"Some people from outside the village?" An old man was listening to Ginro's story. He then rubbed his chin in thought. Everyone was spreading the word about Senku and Sumi, really. It wasn't very often that they got outsiders, especially ones such as the two scientists.
"I'm positive it's some criminals we banished a long time ago!" A blonde woman smiled while holding up a finger. "I would bet my next meal on it!"
A younger woman then chuckled with a smile. "Maybe the statue people have started moving."
Another woman laughed next to her. "No way!"
"So somebody tried to bring in two outsiders," Kokuyo stated inside the main hut overlooking the village. Ruri was sitting next to him while Jasper and Turquoise were standing in front of the man. "Surely that wouldn't have been Kohaku, would it?"
"We're not quite sure yet-"
"No, it was definitely her," Turquoise interrupted the male guard. "Your hunch is correct," She then turned to Jasper. "Now Jasper, you heard what Ginro told us earlier. There's no need to lie to save her skin."
Kokuyo growled while clutching his cup so hard, that it actually broke. The water from it fell to the ground. He clenched an angry fist as he looked pissed. "Why must my daughter be so foolish? Is she trying to be disowned now?" He asked while seething; this wouldn't be the first time Kohaku had caused trouble around the village. "She can't keep breaking the rules! Damn it!"
Ruri silently stared at him before gasping sharply. She kneeled onto the ground, dropping her own water as she hit the floor. Her father looked at her in concern. "Ruri!" After a few more coughs, she shuddered while looking up.
"Alright, Senku and Sumi!" Chrome exclaimed outside his hut. The current members of the Kingdom of Science were gathered around. "What do we need to do to make that medicine?! We gotta help Ruri kick her sickness!" He clenched his fists while yelling.
"If we can help my sister feel better, I'm ready to do whatever it takes!" Kohaku exclaimed with her own fists raised.
Senku stared at them with a serious look in his eyes. Sumi had a hand on her hip while staring at them attentively. He then changed it to an evil grin and Sumi noticed it. She looked away with a small knowing sigh. He was imagining the scenario of what he hoped to happen.
"Priestess Ruri!" The villagers surrounded her as she looked ill.
"I'm so worried!"
Senku and Sumi came in riding mechs, and then they simply stood over her. She and the villagers danced around happily from her being cured.
"Yay!"
"Her sickness is cured!"
"Science rules!"
"I'm gonna join the Kingdom of Science!"
Chrome and Kohaku looked at Senku knowingly. Chrome had a circle with his index finger and thumb in front of his eye. "Do you see that? That sleazy glint in his eye tells me he wants to save Ruri for his own reasons."
"I still can't decide if he's a gentleman or a slimeball," Kohaku commented with her arms crossed. "But at the very least, I'm glad that he and Sumi think things through."
"Yeah, I'd say he's a bit of both," Sumi waved away Senku's imagination scenario, hands on her hips with a small smile. "Don't worry, it won't be that kind of scenario with me around...or at least, I hope it isn't," She gave Senku a knowing look and he just shrugged. She shook her head with a small hum and took a stick. The black-haired scientist then started drawing on the ground.
"The first project of the Kingdom of Science..." Senku started off as Sumi drew a pill. "Is making an antibiotic. A wonder drug that'll kill the hostile bacteria infecting our patient."
"Although it'd help if I was able to examine her to see what her symptoms are," Sumi deadpanned a little. "I asked Chrome earlier what he's seen, so we'll have to go based off of eyewitness testimony. It's most likely a bacterial infection, and antibiotics are the most important type of anti-bacteria medicine. So whatever it is she has, this is our greatest chance."
"Since its discovery in the early 20th century, it's saved hundreds of millions of lives. We can't do any blood tests, and like Sumi said, we have no idea what she's actually suffering from. But I'm sure it's still worth trying anyway."
"It's the best recommendation I've got with not being able to access the village. And there's no way we could get her to come to us either. Wouldn't wanna piss off the villagers if they saw or knew about her coming over to see us," Sumi sweated a little, standing up and scratching her temple. "They've already got enough distrust in us as it is."
Kohaku and Chrome took a moment to pray before they both got fired up. "Yeah! Now let's get to work, Senku and Sumi!" Chrome shouted while clenching a fist.
"What do we need?!" Kohaku asked the two in excitement.
"Well, we're missing basically everything. So pay attention, would ya?" Senku gave them a blank look.
"Sen, come on. We appreciate your eagerness to help, you guys," Sumi bent down to continue drawing while Senku explained to them.
"There are two routes to making antibiotics. The biological route: creating penicillin from living things. Or the stone route: creating sulfa drugs from rocks," He stated as Sumi drew a rock and then penicillin underneath the pill.
"Wait just a second," Kohaku spoke up to interject from the last one. Sumi looked up at her, blinking. "Living things? Rocks? How could you cure somebody with those?"
"I wouldn't dismiss it just yet," Sumi gave her a wink. "It's more than just those things when you know how to use them in the medicine field."
"Penicillin, which is made from green mold, is more well known," Senku continued off while standing behind her. "But now, in the stone world, I think that would mean we'd have to play a crazy game of chance. We'd be all like 'woo-hoo! We just happened to find this specific crazy-strong mold that's ten billion times more powerful than the normal stuff! We'll just have to get on our knees and pray. Please, Lord, send down some of that special green mold! Thanks'!"
Sumi let out a laugh from his goofiness, looking back up at everyone. "Penicillin is more of a risk in this case. We don't know where to find green mold, and we could spend years just trying to find some. So I wouldn't recommend it in a stone world where we have to make that from scratch. If it was modern times, this would be over no problem, but...well, you get the idea."
"Well said, Sumi," Senku started walking off. "If we take the stone world and make sulfa drugs, we'll need a ton of diligence and manpower. But even in this primitive world, I know we can make it happen. Odds are ten billion to one we'll nail the cure."
"It's gonna take a lot of work before we get there," Sumi blinked with a serious look on her face. "Which means every step we take is crucial. If we're off by just one, it's game over. The stone route is the better option, but not without a lot of labor."
"Then what are we waiting for?!" Chrome exclaimed without any hesitation. "Let's take the stone route!"
"You get the position we're in, don't you?" Senku turned around to the three. "None of us are gods or even geniuses, to be honest. We have to do this step by step. And like they say, we've gotta crawl before we can walk."
Sumi stood up and started drawing again. She created a road map, as the two always did before creating anything. "Alright, the stone route it is!" Senku started off as Chrome looked in shock. "We'll get each item one by one. And though it seems slow, we'll be warping straight through two million years of scientific progress. This is the scientific road map, and if we follow it, we'll reach our cure!"
"That's right!" Sumi smiled with the stick over her shoulder. "So, are you guys ready to start?"
"Uhhh..." Kohaku looked completely lost while looking at Sumi's drawings.
"Whoa, man! That's bad!" Chrome shouted with a big smile. "Well, guess this 'iron' stuff is first! I don't even know what that is! There's so much for me to learn!"
"Don't worry, Chrome. It was like that for us too when we were young. You'll catch up as we go along. But if I tell you everything now, I think I might break your brain or make you cry like last time. And we don't need that again," Sumi giggled slightly as Chrome pouted in embarrassment and then hummed in thought.
"Iron's not particularly easy to get," Senku explained to the two of them.
"Professor Senku's science class with star student Sumi...or is it really sorcery?" Kohaku asked with white eyes. "Ugh, I feel like I'm already behind!"
"Seriously?" Chrome's eyes shined in awe later that night. "That's bad!" Kohaku was standing on a tree, and Senku...well, his brain was currently fried from having to tell Chrome how science worked...for hours. Sumi placed a cold cloth on his forehead, a sheepish look on her face. "You're telling me that it's actually the planet that's moving?"
"Yeah, it's not a lie," Senku murmured while his head was on Sumi's lap.
"You know, when I said that we might break your brain...I didn't mean that in a literal sense," Sumi commented with a nervous smile. It was a wonder that she was even hanging on after that long...long lecture.
"That doesn't make any sense!" Kohaku shouted from up the tree. "I mean, if that's really the case, then why am I not flying off this branch?"
"That's because of a little thing that we call gravity," Senku called out, Sumi looking up.
"It's basically a force of attraction where everything tends to fall towards the center of the Earth, regardless of heaviness or weight. Without it, then we'd probably all be floating up into space and die. That's called anti-gravity," She explained to the both of them.
"Wait, really?! Where's this mysterious force at?" Kohaku looked around in alarm and Sumi bit her lip.
"Ahhh...you can't really see or get to it...? It's just natural..."
Chrome looked up to the stars, his head near his eyes. "You know, I always thought it was weird, how only just one star stays in the same place." Senku sat up from Sumi's lap, pointing at a bigger star in the sky.
"That's the North Star. It's ridiculously useful for navigating cause it's ten billion percent true north. So try to remember that," He told them tiredly, Sumi rubbing her eyes. All this constant scientific explanation was making her exhausted.
"If you get lost in the woods at night, it can assist you a lot in figuring out what direction you're in," Sumi let out a small yawn.
"Oh...I didn't know," Chrome murmured as Kohaku eyed it closely, sitting on the branch.
"If you want my opinion, that looks just slightly off from true north."
"No...Impossible," Senku stood up, digging his pinky into his ear. "The margin of error is-" His eyes widened in realization. "The Earth's axis has shifted! The whole planet has been tilting little by little over the past 3700 years! And now in the year 5379, the freaking North Star isn't North!"
Sumi gasped while standing up as well. "Wait, wait, wait, that actually makes sense," She rubbed her chin, holding up a finger. "If the North Star has shifted, that means it's changed navigation significantly. Remember that long trip to Hakone?"
"Yeah, no wonder our stone-age GPS didn't get us all the way to Hakone!" He chuckled and everyone stared at him. "A more experienced scientist would have laughed at me. Kind of a major oversight on my part," He had his hand over his face. "You guys are more observant because you don't have the same preconceived notions. Bonehead move there, Senku."
"No one's perfect," Sumi placed her hand on his back in comfort. "Honestly, it's a little embarrassing for me too."
"Heh. Just sounds like a little mistake," Kohaku chimed in with a small smile. "There's no reason to be so hard on yourself, you know."
Senku then put his hand down. "I'm not trying to put myself down. And you shouldn't either, Sumi." She blinked while staring at him. "I take pride in being rational and able to deal with facts. But I still get lost in the sheer scale of everything. I feel like it's just hitting me now how long 3700 years really is."
"Come on," She smiled softly at him. "You think I'd let this bother me so much? I'm your science partner, after all. You always tell me to don't stress, right? So why should I if it's something out of my control?" Senku stared at the girl and then chuckled. He placed his hand on top of her head.
"Yeah...you've always got something to say to cheer people up, huh?"
"If I don't, then who will?" She gave him a grin.
"...Wait, how did she know the former North Star wasn't exactly north anymore?" Senku couldn't help but wonder while turning to Chrome. Sumi moved his hand away gently from her head, jerking a thumb to him.
"Same."
"Oh, no way!" Chrome exclaimed with a semi-crazy look in his eyes. "You mean to tell me that even the great Senku and Sumi don't know about this rock? I just so happened to find this bad boy on top of that bald mountain one day," He held up a pot of water that had a grey stone on top of a leaf in the middle. "If you dangle it or make it float in water, this thing always points true north! Pretty nuts, isn't it?"
The two stared at it in shock. "A magnet," Senku murmured and Chrome fell backwards in disbelief.
"I can't believe you have one, Chrome!" Sumi gave a beaming smile.
"Man! Of course you guys know!"
Senku then picked it up, taking a closer look. "You've done an excellent job, Chrome. Now we've got magnets."
"And this just happens to be on the road map," Sumi held up a finger. "So get ready, you guys. Tomorrow begins our journey to make the antibiotics! But we're gonna have to go into a river, it's essential for iron."
Sumi had a pale look on her face once they made it to the river the next morning. And that was because she didn't realize that she'd be in a swimsuit...and so would everyone else...and she was sensitive to it. So this was gonna be a tough day for her...
"Wahoo!" Chrome yelled as he and Senku jumped off a cliff. Senku held out a cloth as the two landed into the water. Sumi looked a bit uncomfortable while watching Kohaku about to hop on some stones. The blonde glanced back at her, noticing the black-haired woman biting her lip.
How could I have forgotten I was gonna be around people in swimsuits? Maybe I should just turn around and leave? Wait, no, I can't! I can't just back out, this is for science. And with science, I gotta test my limits, right?
"You okay, Sumi?"
"Ahh," Sumi rubbed her arm, her hair in a high bun. "It's just that...well, I have a thing about nudity. It's kinda embarrassing, actually. Anytime I see anyone partially or fully nude, I just...have to start looking away because I respect people and their bodies," She then turned away from Kohaku. "And to look at them to me is disrespectful."
"Oh..." Kohaku blinked and then gave her a small smile. "I get it. You could've just told us, we would've let you stay in the shed."
"Yeah, no. Stop stressing over it and get in, would ya?" Senku called out to her.
"Should we put our clothes on, or...?" Chrome asked cautiously as he didn't want to make Sumi uncomfortable. Kohaku glanced at Senku and then leaned in with a knowing smile towards her ear.
"I get it...it's because of Sen, isn't it? Your crush on him?" Sumi's eyes went wide, a light shadow over her eyes in horror.
No way...how did she find out? If she tells everyone, I'm screwed! Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god...
"I knew it. The way you acted when we met makes it obvious," She chuckled playfully and then patted her friend on the shoulder. "But don't worry, I won't tell him." She blinked in shock as Sumi grasped her arms, crying in happy tears.
"Thank you, Kohaku...!" She cried out in relief and the blonde sighed with a small smile. She was already used to seeing exactly what the scientist was going through, and Sumi was her friend, so she'd help by not saying anything to Senku. It wasn't like she'd gain anything out of it by telling him herself anyway. Sumi then let go and turned away again. "Ack, sorry!"
"Well, if you're uncomfortable and we need all the help we can get, they could put their shirts on...?" Kohaku glanced back at the boys, only to see that Senku wasn't next to Chrome. The two women glanced in confusion that he was suddenly gone. "Uhh, where's-"
A hand suddenly grabbed Sumi's leg and dragged her into the river. She screamed and held her breath, her eyes closed. Some bubbles escaped her mouth as she opened her eyes, turning around to see Senku with an evil grin. Then she deduced what happened and lifted her head back up while standing, her hair falling out of the bun. Senku resurfaced as well and she used her hands to splash him.
"You okay, Sumi?" Kohaku called out while hopping on stones. "That wasn't cool, Senku."
"I can't believe you did that!" She shouted as he laughed, holding up his arms to block the small waves. Back when they were younger, it wouldn't have bothered her because she didn't have the sensitivity then. But now, since they were older and their bodies had...developed, it was making her a flushed mess. "And you call me a child?" She huffed while turning away, attempting to adjust her hair.
"It got you into the water, didn't it?" He chuckled in satisfaction, his eyes closed with his hands on his hips. "It's progress. And it'll make things go faster for us."
"That's great for you, but to me, it's not funny," She pouted as she searched for her hair ribbon. He let out another laugh.
"You know, one of these days, you're gonna look back and-" He opened his eyes, frozen as he got a good look at her. She wasn't looking at him as she looked at the water for her hair ribbon. His eyes rested on her hair first, the way the water droplets looked in her hair and bare shoulders. How they started to slowly drape away from her. The way it pooled into the water. He moved his eyes down her body, and how well developed she had become growing up. Especially as the two-piece swimsuit showed off her curves nicely. His heart was thumping excessively as he couldn't move or speak. His face turned a dark red and then looked to see her hair ribbon drifting away nearby. "Wait here."
She looked up in confusion as he walked away from her. She then stared as droplets of water fell down his bare backside. She watched as the water trickled down his curves and probably muscles too. She had seen them before when they were young, but she could imagine that they were toned abs...and strong pecs, even though he was lacking in physical strength. A water droplet rolled down to Senku's waistline. Sumi stood there like she was petrified all over again while admiring him. She flinched while turning around in embarrassment, her entire face in a dark blush.
What am I doing?! I'm supposed to be respectful and I'm staring at him like a pack of meat! If I keep staring at him, I'm gonna pass out...
Suddenly gentle hands touched her hair from behind and she yelped in alarm. But she recognized them as they weaved through her hair, tying it back into a bun with the hair ribbon. She looked up from behind to see that it was Senku standing behind her. His eyes stared into her as both of them were in silence for a bit. Sumi tried really hard not to blush as her heart was beating. She had never been in close contact with him like this before...with him being so close to her face. "There. Heh, but even with your bow, your hair still looks like Sadako Yamamura from the Ring if people ignore the red hair."
"Mmm..." She pouted with a small glare from his comment, turning away again. "It does not..." She let out a small whine and Senku blinked, noticing how her lips looked cute when she pouted. They looked so full and adorable. He blushed again as he realized he was staring and turned around to not look at her.
"Let's go collect our iron sand..." He murmured and both of them walked in the opposite direction. What the hell was that all about? And why can't I control my face looking at her? It's Sumi, it shouldn't bother me one bit seeing her like this. And yet...why is it that I feel like I don't wanna look away?
Kohaku picked up some iron sand, smiling. "Check it out! Mine picked up a buncha that stuff! Look at this crazy black sand!" She smiled while looking at her haul.
"Taking baby steps," Senku bent down to the water to wash his flushed face. "But we're on the road to the Kingdom of Science. The curtain's rising on the iron age. Now that gets me excited!"
"Soon we'll be done with the first step and moving along," Sumi murmured on the other side of the river, holding up her own iron sand. She smiled while examining her own treasure. Although she hoped she could get through the rest of this river exploration without having to look at her friends too hard...
Minutes later, the boys decided to take a break. They were sitting on the rocks while having some water. Chrome was laying down while Senku chose to sit. "So, Sumi being sensitive to nudity...has it always been like that for her?" Chrome wondered while glancing up at him.
"Eh, not until we were both in high school. Guess her high moral compass swayed her too much over time," Senku shrugged a little; she'd always insist that she was being respectful while he would sometimes call her a prude for being so uncomfortable. For him, it was fun to see her reaction whenever he teased her about it. Though sometimes like today, it did annoy him.
"I didn't think she'd be so scared," Chrome murmured while glancing at the girl searching for more iron sand, as far away from them as possible. She had her eyes closed in case she got eyesight of Kohaku. "How does she know what she's looking for, though? She can't search with her eyes closed."
"Sumi's got an impressive sense of smell. Even if she wasn't a tightass on nudity, finding anything here wouldn't be a problem for her. It's been helpful many times," Senku remarked while having another sip of water.
"You don't mind me checking her out?" Chrome replied teasingly and Senku immediately choked on his water. He did a spit take, coughing into his fist, as he didn't think it would even come up. He then turned away, knowing that if he took another look at her, he'd act irrationally again with his face. "Whoa, I was just kidding. Are you sure you-"
"So, is everyone in your village like the lioness? Or is she in a class all her own?" Senku interrupted and changed the subject. He let out one last cough because if Sumi got close enough and heard him, she'd immediately go over to check on him. And then it'd get worse for him—he meant, she might get too uncomfortable and faint into the water. Yeah...that was it.
Chrome raised a skeptical brow at him, but decided to drop it. "We seem to have more than our fair share of big, brawny apes, but I'd say she's more like a nimble gorilla," He remarked, pissing off Kohaku.
"I am not like a gorilla!" She exclaimed in defense at the two of them. "By the way, why are us girls the only ones who's doing any work here? The two of you need to get off your asses now! We barely have enough manpower as it is!" She then hit Chrome on the head a few times for the gorilla remark. Sumi giggled at Kohaku's assertiveness, as the two went back to searching.
"Sorry, ma'am..." The two said in unison; Senku himself either didn't wanna continue pissing her off, or just had respect for her.
Acquired iron sand!
"It's gonna take several quantities of this stuff for what we need, though," Sumi sighed, looking down the river. "And these things are everywhere..." She placed a hand on her forehead. Senku glanced to the side to see her adjusting her hair again and he flinched, turning away. He really needed to stop sneaking peeks at the woman...
"It's gonna take all day with just the four of us working," Senku commented, getting their attention. Sumi covered her eyes with her hand. Not that she didn't want to admire Senku, but it was getting too distracting.
"Should I get someone from the village to help out?" Chrome asked while looking over his shoulder.
"As far as those people are concerned, you three are just a couple of suspicious sorcerers," Kohaku explained while putting some iron sand in her pouch. "So, I don't think anyone is dying to lend us a hand with this."
"Well, it's like I said before. They don't trust us because they're too afraid of...sorcery," Sumi hesitated to use that word still. "No way are they gonna come down here and help us, not until we can get them on our side."
Senku let out a low sigh from the reminder. With only four, it was gonna be a hard road ahead just to get even one step done, let alone all of them. He then looked up, confused as something was floating towards them. "Uhhhh...is that a watermelon?"
"What?" Sumi moved down her hand, looking in his direction to see the same thing. "Do...do watermelons float down rivers around here? Is that normal?" She sweated a little as they stared. It floated and then rose out of the water, revealing a kid wearing a watermelon rind over her head. The three all yelped from her appearance.
"Oh, it's Suika," Kohaku recognized the kid immediately. "What are you doing in the water?" Suika silently held up a magnet with iron sand on it. Kohaku walked up to her. "Did you just follow us down here or something?" She then gave Suika a gentle pat on the head.
"Doesn't her name mean watermelon?" Senku asked in confusion as they watched.
"Pretty sure it's just a nickname," Chrome explained to the two. "Probably cause she's always wearing that watermelon rind." He then gasped sharply as he saw what Suika was holding. "Huh?! What the hell?!" He snatched his magnet away. "I can't believe you'd just steal my magnet like this!" He then gasped as he realized what was on it. "Iron sand?"
"Don't yell at little girls!" Sumi smacked him across the head lightly and he pouted while rubbing his head.
"I'm sorry...I just wanna help you guys," Suika murmured while searching the water using her hands. "It's kinda hard to be very useful to anyone because I've got this thing on my head. Too bad. I'll wear it my whole life." Chrome looked at the iron sand, feeling bad for being rude to her. Sumi frowned at the girl in sympathy; she must be a village outsider because of what she was wearing. "But if you need some help, I'll do whatever I can!" She looked up towards Sumi and Senku.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it, Suika," She gasped while recoiling back a bit, thinking he was gonna scold her. She then frowned, waiting to hear it, but he laughed instead. "I appreciate the assistance. The Kingdom of Science needs all the help we can get. We won't turn anybody away," Senku gave her a small smile. "Besides, a shrimpy little thing like you would be ten billion times better at gathering sand," He walked up as he handed her a magnet. "We're counting on you."
Sumi had to keep herself from squealing from him being kind to the little girl. "It's nice to meet you, Suika," She smiled while bending down a little, hands on her knees. "My name's Sumi, and that's Senku. We're really glad you wanna help us! You seem to know a lot of places to find iron sand in this river, so look anywhere you can reach, okay?" She petted Suika on the head and stood up, walking near Senku's left. Suika gasped while looking up at the two as if they were royalty or something.
"They're the first people I've met who didn't ask me why I'm wearing this on my head!" Her leaves spun around rapidly while admiring the two. "They probably just thought I didn't want anybody to see my face and were being polite by not asking!"
"You just met them, but I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough," Kohaku spoke up with a sheepish look. "He is not polite. Sumi, however, is pretty much like a princess almost."
"He doesn't give a crap what you look like, only if you're useful," Chrome remarked while crossing his arms. "It's just his way. Sumi on the other hand, is the real one who doesn't mind you wearing that rind over your head."
"I'm gonna grab every last piece of black sand in here!" Suika swam down happily as the two scientists searched from opposite sides. "Blub-blub, blub-blub!" Sumi glanced up from her spot, a soft smile on her face from how excited Suika was.
"You're not Momotaro!" Chrome shouted after the little girl. "Just try not to drown!"
"Huh?" Sumi looked towards him, baffled. Senku was shocked as well as he froze. He then stood up while holding his magnet. Momotaro was...a pretty popular Japanese hero; everyone from 3700 years ago knew him where she and Senku were from. So how would Chrome know if he was from a generation that never had video games, yet had knowledge from folklore that he wasn't born learning?
"Never heard of Dragon Quest or Monster Hunter, but you know Momotaro? Who taught you that?"
"Whoa, you know Momotaro?" Chrome smiled at the two. "That's weird."
"Uh, it should be the other way around. Momotaro comes from our time, and you weren't born in Tokyo," Sumi raised a confused brow at him. "How'd you guys hear about him?"
"Ruri told us a whole bunch of stories like this," Suika smiled while floating in the water.
"Come to think of it, I wonder how you guys would know about gorillas," Senku recalled Chrome's remark about Kohaku being one. "They're not native to Japan."
"They tend to live in equatorial Africa, and even if there are lions around in the stone world, gorillas would be waaaay out of reach where we are. The closest we've gotten were those monkeys when we camped together for 3 months," Sumi explained while in thought, glancing away from everyone. And gorillas probably wouldn't survive a whole trip to their area because they were so far away.
"I've never actually seen one in real life," Kohaku commented, hands on her hips.
"Yeah, but I think there's a gorilla in Momotaro. That right?" Chrome wondered while pointing at her. Senku popped up in front of them.
"No! There isn't!" He insisted to the two.
"Momotaro's allies weren't even close to a gorilla..." Sumi sweat dropped a little. Chrome blinked while turning to the scientists.
"He used those millet dumplings to make new friends. A bear, a lion, a gorilla, and an alligator."
"Momotaro isn't a wild-ass, savage hero!" Senku yelled at him, Sumi pinching her nose.
"Literally he was born out of a giant peach, and he befriended a dog, monkey, and pheasant," She dragged her hand to her mouth in exasperation. "If that doesn't equal a non-savage, I don't know what does."
"I wonder if that story was just an easy way to teach the kids about dangerous animals," Senku murmured; but then again, that still didn't answer how the name Momotaro even came up. Sumi rubbed her chin.
"My grandmother would tell me about it all the time. Maybe it's a tradition here?" She wondered, though she couldn't help but question just how many things they knew in a misguided way.
"My sister must've told me hundreds of stories when we were growing up," Kohaku said with a fond tone. "And she loves big words," She pointed to the side of her forehead. "I suppose that means I got all my bigger words from Ruri."
"Is that so? The plot thickens...heh heh. I gotta admit, I'm getting low key interested in this Ruri chick. And now, I'm that much more determined to make this medicine and cure whatever's going on with her."
Chrome immediately got defensive as Sumi didn't comment. "What the heck do you mean by that? Interested? Like how?" He asked Senku in a panic. Sumi smiled knowingly as Senku was just confused while staring at him. It wasn't too different from how the black-haired scientist reacted when she thought that Kohaku had a crush on Senku.
"Senku, Sumi, hey," Kohaku whispered while waving a hand. "Psst! Guys!" She then stood between the two. "He thinks no one knows, but Chrome's got a major crush on Ruri."
"Ahh. So that's what that was all about. Right. Great. Cool," He said in understanding as the three walked away.
"And Chrome's totally like a little kid about the whole thing. He's so oblivious it's almost kinda cute," Kohaku stated as she and Sumi smiled.
"Aww, that's adorable," Sumi gushed a little after learning this, even though it wasn't hard to guess.
"It's almost like you and Senku," Kohaku giggled quietly to herself as Sumi flinched, pushing her away playfully. Senku didn't seem to react to her relief, meaning he didn't hear it. "Kidding, kidding!" She whispered to her friend while waving it off. "I can keep a secret."
"What are you guys talking about over there?!" Chrome called out in protest. "Did you just say I'm like a kid?!"
"Oh hey, you seem to be getting more comfortable being out here, Sumi," Kohaku pointed out and Sumi's eyes widened as she stopped. The two stared at her and once she looked at Senku's chest, she fell back while a nosebleed started. Everyone stared at her awkwardly as she had fainted... "Or not..."
"Maybe you shouldn't have told her while we were in the water..." Senku commented with his arms crossed.
After a few hours of looking for the sand, they had enough for a large pot. Chrome held onto it while Suika was staring at the contents. "You're saying the black sand we got out of the river turns into this iron stuff?" She wondered curiously to the group.
"It will," Senku answered while looking over his shoulder. Chrome was using a makeshift scale to measure the black sand. "You mix four parts of the sand to one part coal and bake it."
"Got it," Chrome spoke up, Kohaku looking over to him and Sumi. "That sounds pretty easy to me."
"Yeeeeah, no," Sumi revealed, confusing the two of them. "Making iron is actually gonna take a lot to pull off."
"The bad news is that it's way harder than it sounds. Nothing at all like baking little clay pots. That'll be our next problem to solve. Wood can burn up to 700 degrees, but iron-making requires much higher temperatures. We're talking 1500 degrees or more."
"If it's anything lower than that, the iron will be too rough and it'll be unusable," Sumi chimed in, crossing her arms.
"So how are we gonna get it that hot?" Kohaku wondered to the duo. "Is it even possible?"
"We gotta blow like hell!" Senku's mouth turned into a train whistle and Sumi giggled. "We provide it with as much oxygen as we can, so we're gonna need to send in a crazy amount of air, and hope that it increases the fire's damage points from 700 to 1500." He tossed the three some air-blowing contraptions that Sumi sewed up.
"This thing blows air?" Kohaku smiled at it. "With a handy little item like this, I can probably do it all by myself."
"Try it out and get back to me on that," Senku replied as Sumi had a hand on her hip. "The truth is, we'll never have enough manpower."
"Trust me, you'll see by the end of the day..." The black-haired scientist sighed slowly.
The five all started screaming as they were pumping air into the furnace with the blowing contraption. Steam flew away from the top of the furnace. Senku himself had beams of yellow light shooting from his eyes. "Holy hell, it feels like my arms are gonna fall off!" Chrome called out as they continued moving their arms.
"Don't you dare give up and let it get cold!" Senku screamed at him.
"How many more minutes do you think it'll take?!" Kohaku called out while still pumping air.
"Let's see, maybe 20 to 30 more hours!"
"Ahh! We'll die of exhaustion by the time we finish this up!" Sumi cried out while her arms felt like jelly.
"Iron-making is bad!" Kohaku, Chrome, and Suika yelled in unison. Suika fell to the ground, unable to move anymore.
"Don't push it, Suika! Take a break if you need it!" Kohaku told the little girl as she was sweating all over.
I'm trying so hard, but I'm still useless...She thought to herself with a tear at the end of her eye.
"It looks like they're doing something super intense up there!" Ginro commented as by the time night had fell, the group were still going at it. And they could tell because of the spark of orange light coming from outside the village. "Hey, uh, I'm gonna go help." Although he kinda just wanted to do it for a silver spear...
"No way, Ginro!" Kinro slammed down his spear, causing his brother to flinch. "Don't abandon your post. The rules are the rules."
"Oh, come on," He turned while complaining at Kinro. "That's easy to say when you had a golden spear made for you. I want one...no fair," He pouted while looking at his spear.
"That's not it!" Kinro exclaimed suddenly, giving Ginro a slightly intense look. "You shouldn't worry about trivial possessions!" Ginro then slid down from the pile of straw he was standing on.
"Well, why don't we trade spears?" He wondered, since Kinro didn't seem to care. But the older brother just stepped away, hugging his spear close.
"No deal."
"I should have silver, but I'll settle for good if that's how it's gotta be!" Ginro reached out, Kinro stepping away from him.
"I said no!" He protested profusely at him.
The next morning, the five were passed out on the ground, exhausted. They had taken all day...and all night pumping air into it. Senku's soul even kept passing in front of his mouth. Sumi's hair was a mess, sprawled out around her as she looked like a zombie. They broke the furnace with a hammer, only to find that the iron was still sand. "Awwww!" Sumi exclaimed tiredly, soot all over their faces thanks to the smoke from last night. "Yeah, it's never gonna be iron with just five of us..."
"Our top priority is more manpower. The kingdom of science needs a population boom." Ginro was sleeping near the bridge.
"Spear of...silver..." He murmured, Senku and Chrome standing over him with big grins.
"He took the bait, and we'll be reeling him in before you know it!" Senku stated with an evil smirk.
"Oh yeah! It's all starting to come together!" Chrome had the same expression.
"We'll get more manpower..."
"We'll tempt them with science!" The two then said in unison. Kohaku stared at them with her arms crossed.
"You guys are starting to sound really creepy," She remarked, a little freaked out herself. Suika was standing between her and Sumi. The latter then had her eyes white as she looked annoyed towards Senku.
"And yet you called me creepy while comparing me to Sadako Yamamura?!" She called out to him, sighing to calm down. "One silver spear isn't gonna sway everyone, nor a gold one. And even if we did that to all their weapons, it's not gonna be enough. We need something that'll attract everyone to our side."
"Sumi's right. The fact is, we can't entice everyone in the village with shiny new spears. We need to know what they want," He turned to the others. "It's time for us to plant an intel mission."
"But who's gonna do the intel?" Sumi wondered while raising a brow. "They don't trust either of us, Ginro and Kinro aren't gonna tell us anything. Chrome's practically in the same boat, and I'm sure Kohaku's gotten some people turning the other way for siding with us. Plus they'd probably get suspicious if we just flat out ask them."
"I'm really good at that kinda thing!" Suika raised her hand, getting their attention. "Because I can turn into a watermelon! I'm an expert snoop!" She then started spinning around, jumping up. Once she landed, she was a watermelon, with no legs and arms.
They all gasped at her disguised appearance. Senku let out a chuckle as Sumi smiled. "Now that's impressive! Okay! Great Detective Suika's on the case. We're counting on you to find out what the people want."
"Yeah!" Chrome smiled while pumping his fists. "You've got this, Great Detective Suika!"
Sumi smiled at the girl as well. "Come back to us once you've found out everything you can around the village. But be careful, okay? And I think we should keep the name Great Detective Suika. I know you'll come back with something very helpful!" She beamed down at Suika.
Great Detective Suika? The little girl looked happy at the new nickname and from what Sumi said. I'm finally gonna be useful! She bounced onto the bridge past Ginro, rolling across it. Sumi grinned while watching her leave, a hand on her hip.
"It's sweet that you encourage Suika, I've never seen her so happy," Kohaku smiled and Sumi walked past them.
"Yeah...let's just say that I know what's it like to not have a support system when you're a kid," She stated quietly, Kohaku blinking in confusion. Senku stared at her, as he knew exactly why Sumi was like that with Suika. It was because Sumi herself was told negative things, or thought about them as a child. And while she had Senku back then, he found out too late for him to really be that supportive person she needed back then...at least this way, she could help Suika out the way someone else could've done for a while... "Heh, I'm sorry. I'm gonna check out the shed again while we wait for Suika." She then left the three behind, and they stared after her.
"Did I say something wrong?" Kohaku glanced at Senku, who shook her head.
"No. She'll be fine. Sumi's a tough one. It's just that her dad was a real asshole..." Chrome and Kohaku turned to him as he had his eyes closed. They could tell that...he knew what her life was like, but it might be something they had to hear from Sumi herself.
"I heard Kohaku tried to bring in two outsiders," Carbo spoke up while sitting on a roof. Suika was hiding near a pile of produce. "Does anybody know if they were able to get in, or where they are now?"
"Supposedly, they're living in Chrome's shed!" A little girl older than Suika smiled up at him. "But I haven't seen anything for myself!" Suika's leaf twitched, and then looked at two older people of the village.
"The elder believes that we should let the man and woman be—that they're no threats as long as they don't try to come into the village."
"Yes, I agree," The woman smiled, nodding her head. "Perfectly reasonable."
"Indeed. But if they try any monkey business..."
Suika was shaking while in the middle of a watermelon field. "I'll kill anyone who threatens our village!" A tall, heavily muscular blond man exclaimed as he and his right-hand man...were about to smash watermelons. Meaning Suika should probably leave soon.
"Aw yeah!" The shorter brunet exclaimed in excitement, neither of them noticing the little girl.
"Then Ruri will see how manly I am!" The blond gave a little smirk.
"Oh, yeah!"
Suika peeked above the edge of a cliff, seeing three women talking. All of them were in swimsuits. "Well, if this outsider guy is strong, then color me interested. I'm sure the outsider female is pretty. That's all I care about...unless they're together."
"Yeah, see, I don't really care if he's strong or not. But if the guy's handsome, then I might wanna meet him," The short-haired blonde gushed, a hand on her cheek. "And we could have the woman join us!"
"I don't need a man to be handsome, or a big pile of muscles!" The one with pigtails exclaimed, clenching her fists. "I just want a good provider! But maybe the woman really is dating him if she's got looks."
"It's crazy. We're three beautiful sisters with different tastes in men. I don't understand why we're all still single!"
Suika was hiding in a basket as a family was eating together. "Oh, I've gotta say, this grilled fish is so delicious!" The woman exclaimed with a smile.
"Yeah, I'm so glad we eat this every day!" The man added in, the blond man having a bite, but not looking happy about it.
"I'm so sick of fish!" He complained while eating. "It's like all we ever eat!"
The sun started to set as Suika rolled across the bridge again. By the time she returned to her friends, it was already nighttime. A fire was between the five as they had dinner, which was also fish. "I went around the village all day and I found out what most people want. First off, here's what the sparkly sisters Garnet, Sapphire, and Ruby had to say."
"Oh boy, they're the most beautiful girls in the village!" Kohaku spoke up with a smile.
"They were talking about what they want more than anything!" Suika continued with a smile of her own.
"I really hope it's something we can create with our limited available technology," Senku remarked, though it should be easy enough given it was a village without any scientific advancement.
"And that it'll be quick. We've still got a lot of steps of the road map to cover," Sumi sighed a little.
Suika held up a megaphone that she pulled out of nowhere. "They want boyfriends!" The little girl spoke through it.
"There's no chance in hell we're making one of those!" Senku shouted with white eyes.
"A man who's strong."
"Handsome."
"Someone who can feed me!"
"Well, at least they're all being honest about what they're looking for..." Kohaku deadpanned, an awkward shadow over her eyes.
"Eh heh heh..." Sumi laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. "As...enlightening as that was to find out from them, that's not really our area of expertise. Or something we can just...create out of thin air."
"Heh. You're not bad-looking, Senku. And you do have a certain kinda charm about you. But I don't think you're the type of handsome that Sapphire's really talking about. Maybe fit for someone else," She gave Sumi a playful smirk and the black-haired scientist blushed in embarrassment.
Kohaku, I swear...
She stuffed her face with fish to calm herself down, deciding not to comment. "Aw, girls are always flappin' their jaws about what they want in a man. It gets really freakin' old!" Chrome commented while having fish in his mouth. "And that's precisely the reason why I can't stand any of them."
"Then you're lucky you're a child and not a man," Kohaku smiled, her hands behind her back. "Since Ruri, Sumi, and I are women, I guess you can't stand us?"
"Ah, give me a break. You know I never thought of you as a woman. You're a gorilla!" He then regretted saying that as Kohaku's head got bigger with smoke coming out of her mouth. Chrome kneeled in front of her butt naked. "I'm sorry, ma'am..."
"Nice to know that a child thinks of me as a woman," Sumi smiled while wiping her mouth.
"The girl who wants food could work for us," Senku stated to Suika, ignoring Chrome and Kohaku. "She might be our only shot."
"It's worth a try. One person isn't gonna cut it, though. Maybe if things go well with her, she'll tell the other villagers," Sumi agreed, Senku nodding at her.
"What does she want?"
"A big feast with game and stuff!" Suika then remembered something from a villager. "Oh! That reminds me of something. I overhead Ganen, the village glutton. He was complaining to his parents that he's bored to death of eating fish all the time. So all he really wants is to try something new."
Senku smirked, getting their attention. "I knew that you could pull it off, Great Detective Suika. Thanks to your intelligence gathering skills, now Sumi and I know what kind of science we can use to win them over to our side!"
"Thanks, Great Detective Suika," Sumi smiled while patting her on the head. "From now on, you'll be our little spy around the village."
"Really?!" Suika beamed up at her.
"Yup!" Sumi told the little girl happily.
"So are you two gonna cook for them or something?" Kohaku wondered while staring at the scientists.
"But what does cooking have to do with science?" Chrome questioned the duo.
"Everything, actually," Senku grinned while looking over his shoulder. "Food is science, after all. I mean, do you think the umami quality of the grilled fish you eat every day is just some kind of random accident? No, it's glutamic and inosinic acids."
"Basically protein to help in metabolism," Sumi held up a finger and stood up. "But that's where my experience comes in!" Sumi beamed happily, rubbing her chin in thought while pacing. "Let's see, we need something everyone can enjoy, but also not too much..." Senku let out a soft chuckle at her thinking, the woman looking focused as her eyes were closed, a finger in front of her chin. His gaze was concentrated on her, his heart...feeling the same thing it did when he saw her in the swimsuit actually. He had no idea what it was, but he did know it always happened with Sumi. He definitely didn't hate it, but...what exactly was it? One thing he could say was that...he didn't want to take his eyes off her right now.
Barking interrupted the moment, Sumi and Senku turning towards it. "Uh?" Sumi murmured in confusion as Suika was playing with her dog Chalk, holding something. It looked like one of those cat toys when they existed.
"Suika, what're you playing with over there?" Senku questioned the little girl, getting her attention.
"Oh, this? Check it out," She bent down to her puppy, petting him on the head. "It's my widdle buddy Chalk's favorite toy ever. Dogtail millet!"
"Uhh, I'm pretty sure that's not it," Sumi told her gently with a sheepish smile.
"You mean foxtail millet?" Senku corrected her and Sumi gasped sharply as an idea came to mind. Stars appeared in her eyes and a blush was on her cheeks.
"I GOT IT!" She screamed in excitement, alarming everyone. "This might be what we need! I know what we're gonna make, people!" She smiled while turning to them, a hand on her hip. "We can take this stuff and make something I know the villagers will love! And it'll be a trip down memory lane for you, Sen. It's something everyone from our time enjoyed too," She smirked a little towards him. He blinked and then snickered a bit.
"Alright then. We'll trust our chef Sumi. I know you've got something amazingly tasty for them."
The next morning, Kohaku used her daggers to cut down a field full of foxtail millet. Chalk barked while jumping up and down in front of a pile of it. Senku held up a bundle, Sumi standing up with a smile while carrying some in her arms.
"We'll make primitive, gourmet survival food from scratch. Now that's exciting!"
Sumi showed the others to smack it against a rock, and they all followed her. "We're really gonna eat this?" Kohaku looked at the foxtail millet with worried eyes. "Because foxtail millet is super gross. So you can count me out, Sumi and Senku."
"We're not eating it the way it is now," Sumi assured with a chuckle. "As the one with the most cooking experience, I know how that the way foxtail millet looks, it's not that appealing. Eating anything raw around here is a major don't."
"The reason we're whacking the hell out of it is to remove the husk so we can eat it," Senku explained to the blonde. "Foxtail millet is ten billion percent a grain. Albeit an unrefined one, but still."
"Not my first choice, but we can still fix it," Sumi stated while still whacking. Her hair was done up, a bandana over her head. "I'll need lots of grain for what I'm making if I'm gonna feed over 40 people, and every single one of the foxtail millet needs to be whacked, otherwise it'll ruin the taste if we have husks all over."
Senku glanced at the woman working hard and smirked to himself. He went back to whacking himself.
Once they were done whacking, it was placed into a large pot. "Ugh. It looks so nasty," Kohaku stated in disgust while looking at it.
"And it's completely covered in furry stuff," Suika gave a small whine.
"Oh, I'm not finished," Sumi chuckled as she walked over. She bent down to the pot, examining one. "I just need Chrome back here with the water."
Speaking of, he was walking over with Kohaku's pot for water. He was struggling to carry it on his shoulders, trying not to drop any of it. Like Senku, Chrome wasn't really known for upper body strength, though he at least had more stamina. Sumi noticed him and walked over, taking it with a smile. Chrome yelped in shock at her being able to carry it with ease.
"Thanks, Chrome!" She said sweetly and walked back to the others. Chrome then fell in exhaustion as she put the pot down. She and Kohaku picked up the pot to pour in the foxtail millet. Senku handed her a branch and stood next to her as she stirred in concentration.
Once she was done, Senku held a small straw basket. He scooped up remaining leaves and husks with Sumi. "It's a cycle of inspiration followed by experimentation," He explained and soon, they had clean foxtail millet grain. Sumi smiled proudly from the results. "When you think about it, food is a perfect example of science."
Sumi held up a finger while instructing Kohaku to ground the grain into powder. She looked to the others doing the same, gesturing with her hands to go at a pace so that the grain could look better. Senku stared at the pile of green powder.
"We have flour. It's not wheat, but it'll have to do."
"Well, there's not really anything else I can use around here that would match that," Sumi wiped her forehead using her wrist. "And we don't have the time nor resources to grow our own wheat right now, unfortunately..."
Then the five all shared a high-five for their hard work. "Way to go, guys!"
"You all worked so hard, thank you! And now it's time to continue with our flour! We're gonna crack in a few wild bird eggs," Sumi cracked an egg over the bowl. "And then we're adding in a dash of potassium carbonate to give it some elasticity. Basically some white salt Sen made for me earlier."
The four watched as the woman used her hands to mix in all the ingredients. One of her bangs fell from her face and she blew it away. They all stared curiously as they still didn't know what they were making, and she looked professional almost. Senku then realized what it was, smirking.
"It's a dish of science accidentally discovered by some unknown Mongol around the fourth century."
"Though it wasn't until 1910 that the first shop with this dish was opened up in Japan," Sumi continued off, moving away her bang using her head. She looked a bit frustrated and Senku bent down to her, moving her bang to her ear. She flinched while looking at him, seeing him give a small smirk. The woman stared at him being so close to her and then smiled. She wasn't gonna say anything about him being a gentleman for once. She went back to the bowl again to continue mixing. Senku looked over his shoulder at Chrome.
"That's right, he was probably a crazy nut that would literally try anything, just like you. Way back in fourth-century Mongolia."
Sumi then chopped up the dough into thick strips, putting them into boiling water to cook it. She and Senku tossed in vegetables, a whole chicken, and then fish and herbs were put into a smaller pot. Sumi smiled proudly by the cooking broth, delicious smells filling in the air. Kohaku and Chrome were both drawn to it.
"Uh! It smells so good!" The two exclaimed at it. Sumi hummed while pouring soup into five bowls.
"And of course, we had a name for this stupidly yummy bowl of science 3700 years ago!" Senku exclaimed and Sumi presented it.
"We called it...ramen!" Sumi clapped her hands happily, beaming at the presentation. Senku smirked at her, as she knew that was his favorite thing to eat.
"Okay, but that is yucky foxtail millet in there," Kohaku pointed out as the others besides Senku had their doubts. Sumi looked up from the boiling pot. Chrome glanced at his fellow villagers, holding up some noodles to his mouth.
"I'll make sure it's safe for us to eat! Because one of a sorcerer's most important qualities is to not be afraid of anything different and new!" He slurped the noodles into his mouth, some broth over his lips. His eyes then widened. "IT'S AMAZING!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, happy tears from his eyes and nose, yellow light coming from them. "Ramen is bad!" He continued eating it eagerly, slurping from the bowl.
Kohaku still had her doubts, but ate a noodle. Suika had some as well. Both of them started digging in just like Chrome. "It's so slurpy! I've never had anything like it!"
"I didn't know such a tasty thing existed!" Kohaku cried out happily while having more. Chrome had eaten all of it within seconds. All of them were crying out like they had just eaten from heaven or something.
"Thanks, Sumi!" They all shouted happily and Sumi giggled at this.
"Aw, I'm so glad you guys like it!" She smiled at them with her eyes closed.
"Heh heh, I might as well dig in too," Senku commented and she glanced up at him. He stared at the dish for a few seconds.
It's been 3700 years since I've had a proper bowl of ramen. He ate some too, putting down the bowl. Sumi blinked at this, a little worried since he hadn't said anything.
"Be honest, Sen. How is it?" She asked as she hadn't had a bite yet. "Sen...?" She questioned again and he glanced at her, not knowing what to say. He started sweating as she looked confused and then she bit her lip. "I know we've never lied to each other, so...whatever it is, you can tell me."
He eventually kneeled over as it was true. He was always honest with Sumi, even when he didn't wanna tell her how it tasted. "That is not it..." His whole body was white as he was shaking and her eyes went white. "What did I expect from foxtail millet? The texture is all sandy and crumbly, and the aftertaste is horribly bitter! Maybe if you think of it as medicine, it's edible."
"Huh?!" She took a bite to see for herself. Once she tasted it, she kneeled over as well, spitting it back out into the bowl in disgust. Senku glanced up in shock as she coughed a little, her hands over her mouth. "I made this?! This tastes like those vitamins my grandma had me take as a kid," She then sighed as she repositioned herself, removing her hair ribbon so that her hair was down. "I should've known since not every single ingredient from 3700 years ago is available. I should've realized foxtail millet wasn't the right grain for this dish."
They looked up towards their three friends, who were still in awe. "Then again, these people probably think it's the food of the gods," Senku commented as they both looked on.
"At least they like it, but...mm..." Sumi frowned at him sadly, getting his attention. "I'm sorry, Sen. It's your favorite food..." He looked up at her as there was a distant look in her eyes. "And I wanted to make it for you. I know you've had stuff on your mind lately...so I just thought it would help."
"What are you talking about?" He blinked at her as she tied her bow back above her right ear.
"When you asked if I heard anything the day after we met Kohaku. Or when you seemed upset when we separated from Taiju and Yuzuriha," She pointed out and he realized...she meant his sometimes odd behavior around her, because...of Tsukasa. He glanced towards her lip as the scar was now more permanent in her skin. He then had a small shadow over his eyes, as he didn't like her being upset over something he couldn't talk about with her...not yet at least. He then let out a small sigh and she didn't acknowledge it.
"Ten billion points for trying," Senku placed a hand on her shoulder, her eyes widening. "Don't stress, Sumi. This is exactly what I need. With your ramen, we'll get all the villagers on our side!" Her eyes glistened while hearing him out. "This is gonna work. Foxtail millet ramen for the win! Not only are they're all gonna love what you made, but you gave what you promised me. Thorough as always. You did amazing."
Sumi looked up at him, a light gasp escaping from her lips as he had a grin on his face. Even if it wasn't the best taste-wise...he still praised her anyway instead of the way she had thought over her cooking. She then gave him a beaming smile, and it made him blush a little. "You're right! I'm gonna keep working on this recipe until it's the best ramen you've ever had!" Sumi pumped her fists in determination.
"Oh yeah? Keep all the test ramen coming my way, then. I'll try every last one," His grin widened and she blushed from his declaration. She was drawn to him even more than ever.
A tune was heard, getting the villagers' attention. They turned around as a cart was being pushed. "The hell's going on?" Kokuyo demanded as Ruri looked over her shoulder. Sumi had another pot of ramen prepared and Ganen wiped his mouth.
"Oh, man. Something smells amazing!" He rushed over as Suika played a seashell. Villagers started rushing down the bridge.
"People have waged wars over salt and pepper. That's how fundamental food is to civilization." Chrome was carrying the cart, Senku and Sumi standing behind it with smiles. "With the raw power of ramen on our side, soon we'll have complete control over this village!" He had a big evil grin on his face.
"You look and sound like a bad guy right now," Kohaku sweated a little while staring at him. "Sumi, how are you not bothered by this?"
"Eh, it still freaks me out, but I got used to it pretty quick. Although, if we're gonna do this, we're doing it peacefully," She gave Senku a blank look while holding a bowl to place ramen in. Sumi then gave a confident smile while seeing villagers come over. "Time to see what science can do without restrictions, Sen."