Angel: Wow, um...I didn't think I'd ever have to say this, but here goes. To suggest that I write that they behead Ibara, not only does it make no sense, but also, it literally goes against Senku and Sumi's characters. And the entire Kingdom of Science for that matter. Literally Ukyo himself has said like twice that he doesn't want to see anyone die. And Senku himself, in episode fucking FOUR, let himself get killed so that Yuzuriha wouldn't, plus he saved Tsukasa in season 2 even though the guy killed him. That enough already tells us that Senku won't let people die. Sumi herself saved Ukyo in season 2 when he asked her not to, and she helped saved Tsukasa too even though he wanted to marry her. And oh yeah, he sliced her face! And she stated she doesn't like guns or allowing people to die, because she is essentially the doctor and having someone die because of her judgement would destroy her. Yes, Senku and Sumi have both expressed wanting to hurt people in the past, but those are taken to be jokes mostly. Aside from the one time Sumi said she'd kill to protect her friends like 3 chapters ago because that was meant to be serious.
Trust me, I don't like Ibara as much as the next person, but petrification is what he deserves because he put people through hell. And he's notably the only person that the Kingdom of Science defeated who never gets revived. So even if some people think he should be beheaded, I think Sumi herself has been through enough. She does not need the satisfaction of seeing him dead, she already thought she was going to lose Senku and blamed herself for what happened-and for what happened with Kohaku and Ginro might I add.
Have I said or written anything lately that suggests I am secretly a sadist? Because let me tell you, I'm not. I write stories that will have death in them, but I wouldn't be able to write someone get beheaded-and My Hero Academia has some pretty gruesome deaths yet I'm still working on that. I hate scary stuff like that, makes me unable to sleep at night.
Please do not ask me to write something like that ever again, I will ABSOLUTELY NOT write a beheading for someone who is already petrified and isn't getting revived anytime soon. Like, what the actual hell?
Senku and Sumi were now walking along the beach, the night sky over their heads. They held hands while staying silent, since they didn't need to say much at the moment. Although unfortunately, the phone call wasn't a long one, but they could figure that out later. The waves of the beach nearby crashed near them.
"Hey, Violet," Senku suddenly spoke while looking up to the stars. "Tell me what you don't like about me."
"Huh?" She turned to him in confusion while opening her eyes. "Why?"
"Our experimental relationship rests on our chemistry, remember? So it just seems logical that we air out our grievances about it. It has been over a year, after all. And we did say if we didn't like something to just say it. Though given the situation, there didn't seem to be time unlike now," He told her and she rubbed her chin in thought. He did make a good point that they had to acknowledge things that they didn't like during their relationship. Otherwise it might've come off as dishonest.
"Umm...well, I guess I could say I don't like how blunt you can be sometimes but that's typical of you. Maybe..." She gave a small frown as she came up with her answer. "I guess I don't like it when you make decisions for me. Like when you didn't want me fighting Hyoga or Moz. The latter I could understand since I had an injury and he's a freak of nature."
"Noted..." He sighed while hanging his head a little and then glanced towards her. "It's not that I underestimate you. It's just that we've seen their power levels at work. Imagine what would've happened if Tsukasa had attacked you when you were at his empire."
"You're not usually one to worry, Senku. Is it really that bad nowadays?" She looked at him in concern that she seemed to be stressing him out with some of her decisions. It wasn't that she enjoyed putting him through that, but she tended to prioritize safety over all her friends and him.
"No...don't think about it too hard," He dismissed and she didn't question it further. Mainly because she didn't want to push the issue if he didn't want to talk about it. "My turn, huh? I guess...there's really nothing wrong with you..."
She glanced up at him and blushed deeply from the compliment, her eyes shining. "Really?" She asked him happily that he was admitting this.
He paused and then looked down at her with a big grin on his face. "Except that you're a stubborn prude!"
"Ahhh!" She screamed as he laughed and she swatted his uninjured arm repeatedly. "You're so mean to me! Ugh! Come on, be serious," She sighed after calming down. "There's gotta be something you haven't been a fan of for over a year. Honestly, it's a wonder you can put up with my behavior sometimes. It must be pretty annoying, huh...?"
Senku slowly came to a stop, and he didn't say anything at first, but she did remind him of something he could admit to her. "This," He responded with a low voice and she didn't seem to understand what he meant.
"Huh?"
"I don't like it when you're putting yourself down with your appearance or your skills," He stared down at her with a serious expression. "Any time you were stressed about your scar or not being able to help everyone because of choices they make. None of that was your fault...so I don't understand why you always think that way."
She gasped and then bit her lip in thought, looking away. "Mm...I honestly don't know where it came from...I didn't even realize that I did it that often for it to be noticeable," She tugged at the end of her hair a little.
"It could be from our time or the three years we've been awake. I honestly don't give a crap as long as you stop doing that. Because then it would be a problem. Even with those flaws though...it doesn't change the fact that I've got the perfect lover in this stone world," He placed a hand on her head and she blushed again while looking up at him. He hummed with a small smile. "Imperfections and all."
She let her mouth open in awe of what he told her. "Y-you're perfect too!" She exclaimed nervously, not sure if he would even appreciate that. But she felt like she had to say it, not just because he told her the same, but because she actually felt that way about him. He blinked and then laughed, walking off to her disbelief.
"You and I both know that was the stupidest thing you've ever said to me!" He held his stomach in laughter. "Pfft, there's no way in hell I'm that to you!"
"Oh, come on! Give me a little credit that I returned the sentiment!" She whined while running after him. "Why do you always have to tease me?"
"Heh heh," He chuckled as he saw her pouting as she grumbled to herself as she took out some gauze from one of her pouches. Even though it's ten billion percent not true...at least I can have some enjoyment out of it. Silly Violet...and yet it never ceases to affect me in some way. He stared at her as she held his arm at a straight angle to start patching him up. It was like he was analyzing her, and she didn't even notice as she was too focused on his wound. Come to think of it...he couldn't even pinpoint when he fell in love with her. It could've been when she said it over the phone, or when he started to notice her differently...it took him thousands of years, and it still sometimes caught him off guard just how long she waited just to even have a chance with him.
He gave her another small smile to himself. "Wanna know something?" He asked suddenly and she hummed in response. "I think...the day I saw you in the cherry blossom petals. That was the moment I realized...wow, she really looks presentable."
"Thanks for once again being a tease," She remarked while cleaning off his blood from his arm. But she did have a happy smile on her face.
A beam of yellow light revealed the two the next day, Senku holding some revival fluid. He and Sumi smiled as they watched Chrome be revived again. He let out a few gasps trying to recollect himself. "Senku...Sumi," He murmured as the two looked glad to see him again as well. "The fact that you're both standing here alone means one thing..." The two didn't answer as Senku chuckled. Sumi gave a closed-eyed smile and Chrome recoiled back with a shocked gasp. "That is so bad!" He smiled while clenching a fist. "We won, didn't we?"
"Yeah. Sure did. All thanks to your creative brilliance," Senku glanced away from him. "We survived like cockroaches too stubborn to keel over and die."
"I hate roaches, please don't call me that from now on," Sumi looked a bit annoyed.
"Ahh, maybe I should just for a laugh," He remarked back and she rolled her eyes. The three then shared a high-five together.
The three had their revival fluid machine up and running outside. "Now as the scientist tag team, we can get to work reviving the whole crew!" Chrome smiled while pumping a fist.
"Heh heh. It's a bit like a logic puzzle, cause if we don't connect the pieces in the right order, we'll starve to death," Speaking of starving, his stomach grumbled and he patted his stomach, looking a bit embarrassed. Chrome blinked at him and then Sumi's stomach growled as well. She laughed awkwardly while hugging herself and he had a sheepish smile on his face.
"I'm, uh, hungry too," He admitted to them.
"Guess it's time for me to pitch in, huh?" Sumi gave them a small smile and they blinked at her. Later on, they both held onto her back as she was using her arms to carry them. She jumped along the tree branches, grabbing whatever plants and fruit she could find along the way.
"Yeah! We'll practically have a feast," Chrome's mouth drooled a bit as she smiled a little.
"Just remember to watch your step, okay?" Senku warned her while plucking an herb above his head.
She then made a vegetable stew for them and they drooled looming over her. She smiled as they enjoyed it together. Then the three headed out after that, rubbing their satisfied stomachs. Although the variety would run out, and they would eventually need access to more food. And only one person would know where to get it, thanks to stealing it multiple times.
"For food!" Chrome started off to the duo.
"Amaryllis!" Senku finished and once she was revived, she showed them the storage shed. Senku and Chrome bowed thankfully to her and Sumi, since she could do a lot more recipes with the ingredients they now acquired.
They then did a hike with materials, though it was too much to handle for multiple trips. Senku himself felt like he was gonna pass out. "So heavy," He groaned as Sumi took his basket, putting it around her hip. She then balanced her own on her head to give him a break. "For strength..."
"Taiju!" Chrome answered in exhaustion.
Once he was revived, he carried up everything in the cart for them, Senku and Chrome so relieved afterwards.
Soon, it was lunchtime, though with all of the food they now had...the only cook was Sumi, and even then, she wasn't a pro chef or anything. Speaking off, she came back to them after hauling a bunch of meat. She fell in exhaustion, panting heavily from all the hunting she just did. She didn't usually get easily tired like Senku since she was a skilled fighter, but everything up until now she didn't realize had tired her out as time went on...Senku stared down at her, knowing that if she continued this routine, it wouldn't help her stamina, or being productive like she wanted to be. So like with the bread, they needed to lessen her duties.
"For cooking..."
"Duh, Francois!" Senku stated and they were revived. The five danced around happily from the smell of what they were making. Soon, they had a plethora of food in front of them.
"Time to dig in!" Everyone exclaimed in unison. Amaryllis took a sip of soup as Francois was placing down a bowl of food.
"Ooh, it's delicious!" She commented and Sumi smiled towards the butler.
"Francois never disappoints! Thanks for doing all this for me. I had a big haul today," She said gratefully and Francois bowed in return.
"Think nothing of it, Sumire. I'm glad to help in any way I can to lessen Senku's worries over you."
"It's not like that," Senku deadpanned at this. "It's because if she piles on more work, she won't be able to help the science team."
"If you say so," Chrome remarked to himself and then the cell phone went off, getting their attention. Amaryllis turned around to it in confusion. There was only static though, so unlike last night, there was no phone call right after.
"Shame. The battery for our beloved cell phone is on its last breath, I'm afraid," Senku explained to them. "Got one last call from Ruri, but it dropped a minute later."
Ruri was surrounded by Mirai, Minami, Natri, and other villagers. "How are things on your side of the world?"
Amaryllis gave a small frown. "Sounds fuzzier than the noise from the earpiece," She stated, since it was consistent every time they used it until now.
"Because it gets reception from the mainland," Francois explained for her.
"Wow! So Ruri just called to see how everything was going? That sounds like a village priestess to me! Just like Sumi would do, actually," Taiju gave her a small smile and she returned it.
"While that is nice of you to say, my investigation skills are tingling again," She remarked while eating some soup. Chrome flinched in realization of what she was getting at. "Did she really call to wonder about us?"
"Hold on, she's right. Let's say that she did call because she was worried about all of us. She knows that it would slow us down, so why even bother?" Amaryllis blinked in confusion at him. "Sure, some people would've checked up on us for their own piece of mind. But this is Ruri we're talking about, and she just doesn't think like that. For 18 years, she suffered alone so others wouldn't have to."
"You're right," Taiju looked at him wide-eyed. And then he remembered that Sumi wouldn't do that either. She too suffered on her own until she had the courage to speak about her home life before Lillian. So by those similarities between the two, there was something else going on behind the phone call.
"It must be really important if she's been trying to reach us. This is the first call we've gotten from her in weeks, after all. So she must have some important information to tell," Sumi pointed out; the last time they heard from her was to question the family tree of the inhabitants of the island.
Amaryllis flinched in alarm and then went over to Francois. She leaned into the butler's ear with a slight blush on her face. "That level of trust can only mean one thing! So is this Ruri Chrome's lover? She has to be a former flame at the very least!"
"No," Francois answered simply, looking towards their food. "That girl's actually Senku's ex-wife, or so I've been told."
Taiju looked at his best friends wide-eyed and shaking. "WHAT?!" He gripped Senku by the collar, shaking him. "When did you have the time to get married to someone, Senku?!" Sumi's hair went flying to the side from his shouting and she winced in pain.
The green-haired scientist then removed his fingers from his ears with a blank look. "It was only three minutes. We divorced immediately."
"You're saying not only have you been married, you've gotten divorced too, Senku?!" Taiju shook him again and Sumi went over to them.
"Taiju, stop it," She pushed him away. "You're probably gonna make him puke if you keep shaking him. Just ask questions normally—you know what, never mind, this is you I'm talking to," She pinched her nose in realization that Taiju wasn't exactly calm when it came to stuff like this. He then gasped while looking at the two.
"Does that mean you were two-timing with Sumi by getting married to Ruri?!"
"Wha-We weren't even together at the time!" Sumi protested at him in disbelief.
"She was there the whole time and saw it happen," Senku raised a skeptical brow at him. "So no, I was not quote on quote cheating."
"But you still knew about her feelings! How could you do that to her?" Taiju accused him with a frown.
"No he didn't," Sumi dragged a hand down her face. "He never knew a damn thing until Gen decided to record me telling him, well after the divorce! How does that count as cheating when we were still friends at the time? Seriously, I'm not even that hung up over it."
"Hey, Chrome," Amaryllis turned to him in confusion as she was starting to feel lost. Senku, Sumi, and Taiju were still arguing with each other. "Will you please explain the nature of this little love...square I think?"
Chrome gave a nervous look while crossing his arms. "Well I would, but it's uh...a stupidly long story. Even more so than how Sumi and Senku became a thing. Actually, I can answer that last part, he was too oblivious to even notice it," He glanced towards Senku with a smirk, annoying him a little.
"That's not what happened," He deadpanned immediately towards them. Amaryllis gave an awkward sweat drop at the back of her head.
"Anyway, it's besides the point!" Chrome smiled while standing up. "What matters is Ruri's trying to contact us! Let's call back!"
"Then we should go aboard the Perseus," Francois suggested to everyone. "Its equipment might allow for two-way communication."
"Good idea!" Chrome smiled while pointing down at them.
"Mm," Sumi gave a nervous frown at the suggestion.
"Well, while our signal should reach, there's one problem," Senku spoke up and when they reached the ship...the control room was a complete mess. Everything was trashed or torn apart. Sumi sighed while placing a hand on her forehead, an eyebrow twitching.
"Honestly, this doesn't come as a surprise to me..." She murmured loud enough for them to hear.
Chrome gritted his teeth and then stomped his foot, steam coming from his ears. "Those jerks had no clue how to operate this stuff, so their first instinct was to make a mess of everything here?"
"It's not their fault. They were probably told to smash it in case something happened for them to lose control over the Perseus," Sumi pointed out while crossing her arms. Chrome blinked at her and then finally noticed the ribbon in the front of her clothing.
That looks...similar to Ibara's clothes. Why would she have that on?
"Meh," Senku replied blankly while digging his pinky into his ear. "Gettin' mad and yelling won't fix this disaster zone."
"I don't think I've ever actually seen you get truly angry before, Senku," Taiju commented with a small smile. He had seen Senku get jealous one time, but that wasn't entirely the same as what Chrome was expressing right now.
"It definitely happens, dude. I'm far from a saint. But it wastes precious time," Senku informed and Sumi looked away with a knowing look.
"Didn't stop you from feeling mad over me being in the beauty contest and other things I shall not mention," She commented loud enough for him to hear. His eyes widened and then he cleared his throat to snap out of it.
"That's because you're so troublesome as a lover. That can be debatable as a trait from you I don't know I enjoy," He muttered back to her and she huffed a bit.
"This much damage will take several weeks to prepare," Francois put on their gloves. "Thus, I will go and ready the mess hall," They then hurried out the door, shocking Amaryllis.
"I'm kinda loving how proficient this latest team member is...!"
"I'll work on your clothes in the meantime, Francois!" Sumi waved to them. "To thank you for the meal."
"I appreciate that kindly, Sumire," Francois stated while leaving down the hall.
Senku chuckled while straightening up. "If we gotta rebuild stuff, we need Kaseki. We'll also wake up a few other able bodies. It'll be all right. Now that we aren't waging a war, we can focus on reviving everyone."
Chrome wrapped his arms around multiple jars of revival fluid. Sumi smiled and then her eyes turned a little sad. They still needed to find Kohaku and Ginro, though... I hope that we can find them...but how are we gonna do that when they could be anywhere?
"We've earned a reward for snagging the Medusa, so whaddaya say?" Senku asked some of the revived crew. "Why don't we take the Perseus on a victory voyage?"
Soon, Ryusui stood on the ship. Nikki was standing on the mast, helping out a village. Soyuz, Mantle, and Kinro carried large planks. Suika and Yuzuriha sewed the sails together. Ukyo watched the radar while Chrome, Senku, and Sumi were at work behind him.
"Every time I'm revived, there's a brutal amount of work waiting for me," Kaseki commented to Gen, who was sawing some wood with tears down his eyes.
"I know...!" He cried out in dismay.
Amaryllis watched as Taiju took a deep breath and dove into the water down below. Yo's statue should be right below the ship, or pretty close to it. And sure enough, he did find Yo's statue laying on the sea floor. He picked it up, and then turned to the side...to see Kirisame's statue lying on a rock.
"Kirisame..." Amaryllis murmured in realization.
"You guys mentioned a green glow when you told everyone about the master, right?" Sumi looked up at them. "That must've been Ibara petrifying her in retaliation..." She bit her lip nervously saying his name again. Senku gave her a light kiss on the forehead and she smiled in return.
"Saving an enemy is always a tough call," Chrome frowned a little while crossing his arms. He wasn't there to know Kirisame as well as the others, but he learned enough to know that she could be dangerous. "Do we really wanna risk our safety?"
Magma lifted up an axe. "Let's smash her up!"
"You don't even hesitate when it comes to murder!" Gen recoiled back in shock at him.
Sumi's whip suddenly grabbed the axe before Magma could do anything with the statue. "I WILL DESTROY YOU!" Sumi screamed at Magma with her eyes in flames. She then huffed to calm down, hands on her hips. Senku poured the revival fluid, shocking Gen once more.
"Uh, you two should learn to stop and think a bit too!"
"Relax, Gen," Sumi turned to him with a wistful look in her eyes. "Don't forget, she lives on this island just as much as everyone else."
Kirisame was then de-petrified, Senku giving a small smirk. "She was being deceived by Ibara, is all. Now she's free."
"Plus...we do need her for something," Sumi added, Gen turning to her in confusion. "Just because she was allied with Ibara doesn't mean she's still not a person like the other 7 billion people to revive." Kirisame sat up and then noticed the black-haired scientist, recognizing her immediately.
"You..." She murmured slowly, getting their attention. "You were the reason I even started to question Ibara."
"Hm?" Sumi tilted her head in confusion; she had never directly interacted with Kirisame, both before and after infiltrating the inner palace with the spy team.
"I saw you and your friends with that statue..." Kirisame revealed, earning a gasp from the woman. "And I heard everything you said. I was going to petrify you...until I stopped." Kirisame was spying on the four putting Ryusui back together. She reached into her pouch to petrify them, until Sumi had spoken in words similar to the master.
"You were there...?" Sumi blinked rapidly at her. Similar to Moz, Kirisame must be unrecognizable by smell. Or at least knew how to mask her scent.
"Heh. Even when she doesn't know it, Violet still managed to sway someone to our side," Senku remarked, hands on his hips with a small smirk. Sumi rubbed her neck sheepishly.
Kirisame stood on the edge of the Perseus, her skirt flying. She looked up to the sky as she was still taking it all in. Senku and Sumi were standing behind her, silently watching. She could tell that they needed something. "What do you want from me?" She finally asked the duo. "There must be a reason I'm one of the first you chose to wake."
"Yeah, there is," Senku revealed to the woman. "Know those invaders you caught? Where'd you dump their statues once you got 'em down?"
"It's...it's really important that you remember their location," Sumi faltered a little, trying not to cry at the memory of seeing them get petrified and unable to do anything...
Ginro was now clothed and sitting in front of a tree. "His wounds were fatal..." Kinro murmured while approaching him. Gen and Suika were nearby. "You think they'll really be healed?" Ginro was pierced from behind by Ibara's claws. Blood spurted from his mouth and body as Ibara pulled away from him.
"It healed Senku when we thought he was dead," Sumi gave a small smile, hands behind her back as she and Senku surrounded the statue. "And it brought back Mirai who was brain-dead for years. So this shouldn't be any different."
Senku chuckled while holding up the revival fluid. "The revival fluid's restorative properties are no joke," He remarked while pouring it over Ginro, who was then revived. Smoke came from where he was struck and he gasped. He slowly sat up and remembered his last moments. He opened up his shirt a little to look down at his stomach.
"Wait, my wound!" He exclaimed, and he was perfectly healthy. He laughed in awe while looking up.
"G...Ginro?" Kinro murmured happily with tears welling up in his eyes. Ginro looked just as happy to see his brother.
"Hey, Kinro," He then gasped to see all of his friends smiling at him. Kohaku had been revived as well, Sumi beaming happily while her hand was on the blonde's shoulder. "You're all here..." He then noticed the blonde. She still had her makeup and the pink dress on. "Kohaku! Sumi!" He then ran up to the women with his arms outstretched and tears falling from his eyes. "Thank you so much, you two! You had the breast plan!"
If that wasn't enough to tip them off about his intentions, the sleazy look on his face more than confirmed it. Sumi's eyes widened in horror before Kohaku growled. She then punched the blond into a tree, head bumps over him. Her fist was smoking as Suika shook in fear. The black-haired scientist then sighed in relief, both Gen and Chrome curious over her reaction. She wouldn't be scared of Ginro trying to touch her, she'd be just as annoyed as Kohaku was...
"Aw, yeah!" Chrome pumped a fist, deciding to think on this later. "Ginro's back to his old self!"
"Yup, that's one way of proving it," Nikki remarked from behind.
Kohaku gave a small chuckle while looking towards Senku and Sumi. She then ran up to them and they turned to her. She reached out her arms and hugged the both of them, shocking Sumi. Kohaku hummed happily as Senku's mouth was hidden by her hair. Although Sumi glanced up at him briefly and he had a small smile on his face. Sumi smiled as well and hugged Kohaku back, and Senku didn't. But that was to be expected.
"No fair!" Ginro stomped his foot in anger. "Why's Senku get all the love, huh? Jeez!"
Kirisame gasped while blushing in embarrassment and looking away. "Oh, that's right," Gen commented with an amused smile. "Kirisame has been under the impression those two are legit sweethearts since the moment they kissed."
Sumi grunted with a red mark near her forehead at the reminder. That never got cleared up with Kirisame now that she thought about it...
Amaryllis then looked up with a small smile. "I really don't think it's that kind of hug. Not between them," She could tell that the trio had a long past together, and that they were the first people Kohaku would think of when she thought of close allies as close friends.
"A-Are you three a couple?" Kirisame stammered in confusion.
"NO!" All of them screamed while pulling away as Gen bust out laughing.
"Oh my god, it is not like that at all," Sumi dragged a hand down her face. "I could never see Kohaku as another partner even if I wanted one, which I don't!" She corrected while crossing her arms in annoyance and then threw her shoe at Gen's face.
"Ow...!" He cried out in pain.
"Well, relationships aren't always between two people," Senku gave her a teasing grin. "Who knows, maybe you won't be able to satisfy me all the time and I'd require another partner."
"Ahhhh!" Sumi looked at him with white eyes in disbelief and an open mouth.
"Relax, I'm just messin' with ya," He waved it off and then she fell to the ground comically and also in relief.
Later that night, they were having a party to celebrate their victory. Several played music, ate, or drank. Yo himself chugged down a mug of cola. "Nothin' beats an ice-cold cola after earning a big W!" He smiled while holding it up. Two hands grabbed the barrel of cola, getting the attention of him and Nikki. Oarashi held out a hand.
"With my jaw-dropping and eye-opening miracle power, I, the great Oarashi, will crush you!" He declared to Magma, who grabbed his hand as they were about to test each other's strength.
"That's pretty hilarious. What about you is such a miracle, anyway? Did you mean to say typical or really dull?" He then laughed in response, pissing off Oarashi right off the bat.
"You dare insult my greatness?!" He exclaimed in anger while Mantle jumped and landed between them.
"I want a good, clean fight! Ready?" Yuzuriha shined a spotlight on them. "Go!" Mantle released their hands, people cheering them on as they arm wrestled. Kokuyo chugged down some wine nearby, sitting nearby some men.
"Hey, Magma! Kick his ass! Show him the people of the sea are tough as rocks!" He cheered on while Kirisame bowed down to Soyuz, who looked a bit embarrassed.
"I heard what you did, Ginro," Kinro started off while glancing at the two. "The information you learned from the risk you took-"
"It's true!" Ginro bragged happily to a few people. "Even though it's crazy! My grand master plan totally involved getting impaled by Ibara and saving Sumi's life! Which I think we can all agree is pretty darn cool!"
They believed him, since one, they didn't witness it. And two, they didn't know that Ginro didn't save her, it was Kohaku who made the decision on her own. Kinro gave a large sweat drop looking at his brother, as he should've known he'd do this...
"You just never change..." He muttered in disbelief.
"You know what would really make things a bit more fun? Some music from our village chieftess!" One of the villagers spoke up and she blinked in surprise.
"Eh? Me?! You guys must really enjoy it when I sing, don't you?" She smiled nervously as this would be the third time she had done it in public.
"Why not? It's an enjoyable experience!" Ryusui held up his cup of wine. "I want it, a performance from our very own Sumire Weinberg!"
"Of course you would," She deadpanned towards him, people surrounding her and pleading. She waved her hands nervously from the encouragement.
"Kinro, Ginro!" Suika ran up to them. "Let's get Senku and his team out to hear her! Have you seen them?"
"Umm..." Ginro blinked as he had no idea where they were. They definitely weren't celebrating, that was certain. He then turned to his brother in thought.
"Keep it quiet," Senku spoke from the only lit room from a hall.
"Then it's happening?" Chrome asked in excitement as Ginro and Suika approached with drinks.
"There they are."
"Of course!" Suika exclaimed with a playful tone.
"Come kick back and have a drink with us, science team!" Ginro beamed while stepping inside.
"You guys are working way too hard! Sumi's about to sing for us!" Suika announced to the team, and they turned around to the two.
"We could just ask her to sing for us later," Chrome remarked as Senku was turning a dial. Then something clicked. Chrome and Kaseki cheered while Senku picked at his ear. "There we go! We got a signal!" Suika and Ginro opened their mouths in disbelief.
"Yes! Our glorious comms are all patched up now!" Kaseki waved his arms. Suika and Ginro let out shocked yells at this. Ukyo gave them a sheepish smile; though it was Senku, so it shouldn't be too out of the ordinary.
"Can't communicate with this much noise in the background, so hush, would ya?" He called out to them.
"What kind of boyfriend won't even come out to hear his girlfriend sing?!" Ginro exclaimed at the green-haired scientist.
"She's done it for me already," He gave them a deadpanned look; he already knew what she sounded like because he asked her to for his birthday. Plus, she wouldn't be too hung up over the fact that he wasn't there to see it. "That's not nearly enough to warrant a pause on our task at hand."
Ginro and Suika pouted towards him...and then they were pushing the science team down the hall. "Guys, come on, we were doing something!" Chrome protested at the two.
"At least take a break to hear her sing! Hurry up or we'll miss it. After everything, we all deserve one," Ginro gave a big smile; he just wanted to hear her sing and use it as an excuse to grope her again...Senku glanced back at him in annoyance.
"15 minutes at most, and then we have important things to move onto."
Once they arrived onto the deck, Sumi's back was turned to them. A few of the crew started to play music and she smiled a bit.
The ship we left behind was moving forward
A few people, like Yo or Amaryllis, chuckled in awe since they had never heard her singing before.
At a speed so slow
Sumi then twirled as she started to dance.
That it made us laugh
She skipped over to Gen to grab his hands and he shook his head rapidly as she smiled.
But isn't it good if it doesn't exist?
She pulled him forward, to everyone's surprise as she giggled and twirled around with him, still holding his hands.
Despite not having a map, we have arrived
She went over to Ryusui to pull him forward to dance as well, his hat almost falling off but he caught it. "Ha ha! A dance with Sumire Weinberg? I want it!"
She rolled her eyes at him silently.
The harbor of your heart
She then grabbed Amaryllis, who took Ukyo's hand and they were both dragged over.
If you wish to leave on a journey
"Come on!" Sumi grinned while wrapping her arm around Nikki's and dragged into the dancing group.
Please go ahead
They raised their hands and clapped as Sumi moved her feet around gracefully, her skirt spinning around. The others followed her example as they moved in a circle, surrounded by the crowd.
Ride the sound of the waves
Senku smiled a bit while crossing his arms, looking up ahead. He was surrounded by Chrome and Kohaku.
If that's what you like
"She never fails to get people fired up, huh?" Kohaku laughed a little while watching.
"Nope," Chrome agreed with a hand on his hip.
Do what you like
Do what you like
Sumi spun around to face Senku, Chrome, and Kohaku, smiling while waving a hand forward. Senku waved it off as he felt he could just watch. Kohaku gained a cat-like grin upon seeing this, though. Chrome glanced at her with a smirk, getting the same idea.
"Hey, Senku. You and Sumi should dance together," Kohaku suggested slyly with her hands behind her back.
"Eh?" Senku blinked while glancing at her. "Are you out of your mind?" He chuckled in amusement.
"Heh heh, Sumi would love that," Chrome nudged him and he rolled his eyes.
"I don't have a-" Kohaku kept the same grin on her face while Chrome gave a mischievous smile. "Mm...get ready for the both of us to look absolutely ridiculous, then. And even then-" He then was pushed into Sumi by Kohaku and Chrome. Sumi blinked as she felt him bump into her, turning around fully to him and he sighed. "They want us to dance together...and since I don't wanna do this on my own, I guess we'll do it."
Sumi giggled in response, hands on her hips. "I don't know if it'll satisfy everyone since we've never danced before. Do you even know how to?" She raised a playful brow and he flinched since yes, he had never danced before. If there was one thing Sumi could never convince him to do, it was that. It wasn't like he couldn't learn, but he wanted to get some practice in another day.
"This is actually not as easy as I thought...how about another night?" He dug his pinky into his ear.
"Absolutely not," Gen grinned widely towards them as he had popped in out of nowhere. "You're dancing with your girlfriend, Senku!" Kohaku, Chrome, Ryusui, and Nikki surrounded them with stars in their eyes.
"Ahh...why are you people so savage?" Sumi gave them a sheepish smile.
"Let's just do it..." Senku sighed again in defeat. He grabbed her hand and waist, causing her to flinch in surprise. "Come on, don't make me do this alone..."
She smiled and then swayed to the music, guiding him a little.
No one knows if everything will be alright
Gen snickered as Senku was looking at his feet, but Sumi twirled them around to try and make it easier. "Would you look at that? Who knew Senku was a dancer at all?"
Or if we will meet again
Sumi hooked an arm around his, picking up her skirt and giggling as he tried to keep up with her.
I won't blame you if you get on or get off
She spun around as she held his right upper arm, both of them bouncing around as he held her hand. "This is...honestly not too embarrassing," Senku blinked as people around them continued dancing as well. He glanced towards Kohaku and Chrome smirking and then glared a bit towards them. "Except for the gawking."
Do what you like
Sumi hummed a little as she moved backwards to kick up a leg, her skirt flying around with their movements.
Do what you like
Everyone dancing were moving around the two so that they didn't get lost in the crowd for other people to watch them.
Even the sea doesn't know the right way
Senku chuckled and caught her off guard by placing an arm around her hips and lifting her up off the ground, spinning as they looked into each other's eyes.
Nor the sky knows the final destination
She laughed as he stumbled thanks to his strength and she guided him to put her down.
Travelers of this round and blue planet
Sumi and Senku swayed to the music as he did seem to be getting the hang of it now.
Do what you like
She smiled as he had the same look as always, but something in her could tell deep down...he was enjoying himself.
Do what you like
No matter, do what you want
As she finished singing, everyone surrounding them stopped and clapped. "Alright, it's over—" Senku flinched to see almost all their friends staring at them eagerly. "What is wrong with you...?"
"I guess they want an encore..." She murmured with an awkward laugh.
"Yeah, no," He dug his pinky into his ear, walking off. "Well, that was an experience. And we didn't step on each other's feet. Ten billion points, Sumi! Let's get outta here."
"Ah..." She gave a big sweat drop at the back of her head from his response. Of course he'd leave her on the dance floor.
"That's all?!" Chrome exclaimed at him in disbelief.
"Come on, Senku! You can't be done already!" Taiju called out after him in a bit of disappointment.
"I am. Come on, ya big oaf, we have a phone call to make, remember?" He glanced over his shoulder.
The phone rang back at the Tsukasa Empire, and they all waited patiently to see if it would really work. "Senku? Sumi?" Ruri asked slowly and they all gasped in surprise.
"Ruri! Hi, it's a relief to hear from you properly," Sumi gave a small smile.
"Yeah. Can you hear me okay, Ruri?" Senku leaned in towards the speaker.
"Yes, loud and clear," She smiled in relief, as she was alone this time. "I'm glad I finally got through."
"Let's save our story swapping for the next time. You need something, right? Shoot."
Amaryllis stared at him with white eyes and sweat dripping down her face. "What? This is your first exchange with your ex-wife since all the chaos that happened on the island!" She reminded him, since it was never clarified that the two weren't even carrying feelings for each other. "She doesn't even get a hi from Senku?"
Kohaku leaned in towards her, holding the Medusa. "That's classic Senku and Sumi for you."
"Right, so...were you the ones who sent that odd message? I didn't think you'd be so...perverse," Ruri blinked rapidly, and Sumi recoiled back in confusion.
"What me-" Static then occurred and she gasped. Sumi, Senku, and Ukyo were surprised as well. Not only did Ruri get cut off, but it was a familiar scenario as well.
"That sounds like interference. By a stronger signal," Ukyo informed the group.
"A stronger signal?!" Gen exclaimed in a bit of a panic. "How is that possible when we should be the only signal?" The six generals were sitting in the boat to test their radar, when they had gotten the message from a familiar entity. "That is, unless..."
A voice then spoke up, but it was muffled and they could barely hear it. "It's not Morse code," Ryusui glanced to Senku and Sumi.
"Nope. No code," He spoke up a bit gravely.
"If him not interfering with our signal again until now was a good hint, using the same Why message over and over wouldn't have an effect on us," She explained while turning to him. "There must be something else he wants to say if it's been this long..."
"Wait. Somebody's speaking!" Ukyo informed while listening, but it still wasn't clear just yet.
"Yeah," Senku murmured as everyone was quiet now. They waited in anticipation, Kohaku still holding the Medusa.
"Affect 12 million and eight hundred thousand meters in one second," A voice finally said and the blonde gasped towards it. The six generals had the same reaction as her. Amaryllis then held out a hand.
"No! It's going to trigger!" She shouted and Kohaku jumped backwards, landing in front of a wall.
"Hey, do us a favor," Senku glanced back at her. "Keep it away from the speaker, even if it kills you." Thankfully, the Medusa didn't activate, though that still brought up a lot of tension regardless.
"Well," Ryusui started off with a hand on his hip. "Safe to say we finally know where the Why-Man stands. That was a clear attempt to cause us harm. So he means to see us destroyed," He made his other hand into a fist.
"I don't get it, though. Why use the radio?" Chrome pointed out from behind.
"This is insanity!" Gen's eyes widened in horror. "12 million and eight hundred thousand meters wide? Not only is it an oddly specific choice, it's also terrifyingly huge!"
Senku and Sumi had shadows over their eyes, as they hadn't reacted yet. "Know what's 12 million, eight hundred thousand meters?" All of them waited in anticipation. "The diameter of planet Earth."
"Meaning if it wasn't for the fact that it was over a radio...we'd be petrified just like everyone else was thousands of years ago," Sumi looked up with narrowed eyes and Kohaku gasped sharply.
"The real issue at hand...isn't what he said," Ukyo started off gravely. "It's who said it."
"True," Senku frowned deeply at him and Ukyo looked up.
"I know that voice. Because...it's yours, Senku!" He revealed to everyone.
"Affect 12 million and eight hundred thousand meters...in one second."
Everyone aside from Sumi was flabbergasted looking at him as he smirked. "This is exhilarating. Get excited!" He prompted everyone as the black-haired scientist blinked. She just had so many questions regarding this voice...
"Not sure if excited is the right term here," Sumi commented with her hands on her hips, raising a brow. "First off-"
"She's such a hot piece of ass."
She flinched in alarm, looking back with wide eyes. Amaryllis covered Suika's ears in horror. "What the hell?" Senku murmured at this as they continued to listen, baffled and a little worried now. 'She' could've been anyone. Sumi frowned a little as she was trying not to think too hard, but it was kinda outlandish to say the least...
"Best sex I ever had, and a real looker too. Especially with the red flame-like tips and the scar."
Everyone, including Senku, gasped as Sumi stepped back a bit in horror, her eyes wide and shaking. "That's...!" Gen didn't finish his sentence as everyone was staring at the black-haired scientist now. The mentalist, Senku, Chrome, Ukyo, and Ryusui all gasped in realization as it now was revealed who he was referring to...
"She's a screamer, you know that? Made me crazy. Especially when she screamed my name while I-"
Sumi picked up the speaker before the message could be finished. "PERVERT!" She screamed and then hung up, panting heavily.
"Heh heh...is that so? You know, I just thought you were an evil mastermind behind the petrification. But now you're getting Violet involved in your little game? Big mistake..." Senku gave a big smirk as she gritted her teeth.
"The voice behind the mystery transmission is Senku?!" Yo panicked while looking at him.
Amaryllis moved her hands away from Suika's ears, shaking with white eyes. Senku was whistling innocently as if nothing had happened. "I'm scared. Very scared! I'm getting goosebumps from head to toe! But I'm also very concerned on whether or not we should leave the two lovebirds alone."
Sumi grunted a bit towards Senku's reaction as she definitely wasn't laughing. "I don't understand what's going on!" Suika exclaimed while looking at him. Chrome rubbed his chin, Gen looked sheepish, Taiju was smiling, and Soyuz was just as shocked as Yo. "It sounded like Senku talking to us, but he's right here! And what did he say about Sumi?"
"Nothing," Sumi sighed heavily to try and calm down. "You're way too young to know about that stuff, Suika, that Sen and I have not done at all!" She glanced towards the phone with white eyes.
"It's possible this version is a good-for-nothing fake," Chrome muttered towards the green-haired scientist.
"Absolutely not! Our Senku wouldn't be a bad guy in a billion years! Or if he does feel that way about Sumi, he's certainly not shy about it," Taiju blinked towards the two. "He would be the one to brag about it if it was ever revealed to us like just now."
"We did not...do anything," Sumi grumbled while crossing her arms. "I am seriously not enjoying this at all, and I don't know how else I can explain it to you guys."
"A theory almost refreshing in its simplicity," Gen remarked sheepishly towards the two. "But if you two didn't do the deed, then why is he saying you did?"
"Bet it's a smartphone recording!" Taiju smiled at the duo. "It has to be because he wouldn't embarrass Sumi like that." Although embarrassed was the least likely word to describe what she was feeling right now.
Senku gave a small chuckle. "Regrettably, neither Violet or myself have a smartphone, and I ten billion percent have no memory of recording that message. Because then that would make the part about her much worse in context."
"Then did the message say all that stuff about Sumi just to get her riled up?" Chrome glanced at the black-haired scientist.
"If that's this guy's idea of a joke, then I'll slit his throat in his sleep!" She declared while looking very pissed. "And I can verify that he didn't record that message because I've been with him 75 percent of the time he's been awake. And 2, we didn't do anything intimate," She rubbed a temple; he had asked her to be more intimate with her, but they hadn't exactly had the time to actually do so.
"What if Senku has a twin?" Nikki whispered to some people on the ship.
"Like an evil clone?"
"Or maybe he traveled through time, yeah?"
Ryusui laughed while having a cup of green tea. "Don't be so rude, you guys. You're all just spouting baseless speculation. Especially when we have Sumi and Senku to confirm aspects of their relationship, and we should respect their privacy. Am I wrong? Why-Man is hostile toward us, so he'll be in touch soon enough. And eventually, he'll slip up."
Yuzuriha stared at him from behind, her eyes wide. "You're having tea at a time like this?"
Gen then popped up from a door behind them. "How exactly do you keep your chill?" The mentalist couldn't help but wonder.
Ukyo glanced at them awkwardly since this wasn't the first time Ryusui wasn't freaking out over stuff like this. Maybe just like Senku, it wasn't like him to express in that—unless Sumi was involved when it came to the scientist, that is.
"Woo-hoo!" Kaseki popped up from another door along with Senku. "We got another transmission! Come listen!"
"He repeats the same thing at regular intervals," Senku pointed to down below. "And we cut out the part about Sumi because we don't need any more speculation in regards to our relationship."
"Affect 12 million and 8 hundred thousand meters in one second," The message repeated again for Ukyo to listen closely. He then turned around just as Sumi appeared behind Kaseki and Senku. She looked much better than before.
"It's the same as before, right down to its timbre. As a former sonar operator, I would stake both of my ears on that fact. That voice, it dips into the same uncanny valley as a vocaloid. Because it's synthetic."
Everyone in the second level all gasped sharply. "How?!" Gen exclaimed while sweating, hands in his sleeves. "How is an artificial voice possible in the stone world?"
"Heh," Ryusui turned around to him. "Let's think, Gen. How isn't really all that significant at this point. The fact is, it's being done. I wanna know why. Why send a transmission using a synthetic voice? Or, similarly, why bring Sumi into this at all? Who would do it? Also, from where? Answering the why could tell us."
"Clearly the Why-Man is a naughty boy bent on petrifying the world, so that answers part of your question. What's not so clear is why he's imitating Senku's voice and speaking about Sumi in a rather...interesting way," Gen tilted his head in confusion. "Maybe he's trying to gain her as an ally like with Tsukasa?"
"Ucccch," Sumi groaned in disgust while looking away, a blank look on her face. "Absolutely not, I'd very much not like a repeat."
"I'm starting to wonder how he even knows about her when he hasn't heard her voice and Senku never mentioned her during the first time we even heard from him," Ukyo tipped up his hat in thought. When that phone call came in, Sumi was present, but Senku was the only person who spoke into the speaker. And this recent one was the only time she had said anything to Why-Man...
Chrome had his eyes closed in thought. Transmissions. Senku's voice. A phony. He then gasped in realization of how this was possible. He ran up to the duo. "When you two finally defeated Ibara, you tricked him, right? By giving the command over the radio?" Senku, Sumi, and Kaseki turned to each other in thought. "What if he heard? And that's how he's copying you!"
"Uh!" Sumi flinched as she remembered...that when Ibara touched her, Senku was still wearing the cell phone back then too. But the real question was, was it even on during that time? If it was, it was starting to make more sense where all that stuff about her came from. Senku turned to her and she sweated a little, looking away.
"Is this dude like incredibly smart, or just dumb beyond all comprehension?" Yo couldn't help but point out. "I figured the Medusa was his invention, but now I'm not sure."
"That's got the wheels in my heard turnin' too!" Kaseki spoke up next. "Why was the device on the island at all?"
"My thoughts exactly!" Chrome smiled up at them.
"Hmm," Senku looked at a piece of paper. "If we had somebody who knew the device's history, they might also know about Why-Man," He was looking at a blueprint of the Medusa. Sumi looked over his shoulder.
"Maybe someone who had seen the Medusa's power for the very first time or even worked with the person behind it!" She held up a finger.
"Um, I remember!" Soyuz suddenly stated and she looked up at him. "Well, not anything about the Why-Man. But I do recall the Medusa's shape," He looked at the blueprint so that his memory would come back to him. He then explained it to everyone in the room once he remembered.
"Mm," Chrome glanced at Sumi after hearing it, noticing her uneasiness. "Guys, can you give us generals a minute?"
Everyone looked up at him in confusion. "If you say so!" Kaseki agreed and one by one, they left the room. Once the door closed, Chrome stared at the black-haired scientist for what felt like hours.
"Whatever it is you need to say, just say it," Senku deadpanned towards him, and Sumi slightly elbowed him.
"I didn't wanna ask in front of everyone or make it that obvious, but...Sumi, you're wearing part of Ibara's cloak," Her eyes widened as she bit her lip, glancing away. "And you've been acting a bit strange too." Ginro tried to touch Sumi and she flinched in horror. Gen, Ukyo, and Ryusui all hummed in thought staring at her and she felt really awkward. "...Something happened with Ibara, right? Otherwise you wouldn't even need that thing..." Chrome asked with a grave tone to his voice.
It was tense silence in the room as she gulped, giving a weak smile. "...No. Nothing happened. We just spoke into the speaker to petrify him, and that was that..." She revealed after a few seconds, trying not to get upset or shed tears over it. Because crying over it was definitely not the right reaction since Ibara was an asshole who did what he did for his own amusement. And she already knew that Senku wouldn't see her differently at all.
"Are you sure?" Ukyo blinked at her. "Senku...you were there. He really didn't do anything?"
Senku let a small sweat drop fall down from his face as he bit his lip angrily. His hand shook a little and then it stopped after a few seconds. He could just admit that Ibara did grope her and leave it at that. But also...while he could be blunt, he had no reason to make Sumi relive that trauma. And like he said before, she was a victim, not an instigator. "Yeah," He spoke through his gritted teeth. "He didn't."
They all stared at the two, knowing that they were lying...and given that Sumi's front part of her outfit was torn off...they could take a guess of what happened. But...they also knew that she would be okay, since she had the Kingdom of Science and Senku. So not questioning for more details was the best decision to go.
"...Alright then," Ukyo smiled a bit towards them. "If you say nothing happened, we believe you."
"Ha ha!" Ryusui snapped his fingers. "You two still hold the distinct honor of defeating the big bad on the island."
"Yeah!" Chrome pumped a fist. "All because you two worked together like always."
"Must feel pretty nice now that you don't have to worry about him, huh?" Gen gave them a small smile. Sumi blinked in surprise that they weren't drilling for details and then she smiled as well.
"Yeah...it is," Senku admitted with a small smirk, glad as well for their decision. They were just as sharp as the two founders themselves, so of course they figured it out.
"You guys should've seen the look on his face," Sumi chuckled in response, silently glad that she could trust the four.
"Now that we know Why-Man is our enemy, our job as the battle team is no longer to theorize," Kohaku spoke up to Kirisame while standing on a cliff. "It's to condition ourselves for the unavoidable battle that awaits."
"Ah!' Ginro shouted in worry as Nikki, Kinro, and Kokuyo all watched them. "We just beat the petrification kingdom and already we have a way worse enemy!"
The two women stared each other down, preparing themselves. Kirisame lunged forward first, Kohaku dashing up to her. The two then clashed weapons before Kohaku jumped backwards and landed. Kirisame did the same as they narrowed their eyes. Ginro was shaking in fear, Kinro looking on in a bit of awe. Kirisame charged again, the two never once getting a hit on one another, and always dodging. "They're even!" Nikki exclaimed with wide eyes.
"I can't believe how fierce they both are!" Kokuyo commented in a bit of disbelief.
"You're strong," Kirisame called out while fending off Kohaku. "So strong, I'm beginning to think you were holding back the last time we fought!"
"Ha! I wasn't going easy on you. That's just plain disrespectful. Apologies. The dress I had on at the time was a little more constricting!" She stated while Ginro was shaking in fear.
"No, no, no!" He cried out and shook his head, alarming his brother. He then turned around and ran off, getting the attention of the others. "No craziness for me! I didn't survive a brush with death to die anyway!" He shouted while running through the forest.
Taiju and Soyuz brought forward the statue that they didn't recognize in the Sapphire Cave to Senku, Sumi, Suika, Francois, Ryusui, Amaryllis, and Gen. The two then put the statue down, though it was missing an arm.
"Who's this person?" Amaryllis wondered, since she wasn't there to see him put back together until now.
"An ancient islander our Taiju happened to pluck from the sea floor," Gen stated a bit nervously. Soyuz brought his arm forward to Senku and Sumi.
"His arm has a mark. Looks like a wound, or a tattoo. What do you think it is?"
They took a look and gasped, as it was a swirled shape, but not just any regular one. "Oh, wow!" Gen exclaimed in disbelief as Sumi picked up Suika for her to get a better look.
"It's swoopy like the Medusa thingy," She pointed out, her hands holding Sumi's wrists.
"Ha," Taiju rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "His arm kinda sorta broke off while I was carrying him."
"Good. Then it can't have eroded too much," Ryusui smirked while snapping his fingers. "A healthy dose of revival fluid should repair him."
"If it had been too eroded, then he would've lost that arm," Sumi gave a sheepish smile. She, Senku, and Sumi held the arm in place. The green-haired scientist then poured it over him. The stone cracked and then fell around the man, who gasped in awe of being able to move. Sumi yelped and turned away upon seeing him mostly naked. Francois bowed while presenting him some clothes that Yuzuriha had made for him.
"This guy healed with some marks," Suika gave a small smile. "It's been a while since we've seen that happen."
"The stone surface deteriorates as time passes. Some bits fall off without healing properly," Ryusui explained while Sumi turned back around in relief.
"Hey, Violet," Senku whistled a bit to get her attention and she walked over. She examined a fragment in his hands, blinking at the size of it. "This fragment's also thinner than ours. He must be from a couple hundred years ago."
"That means he must be a past resident of this island, and is a descendant of the founders just like the villagers here," Sumi turned to him in realization. "He could be from around the year 5000 given that we haven't seen any thinner pieces from anyone else until now. Pieces from people in our time are more solid."
"After all this time, have I truly been revived?" The man looked at his hands. "That strange light was not my end?"
"Yup, you got it," Senku gave him a small smile. "Now tell us about this strange light that rocked your world."
"Every detail could be really essential for the history of this light and is welcomed," Sumi hummed in thought.
The man then got onto his knees thankfully. "Thank you, kind travelers. I'm in your debt, profoundly."
"So, uh, can we skip this part?" Senku remarked blankly while digging his pinky into his ear. "We just want details on the device, bud."
Sumi glanced at him in annoyance, lightly hitting him on the arm. "You are unbelievable..." She muttered in disbelief; though she was kinda expecting that reaction...they suddenly heard screaming, turning their attention to a clearing.
"No freakin' way!" Ginro screamed while being chased by Kohaku and Kirisame.
"Stop running, Ginro!"
The man was tying up his hair into a ponytail and he looked up. He gasped sharply towards Ginro specifically, who was still running away and crying. "M-Master..." He murmured as he thought that Ginro was the master he used to serve, as...they did actually look very familiar to him. "I'll save you!" He screamed, alarming both women. He dashed forward and knocked away Kirisame with ease. He then did the same with Kohaku. Sumi gasped and grabbed her whip, throwing it at the two and capturing their wrists. She then pulled them backwards just as the man hugged a confused Ginro. "I shamefully dishonored myself, Master. I should've never been petrified. But I, Matsukaze, will not let those brigands have their way now that I've returned to you, my lord."
"Um, wait...so you're on our side? Huh?" Ginro was still very confused. Kohaku and Kirisame landed safely near Sumi, looking towards her gratefully. Matsukaze saw Sumi with her weapon and was about to charge forward.
"Are you about to attack the master?!" He screamed and she simply grabbed his legs with her whip, pulling forward hard so that he landed on his back.
"Why don't we just calm down before you start hurting someone with your assumptions?" She remarked with her hands on her hips as she and Senku stepped forward.
"Look, this guy isn't your master. He's just our resident sleazebag," The green-haired scientist called out, earning a laugh from Sumi.
"HEY!" Ginro screamed with steam coming out of his ears. "That isn't true!"
"Literally in the first few seconds we revived you, you tried to cop a feel," Sumi deadpanned while reaching Matsukaze and offering her hand to him. He blinked in shock and he took her hand, allowing her to pull him up. The man then gasped as the master looked so much Ginro with his smile...but the blond in front of him just didn't look that confident.
"Uh...hi," He blinked awkwardly at the black-haired man. "Man, do I really look like somebody high and mighty from way back? He's definitely gotta be one of my distant relatives! And truth be told, I'm probably his reincarnation. So, how about you serve me in his place? Sounds good, right?" Everyone stared at him either sheepishly or with deadpanned looks hearing this.
"And he wonders how he earned the title resident sleazebag," Chrome glanced at Kohaku.
"Whatever the situation, he's always looking out for his own interest..." She murmured with closed eyes.
"Ginro being Ginro," Kinro added from behind, looking away in a bit of embarrassment.
"Then why was he acting so honorably while he was cross-dressing?" Amaryllis couldn't help but wonder.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Sumi sighed slowly at this. "Like I said before, he can be a selfish dumbass..."
"So back to this petrification device that you saw all those years ago, Matsukaze, would you tell Senku and the gang about it?" Ginro grinned, nudging his new bodyguard. He then stood up in silence, looking up towards the sky.
"Very well. I'll tell my story. Life on this island was peaceful once upon a time. Until disaster suddenly befell us..." A villager was farming when green lights fell from the sky, and he looked up with a gasp. One of them fell near a little girl and then started to grow in size, just like with the Medusa. She turned around in confusion, and then more lights hit the ground. They all looked up to see dozens of green lights from the sky, and they were all from a Medusa. "Countless of these nightmare devices rained down from the heavens." They all gasped in shock to hear this.
"Ha! That settles it! It originated in the sky," Ryusui smiled while snapping his fingers.
"That's plenty of useful info and more than enough to help springboard us into our next course of action!" Senku smiled at Kaseki, Sumi, and Chrome. "Let's get moving, guys!" Chrome gave a thumbs up as Kaseki hummed in agreement.
Everyone except Sumi looked at them with wide white eyes. They didn't even seem to be willing to hear the rest of the story... "Uh, but weren't we kind of in the middle of hearing Matsukaze's story?" Amaryllis wondered in disbelief, and then the three took off.
"Science will fill in the gaps!" He called out as they ran off in lightning speed. Sumi let out a sound while her eyebrow was twitching and then sighed heavily.
"What am I gonna do with them...?" She placed a hand on her forehead.
"And they're gone like the wind," Gen answered with a sheepish smile.
"Sorry about that, you guys. He always gets like this-" Senku came racing back and grabbed her arm.
"We'll require some top-notch investigation skills from my brilliant lover too," He kissed her forehead before running back off, dragging her along.
"Hey, slow down!" She cried out while blushing, but was being dragged so fast, that she was practically flying behind Senku.
The science team were gathered in the mobile lab. Senku picked up the parabolic. "There we go!"
"If memory serves, that's what we used against Tsukasa's army," Kaseki pointed out as Senku put it down.
"Yup, it is!" Sumi revealed while standing to Senku's left, hands on her hips.
"Oh yeah. The weapon that gathers sound waves," Chrome bent down to it, rubbing his chin. "The shock cannon, wasn't it? Okay, so what's it for now?"
"Well," Senku gave a small smile. "Our little cannon gathers sound and radio waves. It's the same basic concept at work. This parabolic antenna's gonna help us trace the signal Mister Why-Man's been pissing on us."
"Parabolic antennas are not only for communication purposes, but we'll be using it to narrow down the radio waves from the message," Sumi held up a finger. "They can locate ships, airplanes, and guided missiles and can detect the weather!"
"So bad!" Chrome's eyes shined from her explanation.
Once it was attached to the sonar and radar, they listened to the message again in the control room. "Affect 12 million and 8 hundred thousand meters." They turned to the screen to get the reading.
"The baseline length of these measurements is too tiny to tell crap," Senku grumbled a bit.
"This guy is well beyond the Earth's surface, or even the atmosphere," Ukyo explained in concentration.
"Hmm," Sumi placed a hand on her hip in thought. "Considering all we know, that might be so that he can't be tracked. If he wants to harm us, he wouldn't give away his location that easily, but that's because he underestimates us," She gave a small smirk, high-fiving Ukyo.
"I won't even pretend like I know what that means," Kaseki turned to the trio. "But I'm guessing the enemy is really far away?"
Senku let out a small chuckle. "It depends on the time. We're constantly moving thanks to Earth's rotation. Once we gain a few thousand kilometers, we'll be able to figure it out."
"Right," Ukyo smiled in agreement. "So the signal's not too far off."
"Wait," Kaseki's eyes went white in confusion. "Then you're saying he's actually really close?"
"No! It can't be both!" Chrome exclaimed in bewilderment.
"You're right. It can't. Which means there's only one other option of where he could be," Sumi chuckled a little with a small smile, confusing them both. "But we'll explain it during dinner time."
"I'm surprised you're not even freaking out about the...other stuff he said," Chrome cleared his throat and she blinked. She then reacted with a scoff.
"Please. I was more so scared of the fact he knew about me rather than hearing it in Senku's voice, as uncanny as it was hearing it. I knew from the minute he started talking about me that...Senku would never say that, no matter what happened," She hummed as she didn't have any doubts either. "Because he's just not that kinda guy to brag about it, and he'd rather keep that part of our lives private...more so for my sake than his," She gave a sheepish knowing look.
"Hm," Senku gave a small smirk that she wasn't questioning it too much unlike the love potion thing. She had really changed her perspective on him since then. "Ten billion points for not being oblivious about it," He ruffled the top of her head and she whined.
"I wasn't mad at you at all, give me credit for at least not accusing you of recording it!" She swatted at his hand and he chuckled. Chrome, Kaseki, and Ukyo all smiled at the two for how strong their relationship was to the point where Sumi didn't need to talk to Senku about the origin of the message. Because she just trusted him that much now of the simple fact that he wouldn't do that.
Later that night, they were having a feast for dinner. "Okay!" Senku announced to everyone, holding a plate. "We had fun tracing the Why-Man's call. And our results tell us the enemy is a few hundred thousand kilometers above. If you need me or Violet to spell it out...he's on the moon."
"The...?"
"MOON?!" Gen finished for the shocked Yuzuriha, tears falling from his eyes.
"The signal's moving in conjunction with it, so there's no mistake," Ukyo confirmed for Senku.
"That's actually...possible?!" Kinro exclaimed in disbelief.
"Mmhm," Sumi nodded with a small smile. "And given how Matsukaze said it was from the sky those Medusas came from...it only makes sense they came all the way up from space. Way too many devices to be anything else."
"How are we supposed to fight him? I'm pretty sure the Perseus wasn't built to fly us to the stars!" Kohaku retorted while watching Senku and Sumi eat.
"Ha," Ryusui smiled in amusement while putting down his wine. "Leave them to their own devices, and that negligence will be our demise."
All of them gasped towards Ryusui and Senku put down his plate with a small chuckle. Sumi giggled mischievously while having her hands behind her back. Gen flinched and then gave a nervous look. "Now wait just a second here...I have an ad-bay feeling about all this! A feeling that's most assuredly correctly!" He then had an anxious smile on his face. "Senku, Mire-Chan, I know what's coming because I know you both. This is the primitive stone world we're living in, though!"
"That's why we're going from primitive to modern," Sumi smiled in amusement. "Science will solve the issue at hand."
"Time for progress. Cause we're going to the moon!" Senku revealed with a smirk.
"I KNEW IT!"
Angel: Just like with The Treasure, I used Suki ni Shinayo for the song, and it's a rough translation of the lyrics, so sorry if they don't match.