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It was a beautiful day in the Kingdom of Science, and Gen was wandering about the outskirts of the settlement formerly known as The Empire of Might--successfully managing to avoid being put to work. They had just returned from their treacherous voyage to Treasure Island, and were now preparing to leave for America.
"Wha- who's there?" Gen said, puzzled. He looked around him, but there was no one else there.
"Hello? I can hear you, you know. Who are you?" Gen said, a little louder this time, but there was no response. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "I don't recognize your voice. Why are you narrating everything I'm doing?" He waited, listening intently. Still, no response came.
"So this is how we're gonna play, huh? Gonna ignore me?" He huffed and put his hands on his hips defiantly. His brows furrowed in frustration. Great, he thought, either there's some stranger spying on me or I'm crazy.
"Excuse me?!" he shrieked suddenly, "did you just narrate my thoughts?!" He went pale. Okay, so it's definitely me. I'm going crazy. Hearing things. There's no way someone could be reading my mind. He couldn't decide if that was the better option or not. Either way, he should try to ignore it until it goes away. Perhaps it was just a one-off hallucination. Had he been getting enough sleep? Probably not, with everything going on.
After a while, he decided to head back and find a place to nap. Perhaps getting a few winks would reset his mind and get rid of the annoying, disembodied voice in his head. It was really starting to grate on him.
He entered the hut he normally shared with Senku, not expecting to see the man himself sitting there, hunched over a low table and scribbling something onto a shameet of paper. He expected him to be out with everyone else, preparing for their departure.
"I am preparing. I had some last minute adjustments I needed to make on the radar system before we headed out. Not sure if we have the materials, though. Tch," he said, only briefly glancing up at Gen with a neutral expression before turning back to his calculations. Gen gave him a bewildered look.
"Um, I didn't say anything," he said with a nervous laugh. Senku looked up at him quizzically.
"Uh huh. Right."
"Don't... don't tell me you can hear that?" Gen felt his stomach drop. There was no way. Senku just raised an eyebrow at him.
"Hear you narrating everything like an insane person? Yes. Gotta admit, this is a weird bit, even for you." He shook his head, twirling his charcoal pencil between his fingers.
"I'm not! I'm not doing that, I swear! Seriously, it doesn't even sound like me," Gen said, his voice shaking. There's no way this was really happening. Maybe this was also a hallucination. Or maybe he was being pranked? Senku wasn't much of a prankster, but he wouldn't put it past him. Senku's eyebrow shot up impossibly higher, his left eye twitching slightly.
"I seem to remember a certain mentalist helping us win a war by nearly flawlessly impersonating a pop star," Senku said flatly. He seemed to be growing disinterested in the conversation, his eyes flicking back to his paper. He rolled his eyes upon hearing that.
"Okay, okay, touché, but I'm telling you I'm not doing this. This voice has been following me around since this morning. It's eriously-say distressing!" Something in Gen's tone, or maybe the way he was holding himself, made Senku pause. Gen held his lips tight together to prove he wasn't making a sound. Senku's eyes widened.
"Huh."
"Huh?!" Gen squeaked, arms flailing to the sides, "that's all you have to say? I'm being followed by a horrifying, mind-reading, disembodied entity that narrates my every move and all you say is 'huh?'"
"Well, what am I supposed to say? I'm still processing," Senku said, his brows furrowing in that cute way that Gen always loved.
They both stopped, falling silent. Gen's jaw was slack, and all he could do was stare at Senku, who froze completely still, his face completely devoid of any emotion. Gen felt heat suddenly seep into his cheeks and the tips of his ears.
"Uh, um. That was weird. Maybe it's just making stuff up?" Gen said with a shaky smile. Goddamnit, goddamnit, why?! "Wh- what could be doing this?"
Senku seemed to snap out of whatever daze he had been thrown into, and his face grew thoughtful again. "Hard to say. I've never heard of anything like this before. When did this start? And where?"
Gen pushed down the lingering embarrassment, swallowing thickly before answering. "Um, about three hours ago. On the outskirts, kind of near the shipyard."
"Hm," Senku thought again, "and it's just been narrating everything you do? Nothing else? It hasn't spoken to you directly?" Gen shook his head in reply.
"Could it be the Why-Man?" Gen asked in a nervous whisper, like he didn't want anyone--or thing--to overhear.
"Possibly. We don't know what he's capable of, so it's not out of the question that he could be behind something like this," Senku answered.
I'm not the freaking Why-Man, bruh.
Gen and Senku jumped at being addressed directly.
"YOU CAN TALK TO US??" Gen practically shouted.
Yea.
"How come you didn't say anything before?? I asked you like a illion-may times!" he whined.
Funny.
Gen glowered. "I beg to differ."
Senku cleared his throat.
"Who are you?" he asked, his voice level and calm despite the growing glow of excitement in his eyes.
I'm the narrator.
"Clearly," Gen said, rolling his eyes.
"Why are you here?" Senku asked.
I'm here to narrate, obviously. Aren't you supposed to be the astute one?
Senku sighed. "Yes, but why? Why now?"
Wouldn't you like to know >:)
"How the hell did you say that out loud?" Gen asked, but was ignored. "Hey!"
"Obviously, I would like to know, that's why I asked," Senku deadpanned, clearly not appreciating the narrator's hilarious mind games. "But if you won't answer that, then maybe you can tell me what you are."
I'm a narrator.
Senku clearly did not like that answer.
I dunno what you want me to tell you, man. That's the answer.
"Why have you been following me around?" Gen asked, his voice smoothed over in an attempt to appear friendly to the narrator. Unfortunately for him, he had forgotten the narrator can literally read his thoughts and feelings so his mentalism tricks won't work on them. Gen visibly deflated.
I'll humor you. I got bored and you all seemed interesting. Normally, I just narrate to myself, but this is way more fun. Though, I might get in trouble for altering the story and revealing my existence. Whoops.
"So, you're some kind of... incorporeal all-seeing entity? Fascinating, tell me more," Senku said with a grin nearing manic.
Ah, ah, ah. Some things should remain unknown.
"Well, I, for one, don't appreciate some third person limited voice spilling my personal thoughts to anyone within earshot," Gen grumbled.
Third person omniscient, actually. I've just been omitting Senku's thoughts until now so that I could make this joke.
"Oh no," Senku said, paling a bit. Do not start narrating my th- oh my god.
Gen's laugh burst out involuntarily. "Now you know how it feels, Senku-chan! Hah!" I have to be careful not to think anything weird. Like, I definitely don't want to think about that daydream I had earlier with Senku and I ma- HEY! SHUT UP!! GET OUT!!! Gen's face flushed. He wasn't used to having to control his own stream of consciousness like this. It was harder than it seemed. It felt like his subconscious was working against him, trying to blurt out damning things against his will.
Senku, on the other hand, was much more controlled. His thoughts remained objective and intentionally dull, except for a small blip of curiosity upon hearing about Gen's daydream.
"D- don't worry about that! It's not important to the matter at hand," Gen stuttered, his mask of serene confidence was shattered to a million pieces long ago. His face was a flushed mess and he couldn't stop nervously gesticulating as he spoke. This was not going his way at all, and he needed to get things back on track before he thought something he really didn't want Senku to hear, like how much he adored his gorgeous ruby eyes.
"OH COME ON, I DIDN'T EVEN THINK THAT!"
Actually you did. The human brain typically has multiple streams of consciousness happening concurrently. That one was happening a little lower on the priority chain, but I can still pick it up.
"Is that true?" Senku asked, turning to look at Gen. Gen couldn't look away, but he also couldn't speak, the words felt stuck in his throat. Please don't do this. I don't want him to know.
"Know what?" Now Senku's attention was entirely on Gen. Gen squirmed under the gaze of his red-hot eyes. He couldn't look away.
Senku felt his cheeks prickle with warmth. He didn't dare to get his hopes up, but... could it be? Gen's secret... was it what he thought it was?
"What do you think it is?" Gen asked, his voice scratchy. He finally looked away, clearing his throat. Senku's gaze was so earnest, almost... hopeful. Gen couldn't do this. He... he wasn't ready. Not like this. Oh god.
"AAAAAGH," he suddenly screamed, startling Senku, who jumped back, not even realizing he had been leaning forward. "I CAN'T WITH THIS!! STOP MEDDLING!"
Oh whatever. Admit it, you guys needed it.
Gen seethed. He really wished he had a face to scream at, but the narrator was nowhere that could be seen by them.
"Unbelievable," he groused, stomping his foot. "Just. Unbelievable. How hard is it to just mind your own business?"
Rude.
"RUDE? I'll tell you what's rude! MEDDLING IN MY LOVE LIFE!"
Senku was still wide-eyed on the floor. Love life...
"Ohhhhhh, my god," Gen said with gritted teeth and pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes. "Great. He's broken. You broke him. Are you happy?"
Oh don't be so dramatic. He's fine. Wanna hear what he's thinking?
"No!!" Yes...
How did I not notice this before? My feelings must have been clouding my perception. How shameful, I'll need to work on that. Gen... I- Senku shook himself out of his thoughts when he realized they were suddenly not private.
"Hey, quit that." he said, annoyed. Little did he know, the narrator was just getting started.
"Senku, what do we do?" Gen pleaded.
Suddenly, Senku had an idea. He smiled.
Oh no.
"We'll do nothing," he replied.
Boo, lame. Is that the best you got?
"- except criticize them," he finished.
...
"..." (Gen said that one)
What r u on about bro.
"You're writing is mediocre at best," Senku declared, "I mean, just there you used the wrong 'your.'"
*The narrator squinted their eyes*
"And now you're using roleplay speak."
Concerning that you know what that is.
"And now you're ad hominem-ing me."
Ad hominem is not a verb, you can't just- ARGH. Whatever man. You know I could just totally rewrite your story so that you all die or whatever.
"You won't," Senku's grin was smug. Damn rat bastard.
Fine. I'll go. Since everyone HATES me...
"Aw, narrator-chan, we don't hate you..." Gen spoke placatingly, "we just don't want you narrating our thoughts out loud, please."
Fiiiine, I'll stop that, too... I guess...
Senku whispered something about overuse of adverbs.
OH THAT IS IT!! I'M OUT OF HERE!!
For now, anyways. >:) See you in the South America arc, suckers.
"Wait, the what?"
And with a pop, like the air around them suddenly depressurized, the narrator was gone. Sorta. Okay, I'm totally still here they just can't hear me anymore lol.
Gen and Senku looked around in wonder, whispering quietly between themselves as if that would make it so I couldn't hear them.
"Do you really think they're gone?" Gen whispered.
"No," Senku also whispered for some reason even though he knew better.
"You're probably right. They've probably always been here."
"I think so, too."
"So... should we talk about-" Gen was cut off by Senku hastily clearing his throat.
"Absolutely not."
"But-"
"Not gonna happen."
"Senku-chan~"
"Ugh. Fine. I suppose we both know anyways, no sense in dragging out the inevitable. I have feelings for you. There," he spat it out like it was venom on his tongue.
"Geez, what a romantic," Gen rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. A genuine smile, at that. How rare.
"You should know better than to expect something like that from me," Senku said, closing his eyes and sticking his finger in his ear.
"Of course, Senku-chan, your blunt efficiency is one of the things I love about you most."
Senku sputtered, losing all of his aura points instantaneously 💔 A deep crimson blush splotched its way over his cheeks. Gen's smile was vicious and mischievous. He could get used to this.