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The morning annoucement had just played, meaning it was the perfect time for Tenko to have breakfast with Yumeno-san and get her to exercise with her. Tenko hadn’t planned anything too strenuous, of couse, what with how frail Yumeno-san was, but it should’ve been just enough to get her energized for the day. Tenko trotted up to Yumeno-san's door and gave it a few quick knocks.
The door cracked open, and Yumeno-san poked her face out, eyes barely open. Her brow furrowed when she saw Tenko. “Nnnnn... why are you so energetic, Chabashira...? It’s only seven in the morning... let me sleep.”
“Because! Tenko wants you to stay healthy while we’re trapped here! And you won’t do that by sleeping all day!”
“I need my twelve hours of beauty sleep or my mana won’t replenish. Go away or I’ll cast my ‘always-try-to-pull-a-push-door’ curse on you.”
“Please?” Tenko asked, mustering up her best puppy-dog eyes. “Tenko worries about you, Yumeno-san. You’re always holed up in here, all alone…”
“I’m gonna start reciting the curse now.”
“Please, please, please!
Yumeno-san exhaled sharply. “Chabashira, I’m going back to sleep. I can’t exercise with you right now, okay? I can’t. So leave.” Her tone had suddenly become cold and irritated. Tenko had taken it too far, maybe, but surely there was still a way for her to rectify the situation.
“Then... may Tenko sleep with you?”
Yumeno-san blinked.“What.”
“N-Not like that!” Tenko’s face grew hot, all the way to the tips of her ears. “Tenko means, um, that she wants to nap with you. If that would be okay...? She won’t bug you about exercising anymore.”
“...Fine. But you’d better let me sleep.”
The door swung open, and Yumeno-san let Tenko into her room. It was Tenko’s first time in her room, actually, and it was just as adorably Yumeno-san-ish as Tenko had imagined. She’d moved a lot of her magic equipment into her room and piled all sorts of arcane-looking books into the corners.
“Your room is amazing, Yumeno-san!” Tenko practically squealed, scanning every last inch of the room carefully. “It’s very well-decorated. All the degenerates here could learn a thing or two from your sense of style!”
“...Come lay down already.”
“R-Right, sorry! Would you like Tenko to change out of her clothes?”
Yumeno-san glanced up and down at Tenko. Tenko was in a loose-fitting T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants: fitting for a light workout, but fortunately also comfortable to sleep in. “It’s fine,” Yumeno-san muttered.
Tenko crossed over to Yumeno-san’s bed, which she’d decorated with a handful of plushies from the prize counter. “I didn’t know Monokuma sold such cute toys!” Tenko exclaimed, gawking at the adorable stuffed animals. Yumeno-san had an impressive variety: a puppy, a kitten, an owl, a tiger cub, and a monkey.
“They’re not toys,” Yumeno-san deadpanned. “They’re my familiars.”
“Oh, Tenko sees! Do your familiars have names?”
Yumeno-san's cheeks flushed light pink. “...Yeah.”
“Would...you mind introducing Tenko to them?”
“...They’re recharging their mana. When they wake up, I will.” Yumeno-san flipped the light switch in her room, leaving a few lit candles as the only light source.
“Yay!” Tenko plopped herself onto the bed. “Is it time to sleep, then?”
“It’s been time to sleep,” Yumeno-san muttered, climbing on top of her sheets. “You interrupted me.”
“Sorry! Tenko’s so sorry, she didn’t know how important your sleep was...!”
“Just be grateful I didn’t curse you.”
“Tenko is very grateful!” Tenko pulled the blankets over herself. “And... Tenko’s happy to be here. Thank you for letting her nap with you.”
“It’s not like I had a choice,” Yumeno-san said, following Tenko in tucking herself in. “Good night.”
“Good night, Yumeno-san!”
Having finally tucked herself in, Tenko realized she...wasn’t actually tired. At all. But she’d committed to taking a nap with Yumeno-san, so she tried her best to get herself to sleep. Normally, on a restless night, she’d meditate until she felt calm enough to sleep, so Tenko did just that.
...
It wasn’t working.
Maybe ten or fifteen minutes had passed when Tenko gave up. Normally, she could get to sleep quickly, but something was pervading her thoughts. It seemed she wasn’t the only one, though; she heard quiet shifts from Yumeno-san's side of the bed.
“Why do you sleep so much, Yumeno-san?” Tenko blurted out the question.
Yumeno-san groaned quietly. “I told you, it’s to recover my mana. I’m a very powerful mage. My spells take up a lot of mana.”
Tenko hummed. “Tenko knows. But... if there was another reason, Tenko would understand that, too. If you wanted to tell her.”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Tenko can try to understand. She wants to.”
Yumeno-san grumbled something and turned to her side, facing away from Tenko. “...It’s hard to get out of bed most days,” she said. “No matter how much I sleep, I wake up and... my mana isn’t fully replenished. And it runs out too fast.”
“Do you have trouble sleeping?” Tenko asked.
“No.”
“...Tenko understands. She wants to spend time with you, but... if that just means napping together most days, that’s okay with Tenko. As long as you’ll let her.”
Yumeno-san was quiet for a long time, still turned away from Tenko. “I’ll... consult my familiars.”
Tenko grinned. “That would make Tenko really happy.”
“Now let me sleep.”
This time, Tenko found herself drifting off to sleep with ease.