DISCLAIMER: I do not own Dr. Stone! :)
To my awesome reviewers (30/06/22): Hello, everybody! ^_^ Thank you so much for reviewing the thirty-ninth chapter of No Stone Unturned! [188. ClockRepair] Senku really cares about Suika, and wants her to be safe! :) I hope all of you enjoy this new chapter, and thank you again! ^_^
Chapter Forty: (S01 E12b) Lake Inspection (Day 28c)
"…and your job will be to be our bodyguard."
As Senku said those words to Ginro, his face had a look of shock for a second before it was replaced by awe.
"I'm gonna be your… bodyguard?"
Saying his new title out loud seemed to make it real for him, and he sprang up in excitement.
"Ginro's going to be our bodyguard?" asked a perplexed Kohaku. "Why do we need a bodyguard?"
Quickly, Ginro's head turned in her direction, and before she could say another word, he was right in front of her.
"Don't worry, Kohaku! I'll be your bodyguard! I'll carry your delicate and frail body in my strong, muscular arms!" he declared, flexing said arms a few inches from her face.
Kohaku blinked at him in confusion, but Ginro, lost in his speech, continued.
"When you're scared, just let me know and I'll carry you to safety! Just hold on as tightly as you want to my powerful body…"
He trailed off then, mumbling and grinning as he stared into space, and it was clear to Senku - and probably Kohaku as well, judging by the incredulous look she gave the guard - that Ginro was lost in some sort of damsel in distress fantasy that involved carrying an affectionate and grateful Kohaku in his arms while Ginro, the vigorous and powerful bodyguard, hugged her close to his body as he stayed vigilant against all danger.
Senku attempted to hide his amusement as he watched Kohaku getting more and more indignant at Ginro's obvious fantasizing. After all, they were already going after a dangerous ingredient today - he didn't need to get mauled by a dangerous lioness before they even left the camp.
Although, come to think of it, the lioness technically was a damsel in distress the day I met her…
He gave a chuckle when he realized the irony, but when he saw Kohaku immediately turn and look slightly suspiciously at him, Senku cleared his throat and innocently raised his voice to tell everybody that he, Chrome, Kohaku, and Ginro really ought to gather their gear and be on their way. And after they collected their things and said their goodbyes to Suika, they were off to get the next ingredient on the roadmap, their group being led by a cheerful, spear-twirling bodyguard who soon started to sing about how great he was.
After they passed the area where Kohaku usually collected hot spring water, Senku knew that they were getting close to the place where he saw chatsubomi moss the day he learned that Suika liked to watch sunflowers, and smiled at the memory.
That feels like ages ago. And if she thinks sunflowers are fun to watch, Suika'll really like all the entertainment we used to have. The world had a lot of fun things. Music, video games, TV shows, manga, movies, and more. After I search every single second for a hundred nights, and after we work together to bring back all seven billion people, we'll bring all those fun things back.
He felt his smile falter for a moment, knowing that his odds for success for his ultimate goal were practically ten billion to one - making his goal extremely unlikely to come true - but Byakuya had been an optimist, and so Senku would be, too, and he clenched his fist in determination once, before relaxing his hand again.
Knowing the moss was nearby, Senku warned Ginro about the importance of keeping the silver spear pointed forward… which Ginro then proceeded to do from far behind Senku, Chrome, and Kohaku, making the spear's intended purpose as the group's detector for dangerous gasses absolutely useless.
That continued for a while, but despite Senku's eventual ire, it was Kohaku's suggestion that she take the silver spear that prompted Ginro to take his place in front of the group and resume his bodyguard duties. Which was good, because the spear did end up detecting dangerous gasses - but because the wielder was less vigilant than the tool, Ginro continued forward, mesmerized by the beautiful lake of sulfuric acid, and had to be rescued quickly by the woman he had declared earlier he would protect.
Defeated - at least for now - Senku and the others returned to the camp and told a sympathetic Suika and a curious Kaseki what had happened.
"If we don't have that sulfuric acid stuff… then we can't make the cure-all medicine for Ruri?" asked Chrome dejectedly.
Shaking his head, Senku replied, "Nope. And actually, if we can't get sulfuric acid, we won't be able to make any progress with chemistry at all."
Kohaku quickly picked up her bag of scientific materials and took a purposeful step in the direction of the sulfuric acid lake…
"We'll just have to use brute force to get what we need! If it's to save my sister's life, I'll risk my life as many times as it takes! I'm fast, so my speed-"
…but stopped after Senku put a firm hand on her shoulder.
"Your speed won't be enough, Kohaku. Here's a little story from my time…"
Things happened quickly after that. The story was told, and gas masks were made. But Kohaku's immediate reaction had given Senku food for thought. That, and other things he knew about both her and Chrome, led Senku to make an important statement to Chrome later that night.
"Chrome. You're not coming tomorrow when Ginro and I try to collect the sulfuric acid again. You're staying here."
(End of Chapter Forty.) (June 30, 2022, Thursday.)
I. My personal comments: While Senku and Kohaku can't read minds, they both totally knew what Ginro was thinking :D
II. Question of the day: What do you think of Ginro's eagerness to be a bodyguard? XD
III. A tiny request: Thank you for reading my fanfic! :D If you've read this far, I hope you'll consider taking an extra minute to leave a review for Chapter Forty ("Lake Inspection")? :D Reviews really mean a lot to me as a fanfiction writer, and all kinds of positive, negative, and/or constructive reviews are very welcome! ^_^ Even if it's the year 5738 or something, I would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter! :D (By the way, I'm "fireflyhwufanficwrit" on Reddit and "firefly-hwufanficwriterrrrr" on Tumblr :D)
