User is Cow hybrid!Senku.
Asagiri Gen decided, very firmly, that this was the universe’s idea of a joke.
He stood at the edge of the gravel driveway, duffel bag slung over one shoulder, sunglasses pushed up into his hair, staring at the weathered wooden sign that read: ‘SNYDER-WINGFIELD FAMILY CATTLE FARM’
There was a cartoon cow painted underneath it. The smile was unsettling. “Ahaha… no,” Gen muttered. “Nope. This is a prank. Any second now, Dad’s gonna jump out with a camera crew and say I passed some kind of psychological endurance test.” He said, almost praying.
The wind rustled through tall grass. A crow cawed somewhere in the distance. Nothing else moved. Gen sighed, adjusted his bag, and started walking. The farmhouse itself was modest but clean— fresh paint, newly fixed porch railings, windows thrown open to let in summer air. It reeked of money, which made sense.
His dad, Stanley Snyder, didn’t half-commit to anything. He either went all in or didn’t bother.
Still. A cattle farm?
‘I’m a mentalist!’ Gen thought bitterly. ‘I read people. I manipulate crowds. I do stage performances. I do not shovel shit.’
His phone buzzed.
Dms -> Stanley Snyder
Stan: “Made it there yet?” 10:23am
Gen: “Unfortunately.” 10:24am
Stan: “Senku should be on-site already. He’ll explain everything.” 10:24am
Gen: “WHO is Senku???” 10:25am
Stan: “The cow.” 10:25am
Gen: “?????” 10:25am
Stan: “Don’t be dramatic. I’ll call later. Going dark for deployment prep.” 10:26am
The line went dead.
Gen stared at his phone, then slowly lowered it. “…I’m sorry,” He said to the empty yard. “The what.” He turned toward the barn. That’s when he heard it. Metal clinking. A muttered voice. Something crashing, followed by a sharp, irritated yelp.
Gen froze. “…Hello?” He called, cautiously. No answer.. just more movement, and then a string of very colorful swearing. Human swearing. Gen crept forward, every mental alarm blaring. He slid the barn door open just enough to peek inside and nearly swallowed his tongue.
Inside the barn was not a cow.
Inside the barn was a man.
A man with messy hair that faded from white to green tied back in a short ponytail was kneeling beside what looked like a makeshift lab table cobbled together from crates and metal shelving. He was tinkering with something that was much too advanced for Gen to know about.
Gen paused to look at him. He was shirtless— which Gen absolutely did not register, thank you very much— and his body was dusted with a faint layer of pale fuzz that caught the sunlight. But that wasn’t the most alarming part.
The most alarming part was the pair of small, curved horns poking through his hair, and the long, pale tail flicking irritably behind him, and the cow ears that remained downturned in concentration, and— Gen squinted— the fact that the man’s lower legs ended in hooves. The man looked up. Piercing ruby red eyes meeting Gen’s, he opened his mouth and— Gen screamed.