, why did she ask in the first place? "I turned him down." 

"Yes, you did. But you didn't want to." She opens her eyes and looks at me sadly. "I could see it on your face. You looked at him in a way that I've never seen you look before." She unfolds her hands and places them on her knees. "I can tell you really like him," she finishes.

I don't know what to say. Red signals flash through my mind. I have to tell her it's a lie... but that in of itself would be lying. All I can do is sit there before I hang my head. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she smiles sadly. "I know you enough to know you weren't trying to hurt me, and I could sense you were not quite invested in our relationship." Ludenburg takes a deep breath and stands up. "That being said, this is over." Before I can protest, she is gone, leaving me to my misery.

_____

Life continues on for a few days. I'm stuck in this cycle of pretending I'm alright when in reality, my world could come crashing down at any moment. Ludenburg has been avoiding me, and Naegi doesn't have much to say anymore. Perhaps he thinks I am upset with him, or maybe he thinks I'm in a bad mood because Ludenburg is avoiding me. He doesn't know we broke up, and I can't tell him or he'd blame himself. 

I'm sitting in the library one day when Kirigiri walks over to me. "Togami."

I nod to her, engrossed in my book. "Kirigiri."

She looks around. "I was certain Naegi would be here with you, considering he wasn't in his dorm." She takes a seat across from me. "You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?"

I shake my head, turning a page. "Not in the slightest. Perhaps in a tutoring session?"

"I'm not sure. We have an English project that we were going to work on today, but I can't find him anywhere." Kirigiri sighs. "It's not like him to forget these things, but I can tell he's had a lot on his mind lately. He won't even answer his phone." 

"Who doesn't have a lot on their mind in their high school years?" I put my book down and push up my glasses. "I haven't seen him since lunch."

She twirls a braid around a finger. "Come to think about it, he wasn't in our last period today..."

My brain short circuits. That's right, he wasn't. "Excuse me, I shall look." I stand up hurriedly and leave my book behind, exiting the library as quickly as possible. Once I reach his dorm, I knock not so quietly on his door. "Naegi! Come out!" 

No answer. I shouldn't have expected one, anyways.

I pull out my cell phone and text him, not exactly expecting a response after what Kirigiri told me. I go as far as trying to call Naegi. After knocking again and waiting for a few minutes, I even try to open the door myself. It doesn't work and I'm forced to leave. 

Where is he? My stomach is churning and I can't think straight. Not wanting to get yelled at by a hall monitor (specifically Ishimaru), I walk at a somewhat quickened pace to the office.

Once I enter, the receptionist looks at me and immediately sits up straighter, flashing a bright smile. I guess being a Togami has its benefits, but I didn't come into the office to lecture school staff on their posture.

"Hello, Togami Sir! How may I help you today?"

I waste no time. "Could you tell me where Makoto Naegi is?"

She looks confused. "Who? Give me a second." She types a few things into her computer before finding something. "Oh! Him...." she looks at me. "Didn't you hear?"

"Hear what?" I feel like I'm going to throw up.

"He was expelled."