Binary Star

Real Magic

Definitely a guy who didn't give a single f—

—Well, anyway, despite the eccentric hairstyle, Gen also thought he didn't look too bad. Maybe even handsome. Sure, he wasn't rugged like Tsukasa, but he had good facial features. He probably could have made it in show biz.

...If he learned how not to crush the dreams of hopeful girls, maybe.

Gen savored the neolithic ramen. Or at least, as much as he could savor something so crumbly, green, and medicinal. It was like taste-testing ground herbal supplements without water to wash it down. So gritty and harsh... Senku's ramen stand would not be receiving a Michelin star today, no way, no how.

Still, his food critique didn't matter in the face of all these delighted villagers. It was immediately apparent they'd never had ramen before, let alone this pale, overly earthy facsimile of one. Maybe it wasn't all that bad. He could learn to like it.

Reflexively, he gave a faint, hollow smile.

It was an expression his manager would scold him for making in public.

With a little clack, he absently drew a bundle of noodles from one side of the bowl to the other using his chopsticks. These epicurean thoughts, of course, served to distract him from the more serious ones. The darker ones he was putting off.

Senku, like everyone secretly hoped and believed, was miraculously alive! Laughing and joking, working industriously among the captivated crowd who were hungry for more, animatedly chatting away and making plans for the future. Senku... who was bound to die again. For good this time, for Tsukasa would allow no more room for uncertainty.

Gen made one more slurp of the ramen broth. Yeah. Okay. It was growing on him.

It was all kind of sad, but what could he do? This was the world now. It was fucked up and it was time for him to make his move.

So he spoke up.

"Ah~ This is making me thirsty for a drink. Like, say, Cola..."

The man he knew to be Senku immediately paused, eyes narrowing in suspicion as he turned to look over at him, catching on to the incongruity of his statement immediately. Oh ho, did you find him suspicious! Well, good, you picked up on his deliberate discordance! That made things easy. Senku's cute blonde girl companion (bodyguard? Relationship coach? Backup dancer?) noticed Senku's sudden unspoken guard, immediately recognized Gen was not one of the villagers, and asked if they were acquainted.

When Senku denied it, things got a little dicey.

Soon enough, he was facing down three very deadly weapons wielded by three highly agitated people.

"Answer truthfully or I'll slit your throat here and now. Are you one of the long-haired man's underlings?"

Whoa, scary!

She meant it!

...Well, he'd thought things might turn out this way.

Gen smiled with an easy confidence.

"Hey I wouldn't mind being taken out by a cute girl like you, but I think you have me confused for someone else."

He sighed, perhaps a little more dramatically than he'd intended.

"I don't know anything about a long-haired man. I've been by myself ever since I was un-petrified."

As a species, human beings are like mirrors; they reflect the emotions they are shown. And so, Gen remained calm. Because of that, because nothing was wrong here, because he was not an alarming person they needed to stab, and because he was so obviously calm then clearly they should be calm.