The road map for the cell phone was reaching completion. Chrome proudly held up the plastic. "The plastic hurdle's cleared!"
Suika held up the wire in front of the elders and kids. "The wire hurdle's cleared!"
Kaseki then held up a completed vacuum tube. "Vacuum tube hurdle's cleared!"
Kohaku smiled while holding the megaphone in her hands. "Microphone's cleared!"
"We've cleared all the hurdles, and finally, our ultra-marathon science project is complete!" Senku announced to everyone.
"We finally have our cell phone, guys!" Sumi told them all cheerfully.
The sun was shining as a butterfly was on a white flower that was on a petrified person. The deer were in the area of statues, mostly not minding them. The baby deer was sniffing one as Senku chuckled. Some of the snow was still present, though some of it had started to melt away. We've come so ridiculously far. The monkeys Senku met up with after he was de-petrified were still at their first home base. Now, in the middle of this primitive stone world...we've built a thriving scientific civilization from scratch.
After over a year of scientific experiments and building this Kingdom of Science...we now have an advantage in the war against Tsukasa, Sumi gave a small smile while everyone else looked down at the cell phone. It's almost unbelievable at this point.
The most powerful weapon of modern warfare is one that shoots voices over infinite distances. Senku gave a big smirk at the batteries, both manganese and electricity containers. It's the birth of the cell phone!
Sumi had a hand on her hip as she and Senku looked at each other with proud smiles. They then nodded and flipped the switch together, powering the cell phone. Everyone all cheered at this, birds flying overhead. Ruri and Suika looked up at them with smiles.
"Our voices'll dance across the sky. And they'll travel far into the distance!" Ruri said excitedly as she couldn't wait to see it for herself.
"Kinda weird to think about..." Suika murmured, but still in awe.
"Sure is," Kohaku smiled with a nod, a small blush on her face. "It's amazing that we can send our voices out so far. But I wonder how anyone will be able to hear them."
Once she said that, Senku and Sumi's eyes widened. Both of them looked a bit horrified and everyone else soon had the same expression as them. Sumi then sweated profusely as she gave a nervous laugh at them.
"Oh, whoopsie!" The green-haired scientist rubbed the back of his neck, an innocent look on his face. "Guess we're gonna need another one..."
Every villager then fell behind them in unison, exhausted and in disbelief. Gen could only stare at the two scientists in a deadpan way. "You kept quiet about that on purpose, didn't you?" He asked knowingly as Sumi bit her lip. "Cause if everyone knew we needed two of 'em, they may've been less willing to help out..."
"I genuinely forgot...what a goof!" Sumi chuckled awkwardly while scratching at her cheek while Senku gave a small chuckle. It was almost as embarrassing as when she miscounted how many years had gone by.
We needed more than one cell phone!
Thankfully, it wasn't time to start making it right now given how much work and time was needed for the first. So for now, Senku and Sumi set up a long wire between the shed and the Chief's islet. Both of them were walking in opposite directions to place the wire. "We will need to make another one for it to work as a proper cell phone. But if we run a long cable, it should function sort of like a landline," He stated as Sumi was heading for the science shed. Ruri sat in front of the speaker in the doorway of the Chief's hut. Lots of curious villagers were standing behind her. Sumi had reached the phone, where it was placed in front of the shed. Once she was done with her wire, she climbed up the ladder. Chrome was holding the microphone in his hands. Ginro, Kinro, Kohaku, Suika, and a few others were there as well.
"So...if I just talk into this thing, Ruri will hear me?" Chrome asked in excitement as Ginro rubbed his chin.
"Yes, if everything goes right," Sumi confirmed with a nod after climbing inside. "And I know it will!" Something then came to the blond, as he thought this could be a romantic thing. He then had a spark of mischief in his eye.
He then cleared his throat loudly. "Hey, Chrome. Getting to speak the first words through the phone is a pretty big deal. So what are you gonna say?" Chrome blinked at him in confusion and then Ginro was surrounded by sparkles and white lilies. "Ruri is listening on the other end. You know, this is your big chance. Tell her how you really feel. Come on, this is your moment!" Kohaku, Ruby, Shovel, and Suika all gasped with wide eyes as their ears perked up. Though Suika's leaf from her mask was just as big as the speaker.
"Oh my god!" Sumi clasped her hands together hopefully. "Aww, that'd be so romantic!" Although some part of her at the back of her mind felt like Chrome was gonna mess it up or it wouldn't go the way they wanted it to...
"And then maybe you and Senku could have a big moment, huh?" Ginro nudged her and she pushed him away, yelping.
"Ack! No, this isn't about me or him, this is about Chrome and Ruri! Why do you keep doing this, Ginro?!" She blushed deeply in protest, her fists clenched. Thankfully the speaker wasn't actually on yet for Senku to hear, since he was with Ruri and the others. Then it would be worse if he actually overheard this conversation...
"I'm sorry for my brother..." Kinro mumbled at the woman in embarrassment.
Chrome was surprised before turning back to the speaker. I can say...how I really feel... He then thought of something to say and straightened up. He held the speaker up to his mouth, taking a deep breath. Ginro pointed to Suika.
"Hit that switch!" He commanded as he was ready for this to happen.
"It's on!" Suika flipped the switch. All of them waited in anticipation as Chrome took another deep breath.
"Ruri..." She gasped while the others were shocked from hearing his voice. The others behind Chrome waited eagerly for what he had to say, even Kinro. "This is some pretty bad stuff, huh?! Science is awesome!"
While not the reaction the others wanted, Ruri still had a blush on her face. The others behind her were amazed from his voice. Meanwhile, the others behind Chrome screamed with their hands over their foreheads. Chrome turned around to them in confusion.
"What's up? Don't you all agree with me?" He questioned in utter surprise. Once Sumi got over this, she gave a small sheepish smile. She guessed that just like with Senku, love wasn't on Chrome's mind right now despite his crush. Maybe he needed more of a hint of what they wanted him to actually say, but then again...would he really do it? Either that or it still wouldn't be very clear...
"Whoa! I could hear him!"
"I don't understand it!"
"It's crazy," Jasper looked at the microphone with wide eyes. "That was definitely Chrome's voice we just heard."
"I don't get it at all," Magma stated while Ruri was smiling. "How can something so tiny talk like that?"
"It's almost like a speaker, huh?" Ruri closed her eyes with a smile. Sumi could still hear her and she gasped, her eyes wide from what she said. She walked over and took the microphone from Chrome in shock.
"It's not almost like a speaker," Senku corrected with a small smile. "It is one. With microphones and speakers, sounds convert to electricity and back again," He gasped as his eyes widened, realizing the same thing Sumi did a few seconds ago. "Ruri..." She looked up from her name being said. "What you said just now...almost like a speaker? Sumi-"
"Yeah..." She confirmed for him breathlessly. "Yeah, I heard it too."
"Yeah, a speaker!" A little girl agreed with them.
"So is this a bee or what?" A little boy asked in excitement.
"Wow, this thing is exactly like a bee!" Another girl exclaimed happily.
Gen, Senku, and Sumi were all baffled by this to say the least. "Uhh, how is a speaker like a bee?" The mentalist asked in confusion, a sweat drop on his face.
"Well, I mean...I thought speakers were a certain variety of bee," Ruri spoke up slowly to him.
"Where did you hear that from, Ruri?" Sumi wondered from the megaphone. "Because bees and speakers are definitely not the same thing as you think. The only thing it has in common with this one is the color, and even that's still a stretch..."
"What gave you that idea?" Senku questioned the priestess and she gave a small gasp.
"The fact that it was in the 100 Tales?" She answered and Gen let out a gasp of his own.
"You're saying it was passed down?"
"Yeah," She nodded with a small smile. "In tale 14. It's a wonderful little story. It centers around an extremely talkative bee called Speaker. And when he pokes gravestones with his needles, he's able to speak in the voices of the dead and tell their stories."
Senku's eyes widened before they dropped, lost in thought. Gen was trying to deduce it as well. "So there's a speaker, needle on a gravestone, and dead voices...? That tale isn't transferring any actual knowledge. So I don't quite understand its purpose," Senku spoke up as Sumi rubbed her chin.
"Makes you wonder why it even exists if the other tales are supposed to be to preserve knowledge about humanity before petrification..." She stated curiously, since Byukaya did come up with it, and Ruri realized something else.
"Although it also reminds me of tale 29," Sumi, Senku, and Gen listened attentively to the priestess. "Where it's a little sadder, focusing on an extremely quiet peacock named Violet. And when she's around paper and a gravestone, she's able to discover secrets from the voices of the dead and reveal them on the paper."
"What?" Senku and Sumi murmured in unison.
"That doesn't seem to fit either..." She stated in confusion and blinked. "Paper, secrets, and also dead voices?"
"Huh? Both tales mention dead voices...it's almost like they're the same," Senku rubbed his chin in thought. "Just take out the bee for a peacock, and the paper, and you couldn't mistake them...both of them don't seem to have any relevance..."
"What could it be?" Gen glanced up towards the ceiling in thought. "It's izarre-bay. The tales use the words speaker and paper to communicate something only those from our time would understand," He then looked at Senku knowingly. "Plus, the tales' numbers are 14 and 29, or rather 1-4 and 2-9. The first is the date of...Stone Day," Gen revealed as both scientists gasped sharply, Sumi standing up. Her eyes widened as she knew…29 was 2-9, or February 9th, which was her own birthday that hadn't passed yet…
"Which is also Senku's birthday. And that must mean that 2-9 is Flower Day, correct?" Gen turned to Ruri, who nodded silently in confirmation. "And Violet? Is that what they called the peacock? Doesn't that seem familiar to you two?" Gen glanced to Senku and Sumi gave a sound of shock. Senku did the same as well as something came to him. "That's right. Sumi's full name…Sumire…means violet flower."
"And this small grave marker was brought here on behalf of your father and the other founders. Every single flower here has been planted once every year, on Flower Day. On that day, we all come down here to plant the flower. It's another one of our traditions," Ruri put down some flowers in front of a grave marker.
"Wait!" Sumi snapped her head up in realization. "Sen...the village cemetery..."
"My old man's gravestone. Let's go!" Senku told everyone urgently.
They all rushed over towards the graveyard, being met with the flowers again. Senku panted as he and Sumi arrived first, looking down at the grave marker.
"Senku..." He looked towards Sumi. "Ruri mentioned 300 flowers last time, right? But if the village has been around for longer than that..." Sumi stepped towards the top. "Then that means..." She gasped at the sight in front of her. The others joined to see a violet flower field...right behind the graveyard the whole time.
"It's...a flower field...one per year..." Senku murmured in shock as their hair blew in the wind, as it seemed endless with how many flowers there were. And she couldn't believe neither of them noticed it the last time they were here.
"Yeah," Kohaku nodded at the two of them. "All of them from hundreds of generations of our village coming here."
"So you're saying that…there are exactly 3700 flowers here?" Gen murmured in shock, Sumi shedding a tear.
"Every single one of these…planted every year…?" She whispered while shaking, her knees hitting the ground. She tried to keep it in as it hit her...that every single flower here...was for her. Now she knew why they were violets. Senku bent down to the grave marker, sitting next to her.
"What are you doing, Senku?!" Kinro scolded him from behind. "That's sacrilege!"
"Who knew my old man was so sentimental?" Senku chuckled as he helped Sumi up. But that also brought up a good question of if he even came up with it. Sumi sniffed while wiping at her eyes with her sleeve.
"Enough about me," She looked to the side and noticed Lillian's rock as well, picking it up. "Weird...this one from Lillian looks like it shifted recently." She then shivered at having to touch it. "I really don't wanna touch this, but if I have to..."
"Wait a second," Chrome spoke up to the two. "Is there something going on with those gravestones?"
Senku let out a chuckle. "I should've realized this a whole lot earlier. The old man sure loved being a pain in the ass. Like these would just be the founders' gravestones. That's way too simple for him, so it's obviously ten billion percent bull. These things aren't gravestones. They're time capsules, ones that have been preserved in concrete all these years."
"And if I know Lillian, she wouldn't just leave me with nothing. There's something in these that they want us to see," Sumi smiled happily while holding hers up. "And if they both came up with this...that means Lillian was the one who started the tradition of planting these flowers here," She gave a wistful smile towards the flower field. "It's just like her to throw me for a loop..."
Everyone gasped at the duo. "A time...capsule?" Kohaku repeated slowly at them.
"So then...there are things inside?" Chrome questioned while looking at the rocks in their hands.
"Should be, so we'll have to break them open," Senku explained and Magma raised a mallet up over his head.
"Now that's my kind of plan!" The others shouted in alarm at him.
"Hold on, you big ape!" Senku yelled at the man before he could even do so. Thankfully he stopped and turned to him and Sumi. "If I'm right, there's glass in one of them. Don't do anything. We'll need to crack the stone quickly, so this calls for someone with power, precision, and speed."
"Which we happen to have right here," Sumi smiled while gesturing to Kohaku. "If you did it, you'd break it, Magma. Take it away, Kohaku," She tossed the woman a hammer and a pick-axe. The stones were resting on a cloth.
She crossed the tools in front of her as she stood in front of the stone. She then started to rapidly break apart the stones. "SO FAST!" Everyone behind her exclaimed while watching. She broke the outer layers, and was met with lighter-colored material from both stones. Everyone gasped while gathering around them.
"There are things in there!" Suika exclaimed as one had a silver circle, while the other had a large silver rectangle. "Some kind of silver chunks!"
They brought it back to the lab, where Senku held the silver circle and dipped into a beaker of acid. Sumi stepped forward and did the same with the silver rectangle. Everyone was standing around them. "They're silver because they're wrapped in aluminum foil," Senku explained for them. "But wash it with hydrochloric acid..." He then lifted up a circle that was transparent green with a hole in the middle. Sumi gasped as she revealed an envelope...but it was blank, though a bit blurry.
"What is this...?" She opened it and saw a packet of paper. The contents were the same as the envelope. She examined it in confusion.
"Ah, it is made out of glass!" Chrome exclaimed at Senku's object.
"A disc?" Suika asked in confusion.
"Looks like they cut the bottom off a bottle or something," Gen spoke up with wide eyes. "But is that paper?"
"Pa...per?" Magma tilted his head in confusion.
"Why is it so flimsy and blank?" Chrome blinked at it. Sumi then held it up to the ceiling and saw that some letters were forming.
"Huh…this is paper, yes, but...I think it's invisible ink over it," She stated, to the shock of Gen and Senku.
"Invisible ink?" Kohaku blinked at her rapidly.
"But what is that and why do it?" Chrome tilted his head and Sumi turned to him, blinking.
"Invisible ink is a way to hide messages. If you just write on the paper with it, any letters or what they're trying to say won't appear. Which means I'm gonna have to get it off if I actually wanna read it," She examined it closely. She then stepped forward and got Senku's drill for fire from underneath the table. She placed it on the table in front of her.
"There's several ways to get off invisible ink, but I think it's faster if I use heat to reveal what we've got here. I can just use the steam coming off of this," She stated as Senku rubbed the plank against the log and she held up the items once the steam arrived.
"While we wait on that...a disc...a speaker...speaking with a needle," Senku gave a knowing smile, chuckling. "Does that remind you of anything Gen, Sumi?" Both of them gasped as Sumi looked up and Gen snatched it.
"It's a record!" The two exclaimed in realization.
"It's gotta be," Senku gave a small smile. "My dad and the crew's voices are on it," The others, including Sumi, gasped at him. "And since they went through the trouble of making that for us, we owe it to them to listen." He then thought of Byukaya standing in front of sparkles. "Alright, Dad, if it's not something exciting, I'll kill you. I know you're already dead but still."
Tears were in Ruri's eyes. "Turns out Chrome was right all along...Science is beautiful. It even lets Senku's father...talk to his son from way up in heaven. He's been gone thousands of years...but with science, his voice can travel through time..."
The envelope and papers all finally faded to show writing. "Whoa, that's bad!" Chrome said in awe as the others gasped.
"Now we can see what it say—" Sumi froze as...her name was on the envelope. "T-This is addressed to me…"
"Lillian left you a letter?! But why?" Gen exclaimed as she finally read the papers. Sumi then gasped once it hit her what they were. She gripped the papers to her heart, tears streaming down her face. She kneeled on the ground, shocking everyone.
"Huh?! What does it say?" Senku asked while bending down to her.
"They're...they're adoption papers," She sniffled and he gasped. He helped her up while he took the papers gently to read it. Gen looked over her shoulder. She looked back at them to read what they were reading, tears streaming down her face. Lillian's signature was on it. And her new legal name was changed officially...as Sumire Weinberg. "And she signed them. Lillian...wanted to adopt me…and to take her surname?"
Senku took the papers and stared at the paper. He then noticed the date, it was the day before the six members had set out into space. Lillian must've signed them right before she left, wanting to surprise the girl when she got back...and officially wiped the woman of her old name from her dysfunctional family…
"Way to reveal it after 3,700 years..." He gave a smirk, impressed.
"Whaaat?!" Gen shouted in shock, the others with their mouths open.
"But wait," Suika spoke up in confusion and they turned to her. "I thought you already were mother and daughter."
"No," Sumi sniffed happily while wiping at her eyes, looking back at her new name. "In order for it to be official...you have to adopt the child through legal paperwork. Otherwise it doesn't count in court. Lillian took care of me for so long...that I guess she didn't want to have to hide it anymore..."
Senku smiled while glancing at the black-haired scientist, happy for her that she discovered this. She had a happy smile on her face while looking at the papers again.
"Wait, Senku, Sumi, are you trying to tell us that record thing can trap sound? And that Lillian hid away papers to make Sumi her daughter?" Chrome wondered in confusion as everyone stood in front of the two outside.
"That's impossible!" Suika then chimed in. "There's no way you can catch a sound. Or make paper invisible!"
"I'm so confused. How does it work?" Kohaku chimed in as Sumi examined the writing again.
"Actually, the way these work is ridiculously simple. You use sound to vibrate a needle, which digs grooves into the record. If you run a needle over those grooves, it'll vibrate. And that reproduces the original sound," Senku explained for them.
"As for invisible ink, there's several ways to make some like with milk or baking soda. They must've found some lemons. Once you add half a tablespoon of water and the lemon juice, you can use that mixture on paper to leave a secret message. But they had to copy the original papers perfectly, which must've been a pain in the ass to get down to be the exact same. Especially if they were low on paper. After you dry that for 15 minutes, it'll disappear. And to make it even more invisible, they folded it so the creases could hide them," Sumi gave a fond smile.
"So, digging grooves into glass makes it able to store sound? And you can use lemons to make a secret message?" Kaseki chuckled a bit in excitement. "I never would've guessed it!"
"Senku's old man and Sumi's mom were badass!" Chrome exclaimed while his eyes were shining.
Sumi laughed at the compliment. "Yes and no. Lillian wasn't really a scientist, so she had to have gotten help."
"Not him," Senku dug a pinky into his ear. "He's cool, but Byukaya didn't do it. It had to have been the people who were stuck with him." And if Byukaya were still alive, he would've flinched and gulped nervously. "Astronauts are some of the world's most elite scientists, except my old man or Lillian, who got in on luck."
"Lillian more or less paid to be there," Sumi gave a small shrug.
"Although...it is possible that he came up with these ideas. He would've thought of something as goofy as this," Senku looked away with a small fond smile.
Byukaya stepped up to something on a sunny day, holding a spear behind his back. He flinched as he was looking down at a mint green glass bottle that had washed up. He took it back to their shelter and then started cutting the bottom of it with a knife. He managed to break it off, smiling as he held it up for the others to see.
"I bet if all of us put our minds to it, we could make a record out of this thing!" He smiled at the five other former astronauts.
"Yeah! That's not a bad idea!" Connie smiled in agreement. "And glass is a whole lot more durable than plastic. If it's preserved properly, it could last for thousands of years!"
"Wow," Lillian smiled a little. "I guess that's why you suggested it."
"Oh, I didn't know!" Byukaya smiled innocently at them. "Kinda just thought it might work for that because it's round."
"Why didn't you just pretend you already knew that, old man?" Shamil asked in a bit of annoyance from Byukaya's big grin on his face.
"Well, this is the plan. Come on! Let's make it happen," Byukaya replied and the blond turned around without a word. They all looked back at him in confusion. "He's just gonna leave? Not so fast! Are you really gonna refuse to help an old man in need?" He then let out a whine. "Come back, Shamil!" He cried out, almost like how Sumi would've reacted.
"Stop whining," Shamil called out without turning back. "Look, we don't have enough parts on hand for that kind of project. But there might be something on the Soyuz that would work."
Byukaya gave a sound of shock that Shamil was actually helping out. He then chuckled knowingly with a big grin on his face. Connie, Shamil, and Lillian searched the Soyuz. He held up a battery pack to her and she smiled.
"HEY!" Byukaya called out, getting their attention. "I found something!" He was running over to them with something in his hand. "Check it out! My buddy, the trusty electric razor!" They then set up the machine on the sand. "Sorry, little guy. But I promise, your motor won't go to waste," He murmured while taking the motor out of the razor. Connie gave the battery to Lillian.
"We can make a record player. Should be easy if we use some of the stuff we've made so far," Senku gave a small grin, holding up the record. "We'll use the gear from the cotton candy machine," They smiled as it was sitting on the table.
"I went and grabbed it for ya!" Suika revealed with a smile. Sumi patted her on the head gently.
"Thanks, Suika," She said gratefully to the little girl.
"Ha! It's a good thing I decided to mess up Father's shield. It's so much better this way," Kohaku commented while Sumi gave a big sweat drop, remembering Kokuyo's reaction to that...
Kokuyo then held it up sadly. "As long as it can help you, it's fine with me," He gave a sad chuckle with tears in his eyes. "Just glad to be useful..."
"And that right there, is how people become cogs in society as they get older. Like literally," Gen murmured as he, Senku, and Sumi looked on.
"I don't remember asking for your social commentary," Senku gave him a deadpan look.
"Yeah, and I don't remember why you need to be so heartless," Sumi looked at the green-haired scientist with the same expression.
"Hey!" He exclaimed at her in playful protest and Gen chuckled. "If you're gonna casually insult me, let's not forget that you're always such a prude!"
"You take that back!" Sumi screeched in embarrassment in a high-pitched voice, and the two of them started to playfully argue. Everyone looked on with white eyes towards them, since they wanted more romance between the two...but until then, this was all they were gonna get...the arguing thankfully stopped once Ruri came in with a piece of cloth in her hands.
"Sorry for the wait," She spoke up, and the two turned to her. "This is what I use when I sew clothing and such," She held out the cloth to them and they took it, as a single needle rested on it. Senku examined it with a satisfied sigh.
"Thanks, Ruri," Sumi gave her a small smile.
"Perfect," He held it up between his fingers. "A bone needle. Making a record player isn't actually that hard. But making the record is a whole other matter. Cause to cut the glass, you need an extremely hard rock."
"Yeah," Chrome smiled at the two. "Something like corundum or a diamond, right?"
The two nodded in agreement. "But corundum isn't easy to find on an island...so one of the astronauts must've had diamond on them in order to make this," Sumi looked down at the record, a hand on her hip. "Although Lillian's not really the type of person to wear those on a daily basis, so it couldn't have been her..."
"You can use this," Dalia was holding her wedding ring, which had a diamond as part of it. Lillian and Byukaya were both skeptical at this.
"I don't know..." He said in hesitation after a few seconds.
"What's wrong?" Yakov asked the man. "That is an actual diamond."
"Yeah, but it's still your wedding ring," Lillian reminded them with a small frown. "It's too important to use for this." The couple looked to each other with smiles and then nodded. Neither of them were really regretting their choice at all.
"It's not like I wear it all the time," Dalia gave a soft smile towards them. "It gets in the way...probably a better use for it, to make records instead."
"Heh heh heh," Yakov gave a happy chuckle. "In return...let us help build it. And make the recordings. Sound like a deal?"
Byukaya's eyes softened as he gave them a small smile. "Thank you so much..." He murmured to the two gratefully. The six all gathered around to make the record player together.
Senku, Sumi, and the others began to set up the record player, just as the six astronauts did that day. Chrome was bringing materials, Kaseki was making something out of wood, and Ginro held the gear. Sumi and Senku were both constructing it together.
"Yeah!" Chrome cheered as soon, it was complete. "We managed to pull that off in no time at all!" The record player had a square wooden turntable, circular wood as the platter. There was also a small wooden stick in the center for the record. There was a tone arm with the bone needle being the stylus at the end. There was also a vacuum tube, a small set of wires, and gears from the cotton candy machine. The gear was connected to the shield, which was what would be used to actually start the player. And to the right was one of the yellow speakers next to the plastic box.
Record player acquired!
After this, people started hearing of the record player, and now were gathered in front of the lab. "What's going on?" One of them asked curiously.
"Apparently we're going to hear the voices of the founders."
"The village founders?!"
"Even though they lived like thousands of years ago?"
Senku and Sumi smiled as they approached the speaker. "Okay," Senku looked up with that same expression. "Start spinning, Ginro."
"Sure," He smiled while doing so. "I've gotten a lot of practice from the cotton candy machine."
The platter spun, the record doing the same. Senku glanced at Sumi, taking her hand. They both gently lifted up the tone arm and then placed the needle onto the grooves engraved into the record. At first, there were a few seconds of silence, until...
"I don't know who's listening," Byukaya spoke up, shocking the others. Senku and Sumi had their mouths open. "It could be hundreds, maybe even thousands of years from now. Anyway, my name's Ishigami Byukaya. I'm an astronaut."
All of the villagers shouted in alarm from hearing him. Senku stood up with his pinky in his ear. "Shut up, will ya? I can't hear anything," He replied with a small smile, while Sumi gave a small chuckle from their excitement.
"We can't exactly know what he's gonna say if people are talking..."
"This is actually...the voice of the village founder?" Kokuyo murmured while taken aback.
"That's Senku's father talking...it's really him," Kohaku had the same expression, some sweat on the side of her head. Gen had a wide-eyed expression.
"But enough about me!" He then looked a bit confused. "Who the hell needs a bunch of stuffy formality?"
Byukaya gave a small fond smile. "You revived from the petrification...and somehow got your hands on this recording...Senku." Senku had a soft smile on his face. "You're listening, aren't you? I can tell. And you too, Sumi." Sumi gave a small hum, closing her eyes with a small smile. "Who knows how many centuries it's been since we've seen each other? It's kinda crazy to think about." He was standing on the island in front of the sun, contrasting with the current winter. "But this will be the last call I make to you. Of course, it's not like I can hear you guys or anything." His eyes then saddened as he hadn't seen either of them for so long... "Senku...don't forget...I've always...always..." He then gave a playful smile. "You know...you're probably the last person who needs all that sappy old father-and-son crap. I'll just get to the point."
"Ha ha ha!" Senku cackled with a toothy grin. "You know me, alright!"
Kohaku frowned a little at this. "He's pretty cold towards his father."
Kokuyo had tears from his eyes looking at her. You're really not any different, Kohaku...
"I wouldn't worry," Sumi gave a small smile towards the two, confusing them. "This is always how I've seen them act. Not every single family expresses their love for each other. Remember, this is Senku here."
The two gave small knowing smiles after hearing her explanation. Senku was always logical, even towards his own father. And Sumi had seen him do things for Byukaya beforehand, so this type of interaction wasn't new to her.
"Actually, I do have one more thing to say," Sumi and Senku blinked from hearing Byukaya's voice again. He gave a small smile to himself, chuckling. "Sumi..." He paused and she tilted her head, a bit intrigued from hearing her name. "...Ah, you know me, but...I'm really grateful you're in Senku's life." She gave a happy smile from him saying that. "I know that you're awake and that you'll watch over him for me. I've seen your dedication with others, so I don't expect anything less from you!"
"You got it, Byukaya!" She winked with a two-finger salute, though it was somewhat somber. Byukaya and Senku always treated her like family, after all...so it felt like she was hearing her grandfather in some way for the last time.
"And you and Senku had better at least be a couple by the time you hear this!" Both of them flinched with wide eyes. "Otherwise it'll just be a waste of time having done all that pushing I did for you two! I can't enjoy any grandkids, so you owe me!"
"Really?" Sumi deadpanned with a big sweat drop at her head while looking away. If he was here right now, she'd be so embarrassed...and she was, just a little bit, but she also had other priorities too besides that! The others smiled in amusement, happy that they weren't the only ones waiting, even Senku's father was as well.
"You're such a goofy-ass old man..." Senku dragged a hand down his face in embarrassment, looking up at the ceiling. "You just had to get that in one last time, didn't you? I bet he's laughing his ass off after this..."
Byukaya let out a laugh and then gripped the microphone he was speaking into. "Senku...Sumi...if this village is still here, and you're having a tough time winning over the hearts and minds of whoever's living in it...try playing this for 'em," He grinned while looking back, turning around his device towards Lillian. "I present to those who have lived unenlightened, the light of music!"
Lillian looked up with a sad smile.
"Can I say something first?" Lillian spoke up, getting their attention as they blinked. "I know she's there too…and this will be the last time I can speak to her. I've gotta make it count, right?" Lillian gave a small chuckle and Byukaya looked at her in understanding. He gave a small smile and nodded. They waited with bated breath, knowing who she was referring to.
"Sumire, by now you must've discovered my little surprise," Sumi gasped from being addressed, Senku glancing at her. "It was the easiest decision I ever made. Signing those papers is exactly what I should've done years ago. I held onto those the entire time so that I could get them to you. You must be angry with me for having to hide all those years." Lillian hummed while blinking, thinking of all the memories she had with Sumi. "Of course, I can't know what you must be feeling because it's a recording. I can't take back the painfully long time of having to keep it a secret…and I am so sorry for doing that to you."
"Lillian…" Sumi murmured quietly as her eyes glistened. "…Nah. Even if I had never told anyone…I don't think I'd feel that way. I could never have any ill will towards you." She had a small sad smile of her own, Senku closing his eyes knowingly. Lillian gave the woman her life back when she was a child…even moved from her home so that Sumi could still attend the same school as Senku. And spend a lot of money just to help Sumi with a lab. Not unlike Byukaya selling his car for Senku. So she could never get angry when she was so grateful for Lillian.
"That little girl who I held in my arms when I became your guardian…must be so grown up now." Lillian shed a tear, remembering when she held Sumi after being appointed her custodial guardian. "It might not mean much to you anymore…but I love you.I'm proud to have become a mother for someone so special." Sumi shed a tear from hearing that word after so long…and actually have it mean something to her. "And so I dedicate this final song to you…my daughter. Keep it with you always." Lillian clasped her hands together and took a deep breath.
Nowhere to turn
She started to sing with her eyes closed.
Nowhere to hide
Between a rock and a hard place
Yakov was playing a wooden guitar nearby.
Someone to find
Shamil was playing the drums, a small smile on her face.
I know that times are tough, just down and out
Dalia and Connie looked on with soft smiles.
Putting my faith in tomorrow
Byukaya had a smile on his own while capturing her voice.
"Why'd you wanna cut a record all of a sudden?" Lillian asked Byukaya curiously in their work area.
"I've been thinking of this entire time. There's just so much knowledge and fun stuff that humanity's created over the years," He explained to her, looking at the green circle with his tools nearby. "How can we keep it from disappearing?" Lillian gave him a fond smile listening to him. "Besides..." She gave a small gasp as he stood up. "I wanted to leave behind something cool for Senku and Sumi! So they'd get excited!" He then gave a big grin.
"I should...leave Sumi the papers," She revealed and he gasped. She gave him a smile of her own. "So that she'll know that it wasn't all in vain, you know? Will you help me preserve them like with the record?"
"If it'll make her happy, you bet I will!" Byukaya gave a small laugh. The two then gathered lemons from a lemon tree.
Best foot forward
One small step from zero
Lillian imagined herself performing in front of her audience, her eyes glistening from having the feeling again. Once the concert was over, she went over to the side, Sumi running up to the woman and hugging her behind the stage.
To start again
Chrome had his mouth wide open as he listened, a small sweat drop on his face.
If we want to be strong
Gen had the same expression as him, moved by the music.
Have to believe that we can
Kinro's eyes were shaking, Ginro mirroring his brother.
Just taking one small step to hero
Suika was frozen, Kaseki the same way.
To make a change
Kokuyo and Magma were stiffened from her voice.
And start brand new
Kohaku was just as shocked as everyone else. Ruri had a tear falling from her eye.
I'll be wishing for the same thing I always do
To Ruri, it felt like Lillian was singing the song right to her...as if she were still alive today. Not to mention...that both of them were almost the exact same in looks. And she could visualize just how much she looked like Lillian...
It's always you
As the record kept spinning, the only ones who they couldn't see the reaction of was Senku and Sumi themselves. Senku was silent while Sumi was shaking, clenching a fist from hearing Lillian's voice...the last remaining song from her. Her eyes were closed as both of them recalled everything they had gone through petrification, both alone and together.
Senku's eye opened from the stone, followed by Sumi.
All the hope we have
Both of them wrote down the dates they woke up, though Sumi did hers later in the day.
Is right here in our hands
Senku gave a beaming smile once he caught the deer. Sumi placed her hands on her hips while admiring her shelter.
The future's left unseen
Senku attempted to start a fire. Sumi waited in anticipation from rubbing against wood. Senku then smashed rocks, Sumi trying to sharpen them. Senku then later successfully started a fire, Sumi doing the same.
Just a blank page
Sumi then tackled Senku in her shelter, both of them looking at each other for the first time in 3,700 years. Sumi then recoiled back in alarm from him being almost naked.
All the strength we need
Sumi and Senku looked on in shock from Kohaku's village. She explained to them the area.
Is right here in me
Sumi then made ramen, and they brought it over to the village. The two together fed Ruri the sulfa drug after completing it.
Just need one small step
The two together bent down in front of the hydroelectric generator to show off its power. Kohaku, Suika, Gen, Kinro, and Ginro were surrounding the first Christmas tree. Sumi then kissed Senku on the cheek afterwards. The Kingdom of Science surrounded the completed cell phone.
Senku reached out and took Sumi's hand, gaining a genuine smile on his face. She flinched but squeezed his hand back while a single tear flew down her cheek, falling onto the ground. After that, she had the same expression as him, genuinely crying from happiness hearing the song.
To carry on
If neither of them had never woken up, none of this would've been happening right now. Sumi's life before she met Lillian wasn't...pleasant, so even just being Senku's science partner was one of the greatest honors she could have. The other of course, being the new life Lillian gave to her. And now that she was in the village, she hoped to one day give all of that back for what they had done for her...
The song ended, and everyone was left in utter awe. A few people were even crying. "A song..." Ruri trailed off a little.
"I've never heard something so beautiful before..." Suika shook while already shedding tears.
"It's like the voice of an angel!" Kaseki was shaking as well.
Ginro was shedding tears, snot falling from his nose. "That's amazing! I don't know what else to say! Amazingly...amazing!"
"Well put," Kinro deadpanned towards his brother.
"That's Lillian singing," Gen had a soft smile on his face. "She was one of the most beloved and respected vocalists of our time. Imagine that being the first song you hear..." Kohaku had a smile on her face as well.
"That's bad!" Chrome couldn't stop crying either like Ginro. "2 million years of humanity...so bad! And I can't believe she dedicated it all for Sumi!"
Speaking of, Sumi slowly took off her hood, revealing her red eyes from crying. "Wow…I've must've heard this song…so many times all those years with her…but I never actually thought she'd dedicate it to me…that was my mom…"
They all turned to her knowingly, happy that she got to hear the message and the song after all those years. Senku gently patted her on the head, pulling her close so she could cry onto his coat. She sniffed as she couldn't stop, as she was also finally able to officially call Lillian...her mother. "She was my mom…all these years without me knowing that…"
"But wait, I'm confused…" Shovel spoke up innocently. "How did you get to know this woman if she wasn't your mom before?"
Gen blinked at the girl. "Yeah, I've been meaning to ask about that too. How did you two meet?" Sumi stopped crying to look at him with an unreadable expression, gripping Senku's sleeves. It was then she remembered...no one from the village really knew the whole story, not even Gen himself. He wasn't there when the last tale was told, and they didn't tell him because that would've meant having Sumi relive her dad's abuse all over.
"Don't make her stress over it by having her answer," Senku spoke up in defense.
"Senku…I know it's a lot, but…they deserve to hear the truth," She let go of him. "Besides...he can't do anything to me now." He gave a small frown towards her, since he couldn't argue with her decision because it was from her own life...
Sumi slowly turned around to the village, wiping at her eyes to calm down. Once she did, she sighed and leaned against the table, her hands on her coat. "…The truth is…while Senku had Byukaya, who was a good man…I had the opposite life for a while. I used to stay with my grandmother, Dr. Rika Yakushiji, until she died. Right around the time I met Senku, actually." Sumi and her grandmother held hands while in the market, the girl looking happy as the woman handed her some candy. She then sat next to the woman, sobbing as her grandmother was dead in front of her. "And because my parents were the only living relatives I had…a child care facility deemed them fit enough to raise me. But they actually weren't."
Sumi stood with her mother in front of a private hospital room, holding her hand. Her father was lying on the bed behind the glass and her eyes softened. "My father got sick…and used harmful drugs to help with his sickness. When we thought we were gonna lose him…my mother had to make a choice. Me or him." Mrs. Maeda looked up, horrified as her husband was having a seizure, but no one was around as she cried for help. She looked towards the man sadly as Sumi looked up at her mother, wondering what was happening. She ignored the little girl and kept slamming on the glass desperately. The woman looked around the hallway, seeing no one. She then went back to the window, her fist tightening.
"You can take a guess who she chose." She put down Sumi, who cried out to her. She reached out to her mother, tugging at her shirt. She continued to watch her husband until he stopped, breathing heavily. He called out to his wife while reaching out a weak hand from inside. The woman gasped silently and then rushed into the room. Sumi ran after her...only for the door to close in front of her face. She stared at it in disbelief, slowly backing away. She then frowned towards the floor. Her mother hugged her husband close, both of them not even concerned about their daughter right outside. She lifted him up slightly and he coughed. She held him close to her, coughing herself. But she didn't seem worried at all...
"And because she wasn't supposed to be in the room, she was diagnosed with the same disease." Her mother lied down in a hospital bed, her father looking on from his spot. Sumi frowned deeply while sitting in a waiting room, alone. "Meanwhile...my father kept getting addicted to the drugs." After getting home from the hospital, he was using cocaine to numb his pain thanks to the illness. He then got angry from Sumi's B plus in science, grabbing her arm roughly and tossing her to the ground. Then she heard Senku in class about going to space, looking up at him in awe. "He would always tell me that I needed to surpass Senku if I wanted a better life. But I didn't want that. I just wanted a friend."
Sumi followed Senku around until he eventually told her off. He found her later in the rain, and they walked off together. She smiled happily up at him, while the whole time, she was still suffering at home with her father.
Mrs. Maeda stood up from the hospital bed, against the doctor's wishes, to return home. She took everything she could get while her husband and Sumi were asleep. "Eventually my mother just…one day disappeared, leaving the two of us with almost nothing." The two woke up the next morning, shocked to see everything gone. He let out a yell while punching the wall and Sumi stepped to the window, frowning. "I guess she didn't want to handle it anymore…but my dad…he let out his anger on me. Multiple times, day after day. Sometimes without a reason." A smack was heard and she landed on the ground, her eyes looking numb to the whole thing. The next day at school, she smiled while waving off the injury when asked by Senku. "Especially when he'd cook the drugs himself, which…the air isn't safe to be around to breathe in. Especially for a child." Sumi reached out to the pot, only to be reprimanded again by her father.
Sumi finally opened her eyes as everyone looked grim hearing her story, while Senku was gritting his teeth. Ever since he learned about it, he always showed contempt regarding her parents. Hence why he wanted to protect her from ever explaining.
"I never asked for help. Thought I could handle it, but…it just bubbled over until someone from our building got him to go to prison. I eventually told Senku and his father everything, and only them. And because I was alone…Lillian was appointed to take care of me. She and I had met before when she sung for me on my birthday thanks to my grandmother. They asked her to become a guardian for me. But I could tell she went through similar things too in her own childhood…maybe that was why she said yes," She finished off softly and there was silence for what felt like hours.
"Sumi..." Kohaku murmured sadly of her telling the whole village. All of the villagers felt like crying while Magma felt like killing them even though they were long dead.
"B-But wouldn't it have been all over the media if she was planning to adopt you?" Gen stammered in shock from both her story and that somehow a famous singer managed to adopt her. But he would've heard about it if that were the case, which he never did. He never would've guessed that she and Lillian had history.
"We hid it very well. We thought that it was best to leave it up in the air so that I could have a normal life…and keep being friends with Senku," She gave a small smile at him. "I guess she thought it was finally time to reveal it to the world if we all hadn't been petrified..."
"...But that was all in the past, right? So...why should it matter now?" Suika finally spoke up, getting her attention. "That doesn't make you who you are now! Because you test your limits, Sumi!" She pumped a fist, and the villagers all murmured in agreement.
"Yeah, it's not like your parents are still alive, right?"
"If anyone tries to hurt our village chieftess, they'll have to go through us!"
"Exactly! We'll make sure nothing like that happens with us around!"
Sumi slowly beamed at them, her eyes lighting up. Senku gave a small chuckle for the village's support.
"Senku, Sumi!" Chrome suddenly exclaimed at them. "I bet there was all kinds of awesome music like that song in the past, huh?"
The two turned to him with small smiles. "Yeah," Senku answered without hesitation. "The music's just part of it. Games, television, movies, manga. So much art and entertainment. And all of it was made possible by science," All of the villagers looked at them in awe. "There was a ton of ridiculously fun stuff, from all over the world. All of it's long gone by now, physically speaking. But it still has the chance to live on," Senku held out his hand in front of a light, grinning. "Inside our hearts. And inside you too, Sumi."
"Huh?" She blinked in confusion and he chuckled, holding up the adoption papers.
"After all…these papers do make you Lillian's daughter. So she'll live on through you…Sumire Weinberg!"
She gasped sharply from him using her new name and then sniffed happily. "You're gonna make me cry again, Senku…" She reached out to wipe her eyes.
"Heh," He grinned while patting the top of her head, wiping away her tears with his thumb. "Relax, okay? You know how much she valued you. I'm sure she couldn't stop talking about you to the other astronauts once they landed on that island," He gave her an assuring smile.
"Did she really? I would hope so," She giggled a little while wiping her face.
"We're gonna do everything we can to let you see it," Senku declared to the villagers. Sumi smiled and nodded in agreement with him. "But first, we gotta take down the Tsukasa Empire, and revive all the world's statues."
"We promise little by little...you'll get to experience what our world was like," Sumi gave a soft smile towards the villagers. "It might be not the exact same, given that we built a regular phone and not the smart kind. But it'll all just be a small taste of what science and the world has to offer."
All the villagers then started talking in excitement. "I really wanna see everything for myself!" Suika declared with tears in the beads of her eyes.
"I am so damn excited right now!" Kaseki exclaimed with a smile.
"All the statues around the world..." Kinro clenched a determined first.
"We're gonna revive every last one of them!" Ginro cried out with his arms in the air.
"Sounds good to me," Magma gave a small smile, arms crossed. "But I'm way more excited about taking down the Tsukasa Empire!"
"Man, this is bad!" Chrome cheered while pumping a fist. "And everyone is totally pumped about it!"
"I must say..." Gen started off with his hands in his sleeves. "Your dad's got skills, and your mom's still got her charm." Sumi and Senku glanced back at him in confusion. "Even from thousands of years ago, they got everyone excited about bringing back complete strangers from petrification. And just Lillian's singing made it possible. So does this help wash away your guilt for having dragged your fellow villagers into a war? Maybe just a little..."
The two were surprised at what he said, and Senku gave his trademark grin. "Come on. I never had any to begin with," Senku started off to him.
"I know we'll prevail from this war," Sumi opened her eyes, crossing her arms. "I trust Senku too. That's more than enough for me. I'm holding his life after all."
"And I have hers," Senku patted her head fondly. "You holdin' up?"
"I'm relieved I managed to get it off my shoulders," She glanced up at him with a small smile. "Thanks for being there, Senku."
"Heh. If I'm not, who will be?" She blinked from his casual response and then gave a chuckle.
After all of the excitement, everyone was gathered outside. Senku and Sumi stretched themselves out. "Senku! Sumi!" Kohaku called out and they glanced back at her. She had a smile on her face while looking around. "Looks like you actually did it. You've done exactly what you said."
"Mm?" They looked a bit confused at her, just like with Gen.
"What do you mean, Kohaku?" Sumi blinked as she joined their side.
"On the day the three of us met, you remember what you told me, Senku?" She gave a smile towards the sun. "Our home...you've both made it a Kingdom of Science," She looked towards the flag Yuzuriha made. "Ha! And now comes the next part. The Kingdom of Science's fight with the Tsukasa Empire!" The trio looked towards the horizon.
"Yeah!" Chrome spoke up behind them in excitement. Gen was nearby with a small smile. "So let's get that second cell phone finished up and bring it over!"
"You know what that means, Senku and Mire-chan," Gen opened his eyes. "It's finally time for those two to step up to the plate!"
"Yeah," Senku grinned at them as Sumi hummed, a hand on her hip. "We'll be connecting with them soon. The rest of the Kingdom of Science," Taiju and Yuzuriha were standing in front of a marker, looking towards the setting sun. "Once we're in contact, we'll be at full strength at last!"
"After all, it's not really the Kingdom of Science without two of its founding members," Sumi gave a small chuckle. "Wouldn't have gotten here without them. So I know that they'll deliver ten billion percent on their mission!"
"Wow," Yuzuriha murmured as the two stood side by side. "It's almost been a full year now, huh?"
"Yeah..." Taiju agreed with her quietly. He narrowed his eyes in determination and then pumped his fists to the air. "WE'RE READY! SENKU, SU-"
"Ah!" Yuzuriha waved her hands nervously at him with white eyes. "Please don't start shouting out our plans, Taiju!"
"Oh, you're right," He blinked at her, as he realized that he could be giving themselves away. "Sorry about that," He then smiled towards the sky while thinking of his friends. "Senku...Sumi..." A guard was nearby, keeping an eye on them as Tsukasa promised earlier. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion of them. A white-haired man looked up ahead, while a red-haired man with stone over his right eye grinned. Homura was still keeping an eye on the Kingdom of Science, with a pink winter cloak over her. A drop of miracle fluid fell from the cave.
"Spring will be here quite soon," Hyoga stated while standing inside.
"Yes..." Tsukasa kept his eye on the miracle fluid. "The final battle with Senku over Sumire is coming. Now..." He had an evil smile on his face. "Let's snuff the flame of science and their bond forever. And then we can build a new, untarnished world..."
A large flame appeared from the Kingdom of Science as they stood in front of the observatory. Senku chuckled as he and Sumi stepped out from the darkness from the opposite direction. "The ultimate battle against the Tsukasa Empire will be on our turf." They all smiled towards their leaders. "This will be the beginning of the Stone Wars."
Sumi reached up to slip off her hood, shaking her hair free from the bun so it was down. Senku lifted up a hand and she did the same, the other on her hip. She then faced them with a smirk on her face. Both of their bangs flew to the side.
"This is exhilarating," Senku spoke up breathlessly. "Get excited!"
"Time to test our limits!" Sumi said in determination to them.
Angel: Please don't quote me on the February 9th date for Sumi's birthday because I don't know what date this episode takes place in. After Senku's birthday two episodes ago, I'm assuming it's still January because of the snow, at least mid-to-late January. The airdates also don't match up, so I had to guess. The wiki says that it's early spring by the time the actual wars start, but that doesn't help me. And yes, the birthdate for Sumi will be a plot point soon.