It was a damp afternoon after a fleeting drizzle.
The last rays of sunlight slipped gently through the window, carrying back a soft warmth that lingered in the air.
Senku was in his lab, fiddling with a mini rocket, surrounded by all sorts of scientific instruments.
He had been working all day. Though his posture showed fatigue, the light in his eyes still burned as brightly as ever—
just thinking about an experiment was enough to make him chuckle to himself like an excited child.
Then, a voice called out behind him.
“What’s so funny, Senku-chan?”
He nearly jumped out of his skin in surprise.
Across the room, the culprit was already laughing triumphantly, hopping on her toes as if her had just won a game.
It wasn’t that Senku was too absorbed in his formulas to notice someone sneaking up on him.
It was just that this little mischievous fox always planned her steps so carefully just to startle him—
and even knowing that, he still couldn’t resist reacting every time.
You puffed your cheeks, pretending to be annoyed, then set down a steaming bowl of noodles topped with all kinds of extras.
Senku gave a half-smile, picked it up, and began to eat.
You looked at the tiny rocket and commented,
An odd way to describe a scientific project—but Senku seemed oddly proud.
He turned back to the rocket, patting it gently.
"She's gonna be worth every minute of effort."
You smiled lightly
“You really love science, don’t you?”
“Everything is science, my friend. Ten billion percent.”
He swallowed, then pointed his chopsticks dramatically.
“That smile? Dopamine release triggered by oxytocin and social bonding—chemistry.
And this bowl of noodles? The Maillard reaction, starch gelatinization—physics and biology shaking hands in perfect harmony.”
He leaned slightly closer, his voice dropping to a low, mysterious tone.
“And that curious look in your eyes right now?”
A smirk curved his lips.
“Your neural pathways are firing like crazy—your brain’s conducting the most beautiful research of all: wonder.”
“Well,” he murmured through the noodles, “everything is science… even you wondering whether I’m bluffing.”
You didn’t understand half of what he said—
but the sound of his voice,the way he smiled, the intensity in his crystal red eyes—
somehow, it all made something inside you melt.
Like warmth slowly seeping through your chest, steady and calm, as if the world had found its balance.
“That’s weird…” you spoke , your voice barely above a whisper,
“I just… feel like everything makes sense when I with you.”
You smiled then, soft and almost love, your eyes lingering on him a little too long.
And only when you realized what you’d said did your face burst into heat.
Your hands flailed helplessly in the air.
“Forget it! Just—just rest already, bye, Senku-chan!”
You bolted out of the room like you were being chased by ghosts.
Back in the lab, Senku blinked, rubbing his temple.
“Weird,” he muttered. “Didn’t even drink an energy can today,
but my heart’s… beating?”