Everything Danganronpa

Made You Smile

[Ft. Tenko x Kirumi, pre-relationship, in the same AU as the previous oneshot]

Grey locks fell in a mess, framing Kirumi's turned face.

That her hair would come in her face wasn't her main concern though, of course.

Her fingers, long hardened ever since she'd taught herself how to play, pressed the strings against the fretboard of the instrument. Ah, it still stung a little as the string practically impaled her fingertip - never causing any cuts to appear or blood to come out.

This had to be perfect. After all, this wasn't for another recording, where she could do multiple takes.

A gasp - of admiration - reminded her that she was technically playing this song live, with an audience. Well, if one person could be counted as such.

And of course, immediately her finger went off the string. It had been a....G chord, right?

So she was almost finished with this cover of the song then. Unless this was the G chord in only the first chorus—

"T-Tenko was wondering...." the girl stammered, unknowingly interrupting(Kirumi would never mind that, just to hear her sweet voice), "...for how long have you learnt?"

Flipping her hair out of her eyes in that same movement, Kirumi turned her head to Tenko. She threw a glance over her curious green eyes, darker than Kirumi's own, and the sunlit green bangs falling over her face.

Heat rose in her chest and up her neck. "A....few months, I believe." Was it the embarrassment? Or something else?

The other girl fidgeted slightly, crossing a leg over another. Uncomfortably, the jeans she was wearing spread along with this movement.

"Tenko can't believe it!" Tenko leaned a little forward, signaling her interest and the beginning of yet another passionate rant. She waved her hands around, in the overall direction of Kirumi, for emphasis, "Your videos looked so....so professional! You should perform on a stage." She turned pink and rested her hands on her legs with a sigh. "Ah, Tenko forgot."

Kirumi's heart nearly froze in her chest, taken off her guard by the comment about performing in public. Of course, she had been distracted by how energetic Tenko looked when ranting about Kirumi's "hidden talent," but....

....none of them could perform in public for a while. Not in the near future, definitely. If whatever was said on the Internet was true, then staying inside and undercover would be the best option for all sixteen of them. Including her.

The "mastermind," of all people. Apparently, there had been a load of online hate.

Some of it, towards Kirumi herself.

She bit her lip, ignoring the acute, yet piercing pain.

She wasn't the Ultimate Maid she'd called herself back in the simulation. And the girl sitting across from her, on the other cozy, light green chair, wasn't the same Tenko Chabashira back in the game.

At one glance, the green-haired knew her minor blunder was forgiven. Yet they shouldn't have to get so used to hiding that they would remember it every single second.

Tenko....had hope, Kirumi could tell.

"I....watched videos. Tutorials, if one could call them that," Kirumi said, turning a shade of pink herself, averting her gaze from Tenko's face. Somehow, the sunlight had come through the window of the apartment room and given everything in the room a warm hue. She tucked a grey lock behind her ear. "I would suggest watching them if you would also want to learn."

"....Tenko has tried," the girl huffed, adjusting a loose sleeve of her bright yellow shirt. "She couldn't concentrate on them for long. Though it was a piano tutorial! Please don't tell Kaede that—!" A drop of sweat traveled down the side of her face as she turned red again, clutching at the chair under her.

"If you want," Kirumi offered, standing up and lifting the guitar off of her lap, "I could teach you how."

Tenko stared up at her. God, the way her bangs split a little messily on the side made her look...charming. "R-Really? Kirumi, thank you!"

She stood up, taking Kirumi's hand in hers in a handshake.

...what was this feeling?

Whatever it was, made her lip curl up as she stared at Tenko's strong hand holding hers. A warm feeling.

Staring at Tenko's face, which wore an expression of astonishment at seeing the usually stoic girl break into a small grin.

"Kirumi," Tenko softly said, eyes shining, "Tenko thinks your smile is...."

Wait no— this couldn't be—

"F-First," Kirumi huffed, holding her guitar a little tighter in the hand which hadn't just been held by Tenko's(who appeared a little startled and dissapointed from this sudden interruption),"please sit down. Here, this is how you hold it...."

Whatever had happened just now....it was starting. Though Kirumi wouldn't have minded it happening again.

Carefully, she guided Tenko with the basics of how to hold a guitar. Then listened as Tenko complained a bit about how the strings hurt.

Well. At least Tenko seemed to understand this much better than she probably got the online piano tutorials.