"Ah, well so long as you're only laughing at my embarrassment," Gen said wryly. He laughed in much the same way, rueful. "If everyone was happy with those arrangements, it sounds like that's the right kind of attitude to have, to me. I was raised in an era where people tended to be pretty uptight, to various degrees. I fall into that trap of embarrassment, too. Even if I agree that's rather silly."

His expression twitched a little when Xue continued to pry.

Gen raised an eyebrow at Xue. "I don't understand why you're so interested. You're not trying to scent out a rival, are you? Senku-chan doesn't accept those feelings from anyone - at best, your confession will be kindly ignored, and your friendship kept - at worse, you'll get a kick to the face. I've seen a wide range of reactions."