Perfectly Balanced [WEEKLY UPDATES]

Chapter Eleven: Dancing With Trickery and Combat

11. Dancing With Trickery and Combat

10-20-2022

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"So, Gen is a bad guy?! Since he's working with the main bad guy, Tsukasa?! Why did he save us from Magma then?!"

You, Senku, Chrome, Kohaku, and Suika were inside of the warehouse. Suika was surprised after learning that Gen was a comrade of Tsukasa. You had to explain to her his situation and why he needed to leave.

"He's not good or bad," you told her. "He's just an ample opportunist."

"A shallow one, at best," Kohaku scoffed.

"Either way, the Kingdom of Science needs him. All we need for him to do is give Tsukasa a false report that 'Senku-chan is dead and (Y/N)-chan is nowhere to be found!' That's how we can win," said Senku.

Chrome immediately popped his head out of the warehouse and shouted at Gen, who seemed to be minding his own business, "Hey, you saw that great, scientific light, right?! Whether one wins or loses, whoever has the advantage; it's painfully obvious which side to choose! The more interesting option is the Kingdom of Science!"

The mentalist smiled and shrugged his shoulders. He spoke with lightness in his voice, "My, my~ a young man's conviction. How passionate. Unfortunately, I have none of that, Chrome-chan. After all, I'm the world's smoothest talker; I only look out for myself~"

As he walked away from all of you, Kohaku was getting ready to kill him. You and Senku had to hold her back, while Chrome was frustrated by Gen's answer.

"Why won't he just join us?!" He wondered.

You sighed. "There's no way to tell what he's thinking too. He's either the greatest liar we've ever listened to, or he's completely honest with us--"

Your group then heard the sound of something heavy falling to the ground. You and everybody else quickly stood up, confused to what it was. The five of you exited the warehouse to investigate. Then you saw it: Asagiri Gen lying down on the ground, bloodied up with a spear sticking out from his chest. There was a large puddle of blood underneath him.

"What the hell?! Hey, Gen, say something!" cried Chrome.

Kohaku shook her head. "It's no good. He died instantly for sure. Who would do such a cruel thing?"

"Hold it!" The scientist motioned them to back away. He then looked at you as he grabbed the spear from his chest and pulled it out. "(Y/N), check his pulse."

You put your two fingers on the vein in his neck. His heart was still beating, and you noticed the subtle expansion of his chest when he would take a breath. "He's alive! But how in the world did he survive after losing so much blood?"

The boy then ripped the mentalist's clothes apart to find that there were multiple pouches filled with "blood" and that the man was wearing a guard around himself.

"Whoa! He planned for the worst from the moment he entered the village and prepared to this extent!" Chrome took some of the packs and was impressed as he inspected them.

"Kukuku, aren't you a capable guy? A magician down to the bone! Slowpoke, lioness, let's get him up so we can heal him," Senku ordered with a laugh. Kohaku looked at him with disdain but knew it was the right thing to do.

The two of you carefully carried Gen up the warehouse and laid him on a mat and a straw pillow. Senku took some of the herbs and mixed it together with water to turn it into a paste to put on the open wounds. His placed leaves over the paste so it would stick like bandages. You would wipe the sweat and blood off of his face with a small towel that Suika handed to you, and noticed his eyes were slightly opened.