karaoke
The bell above the door jingled, signaling the entrance of a customer, but Kohaku didn’t need to look up right away—she already knew who it was.
“Good morning, lioness,” a familiar voice called, deep and tired.
'uhh, that nickname again'
Kohaku glanced up to see Senku standing at the door, looking like he hadn’t slept in days. His usually messy hair was more out of control than usual, and the dark circles under his eyes were a dead giveaway. He was wearing his usual outfit, but the tired slump of his shoulders told her that whatever he was working on was definitely taking its toll.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Dr.S himself,” Kohaku smirked, leaning against the counter with a playful gleam in her eyes.
Senku raised an eyebrow, clearly recognizing the challenge in her tone. “You know, Kohaku,” he started, leaning on the counter. “You really should stop calling me that. It’s beneath me.”
Kohaku let out a small laugh, crossing her arms. “Not a chance, Doc. You look like you haven’t had a proper meal or sleep in days. Looks like the genius can’t even handle a little bit of pressure.”
Senku rolled his eyes, but the tiniest smirk tugged at his lips. “I’m busy with important things, unlike some people who only have to worry about making sure the register stays in place.” He glanced at the counter for emphasis.
“Oh, please,” Kohaku scoffed. “I’m a lot more capable than you give me credit for.” She straightened up, leaning forward slightly. “But, hey, don’t let me interrupt your genius work. Just be careful you don’t turn into one of those zombies you love studying.”
Senku smirked, stepping back as if to leave, but not before glancing at her one more time. “You know, Kohaku, you’re actually looking a little cute today. Maybe a little more approachable than usual.”
Kohaku blinked, and for a split second, her expression softened, a bit of a blush creeping up her cheeks. But then, she quickly recovered, glaring at him. “Don’t get any ideas, Dr. S.”
Senku chuckled darkly, his eyes glinting with victory. “Alright, alright. I’ll take my leave now. I’ve got important things to do.” He gave her a small nod and turned to leave.
“Yeah, Get out of here,” Kohaku muttered under her breath, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes
'Wait a second, he didn't buy anything the hell? did he just come here to piss me off?'
Just as Senku exited the store, the door jingled again, and this time it was Yumi who strolled in, a burst of energy in contrast to Senku’s tiredness.
Just as Senku exited the store, the door jingled again, and this time it was Yumi who strolled in, a burst of energy in contrast to Senku’s tiredness. Her vibrant smile and lively demeanor immediately lifted the atmosphere of the store, filling the space with warmth.
“Good morning, Kohaku!” Yumi said with a bounce in her step, her eyes sparkling. She was practically glowing, the complete opposite of Senku's drained, grumpy energy.
"I saw Senku leave, looking like he hadn’t seen daylight in a week. What was that about?"
Kohaku couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle, still leaning on the counter. “Oh, just the usual. Came in, grumbled a little, called me something dumb about being a ‘lioness’—like I needed a reminder.” She rolled her eyes playfully.
Yumi burst into laughter. “Yeah, he does that sometimes, huh? But seriously, what’s going on with him? He looked like he was about to collapse. Did he buy anything?”
Kohaku raised an eyebrow. “Nope, didn’t even look at the shelves. Just came to annoy me, I think. Didn’t even grab a snack or anything. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he just wanted to piss me off.”
Yumi smirked, leaning against the counter. “Oh, you know Senku. He’s probably so wrapped up in whatever ‘important’ work he’s doing that he forgets he needs to actually eat and sleep.”
Kohaku crossed her arms. “You’re telling me. It’s like he thinks he’s invincible or something. But honestly, he looked like a zombie today.”
Yumi nodded knowingly. “Yeah, I can see that. You know, I’ve been thinking—maybe we should do something to help everyone unwind a little. Everyone’s been so caught up in their stuff lately.”
Kohaku raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Unwind? What do you have in mind?”
Yumi grinned, her excitement barely contained. “How about karaoke? We could all go to your place, you know, Chrome,Dr.S,Ruri and Maria. It’d be a great way for Maria to feel more at home, and I’m sure everyone could use a little break.”
Kohaku’s eyes lit up at the idea. “Karaoke, huh? That actually sounds perfect. We can all blow off some steam. And Maria definitely needs to feel more welcome here. It’d be nice to get her involved in something fun.”
Yumi’s grin grew wider. “Exactly! And trust me, I’ve got the perfect playlist. I’ll make sure we have plenty of English songs so Maria can sing along without any issues.”
Kohaku smirked, clearly amused by Yumi’s enthusiasm. “You’re really going all out with this, huh?”
Yumi shrugged nonchalantly. “What can I say? A good karaoke night can solve almost anything. Plus, I’m sure everyone will have fun, especially when Senku ends up singing some totally embarrassing songs.”
Kohaku laughed, imagining the great scientist trying to keep his cool while belting out something ridiculous. “That would definitely be something to see.”
“I’ll go talk to Ruri, and we can plan it for tonight,” Yumi said, already plotting the details in her head.
“Alright, sounds like a plan,” Kohaku said, giving Yumi a nod as she headed out of the store, the door jingling behind her.
Kohaku leaned back against the counter, a smile creeping onto her face. It had been a while since they’d all done something fun together. A little karaoke might be exactly what they all needed. As she thought about Maria, she couldn’t help but feel happy that they’d all get a chance to bond. It was going to be a night to remember.
That night, just as the sky began to darken, Yumi made her way to Chrome’s room, eager to invite him to the karaoke night she had planned. She knocked on the door, her excitement evident in her steps.
“Chrome! You in there?” she called, leaning slightly against the doorframe.
After a few moments, the door creaked open, and Chrome appeared, his usual wild hair even more unkempt than usual. He looked up from a pile of papers and various research materials, clearly deep in thought. His tired eyes didn’t miss the sparkle of Yumi’s enthusiasm.
“Oh, hey, Yumi,” he said, giving her a tired but warm smile. “What’s up?”
Yumi didn’t waste a second. “I was thinking we should all go have some fun tonight. Kohaku’s throwing a karaoke night at her place! You, me, Senku, Kohaku, Ruri and Maria. It’ll be a blast!”
‘Who's Maria?’ Chrome thought but didn't say it as he is too tired to care.
He immediately looked back at his cluttered desk, where more than a few papers of data were piled up, along with his notes. He rubbed his eyes wearily.
“Ah... karaoke night sounds awesome, but... I’m kind of buried under all this. There’s no way I can stop now.”
Yumi’s face fell slightly, but she had expected this answer. Chrome’s passion for his work was unshakable, after all.
“Yeah, I figured.” She gave him a sympathetic smile. “I knew you’d be busy. You and Senku always are. It’s like you two don’t have an off switch.”
Chrome chuckled faintly. “Pretty much. Maybe next time. Have fun, though.”
With a shrug, Yumi nodded. “I’ll try, but it’s not as fun without you.”
She gave him a playful nudge on the shoulder before turning to leave. “If you change your mind, you know where to find us.”
Chrome waved her off as he returned to his work, and Yumi sighed, already preparing for the inevitable next stop—Senku.
She walked briskly to Senku’s room, already hearing the faint sounds of him muttering to himself inside. With a quick knock on the door.
“Senku! You free for some fun tonight?” she asked brightly, her hands on her hips.
Senku opened the door “No…why?”
Senku opened the door, his expression already screaming exhaustion. His red eyes blinked at Yumi, unamused. "No… why?"
"It’s Karaoke night~" Yumi sang, swaying slightly with a big grin.
Senku stared at her, unimpressed. "...Yeah, no. I'm deadly busy right now," he said flatly, picking his ear with his pinky.
Yumi crossed her arms, huffing. "Come on, Senku. You’ve been buried in work for days. Your brain’s probably running on fumes at this point. Karaoke is the perfect way to recharge!"
Senku scoffed, waving a hand dismissively. "Recharge? With you and the lioness screaming into a mic? Yeah, no thanks. I’d rather conserve my brain cells.”
Yumi rolled her eyes. "Man, you and Chrome are no fun at all. Welp, not gonna waste my time begging you." She turned on her heel dramatically. "Byee~! And try not to drop dead from overworking yourself, Dr. S."
Senku smirked, already closing the door. "No promises."
With that, she headed out. Time to make this karaoke night legendary.
At Kohaku and Ruri’s place, the atmosphere was already lively. Snacks and drinks were spread across the table, the karaoke machine was set up, and the air buzzed with excitement.
Kohaku and Yumi sat in front of the screen, aggressively scrolling through song choices, bickering as usual.
"I'm obviously going to win this," Kohaku said, arms crossed confidently.
Yumi scoffed. "Yeah, sure. but singing is my battlefield, gurl."
"Oh please, you sound like a dying seagull."
"And you sound like a lion choking on its own roar!"
Maria, watching their heated argument, clapped her hands together, eyes sparkling. "This sounds fun! I want to join the friendly competition!"
Ruri, sitting nearby, laughed softly. "Oh, this is going to be interesting. I’ll be the judge!"
And with that, the singing battle began.
A few singing and drinks later…
Yumi, Kohaku, and Maria were very drunk. Their once-spirited singing had devolved into absolute chaos, their words slurring, their voices louder than necessary.
Maria, swaying slightly, suddenly slammed her beer down on the table. "You know what!? You know what?! He’s a piece of SHIT!"
Yumi blinked at her. "Who??"
"MY EX-FIANCÉ! THAT JERK-FACED, BACKSTABBING, LOW-LIFE, PIG!" Maria threw her arms up dramatically, almost falling off the couch.
Yumi, equally drunk, gasped. "Ohhh nooo, what did the pig do??"
"He LEFT ME!" Maria clutched her chest like she was performing a tragic monologue. "I gave him my heart! I gave him my soul! I gave him my Netflix password—AND FOR WHAT?!"
Kohaku slapped the table. "UNFORGIVABLE! That bastard doesn’t deserve your Netflix!"
Ruri, covering her mouth, tried so hard not to laugh. "Maria, maybe you should sit down—"
"NO!" Maria pointed at the ceiling like she was about to declare war. "And you know what else?! That JERK—he said I was too much! TOO MUCH!? EXCUSE ME?! I AM THE PERFECT AMOUNT OF MUCH!"
Yumi nodded aggressively. "YES! YOU ARE THE EXACT RIGHT AMOUNT OF MUCH!"
Maria sniffled. "Right?? I mean, I can be a little intense, but that’s called passion, dammit!"
Kohaku grabbed a beer and raised it high. "To Maria! The perfect amount of much!"
Yumi clumsily clinked her beer against Kohaku’s. "To Maria!"
Maria wiped a tear away, dramatically placing a hand over her heart. "You guys are the bestest friends ever."
Ruri, trying not to choke on laughter, sighed. "Oh dear… I should probably get them some water before this escalates."
And just like that, their friendly karaoke night had turned into a dramatic, drunken sisterhood bonding session.
END OF CHAPTER