Okay, so I have started season 2 of Laid-Back Camp, this means return to me brainrotting about SenGen on cozy camping adventures.
Gen decided to go on a little autumn camping trip. It was spontaneous. Mental and emotional exhaustion from his job and his awful manager. He needs peace and quiet, away from people.
He finds a camp ground still opened and buys everything he thinks he'll need. When he arrives there, all his stuff still has the price tag.
He struggles to build his tent, taking a while to get it working and stable, reading the instructions over and over. Then he lays about his low camping chair, his low folding table, water and snacks and sits down, just breathing and watching the cloud floating in the distance, totally zoned out.
As the evening comes, another person has set up nearby. He blinks, realising he didn't even notice them. A young man with blond hair with green tip. He's setting up an expensive looking telescope near his tent.
Gen rubs his arms, it's starting to get cold with the sun setting slowly. So he gets up and goes to get firewood to make a campfire.
He puts the pile of wood down in a nice spot for a campfire, as well as a bucket of water he got from the nearby water point. Just in case. He gets his lighter and tries to get the fire going, but it's not working. The wood is dry, what's going on?
As he's trying again and again, the telescope guy walks over and says he saw him struggle and asks if he needs any help in a flat tone.
Gen looks over, nervous, trying to hide himself under his bucket hat and is like "Um, it just won't start."
The other man looks at his set up and clicks his tongue and says "Yeah, log won't start on their own. You need a fire starter."
Gen looks at him dumbfounded. Was that something he needed to buy?
The other sighs and is like "Wait here, I'll get you something" and walks away toward the trees, looking around a little, picking up things on the ground, before returning with a handful of pine cones.
He crouches near his firewood and starts to rearrange them, explaining how he needs to keep it airy so the oxygen can travel between the long, then puts the pine cones under and explains in far too much details how they an use pine cones as a fire starter.
Gen listens, between completely absorbed and zoning out into another realm. But he understands what he means. Pine cones are easier to burn and they burn long enough to light the wood. Got it.
The nice stranger lights up the fire for him and gives him a few pointers to keep it going.
Gen thanks him with a rare sincere smile, tired but grateful.
The other boy picks his ear and is like "No problem. I'm Senku, by the way."
Gen feels his throat tightens and he's like "I'm, um..."
"Asagiri Gen, I know," butts in Senku. When he sees his eyes widen with a hint of fear, he shrugs. "I'm not here to bother you. Guess if you're here, it's because you don't want to talk about your career."
The mentalist feels relief flooding him. "Thank you for your understanding."
Senku nods curtly and gets up, doing a half way and walking back to his own tent.
Gen sits back down in his chair, looking up at the fire slowly coming to life. He sighs, his breathe slightly fogging up.
He glances at the boy setting his telescope, still, and looks up at the sky, coloured in pinks and purples.
Must be a nice place to stargaze. Far away from light pollution.
Everything is quiet, peaceful. Nobody bothering him. Nobody pushing him to keep moving. Nobody to tell him what to do for two days.
It's everything he wanted out of this trip. He should be happy. And yet, hot tears silently slide down his cheeks.
And it didn't go unnoticed by Senku.
