The Liar

" . . . I recognize what he has done for my friends and I and by extension, the world. But the world can overcome despair without Naegi Makoto. With the help of the Future Foundation, we intend to . . ."

The crisp, but soft tones of Kirigiri Kyoko's voice was drowned out by humming. Kicking his feet under the desk, Komaeda played with a dial on the panel in front of him. Kirigiri's voice suddenly warped, forming incomprehensible sounds before jittering to a stop. Then, her voice drifted through the room once more.

" . . . I recognize what he has done for my friends and I . . ."

Komaeda sighed fondly, and stared at the screen in front of him. Enoshima was right: hope and despair were contagious. Just listen to the Ultimate Detective! How could that speech be described as anything but hopeful?

Onscreen, cameras flashed as Kirigiri finished speaking. The Chairman of the Future Foundation stepped on stage, preaching similar words of hope into the microphone. Komaeda watched closely. Half his mind was occupied with soaking up those words of hope; the other half of his mind whirred with plans and next steps that needed to be implemented.

The door opened. Komaeda didn't even need to look to know who it was. He leaned forward instead, listening to the buzz of Naegi-kun's hope as it came out of Kirigiri Kyoko's mouth.

"Why did you call me?" the Imposter demanded.

Komaeda swivelled around in his chair. "Hello, Togami-kun. I'm so glad you were willing to see trash like me."

"Don't waste my time." The Imposter marched into the center of the room, crossing his arms over his chest. "What did you want?"

"It's about your previous assignment. I have a few questions about that place."

"My previous assignment?" The Imposter raised a brow. "What do you want to know about Towa City?"

"You're still here."

" . . . I was hoping I would never have to say those words to you," Iwata said.

The two of them sat next to each other in the nearly empty prison. Naegi wasn't sure what had dragged him down here, but he hadn't expected – he had hoped for a different outcome – to see Iwata back in his cell. Even the prisoner who had helped Iwata take on the Monokuma soldiers was no longer here. It was just the two of them, and a couple of prisoners Naegi hadn't seen before.

The new prisoners had been especially upset. When Naegi walked in, their heads had whipped around, eyes filled with fire. Fire that had dimmed to mere embers when they saw whom stood in the doorway. Then, the denial started. One of the new prisoners had muttered about how the rumours were true, and that they had been lied to. Naegi had tried to tell them that he wasn't working with Ultimate Despair, but they hadn't really responded.

Iwata, on the other hand, had merely stared. He had been unable to speak at all until Naegi sat beside him in a gesture of resignation. Naegi hadn't been able to meet Iwata's eyes because he was ashamed of how useless he was. Iwata had given up his chance to escape to help him, and Naegi had made it all meaningless. He was no hero. He was barely even Hope.

"I brought food," Naegi said. To the other two prisoners, he said, "I have enough for you, too."

"You probably poisoned it," one of the prisoners snarled.

That seemed to raise Iwata's hackles. The thick, concrete walls between the cells meant he couldn't see who had spoken, but he turned toward that wall anyways. "Naegi-kun is not one of them!"

"I don't blame them for thinking I am," Naegi said. "I mean it's not like I'm locked in there with you guys."

"Exactly. If he isn't a prisoner, then why is he here?" the prisoner asked.

Naegi didn't think there was a way to explain without implicating himself. He settled for a vague, "Ultimate Despair is crazy."

Which really hadn't been the best answer. It did not go over well. One of the two cursed him, and Iwata lay tense next to him, ready to leap to his defense. Naegi bowed his head and took the insults as they came.

To Iwata, he said, "I don't think I'll be able to use the same trick again, but I promise I'll get you out."

"Do not taunt us with empty promises," the prisoner growled.

"It's not a taunt. I mean it! I'm going to try to get you guys out of here!" This time, he did look to Iwata for support. "I got the others out, right?"

(Naegi didn't notice Iwata's hesitation).

"Yes. They escaped."

"Exactly! And I'll help you guys escape, too. Like I said, I don't think I'll be able to trick the Monokumas again, but there's plenty of other things I can try."

The prisoners didn't seem to know what to believe. After he and Iwata waited a while for a fight that never came, Iwata chomped down the rest of his meal, and then addressed Naegi.

"What happened? How did they stop you?"

Naegi stared at him. His blood ran icy-cold.

" . . . One of them tracked me down while I was trying to get through the city," Naegi lied.

"So, you did make it outside?"

"I did."

They sat together in silent companionship. The other two prisoners had retreated to the back of their cells, content to pretend Naegi didn't exist. The orange firelight of the torches licked at the walls. Occasionally, it bounced off the eyes of Naegi's robotic babysitter, who waited patiently at the prison's exit. He had to say, the prison seemed much more comfortable with less people. That veil of despair no longer haunted the cells; Iwata still had a lot of hope, and the other two prisoners were too new – too angry – to have succumbed to despair.

". . . Sorry, but have you guys seen the rest of my class?" Naegi had to ask.

"They're with the Future Foundation," one prisoner said. "It was a dumb decision. We never would have taken them if we knew their leader was cooperating with Ultimate Despair. We would have put a bullet –"

"I'm not working with them!" Naegi shouted. "Besides, I wasn't the leader anyways. If we had one, I guess I'd say it was probably Kirigiri-san."

"You're still claiming that your presence here isn't what it looks like?"

"Because it's true! My friends and I would never –"

But he trailed off as Togami's face flashed before him.

The prisoner noticed. She was at the front of her cell again, clutching the bars. "Yes?"

"Naegi-kun?" Iwata grabbed his shoulder, concerned.

Naegi gave him a shaky smile. "It's nothing. I got a little distracted. I would never help Ultimate Despair . . . Iwata-kun, I have to go now, but I'll bring you something to eat later."

Naegi stood and walked towards the exit, ignoring the glowers of the other two prisoners. He waited for the Monokuma to step aside, and then opened the door. He stepped through the threshold –

Komaeda gave him a thin smile.

"Did you enjoy your visit?"

Naegi stood like a rabbit that had spotted a fox. Komaeda waited patiently for him to explain himself, his visage having changed to one of angelic understanding. Naegi's cheeks grew flushed at the attention, and he set his eyes on Komaeda's shoes as fear trickled up his spine. He should have expected this. He had disappeared for way too long; it was only right that Komaeda would notice. Komaeda must have been standing out here for a while, frustrated –

Why did he even care! This wasn't his fault. They had locked Iwata and the Future Foundation members up. They had kidnapped him and were keeping him here. They had no right to ever say they were disappointed! If they weren't going to chain him up and physically keep him from these people, they couldn't complain.

. . . But he really couldn't risk sending Komaeda off the deep end again.

Naegi mumbled, "I did."

Silence.

"That's a relief!" Komaeda said. "I thought it might get boring now that there are so few people in there."

" . . . You're not mad?" It was a trick. It had to be a trick.

"Why would I be mad?" Komaeda said, and he sounded genuinely confused.

"Because you . . . you . . . you don't like it when I talk to them."

"When did I ever say that? I've never tried to do anything but support you and your relationships."

"No, you did! You didn't like me talking to them. I know you don't!"

They were close. Naegi was nearly speaking into Komaeda's neck. For his part, the Luckster gave him a perplexed stare with his eyebrows raised. He gingerly raised his hands, and then gently pushed Naegi back a step.

"You're still upset about what Kuzuryu-kun did, aren't you? I think you're internalizing that anger and that's why you're making up things like this."

"I'm not making up anything!"

Why was he tearing up? It was just a lie. A dumb lie, at that. But he was tearing up, and he was biting back a whimper and it made no sense. He knew what he had heard, and what he had seen. Why was Komaeda saying otherwise? This entire thing was so stupid!

"Hey . . . just try to relax, okay?" Komaeda was massaging his shoulders. "It's not a big deal."

"You're lying to me."

The corners of Komaeda's mouth dropped. "Naegi-kun . . ."

Maybe it was his imagination, but he thought he heard a note of warning in that word and his heart leapt up his throat.

"I'm sorry!" he said quickly. "I didn't mean it."

Komaeda studied him for a moment more, before breaking out into an easy smile.

"That's okay. I know you didn't. I forgive you."

Naegi wasn't sure what had triggered it or what was going on anymore, but Komaeda had weaved their fingers together. He pulled Naegi along behind him as they walked towards some unknown destination. Each step cast a shadow of doom over him; his stomach dropped further and further. Yet, he didn't stop himself from moving. He didn't know what would happen if he tried to fight back.

The room Komaeda brought him to was not what he expected. There was nothing in it. Literally. It was an empty room. It had a white floor and grey walls, and hardly more room than the prison cells. Naegi had no idea what Komaeda wanted, until the white-haired teen sat down cross-legged by the far wall.

"Naegi-kun." Komaeda nodded at him as he sat down, like they hadn't walked here together and Naegi had simply shown up. "I think we should talk. Something's obviously bothering you."

"Of course something is," he said, on the verge of shouting. "They . . . they . . . you saw it! You saw what they did to them. I don't understand why you're not upset."

"So, this is about what Kuzuryu-kun did?"

The mere thought of that question, the mere indication that Komaeda wasn't 100% certain about what was haunting him, erased what little control he had. He could almost hear the crack as his voice jumped from Very Loud to Screaming. "YES! It is! They tortured him. They made him torture himself to death, and you just stood there and watched. You didn't care! I heard what you said. You thought he deserved it!"

He lost track of what other horrible accusations he made. Komaeda endured them all, face crafted as to be carefully neutral. No matter how loudly Naegi screamed at him or what he said, Komaeda did not move. He was still as a statue, even after Naegi yelled himself hoarse.

He wasn't sure whether to be unnerved or relieved by that. His throat felt like raw sandpaper and even catching his breath hurt going down. He ducked his head, hiding his burning eyes and weakness. Honestly, even though he'd always heard people say that expressing yourself was healthy, Naegi didn't feel much better. He felt worse actually, as he started to remember what he had just said to Komaeda.

Komaeda reached over and grabbed his shoulder. With his other hand, he brushed a lock of hair away from Naegi's eyes. "You don't need be embarrassed, Naegi-kun. Just let it out."

Naegi lifted his chin, but only enough to view the bottom of Komaeda's chin. If he looked at the other's face, he might start crying. "Why am I even talking to you? You don't care. You just watched."

"If it's bothering you, of course I'm going to care. But Naegi-kun, what you're saying about me, that isn't really fair." Naegi flinched as Komaeda's fingers traced the curve of his knee.

Naegi took a deep breath and took the bait. "Why not?"

Komaeda smiled widely, eyes glittering with something he couldn't read.

"Because you just sat there and watched, too."

". . . What?"

The Luckster shrugged. "If you remember what happened to that prisoner so clearly, then you must remember what you were doing, too. You were in the chair, remember? You were watching. Me and Tsumiki-san were right there next to you."

"That wasn't . . . Th-that's not true!" His arms were numb and beginning to prickle. "That's not what happened!"

"So, you're saying you ran up there and tried to pull the knife out of his hands? Because I don't remember that happening." Komaeda said that cheerfully, and the chill spread up Naegi's arms and froze his very soul. "I don't remember you doing anything other than sitting there."

"I tried! You didn't let me!"

"No, you didn't," Komaeda said. "Naegi-kun, sometimes when somebody is carrying a lot of guilt with them, their mind starts playing tricks and makes up false memories. You've been under a lot of stress and guilt these last few days –"

"No, that's not it!" Naegi shook his head wildly, eyes tightly closed. Komaeda was wrong. He was wrong. He was wrong!

"Just how hard do you think you tried?"

"I tried!" he screamed again. "You wouldn't let me move. You wouldn't let me help him –"

"Alright, let's go with that story," Komaeda said, cutting him off. "Let's pretend you did try to help him and I stopped you. You would have tried your hardest to get to him, right? You would have fought me, right?"

"I . . ."

"Look at me, Naegi-kun."

Naegi opened his eyes. While he struggled to form proper words, Komaeda slipped off his hoodie and let it pool on the ground. He took off his shirt next and dropped it, so that he was bare-chested before his audience.

"Hmm . . . No scratches." Komaeda dragged his fingers over his arms, examining them before switching his focus to his chest. "No bite marks. No bruises. Well, there's still the ones from Pekoyama-san, but that has nothing to do with your theory. It looks like the evidence is against you."

He was shaking so much his teeth were starting to chatter. His eyes shut again. "I didn't . . . That's not . . ."

Even with his eyes closed, Naegi could feel Komaeda lean in. When the Luckster next spoke, he could feel the air warm. "I don't mean to question you – I always feel terrible when I make you doubt yourself – but Naegi-kun, do you have any evidence that you did try."

"I . . . I don't know . . ."

"I mean even if you did, the evidence seems to be suggesting that you didn't fight very hard. Right?"

"I don't know."

"I know you don't. And the reason is that it didn't happen the way you've been saying," Komaeda said.

"I tried . . . I thought . . . I tried to help him . . ."

"Are you sure about that?"

He didn't know anymore. Komaeda was wrong. But he was right. He . . . he couldn't remember. Kuzuryu told the prisoner to take up the knife, and Naegi had tried to help . . . no, he hadn't. He'd sat there. He'd watched? No, he hadn't. He'd been staring into space. But he hadn't been helping. He'd been sitting there. He hadn't helped the prisoner. He could have helped him. He hadn't tried hard enough. He could have saved him. Why . . . ? Why hadn't he? Why had he been so selfish! He could have done more.

"This really has been eating away at you, hasn't it?"

Everything hurt. Naegi's chest tightened, crushing his ribs. His heart ached. The lights were too bright and they stung. He didn't resist when Komaeda cradled his chin and lifted his head. The older teen's face looked like a smudge to his watery vision.

"Naegi-kun, after that happened, when you stopped talking to everyone, what were you thinking about?"

"Nothing," Naegi whispered. "I couldn't think about anything. Every time I tried, I heard things. Or I saw it again. I didn't want to live it again, so I laid there and didn't think until I could make it stop."

Something pounded in his ears. He felt faint. (Why was it so cold?) Komaeda watched him; his blurry appearance left the Luckster's thoughts unknown. Naegi barely had any mind for them anyways. He wrapped his arms around himself. He didn't know where else to put them.

Suddenly, there was heat against him. Komaeda's open hand lay on his back, rubbing. At some point, the older Luckster had abandoned his cross-legged poise to crawl over to him. He folded back into a sitting position now, taking Naegi with him. Naegi felt barely conscious, but he was faintly aware that he was in Komaeda's lap, chin snugly fitting around the shoulder, completely reliant on the other to stay upright.

Komaeda spoke to him softly. "Shh, it's okay . . . It's not your fault. You didn't know any better. But you need to make this right, Naegi-kun. Otherwise, it's not fair to them."

". . . H-how?"

"By turning this into fuel for hope." Komaeda's hand curled into a fist against his back. "You let them die deep in despair, and that was wrong of you. You have to make things right again. They wanted to help bring hope back to the world, so that's what you need to do. Let their sacrifice be your stepladder. Take it, and let it make you stronger. Carry them with you like you carry your classmates. Come back to hope."

"I don't. . . I can't just . . ."

"You can do it," Komaeda urged. "I'll be right here to guide and support you. I just need you to cooperate with me, okay? I can take you there. We can right your wrongs and make it up to them."

"I . . ."

He felt like he was in a haze. Komaeda's cheek pressed against his. The hard point of his knee digging into his leg was the only sensation letting him know he wasn't dreaming.

"Don't let their deaths be in vain. Make it mean something. They died for you. You owe them that much, don't you?"

"I . . ."

this wasn't right

Komaeda moved his head back. He held Naegi's head in place, a hand on either cheek, making sure they looked each other full in the face. "Naegi-kun . . . you swore you would bring hope back to the world, didn't you? You promised that to your classmates, both living and dead. You're not going to break that promise, are you? That would be cruel."

"I . . ."

this was wrong

"Naegi-kun, are you going to take responsibility for your actions? Are you going to keep your promises and accept the responsibility of Hope?"

"I . . ."

he didn't know what to do anymore.

Review Response:

Guest: Thank you! Although the Imposter is just that good, it was also mentioned in passing during Chapter 22 that he has been starving himself and hence, is no longer overweight.