Angel: Like I said last chapter, the new ending is written here. However, the ending...kinda has a spoiler but not really because the same spoiler is in the opening too? But then again, when people are first watching the show, and you watch the opening/ending, you already don't know some people in them until later...? So if you really don't want to be spoiled, I would come back to the end after the next two episodes are released. Because it will make sense later on after those two episodes to those not watching the show (and yes I said show not anime fight me), I promise. I just hope that it's not as obvious so that reviewers don't guess an upcoming storyline regarding the spoiler.
Gen started to walk away from the Grand Bout. He stopped to look over his shoulder. "I think it's best if I leave the village for now," He told them with a small smirk over their victory over Magma. "I'm an outsider and I'm not competing, so...I bet our Kinro would throw a fit if I didn't."
Kinro stiffened as he understood why Gen said that since...he'd say that the rules were the rules. It didn't hit him until now just how many times he must've said that around the village. Kaseki looked up at him silently.
"I came here to have a little chat with you, Senku and Mire-Chan," He called out to the duo as they had small smiles on their faces. "But I'll be patient. We three can discuss your end of the deal after you've taken over the village."
"Sure," Senku responded without turning around, unfazed by what Gen meant.
"Catch ya later, Gen!" Sumi smiled while giving a small wave, without turning around. "Looking forward to it."
Gen headed down the bridge and for the science shed. He smiled to himself from Sumi's goodbye. "Ah, Mire-Chan, always the sweet one, aren't you? Although I wish you'd acknowledge me as your bestie," He pouted while sagging his shoulders.
"Oh, Chrome..." Ruri was in silent relief that he was okay.
"Ruri-" Ginro snapped out of it as that might be inappropriate. "Priestess, I mean." She gasped as she realized that he was standing outside the hut, his back to her. "You're gonna have to marry the winner, right?" He turned around with an assuring smile. "Well, don't worry. It's down to us four, and the three of us are just gonna throw our matches. So Chrome's already won," She blinked in alarm from what he was telling her. "Don't act so surprised. It's pretty obvious. I can tell that you've been rooting for him."
Ruri didn't respond, looking a bit troubled as her father was standing right behind her. They watched Senku teasing Chrome by putting his foot on his back. "Nice job in figuring out the difference between convex and concave, Chrome!"
Chrome didn't really feel any pain from the foot since he had a big grin on his face. Sumi gave a small smile while watching, hands behind her back. She then approached the two, placing a hand on Senku's shoulder.
"Come on, don't forget he took a brutal beating from Magma. You might make it worse on him before I can check on his back," She told him and Chrome looked up at her, pumping his arms to brag at her.
"I'm fine, Sumi! I can take anything he's got!"
Senku gave him a blank look in response. Ruri closed her eyes, looking a bit content as she finally responded. "No. As the priestess, I am but a servant of the gods. I cannot favor anyone. I will simply marry whoever wins."
Ginro titled his head in confusion, trying to take in what she said. "Seriously...? That's weird, I could've sworn you...whoa, hang on! Are you saying you don't care who wins at all?"
"Uh!" She sweated a bit while Jasper gave him a deadpan expression. "Well...um...yes," Ruri hesitated a bit nervously.
Learn to read between the lines, Ginro. What else is she supposed to say when you flat out ask her like that? Jasper thought to himself, dumbfounded by Ginro's lack of thinking about this...and then he started thinking about becoming the village chief himself, holding Ruri.
Village chief...Ginro! And then he thought about doing whatever he wanted as the chief, chuckling to himself. Sumi then flinched as the next match was...well.
"We'll now begin match two of the semi-finals. Sumire and Senku, come forward," Jasper announced, Sumi gulping as she and Senku stepped forward, holding their weapons. Kohaku and the others, besides Ginro, were giving nervous laughs while sweating.
"This is a little awkward, isn't it?" Kohaku murmured while looking on. Sumi came to a stop on the other side, turning around to face Senku with her eyes closed. She opened them a few seconds later, gripping her weapon.
All I've gotta do is throw my match so neither of us have to fight Senku thought to himself, as he wasn't going to fight her. Even if he wanted to, which he didn't, she'd easily beat him if her previous match was anything to go by. I don't have one millimeter interest of fighting Sumi, anyway. I'd be dead in minutes. And I know she wouldn't want to fight me either.
She stood there in silence while staring at him. He had his usual smirk on his face as it felt like forever staring at each other. No matter who won or who lost, it wouldn't guarantee a loss for the Kingdom of Science. But even still...for Sumi, she was sure in her decision. Now she just had to implement it.
"Match two of the semi-finals. Begin!" Jasper waved his hand. As soon as he did, Sumi charged forward towards Senku, shocking him and their friends.
"Eh?!" He flinched as he wasn't expecting that reaction. "Wait, what are you doing?!" He exclaimed in surprise, expecting to get his ass kicked now. Once she reached him, she jumped over his head, getting their attention. She landed on one of the pillars of the bridge, removing her ribbon. She bit down on her weapon while pulling out a vial from her pouch. Senku's eyes widened as he realized what she was doing.
She doused the ribbon to make it white, and then bravely held it up so it could flow in the wind. "Everyone, please hear me!" Her voice boomed to the crowd. "I, Sumire Maeda, hereby forfeit this battle with Senku! I refuse to have this match," She declared, the Kingdom of Science gasping. Kohaku then smiled, as she knew Sumi wouldn't fight him. Ruri gave a small smile while Kokuyo just stared.
That woman...Sumire, right? She could've easily made her way through the Grand Bout...but chose to let her friend advance instead?
Senku blinked to snap out of it, chuckling. "So dramatic," He said teasingly as she jumped down from the pillar.
"Very well. Due to Sumire's surrender, winner, Senku!" Jasper gestured to him. Senku turned around to her with a small smirk.
"You didn't need to do all that crap, you know. I was gonna forfeit myself," Senku stated as she approached him.
"Yeah, but I figured to let you have all the fun. We have a deal, remember?" The black-haired scientist smiled while taking out another vial to make her ribbon pink again. "All I did was make the right decision if I'm gonna hold your life from now on."
"Heh," He reached out to pat her on the head. "Yeah. Guess we shared the same logic. I won't take your sacrifice for granted."
She smiled as he turned around, Ginro approaching him. "We'll now begin match three of the semi-finals," Jasper stated, the green-haired scientist looking to the blond. "Senku vs Ginro. Contestants, come forward."
Ginro reacted first by yelling and swinging at Senku. Thankfully he managed to dodge in time. Sumi gasped at this, her eyes wide. "What the hell has gotten into you, Ginro?!" He shouted in shock and barely managed to miss the next attack.
"Why is he attacking Sen? I thought the deal was to throw the match!" Sumi looked on with white eyes.
"What do you mean?" Ginro had a manic smile on his face while chasing Senku. "You heard the girl! Ruri said she'd marry anyone! That means even I could be the village's chief! My time has come! It's the era of Ginro!" Senku dodged another attack with a yelp.
"Seriously?!" Sumi shook in disbelief with a panicked look in her eyes. Not just because of what Ginro said, but a bit concerned for Senku as well. If she could interfere, she'd knock some sense into the blond right about now...
"No! You gotta be kidding me!" Kinro held his face, his eyes white and his mouth wide in disbelief at his little brother.
Kohaku was shaking in horror while hugging herself. "What a scumbag!"
"If I win and become the chief, we'll all get to eat ramen every single day with Sumi in charge of preparing my meals!" Ganen and Suika gave shocked sounds. "And everyone gets a harem! Just you wait, I'm gonna turn this place into the village of all of our dreams!" Ruby, Sapphire, and Garnet all groaned behind him.
Sumi looked on with an eye twitching, now terrified. Cooking his meals for the rest of her life was definitely not on her list of priorities for rebuilding civilization...
Ginro slammed the ground again with his weapon, Senku jumping over it. The villagers watched in dread from the battle. The thought of Ginro becoming the next village chief was...very concerning to them, to say the least.
Ugh. Please not him.
Ginro...anyone but you, man.
All of the villagers looked at him wide-eyed, thinking the same thing. We can't let him become the village chief.
"We have to take him down as soon as possible!" Kohaku commented while looking at the game of cat and mouse. She didn't want Ginro to win as much as the other villagers did. "But how is Senku supposed to do that?"
Sumi stared at the two with a worried frown. "His physical strength compared to mine is equal to Mantle's. So striking back isn't really gonna be an option. He's gotta use his real strength to defeat Ginro, but how?"
Chrome looked up from the ground, his body weak from earlier. He slowly reached out and managed to lift an arm. He grabbed what was left of Suika's watermelon mask. Suika turned to him in confusion as he had a weak smile. "Sen...ku...our weapon is science...so get in there and use it!"
He moved his arm backwards, using what he had left to throw it towards Senku. Both he and Ginro noticed it as it rolled to a stop between Senku's legs. He realized what he could do and then got his confidence back. He bent down and placed his weapon on the mask.
"I guess I don't have any other options."
Ginro yelped as he saw this. "You're gonna try to use some crazy sorcery now? Well, not if I get you first!" He hopped over, slamming down his weapon as he wanted to win. Senku watched him, lifting his foot above his weapon. Once he had the right moment, he stepped on the end of the weapon like a lever, sending the other end hard between Ginro's legs.
"Ooh," Sumi cringed a little, Ruri and Kokuyo a little shocked as well.
He's clever, that one. Senku, was it?
Ginro had foam at the mouth, his eyes bulged. He grasped his crotch, yelping in pain before he fell onto his face. Sumi had an awkward smile on her face. Considering Ginro had his own malicious intentions becoming village chief, she felt a little sympathetic, but not by much. He needed to be stopped before he made things worse on the village, and...well...he just wasn't capable of being chief since he was way too childish sometimes.
Jasper raised a hand, gesturing to the green-haired scientist. "The winner is Senku!"
Everyone cheered for Senku's victory, especially considering his opponent. "Ginro's down!"
"That means Senku's going to the finals!"
Even though everyone left was competing in the Kingdom of Science, the others were just as relieved as well from Senku's win. "They're united in relief that Ginro didn't win!" Suika clasped her hands, tears in the corners of her eyes.
"Yeah," Chrome agreed with a small smile. And the villagers didn't even trust Senku, but now here they were, cheering him on. "And now we can turn this village...into a Kingdom of Science. And we...can save...Ruri..." He trailed off as he felt dizzy, and then everything went black for him. Sumi gasped sharply and bent down to him.
"Chrome? Chrome! Hey, are you okay?" She shook him gently but didn't get an answer. The last round went onto the announcement board. Senku stood over Chrome, using his weapon to poke him a little.
"Alright, it's the last round. So now all that's left for me to do is throw the match. Then Chrome, you'll marry Ruri and become the village chief," He laughed as Sumi frowned a bit towards Chrome, still on the ground. "Happily ever after. This couldn't be more perfect. Now stop screwing around and get up." He blinked as Chrome didn't react at all. His eyes widened in horror, as since his friend wasn't moving, that could've meant...
Sumi placed her fingers on Chrome's neck to check. "He's still breathing, but I don't think he'll be waking up anytime soon..." She laughed nervously while sweating.
"Okay, he is completely conked out," Suika smiled a little while rubbing the back of his head.
"Magma did really put a number on him, makes sense," Sumi stated as Senku let out a sigh of relief.
"Maybe the tension was keeping him awake," Kohaku spoke up, her arms crossed. "But once Ruri was safe, it all went away." However, once she said that, she started to panic, sweating immensely. And Sumi's world came crashing down as it hit her as well.
"W-Wait..." She stammered with her eyes wide, her hand shaking.
The villagers murmured to themselves as they put the pieces together as well. "And does that mean...?"
"What happens?"
"So...do we get a final round?" Suika wondered as her eyes were squinting. Sumi was shaking as she let out a yell as it sunk in. She tried to keep a level head as she tried to imagine that this wasn't happening right now. And she really hoped that what this meant didn't mean what she thought it meant...
However, all of that was shot as Jasper gave a small look of dread. He let out a small sigh, a hand on his forehead. "The new village chief...and husband of the priestess...is the winner of the Grand Bout, Senku!"
Chaos ensued as Kohaku and Suika let out cries of disbelief. This was followed by Kokuyo and even Ruri. Sumi's eyes were spinning around looking on, her whole body feeling like it shattered. Sweat was dripping down her whole face. Senku blinked a few times while taking in the new development...that he was now gonna be a married man.
"Huh...?" He could only murmur in shock.
Position of village chief and marriage partner acquired!
Everyone was still freaking out over what had occurred. So... Jasper thought with white eyes as everything had gone quiet.
What now? Turquoise finished what Jasper was thinking. Senku finally broke the silence as he dug his pinky into his ear, having calmed down.
"Well, great," He sighed, his eyes closed. "This just got a hell of a lot more annoying...So just to be clear, if I were to marry Ruri, then this entire village is mine, is that right?" He then approached the priestess, looking straight into her eyes. "Then I guess I'll do it."
Suika, Kohaku, and Ruri let out a gasp of surprise, the latter blushing a little. "Ack!" Sumi fell to the ground comically after hearing this.
"They're married now?! This is happening so fast!" Suika cried out in a panic. Sumi laid on the ground still, the first three words repeating in her head over and over again. Almost like she was living a horror movie. Once she snapped out of it, briefly, she slowly sat up, looking towards Senku and Ruri. Telling her feelings to him just seemed so far away of a goal now...she looked towards the ground with no expression, not knowing what she should do.
Kohaku frowned while glancing at the woman knowingly. Chrome had time to accept Kinro or Ginro marrying her sister, but Sumi had to experience this all at once...and she felt really bad about it. She wished there was something she could've done...
"Hold it, Senku!" Kokuyo shouted as he wasn't expecting an outsider to win at all, and didn't want Senku to marry his daughter. "Where did you even come from, huh? You're an outsider! We can't let you become our chief!"
"My, my!" Senku teased him while twisting his pinky into his ear. "If it isn't the former village chief himself! To tell you the truth, I don't have a millimeter of interest in your lack of approval!"
Sumi stared at the duo arguing, and everyone was confused as they were debating what to do. She just gave herself a sad smile while Senku was getting on the man's nerves. He never really cared if people insulted him to his face, and always had something to say back. That was one of the things she liked about him...
"Uhh...who are we supposed to side with?"
"We side with Kokuyo, obviously!" Turquoise shouted while pointing at him with white eyes. "Do I really have to spell it out for you?"
"But the gods are watching," Garnet commented from the crowd. "And he did technically just win."
"Not to mention he's married to the priestess now, too..." Sapphire murmured while Kohaku glanced to Sumi still sitting while watching him.
"Sumi...are you okay?" She placed her hand on the woman's shoulder.
"I'm fine," She gave a weak smile. "This is just how Sen is, and I can't change that. The only thing that I can do as his science partner...is support him," Her eyes glistened a little. "He'll still be a presence in my life whether he knows or not. Wallowing isn't gonna do anything for me...so I'll just have to accept that he's only gonna be my friend," She shed a silent tear and it hit the ground in front of her.
Senku blinked as he felt something was off. He glanced behind him to see Sumi standing up, a small smile on her face, but it was forced. And she wasn't even looking towards him. The green-haired scientist blinked at her, wondering what was up with her, but he could wonder about that later. He then turned back to the villagers.
"Object all you want to, a win is a win. So chop chop!" He waved a hand with an evil grin on his face. "Bring the winner his booze!"
"Can you not?!" Kohaku shouted with her eyes white.
"You sound like one of those old drunkards who can't get his fill!" Kaseki stated as Sumi had a big sweat drop over the side of her head.
"He's always been like this..." She told the duo a bit awkwardly.
Two villagers carried three pots of booze, bringing it over to Senku. They then decided to check it, since they hadn't had to get wine for a while. One of the villagers flinched while examining a pot. "This pot's no good! All of it's turned into vinegar!"
"I'll take it!" Senku rushed over eagerly. "We need that too."
Coughing was suddenly heard, and everyone turned over to Ruri. She was hunched over, coughing up blood with her hands in front of her mouth. "Not again!" Kohaku said in worry while kneeling next to her sister. Her hands were at Ruri's side, as she frowned deeply. Sumi walked over to her silently, checking over her.
"Ruri..." Kokuyo murmured in concern and the blonde looked up.
"It's not that bad," She tried to assure them. Sumi closed her eyes, looking up seconds later while examining Ruri with her eyes again. She was definitely correct about it being a bacterial infection, but until she could properly examine her, she didn't know which one. Senku's face tightened while looking at her.
Looks like the clock is seriously ticking now. We literally just finished the Grand Bout, but I guess it's straight back to work!
Sumi slowly glanced over her shoulder at Senku. Her gaze met his and he blinked from her serious expression. "We have a lot of help now, so we've gotta finish up. The less time we spend, the better..." She glanced back to Ruri. Of course, being a medic, her instinct was to always help...even if she was still in shock from the whole marriage thing.
"Hm?" Senku raised a brow at her sudden change. He snapped out of it, putting a hand on his head. First the whole husband deal, and now his...complications regarding Sumi. He definitely needed a small break after all this... "Let's head back and finish the sulfa-"
"Hang on!" A few villagers stepped in front of him before he could even more. They all grinned at him. "Where do you think you're going? You're the guest of honor!" Senku just stared at the group.
"Yeah, have a drink with us!"
"To celebrate your marriage, we're drinking the night away. It's tradition around here!"
"Yeah?" Senku put his pinky in his ear again. "In that case..." He smiled innocently while tilting his head to the side. "I want a divorce!"
Everyone stared at Senku in disbelief over what he said. Silence was in the air while Suika popped up behind all of them. "They're divorced now?! This is happening so fast!"
Sumi's eyes were white while staring at Senku, not knowing what to think now. She had no idea what just happened, and neither did all of the villagers for that matter. Before anyone could do or say anything, Senku grabbed the back of Kaseki's hoodie, racing across the bridge. Kohaku was carrying the three jugs of alcohol and vinegar, following him.
"Ha ha ha! We've scored a ton of alcohol and vinegar! Let's haul ass, citizens of the Kingdom of Science!" He shouted, not even looking back at the villagers.
"Excuse me?! Since when am I a citizen of the Kingdom of Science?" Kaseki shouted in protest, but followed since he didn't have much of a choice at this point. Senku was hanging onto the back of his shirt, after all...
"I'm sorry, Ruri! I'll explain later!" Kohaku called out, and all of the villagers were dumbfounded.
"That guy's making a mockery of our ways," Jasper mumbled in disbelief. Ruri gave an awkward smile.
"I'm still a little confused. But I think I may have just become the first divorced priestess ever..." She then gave a small content smile, since a, she didn't have feelings for Senku. And b, she didn't want to come between Sumi and Senku. "Well? How's that, Chrome?"
Chrome was still on the ground unconscious. Sumi flinched as she didn't go after them, and was now left to pick up the pieces... "This is utter bullshit!" Kokuyo screamed in anger. "Capture that man, right now!"
"Um..." Sumi felt a little awkward about having to do damage control. She turned to all of them and waved her arms all around in a rapid fashion. "I'm so sorry about this! We can discuss this later, but now we have important work to do back at the Kingdom of Science. If you'll excuse me..."
She ran down the bridge, the villagers blinking at her. "What are we waiting for?! Capture both of them!" Kokuyo pointed at the black-haired woman. Kinro then approached the former chief.
"Senku and Sumire are no villains," He defended his friends, the blond turning to him and Ginro. "Please let them explain for themselves...what the sorcerers-I mean, the scientists—have been working on." Ginro nodded in agreement next to him. "What they bet their lives on for half a year. What I've seen them do."
Senku and a few others were in front of a waterfall. They were currently watching a contraption made out of bamboo being spun by the water. "What's this?" Kohaku wondered while staring at it.
"The force from the waterfall is making the bamboo spin around," Suika commented and Kaseki chuckled while standing in the water.
"And I nailed it on my first attempt! Pretty cool, huh? Are you charmed by my talents, ladies?"
"Impressive," Senku complimented the craftsman. "I usually botch my first few attempts at building anything."
Kaseki turned to him, pointing. "Thank you, but I wasn't trying to charm you. Speaking of ladies, where's yours, Senku?"
His eyes widened a little and then he crossed his arms. "It's not like that, old man," Senku sighed a bit in irritation, closing his eyes. "She's my science partner. Not whatever you think. Where do you keep getting the assumption that we're romantically inclined, anyway?"
"But you want to be~" Gen teased and he scoffed, turning away and trying to calm down his heart. "Think about it. She's a saint compared to you. You never thought about taking that big step?" He shrugged a little.
"No," Senku remarked bluntly, closing his eyes. Sumi's hair danced with the cherry blossom petals. Then she and Senku stared at each other when they first made electricity. And after she won her only fight in the Grand Bout, she turned to him with that beaming smile of hers. "...No, I don't," He answered while opening his eyes, though he was a bit hesitant saying it. He couldn't obviously tell them that he was reacting differently around her sometimes, because then they'd assume that...he had feelings for her, but even he didn't still openly acknowledge them. Accept them, maybe, but he still wasn't open to talking about it. Because it could just end up being nothing later down the line. And yet...seeing her cry...he felt inclined to comfort her, which wasn't like him.
Before anyone could say anything else, they heard heavy panting. All of them turned to see Sumi dragging herself over to them. "Finally back..." She stopped in front of them, her soul escaping her mouth a little.
"Where have you been?" Kohaku wondered to her and she stood up.
"Fending off your dad and the villagers after his fun little stunt," Sumi jerked a thumb to Senku while dusting herself off.
"Oh yeah, right. Whoops," Senku responded casually with his hands on his hips. She gave him a small glare, grumbling a little.
"Uh-huh," She remarked and then snapped out of it, seeing the contraption. "Oh, did you guys just build this?" She bent down to examine it and Kaseki nodded eagerly.
"Sure did!"
"So what does this allow us to make?" Gen couldn't help but wonder.
Kaseki turned back to the contraption, a small frown on his face. "Well, I know it spins, but what it's for, I don't know."
Senku gave a small laugh. "Don't worry. You're gonna find out tomorrow."
"I think I'll keep an eye on it for a while. I'd cry if my baby were destroyed by a piece of driftwood or something."
"Thank you, Kaseki," Sumi smiled a little, waving as she left with Senku and Gen. A hand was placed on the mentalist's shoulder, the man glancing down to see Kaseki himself. He then started dragging Gen backwards.
"Hey, you! You want me to stand guard by myself?! A weak old man like me?" Gen tried to break free, but it was no use. "You've got nothing better to do! Stay and help!"
"Huh?!" Gen turned around while struggling to get out of Kaseki's grip. "I'd really rather not, gramps," He then tore off the shirt to see Kaseki's muscles, looking at him nervously. "Uh...oh...sure, I'll help you out..." Weak old man?
Sumi giggled a little at this while walking next to Senku. He looked down at her. "Sumi." She blinked at being addressed, glancing up at him with her hands behind her back. "Earlier...you looked stressed. What was on your mind?"
"Huh?" She murmured quietly, and realized he must've seen her when she was thinking about him and Ruri. "Oh, that?" She gave a small sad smile. "I was just...thinking about my crush, that's all. I wouldn't think about that too hard."
He blinked while digging his pinky into his ear. "You realize who you're talking to, right?" He deadpanned and she glanced upwards with a knowing look. "...And you were crying. I just wanted to know why."
"...Because thinking about him sometimes just makes it hard, I guess," She answered slowly, turning back up ahead. "It's not easy being in the stone world unable to do anything about it...when you know that you'll just be friends for the rest of your life. But what would I know? This kind of stuff is just out of my control, right?"
Senku looked away briefly at her answer. He then closed his eyes, coming to a stop and confusing her. "I disagree," He reached out to her head to pat it. "Controlling your emotions is just part of who you are, Sumi. So don't worry about whether or not it's possible to continue on having your friendship. Because a science partner like you...is impossible to not keep around for anyone," He smirked and walked off, the woman staring at him. She then smiled and walked after him, deciding not to say anything.
Suika ran towards the lab, tripping but getting back up seconds later. Senku and Kohaku carried Chrome towards the lab. Once they put him on his back and on the floor, Sumi prepared two sticks and wrapped them in small cloths. She grabbed a jar of ammonia that was left over from when they needed it for the drug. She pinched her nose while dipping the sticks into the jar for a few seconds. Once she was done, she walked over to Senku, giving him a stick. Suika looked up as they both stuck one into Chrome's nostrils.
A few seconds later, Chrome woke up screaming, his eyes and nose burning. He rolled around in agony as Senku stood over him with a big grin. "Wake up and smell the ammonia, buddy! We're gonna need you on Team Science, let's go! We don't have much time left!"
Kohaku and Suika looked at him in dread from behind. Sumi just gave a nervous laugh. "Sorry, Chrome, but it was the only thing I knew would get you up..."
Senku smirked while holding up an empty flask towards the group. "All we have to do is put everything together and we're done. By morning tomorrow, we'll have it. The cure-all sulfa drug."
"Tomorrow?!" Chrome shouted in disbelief.
"That quickly?!" Kohaku's eyes went white in shock.
"Mhm," Sumi nodded with a small smile. "Since we have the alcohol now, we can create the last ingredients needed from the road map."
"Fun with Making Sulfa Drugs," Senku started off in a deep voice.
"With Professor Senku and Sumi on deck!" Sumi piped up in a cheery tone.
"Step one. First, we're using a burnable rock called coal to-"
"Burnable rocks!" Chrome interrupted while speeding over to his shed. "Got it!" He winked while holding up a jar. "I've got plenty of that stuff!" However, he was surprised to find that the pot was completely empty. He gave a panicked sound. Sumi and Senku were standing outside the shed.
"Yeah, we sorta figured we must've used it all up when we made iron," Senku said in a bit of a bored tone.
"Sorry, Chrome..." Sumi rubbed her neck sheepishly.
"That's bad!" Chrome cried out while sticking his head out of the shed.
Senku wasn't fazed though as he chuckled. He and Sumi stood on the iron furnace. "Don't worry about it. If we need more ordinary coal like what you had, we'll just take a quick trip up to the mountains," He was using a long bamboo stick to get inside of the chimney. "But for now, we don't even need the coal itself. We need the coal tar that's left after it's been burnt."
"We're gonna need this to make aniline," Sumi spoke up as Senku held up some coal ashes. "It's usually used in drugs anyway, and aniline was actually isolated in coal tar back in 1834," She smiled down at Chrome. "And it was used to make dyes by chemist Friedlieb Runge. Did some cool stuff with it, I might add."
Chrome watched as Senku poured in something into the flask with the coal tar in it. "Just wash it with hydrochloric acid, then throw in ethyl acetate made from alcohol and vinegar, and we've got aniline," He smiled, but Chrome felt a bit lost.
"Wait, wait, wait, slow down! You lost me like five sentences ago!" He held out a hand. He then looked at the two wide-eyed. "If that's all step one and we're done by tomorrow...how many total steps are there? Like three or four?"
"Mm, nope, you're way off, unfortunately," Sumi cringed a little while turning around to him.
"Hmm...oh, only 25, maybe?" Senku replied, too focused on the work in front of him.
"Whoa. That's bad," Chrome mumbled with a shadow over his eyes. Sumi just smiled with a hand on her hip, glancing back to Senku.
"Not if we all work together. Time to put ourselves to the challenge."
As the sun was setting, Kohaku swam out to the beach, diving in to get an ingredient at the bottom. Senku put down two flasks on the ground, Kohaku walking over with the ingredient they asked her to get. Both of them told her what to do. Suika beamed while pouring in water between a tube, which was between two vials. As night came, Senku, Sumi, and Chrome held up vials of the final ingredients.
The next morning, Gen was staring at the bamboo contraption while standing in the water. Kaseki was nearby him, who had fallen asleep. "I still have absolutely no idea what this thing is," He commented, his hands in his sleeves. "Surely it wouldn't hurt to take a quick peek inside."
He removed the bamboo tube, and went over to a flask. He poured it in, and noticing that it was carbonated water. He gasped as he realized the whole time, the contraption was to make the water fizzy. "Is it...?"
Carbonated water acquired!
He panted while running, holding two flasks of it. He remembered the promise that Senku and Sumi made. "Could you two make one for me? Just one...cola?"
"Yeah. For sure," Senku gave him a small smile. "Nobody else can."
Sumi turned to look at him, smiling. "One cola will be coming up, Gen," She told him softly. "Just remember to be careful, though."
Careful now, don't get your hopes up. He had a hopeful look on his face at the thought. There's no way he's that nice, right? But Sumi definitely is, so maybe she managed to convince him for me? I knew she cherished me as a close friend!
"Senku! Mire-chan!" He called out while standing in front of the science lab. He had a big smile on his face while also looking excited. "What's this fizzy water for?" He opened his eyes, his jaw opening as he was looking at the messy lab. Broken debris was everywhere, the glassware was empty, and the trio of scientists all looked dead while in different spots in the room. Senku's hair was even messy and Sumi's hair was a big poofy mess as well. He picked up a broken piece of debris, a nervous smile on his face. "Did a bomb go off in here? There's a lot of collateral amage-day. Just what have you gotten up to this time?"
Senku let out a weak laugh while looking up. "Nothing special, really. Only mixin' stuff together. Poured vinegar on burned shells," He explained, which Suika helped him and Sumi with. "Extracted glacial acetic acid using sulfuric acid, turned it into ketene in an iron pipe, and put it back to make acetic anhydride."
"Uhh...oh, very interesting," Gen remarked, despite not knowing a single word of what he was just told.
"So I tried to drip that acetic anhydride into the aniline! But I poured in way too much," Senku continued explaining, unaware of Gen's confusion. "And kaboom."
"I see. Hence the wreckage," Gen stated nervously while holding up the piece. Sumi stood up, stretching her arms while walking up to them.
"The reaction is known as ethanoylation, as we were trying to produce acetanilide," She explained to Gen. "It's dangerous stuff not used in medicine anymore until we apply a little chemistry," She moved her head back while shaking her hair back to normal, smiling once it was back to being straight with curls at the end.
"Mix the chlorosulfuric acid into the acetanilide we just made for para-acetamido-benzene-sulfonyl chloride. And then throw in ammonia to make para-acetamido-benzene-sulfonic acid, cook it in hydrochrolic acid, and get that," He pointed to something steaming in a pot.
"I'm genuinely impressed you can say that without stuttering. Or Sumi being able to understand you. Good job!" Gen complimented with a deadpan smile.
"I've known him for thousands of years, it's not hard. Plus him tutoring me for almost a decade helps too," Sumi gestured to the green-haired scientist. "All of those factors are basically for treating Ruri's infection."
"Ah. Got it," Gen looked away, a bit grateful that she made it a bit more clear.
"I've known you since we were in 5th grade, I'd like to think you've been using all that time for good use," He teased while pinching at her ear, pulling it.
"Ah! I hardly used to sleep before and after you came along, of course I know what all this work is for," She whined and he chuckled as she pushed him away. "Why do you always do stuff like this?" She complained at him like a little kid.
"Because your reactions are entertaining," He smirked, and plus, part of him wanted to see her adorable pout again.
Gen cleared his throat, and they turned to him while blinking. "If you two are done being cute..." He raised a teasing brow at them. Sumi blushed and Senku let out a cough, looking away with a slight blush on his cheeks.
"Lastly, that carbonated water," Senku got back on track, Gen handing it over.
"Oh yes, I meant to ask," Gen started off with a hopeful grin, trying not to be too excited. "I'm not expecting anything, but is this for...?"
Senku's eyes softened as Sumi smiled. Senku had a warm smile on his face as well. "Yeah, what else would it be for?"
Gen returned the smile back at them. "I have no earthly idea..."
Senku then gave a large grin while turning back to the table. He poured the carbonated water into a larger beaker. "Mix it with sodium hydroxide to make baking soda!"
"We'll need it to wash the drug with!" Sumi smiled, pressing her hands together.
"Baking soda?" Gen asked, though his smile was forced. His hands were folded into his sleeves while watching them. "Yes, right, that's it. That's definitely what I was thinking..." He then pouted at Sumi not even saying anything to assure him...and it annoyed him a little. Mainly because he thought they were getting closer as friends.
Once they were done, they stepped out of the science lab, with the rest of the Kingdom of Science joining them. They looked at a flask burning thanks to a small pot. "Step 25!" Senku stated while looking over it. "We wash this stuff with our newly acquired baking soda, and then we sit back and wait."
"This is it," Chrome said with a soft smile. He recalled how much time had passed since then. Kohaku gleefully held up some iron sand from a magnet. Then she, Sumi, Chrome, Suika, and Senku all attempted to pump heat into the furnace for iron. Chrome held the ramen cart, Senku and Sumi standing behind it as they were about to serve ramen for the first time. Senku held up an iron bar, Ginro and Kinro using the generator. Chrome and Sumi then polished a glass lens to make glasses. Kaseki blew out some glass. Senku, Chrome, Sumi, and Ginro all cheered once getting sulfuric acid. Chrome was wearing a gas mask while using that large glass jar Kaseki made. "It took a long, bad half year!"
"It's sulfanilamide," Senku and Sumi both poured in the last ingredient together using a funnel. Everyone watched in anticipation for them to finish. "Or you could say...the fruits of our labor," The two of them held it up together to the sky. "The cure-all sufla drug!"
"We did it, guys!" Sumi smiled with her eyes closed. "Our first project as the Kingdom of Science is finally complete!"
"YEAH!" Chrome shouted as loud as he wanted, jumping up in the air.
"Yay!" Kaseki and Suika exchanged high fives.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!" Ginro cheered while dancing a little, Gen having a big smile on his face.
Kohaku stayed quiet for a few seconds as she looked up to the sky. "We finally have it...and now Ruri will..." Sumi glanced back at her, smiling as the blonde's eyes had tears in them...happy that her sister would get to live.
"Hey," Senku gave her a teasing look. "Don't start with all your crying already," Kohaku gasped from him noticing it. "Save it for when she's actually better!"
"Who's crying?! Not me!" Kohaku protested while giving a look of embarrassment.
"It's okay, Kohaku," Sumi assured with a small smile. "He's just being Senku. This is your sister, so you can feel whatever you want."
"Yeah, when we actually cure her," Senku stated bluntly and she shoved him a bit playfully. "What? I'm just stating facts!"
"You're impossible sometimes..." She sighed a little, hands on her hips before smiling. "But we finally pulled it off, Sen. So let's go see our patient."
"Unfortunately, I remain barred from the village," Gen spoke up while standing at the main bridge. He watched everyone else walk away from him. "So I won't be able to come and see Ruri take her medicine."
"We'll detail it for you if you want," Sumi waved a casual hand over her shoulder.
Senku chuckled while glancing over his shoulder. Suika was holding onto Sumi's hand as the woman stood at Suika's left. "Enjoy the solitude of waiting back at the lab."
"Gen helped us out so much, it's a shame he can't come," Suika looked up at him. "I feel bad for him!"
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about him, Suika," Sumi smiled, the little girl looking at her in confusion. "Gen's got a surprise waiting for him back at the lab. And I think he's finally earned it at this point."
"That's just the way it is for rats like me," Gen mused while walking towards the lab. Once he entered, he saw a bottle of cola, gasping. And there was a label with the heads of Senku and Sumi on it. Then Mecha Senku and Mecha Sumi popped up.
"Good to see you guys again!" She gave a wink.
"Mecha Senku and Mecha Sumi here to spit some facts! Carbonated water, cilantro, lime, and honey caramel are all the ingredients you need to make cola, if you can believe it!"
"You gotta make sure the honey caramel is melted, though. Any type of honey will work! And make sure your cilantro is washed, otherwise it's gonna taste gross," Mecha Sumi gave a semi-disgusted look at the thought of raw cilantro in cola.
"You should try tossing some lime zest onto crushed cilantro," Mecha Senku then suggested. "You'll be shocked at how much it smells like good ol' cola!"
"Although definitely don't eat that raw," Mecha Sumi added in before they swooped down to disappear.
Gen popped the bottle open, grinning widely. He took a sip, some foam going down his lips. He then let out a breath. "WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" His excited shout was heard from the village, Sumi smiling in amusement as she knew he had discovered the cola.
Kokuyo, Ruri, Jasper, and Turquoise were all staring at them. Senku had a small serious look on his face, Sumi giving a reassuring small smile. He took out one of the bags attached to his pouch, pulling out a small clay container. Sumi reached into one of her own pouches to pull out a large leaf. She held it out as Senku poured the cure-all sulfa drug onto it. They both reached out to her holding it. Sumi smiled while gesturing to the chair in front of them.
Chrome smiled behind the two. "Hey, don't worry, Ruri. I promise you, this is the powder of life, born from stone. It's the cure-all of science! It'll knock that sickness right out of you!" Kohaku nodded in agreement with a small hum.
Ruri nodded back from their assurance, approaching the chair. Kokuyo gave a sound of shock as she sat in front of the duo. Senku chuckled as the two started pouring it into her mouth. A mystery bug versus the culmination of 2 million years of humanity's scientific endeavors. Time to get excited.
Time to test this bug's limits...with science. Sumi thought to herself.
Once Ruri had consumed the drug, the two walked around her. "Alright, we finally get to see our patient," Senku stated, and Sumi took out a glass beaker. She held it out to him. "Time to make a diagnosis." Without saying a word, he pressed the beaker against Ruri's back. She let out a startled squeal, the other three looking in alarm. Senku leaned his ear against the other side of the beaker. "Say eee loud and clear."
The others were shocked and Sumi waved her hands. "We just need to know how her vocal cords sound inside her body. It's just a small check-up, we promise!" She bent down next to Senku.
Ruri blushed a little from both the cold beaker and what he was doing. She took a deep breath and did as she was told. She kept doing so as Senku listened, closing his eyes. Sumi blinked at how it sounded, humming in thought. Senku put a hand to her ear to whisper.
"Sounds like a bleeding goat. That's evidence that there's fluid in her lungs."
"Yeah, but that's related to heart disease, and she doesn't show the symptoms for that. She would've mentioned it if she did," Sumi whispered back as she closed her eyes. "No wonder why she was having serious health ramifications. There's something else going on..."
Senku glanced back and she looked in his direction. Up ahead were some dead rats, one was just a skeleton, and the other hadn't decayed yet. Sumi blinked at the one still intact, wondering what could've caused it to die...
"I'll just come out and ask..." Gen wondered as he and Kohaku stared at the dead rat on the table. "Why do you have that rat?" Kohaku looked at it, wondering why they had it as well. Sumi was tying up Senku's hair into a high ponytail. Her hair was already in a high bun, bangs included so that they didn't get in the way. A white cloth was around both of their heads, their nose and mouth covered. Sumi tightened the ponytail, neither of them answering the question.
Kohaku turned to Gen innocently. "Maybe we're eating it?"
"Uh!" He flinched, looking at her while sweating. "It's incredible that's the first thing that comes to your mind!"
"Trust me," She grinned while looking away. "Rats aren't exactly a part of my diet."
"That's comforting to know..." He looked away in relief.
"Usually," She corrected herself, smiling.
"Ah, yes..." He gave a weak smile. "Great..."
"Well, they're not inedible," Sumi stated and Gen gasped in shock as she didn't seem that squeamish.
"Heh heh heh, they are a good source of protein. But we're not here for a meal," Senku cut the rat open with a scalpel.
"You've...you've eaten rats before...?" Gen shook in disgust while looking at Sumi.
"Once, while I was woken up from petrification. Wasn't as bad as I thought, it was dead when I found it," She answered him casually. "Probably couldn't find any food, although this one...the village has lots of things for it to eat. So it's gotta be something else."
She looked at what Senku was seeing and gasped, getting a closer look. Red inflammation all over the lungs. So it's definitely a bacterial infection. And even the rats are catching it...
It could be anything. We have to match the symptoms with the bacterial infections. That's the only way we're gonna narrow this down...
"We gotta narrow it down more," Senku stated to Gen, Kohaku, and Chrome while stepping out of the lab. They just looked confused. "Even our cure-all has its limits. It's not ten billion percent guaranteed that it'll wipe out this specific bacteria. And in the worst case scenario...if we're up against tuberculosis...then frankly, we don't stand a chance in hell."
"We might need to examine Ruri again. Tuberculosis would've been no problem in the modern age, but...no amount of sulfa drugs is gonna cure that in the stone world," Sumi closed her eyes. "And it's contagious...I really hope it's not that..."
The three gasped and then Suika came running over in a panic. "Quick! You guys gotta come with me!" She shouted urgently, getting their attention. "It's Ruri! She's gotten worse!"
Ruri was coughing non-stop, shaking as her eyes were wide. She was lying on her side, covering her mouth. Kokuyo was kneeling next to her in worry as she tried to stop. "Just stay on your side like this and try to breathe slowly."
"It's never been this bad, never," Jasper looked down at the blonde in worry. "I can't help but fear the worst here."
"She had that white powder, and now this starts happening?" Turquoise's eyes were wide in horror. "I knew not to trust them and their sorcery medicine!" Ruri continued coughing just as everyone from the Kingdom of Science rushed over. Well, except Gen, because he was still considered an outsider.
"Ruri, we're here!" Chrome announced first.
"Just hang in there!" Kohaku shouted, but Ruri coughed even stronger. Once they heard it, Sumi and Senku both froze. Sumi let out a sharp gasp while Senku fell to his knees. A shadow was over his eyes, and no one was able to tell how he was feeling.
"Senku...?" Sumi turned to him with her eyes glistening. She felt...dread inside of her as the sulfa drug didn't seem to work at all. And Ruri didn't seem to feel any different than she did before they came along...
"Uh, Senku? Sumi?" Kohaku wondered to them and they didn't respond. He was gritting his teeth while Sumi looked to the floor, her eyes having a shadow.
"Senku, you bastard! And Sumire, you witch!" Kokuyo shouted in anger, grabbing him by the neck. "This is all because of that drug!"
"Father!" Kohaku yelled in alarm.
"Let go of him!" Sumi reacted immediately and grabbed the arm holding Senku's neck. Before she could twist it off the neck, Kokuyo raised his other fist and pushed her out of the way. She rolled to a stop, grunting in pain and landing on her side. Kokuyo did win a Grand Bout, so his strength wasn't to be underestimated.
Senku's eyes disappeared from being black as he looked at her wide-eyed. "Sumire!"
She slowly sat up, gritting her teeth as Ginro went over to help her. "If you two didn't give her that, Ruri wouldn't have taken such a drastic turn for the worse!" Kokuyo glared at the two of them, blaming both for this.
"Yeah. You might be right," Senku stated, a bit relieved to see Ginro helping his science partner up.
Everyone looked at him in shock, but it just made things worse. "So you admit it?!"
Senku reached out to move Kokuyo's hand away from his neck. "The bacteria is getting serious now. It's making allies by spreading its toxic genes into all the harmless bacteria around it," He explained while Ruri tried to steady her breathing. Sumi gasped in realization of what he was saying. "It's the signature move of the pneumococcus bacteria." He then gave a big grin.
"He means...that Ruri has pneumonia," Sumi slowly sighed in relief. "Meaning that it can be treated."
"Yep," Senku confirmed for her. "And that's nothing to laugh at. It's a deadly disease with a kill count in the hundreds of millions. But...sulfa drugs absolutely slaughter pneumococcus bacteria." He pumped a fist, Kokuyo staring at him. "Which means that we won! With the power of humanity's science! Now that we know what it is, we've got the upper hand," Senku stood up, holding the jar. "All that's left is to pump her full of more sulfa drugs."
"Please understand, we didn't mean for this to happen," Sumi stood up, gesturing to Ruri as she walked over. "We don't mean to hurt Ruri, we just wanna help her. So, if we give her more sulfa drugs, it should get rid of the pneumococcus bacteria in her lungs. All the coughing is to help get it out of her system, so-"
Kokuyo wasn't listening, though, and he definitely didn't want them to give her more of the powder. He feared it might do something worse if they kept giving it out. He looked at them in fury. "Enough of your trickery!" He raised his arm to punch Sumi, who looked at him in horror. Senku immediately reacted by holding Sumi close, wrapping his arms tight around her body to shield her. Kohaku jumped in, blocking her father with her arms. There was a tense silence in the air as Sumi was breathing in a panic with wide terrified eyes. Chrome stared from her reaction, as it was almost as if she was afraid of being hurt...
"Shhh..." Senku patted the side of Sumi's head gently and she slowly calmed down, gripping his sleeves tight. He continued to hold her close while looking at the father and daughter.
"Father!" Kohaku finally spoke up. "This is nothing like the fraudulent sorcery that you know," He flinched while dropping his stance and looking at her. "It's science, the culmination of human wisdom. And I believe in it! I trust and believe in Senku and Sumi too!" He stared at her in disbelief and silence.
"That's right!" Chrome spoke up, holding up his thumb. "So do I!"
Ginro, Kinro, and Suika all nodded in agreement with them. Kaseki pointed at himself. "Not entirely sure why, but I kind of do too!"
Jasper and Turquoise just stared, Kokuyo looking up at the duo. Senku had a confident smirk while Sumi slowly gave a smile, letting go of Senku. He still kept his arm around her waist, though. Kokuyo eventually gave in after hearing this.
Senku chuckled while in the lab. Chrome looked over to him and Sumi, heating up more sulfa-drugs. "I gotta say, it's a miracle that Ruri managed to live to 18. But if you stay clean and keep warm, the disease's progression slows significantly," Kohaku ran across the bridge with more sulfa-drugs as the sun was out for a beautiful day. Ruri swallowed it up next to her father. Kohaku then ran out of the hut.
"Like with water...on a daily basis," Sumi smiled knowingly, a hand on her hip. "Helps keep the disease from getting worse. It can help slow it down for months, or even years if you do that routine over and over."
"Turns out that hot spring water that Kohaku hauled in every day ended up helping her sister a lot more than she knew." Sumi smiled as not only did Kohaku get stronger for it, but ended up keeping Ruri from dying.
Two footsteps walked onto a field surrounded by flowers. Kokuyo gasped...as Ruri had made her recovery. Chrome, Senku, Sumi, Kohaku, and Suika all smiled behind the fully-healed woman. She had a happy smile on her face while looking towards the sun.
"Ruri..." Kokuyo shed tears to see her not only happy but healthy. "Ruri..." He then fell to the ground, sobbing happily. Sumi smiled at the scene, Kohaku shedding happy tears as well, unable to stop. Ruri went over to embrace her, nuzzling her face happily. Jasper was turned away, trying not to show his emotions, while Turquoise was crying in happiness for her. Ruri then turned to Chrome, who looked joyful as well that he finally managed to cure her...with help, of course. And now, she'd get to live on. Ruri went over to her father, placing a hand on his shoulder. She said something and he stood up, looking at her. Both of them turned to Senku and Sumi, the two talking to each other happily. Well, as happy as Senku could've shown.
"I can't even remember how many years it's been...since I've left the village or been able to run!" She then dashed off quickly, shocking the others.
"I know that rambunctiousness," Kaseki stated, sweating a bit. "It must've actually run in the family all along."
Sumi giggled at Ruri, a beaming smile on her face. "We actually pulled this off. After going up ahead in 2 million years of science..." She hugged herself while looking at Ruri. Senku glanced down at her, giving a small smile from how happy and relieved she looked. He then reached up to place his hand on her head.
"Yeah...we did. We wouldn't have gotten here if we didn't work as a team. Having the best science partner around is a ton of fun," He smirked down at her and she hummed. She then reached out to grab his hand, surprising him.
"It has been for me too. 7 years or 3707 years...we'll always be connected," She turned back to the flower field, both of their hair flowing with the wind. And in that moment...his heart felt like the flowers blooming around them. And as more time would pass on...he knew that what he was feeling for Sumi...wasn't illogical or unneeded. He had almost come to terms with it...because he never wanted to stop having this feeling.
Kokuyo looked up, having made a decision.
"Everyone!" Kokuyo held up Senku's first while addressing all of the villagers. "As of now, this man known as Senku is pronounced the new chief-"
"Hold on," Senku interrupted the chief, everyone turning to him in confusion. "If I'm gonna be the chief around here..." He stepped towards Sumi, to her surprise. He just gave her a smirk and took her hand. "It would be illogical to not recognize Sumi's efforts," He brought them both forward to the chief, Sumi blinking up at him. "After all, we both worked hard to cure Ruri. We're equals, and that should be recognized by the village. That makes her a chieftess by default."
The Kingdom of Science all smiled at him, Sumi taken aback by this. Kokuyo looked at him wide-eyed, sweating a little. "B-But there's never been two chiefs before!"
"Well...there's no rule that says they can't," Kinro spoke up from behind. The villagers all murmured once he said that.
"Two village chiefs?" Magma gritted his teeth at this. "What the hell?"
"Is that even possible?"
"Senku..." Sumi looked up at him, flushing a little while releasing her hand. "But I-"
"Don't give me that crap that you think you don't deserve it," He interrupted with a small smile directed at her. "I'm not one millimeter interested in hearing it."
She smiled softly in response. All that fear she had earlier when seeing Ruri's condition getting worse...had all went away thanks to him. Because back then, she didn't feel like she could've done it, but now...now with him, she knew there wasn't anything she couldn't do. "Alright. Then I'll accept the position."
Kokuyo blinked at their strong bond and nodded, agreeing that they would be the chiefs. He could tell by how they interacted that they would do a lot of great things together.
"But wait...if Senku and Sumi are both gonna be the chiefs, does that mean they're married now?" Suika suddenly asked curiously. Both of them turned pale while looking at her. The Kingdom of Science looked at them awkwardly. Sumi sweated immensely as neither of them knew how to answer.
W-what? That's not gonna have to happen for me to be chieftess, is it? I'm not ready for that yet! I've still gotta rebuild civilization with Sen!
"I-is that required?" Ginro couldn't help but wonder. Both of them thought about each other in wedding attire, and it just made them very flushed. Just because there was...something there, didn't mean they were jumping ahead that far. The two then very slowly glanced at each other, and turned away quickly.
"Nope, just chief partners! No romantic entanglements here!" Senku denied quickly with white eyes.
"Yup, just two friends being chiefs together! No need to worry about that," Sumi added with her face completely red and hugging herself. "We don't necessarily have to be married!" However, as soon as she said that, she frowned. She knew that with certain moments, that her feelings hadn't changed at all. But...it could also just be all in her head since Senku had never really commented on it much. And she didn't think she had to ask about it since they still had other priorities in front of them. Not to mention after the Ruri scare, she hadn't exactly thought about even sharing her feelings with him since then...
Senku looked dissatisfied himself at the denial of being necessarily married. Not that he wanted to jump that far ahead. But he had no idea how to actually tell her that what he felt was something he still hadn't ten billion percent accepted. He didn't want to get her hopes up if he explained it to her, or even be completely mortified if she didn't either understand or get upset. Plus...there was the obstacle of Tsukasa, since he wanted to marry her, and wouldn't take it well if he found out that there was something going on...
Kokuyo glanced between the two silently, wondering if there was something more there that they just didn't want to acknowledge. Either that, or one of them had deeper feelings for the other, but hadn't admitted it.
"...Very well," He spoke up after a few seconds. "As of now, this man, Senku, and this woman, Sumire, are pronounced the new chief and our first ever chieftess of Ishigami Village!"
Everyone cheered, but the two new chiefs weren't celebrating. Sumi gasped while recoiling back a bit from the name. Senku's eyes were shaking in shock. "Ishigami Village...?" The two murmured in unison as it was a name they both recognized.
"W-What...? How...how did the village get that na-"
"That's right Senku, Sumire," Ruri spoke up to them from behind. They turned towards her as she spoke. "I know of you both. I have for a long, long time. Since I was a child. Your full names...are Ishigami Senku and Maeda Sumire," She stated to their shock.
Two hands reached out behind a yellow surrounding.
(I don't mind if it's a dream-like story)
Two little hands touched the older ones to grab onto them. Byakuya and a younger Senku looked up towards the stars in front of a playground. Lillian and a younger Sumi were holding hands next to them, looking at the same park.
(Let me hear it once more)
The four looked up towards the moon and stars. Young Senku was in his lab as a star fell into a beaker full of liquid. The beaker disappeared and then the star burned out.
(Yesterday came to an end, and so will today)
The younger Senku was working at his desk, wearing a lab coat with a serious look on his face.
(A rule someone made up)
The younger Sumi peeked into the door, running in with a happy smile on her face as she dragged in her mini-telescope. Senku turned to look back at her with a tiny smile of his own. He then dug into a drawer, pulling out a lab coat. Her eyes went white in horror that she almost didn't put it on.
(If we called ten-billion-years a day)
The two young children were working together on something, sitting on the ground. Sumi had her hair in a high ponytail now, wearing her lab coat. She pointed out something to him as he was constructing a model. Senku's eyes widened at her as he was missing a piece. She just smiled and held it out to him.
(Shouldn't we be able to get there in no time?)
Then the two were fiddling with some tools on the ground. Sumi accidentally hit her finger with one and she let out a whine. Meanwhile he just rolled his eyes. He handed out a bandage and she put it on, the boy glancing at her with a small smile. She looked up at him and he turned away indifferently, and then she beamed.
(There are some things)
The two walked up to their telescopes facing the window.
(That don't change with the passing of time)
The duo then squinted to look through their telescopes.
(That alone will never get old)
Their eyes widened as something seemed to get closer to them. Stars were in their eyes from outside. Then the stars fell down from the sky.
(I don't mind if it's a dream-like story)
Senku and Sumi were now their older selves, wearing their stone age clothing. They were floating down the galaxy, looking at all of the stars. Senku was to the left and Sumi was to the right. He had an indifferent look on his face while she looked at them in awe, her hair flying above her head.
(It's still more realistic than 'Oh well' or 'What can you do?')
A star twinkled in front of the two of them. Their eyes then glistened as they looked up ahead.
(Let me hear your voice again)
Byakuya and Lillian were in front of the moon. The man held out his hand while Lillian held out her arms, wanting a hug from Sumi. Senku reached out his hand, but couldn't get to him. Sumi reached out her arms, unable to reach Lillian. The two adults then faded away.
(My wish will be forever)
The two laid side by side, a single tear in Senku's left eye. Sumi had a tear in both eyes, both of them clutching at the fabric in front of their chests. Both of their eyes were closed. Then they both woke up, picking themselves both back up. Senku wiped away his eyes with the back of his wrist, sitting on the ground.
(Forever unchanging)
Sumi stood up and rushed away from Senku towards the right. He then looked up in her direction.
(I'll be waiting for you)
Sumi was closer to the window to the left of the telescope, resting her head on her arms. She was looking towards the stars. Senku stayed on the ground and both of them watched together in silence as a shooting star went by.
Angel: Alright, so this chapter should helpfully explain better why Sumi didn't fight Magma or at least I hope so. Because if I didn't do that, we wouldn't have Sumi and Senku go up against each other and her forfeiting. Because while technically rigging it, on Sumi's part, she wasn't gonna fight her friend. Plus, I feel like she'd be too OP if she had won the Grand Bout on pure strength while Senku's was…much more comedic to say the least!
And also, he wouldn't have suggested they both be the chiefs if she hadn't forfeited. And Magma now has more reason to dislike not just Senku, but Sumi now since she became the chief anyway regardless of a win.