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Sweet, calm, cold night. Gen walks on a plain with dandelions occasionally scattered about as he looks at the skies of stars, and the moon, which they happened to have landed on their last mission about Medusa. He looks at the horizon, and sees lights that were never there before. Once barren land and statues, now filled with revived people that help shape the place as it is now. Things have changed a lot.
Senku is now known worldwide as a great scientist who solved the world's greatest mystery, Kohaku is known for her great capabilities in combat, Stanley as an amazing pilot as he took control of the spaceship, and Ryusui for... Being Ryusui truly. Chrome is starting to get the fame, as well as Kaseki, and he's now a diplomat. Such a wonderful world he lives in now. Happiness and surprises seem to lurk in every corner of his life nowadays, he's glad to have revived early and have met such people.
Then there's something, something new, something he never thought about happening.
A time machine
He's heard it before in movies. In simple terms, it's a device that travel through time, which can help the user change or alter the past for a different future, and in some cases, great major events can be altered even in the simplest things like talking to a stranger or moving a chair. In this case, the machine is to be used to prevent the petrification, to save the people lost, and knowledge humankind had earned through thousands of years. And it's a good thing right? People will be saved, all lost will be found again.
It's as if all never happened in the first-
"What's the all great mentalist doing here at late night?"
Gen's train of thought halted when he heard Senku's voice from behind, "Ah, Senku-chan, I hadn't heard you at all!" He says acting all shocked at the man. "Have you come to sing your praises to me? Oh I'm flattered but I have nothing as reward so just take my magical blessings to you!~" He strikes a pose one after the other to annoy the man.
"Tch, now I wish I hadn't talked to you."
"Don't be so rude Senku-chan! Just because you're all famous now." He pouted at the scientist.
"It's not because of that idiot." Senku crosses his arms and looks at him, "You still haven't answered my question."
Gen sighs, "I just wanted to take a walk and look outside, isn't it pretty?"
"Uh huh."
The two stayed in awkward silence for a few seconds until Gen spoke up,
"Senku-chan," He starts solemnly, "If your friend and your parent were to be in danger, who will you choose to save?"
"Hah? What kind of stupid question is that?" Senku asked as if he just heard from Gen that the sun was a planet.
"It's a quiz y'know, a personality quiz!" He exclaimed to the scientist with glee. "It depends on who you choose on who you are!! If you choose your friend, you're letting go of your parent, and the same happens to the friend if you choose your parent!!"
"That's a stupid question," The other put out to him. "I'll obviously find a way to save both of them, I'm not a moron."
His answer was predictable, that's just the kind of person Senku is Gen thought. "Yeaaap, I should've known.." He say looking disappointed. Pouting, He shouts at Senku "But you have to choose one! Choose one or it wouldn't be fun!!"
"It's either I save both or save none mentalist, beat it."
"So ean-may!!" Gen pretends to cry at his answer.
Senku perks up as he remembered something, "Wait a minute, Isn't that one question in your trashy book that you made then?"
"Oh my! Senku-chan how lovely of you to remember my work! Although trash is a sad way to describe it." Gen smiled at the boy beside him, "and, it's not actually. It's similar but not the same." He takes a step forward, and a breeze of wind hits them. "It's nice to reminisce about the past from time to time."
Senku speaks up, "Of it would, you probably miss your friends and your luxury in your past life I bet." He smiles but the emotion never reaches his eyes. The man sighs and breathes in the cold air before speaking. "Y'know, I used to know a young boy very much unlike that, no friends, living in little money, all alone he lived even with parents. Such a poor boy he was."
Senku wondered who was that 'boy' he was talking about, but did not ask as he knew this kind of topic was very much unlikely to come out of the mentalist's mouth, so he let him talk to fill in his curious mind.
Gen continued with a melancholic, empty smile, "That boy, lived with unruly parents. The two would often fight in front of the poor child, not caring of the words they say. The boy only ever wanted them to get along, but it seemed that only magic would solve the problem, and the boy knew such thing didn't exist."
"The boy wondered if there was any other way to have them get along, but knew nothing. So he went to his local library and asked a question, "Is there a way that I can know what's going on someone's mind?" And he was led to an answer. And it shocked him much, what he saw was very much like the movies and books he barely sees. To guess one's move beforehand, to read someone's mind, to know the state they're in, It was just like magic, and If he learned it, he knew he would solve his parents problems, he would be like a psychic. And so the boy studied and learned in exchange for his health and reputation."
"The boy was then known to be brat, by his parents, who keeps telling him that he's always lazy and never doing anything. By his classmates, as a weird guy who stands out only ever if he needed, and if given an opportunity, will lead them to whatever he leads them. By the locals, as the same boy who goes to the library, probably skipping classes as some times he's in are the supposed times he should be in school. It was azy-cray."
The grey clouds in the sky covered the moon, creating a grim atmosphere in the area. Senku knew what boy he was talking about now, but he wonders why would he say anything about that. After all, Asagiri Gen is a shallow man filled only ever with mystery and secrets.
"Not too soon after, his parents died, never ever getting along as he wished to. The boy was sent to an orphanage, and he had no one to go to now, as even his so called parents are gone. He had to work for himself, to live."
Senku, now worried, tries going near the speaking man-
"And then, he saw a poster in school, a talent show. He thought, 'Maybe I'll try, It wouldn't hurt.' and he joined, as a performer, a magician. Just as he learned, he adjusted his emotions and expressions to act and pretend for the entertainment of the people. Though he didn't win that very contest, he happy seeing people be happy as they should. So he worked hard and learnt hard. Not too long he was mentioned in the world of entertainment. Oh such bliss."
"Then, he was given the opportunity to leave the country, and learn more about his skills. And so he did, and when he came back he did better, and was admired more. He was loved by people as the great idol he is. Even then, there was still nobody who was at his side. People either only want him for his fame or money, and of course he knew, as such great mind reader he became."
Senku skidded to halt listening to those words, "Gen, I don't want to sound corny but are you..?"
Gen heard his unsaid word, "Of course! I'm fine Senku-chan! My favorite part of the boy's story is starting y'know?" He answers without looking back at the other's face. "Because this is the part where his blank life is finally painted with colors!"
The scientist looked resigned, "At what part and when did he start living his life, mentalist?"
Gen looks back, staring straight into Senku's eyes with a smile. "In his dark life, finally, the light came. It washed over him, and the light lulled him to sleep. When he woke up, he was facing a different world from before."
"A total reset for the world, A clean slate for him, like he never did anything before, like he just started living. Although he had to follow orders from the one that woke him from his sleep, he acted on his own and did everything he can befitting of a better life for himself."
"Then he met people, not too gullible but not that smart either," Senku looked quite annoyed at what he said, But Gen brushed it of with a giggle. "Well, maybe except for one. And these people, became close to him, became the first people to care for him despite his flaws, the very people he considers friends. All the things they do, they do together, although harsh, it was comforting, to help that is."
"They did many things together then, win a war, going on a treasure hunt, solving the world's greatest mystery of the petrification, and win a war- again, against adults. Such a wonderful group indeed, and the boy had never been happier. He'd finally lived a life he cherished"
"The end of the story."
Senku just stares back at Gen who told him all those lines. He sighs, sounding kind of sad, "Something tells me that wasn't the end mentalist," He tells the other, "Is there some more to add? Like the things bothering you right now?"
Gen's eyes widened for a second before closing. He kneels down, picks a flower from below, and stands up as the wind brushes onto them again. "I'll ask you again. Who would you rather save Senku-chan, your friend or your parent?"
"Hah? That trash question again, I told you I-"
"Senku, you have to pick one." Gen said in a low tone, much so that Senku was taken aback before he even noticed the lack of honorific. The mentalist, looks away from the scientist, "Saving the two wasn't one of the choices, you'll have to pick one to save and let go of the other."
Senku sighs, "Yeah I know it isn't one of the choices, that's why I'll look for a way to find one idiot." He reasoned at the man, "And why the hell are you so bound to find out my ans-"
"BECAUSE I'M FRUSTRATED!!"
The sudden shout made Senku tense. All noise they were hearing before, wind and sea, suddenly vanished. And the two were left to make noise themselves to fill in the void they made.
"Because I'm frustrated... I-I'm.." Gen stutters and his body starts to shiver, and for once, the mouthy man who knew his way through words, didn't know how to convey his feelings into sentences anymore.
"Hold on Gen," The scientist walks near the man mentioned, "What frustrates you so much so that you're screaming it?"
The mentalist looks at the the scientist, and the latter is startled to see the former's face, their eyes watery of tears threatening to fall down with an emotion of pain and despair he'd never seen before.
"G-Gen?"
"Because I'm frustrated!" Gen cries out loud, letting his bottled up emotions creep up to his mouth after years of keeping it down. "I-I'm frustrated, a-and scared! Of what will happen to you guys! T-to me! And us!" He fell down to the ground, sobbing.
Senku knelt and tried to calm him down, "Look Gen, the medusa has been captured. There is no more danger to us now, since the world is saved, okay?" He tries to pat the other's back to give comfort but was met with a flinch.
"N-not that, not all of that." Gen murmurs, "The machine, the thing that y-you're making now. I don't like it, I don't..."
Senku got confused at his words, "What.. do you not..?"
The mentalist sighed low, "You... Do know that the time machine will be used to prevent the petrification right?" Senku nodded, and Gen continued, "If it succeeds, no doubt it will, then the petrification would never have happened. People will be saved, including your father and his crewmates on Soyuz. But if that happens, Chrome, Kohaku, Kaseki, everyone on the Ishigami Village, and the Treasure Island will be gone, they won't exist as they are the descendants of the astronauts after all."
"It would be as if nothing ever happened, that the place we used to know as a simple village will exist nowhere, and It's as if we never met at all, like we never happened."
Senku laments as he finally understood what Gen really meant, onto why he kept asking that stupid question with a solemn look.
"I'm greedy and selfish aren't I?" the mentalist breathed out, "well, that's what you'd expect from a bat bastard like me, only ever thinking what I think is better for me." He smiled as his tears still flowed down his cheek. "I'm willing to put the world to a halt, just because I've finally found my paradise. Where I truly appreciate people and myself now."
Gen smiles at Senku, "Now then, Senku-chan," he says with eyes that plead, "your answer? The definite one."
Senku just stares at him in great disbelief and sighs way to deep. "You really aren't a good listener are you? And they say you're good for intel and espionage."
Gen was taken aback at his answer, "No, you don't understand, there's only-"
"Yeah yeah one answer I know but my answer is also one answer and it's a personality quiz isn't it? So any answer I say is correct."
The skies finally clear up again, and moonlight shone through the scene. "You moron, I told you, I'd look for a way to save both. If this is what worries you, I don't care. If I say I'll save both, then I'll do it."
A flicker of hope is shining in Gen's eyes. He should've known though, Senku is a man of science and compassion when the time calls for it. He's seen him do complicated things many times now. Ah, as he would say it.
"The road is rough. But as long as we follow the instructions on the map, the goal will be reached"
Gen sighs and he was met with the other's hand, he didn't notice Senku standing up. "C'mon mentalist," Senku says with his outstretched hand, "we don't want you bawling over here like an idiot now." He smiled and took his hand to stand up. As they were about to leave, Gen called out to him.
"Senku-chan, can I ask for a favor?"
"And what might that be mentalist?"
The man raises his hand with the pinky outstretched, "I want you to promise me." He starts shakily, "Promise me, that you'll save us all, the people from the past, and us right now in the present."
Senku smirks, "Is there really a need for that?" He his pinky and intertwines it with the other, "Fine, promise.. or whatever."
Gen smiles softly at the man before him, "Alright, time to go home now! Let's go, we don't want to be labeled missing when dawn comes."
The two then walk back home under the darkness lit above by the moon and the stars.
.
.
"Come to think of it, I've never heard of anyone insulting you for your hair."
"Hah?Like what?"
"Like for example, your hair looks like a leek, or a spring onion, maybe even a radish, or-"
"Okay okay hell, I get it. If were talking about hair then yours looks like an idiot decided to make cookies and cream on your head but forgot to mix it because he got distracted by your bad haircut."
"Woooww, alright you wound me Senku-chan. My hair is absolutely gorgeous thanks."
"So does mine so who cares."
".... Heh, okay."