🦆 Sorry I'll be missing the big show today, my mom'll be calling from her trip in space today.
🦁 It's fine. Just tell her I said hi.
🦆 I've got to go now.
🦆 I'll be cheering you on from here, kay?
🦁 I'd want nothing more.
🦆 Oh, and make sure to put my good luck charm to use. I want to see it on you when I tune in after school.
🦁 You have my word.
🦁Bye now.
🦆Bye!<3
“[NAME], SENKU!” A voice boomed, almost blowing the both of your ears out. If it hadn't been for the overbearing volume of the voice, you almost wouldn't have recognized the owner as Taiju Oki. He was a friend of yours since way back. Always helpful, always there, and always... ALWAYS....
Loud.
“I'VE FINALLY DECIDED TO TELL YUZURIHA HOW I FEEL AFTER ALL THESE YEARS!”
‘That's nice and all Taiju, but if you could quiet down by just a bit...’ You thought to yourself, eyes darting downwards at your phone screen, which had thankfully not been cracked when you dropped it in your temporary shock. “Ohhh, is that so?” The president of the science club, Senku, audibly mused with disinterest evident. “I'll cheer for you until my vocal chords pop out of my throat, right here from this chemistry lab.” He lied through frowning teeth. “OHHH!? REALLY? THANK YOU SENKU!!!” Taiju screamed his thanks, the volume of his voice denser than his brain. “Shut up. I have zero intentions of cheering you on, you big oaf.” “WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON!?” The leek-headed scientist deadpanned at his best friends idiocy.
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'm cheering for you.”You consoled with a wry smile, patting the brunete's back. “Though don't expect me to scream my lungs out.”
“REALLY!? YOU'RE THE BEST, [NAME]!!!” Taiju scooped you in his arms and proceeded to spin you around, which put you in a round of momentary dizziness. “Haha, thanks... But don't you think waiting all this time is a bit, well, prolonged?”
“I think the word you're looking for is ‘illogical’, [Name].” Senku chimed “Completely illogical at that. But I have something that *is* logical.” With that said, the teenager whiped out a small glass flask, brandishing the liquid contents inside by shaking it around. “It maximizes your full pheromone secretion, and is 10 billion percent guranteed to work in succession.”
“It's a love potion!”
‘It's totally not.’ You said to yourself.
Taiju took hold of the flask, eyeing it carefully.
He dumped it out. “Thanks Senku, but I can't accept this sham.” And just like the modest hearted oaf he was, he rejected it without a trace of doubt. The entire flask was emptied into a spare sink, all the contents never to be seen again. “I'll tell her under the camphor tree... All fair and square!” And with that, he fled the lab with the speed of a cheetah. That was the Taiju you all knew and love. “Hey, Senku,” One bespectacled member of the club piped up. “Was that thing an actual love potion?”
“As if.” You answered on behalf of the club leader, tossing a lit match into the sink. The liquid was soon coated in a raging blaze, all signs of wanting and desire of the ‘love potion’ from the club members being wiped completely off their faces. “It was just gasoline, constructed from bottle caps.”
“The quack's right.” Senku nodded, although his addressing title for you made your blood boil by a little bit. “Just think about the molecular structure of polyethylene. I just cut carbohydrates to the gasoline length , see?”
“I'm pretty sure they can't, Senku.” You deadpanned. “Wait, but that means Taiju-kun would have...”
“Died, yes.” You answered for the extra character, patting his head. “Good observation, extra character number 2.”
“But he wouldn't have, because there's no way he'd drink it.”
“That stupidly honest big oaf was a billion percent sure he would've never drunk it.” Senku added. Someone like him could never use some sort of hack to cheat his way into a girls heart. It went against his code.
“100 yen he'll get rejected.” One club member placed a bet, prompting plenty of other onlookers to bet higher amounts. “10,000 yen on unexpectedly not getting rejected.” Hell, even Senku joined in and made his own gamble. Everyone stared at him, slack jawed. “20,000 yen on some bizzare event occuring and utterly stopping Taiju before he could get halfway through his confession.” The amount of money had forced everyone's jaws to hit the floor with a loud thump. Well, all aside from Senku that is. He only stared at you with a curious look. “You're betting on external forces interfering?” A nod of confirmation to answer his question. “Yup. The whole setup is too cliche for my liking. Boy confesses prolouged love to cute girl under a tree within the yard of a school.” You took a sip of your drink, courtesy of Senku, and looked out the window at the two oblivious lovers. “However, before the boy could get a single word out...“ Your eyes stared out the glass panes, irises catching a bright light from the corner of your eye. It was the color of grass strands on a beautiful spring day.
This light...
Without even thinking things over, you whipped your head around to caution everyone else. “EVERYONE! GET AWAY FROM THE WIN-” However, it was far too late. You were frozen in place, rendered so by the very force that put all humans in the world on pause.
It was cold. So very cold, and dark. The abysmal black nothingness was your only company as of now, and yet the only thing draining your sanity. ‘What happened?’ You thought, preserving onto your slipping conciousness. ‘Damn it, keep it together [Name]! Don't you dare surrender to whatever malevolent force did this to you.’ The moment you showed any drop in defense, you'd be a goner. It was only thanks to your hyperfixiation on the wellbeing of everyone else, that you had a kickstart at keeping your mind from going completely blank. ‘Calm yourself, don't let yourself go, and keep track of your thoughts...’ First train of thought that entered the station: ‘Does this have to do with those stoned sparrows we've been seeing those past few months?’
.
.
.
.
.
.
“Ohhh, it's another one of those sparrow statues!” One of your peers within class awed as she scrolled through her phone, gazing at the display on it. This exclamation caught your attention, thus prompting you to look up from your human anatomy book. “Hm?” Leaving the book to rest on your desk, you strolled to the side of said girl, bending to perr over her shoulder. “What's this about a sparrow statue?”
“AH! C-CLASS PREZ!” She shrieked, stammering at your now aknowledged presence. Her cheeks turned bright red as you smirked. “Yup, that's me. Now what's all the ruckus about regarding these stoned statues?”
“Oh, well,” She tilted her touchscreen so that you'd get a better view at it. “Lately there's been photos of perfectly sculpted bird statues. They've taken the internet by storm so far.”
“That so, hm?” She was right— The stone statue accentuated every curve and outline a regular bird would posses. It was almost as if the bird itself was turned to stone. It was way too realistic looking. “Send me a photo of it, please.” You requested politely, intriuged at these facts. You'd probably need to go into research regarding this mysterious turn of events later on. “O-oh, of course!” She scrambled to her phone contacts. “I'll just need your phone number, and-”
“There won't be any need for that.“ An all too familiar voice chimed in. You looked towards the direction which those string of words were voxed, only to meet eye-to-eye with the boy known as Senku Ishigami himself. His back pressed against the entrace door of your classroom, and he flashed a look your way. “Come with me, if you would.”
-
Senku removed a small tablecloth, revealing the very item of interest itself. “My, so my theory was right.” You examined the bird sculpture. “These aren't statues, they've quite literally been petrified!” It was an outstanding fact that had you strapped to your seat. “But how?”
“Your guess is as good as mines.” Your club president looked deep in thought. “There's no way someone could've physically glued and cemented stone on a bird, otherwise there would've been signs of some sort of struggle. And these birds don't seem to be in distress at all.”
“Matter of fact, judging by the angle of the wings, these birds could've possibly been stoned mid-air.” You closed your eyes and went into thought. “This bird in particular looks like it took flight and was about to land.” Though, that was simply your estimate. “I assume you've concoted some sort of cure to this, oh mad scientist?”
“Not a damn thing.” He flashed you a dapper smirk. “But I have a clue.” That said, you returned the look he gave you, only twice as smug. “And I think I might be able to help with that.”
-later-
“Senku, it's me, [Name]!” You knocked at the door belonging to the scientist. “I got the you-know-what for the you-know-who.”
“AND SHE BROUGHT US TOO!”
“Shhh, Taiju-kun! [Name]-chan said she needed it to be secret!”
A small drop of sweat dripped down your side head. ‘I guess we can throw the word ‘surprise’ out the window...’
Before you could scold either of them for their lack of stealth skill, the front door opened to reveal the boy wonder himself, dressed down in his casual attire. “I should've known these two would've somehow coerced their way into tagging along.” He picked within his ear, eyeing them both before sighing. “Sorry! It's just,” Taiju pulled a stone bird out of his bag as Yuzuriha mirrored the action. “We found these the other day!”
“Of course you did, they're everywhere.” Senku remarked, opening the door wider. “C'mon inside before I catch a cold.”
“So, what is it that you brought, [Name]?” Taiju asked, prompting you to chuckle maliciously. “Ta-da!”
It was a bottle of wine.
Wue Yuzuriha and Taiju both screaming in unison. “WH-WHY DO YOU HAVE THAT, [NAME]!?” The latter asked, horrified. “We're still minors, y'know!” And her beloved chimed. “Calm down. It's for science.” You assured. “And I stole it from my mom.” A smirk graced your innocent face. “With her up in space and all, I'm sure she wouldn't notice one bottle gone~” Saying that, you pressed the glass of adultery beverage up against your cheek, feeling the chill of the glass spread. Your duo of completely innocent friends stared at you in bewilderment, disgust, and moreso concern. “Science, huh...?”
“Ten billion percent, we're contributing this to our research.” Senku backed you up. “Although, when you said ‘alcohal’, I was sure you meant...”
“To be completely frank, I didn't know which one we'd need either, so I brought both variations!” You said with an innocent look.
“Whatever. Lets just use the 100% concentrated one, first.” Senku said. “Yeah. Taiju, Yuzu, your stone birds if you please.”
.
.
.
‘Come on! Don't start losing it now!’ You yelled as the memory faded from your mind. ‘Mother Nature, Death... Whoever the hell you are, you sure are desperate to put me down, huh?’ Well it was a sorrowful shame, for you were the first to pop up under the definition of “persistent”. ‘I almost feel sorry for you. You're doing all this work just for the sake of my downfall. Too bad I'm the most persistent stick in the ass you'll face.’ A smirk carresed your lips. ‘I'll just sit in this state... Just you, and me.’
‘Alone with each other.’
—
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