Binary Star

Real Magic

It was the sound of music played on an unfamiliar instrument and a scent that was almost nostalgic that had drawn him towards the coast and helped him locate the village that was his secondary, note: secondary, objective. His first objective was still to confirm Senku's death.

Upon arrival he could instantly tell who the one named Senku would be and it was as though all his efforts had finally paid off.

He'd had a hunch before, as he'd traveled through the immense, neverending woodland, that if he could find that man, Senku, anywhere, then it would be in the only other place where people were speculated to live. Why else would he leave Taiju and Yuzuriha, allegedly his best friends, behind if he lived if it wasn't to gather allies and then return? That's just basic strategy.

Gen had hoped, to some degree, he would not find him. Not that he hoped he was dead when he'd secretly been looking forward to meeting him, but it was almost frustrating how open Senku was about his identity once he did. In the time after faking his death he made no attempts to hide his presence or obfuscate any potential investigation. Maybe he'd never expected Tsukasa to send someone after him since Tsukasa believed (for the most part) that Senku was dead. However, watching him now, he looked and acted just as Tsukasa described. Gen could only say that if he were in Senku's position, he'd probably have tried to change his appearance and demeanor, even just for a little while.

But no. What Gen eventually learned after this encounter was that Senku did not give a single fu—millimeter.

Is this arrogance? Confidence? ...Carelessness? What is this?

There were enough people around, and the ramen stand seemed so unusual, novel, and uncommon, that barely anyone seemed to have noticed the intrusion of a stranger upon the scene. The small child with the watermelon mask who had been playing the strange wind instrument had become busy serving people their bowls at a hectic pace and even handed one off to Gen without so much as a glance. From there, he found a spot to simply sit and observe until it was time to move to the next step.

He watched over them for a while, listening to the chatter. He could almost pretend he was back in Tokyo if he closed his eyes.

The ramen wasn't too bad, he told himself. Really. The noodles were green and far too crumbly and the broth felt more like some diet substitute compared to the real thing, but it was just close enough to home to make him want to keep eating, and yet somehow so off it almost made him want to cry. This would be the closest thing he'll ever get to real ramen for a millennia.

Well, for what it's worth, this was still his first proper meal in days. Maybe even since he'd been revived. He'd have to be grateful for that.

Sluuurp!

Senku was a guy who, Gen realized as he expertly slurped on his noodles and watching surreptitiously, was unexpectedly charismatic. He had a prickly part too, and an obvious angle, and that was one hell of a sketchy face he made in response to something the blond girl said, but something about it all together came off very charismatic to Gen. And if anyone should be able to recognize genuine charisma, then it should be him.

Senku was also a guy who very obviously did not have a girlfriend, and given the way he responded when asked what kind of girls he did like by the dark haired girl with twin tails, he likely wouldn't have one for the foreseeable future. Possibly ever. Not even a boyfriend, no matter how much he'd joked in his head about their fictional relationship when trying to destress and keep it together around Tsukasa. His companions were right. He was far too straightforward. 'The kind of girl who can blow a lot of oxygen into a furnace' was an almost painful response to give a cute, hopeful girl, and Senku either didn't know or didn't care why this was so.