Truth, Perjury, and Sacrifice

Paper Trail

Three weeks had passed since they arrived back in Japan. The students made no attempt at revealing their location, so, unfortunately, Hope's Peak Academy would stand still for a while longer without use. This didn't deter Makoto and the others, though, as there was still plenty of work to keep everyone busy. Right now, Hajime and the others were putting the finishing touches on his and Nagito's new house, while the contractors worked on the plans for the others' future homes.

Makoto stood in Karen's office, holding one arm out and the other loosely to his side. "Just keep it up for a bit longer, okay?" Karen glanced up from her position, as she continued to pin the hem of his pant legs.

"No problem. Thanks again for doing this."

"Please, you don't have to thank me. This is part of my gift to you and Kyoko," Karen said, smiling. "Did she confirm with you when she would be over for me to take her measurements?"

"Uh, yeah, sometime Thursday."

Karen chuckled, "That's so like Kyoko. She can recall every detail of a crime scene, but she kind of sucks at keeping appointments." She shrugged, "I expected as much. I'll call her later. Okay, you can put your arm down, I'm done."

Makoto stepped down from the raised platform and turned to the floor-length mirror, "This looks incredible. This looks like something Byakuya would wear." The black suit had a gentle sheen to it, with silk accents.

"Trust me, it'll look even better with the shoes and hair," Karen stared at Makoto's reflection. "Has she talked about any planning yet?"

"A little. She's not used to all of this. Neither of us is really, I guess." His eyes darted away from the mirror for a moment, catching the white and black fabric on the other side of the room divider. "Whose are those?"

Karen gave a sad smile, "These?" She asked, pulling out the dressed mannequins. One was dressed in a classic black tuxedo with white accents; the other was dressed in a floor-length pinkish-white wedding dress. The dress was only partially finished. "I haven't had a chance to finish the beadwork on the dress, but the tux was easy to make."

"It's her dress," Kotoko said from the doorway. "I keep telling her to finish it whenever she has free time."

"Why don't you?" Makoto asked.

Karen shook her head, "There's no point. Don't worry about my missed chances, and focus on your wedding." She laughed, but the pain was obvious. "And what are you doing sneaking around?"

"I came to give this to you," Kotoko held out a letter. "Someone knocked at the door and left this on the front step."

Karen took the letter and stared at it, holding it up to the light. "Kotoko, Makoto, I want both of you to go downstairs."

"What? Why?" Makoto asked.

"This letter could be laced with poison or some kind of contagious disease, so I'm going to open this letter in this room with the doors and windows closed. I will call you to confirm if it's safe. Now, go downstairs, please. Don't call or text anyone until I call you, okay?"

Makoto and Kotoko nodded and shut the door behind them. Karen locked her office door behind them. Taking a deep breath, she held the letter up to the light one more time before reaching into her desk for a letter opener. She gently sliced into the top of the envelope. She couldn't see any residual dust or fragments in the air, so she continued to remove the piece of paper. "Wait," she stopped herself and grabbed a tissue to remove the letter with. Still, no powder or odd smells permeated the air. With the tissue, Karen opened and flattened the paper on her desk.