Tenhimi: Before The Game

Chapter Five

I'm eating lunch, cuddling into Tenko's side. Ever since last week at the Hinamatsuri festival, I don't think I've gone a single day without cuddling or kissing her. She brings me comfort, and although I'm embarrassed to say it, I really do love her.

"And then I said to him- are you sure YOU'RE the pizza boy?" Kokichi finishes a story. The lunch table laughs uproariously. I wasn't really listening to the story, but seeing Tenko laugh so brightly brings a smile to my face.

A few new people have joined the once meager table of socially awkward nerds. There's a girl with shoulder length curly green hair, but I'm not sure what her name is yet. There's also a friend of Kokichi and Shuichi's, a really buff boy who has a bit of speech impediment. His name is Gonta, which I know because his impediment is that he talks in 3rd person.

The weirdest addition to our lunch table is Kaede. I haven't seen her talk to Kaito since I saw her crying at the playground a week ago. I also haven't seen her say a word. She kind of just eats her lunch at our table, listening quietly to the rest of the table. Kokichi shoots her angry looks every few minutes to make sure she stays in line.

Tenko reaches down and ruffles my hair. I realize I'm on the verge of falling asleep on her soft arm.

"Hi girlfriend." She says softly, and kisses me on the nose.

"Heyyy." I murmur. She's so pretty.

"Get a room, lovebirds." The green haired girl giggles. Everyone laughs, and I blush and bury my face into her shoulder.

"Whatever, Amami." Wait. Amami?

The bell rings, and I reluctantly get up from Tenko's soft embrace.

While we're walking to my next class, I ask Tenko about the green haired girl.

"You're adorable. Her name is Kizuki Amami."

"Why does Amami sound so familiar...?" I ask her. It's on the tip of my tongue.

"Ah... her sibling was in Danganronpa 52, you know the one that aired last year. Rantaro Amami, remember? They were the survivor." My eyes widen.

"Oooh. Right."

"She doesn't like talking about it. She moved here a few months ago." She continues. That's terrible, her own sibling left her to join a killing game. No wonder her eyes are so baggy and tired. She must be worried sick about her brother.

"It's strange how Rantaro hasn't been released yet... I wonder what the Danganronpa Company is planning..." I say quietly.

I don't think what Danganronpa is doing is right- teenagers choosing to join a game where multiple people die. But it's been around for years and years, ever since the first few by the original Junko Enoshima. Years after the tragedy, a company decided to fictionally recreate the games, and from then it dissolved into true murder and death. It's been over a hundred years since the tragedy, so I don't think about it much.

"Hey- after school, do you want to come over and watch the new episode of Mage Girls?" I don't have a TV, so I watch Mage Girls together with Tenko.

"Sure." I try to hide my excitement. I love Mage Girls.

Several hours later, I'm sitting on Tenko's lap on her bean bag. We're eating oreos, and I can tell Tenko is struggling to eat them. She's always had a problem eating, especially in front of me. I'm proud of her though, for trying.

Suddenly there's a knocking at the door of her bedroom. I jump out of her lap and we nod at each other.

"Come in!"