Danganronpa: Painful Truth

Sharing Breakfast

The sky had barely brightened from dawn twilight by the time Maki and Tenko were ready to begin their training session. After pausing in the kitchen for a quick, light meal, they set out into the forest.

Accommodating as always, Shinji had already provided Tenko with a new outfit for exercise. The leggings were powder blue, with cutouts of white fabric on the sides that were laced up with tiny, dark blue bows. The top was a loose, soft, sporty pullover made of dark blue fabric, with a white bow on the zipper.

"Your outfit looks nice," Maki observed. "You seem like you're more comfortable showing off less skin."

"Thanks! Shinji thought so too!" Tenko nodded earnestly. "For a degenerate male, he's pretty thoughtful! I was worried about it at first, because my master always told me that showing off skin is better for a girl's spirit energy, but I think it'll be okay for training!"

Maki stared, feeling suddenly unqualified to deal with the situation. "I...don't think that's right," she muttered. "As long as your clothes don't obstruct your movement, it doesn't matter what you wear."

"Oh, really?" Tenko looked conflicted. "Well, as my temporary new master, I'll trust you on that!"

Maki fiddled with her hair, looking embarrassed. "Well, let's start then, I guess."

Even though martial arts weren't Maki's specialty, she managed to take the upper hand more often than not. The aikido master found herself on her back every few minutes, blinking up at the sky in confusion. Of course, she was far from discouraged.

"Hiiiiii-yaaaaah!" Tenko launched another aggressive attack, and was deftly blocked once again by Maki. "Wow! You're so fast, and you barely moved at all!"

"Isn't aikido supposed to be a defensive style?" Maki pointed out. "So why am I the only one doing any defending?"

"I am defending!" Tenko argued, raising her hands to strike again. "Because the best defense is a good offense!"

"That's...not always true." Maki dodged her with one step, using Tenko's own momentum to send her stumbling to the ground. "Actually, you have the same problem when you talk."

"Huh?" Tenko sprang to her feet immediately, stretching and testing her limbs. "How does that work?"

Maki picked up her water bottle and took a sip before explaining. "If you're constantly in offensive mode, you're open to attack because you miss the opportunity to react to your opponent's movements." She sidestepped another hasty attack and continued to speak. "But if you can be patient enough to watch for their next move, you can wait for an opening and react accordingly instead of just flailing around however you feel like. That way you can avoid injury while also saving energy." As if to demonstrate, she spun around and launched a kick into Tenko's back.

"Ow!" The simple move sent the aikido master sprawling forward onto her face. She rolled over, looking startled, but her eyes sparkled with wonder. She pulled herself up to a sitting position and folded her hands together respectfully. "I think I am starting to understand!" She leapt to her feet so she could properly bow to Maki. "Thank you Maki! How do you know so much about this?"

She shrugged awkwardly. "Just something I picked up on."

"My master would never have taught me how to talk to people!" Tenko continued wistfully. "He always said girls are usually expected to be quiet outside of combat, and I'm just no good at that!"

Maki winced. "Tenko," she began, somewhat uncertainly. "Your master... doesn't sound like a good person."

Tenko's eyes widened slightly. She was unusually quiet for several moments. Grimacing, she pulled her hands into her sleeves and wrapped her arms around herself. "Uh, Maki, let's talk about something else, okay?"