Angel: Season 3! I was so hyped for the second half to come out because by the time I got to this point, it still wasn't out. But now we're just…waiting for season four…which may or may not be the last season…
Send help lol. But even if we don't have confirmation right now, I think people reading will be really happy with the ending of this episode in particular~! Also some songs are rough translations because both of the endings aren't in English on the wiki.
The hot air balloon was arriving at Ishigami Village. Senku opened his eyes as he chuckled, a pinky in his ear. He held the rope from the balloon. "Been so long since Sumi and I had seen this place, I'm practically tearing up," He said nonchalantly while Sumi gave a small smile. She waved to the people down below as they slowly ascended down.
"Ha ha!" Ryusui laughed while looking down at the village. "Magnificent! They've built such a beautiful little village despite being in this primitive stone world. The sea, the mountains, this village, I want it all!"
"Dude, you can't have our home," Chrome argued at him. "This place is ours!" He then tossed down a knotted rope.
"Plus, Senku and I are the village chiefs, so you'd have to get it from us," Sumi pointed out while crossing her arms. Kohaku grabbed the rope and began to pull it, bringing the hot air balloon down. The villagers started to cheer for Senku, Sumi, and Chrome. Ryusui glanced down at all of them.
"So all those people down there...they're like Chrome and Kohaku, right? Not from the 21st century like you two and I are, I mean," Ryusui noticed while observing them.
"Yeah," Senku replied while turning to him. "Descendants of a lucky handful of people...who avoided the petrification. A whole band of rare characters."
"There are more than 40 villagers here," Sumi explained to the captain. "They all thought science was sorcery until Senku and I came along."
"I see...they survived this long." He then thought of his sailboat, having a solemn look on his face. He held up his hand, about to snap his fingers...but then the petrification happened. Sumi looked up first and then Senku turned around to the sight. Taiju and Yuzuriha stood still for a few seconds as the green light engulfed the area of the school. Senku rushed over and pushed Sumi out of the way, but that didn't stop everyone from turning into stone.
Kohaku continued to pull down the rope. "But...if you two were the ones who developed the revival fluid...how did you guys break out of the stone, Senku, Sumi?" Ryusui couldn't help but ask.
"I don't know all of the details," Chrome spoke up to him. "But he counted a ton. He kept the time and never lost consciousness. Then was freed after continuous exposure to nitric acid. And Sumi tried...only to lose count and fall asleep countless times," He gave a sheepish smile.
"Yeah, not one of my better moments," She muttered with her eyes closed. "At least I managed to even wake back up from consciousness. Otherwise I probably wouldn't have revived as soon as Senku did."
"You two woke up around the same time?" Ryusui blinked at the two of them as they turned around.
"Yup. Though it took us 3 months before we properly reunited. I was naked," Senku gave a sly smile.
"Ahhh!" Sumi blushed while holding her cheeks in embarrassment, remembering what happened when they found each other again. "Why?! You're so mean to me..." She gave him a big pout, whining as he laughed at her face.
Once the balloon was set down, the flames disappeared completely, and the balloon was now a pile of hemp cloth. The kids looked at the hot air balloon in awe while Chrome tugged at the fabric. Some kids, Alumni, and Natri surrounded Senku in the village. "Sup?" He greeted them casually while Ryusui looked on.
"Senku, you wanna play with us?" A little girl asked as Senku was patting one on the head.
"Sure, later," He assured the group just as Sumi approached them.
"Sumi!" The kids exclaimed and they all ran towards her. They then tackled her onto the ground and she laughed out loud cheerfully.
"Ha ha, alright, alright, you guys got me!" She sat up with a big smile on her face. Ryusui and Senku just watched as one of them sat on her lap. She then reached out to tickle the little girl. "Rawr!" The woman let out a playful growl as the girl giggled, playfully moving away. The two gave a soft smile towards her. Senku did say the kids loved her, and he was glad that she felt the same way.
"Hey, Ryusui," Ukyo spoke up and the three looked up to see him and Kohaku standing nearby.
"Come. We'll show you around Ishigami Village," Kohaku offered and they walked down the bridge. "Senku and Sumi eventually won us all over to deal with Tsukasa...who had a literal army on his side," The two led him over to the lab. "As a result, they founded the aptly-named Kingdom of Science!"
Ryusui gave a small chuckle. "And if I understand, now they're trying to save this former enemy of his, that right? And that this former enemy was in love with Sumi?" Tsukasa was still frozen back at the Tsukasa Empire.
"Uh-huh," Ukyo nodded in confirmation while standing near the shelf. "And there's only one way to do that. Senku and Sumi are going to the source of the light. The other side of the world. Although the whole 'in love with Sumi' thing was kinda intense, not gonna lie," He gave a small sweat drop; he did witness/hear all of their conversations when she was there, after all...
"They're starting with Tsukasa, but the ultimate goal is to revive all of humanity if I recall," Ryusui gave a smirk. "Then there's something you guys are gonna need: a captain to steer your ship!" He then stood on the roof of the observatory all of a sudden. "So, in other words, you want my navigational help no matter the cost, am I wrong?"
"It's like I blinked and he was up there," Ukyo looked up at him.
"Okay, you've had your fun," Chrome called out from the ground, still looking over the hole they had to patch up. "Quit babbling and help me patch this thing up," He then got onto his feet, his hands on his hips. "Seriously, they're gonna finish the ship by the time you guys are done talking."
The ship wasn't even half finished, but Gen was looking at the blueprints, giving a satisfied look. "Illiant-bray. Despite how insanely complicated Sumi and Senku's blueprints, the ship is slowly starting to take shape..."
"I can't believe we're going overseas!" Taiju walked past with a log over his shoulder. "I'm so excited!"
"South America, huh?" Yuzuriha smiled while sewing, getting Gen's attention. "I always wanted to go, but never got the chance to visit back in the 21st century."
"Onwards towards the unknown!" Ginro declared proudly, pointing up to the sky. "Stay strong, everyone! Not that I'd ever go that far from home..."
"Ginro...are you trying to disappoint us?" Kinro deadpanned with blue lines on the left side of his head.
Nikki then placed down a log nearby. "Well, whoever's coming, the ship needs to be able to move on its own, or this little trip's not happening."
"Ho ho!" Kaseki pumped his fists. "We'll get this done while Senku and Sumi's gang are looking for fuel!"
"I still can't believe they flew!" Suika jumped up, waving her arms rapidly. "They'll find that fuel in no time flat!"
Ukyo turned around as Senku and Sumi approached. "Hey guys!" Sumi greeted while waving, a small smile on her face.
"Oh, hey Senku, Sumi. Good work on the balloon's test flight. I'm glad everything went well," He smiled while gesturing to the balloon.
Senku let out a chuckle while picking his ear. "Eh, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows," He admitted to the archer.
Sumi gave a sheepish look at the memory. "Yeah, that sky god was no joke...ended up almost falling towards the ground." Kohaku and Ukyo both gasped at her, and she waved a hand. "I'm fine! Senku saved my life." She recalled how close he was and coughed while trying to hide her blush.
"Well, it's good to know that the village's sweetheart has him to keep her safe," Chrome commented with a small smile.
"Village sweetheart?" Ukyo looked at him in confusion.
"It's really just a nickname, my official title is village chieftess," Sumi rubbed the back of her neck with an awkward smile.
"It's because she's usually so sweet and Senku's such a stinker," Chrome remarked with a small smirk.
"Heh. Hilarious," Senku deadpanned at him with his arms crossed.
"Come on, guys, you're making me blush," Sumi laughed a little.
"But now we're set. We'll fight on two fronts, on the land and in the sky. We'll search like hell from above and below. And once we get our oil, we can go anywhere we want. Even the other side of the planet." Ukyo and Chrome both grinned at the two. "So how about it? Up to the challenge, o great captain?" He looked up towards Ryusui.
"Who do you think you're talking to? I can take you anywhere with these arms of mine!" He gripped the grappling hook attached to the wire, sliding down until he reached the dirt and landed safely. "Be it the petrification beam or a bright future for humanity, we'll get what we want. And in this stone world, this new world, I want everything!" He then snapped his fingers.
The Earth was shown, and then structures crumbled thanks to the petrification. Everything changed, and statues were covered in vines.
A balloon flew over the sea while 'Dr. Stone: New World' appeared in sparkles.
(Yeah, it's this kind of pain)
Science formulas flew around Senku and Sumi as their backs were turned to the far left. Sumi was on Senku's right, her hair flowing as they held hands. He used his free hand to pick at his pinky. Sumi's hand was on her hip as the two were now turned to front face with smirks, their bangs flying past.
(For a tale without a storyline)
In the lab for the Kingdom of Science, Gen turned around. Chrome then held up his arms with a big smile.
(That's indispensable)
Kohaku turned around with her hands on her hips. Ruri turned to the side with a smile on her face.
(The moon settles itself on the sea at night)
Yuzuriha looked up towards the sun with a smile, sitting next to Taiju. He then smiled as well.
(If you've got time to glorify past sufferings)
Magma was on the left, carrying some wheat from a wheat field. Ukyo was kneeling, turned away with a smile. Nikki was on his left, arms crossed. Yo was on the right, holding a hoe over his shoulder.
(Focus on the moment)
Kinro, Ginro, and Kaseki were standing in the forest. Kinro's glasses shined as Kaseki kept his stoic face. Ginro then faced the front, a goofy grin on his face.
(I may be a fool, but I'd rather be honest)
Tsukasa was laying down, having been frozen.
(My heart's electrified)
A three-way split screen appeared, Chrome between Senku and Sumi. All three grinned widely while front facing, the boys holding out clenched fists. Sumi held up her fist, a hand on her hip. The Perseus sailed on the sea, with Ryusui leading it.
(Even if it means hurting someone)
Kirisame spun around in kicks.
(There's a light that's non-negotiable for me)
Moz spun around his staff and body in swift motions. An eye in purple light opened his eyes.
(Don't mean to bring it up again but)
The eye was revealed to be from Ibara, surrounded by Moz and Kirisame. Suika drove a camouflaged car down the road at night.
(In this world, in this world)
Amaryllis looked up towards the sky, clasping her hands together pleadingly.
(I'm not ready to become an unforgettable just yet)
Why-Man appeared in red, Gen, Chrome, Ukyo, Ryusui, Sumi, and Senku appearing in front of him in that order. Everyone except Ryusui and Senku were terrified of him.
(I'm a dreamer that's cheated death)
The Perseus headed towards an island during a storm at night.
(Crawl back up from zero, even if the sky breaks)
Kohaku and Sumi both did a flip in front of the moon from opposite sides, both of them in their beauty pageant disguises.
(Go to that world, to that world)
Suika on the left jumped up and down while waving her hands. Minami gave a smirk while holding a camera, and Francois gave a bow. Sumi, Senku, Chrome, and Yo rode a minecart together. Then Suika, Kohaku, and Mirai were looking at a radar. Soyuz turned around while standing in the forest. Gen, Senku, Sumi, Ukyo, Chrome, and Ryusui all rode a speedboat together, all of them smiling.
(Swallowing it tens and hundreds and thousands of times)
Yakov, Shamil, Connie, Byukaya, Lillian, and Dalia appeared in that order, wearing their spacesuits while in the stars. Senku was standing to the left. Sumi was standing right behind him looking up at the six with her back facing Senku.
(Let it bloom furiously for tens and hundreds and thousands of years)
The two faced towards the rising sun holding hands. Suika, Chrome, Taiju, Yuzuriha, Yo, Kaseki, Francois, Nikki, Ryusui, Kohaku, Ginro, Kinro, Ukyko, and Gen were all facing towards the sight as well.
Night fell, and it was time for a feast. Ryusui snapped his fingers again. "Such hospitality! My thanks to these beauties!"
"Oh," Alumni spoke up with a smile while she and the other elderly ladies were serving the table. "Don't tell me you mean us. What a charmer!"
"So long as it's not directed towards me, I don't have any problem agreeing with that," Sumi murmured to herself while looking away. Chrome lifted up a lid while drool fell from his mouth.
"What is this? So bad! Look at this fancy spread!" He exclaimed in excitement.
"We're having a feast," Sho explained with a small smile. "To welcome Ryusui for one. And to celebrate Sumi and Senku's triumphant return to the village!"
"Aww, thank you, everyone," Sumi gave them a small smile.
Ryusui sniffed the feast, thinking about a bunch of meat and stew, also some dessert and some wine. However...instead it was all fish. There was grilled fish, grilled fish soup, grilled fish salad, grilled fish dessert, and grilled fish that he couldn't even define. Ryusui grew pale while Chrome danced around in excitement, holding a fork and spoon. He was still drooling while also being oblivious to the captain's reaction.
Everyone laughed and talked, Senku swallowing a spoonful of soup. "Hey Jasper, Turquoise, how'd it go keeping the old fogies safe? Any trouble on the homefront?" Since Kokuyo and Ruri were at the Tsukasa Empire, this left the two guards in charge in place of the two chiefs while they were away.
"And anything dangerous happen?" Sumi looked up from her grilled fish salad.
"Not one battle to be fought," Turquoise reported to the duo. "I wish a bear would've at least attacked so we'd have some meat."
"We've had fish for every meal going on months now," Jasper added and Sumi took another bite of her fish.
"Thanks for the information, you two," She gave them a small smile.
Ryusi wasn't too happy with having fish, gripping some bones tightly. Sweat dropped down his face as he gritted his teeth. "Hey Senku, Sumi," The two glanced up from his right. "Remind me, how long are we going to be staying in this village exactly?"
The two scientists briefly glanced to each other. "Uhh, I don't know," He thought nonchalantly while looking up. "Until we find an oil reservoir, so maybe a year or two?"
"Although, we do kinda have a deadline to find it before winter," Sumi placed a finger on her chin in thought. "I don't know if the oil will completely disappear after that or it'll just be buried in the ground."
Ryusui then snapped the fish bones. "Ho ho! We'll find one, and food too, from up in the sky! I swear it, I swear it, I swear it, I swear it, I swear it, I swear it!"
Ukyo looked away with a sheepish smile. "That is some level of conviction coming from him. But you know, I've been thinking...maybe being greedy isn't such a bad thing in this kind of world."
"Yeah!" Senku looked at the blond smugly. "It can be pretty darn helpful. Glad you're so confident, Mr. Captain."
"Why are you encouraging this?" Sumi gave a thin smile towards him and Ukyo. Kohaku hummed with a knowing look, nodding at Chrome and Ukyo. They nodded back to her as the blonde looked towards the black-haired woman.
"So Sumi..." Kohaku gave a sly smile towards her. "Isn't it true that you have an excellent singing voice? Even being compared to Lillian Weinberg at one point?" Sumi turned to her in confusion, putting down her bowl. Senku blinked as neither of them had any idea that she, Chrome, and Ukyo were in on Gen's whole 'Sumiku' plan.
"Oh, is that so, Mimi?" Ryusui looked at her with a big grin.
"What are you getting at?" She closed her eyes in annoyance. "And I told you to stop calling me that."
"Well, I just thought that since we have new people to the village, that they should hear it for themselves," Kohaku gestured to both Ukyo and Ryusui. "And I'm sure everyone would like to hear it again too," She gave a Cheshire cat smile. Sumi raised a skeptical brow, but decided to not question it right now. She then shook her head.
"Ahh, I don't think I could. Besides, just because I knew Lillian differently doesn't mean I could match her singing," She stated while eating more salad.
"You actually knew her?" Ryusui blinked at the woman in surprise.
"Yeah..." She gave a soft smile at the memory of finding the adoption papers. "She wanted to adopt me 3,700 years ago." Ryusui's eyes widened at that explanation. "Mom and I hid it back then for my sake so I wouldn't be known for being her daughter...and so I could keep being around all my friends. She even moved to Japan just so I wouldn't have to switch schools."
Ryusui could tell from her look that she really admired Lillian and what she did for the girl. And that she missed Lillian a lot...
"You could always sing that song Gen said he heard when you were with Senku on his birthday," Chrome pointed out, alarming both her and Senku, who looked at him wide-eyed. They had no idea how either of them didn't realize he was there. Sumi took a deep breath, rubbing her temple...and then she hit Chrome on the head, leaving a head bump. He let out a yelp of pain as she gave a sweet smile.
"That's for bringing that up~! So don't tell people about their private conversations to their faces, okay?" She responded cheerfully as if nothing happened. "Even if you did hear it from someone I'm gonna slaughter when we get back."
"What did I do...?" Chrome whined; he was just the messenger.
"I thought between you two, she's the nicer one," Ryusui glanced at Senku.
"She is until you piss her off or engage in a fight with her," He chuckled as Sumi took another bite of salad. "After that, all bets are off."
"And besides, I couldn't sing that one," Sumi started off to everyone. "Not that I can't, but it's just that...that song I only sing when I'm around Senku. Whenever I just need a break from a long day, he lets me sing it if I'm with him. And technically, I never said I'd do it," She pointed at Kohaku.
By long days, she meant when she was just so tired from being around her father, though Senku didn't know that at the time. Whenever he saw her upset, he'd let her sing it just to relax her, since working on projects like that would just break her focus.
"Oh, please sing for us!" One of the kids pleaded and she turned to Suzu while blinking. "We love your pretty voice."
"You have a lovely sound!" Alumni smiled at her.
"It would be nice to hear a song from the village chieftess to welcome Ryusui," Jasper commented while looking at her.
"And you promised you would once the war with Tsukasa was over!" A village kid pointed out and she gave a look of realization.
"Alright, alright," Sumi laughed while trying to calm down the kids. "Maybe I'll sing something else when we defeat Tsukasa, okay?" They then all cheered and she rubbed her neck, closing her eyes while looking flattered.
"Mm," Her lips were pressed into a thin line as she gave a sweat drop. "I did say that, didn't I...? I didn't expect a whole audience of villagers, though."
"That reminds me, I oughta call Nikki," Senku stood up and then went over to the phone. She yelped as her hair stood up, her eyes white as he bent down to the speaker. "She'd be all for this."
"Don't you dare-"
He called anyway to her shock. "Yo, guys, Sumi's gonna sing for ya!" He told Gen with a devious smile on his face, not unlike when he got into his mad scientist self. "Gather up everyone so they can hear."
The crowd of people gasped once Gen told them, Nikki looking especially happy. "I finally get to hear Sumire Weinberg sing?!" Nikki clasped her hands, her eyes shining. Everyone had stopped everything as they waited patiently. Senku walked up and held out the speaker to Sumi, and she relented. Only because she knew what would happen if she said no.
"Ahhhh! Alright, I'll do it, but just so everyone else can be happy," She took the speaker from him, glaring up at the green-haired scientist. "You are absolutely terrible."
"A promise is a promise, according to you," He pointed out with a chuckle, going back to his spot.
She sighed slowly while holding the speaker between both hands. There was silence for what felt like minutes before she finally opened her mouth.
Take a look
Everyone gasped a little to hear her soft and controlled singing voice.
Right inside my heart
She closed her eyes as everyone watched in anticipation.
Stop the winter
Senku was absolutely enthralled by her voice, as she actually sounded mature...just like Lillian.
Make the cold depart
Nikki let out a breath as she shed a tear, looking happy. Gen closed his eyes with a small smile on his face.
Woah-oh-woah
Sumi opened her eyes as she vocalized her voice, taking a deep breath.
Oh-ye
She looked up slightly, holding the speaker with one hand now.
Winds are blowing
She gained a weak smile as she thought of Lillian, and wondered what she would've thought if she heard Sumi now.
But the warmth you bring
Kohaku glanced to Senku while she continued to sing, giving a small smile as Senku had his mouth slightly agape, never taking his eyes off of her.
Makes me feel like...
She closed her eyes and then looked away briefly, bringing up the speaker to her lips.
It's early spring
She belted out the last word while holding a note.
Woah-oh-woah
Her eyes glistened while bringing her head back down, a hand on her chest.
Woah woah
Some of the villagers actually started to cry from how beautiful it was.
Ask the clouds in the sky
Some of Tsukasa's men started bawling thanks to her voice.
To bring us dreams when they pass by
Senku felt completely frozen, as he had never heard this song, but it suited her well. His heart was even thumping as he felt like it was all thanks to Lillian that she even could sing like this.
We will follow leaving night
Sumi gave a small smile again; she knew that Lillian would've loved to hear her...
To the world of magic light
She closed her eyes in content as she finished the song.
Eee yeah
She slowly finished and put the speaker down, everyone in silence for a few seconds. And then she heard clapping, looking around in confusion as every single person in the room was applauding. Back at the Tsukasa Empire, it was the same thing. Even Senku was giving a slow clap, a smirk on his face. She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.
"Oh...thank you," She laughed in embarrassment.
"So pretty!"
"It was so moving."
"A voice that's just as beautiful as Lillian's."
"Thank you, Sumi," Nikki smiled to herself in tears. "It was just like I pictured Lillian singing it...you've made her proud!"
"It was so amazing!" Suika cried out nearby, tears from her face.
Ryusui laughed while snapping his fingers. "Now that's what I like to hear! Can I purchase your talent?"
"Yeah, that's gonna be a kind no thanks. Stop trying to flaunt your money at me, Ryusui," Sumi gave him an annoyed look.
"Wow, you really do sing almost like Lillian," Ukyo gave a small smile. "It was enlightening to hear for the first time."
"More singing, please!" Suzu clapped and she blushed deeply.
"You guys..." Sumi murmured at the crowd bashfully. She had to remind herself to not make this a regular thing. The only reason she even knew how to do it was because she used to sing with Lillian growing up...
"I do have to wonder, how was it for you, Senku?" Gen suddenly asked and she hung up immediately, her face red. Senku blinked from her reaction and then chuckled.
"Not bad," He gave a small shrug.
"Seriously?!" Everyone except Sumi shouted with white eyes for his casual response.
The next morning, they got to work. Ryusui, Senku, and Sumi were in the balloon. Kohaku gave an amazed laugh while hanging onto the bottom of the basket. A small blush was over her face. "I can't believe it! I'm really truly flying through the sky!"
Senku looked over the edge, picking at his ear. "Fun as it is to see our lioness freaking out over this like some kid or just Sumi, you should probably get to work."
"Hey, I'm not freaking out," Kohaku glared up at him, shaking a fist. "And although I haven't heard a lioness joke in a while, it's still not appreciated!"
"Agreed, I'm not some kid!" Sumi spoke up in annoyance next to Senku. "I didn't react like that."
"Sure," He remarked playfully and she grumbled at him.
"He's right, though," Chrome spoke up while holding the cell phone. He and Ukyo were the ground team. "We're depending on your eyesight, Kohaku. Otherwise I would've killed to be up there in your place."
"The ground search team is pretty important, too," Ukyo gave him a small smile.
"Kinda have to wonder why they're down there," Kohaku commented while noticing them. "Couldn't we just spot the oil ourselves from here?"
"Well, it wouldn't be impossible, at least," Senku gave a smirk. "But science isn't about relying on luck. We're gonna coordinate with the ground team using our cell phones. And survey the landscape little by little until we find the Sagara Oil Fields."
"That's right," Sumi looked up at Kohaku with a small smile. "It's bound to turn up sooner or later. Until then, we'll mark down each and every single resource we find on this map. At least we'll find things that'll help us in the long run."
Senku then rolled out a map on the ground. "We'll use our own eyes and hands to create a map of this new world," He then drew a tree with a feather pen. Kohaku gasped as she noticed something up ahead.
"Could it be in that forest there?" She wondered, Senku grinning before Ryusui pushed his head down.
"Or maybe some food!"
"Ah, that's a cedar forest," Chrome revealed with a grin after taking a look. Ukyo marked this down on a piece of paper. "Leave this to the Resource King! I know the route over there, follow me!"
"We can gather wood for construction!" Ukyo suggested with a small smile. Chrome then gave a small giggle. The area was then looking like Minecraft. Senku, Sumi, Ryusui, and Kohaku popped up one by one.
"It's like filling out a video game map. As my science partner put it, we'll mark down key treasure spots as we go," He explained and Kohaku jumped past the three. She hopped onto various spots before landing and pointing up. The cedar forest grew around her, the other three jumping around.
"Huh! This is actually getting pretty fun!" Kohaku jumped around too. "I bet Chrome could find some mines along the way if he looks!"
Ryusui gave a small chuckle. "That'd be great...super useful...but I want food!" He gave a panicked look and then flinched at something up ahead. He hung his arms over the basket while blinking. "Hold on a sec...something's moving. A herd of wild animals! Trust me, sailor's instincts."
Ukyo heard something and then ran towards the source of it. He kneeled while holding an arrow into his bow. Chrome joined him seconds later as they hid behind some rocks. Ukyo gained a confident smile on his face. "Found 'em," He whispered so that he didn't alert the animals. Up ahead on a cliff was a goat walking around. "It looks like there's an old one that's been separated from the rest. It was a herd of feral goats." The goat let out a bah and Ukyo pointed his arrow at it. "I'm sorry," He shot and then killed the goat. "If it's any consolation, we'll make sure none of your meat goes to waste."
The herd of goats got marked on the map, Ukyo and Chrome looking over the dead one in the water. The two then pulled down the hot air balloon. Ryusui guided them while Sumi and Senku pulled on the rope together. Later that night, the six all worked together on the map, and soon, it had been established. Though they still didn't find the oil.
"This is incredible, isn't it?" Natri asked in awe.
"It's so detailed!" Sho exclaimed while holding it. "I've never seen a map like this before!"
Ryusui was chewing on goat meat, laughing triumphantly. "It's amazing what you can find out from the sky! Now that we've mapped out food spots, you poor folks won't be forced to eat those salty fish for the rest of ti..." He faltered as he saw Alumni crying tears of joy.
"This changes everything, science is amazing!" She cried out happily. "Now that we have this map, we may have to never watch a friend or family member starve to death again!" Ryusui blinked as he dropped his meat, staring at them.
"Hey, everyone's okay," Sho placed a comforting hand on her back. "We haven't had a bad fishing year in a long time now."
"Just drop it," Turquoise retorted with her eyes closed. "You're ruining dinner with this talk."
Ryusui and Senku silently watched, a solemn frown on the former's face. Sumi stood up, walking over to the villagers to try and cheer them up. She rubbed Alumni's back, glancing back towards the two forlornly.
The next morning, the hot air balloon took off again, Ryusui somberly watching the ground. "Ishigami Village never grew..." The villagers were happily waving to them. "Humanity survived thousands of years, but their numbers stayed low. Because of food shortages...am I wrong?"
"Before I was born, I'm told the village was a lot bigger. But...many had died after a bad fishing year, including all of Turquoise's family," Kohaku revealed sadly to him. "I'm sure it was awful..."
"Without a proper way to find different food or even just finding a good fish...it's not enough to sustain the human body," Sumi spoke up with a deep frown. "Having to watch someone you know for a while just lose their life like that...can't be easy for anyone to deal with. Especially if you grew up with them..." Her eyes saddened as she remembered having to go through it herself.
"You've...experienced it?" Ryusui glanced over to her.
"Mmhm," She nodded slowly in response. "My grandmother. I was still in elementary school when...when she passed," She said softly while trying to keep it together.
"I'm sorry," He murmured in sympathy to her.
"There's a limit to how far fishing can get you," Senku replied a bit breathlessly. "If we wanna grow, we'll need agriculture. Heh heh. The plants wanted to thrive, so they made it worth our while. You could even say that they domesticated us with how much we took care of 'em."
Ryusui stomped a foot onto the basket in determination. "Were people really put on this planet just to multiply? Does all life exist simply to reproduce? Only God knows for sure. And I don't give a rat's ass about God! As for me, all I want is to keep those beautiful women from crying! And the greediest man in the world gets what he wants! We'll find the seeds of life from the sky! Your age of agriculture begins here, Senku and Sumi!"
Kohaku gave a small chuckle while Senku had his eyes closed, smiling as well. And of course, he broke the touching moment with a big grin. "Yeah, I bet you're pumped, cause once we start farming, we'll have created a food market! Which gives you an opportunity to make some cash again!"
"Of course..." Sumi murmured knowingly at this.
"Aw, you figured me out already, huh?" Ryusui had a maniacal look on his face.
Kohaku looked a bit uneasy. "I don't know if you're a good guy...or just pure evil." The others watched as the blond whistled, putting wood back into the fuel. "I sometimes worry about Gen too, but Ryusui's even worse..."
"The guy is simply greed personified," Senku gave a small smirk. "He's just totally unwilling to give up on anything. Not on himself, and not on humanity."
"Heh. And Mimi as well."
"Why did you have to say that?" Sumi complained with blue lines over her forehead. Senku just rolled his eyes at Ryusui. He felt a little relief that Sumi at least wasn't a fan of the flirting either. Kohaku just sweated a bit.
The cell phone started to ring, Chrome glancing back at it. Ukyo came to a stop. The two then waved while running next to a beach. "Hey, so Kohaku spotted some kinda weed growing by the water? We're nearby, just point us in the right direction!"
"Even if you weren't whining about it all the time, this is something we'd need," Senku smirked at Ryusui, who looked at him in silence. "Gotta have long lasting, light food to come with us across the world. And we need to be able to make a crap ton of it too."
"It's a good thing you did suggest agriculture, otherwise we'd be stuck fishing and we wouldn't have the time for it," Sumi gave a small smile, leaning against the basket by Senku's right side. "Now's the perfect time to start planning for food."
"It's right ahead of you guys!" Kohaku pointed up ahead. "Golden foxtail, and lots of it!" They were approaching a large field of it, and Ryusui gasped in realization.
"The area was able to sustain that herd of wild goats," Senku gave a pleased smile. "I knew we'd find some here. We just needed to be patient and look for it a little."
"It's wheat!" Ryusui exclaimed in realization as Ukyo and Chrome found it as well. "Ha ha! So we're baking then."
"Yeah. Sumi can do that no problem. When she and I started camping together, she handled half the cooking," Senku gestured to the black-haired scientist, who scoffed in response.
"Half my ass, you'd usually lose your stamina by the end of the day too much to cook," She retorted with a hand on her hip.
"Hey, that's just me not having a cheat code for it," He replied back with a small grin. "Besides, I always enjoyed your cooking more than mine."
"Eh?" She blinked and then gave a small smile in return. "Aww, and they say chivalry is dead. Although I can tell what's on your mind. You're trying to charm me into doing all the work," She shook her head slowly at him.
"Heh heh heh...Nah...not this time. Not with you, anyway," He remarked while putting his pinky into his ear. Sumi blushed and then looked away with a small smile. Small things like that gave her hope, but only a little bit. This was Senku, after all...all she had to do now was just wait for those fated words and then it'd all be over.
She cleared her throat, clenching a fist. "This is where it all starts, you guys."
"From now on, we're gonna be cultivating our own food," Senku revealed with a hum and small grin. "Grown by humanity's hand."
They imagined setting sail while Kohaku and Chrome swallowed bread. "We're planning to find the source of the petrification beam. It's gonna be a long age of discovery journey. So we'll need a stupid amount of food that'll last," Senku explained as the six of them stared down the wheat field as the sun shined down on it.
"And it needs to be easy to make and preserve. Can't have bread if it's not stored properly, then we'd be in real trouble," Sumi added with a hand on her hip.
"I want it," Ryusui spoke up with a small smirk. "The king of preserved food. I want bread!"
Senku just chuckled in response. "How does the saying go? Life hands you wheat, you make bread or something?" Kohaku lunged forward, yelling while holding her katana. She started cutting down the wheat, speeding through the field.
Sumi smirked and pulled out her whip. "A whip, huh? Never took ya for a bondage type," Ryusui commented, earning a sound of shock from her. She growled while a red mark was near her forehead.
"Freaking..." Sumi gritted her teeth while her hand was shaking, sighing slowly. "You know, I would just say vomit and end it right there. As hilarious and awkward as hell that was, no, it's not for...that." She cracked her whip and he jumped back as it hit the ground in front of him. "So don't get your hopes up on that front."
"Touchy. But sensitive, huh?" Ryusui adjusted his hat.
"Ugh," She looked away while rolling her eyes. "I don't need to justify anything except that I'm still not interested. I need a nap or something after this, I think I'm officially out of rejections to give," She pinched her nose, looking weary.
"Mmm..." Senku glanced over at the two. One of these days, Ryusui was gonna stop...eventually. He could see why he had his eyes set on Sumi, but given her own complications with him, Senku doubted she'd ever really see Ryusui as a partner. And that didn't mean he was feeling irrational emotions like jealousy, either. Unlike Tsukasa, Sumi was definitely the most annoyed with Ryusui's attempts out of anyone. He was too loose of a cannon for her to ever change her mind.
Not that Senku was worried.
Sumi cracked her whip excessively while stepping forward, snapping off wheat like it was nothing. They then carried wheat over to the village, with Kohaku having the biggest pile. And of course, Senku struggled with his bundle. He held up some wheat and they got the seeds out by putting bundles of wheat though a little invention.
"Ha!" Ryusui snapped his fingers as he couldn't wait to have some. "Brioche! Sfogliatella! Pain au chocolat!"
"What are those things?" Kohaku looked at him curiously. "Are they like special attack names?" She could just imagine herself saying Brioche right now while giving out an energy beam. Senku and Sumi then popped up with deadpanned looks.
"That's a bougie menu. Who's making that? Cause I'm betting it's not you. Sumi and I are making biscuits," Senku told him while Sumi rolled her eyes.
"Leave it to him to ask for things that we can't make..."
"Ha ha!" Ryusui wasn't faltered one bit. "Now now, I'm sure we can make all of it. Only the best for the greediest man in the world."
"You really think this'll be enough wheat for all that?" Chrome pointed out to him.
"That's why we're gonna start farming!" Ryusui snapped his fingers.
"No amount of wheat is gonna get you brioche, you know!" Sumi retorted with her hands on her hips.
"Ha! I like it," Kohaku smiled at the seeds in her hand. "We're going to plant seeds and use science to take care of the resulting crops! We'll be producing our own food for the first time."
"Are we planning to sow seeds near the village?" Ukyo wondered while standing up.
"It's way too mountainous for that to work," Senku told him as Sumi gave a small smile. "Drainage would be an issue. The Kanto Plains are the way to go for raising crops. Taiju and his gorilla team are gonna have a blast."
Taiju was hauling in a statue, Gen walking next to him. One of Tsukasa's men was looking at a particular one. "Look...this is my old man," He said fondly, the mentalist flinching in shock.
"Eally-ray?!" He exclaimed while Taiju gave a sound of shock. Ginro put the glue onto a piece and then put into a statue carefully.
"Man, we have a ton of statues, huh?" Taiju noticed a whole line of them now.
"That's what we get for reassembling so many, but reviving none," Ginro reminded the brunet from the ground.
"Maybe we should wake 'em all up and have them do this boring work instead," Magma said in annoyance.
Nikki glared up at him. "We can't just suddenly increase our numbers like that," This got their attention as they all looked at her. "We'd run out of food if we did."
"But we also can't wait in reassembling anyone. If the matching ends were down, then they won't fit back together," Yuzuriha's eyes softened as she pieced back together an arm.
"It's about food, huh? If only I was better at hunting and gathering for us..." Taiju lamented before Kohaku stomped down a foot, holding a backpack behind her.
"Ha! Worry no more! We can stop relying on nature's charity, cause we're taking matters into our own hands!" She then held out the seeds to them. "We're gonna use science and strength to create our own food!"
Taiju yelled while putting down a garden fork into the ground. He used two of them while quickly moving to create a dirt row. Magma looked up at the sun, he and Yo already exhausted. "Yeah, I don't know how much I can contribute in all this heat..."
"Quit slacking off!" Nikki shouted nearby the two. "Your own food supply is on the line here, you know! Unless you want me to call Sumi-" The two immediately ran to get their tools and got back to work. She gave a small smirk to herself. She had been told by Yuzuriha what Sumi did to get them to stop physically fighting.
Gen looked exhausted, glancing to the side. He gasped as he saw Yuzuriha holding a hat that had a white ribbon around it. "There's only one, but this should be pretty good for blocking out the sun. I used some of the wheat to make it. Fits the farming image too."
Gen gasped as he got an idea to make the work go faster. "This is utterly onderful-way, Yuzuriha! You made a crown for our cultural leader?!" The men gasped a bit while looking at them.
Yuzuriha sweated immensely looking at the mentalist, with white eyes. "It's just supposed to be a regular hat. I never said anything about-"
"Sumiku the science team and Ryusui the sailing king are all off looking for oil. We're without any guidance here! So who's gonna be the leader? Who should we common folk follow? Why, it's the Food King, of course!" Gen held up the hat to the sky. "In other words, whoever's best at growing wheat!" Everyone gasped while looking up at the hat.
Yuzuriha was frozen as she could tell what Gen was up to. Ah yes, I see his game. Though I don't know if that's really gonna work on anyone. Actually, never mind. I can think of two people.
Magma let out a yell while working on his side, determined to be food king so he could eventually be the village chief. Yo let out a yell himself, determined to climb the ranks. As the two men worked, they glared at each other intensely, sparks coming from their eyes. They left dust behind them as Yuzuriha gave a sheepish smile. Well, at least they weren't physically fighting again...
Night fell, and it was a full moon that night. Magma and Yo were fast asleep near a tree. "All tuckered out," Gen commented as Nikki and Yuzuriha joined him. They heard a noise, turning towards the right to see Taiju still hard at work.
"He's still at it..." Yuzuriha murmured in a bit of worry.
"He's basically the polar opposite of Magma and Yo..." Nikki stepped up to him as he continued plowing. "You realize how dark it is? Resting is a part of your job too, Taiju," She warned with her hands on her hips.
"Appreciate it, Nikki," Sweat was dripping down his face, but that didn't stop him one bit. "No need to worry about me, though!"
"Oh, Taiju..." Yuzuriha gave him a fond look. "He looks happy."
"He's got infinite stamina, and is incredibly diligent," Gen commented, his hands in his sleeves. "He's so perfectly suited for farming, it's scary. Eally-ray."
"True...but it's more than that," The brunette pointed out.
The man from Tsukasa's army shed a tear at the statue in front of him. "Look. This is my old man."
Taiju wiped away his forehead, looking towards the ground. "I just know the feeling...my parents died when I was a kid," He revealed, to the shock of Nikki. Yuzuriha gave a small frown while hugging her arm as she knew about it. "And I know I'd do anything to bring them back to life...if that were possible. Sumi would say the same thing about her mom..." Nikki's eyes saddened since Lillian died a long time ago...just like Taiju's parents. "Too bad it isn't possible for either of us. But I can still help everyone else save their families," He clutched the seeds in his hands. "We're gonna make a whole mountain of food, and revive the entire world. These little seeds in my hand are the key to that, harvesting wheat and turning it into bread is only the beginning!"
All of them looked on with content smiles for his dedication. Even though their families were long dead now...both Sumi and Taiju were dedicated to helping others just because...they simply wanted to. Because they wanted to spread happiness to the world in their own ways.
The next morning, a whole field of green was there, meaning there was significant progress for wheat. "Whoa! They actually grew!" Ginro exclaimed with a smile.
Suika jumped up and down happily. "This is so awesome! All this wheat's popping out right where you planted the seeds!" She cried out, though Magma and Yo didn't look so happy. This was because their own fields of wheat...had been reduced to little leaves in the ground. And even then, it wasn't much compared to the other side.
"Aw, man," Yo sweated nervously while looking at Taiju's side. "Taiju's killing it over there."
"Ours were doing fine," Magma looked very dismayed, tears down his cheeks. "Why'd they stop growing all of a sudden?"
"Oh," Taiju walked over to them. "You guys planted seeds here too? I didn't even notice, sorry," He took off the bag he was wearing around his shoulder. It was really to be calcium carbonate, confusing the two. "I got some ground up seashells. You see, I happen to remember something Senku and Sumi taught me way back when." He then started pinching the powder over the soil. "I don't know the complicated science behind it or anything, but I thought I'd spread some around just in case it helped."
Taiju spoke to them as they were taking off in the hot air balloon. Sumi smiled while pressing her hands together. "Wow, Taiju! I'm so proud that you remembered that," She said happily to her friend.
"Oh yeah," Senku replied in realization. "How about you guys test the soil quality? Wash some morning glories, grind 'em up, and soak 'em in paper." Once they did as instructed, Gen held up a litmus test strip.
"Is this what I think it is? That thing we used in science class in school," Gen smiled while examining it. "Uh, what was it called again? A-a litmus test strip or whatever?"
Taiju then tested it into a beaker of soil, and the tip of it turned red. "Okay, interesting," He murmured while Nikki, Yo, and Magma looked over his shoulder. "Magma and Yo's dirt made the test strip turn red." He then tested another onto his own soil, and it turned people this time. "But the strip from my dirt turned a purple color!"
Senku let out a chuckle once he informed them. "That's because red is for acidic soil, and purple stands for neutral," Sumi revealed with a small smile.
"You win, Taiju. Wheat doesn't grow in acidic soil. You may not have understood the science behind what you were doing, but you neutralized your PH calcium. That said, we don't know what species of wheat we're dealing with." Magma and Yo pinched the calcium carbonate onto their soil. "So had you not lucked out and balanced it so well, we would've been stuck with our pal trial and error again." And so, the group of three continued to neutralize their soil, causing it to grow.
A few days passed, and soon, their wheat was looking much better. Magma and Yo smiled proudly from their side. Taiju walked by, everyone standing behind Yuzuriha. He looked confused as Yuzuriha held up the farming hat. Yo and Magma were a bit unhappy, but they could understand why Taiju. She then placed the hat on his head and he gasped, looking up. The others admired their field happily.
Suika looked up and noticed something, gasping. "Something's up there!" It was the hot air balloon.
"Ha ha!" Ryusui laughed while examining the field. Sumi had a happy smile on her face. "Impressive! I'll buy all of it and feed everyone!"
"Look at that, couldn't have picked a better moment. They're just in time to see our freshly grown crops," Gen then looked away a bit sheepishly. "Well, maybe a little too early..."
The basket then landed, Senku and Sumi in front facing everyone. "Ah, nice. I knew you could do it, Food King," Senku commented to Taiju, who nodded with a hum.
"Wow, everyone! Excellent work!" Sumi clapped for them. "Thanks to you, we'll have plenty of bread for the journey!" All of Tsukasa's men looked at her with hearts in their eyes. She sighed at this, sagging her shoulders. "I really hope this dies out..." She then shook it off before looking up, her fists clenched in determination. "But now, we've gotten one crucial task down, so getting closer to that mystery feels more sooner now more than ever..." She gave a small smile. "Thanks to all of this, we'll make it across the world."
"This is a massive first step toward food security," Senku smirked while looking at everything. "We're starting to clear the most critical hurdle in the way of humanity's future," He then gave a small chuckle as Sumi smiled, hugging herself. "Let's use this momentum to take on the rest of the world. We'll solve the mystery of the petrification, and bring humanity back from the brink," He then looked up, still smirking. "This is exhilarating, get excited!"
A few villagers gathered around an oven Senku made. Sumi was in the village as she said she'd be back just in time to see the first bread made. Ryusui was drooling at the thought of bread and a burger. "Don't expect my first batch to be perfect," Senku spoke up while looking back with a small smile. He was wearing gloves while holding a paddle. "I'm far from a professional chef."
"Heh. This isn't just my usual greed talking when I say this, but quality's important," Ryusui explained to them. "They stocked bread on chips during the age of discovery, too. But it was so nasty, no one ate it until they nearly starved to death. Whatever you call that, apparently it wasn't food, that's for sure."
Senku gave a low chuckle as he reached in to grab some. "Alright, it should be ready to go. The first stone oven-baked bread of the stone world..." He pulled it out...and it was burnt so bad the entire thing was black. Flames were even coming out of it. Ukyo, Senku, and Ryusui were frozen in shock as they looked at it, as they were not expecting this result.
On the other hand, the villagers were loving it. "It's like an edible rock!" Kohaku called out while munching. "So interesting, the way it grinds into my teeth is so much fun!"
"It's black as coal, but it smells heavenly!" Turquoise replied while hearts flew from her head.
Senku hesitantly took a bite, and flinched from the taste in his mouth. Ryusui and Senku were both on the ground, a dark aura around them as it was definitely terrible...and the two looked like they were gonna die.
"Modern people and our pampered tastes..." Ukyo looked at the bread nervously as he was definitely not taking a taste after that. "It's not unheard of for a person to starve to death rather than eat something nasty to survive...I remember stories about it from SDF boot camp..."
The black-haired scientist then arrived, waving a hand. "Sorry I'm late! Had to help a villager with—wait..." Sumi sniffed the air and then fell back, having fainted from the smell of the burnt bread.
"Sumi!" Natri, Kohaku, Chrome, and Turquoise called out while surrounding her. Senku snapped out of it and looked over towards her.
"Oh yeah...the smell from the bread would make her pass out, wouldn't it? Whoops," He mumbled while still having the aura over him.
"Just think about all of the good that we're doing!" Taiju exclaimed happily, blissfully unaware of what really happened. "I bet Senku and the gang are filling up on all that fluffy test bread as we speak!"
"You're just making me jealous, dude," Yo commented nearby as he now wanted some...no. No he didn't.
Ryusui and Senku were hunched over in front of the oven. "This bread will kill everyone if they eat it..." Ryusui murmured in disgust. "Am I wrong?" Even if the villagers liked it, it still wasn't healthy—and modern people couldn't live off of it.
"No. We'll never make it to the other side of the planet if we don't fix this first..." Senku mumbled while Sumi held up a piece, pinching her nose while standing in front of the table.
"I can't believe this is what you turned out...well, I can give it a shot—stop," She held up a hand near Ryusui, pointing a finger as he had a flirty look on his face. "Don't you dare, I know what you would say right now. Keep it to yourself, please."
"Yeah, you don't wanna go down that road, man..." Chrome murmured to the blond, who clamped his mouth shut while sweating.
"Noted..."
Sumi sighed a bit and took out the ribbon in her hair. She used it to tie up her hair into a high bun. "Alright, let's get started. Hand over the ingredients and we'll go from there." She hummed as she started mixing, the others helping her get the right amount of things needed. She then started kneading the bread, instructing the others how to do it. She then stretched and folded the dough repeatedly before covering it. She wiped sweat from her forehead before stretching and folding two more times. She then shaped the dough into a circle and placed the dough into the oven. Ryusui drooled once again a few minutes later as she watched it bake. She glanced over her shoulder, shaking her head knowingly.
"Baking bread's not really my strong suit, but here we are!" She presented them bread, but it was slightly made out of clumps thanks to her messing up the kneading. At least it wasn't burnt unlike the last batch. She placed it onto the table and everyone took a bite.
"It's falling apart, but it's so soft and dry!" Kohaku said as she ate.
"It looks like a bun, and it smells delicious!" Turquoise gushed as Senku looked at his piece, having already tasted it.
"Well, it tastes good like I expected...but I'm sorry to say that presentation is lacking," He looked up at Sumi. Ryusui nodded in agreement with the scientist as Sumi untied her hair, not looking bothered by this.
"It can't be just good. I need soft bread and yours is breaking apart. It's not just about taste. Presentation helps too if you're gonna appeal to me enough to make this trip," Ryusui told her with his arms crossed.
"It's okay, guys, it's been a long time since I've made bread anyway," She gave a hum in thought. "I just thought of something. If I'm on every single team, how am I gonna have time to make all this bread? And even then, I'm not Julia Child over here. None of us do this for a living to make it more appealing."
"Yeah, you're right," Senku crossed his arms. She'd give advice to the other teams sometimes, and other times, she'd help out herself, including being a main component of the science team. And helping out the villagers whenever they needed it. "You've been dedicating a lot of time to almost everything going on around here. Making all this food is gonna put your stamina to the bottom of the barrel. Remind me to cut you off from half the load."
"Nooooo..." Sumi whined, but he held his ground. She sighed in defeat while looking away. "Anyway, we need someone else to take the position more permanently. That way I can have some more free time on my hands and it can keep everyone happy."
"Great idea!" Ryusui snapped his fingers with a big grin.
"We need to revive a top chef!" Senku and Ryusui said in unison, determined.
"They said in stereo," Ukyo murmured with a deadpan look on his face.
They then kissed Sumi on one cheek each, to her surprise. "Thanks Sumi!"
"Ahhh..." Her eyes were white as her hand twitched, the others in shock aside from Senku and Ryusui themselves. Speaking of, the former looked very annoyed towards Ryusui.
"What the hell?! That's my science partner, and you just kiss her like that?" He demanded with angry white eyes.
"Umm...what just happened?" Sumi blinked rapidly while holding her cheeks in disbelief. Senku had kissed her cheek before, yes, but Ryusui was definitely pushing it. She could understand they were grateful for her suggestion, though she was not expecting that reaction at all.
"I actually...don't know," Ukyo murmured with a sweat drop near his head.
"Got caught up in the moment," Ryusui rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
Sumi finally processed what happened and growled. "...Arrggh! You kissed me on the cheek!" She slapped against Ryusui's arm with one hand and then swung her arm around to slap it again with the other arm. She had white eyes while looking very pissed. "Why would you do that?! Don't you know I could kill you easily with my whip?!" She continued slapping his arm with one hand at a time.
"Ow! Alright, I'm sorry!" He cried out while trying to get her to stop.
"Ha ha ha, this is gold!" Senku held his stomach, tears flying out of his eyes as he laughed. The others just looked on with deadpanned looks towards the three.
That night, Sumi was looking through the telescope alone, looking towards the stars. Finding a top chef to make bread would take a while, so they had called it a day. She didn't even know where they'd find a professional chef...it wasn't like they knew any. But she could imagine Ryusui had a suggestion for them, considering he was the one making the main complaint regarding the lack of variety of food. She sniffed something and turned around just as Senku opened the door.
"Oh, hey Sen," She gave a small smile as he closed the door behind him. "What's up?" She blinked as he had a serious look on his face and he stepped up towards her.
"Sumire...I think we need to have a long nice chat about what happened," He spoke and her eyes saddened. She turned towards outside, a shadow over her eyes as it was finally here...what she was anticipating for a while now.
"Do we really?" She whispered as this could make or break their friendship.
"Yeah...we do. Why don't you start...by telling me how long you've felt about me? I heard it over the phone...but now I wanna hear it coming from you," He stared at her and she sighed slowly. Once she collected herself, she turned around towards him, taking a deep breath while closing her eyes. Sumi at least owed him this much before she would hear the dreaded sentence.
"...Ever since I heard you say...you wanted to go to space," He blinked at her in shock. When she said she didn't have a crush on him...she was actually lying, and he knew why too. Because if she had answered yes, he would've rejected her then. She already knew his opinion of her had been a bit low before he asked if she did, so answering yes would've made him second guess. "I've wanted to tell you since then...but I couldn't bring myself to say it. So...I've been in love with you for over 3,700 years...Senku Ishigami," She held her arm while looking towards the ground. "You don't need to respond back or explain what would happen. I'm well aware of what you'd tell me. I just hope...that we can still be science partners..."
And with that, she walked past him to head for the door. She finally did it after so long, and now she just wanted to leave. And his answer echoed in her mind.
"We can't, Sumire. Love isn't something we should be getting involved with. It'd be more logical if we just stayed as we are now."
A single tear ran down her face as it was complete silence and she grabbed the doorknob. She wouldn't take all those years with Senku for granted, not back then and not now. So giving him time was the best solution right now until eventually they were back to being science partners and friends.
"Wait..." Senku called out and she froze before she could open the door. He turned around to her, staring at her back. "I'd like to tell you something...in response to your profession of love."
"I think I can guess what you're gonna say," She whispered while turning around to him. "That we shouldn't be getting involved in a romantic entanglement. It's only prone to cause problems, right? And...while my feelings are clear...I don't want that," She said breathlessly while clutching a fist in front of her heart. The last thing she wanted was to create drama between just because of her confession. "I don't wanna have problems with you—serious ones, anyway. And I-"
"Heh heh heh..." He interrupted with a chuckle, taking her off guard. "That's what I would've said...if you had actually told me thousands of years ago. But now...it's not like that anymore. I don't know anything about...what love is. Or how I'm supposed to act," He crossed his arms, looking towards the ground briefly.
"So...what exactly are you saying?" She asked and he stepped up towards her, finally stopping right in front of her. She blinked as he had an unreadable expression.
"I'm talking...about you, and me, Sumire," He said plain and simple while looking down at the woman.
Her eyes softened as she didn't want to hear this at all. "Senku...there's no need to talk about this right now if-"
"No...no, we have to talk," He closed his eyes, a slight blush over his cheeks, hands on his hips. "Talk about...what we did that night. The last thing I wanna do...is to hurt you with how I've viewed it in the past."
"I...I know. And I know that...neither of us want it to affect our friendship...and I'm sorry I felt like I couldn't tell you. It was just so much pressure in my life, with what I dealt with at home, the war, everything. But...that stuff is over. That kiss...it's in the past now," She said with a sad edge to her voice and he looked down at her in bewilderment. "Everything will go back to the way it was," Her voice broke a little.
"No!" He exclaimed suddenly while holding her shoulders, and she didn't react. "I know that's not what you meant. How could you say that? I didn't do it for science and it wasn't some silly game, or because I thought I had to do it. I kissed you..." He hung his head while still gripping her shoulders. "Because that's what I wanted to feel that night," Senku murmured quietly and she looked at him with her eyes shaking. She couldn't believe what she was hearing right now. Her heart thumped while staring at the back of his head.
"But...you've always said that it was-"
"I...I didn't mean to lead you on for 3,700 years," He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Science isn't important only because I want to try everything and go to space. It's important...because you're right there with me. And anytime you got hurt, or someone else wanted you, I couldn't stand it. No matter how hard I tried to ignore it, explain it away, deem it illogical..." His hands were shaking as her mouth opened slightly. "I can't ignore anymore what love is. Not when you snuck your way into my heart. I know it's been a long time. And I should've came clean sooner, but...you don't have to stress over it or respond or anything," He finally let go of her, standing up straight to eye her with a look of determination on his face. "I'm not the type to show emotion. But you deserved to hear that...that I've started to accept what I feel. And that I don't want to explore it unless you tell me otherwise."
Sumi let out a light gasp with a blush over her nose and cheeks. She placed a hand on his shoulder, slowly stepping forward. She closed her eyes as her blush deepened, as she felt a bit awkward doing this...but she had to show him.
She leaned in and captured his lips. He was shocked at first, but then caressed her right cheek, blushing a little as well as he returned her kiss. It was slow but sweet and gentle as both of them were hit with the moonlight slightly from outside. She moved her head to the side to deepen the kiss, reaching out with her arms to hug his neck. He held her by the waist, pressing his body against hers. Both of their hearts were pounding at the same tempo and they finally pulled away for air. Senku pressed his forehead against hers as they looked into each other's eyes.
"I don't know what we'll face going forward. But...I know that I want to do this with you. I wanna take things slow...so that it's comfortable for both of us," She whispered softly to him.
"Heh," He gave her another quick kiss. "I don't care one millimeter about how fast or slow it is. I just need you in my life, Sumire Weinberg. Although I can't promise that I can be the emotional man you deserve...will you be patient so I can learn from you?"
She blinked at his question and then gave a small chuckle, to his confusion. She then looked up with a small smile. "Senku...I'll still feel the same no matter who you are. So don't change for me. The only thing I want is for the both of us to be happy together."
"If I don't show you enough...affection, it won't feel like an even trade," He glanced away from her with a small frown. "So if you feel that way, just tell me."
"Eh? Don't worry about it!" She gave a bright smile, waving it off. "Really, I don't want you to feel obligated to, as long as I can express it myself."
"You...you're okay with that?" He blinked at her in confusion that she was willing to not gain any affection from him. In fact, she seemed pretty happy knowing that he wasn't going to be the lovey-dovey type in public. Alone, it would take some time.
"I'm not in a rush for anything. I'm just glad that...you're even willing to give it a shot," She rubbed the back of her neck with a small grin. He let out a small gasp and then smirked. Despite willing to change for her sake, she didn't want that at all if it was going to make him feel uncomfortable or unlike himself. She just wanted them to continue as they were, just now with their feelings acknowledged.
"Heh! Our promise won't change then. Your life in exchange for mine. But communication isn't the only way to proceed," He rubbed his chin looking at her. "We are in this new gig of ours, so if we don't understand anything, we should check it out together. And it's important that we don't fall into the usual couple drama. It's only prone to trouble with that kinda crap," He closed his eyes; he really didn't want to have any big fights. They've had their spats, but if anything serious occurred, that would prove to be a bigger issue. "Saves us a lot of time if we just talk as soon as possible. If it's really important, it's just trial and error."
"Pfft! Yeah, I should've known you'd say that," She smiled a little.
"Alright! Now let's put this into action, Sumi! Time for us to take some initiative into this little relationship," He held up a fist and she blinked at him treating this like starting a new experiment or something.
"Ah..." She sweated a little as Senku looked down at her, examining her and she blushed.
"First, let's assess the situation at hand with questions and confirmations. If you don't like something, tell me right away. How do you feel about touching your face? Is that a no? Is lip to lip contact a bad thing?" He asked immediately and she grew pale, sagging her shoulders as she felt like an arrow had gone through her head.
"U-Um..." She stammered as he took that as a sign to keep going.
"Do you have any sexual desire?" He raised a brow and she yelped, recoiling back with her hair standing on end. He then hummed in thought after seeing her reaction. "Well, maybe we could attack that another day. Almost forgot your sensitivity. Don't want you to pass out on me when that day comes," He chuckled and she looked with a pout.
"I-I wouldn't pass out..." She stammered quietly, though she was gonna have to really get past her nudity thing someday. It wasn't that she didn't want to do anything sexual, but she also needed to be ready in a few years or so.
"Is that so? Well, either way it's gonna have to wait. We don't have enough tools to prevent pregnancy or a disease. I don't have a millimeter of interest giving you those until we're absolutely certain," He closed his eyes, his hands on his hips. "Being a dad is the last thing on my mind right now. If we even last that long."
"Ack! Why say that now? Isn't that too soon?" She held her head in a panic.
"Shall we hug next time?" He asked and she then waved her hands rapidly with white eyes.
"W-wait, slow down! You're gonna make my brain melt," Sumi cried out to him.
"Ah, got it," He commented and then gave a chuckle. "But that's why we're figuring things out now for later. Can't be in this thing on my own, you know?"
"I get it, but still..."
Senku then gave a soft smile, leaning in to give her another kiss. She smiled as she returned it, as she knew that just like with space...they'd always be endless together.