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“Did you know that the Soyuz space capsule can sit three people?” Senku brought up as he was tinkering the freezer for Gen, “Out of everyone here, who would you want riding to space with you?”
“What are you planning, Senku-chan?” Gen spoke weakly, but despite that, he immediately caught on to the scientist’s curve ball of a question. “You’re asking me something so silly when I’m about to die…”
“I’m just trying to make conversation here, c’mon gimme a break…”
Gen looked at Senku’s back as he turned his neck just a bit to say that to him. He thought the natural light shining towards Senku was too weak… compared to that…
“You’re a errible-tay of a liar…”
“And what if I am?”
“You want me to just say names, right now… at this moment..?”
A pause…
“And what’s wrong with something like that?”
Another pause…
“To tell you the truth…” Gen finally spoke up, “I’d most likely pick Tsukasa-chan, and Chrome-chan. Though I suppose Taiju-chan and Kohaku-chan are prime candidates too...”
“You’re right about that.” Senku agreed with a chuckle, “I’d probably just end up being deadweight anyway. But what about that pretty girl of yours, the one with the shells on her head?”
“You mean Minami-chan?” Gen replied despite the pain in his chest, “She was a reporter before, her connections and communication skills were a valuable asset to me…"
“Says the bastard who wanted a harem in the first place.”
Gen chuckled weakly as much as he could at his condition…
But the next thing he knew Senku was facing him, with a face that bore no hint of that idle banter they had earlier…
“Senku-chan…”
“It’s time Gen…”
“I know…” he smiled, it was a sad smile, “I’m ready…”
After a long struggle, Gen’s pale, cooling body was safely placed inside the freezer. He couldn’t help but still laugh despite feeling nothing but pain everywhere in his body. Perhaps in his mind, Senku's comedic struggle had made him forget the neverending pain in his chest.
“Senku-chan…” Gen spoke weakly, as he grabbed Senku’s attention again. “Come closer…”
Senku leaned forward with his face a few inches closer from Gen’s.
“Closer…”
Senku didn’t understand but he complied and leaned so close, they were only centimeters apart. They were so close…
They could have…
Could…
Kiss…
It was so warm. Gen felt so warm at that single fleeting moment. The warmth within Senku’s lips, his face, his body… it spread throughout his own dying one. For once in his life, he felt something more than just the bitter cold of everything around him. As they pulled apart, Gen once again, felt frigid…
“Gen….”
“Just this once…” Gen’s voice weakening, “Thank you…”
Senku held his neutral expression, but struggled to keep it steady. He didn’t know how to react. How to feel. What to say… And yet he let himself kiss Gen just to give him that chance…
“No problem…”
Senku turned away to put the finishing touches into the freezer. In truth, he couldn’t handle it…
“Senku…”
“I… love…”
Everything felt calm, unmoving, numb…
Then nothing.
Asagiri Gen… was dead.