Truth, Perjury, and Sacrifice

Catch Up

After the IV bag was finally empty, and Mikan said that Karen looked well enough to leave, she finally went home to shower. On the way home, she put in several calls to the others to make sure everyone was okay. Finally, she called Hajime.

"Hey, what's up?" He answered. There was some clanking in the background, which was unusual.

"What are you doing?" She chuckled "Are you building something?"

"No, I'm making coffee with one hand because you called me."

Karen squinted in response, shaking her head. "Well, mind if I stop by? I just left the hospital and heading home to shower right now, so I thought I'd visit the recovering one."

"Oh? How are Byakuya and the kids doing?"

"Better for now. I need to keep a close eye on Towa to make sure that we get the actual antidote in time." Karen pulled into her driveway and shut the car down. "I think we finally had a breakthrough with Nagisa, which is relieving."

"That's great! But yeah, just let me know when you're on your way."

They exchanged okays and goodbyes, allowing Karen to hang up and finally leave the car. The house was dark, as expected, still as empty as before. Surprisingly, the place was spotless. Not a single speck of dust to be seen.

She tossed her keys in the key dish, kicked off her shoes, and went into the kitchen. On the dining table was a note and a plate of macarons. "What is this?" she whispered to herself, picking up a cookie and the note.

Thank you for all that you've done for us. -The 79th class

The handwriting was immaculate, and presumably Kirumi's at that. Karen smiled and took a picture to send to Kyoko.

Kyoko: They did the same for me and Komaru as well! (photo attached)

The photo was of the note next to the plate of checkboard cookies. However, the note was signed "your students" rather than from the 79th class.

Karen: They've taken a real liking to you and Makoto. You two much be amazing teachers.

Kyoko: Don't sell yourself short. I've noticed how a few of them enjoy getting your approval.

Stepping in occasionally as their homeroom teacher wasn't too big of a deal to Karen. It really was just the trade-off to help ease Kyoko's workload. But somehow these students managed to prove a lot about themselves in the past few months they had been attending Hope Peak. It was similar to the transformation of the Warriors of Hope, maybe with the exception of Monaca.

Karen: Tsumugi has been fun to work with! She's super passionate about her work and I think I'm learning more from her than she is from me. Oh, and don't let Shuichi fool you.

Karen: He may be hesitant about this whole detective thing, but I notice how calm and collected he becomes when you offer advice.

Kyoko: Gonta and Gundham seem to make a great mentor-student pair. Although, I think Kaede and Ibuki clash a bit too much.

Karen: Maybe we can have a couple of days where we trade students, just to broaden their horizons a little. Never know what might happen!

Kyoko: Sounds interesting at least. I'll ask Makoto about it. Talk soon.

Karen had wandered into the living room by now, toting the plate of cookies and her cell phone along. She scrolled through her contacts and found Kirumi's number, pressing the call button.