Unwanted Attention
Kohaku was busy juggling a malfunctioning register and an influx of customers at the store when disaster struck—a delivery of supplies had arrived early, and the boxes were blocking the back door. In the midst of managing irate customers and the chaos in the storage room, she found herself completely overwhelmed.
Just as she was about to lose it, the door swung open and in walked Dr.S, energy drinks in hand and his usual cocky smirk in place.
"Having a rough day, Lioness?" Senku quipped, clearly amused by the scene.
Kohaku glared at him. "Dr. S, this is the last thing I need right now. I don’t have time for your sarcasm!"
Senku shrugged, casually stepping around the boxes. "Well, since you’re drowning in boxes and grumbling at everyone, I figured you might appreciate some scientific assistance." He glanced around, eyes narrowing as he assessed the situation. "Ever thought about using physics to stack these things more efficiently?"
Rolling her eyes, Kohaku muttered, "I know how to stack boxes, thanks." But before she could say more, Senku rolled up his sleeves and began rearranging the boxes with an unexpected agility. He started calculating angles and balance points under his breath—much to Kohaku’s disbelief.
"Wait, what are you doing?" she demanded.
"Optimizing the load distribution. There, see? That stack should be more stable now." Senku gestured to the neatly arranged boxes. "I call it the 'S Special.'"
Despite herself, Kohaku couldn’t help but be impressed as the boxes now stood secure and out of the way. "I suppose that wasn’t entirely useless," she conceded, though her tone still dripped with irritation.
Senku shot back with a grin. "Told you, brains always come in handy—even if I’m not exactly built like a linebacker."
The tension between them eased into a series of bickering remarks as the day wore on. Kohaku grumbled about his meddling, and Senku continued to sprinkle his trademark sarcasm. But when the store finally quieted down and Kohaku had a moment alone, she paused by the counter and looked at the tidy backroom.
With a reluctant sigh, she admitted to herself, "Maybe I owe him one."
Later that evening, as she locked up, she caught a glimpse of Senku standing by the door, leaning casually against it. He offered a small, almost genuine smile.
"Not bad, huh?" he said softly, nodding toward the orderly storage area.
Kohaku rolled her eyes but couldn't hide the warmth in her voice. "Yeah, not bad at all. Thanks…Senku."
Senku widened his eyes "...huh did Chrome tell you my name?" he said picking his ear
"yeah he did, he's not good at keeping secrets, but if you don't want me calling you senku, then I'll just continue calling you Dr.S" kohaku replied nonchalantly.
"ehh I don't really care what people call me, do what you want... lioness" he said as he walked past her.
As the days turned into weeks and then months, their encounters becomes a routine—almost predictable. Senku would stop by the store for his usual energy drinks and snacks, and Kohaku would be there, ready with a sharp remark or an unimpressed glare.
“You know, Lioness, for someone who works at a store, you sure complain a lot about customers,” Senku said one evening as he grabbed his usual haul.
Kohaku crossed her arms. “Only when the customer is you.”
“Flattering,” he replied, smirking as he placed his items on the counter.
Their conversations—if they could even be called that—were a constant exchange of sarcasm, insults (mostly from Kohaku), and smug responses (always from Senku). Yet, in a strange way, it became normal. Even Chrome had started to pick up on it.
One day, as Senku left the store after another round of bickering, Chrome, who had been waiting outside, gave him a knowing look. “You two fight like an old married couple.”
Senku scoffed. “Tch. Don’t be ridiculous.”
Chrome grinned. “I dunno, man. You come here every day, and Kohaku’s always talking about how annoying you are.”
Senku picked his ear, unimpressed. “Sounds like she has great taste.”
Little did they know, Kohaku—who was taking out the trash nearby—heard the conversation.
“That’s because he is annoying!” she called out, making both of them turn in surprise. “Don’t go spreading weird ideas, Chrome!”
Chrome just laughed, while Senku, completely unfazed, took a sip of his energy drink. “See you tomorrow, Lioness.”
And just like that, the cycle continued.
The next day, Senku and Chrome made their way to the small library, a rare visit for both. It wasn’t exactly their usual spot, but if there was any place in town that held old records or maps, this was it.
As they stepped inside, the scent of old books filled the air. It was quiet—just as expected—except for the soft shuffling of pages and the occasional cough from the elderly librarian.
Near one of the bookshelves, Ruri was carefully organizing books, helping the old lady sort through them. She glanced up when she noticed the two entering. “Oh? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you two in here before.”
Chrome grinned. “Yeah, well, desperate times call for desperate measures.”
Senku ignored the conversation as he immediately scanned the shelves, looking for anything that might be remotely useful.
Ruri tilted her head curiously. “What exactly are you two looking for?”
Before Senku could stop him, Chrome blurted out, “We’re trying to find a cave Senku remembers from when he was a kid!”
Senku shot Chrome with a look of pure exasperation. “Seriously? You have no concept of subtlety, do you?”
Chrome blinked. “What? I don't keep secrets from Ruri”
Ruri chuckled, shaking her head. “A cave from your childhood? That sounds interesting.”
Senku sighed, rubbing his temples. “It’s not just any cave. It has rare minerals, and I need to find it. The problem is, I don’t remember where it is, so I’m trying to dig up anything that might help.”
Ruri tapped her chin in thought. “If it’s something from a long time ago, maybe some old town records or maps might have a clue?”
“That’s the plan,” Senku said, already pulling books from the shelves.
Chrome leaned over. “You know, for a guy who hates reading long texts, you sure are committed right now.”
Senku smirked. “It’s not about reading for fun. It’s about finding answers.”
As the two got to work, Ruri continued helping the librarian, occasionally glancing at them with mild amusement. It wasn’t every day that Senku willingly spent time in the library.
And somewhere in the back of his mind, Senku knew—if the information he needed wasn’t here, he’d have to start getting creative.
As Senku flipped through an old book, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He barely glanced at the screen before answering, already expecting it to be something trivial from the company.
“Yo, what is it?” he said, keeping his tone casual as he turned a page.
A professional yet slightly nervous voice came through the line. “Dr. Ishigami, sir. Dr. Xeno has been asking about your whereabouts.”
Senku immediately stopped flipping the page. Chrome, who had been trying to decipher a faded map, glanced over, noticing the sudden shift in his expression.
Senku leaned back in his chair, his voice still calm but sharper now. “And?”
“Well…” The assistant hesitated. “He’s been persistent. He wants to know why you’re out of reach. I told him you were on personal leave, but—”
A second voice cut in, smooth yet authoritative. “No need to relay messages. I’ll speak with him directly.”
Senku clicked his tongue as Dr. Xeno himself took over the call. “Dr. Ishigami,” Xeno said, his tone polite yet edged with curiosity. “You’ve been rather elusive as of late. Should I be concerned?”
Senku smirked slightly but didn’t relax. “I didn’t realize I needed permission to take a break.”
Xeno chuckled, though there was no warmth to it. “A break, is it? Strange. I would’ve expected you to be locked in a lab, not off the grid.”
Chrome furrowed his brows, mouthing, What’s going on?
Senku held up a finger, signaling him to stay quiet. “I’m on vacation you see,” he replied smoothly.
Xeno hummed in thought. “Vacation? That’s unlike you.”
“Tch. You give me too much credit. Not everything I do is worth reporting.”
There was a pause. Then, Xeno’s voice dropped in tone—calm, yet probing. “You wouldn’t happen to be looking for something, would you?”
Senku narrowed his eyes slightly. “That depends. Why do you care?”
“I have my reasons,” Xeno replied. “And while I do trust your intellect, I also know you have a tendency to get yourself tangled in… unpredictable situations.”
“Sounds like admiration to me.”
A small chuckle. “Consider it a professional concern.”
Senku sighed, rubbing his temple. “Look, Xeno. I’m on a relaxing vacation right now.”
“Is that so?” Xeno mused. “Very well, I won’t pry—yet. But don’t be surprised if I… check in again.”
Before Senku could respond, the line went dead. He lowered the phone, staring at it for a moment before shoving it back in his pocket.
Chrome leaned forward. “Okay. What the hell was that about?”
Senku exhaled through his nose, smirking. “Just an old colleague being nosy.”
Chrome didn’t look convinced. “Dude, that sounded more like a warning.”
Senku shrugged. “It’s fine. Xeno doesn’t know what I'm doing. As long as we keep it that way, we’re golden.”
But in the back of his mind, Senku knew this wasn’t over. If Xeno was interested enough to call personally, it meant he was paying attention.
And if there was one thing Senku didn’t need right now—it was attention.
END OF CHAPTER