Survival Challenge Gone Wrong

Chapter 11 - Day 5-6

Gen wanted to cry tears of joy. No, really. Seeing an actual, real paved road made him want to frolic and sing praises for those who invented asphalt. And so he did, minus the singing. His calloused feet bounced off the smooth surface, arms swinging at his sides against his will. Call him a child, but he could celebrate a little.

"Senku-chan! This is so great! Look! A road sign!" he chirped, making Senku chuckle at his antics. "No speeding! Haha, do they even have cars here that can make it to a hundred? I wonder~"

"Calm down, we've been stranded for a few days, not a few years," Senku commented, but his noticeably excited face told otherwise.

"Hush, you'll ruin my vibe," Gen waved him off and continued skipping and pointing at every man-made invention his eyes landed on. 'Ah, this is the best,' he thought. Tomorrow he would be home in my soft bed, perhaps with a beer and some chicken and Wi-Fi! Perhaps then getting over Senku would be easier. But for now...

Stepping on his tiptoes he snuck up to Senku – who was just minding his business peacefully walking – and jammed a finger into his side. Senku cried out in surprise while Gen quickly took off, running up the path and laughing to himself.

"HEY! Stop it you asshole!" He heard Senku's angry voice behind him, but that only made him speed up instead. Giggles freely left his mouth, exhaustion forgotten in Gen's instigated game of tag. Loud stomps behind him indicated that Senku too had resorted to running, chasing after Gen for revenge. "You're not getting away this time!" Gen considered looking back, but that would slow him down and he couldn't have that.

"Don't waste your energy talking Senku-chan~" Gen teased, as if those same rules did not apply to him. The adrenalin almost made him feel a little tipsy. His legs took him as far as his eyes could see, winding his path along the road to throw Senku off. He suddenly felt a tug on his shirt and squeaked, followed by a pearl of scared laughter. Senku did not pull hard enough to make him fall back, but Gen had to halt his step. He finally turned to look at Senku, who wore the most manic grin he's seen from him yet. With his teeth clenched and his breaths escaping through the gaps, Senku's hands tightly clutched the material of Gen's shirt.

"Caught you," Senku said with a growl and it sent a chill down Gen's spine.

"No you didn't!" He twirled around himself and the momentum allowed his shirt to slip through Senku's fingers. Gen hiccuped seeing his incredulous expression and stumbled off again. Hearing a wild cackle spurred his body to move faster. With a quick change of plans, he made a U-turn in an attempt to catch Senku off guard. And that he did. While Senku caught onto his tactic, he was still running at full speed and unable to make a sudden change in direction.

"Oh shit, oh shit! Wait stop!" He blurted and tried manoeuvring himself to avoid a crash. Gen saw the fear in his eyes, but sadistically kept running right at him until the very last second when he gracefully evaded him, everything calculated. Senku stumbled, flailing his arms to balance himself but Gen grabbed him by the collar of his shirt to stop his fall.

"You are one of the most annoying people I've ever met," Senku panted, voice wavering, "I almost got a heart attack there!"

"You still love me," Gen remarked and immediately cringed, "You have to admit that was fun though."

"Yeah alright. Oh jeez, I haven't run this much since high school P.E." Senku finally caught his breath and leaned backwards, stretching his back.

"Honestly me neither. I hate cardio," said Gen and followed Senku's example to stretch, "But that did help blow off some steam. Maybe too much actually, let's get a move on or I'll fall asleep right here on the road."

"Then why would you even- never mind," Senku gave up on any further questions, "I agree that we should be moving, I'm not sure how far away the village is."