Tenko's Conflictions

I woke up a bit earlier than normal, about 6:30am, and decided to get up early. I found it hard to believe it had already been seven days in this place, but my dirty clothes hamper confirmed this. I had eight full outfits, all the same dress and tights, so I would have to do my laundry tomorrow. I was curious as to where the blouse and skirt I wore here ended up, but I had a feeling they were likely disposed of. A pity.

Looking myself over in the full-length mirror, I could not help but smile at my reflection. I am, perhaps, a bit more vain than I should be, but I've discovered that appearances can get you into, and out of, situations. And if not, there are always my heel-blades in a pinch. No one ever sees those coming.

I gave my dress a twirl in the mirror, watching it billow a bit around my thighs, then turned to leave my room to get some breakfast: Blueberry Bagel Egg Sandwiches, with Blueberry Jam and Scrambled Eggs, and your choice of Bacon, Sausage Patties, or Honey-Smoked Ham. Choosing the Honey-Smoked Ham, I sat over by Toko, who was sitting alone, and talked...well, tried to talk to her for a bit.

"Wh-wh-what do you want?" Toko almost spat at me. I could almost smell the self-contempt in her voice, but I pretended to ignore it.

"Just wanting to enjoy some breakfast before starting my day off. You?" I asked politely.

Toko glanced away. "L-locking myself in my room. No one can k-kill me if I d-d-don't leave."

I lowered my eyes. Truly sad, that this girl was too scared of everyone to join us, and is instead secluding herself away. Then again, she does have a serial killer locked away, inside her psyche, her mind...

I realized Toko was staring at me. "What, do y-you think I'm some sort of freak? A freak with another freak sharing her body? I b-bet you want me to be the next to die, just so y-y-you can examine me and find out what's wrong with me!"

Ok, Toko has gone off the deep end a bit here. I have no desire to kill Toko, or even Jack for that matter. I took another bite of my bagel sandwich, swallowed it down with some orange juice, then replied, "I have no desire to see anyone die here. You, or anyone else."

Toko scoffed. "So, what, are you just gonna live here forever then?"

That...was not a question I had an answer for. The rules could be changed at any time, with a mere notification sent to all of us. Maybe a new way out could be done via rule change, too?

Even if I did wish to kill to escape, I would have to choose my victim carefully. I knew Fuyuhiko had already killed before. Jack, too, and although Toko appeared weak, a mere sneeze could change that in a hurry. I would be a fool to try to take on Sakura, Nekomaru, or Mondo; they were simply too big and strong. Tenko, because of her martial arts, was likely out too, at least in direct confrontation.

My breath suddenly caught in my chest. Why am I thinking like this? We should be forming a united front against whoever is controlling Monorakun, rather than deciding which among us we should be trying to murder.

I finally answered Toko. "No. I plan on surviving as long as I can, and gather as much information as I can while I am in here. Maybe something will present itself, here or on another floor, and we can use this to our advantage, somehow. I confess, I do not have a firm plan to escape."

Toko merely responded with, "Yeah, h-hopeless." I decided to resume my breakfast, rather than continue this conversation with Toko.

After I finished eating, I then put my dishes away, deciding to find Tenko next. She had left with Sakura before I could get her attention earlier.

I first checked the Exercise Room, but only Mondo, Nekomaru, and Sakura were in there.

"Sakura," I called out. "Tenko wished to speak with me today. Do you know her whereabouts?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes. She mentioned she had some meditating to do, and said this room was too loud for that. I suspect she returned to her dorm. Try there."

I curtsied out of respect, then took my leave of Sakura, heading downstairs towards the dorms. I noticed Korekiyo was in the Trash Room, but decided not to bother him. Gundham, meanwhile, was in the Laundry Room, using the dryer while his four hamsters slept on top of it, no doubt enjoying the warmth. Choosing not to bother him, either, I kept heading towards Tenko's room.

Her room was at the end of the left-side hallway, on the right. Sakura's room was across from hers, and Hiyoko was her neighbor, on the right.

I rang her doorbell. After several moments, Tenko opened her door and let me in.

Tenko's room was set in a traditional Japanese style, with a meditation mat on the floor and a training dummy flung into a corner at an awkward angle. I took a seat on the corner of her bed, while Tenko stood.

I decided to initiate conversation. "I have noticed that Sakura and you have been working together lately. If I may ask, how is that going?"

Tenko answered, "Sakura-sensei has been working with me on my Neo-Aikido. With us working together and using techniques that make full use of your mind, body, and breath, you can measure your physical and mental growth. That is the true purpose of Aikido; it's a way to improve yourself."

So Neo-Aikido is more than just a martial art. It also has a psychological side to it. That was interesting, but also raised my next question.

"Does Neo-Aikido teach you to hate males, then? I am confused by your demeanor towards the boys we are trapped here with."

Tenko grimaced. "Ugh...this is one of the things Sakura-sensei is trying to teach me. My Neo-Aikido master taught me that all males are degenerates, capable of doing terrible things, and having nasty thoughts, about girls like me. Oh, they may do nice things like praise your looks, but that's just so they can get close and take advantage of her moment of weakness! As a practitioner of Neo-Aikido, I must be ever-vigilant against the evils of men, and their perverted desires towards us!"

Tenko then closed her eyes tightly, her fists clenching tightly. "Yet, Sakura-sensei says that not all men are bad, and that she has even trained with men herself. She even trains with Nekomaru, who isn't as degenerate as most of the males here. If someone like her can train with degenerate males, without getting weaker, maybe there is merit in her words, and her teachings. What do you think? I'm so..." Tenko trailed off, looking confused and agitated.

 I nodded. "There is, indeed, knowledge within Sakura's words. I am concerned that your attitude towards the boys will end up causing trouble for you. I hope you will be-"

Tenko cut me off. "Did a degenerate male send you on some kind of peace treaty offer? Never! Degenerate males should all be thrown off a cliff or fed to Monorakun! Yet...if what Sakura says is true, that not all males are truly degenerate, then maybe I can learn to tolerate the less-degenerate ones."

Well, that would be a start. I was unsure if Sakura would be successful in fully erasing "degenerate male" from Tenko's vocabulary, but if she could at least stop hating every boy that crosses her line of sight, that would be an improvement.

Tenko continued. "I mean, there's Nekomaru, who trains with Sakura. He's still a degenerate, asking me if I wanted him to do 'it' to me. How despicable, asking a question like that! I threw him across the room for even THINKING of asking me such a thing!"

I made a mental note to ask Nekomaru of this encounter later.

"And Mondo confuses me to no end! As the leader of a biker gang, he's among the most degenerate of the degenerate males here. Yet, when I challenged him to a fight, he shook his head and turned his back to me, claiming a 'real man' doesn't hit a girl, no matter what. What kind of sense does that make, coming from someone like him?!"

I remembered this when Mondo and Fuyuhiko argued a few days ago. Mondo said the same thing, that "a real man never hits a girl". A strange thing for a biker gangster to say, but I was certain there was reasoning behind this.

"Have you asked Mondo, yourself, about this?" I inquired.

"Hmph! No way! If you wanna know so bad, ask him yourself!" Tenko shot back. "But still, it seems weird to me for such a degenerate male like Mondo to hold such a sense of honor. Is he...is he someone else that Sakura may think is not truly degenerate, unlike that bastard Fuyuhiko?"

I did not have an answer for her, though it appeared that Tenko was asking herself more than me.

Tenko then turned her attention back to me. "There's a lot I need to figure out, for myself, and for the future of Neo-Aikido. Could...could some of my teachings about males be wrong? Was my master misleading me about all males being degenerates? Or is Sakura wrong, and her time spent with males has corrupted her perception of them, blinded her to their wickedness? I...I don't know. I know it's important for everyone to work together, so we can all get out. But at the same time, can I truly convince myself to trust a male, degenerate or not, to help me escape?"

"I believe that Sakura is wise, and she does not mean to mislead you in any way, Tenko. I believe Sakura truly wishes the best for you, as she does for Mahiru and Hiyoko and the others. However, the path you choose is ultimately up to you."

Tenko considered my words carefully, then spoke. "I feel like I need to meditate on this some more. Maybe we can talk more later, ok?"

I nodded, then curtsied out of respect before I led myself to the door, as Tenko headed towards her meditation mat, kneeling on it with her feet underneath her. Shutting the door, I took a deep breath.

Poor Tenko's mind was torn. Her whole life, she was taught that men were basically pigs, and she's not wrong with some guys. I have met plenty of them, and dealt with them myself. However, would she be able to differentiate the good ones, under Sakura's guidance? Or would she relapse into thinking all males were degenerates, as she currently did now?

Only time would tell, and now was not the time for the answer.