A few days had passed since the announcement of building the ship had been made, but somehow it had become the least of her worries. She had remembered she's promised herself she would confess once the war was over, and that time had finally come.
Even thinking about it made her nervous. Surprisingly, she managed to keep her cool around Senku, since talking to him felt so natural to her at this point, but it didn't change the fact that she still wanted to be with him. To be honest, she wasn't really sure how to even go about confessing. Would he even accept? They'd probably be too busy constructing the ship to even have time to themselves if he did at all.
Y/n was pondering this for what felt like the millionth time as she got ready to continue helping with construction on the ship. While she only vaguely understood how the ship was going to be built, she could still help out with construction, which she was more than happy to do.
"Oi, Y/n! Over here!" Senku called out to her as she helped carry rope over to the ship, which would be used for tying down parts of the ship to keep it from falling over. Setting them down near some boxes, she jogged over to Senku, who was waiting for her along with Niki.
"What's up?" Y/n asked, slightly confused seeing as Senku usually left her to aid the others. He crossed his arms and smiled.
"We're about to find our captain, and I figured you'd be able to lend a hand in the process."
"Oh? That sounds fun! Wait, neither of us know any shipwrights.." Y/n trailed off. Niki piped up.
"Of course not, but we're fortunate to have someone who does!" Niki exclaimed as she led them off near the edge of the woods. Her height still startled Y/n sometimes, as Niki was almost as tall as Tsukasa, but it was something she had adjusted to over the few weeks she had known Niki. Eventually, they reached a blonde woman in a tight, short magenta dress which Y/n recognized to be the reporter Tsukasa had revived.
"Tsukasaaaaa~" She cried, hugging her knees. Niki rolled her eyes.
"Geez, how long do you plan on moping around?"
"Kukuku, I heard from dear old Tsukasa that you were the head of their revival team, seeing as you knew who to revive," Senku smirked as he looked down at her. "Get up, reporter. I've got work for you."
Almost as if she hadn't been crying over Tsukasa two seconds earlier, the woman stood up with her hands on her hips, suddenly looking a lot more capable than Y/n felt. Now that Y/n saw her more clearly, she had blue eyes and a low cut dress, a stone headband with what looked like horns on it.
"So, who do you want?" She asked, her voice being suave and graceful. "I'll find whoever you're looking for!"
"I want a captain, one with insane sailing abilities," Senku explained. "Since we'll be voyaging across the sea in our primitive ship, we're going to need someone with crazy skills to get us there."
"Got it!"
***
Less than half an hour later, the four and several others were on a small hollowed out log for a sailing ship and were on their way to a place Y/n still didn't have clarification on. The reporter, who Y/n later found out was named Minami, was more than happy to explain when Niki asked.
"Since we're making a sailing ship, is there anyone who even knows how to actually use one in the modern world?"
"Well, anyone who knows how to operate a ship should've learned how to sail while training... but as you'd expect, it's still very rare..." She trailed off, then her eyes went wide, as though she had just been shocked by her own memory. "Ryuusu..."
"Ryuusu?" Y/n asked quizzically. Minami hopped off the boat as they reached the shore, panicked.
"Oh, nothing, nothing! Here, let's go this way!!" She hurriedly said before jogging off into the forest, leaving Y/n and the others to follow. The sun was out and the air was cool as they walked, leaving Y/n to enjoy the stillness of nature for several minutes.
Soon enough, they reached a decently flat place with grass growing over it. Minami kneeled down, studying a hand which was part of a buried statue.
"Around here?"
"Yeah, this is Nanami Academy. It's an ocean based school with sailing as part of its core curriculum, so if we revive an instructor, we're almost guaranteed to find an experienced sailor," Minami explained. Y/n looked surprised at just how easy it was for the reporter to find exactly what they needed. She was so capable...
"Alright, excavation team, time to dig!" Senku grinned towards the excavation team, which comprised of Kohaku, Niki, Magma, Taiju, and Y/n, all of which were happy to get to work. They sped through the dirt like it was butter as Senku meekly did his best with his own shovel.
"Ah well, I guess they should be allowed to show of every now and then, huh?"
"So cooool~!"
***
In half a day's work, the excavation team had managed to get a small crowd of statues out, lining them up in a group. Y/n looked at all of them, at how most of the statue's faces had varying levels of fear/shock, with the occasional one who hadn't noticed anything. Then... there was one.
A statue with shoulder length hair and a crazed grin on his face, not unlike Gen or Senku's when they were plotting a scheme. However, it only set Y/n off because she didn't know him, and wasn't sure if this guy was anything like Senku or Gen. Trying to shake off her unease, she followed the others, hoping they wouldn't have to revive him.
"Oh no.... It's Ryuusui...!!" She heard Minami exclaim from behind her. She turned back to the reporter, who was staring at the statue Y/n had just left, who groaned.
'It's gonna be him, isn't it...?'
"Ryuusui? Isn't that what you said earlier?" Kohaku asked, a blank expression on her face. Minami immediately covered the statue, though failing to as she was about a head shorter than him.
"No, no, no, no!! We can revive anyone but him! We really shouldn't revive him!!" Minami squeaked nervously, only making Y/n more scared of who Ryuusui really was.
"Spit it out already. If he's skilled, we'll revive him. That's what matters most, after all." Senku said, hands on his hips. Minami sighed and began to explain.
"The owner of Nanami Academy is the shipping industry's king, Nanami Conglomerate. The total worth of this group was over 200 trillion yen, and that family has a debaucherous party boy of a son." Minami turned back to Ryuusui's statue with a dead serious look. "This guy right here is him, Ryuusui Nanami..!!
"Ever since he was a kid, he would build model ships with his 100 million yen allowance. This hobby never grew old to him, and he inevitably ended up building real ships and travelling the world in them partying. While he was in middle school."
"Whoa, if he was a captain since middle school, he's gotta be super skilled!" Taiju yelled, excited as per usual. Y/n shook her head.
"I agree with Minami. I'd rather not wake up an irresponsible rich kid to take us all over the world, even if he is really skilled..." Y/n mused. "It might end up being more efficient to go with someone else, even if they aren't as talented."
"Y'know, I can always find someone else! While Ryuusui's skill is unparalleled, he's also a pain to work with... I know that from experience, unfortunately," Minami nodded in agreement. Niki sighed.
"So it comes down to two choices then. Revive someone average with average abilities, or revive a top notch psycho."
"I think we should take a vote," Y/n hurriedly said, turning to Senku before he made the decision for them, "I vote someone averAAA WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
Unbeknownst to the rest of them, Senku had wasted no time in taking out the revival fluid and pouring it on Ryuusui, looking all too sure of himself. He turned back to the group as he put the jar back in one of his bags, smirking.
"Kukuku, it's obvious, isn't it? Skill comes before everything."
"I feel like you haven't quite thought this through..." Y/n sighed as cracks began to form on Ryuusui's hand, which was reaching up to the sky. Though the sailor was buck naked, he couldn't look more confident as he looked to the sky.
"Hahaaaaa! Finally, I'm back!!" He exclaimed, grinning. "The world, once again... is mine!!"
Y/n gave Senku a smug look, who was staring at Ryuusui stunned. He looked over at her begrudgingly.
"...Maybe I haven't quite thought this through."
"Mhmm!"
Before Senku could give her a spiteful look, Ryuusui took notice of them, walking towards them. Y/n hid behind Senku, not wanting to look at the bare, possibly crazy man approaching them. Even if he wasn't all bad, the fact that he was shamelessly walking towards them unclothed without any context for the situation already said a lot about him, in Y/n's eyes.
"Were you the ones that saved me? Hah, you must be! In that case, allow me to thank you, as inelegant as it may be! I'll have my butler, Francois, write you a check! Be it ten or twenty billion yen, it matters not! I will pay for it." Ryuusui exclaimed, snapping his fingers. Y/n peaked over Senku's shoulder just to give Ryuusui a bewildered look.
'He's standing naked in front of a bunch of people wearing animal skins, and he still thinks he can pay us off with money??'
As if reading her mind, Ryuusui stopped, then smiled. Putting his hands on his hips, he stared directly at Senku, making Y/n, who was still right behind him, jump in surprise.
"Ah.. it would seem as though.. that's no longer the situation. Let's see if my sailor's sense is working, shall we?" He looked down at the ground, deep in thought. He then snapped his fingers, looking back at the group, as though he had just figured out the answer to a trivia question. "Civilization's been destroyed, and both Nanami Conglomerate and myself have lost all our funds. Am I right?!"
"Spot on..." Y/n said weakly. Ryuusui grinned at her, then curled his hand into a fist and gave a booming laugh.
"HAHAAAA!! What a perfect chance!! You've all done well to awaken me! If all the ownership across the entire world has been destroyed, then it's mine for the taking!!"
"How about taking some clothes first..?" Minami said tiredly, handing him the bundled up fabric. Ryuusui chuckled sheepishly and took them, giving Y/n some form of relief. Even if he was cray at least now he wouldn't be naked...
"Ahh, pardon me, how inelegant. And in front of four beauties, nonetheless!" Ryuusui apologized as Magma spoke up.
"Huh? You still sleep or something? There's only two beauties here." He grunted, pointing at Kohaku and Minami, only to then be kneed in the jewels by Niki.
"Come on now, don't forget our dear Y/n just like that," She said, in the most scary passive aggressive tone Y/n had ever heard.
Before Y/n could protest Niki leaving herself out, Ryuusui spoke up from behind her, now fully clothes in an orange-red coat and sailor's hat that Y/n recognized as the one that Yuzuriha made. She had to admit, the pirate look suited him. A little too well. She still wasn't completely over the fact that he was going to be their captain.
"What are you saying? Although everyone has their types, all women are beauties, am I wrong?!"
Finally, something Y/n could raise a glass to. Though she still wasn't fond of him, she had the nagging feeling that she'd grow fond of this crazy rich kid. Niki gushed over Ryuusui while Senku crossed his arms in the back, clearly bored.
"Yeah, yeah, Casanova, we get it. Let's hurry on back and show you our progress, yeah?" Y/n had to stifle a laugh as Ryuusui looked down at Senku fondly.
"I already like your nerve, kid! Sure, let's head back."
"I'm ten billion percent sure that you're around my age..."
Once they finally arrived back at the kingdom of science, Ryuusui stood in marvel at the progress on the ship, though it was still only the framework. rolled up blueprint in hand, Ryuusui grinned as he stared at the ship.
"Not bad, not bad at all! I definitely want this...!!"
"Right, that's cool and all, but can you get this ship to the other side of the world?" Senku asked, though it was clear he was already fond of Ryuusui. Y/n stood further with Gen, who had been eagerly waiting for their return (which, as it turned out, was also procrastinating on working, but Gen claimed was the former).
"Haha, of course not, right? I mean, a primitive boat such as this one wouldn't be able to compare to your top class modern day ones..." Gen piped up, almost nervous to hear Ryuusui's answer.
"Well, before I answer either of you, first, you need to disassemble your ship now and protect it," Ryuusui suddenly looked serious once more. "Let's see if my sailor's sense is on. The temperature has risen suddenly to fourteen degrees celsius."
"Kukuku, you're exactly right, sailor man," Senku laughed, looking at a thermometer. Y/n looked at him, startled.
"When did you have time to make that?!"
"Last night."
"I see..." the almost comic scene was resolved as Ryuusui continued.
"The humidity has risen 90%.. The wind is going south by southwest, which means that the Siberian air mass is probably being affected by the Yangtze air mass coming in," Ryuusui pointed to the sky. Y/n was stunned at just how easily he could tell all of that. As far as she was concerned, it was just a slightly more humid day. "The capillatus clouds are also approaching at speeds of sixty kilometers per hour, which tells me that... Any minute now, a maelstrom will be coming...!"
He exclaimed the last part dramatically, snapping his fingers as though it were the lightbulb going off in his mind. Y/n looked at him in awe for a moment before snapping out of her trance and beginning to help instruct other people to start covering the ship.
As everyone dismantled and covered the ship, Y/n was stuck helping carry spare wood with Ryuusui, to her awkward displeasure.
"So, what was your name, beauty?" He asked her, helping her set down the logs as they went back to take some more. Y/n wasn't sure how to feel about him yet. On the one hand, he was extremely skilled as Minami promised. On the other, he was also a slight pain to be around, as Minami had promised.
"First off, don't call me beauty," She gave him a stubborn look, which made Ryuusui laugh.
"Pardon me. Tell me your name and I won't have to call you that, beauty."
"...Y/n."
"Ah, what a gorgeous name!"
"God, you're going to have to stop the flattery..." Y/n sighed. Had she not already been head over heels for Senku, she was almost certain she would've fallen for Ryuusui and his flirtations.
"Right, right! However, I am curious.. what is your role here? I mean, you stand out to me quite a bit?" Y/n gave him an odd look, which made him laugh. "Ah, so I'm assuming you don't think the same?"
"I wasn't aware that I stood out.." Y/n pondered that for a moment, then had a realization. "Wait.. If you said that just to call me pretty again, I'll slap you!"
"Well, that is partly true.. I desire everything, you know! Especially beauties like youse-- Ouch!" Ryuusui was cut off by Y/n smacking him upside the head with her free arm, throwing his hat off in the process. Surprisingly, he laughed after a moment. "You've got spunk, I love it!"
"Yeah, yeah, quit it with the beauty talk. It's gross." Y/n paused, then grinned. "Jerk."
"Pfff-- Alright, seriously. You don't strike me as some random person who was woken up, since Senku doesn't seem like the type of man to do so."
"Who says I was woken up by Senku? I revived myself, thank you very much!" Y/n exclaimed, somewhat proudly. That, and she had to be louder because the wind was picking up. "But if you wanna know my 'special role,' I'm the historian here! I've been keeping track of everything since day one."
"Really? I would've taken you for some sort of leader or executive... you clearly have the intelligence for it! How were you educated back in the civilized world?"
Y/n felt touched, seeing as Ryuusui, someone who held a lot of power in the modern world, considered her confident enough to lead people. It hit harder especially because Ryuusui had been completely genuine so far, that Y/n could pick up. Then again, he probably didn't care enough to lie.
"Ah.. Just a normal secondary school education! I was about to go off to university... I spent most of my time reading though, so I am fairly well versed in a lot of topics. Um... I speak several languages too?"
"I see!" Ryuusui set the last of the wood down, helping Y/n cover it with a leather tarp. They were just in time, as the rain started to pour within a matter of seconds. "That explains a lot!"
"...Explains what? You've just met me!" Y/n gave him a confused look.
"Ah, you probably haven't realized it, but you were the only one aside from Senku who had the slightest idea of what I had been talking about when I said there was a storm coming!" Ryuusui gave her a grin. "That's when I knew you were different!"
'I can't tell if he's flirting with me or complimenting me...'
"Pff-- that sounds so corny."
"Hah, you're not wrong! Well, let's hurry and get inside, shall we? The rain won't slow down any time soon... And we can't have a beauty like you catching a cold!"
"Stop calling me that!"
Nevertheless, the finished packing up the materials, one thought lingering on Y/n's mind.
'Leader...?'
<><><>
Hello! Sorry this is a few days late, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't rushing myself. That aside, my boy Ryuusui is finally here!! I love this man so much 😌💕💕
BUt ALSO!! 100k READS AND 5k VOTES?? I seriously can't thank you guys enough that's so crazy to me. Since it's also such a huge milestone, I'd like to do something special for you guy, maybe like an extra oneshot or a q&a?? Let me know!!
Anyways, that's all I had to say for this week, I hope your week is awesome, and I'll see you all next Saturday my Bittercups!!
- Bitter <333