Chapter Text
"Here, I got you this." I hand the headband to Tenko, looking away to avoid embarrassment. She skims the instruction manual and grins.
"Oooohhhhh thank you so much Himiko! I love it!" She crashes into me with a hug, making my stomach pang.
"It's just to repay you for the wolf." I pout.
"You're too cute. I'm gonna go to the bathroom and put it on, be right back!" She runs off. I sit on her bed, fiddling with the edge of my skirt like I do when I'm nervous.
Ugh, what's that smell? I scowl as a gross odor seeps out from under the bed. Getting on my hands and knees, I peek under Tenko's bed. The smell is coming from a white plastic bin. Geez, did an animal die here or something? I guess I should check so I can tell Tenko if something did.
I pull it out, and to my surprise it's a bucket of vomit. I gag and push it back under the bed, and I hear the rustles of food wrappers.
"Himiko it looks great!" I hear Tenko's voice coming near. I spring up and sit back down on her bed as fast as possible.
She walks in with a bright smile on her face, gesturing to the green flower-like headband on the back of her head. She looks gorgeous, of course, but all I can think about is the disgusting sight I had just seen.
"You look great." I put on a fake smile.
"Cmon let's get out of my boring room with the small TV and go watch Mage Girls."
"And cuddleeee!" She sings, grabbing my hand and pulling me to the living room. She probably doesn't want me to smell the stuff under her bed.
I knew that Tenko had some sort of disordered eating, she barely ate and was always chugging water. But I didn't know it was this bad. Maybe it was just a one time thing. I'll just have to watch her closely.
"Tenko, I'm hungry. Can we make popcorn?" I ask.
"Sure!" She doesn't seem to be uneasy or nervous.
We make popcorn and settle down onto her couch, her arm draped around my shoulders. I half watch the show and half watch Tenko, who's eating the popcorn just like normal.
However after about 10 minutes, Tenko stands up.
"I have to use the restroom, you don't need to pause." Right when she closes the door to the bathroom I scurry over to the door and put my ear against it.
I hear her gagging her guts out.
Disgusted, I run back to the couch, nausea rising. Hell, maybe I'll throw up.
I can't believe this. Poor Tenko, forcing herself to throw up just so she can lose weight? How do I even begin to tell her how gorgeous she is right now? I can't stand the thought of thinking of her purposely making herself vomit, alone in the middle of the night after binge eating through all those wrappers under the bed.
I know when I see her the pain will be too much, so when she comes back I simply watch Mage Girls. I do notice she doesn't eat anymore popcorn, though.
I walk home later that night. I'm confused, and tired, and all I want to do is sleep. My dad's car is in the driveway so I peek in through the front window. He's fast asleep on the couch, so I sneak in through the back window and curl under my bed, like I used to do when I was younger and scared my dad would find me.
I start reminiscing about Tenko and I's first kiss, when everything was simple. But now our friends are going off and joining a killing game, Tenko is bulimic, and I might be pregnant with my father's baby after I was raped. Great. Just... great.
I end up falling asleep crying.
I oversleep the next morning, so I just decide to stay home. Tenko calls, concerned, but I assure her everything is fine. Plus I'm waiting for a call from the clinic, so maybe it's better that I'm at home.
I end up making a Mage Girls OC- we have the same name, Himiko Yumeno, but this character is confident and happy. She wears a jacket and a red skirt, and wears a cape made out of stars. A big, black, witch's hat sits on top of her luscious red hair, not thinning and messy like mine is. She's the best mage around, she even outsmarted her master!
I'm admiring my drawing when the landline rings, making me jump. I carefully set the drawing down and pick up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hello, this is the Mikan Tsumiki Memorial Clinic calling to tell you the results of your pregnancy test. Am I speaking to Himiko Yumeno of the Yumeno residence?"
I stiffen and will my voice to remain calm.
"Y-yes, this is Himiko."
"Your results are positive! We have a list of resources on our web-" I slam the phone down before she can finish.
I stand completely still, still staring at the phone. I can't breathe. Eventually the truth hits like a brick wall being smashed against my skull.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I screech at the top of my lungs, bringing both my fists down on top of the phone. It cracks under the pressure. I hit it over and over and over again until the table it's on collapses and my hands are bleeding.
"FUCK!" My vision flushes red, and I start kicking and smashing everything in my site. Every bit of anger I've felt towards my dad, towards the world comes out all at once. Everything is a blur. All I hear is screaming, my screams.
After a while, the red tinge fades away, and I'm sitting on the floor, exhausted. My knuckles are spotted with bright red and yellow bruises, and they're bloody as well. I must have thrown up at some point, because it smells terrible.
As for the house, everything is completely trashed, all the way down to the bathroom sink. I don't even know how I did that.
I curl up and start sobbing, every sob wracking the entirety of my small body. This can't be happening. It just can't.
I hear a creaking at the door and spring up instinctively to run to my room before realizing that the house is torn apart.
My father stands at the entrance with a bottle of whiskey in his hand. I watch in seemingly slow motion as he drops it, the glass shattering on the debris-laden floor. The amber liquid pools out from under it, touching the edge of my sock.
"Himiko..." He pokes around the house slowly, while I stand dead still in the center of the room.
"What have you done, you little bitch." He says this so quietly. It's worse than when he screams. My voice is so hoarse from screaming I can't say anything. I can't even tell him about the fact that I'm pregnant.
"You need to be punished." That's the cue word that gets me moving. I run behind the kitchen counter, shaking so hard I almost slip on the tile.
"No." I manage to croak out, but I know it's useless. Time and time after again, hundreds of late nights spent screaming for help. But it never comes.
"Oh... Himiko..." He groans, zipping down his pants.
That's right, it never comes.
He's pressed against me now, and I know what comes next.
Help never comes.
He reaches up and strokes my face, one thing he always does before he starts.
Help will never come.
My hand reaches around the kitchen knife behind me on the counter, and I plunge it into his gut with all my might.
I watch his red and alcohol destroyed eyes widen for a second. He stumbles back and claws at the blade. Thick, hot blood is spurting from the wound, dousing me in it. I watch him as he sinks down the kitchen island, his breaths growing ragged and shaky.
He meets my eyes again.
"Darling..." He murmurs, referencing my dead mother.
"You won't ever be seeing her again. You're going to hell." I step on the blade in his chest and watch the light go from his dying eyes, the last emotion I see is betrayal.
I walk calmly to the bathroom, completely calm. I'm covered head to toe in blood, droplets dripping off my hair and clothes and splattering onto the floor. I stare at my hands, my vision blurring and deblurring.
There's no time to think. There's no time to realize what I've done- the police will surely come here after hearing my screaming.
I step out of the front door and sprint to Tenko's house, not even bothering to knock. Her mom is in the kitchen cooking, she screams when she sees me but I ignore her. I run into Tenko's room.
She's brushing her hair at her desk, turned away from me.
"Mom? I heard scr-" She gasps when she sees me, but I say nothing. I run up to her and slam my face against her's, kissing her hard, with all my might. I push her as close as possible to me, not caring that my dead father's blood is getting on her.
"Himiko, what-" She edges away.
"Don't talk." I say softly, pulling her back into the kiss.
"I have to go. I have to join Danganronpa V3, it's the only way I'll be able to escape my crimes. I love you Tenko, you're the only person I've ever loved in my sad hellhole of a life. Recover from your eating disorder and find happiness without me, I know you can do it. I'm sorry this is the last time you'll see me." I say as fast as possible. She simply stares at me with shock. I start to leave, forcing back my own tears.
"Wait." Her voice cracks.
"Himiko... I... I love you too." She cries. I smile sadly and race out of her house.
"Don't go! Himiko!" She runs after me, but the adrenaline is coursing too fast in my veins, and I outrun her. I end up deep in the suburbs.
Once I know I'm safe, my knees buckle and I collapse onto the sidewalks. I start sobbing, every tear streaking through the drying blood on my face.
Everything's gone to shit.