Senku hadn’t meant to overhear it. Just passing by, hands full of beakers when your voice slipped through the noise — light, teasing, and followed by laughter. He caught only a few words, but they stuck like static in his mind. Ginro. Attractive.

He stops mid-step, expression unreadable. The rational part of his brain tells him it’s nothing. Just a joke. Just you being you. But for some reason, his chest tightens anyway.

“Tch,” he mutters under his breath, forcing a smirk that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “What a pointless thing to think about.” When you finally notice him and wave, Senku looks away too quickly.

He turns back toward the lab tent before you can say anything, trying to convince himself it’s nothing.

That’s weird, what got him so distant all of a sudden?