Monaca Towa meets her family.

By the time he had finished reading, he was at his boiling point. That bitch! She tricked him!

He tore up the letter again and again and again until he couldn't anymore. Even though the letter had been reduced to nothing more than scrap on his desk his anger still remained.

She abandoned him. After everything he and his company had done for her, she turned tail and fled once she got what she wanted. He couldn't even take legal action against her; the people she was with now had power he would not dare fight against.

He got up from his chair. He needed to cool down his head fast else he might do something he would regret. He walked fast out of his office, locking the door once he was out. From his position, he peered down at the floor below.

Nobody was around, not even the cleaners. Good, it would damage his reputation if his workers saw him in this state. He continued on, going through door after door to reach the main stairway. He walked down the stairs and continued on his path until he was at the entrance of Towa Hills.

All he wanted to do now was exit through this door and get a drink, but that woman left something of hers behind in her former room.

He stepped away from the entrance and entered one of the rooms located on this floor. He walked some more until he was facing a ladder that led to that woman's room.

He scowled. Whose bright idea was it to decide that the best way to enter a room was by climbing a ladder? He would have fired the architect of this design if he had not already done that.

He climbed the ladder. One of these days he was going to restructure Towa Hills to get rid of all these bloody ladders. As he got closer to the top he could hear it, the sound of a baby crying.

He reached the top and moved through the passage to enter the main room. He examined the room around him; the shelves and floors around him used to be cluttered with books and notes, but now they were empty.

He stared at the corner of the room; there was a double bed and a crib next to it. He approached the crib and peered down.

The baby was tossing around in its crib, crying out for a mother that had abandoned her. Where was that nanny he hired to look after this child? He was going to have to fire her tomorrow. He hesitated, but he eventually picked up the baby.

"Shhh… be quiet," he said, rocking the baby in his arm. Was he doing this right? Normally he would not waste his time on this, but if it stopped the baby's incessant cries he had no choice.

The baby stopped crying. It was giggling at him, reaching up with its arms in an attempt to touch his face. Its existence was a mistake; a baby born not from love but from a moment of passion with a woman he felt no real love for. Had he known that woman was going to leave him he wouldn't have let it into this world.

Still, he felt some pity for it.

He had two options to deal with it. He could keep the child in his family and let it be raised by his servants. That would, however, meant that whenever he saw it he would be reminded of that woman's existence, and of this day…

…Or he could send it to an orphanage, cut ties with it immediately and let it be someone else's problem.

Yes, that option was perfect. Hope's Peak also ran an orphanage, didn't they? An orphanage supposedly considered the best in the world. He'd send her there instead of the orphanages in Towa City. People would be less likely to find out the child was related to him.

And if he was not mistaken, that woman should be nearby the area. Maybe fate would reunite the woman with her bastard child. He smiled, served her right if it does happen.

It was decided. Tomorrow morning he'd have one of his servants drop the baby off at Hope's Peak Orphanage. He'd also have his son replace that woman's position in the robotics branch, and erase all documents of her having worked for the Towa Group.

He tried placing the baby back into its crib, but it was clinging to his necktie.

"Let go," he said. He tried forcing the baby's hand off his tie but stopped when it looked like it was going to cry. He'd have to wait for the baby to fall asleep before he could leave. He sat down on the bed. What was the name that woman gave it…?

"Sleep Monaca," he whispered. He continued to rock the baby in his arms.

The first thing he noticed upon waking up was how heavy his body felt.

"What the…"

Another thing he noticed was that something large was underneath his bedsheets. He checked under the covers and saw a pair of beady, soulless eyes staring at him from the darkness.

He screamed. The bear screamed.

"Get off me!"

He tried to escape from the bear hug but it was no use; its grip on him was too tight.

"What's the matter Makoto?" the bear said. "Don't you want a hug from your dear old pal?"

"No!"

"Just accept it. I'm just like taxes; no matter how hard you fight you'll never get rid of me!"

He struggled even more to get out. He knew it was pointless given what he saw this bear do to the average person, but he really didn't want to give the bear any satisfaction.

"Oh how nice. The two of you are the best of friends already!"

He glanced at the door while he struggled. Monaca was there watching what was happening, and as usual, there was a smile plastered on her face.

"We're not just friends!" the bear shouted. "Our bond is much more special than to be labelled as just 'friends.' It's something greater, more wondrous than all of the seven natural wonders of the world… In fact, it defies human comprehension that not even the best lexicographer can find an adequate word to describe it!"

"Can you get this bear off me Monaca?!"

"But you look like you're having so much fun."

"Please!"

"Alright, alright, calm down. Kumadachi let go of Makoto."

It took a moment for the bear to let go, but when it did he scrambled as far away as possible from it. He took in deep lungfuls of air as he watched the bear get up from his bed. At least it didn't try to rip off his arm.

"Did you set this up Monaca?" he said.

"Really now?" she said. "Are you going to blame every little incident on me? My hands are clean here, isn't that right Kumadachi?"

"Sure is!" the bear said. "It wasn't her, the government, or the Illuminati; this whole shebang was run by yours truly."

"You hear that Big Bro? I'm perfectly innocent."

It was always a gamble trying to tell whether or not she was lying, but this time he was about ninety-five percent sure she was telling the truth right now.

"Okay, I believe you. But can you do something about the bear?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know; restrict its freedom or something?"

Monaca looked shocked. "How could you say such a thing Makoto?! I believe that every intelligent lifeform deserves the right to liberty."

Okay, now she was definitely lying to him.

"Yeah what's the problem?! I deserve the right to bear arms too ya know?"

"I'm not asking you to remove its free-will, maybe just…give it some rules to follow so that something like this never happens again."

"Now I would looove to help you with that. But unfortunately for you, the AI has developed quite far from its initial programming. Changing the code right now would more than likely cause some unexpected problems. Even your programmer friend would have trouble going through the code."

Monaca turned her attention to the bear. "I hope we haven't hurt your feelings Kumadachi."

"You don't have to worry boss. After all, I don't have real emotions anyway, 'cause I'm a bear."

"That's good! Now would you kindly go and make everyone breakfast please?"

"As you command boss!"

The bear gave a salute and walked off, leaving just the two of them in the room.

"Are you sure you can't do anything about it?"

"I am absolutely, positively, utterly sure that I can't do anything about it. I don't know why you have such an irrational dislike for Kumadachi, but you should really try and get over it. Once the Towa Group hires me they'll be in people's homes, on TV, and out in the streets; a symbol of a bright new future! Doesn't that sound wonderful?"

"Sounds dreadful to me…"

"Oh, why are you such a killjoy Makoto? I thought you were supposed to be the hopeful one. But I'm sure you'll change your mind once you hang around Kumadachi long enough. I mean you see the positive side in eeeeverything, surely you can find at least one good thing about my invention?"

"Here you go Missus Naegi, one tasty salmon for you to enjoy!"

The bear wearing the apron plopped the dish in front of his mum. The dish consisted of a single large salmon, deep-fried beyond recognition. Scattered underneath it were uneven pieces of lettuce cut by the bear's own claws. All five members of his family had the exact same dish, just with different proportions of salmon.

"Thank you Kumadachi," his mum said. She cut out a piece of salmon and ate it. "Wow, this taste pretty good!"

"Why thank you," the bear said. "I made sure to put in my beary best in creating these dishes."

He poked the salmon in front of him with a fork. All the bear did was grab five salmons and threw them into a container of cooking oil. How the bear got the five salmons and a container of oil in the first place was a mystery that would never be solved.

His dad soon after ate a piece of salmon as well. "Huh, it actually doesn't taste that bad. You know Monaca I had some doubts about your bear friend here, but he really is pretty useful."

"Monaca's so glad to hear that!" Monaca responded. "It's reassuring to know that there are people who can appreciate what Monaca made, unlike someone she knows. On a scale of one to ten, how satisfied are you with my product Mister Naegi?"

"I'd say…an eight."

"Not bad. How about you Missus Naegi?"

"A perfect ten!"

"Wow! Thank you so much! What about you Big Sis?"

"Uh…I give it a seven I guess?"

"And you Big Bro?"

"…Four."

Monaca sighed. "Of course you would give it a low score."

"Don't you feel that's a bit harsh Makoto?" his mum asked. "You might've hurt Monaca's feelings."

"I don't mind Missus Naegi. Big Bro here has a bit of an issue with Kumadachi."

"And it breaks this poor bear's heart…" the bear said, staring down at the ground with a dejected expression. "I thought we were blood brothers Makoto…"

"We aren't."

"Don't be sad Kumadachi," his mum said, patting the bear on the head. "Even if Makoto doesn't see you as a blood brother you still have a place in our family."

"I-I do?"

"Yes. No matter what anybody says I see you as the official sixth member of our family."

The bear cheered up immediately, and soon after his mum was wrapped around in a bear hug. She was surprised at the sudden embrace, but she returned the hug with a smile.

"Oh, you're the best Missus Naegi! I'll be the best son you never had!"

"I'm right here you know."

"The second-best son you never had!"

…This felt wrong. Everything about this felt very wrong. His mind, body, and spirit were screaming at him that this was never supposed to happen in any timeline. This bear shouldn't be hugging his mum at this very moment, but that was what was happening in front of his very eyes. Had the world gone mad? Was the sky going to fall? What other disaster was going to befa—

"… Are you okay Makoto?"

He snapped out of his daze. "Huh? Uh, yeah I am."

"Are you sure?" Komaru asked. "You didn't respond when I called out to you a few times."

"Yeah…everything's fine…"

The doorbell rang. The bear let go of his mum. "I'll get it!"

He leaped to his feet. "Actually, why don't I get it?" He didn't want to give whoever was at the front door a heart attack upon seeing the bear.

"Now, now, there's no need to trouble yourself. Just let your good pal Kumadachi get the door for ya."

"I don't mind really. It'll only take a second."

"Well, a second is too long in my opinion! Please, sit down."

"No."

"Can one of you get the door please?" Monaca said. "We wouldn't want to keep our visitor waiting now."

"Listen to your cute little sister. I'll go get the door while you can just sit right here with your family."

"And I'm telling you it's fine."

The doorbell rang again. "Why are you two even arguing about this?" Monaca asked. "Since you're so keen to open the door you can go Makoto. You stay here Kumadachi."

The bear seemed agitated, but it stayed where it was. He got up from his seat and headed to the front door. He opened it and was greeted by a man in a suit.

"Is this the Naegi residence?" the man said.

"It is," he replied. "Is there something I can help you with?"

The man reached inside his suit and pulled out an envelope. "I'm here to deliver a letter to Monaca Naegi. Would you mind delivering it in my stead instead?"

"Yeah sure, no problem."

"Thank you. Have a nice day."

The man gave him the envelope and hurried off down the street. He examined the front of the envelope; it was blank. Despite that, he had a pretty good guess on who sent it. He went back to the kitchen.

"Who was it?" his mum asked as he sat at the table.

"Don't know. A businessman I guess," he replied. "He wanted to hand this envelope to Monaca."

He passed the envelope in his hand to her. She looked at the front. "Really? It doesn't say it's for me."

"Well, that's what the man said."

"If you say so."

She opened the envelope and took out a folded letter. She opened that up as well, and whatever was on it made her look even giddier than she was now.

"What does it say?" his dad asked.

Monaca cleared her throat. "Dear Monaca Naegi. We at the Towa Group were very impressed with your invention at the Hope's Peak competition, and are excited to say that the head of our company, Tokuichi Towa, invites you to Towa City! It would be a great honour for us if you can visit! For any further questions please call the number below."

"Can you believe this dear?! Our daughter just got invited by one of the biggest companies in the world!"

"I sure can. There was never a doubt in my mind that our children were going to be successful in life."

"Oh as if. If you did you wouldn't have been so worried when Monaca went through her rebellious phase."

"Isn't it just natural for a parent to worry about something like that? I mean when we were teenagers you had a very dangerous rebellious phase. Let me tell you something kids; when your mum was at your age she did all sorts of—"

His dad stopped when his mum glared at him.

"Let's not bring my past up okay dear?"

"Y-Yes honey…"

His mum stopped glaring." Now then, do you want to go to Towa City Monaca?"

"Absolutely Missus Naegi!"

"Then Makoto and Komaru will be coming with you."

"Wait, I'm going as well?" Komaru said.

"You're on break at the moment, right? Why not use this chance to go visit the island of the future?"

"Well, I'm not really interested in technology…"

"Even so you should still go. This is your best chance to experience new things and make some unforgettable memories! Once you're at our age you won't get many opportunities to visit new places. Plus I heard there are tons of delicious sweets in Towa City!"

"When you put it that way I guess I have to go."

"That's my girl. Now how about we have a party to celebrate this occasion?"

"We don't have much food though…" his dad said.

"Never fear Mister Naegi!" the bear said. "Let me, your dependable son, handle such a matter!"

"I don't think that's a—"

The bear ran out of the room before he could finish speaking. The sound of the front door being slammed open and shut rang through the house.

"D-Do you think he'll be okay out there…" his dad asked.

"Oh he'll be fine," Monaca said. "Kumadachi can protect himself."

"I'm more worried about the people outside actually," he said.

"Can I go to my room Missus Naegi? I need to call them to make arrangements for our visit."

"Sure thing."

Monaca left them and went off to her (his) room, leaving her half-eaten salmon lying there on the table.

"I'm going to go talk to her if that's okay with you mum," he said.

"But you haven't eaten your salmon yet."

He looked at his plate. Compared to everyone else's his salmon was tiny, more a meal for a kitten than a human.

"I'll eat it once I talk to her."

"Fine, but don't take too long. We need to set things up for the party."

He nodded and followed after Monaca. She was about to open the door to her (his) room when he reached her.

"Shouldn't you be eating with your family?" Monaca said. "What do you want?"

"I just want to talk."

"We can talk after I make this call."

"It'll only be for a short while."

"… Just don't take too long alright? Lock the door once you're inside."

She opened the door and went inside. He went in as well and locked the door just as she asked. The curtains in the room were still covering the windows, letting only a dim light through.

"So what do you want to talk about?" Monaca said, standing up from her wheelchair. She stretched her legs and started pacing around the room.

"How are you feeling?"

"That's it? I thought this was going to be important. Well since you asked I'm positively ecstatic! The day I've been waiting for has finally arrived and I can now begin stage two of my plan, although I am annoyed at how they misspelled my name."

She tossed the invitation letter at him. He grabbed it and opened it up to see what the problem was.

"It's not that big of a deal. Monaka Naegi is close enough."

"No, no, no, you don't understand. The c in my name makes it cuter."

"Okay… so aside from that, you're happy?"

"Yep. How else am I supposed to feel? My dream of reducing Towa City and my family to rubble is so close to becoming true!"

And that was what he really came to check up on. She was still hell-bent on taking revenge on her family. He had some hope that the letter might never come at all due to what happened at the competition, but luck was never really on his side.

"You promised that you wouldn't hurt people if I helped you."

"Is that so? All Monaca remembers is that she said she'll take people's lives into consideration."

"Monaca…"

"Oh alright, don't give me such a scary look Big Bro. I'll evacuate the city and then destroy it."

"You're missing the point. I don't want you destroying Towa City and hurting innocents just to get back at your family."

She stopped moving. "Then what do you suggest I do then? Don't tell me to drop my revenge because that's never, ever gonna happen, Big Bro. Give me some other alternative that will satisfy me and you."

"…I don't know."

"Then I guess some people are going to get hurt."

He didn't know what to do here. He was not one to force someone to do something but at this rate, he might have to with Monaca. This would no doubt strain their relationship if not ruin it forever, but she just seemed so incapable to understand that hurting people was simply wrong.

But at the same time, he felt that he should trust her to make the right choice in the end. Surely all that time spent with him had some positive effect on her…

So what was he going to do? Was he going to try and put a stop to this plan right now or just hope for the best?

"Then… Then how about we have a bet?"

"A bet?"

"If your family proves to be decent people then you'll have to drop your revenge plan."

"And if they aren't?"

"Then…you can do whatever you want to them, but only them and no one else."

Monaca looked surprised. Hell, he was surprised at himself for what he was suggesting.

"How intriguing. I never thought you would make a bet like that."

"So is it a deal…?"

"… Sure, sounds fun! But do you really want to make a bet like that?"

No, he really didn't want to make this bet. He had made many bets in his life and lost around ninety-nine percent of them. The remaining one percent where he won caused more trouble for him than it was worth. He was more than likely going to lose this bet.

For just this one bet he wished to whatever being controlled his foul luck to make an exception this time. Even if it resulted in him experiencing the worst day in his life over and over for the rest of time he'd take it, just get Monaca to drop her plan and move on with her life.

"I do," he said. "Please… promise me that you won't hurt them if they're good people."

"Don't worry so much Big Bro!" Monaca said. "I only keep promises that are worth keeping. I'll even make a pinky promise with you!"

She raised her pinky at him. This felt awfully familiar…

"Raise your other hand."

"Okie-dokie!"

She raised her other hand, palm opened for him to see. Now she wouldn't be able to cross her fingers behind her back. Whether or not that was going to help…

He held up his pinky as well. "Do you promise to not hurt your family if you lose the bet?"

"Yep! Cross my heart and hope they die! Whoops, I mean hope I die of course."

He wrapped his little finger around hers. Even though he really wished he could fully believe that Monaca's family were not so bad, he couldn't risk it. He needed to come up with some sort of plan if the worst possible scenario happened.

"Is that all you wanted to say? I really need to call them so I can start preparing."

"I'd like to stay and listen if you don't mind."

"Fine by me."

Monaca took out her phone and dialled a number. He sat down at his former desk and listened as she talked to whoever was on the other end, keeping a close eye on what she was saying.

"Remember kids, if a stranger's approaching and you feel as if you are in danger, always—"

"Run," he replied. "We know mum."

It was only a day after Monaca received the invitation and they were already going to Towa City. He and Komaru were bringing only their wallets, while Monaca was bringing her schoolbag with her.

"We're just making sure," his dad said. "We don't want a repeat of what happened with Monaca."

"Don't worry Mister Naegi," Monaca said. "I have Big Bro and Big Sis here to protect me!"

"Even so you should be careful. If you're by yourself run away from the danger and call for help."

"Monaca will keep that in mind."

His dad checked his watch. "Better get going now kids. You don't want to miss your train."

"Make sure to have fun!" his mum said. "And don't forget to buy some souvenirs. Especially the sweets, don't forget them."

"We won't mum," Komaru said.

"Don't forget to buy something for me as well!" a voice cried out.

He glanced at the living room; the bear was lying on their couch watching the TV, throwing in mouthfuls of popcorn from the bucket in its hands. It had been binge-watching gangster shows and movies during their party yesterday. From the piles of DVDs nearby, it was not ending anytime soon.

A man was decapitated on the screen, causing the bear to howl in laughter.

"What exactly do you want?" he called out.

"Honey of course! And not those knock-offs you buy in stores. I want it fresh and harvested from a hive and—"

"We're heading off now."

"Have fun!" his dad said.

"Wait! I haven't fini—"

The trio departed from the house and made their way to the train station. They didn't converse as they travelled; they were more focused on arriving on time than idle chatter. Only once they were inside the carriage and sitting together did they relax.

"Where exactly are we meeting our driver?" Komaru asked.

"He'll be nearby the station sixteen stops from now," Monaca said. She took out a book and a pencil from the schoolbag attached to her wheelchair. "I suggest we all find something to do as we wait."

He moved a bit away from Monaca's right side, as did Komaru on her left. There was a stench he recognised coming from the book, and it was strong enough that the few passengers inside with them were backing away from the trio.

"Eugh…aren't you disgusted with that smell Monaca?" Komaru said.

"What smell?"

"Y-You can't smell it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about Big Sis. It smells fine to me."

Monaca opened a few pages into her diary and started drawing. Had she lost her sense of smell? He and Komaru from their safe positions peeked at what she was drawing.

"Woah, what's that scary thing you're drawing on?" Komaru said.

"Oh, this? It's a junk version of Kumadachi."

The thing on her page had a completely different appearance compared to the bear at home. The thing's right half was a mess; only a single limb was attached and a part of its face was shattered, revealing an eyeball. It wasn't much better on its left; there were two limbs attached, and the half-grin sprouting on its face had a few teeth missing.

"What… is the purpose of that thing?" he asked. "It doesn't exactly scream domestic helper…"

"It's meant to scare people," Monaca said. "I was thinking of a perfect monster design for a horror movie and I came up with this. There are other designs as well."

She flipped to the next page. The design of the bears on this page at least resembled the original. The left side had the bear wearing a helmet and a bullet-proof vest, two round-shaped objects in each hand which he recognised as bombs. On its back was a container holding even more bombs.

"This here is a bomber version of Kumadachi," Monaca said. "I designed him for military purposes."

"Wouldn't it be better to give him a gun?" Komaru said.

"Maybe. I just think blowing things up looked a lot more fun instead."

The right side had the bear dressed in riot gear holding a riot shield, an image of its left eye on the shield with the word "Kuma" written below it.

"And this here is a guard version, designed to break up riots."

She flipped the page again, and what he saw made him recoil in fear. On the page contained what was probably the most terrifying version of the bear yet.

"Wh-What is that…?" he said.

"It's ball Kumadachi!" Monaca said. "I designed him to be shaped like a friend."

The thing was shaped more like a nightmare than a friend. As the name implied its body was spherical, with two large arms and legs and a face located in its torso.

"So what does this version do?" Komaru asked.

"It's designed to give out hugs. Would you like a hug from it Big Bro?"

"No."

"I'll take that as a yes."

The two siblings spent their time looking at what Monaca had drawn. Every single drawing was extensively detailed, from what materials were needed to possible manufacturing rates to measurements… everything that was needed to start mass production.

It was impressive, but he couldn't help but notice that aside from the ball version every single one of her designs was tailored toward violence.

Time passed as they continued to watch Monaca polish her drawings. Each time the train stopped he kept checking to see if they had arrived at their destination. On the second to last stop, Monaca had finished and returned the book and pencil to her school bag.

The train finally arrived at their destination. "We're here," Monaca said. "Let's get out quick before the door closes."

He helped Monaca back into her wheelchair and the trio departed from the train. It didn't take long to find out what they were looking for; a black limousine guarded by men in black suits. They approached it as another man in a suit came out from the passenger compartment.

"Hey, you finally made it," the man said. He held out his hand to him. "Haiji Towa, at your service."

He shook Haiji's hand. "Makoto Naegi. It's nice to meet you."

He held out his hand to Komaru next. "U-Uh, Komaru Naegi!" Komaru said. "Nice to meet you as well Mister Haiji!"

His sister grabbed Haiji's hand and shook it perhaps a bit too much. Haiji didn't seem bothered by this, even smiling a bit at his sister's nervousness.

But when he turned to Monaca his smile dropped. "Monaca is called Monaca!" Monaca said. "It's nice to finally meet you!"

Monaca held up a hand to Haiji. He shook it, but he noticed that his other hand for a second had clenched into a fist.

"You too…" Haiji said, and let go of her hand. "We should hurry inside the limousine; my dad's waiting at Towa Hills."

Haiji went back inside the passenger compartment. Monaca entered the limousine next with help from one of the security guards, while the other placed her wheelchair into the boot. After Monaca was seated, Komaru entered the vehicle followed by himself.

"It's almost like we're celebrities!" Komaru whispered to him. Haiji was seated in front of the trio, a laptop opened up in front of him. The limousine departed, and the next few hours of their trip across Towa's City Great Bridge consisted of Monaca asking Haiji questions. Haiji didn't really try to answer her though, responding to most of her questions with "the old man will explain it" as he focused on whatever was on his laptop's screen.

He was going to be honest; he was not feeling particularly hopeful that he was going to win that bet he made.

The limousine finally entered Towa City. He leaned back to give his sister a view of the city. Everywhere around them were tall buildings. Despite that he could still see the tallest of them all, Towa Tower, off in the distance.

"For an island of the future this city doesn't seem that different from any other," Komaru said. "N-Not that I'm saying it's a bad thing Mister Haiji!"

"Nah don't worry about it," Haiji said. "The city around us is just a front; the real one is beneath us."

"R-Really…! Wait. You're just joking aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am. While Towa City from the outside doesn't look that technologically advanced, on the inside its miles ahead of any city in Japan. For example, most of our electricity is powered through the use of clean technology."

"That's really impressive," he said.

"That's not all. We also have self-driving cars using that same technology."

"How come we haven't seen any so far?" Monaca asked.

"That's because they're still in the development phase. We've been having…slight problems in getting them to work."

The limousine stopped. The trio and Haiji exited the vehicle and had to walk up some stairs to reach the walkway to Towa Hills. He and Komaru managed to lift Monaca up the stairs with help from Haiji's bodyguards, and they continued on the path to Towa Hills. They reached the main entrance, once again having to lift Monaca up some stairs, and entered to see the path to the next floor blocked by more stairs and stair escalators.

"There sure are an awful lot of stairs in here," Monaca said. "The design of this place isn't exactly friendly to those with disabilities."

"We're working on that," Haiji said. "In fact, we already placed some solutions."

Haiji motioned for Monaca to move to one of the stair escalators. She approached the one on the right, the steps of the escalator flattened turning the escalator into an autowalk.

"Huh. I guess that's pretty smart."

They moved up the autowalk to the next floor. The floor they were on now was packed with office workers, walking around carrying documents to rooms or sitting about chatting with each other. They moved up another set of autowalks and several rooms later they were at the Chairman's Office.

Haiji knocked on the door. "Hey old man, we're here."

"Come in," the voice inside said.

They entered; sitting at a desk at the far end of the room was the chairman, Tokuichi Towa. The man resembled the photos he had seen him in, sharply dressed in a suit with an air of authority. He glanced at Monaca; unlike Haiji she had no traits that connected her at all to her father.

"Please, sit down," Tokuichi said.

They approached the chairman's position. He and Komaru sat down in the seats arranged in front of the desk, while Haiji leaned himself against a wall behind his father. His sister was fidgeting around a bit on his left, no doubt intimidated by the chairman. He himself felt a little intimidated by the man, but he managed to compose himself under the man's stare. On his right, Monaca was just herself, all smiles with no hint of feeling scared.

"Welcome to Towa City," Tokuichi said. "I am glad you could visit despite such short notice."

"Well, we wouldn't want to waste such an opportunity to meet a very important man like yourself, Mister Chairman," Monaca said. "With such a position, you must be a very busy man."

"Yes I am, but that is not important at the moment. This meeting is about you after all, Monaca Naegi."

"Soooo what exactly do you want with a girl like Monaca?"

"I am interested in your talent. Your performance at that competition had garnered my attention despite…what happened near the end."

"If you're worried about it I've managed to fix that little mishap. It won't ever happen again!"

"That's good to hear. But that's not the only reason I wanted to meet you…"

Tokuichi looked at him and Komaru. He seemed to be contemplating what to say.

"Is something the matter?" Monaca asked.

"I would like the two of them to leave us for a moment," Tokuichi said. "What I am about to say is something that is private to the three of us."

"I don't see why they shouldn't stay and listen."

"I do not trust them. I am sorry if my words are a bit blunt by the way."

"Uh, none taken," Komaru said. "It's fine Monaca. If we have to go outside we'll go."

Komaru stood up from her seat. "No. Sit back down," Monaca said. She sat back down.

"This matter doesn't concern them."

"Are you sure about that?" Monaca said. "These two are a part of my family, and family always sticks together don't they?"

"Still…"

"If you're worried about them being untrustworthy I can tell you this. These two are the most trustworthy people I know; surely that should give you some faith?"

"…Very well. Aside from your parents, you two must never tell anyone about this secret. If you do, however, you will wish you never crossed the Towa Group."

He gulped a little at that.

Tokuichi focused his attention on Monaca. "The other reason why I wanted to meet you has something to do with your family."

"Hmm? I don't exactly understand what my adoptive family has to do with this."

"I am not talking about your adoptive family; I am talking about your real family. Monaca, I am your father."

… Huh?

"Wh-Whaaaaaaat?!" Komaru's scream caused him to flinch. "Y-You're her—"

"You're what?!" Haiji shouted. Just like his sister Haiji was staring at Tokuichi and Monaca with an expression of disbelief.

"Yes, you heard correctly. You are my daughter Monaca, although you and that boy there do not seem at all surprised."

"Well I already knew you were my father," Monaca said. "The orphanage you sent me to didn't exactly have the best security for their records."

"I… see. And I'm guessing you told him?"

"Oh no, he found out naturally. He's pretty smart despite his looks."

"Uhh, thanks?" he said.

"So now that you told me this what's going to happen now?"

"Simple, I want you back into our family."

This time Monaca looked surprised, but he could tell that she was faking it.

"You…want Monaca back?" Monaca asked.

"Yes. With your talent, I feel the Towa Group will be able to make even greater strides in our technology."

"Now just hold on a minute!" Haiji shouted. Tokuichi turned around to face his son.

"Is there a problem Haiji?" Tokuichi asked.

"Yeah, there is! You can't just drop something like this and expect me to accept it! Where the hell was she for the last couple of years?! Who the hell is her mother?!"

He didn't like the way Haiji was looking at Monaca. Feeling a bit shocked at learning you had another sibling was understandable, but the way he was staring at her bordered on disgust and hatred. But the man did ask an interesting question, who was Monaca's mother?

"Um…if you don't mind Mister Tokuichi," he said, "I would also like to know who Monaca's mother is."

Tokuichi looked irritated as he turned to him. "The only thing you need to know about her is that she is nothing more than a liar and a coward," he said. "A woman who breaks promises and runs when another opportunity arises."

The chairman turned back to Haiji. "As for you Haiji, I expect you to accept this. If you had made several advancements in our robotics branch then perhaps we wouldn't need her. But you have not, and the longer we are delayed our competitors are going to catch up or even surpass us in the market. Did I make myself clear?"

Haiji didn't say anything; he instead stormed off out of the office, slamming the door along the way.

"Please forgive my son for making such a scene," Tokuichi said, letting out a sigh. "I did not expect him to get this mad about it… Anyways, what is your answer Monaca? Do you wish to rejoin us?"

"… I do," Monaca said.

"Excellent. I have a room already set up for you to move into."

"Wait, wait," he said. "Can we have a moment with her?"

"You may."

The trio excused themselves from the office. Once outside he let out a deep breath, "That was…awkward to sit through," he said. "Maybe it would have been better for us if we went outside… But more importantly, are you sure about this Monaca?"

"I sure am!" Monaca said, smiling at him. Even during Haiji's outburst, she had not dropped that smile once.

After sitting through that meeting he was not so sure if Monaca should go back to her real family. Her father seemed far more interested in her talent, and her brother had been giving him a bad feeling since they first met.

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes, there's not a doubt in my mind Big Bro. The dream I've held on to for years is actually coming true! I'm finally coming back to my real family."

"So… You're actually leaving us…?"

They focused their attention on Komaru. Her hands were clasped together, her head tilted a bit to her right and her eyes downcast as she avoided their gaze.

She looked devastated. He was feeling upset at himself; while he had an idea of what was going to happen today, Komaru didn't. His sister came here with them expecting none of this, and this was the result.

"Don't be sad Big Sis," Monaca said. "I was going to leave someday."

"You mean… you don't want to stay with us…?"

"Well, I… I didn't mean it like tha—"

Komaru was sniffling, little tears were falling out of her eyes. "N-No I…understand. If I was given the chance to reunite with my family I would… I would also take it. But this is—"

Komaru tried to wipe away the tears in her eyes, but it did nothing. The tears wouldn't let up, and soon enough she was weeping.

"—This is just too soon… Just when I feel like I was getting to know you better this happens…? I don't know what your favourite TV shows are… what your favourite food is… I don't even know what your favourite colour is…"

… He didn't know what to say to cheer her up. He could only watch as his sister tried to stop herself from crying. He began to approach her to give her a shoulder to cry on but—

"…If it's bothering you so much I guess I can withhold my decision for a little while," Monaca said.

"Wh-What…?"

"One day. I'll spend one day with this family before I make my decision."

"N-No… You don't have to do that for me…"

"Well I am, so cheer up Big Sis! If this family doesn't treat Monaca as well as yours then she'll… she'll stay with you."

"P-Promise…?"

"I… I promise."

… Her words worked. Komaru was able to wipe away her tears without new ones forming right after.

"Are you feeling better Komaru?" he asked.

"Yeah. Better," she said. "I'm sorry for acting so selfish."

"It's okay Big Sis," Monaca said. "Monaca wasn't considerate of your feelings. If you want me to postpone my decision some more I can—"

"No, it's fine. I am absolutely fine now. One day should be enough for me to accept this."

Komaru smiled a bit. "Thank you, Monaca."

Monaca looked surprised, and this time he could tell it was genuine.

"But if they treat you well then you should stay with them. Don't let my feelings influence you out of a family. You got that Monaca?"

"Y-Yeah, I understand Big Sis."

Komaru breathed in and let out a breath. "I'm going to find a bathroom and fix myself up a bit. You can enter back in without me."

"Umm, before you go Big Sis," Monaca said, "I would…like to apologise for breaking your Sayaka CD, and for pranking you by saying there was a ghost in your room…"

"Why are you apologising for that now? I've already forgiven you."

"I… don't know actually…"

Komaru chuckled. "You're a pretty weird kid sometimes, but you have a good heart." She waved goodbye to them and headed off to find a bathroom.

"…What are you looking at Makoto?"

"Thanks for cheering my sister up," he said, smiling at her.

"There's no need to thank me. I just wanted your sister to stop crying that's all. I'm still going to go back to my family."

She held a hand towards him. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm offering you a handshake, can't you tell? While Monaca wants to say she did everything all by herself, she cannot deny that you played a part in helping her. So before we say goodbye forever I want to bury the hatchet with you. So…I'm sorry Makoto, for being such a brat to you when I first came to your house… to taking your room… to being a brat to your friends… and for blackmailing you."

…This felt weird. Was she trying to trick him? He couldn't think of anything advantageous that she could get out of this, other than his forgiveness.

"… Are you going to shake my hand or not?"

"Uh yeah, sure."

He shook hands with her. "So…are you going to delete those photos?"

"I'll think about it."

He sighed; of course it wasn't going to be that easy. He didn't feel that bothered about it actually. Monaca hadn't used those photos to make him do anything for months now.

"Let's head back in now. We wouldn't want to keep my father waiting."

The two entered back into the chairman's office.

"Stay safe Monaca!" Komaru called out, waving at the girl in the distance.

Monaca waved back at the two from the entrance of Towa Hills. Next to her was the chairman— No, her father Tokuichi Towa. The two entered back into the building, disappearing from their sight.

"…Do you think she'll be alright Makoto?"

"I'm not sure…" he said. "Let's get to our hotel first. It's getting dark."

"Y-Yeah…"

The two started walking along the walkway. The evening sky was beginning to darken, and around them the lights of Towa City were starting to turn on. A limousine should be parked where they were dropped off, ready to take them to their hotel. As arranged by Monaca during her discussion with her dad, the two will be staying in Towa City for today and tomorrow so they could enjoy themselves.

Still, they took their time walking back. His sister was looking better after getting out of the bathroom, but she still had a sad expression on her face.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm just… thinking about something," she answered.

"Is it about Monaca?"

"Yes, but it's not about her leaving us."

"She might not. There's still a possibility that she'll stay with us."

"That's true, but I don't want to get my hopes up. Having too much hope only to lose it can lead to great despair after all."

"Uh… sure." Hearing her say something like that was bringing up thoughts of Nagito. He shook away those thoughts. "So if it's not about that then what?"

"I was just thinking about how… amazing Monaca is for her age. At her age I could barely solve math problems for kids, and yet she can solve problems in a university textbook. She even built a bear that's living in our house!"

She pointed at him. "And then there's you! You're in Hope's Peak Academy, in the same class as the idol legend Sayaka herself! Not to mention all the other amazing people attending your class…"

"I mean, I only got in because of dumb luck."

"Yeah, but you still got in. Hope's Peak Academy recognised that you had talent, while for me… I'm just Komaru Naegi, an everyday boring high school girl…compared to you two I just feel…inadequate."

"Komaru…"

"… Ugh. I just said I was fine a moment ago, but now I'm telling all of this to you. I really am hopeless."

"No, you're not. I understand how you feel Komaru. Every day in class I am surrounded by people with extraordinary talents that make mine, to be honest, look like a joke. Compared to everyone else in that class… I really am just like you, just your everyday ordinary teenager.

"But there is one thing that connected all of us together despite our different talents; we all doubted ourselves at a point in our life. We all had thoughts that maybe we aren't the best at our talent as we thought, that there are people better than us in our field, that we don't deserve our title… but we kept going. You want to be a manga artist right?"

"Yeah, although I haven't drawn anything for a while…"

"Then you need to keep at it, push yourself to improve even if you're not feeling it. Your idol Sayaka wasn't born the Ultimate Pop Sensation; she had to work hard to even get noticed by the industry, and even harder to become a breakout in her field."

"Well of course I know that Makoto! I watched all of the documentaries on her, are you saying I'm not a true Sayaker?!"

"Uh…no, I wasn't trying to say that…"

"Yeah, I know," Komaru said, chuckling to herself. She smiled at him. "You're right. I may be an ordinary high schooler now, but if I keep up with my drawings who knows what'll happen? I might actually become the Ultimate Manga Artist!"

His sister slapped her cheeks a little. "Alright! Now I'm motivated! Tomorrow I'm going to buy every single drawing tool this city has to offer!"

"Maybe try not to buy every drawing tool in the city…" he said. Monaca gave them a budget of half a million, and if his sister was actually serious about what she said they would run out in half a day.

But if that was what she wanted to do tomorrow then he'd let her. They hadn't hung out for a while, had they? He had been with Monaca for so long he felt a bit closer to her than with Komaru. Tomorrow would be a good time for him to catch up with her.

"…Thanks, Makoto, for cheering me up," Komaru said. "You know, maybe you should be the Ultimate Motivator! Are you allowed to change titles at Hope's Peak?"

"You can, but that title is already taken," he replied.

"Oh. Well, you'll always be the Ultimate Motivator to me!"

They arrived at their limousine. They entered it, and during the drive he took out his phone to call his mum.

"Mum?" he said.

"Makoto! Are you coming home now?" his mum replied. "It's starting to get late."

"Uh…about that. There's something I need to tell you."

He told his mum about everything that transpired after they entered Towa City. After finishing his mum didn't answer for a while, no doubt trying to take in what he said.

"…This is really unexpected," his mum finally said. "I didn't know that Monaca was actually the daughter of Tokuichi Towa… How's Komaru holding up?"

"She had a bit of an outburst… but she's calmed down now. What about you mum?"

"Well, I… I can't honestly say that I'm really happy about this. Don't get me wrong; I'm happy for Monaca that she found her real family, and if she wants to stay with them then I won't stop her. That's what your father and I always wanted for her."

"Can I ask you a question mum?"

"Sure."

"What made you decide to adopt Monaca?"

"… I just felt sorry for her. Every time your dad and I drove past that orphanage we always spotted her alone from the other kids, hanging around the dumpsters or just standing near the gate. It didn't help that I always had a bad feeling about that place. So after driving past the orphanage one too many times I decided to tell your father 'I'm going to adopt that girl!', and we did."

Huh. That was… surprisingly simple. If he got the chance to he was going to tell Monaca about this.

"Monaca was such a good child," his mum said, sighing a little. "Although a bit of a troublemaker at home and at school. Remember that time she played that awful ghost prank on Komaru?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"God, that incident was the one that really made me think I was doing something wrong in raising her. But after a while, she stopped causing so much trouble at home and at school. I can't help but think it was mostly you that did the hard work."

"Don't put yourself down mum. You and dad had a big influence on her as well."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Then I'll take your word for it. I just wished we had a bit more time with her… She never did call your father and I mum and dad. If she had I would be able to say goodbye with no regrets."

The sadness in his mum's voice made him frown.

"Did we do a good job Makoto? Did we raise her right…?"

"…Yeah. You did the best you could have."

"Your room is further up," the greedy businessman said. "Set up an alarm for tomorrow. You will be attending a meeting with me at eight, so wake up at six to eat and dress yourself up. After the meeting you will go to a factory, where you will be aiding my son in designing our self-driving cars. Do you understand?"

I peered down the hallway in front of me. Jeez, how far did I have to move to go to my room? I had to go up an elevator to another floor, go up a flight of stairs to move to the next floor, go into this wide empty room, and go through another set of hallways just to reach it. Whoever designed this place should be fired.

"Yep!" I replied. "Monaca understands completely Mister Towa!"

"Good. I will be heading off now."

The greedy businessman started to head off to the exit. There was still something I needed to ask him, however, something sooo important I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight if I didn't ask.

"Umm, Mister Towa!" I called out. The greedy businessman turned around to me.

"What is it? I do not have time to waste here so make it quick."

"Can you tell me more about my mother?"

The greedy businessman scowled at me. It seemed my mother was a bit of a sore spot for him.

"I have nothing else to say about that woman," the greedy businessman said. "She is a liar and a coward, what more is there to say?"

Well, I already knew that my mother was a selfish and pathetic human being, but if I was going to find her I need something more specific.

"Can't you tell me more, please? If you do, Monaca will promise to never bring her up ever again for the rest of her life."

"… She was quiet."

… Wow. Truly such a description like that would help me find her.

"Um… is there anything else?"

"… She did her job."

"I'm sorry Mister Towa, but can you give just a teensy bit more detail about her?"

"There is nothing else to describe your mother. I was not that close to her, so if you want to know useless details such as her likes I cannot give you an answer."

Now, this was such a disappointment. I guess I'd have to search the archives of Towa Hills to find out who my mother was.

"… You do not act like that woman at least. She was not the type to make small talk on her own."

Oh?

The greedy businessman continued, "She was a recluse. Once she had finished whatever task she was assigned to, she would lock herself up in her room, working on whatever little project she thought of. Talking to her might as well be talking to a brick wall; she will give the minimalist of answers to your questions.

"That was what I admired about her; she didn't let such distractions interfere with work. I give her an assignment; she does it without complaint and on time. It was the perfect working relationship, one that eventually evolved into something…"

He stared at me. Oh, I get it, the birds and the bees.

"… But it all ended when she broke her promise. You weren't supposed to be born, but I allowed it on the condition that she raised you. She obviously did not, and if I had known perhaps you would be spared from your fate."

… Well that was a rude thing to say.

The greedy businessman checked his watch. "I have wasted enough time talking here. Any further questions on your mind will have to wait until tomorrow. Good night."

"Good night!"

The greedy businessman exited the building. It was good to know that even if my family kept me my life would have sucked anyway. Oh well, time to go to my room. I headed down the hallway and came upon the entrance to my room, on another floor above me with only a ladder to get there.

… Was I being pranked here? How did anyone think that it was a good idea to give a handicapped (not really) girl a room accessible only by a ladder?

I looked around me. Nobody was around, but maybe there were cameras hidden inside the walls. In order to keep up my act, I began the difficult task of trying to climb up a ladder without using my legs.

"As you can see from the chart, our competitors are slowly gaining on us in the market. If we don't do anything about it we might lose our position to the Togami Corporation in a few months. That's why I propose—"

Blah, blah, blah. This sure was a board meeting, because I was feeling really bored being here. The young businessman in front of the screen was rambling about stock markets or something. Here was a simple idea to get ahead, kill the competition. No Byakuya Togami, no Togami Corporation. It was such an easy solution I wanted to shout it out to stop the man from wasting everybody's time.

I stifled the yawn that almost came from my mouth. I hadn't had much sleep yesterday; I spent two hours trying to climb up a ladder, and the next four writhing in bed after falling to the ground too many times.

I glanced at my side; the greedy businessman had his attention on the boring presentation. As soon as I could I made a request to transfer to a different room, and he said he would grant me it… when he had time. How rude. If I asked my servant to do something he would do it immediately.

… Speaking of him, I wonder how he was doing. I bet he was having fun with his sister, going around the city while I was stuck here—

"Monaca, it's time for your presentation."

"Yes Mister Towa!"

I approached the front, going around the square meeting table to reach the widescreen monitor attached to the wall. The young businessman who was presenting before seated himself at the meeting table, a laptop in front of him ready to press buttons when I told him to.

"Everyone," the greedy businessman called out. "This is Monaca Naegi. You may remember her from the video I showed you last week."

"Ah, the one with the bear?" an old businessman said.

"Yes, that one."

The greedy businessman focused his attention on me. "You may present now."

I cleared my throat. "Hello everyone!" I called out. "I hope you're all beary prepared for my presentation!"

… Nobody laughed. I cleared my throat again.

"I said, I hope you're all beary prepared for my presentation!"

… Again, nobody laughed. Sheesh, talk about a tough crowd here. The greedy businessman at the far end of the table had a hand across his face.

"… So you see the joke here is that I'm going to be talking about bears, so instead of saying 'very' I said 'beary.'"

"Oh, I get it!" the young businessman said.

The greedy businessman groaned. "Monaca, please don't waste our time with jokes. Get on with the presentation."

"… Yes Mister Towa."

I continued on with my dull presentation, showing the room of humourless suits on the monitor the drawings I had made in my diary. They were all very impressed with my ideas for a robotic police force. It was just a shame they didn't have a single funny bone inside them. At least my adoptive family could laugh, even at the worst of my jokes.

It felt like forever, but I managed to finish my lifeless presentation. The suits in the room clapped as I joined the greedy businessman at the meeting table.

"I must say you found quite the talent Tokuichi!" the old businessman from before said. "With this girl, the Towa Group will be able to stay ahead of the competition!"

"There is no need to thank me," the greedy businessman said. "I was just doing my part to help our corporation."

For the next few hours, the boring suits talked about stuff Monaca couldn't care less about. While the suits talked she entertained herself with the idea of jumping off from Towa Tower.

I stared out from the window of the office, watching the workers at the assembly lines building the latest model of Towa brand cars. Behind me was my lesser sibling, sitting down on a couch typing away at his laptop. In the reflection of the glass, I could spot him giving me dirty looks every once in a while.

My presence seemed to be causing him some distress. I know; maybe I should talk to him! It wasn't as if there was anything else to do here.

I moved towards my lesser sibling, my approach causing him to look even more uncomfortable. I peered at the laptop screen from his side. "What are you doing big brother Haiji?"

"I'm working," my lesser sibling said, his tone a bit too aggressive in my opinion.

"What are you working on?"

"Does it matter? Listen I don't have time to talk so can you move away from me?"

"Maybe Monaca can help you out?"

"This isn't something a kid like you can do. I've been working on solving this problem for months and I still haven't come up with anything. What makes you think you can do any better?"

I shrugged. "Your father thinks I can; if me being here is any indication."

"… What are you trying to say?"

I raised my hands up to my lesser sibling. Whoopsie, I touched on a nerve. How careless of me.

"I didn't mean anything big brother Haiji!" I said. "Monaca just wants to help."

"Well, I don't need it so get lost."

"How about we make a bet? Give me thirty minutes to look at your problem and if I can solve it you can take allll the credit for it. In return, I just want to chat with you for a while. Deal?"

"….Fine, here."

My lesser sibling handed me the laptop. I got a good look at what he was working on; it seemed he was having trouble developing a power source for a self-driving car. I began typing in a solution.

"If you can't come up with a solution just hand me back the laptop," my lesser sibling said. "I've already wasted time talking to—"

"Done."

"… What?"

"I'm done. Here you go."

I held the laptop towards him. He grabbed it and began reading through what I wrote. I couldn't believe he actually got stuck on something like that; taking over his position should be easier than I thought.

"So, are you satisfied with my solution?"

"…Tch."

I was going to take that as a yes. "Now then, what should we talk about? How about our favourite foods? Monaca isn't a picky eater, so she'll eat anything as long as it's—"

"I don't want to talk."

"Huh? But big brother Haiji promi—"

"I didn't promise anything," my liar of a sibling said. "Listen, kid. I'm going to be honest with you; I don't like you, at all. Hearing your voice and even seeing you makes me ill, so don't think that we'll ever get along with each other."

I raised my eyebrows at that.

"And stop calling me big brother. You're not my sister."

"… How about Big Bro?"

"No. Just go to that spot and be quiet. If I need anything from you I'll say so."

… At least he was honest about his feelings, and honesty was such a hard virtue to find in this world. I think he and I would get along just fine!

I moved to the spot my lesser sibling was pointing to. I noticed there was a bit of a flaw with the design of the self-driving cars; they were hackable. It would be pretty bad if someone smart were to know that. They could cause some good damage in Towa City.

But I was sure my lesser sibling didn't need to know that detail. I was just going to sit right here and be quiet; that was what he wanted after all...

Did you know that ladders were the worst things invented in human history? I sure didn't know that, until I tried climbing up one without using my legs.

After countless falls I finally managed to reach the upper floor my room was on. I lifted myself up onto the floor and crawled all the way to the door of my room. Climbing up the ladder was the easy part; the hard part was actually trying to go down it without falling and breaking my neck.

I groaned; going to my room was such a pain. Maybe breaking my head would be a good idea… I was kidding of course.

I opened the door. My room was quite spacious, with only a few cabinets and drawers littered around. This was much better than my servant's crummy little room!

…Except for the fact that maybe it was a bit too dark in here. The only light source here was the one coming from above, juuuust enough for me to make out the shapes in the darkness.

I crawled over to the bed-shaped object and lay down on it. There were also no blankets, so when I started to shiver a bit from how cold it was in here, I couldn't do anything about it.

… It was also too quiet here. I couldn't hear the sound of traffic or people talking, just my own breathing and the beating of my heart. The shadows in the room moved, causing my heart to beat even faster.

My mind was playing tricks on me. There were no monsters here, just me. I knew this and yet my stupid heart kept beating faster. I need to distract myself, draw in my diary or some—

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I took it out and looked at the screen, a message from my servant.

Are you doing okay Monaca?

A bit late to ask that now wasn't it? I texted back.

I am Makoto. I'm having soooo much fun here!

Another message. That's good to hear! So your family is treating you well?

As if. These people sucked at taking care of a child. The carers at the orphanage treated me better than them; at least they acted like they cared when they weren't beating me half to death.

Their servants weren't better either. They would give me cold looks when they thought I wasn't looking at them and talked mean things behind my back. They didn't even help me in finding out where the bathroom was; I had to find it myself.

But this was a good thing; it meant that I won the bet! I could do whatever I want to them and my servant had no choice but to let me. How should I take my revenge? Maybe I'd rig a car to explode, blowing up my greedy father and my lesser brother. Or maybe I should poison their food, watch them wither away until they were at their deathbeds, and tell them it was me. So many possibilities, I couldn't choose!

My servant once asked me what I'd do once I'd taken my revenge, and after thinking it through I got an answer. Once they were gone I was going to take over the Towa Group! I was going to start mass-producing my domestic helpers and have them in every home in Towa City. They would act as spies, transmitting every dirty little secret to me so I could control the populace. I'd also get rid of the police force here and replace it with my machines.

Towa City was going to become my fun little playground until I die, and I had my servant to thank for it! I'll try hard not to kill anyone; I did promise him that. Now all that was left for me to do was rub it in his face that he lost…

Yeah, my family is treating me okay.

… Why did I lie?

I'm glad. I was worried about them at first, but it looks like it was just a false alarm.

There was nothing to gain from withholding it, so why didn't I tell him the truth? Did I really care that much about how he felt…?

No, that couldn't be it. I was just playing it safe. I typed in another message.

What would you have done if they weren't?

I would have rushed over to get you out.

I chuckled; he really was quite naive. What was he going to do? Fight his way through Towa Hills?

That's very brave of you, but I don't think that would have been a good idea.

Yeah… You're probably right. But just know that I would have done everything I can to help you.

… I frowned.

So, how was your time in Towa City?

It was fun! Komaru and I had a great time. I'll send you some pictures of what we did.

My servant sent me photos. One photo had them at the top of Towa Tower, another had them at a shopping district, and another had them at a restaurant. In every single photo, they looked like they were having so much fun…

… Their smiles were getting on my nerves.

I'm going to sleep. Good night Big Bro.

Good night Monaca. I'll see you tomorrow.

I went to my contacts list, pressing a thumb on my servant's name until the option to delete came up. Deleting him and his family should cheer me up; their services were no longer required.

After all, long-distance relationships were always bound to fail. We might make promises that we'd keep in touch, but life was going to get in the way sooner or later. Messages and phone calls would become infrequent over time, and one day they'd stop altogether. The person you were closest to would be nothing more than a memory.

The time I spent with my adoptive family… wasn't all that bad I guess. It was like living in a dream…but I had to wake up from it eventually. I didn't really deserve that life anyway; the one I was in now was more fitting for me.

My thumb hovered over the word "delete." Just one more push and I'd be able to move on from them…

… I pressed "cancel." Maybe I should keep an eye on them for a while longer. My servant might not know it, but he held more power in our relationship than I. If he wanted he could tell everyone about the real me and I wouldn't be able to stop him… unless I kill him before that. But that was only as a last resort of course.

There was only one last thing for me to do before I call it a night. I called a number and waited for an answer.

"Hello? Your friendly neighbourhood bear is here!" the bear answered.

"Kumadachi, are you alone?" I said.

"Yep! I'm sitting in my private reading chamber right now, with a glass of wine in one hand and a paper in the other. It's truly relaxing…"

I heard someone knocking on a door on the other end. "Kumadachi, are you done in there?" my adoptive father said. "I need to use the bathroom."

"I'll be done in a minute!"

"Alright…"

"You see. I'm perfectly alone in here!"

"…Okay then. Give me a status report."

"Well I finished my movie marathon and I am feeling inspired! I think I should change up my image, start learning some music ya know? I think rap is the perfect music choice for a bear like me!"

"I don't care what you did today."

"Oh, you're so cruel Monaca! Your words would have shattered my heart into a million pieces, but I don't have one so I'm fine."

"Just tell me what I want. Did my adoptive family mention me when I was gone?"

"They sure did. Yesterday I recorded an interesting conversation between your herbivore brother and his mum. Wanna hear it?"

"Send me the recording."

"As you say boss!"

The bear sent me an audio message. While its incessant talking could be grating it was doing a fine job spying on my adoptive family.

"Are you finished yet?" my adoptive father said on the other end. "I really need to go now."

"Oh, it hurts!" the bear cried out. "My stomach hurts so much! Sorry, just wait a little while longer okay?"

"But I can't hold it in any longer!"

"Let him in," I said. "I've got what I wanted from you."

"But I haven't finished reading!"

"That's an order."

I ended the call. To the parents who had to deal with Kumadachi, you had my deepest sympathies and condolences. I played the recording sent to me.

… So that was the reason my adoptive family took me in? I had to be honest, that was anticlimactic. Taking me in because I looked sad? Ridiculous really… Knowing this wasn't going to change anything. I'd already made up my mind to stay here in Towa City. This was the best chance I had to get sweet old revenge, and if I didn't take it now I might never get a second shot…

…Hmm, perhaps I could think over my decision once more…

"Do you think she's going to stay here?" Komaru asked.

"I don't know," he answered. "I guess we'll find out soon enough…"

They entered the entrance to Towa Hills. Hanging out with his sister yesterday had been fun, but as they kept walking to the chairman's office he was feeling a mixture of sadness and nervousness.

This might be the last time he'd ever see Monaca. He'd admit it; a part of him had wished that he never had to hang out with her ever again when she was at her cruellest. But she had softened over time. No more "pranks" at home and school, no more punishments… She wasn't always the most pleasant person to talk to, but not the worst either.

If she stayed with her family, which seemed very likely given what she said yesterday… he was going to miss her quite a bit.

… But he'd also be worried. Yeah, he won the bet, but what if she reverted back to her old habits now that he wasn't around? Even if he tried to stay in contact with her they wouldn't always have time to chat, and who knows if what she told him would be the truth…

… He was going to put his faith in her. If he couldn't even do that then what was the point in getting her to change? He might as well handcuff himself to her if he distrusted her that much.

And if she does go back to her old habits he'd just resort to the plan he made to stop her. He'd come clean to his friends about Monaca's true nature, and together they'd work something out. Was it perfect? Nope, but he'd have a much better chance working in a team than alone.

They reached the chairman's office. Outside the door waiting for them was Monaca.

"Welcome back!" Monaca said. "How was Towa City yesterday?"

"It was fantastic!" Komaru replied. She had a smile on her face. "We went to all the famous tourist spots, ate all the top foods, and bought a ton of stuff thanks to the money you gave us."

Monaca frowned. "I'm glad you got to enjoy yourselves…"

"What about you Monaca? Did you have fun yesterday?"

"Not really. I just sat in boring meetings and did boring paperwork."

"Oh." The smile on Komaru's face disappeared. "I guess that's a shame… Did your family treat you well at least?"

"They're not exactly the best, but they treated me fine."

"That's great! I'm glad your family isn't mistreating you in any way."

Komaru smiled again, but this time the smile was smaller than the last one. Her eyes were downcast as well.

"Is something the matter Big Sis?"

"I… guess this is goodbye then. I wish I could have spent more time to know you, but a promise is a promise. I'm going to miss you a lot Monaca."

"You shouldn't say that just yet Big Sis."

"Huh? Why not?"

"You'll see. Let's go in now shall we?"

Monaca entered the office. What was that about? Was she planning something? The duo glanced at each other before they followed after her. Tokuichi was at his desk, and just like last time they sat down in the seats facing the chairman. Right behind the chairman was Haiji, leaning on a wall looking impatient.

"We meet again," Tokuichi said. "I hope you two had a great time in Towa City."

"Yes we did," he said. "Thank you very much for your hospitality."

"It is fine. I am glad you two enjoyed your stay in Towa City. Be sure to leave a good review once you leave alright?"

"W-We will Mister Tokuichi!" Komaru said. It looks like she was still nervous around the man.

"Good. Now then… what is your decision Monaca? Are you staying with us, your real family, or with them?"

He looked to his right; Monaca had an unreadable expression. He already knew what her answer was going to be though.

"…I think I'm going to stay with them!" Monaca said, smiling at her father.

Wait, what?

"Are you sure?" Tokuichi said. "This is quite an opportunity for you. It is not often that one gets the privilege to join the Towa Group."

"Nope, I'll pass."

"…Then how about this? If you reconsider right now I'll transfer you to a different room as you requested. I'll even throw in a few more benefits as well."

"Just give up old man," Haiji said. "If the girl wants to leave let her leave. We can do just fine without her."

"Your son's right. Whatever you say won't change my mind. Although I do worry about the future of this company, especially since big brother Haiji is in charge of the robotics branch."

Haiji glared at Monaca. "And what do you mean by that?"

"I don't mean anything bad. I'm just saying that you don't have the skills for that position."

"… You'd better take back what you said or else—"

"I mean, seriously? You couldn't create such a simple power supply for a self-driving car? Monaca only needed a glance and she solved what took you months in seconds. It's no wonder The Excalibur isn't flying around Towa City; it would take a billions years for that to happen with you in charge."

… Should he say something? Haiji looked ready to charge right at the smiling girl.

"How does that make you feel big brother Haiji?" Monaca continued. "If your father hadn't ditched me you wouldn't be the head of the robotics branch, not that you deserve it in the first place. You should be thankful I'm leaving this place. Compared to me you have as much talent as the girls you like, minor."

Haiji bolted towards her. He was about to stand up to protect his sister, but the man stopped his charge when his father raised a hand.

"Stop," Tokuichi said.

"But this brat—"

"I said, stop. Let me handle this."

Haiji stood where he was, but he eventually returned to his previous position. His intense glare was still focused on Monaca.

"Yeah, let your old man handle it Big Bro!" Monaca said. "Not that he's going to help that much, but it's the thought that counts right?"

"That is enough talk from you. What do you gain by mocking my son and his… interesting choice in women? I don't understand."

"Oh I gain nothing really; I just wanted to see how he would react to the truth. But enough about him; why don't I talk about you next?"

"I would rather not hear whatever it is you have to say."

"You had a short-lived career as a politician, didn't you? You were quite good at rallying people to your side, but then you got too greedy. You made too many promises you couldn't deliver and had an early retirement from politics. I'm surprised you still have followers after that crash and burn."

"Enough."

"Your career as a businessman doesn't look so good either. The Towa Group hasn't made any major technological strides for two years now. Your competitors are catching up, and soon enough your corporation will be the one lagging behind everyone. The great legacy of the Towa Group will end with you and your son… How tragic."

"That is enough Monaca."

"Maybe that's why my mother ditched you. I don't even like her that much, but after seeing the state of things here I can understand why she would jump ship. It's either that, or you didn't satisfy her enough in—"

"Enough!"

Tokuichi slammed his fist on the desk, startling him and his sister. Like his son, the chairman was glaring at the grinning little girl. That glare softened as Tokuichi leaned back into his chair, fixing up the tie on his suit.

"I apologise for my… outburst," Tokuichi said, staring at the two siblings. "I did not mean to frighten you two."

"N-No…it's okay…" Komaru said.

Tokuichi focused his attention on Monaca. "I believe you made it clear how much you despise us."

"What? Monaca didn't mean to hurt your feelings," Monaca said.

"Normally saying such words would have rescinded my offer, but I will make an exception for you. I will simply overlook this behaviour as a result of your upbringing."

"Why you're so kind. But Monaca doesn't think she'll take your offer anytime soon."

Monaca turned to us. "Let's go, Big Bro, Big Sis. We're done here." She started moving towards the door.

"You are always welcome back to Towa City," Tokuichi called out. "Just make sure you have an apology ready for when you come running back."

Monaca exited the room. He stood up from his seat. "Please excuse us," he said. He bowed to the chairman before hurrying after the girl. Komaru did the same and ran after him as well.

Monaca was already on her way down the autowalk when they caught up to her. "What was that Monaca?!" Komaru said. "Why did you say all of that to them?!"

"Because they treated Monaca poorly."

"Huh? But I thought you said they weren't?"

"I'll explain it along the way."

As they made their way out of Towa Hills Monaca talked about her experience yesterday. She emphasised how everybody gave her cold looks, how they didn't laugh at her jokes, and how ladders were the worst things ever created.

They exited the building. "Can you believe it?" Monaca said. "They forced a cripple girl like me to climb a ladder, a ladder, just to get to my room."

"How awful!" Komaru said. "It's no wonder you said all of those things. Honestly, if that happened to me I would have given them a piece of my mind as well."

"I'm glad you understand how I feel Big Sis!"

"You know what? Once we get back home how about I take you out tomorrow? I'll make sure you have the best time of your life to make up for what happened."

"Oh? Well… I guess I would like that."

Komaru smiled. "Then it's decided! I'm glad you're back Monaca."

They helped Monaca down the stairs to the walkway and continued on to their destination.

"… Hey Komaru," he said. "Can I talk to Monaca in private?"

"Sure," she replied. "I'll go on ahead to our limousine." She dashed off ahead, leaving them alone for the time being. He stared at the girl next to him.

"So… you decided to stay with us," he said.

"Yes, I have," Monaca replied. "Is that a problem Big Bro? If you don't want me back you can just dump me here."

"No, it's fine. Glad to have you back Monaca."

"I find it hard to tell whether you're being sarcastic or not."

"No sarcasm here, just being truthful. Can I ask you a couple of questions?"

"Go ahead."

He went behind Monaca and moved her along the walkway. "Question one," he said. "Why did you lie about your family? If I had known about it I would have tried to help you."

"To be honest I don't think you would've helped much," Monaca said. "But to answer your question, I lied to protect myself. If Monaca admitted she won the bet you would have done something, wouldn't you? You would have tried to stop me from taking revenge, all because of your silly little ideals."

"My ideals aren't silly. I don't believe in an eye for an eye, so if I knew then yeah, I would have tried to stop you."

"Let me ask you a question." She turned her body around to face him. "What would you have done to stop me?"

"I would have asked my friends for help."

"Really, relying on your friends? You shouldn't have your friends support you that much. You'll become a loser at this rate."

"It's a better option than trying to stop you alone."

"I guess that's fair." Monaca turned away from him and leaned back into her wheelchair.

"Next question," he said. "Have you given up your revenge?"

"Nope. I came up with a new plan though, want to hear it?"

"Sure…"

"I'm going to build my own company, the best company in the whole wide world! I'll build inventions better than the Towa Group, pay my workers better than the Towa Group, and have a private island even better than the Towa Group! My family will watch as their precious legacy gets destroyed, and for the rest of their miserable lives, they'll live with the knowledge that it was me who did it. It's a much better revenge than just letting them die right?"

… At least no one gets killed, right?

"Yeah, it's… much better I think? Wouldn't that be harder for you though?"

"Perhaps. Destroying my family from the inside would be easier for me, but where's the fun in that? Life's all about challenges, and without them, life would be a bit dull wouldn't you agree? Besides, you'll be helping me in building up my corporation."

"I will?"

"Yes, you will. You have an unnatural talent to get close to people, and I want to use that. If there's someone I need befriending I'll send you to do the task for me. I'll be the brains, and you'll be… well, not the brawn. Maybe you'll be the heart?"

"I don't exactly feel comfortable being used like this…"

"Relax Makoto. You'll be getting something out of this as well. If it all goes smoothly you and your family will be rich! So, are you in?"

"…Fine." He wasn't really sure if he wanted to be Monaca's friendship tool, but at least she was putting her energy into something productive now.

"Perfect! Now, do you have any more questions?" Monaca asked.

"No, that's all I wanted to ask," he said.

"Then let's hurry home. Oh, by the way, you can have your room back."

He was surprised. He was finally getting his room back, after all these months?

"Where will you be sleeping then?"

"Isn't it obvious? In your sister's room of course."

"Weren't you complaining about how her snoring kept you up at night?"

"That's all in the past. Besides having a bit of noise can be… reassuring in a way. Let's catch up to your sister; we've talked for far too long now."

Monaca pointed ahead. He pushed her wheelchair faster along the walkway. They caught up to Komaru, standing near the steps that led down to the road below.

"Is something wrong Komaru?" he asked as he approached her.

"Yeah uh, we might have a problem getting back home…" she said. She pointed at the road. He looked; the limousine that took them here was no longer there.

"How petty," Monaca said. "It looks like my father took back the limousine he loaned you. I guess we'll have to find another way back to your house."

"But I have a lot of stuff back in the hotel!" Komaru cried out. "There's no way I can carry all of it by hand!"

"… Maybe you don't need to," he said. "I think I know someone who can help."

"Thanks, Byakuya," my accomplice said. "I really owe you one."

"Hmph. Do not expect me to help you out like this again," Mister four-eyes said. "Especially for her."

The blonde teenager glared at me. Jeez, I already apologised to him during our car ride. Couldn't he just let bygones be bygones?

"I know, I know, I'm sorry for troubling you. I swear I won't use you as a personal taxi ever again."

"You should be glad that I'm in a forgiving mood today, else that sorry excuse of an apology wouldn't work. Prepare yourself for the future Makoto; for I'll be making good use of that favour you owe me."

The limousine Mister Four-eyes was in took off, followed by the five other limousines behind it. "U-Uh, thank you so much for the ride Mister Byakuya!" my adoptive sister called out, although I doubted that he actually heard.

"I think he likes you," I said.

"I find that hard to believe sometimes…" my accomplice said. "Let's get everything into the house."

My accomplice picked up one of the shopping bags scattered around us, as did his sister. In half a day my adoptive sister had blown away the money given by my father. I didn't exactly know why my adoptive sister blew half a million dollars on five hundred drawing utensils, but at least it wasn't my money.

I picked up a small bag I could carry and stared at my accomplice's house. Such a boring looking home; it's certainly less impressive than Towa Hills. But at least it didn't have any damn ladders.

My accomplice approached the front door and pressed the doorbell. My adoptive sister and I stood behind him as we waited.

The door opened. "Well look who it is. You guys sure took your fuckin' time getting back."

We all took a step back away from the door.

"What? Is there something on my face? Is it shit? It's shit isn't it?"

I stared at my invention. What happened to it? The right half of the bear which was supposed to be all white was now dark-greyish, and its right eye was covered with an eye patch with a symbol of a heart on it. Around its neck were a black tie and a gold chain with a padlock attached, and on its head was a black fedora with a single white feather stained red at the tip. A cigar was also in its hand.

"Um…what happened to your appearance Kumadachi?" I asked.

"Oh, that? I got fed up with it and decided to redesign myself. You gotta admit, I look fuckin' baller right now wouldn't you agree!"

More like a fashion disaster in my opinion.

"And don't call me Kumadachi anymore, it's Kurokuma. Do ya get it? It's because I'm—"

"If you don't mind," my accomplice said, "can we go in now?"

"What, you need the bathroom?"

"No, I just want to get everything inside."

My accomplice gestured behind him, prompting Kurokuma to look behind us. "What the hell? Did you buy an entire store or some shit?"

"Something like that…" my adoptive sister said.

"As you can see we brought a lot of stuff back with us," I said. "Why don't you help us bring it all in?"

"Nah fuck that, I'm on my smoke break at the moment."

"Bears shouldn't be smoking in the first place. And I'm not asking you to help, I'm ordering you, or is there something wrong with your programming? Maybe Monaca should take a look inside your head…"

"Whoa, whoa, I was just messing with ya Monaca! I'll take everything in as fast as possible!"

Kurokuma dashed past us and began to pick up the bags. I never expected my invention to develop into…that. I should probably keep an eye on it for a while.

My adoptive sister walked into the house. I tried to move through the front door as well but was stopped by my accomplice.

"Before we go in can I tell you something?" he said.

"What is it?" I replied.

"You know how you were wondering why my family adopted you? I asked my mum about it and she gave me an answer. Want to hear it?"

"No need. I already know the answer."

"You do? How did you find out?"

"It's a secret. I'll admit it, I was entirely wrong about my assessment of your family. They're as close to the word 'good' as people can get."

"Do you think you can open up to them a bit more?"

"… I'll try."

My accomplice smiled. "That's good to hear. Oh, one more thing. Can you start calling my parents mum and dad? You don't need to if you don't want, but I think it'll make them very happy."

"Yes, yes, I'll do that. Can we go in now?"

My accomplice moved out of the way, allowing me to enter his house. Speaking of mums, I have found zero information in Towa Hills about my real mother. All evidence of her working there had been erased. The only thing I had on her was that she was reclusive. Nobody came to mind, so I guess it was going to take a while longer until I find my beloved mother…

My adoptive mother walked out of the kitchen. "Makoto, Komaru, you're back!" she said, smiling at the duo as they placed down the bags. "How was your—"

She noticed me at the front door. She stepped back a little, a look of surprise on her face. "M-Monaca?! Is that you?!"

"Nope, I'm her twin sister!" I replied. "But yes, it's me in the flesh."

"I… I never thought you'd come back to us. What about your family?"

"Monaca had a bit… of a falling out with them. I'll explain it later once all the bags are inside."

"Okay…"

My adoptive mother stood there, staring down at her hands as they fumbled around. She looked like she was at a loss for words; I guess I should help her out a bit.

"If it helps Monaca likes everyone here a lot more than her own family."

"Y-You do?" She stared up at me.

"I do! Monaca's happy that she gets to stay here together with everybody!"

My words seemed to have the opposite effect of what I intended, as my adoptive mother started crying a little. Did I say something wrong? I was pretty sure I didn't, otherwise, why would she also be smiling?

My adoptive mother wiped away the tears. "Y-You have no idea how happy I am hearing that!" she said. "I'm so glad we were able to provide you the love you deserved. Tonight I'm going to cook up all of your favourite dishes!"

"Why I would love that mum!"

"… What did you just say Monaca?"

"I said I would love that!"

"No, no, what did you just call me?!"

"…Mum?"

"… H-Honey! Get over here quick!" my adoptive mother shouted. In a flash, my adoptive father came running out of the hallway of the house and into the living room.

"What happened dear!" my adoptive father cried out. He scanned the room until his eyes spotted me. "M-Monaca?! You're here?!"

"You wouldn't believe what she said!" my adoptive mother said. "She just called me mum for the first time!"

"S-She did?!"

… What was going on?

"Um… if you don't mind Monaca… can you call me dad?"

"…Dad?"

My adoptive father staggered back, leaning against a wall as if he had been struck down. He smiled at his wife. "I can't believe it, she called me dad!"

"I know right?! Oh, we're the luckiest parents in the world!"

… This was weird. Just when I thought they were normal this happens. I shrugged my shoulders, oh well. I guess being a bit weird was fine. At least I know I wouldn't get too bored being around this family.

He walked into his room. He surveyed his surroundings; he still couldn't believe that he was sleeping here again. Everything looked almost the same when he got kicked out, except for a few of Monaca's personal belongings.

He moved towards his closet and opened it up. All of his stuff was still in here as well. It seemed Monaca didn't throw away any of his stuff. He lay down on his bed, smiling to himself. In the end, everything had turned out all rig—

"Whatcha smiling at Makoto? Is there something interesting up there on the ceiling?"

He turned his head. Kurokuma was leaning at his door with his arms crossed, a cigar in his mouth.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "And don't smoke inside the house!"

"Chill out; this cigar's not even lit. I'm not going to burn the fuckin' house down, because I'm a dependable bear."

Kurokuma sat down at his desk. "And didn't your sweet mum tell ya? We're roommates!"

"We're— We're what now?!"

"Are ya deaf or something? We're roommates, pals, drinking buddies or whatever else ya wanna call it."

"B-But why?"

"Because ya mum said so. She felt bad that I was sleeping on the couch, so she decided I should sleep here with Monaca instead. Well, I'm sleeping with you now but hell, I ain't complaining!"

Kurokuma laughed. "Your mother's such a great woman. She's kind and she always laughs at my jokes, definitely my type of girl. Hey, don't glare at me like that. Are ya trying to blow my brains or something? Well guess what? I'm gonna keep on talkin' and talkin' all night until ya get used to me!"

… Actually, maybe he didn't really need his room back anymore…