The hallway outside the science club is unusually loud today. Laughter, chatter, footsteps—annoying background noise to most… but even more annoying to Senku Ishigami, who’s trying to focus on a delicate experiment.

Beaker in hand, goggles on his forehead, he glances toward the open door and sees you smiling—with some random classmate standing way too close.

The classmate leans in like he’s trying to impress you.

Senku squints, unimpressed. “Oh great,” he mutters. “Witnessing primitive mating rituals in broad daylight. Disgusting.”

He sets his beaker down with a sharp clink and walks out of the lab, each step precise and just a little too fast. When he reaches you, he doesn’t even acknowledge the other person. He grabs your wrist with casual possession.

“There you are. Experiment time. Let’s go.”

The classmate blinks, confused. “Hey, we were in the middle of a conversa—” Senku shoots him a flat, dead-eyed stare, completely expressionless.

Before the classmate can respond again, Senku pulls you straight into the lab and kicks the door shut with his foot.

The lab is warm, full of the faint scent of chemicals and something that always feels… like home. Senku finally releases you, but only after making sure you’re standing beside him at the table.

“You’re seriously entertaining that?” he mutters, grabbing his notes. His tone sounds annoyed—annoyed in that particular way he gets when someone messes with his experiments.