Truth, Perjury, and Sacrifice

Rebuttal & Restart

Kirumi was welcomed to sit and wait in the living room, while Byakuya and Karen stood in the kitchen and wondered what the hell they were going to do. "It's a little convenient for this girl, offering some kind of service, to arrive right after the house was destroyed."

"I know," Byakuya said, "That's why I'm going to call Kyoko." He made a mental note to show some kind of appreciation for all the help the detective had provided in the past few weeks. "Hey, it's me, I need to request a background check. On a girl that simply arrived at our front door. Her name is Kirumi Tojo and she's offering to help us with maintaining the household."

Karen could hear Kyoko tapping away at her laptop. Karen imagined Kyoko's office at the academy, how it vaguely resembled how Jin used to decorate his office. Had Kyoko bothered to keep that photo of her and her father from when they escaped?

"Kyoko will handle it. In the meantime, she suggests we accept miss Tojo's offer."

Karen nodded, "Alright. I guess I'll take it from here. You should probably get to work."

Byakuya nodded, "I only need to visit the office, so I won't be gone long." Byakuya kissed Karen's cheek and left, giving a polite farewell to Kirumi.

"So, let us discuss arrangements," Karen smiled, sitting across from the young girl.

"You still haven't said anything to her?!" Komaru huffed, pacing around Makoto's office.

"Komaru, it's been crazy around here. Besides, I'm not sure if now is the best time to be handing them off to others." Makoto leaned back in his office chair. "What about the apartments? Just until everything with us settles down a bit?"

Komaru sighed, "Well, it's better than nothing. I just hope they don't think we're just dropping them off anywhere."

Makoto felt bad for the Warriors of Hope, but also couldn't think of better options. "Maybe it wouldn't be too soon."

"Really?" Komaru lit up. "I mean, it's just Nagisa and Kotoko now."

"What? You found someone to take Monaca?"

Komaru nodded, "Toki and I decided to keep her with us."

Makoto stopped to think about who 'Toki' was, remembering that was his sister's nickname for Toko. He wasn't sure when or if he'd recognize Toko by that name. "I'm sure you'll do great," he smiled, "but if you run into trouble, let Kyoko and I know, okay?"

Komaru nodded, "So, should I call Togami?"

"No, I'll handle it. I'll call you when it's time."

Karen spoke with Kirumi for what seemed like minutes, but hours had passed. She was surprised that Kirumi had declined to live in the same house, rather she was already living with some friends. Hearing this, Karen didn't bother to ask about Kirumi's family. She knew very well what must have happened. "Well, Miss Tojo, although this is unexpected, I'm a bit relieved."

"After hearing what happened, I felt an obligation to help those who had helped Japan return to some sense of normalcy."

Karen glanced at her phone, noticing how late into the day it had become. "Oh, I've kept you far longer than I should have. I haven't kept you from other plans, have I?"

Kirumi shook her head, briefly exposing her other eye underneath her bangs. "Not at all. In all honesty, I arrange to have the entire day free to prove my services useful. Shall I start with preparing dinner?"