White.

Everything was white…

He blinked again and slowly, lines came to focus.

White lights. White ceilings. White curtains.

Where…?

The sound of lively chatter filled the air. There were even occasional shouts and even more frequent laughter. He tried to get up but his body ached and his hands hurt. He groaned softly.

'Guys!' A distinct loud shout quickly followed. 'I think Naegi's awake!'

He thought he recognised that voice… Ibuki Mioda, was it?

Footsteps thundered towards his direction. And within seconds, numerous heads appeared within his vision. The frontmost being Kirigiri's.

They were all smiling at him.

'You're finally awake!' Asahina screeched excitedly.

'Where is this…?' Naegi asked hoarsely, his vocal chord seemed to have gone rusty in the time that he had been asleep.

'The hospital of course!' Kuwata said. 'Look at all of us!' It was then that he realised that all of his friends were wearing green hospital gowns.

'How long have I been sleeping?' Naegi asked.

'2 days!' Tsumiki said, 'Y-You really had us worried there!'

It was then that Naegi caught sight of a completely unfamiliar boy standing next to Tsumiki. He was overweight with blonde hair, pale skin and rosy cheeks.

Realising what Naegi was suddenly so transfixed upon, Mioda quickly answered his question without him voicing it out, 'That guy's the fake Byakuya-chan. The Impostor. Revealed at last!'

'Nice to meet you,' the Impostor said, smiling at him. 'I'd like to tell you my real name but unfortunately I don't have one… So for now these guys are simply calling me Sagi, which is Japanese for "fraud".'

Naegi smiled back at him, glad to see that the Ultimate Impostor is finally coming to terms with his true identity.

'Can you guys please help me up?' Naegi asked again.

His friends nodded and soon helped him with his hospital bed. Once he was up in sitting position, he could see that he was in a large hospital room. It seemed that every one of their friends were allocated to the same room, which explained the loud chatter and laughters he heard earlier. He chuckled at the extraordinary scene in front of his eyes.

'What… why are you laughing?' Saionji demanded, her eyes wide in shock. She must have thought that he had gone mad.

'It's funny, if you think about it,' Naegi said. 'Thirty-one students sharing a hospital room… All in hospital gowns… It's kind of like camp.'

One by one, the other students started chuckling as well. 'Thirty,' Komaeda corrected him. He was sitting on a wheelchair with a huge cast covering his injured leg. 'Izuru Kamukura's in a different facility.'

'I'll have his brain corrected once I get out of here,' Matsuda said. 'I already got the Headmaster's approval.'

'Oh!' Naegi exclaimed as he suddenly remembered the most important thing. 'What about Komaru!? What about the hostages?'

'They're fine,' Kuzuryu replied. 'Parents, friends and relatives of the hostages called the police the moment they realised that those people have been kidnapped. But Enoshima's biggest mistake seems to be in capturing my little sister. I mean, she's under police custody. So even before we made it out of that damn building, the police had searched all over the city for them.'

'That's good then,' Naegi said, breathing a sigh of relief.

'Komaru came just this morning while you were still asleep,' Maizono said, 'She's such a sweet and lovely girl! She quickly befriended everyone.' It was not hard for Naegi to imagine his little sister running around the huge hospital room, eyes wide in amazement at the sight of all the Ultimates in the room. And not to mention, his little sister was also a big fan of Sayaka Maizono.

'What about the building? What about… Junko?' Naegi asked, hesitating a little at the sight of Ikusaba.

But Ikusaba was the one to reply him, her voice firm and strong, 'They weren't able to put out the fire, so the building was burnt down completely. They found her charred remains in the hall. The police and the school executives came and asked for all our testimonies regarding the incident and I expect that they will be further investigating to make sure that Junko doesn't have any accomplices or dangerous plans left behind.'

'I see…' Naegi softly replied. His dream encounter with Junko still burned vividly in his mind.

'The school is also under public scrutiny now,' Matsuda said. 'A student of Hope's Peak Academy committing such a heinous act of crime… They're lucky that the issue with Kamukura wasn't leaked out… But because of that, they're shutting down all the unethical researches and experiments such as the Kamukura Project. At least for the time being, I suppose Hope's Peak Academy will try to be as tame and lawful as possible to prevent the government from shutting it down.'

'That's good, isn't it?' Naegi said, trying to perk himself up.

'Yes it is,' Kirigiri said, 'Well, try to enjoy these few days as much as possible. I suppose we'll have to help the police with lots of investigative work once we get out.'

Naegi and Komaeda were the last to be discharged from the hospital. They spent the last few days before their discharge talking a lot to each other. They talked about their past, their luck, their interests and even more philosophical questions such as what 'hope' and 'despair' truly are. There were still certain instances when Naegi felt that Komaeda was acting creepy, but over time, he got used to those sudden 'fits' — as he called them. They'll be cured when Matsuda gets to work on his illness anyway, he thought. Other than that, Naegi found Komaeda to be unexpectedly fun to talk to with his somewhat extreme or even bizarre views on life.

On one of such days, the two were out getting some fresh air (Komaeda still on a wheelchair) in the hospital garden when the topic of their conversation reached Junko.

'What made you turn against her in the end?' Naegi asked curiously. 'I mean, when I talked to you, you didn't seem that keen on allying yourself with me, but you did anyway… Why?'

Komaeda smiled his usual enigmatic smile as he replied, 'Well… I suppose there's no straightforward answer to that. For me, whose life has constantly been dictated by my luck and having no family or friends to lean on, I look up to hope as that reason to continue living. So I hated her… Junko Enoshima… from the first time I met her. She who sought despair trampled all over the hope that I so dearly looked up to… That's why I wanted her dead, more than anything.'

Naegi remained silent, but a clear look of sadness filled his eyes as he looked straight at Komaeda. Komaeda took a deep breath before continuing, in a gentler tone this time, 'But your words that day… It made me question my existence again. All these while, my ultimate goal in life had been to find the "ultimate hope", but if there's nothing "ultimate" about it as you have said, then maybe I need to get my priorities sorted out. Well, it was then that I decided that I can't let you die. That I need you to help me figure out a new goal. That's why I was there in that old building. Junko didn't need a hostage to lure me in — not that she'd be able to find one anyway… I went there of my own accord.'

Naegi's eyes widened as he listened to Komaeda's words, touched by what Komaeda had just said. He contemplated for a moment before finally saying, 'Nagito… do you think that hope cannot exist without despair?'

This time, it was Komaeda's turn to look at him with a surprised look upon his face. 'Why do you ask that?'

Naegi stared down at the ground and gulped a little before replying, 'I… I don't know how to say this without sounding silly. But back then when I was unconscious… I met her… Junko Enoshima… I know it's a dream and all, but it felt so real… and even now, I can still remember every detail, every word spoken vividly…' He then proceeded to tell Komaeda everything about his encounter with Junko. Komaeda remained silent throughout the story, not once interrupting, but instead looked thoughtful as he listened.

Even as Naegi finished his story, Komaeda remained lost in thought. Naegi's first reaction was to regret telling him this story. Could Komaeda have reverted back to his old beliefs once he found out that hope and despair are one and the same? Or would he laugh at Naegi and jokingly say that it was all a dream and he should not take it seriously?

But Komaeda did neither and to Naegi's further surprise, he said, 'I think everyone has felt despair at one point or another. I felt despair… when my parents died… when I was kidnapped… and many other instances… But it's exactly because I knew what despair felt like that I looked up to hope. So to answer your question, I do agree that hope cannot exist without despair. But at the same time, I do believe that you can exist without Junko Enoshima. Metaphorically speaking, she's like my dead parents. You grieve over her death. You feel guilty over it. But in the end… you move on. You look for hope as I did. Well maybe not in the way I obsess over it but… you get the point.'

Naegi looked at him gratefully. Not only did Komaeda not laugh at his unjustifiable anxiety over a dream but he managed to make him feel better about it. 'Thank you…' he whispered softly, smiling at Komaeda.

Komaeda smiled back. 'No… Thank you.'

The day Naegi and Komaeda were discharged from the hospital, Kirigiri and Koizumi arrived in the morning to help them pack. They waited patiently as the doctors conducted their final checks on the pair before slowly escorting them out; Komaeda was still relying on crutches to support his broken leg.

They took a taxi back to Hope's Peak Academy and upon hearing that they were Hope's Peak's students, the driver began to rant about how dangerous and terrifying the recent incident was. Apparently the news had became a media sensation all over the country. It was highly uncomfortable for them to listen to an outsider relentlessly babble on his own interpretation of the media's story. Furthermore, he would cast looks of pity at them whenever possible (traffic lights, brief halts) which was greatly disconcerting. The only consolation was that the driver's incessant jabbering meant that they had not much need for any replies or reactions.

When, after what seemed like hours, they finally reached Hope's Peak's school gates, Naegi felt a surge of relief engulf him like a breath of fresh air. He had never been more impatient to reach a destination. He glanced at his friends. It was evident that they all felt the same, except Komaeda who looked rather indifferent with his perpetual smile adorning his pale face.

'Let's head over to the cafeteria,' Koizumi suggested. 'You must be hungry.'

'Famished,' Naegi concurred. 'But shouldn't we put our stuff back in the dorms first?'

'We can put if back after,' Kirigiri said. 'Komaeda shouldn't be walking that much. We can bring it with us to the cafeteria. It's not much.'

For a moment, Naegi thought he saw a curious glint in Kirigiri's gaze. But as she turned to pick up Naegi's backpack, he quickly dismissed it as a trick of the eye.

'SURPRISE!'

A loud cheer greeted them as they stepped into the cafeteria. And a split second after, he was roughly shepherded towards the centre of the room. It took a moment for Naegi to digest everything amidst the shuffling and jostling. Up high, hanging from the ceiling was a banner with the words 'Welcome Back, Naegi & Komaeda' written on them. Someone had even taken the extra effort of drawing in both their faces although the results were far from pretty. Right in front of him, in the centre of the room where he had just been shoved to was a round table with a large cake on top of it. Fruits of all kinds decorated the white cream-covered cake and the sight of it made Naegi even hungrier. Around that table were their friends who had been discharged far earlier, smiles all over. There were also a number of other students whom Naegi did not recognise in the cafeteria, presumably unwittingly caught up in the affair. Some were eyeing the group curiously while others sulked at the boisterous banter.

'How'd you like it!?' Mioda asked the both of them after Komaeda, with great difficulty, made it to the centre of the room.

'Like it? We love it!' Naegi exclaimed. He was grateful enough that Kirigiri and Koizumi had came to the hospital to pick them up, and this party exceeded even his wildest dreams. 'You think so too, don't you, Nagito?' He turned around to face Komaeda. But Komaeda was more than simply stunned. He seemed to be in a daze; his perpetual smile had vanished from his face. 'Nagito?' Naegi asked again, sounding worried this time.

'I… I didn't expect this…' Komaeda croaked after a moment. 'All these… for trash like me?'

'Nagito,' Naegi reminded him in a stern but gentle tone. 'You are not trash. You need to remember that. We are all friends now.'

'But I told you,' Komaeda said, sounding close to desperation, 'I'm bad luck! If you become friends with me, you'll be affected too. All of you!'

'Listen,' Naegi said, sounding more forceful now. 'All I know is that your luck saved me. Saved us all! If you hadn't made those shots at Junko and her computer, we might not even be here. We're friends now, no matter what you say. We defeated Junko together and I think surviving such an ordeal together definitely qualifies as friendship building.'

Komaeda smiled weakly and raised both his hands in surrender. 'All right,' he said. 'You win. You've been going at it since we were stuck in that building. Looks like I have no choice but to acknowledge you as a friend now.'

'All of us,' Naegi corrected him, but smiled warmly anyway.

'Anyone wants to try the cake!?' Hanamura's shout caught their attention. 'I made them myself! I call it the Greatest-Welcome-Back-Cake-of-the-Century!'

'I suppose we just needed a reason to celebrate,' Maizono said cheerfully, appearing beside Naegi with a giant cake knife. 'We haven't had the opportunity to really celebrate after getting out of that creepy building, haven't we?'

'Guess not,' Naegi said, making way for Maizono to cut the cake.

The party lasted all afternoon, keeping the cafeteria rowdy the whole time. Other students came and went, some even stopping by to taste the cake and other delicacies that Hanamura had prepared for them. As with the hospital room, the cafeteria was filled with chatter and laughter that Naegi was wholeheartedly grateful for.

Before long, the sun was casting the warm orange glow of sunset on them through the large cafeteria windows. There were no other students but them in the cafeteria and their food-filled stomachs were making them sleepy, causing the rambunctiousness to mellow down significantly. It was then that Naegi caught sight of Yasuke Matsuda, wheeling an unknown student on a wheelchair into the cafeteria.

'Yo!' Matsuda greeted them. 'Is the party over yet?' They lazily waved back at Matsuda, but their interests were truly piqued by the boy on the wheelchair. Upon realising where his friends' attentions were diverted, Matsuda said, 'Oh… I haven't properly introduced you to this guy yet. This is Hajime Hinata. You've all met him before. Before this he was known as Izuru Kamukura.'

'What!?'

'He's still recovering from the surgery I performed on him only a few days back,' Matsuda explained. 'So he's still in a bit of a daze. After all he had his emotions suppressed and his brain capacity increased. I took everything away and reverted him back to "normal" — as normal as it can get — and this is what happens. It'll take a bit of getting used to but he'll be back to Hajime Hinata very soon.'

Everyone was left dumbfounded by Matsuda's explanation. The boy on the wheelchair did not look anything like the Izuru Kamukura they knew. Hajime Hinata had short hair, prim and proper in contrast to Izuru Kamukura's long flowing locks. And the greatest difference of all lay in his eyes. Unlike Kamukura's cruel scarlet eyes, Hinata's eyes were green and evidently gentle despite their still empty gaze.

Komaeda, however, stepped forward with hardly any hesitation. Still clutching onto his crutches, he carefully positioned himself in front of Hinata's wheelchair and took his hand, shaking it. 'Nice to meet you, Hajime,' he said, smiling gently, 'My name's Nagito Komaeda.'

Slowly, Hinata turned his head to greet Komaeda's gaze even though his eyes were still empty and, by any definition, lifeless.

'He actually responded…' Matsuda said, looking at the Hinata in awe. 'He hasn't done that before! I suppose that's a good sign.'

Naegi went to Matsuda's lab the day after his return from the hospital. As expected, he found Matsuda there, typing vehemently on a laptop.

'Oh, what're you up to?' Matsuda greeted him nonchalantly when he saw Naegi enter.

'Checking on you,' Naegi said, grinning. 'I was wondering about your progress with Nagito's illness.'

'He's gonna be fine,' Matsuda said. 'I got his MRI done in the hospital and I've checked the results. It seems like we'll be able to operate on his lymphoma. It's difficult, but doable. His FTD on the other hand will take some time to cure but so far my test medicine is making good progress.'

'That's good to hear,' Naegi said, sounding relieved.

Matsuda looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. 'I thought you'd be more concerned about whether or not I can do anything about your memory loss.'

'Oh, that…' Truth be told, Naegi had almost forgotten about them. The lost memories of the two years prior to the killing game seemed like a distant past to him now. 'Well, to tell you the truth,' he said, 'it doesn't matter as much anymore. We're creating new memories here anyway, memories that we all share and not something only I have.'

Matsuda casually shrugged his shoulders. 'I figured you'd say something like that now that Junko's gone.'

'Yeah, those memories were an important clue to Junko,' Naegi said. 'But now, I'd rather you focus on Hinata and Nagito's cases instead.'

Matsuda scowled. 'I don't work for you, you know?'

Naegi was called upon by the police a few days later. The officer on the line had refused to say precisely what he would be there for, except that it was related to Junko Enoshima. He was accompanied by Kirigiri, Ikusaba and Matsuda, who had also been personally invited by the same officer.

They had arrived at a detention centre early in the morning. It was Naegi's first time in such a facility and he could not help but be amazed by the sleek white walls and insurmountable security. Every few steps there were doors to walk through, locks to open, passwords to enter. Officers busied themselves, walking back and forth, whether to patrol or whether they truly had matters to attend to, Naegi did not know.

They were finally taken to a corridor from which they could see the interior of a small room through a glass window. The room had one table and a number of chairs surrounding it and behind the table, facing the entrance, a small girl sat waiting motionlessly. She had green hair styled in a bob and looked to be about 10 years old. But the thing that stood out most about the girl was that she was sitting on a wheelchair.

Naegi turned towards the officer accompanying them, and so did his friends. The officer nervously gulped before explaining, 'We were looking for any leads we could find on Junko Enoshima. And through a series of phone calls and sleuthing, we found… her.'

'Who's she?' Naegi asked. 'And what has she got to do with Junko Enoshima?'

'That's what we'd like to know,' the officer replied. 'We double-checked and triple-checked every clue and every source, but every number, every eyewitness account, every trail led to this girl. I've interviewed her and she seemed like a sweet and charming kid. So it's a mystery to us too how a little kid like her could have gotten mixed up with Junko Enoshima.'

'Looks can be deceiving, Officer,' Ikusaba gravely warned.

'You're her sister,' the officer said again. 'You might have a clue as to her connection to your sister. Her name's Monaca Towa, daughter of the President of the Towa Group.'

'The Towa Group!?' Kirigiri asked incredulously. 'And her father had no qualms about the police detaining her?'

'No,' the officer said. 'She's an illegitimate daughter. He couldn't care less about her. Although he did mention to keep the whole affair silent. Anyway, we found a few charred remains from the burnt old building that we suspect were robotic parts of the bear dolls that you and your friends told us about. And those parts linked us to the Robotic Department of the Towa Group. That was the first clue that linked us to her.'

'Truth be told, Officer,' Ikusaba said, 'after all that has happened, I cannot claim to know my sister all that well. As a matter of fact, I don't think anyone knew her at all. Anyone who claims otherwise is just telling a lie. I have absolutely no idea who this girl is and how she's connected to Junko.'

The officer nodded in understanding and motioned for them to enter via the door round the corner of the corridor.

Monaca Towa looked up as they entered the room and smiled sweetly at them. 'I've been waiting to see all of you. You're Junko-onee's friends, aren't you?' Her gaze flitted from Naegi, to Kirigiri, to Matsuda, and finally to Ikusaba before she continued, 'No… You're her sister.' For a moment, Naegi thought that the child Monaca was gone, replaced by a monstrous devil reminiscent of the real Junko Enoshima. The gaze that she had cast at Ikusaba was beyond disturbing.

'So you're Monaca Towa,' Kirigiri said, distracting her. 'What do you know about us?'

'Oh everything,' Monaca replied cheerfully. Her facial expression reverting back to that of an innocent child. 'Junko-onee doesn't tell me much about her friends and life, so I did my own research. Extensive research.' Her gaze then fell back on Naegi, 'You were the one she was most interested in. She mentioned you. Makoto Naegi. A number of times in fact.'

'What did she say?' Naegi asked.

'She described you in a number of different ways,' Monaca replied. 'The Ultimate Hope. The other side of the coin. The less than clueless guy. My mortal enemy. Personally I think she'd got a love/hate relationship going on with you. At least that was the impression I got.'

Naegi felt a cold chill running down his spine as his dream conversation with Junko drifted back into his mind. He slowly shook his head before turning back to Monaca. 'Look, Junko's opinion of me doesn't matter anymore. What we'd like to know is your relationship to Junko and what part have you got to play in her plan.'

'You mean her plan to spread despair?' Monaca asked, almost too innocently. A tiny smile formed on the edge of her lips. She's enjoying this, Naegi thought.

'Yes,' Kirigiri said, 'I'm sure you know more than even her sister and childhood friend combined.'

Monaca's smile grew wider ever so slightly as she eyed Ikusaba and Matsuda. 'But that's because you betrayed her,' she said, again in such an innocent tone that it sounded all the more horrifying. 'What does it matter to you anyway?' Monaca continued. 'Her plan failed. All of you foiled it. If it had worked it wouldn't have mattered whether or not those calls or those parts could be traced back to me.'

'We want to know who else is involved,' Matsuda said, 'We want to make sure that we eradicate her plans completely.'

'So says the guy who's supposed to be her beloved,' Monaca said mockingly. 'There's no one else. I produced the Monokumas for her. Funded her project. Hired some hands to seal up that building. She got some help from that mechanic guy in your school and that nurse. But everything else is pretty much a failure since the whole plan's success hinged on the success of the first ever killing game. I told her she should have went ahead with the initial plan of using the student council as the participants of that game.'

'Why am I not believing you?' Kirigiri said suspiciously.

'Believe what you want,' Monaca replied indifferently. 'Your trail ends with me and there's nothing else I can say.' Monaca ended her last sentence with a tone of finality in her voice, signifying to the group that it was time to leave. The police would have to handle the rest.

Matsuda turned to leave, followed by Ikusaba, then Kirigiri. Naegi took one prolonged look at the wheelchair-bound girl with a mixture of sadness and pity before turning towards the door. Just before he reached the door, however, Monaca spoke up, 'Did she tell you, Naegi-onii? That she's more powerful in death than alive?'

Surprised, Naegi turned back towards the girl. She was still staring at him with a smile on her face. 'She's an idea now,' Monaca continued. 'It's hard to kill an idea. And either one of us could be her successor.'

Naegi narrowed his eyes before speaking firmly to the girl, 'Junko Enoshima's gone. You need to get your grip on that. No one has to be her successor.'

'No one has to,' Monaca concurred, 'But we could be. We'll just have to see which one of us will be consumed by despair first.'

'And why would I be?' Naegi said. He paused for a while before walking back towards Monaca and sat down opposite her, 'Listen Monaca. You haven't done anything yet. You still have hope for living.'

'How can you say that when you don't even know if I have a life!?' Monaca snapped. Her change in demeanour was so sudden that Naegi was slightly taken aback.

'Everyone has one, you just need to find it,' Naegi replied gently.

Monaca hung her head such that it was impossible for Naegi to see her facial expression as she whispered, her voice shaking, 'You don't know a thing about despair. You have never felt it before. I can see it in you… a sheltered life, an optimistic outlook, empty words… You don't know what true despair is… But once you do, I expect you'll have further to fall…' She looked up as she ended her sentence, her ominous smile creeping back onto her innocent face.

Naegi said no more but turned to leave the room, biting his lip. 'She needs help,' Naegi told the officer who was waiting outside. 'She expects to be the second Junko Enoshima. And I think she knows more than she let on.'

'Help can be arranged,' the officer said, frowning. 'And we'll make sure to investigate this case very, very thoroughly.' He paused for a moment before continuing, 'I don't need you to tell me this… but I can sense that this girl is very disturbed. And if Junko Enoshima was anything like her, I expect the consequences of not eradicating her plans entirely to be very grave. So rest assured, we'll do everything we can.'

Naegi told Komaeda of their encounter with Monaca later that evening. Komaeda listened intently to every word Naegi told him without interrupting until Naegi concluded his story and asked him for his opinion. 'So, do you think this Monaca is dangerous?'

'Yes,' Komaeda replied immediately.

'But what can we do?' Naegi asked perplexedly. He could think of no way to stop Monaca's destructive, despair-filled viewpoint.

'Well, I was just talking to Chihiro earlier,' Komaeda said with a slight hesitation in his voice. 'I don't know if it's all right to divulge this, but apparently he, Matsuda and another student are working on a cyber-rehab program… thing. We might be able to use that on Monaca.'

'Cyber-rehab program… thing?' Naegi repeated, confused.

'Yep,' Komaeda replied. 'Something like virtual reality. Chihiro hasn't gotten into the details yet but that's the gist of it.'

'Let's hope it works!' Naegi said, perking up.

'But first, we'll need Togami to help us look into Monaca Towa's background first.'

Komaeda entered the white-walled room that Naegi and his friends had entered a few days before. At the very same spot, he found Monaca Towa, sitting calmly on her wheelchair. She looked up at Komaeda with a curious gaze upon her eyes as he straddled into the room with the help of his crutches.

'Who are you?' Monaca asked.

Komaeda smiled before replying, 'I'm nobody,' he replied. 'Forgive me for my intrusion but I just had to meet the girl claiming to be the second Junko Enoshima.'

Monaca's eyes narrowed in suspicion. 'You're one of the game's participants.'

'I am,' Komaeda replied pleasantly. 'May I have a seat? As you can see, my leg isn't in the best state.'

Monaca nodded stiffly before Komaeda limped forwards towards the chair facing Monaca opposite the small white table.

'Now,' Komaeda said again once he was safely seated on the chair. 'I'm not going to waste your time, Monaca. I'm just gonna get straight to the point. My point is, I think you're a farce.'

'W-What!?' Monaca's face contorted wildly in unimaginable rage and shock.

'First of all, you aren't really paralysed, aren't you?' Komaeda calmly said, his enigmatic smile never leaving his face. 'You think that by pretending to be disabled, people will better sympathise with you; treat you kinder, isn't that right?'

'W-What do you know?' Monaca seethed.

'Why Monaca? Is it because your father and brother treated you like dirt? Because they bullied you? And being paralysed apparently saved you from the maltreatment, did it?' Komaeda brutally laid out all of Monaca's insecurities and lies in such a calm manner that it seemed all the more more monstrous to the little girl. 'Does that justify why you want to be the next Junko Enoshima?' Komaeda asked, again hitting the mark. 'Do you think that by making the world suffer the way you did it will make you feel better?'

By now, Monaca Towa's face had twisted into an expression filled with such horror, anger and fear that there was barely a hint of the little girl left. But Komaeda's expression had not changed the least bit. He was still smiling mysteriously; not gloating; having an air of friendliness even that it seemed as though he was chatting with Monaca at a cafe instead of a detention centre.

'I don't think you have what it takes to be Junko Enoshima,' Komaeda said bluntly. 'In the end, you'll be nothing more than a second-rate imitator. And do you know why? Because of your motives. You wanted to spread despair because of the injustice you suffered. But Junko was different. She needed no motives. She loved despair for despair's sake. You told Makoto that he didn't know what true despair was. Guess what? Neither did Junko. At least not until her plan crumbled right in front of her eyes.'

Monaca froze, her face pale as sheet. But Komaeda was not about to relent. 'Junko was sheltered. Her closest brush with despair was when her sister left her as a kid. But even then, I highly doubt she truly cared for her sister enough to taste despair. I expect that she realised it herself then, that she was strange… different… numb to the pain of the world. She sought despair because she never knew what it felt like. She thought that maybe, feeling despair could make her feel human.

'You get it now, don't you?' Komaeda continued, 'You can never be Junko Enoshima. Because you're not seeking despair, you're seeking revenge.'

By this time, Monaca's face had subtly turned blue. She was feeling sick. Not just because what Komaeda told her hurt her. Not just because it dashed her hopes of becoming Junko Enoshima. But more than anything, because it was the truth.

'Please consider this proposal, Monaca,' Komaeda said, a little gentler this time. 'Think about what I just told you. After which you can choose to renounce Junko Enoshima and assist us in destroying her plans for good. Or you can continue to be a shadow following in her footsteps. Be mindful that you are free to continue seeking despair after you have helped us obliterate her plans. You are free to do as you wish and hatch a new plan if that's what you wanted. But I'm sure you are far more capable than simply being an imitation.'

Monaca remained stunned. Her eyes were wide open but they were empty. She was not staring at Komaeda even though they were directed at him. Her fingers, he could see, were trembling against her will. Komaeda stretched out one hand and placed it atop one of the girl's trembling hands. 'I have faith in you, Monaca Towa,' he whispered before getting up and leaving the room.