Angel: To Whitemare with her suggestion, uhhh...let's just say that the comment can be taken very badly in and out of context. Because if you're talking like full-on nonconsensual sexual assault, that just seems very uncomfortable to picture. And I really hope that's not what you meant, because there's already implications of that with Ibara in the later half. I can't even say that nothing happens to Sumi down in the line in the second half, because there will be...let's just say an event she'll face in a certain episode that will have a warning. We haven't gotten to that though, so I can't say much more than that. It's not the same extent as the suggestion.
To everyone out there, please do not ask me to address a question like this ever again. Even in context, I do not like how it's worded at all. And yes, I've done several topics that can be taken as uncomfortable, so that might seem hypocritical of me. But still, that's not cool, because I don't write that stuff on every single story. I don't put every single character through extreme experiences just for the sake of it.
There was a full moon out tonight, and amongst that moon, Kohaku flipped in front of it. Sumi was hanging onto her back piggy-back style, yelping as Kohaku was falling backwards towards the ground. Kohaku then turned her body around as she continued falling, smirking up at her friend. "Hanging on tight?" She didn't wait for a response as she spun her body around, holding her legs. Sumi held onto Kohaku's neck tight, but not too tight. She grabbed a tree branch and flipped around rapidly. She then flipped off the branch, landing on another. She then flipped a few more times before landing at the roots of the master's tree. Sumi sighed in relief once she slowly stepped off of the blonde's back. Kohaku's dress had a knot tied where she had ripped off the cloth for the message. The two looked around, Kohaku gasping as she bent down to the rock.
"This is it," She murmured to Sumi as they both started to move the vines. "The key to a scientific victory. Passed down by Senku's father, your mom, and their team. They used the ultimate treasure box, the Soyuz spacecraft!"
Senku gave a small laugh once he deciphered the message from the blonde. "The spy team already managed to track it down. Now we're just a few steps away from nabbing Byakuya's treasure!" He revealed with a grin to the science team.
Kohaku then stopped, gasping at the sight in front of her. "There it is..." Sumi murmured slowly at it.
"Somewhere inside of this thing lies the magic substance that will allow us to revive all humankind..." The blonde reached out her hand to the rock. "Platinum!"
It was still quiet in the inner palace, as only the guards were still around. Kohaku continued reaching out until she finally touched it. As soon as she did, the object crumbled into pieces right in front of them. Kohaku let out a terrified squeal, her eyes bulging out. "Ahh! It's crumbling!" But then she gave a knowing look as she had stopped panicking. Sumi giggled a bit from her expression. "Heh. Of course. Even if the metal outer shell was fortified by the wisdom of modern civilization, it still couldn't stand up to thousands of years of exposure."
"Well, the Soyuz spacecraft was made out of primarily aluminum alloy, but also used titanium and stainless steel," Sumi gave a sheepish smile. "The lifespan of all three combined isn't nearly enough to be able to sustain themselves for that long. Let alone an entire spaceship to sit three human beings since it's not meant for extensive use," She explained to Kohaku.
"But let's see how the inside held up," Kohaku stated as the two started moving away rocks to search together. Thankfully they weren't too loud in moving them, and Kohaku gasped at the sight. Sumi kept her eyes forward knowingly as in front of them was just a ball made out of stone, but in a gray color. Kohaku lightly tapped it with her fist. "Stone..."
"Yup," Sumi stood up, her hands on her hips. "Figures Byakuya would do something like this for a treasure box," She giggled slightly at the sight. "Senku would probably find it a pain if it wasn't necessary."
"A concrete ball..." Gen murmured as Senku was informing them of the same. "Really?"
"Yeah, assuming it survived. Hard to beat a concrete shell when it comes to preserving things over time," He informed the three.
Kohaku and Sumi stared down at the concrete ball, as they had uncovered the top of the Soyuz spacecraft. The blonde blinked and then smiled a bit knowingly. "Right. The glass record and Sumi's adoption papers were preserved with a similar method. We had a hint that it would be like this! Back then, I was able to break the stone away by force..."
The two women then both frowned knowingly. "Mm-mm," Sumi shook her head slowly at the suggestion. Kohaku moved away from the spacecraft, looking up towards the tree.
"But if either of us tried that now, in the heart of the enemy's camp..." She could imagine both of them hammering away at it, and then catching the attention of the guards since they slept in shifts. They would then find the two, and possibly petrify them. Either that, or send them to Ibara for worse punishments that they didn't want to think about.
Sumi sighed slowly while Kohaku looked up nervously. "The tree's grown hollow ever since the Soyuz spacecraft has been sitting here," The black-haired woman murmured with her eyes closed. "Thanks to thousands of years, and with it surrounding the whole palace, there's no way we'd be able to pull that off tonight...we need a strategy and quick. Ah, damn it, if only I had my equipment, I'd be able to get through this no problem..."
Kohaku sighed in defeat, looking towards the sealed treasure box. "The secret to saving our friends and humanity itself is right here...just out of reach..." She had a slightly sad look in her eyes, thinking about the crew on the Perseus...and how if she was able to make noise, they'd be able to revive them by tomorrow morning at best. Sumi placed a hand on her friend's shoulder in comfort.
"I know it's hard, Kohaku...but we'll find a way. After all, we're the Kingdom of Science, remember?" She gave her friend a wink and Kohaku gave a small hum, smiling.
"Yeah...you're right! You and Senku will come up with something together to help us out," The blonde clenched a fist in determination. "Come on, let's have a race." Sumi blinked in surprise at her suggestion. "One of these days, you gotta learn how to move like me in forests like this. Because while you are nimble, you're not nearly as fast."
"Wait, Ko-" Kohaku jumped away from the rock and onto a tree branch nearby. Sumi gave a small whine at her and jumped as high as she could. At least it wasn't for no reason, but still...
Sumi paced around in thought in the hut the four were sharing. "Let's see, we're dealing with concrete, so brute force can't help us here. The science team already knows this too...so what now? That tree is front and center of this place..."
"But she and Sumi are deep inside the enemy base," Soyuz gave a nervous look as they knew that the two could break the stone if they wanted to. Kohaku had gotten that record out and Sumi's strength with her whip was unmatched. But sound was the only thing stopping either of them... "If the two make too much noise, they'll be heard..."
"It's not like there's a way to smash a boulder open all sneaky-like. They'll catch 'em for sure!" Sweat came from Suika's watermelon mask as she waved her arms around in a panic.
"Hm?" Senku took a few moments to think and then let out a small groan.
"If only we had somethin' like a silent bomb to work with..." He and Sumi both said in unison, her eyes closed as she sat in front of the moon.
Gen laughed at this suggestion. He had heard lots of crazy things from both Senku and Sumi. But this was definitely one of the most absurd the mentalist had ever heard with either of them. "Too bad. A spy weapon that ridiculous can only exist in the daydreams of a middle schooler," He mocked a bit. Or at the very least, from a spy cartoon...
"Eh?" Senku glanced back with his eyes closed. "I'm gonna have to burst your bubble there, Gen..." He then jumped, landing in front of the science team. He then held out his arms, Suika mimicking him. "Cause silent bombs are as real as these hands."
"You mean that crap actually exists?!" Gen's eyes bulged out in disbelief. "And the name is seriously that on the nose?"
"They're used to quietly bust up concrete in residential areas. Think silent bomb was a brand name. The technical term is expansive demolition grout," Senku explained to them.
"Well, that's certainly a mouthful!" They all imagined a state of Gen, the head blowing up into pieces with little noise. Senku then chuckled a bit like a maniac. He was holding two vials while looking like a psycho, one was just plain powder, while the other one looked strangely familiar. In fact, a soul was trying to escape from it.
"All I gotta do is pour a tiny bit of this powder into this vial of liquid," Senku stated with an evil grin on his face.
"Why's he acting so creepy?" Soyuz murmured in a bit of fear, he and Suika both shaking looking at him. Once again, he was getting into his mad scientist mode...and just seeing him in this state, they still couldn't help but wonder how Sumi was so used to it by now.
"If he mixes up those vials, they're gonna go kablooey for sure!" Suika cried out while still shaking.
Senku gave an innocent look. "Let's go ahead and try it out," He then mixed the two together without a second thought.
"Hey, wait!" Gen shouted while his eyes bulged. "What's wrong with you? Are you trying to kill us and devastate Mire-chan at the same time?!"
Senku gave a laugh from their reactions. "I didn't call it silent for nothing," He revealed with a small smile as there was no actual explosion from what he just did. "It's not actually explosive. It'll just turn into plaster." Soyuz and Suika had braced themselves in the corner. "And making it explosive suggests that I want to deal with Sumi's gross grieving tear-stained face, which I don't. I have no interest in suddenly leaving her to take up any duties on her own." Really, he just didn't want her to get hysterical over him, and he had no idea what she would do if he did die in an explosion. Which was a conversation he never wanted to have, because right away she'd be in tears.
"Huh? Plaster? As in the stuff people use for sculptures and casts?" Gen asked him in confusion before giving a little smirk. "But I see how it is. You just don't want to lose your life so that she'll live hers without you. Sometimes it amazes how romantic you can be sometimes, Senku."
"Huh?" The green-haired scientist blinked and then scoffed. "That's not why. It's because if I die, no one's gonna keep making fun of how much she's a prudent child!" He laughed, hands on his hips and the mentalist gave him a deadpanned look.
"You are unbelievable..." He muttered to Senku.
Ginro, Amaryllis, and Kohaku all gasped from Sumi's explanation. She had just explained everything that the science team was doing on their end regarding the concrete ball. It was nighttime still as they were all gathered around on the floor in one of the huts, blankets around them. She then flinched as she glanced towards outside.
"Why do I get the feeling I was just made fun of...?" She murmured a bit skeptically, but decided to drop it since she had no proof. Plus, it wouldn't be the first time she was mocked, with or without Senku around. It was almost the same feeling she had when he said he was gonna make a car.
"A silent bomb? You mean...we'll be able to crack the stone without making any noise at all?" Ginro murmured in shock and Sumi turned back to the trio. She nodded with a small smile.
"I'm sure Sen's having a great time messing with them while making it," She rolled her eyes to the back of her head playfully. "When the grout settles, the reaction causes it to expand, giving out a ton of force once you've placed it into a drill hole. The force will then cause rock to break, though it does take a while for it to set in. Especially when you're doing it on a big rock like the one covering the Soyuz. Plus it'll work on any rock, really, and won't cause any vibrations like any normal explosion would. Thus, we have a silent bomb!"
"But...you don't know that for sure," Amaryllis stared at her in a bit of unease. "What if that doesn't turn out to be the case?"
"I don't need to think about that possibility," Sumi gently touched her necklace with a small smile. "Because I believe in Senku and our friends. After all, it's not like we have many options to consider since it's located in enemy territory anyway." Anything else on the table would result in a lot of noise, which meant the silent bomb had to be the only way to go.
Kohaku and Ginro nodded in agreement with her, the former smiling. "Sumi and Senku are both one mind when it comes to science," She turned to Amaryllis. "Even if she doesn't know for sure, she believes that it's the right answer. Because there's never been a reason to question her faith in Senku and in science!"
Sumi looked towards the moon in the distance. "I'm sure that by tomorrow night, we'll be able to break it and find what we're looking for. We just have to wait for instructions," She assured the group with a small smile.
The next morning, Senku contacted Kohaku through the earring. "Spy team, listen up," He started off, and Kohaku gasped as she listened. "Sumi should've already told you the gist of it by now. Your mission is to crack open that treasure chest and snag the platinum inside it." A trio of mini mice-mobiles came charging in, the guards turning around in alarm.
"Huh? A pack of rats?"
"No, not again!" The other one cried out as they zipped around their feet. "There's so many!" They then flew off the bridge.
Oarashi was leading a group of guards down the bridge. "There're something weird about those rats," One of them spoke up to the buffer man.
"Huh?" He glanced back in confusion.
"I've never seen anything like 'em!"
Before they could dwell on them further, Amaryllis came up from the opposite side. "Pardon," She called out and they all stopped once they saw her. Ginro gave a nervous laugh while Amaryllis blushed. Kohaku and Sumi were noticeably not with them. "This is a little bit embarrassing, but...I'm practicing my dance for the master and I want it to be perfect. Might I trouble you gentlemen to watch and tell me what you think?"
They all blushed at the thought of seeing her dance. She didn't wait for an answer and lifted up her skirt, moving her legs around in a dance. She giggled as she had their full attention, and they looked delighted at the sight in front of them. "Now that's what I call a miracle dance! This girl's got moves!" Oarashi complimented her while Ginro looked up in shock.
"Wow," He murmured and then she had a knowing look in her eyes.
Kohaku and Sumi were bent down behind their friends, as Ginro and Amaryllis were facing the bridge. "You two distract the guards—buy the two of us as much time as you can," Kohaku informed the two of them before glancing at Sumi. "While you and I have a race to test your speed!"
"You're on!" Sumi gave a small smile as they took off together.
Amaryllis gave a small chuckle as she was definitely distracting them, proud of putting her beauty to good use. "But what's this other woman's problem, huh?" Oarashi couldn't help but wonder, Amaryllis gasping as he was referring to Ginro.
"Aren't you gonna dance for us?" The guards were all eyeing him suspiciously.
"What are you, scared?"
"Yes, sir!" Ginro stood up immediately; if he didn't, they'd question him further and they didn't need that. He then moved around his legs and shimmied around, much to the dismay of Amaryllis and to his embarrassment. He was definitely not much of a dancer... How the hell am I supposed to do this?! He thought in disbelief with tears flying from his eyes.
Kohaku and Sumi had found the mini mice mobiles, unpacking the fur underneath. Kohaku looked down at the materials in shock while the black-haired woman gave a small smile. "This is..." They were looking at vials of liquid, powder, and two cranks as well.
"Once again, just like I told the others," Sumi smiled, hands on her hips. "We'll crack that concrete shell easily with these. Alright, no time to waste," She gathered up the powder vials in her hands, standing up and placing the cover back on them. "We don't know how much time Ginro and Amaryllis will buy us if we stick around too long."
"Right," Kohaku nodded up at her.
"You and Sumi grab the tools I sent you with the mini-mice mobiles," Senku started off while he and the others were sitting on top of a cliff.
"Of course that's what we're calling them," Gen was laying next to him with a deadpan look. "Why wouldn't it be?"
"And dig. The holes can be as skinny as you want," Senku informed the blonde, chuckling. "I'm counting on your combined strength with Sumi, Kohaku. So feel free to go full lioness, or in Sumi's case, go fully agile."
Sumi flinched while blushing a little, letting out a low sigh once Kohaku told her what he just said. "You know, it's kinda awkward when I have to hear his compliments from you," She couldn't help but comment, her eyes closed. "But then again, it could've been much more embarrassing..." If he had said something much more flirter, then she'd probably die from humiliation, which he'd revel in just a little.
"Ha!" Kohaku scoffed a little as she and Sumi prepared their cranks. "Don't call me a lion—oh yeah, Senku can't hear a word I'm saying right now. We'll be as quick and discreet as we can. But we'll have to make some sound."
"I hope Ginro and Amaryllis are able to disguise it with something else once they hear this..." Sumi bit her lip nervously. They gripped the tops and then started spinning the crank around rapidly. And it did in fact make noise since the cranks themselves weren't silent, enough to reach Oarahi's ears.
The guards looked confused as they saw the direction it was coming from. "Ya hear that? Sounds like grinding."
"From the master's tree?"
Amaryllis then froze in place once she heard it. Uh-oh. What now?
Ginro suddenly let out a yell as he had taken Oarashi's spear, dragging it into a circle across the bridge. While he was doing that, he was spinning around. "Whoa there! That's my spear! The heck do you think you're doing?!" Oarashi yelled in protest at this.
"I'm showing you my special spear dance, which is totally not made up!" Ginro cried out, tears falling from his eyes.
"HUH?!" Oarashi shouted in utter shock, though he believed it since his mind wasn't that complex.
Amaryllis blinked at him. Thanks, Ginro! But this'll get awkward when they realize you don't know a spear dance.
On the contrary, Ginro swung the spear behind his back and then spun around while dragging the spear again. He continued spinning and then jumped backwards, spinning it around. He landed with the spear behind his back, the men gasping in shock. The blond then leaped into the air, landing in front of them as he dragged the weapon around again. He spun it once more, a smirk on his face.
Kohaku and Sumi continued making their holes with the crank. They glanced back with knowing smirks that they hadn't been found out. Meaning that the others were successfully drowning out the sound. "Great job, you two. We'll be back before you know it, so just hang in there," Sumi murmured to herself.
Amaryllis moved around as well while Ginro continued dragging the spear again. Thankfully, the noise of the spear was able to fool the guards into thinking it was just the spear making the grinding noises.
"Hey, that's insane!" Amaryllis complimented the blond while moving her arms around. "Where did you learn to handle a spear?"
"I'm actually one of my village's gatekeepers, so...obviously, I'm ready to run from anything," He gave her a serious look. "I've spent hours honing these flashy yet pointless tricks so I can spin my way to safety anytime!"
"Why are you saying that like you honestly think it's something to be proud of?" Amaryllis wondered while sweat-dropping. Not really the confident answer she was expecting...
"Once you two have dug out your holes, get your two vial types and shove 'em on in," Senku explained as the two women were still going at the concrete ball. "The one full of liquid is just water straight from Sulfurina's lake. While the powder filled one is called anhydrous calcium sulfate. I mixed heated sulfuric acid with crushed seashells," As he was talking, Kohaku held up a powder vial, placing them into a hole. Sumi started doing the same thing without explanation, since she already knew what to do with them. "Once the mix started clumping up, I took some more shells and alum and—uh," He froze since he was probably not only losing Kohaku, but he'd probably be there for a while trying to explain it in simpler terms. "Never mind. No time for long explanations."
"Heh. It's not like I would get it, anyway," Kohaku gave a small smirk. "And Sumi already explained how this would work anyway without having to tell me the ingredients."
"I'd put it simpler of his process like usual if we weren't on crunch time here," Sumi giggled a bit, closing her eyes. She just knew that Senku would've been telling Kohaku what exactly he did. That was just how he was, even if people couldn't really understand it besides her. "But we've gotta hurry before someone catches on."
"So next we push them both down with this plug, right?" Kohaku looked at a small peg in her hand. Sumi nodded at her, holding up one of her own.
"That'll cause both vials to break inside of the rock, and cause the reaction I explained to you not too long ago," She stated as the two started doing so to every single hole.
"Now leave it for a while. Let our two substances mix and soon enough, they'll turn into plaster," Senku told the blonde.
"And-and what'll happen then?" Suika stammered up at the green-haired scientist.
"It grows, but since it's stuck in that tiny-ass hole, the plaster is forced to make room for itself," Senku answered her with a small smirk. "It'll shatter the concrete from within, hitting it with a force of 300 hundred kilograms per square centimeter." The combined substance started to expand inside of the holes.
Once nighttime hit, Kohaku landed on a tree branch, leaping forward to land on another one. Once she did, Sumi landed on both hands and knees behind her. She then did a small flip to land next to her friend. Both of them walked forward, Sumi dusting off her dress. Thanks to the speed training with Kohaku lately, she could almost keep up. No one could really match Kohaku except for Homura.
"We set the bomb at around noon, so...time to see if it worked," Kohaku whispered to the black-haired woman.
"There's no reason why it shouldn't have," Sumi whispered back as they stood in front of the concrete ball. Kohaku then placed her foot onto it, and there was a crack to her shock. Sumi blinked and then gave a small smile as they both watched. Sparkles came from the holes that they both made into the stone. Sumi looked up, her hair flying as her fists were clenched.
Byakuya was standing at the back with the other five astronauts, the moon up ahead. "Senku, Sumi, there's no telling what you'll both need in the future," He smiled as Connie and Lillian looked down at the Soyuz spaceship. "But I'm leaving you this inheritance. A treasure chest stuffed with rare materials. Gold. Diamond. And also, platinum." Senku smirked as his hair was flying as well, sitting onto the cliff with the stars above him. "Because, Senku, I know that someday, you two are gonna revive the whole world in a snap—just like that. Whether it be scientifically...or even with just heirs!"
"He's got me rooting for the both of you! Both in science and as a couple! I know that someday, he'll know what you truly feel inside of you. Because my Sumi isn't a quitter. You never let anything stop you. So I hope Byakuya's treasure chest can help you too. And that you two at least have tied the knot by now!"
"Always such a tease, huh, Byakuya?" Sumi gave a small smile, not even wanting to be mad. Kohaku glanced at her, but didn't say anything as she had a feeling she was thinking about the man, and her mother. "I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Senku picked up some of that from you. Or that you've gotten Lillian in on it after telling her stories about us," She let out a small chuckle, a fond smile on her face.
Senku let out a chuckle of his own. "Nothing's achieved in a snap, dummy. And I don't plan on taking that step for years. This'll take patience and hard work. But you're right. Someday, it'll happen," He had one of his signature smirks on his face.
Kohaku looked towards the concrete ball in awe as Sumi let out a small breath.
"Science...will quietly break stone." The two continued watching as bit by bit, the stone started to split apart. If Yo were revived right now, he'd be imagining a treasure chest with gold and rubies inside. And Nikki would definitely stop him from stealing it by kicking him in the nuts.
"This is it! The power of science cracked open this treasure box!" Kohaku stated and then the two women started to move apart the pieces together. "If my sister's 100 tales are accurate..."
"Which I'm taking her word for because trying to listen to all of them would take decades," Sumi pointed out with a weary look, remembering when Ruri had recited only 8 to her and Senku. And that was just all in one night...
Kohaku let out a small laugh at her comment, since she had heard about that from Gen. Mostly so Ginro would stop complaining over the nature of the visit. "Then towards the center of the stone, we'll find the platinum we need. But locating something we've never seen before won't be easy," The two continued moving pieces.
"Well, I'll recognize the platinum, but not the box itself," Sumi gave a sheepish smile. "It could be in anything, really. Who knows how much stuff is in here?"
"And then there's the matter of digging it out..." Kohaku sighed a little. "Or maybe we could use your whip to pull it out. Even with the stone cracked, we can't avoid making noise as we take it apart. Actually, noise might be helpful here. If we hit something that sounds weird, it may well be the treasure."
"Well, we just have to be careful moving the stone," Sumi spoke up while they sorted through the concrete ball. "Even if we had Ginro and Amaryllis make the noise we need, it's way too dark for it to be plausible...Usually when handling this kind of stuff, you'd need goggles, rubber gloves, and a mask, but we don't have any of those. So thankfully the residue is safe—questionably," She gave a blank look while raising a brow. If it wasn't them handling this substance or rock, Senku would've definitely just made it a regular bomb. That way Gen would just use his silver tongue to get them out of it. But things were never easy for the Kingdom of Science.
As Kohaku grabbed a bigger rock, a piece fell off and then fell towards the concrete ball. It then made a large crash noise, both of their eyes white as people definitely heard that. "So loud!" The two yelped in alarm while Sumi's eyes bulged.
"Huh? What was that?"
Kohaku sweated with her eyes twitching, Sumi looking pale as she was frozen on the spot. "Heh. Sumi...please don't tell me that I...just shattered the contents of the treasure box we've been after all this time!"
"I wanna lie and say that you didn't, but we also both know what that noise meant..." Sumi murmured while sagging her shoulders in disbelief. "B-But maybe it just hit something else instead?"
"You're right. No, no, no, I'm sure it's perfectly safe," The blonde gave a nervous smile. They glanced to each other and then peeked over into the hole. Both of them then yelped with wide eyes, their tongues wagging as tears flew from their eyes. "Oh my god!" Kohaku dove her hands forward to grab yellow sand from the broken bottle. Kohaku let out a cry as she examined it, tears falling from her white eyes. "It's literally just sand?!"
"Kohaku, it's not-"
Before Sumi could elaborate, they both heard the footsteps of the incoming guards. They glanced over their shoulders; they had to be quick if they didn't want to get caught. The blonde then flinched in realization of what Sumi was trying to tell her. "No. Despite its appearance, the sand itself must have value..." She murmured while scooping some up. "That's how it always is with you and Senku." Together, the two made the filament glow on top of Chrome's shed. Senku then held up gray sand for glass. "You guys take all these little fragments of our stone world and transform them into something useful." The two held up a glass lens, showing Suika sunflowers with her new glasses along with Chrome. Sumi held the little girl's shoulders with a smile.
The guards arrived to find nothing. This was because the two women were hiding in a tree right above them. Ha. Without really intending to, I seem to have become a full-fledged citizen of the Kingdom of Science Kohaku thought while carrying some of the sand with her dress and looked up at Sumi. The black-haired woman smiled proudly at her.
Nice job, Kohaku. I'll tell you what it is when we're in safe territory. They'll hear us if we talk now She glanced down at the men below them. Just because Oarashi isn't that smart doesn't mean he's deaf.
"Look here," One of the guards held a piece of rock.
"Huh? It must've crumbled on its own," Oarashi stated in confusion. "I mean, it's not like we heard anyone hammerin' at it, right?"
Kohaku tied the sand tight as Sumi let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the guards weren't too suspicious of how the stone was broken. She then led the way as the two crawled away from the site. They glanced down at the men to make sure no one could look up and see them.
The next morning, Senku was examining one of the motors in the Sapphire Cave. Gen looked at the table, his hands in his sleeves. The green-haired scientist tested the motor, but it was too erratic in movement, especially compared to in use. "Damn it all. This motor's trash. The axle's too wobbly."
"At least it was good enough for the mini mice-mobiles," Gen gave him a small smile. "The janky movements made them more lifelike."
"Yeah, but a drone made with these? It'll crash for sure," Senku explained, looking up with a small frown. "I could really use Kaseki's skills right now..." At least with the craftsman, the process would be faster since they couldn't let too much time pass...
"So what exactly are we looking at, though?" Kohaku wondered as Sumi prepared the delivery into the mini-mice mobile. The four were in the forest so that they wouldn't be seen.
"You guys seriously found sand from the treasure box?" Ginro gave a blank look, earning a chuckle from the scientist.
"Well, even if the villagers did know what it was, I didn't wanna say it back there in case they heard. But it's not sand, it just looks like it. What we have here is gold dust," She informed them simply and then turned the mini mice-mobile, sending it off. "And inside it, is our platinum," Sumi gave a small smile, and they gasped at her happily.
"So then...we'll be able to make the revival fluid for our friends on the ship?" Kohaku asked hopefully and Sumi gave a small frown from the question. She then looked up ahead towards the bushes Suika was hiding in.
"Well...I don't really know for sure. I can't check it here, not with all these guards around. So Sen will be able to look for it himself. But even then, platinum is very rare. Therefore I can't say if we'll find any from the amount we're giving them," She informed and they frowned as well. "It's better he gets it, anyway. If I'm ever searched for whatever reason, they'd confiscate it and petrify us instead of asking questions." Given that Ibara had Kirisame petrify the whole crew of the Perseus without a second thought, or at least he knew of it later...they definitely weren't dealing with people who would allow them to explain anything. Especially if it had anything to do with 'sorcery.' In fact, they might see her as a sorceress if she let it slip around anyone. And she wouldn't be able to divert suspicion from the platinum anyway.
"So then we'll just have to get more from the spaceship!" Ginro suggested while standing up, and she grabbed his arm to stop him.
"We can't. We've already drawn too much attention to the area enough as it is from when Kohaku and I used the silent bomb. I'd imagine that they've at least upgraded security, or are starting to search it right now. So we'll just have to hope for the best on this one. If Sen were here right now, he'd laugh at me for saying that," She pinched her nose as she imagined him mocking her for being an idealist in this case. "But we do have the mission with Kirisame to focus on...the best thing to do is wait. But I do know that even if there's just one tiny piece, Senku will make do with what he's given."
She stood up and walked off past the others as they stared at her. Kohaku gave a small smile as there wasn't any doubt or hesitation in her voice. Sumi knew exactly what was at stake, so having her on the spy team was definitely a plus, even if Senku still didn't like it...
Suika stood up once she heard the mini mice-mobile, and it was approaching her fast. She gasped happily and let out a laugh.
Soyuz led the two back into the Sapphire Cave. She held up the mini mice-mobile with a smile. "Look, a mouse mobile! Think we just got a special delivery from Kohaku, Sumi, and the spy team!" She called out, earning gasps from Gen and Senku.
The latter took off the fur covering the mice mobile. He saw the pouch inside and opened it up. Once he saw what it contained, he let out a small gasp. Suika looked up in confusion and then he poured it out for all of them to see.
"It-it's just sand," Gen stammered in utter confusion, wondering why they were given this.
"It does have a lot of sparkly bits, so there's that," Suika commented at it. Senku lightly touched it.
"It's gold dust. Byakuya and his people must've collected it..." Byakuya bent down into the river to collect some with a small basket. "From the tiny river on this island." Byakuya then sifted through it to look for platinum. "Talk about arduous labor," He chuckled as it reminded him of the early days from the Kingdom of Science. Or even just rare occasions of having to do pain-staking labor. He held up a magnifying glass while searching through the gold dust. "Thing about gold dust is, depending on where its gathered, it can very, very rarely contain bits of platinum. Case in point," He held out a tiny silver speck on his finger to show them.
"Ah-ha!" Gen gave a big smile.
"So this tiny little speck is...?"
"That's platinum?!" Suika finished for Soyuz while jumping up and down to get a look for herself. "But it's so little! Think it's gonna be enough?"
"We've gotta work with what we have, but it's far from ideal. If we had a fingertip's worth, we'd be in business for sure," Senku gave a small smirk.
Suika then rolled away to head for the boat. "No worries, guys! I'll go get a bunch from the river!" She offered to the group.
"Don't bother, Suika," He glanced back with a small smile and she froze in place. "Look, I need you to understand just how friggin' rare platinum is. Sift through a ton of the Earth's crust and you'll find .001 grams," He continued looking through the pile he had. "I'm grateful to have even a grain of the stuff. If you're just scrounging through a riverbed, you'd need decades to find more." He then recoiled back a bit in shock...as the more he looked through it, the more he was finding platinum. Gen and Soyuz gasped as soon, they had a pile of it.
"Look at all that!" Suika looked over the table curiously. "How could they have found so many?"
"You were just saying collecting that much...would take decades?" The mentalist murmured and Senku gasped in realization of what Byakuya had done for the rest of his life...
On the island, Byakuya was guiding people over to the Soyuz spaceship. "There was a certain theory in my time. Some folks thought that if people were all but wiped out, rebuilding civilization would be impossible." He had looked a bit older now, with his hair having grown out a bit. "If all the easily accessible materials that foster new technologies have already been stripped from the Earth's surface, then without that early infusion of resources, civilization goes nowhere fast."
He then continued searching from the river for platinum. He looked exhausted while doing so, but kept looking. "With that in mind, I think it'll help bootstrap a new civilization if we gather as many rare minerals as we can now and gift them to those who come after us." He then stood up, walking out of the river. He took one speck of platinum and placed it into a jar that was full of gold dust. He put the bottle down, slowly trying to stand up. However, he fell back onto the ground, thanks to his growing age.
He opened his eyes as he was being helped by fellow villagers that had found him. "Maybe this stuff'll come in handy someday. Or maybe it won't. Hell if I know."
"Then why so hard?" The woman asked him in concern, as he was the oldest in the village and the only astronaut left. "Why not rest?"
"Yeah, why are you so desperate to gather it?" The man supporting him wondered next.
"Why?" Byakuya simply replied, sweating a little. "Isn't that obvious? It's who I am." He then removed his arm and took the jar back. To the shock of the others, he headed right back for the river. "I'm an astronaut. The last one this planet has. I say that working towards a future full of science..." He then thought of the other deceased members of his crew in the stars. "It's part of my job description. I'm lining things up for the next astronauts. Or should I say astronauts?"
Senku and Sumi were still petrified at school, though their clothes had started to tear at this point. 'Been petrified for 6 hundred, 75 million, one hundred 2 thousand, 4 hundred 40 seconds. One, two, three, four...'
Sumi was willing herself to stay awake. 'Not again...damn it, why can't I stay awake? Senku would tell me to keep going...don't lose sight of what I need to do. Alright, I think it's been 4 hundred, 33 million, one thousand, 1 hundred and 10 seconds. Senku...I...nah, that's dumb. He'd laugh in my face if I think about missing him. One, two, three, four...'
Byakuya stood up on a rainy day, still collecting platinum. His hair was entirely white now, his clothes tattered as well. "When I kick the bucket, throw all the stuff I gathered into that round thing over there," He informed the villagers, holding up the jar of gold dust. The moon was being reflected into the water as it was late. Byakuya was breathing heavily while searching. He then kneeled while holding the tray, thinking about Senku.
The flora had overgrown for him and Sumi at this point. 'One billion, 14 million, 5 hundred 99 thousand 2 hundred 30 seconds. One, two, three, four...'
Sumi was being tilted onto a cliff nearby and then slid down it. She then gently hit the rock down below. 'Ah! At least I didn't get smashed...but now I'm too far away from where I was actually petrified. Oh well, can't do anything about that now. 900 million, 3 million, 1 hundred 25 thousand one hundred 5 seconds. One, two, three, four...'
Byakuya continued sitting there in silence while breathing, knowing that the two would wake up someday...but he'd never live to see it. After all, he had long lost his crew at this point in time. He let out a shaky breath as he fell face-first into the river. He laid there, not even bothering to get up while holding the jar of gold dust. 'Ah...how lucky. I fell forward, so I can see the stars reflected in the water's surface...I don't mind that I'm not the one who gets to look up at them now...' He continued staring at them, a tear shedding from his eye. He then closed them slowly. 'Senku...' He then passed away...right there in the water.
Kohaku, Amaryllis, Ginro, and Sumi were quiet as she imagined that was what happened. She knew Byakuya too well that she was certain he spent the rest of his life gathering platinum. "So Senku's dad...spent all those years fighting to help him...until his death...?" Kohaku murmured slowly while trying to take it in. Sumi stayed eerily silent as she had felt this dread once before in life...and never wanted it to come back. And now she had to be reminded of it again thousands of years later...
"Sumi...that's just like..." Ginro started off sadly.
"...Yeah," Sumi murmured so quietly that they almost didn't hear it. She had a small shadow over her eyes as she knew what they were getting at. "Yeah, I know. It's honestly kinda funny that Senku and I can be so different...and yet still so alike when you really look at it," She kept that same shadow as she slowly looked up towards the moon. Her arms were crossed over her chest. "But looking back, I don't know if I would still use that word now...it almost seems too hypocritical the more I think about it."
"What do you mean? Who are you talking about?" Amaryllis wondered and they didn't answer her at all. Ginro and Kohaku frowned towards Sumi. She leaned against the hut, still looking towards the moon. As a kid, she never understood anything about what had happened to Rika. She just kept putting a smile on her face even though after Rika died, it was like an unknown part of her died as well. Which wasn't helped by being raised by her dad right after the passing...
"...Sumi's grandmother, Dr. Rika Yukushiji...went through the exact same fate when we were young," Senku revealed while blinking, his eyes shaking a little. Gen and Suika frowned at the reminder. "To watch an old woman die when you're still a whiny kid and not even tell anyone until it's pried out of you...heh." He didn't even know about it until after he became science partners with Sumi, because a few months after Rika's passing, she had grown sad. And he had asked her about it until he insisted she tell him. He could never really imagine what she was feeling the entire time knowing that Rika died in just seconds of Sumi simply leaving her room. It was almost the same feeling he had...counting for billions of seconds all alone. Sometimes he wished that when they met, that he was nicer to her from the start given how she grew up the exact opposite of him...
"And yet...Sumi still keeps smiling. How does she do it...knowing what her life was like before she was turned into stone?" Suika murmured curiously, but also in sadness. "It must've been scary to have to be on your guard all the time when you're little...watching your grandma die, and then having a scary father..."
Senku glanced down at her with a small smile. "Don't worry about her, Suika. She's always been a fighter. Rika may be gone...but she still has her granddaughter to be the only remainder of medical knowledge the stone world will need one day. Knowing that...she'll still be the same Sumi we all know, if it means that she gets to share what she knows with the world." He glanced down at the ever-growing pile of platinum, a small frown on his face. The fact that his own father went through all of that just for him...made it a bit bittersweet. He was counting for thousands of years, not knowing when he'd wake up...and yet Byukaya never once stopped looking for platinum, when Senku knew the old man could've spent it doing...anything else. Meanwhile, Rika had worked as hard as she could not only for someone she didn't even know, but to show Sumi what the medical field was like. Never once stopping for a break, or showing her granddaughter how much it had taken a toll on her. All to fuel the little girl's interest in science, and Senku sparked it again when they met. If he hadn't stated going to space...would they even be in a relationship now? Would she even have approached him first?
He didn't know, but at the same time, he didn't care. It wasn't fate that brought them together, it was science. He felt like she still would've talked to him eventually if she didn't know his intent to go to space that day. Because whether he knew it back then or not, he was the person who brought back her passion again, and they would've met elsewhere...if not for her, maybe they would've met in the library, catching each other reading science books.
"While you and Sumi patiently marked the passing of each second..." Gen's voice snapped him out of it. "Your dad was on his hands and knees steadily sifting through decades of sand," He then gave a small fond smile. "You're alike."
Senku started at him for a few seconds and then looked away with a chuckle. "Yeah, and we aren't even blood relatives," He revealed to the three.
"Huh?" Suika blinked in confusion at him. "Wait, what do you mean by blood relative?" He had said this too when the 100th tale was told to her. But she didn't quite understand it then, and she still didn't now. "Is he not your real dad?"
"The only thing he ever told me...is that I was his friend's kid." He, Sumi, and Byukaya enjoyed ramen together at the restaurant, as usual. "I never pressed him to say more cause I never gave a rat's ass." Sumi looked up and then gave a beaming smile from how good it tasted, and how happy she felt being around them. "That's probably why Sumi never asked either of us too. Those kinds of details...just don't matter." Just like with Senku's feelings about Lillian adopting her, Sumi didn't care if Byukaya was his real father or not. Even if she did, she never felt like it was her business to really question it. After all, Senku even nonchalantly revealed it himself when she met Byukaya, and she had brushed it off like it was nothing. She just kept treating them the way she did before. Plus, she had seen them interact way too much to know that Byukaya and Senku didn't care either. And if Sumi had been asked the same question by Suika about her and Lillian, she'd say the same thing too.
Suika gave a look of shock, as she could tell...that the two still saw each other as father and son, blood or not. Despite Senku never being affectionate...he still respected Byukaya, biologically family or not. Gen and Soyuz stared at him with small smiles.
"True. They really don't matter. Not a bit," Gen agreed with him while Sumi sat on top of a cliff, looking out towards the sun. Her hair flowed to the side as her eyes looked wistful. Kohaku was standing next to her. "After all, the connection you three share, and even the one between Mire-chan and Lillian is self-evident, I think." Sumi and Lillian made s'mores together out in the backyard like on a regular camping trip. They ate together happily and then Lillian shook Sumi awake. The little girl glanced up towards outside of the tent, scrambling over to the entrance as they looked out to the rising sun together, small smiles on their faces. Her eyes shined while waving her hands happily. Sumi gave a small sad smile from the memory. "It's in your unbending will. Your unbreakable spirits."
"Yeah..." Senku murmured to himself, happy that eventually, Sumi had found the family she deserved. She may not have her mom or grandma anymore, but he knew that the memories she had with Lillian...were more than enough. "Damn straight," He then gave a small smirk. "And now more than ever, Sumi and I are grateful as hell, Byakuya."
"Just like with Senku's dad...your grandmother kept pushing and pushing...all for the sake of family," Kohaku murmured while staring at her. Sumi blinked slowly from the explanation, letting out a small sigh. She then smiled, hands on her hips.
"Yup. I'll never be able to grasp that Senku and I shouldn't even get along just by our behavior alone. But...it's not like that at all," She gave a weak smile. She could see herself so much in him—not every single aspect of course because she wasn't so crass or rude. That was something no one could ever take away from either of them. "Enough about my grandma, though. We'll keep pushing on as the spy team for the others so we can get to our goal," She smirked, clenching a fist. She then looked back towards the sunset. "Thank you so much...for letting me into your lives," She gave a small smile as a tear flew from her eye, and it disappeared into the sky in front of her. "I'll never forget all you did for me, before and after I met Mom."
"Thanks for your years of hard work," Senku held up the test tube full of platinum. "We'll take it from here." Soyuz and Suika gasped while Gen turned away with a small smile. Senku then held several equipment in both his hands and mouth. "Let's get this thing started. It's time for us to whip up a machine that can make unlimited revival fluid!"
Ibara and the guards were walking, getting the attention of the spy team. They rushed over to the edge. Right across from them, they could see the group walking down a pathway. "What's going on?" Amaryllis asked in a bit of a panic. Ibara had only escorted them here, and nothing more after that. The closest they got was Moz, so if Ibara was there, it must've been something important.
"I-I don't know! Is something wrong? I'm scared!" Ginro cried out while hiding behind Kohaku and Sumi. Both of them glanced down the tree, as they knew exactly where they were going.
"Oh no..." Sumi murmured in realization.
"That path leads to..." She didn't finish her sentence, and the group had reached the Soyuz spaceship. One of the guards held out something on a tray. Ibara hummed while holding up a piece of glass...that was left behind from the plaster of the silent bomb. He examined it closely, Kirisame eyeing the piece as well.
"Ice?" He wondered curiously at it.
"I think it came from the room made of clear ice!" One of the guards exclaimed as they stared at the greenhouse from the Perseus.
Kirisame flinched at the connection, as she knew that the equipment were things they didn't understand. And now that something from the ship was here in the inner palace... "Minister Ibara," She spoke up, but he didn't acknowledge her at all.
"Hmm. This isn't good at all," He complained at the glass piece. "Why, it's a jolt to this old heart of mine..." He put the piece back down. The guard holding the tray looked up with a slight frightful gasp. Ibara's eyes were black and terrifying. "It seems we have intruders amongst us..."
Moz was sitting in a tree, having heard this as he smirked. He held his weapon near his shoulder as he had a slight feeling of what was going on in this little game of trickery...
Sumi gritted her teeth that they might've been found out. This Ibara was definitely someone that they didn't want to mess with...he just seemed too calculating, never once letting his guard down. How were they supposed to ease his suspicion now when he had likely caught on? The others all stared at the woman, wondering what was going on.
"Sumi, are you alright?" Amaryllis blinked and she flinched from being addressed suddenly. She closed her eyes, looking over her shoulder.
"I'm fine," She stated hesitantly, telling them that she was the opposite. "I need to take a breather, cover for me, okay?" She bent down so that she could get some momentum. Kohaku glanced down at her.
"I'll-"
"No. Alone," She answered and without waiting for a reply, she jumped out of sight. The blonde gave a knowing look; she sometimes acted like that too. So she'd leave Sumi to think on her own since the black-haired scientist needed to have a clear head in order to continue carrying out their mission.
Sumi flipped and then landed in a tree, not too far away from the inner palace, but close enough to get back quickly if needed. She sat down on the branch and sighed, hitting the back of her head against the bark a bit. She closed her eyes to let it all sink in. They weren't entirely in trouble yet...Ibara didn't think it was the spy team responsible. And she knew that sooner or later, he was going to test out the selection of ladies to see if they could even find them. She looked towards the shining sun in the distance, closing her eyes. She could already imagine what Senku would say to her right about now...
Suika, Gen, and Soyuz all gasped as they looked at a set-up of science beakers, a mini mice-mobile, and a boiling pot. "This is your most science-y looking doohickey thingamabob yet, Senku!" Gen exclaimed at him.
"This means we can free everyone who ever got turned into stone now, right?" Suika asked hopefully, earning a small laugh from Senku.
"In theory, yeah," He simply answered the little girl.
"I have absolutely no idea what I'm looking at. Isn't this thing dependent on the platinum that your dad spent decades collecting?" The mentalist asked while continuing to look at the complicated work they had going on. "Can you at least point out where that is for me?"
Soyuz gasped as he saw a small white coil getting heat. "That coil..."
"It really is just a tiny bit," Suika noticed it as well.
"Yeah. The gas just needs to touch it. This Pythagora Switch Rube Goldenberg machine lookin' thing races our ingredients through its maze toward the final flash," He gave a small smile, thinking of the destroyed miracle cave. "Till drop by drop, we get our miracle fluid. Nitric acid."
Gen gave a small smile towards the machine. Even when he thought he knew everything there was to discover about this substance...he was still learning new things every day. "Even now, I still can't pretend to understand...anything about how this nitric acid works," He spoke up to the three. "But I do know one thing for a fact. This substance that we valued enough to fight for..." He then thought of the war between the Kingdom of Science and the Empire of Might. "Enough to go to war for, even, has ceased to be a miracle and become a product of science." Senku and Sumi held out their hands as science formulas flew towards them. "Because you, dear Senku, made it with your own hands."
Senku gave a small smile from what Gen had said. He didn't think it'd take this long to get here...but they finally did. With this, he could make as much revival fluid as he wanted to now. "Yeah. At this point, humanity's revival is all but guaranteed," He then let out his signature chuckle. "Sumi..."
She opened her eyes, looking back to the sun as she just had a feeling Senku was talking right at her, right at this moment. Despite the two of them being in completely different locations, and she didn't have Kohaku's earring.
"You feel it too, huh? That we've managed to create what'll make our revival fluid," He let out a small mocking laugh. "And you're probably all panicking since the vials no doubt released a little bit of glass. But don't worry, as long as you and the spy team keep working together...we'll bring back the world, just you wait. And hey, don't get all teary-eyed when we see each other again."
Sumi looked at her legs with a small smile. "No promises there," She hummed a little in amusement. "But you're right. We still have our own objective while you work on reviving the others. No need to tell me all the details when we reunite. I can't wait to see everyone again all thanks to you, Sen."
He gave a small smile to himself from what she said. "Heh. Stop acting like it's just me, you dummy. But before we get to the rest of our species...let's revive our friends on the ship. Get the Kingdom of Science back to full strength." They all thought of reviving all of their friends still on the Perseus." The sun shined from outside as his back faced it. "Here we are on the island where it all began." He held out a hand towards the distance. "We're nearing our final objective. Fight for the petrification beam and win."
Soyuz nodded sharply while Gen gave a small smile. Suika clenched her fists in determination as the other three all agreed with him. Sumi then slowly got up, touching the bark at her left while looking out to the sea and sun.
Senku gave a small smile, the sun's rays hitting him. He then chuckled again. "This is exhilarating. Get excited."
"Time to test the limits of this island and see what it throws at a re-built Kingdom of Science," Sumi smiled as well, a hand on her hip. Her hair was flying right behind her. "We're coming for you, petrification weapon and Ibara. You aren't ready for what we've got stored..."