Truth, Perjury, and Sacrifice

Approaching

"Did you hear about Hope's Peak?" a girl with long, blue hair asked her friend.

The boy put his finger to his lips, "Don't draw attention to us," he hissed, pulling his hat down.

"Sorry. It's just...it's plain amazing that we might have a chance to attend." She clapped, smiling. "We might be able to meet the people who knew her."

"Have you heard from Togami?" Makoto asked, flipping through potential student files.

Kyoko shook her head, her fingers aggressively tapping at her keyboard. "I imagine his days are still packed with meetings, with or without the pressure of his fiancée's inane ideas." The pair had been in Makoto's office for the past hour, trying to arrange the student roster amongst their friend's schedules.

"I don't know, Kyoko. I'm starting to think we need Komaeda and Hinata's help." His hand rest atop the short stack of files. The students they had managed to scout were few, including the potential Ultimate Survivor, Anthropologist, and Tennis Player.

"They're most likely in hiding. The group that Byakuya mentioned seems interested in the students, rather than those operating the Academy." She mentally sighed in relief. Kyoko often replayed Makoto's failed execution in her mind and how they wouldn't be sitting here if he had died. If she hadn't ventured to the basement... ''No,'  she thought, blinking the thought away. "However, we should proceed with caution." Kyoko leaned in closer as she read the newest email. She stood, shutting the laptop, and grabbed her coat from the back of her chair, "I have to go. I just received a tip on the vandalization that's been taking place in town."

Makoto smiled, "Be safe. I'll meet you at home, then?"

Kyoko paused, "Yes. I'll call you on my way." She leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Makoto's cheek.

"Good luck, Madam Detective!" He saluted as she rushed towards the door.

Kyoko sighed with a smile, "Thank you."

"I'm so bored!" Hiyoko whined, stretching across the couch. "They should've helped us after what we did for them!"

"Hey, don't be so harsh on them. It's a big deal that we even got this far," Mahiru said.

"I agree. To earn the public's trust will be quite the challenge," Peko leaned forward, reaching for a cup of tea from the tray. "Especially for those of us who already had a questionable history."

"What are they gonna do? Arrest us?" Akane said.

"Akane, now would not be the time to resist arrest. We should be considered lucky if they let us live." Mahiru shuddered. What if the public wants them to die? Would they be publicly executed? Had Karen even contemplated that possibility? "Maybe we shouldn't have come back."

"No! Please don't lose faith, Mahiru! We will be able to return to normalcy if we work together," Sonia smiled.

Mahiru couldn't challenge Sonia. The former princess had no home or family to return to. Her kingdom was left desolate, bloodied, and consumed by despair. Japan and their group were Sonia's new normal. The island had been a temporary reprieve, yet the feeling of isolation loomed. "I guess that's our only option right now."

"Out of the number of ways it could have gone, I wished it had ended in a yelling match," Karen said, her arm laying over her eyes as she lay back.

"If it had, I don't think Byakuya would have mentioned discussing it further," Hajime said. "Did you talk after we left?"

Karen uncovered her eyes, "We didn't discuss it further, but he told me that I need to be patient." She reached for her ring, twisting it. "Then I opened my damn mouth and said I have been patient."

Hajime and Nagito cringed, "What'd he say?" Nagito asked.

"I've been patient, too. If I dare say, I have been more patient than you." Karen recited. "And I agreed then apologized. Once again, I've created more stress than none of us need. I'm sorry for dragging you guys back here."

Hajime shook his head, "Don't be. I'm glad you did. Most of us didn't want to run away, but we didn't know what else to do."

"Thank you for confirming that I ran away," Karen chuckled.

"No! That's not what I meant!" Hajime glanced at Nagito.

"That's what I heard," he smirked.

"Don't gang up on me!" Hajime smacked Nagito's arm as his boyfriend laughed. His cell phone ringtone interrupted the bickering, pulling Hajime into the next room.

Karen pulled out her phone, opening the messages between her and Byakuya.

Me: Hey. I know we left off on a bitter note last night.

Me: But I know this whole thing has been stressful and you're in the middle of rebuilding the conglomerate.

Me: I'm sorry for springing this on you and the others. I'm sorry for abruptly leaving for three months. I'm sorry for causing you so much stress and pain. I'm sorry for a whole lot of things that I should have apologized for sooner.

Me: I'm just trying to be the woman you deserve to marry and I don't feel like I'm meeting my expectations. But I think about that day every day 😊 because....I love you and can't wait for that day to arrive.

Karen smiled at her phone, clicking the screen off. "You're the sappiest person," a voice startled her from behind. Nagito had snuck around the couch to watch her type. She pushed his face away.