"... He's my friend, and so of course I give him gifts, and he's terrible at looking after himself so of course with, dragging him to bed ..." Gen realized how weak all of this sounded in context with everything else, so he rubbed his face a few times with his palms.

It's possible, Gen realized, that Senku might not be aromantic, just asexual. Even without any prior evidence. Even with just what Xue said. If he was interested in romantic affection ... wait.

He peeked between his fingers, a sudden sliver of doubt entering. "... You're not saying all of this to play a prank on us, are you?"