Danganronpa: String Theory (DrV3)

4.13 - Triggering

"... can set it to heat up all while we're having breakfast! That way when we're done, it should be ready for us to jump into after we have a light meal!" I hear Tenko's voice from the hall near the dining room doorway, standing with Himiiko, Angie, and even Maki. That being said, Maki is leaning back against a wall with an apathetic look across her face, barely even allowing her eyes to shift towards me upon my arrival. Besides that though, what are they even talking about?

Although I'm walking towards them, only Maki notices me since the other girls are turned away with their backs towards my approaching figure. A refreshing level of glee rushes over me when I see Tenko's figure up ahead, but I don't call out yet. I wanna surprise her with a hug and see how she reacts.

"And so you're inviting me only so Prairie doesn't feel lonely. Is that right?" Maki asks as she holds my gaze, prompting me to stagger a little in my steps. What am I hearing?

"Nyahaha~! Beyond that, it would be nice to learn more about each other, wouldn't you say? We've hardly spent time together...and more friends is never bad!" Angie chirps, hands behind her back as she rocks back and forth on her heels playfully.

"Y-You have to admit...we don't have a lot of girls left in here. It's just us, and then Kirumi, who we can't exactly invite for obvious reasons! You understand, right?" Tenko asks sheepishly, pressing her fingers together as she turns her torso a little from side-to-side.

"No, I don't understand," Maki bluntly states, closing her eyes for a moment and crossing her arms. "If you want her to have more company, just invite some of the boys."

Tenko gasps in horror, making my expression dampen and fall a little. She's still biased when I'm not around...

"I mean...she has a point. Besides, Prairie likes Rantaro a lot...he calms her. We could ask him to come with us-" Himiko starts, before Tenko lifts her arms and makes an "X" in front of herself.

"No way! Nuh-uh! We're not inviting any perverted menaces with us! This is a girls-only event! Why would we want to bring them along if they're only going to ogle and fantasize about us when we're walking around in such small clothing!" Tenko is so quick to say that it pulls more of my good mood out from under me.

Wait..."small clothing"? Just what sort of girls-only event is this? I'm more inclined to be suspicious of Tenko rather than anyone else.

"You've got bird seeds for brains, it seems. If you really don't want her to feel lonely, maybe start by fixing your biases beyond what you choose to display in front of Prairie. Or you're going to get a lot of looks like that," Maki says, pointing at me from behind Tenko and Angie.

Tenko's dry expression becomes guilt-ridden as soon as she sees me, prompting me to momentarily avert my gaze and awkwardly finish walking towards them.

"...Hi," I simply say with a semi-strained voice, trying to shake the awkwardness of being pointed out as an eavesdropper. Still...it's not like I meant to listen in. Tenko's behavior just caught me off guard.

"I-I'm sorry!" Tenko blurts out, louder than intended. Himiko winces, but simply picks at her ear with a bit of a glare towards the Aikido master.

"Now you've done it..." Himiko says, even though it's apparent my temper isn't exactly going up like it had before. Maybe I used up all my energy being angry with Korekiyo for his stupidity.