Senku, Chrome, and Sumi were prepared to go into the caves for what they needed. Chrome then held up the tungsten Sumi told Suika to hold onto. "This small chunk won't be enough, but it came from upstream in the cave. So there's gotta be more farther inside!" He smiled at the two. "A boda fide treasure trove of this heat-resistant tungsten!"
"Yup!" Sumi nodded with a smile, hand on her hip. "But we're not ready to go just yet," She glanced at Senku, who nodded while holding the last lamp.
"We only have one set of lights left," He looked towards the villagers. "So the last member of the exploration team'll be..." They all waited in anticipation as he scanned the crowd. He then pointed at his choice, smirking.
"Magma!" Everyone, including Magma, was shocked to hear this. "Tungsten's tough as hell, so we're gonna need your brute force to collect it," Senku then let out a chuckle. "We're a quartet of spelunking buddies. You ready to go cave-diving? To the real-life treasure dungeon."
Everyone else was skeptical, to say the least. "Senku, Chrome, Sumi, and Magma?" Kohaku asked them in disbelief. Some snow fell from a tree branch.
"I don't know about this," Suika also spoke her concerns. "Sounds kinda dangerous to me."
"Yeah, I mean, are you sure this is a good idea?" Ginro questioned a bit nervously. "He could be all like 'I'm the chief now, Senku and Sumi' and attack you or something."
Sumi gave a small groan at this. She wasn't pleased with this choice either, but Magma was the only one strong enough to carry the tungsten. So she had to suck it up and stomach this trip with him unfortunately...plus he was a villager, and she got along with everyone else. So maybe she should at least try and put in the effort to get along with him—even though she knew that it was kind of a lost cause.
"Sumi, you're really gonna go with him?" Suika frowned up at the woman, who smiled.
"I know you guys are worried, but each member of our little team is essential. Besides, I've got my whip," She patted her weapon at her side. "So I doubt he'd succeed."
Senku wasn't bothered by the lack of approval as he stood up. "We need to start moving, ASAP. All four of us," He gave a small smirk. "We're gonna go down there and mine the magic stone we need for making vacuum tube filaments. Scheelite, which glows blue under ultraviolet light. And from that, we'll get the most heat-resistant metal in the world—tungsten."
"And this little nugget is just a taste of what's waiting for us," Chrome held up the tungsten. "There's gonna be a whole bunch more down there!"
"Sumi and I are counting on you to take us to the cave and lead the expedition, Chrome," Senku told him, hands on his hips.
"No problem!" Chrome agreed eagerly at this.
"We should be there by the end of the day and be back in a day or two, we've got lots more work to do when we get back," Sumi gave a small smile and then realized something. "Oh, Gen! I need to talk to you before I'm gone."
He gave a knowing look, Senku glancing up in confusion as she ran over to the mentalist. She then leaned into Gen's ear to whisper to him, doing the same with Suika. The two nodded in understanding at her, and the green-haired scientist couldn't help but be curious. Whatever it was, she definitely didn't want a number of people to know...
Magma stared at the three from behind, an unreadable expression on his face. So it'll just be me and those three science users, huh? In a place where nobody can see us...
Sumi stared at Gen walking up to him with a smile, hands behind her back. He grunted while turning to the mentalist. Gen then spoke in a low voice, and Magma could only stare at him. He didn't respond and the man left him behind. He glanced up towards Sumi and decided to have a little fun with her.
"Hey, village chieftess," Magma mocked a little, getting her attention. "Help me put this thing on, would ya?"
"Why?" She narrowed her eyes a little in annoyance from his tone. "You're taller than me."
"Don't ask," He remarked and she sighed in defeat. If it would make the trip faster...she walked over and he gave her the rope and lamp. He bent down a little and she went on her tiptoes to tie it for him. "Look at that," He grinned at her and she flinched. "Doing my bidding. Now that's my kind of woman."
Everyone stared at them nervously, although Senku and Chrome felt like throwing up. Sumi had a shadow over her eyes after hearing that. "Mmm…" She then kneed him in the balls and he rolled over, shaking in pain. The woman then had her eyes closed while walking past her friends. "Kinro, Ginro," The two flinched at her speaking to them. "I don't like abusing authority, but new rule. No one gets to hit on the village chieftess, okay? I'm staying in the back," She grumbled that last part out.
"Yes, ma'am," The two murmured in fear that she'd hit them too if they even so much as thought about her. And soon, the four took off, their footprints in the snow. As Sumi said, she was walking behind Senku so that Magma didn't try anything else. The others watched while Suika was waving to them, though still a bit concerned with the biggest problem being Magma. Gen chuckled once they were out of sight, getting their attention. He then gave a wide grin.
"It appears as though we've finally gotten rid of Senku. Gone without a clue that he's in for the surprise of his life..."
Magma continued looking on with a blank expression towards up ahead.
On their way to the cave, Chrome and Magma were in front. Senku and Sumi were walking behind him, so he could keep her company. She was still stewing over Magma's behavior earlier.
"Stupid dumbass, thinking I'd let his creepiness slide…" She grumbled to herself with her eyes closed. A red mark was over her forehead. Very few people could get on her nerves and Magma was one of them…
"Eh, don't worry about him. I do have to wonder, Sumi," Senku spoke up, getting her attention as she looked up. "You wouldn't have had anything to do with Suika discovering the tungsten in the first place, would you?" Chrome glanced back at them in confusion, wondering why Senku was even asking the question.
"No, don't know what you mean. She found it all on her own," Sumi gave a small smile.
"Really? Because she was holding it in her hand when she woke up. And she would've never known what it was unless…you told her to keep it," He pointed out with a smirk. Chrome gasped as Sumi stopped with a smile, gripping the strap of her bag.
"Aww, man. Guess I've been caught, huh? Alright, you figured me out. I just wanted Suika to feel better about herself, you know? She always wants to feel like she helped, so I thought not to take credit." She had a fond look in her eyes as she didn't regret doing it either. A few hours lost from sleep was worth it if that meant that Suika felt like she contributed to their efforts.
Senku chuckled from her explanation. He then cupped her right cheek gently to kiss the other, to the shock of the three. Like when she did with him on Christmas, his lips felt warm but also very soft. He pulled away a few seconds later with a smirk. "I figured to give you your own thanks since you let Suika have it. If it wasn't for you, we'd be stuck making those vacuum tubes."
He walked away to take the lead, Sumi having smoke coming from the top of her head. Her hand twitched while looking up ahead, her eyes white. "W-what just happened?" She held her cheeks, blushing.
He…actually kissed my cheek…
Chrome gave a small smile at the two. Magma just looked away in small annoyance.
They finally reached the cave, and once they were in, they noticed a small stream going further into the cave starting from outside. Senku bent down to touch the water. "The water feels lukewarm," He then chuckled with a small smile. "There's definitely gonna be some treasures up ahead."
Chrome glanced back suspiciously at Magma, frowning. He, like Sumi, wasn't too happy to have him around either. And like her, he also had to deal with it because there was no one else to carry the tungsten. He and Senku weren't that physically strong, and Sumi didn't have the muscles for it the whole way back. As they walked, water dripped the rocks above them. At this point, they had replaced their winter clothing with their regular clothes, since the farther they got down there, the farther away they'd be from outside. Sumi's hair was tied into a low bun, a braid acting as the scrunchie.
"Hey, Senku, Sumi," Chrome whispered to the duo, getting their attention. The brunet was walking between the two. "You guys sure about this? Was it really a good idea to bring him?" He glanced over his shoulder briefly. Magma didn't seem to either be paying attention or just didn't care as he was looking away. "He's just a big ape who only cares about being king of the hill. I bet he's thinking right now about how to kill you guys down here so he can take over the village."
"You know, I'd like to believe that not every single person we come at odds with have motivations that obvious," Sumi sighed a little; for example, Tsukasa not coming after her the minute he heard that she wasn't mourning Senku's death at all. She couldn't tell why he didn't do it.
The four then started to carefully walk down a hill made out of stone. Senku chuckled from what Chrome was suggesting. "Maybe, but either way, we're still in a bind. We can't make our cell phone happen without this tungsten. There's a supply waiting for us in the depths of this cave. But Magma is the only one strong enough to actually dig it out."
"No one else has his strength. If we tried doing it ourselves, there's no way we'd be able to pull it off. I myself don't have as much upper body strength as him. Just because I managed to hold my own against people like him doesn't mean I'm Hercules," Sumi pointed out to him.
"Yeah," Senku sighed a little at this while Chrome put down the ladder. He and Senku held it down. "The situation's ten billion percent simple. It's our only choice," Senku gestured for Sumi to go first and she stepped up to the ladder, glancing back in a bit of concern towards Magma. She just had to trust he wouldn't do anything behind her back. She took a deep breath and then hopped along the rungs of the ladder as quick as possible. She turned around once she reached the other side and waved them forward. Magma then walked across the ladder, Sumi sweating a little since...he tried to hit on her earlier.
"So there's no use in worrying about if it's the right choice," Senku continued while Chrome stumbled across the ladder. "I mean, that's really all there is to it."
"As much as I don't like it, I trust Sen's mindset on this one. Plus, I can just fight him if anything like that happens," Sumi explained a bit skeptically.
"Yeah, I know, but...Magma could easily push us into a hole and say we died accidentally. It'd be the perfect crime!" Chrome argued back as Magma grabbed him by the shoulder and then threw him onto the ground. Sumi bent down to him in concern, glaring up at the blond. "Plus, if he takes our heads as proof for Tsukasa that science is officially extinct, they won't have to worry about the war."
"Get real," Senku scoffed as Magma bent down to the ladder, Senku hanging onto it. "There's no way the big ape's thought that far in advance." Magma picked up the ladder so the green-haired scientist could slide down it. He had an evil grin on his face, snickering.
"Besides, guy's a fighter. I don't think he'd really go for that option if he wants to be in combat," Sumi told him with a shrug. "And while it'd be beneficial for him to ally with Tsukasa, why would he side with him to end the war? I don't think they'd get along that well."
They walked further into the caves, Senku and Sumi leading the way this time. He stepped on something and heard a crack, gasping. He then held out a hand to the others. "Stay back!" He gently moved Sumi backwards, the other two stopping in alarm.
"What is it?" Chrome blinked at the two. "What's wrong?"
Senku held up a gray rock that gave off a shine, but had some cracks in it. "It's mica. A lot like baumkuchen, which you've never heard of. The point is, it's a rock that's brittle enough to break with your fingers." He then pointed his head lamp at the various pits in front of them. "You see? It forms natural pit traps."
"I guess you've never been this far if you haven't seen it before," Sumi hugged herself while looking at Chrome. "It can be used in drywall, paint, and parts for automobiles, and in electronics. But down here...once it's broken down, there's no way to get back up. So we have to be really careful down here if we're gonna walk past all these traps."
"Damn, nature's got some bad ways to get ya," Chrome murmured, recalling the sulfuric acid lake.
"So what you're saying, Sumi...is if you accidentally fell into one, you couldn't get out?" Magma suddenly asked and she glanced back at him in confusion.
"For sure," Chrome answered for her. "Try getting back up with a rope or ladder and it'll cave in on you and bury you alive." Senku then stood up, a crack being heard underneath his left foot. Then it was heard underneath Sumi as she was right behind him. Magma gasped as he turned around, running over with a yell. He then used his fist to push them away, the two flying backwards. They both gritted their teeth staring at his foot. He fell instead of them towards a trap, Chrome gasping sharply. Magma screamed as he fell, Sumi sliding to the edge and grabbing one hand. Senku grabbed the other, the blond looking up in shock. And because their combined strength wasn't enough, the two were gritting their teeth trying to pull him up. They had looks of strain trying to hold him.
"What do you lift, trees?!" Sumi wheezed out while Chrome looked up.
"Just let him go, you guys!" Chrome called out to them. "Or else you two are gonna fall in there with him! You realize what happened, don't you? Magma tried to shove us down into the mica pits! He tried to kill us!"
Magma's eyes looked betrayed and Sumi blinked at his expression. She could see him sweating, and as well as the hopelessness in his eyes, shocking her. His eyes also glistened before he took a deep breath, laughing.
"You better believe I did!" He exclaimed boastfully to the duo. "The only reason I came along is to get rid of you three for good! You little wimps act like you're so big and important, but you're completely useless!" Sumi gasped at his declaration, recoiling back a bit. "You can't even hunt!" Chrome gritted his teeth in anger from what he was saying. "The strongest deserves to be the chief and get all the women. That's how the whole village gets stronger. That's how life works. It's how nature works!" Senku and Sumi still looked strained as they took in what he said. "Science?! Ha! My ass! Maybe back in your world the weak controlled the strong, Senku and Sumi, but not in this one! Cause this is the stone world! And here, you're only getting in my way! Damn you, and damn your stupid science, both of you. If you two had never set foot in Ishigami Village back then, I'd be the one in power right now! Because I'm the strongest out of everybody!" His voice broke a little from that last part, tears in his eyes. "I should be the one calling the shots, you understand me?!"
The edge of the ground caved in, and they all fell into the pit. Chrome held out a hand towards them. "No, Senku! Magma! Sumire!" He cried out in dismay for them.
The ceiling rocks continued dripping, and down below, the three were laying on the ground, eyes closed. Magma groaned as he woke up first, followed by Senku. He looked up ahead, gasping in shock as Sumi was lying down between them, not moving. "Sumire!" He bent down to her, placing her head on his lap. "She must've hit the ground too hard," He moved her head around to examine it before taking off his gear so it wouldn't wear him down. "I can't treat her like this, we need a plan," He stood up, gently putting her head down. He then looked at the wall in front of him. Magma looked on in annoyance while watching him search. He hummed in thought while looking around, grunting as he slid down the rocks a little.
"Stop pacin' around, would ya?!" Magma suddenly exclaimed as his patience was wearing thin. "You're wearin' down my last nerve!"
"I'm not pacing, I'm measuring," Senku explained to him, examining the rock in front of him.
"You and Sumi said there's no way we're getting out of this hole, so what's the point?" He retorted back in annoyance.
"It's not like sitting around and waiting to die will do us any good. Especially for my science partner," The green-haired scientist glanced back down at Sumi as she was at least breathing. He could tell that much... "And if you keep shouting like a dumbass, the whole thing could cave in, and then it's game over."
"Yeah, yeah, know-it-all," Magma grumbled at him. "And both of you quit calling me a dumbass!"
"If you hadn't pissed her off, she wouldn't need to call you one, would she?" Senku deadpanned back in response. Suddenly water got dumped onto Magma's head. Chrome was the one responsible as he was holding a bottle full of water he got from nearby.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Magma screamed as he was not pleased at all. "Is this some kinda joke?! I'll kill you!"
"Did you not hear me?" Senku said in a blank tone, his arms crossed while glancing at him. "Keep on shouting and you'll kill us too." Chrome continued to pour the water, happy that they were at least alive, but concerned about leaving them down there alone with Magma. He couldn't stop him from attacking his friends if it came to that... "Chrome! Sumi's unconscious, so we need to find a way to bring her up first."
"Magma...!" Chrome gritted his teeth to himself, thinking that he was responsible. But he could dwell on that later. He let out a breath to calm himself down. "If I can manage to pour in enough water from that pool over there, you might be able to swim your way out," He suggested to the two. Senku's eyes widened in realization, an idea forming in his head.
"Oh, yeah?" Magma yelled up at him. "Then why don't you figure out a way to pour it in here faster?" By the time he managed to get it full, it could be days to get out. And then Sumi wouldn't be able to pull off her plan.
"Slow and steady always wins the race, right?" Chrome called back out. "Just takes some diligence."
Senku chuckled, hands on his hips. "Hang on, that's not bad," The two looked at him curiously. He then held a finger near his face. "But I don't mean that where there's a will, there's a way crap. That's definitely something Sumi would say, though," He gave a weak chuckle towards her on the ground. "The key to making this work is science. Connecting the gas mask tubes will give us a good meter of drop height from the surface. The diameter's two centimeters, so by Torricelli's Law, the flow will be .00139 cubic meters per second. If the hole measures 28 cubic meters, that's 20,131.68 seconds. Five and a half hours in lukewarm water wouldn't kill us," Once he was done calculating, he smirked, looking up towards Chrome.
"Hey Chrome, if I tell you how to craft something, could you do that for me?" He called out and Chrome smiled in response.
"Yeah, of course I can, man," He then held up his fist with a confident look. "I'm a science user, so don't underestimate me!" Senku then glanced to the black-haired woman, sighing to himself. He'd have to trust Magma on this one...
"But we're gonna need to bring Sumi up before you do. We don't wanna risk her life and drop her if we're gonna have water down here," He closed his eyes before turning to Magma. "Think you could get her up there?" Magma silently nodded as Senku bent down to pick her up in his arms. Her head hung over his left arm as he gave her to the blond. Magma yelled and then heaved her over. Chrome yelped as he stepped back, reaching out and catching her in his arms.
"I've got her, Senku!" Senku gave a smirk of relief to himself that she didn't get hurt. Chrome put her down at a safe spot away from the hole and then came back. Magma then threw up the containers for the gas masks and Chrome caught it. He unscrewed the tube while Senku approached Magma, chuckling.
"What did I tell ya?" He placed a hand on his hip, a confident look on his face. "We'd be screwed if any one of us was missing."
"Huh?" Magma just looked confused staring at him.
"Do you actually believe that the weak controlled the strong back in my world and Sumi's? That's obviously not the case. We just split up the work. Just like how Sumi and I operate: I'm the logical one and she's the emotional childish one," He glanced up to where she was with a small smile. "If I didn't have her around, I'd be a mess. In a technological civilization, there are roles for the wimps...and rules for the brawny meatheads like you Even someone who's got no real special skill can come in handy. It doesn't matter who's calling the shots or who's tougher. The fact is, there are all kinds of people in the world, and true strength happens when everybody works together."
Magma stared at him for a few seconds and then looked annoyed from getting a lecture. "I don't wanna listen to this crap. My point is, the throne shoulda been mine and you two took it. I didn't even think I'd have to worry about two people, but a village chieftess? Give me a break, end of story."
"Yeah, we sure did," Senku smirked before looking up. "But you do get something." More water flowed down from above, shocking the blond. He looked up in surprise to see the water going much faster now. "With me and Sumi here, you get to see all the ridiculously awesome stuff that humanity worked together for 2 million years to build," Senku looked up with a small smile, and then it turned into his usual smirk. "And we'll show you enough to make your head spin."
Magma then recalled the Japanese katanas, and the cotton candy. He realized...that without them, he wouldn't have had that stuff to begin with. And...he kinda wanted to see what else they could do in the future...
"Huh?" Chrome was looking at the tube that was in the river, causing the heavier flow. "How the heck's the water able to travel up like that?" He asked in confusion, Mecha Sumi and Mecha Senku popping up afterwards.
"Time for a grade school project," Mecha Senku started off while she waved. "We're making a siphon! We'll explain for those who don't know."
"It's actually pretty simple once you get down to it!" Mecha Sumi piped up next.
"Now, the first step is to fill up a tube with water," Mecha Senku continued to instruct. "Then put one of the ends at a point lower than the water's surface. The water will then flow upward in a steady stream."
"You can use a siphon pump to transfer not just water, but other liquids as well," Mecha Sumi held up a claw. "You can even use it for steam! There's a chance that whatever you're using it for air can get trapped inside, but usually, it doesn't come to that."
"You can even go over to your bathtub and give it a try right now!" Mecha Senku smiled, and Mecha Sumi laughed nervously.
"Though please don't do that unless you have a parent that can help you store the stream of water. Definitely don't get it all over the floor..."
Chrome looked down at Senku and Magma. Not only had Sumi still not woken up, but it had been some time and the water was getting to their waists. However, because the water was cold, Senku was shivering immensely, his face partially pale and blue at the same time. Ah, this is bad. It's gonna take a while longer for the water to fill up, but Senku can't take much more of the cold. Sumi would kill us if she wakes up to see him dead.
Magma stared at the scientist for a few seconds before turning to him. "You should go on and get up there, ya little wimp."
"Huh?!" Senku turned to him in confusion.
"I'm the strongest guy in a village that was built on the water," Magma reminded him. "I'll get you there. If I don't, I'd get my ass kicked, wouldn't I?" He glanced up at Chrome, who then turned around to Sumi. Was he suggesting that he was helping because he didn't want Sumi to worry about Senku...? Without another word, Magma dove into the water down below. He then swam upwards to grab Senku's feet, surfacing with the man's body being held by him.
"Senku!" Senku stared at him in shock. "I don't care if you or Sumi are in charge anymore! At least, not until we deal with that Tsukasa guy. But if you two stop showing me awesome stuff, I'll kill you!" He then braced himself before throwing Senku up into the air. Chrome looked up in utter disbelief at this, Senku landing safely. Most of his clothes were wet, and he glanced back with a smile.
"Alright. Sounds like a plan to me. Though Sumi would probably kill you first if you tried. Because there's no way science isn't gonna be totally awesome."
Soon, there was a fire around them, along with fish for dinner being cooked. Magma and Senku had their sleeping bags around them to cool down from the cold water. Chrome glanced to Sumi wrapped up in her sleeping bag nearby, her eyes still closed. "Is she gonna be okay?" He asked in a bit of concern.
"She doesn't seem to have any bumps or scratches on her. We won't know until she wakes up," Senku had his eyes closed while eating. He was concerned for her too, but if he showed it, it'd distract him. But he knew that she'd be fine. He then let out a chuckle. "Thanks to Magma's brute strength...we were able to avoid the worst-case scenario."
"And by that, you mean...?" Chrome asked, his eyebrows furrowed as he had no idea what Senku meant.
"Obviously, he means dying," Magma retorted to him, a bit annoyed that he had to spell it out. "Which woulda happened if he'd gotten colder." Chrome glanced at him with a small growl. "This is why you runts need meat on your bones."
"You're wrong!" Senku glared up at the two, alarming them both as they recoiled back. "The worst-case scenario I'm talking about...is that we both got colder and colder until..." He then started sweating as he imagined him and Magma hugging each other in the water. "We both got so cold we had to hold each other tight to preserve our body heat."
Magma and Chrome reacted by throwing up in rainbow color, both of them disgusted at the possibility. Chrome then gulped a little, a shadow over his eyes. "I think I would've been fine without that mental image, thank you very much!"
"Gross!" Sumi sat up in surprise, shocking all of them as they turned to her.
"Huh?" Magma blinked at her that she woke up after hearing that. "You're awake."
"Awake long enough to hear that," She wiped her lips with the back of her hand. "Ugh, I need to wash this bile from my mouth." Chrome walked over to give her a clay cup of water. She took a sip as Senku stared at her.
"A-are you...sure you're...okay?" He stammered, Chrome glancing up at him with a confused hum. He could see Senku giving a small frown, clenching a fist. Then it hit him that...he was trying not to show the whole time he was worried about her.
She turned to him and smiled softly. "I'm fine! Nothing broken, if that's what you're wondering."
"Sumi's been through enough and he had to push you in?!" Chrome growled towards Magma, who grunted at him angrily. She waved a hand in response.
"Calm down, Chrome. It'll take more than a fall to really get to me. Besides, I wouldn't jump to conclusions so fast just yet," She stated and he blinked in confusion as she had a small knowing smirk on her face.
"Here," Senku held out some fish to her and she took it. "You probably haven't eaten in a while. And you'll need the energy anyway."
"Thanks," She smiled gratefully and started to eat.
They had a pile of fish bones in the middle as there was now a smaller fire to keep the area lit. Sumi walked over to their supplies.
"We should go to sleep. We need to regain some energy after all the craziness." She tossed Chrome his sleeping bag. She laid back down once she put hers on, her back facing them.
"Hmm..." Magma stared at the woman, grinning to himself. "I wonder what'll happen if I snuck up on her?"
"I wouldn't," Chrome warned with a deadpan expression on his face.
"Don't do it," Senku tried to stop him as Magma tiptoed over to the woman. He reached out to scare her...but then she reached up and grabbed his arm. He yelped as she didn't say anything at first. But then she turned to him slowly.
"Magma..." She had a dark look on her face. "You better not be thinking about laying a hand on the village chieftess. Cause if you did...I'll have to end you," She smiled sweetly while looking innocent, and then twisted his arm a little. He yelped in pain, kneeling in front of her. "And we don't want that, do we?"
He kneeled beside her after she let go like he was her servant or something. "N-no, ma'am..." He stammered while bowing his head.
"Good boy," She patted him on the head and then turned back around.
"Talk about killing with kindness," Chrome murmured in a bit of fear, blinking while sweat dropping. "Thank god she's on our side."
"Did you forget that she can smell you, dumbass? That's why you can't sneak up on her like that," Senku called out and Magma grumbled.
"Eh, whatever," He stood up, clenching his fists. "That scar's not appealing anyone anyway." Sumi simply opened her eyes, with no expression that could be read on her. Chrome gasped at this and stood up immediately.
"Hey!" He gritted his teeth in anger. "You jerk-!"
"It's okay, Chrome," Sumi spoke up, getting their attention. "I could care less what Magma thinks about my looks," She touched the fabric in front of her chest, trying not to sound upset. It shouldn't even bother her, it was Magma, but...it did. Him pointing it out reminded her of how much she hated her scar for what it always did to Senku. "I know I have to deal with stuff like this...even if people don't say so to my face." Senku blinked at her, as it hit him that...there were people out there...who could gossip about it behind her back. Magma already proved that to them. "So don't worry about it, okay?" Sumi gave a sad smile, thankful they couldn't see it. "There are things out there far worse than what some meathead tells me."
Magma turned around in defense, raising an arm. "Why you-!"
"Knock it off, Magma," Senku interrupted him with a small glare and he froze in place, turning to him. "We're not here to start petty arguments." He stared at the green-haired scientist before relenting and going to sleep. Sumi then sighed while closing her eyes slowly, as she didn't want to think about it too much...
Once they woke up, the ceiling rocks dripped again. Magma put out the fire while Senku was repairing a lightbulb that went out. He flipped a switch and it turned back on, to their relief. The four then continued to walk, Chrome leading them full of energy. Magma had a blank look while Senku was attempting to keep up. Sumi smiled a little while helping him walk. They got farther into the cave, a stream nearby.
"Hey, Sumi..." Chrome spoke up, and she turned to him curiously.
"Eh?"
"Let us know if Magma says anything else rude to you, okay? We're here to talk if you need it," He offered her and then glanced back at Magma. "Don't listen to him. I'm saying it as a friend, but he's wrong about your looks."
She blinked and then gave him a smile. "I'm fine, really. I don't think I need to get so caught up about my face. But I appreciate it, Chrome."
Senku glanced at her, seeing the shadow over her eyes. He could tell that she was lying, and just didn't want her friends to worry about her. Senku then looked up ahead, a big grin on his face with a small blush on his cheeks. He gave a manic laugh of what was awaiting them.
"Just as I predicted!" He exclaimed, Sumi turning to him in confusion, the other two looking at them. Up ahead was a big rock in the ceiling that had lots of colors over it.
Sumi gasped as her eyes shined at it. "Wow!"
"See? That striped rock face is what I was looking for. That tells me, this dungeon we're in right now? It's a skarn deposit! We can get a ridiculous amount of amazing minerals from this! We're looking at nature's treasure chest here!"
"Really?!" Sumi asked happily and he turned to her with a soft smile. "It looks so pretty!" She then tilted her head to examine it. "It looks like it's made out of limestone." He patted her on the head affectionately and she giggled a bit.
"Exactly right, Sumi. Ten billion points for you."
"This is so bad! White, black, blue, gold. It's all separated so clearly into those stripes!" Chrome exclaimed in awe from the multiple colors. His eyes were shining in amazement, a light blush over his cheeks. "I've never seen a rock like this before!"
"Just looks like a rock," Magma wasn't so impressed while steam came from Chrome's nose.
"The hot magma underground boils water that shoots up into the cracks in the limestone, the white rock that you see all over the place down here," Magma placed down the ladder so Senku could climb it. "That water has all kinds of stuff inside it. It seeps into the rock and transforms it into other kinds of rocks. And that's how you get a skarn deposit," He glanced back at the others with a smirk, holding up a magnifying glass. "Nature's treasure chest."
"Oh, wow!" Chrome said in awe, clenching his fists. "That's why only the parts around the cracks transforms into those stripes."
"Skarn deposits are really valuable because of their sources of metals," Sumi smiled a little. "And they can form into almost any rock type, really."
"Even scientifically speaking, you could say it was the power of magma that made it possible for us to acquire these rare gems," Senku gave a small smirk as Magma stared at him. Sumi blinked while looking at the blond, since that was his name. She wondered if he really meant scientifically or that the actual man was the reason they were here now. The blond himself didn't react to this at all as he looked away. "Alright, this is it," Senku climbed back down the ladder. "The precious stones we're after are inside this wall," He dug into his gear and pulled out a long pick-axe blade. "The rock is hard as hell, which means us wimps are useless. No way we could dig 'em out. Though I don't mean to call Sumi that."
"Because you knew that if you did, I'd almost kick your ass," Sumi gave a sweet smile while patting her whip. "So don't tempt me."
"Heh heh heh, you wouldn't do that and you know it," Senku remarked smugly to her. "Besides, I'm not interested in you potentially killing me even if I wanted to tempt you."
She gave an amused smile as Magma switched out the axe blade for the pick-axe. "Sounds like a job for the strongest guy!" Chrome stated and the man held up the tool.
"I didn't wanna attack you head-on and get countered by whatever crazy science weapons you got. Or Sumi's skills with her whip...but now you've handed me a pick-axe. You three won't so much as flinch when I raise this thing up," Chrome did however and turned around angrily. Senku and Sumi didn't react to this at all.
"You wouldn't dare, Magma! Sumi, aren't you gonna do something?" He glanced back to see her not even reaching for her whip.
"Oh, you bet I would!" Magma shouted while raising his arm. "And you three idiots left yourselves wide open for me to strike a death blow while your backs are turned!" He hit the rock instead of any of them, however, having thrown it right above Senku and Sumi. "...And I was gonna murder you, too." Chrome was on the ground in shock.
Senku chuckled while Sumi gave a small smile, hands on her hips as she glanced over her shoulder. "Yeah, sure. Probably why you couldn't stop yourself from saving us. You kept the two of us from falling into the mica pit. We know that you weren't trying to shove us in. You were actually trying to push us out of the way."
Chrome looked at the three in shock. "And when Chrome accused you earlier...you were upset for him assuming that you had tried to kill us. You didn't want your actions to be seen that way..." Sumi spoke up next with her eyes closed. "And you wouldn't have saved me from the water or Senku for that matter if you still thought we should die. Even if it meant you'd get out of the pit."
Chrome then recalled Magma's face from earlier when the two tried to save him. And that was when he realized...that he misjudged him. All that time he thought Magma would harm his friends...but instead, he wrongfully accused him. He then stood up to face him.
"Magma."
"Hm?" Magma glanced back at him.
"I'm sorry...I insulted you. I shouldn't have run my mouth. So hit me, okay?" Sumi blinked in shock and then smiled a little.
"Ha!" Magma grabbed the pick-axe again. "I don't care about that! Because the fact is, I was gonna kill you! I just had a change of plans!" He then started hitting the rock with it. Senku had a sly smirk, Sumi smiling happily as Chrome gave an excited yell. He then held up another piece of tungsten.
"The most heat-resistant rock in the world...is ours!" He cheered while holding it up.
Tungsten acquired!
Chrome gave a pleased smile while looking at it. "Yeah," He spoke up, getting their attention. "Tungsten's an unbelievable treasure," He had sparkles around him with a smile on his face and his eyes glimmering. "But in this dark, gloomy dungeon full of treasures, we found something more. I'm talking about the precious treasure that we call friendship."
It was dead silence after he said this, the others staring at him wide-eyed. Half of their faces were covered in shadow. "You really said that. That's so lame..." Senku muttered in disbelief.
"Yeah. Super lame," Magma agreed with him.
"Oh my god," Sumi looked away, dragging a hand on her face. "That's so embarrassing...even I wouldn't say something like that."
"Ah! Shut up!" Chrome exclaimed in defense, mortified himself. "I regretted it the exact moment it came out of my mouth! And what's the deal with you guys getting all buddy-buddy over it, huh?"
"Not the point..." Sumi sighed a little and Chrome started using the pick-axe. He, Senku, and Sumi started gushing about the rocks they were getting.
"Ah, this is bad! There's way too much treasure here!"
"Check this out!" Senku held up some rocks, some even covering his eyes. He had a slight blush on his face from excitement. "We can make tons of batteries with this manganese!"
"Oh my god, look at all of this!" Sumi squealed while holding up some rocks herself. "It's lead! Do you know what we could do with this?!"
Senku then hugged the rock with a manic smile. "That's copper pyrite! And lots of sphalerite!"
"It's still just a bunch of damn rocks!" Magma exclaimed at the three while Chrome danced around. "Now focus and finish up! The sun's gonna set!" Both him and Sumi gasped a little and she slid down the rock in realization.
Gen approached him before he left with the others. "Be sure to get Senku back by nightfall three days from now. Mire-chan's orders. And then..."
He let out a small grunt and then turned around. Sumi started to gather up her stuff quickly, running after him. "We're leaving, now!" He shouted while the two were wiggling their arms around in excitement.
"Aw, come on! Just a little bit longer," Chrome complained at this.
"Yeah, we're trying to enjoy our treasure, okay?" Senku called out and Magma growled in annoyance, clenching a fist.
"I know you guys are excited, but we've really gotta leave," Sumi gave them a small smile. "We can go spelunking another day to make up for it, but there's something important I've gotta do back at the village."
Senku glanced up at her as she gave an innocent smile. He wondered if it was the project she was working on that she hadn't told him about yet. Because it was a bit odd that she was agreeing with Magma so easily...
Before he could comment about this, Magma slid over to the two. "I said, we're leaving!" He kicked the rocks out of Chrome's hands, knocking him down. He then did the same with Senku, to Sumi's shock. "And you little wimps can't even carry that much!"
Suddenly he got a bunch of head bumps as he laid on the ground, Sumi the one responsible. She gave him an annoyed look. "Magma! Are you kidding me? Not necessary at all!" She huffed and turned around, walking off. "Come on, we've gotta go."
"Hurry up!" Magma shouted as they left the cave, wearing their winter clothing again. Chrome, Senku, and Sumi hauled off their tungsten, Senku barely managing to keep up.
"Why are you two in such a rush all of a sudden, anyway?" Chrome couldn't help but ask Magma and Sumi.
"I can't just tell you—it'll ruin the surprise!" Sumi gave a devilish smirk. They walked down the path back to the village as the sun was setting. Sumi looked up at the moon with a small frown and then turned to Magma, nodding. Chrome noticed this and before he could ask, Magma tied a bandana over Senku's eyes, to his shock.
"What the hell's going on?!" He exclaimed as Magma and Sumi took off, leaving Chrome behind.
"Whoa, where are you guys taking Senku? Hey!" Chrome shouted after the two.
"Just follow us and we'll explain!" Sumi called out over her shoulder.
Gen let out a big grin as he stood in front of Senku. "Aw, you're back, Senku. Welcome home," He greeted as Senku was standing in the middle of a room.
"Huh? What is all this?" He was definitely confused, but didn't show it and then looked around. "And where's Sumi?"
"Ha!" Kohaku huffed in response. "Now don't waste your breath by crying out for help. Everybody's working together with Gen and Sumi."
He chuckled after hearing this. "I guess you sneaky bastards finally figured out the hack, did ya? All you gotta do is present my head to Tsukasa, tell him science is dead, and the village is safe." Everyone stared at him in silence as their expressions couldn't be read. However, the only person not in the room was Sumi herself. "Perfectly logical." Underneath the blindfold, though...he felt that he had lost his friends...had lost Sumi. Now she was gonna go to Tsukasa...
Gen heaved a sigh in response. "I honestly don't have a clue as to what you're talking about," He then gave a nod at Kohaku. She stepped up and removed the blindfold. Once she did, he opened his eyes, gasping in surprise. In front of him was an eyepiece...and he could see the starry sky along with Saturn. He could actually see the starry night. He stepped back as his mouth was slightly open from what he was seeing.
"You made...a telescope," He murmured quietly at the object in front of him. The science shed now had a second floor...for an observatory, with the roof having a window for anyone to look out of. "No, you made a whole observatory."
"I'm going to space," Younger Senku said to his class. He stepped up to the telescope to look out to it, his eyes widening. He could see a satellite...Byukaya then gave him a smile and the older Senku looked back, before everyone was petrified.
He slowly stepped backwards, looking out again. His eyes were glistening from the memory...
"Ho ho!" Kaseki gave a small laugh. "January 4th is Stone Day!"
"Today's your birthday, isn't it, Senku?" Kohaku smiled in excitement. "This is your gift!"
"And everybody chipped in to help make it for you!" Suika chimed in as all of the villagers were standing outside. Senku slowly stepped up to the window, gasping a little.
A younger Senku was being led somewhere by Taiju on his birthday. He looked a bit annoyed as he wanted to do some more experiments. There was a particular one with a motor for his rocket he wanted to test. But no, for some reason, Taiju insisted that he had to show Senku something. It had been a while since he had become friends with him and Sumi, so he had no idea what this was all about. After walking another block, Taiju covered his eyes with a blindfold, confusing him. Taiju simply pushed him further to guide him, a big grin on his face. Senku just sighed as he figured to go along with it.
The two finally reached their destination and Taiju removed the blindfold. Senku's eyes widened once he saw what was up ahead. Byukaya and Sumi were standing in front of the planetarium, no one else around. The little girl was smiling happily as she waved to Senku, both her and the man wearing party hats. He was holding a large pink box for a cake, a big grin on his face. Senku blinked at the sight in front of them as he hadn't been here before...
"Mm..." Senku gave a disappointed look that she wasn't here with him. Looking back...when he asked her that day how she managed to get the planetarium all to themselves for his birthday, all she said was that she had help. And considering he had thought she had moved away when her father was arrested...it must've been Lillian's doing to help Sumi out so that Senku could celebrate his birthday that day. Byukaya always tried to go all out for his birthday, so he knew that the man told Sumi about it at some point. And ever since then, Sumi always made an effort to do something with him for his birthday...but her absence was a little concerning to say the least. After all those years...it was possible she might've forgotten all about it...
"Upset about Mire-chan?" Gen wondered from behind him. "Who do you think came up with the idea in the first place? Now, now, Senku..." He closed his eyes with a smile and then glanced towards outside. "Do you really believe that ill of her?"
Senku gasped as his eyes widened a little, looking back at him.
Sumi was drawing something in the shed with her winter clothing on. And that something...was blueprints for an observatory. She leaned back with a happy smile that it turned out so well. As Gen approached, she opened up the shed, waving with a big smile. "Hey, Gen!" They turned to her and she still had that smile on her face. "Can you come here for a few minutes, please? It's really important."
"Why am I slightly nervous about this?" Gen murmured while walking past them. Senku blinked at the two as Gen started to climb up.
Sumi unrolled the blueprint, smiling at Gen. "Senku's birthday's coming up," She revealed happily and he blinked in shock. "So I was thinking we should make this for him. It's finally time I start giving back to him...like he does for me," She gave a soft smile and he returned it.
"Aw, now isn't that sweet? I'm sure he'll be grateful to his dear Mire-chan~" He teased and she yelped with a blush, hugging the paper.
"It's not like that!" She whined at him a bit. "Anyway, it'll take a few days to complete, but I know we can get it done! Now we just need a good excuse to get him away from the village to build it..." She started explaining to him where everything would go.
"Oh, Gen! I need to talk to you before I'm gone!" Sumi called out and he had a knowing smile as she ran up to him. Senku glanced up in confusion as she stopped in front of the mentalist. She then leaned into Gen's ear, doing the same with Suika. "This is our only chance to build the observatory for Senku! The blueprint should have everything you need, including the instructions. It's with my other set of clothes. I know you guys can do it! I'll make sure he gets back in time."
The two nodded in understanding at her.
Gen gave that small mischievous smile after the four had left. It appears as though we've finally gotten rid of Senku and Sumi." He then raised a hand. "Everyone~! Our dear Mire-chan came up with an awesome idea, and I helped! But I'm gonna need your help to make it happen!"
Kaseki then started making glass.
"I mean, Mire-chan put in a lot of hard work to think of the telescope."
Kohaku polished a giant glass lens, Suika holding a stick underneath. Gen was holding the lens carefully.
"I'll admit her idea seemed half-assed, but whatever."
Kinro examined the magnifying lens to compare it to his glasses. Suika and Kaseki were looking for more materials. "Hey!" Ruri spoke up, getting Gen's attention. "Sumi told us all about her plan before she left, and she got a crew here that would love to help out!" They removed the flag from the top of the shed. Kaseki hopped up and down as Gen smiled at Sumi's blueprint on the table.
"Well, I'm hoping that ol' Senku sees all this and decides to get me something even more awesome for my birthday," Carbo commented while Mantle and Kohaku were bringing materials to the shed. "We're putting in a lot of hard and sweaty labor."
"Yeah!" Mantle grinned in agreement.
"The whole village worked really hard to put this together," Gen then explained, as he guided them in place of Sumi since she was away. "But I trust you can handle all the fine tuning yourself." Ruri and Kokuyo looked up happily from their spots.
"Yeah," Mantle scratched at his cheek, proud of himself, though he was kinda wishing Senku would go all out for him on his birthday. Senku looked at them with a gentle smile on his face. He should've known that Sumi had something to do with this...she was the only one who could've told them about wanting to go to space. But that still didn't explain why she wasn't here with them.
"Uh-oh!" Ginro went over to him with a playful smile, Senku staring at him. "What's wrong, Senku? Are you actually moved by all of this? Even you're allowed to cry, you know? You don't have to hold it in. So..."
"Why do you always have to be like this, Ginro?" Kinro scolded him in embarrassment. Senku just turned to them with a grin before looking out the telescope again.
"Excellent job, everybody! This is extremely practical! We can use it on our watchtower to keep an eye on Tsukasa!" The others were sweating a little, speechless from his reaction.
"Uh, yeah. That's true," Kohkau murmured a bit.
"Good to see you can still keep your emotions in check..." Gen had a blank smile. "But you should really look out the window so you can stop wondering about our dear Mire-chan."
Senku turned back to outside, and he opened his eyes wide. There was a shadow of people walking from the side. It was revealed to be Sumi with all of the village kids, the woman holding a lightbulb. All the kids were holding instruments and they all came to a stop in front of all the villagers. Sumi looked a little nervous standing there, but eventually looked up. "Well...the kids wanted to help, so I taught them a little song...so...yeah. Come on down, Suika."
The little girl smiled while rushing towards outside. Sumi was approached by the kids once she told them of her plan. They looked eager to do something too and she smiled, bending down to them. Together, they all made drums with her and Kaseki. Then she taught them how to use them. She also taught them how to make the tune she wanted with their flutes.
Once Suika joined her, she took a deep breath.
I wanna sing for you
She started off meekly while the kids started playing. Senku could only stare in shock from her soft voice.
Yeah, I'll sing for you
The others in the shed looked on with happy smiles on their faces.
Happy birthday, Senku
Happy birthday to you
Ruri clasped her hands happily at what they were witnessing. The villagers all looked on in anticipation from her lovely voice since they didn't know she could sing.
Happy birthday, Senku
Happy birthday to you
She had a soft smile on her face as her eyes glistened a little. The green-haired scientist could only stand there as it felt like they were completely alone. That the only thing he wanted to hear...was her singing for him.
Wrap you in warmth for the rest of my days
Pray you find joy through your pain
Senku put his hand over his face, the others waiting for his reaction, but he didn't mind them. He tried not to cry since he knew she was referring to his loneliness...having to see her get hurt from Tsukasa.
I can't protect you from every heartbreak
The world isn't easy that way
He kept himself from chuckling at this. Of course she'd sing that.
But I'll be there for you when you crawl
I'll pick you up when you fall
Happy birthday Senku
Happy birthday to you
Once they were finished, the villagers all clapped for them and Sumi gave a sheepish smile from their praise. Of course they hadn't heard music before, so now they must've thought she was a god or something.
"Ha...ha ha ha!" Senku started laughing and she looked up with wide eyes. "You know, I thought you were coming out here to tell me you were joining Tsukasa! But that was it? Ahh...excellent work, you guys! This music will help get our focus more on the cell phone!"
"She just sung a song she worked hard on and that's all you can say?!" Gen exclaimed at him in response. Everyone else was a bit put off by this as well. The black-haired scientist blinked a few times. She then chuckled to herself, the only one not bothered by it. This was Senku, after all. Emotion still wasn't his thing. She looked back up with a small smile, knowing that he at least appreciated it in his own way.
Happy Birthday, Senku…
Senku let out a small chuckle while touching the telescope. "I'm not the type of guy that would ever bring up his own birthday. Not my style. Didn't stop Sumi from always pulling through on it, though..." He looked up at the sky. "How did you know it was today? There's no way Sumi knew the date ahead of time if she miscounted how many years had passed after de-petrification." Plus, she hadn't been constantly counting the days either...
Sumi glanced to Gen knowingly, humming lightly. He then nodded in understanding. "My internal clock is messed up. Must be due to the petrification. I couldn't even tell you how old I am anymore."
Senku let out a yawn. "Don't you know how many days you've been alive?" Gen glanced to him in confusion, though Sumi wasn't fazed. He leaned forward a bit to look at Senku.
"You don't, right, Senku?"
"6,268," Senku answered without hesitation. "As for Sumi, it'd be 5,844 soon."
"Ahh," Senku said in realization. "You baited me with that question. Sumi put you up to that, didn't she?" She hummed happily and nodded at him. "Still, it would be impossible for you to figure it out if you didn't know when I revived."
Gen gave him a knowing smile. "Do you not remember? You wrote down the date you broke out of the stone. Mire-can mentioned it to me because she found it herself before I did." Senku gasped in shock, glancing to him. "Right by the entrance to the miracle cave."
On the tree Senku had written on, it said April 1st, 5738 AD. Which Gen had came across when he was a spy for them. "It was probably the first thing you did." Gen gasped while reading it. 'So he wrote this when he was de-petrified? How did he know what day it was? No way. Was he...? The whole time? This guy is freaking azy-cray! Who does that? Wait, if he did that...that must mean Sumi—' He gasped in realization, running down the small hill Sumi slid down. He then saw her date and gasped at it in shock.
"Come to think of it...ever since the beginning, even before I met you two...let me put it this way, I was a big fan. No matter what side we're on. And I'm not the only one. The whole village agrees. You might think that's kinda lame to say, though," Gen explained with a fond smile.
Senku stared at him, a bit upset at himself for doubting everyone, especially Sumi. And yet the whole village pitched in for him, over something that they didn't know what they were doing. He didn't know how he could be so lucky. He then looked away with a small smile. "Yeah. Just a little bit."
"Called it!" Gen sung a little.
It was late at night as Senku was sitting in the observatory, looking out the telescope again. He heard footsteps and he turned to see Sumi approaching. He gave her a smirk. "What? I don't get a special encore or something?" He asked in a playful manner. She chuckled a bit while sitting down next to him.
"I don't have everyone around and even then, the only song I used to sing for your birthday was..." She faltered as Gen came up, looking around for them. "Oh...that one?" He flinched at her voice, looking up towards the second floor. "I haven't sung that song to you since we were petrified..." She rubbed the back of her neck. "But I know that you at least appreciated the effort they all put in."
"To tell you the truth, I thought you forgot after all these years. Or that they all wanted to give up," He told her and she yelped in alarm. "That was a crappy thing to assume of you, I'll admit," He sighed with his pinky in his ear. He wouldn't care about not celebrating it, but...Sumi always made it at least exciting, even for a little bit.
"I could never forget your birthday and they'd never do that!" She cried out with white eyes, waving her arms rapidly. "Don't you remember that I always make sure to celebrate it?" She pouted down at him.
"Yeah...shouldn't have jumped to conclusions," He then let out a chuckle, smirking widely. "Let's hear the performance. You could make it up to me after 3,700 years," Senku glanced at her and she took a deep breath. Before she started, though, he placed a finger over her lip and she blushed while staring at him. "Sumi...could you do that thing like when we were little?" His eyes softened a little.
"Huh?" She moved away his finger in confusion, blinking. "But I thought you hated that."
"Yeah, but...feels right, you know? Don't expect me to explain it to you."
Sumi stared at him, not knowing it was because Senku thought she was still upset over what happened in the caves. He could still remember the shadow in her eyes from what Magma had said about her scar. And since she was happy to go all out for his birthday...he figured that this might put a smile on her face again.
"Alright, if that's what you want," She moved over to sit behind him. He then gave a small smile as she rested her chin on his head. It nestled into his hair. Sumi then let out a deep breath as she started to sing.
Yesterday won't come back for you
But everyday, it's your birthday
Senku closed his eyes in content from her quiet angelic voice. She smiled while bopping her head back and forth.
So don't turn away from tomorrow
Whose fault do you think it is that you aren't being rewarded?
As she sung softly, they both looked up as a shooting star went by.
Seek validation for your efforts
You can't cling forever to things that never change...
Gen was staring at the two in disbelief from his spot. He then gave a sly smirk as he slowly stepped away. He was definitely going to use this as leverage to tease them one of these days, but for now, decided to leave them alone.
Angel: The first song is Happy Birthday from Kygo, while the second is actually Yume no Yo na from the second half of the season! I love the song, so I couldn't help but use it at the end. Plus, it's one of my favorite endings, let me have this lol