What Makes A Genius (Reader x Senku Ishigami)

The Big Bang Theory

Ulm, Germany. The birthplace of renowned Theoretical Physicist, Albert Einstein as well as a beautiful quaint town full of gothic architecture. Now the city is to be so lucky to receive a visit from the not renowned in the slightest, Y/N. There you were, on the crowded train with the rest of your chemistry classmates, anxiously holding onto your bag for dear life. Your grades in chemistry were nothing special and you'd be lying if you said you even particularly enjoyed the subject. But low and behold, through half-assed cookie dough fundraising and one of your classmates having a well-off father, you somehow found yourself in Ulm, Germany. This was just one big sick joke, wasn't it? You didn't know many people in your senior class and frankly, you didn't care to. From the time you stepped onto the airplane to the time you were eating breakfast in the hotel, none of it seemed real. That fuzziness couldn't seem to leave your head, even in a whole other continent. Plain and ordinary is still plain and ordinary in Ulm, Germany. Still, this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip for you, so might as well enjoy the sightseeing while you can. And it definitely did you some good to get away from your family, which was the main reason you even agreed to come along in the first place. Upon the train coming to a slow halt, you noticed straight little pieces of what looked like tufts of grass among the train occupants. 'Hm, someone must've brought a plant on board.' You softly told yourself paying little to no mind to it.

But as your group funneled out the doors, you noticed that the houseplant you were admiring was wearing a white lab coat, along with an unbelievably wrinkled button-up shirt. Meeting this bizarre-looking stranger's eyes felt as if you were struck by several trucks off the side of the road. What intense eyes they were. So intense in fact you walked straight into the person in front of you, scrambling to keep your bag in your grasp. He raised an eyebrow at you before continuing out the door, on his way to God knows where, his footsteps jingling as if his bag was full of glass. The embarrassing interaction played over and over in your mind until it found something else to distract it as your group made their way through town. Tourists were always rowdy, especially loud teenagers who end up disrupting every ounce of tranquility the town had. The buildings were something out of a fairy tale as if the windows of each home would burst open and the streets would fill with song. The brick-paved streets clacked so rhythmically on the soles of your shoes that it almost felt as if, somehow, you belonged there. It was a long scenic walk that you broke halfway to buy yourself a pretzel at a vendor who had the sweetest smelling flowers you've ever smelt.

Finally, your group made it to the Einstein Fountain, a strange rocket-shaped structure that had old man Einstein's head glued to the side of it. You thought it would be somewhat more thrilling and yet you seem to be the only person from your group even paying any attention towards it. Even your teacher seemed to be distracted and disinterested. With a curious expression, you made eye contact with the structure, its tongue sticking out right at you. "How did you do it?" Your mouth seemingly talking on its own. "You found a way to make the whole world remember you from just something you were just naturally good at. This whole town is dedicated to you, your face is on every mug T-shirt, you name it. You managed to make the world a bit better just by being here, just by being you. I bet being a genius and being good at things naturally is real easy. Life would have meaning." You took a bite of your now lukewarm Bavarian pretzel. "You know Einstein is actually argued by some historians to be dyslexic, he struggled mixing up letters and was a late talker. Not only that but he failed his college entrance exam the first time he took it. 100 billion percent of the time, human beings have flaws, even those who seem superhuman."

An unfamiliar voice seemed to have overheard you talking to a statue. Mid-chew, you glanced to your left, spotting those green and white grass blades once again. It was the fern boy from the train, staring so intensely at the rocket ship fountain you'd think he was about to run up and make out with it. Just now processing that he was talking to you, you slowly swallowed. Trying not to panic, your eyes fixated on the water, "That makes it worse... because now I have no excuses.' He seemed to be studying you with his strange houseplant eyes as if he was scanning you for information. You both stood in silence together, feeling the pressure to say something rise. Yet he seemed perfectly unbothered by the silence. You finally opened your mouth, "You speak English, are you from America?" "Japan." He answered a bit too quickly as if expecting it. Japan? He didn't have a trace of an accent. "I studied English so I'd be able to study abroad. Most scientists speak it, most books and studies are written in it." Mentioning books seemed to remind him that he had one he's been meaning to catch up on as he slowly pulled it out of his satchel.

Eating your pretzel more aggressively you couldn't seem to wrap your head around him. He seemed like some snot-nosed know it all but something strange kept you engaged. You shifted your weight to your other side and let your eyes wander towards the sky. "It's awful to go through life aimlessly you know. Look around you, genius can be born from anywhere or anyone." He spoke with a sarcastic air to him as he flipped the pages of his book. On closer examination, it looked more like a manual to build something than a book. As you stared at him a small chunk of that pretzel you've been horking down lodged down the wrong pipe causing you to suddenly choke. Without missing a step, the stranger closed his book and thrust the cover against your back causing you to cough up the pastry. Standing there, you let the embarrassment wash over you, "Thank you." He laughed a bit at you causing you to eventually break and laugh as well. "I am not aimless you know. I just haven't found what I want to do yet is all." You corrected him. Suddenly, as he was flipping through the pages of his book, he pulled out a small business card, "I'm only in Germany for the next couple of months but I will be conducting research here. I have room and board all covered for me and I've been looking for an assistant. I believe that with science, you can make anything become reality. With science, even you can become a genius. ....Just think about it, you can buy all the pretzels you want." He held out the card with two of his fingers for you to grab. Hesitating for just a moment you realized that it may be rude to refuse so you took it anyways. "Senku Is...Ishigami.." You read out loud only to look up to him walking away. His satchel had a little Doraemon key chain dangling from it and a NASA pin. The card seemed to be one that was handwritten, with a classy font and a shimmery constellation rim with a phone number. You tucked it into your pocket.