I had the opportunity to make this ANGSTY. AND I DIDN'T. YOU'RE WELCOME.

Kyoko,

It's me again. I know it's only been a day or so since we last talked, but I wanted to talk again. I miss when we would talk about anything without having to worry, back in Hope's Peak. It feels like forever since those times.

Everything's alright back here. We all miss you, of course. And, of course, everything is flying off the wall without you here to keep everyone in order.

(I'm just kidding there. I'm handling everything fine, don't worry.)

Kisa finished the logic puzzle book you gave her to work on. You should've seen the look on her face! She was so proud of herself, and I know you would be proud of her, too. She told me to tell you to come back as soon as possible so the two of you can...how did she put it? "Find the killer of Mr. Boddy." I hope that was a game reference and you aren't taking our youngest out to find actual killers.

(I'm kidding again. I know that's a Clue reference.)

Hikari hung out with her aunts last night. Toko and Komaru helped her out with the storyline and illustrations for the manga she's been working on. It looks really good so far! Her hard work (she got that from you) really pays off, and Komaru said she was a delight to have over. It seems like just yesterday she was turning a year old, but here she is at fourteen and already working on a manga. Time just flows by, doesn't it?

And, since Kisa was with a friend last night, Isuzu and I were able to have a "guy's night." I know what they say about having preteen children and them being hard to handle, but I don't know what they're talking about. Isuzu and I had a lot of fun playing some video games we both like. Let me tell you, he's gotten really good at Mario Kart. I'll bet he could lap Mondo at this point!

Don't forget to write back. I know work leaves you busy, but I miss talking to you every day. Can't wait for you to come back home, Kyoko. Stay safe. I love you.

-Makoto

Kyoko smiled down at the email on her laptop screen. She didn't like it when work required her to be away from her family, but thankfully the traveling never lasted for longer than a week or two. This was one of the longer trips; she had to look further than locally for this case. It was a pain, but it had to be done. There was nothing she could really do about it.

Just as they missed her, she missed her husband and kids so much. She never really thought she would be the kind of woman to be a mother of three, but that's where she ended up, and she wouldn't trade it for the world. Hikari, Isuzu, and Kisa were her entire world. It was hard for her to believe that they were already so grown up.

She opened a new email draft, staring at the blinking cursor. When she was traveling, it was always more reliable to reach her through email instead of via text. Although, that wasn't saying too much, as she did occasionally forget to write back. She felt awful whenever that happened.

It was dark outside- around eleven at night- and she knew that Makoto would likely already be asleep. She usually went to sleep around one or two, preferring to get as much work done as humanly possible before sleeping. Her email would be a nice surprise for him in the morning.

Makoto-

I'm glad to hear that everything is going well on your end. Of course, I never doubted that anything would go otherwise. I have complete and total faith in you. Always remember that.

I miss you and the kids so much, it's hard to believe. Only a couple more days, and then I'll be home. This case is almost completely wrapped up quite nicely. And don't worry, I'm staying safe.

I can tell that I'm going to be catching up with the kids a lot. I can't wait to hear everything about what's been going on this last week. It's hard to imagine them growing up so fast. It feels like it was just yesterday when we were still in Hope's Peak. Don't we have a reunion coming up soon? It would be great to see everyone again.

Above all, don't worry too much about me. You know me, Makoto.

Give Toko and Komaru my best. Don't forget to tell the kids that I love them.

And, of course, I love you.

-Kyoko

Oh and because I'm not at all creative with names, Kisa and Isuzu are from Fruit's Basket and Hikari is Dawn from Pokemon's Japanese name.

Thank you to muk854 for reviewing!