Kazuichi: "You know, we can work out a schedule for this."
Hajime: "It's fine. Go back to the hotel and get some sleep." Hajime almost had to yell just to get Kazuichi to leave, the whole group had discussed the Nagito event for a large majority of the day. While they were all awaiting their friends' return, the last person they would want to wake up first was him. Everyone thought that someone should stay overnight and watch the pods while the others slept. Hajime volunteered to stay every night, the others were slightly against the idea because it seemed somewhat unfair.
Kazuichi: "If something happens, you'll be all right then?" Kazuichi's concern was nice and all, but it was becoming a bit irritating.
Hajime: "Nothing will happen." Hajime smiled, trying to pound some sense of ease into the mechanic's head.
Kazuichi: "Well, if he does wake up, be careful. Things usually tend to go his way... I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Kazuichi finally left for the night, reluctantly.
Hajime let out a heavy breath as soon as his friend left earshot. The first thing that came to mind was time. He would be up for a minimum of eight hours, guarding these sleeping bodies from nothing. But it was a necessary precaution to take, if there was a chance 'he' would wake up. Nagito Komaeda wasn't the most pleasant person to be around, his actions against everyone else in the simulation didn't help his case, of course.
Hajime didn't want him out of his sight.
===========Flashback===========
Killing School Trip
Everything was blurry, but before that, everything was dark. It came as a surprise to everyone in the lobby, everyone... except Nagito. Hajime and Nagito came to the lobby before the Monokuma announcement, something that would let everyone know when bedtime was. After Nagito entered the hotel lobby, he was ambushed by Akane and Fuyuhiko. Kazuichi planned on capturing Nagito and tying him up, similar to his plan after the first class trial, when he and Nekomaru knocked Nagito out and left him tied up in the old building by the hotel. But before they could get answers about what Nagito had planned for the remaining participants... a bomb went off and knocked everyone out.
The hotel lobby was now in flames, monitors and cameras located in the room were destroyed, there were even some holes in the floor.
Hajime: "W-What's... going... on?" Those were the only words that left Hajime's mouth, but they vanished before they even met anyone's ears, including his. They were drowned out by the sound of terrifying laughter, when Hajime looked up at the top of the stairs... there stood Nagito, and he looked very menacing.
Nagito: "Hahahahaha! Ahahaha! It's amazing! These amazing fireworks surely befit the beginning of the end! It's over, this is the end... the killings are done for good. Scapegoating the weak in the name of justice, while fearing when the others will stab you in the back. This game of self-righteous hypocrisy ends now! And to do that... I will destroy Jabberwock Island!"
Hajime: "W-What do you mean?"
Nagito: "That was just a little demonstration, that's why it's the beginning of the end... the actual bomb I'm going to use isn't nearly as weak."
Hajime: 'A-Actual... bomb?' It looked like the others were beginning to wake up, finally recovering from the impact of that explosion. The only person that wasn't present was Chiaki, she must've gone back to her cottage after she called Nagito to the hotel lobby.
Nagito: "I've set up a large number of bombs in a certain place of the island, if all those bombs explode... the force will be enough to wipe out this entire island!"
Fuyuhiko: "W-What the hell are you saying? If you do that..."
Nagito: "Of course, I doubt we'll walk away from this unharmed. But... there's no other way, the actor is expected to leave the stage during the finale."
Kazuichi: "Is this bastard serious!?"
Sonia: "N-Nagito... please stop!"
Akane: "Are you crazy or something!?"
Nagito: "No... that's not it. I'm not the crazy one here... the one who's really crazy is-" Interrupting Nagito, the one responsible for the killing school trip appeared and made himself known to the group.
Monokuma: "My, my, this guy... I'm totally shocked! Seriously, I'm totally shocked! That's all I can say about this turn of events!"
Nagito: "The bombs I set are timed! They're set to go off in two days at noon! I've prepared so many powerful bombs that the one that just exploded doesn't even compare. According to my calculations, they're powerful enough to blow up an entire island! Which means in two days at noon, this island is destined to sink into the sea!"
Hajime: "Are you... serious?"
Nagito: "Do you really think I'd go this far for a joke?"
Akane: "Where... where did you set them up?"
Nagito: "Hmm... I can't tell you. It'd be easy to leave you on your own, but it just wouldn't be fair if I did that! So how about this? If the traitor comes forward and reveals their identity to me, I'll tell them where I hid the bombs!"
Hajime: "...Huh?" Before another word could be said, someone else appeared and joined in on the conversation. The very same person that brought everyone to Jabberwock Island... who ended up being renamed from Usami... to Monomi.
Monomi: "Ah! What in the world is going on!? I-Is everyone all right!?"
Monokuma: "Come on, come on, don't get in the way! Nagito was in the middle of weeding out the traitor!"
Monomi: "H-Huh!? N-Nagito... what are you planning to do?"
Nagito: "Do I really have to say it?"
Monomi: "...It's no use, I mean... the traitor shouldn't be able to reveal their identity on their own."
Nagito: "Hmm? What does that mean?"
Monomi: "Do I really have to say it?"
Monokuma: "My, my, you guys are totally eyeing each other and letting sparks fly. I'm getting all hot and bothered."
Hajime: "Don't just stand there, why don't you stop him!?"
Monokuma: "Hmm? Stop him? Why do I have to stop him?"
Hajime: "The rules, remember? The same blackened can only kill a maximum of two people. If he blows up the entire island, that's going to kill way more than just two people!"
Monokuma: "I see, you sure have a good memory. Like you said, if any student breaks the rules, I have to punish them severely!"
Nagito: "But that's only WHEN someone breaks that rule, right? You can't punish someone for breaking a rule before they've broken it, right?"
Monokuma: "Yep, saying that you're gonna break the rules isn't against the rules! So right now... there's no way I can punish him!"
Hajime: "W-What the hell!?"
Monokuma: "Punishment always happens afterwards, not before! That's just the rules of society, right?"
Nagito: "But even so, there's no need to worry about that in the first place. As long as the traitor comes forward, this can all be resolved peacefully. It'll all be fine, I'm pretty sure everything will work out in the end. After all the time we've spent together, I believe in you guys. And more than anything... I believe in my Ultimate Luck! So... it's definitely going to be all right." After he said that, Nagito walked away. He just... walked away.
It was in that moment... that Hajime began to be afraid of Nagito.
===========Timeskip===========
Present
Remembering Nagito's bomb scare, his way of getting the traitor to reveal themselves...and his own death was enough to give Hajime nightmares. The bombs turned out to be fireworks, the traitor turned out to be Chiaki... and his death was planned in order to kill everyone but Chiaki.
About four hours had passed since his watch began, nothing happened... nothing at all. He hovered over Nagito's pod for quite a while, eyes fixated only on his face. If he really did wake up, he clearly slipped back into his coma. Either that, or he was feigning sleep until he could leave his pod and slip away.
Hajime realized he had been overthinking this. He eased up, moving away from the pod. Finding himself pacing back and forth around the room and eventually looking at the others.
It was odd, almost uncomfortable, to see all of them as they were. They were all dead, he had seen their corpses, seen their spilt blood. But that wasn't real, they were all here, alive and well. Hajime had decided it was best not to dwell on it too much.
He started wandering around the room again to pass the time. As he was doing earlier in the night, he walked from person to person. He would stop and stare, and then move on. Stop, stare, move on. Every night? He slightly regretted that call.
Hajime knew Nagito wouldn't be easy to talk to, especially if he wakes up feeling Ultimate Despair. But Nagito's not the only threat to the group, and he was forced to accept that. The least threatening would probably be Teruteru or Hiyoko, but as he saw during the killing game, anyone could become a killer, no matter how harmless they may look. If someone like Nekomaru or Mikan were intent on killing, then Hajime and the others would be in big trouble.
Fuyuhiko: "I figured you'd get bored." He stopped his pacing and spun around to see Fuyuhiko walking towards him. "I could tell just from looking at you."
Hajime: "What are you doing here?" He was blunt and to the point.
Fuyuhiko: "I used to come here ever since we escaped the simulation." He said while walking towards and then past Hajime. He stopped at one of the pods, placing his flat palms on its surface, he leaned against the machinery, looking down at his friend's face. "I stopped recently, but I figured if that psychopath Nagito almost got up..."
Hajime: "She's been still the whole night... they all have." Fuyuhiko was not surprised to hear that.
Fuyuhiko: "Wake up!" He yelled at the pod jokingly, chuckling to himself. Sighing, he moved his hands into his pockets. He stared for a few more seconds before looking up at Hajime.
Hajime: "Is that all you came here for?" He could see through the charade. He may have wanted to visit her, but he was there to see Hajime as well. It was confirmed, Fuyuhiko going silent, save for his now tapping foot.
Fuyuhiko: "I guess it wasn't."
Hajime: "Then what?"
Fuyuhiko: "Just checking on you." He sounded stern, like a father talking to his son. "You've been quiet lately."
Hajime: "I've had something on my mind for quite a while." He was honest in his explanation. Fuyuhiko perked up, guessing what it was he was talking about. Hajime saw this and smiled lightly.
Fuyuhiko: "You know... I just brought that up as a joke, right?"
Hajime: "A joke..." Hajime fell silent at that statement. He looked forward at the ground, cupping his chin with his left hand. Taking what he just said into account, he was surprised he was taking it so seriously. Almost two days spent dwelling on a matter that was introduced as a joke.
Fuyuhiko: "So, you're all right then?" Fuyuhiko changed the subject, he had already teased him about this enough.
Hajime: "Yeah, I'm okay."
Fuyuhiko: "Well, I'll leave you to this then." Fuyuhiko patted the pod in front of him before taking his leave.
===========Meanwhile===========
Fuyuhiko: "Yeah, I'm sorry, I couldn't get much out of him." Fuyuhiko spoke softly as he closed the metal door behind him. The night air was crisp and cold, made ever more present by the constant winds. Outside, he met with Akane, who had been eavesdropping on the boys' conversation. "Could you hear him?"
Akane: "Yeah, I heard him." The two started walking back, the young woman grumbling her words.
Fuyuhiko: "You know you could've asked me a while ago. Probably would've been easier than this." He said, fidgeting with the strap of his eyepatch. "Doesn't help if both of you are hard-headed."
Akane: "Oh, shut up." She clicked her tongue, punching him in the arm as he laughed.
===========Meanwhile===========
Hajime: "Do I deserve to be happy?" He said to himself for what felt like the hundredth time. Most people would just say yes to the query, but he felt like he needed to ask himself. Yes, he should know, yet he didn't.
In his hand, he moved around a pin. He remembered finding it in his clothes when they first left the simulation. He knew who it belonged to, but he could never give it back to them. He thought about what that person might tell him. He thought about the life he wanted, the life he wanted... with Akane.
Hajime: "I... I think I'll tell her soon..."
He thought he didn't deserve happiness... but he wanted it.