"We're gonna make cellular phones, with service even in the stone world," Senku revealed to the Kingdom of Science.

"Yup! It'll give us the element of surprise and we can use it against Tsukasa before he gets any ideas and strikes us first," Sumi smiled while clenching a fist.

"Granted, this will be more like a regular phone, necessarily the smart kind," Senku spoke up next.

"Hey, we all gotta start somewhere before we get to the real thing in the future, right?" Sumi smiled fondly with her eyes closed. "Right now, it's too advanced, but baby steps."

Kaseki hopped up and down, laughing eagerly as each step got painted out. Chrome clenched a first in determination. "We can do this! That sulfa drug was a hell of a lot of work, but we made that happen, didn't we?"

"No offense, guys, but I don't think you realize what they're saying," Gen spoke up, trying to be realistic. "This road map's full of things that are impossible to get."

Senku chuckled, getting his attention. He then smirked at the mentalist. "Nothing is impossible, Gen."

"Not while we're around," Sumi agreed with him, a subtle smirk on her face. "Science has no restrictions, remember? What seems impossible can be done if you work hard enough."

"Yup," Senku patted her on the head. "No matter how far off the goal may seem, if you follow the steps, you'll get there 10 billion percent of the time! That's how science works!"

They all stared at the new road map. "Now we'll only have a few months to finish it," Senku informed all of them.

"Hm?" Kohaku had her arms crossed while looking at him in confusion. "Why do you say that?"

"Because that's when Tsukasa's assault is going to start," He answered the blonde, Sumi nodding in agreement while hugging herself. She had fully healed at this point with her previous burn on her wrist.

"He'll be busy biding his time to prepare for winter and grow his army so that he can attempt to gain the upper hand," She informed all of them. "So as long as there's no more preemptive attacks like the last two with Hyoga, everything should be fine working on this project."

"Exactly," Senku pointed at her with a small smirk. The two then glanced at Gen. "That sound about right, mentalist?"

"Let me think..." He looked towards the ground, hands in his sleeves. "If I put myself in Tsukasa's brain..." He closed his eyes as his hair grew out and sectioned off to look like Tsukasa's. He then stared at all of them, as his face even resembled the long-haired man's. "We're in total control of the revival fluid. So as the time passes, our manpower grows. Yes, but our main foe is Senku, and our main objective to obtain Sumire on our side. If we give them too much time, they'll find a way to mass produce gunpowder."

Sumi was shaking a bit in fear as they all looked at him in shock. Kohaku even had her sword ready because that was how spot-on he was. "It's like he's here. Your imitation's dead on," Senku commented while sweating a little. "Although we could've done without the Sumire part."

"Heh, I had to in order to sell the imitation," Gen's face turned back to normal with a smile. "Sorry!"

"Yeah, okay, but please never do that imitation again," Sumi turned away, shuddering a little while hugging herself uncomfortably. The others all nodded in agreement with her, a bit worried of what Tsukasa might do the next time he saw her. Senku narrowed his eyes a bit as he hoped Tsukasa wouldn't do something drastic once he heard about Sumi...

"We'll need to take every precaution to ensure that we defeat Senku and take Sumire," Tsukasa was speaking to Hyoga in the main room. "But we can't let ourselves forget that preparing for winter is going to take a good deal of manpower...also, If I understand your report correctly, this 'kingdom of science' is basically a floating fortress."

"That's right," Hyoga confirmed for him. "It's surrounded by a lake that mostly freezes over in the winter. If they bolster their defenses, it will be difficult to attack, and we are ill-prepared for a proper siege. Sumire herself has proved to be a capable force."

"I have a question," Chrome just thought of something. His eyes were wide while his fists were clenched, looking worried. "So, like, once Tsukasa finds out you're still alive and that Sumi isn't mourning you, won't Taiju and Yuzuriha be in danger?!"

"A guy like him would kill them, right?" Kohaku spoke up in concern as well.

"Nah," Senku had a relaxed smile on his face. "That won't be an issue. They're more useful as potential hostages. So killing them would be a waste."

Sumi nodded with a small smile towards them. "He's got nothing to gain from killing them at this rate. And besides, it's not like Tsukasa's got proof that they are spies. There's no way to contact them until we make the cell phone," She gestured to Senku. "Tsukasa's a murderer, but he's also not blindly taking any action without thinking about it first."

Chrome looked at the two in shock that they were so confident about this. They didn't seem worried at all...meaning that they had full faith in their friends. And they knew that Tsukasa wouldn't hurt them just because they were friends with the scientists.

"Is it safe to allow Taiju and Yuzuriha to roam around freely?" Hyoga pointed out to Tsukasa, who stood up in response.

"They'll be monitored. But let's continue interacting with them as we've been doing. We can't have them getting suspicious," He then walked past Hyoga. "Even if those two do turn out to be spies, in this world, there's no way for them to quickly relay information. No...what I think is a more pressing concern...is a preemptive attack from the enemy."

"Homura is keeping close watch on them," Hyoga explained to him. "Although we have the same issue you just mentioned. There is a significant delay in getting information," He then turned away in thought. "It's almost funny. In this primitive battle, with no technology to rely on, communication and information transfer speed are all the more crucial."

Homura was sitting on a tree branch, the village and the Kingdom of Science in her eyesight.

Senku chuckled while holding up his hand to mimic a cell phone. "The rules of the game are pretty simple. And the advantage belongs to the side who can launch the first strike. So we'll create a cell phone to make that happen!"

"And we'll do it all before they even think about striking us first," Sumi grinned, a hand on her hip.

Tsukasa had a look of determination in his eyes. "After the winter snow's melted...that's when the battle will begin."

"We've got a hard spring deadline," Senku smirked at everyone.

"Let's go!" He and Sumi exclaimed in unison, a bright smile on Sumi's face.

The furnaces were burning while the skies were blue. People from the village were hard at work to get stuff done. "Having so many people help out sure makes a big difference," Chrome smiled while looking up ahead. He, Senku, Kohaku, and Sumi were carrying some logs.

"More of them are willing to pitch in now that Senku and Sumi are the village chiefs," Kohaku commented while Sumi let out a hum. She glanced to Senku falling behind, unable to keep up because of his physical strength. She turned around to him, taking his logs before he could protest. Sumi then turned around with a hum and he stared after her, blinking. She had definitely gotten a lot stronger in the time that they had been in the village.

"...Yeah," He smirked a little towards her. "Well, we really do need it. Because making a cell phone in the stone world is not an easy task. It's our biggest project so far. There's a mountain's worth of hurdles we're gonna need to clear," He watched Sumi put down all the logs with no issue.

"Hence why we're making more furnaces," Sumi gestured to some villagers making one. "We're gonna need them for the amount of materials necessary for the phone. But thankfully we have a lot more hands to help!" She smiled happily towards them.

"Oh man!" Chrome popped up in front of Sumi and Senku, his nostrils flaring while his eyes were sparkling. The two recoiled back a bit in surprise. "I'm dying to know how this cell phone thing lets you talk to someone who's crazy far away like that! You guys gotta tell me how it works, Senku, Sumi! Come on, stop holding out on me!"

Kaseki appeared next to him with the same expression and the two yelped at this. "Tell me how the dang thing works, but don't forget to keep it simple, you two!"

"Oh my goodness..." Sumi gave a big sweat drop at their excitement. It honestly reminded her of herself when she was a kid. Sometimes she'd react just like this when she first started out into science with Senku. "We appreciate your enthusiasm, that's for sure..."

"Back up! Stop crowding us!" Senku exclaimed while looking at them in bewilderment. Sumi just chuckled as they continued jumping up and down. "And try to calm down a little, okay? Jeez, I thought I wouldn't see this again ever since we were kids," He glanced at Sumi, who at least could control herself as she got older.

"Well, it's a new thing we're developing," She shrugged at him with a small smile. "Can't really fault them for being excited. I'll let you start."

"Listen," He told the both of them calmly. "The sound of your voice is really just a vibration of air, understand? Now if you point that air at a diaphragm, it'll produce a super tiny electrical current with the vibrations. The current is way too small of course, so you need to blow it up and make it bigger!"

"And to do that, we'll be using a vacuum tube. Then we move that current around and around in a circle, until we've made it strong enough to travel through the air, like a wave. We call that a radio wave. Now the exact opposite process happens on the listening side," Sumi finished for him.

"Okay then," Chrome looked a bit confused, as did the others. "I think I could understand about half of that."

"Ha ha! Half more than me," Kaseki laughed a little.

"This high IQ talk seems to cause more confusion, so let's change it up a bit," Gen suggested while sweat dropping a little. "Do you two have an idea of what we should make first?"

"Well," Sumi tapped her cheek in thought, glancing upwards. "Some of the items are more easier to get than others, but I think we can tackle those as we go along. So I think it's best if we-"

"Yeah," Senku interrupted, confusing the woman as she turned to him. "For the first step on our giant road map...we're gonna need to make something invaluable," He then opened his eyes, imagining him and Sumi as kids wearing kimonos holding up... "A cotton candy machine!"

Sumi gasped sharply after hearing this. Meanwhile, the others were confused. "Cot..."

"Ton..."

"Ca..."

"Dy?"

Gen had a deadpan look as he had gone completely pale. Hmm, perhaps I spoke too soon because the IQ level just plummeted by, like, 100 points! Is Senku okay? He noticed Sumi, looking at her in confusion and then remembered Senku recalling her favorite foods. One of which just so happened to be cotton candy. He leaned forward a bit, hands in his sleeves.

"Oh, that's right. Didn't Senku say cotton candy was one of your favorites?" He asked her knowingly and she blinked from the question.

"Yeah, it is..."

A younger Sumi held Senku's hand while running into the festival happily. She was wearing a black kimono with a pink flower pattern on it, her hair up in a bun while her bangs remained free. He looked annoyed being dragged here with her, but wasn't protesting in any way. He could never get out of coming here with her, no matter what he told the girl. People were walking around everywhere in kimonos while getting food or grabbing paper for wishes. The two kids reached the cotton candy stand, Sumi smiling and holding up two fingers. The vendor smiled as the little girl reached into her purse, and looked into it. She then frowned as she didn't have enough for the both of them. Senku glanced at her face as she closed her wallet back, looking up apologetically.

She walked off without another word, pouting. She really wanted some cotton candy...it was a tradition between her and Senku every year since they had met. Senku tapped her shoulder after a few seconds and she turned around in confusion. He held up some cotton candy for her with a blank look, having bought it himself. She beamed happily and took it from him, taking a bite with a smile. Senku glanced at her while silently eating as well, noting how happy she looked eating it.

The green-haired scientist chuckled to himself. Every single festival they went to, they never once skipped eating cotton candy. Not just because it was Sumi's favorite, but because of the feeling she had while eating it. He'd always not want to be there, and in the end, she made sure he enjoyed himself in some way. Now he was bringing all of that back after 3,700 years... He then smirked to snap out of memory lane. "Don't go thinking I'm being sentimental now," Senku waved a finger with a mischievous smirk to everyone. "We need it for the cell phone."

"I didn't say that," Sumi gave a big sweat drop towards him.

Homura kept a watchful eye up ahead from her position. She had a hand on her cheek. "So what now? They're working...making something," She murmured to herself in thought. "A weapon?"

Kaseki was melting some iron into a pot, pulling it out. Senku then carefully moved it over to him, Chrome, and Sumi, all of them wearing coats. Senku poured in the melted iron into a mold, Chrome putting down a tube. Kaseki stuck some sticks inside while steam came from the top of the tube, which was connected to a pole. Once it was cooled, both Senku and Sumi removed a contraption for them to see.

"What is that?" Suika wondered, everyone curious at it.

"It's the main component you need for cotton candy," Sumi smiled in amusement, glancing at the tube.

Senku let out a chuckle. "You put sugar crystals inside of this thing and spin it around," He and Sumi both spun it. "The centrifugal force pushes the molten sugar out through the small holes, which gives us thin wispy strands. And that is how you make cotton candy! Now tell us, what do you think would happen if you tried to use gold instead of sugar in there?"

Chrome tilted his head around in thought and then came up with the answer a few seconds later. "We'd be making gold threads!" He guessed correctly with a big smile.

"Heh heh, you get 10 billion points for that one," Senku sent him a small smirk.

"Ah, so we're making wires for electronics," Gen mumbled as he got the gist of it. "The IQ was dropping, but it seems that it's finally going back up..."

"You thought it was down before?" Sumi raised a brow in amusement.

"Alright!" Chrome ran past him in excitement, heading for the science shed. "I'll grab some of our gold then!"

"Wait, wait, wait, don't!" Sumi waved her arms rapidly, stopping him in place. "We can't just blindly put gold in it right now, Chrome."

"She's right!" Senku pointed up at him. "Gold is too precious. We can't mess it up!" He dug his pinky into his ear with a grin. "So, cotton candy! That's the way to go! We need to test it out first." He glanced at Sumi with a smile and Gen blinked as he understood what he was getting at.

"Yeah!" He gave a smirk towards the two. "Good point. We're gonna taste-I mean, uh, we'll definitely test it out!"

Sumi's eyes shined at the thought of tasting it, looking like Chrome and Kaseki did before. "It's been too long since I've had any sweets! I can't wait," She smiled happily while bouncing, Senku humming a little at her fondly. He then took her hand, surprising her.

"Come on, then," He pulled her to follow him towards the village.

"Eh? Sen, where are we going?" She wondered while unable to stop him.

"To get our sugar crystals, of course! Gotta have the authentic thing, right?" He smirked while glancing over his shoulder. She stared after him silently, her mouth open a little in surprise at his dedication. The others all smiled at the two, pleased as they knew another reason Senku was doing all of this.

The village was in the middle of repairs again, the bridge starting to come together. One of them glanced back at a mess of burnt debris, broken jars everywhere. He was frowning while explaining to Sumi, Senku, Kohaku, and Chrome. "This Homura person who started the fire put us in a really bad spot. We lost a lot of potato wine and mirin that was just about ready to go. It burned for a long time. Look at that," He pointed to some jars on the ground.

They all turned to see that inside of all of the burnt jars, were yellow clumps that looked like crystals. They were sticking to the jars. "It turned into chunks in the barrels."

"Thank you for your help," Sumi smiled gratefully at him while they examined the jars.

"So what can we make with some ruined wine?" Kohaku wondered, bending down a little.

"Well, these chunks are what happens when you boil wine for a long time," Senku stood up while holding up one of the yellow crystals. "These are our sugar crystals!"

"And thankfully it's not all watery, because then the cotton candy would have a bad texture and taste gross," Sumi smiled while examining her own in her hand.

Once they returned to the science shed, Kinro and Ginro were working again. They were spinning the cotton candy machine by pulling at a rope back and forth. While they were doing this, white wispy strands were forming at the center. Kohaku, Suika, and Ruri all gasped in awe.

"I wonder what all of that fluffy stuff is inside there!" Her cheeks were pink, along with Ruri's and Suika's.

"Oh man, smells so good!" Ganen commented from behind, Senku wearing a rope bandana around his head. Sumi had the same accessory, both of them holding up a stick. She sniffed the cotton candy and drooled a little, hearts in her eyes. He put his stick down first to gather the strands into cotton candy.

"It looks like Senku's making a little white cloud!" Suika stated as they only got more excited. Senku gave the little girl the first one, and Sumi put down her stick next, a small smile on her face. Once she had two more, she handed them over to the two sisters.

Kohaku was a bit hesitant as she looked at it with a small blush. Sumi smiled at the three, holding her hands in front of her. "It's the best thing ever, you guys! Well, maybe to just me. Just try it, I promise you'll enjoy it," She encouraged while Senku also looked encouraging.

All of them opened their mouths and took small bites. Once they did, their eyes shot up in surprise with delighted smiles. It felt like their taste buds were on another level entirely. "It's just like...I can't even describe it!" Kohaku exclaimed with a joyful smile.

"It's so delicious I could just melt away!" Ruri added, smiling happily.

"So yummy!" Suika exclaimed, her arms wide open while her eyes were in hearts.

Kohaku approached Kokuyo with cotton candy. "Come on, Father! You should try some too!"

"Uh...looks pretty suspicious to me," He then took a bite out of it. Once he had a taste, his eyes sparkled in awe as his hair flew around. The other villagers had the same reaction, even Magma and Mantle. Soon, everyone was excited in delight from the taste. Senku and Sumi looked on with smiles.

"I guess that's the kind of reaction you'd get when you give people candy for the first time," Gen commented and Senku closed his eyes.

"Yup. It's just regular cotton candy," He remarked casually to the mentalist as if it was nothing. "But since they've never had anything like it before, it must be blowing their minds."

"I'm so glad everyone is enjoying it!" Sumi looked on happily towards the gleeful villagers. Senku gave her a small hum, grabbing another stick to make another. He then stood in front of the woman, holding it out to her.

"Alright, saved the best for last," She blinked in surprise at him and he just chuckled. "Go ahead and try it before I lose my patience," He teased her a little as she reached out her arms. She slowly took it and then had a bite.

"...Oh!" She gasped while her eyes shined, a blush on her face. She then placed a hand on her cheek fondly. "It tastes...just like it did all those years ago! It's so...so delicious!" She cried out as she could've died right then and there.

Senku gave her a smirk, Gen looking on with a playful knowing smile. "Knowing your sweet tooth, of course you'd be all over it," The green-haired scientist teased while ruffling the top of her head. She looked up, smiling at him while moving his hand away.

"It's not just about the cotton candy. It's about all the times I'd eat it with you every year," She stated and he froze for a second. He watched her take another bite and she hummed happily, causing him to give a soft smile. He then blinked as she held up the opposite side to him. "Don't you wanna try it too?" She offered the scientist and he pushed it away.

"Nah, you enjoy it."

"Please...?" She gave him a pleading look, her eyes shining a little. "The one who even came up with it should get to have some too."

He blinked at her face, looking away with a blush. Something about those eyes just couldn't make him say no. He then sighed in defeat, taking hold of the cotton candy and eating some too. He wasn't as big of a sweet tooth as Sumi was, but as he was eating it, he had a small smile on his face. Sumi smiled and took another bite. Gen smirked at the two sharing cotton candy, almost like a couple.

"Who could've ever guessed something good would come out of the fire Homura started? We owe her a big thanks," He took a bite himself and then hummed happily at the taste. Senku swallowed his bite, thinking of something.

"Hey, Gen..." Gen looked up from his name being called, humming to showcase he was listening. Senku had a serious frown on his face. "Just how much do you know about this Homura chick anyway? What's she like?"

Before Gen could answer, Ginro overheard him, his ear enlarged. He then zipped over to stop between Senku and Sumi. He had a teasing smile on his face while nudging Senku in the chest. "Uh-oh! Are you trying to say you're interested in a girl, Senku? Huh?" Sapphire, Garnet, Shovel, and Ruby all moved over with their ears big too for some gossip. They waited eagerly for an answer, since Senku didn't really talk about stuff like this. "You got a thing for petite girls, or what?"

Kohaku and Chrome looked on with blank looks. "I'm willing to bet all my minerals that's not what he meant," He deadpanned, since the other members who had been around Senku longer knew it wasn't like that. Not even Sumi had much of a reaction because she knew better at this point.

"You guys don't know Senku very well, do you? Well, everyone except Sumi of course," Kohaku stated and Ruby then flinched while realizing something. She stared at Senku and Sumi specifically.

"Wait," Ruby blinked in confusion at the two. Sumi fully turned around to her. "But I thought you and Sumi-"

"Ah, no," Sumi flinched with her face red, waving a hand. "Don't finish that question, please. I already know what you guys are thinking and the answer is no. Besides, that's not why he's asking about Homura, ha ha ha..." She sweated nervously as they were all pouting towards her. She then looked away while eating another piece of cotton candy in silence. Once again, the question came up, and last time, Senku was half paying attention when answering about his type. So it wasn't like he'd take it seriously. Plus, she didn't want him to know that this was something that even fazed her. Because if he did, it might tip him off that she had strong feelings for him. Besides, he was always denying it anyway when it came up regarding him and Sumi being a couple. So she was sure he'd do that now.

Senku stared at her in silence and then chuckled, hands on his hips. He gave a small grin as he decided to mess with them. "I'm squashing any doubts, Homura's not my type."

"Mm?" Sumi glanced over her shoulder in confusion.

"Heh. But it is like someone in the village. That's all you need to know," Senku crossed his arms and she blinked. This time...he wasn't denying it? She couldn't begin to understand why. He smirked right at her and she tilted her head in confusion. Before she could even process what that meant, Gen popped up next to him with a big smile on his face.

"Even if Homura was his type, it's obvious that nothing's going to break Sumiku!" Both of them flinched at the name in disbelief, looking at him with wide eyes. Just because Senku was hinting that Sumi was his type didn't mean he wanted people to know it, especially her. If Gen was doing it to get under their skin, it definitely worked.

"Aww!" Everyone gushed at the two, who looked at the crowd with white eyes.

"Can we please focus?!" They both exclaimed in unison, a little embarrassed.

"Why would you tell them that?" Senku glared a bit at Gen, annoyed.

"Gotta give the people what they want," He shrugged with an amused smile. "It's not like I'm the only one who's noticed what's going on here between you two."

"That's not even the point!" The green-haired scientist exclaimed in defense.

"Ugh," Sumi groaned, rubbing a temple, and decided to change the subject before it got worse. "Anyway, this isn't even about us, it's about who we're dealing with here," She sighed nervously with her eyes closed. She placed a hand on her forehead. "He's trying to get a sense of who she is as a person."

Senku then made the air tense as he looked away. "We're being watched," He informed seriously, Ginro flinching in fear. "Homura is out there somewhere as we speak, spying on us."

"Oh, without a doubt," Gen confirmed next to them, a small grimace on his face. "Hyoga's a very suspicious guy, but he does seem to trust her."

Ginro recoiled back, a little startled. "She's watching us now?!"

"Of course she is," Senku confirmed while Sumi looked into the distance of the forest. "We imagine from a good distance away. Far enough to see if we make any big moves, but still close enough to chase us down if we run."

"And considering her skills, it wouldn't be hard to catch up to us. She's probably the fastest out of them so far," Sumi commented with a hand on her hip. She then glanced back to the village, blinking as Ginro was shaking, a small shadow over his eyes.

I figured we'd run away if things got bad!

"Ha!" Kohaku stepped up at the thought. "We're not the type of people who run away from a fight!"

"Yeah," Kokuyo agreed with his daughter. "And the older people in the village couldn't just go somewhere else!"

Kohaku walked up to Ginro. "Leaving them behind would be a cowardly move!" She said fiercely while clenching a fist. "And there's no one here who's that spineless!"

"Um!" Ginro flinched, immediately changing his mind set. Especially since Kohaku would not take it well if he contradicted her. "Nope, there's nobody like that around here!" He mustered out, a nervous smile on her face.

"Well, I will say, Homura has a ton of respect for Hyoga. If he told her to watch us, she would never disobey that order. I don't believe she'd cause us any trouble if we leave her alone, but I highly doubt we could get her to switch sides or anything," Gen explained to everyone, glancing at Senku and Sumi. "Now that I think about it, she and Hyoga are just like you two in a way."

"Uh?" Sumi blinked at him and then realized that she also had respect for Senku, but she wouldn't just blindly follow him. That was the main difference here. She then shook her head slowly. "If you wanna put it that way, sure. But can you really say that they see each other the way we do?" She pointed out with a fond smile. "It's not a matter of following orders given by someone higher. We just share the same passion for science without changing anything of who we are," She looked up towards the sky, her hair blowing in the wind.

"...Yeah," Senku gave her a smile as he agreed with her. She then turned back to the villagers.

"Don't worry, guys. As long as we don't draw attention to what we're doing, she won't attempt anything. The cell phone won't be that obvious to her once we're done building it, and we'll hide it if necessary," The woman assured all the villagers and they smiled. An idea came to her and she blinked, leaning in towards Senku's ear. She whispered to him and he blinked, chuckling.

Almost the whole day had passed of Homura watching them from the tree. Nothing seemed too much of a red flag to her until she heard banging. She turned to her right, giving a suspicious look as it continued. She then started flipping around the trees, landing safely behind one to get a closer look. She glanced behind the tree to see Senku, Sumi, Ginro, and Kinro. They were hammering something in the clearing, Sumi holding onto something. They seemed to be making a stand and she blinked.

Once they were done, they all left the stand behind. She watched them curiously as they got farther away. She finally approached the sand, seeing that there was some cotton candy in the middle. "Cotton candy?" She murmured in confusion, and there was also a note left behind. She picked it up to see that it was from Senku and Sumi.

I know what you're thinking, but it's not poisoned. If you're worried, you could give some of it to an animal.

It's really just made out of sugar crystals. I'd suggest giving some to a whitetail deer if you still don't believe us, they're known to have sweet tooths!

She looked up from the note and then closed her eyes. "Those fools. Like I would eat this!"

"The hell, you guys?" Chrome frowned at the duo. "Why did we give out cotton candy to the enemy?"

Senku cackled while rubbing his chin. Ruri, Suika, and Sumi were holding some. "Well, since she's spying on us for Tsukasa, she has to tell him that we have cotton candy!" Suika took a happy bite from hers. "Sweets are ridiculously tempting. Some of his people might rethink their allegiance when they find out."

"Not everyone loves sweets, but cotton candy could also remind them of past times getting some from festivities," Sumi pointed out as well, having a bite of her own. "Although this also depends on whether or not she actually tastes it."

"Makes sense to me," Kohaku said, hands on her hips.

"You two are really good at being sneaky, aren't you, Senku? Mire-chan? Almost as if you're thinking like...a couple. And I do mean that as a compliment, naturally," He smirked, his sleeves in front of his mouth.

"What?!" The two exclaimed in alarm. Once they did, they glanced to each other and then looked away.

"Damn it, Gen," Senku muttered to himself while his face was flushed, his hand on his face.

"Mmmm!" Sumi shook in embarrassment, blushing. "Stop putting that idea in people's heads..." She growled a little while shaking and glaring towards Gen. He yelped while backing away a little. The others smiled in amusement as she cleared her throat. "I-it's only strategy. That's how we work...not whatever you're...thinking..." She moved her hands to be in front of her face, groaning as she didn't know if that made it better or worse. Ruri stared at the duo, remembering taking them to the cemetery.

"That is true," Ruri spoke up, getting their attention. "And I know they had strategy on their minds when they did that...but there's something else," She gave a fond smile. "I think that maybe...deep down, Senku and Sumi really just wanted...to share a little bit of candy with the girl. Maybe that's all they really meant by it."

"Yeah, no," Senku scoffed a little, having calmed down. "That's how Sumi thinks, not me. It's always total crap thinking she can always make friends."

"Excuse me?!" Sumi turned around in defense, her red face disappearing completely. "It is not! Just because she's with Tsukasa doesn't mean I need to be a heartless being of stone like you," She pointed at him in annoyance.

"Well, it's not like we're gonna make peace in just a few days!" He retorted back, hands on his hips. "We're at war with or without cotton candy, you dummy!"

"I know you didn't just call me a dummy!" She squealed out in a high pitched voice as they started arguing, but it was more in a playful manner. The others all blinked at them before chuckling at the duo underneath the stars. It was like watching an old married couple.

Homura stared at the cotton candy in her hand, blinking. "We're dealing with people so naïve that they wouldn't even abandon a village guard. I guess they get it from Sumire herself if what Tsukasa has told me about her true."

She continued to stare at it, still skeptical. One bite and I'm dead? There's no way... And with that, she opened her eyes, reaching forward and licking the cotton candy slowly. Some of the sugar flew away from her mouth as she tilted up her head. She closed her eyes, taking in the taste and thinking of all of the fairs people would go to for one...she then opened her eyes, looking towards the moon.

"It's sweet..." She murmured quietly to herself.

Everyone left to go to sleep, and Kohaku was the last one to remain. She glanced to Sumi putting the fire out on her own with clay pots of water. Senku and Chrome had already gone to the shed to get some sleep. She blinked at the black-haired woman and then approached her.

"You're really not worried about girls like Homura, huh?" Kohaku questioned suddenly, getting her attention. Sumi stared at her for a couple of seconds and then looked away, closing her eyes.

"Far from it, actually. She's a formidable adversary. I've never seen anyone move similar to me," She opened her eyes, lost in thought as the tiny flames reflected in her eyes. She knew gymnasts existed out there somewhere, but for one to be revived against their Kingdom of Science...it was going to be hard to take her down if needed.

"No, not that way," Kohaku lightly shook her head. "I meant in terms of Senku."

"Mm?" Sumi looked over her shoulder. "I mean...should I be worried?" She raised a brow, looking back to the dying-out fire. "Just because I know him doesn't mean I know what kind of girls he likes. Never came up for me to learn until now. I don't think considering her actions they'd really work out if I worry, right?" She scratched her cheek; even if Senku was interested in her, there was the whole 'working with Hyoga' thing which...would be rather odd. And she was too loyal towards Hyoga anyway.

"Hm..." Kohaku gave a small smile, having seen how much Senku cared for his science partner. She couldn't tell if he could see it, but everyone else did. "Nah, I don't think you've got competition," She walked up to join Sumi. "Besides...Sumiku is a cute name."

"I still need to get that damn mentalist for that..." Sumi looked downward in annoyance from the reminder, her eyes closed. "I just hope it didn't make things awkward as hell. That's the last thing I need right now..."

Kohaku giggled a bit next to her, as she had faith that the two would still remain close no matter what.

A little fountain was bringing in water, and a light tap was heard. "Lady, gentlemen," Ginro was on his knees, bowing his head a little. He was wearing a chef's outfit. "I hope you enjoy my dish, thank you," He had made Gen, Senku, and Sumi cotton candy, Sumi sitting between the two. Their cotton candy was resting on plates. The three then reached out, Ginro watching them in anticipation. They then all took a bite.

"...This cotton candy is..." Senku spoke up first, Ginro swallowing nervously as he waited. "Very puffy and melts on my tongue. Yet the texture does have a considerable amount of roughness."

"Agreed!" Gen was mimicking a judge, causing the two to turn to the mentalist in confusion. "This inconsistency is going against the flavor's balance."

"There's several parts in the cotton candy that don't mix together well," Sumi closed her eyes. "It should be more fluffier than it is now..."

Ginro let tears run down his face in shame. "I'm sorry, I'll work much harder next time..." But then he came back to reality as he slammed down the chef's hat. "HEY! Wait! This bit is lame! I'm done playin'! No one gives a crap about well-balanced cotton candy!"

Senku and Gen both flinched as a shadow was cast over Sumi's eyes. "What...did you just say?" She pulled out her whip, tightening it in her hands. Gen sweat dropped while shaking. Senku recoiled back a bit with a yelp. "You might not care, but I do, so you'll continue making cotton candy until it isn't rough anymore! And I don't wanna hear anything else except yes ma'am!"

"Ahhh!" Ginro shouted in fear, looking to Gen and Senku for help. But they just turned away innocently. And that told him that he shouldn't diss cotton candy around Sumi ever again. "Y-Yes, ma'am..." He bowed his head to her and she huffed. Senku moved her arms gently with a sigh.

"Calm down, both of you," He told them as she gave him a tiny glare. The green-haired scientist ignored it as he placed her whip back at her side. "He didn't know he'd be asking for instant death when he said that."

"So somehow you guys know about comedy bits?" Gen couldn't help but wonder. "I assume that was part of the 100 Tales?"

"Yeah, that sounds like somethin' my dad would put in there," Senku said dryly, unamused.

"And considering how he included cotton candy into it, that must've been for me," Sumi chuckled a little, having calmed down for now.

"Why are we wasting so much time, you guys?!" Ginro complained to her and Senku. "At the rate we're going right now, they'll hit us before this phone's done!" He looked up at the duo with tears from his eyes.

Senku chuckled in response with a grin. "Ah, relax! We're talking about a serious matter here."

"I'm saying this as nicely as possible, but the texture of cotton candy is serious?" Kohaku gave a small shrug, and thankfully didn't piss Sumi off.

"Well, for eating, yes, but that's not the only reason we had to test it," Sumi smiled with a hand on her hip.

"If our test product ends up having a bunch of clumps, it stands to reason the gold wire we make would have the same issue, don't you think?" Gen pointed out to everyone.

Chrome then gasped in understanding. "Uh! That does make sense! Oh man, good thing we tested with that cotton candy first!" He smiled with a thumbs up.

Senku then approached the cotton candy machine, Sumi and Chrome following him. "Yeah. We have to figure out what's causing the clumps. Don't want the same problem with gold." Sumi rubbed her chin while looking inside.

"Otherwise it'll be a waste of time and resources..." She murmured while trying to think of what could cause them.

"And once again, we're doing the ol' last minute trial-and-error routine, aren't we?" Kaseki guessed correctly, earning a giggle from the black-haired woman.

"Would it be anything less?"

Ginro and Kinro were put to work again at the cotton candy machine. They pulled the rope back and forth. They all watched closely at the machine to observe the problem. Chrome noticed something and then pointed. "Stop right there!" The two then flinched while looking up at him.

"Ah..." Senku frowned a little, his eyebrows furrowing. "It happens right when the rope's tugged in the opposite direction. The rotation speed drops which then causes it to clump up."

"Which can't be helped since the rope can't be straight while pulling it at the rotation speed Kinro and Ginro are going at..." Sumi sighed a little, arms crossed.

"Is there a way for it to work smoothly without losing speed?" Kohaku tilted her head at the two. She then turned around to the brothers, crossing her arms a bit sternly. "Concentrate harder on your brotherly bond!"

"You sound crazy!" Kinro exclaimed as both of them sweat dropped, Ginro giving a little groan.

"Wait!" Chrome held up a finger. "What about using a stupidly long rope? Like one whole kilometer?"

"You'd kill us!" Ginro shouted in protest.

"Maybe we could spin it by hand, like with that generator over there," Kaseki pointed to the dual generator nearby.

"That'd be too slow," Senku said with a small frown.

"That'll just make more clumps anyway, and we need smooth golden wires," Sumi closed her eyes with a sigh.

"Ha! Just takes willpower," Kohaku told the two.

"Maybe we could all take turns spinning it," Kinro suggested while rubbing his chin. Kokuyo stepped up with a frown.

"We're gonna be too short on people for that. Winter will be here soon enough. We can't afford to divert that much manpower to science work."

"Yes, that's a major issue, huh?" Gen spoke up nearby with a nervous smile. "And we still don't have much access to the revival fluid to get more people..."

They were all stuck as they tried to think, but nothing was coming to mind. Senku then chuckled as he thought of what to do. "I guess we'll have to make something else, then," The others besides Sumi turned to him in confusion. "It's gonna take a good amount of work, but we do have super craftsman Kaseki on our side."

"And some material that should be easy to get," Sumi smiled at him knowingly. "You up for it, Kaseki?"

He perked up, humming curiously as he raised an eyebrow. A bit later, he got to work carving wood into something. The others looked over his work. "This is what revolutionized energy. We're making the gear!"

"This should help tackle our clumps problem," Sumi smiled while gesturing to it. "But we'll need something from you to pull it off, if you don't mind," She glanced to Kohaku, who was confused. Senku then grabbed her shield, holding it up.

"Kohaku's shield is super handy for this task! It's like ten billion percent the perfect size and shape for the gear we need right now!" He looked up at it, his eyes glinting.

Kokuyo was gasping in disbelief. "You're really gonna use her shield?" Kaseki asked in a bit of hesitation.

"The same one that the chief was given when he won the Grand Bout? The one he handed down to his daughter?" Ginro wondered as Kokuyo was shaking. The one he handed down to his daughter? The one he handed down to his daughter?

He then recalled winning against Jasper, a fond smile on his face. "Grand Bout victor: Kokuyo!" He then laughed happily, being handed the shield in front of the cheering crowd.

"Congrats!"

"Yay!"

A tear came to his eye when remembering giving it to her. How happy she looked with it. "Wow, it's so pretty!"

"Aw, if it makes you happy, you can have it!"

"Ha ha! Thank you so much, Daddy!"

Daddy echoed for him from the memory. He then walked past Kohaku, flushing a little. "Oh, uh, I don't really mind, but you know...it means so much to Kohaku," She stared after him as he hoped that she wouldn't give it away. "It was a gift from her daddy. So, she probably doesn't wanna part with it."

"No," Kohaku responded without even hesitating, scratching the back of her head. "It's not a big deal to me." Kokuyo screamed in dismay, his eyes white looking at her. "Practicality first," She made small holes in the shield before hammering pegs into it.

"Damn, that's savage!" Chrome exclaimed in disbelief. Kokuyo let out a cry and Sumi smiled a little, patting his back to comfort him. She was sure that he'd find something else for Kohaku that would mean just as much...

Soon, the cotton candy machine was improved, the gear and Kohaku's shield attached. The wispy strands started spinning, and there were no more clumps. "Whoa! This is amazing!" Ginro gushed while spinning it, since it didn't require dual strength anymore. "It's easy because I only have to turn it in one direction and the speed doesn't matter at all! I feel like I could keep doing this forever without any help."

"I don't recommend that," Sumi sweated nervously as she hoped that he wouldn't consider it, he needed to sleep and eat to be able to function...

Gear acquired!

Kohaku and Chrome looked up ahead, their eyes shining in awe of how it worked. Suddenly something came to mind for the latter. He rubbed his chin, a small frown on his face while concentrating. "It can move slowly...go forever in the same direction...it spins...and pushes..." He then got an idea, slamming down his foot. "BADASS! I got an idea! Aww, you are gonna love it," He walked up to Kaseki, the others staring in confusion. He then dragged off the old man.

"What's gotten into you?" He demanded as Kohaku eyed them closely, wondering what was going on.

"Just hear me out!" Chrome replied and then once he was a good distance away, he bent down to Kaseki. He whispered the plan, the others still confused as they watched. Suddenly, no one was ready when Kaseki exploded in excitement, his clothes ripping apart. The force was enough to knock everyone off their feet. He then dragged Chrome with him towards the forest.

"Alright! Let's haul ass!"

Everyone groaned while on the ground, Sumi sitting up first. "Ow..." She groaned with a hand on her head.

"That's weird," Kohaku murmured while staring after them. "I wonder what Chrome could be up to now?"

"He's just got some kinda scheme he's cookin' up," Senku responded with his hand behind his neck. "Let him be."

Gen stood up and shrugged. "When a guy's getting into mischief like that, you're not really supposed to look until he's done."

Speaking of mischief, Senku had a dark aura around her. He had a manic smirk on his face as his eyes were pure white, holding up the golden thread. "Heh heh heh...we don't really have the time to be worrying about him. Because you're all about to begin some hellishly grueling manual labor!" He cackled and Sumi shook her head slowly at his antics, trying not to giggle. He then grabbed some gold threads to twist them together. "We're gonna twist these gold threads together into a super thin wire that we'll work into a coil."

"And how long do you think this coil will need to be?" Kohaku took it from him, an innocent look on her face.

"Oooh," Sumi winced with a hand on her cheek in thought. "This is...not gonna be a fun thing to explain."

"Good question. I'd say it's from around here," Senku pointed to the ground as Kohaku nodded. He then had a big grin on his face as he pointed towards a mountain in the distance. "To the top of that mountain!"

The others bulged out their eyes as they looked up, their mouths opening wide. They couldn't even say anything. "It has to be a really long distance in order for the cell phone to operate...otherwise it won't work without a radio wave..." Sumi cringed a little nervously.

"Once again we're going to need tremendous manpower," Gen gave a small frown. "But lucky for you and Sumi, you're now the village chiefs, huh? You're both calling the shots..."

"Well, I have an idea," Sumi spoke up, getting their attention. She smiled with a hand on her hip. "Why not have the elders and children make the coil for us? That way, you'll still have enough people to help prepare for winter. And they'll have something to contribute since we can't have them do manual labor for too long."

"That's my science partner," Senku chuckled while ruffling her on the head. "Yeah, we'll have them twist it."

"I agree," Kokuyo nodded at them, smiling a little. "It'd be a great help."

And so, for the next few days, everyone got to work, with the elders and children making the gold coil. The others focused on spinning more gold thread. The whole time, Kaseki and Chrome were working on their project, not even going to sleep. The next morning, it was the same amount of work, Ganen, Kinro, and Ginro looking at all of the gold thread they made. Later that night, Senku, Gen, and Sumi were all asleep in the science shed. Sumi opened her eyes and then let out a yawn. She flinched a little to see that they fell asleep working. She rubbed at one eye while Senku's head fell onto her shoulder sleepily.

"Mm...Sumire..." He murmured in a low raspy voice and she blushed deeply, looking down at him in alarm. "What are you doing up...?" He asked tiredly, his eyes still closed.

"We fell asleep," She looked away, rubbing the back of her neck. "I was just gonna wake you guys up so that you could be more comfortable..." She whispered, but now she couldn't even move because of his head. That, and because she was too frozen over how close and warm he felt.

"Nah...I'm fine like this," He told her and she sighed slowly to calm her beating heart. Maybe it was just him being tired or that he didn't feel like moving, but...he preferred sleeping like this. Her shoulder felt comforting and inviting.

"W-Well, I'm not. I'm cold," She stammered nervously, causing him to open an eye to look up at her. He noted her flushed face and the sweat drop on her cheek. Sumi blinked as he shifted, reaching out to grab a nearby leftover giant fur. He then put it over them like a blanket, placing his head back on her shoulder.

"Still cold now?" He gave a playful smirk and she gave him a small smile. He then closed his eye again and she sat there in silence for a bit. She really hoped he couldn't hear her heartbeat right about now...

"...Senku?" She asked and he hummed in response that he acknowledged her. "Be honest...did you really make cotton candy because of the wires? Or did you make it...so that I'd be able to taste it again after so long?" She wondered quietly and he shifted a little to move his body even closer for comfort. She yelped a little, looking up at Gen still asleep thankfully. And for a few minutes, he didn't answer, making her think he went back to sleep. She looked back up towards the moon, wondering if Homura had even tried it. Or maybe she didn't care enough to tell Tsukasa since no one had come by...if that was what Senku still wanted her to believe.

"We needed it for the wires, of course. Can't have a cell phone with clumped wires," He finally told her, a small chuckle coming from him. She turned back to him in confusion as his eyes were closed. "But I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that I wanted to see you enjoy it again...all those festivals with you...you always made it exhilarating. I figured it'd at least be logical to return the favor after so long when you made ramen for me…heh."

She let out a light gasp from his answer, blinking down at him. She then slowly smiled happily, resting her cheek on the top of his head. "Thanks, Senku..." She whispered softly to him, her eyes fluttering shut. "It tasted just like it."

"Ahh, no need to thank me. It's just cotton candy," He dismissed while letting out a small yawn. "You looked like you were gonna burst every time I saw you thinking about it. I knew you could be childish sometimes, but-" He was interrupted by light snoring, opening his eyes and glancing up. Sumi had fallen asleep, a small smile on her face. He stared at her peaceful expression, as he felt her body rising up and down. Senku then let out an amused chuckle, smirking as he brought the blanket closer around them. "Goodnight, Sumire," He murmured while falling back asleep.

Chrome and Kaseki were still working outside without any rest.

The next day, the kids and elders had even more gold coil, some kids having fell asleep. Thankfully, Senku and Sumi had woken up before Gen, otherwise he would've teased the hell out of them. Sumi noticed the kids and walked up to them, waving some villagers over. She shook one kid awake and the girl sat up so that one of the villagers would take her away to get some sleep. Once she made sure that people were getting rest, she went back to the lab. She smiled as Kinro and Ginro were hauling in supplies into the lab. Gen watched Senku holding something above a pot. Ruri and Kohaku brought them dinner later that evening. Chrome and Kaseki were still working, not having taken one single break.

Sumi hummed the next morning while she, Senku, and Gen were coiling the gold wire they had. Senku turned to her briefly, smiling a little from her soft melodious voice. It was relaxing despite all the hellish work they had been doing. A hand then made a noise loud enough to get their attention. Senku and Sumi turned around in confusion to see Chrome crawling towards them. He looked exhausted and Sumi dropped her wire.

"Oh my god, Chrome!" She exclaimed in concern while running over to him. "What happened to you?"

"Well...it's finally completed, Senku, Sumi!" He mumbled as his face had seen better days, starting to grow hair. "We both worked...for three...days! No sleep!"

"Are you crazy?! What is more important than sleep?" Sumi frowned while examining him. Senku's eyes widened behind her as he was curious as to what they did. Everyone stopped what they were doing, rushing down the forest. Once they reached the riverbank, they were shocked at the sight in front of them.

"Whoa! What is that?" Kohaku wondered as they had never seen it before.

On the river was a large waterwheel, spinning continuously thanks to the water. Kaseki then laughed as he approached the group. "Ha ha! I know I'm awesome, but this blade of science is really something special!" He held a saw in his hand. "It would've never worked without this: my super iron cutting tool! Pretty great, eh?"

Chrome then joined his side, a big grin on his face while clenching his fists. "So what do you think? Isn't my new invention amazing? This is payback for when you two got me good with that magnet!"

"You realize we want you to be more shocked," Kaseki pointed out as neither Sumi or Senku were having the reactions that they wanted.

"...A waterwheel," They both murmured in awe, unable to look away. The two then fell on their backs for the correct answer.

"Man! Of course you two already know what it is!" Chrome exclaimed in disbelief.

"Water...wheel?" Kinro murmured in confusion.

Kaseki then stood up, a little disappointed. "But I had a great name for this contraption! Forever Spinning Cotton Candy Machine!"

"Waterwheel is much better..." Ginro deadpanned from behind, since that was a mouthful...and it was water, not cotton candy...

Senku grinned while Sumi smiled, both their eyes shining a little. "Now, don't think Sumi and I aren't shocked by it, Chrome," Senku started off with a small smile. "I honestly can't believe you built this thing without even knowing what it is!"

"You two should be proud of yourselves!" Sumi smiled while clapping her hands together. "You worked really hard on this, although please get some sleep soon. You both did a fantastic job! I'm so glad you managed to pull this off."

The two glanced at each other and then hooked their arms together. They then smiled from her praise, both of them happy for what they did. Then Senku had another idea, and later that night, they were bringing materials to the waterwheel. Gen was carrying the golden wire while Senku and Kohaku were carrying wood.

"Listen, you guys, this is a way bigger deal than an automatic cotton candy machine." Kaseki started working on bigger gears, with the kids and elders helping polish them. "There's something else that's gonna be a whole lot easier." Kohaku, Jasper, Kokuyo, and Sumi helped carry the bigger gears towards the riverbank. "Remember that generator Kinro and Ginro had to work so hard to spin?" Kinro dragged said generator up the pathway, Chrome and Ginro helping push it. Chrome then started pushing down wood into the ground, Kaseki placing the final touches on the waterwheel.

"Oh yeah!" Gen's eyes widened in realization. "Right!"

The new waterwheel spun around, having all of the newer gears and components. Senku smirked towards the sight. "Now that we have gears and a waterwheel, the age of manual labor has officially ended!"

"That's right, guys," Sumi smiled at them. "With this, our troubles will be over. Well...most of them, anyway."

"With an infinite machine that requires no fuel..." Senku started off as he and Sumi held one wire each. This created sparks of electricity between the two as they kneeled in front of the waterwheel. "We're finally truly harnessing the incredible power of nature!"

Everyone gasped in shock at the sight in front of them. Electricity crackled around the duo. "Say goodbye to relying on manpower..."

"And hello to the age of energy!" He and Sumi finished off together.

Hydroelectric power plant acquired!