Senku knelt on the forest floor, sketching an elaborate diagram in the dirt. Around him, Chrome and Kuri leaned in, watching intently as he drew arrows, formulas, and labels with his stick.

"To save Ruri, we need antibiotics," Senku announced, his voice steady and resolute. "But rather than gambling on penicillin, we'll develop a sulfa drug. It's more reliable, and the steps are clearer."

Chrome's eyes gleamed with excitement. "What's the first step?"

"Step one: iron," Senku said, drawing a bold circle around the word. "We need to manufacture iron, and for that, we need iron sand. We also need to construct an oven that can reach 1500°C."

Kuri cocked her head thoughtfully. "Finding iron sand might not be as hard as you think. I can track it with a seeking spell."

Senku raised an eyebrow, intrigued but skeptical. "Magic? Let's see who finds it faster—your spell or my science." He turned to Chrome, smirking. "Get ready to witness some real sorcery: magnetic science."

Senku knelt on the rocky riverbank, the sextant in his hand gleaming under the midday sun. He adjusted it with precision, his sharp eyes scanning the horizon and aligning the tool with the stars' calculated positions in his head. Around him, Chrome and Kuri watched with a mix of fascination and skepticism.

"This is how we find iron deposits," Senku said, his voice confident. "With the sextant, I can determine the coordinates of the richest iron sand in the area. We'll locate it in no time."

Kuri raised an eyebrow. "Science over magic, hmm?"

Senku smirked. "Always."

He continued his calculations, but as the group moved in the direction indicated, they found nothing but empty ground. Senku frowned, glancing back at the sextant, then at the sky. Something wasn't adding up.

Chrome scratched his head. "Are you sure your science isn't broken, Senku? We've been walking forever."

Kuri, who had been silent, tilted her head thoughtfully. "What if the Earth's tilt has changed?"

Senku's eyes widened as the realization hit him. "Of course. The Petrification Event would have caused a shift in the Earth's rotation. The coordinates I'm using are based on pre-Petrification calculations. They're completely off."

"I bet you don't know about this! We can find it easily!" Chrome cried.

Chrome had assembled a rudimentary magnetic compass from a feather of magnetic iron and a bowl of water, The magnetized rock spun slowly, finally settling in what seemed like the right direction.

"A compass!" Kuri and Senku chorused.

Kuri reached over and said emphatically "Let me have that iron."

She stepped forward, taking the iron. Her hands glowed faintly as she muttered an incantation, and the rock began to hover, radiating soft golden light.

"Follow me," she said, her voice steady as she moved through the forest. The glowing rock led them to a nearby river, where iron deposits glinted beneath the surface.

"We've found it!" Chrome cheered, while Senku's eyes lit up with triumph.

But before they could celebrate further, Kuri stiffened, her eyes narrowing. "Someone's nearby…"

A small figure emerged from the bushes, wearing a large watermelon-shaped helmet. "Suika is here!" the girl announced cheerfully, waving.

Senku raised an eyebrow. "And who's this?"

"Suika!" the girl repeated, her voice bright. "I'm really good at finding things, so I'll help you!"

Xxx

Back at camp, the group began preparing the forge. Chrome had built a rudimentary furnace, and they piled wood and iron sand into the chamber. Senku stood over it, arms crossed, explaining the next step.

"To smelt iron, we need to reach at least 1500°C," he said. "With this setup, that means a massive amount of airflow and heat."

Chrome pumped a makeshift bellows, but the flames barely flickered higher. "We're not even close," he groaned.

Kuri stepped forward, her face calm but determined. "Let me try."

Before Senku could stop her, she extended her hands toward the furnace, her eyes glowing faintly as she summoned her energy. The flames roared to life, and the temperature began to climb. But then something changed—her skin flushed, and a fine mist of smoke began to rise from her body.

"Kuri, stop!" Senku shouted, alarmed.

But she didn't seem to hear him. Her hands trembled, and her breathing grew labored as the heat radiating from her body intensified. The flames rose higher, licking at the edges of the furnace, but so did the smoke curling from her skin.

"Enough!" Senku darted forward, grabbing a blanket from the ground and wrapping it tightly around her. He pulled her away from the fire, his arms locking her in a protective embrace. "Stop, Kuri! Don't do this again!"

Kuri gasped, her glowing eyes fading as she collapsed against him. Her body was burning to the touch, and Senku's heart pounded as he tightened his grip, feeling the rapid beat of her pulse.

"Senku…" she murmured weakly. "I thought I could do it…"

"You almost cooked yourself alive!" Senku's voice was sharp, but his hands trembled as they cradled her face. "You're not allowed to pull something like that again, ten billion percent! You hear me?"

Kuri managed a faint smile, her breath shallow but steady. "You sound worried."

"Of course I'm worried!" Senku snapped, his emotions slipping through his usual calm exterior. "We need you. I need you."

Kuri blinked at the uncharacteristic outburst, her smile softening. "I'm okay, Senku. Really."

He exhaled deeply, his grip loosening but not releasing her. "Promise me you'll be more careful."

"I promise," she whispered. "Both you and I are earth elements, Senku. Manipulating heat and fire doesn't come easily for us."

Senku tilted his head, intrigued. "Earth element, huh? That explains a lot."

"So, what's the plan now?" Chrome asked.

Senku turned to Suika. "We need more hands. Suika, can you gather some intel and figure out who might be willing to help us?"

Suika saluted, dashing off toward the village.

The group reconvened later that day, with Suika reporting that the villagers were hesitant to join them.

"They think you're strange," Suika said, looking at Senku. "But they love good food. Maybe you can win them over with something tasty!"

"Good food, huh?" Senku smirked. "Then we'll cook up something revolutionary."

Xxx

The group worked together to prepare the ramen, using foxtail millet to make a crude, chewy noodle. The soup was bland by modern standards, but for the villagers, it was a revelation. The crowd began to grow as word spread, villagers lining up to taste the strange new dish.

As Senku stirred a pot of broth, Kuri appeared, wearing an outfit that drew every pair of eyes in the vicinity. She wore a short, flowy skirt made of woven leaves that shimmered like emeralds in the sunlight, paired with a cropped top of soft, white fabric that draped off her shoulders. Her hair was tied back with a vine, adorned with tiny flowers, and her bare feet moved gracefully over the grass.

The villagers swarmed her immediately, enchanted by her presence.

Senku froze, the ladle slipping from his hand as his brain short-circuited. "What the…?" His gaze lingered a moment too long before he snapped back to reality, shaking his head. "Focus, Senku. Focus."

Kuri approached him, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "Something wrong, Senku?"

He coughed, turning his attention back to the pot. "Nothing. Just didn't expect you to go full goddess mode."

The villagers, thoroughly charmed, eagerly joined in helping with the forge, their energy revitalizing the group's efforts.

As the sun set, Chrome pulled Senku aside. "Senku, I need to tell you why I'm doing all this. Why I've collected all these materials and learned so much."

Senku raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

"It's for Ruri," Chrome said, his voice thick with emotion. "She's sick, and I've been trying to save her. If you can make this antibiotic, it might be her only chance."

Senku placed a hand on Chrome's shoulder, his gaze steady. "Then we're going to save her, Chrome. That's a promise."