27th Shot: Fun with Kingcraft
Ukyo has a pride in holding his composure–even in the worst situation, he practiced to ground himself because having a little sense or reality could help you think more rationally. Working both physically and psychologically under immense pressure is, after all, one of the unspoken requirements in his line of work. He maybe not the prowess in terms of power, but there's enough confidence he could guarantee in keeping his head straight.
He still panicked, that's humane, however he refused to let himself haywire and drowning in negativity. Being used to it has its perks–his vision remained clear, his mind grasped on clarity well, he's able twist his brain for certain alternatives.
The moment Shinko spiraled, his heart dropped into the bottomless pit of his stomach. She always stood straight with subtle confidence and putting up a brave front to look up, witnessing her crumbling from fright sent cracks lining his heart. Sometimes he forgot–Shinko had faced war boldly, accepting stitches without anesthetic, exploring the wilderness by her own, it slipped his mind that she's not completely immune to fear.
Ukyo did his best in trying to ground her.
He held her close. The vice grip of her hand around his was accompanied with trembles, and he never let go. Whispering calming and firm words to guide her through the haze residing in her mind, his attempt was rewarded by her managed to be pulled back to reality. If Ukyo's a few seconds too late she would've passed out from lack of air, her extremely pale face made his chest tightened. This would be the first time he's seen her trapped in dread, and never wanted to experience the same thing again.
He would do everything in his might to prevent it.
After the unwanted incident, he knew he had to stay close. It's certain that worry gnawed viciously on his chest, although he decided to not brought anything up–the rest also understood how dire it is and proceeded to continue as if nothing happened. The ride back was as silence as it could get.
Upsetting Shinko was the last thing all of them wished to do. Upset was probably not even close describing her turmoil of emotions. From the start, it's apparent that Shinko is a people pleaser–meaning she tried to be as capable and helpful as she could.
Disappointment, shame, and embarrassed were probably the best words portraying her feelings.
She even apologized for something she didn't do–something that's supposed to be out of her control.
As much as Ukyo wanted to argue with her, he didn't want to remind her and, in the end, making her sinking deeper in guilt. She's scared and it's normal for people to be scared. They're humans, not inanimate objects incapable of digesting emotions. She wasn't even scared of the Why Man, she was terrified at the possibility they or it bring harm to everyone–she's not scared for herself, she's scared for all of them.
He promised to have a long talk about this later on with her–about being honest, about not feeling shame to do it, about unloading many things because bottling up would have it burst in a worse condition. She would always have his ears to rant, his shoulders to lean on, and his arms to seek for comfort–he guaranteed to always be there for her.
It hurt seeing her finally having a sense of relief only after they stepped back to the dryland, hurt when she was trembling in silence. Shinko even hesitated to hold onto him fearing she would be even more burdening–Ukyo firmly grasped her hand in his and tried to reassured her that she's not.
Thankfully, Shinko was gradually getting better after watching everyone doing their share of manual labor. A physical and concrete evidence that everyone was fine and finally she could let herself be fine. Suika greeted Shinko with her usual innocent cheers already made things better by being herself, Senku involving her in his newest science endeavor also became a great help, letting her unwind a little.
His sharp ears caught her frantic breaths slowly but surely decreased, back to a normal pace. Her hand in his ceased to tremble in his hold. Ukyo took this as a good sign where he could sigh in relief.
"Projection… Is this a screen?" Her guessing their latest invention right on the mark and Senku's trademark of ten billion points served as a great affirmation.
Proud? That's an understatement, unfortunately there's no word that could describe that he's more than proud of her–Shinko had a knack of comprehending things a lot faster than most of them, it's probably the main reason Senku letting her assist him more and rarely questioned her work. The scientist needed a person who's quick on their feet and catching up with the speed of his thoughts, there's probably no one else more suitable than Shinko.
She was incredibly amazing–it was beyond Ukyo how she didn't take a notice of it. She should brag more–not everyone had the ability to comprehend Senku's lecture without doing a double take or frequently filling his place as temporary watcher. Not even Chrome or him had the chance of doing it.
"It's amazing you can piece everything up so quickly, Shinko." He praised her, of course and this time, he couldn't help but pat her head along the way.
She deserved it and he's fond of her soft strands tickling his palm. And her being her, she had time to include teasing or at least replying lightheartedly–her apparent silence and red tinge blooming on her cheeks concerned Ukyo. When he touched her back and finding higher temperature radiating from it only adding more worry to him. "Wait, you're a little warm, are you sick?"
Shinko shook her head almost instinctively, replying in combination of stuttering borderline to a squeak. "N-no, I'm fine, Ukyo-san,"
Brought him back to memories on how she talked when they're still dancing around each other's presence a year ago.
"Really? Is it the sun? It's kind of bright and it's quite hot. Let's move somewhere with more shade." There's fact in his words–the sun was quite high in the sky and hanging above their head radiating heat like no other. Heatstroke could attack anytime and Science Laboratory's cool shade could reduce the chance of it would happen–maybe he could get some cool drink along.
Instead of moving to follow his advice, Shinko chose to throw him a smile–the sunny one, the one which seemed to make everything brighter and colorful than before.
The one which sent his heart speeding up without his consent.
Shinko was quite fond of physical affection–she once mentioned actions sometimes left bigger impact than words, bringing solace almost in an instant. She hugged Suika and the girls quite often, and giving others back or shoulder paths as encouragement.
Ukyo's hand never became empty because either her hand or his found each other; their shoulders brushed or bumped against each other playfully–it's a routine and a habit he learned to loved. It brought comfort, security, and reassurance for both of them. That's why the moment Shinko rested her forehead against his shoulder barely fazed him, concept of space was probably long gone between them. Honestly, Ukyo enjoyed this proximity as his hand automatically went to caressed her head.
"I'm fine because you're here, Ukyo-san."
An unexpected reply he welcomed with open arms. Why wouldn't he? It was genuine, soft, and warm–Shinko has always been that way. Somehow, her words carry apparent weight which magically lifted some of the heaviness upon his shoulders. Simple yet it left an almost visible mark, short yet more meaningful than a thousand words. Ukyo sighed contently, he wished nothing more to bring her into his arms and stay that way–basking in each other's warmth and dismissed every complexity the universe dumped on them.
Leaning his cheek on the side of her head, he muttered,
"I'll always be wherever you are."
There's no one Ukyo treasured more than Ogasawara Shinko.
.
.
Minami didn't even need a reporter's instinct to know that something was indeed wrong.
She's a woman and women are beings who own higher level of emotional understanding–they are beings which see things in a way logic couldn't. They think with heart more often, they deeply relate to comprehend many things, sentiment is something that comes naturally. Of course, it comes with advantages that you could ever think–one of them is sending sirens of alerts just by a glance or even standing in silence.
Minami called it as woman's intuition and she wouldn't trade it for the world.
When her eyes rested on Shinko the moment the young woman returned from their short sail to the open sea, her mind already nagged her in such insistence until she could feel her head throbbed dully. Just like what Minami mentioned before, the slight shift in the air brushed against her skin was a sign to her about a looming hurdle.
In other's perspective, there's no peculiar thing affected Shinko's attitude as she arrived and greeted them with simple waves and greetings but the reporter knew better. She found the evidence for it in an instant, which was a certain sonarman stood by her side less than an arm away and stay that way wherever she went.
Again, most people would think it was normal–the two has been attached to hip. When you have a chance to ask every former resident of Tsukasa's Empire, Minami guaranteed they would reply the same–it's no news, unnamed relationship formed between the two was a thing they came to accept. The first person who Shinko saw after being revived was literally Ukyo and the first person who Ukyo got comfortable to was Shinko. The two shared a bond that ran deeper than what's visible on the surface, Minami could testify that.
She's always observing, it became an additional package of her job as a reporter to caught quirks and details around a person and people. Information often worth more than money and other valuables, hands dying and sacrifices many just to know. Tsukasa fully understood that–to build his ideals, he needed people who met his requirements and standards, Minami was the only person who's capable in handing him list of numerous individuals deemed fit hence why she was revived.
Senku also fell into that category–knowing how crucial it was, the reason he built a communication device in the first place. During raging war, information warfare was what brought certain side to victory, the determinant that tipped the scale to favorable.
Watching Ukyo and Shinko interact has turned into a routine that somehow fell into its own place–sudden but not unwelcomed, fitting into right an empty slot so smoothly. The two created their own pace–slow but steady, a rare healthy display many craved and longed for.
So, knowing that their closeness held a certain strain as a trigger for it wasn't going unnoticed.
Usually, Minami would've fought tooth and nail the urge to cheer or squeal whenever she saw them physically affectionate with each other–similar to how she screamed to her pillow in the middle of watching her favorite romance drama aired every weekend 3,700 years ago. However, the current contact didn't have the normal lightness or sense of innocence–it held a solemn purpose, heavy with something unspeakable, and greatly suffocating her almost hallucinate air being punched out of her lungs and threatened to render her struggling for it.
Ukyo's hand wrapped around Shinko's firmly and protectively–he didn't even try to be subtle meaning he had no care about people's opinion or whatsoever, he prioritized Shinko's condition more. Ukyo is a hearer rather than talker, and seeing how frequent he sparked up conversations or even whispered words to Shinko's ears meaning he's in the middle of a mission to distract her from whatever burden settling heavily upon her shoulders. And her reply followed by wry smile along with nods became the conclusion for Minami's hunch.
Something indeed went south and not in every chance in this world would Minami let it stay that way. Girls sticks together–knowing that one of them was suffering in silence, they had to do something about it, although not in a pushy or prying type of way. Shinko was a friend, and friends take care of each other–the main reason why Minami called it as an opportunity to gather the others while the archer was sending the seafarers away.
Even though she brought something requested by Senku along, it wouldn't be long for her to return to the construction site. As per usual, the scientist probably gave her a watcher's duty–Minami took a notice of it turned more often than before. Whilst he's busy with a project and had to stray his eyes away, he would leave all the responsibility to her. The reporter was right on the mark because Shinko returned with additional rolls of papers in her hand.
Beelining towards Kaseki, she unfurled the object in her hands and immediately engaged in a serious conversation with the elder. They took turns in pointing a few things on the paper, Shinko quickly changed, corrected, crossed, and adjusted a few things with a charcoal pen. Minami couldn't possibly hear the two from the distance she's having (Ukyo could though–she sometimes wondered how he's feeling about accidentally eavesdropping everything).
Once the two deemed everything settled, that's where Minami strode towards her in a large step–she had to squeeze herself in or Shinko would continue drowning herself in work.
"Shinko-chan," Calling her gently, Shinko automatically turned her head over her shoulders. Throwing a smile without the usual brightness in it, she greeted them.
"Is there something you need, everyone?" It referred to the company Minami managed to gain–Yuzuriha, Nikki, Kohaku, Ruri, Mirai, and Suika. All of them had the same thoughts in mind–something wasn't right with their friend and they need to make her feel better. It's an automatic decision to confront said friend.
"Something is bothering you." Kohaku remarked, folding her arms upon her chest and gave Shinko a stern look–which of course, made said young woman taken aback. Surely, the blonde didn't mean any harm, only wanting Shinko to tell them the truth and not beating around the bush since it's already apparent to them.
"Something is clearly wrong, Shinko-chan." Contrast to Kohaku's forwardness, Yuzuriha chose to tone down her words–handling the approach in a more cautious way.
"What happened out there?" Nikki immediately jumped in, looking at her in worry. "You're all fidgety and restless."
"We're worried about you, Shinko-chan." Minami finalized, a wry smile present on her face. "You're really out of it after the fuel test. You don't have to tell us everything, but we're all ears if you want to."
"Yes, we're here if you want to tell us." Ruri added, her voice gentle and full of understanding. "Please don't shoulder the burden yourself."
"W-We'll do anything to make nee-san feel better!" Mirai announced, fist pumping in the air and eyes shone with determination. "Nee-san always makes us feel better when we're down! It's our turn now, right, Suika-chan!?"
Suika replied with the same determination as she nodded firmly. "That's right! If there's something that can make Shinko-nee feel better, please tell us!"
To be honest, it made Minami felt a little guilty to ganged up on her like this–even though Shinko was a person who easily befriended and adapted with everyone in the vicinity, there's an invisible wall apparent between them when it involved emotional approach. She reminded Minami of water–easily molded herself and merged into her surroundings seamlessly. The main issue would be that the young woman still hadn't been completely transparent even with Ukyo.
Sure, everyone has their own secrets but Shinko was a little more closed off–mostly it's them pointing out certain things changed in her dynamic rather than her being open with it. They did the coaxing whilst Shinko decided to react to it or not–it's always been that situation.
In reality, Minami expected her to brushed it off like usual–same smile, same 'I'm fine' and 'you don't need to worry' which in the end rendered them unable to argue. Without a doubt it would greatly disappoint all of them, but they didn't have any right to pressure her. Even so, the reporter held a little amount of hope for another outcome.
When Shinko didn't say a peep, they were already on their toes waiting for her respond–even both Suika and Mirai shuffled restlessly on their feet from her silence. At this moment, they're probably boring holes to her being from anticipation alone.
Unexpectedly, Shinko sighed–it held no heaviness in it and the hope in Minami's chest sparked brighter than before. Giving them a smile, she replied. "Thank you everyone. I guess I'm really out of it, especially when all of you noticed."
"Of course we did!" Yuzuriha puffed her chest, the atmosphere was a lot lighter than before. "We'll immediately know when you're not being yourself, Shinko-chan!"
Kohaku nodded before adding, "I understood you're the quiet type, but this time you're way too quiet, Shinko."
"So, will you tell us what happened during the sail?" Nikki asked eagerly–all of them probably are, since Shinko rarely wanted to tell.
"…It's kind of embarrassing," Her smiled dimmed into a more solemn one. Shifting on her feet uncomfortably, Shinko played with her fingers and eyes unable to meet them straight. Somehow, knew this kind of rawness she's exuding. "When I heard the Morse Code, I just… I got… scared and it's hard to breathe all of a sudden,"
Oh.
The previous relief that bloomed vanished instantly–Minami felt her chest caved so deep maybe it turned hollow from the short explanation. Not only her, the rest mimicked her reaction–Yuzuriha gasped, Nikki's eyes widened and flooded with worry, both Kohaku and Ruri slightly paled at her revelation, Suika and Mirai's eyes glistened a little.
Panic attack–that's why Ukyo was extremely cautious and refused to let her more than an arm length away from him, that's why Senku zipped his lip shut, Gen quickly changed the topic regarding it, Chrome abnormally avoiding her questioning, and Ryusui straight up rejected any idea to tell.
Minami didn't let herself think, instead she threw herself onto the unsuspecting young woman–and as always, Shinko was ready to accept her upcoming hug. Soon enough, Yuzuriha did the same, Mirai and Suika tried to squeezed in between them, Kohaku and Ruri reached for her free hands, Nikki dropped her chin onto the top of her head–essentially, they buried her in a group hug. The reporter would've burst into giggles from Shinko's confused noises if they're not in a dire circumstance.
"If you think you shouldn't be scared, I'll punch you." Nikki already beaten everyone to it–the threat was apparent in her tone and Minami believed the taller girl would smack the living daylights out of Shinko for real.
Said young woman being mentioned laughed nervously. "I still value my life, Nikki-chan."
"We're sorry that happened to you, Shinko-chan," Yuzuriha's voice sounded muffled as she buried her face to her shoulder.
"You must be terrified," Ruri remarked, green eyes shone in worry and guilt. "We're terribly sorry for not being there."
"But it's okay to be scared," Kohaku stated, her hold on Shinko's hand tightened slightly in order to bring comfort and assurance. "I felt that too when Ruri-nee suffered from her illness. There's not a thing that could prevent fear."
"It's normal to be scared." Minami reminded. Pulling away from the hug, she reached out to pinched one of Shinko's cheek. "You're a human, Shinko-chan! Don't even think feeling scared is troubling! There's nothing shameful about it either! If you really think like that, then I'll help Nikki-chan to beat you up!"
"You told me it's okay to be scared, nee-san!" Mirai argued with a pout, hugging the young woman's waist tightly. "Then, it's the same for you too!"
"Adult can be scared too! It's what Gen told us!" Suika backed the girl up. "And when you're scared, you can tell us! It will be less scary!"
Maybe it's the first time Shinko truly smiled after the short voyage–she even giggled at each of their reply. It didn't sound forced and Minami took this as a success of their confrontation. It was definitely contagious because they found themselves either smiling or grinning back as a respond, the little girls already cheered in glee the moment they realized their effort really did make Shinko feel better.
"Thank you, everyone." Said young woman snickered sheepishly. "I feel a lot lighter now, thanks to all of you."
This was the time Minami truly knew that Shinko had finally lowered her walls and embraced them as she is.
.
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Ukyo thought they would dock at the place they started, which was a small river marking its way quite deep until it's quite deep near the Kingdom of Science's second headquarters. Could be a last-minute changes Senku made as they finally stopped in a more open space–their comrades were already waiting accompanied with a newly made 'parking lot' special for their motorboat. It's beyond Ukyo on how Senku could calculate, predict, prepare things and got most of them hit the mark of their needs–the scientist was incredibly impressive.
Just as they planned, the radar and sonar did serve as a fish detector–haul of fresh catch settling nicely on their cargo, waiting to be processed into a finer cuisine. Eyes of science, besides its function to detect the unseen, could be a lending hand in gathering more food source as their nourishment for their voyage. Consuming pre-made meals maybe efficient, however having fresh ingredients from time to time became a moral boost to keep the crew going.
They could indulge in this temporary bliss for now–Why Man might become a serious threat with his sudden revelation, however at the same time they gave them a purpose to pursue. A few things they were finally certain after being kept in the dark for 3,700 years, questions slowly being answered one by one.
Humanity's petrification was indeed deliberate, there's a mastermind behind it–Why Man's appearance was the answer for it. After they found the source of petrification, they would soon find the culprit responsible for it. Finally, the mystery of petrification begun to unravel slow but sure.
Taiju was more than happy to retrieve the heavy commodity and delivered it straight to Restaurant Francois's kitchen (which Ukyo just knew existed by now, and wondered on how could he possibly missed the medium-sized project).
Helping Senku brought the phone while said scientist handled the antenna, more people greeted them when they arrived at the restaurant's yard. Tables were lining up and Ukyo placed the phone and radar on one of them after gaining Francois's consent.
"Welcome back, Ukyo-san!" Between the warm welcomes he received all the way, hers was the one he desired the most.
Shinko jogged towards him in light steps, a smile apparent on her face. For a moment, Ukyo lost his voice as soon as he landed his gaze on her.
She finally smiled–genuine, bright, and radiated warmth. His heart traitorously fluttered underneath the initial immense relief blooming, he decided to pushed it away and focused on the latter instead. He could see and hear that she's better than before, maybe not completely forgetting the incident however knowing she's accepting that it happened and moving forward to positivity made Ukyo's shoulders light.
Grinning as a respond, the sonarman opened his arms to truly welcomed her. At first, Shinko beelined to him in confidence, but when it's just a matter of a few feet away she abruptly skidded to a stop–Ukyo snorted harmlessly at her suddenly pressing the brake.
"Uhm," Holding her hands up in surrender, Shinko laughed nervously–it probably dawned on her that she's acted instinctively rather than having second thoughts. "I'm sorry, Ukyo-san. I don't think it's appropriate."
If it's ever been possible, Ukyo's heart would probably explode from endearment. The tightness in his chest this time was to be expected in his perspective, it didn't hold even a shred of negativity. Unimaginable amount of fondness he's feeling currently suffocating him and honestly, he didn't mind.
"It's okay if you don't want to." He assured her because he's nowhere near disappointed nor dejected by her subtle refusal. Ukyo understood her reluctance–pairs of eyes zeroed on them here and there, watching like a hawk circling its prey. The intensity alone could burn holes through their figure (between the groans of frustration, there were silent cheers which weren't so silent. It's kind of amusing to know Shinko was somehow popular). "But come here."
Shinko discarded her hesitation after his request. A few steps forward she took, Ukyo reached out for both of her hands. He was satisfied with this simple contact–not much but the privilege to do it as much as he wanted to pushed down the greed for something bigger. He wouldn't lie to himself how he craved more, having her in his arms and never letting go, however it went both ways.
There's an invisible barrier hung between them as people with opposite gender. Ukyo would always respect it because in doing so meaning he respected her–the last thing he wanted was making her uncomfortable and being impolite. Letting her took the wheel became his decision, if she batted a clear green light to him then he wouldn't hold back.
As he traced his thumb over her knuckles, tingling warmth enveloping his entire figure. It's toasty–reminded him of curling up under the kotatsu during winter while snacking on oranges, reminded him of nursing his favorite warm beverage while bundled up in a blanket, or sitting in front of his fireplace at home.
Shinko then shifted so their fingers intertwined–just a simple gesture yet made his heart soared to the highest sky. He never paid too much detail, but now it came to realization on how her hand fitted perfectly in his.
Tightening his grip slightly, he beamed at her. "You look a lot better than before. I'm glad."
She gave him a sheepish smile, soft pink blossoming on her cheeks. "The girls helped. They're really sweet."
Ukyo laughed lightly at her respond, lowering their hands. "Well, now I owe them several 'thank you's."
The sonarman would make sure to thank them properly. Both of them maybe close with each other, but without a doubt bond between the girls ran in a different and more peculiar way than theirs. He's glad Shinko found a good and trustable place to rely on aside from him.
"You do," Kohaku's appearance wasn't a surprise for both of them–Ukyo already heard familiar rhythm of her steps while Shinko threw a gaze over her shoulder the moment he moved his stare for a split second. Slinging an arm over Shinko's shoulder, the blonde warrior grinned mischievously. "And I will make sure you pay us back handsomely, Ukyo."
"Make sure to ask the hardest thing from him." Shinko advised. Soon enough, the two shared an identical smirk while staring straight at said young man.
"Traitor." Ukyo remarked without a bite followed by a sigh of resignation, which made the girls giggled at his respond. "Come on, Francois's serving sashimi on the table. We better grab some before our share's running out."
His ears were always aware and Ukyo learned to divide his attention to back it up–multitasking between focusing on one thing to another alternatively without missing a beat. Francois's knife dancing on the cutting board was constant in his hearings–the results were large plates of neatly arranged raw fish devoid of bones and skin on the empty tables. Once another serving was placed, they moved on to prepare another without breaking a sweat. People already had a head-start to enjoy the delicacy.
"Excuse me, Master Ukyo and Lady Shinko," Said person being mentioned was already by their side, holding two smaller serving fit for a person each. Thankfully, Ukyo hadn't pick anything from the display. "I have prepared a special serving for both of you. Please enjoy."
"Thank you, Francois." The sonarman accepted his share whilst Shinko did the same with hers.
"They look exquisite, Francois-san. Nothing less from our most capable chef." She added with a smile.
"I am honored for such praise, Lady Shinko. Now, if you'll excuse me." After bowing down respectfully, said butler immediately went on their merry way to continue their work in the kitchen–leaving them on their own devices. Although, Ukyo's ears were sharp enough to hear how Francois completely basked in Shinko's praise.
Like the young woman mentioned before, the dish was indeed exquisite both in terms of looks and taste. Even with the lack of wasabi and shoyu, the freshness made up for it–understandable as it came from the sea straight to the kitchen to be processed. Who would've thought the other modern time dish presented would be sashimi? No complaints, though.
"It's so good," Ukyo chuckled as he watched Shinko sighed in bliss. "Such a shame we don't have wasabi and shoyu for this."
"Still, it's as good as it is." He commented and she agreed with a nod, taking another bite.
"This is the first time Suika has seen this much fish!" Their attention shifted to Suika, who stared at the mountain of fish sitting innocently on the table in amazement. If there's a projection for human emotion then there would be millions of sparkles surrounding the little girl. "Look, Shinko-nee, Ukyo! There's so many!"
"It is, Suika-chan. In the open sea, fishes tend to form big groups. That's why you can get this many in just a catch." Shinko replied to her enthusiasm with a smile. Kneeling down to match the little girl's height, she offered a bite of her share. "Want a taste?"
Chomping down on the piece of meat, Suika twirled in glee immediately after a mouthful. "It's so good! Suika doesn't know that fish can be eaten raw!"
"It's one of Japan's most favorite even during modern time." Ukyo commented, pushing his share to fill Shinko's plate knowing the pieces were gone as she kept feeding Suika. The little girl happily accepted each bite and unconsciously opened up her mouth for more after she finished swallowing. Warmth bloomed in his chest as he watched the two. "And thanks to the radar and sonar as fish detectors, we could enjoy it more often now."
"How mysterious." Kohaku breathed, her eyes zeroed on their newest scientific invention placed upon an empty table. "If we look around with this, we can catch as much as we like, right? Radar and sonar are unbelievable!"
"Yeah, whether it's the night sea or cloudy sky, no matter what, we can see everything perfectly!" Ryusui affirmed–a little bit toned down as he's currently more focused on enjoying the sashimi being served.
Of course, his statement became a trigger for certain individuals who owned a completely different way of thinking.
"Seeing perfectly with radar…" Ginro muttered, face marred with solemn for something indecent. "Does that mean, perhaps, through clothes, too…? Ah, I don't mean anything particular by that, only that I, too, have an interest in science…"
Instantly wrapping her arms around her figure as a respond, Kohaku stared at Ginro in utter distaste and disbelief. "Your scum level is unbelievable!"
"Damn it, Ginro…" Even his older brother, Kinro, had similar respond to the blonde girl.
Meanwhile, Senku picked his ear in a bored manner–as usual, ignorant towards every illogical excuse and ready to debunked it without mercy. "X-rays and stuff are completely different. You can't see through clothes."
"Although, X-rays can make you see bones in your body." Shinko remarked, laughing nervously.
"Wait, you can see your bones!?" Snapping her head towards the young woman, Kohaku's eyes widened in shock.
"Senku can answer that question." Ukyo replied, sharing the same nervous smile. That kind of explanation would need another time of its own.
"What the hell!?" Of course, Ginro would try to save his pride in his own way. He then pointed at Chrome. "But Chrome thought the same thing, didn't he!?"
"Seeing perfectly with radar…" Even though said brunette was muttering underneath his breath, the sonarman couldn't possibly missed it.
"No, Chrome is different." Kaseki commented. "He's probably just thinking of some new fun stuff? Although, I have no idea what."
"What do you think, Ukyo, as a specialist." Said young man didn't expect Senku to questioned him this early, still he already had a certain and straightforward answer in mind.
Humming in wonder, he replied. "What I'm worried about is the radar's output. Aren't batteries a bit insufficient?"
It's based on his experience as a sonar operator–in modern time, sonar and radar were both integrated into the submarine, which was way more advance that what they have currently. Advance in terms of supporting components and source of power. This could be counted as the first time Ukyo ever encountered battery-fueled radar and handmade sonar. It's convenient in a small scale, however it would be the exact opposite if it were used in large sailing vessel–they need more meticulous tech for it.
Senku chuckled at his respond, he certainly already has a solution for that. "For that, as we'll have several crazy big engines installed on the boat, it'll be like a whirring generator!"
"Oho! Making all that sound like such a hefty job, I'm all fired up!" Kaseki huffed. "When those engines are made, will the boat be finally complete!?"
"Yeah. But there's one little problem." Senku's infamous smirk melted into a more solemn look, this was clear to Ukyo that their project had to face another looming hurdle. "If we're talking about crazy big iron objects, this isn't on the level of our laboratory. This is in the realm of factory. We also need insane amounts of iron and oil."
"If I may Senku-san," Shinko interjected by raising her hand in an unsure manner. Both Ukyo and said scientist immediately focused to the young woman, who sporting a worried look. "I heard from Kohaku-chan that all the iron you made so far is from iron sand in the river. It won't be enough for factory scale project you said earlier. What should we do?"
Chuckling wryly, Senku glanced at their newest map unfurled upon the table–unfortunately large with only a speck of detailed area whilst the whole still blank, devoid of any marker of explorable sites. "That's what we're craning our brain for. Another solution."
Of course, it wasn't going to be that easy–it never was.
.
.
Shinko's concerns were proven to be true.
Kohaku and Suika approached them with the lack of their usual high-spirits and enthusiasm. A few minutes before, the two went to collect more iron sand with their usual method–scouring the river by foot while dragging magnets upon the riverbed. In earlier days, they managed to gather small woven baskets each day as the source was still untouchable. Now, even after they move from downstream until upper, the results didn't align with the hours they spent.
Both Ukyo and Shinko tried to cheer the girls up, mentioning it couldn't be helped and their hard work was worth a ton because even though it's not the greatest news, it's an information deserved to be known. Senku, on the other, hand dismissed their disappointment with his bluntness–drawling about how they're going to search for iron with another method anyway.
Quota for iron increased as their project slowly growing to a larger scale, they're at their limit scooping from the river. One of the worst coincidences happened when they're in absolute need of the material to build more sophisticated machinery.
"Mining is the only way to get iron. There's supposed to be iron deposits in the caves." Ukyo advised, pointing out to several x marks on the rough sketch of their current map.
Even though the crowd surrounding them dispersing soon after all the food has been cleared, the three stayed in their place. Currently, Restaurant Francois was devoid of human aside from the three and said butler who's loyally spending time to develop more menu inside the kitchen–they did serve the three some refreshments to supply their brain with some sugar as energy before leaving them to their own devices.
Senku hummed in agreement, fingers thrumming on the wooden surface. "Yeah, it's going to be a hell of a work."
"I'm guessing you explored them but not until the dead end, Senku-san?" Shinko remarked, putting down her glass after taking a sip.
"If there's a dead end." Sighing the scientist, scribbled more alternatives that came into his mind as his brows furrowed in slight frustration. He clicked his tongue when he finished. "Our modern geography knowledge didn't worth a shit, remember? Those caves could exist in our time or formed a hundred years after the petrification, we don't have time to do carbon dating to cross those caves off the list."
Caves that existed even during modern times maybe in Senku's range of expertise, but they needed to know which caves categorized as such or even if it still standing tall when geography already went under so many changes in past decades. Meanwhile, the untouchable ones couldn't be recklessly explored with their minimum equipment and zero geography expert–they would doom themselves.
"We're back to square one then." Ukyo muttered underneath his breath, pulling down his cap before folding his arms upon his chest.
Shinko glanced over to the big woven baskets lining up on the floor neatly near the restaurant's entrance and an idea popped up in her head. "Maybe we could start from the caves you usually visit to get minerals with Chrome-san, Senku-san."
"That's exactly what I'm thinking about, Huntress." The scientist's infamous smirk finally appeared, accompanied by his scummy chuckles. "The survey team will handle another grueling job after our oil field scouting! This is exhilarating!"
Both Ukyo and Shinko could only smile nervously as a respond. Ignoring them, Senku proceed to pulled another piece of paper and began roughly sketching of what's supposed to be their preparation for the cave exploration.
"We'll need six batteries and headlamps in total!" Senku announced. "There's already three, that means three more to make! Old-man Kaseki can finish this in a flash then we're up to look!"
"SHIT! With this it'll be possible!" The loud voice successfully stole the three's attention, with Ukyo wincing in the process from the intensity. Shinko tried to console the sonarman by patting his back gently. Chrome, the source of the loud yelling, was marching in large steps towards the three, who watched his action in confusion. After he grabbed onto Shinko arm, he added. "Senku, Ukyo! Let me borrow, Shinko for a while! I have a really baaaad idea!"
Said mentioned young woman blinked slowly, trying to comprehend the sudden and unexpected request. "Me…?"
Ah, so his main purpose was stealing her for whatever plan formed in his head. When it came to Chrome, it means anything involving raw materials as his journey mostly was to find resources deemed could be useful in the future. Still, this team combination was rather odd.
Senku scowled. "She's not an object, you idiot." Then he chuckled in amusement. "But you're onto something, aren't you, King of Materials?"
"Right!" said brunette puffed at the initial self-proclaimed nickname which turned into a true title reserved for him only–it boosted his confidence as he continued. "This maybe can solve our iron problem!"
Scoffing harmlessly, the scientist shooed them away. "Off you go then."
"I really want to join but Senku and I need to talk more about sonar and radar," Ukyo remarked, giving them a sheepish smile. Stepping closer to Shinko, he patted her shoulder–Chrome understood that this was his own way in giving his consent. "Be careful, you two. Chrome, take care of her, okay?"
A big responsibility, but Chrome would try to do his absolute best. "You can trust me, Ukyo!"
"Well then, let's get going, Chrome-san." Shinko ushered the brunette after bidding the sonarman and Senku a short goodbye.
.
.
Chrome was grateful with the resource and man-power they currently have.
Senku, since from the start, was a resourceful human being to begin with. His knowledge went far and wide, covering many aspects until Chrome lost count–so far, anything he wanted to ask managed to be answered by the scientist. The brunette strived to be like him, having the ability to make the impossible became possible through intelligence and science combined. Every single modern invention they have on their belt were planned, ran, and supervised by Senku himself down to the very detail–and he's the one and only to covered that feat.
After Stone Wars against Tsukasa Empire, they successfully gained more capable allies. Nikki unanimously joined the power team as she's a prowess in terms of both physical ability and martial arts, Minami as their main key to find even more people with ranges of specialty from her experience and connection as reporter, Ukyo with his superhuman hearings and irreplaceable capability in decision making and being the only sonar expert around, Shinko became their second pair of super eyes honed until it reached ridiculous accuracy rivaled Kohaku.
Slow but sure, combining all their power together, they're already sprinting their way to restore humanity's two million years of civilization and save earth's seven billion population. A crazy ideal, however it wasn't that all crazy once you have equal amount of insane people on board this mission.
And Chrome wanted to be a part of that, which was why he's going to polish every knowledge he had, sharpened his mind, and constantly storming for alternatives. This time, his journey with Shinko to find iron was one of the steps he took to reach his goal.
"This is a place I've never been to before," The young woman commented, craning her neck to study the looming stone mountain upon them as Chrome trying to catch his breath. Damn, the phone was extremely heavy, he was thankful for Shinko because she volunteered to haul the other equipment and refreshment for their exploration.
"Yeah, it's really nostalgic," The brunette panted, wiping some precipitation off his temple. "This is the bare mountain where Kohaku, Senku, and everyone caught the lightning for our first iron rod."
Shinko hummed in understanding. "Why would you choose this place, Chrome-san? It's not the usual site where you scavenged for minerals."
Rummaging through his pocket, Chrome pulled out a chunk of stone and showed her. He wasn't even sure if it's actually a stone–it had reddish color in a similar shade of bronze ore although a little bit darker. While the archer was examining the object, Chrome began his explanation. "I just so happened to pick this up here. A super amazing stone! The radar responds to this stone! And isn't this a birthplace of magnetic iron?"
"Only one way to find out." Then, Shinko threw him a smile and complimented. "I'm impressed you pieced all of this by yourself. No wonder Senku-san called you King of Materials."
"Of course!" He patted his chest with pride. "I won't lost to Senku! I'm also a genius scientist, after all!"
The two walked further until they reached the mouth of a cave. Peering inside, Chrome noticed how it's not too dark to explore unlike what he expected. Unfortunately, the further he went inside, his eyes would definitely have a hard time to see his surroundings.
"Now I understand," Shinko voiced as the two of them take careful steps into the cave. "You bring me along to observe the surroundings, finding peculiar stones, and watch out for natural pit traps."
This would be his first time experiencing Shinko's infamous sharpness. Both Kohaku and Suika mentioned it once or twice to him. Now that Chrome knowing it first-hand, he completely understood on why it's easy for Senku to accept her as his assistant and her input was needed in a discussion. She may not have the same bar of intelligence as the scientist, however she could follow up to his pace and comprehending many things better.
"Y-yeah," Chrome stuttered, quite taken aback by her correct deduction. "You learn things fast."
"Senku-san mentioned you almost fall into a pit trap before."
She referred to their disastrous tag team with Magma to gather Scheelite for making Tungsten, though it's clear he didn't bother with the details of series event happening during it. Senku probably told her the gist of it and Shinko didn't bother to indulge deeper.
"Kinda," The brunette replied, also trying not to relieve those moments. "So, do you see any mica pit traps around?'
Pregnant silence enveloped the two. Chrome watched as the young woman scanned their surroundings, from the ground until the ceiling–eyes quickly darting to catch on any oddities he couldn't see. It took only a minute at best before Shinko opened her mouth to answer. "No. Thankfully, there's none. It's safe to freely walk around."
"Nice!"
Now, it's time for their treasure hunt game of minerals after placing their heavy luggage somewhere safe–Chrome would be the one using the radar whilst Shinko would be in charge to notice any slight difference on the stones upon every surface they could reach. Since they decided to not surveying deep into the end of the cave, splitting up would be ideal move to do. Quick on his feet, Chrome wasted no time to start pointing the radar everywhere he found peculiar.
Remember! His inner-self demanded–adrenaline coursing through his veins, his heart hammering against his chest from excitement. The place where I found that by my feet as a kid is close by. It's definitely waiting there…!
The two were running all over the place for any sorts of clue–passing each other often as they weren't searching that far. If Chrome went to a certain direction, then Shinko aimed for the opposite, repeating over and over in case they did miss a spot.
After sometime, it's time to regroup. Not only Chrome, Shinko didn't have any luck in finding something similar to the reddish stone he brought along–she may have found other sorts of things, however their main goal was nowhere in sight.
"Damnit," The scientist cursed while wiping sweat dripping from his forehead. All those movements and still nothing appeared, not even the slightest jolt from the radar. "I swear it's here!"
Sighing, Shinko advised. Her eyes glanced at the radar strapped on Chrome's waist "Maybe we should look deeper."
"Yeah-"
Blip, blip!
The two froze–sharing a look or uncertainty and directed their gaze stiffly on the device again.
Before there's a series of widening eyes and disbelief yelling echoed through the cave. At first, they assumed it as some sort of hallucination in midst on exhaustion–fortunately, identical hallucination would be impossible to be experienced by two people. It indeed happened, the radar finally showed some signs.
Chrome gasped in shock. "Yo, didn't it move a bit just now!?"
"It moved!" Shinko exclaimed in surprise, staring at the device intently. If the sharpest sight was seeing it, then Chrome was a hundred percent sure. "Just know, even in just a second, it moved!"
"Yeah, it definitely moved!"
Sharing another look for a moment, wide grins bloomed on their face–their previous fatigue instantly gone as another wave of energy running through their veins. This was it, the material they've been looking for was right in front of their eyes–a narrow pit couldn't be entered by human but the radar could replace them in making sure iron was there, deep inside.
Both of them immediately went to work–Chrome pulled out a thin rope and Shinko moved to wrapped it around an empty bamboo pipe he brought. Tying some simple knots here and there to form what's similar of a plait so the bamboo wouldn't slip, Chrome then put their radar inside.
"Underground Radar Mission: Bamboo Pipe!" With that, the brunette slowly lowered the radar down into the pit. It was a great thing to attach it to a long cable so they wouldn't have to worry about distance. "All right, go!"
"At last, we got something, Chrome-san." Shinko remarked, watching at the radar keep moving down.
"Amazing! I might be crazy, but this is fun!" Said mentioned boy commented.
Chuckling at his enthusiasm, Shinko added. "It's like a treasure hunt, right?"
Chrome nodded in glee, even though he didn't spare her a glance. "Yeah! It absolutely feels like a treasure hunt!"
There it was, the sign they were searching for–a steady movement of the cathode line once the radar reached a certain depth into the pit.
"ALL RIGHT, SENKU!" While the scientist went to give Senku a call through their phone, Shinko stayed behind to watch over the radar. She understood his boisterous action, relate to it even–it's an amazing discovery. They went to search for newest source of iron and hopefully they did score a jackpot for their factory scale iron production.
It didn't take long for the crew to arrive via their only wheeled vehicle which was the Steam Gorilla, consisting of Senku, Kohaku, Suika, Ryusui, and Kaseki. Chrome was on his feet to guide them inside, pointing out to Shinko who's still kneeling beside the radar–waving to welcome their arrival. Senku was pulled to look at the radar closer, where the line's movement was there.
"This is a metal detector," Senku was referring to the end of their radar–wires coiled around cylindrical object. "Well, with electromagnetic waves, it's more like a subterranean radar? When this coil nears a magnetic body like a loadstone, it gives off an induced current."
Taiju, who marched through not a minute later bringing a sickle, was given immediate instruction–digging through the ground to widen the pit. In just a few strong swings, under several layers of rocks, the reddish rock Chrome brought as a sample finally showed. "What the King of Materials, Chrome, and the Huntress tagging along, found with their feet and with science is an iron ore deposit!"
Iron Mine Acquired!
The cave soon turned into a real mining site–roads spiraling down deep below, heavy machinery to dig further down, several spotlights powered by electricity to light up the whole place so there wouldn't be any sorts of accident. Their man-power surely wasn't a force to be underestimated with–those were their apparent results in just mere days, a completed and modernly functioned iron mine.
"What a smug face!" Ginro teased their mine founder, who's sporting the glow of utter satisfaction to know that this was one of his biggest achievements yet. Chrome decided to bask in the current triumph as he knew how all of this was a result of mulling over many things, experimenting, and gambling all the way.
Kohaku scoffed harmlessly before snickering. "Ha! If we praise him too much for this, he'll get cocky!"
"Don't worry. This isn't anything like self-satisfaction." The brunette assured, his hands upon his hip–a wide grin broke out on his face, filled with happiness and glee. "I didn't think it would work like this! But the after trying the experiment, BAM! It fit perfectly; science is amazingly fun!"
Then he snapped his head towards Shinko, who's in the middle of jotting down something upon the paper per Senku's instruction. Realizing there's a pair of eyes staring straight at her, the young woman looked up and throwing a smile to the brunette–which he returned doubled the amount. "Well, Shinko helped me in this too! We make a great team!"
Raising his palm up, it was met with a resounding clap from Shinko's as she happily returned his gesture for a high five. With every one of them working together, they could even tackle a mountain at this rate.
Senku cackled in amusement, watching the growing pile of iron ore after all the digging. "Yeah, that's about right. Even if this kind of thing is rare!"
"But the only downside is the quantity!" Kohaku remarked.
Chuckling, Shinko replied to her wonderment with ease. "With all the comrades we have, it's no longer a problem, Kohaku-chan."
"The Huntress is right. Didn't I say before? The age of factories is beginning!" Confirming her previous statement, Senku continued with a more detailed explanation. "The required resources differ accordingly. There are more than a hundred people in the Kingdom of Science. If we divide the labor amongst everyone, we'll implement a super flashy assembly system!"
"Ehh, how are we gonna carry all this heavy stuff?" Ginro complained. He's lazy for sure, however his question could be counted into consideration.
Ores are basically stone, hauling everything by foot and back would be hell to do even for the fittest person around–except maybe Taiju. Their man-power was impressive, but there's always a limit to everything especially physical capabilities. People bound to get tired a lot sooner from it.
Senku snickered mischievously. "When it comes to mines, isn't it obvious? By vehicle!"
Shinko grinned. "Kaseki-jii-san is already on his way to build it! And once you've seen it, you're going to be eager to have a ride in it!"
"I WANNA RIDE IT!"
"ME TOO!"
Amazingly, Yo knew what exactly the two meant, even as far as having a full minute fight with another man who had the same eagerness as the ex-policeman. It's rare to see him this genuinely excited over something–he probably has been dreaming to try at least once in his lifetime. Now that it's right in front of his eyes, he wouldn't waste a moment.
"If our construction moved to a factory scale, more and more, the talent of individuals will become meaningless," Ryusui, who from the start only looking from the sidelines, finally opened his mouth. "Qualities of leadership for commanding everyone's power are essential! That's the purpose of royal education."
Approaching and standing beside him, Shinko hummed in wonder. "Why do you think as such, Ryusui-san?"
"I was shaped for the Nanami Conglomerate from childhood. 'Abstain from unnecessary emotions', 'do not lose your head over things'." The young man then scoffed in disdain. "I don't agree with that at all! My royal education is different! An unenthusiastic leader can't get anyone to follow them. Enjoying this world, that is the power of a leader that moves people!"
His words were correct–there's no faulty in it.
Sure, they had an enormous goal ahead, however that's not enough reason to add more pressure and made the load they already had even more severe. The end point was that goal, but the most important thing to see was how to reach it–the whole process accumulating and lining one after another. While it's easy to force people to learn and work, it's a lot harder to create an environment where they could do both and still having to enjoy it the fullest.
Of course, it's not an issue for them.
"Then, for out Kingdom of Science," Gen concluded. "We at least have that down! Totally!"
Senku already done it as easy as breathing, they had nothing to worry about.
Shinko giggled as a blur of shadow went speeding past them on its designated track, bringing its passengers having the time of their life.
"MINE CART!"
"SHIT, THIS IS SO FUUUN!"
To enjoy things is a quality of kings, after all!