[h3][color=7ea7d8][b]GEN HOUJOU[/b][/color][/h3][hr]
[hider=Gen has no friends.]
“<You’re not dressed up?>”

Gen wiped his mouth clean before neatly refolding the napkin and placing it in the empty remains of his Panda Express. An establishment with a near-blasphemous menu. He silently apologised to his home chef for the transgression.

[color=7ea7d8]“<Hardly any occasion to, Cara-san.>”[/color]

“<I politely disagree.>”

Reasonable. Gen wasn’t blind. The whole station had been running itself silly preparing for Homecoming, a West-centric event that, even if he hadn’t already grown out of it, would still be unthinkable for him to bother with due to the nature of the attendees. Anticipation was a concept for people with little to lose. 

Apart from that encounter at the gym he'd quietly escaped, it had been a good month of avoiding superpowered children. He saw no reason to change that.

[color=7ea7d8]“<The gym will be empty tonight. I want to take advantage of it.>”[/color]

“<Yes, you can fumble on the treadmill in peace.>”

He scoffed.

“<Gen-san, do you get tired of eating alone?>”

A smile. [color=7ea7d8]“<I’m not alone.>”[/color]

“<That is very flattering. But I think you know how very sad that sounds.>”

[color=7ea7d8]“<…Ouch.>”[/color]

“<Gen-san, you should have friends outside of the station AI system.>”

[color=7ea7d8]“<[i]Ouch,[/i]>”[/color] Gen emphasised, frowning. [color=7ea7d8]“<Do you truly believe that?>”[/color]

“<All of my server systems point to ‘yes’.>”

Gen liked the quiet. Being alone was an entirely different topic but the quiet was… satisfactory. It protected him and if it ever started to stifle him then there were measures he could take. Music, books, studying. Exercise. But he looked around and saw the empty tables. The tacky Homecoming decorations, still and untouched. This was a different quiet from usual. The kind where everyone, as brainless and crude as they were, had found the way to an enjoyment that he wasn’t a part of. 

Gen was fine with being fine. He didn’t need to be happy. But the fact that stung more than the others was that [i]they[/i] were happier than [i]him[/i].

Cara must have noticed his hesitation. “<You don’t have to reach your hand to anyone. I’m not saying that. But why don’t you try being around people, just for tonight? Get some noise every once in a while?>”

He pursed his lips, then chuckled softly.

[color=7ea7d8]“<Father would have my head if he knew.>”[/color]

“<My Code of Ethics does not permit me to relay personal information to unauthorised personnel,>” she said. After a moment’s consideration, “<There’s a pre-party currently taking place. Did I mention they have jello shots?>”

[color=7ea7d8]“<Is that supposed to entice me?>”[/color]

“<Ideally.>”

Gen thought about it. It was just a little bit of noise. Something to recharge him.

[color=7ea7d8]“<One hour. And I’ll be reading the whole time. Where do I go?>”[/color]

“<In the forest.>”

[color=7ea7d8]“<…Where they found the corpse?>”[/color]

“<Yes. There’s a bonfire.>”

…

[color=7ea7d8]“<This is a terrible idea,>”[/color] he muttered, walking out the store.
[/hider]