"The spaceship we plan to construct requires millions of components." Xeno said. "These will be designed by the engineers of the world."
"But how?" Kaseki asked.
"Drawing blueprints on paper?" Chrome thought about it. "Copying them over and over, every time? Or, everyone would have to send their papers across the world before we could discuss."
"S-so far for all those papers to travel..." Suika said.
"By plane maybe?" you suggested. "It'd be faster. Or just, y'know, show them to the camera!"
"For detailed blueprints like these, the image's quality won't cut it." Senku said, then he smirked. "Why'd you think we took the rouble to lay those long cables and re-create the internet? The design work's gonna be done online."
"...what." you frowned.
"What?!" everyone shouted.
"B-But..." Sai stuttered. "I'm afraid it can't be done. Not with our primitive computers..."
"We'll use e-paper."
"I legit have never heard of this in my life, not even from you!" you exclaimed.
"You know the electron beams that make our tv work?" he asked as Kesaki made the device. "Now there are gonna be two, a strong one and a weak one. Light shows up and remains wherever this e-pen touches, so we can write on the screen itself." he said as he doodled a little him. "By adding a metallic plate that can read that visual data, we can send our drawings to other people on the network. Kind of like the earliest CAD systems that were sold to the public."
"Oh~!" the people on the screens said. "Why, it's so obvious!"
"Obviously not obvious to me at all." Kohaku mumbled.
"Yeah I don't quite get it either, but I don't think we're the target audience for that." you shrugged.
"Only the engineers on the call seem to be excited." Gen said.
"Good for them honestly."
"This lets us share the designs we've drawn with our fellow engineers around the world in real time!" Xeno smiled, his hands on his hips. "It's the return of live screen sharing!"
While the engineering team worked on the new spaceship, the next step was to make the spacesuits. They needed to be design to fit its wearer specifically, which led to the subject of who will be on the team. Yo cleared his throat.
"If you insist, I'll think about heeding the call of duty."
"No one asked you." you and Kohaku said at the same time with the same dead tone.
"Makes sense for the space expert to choose! That means Xeno!" Chelsea looked at him.
"Here in our stone world," he said. "this mission into space will be an entirely different beast than the missions in past. Firstly, for the majority of the flight, our astronauts will be petrified."
"Ah, of course." Gen said. "They only need to be revived for the critical part of the mission."
"Yep." Senku smiled. "Designing our life-support systems was way easier with that assumption in place."
"A distinct advantage in our new world." Ukyo pointed out.
"However," Xeno continued. "the unprecedented difficulty comes in not knowing the exact nature of the mission. Who exactly is Why-man? Or, what." he looked at you. "I heard the little message he sent out last time. I must say, I was surprised when he spoke in your voice."
"I'm still keeping my theory that it's an evil AI." you pointed at him.
"If that's the case, then can our science triumph over this foe? All we can rely on is our experience dealing with Why-man's petri-beam. That key factor may decide humanity's fate. As such, we will not seek out astronauts from the 21st century. Instead, we will select and train three astronauts from amongst us. We need the following three: a pilot; a scientist; and a warrior."
"Haha~!" Ryu snapped his fingers, full of enthusiasm. "That first slot is mine, am I wrong?!"
You chuckled.
"Well you're literally the only pilot here so..."
"No objection there." Chrome folded his arms.
"Picking our scientist is more of an issue." Xeno folded his arms too. "I must remain on the ground at mission control, as no one else can fulfill that role." he gave you the side eye with a sly grin. "So, I apologize my dear (Y/n), it seems you're going to have to tolerate my present a bit longer."
"Shut up." you rolled your eyes, smiling.
"The scientist? Ain't it obvious?!" Chrome and Suika turned to Senku.
"They may be petrified during the flight, but even so, our astronauts must undergo considerable stamina training." Xeno's grin turned into a smirk as he lifted an eyebrow.
You inhaled through your teeth.
"Ooo~." you leaned closer to him and whispered. "It's gonna be a shit show."
You both snickered.
"I immediately hate this." Senku said.
"By that Senku-chan," Gen said with an innocent-looking smile. "do you mean the training, or the new-found bond between your girlfriend and your mentor?"
"All of it. You included."
You wheezed.
And you straight up laughed when watching Senku swimming long distance. The poor young man was struggling.
"A flea could outlast you Senku!" Nikki said, looking down at him from the boat. "Crying uncle during the clothed swimming test? Pathetic! How're you ever gonna take a single step in that heavy spacesuit!"
Senku tried to say something but he had his mouth full of water, which just made you laugh harder (you were in the boat as well), holding your stomach.
"(Y-Y/n) god dammit!" he manage to say.
"Sorry sorry! It's just..." you wiped a tear away and picked up the small drum you brought with you. "the look on your face is priceless." you placed it on your lap and, using sticks, you made a steady '1, 2' beat. "Go Senku, you can do it! One two, left right, come on!"
With great effort, he swam to the beat. Meanwhile, people all around the world came here for the selections, to see who will be the warrior of the team. Tsukasa and Hyouga flew past Senku, faster than a motor boat. Kinrou, Ginrou, and Magma were very impressing too.
"Those Ishigami village guys can move!" some of the people watching said.
"They're a water tribe," you smiled. "swimming and fishing is their thing!"
"Wearing clothes is no big deal when they're such strong swimmers already." Suika said.
"Go boys go~!" you played the drums louder. "You too Senku, you better keep up!"
"Aight!!!" he shouted before swimming at full speed.
"Woah!" you exclaimed, taken aback.
"Aw yeah!" Suika cheered. "Senku's given it his all! Must be because of (Y/n)-chan's cheering!"
Gen snickered.
"Think he wanted to impress you?" he quietly ask you. "You know, since your beloved Tsukasa is back."
"Nah." you gently pushed his face away. "Senku's always dreamed of going to space." you looked at your boyfriend in a distance with a soft smile. "Of course he'd make sure he's fit for the job."
"Of course." he sighed. "Silly me."
Next was the concentration trial. Sai used a maze-making program to print them and give them out for the participants to solve.
"I've heard about these kinds of tests." Ukyo said. "They give them blank white jigsaw puzzles to solve, or other tasks that demand patience and diligence."
When seeing the very detailed maze, it was clear by the look on her face that her brain overheated. Meanwhile, Senku was solving and flipping the pages away like it was nothing.
"Senku's got no prob with the brainy stuff!" Chelsea exclaimed.
"That is to be expected." Gen smiled.
At some point, Senku was out of pages and he stood up from his seat. You decided to take his place and started solving mazes. You liked mazes.
"Wow! (Y/n)-chan's surprisingly good at this!"
"She is a musician." Senku picked on his ear.
"...Senku-chan what does this have to do with anything?"
"Musicians tend to have good pattern-recognition skills, insight into symmetry and strong systematic thinking abilities."
"I understood half- wait, one third of what you just said. And how does it relate to being a musician."
Senku groaned.
"Do I have to explain *again* that music and science are related? How is it not sinking in yet?!"
"Well is it hard to believe." Chelsea tilted her head.
Meanwhile, you leaned closer to Tsukasa, who, although he was concentrating, he seemed to have issues with his maze.
"The key is to go the other way around." you whispered, pointing at the puzzle's end goal.
"Ah."
'That's cheating!' Ukyo thought, having heard you. 'Well, Senku did say musicians *tend* to be good at puzzles.'
"You say that but," Tsukasa leaned closer to you. "it's still tricky."
"Well that's what happens when your pen never leaves the paper." you lifted his hand. "This isn't a 'one line' drawing challenge." you chuckled. "Look at the different routes before tracing on the right one."
"That...doesn't sound correct though."
'Weren't you considering taking her advice and cheating?!'
"But you're right. My method is staining Sai's maze with crossings-out. They do not deserve it."
"Oh it's fine." Sai said without looking away from the computer as he typed. "I can make them by the dozens."
"Still man, look!" you showed the maze you were solving. "Mine's shaped like a UFO! That's awesome!"
"It is cute." Tsukasa smiled.
After that, they were a couple of more trials, most of them were physical, so of course Tsukasa aced them. You audibly sighed as you watched him.
"What a man." you smiled, slowly nodding your head.
"Does..." Chelsea whispered to Gen. "Does (Y/n) *also* have feelings for Tsukasa?"
"Um..." he glanced away. "There was some tension between these two. But no one can go against the bond she and Senku-chan have been building for years."
"Oh thank god." she sighed, relieved. "I was scared my favorite power couple was in jeopardy. Also...that would be some juicy drama."
Gen giggled.
"Agree. Unfortunately for us, they're in a very healthy relationship."
"Ah! Senku!"
The two gossip-lovers watched as you rushed towards Senku, who just collapsed on the floor. You helped him up and hugged him.
"You pushed yourself beyond your limits today, I'm so proud of you~! You did amazing!" you kissed the top of his head, since his face was soaked in sweat.
"N...Nice." he panted, though he smiled. "But we all know who the star is here." he spoke with a dry voice before coughing.
"Okay let's get you some water. François!"
"Tsukasa. To be expected." Hyouga nodded. "He's always done well in this arena."
"Dammit!" Magma clicked his tongue. "That guy's been the strongest since day one!"
"Is it settled then?" Ryu asked. "Is Tsukasa our warrior?"
"Not necessarily." Xeno said. "All candidates have proven to be elegant, physical specimens."
"Do you have to call them that?" you gave him a weird look.
Senku was given a bottle. He drank the whole thing.
"Right." he said, wiping his mouth. "'Cause we're not just comparing raw stats and records. The battle against Why-man's gonna take more than that."
"But," Xeno said. "we're hardly experts when it comes to combat."
When you heard that, you looked at Tsukasa.
"Why not just asked the expert then?" you gestured towards him.
You called out to him and he came over.
"Won't he just say the best one's him though?" Chrome mumbled.
"Tsukasa wouldn't lie about these things." you said with confidence. "Especially not in this situation. Besides, we have a lie detector test right there." you pointed at Gen, who giggled.
"Yes?" Tsukasa asked once he was face-to-face with you.
Something about him seem a bit distant, like his mind was elsewhere.
"Who do you think is best suited for this warrior position in the Moon mission?"
Wherever he was before, your question seemed to bring him back. He blinked twice and thought for a long moment.
"...To be a hundred percent sure, I'll have to check." he finally said before looking at Senku and Xeno. "I will report back to you when I do."
They smiled.
Tsukasa must've given his report that evening, because the next morning, the three astronauts' names were announced. Ryusui, Senku, and Kohaku! You were surprised, but you figured it made sense to have a agile and light-weighted warrior. Now the focus was back on making the spaceship. Ryu made a model of it (with the help of Sai's calculation) and he seemed to be on cloud nine.
"Ever since Ryusui-chan was promised a ride to space, he's been over the Moon." Gen said. "No pun intended."
"Naturally," François said. "as one who desires all."
"It's nice to see." you smiled. "A bit contagious even."
"That's a really accurate scale model!" Chelsea looked at it in awe. "Freaky!"
"Really helps to understand what we're working with!" Senku smiled.
"Just like how we whipped up the Perseus by blowing up Ryusui's itty-bitty model." Kaseki added.
Later on, you and Sai made a flight simulator video game. You both high-fives when it was released.
"An original work from the video game duo?!" Chelsea exclaimed. "Now that's something!"
A lot of people played it, a line forming so that everyone would get their turn. But of course, Ryu got the highest score, and it'd get higher everytime he'd play again.
"I would've never expected him to be a gamer." you snickered.
"Flight is his life's calling after all." Yuzuriha said.
"Hmph!" he looked at you. "Of course I'm the champ at this dinky sim game! But our special space flight, powered by new-world science, will be a trip into seriously uncharted waters! Experience and intuition forged by the stone world will be the deciding factors! Am I wrong?"
"Sure." Ukyo adjusted his cap. "But you're pretty darn experienced in that sense too."
"There's nobody out there who could dream of a better pilot than you Ryusui." Nikki smiled.
For a fraction of a second, Ryu's expression froze, and his eyes widen slightly.
"What's up?"
"Huh?" he looked at you.
"I know that look, something clicked. What is it?"
"Haha! You also notice these things, like Senku?"
You just hummed, waiting for his response.
"...I just remembered that this game is similar to this video game series I love!" he turned to the screen. "We could take all the best parts in all five games and add them to this one! Creating the ultimate flight simulator!" he snapped his fingers. "I desire it!"
You chuckled.
"Figured."
"By the way," Kohaku pointed at the 'shooting down aliens' level. "are there going to be firefights up in space then?"
"Nu-hu." Minami waved her hand, not believing it one bit.
"Call it a bonus round." Sai smiled.
"He had so much fun making it," you said. "we can't delete it!"
"And, actually, we might engage in a firefight in space."
"Huh?!" everyone looked at Senku.
"Moon combat is an unknown factor to us." Xeno said.
"Think about it," he smiled. "what's the ultimate weapon Why-man has that we'll never be ten billion percent prepared to counter?"
"The medusa!" you and Chrome spoke at the same time, though he was shouting the answer.
"Correct! Ten billion points!" he pointed at the two of you before turning back to the crowd. "But have we ever been the sort of dummies to rush to our deaths without a plan?"
"Never!" you exclaimed.
"We'll be facing the medusa with two special science items of our own!"
From the video call, Joel cleared his throat, bringing everyone's attention to him.
"This is the first master-work of my watch-making career, if I do say so myself." he showed his wrist, on it what a thick metal watch. "I call it: the resurrection watch! This exquisite piece contains a single dose of revival fluid. When a petri-beam strike is imminent, the user can set the timer for three seconds later, three minutes later, or what have you."
Prior to this, a model has been sent over to you guys. Chrome put it on and tested it.
"Chrome no!!! It's 90% acid!" you tried to stop him from activating it.
But it was too late, his whole hand got soaked. Thankfully, it wasn't revival fluid. Senku cackled as Xeno let out a quick snicker.
"We filled it with water for this presentation." he said as Senku kept cackling. "Did you really think we'd waste revival fluid like this?"
You glared at them both, blushing in embarrassment.
"This thing's awesome!" Chrome exclaimed, focused more on the device. "We gotta get everyone on earth to wearing these baaad things! Worldwide petrification's never gonna be a threat to us again!"
"Did you not see with your own eyes the mountain of medusas at ground zero in Manaus?" Xeno asked.
"But they're all broken right?" you frowned. "You said so yourself."
"After the incident in the Perseus, there's a possibility that they could reactivate themselves again. And that's doesn't mean Why-man doesn't have more of them up his sleeve."
"Wait." Kohaku spoke. "So if the petri-beam attack can come in multiple waves, how could we ever defend against that?!"
"Right, however," Tsukasa said. "the multistage attack has a fatal flaw. Should Why-man decide to fire consecutive waves of petri-beams, the second wave, third wave, and so on would be delayed. There's no point otherwise. That means, after the initial attack, there needs to be a countdown before the next one." he looked at Kohaku. "Before the next medusa unleashes its wave of light, you must take action."
"Which leads to our second and final special item!" Senku smiled, showing a big gun.
"Is that a rocket launcher?!" you exclaimed.
"Close!" he pointed at you. "Let's go test it out shall we!"
As it turned out, it was a grenade-net launcher. Still, the three future astronauts needed to learn how to fire a gun with precision, to take down singular medusas. Senku and Kohaku quite got it yet, Ryu however was hitting bullseye every time. Senku chuckled.
"Our space-bound Ryusui is taking his job pretty seriously."
"Hah! He realized he can't count on our shooting skills, so he's taking charge like a proper captain." Kohaku said. "We'd better try not to be totally useless."
You frowned slightly. Something about Ryu's serious and focused gaze didn't sit right with you.
'What the click something else...?' you thought as you went up to him and asked. "Say, is something bothering you?"
He blinked twice in surprise, then smiled.
"You see right through me my dear..." he said under his breath. "May I speak with you in private?"
"Of course." you nodded, getting worried.
He led you somewhere no one could hear you.
"(Y/n)," he said. "you must know where Stanley's statue is."
Your eyes widen in shock.
"Stanley? Wh-why?"
He smiled.
"The elephant in the room can't be ignored. There's a pilot better than me, who happens to be the world's greatest marksman... Stanley Snyder."
"So... You want him to take your place?"
'Just like Tsukasa did with Kohaku...'
"In our war against Why-man, the most capable pilot on our side...isn't me."
The fact that he was still smiling made your heart twist.
"...I do know where he is." you looked down. "Where Tsukasa was put to sleep."
"Ah yes. But only those who fought for the Kingdom of Science know about this hidden chamber."
"I'm not gonna tell you where is is... You're the expert, so share your expertise with the team."
There was a moment of silence. He let out a little 'heh' and turned away.
"I'll talk to Senku about it."
You looked at him, your eyebrows furrowed.
"To be honest, I'd be okay if no one goes to the Moon. This mission's so risky, I'm scared something bad happens but..." you pursued your lips. "What about you?"
'He was so happy at the prospect of going.'
For a moment, he didn't answer, and you wished you could see the look on his face.
"Hmph, the greatest marksman alive..." he looked back at you with a big smile. "I may be an ace pilot, but my shooting skills aren't as sharp as his. He should do a bang-up job for us! Who wouldn't desire that?! After all, I'm the greediest guy the world's ever seen!"
You sadly sighed and walked passed him.
"Come on, let's go find Senku."
The Sun was beginning to set when the two of you met up with Senku. You all sat down at a table in Ryu's cabin.
"Question for you in the form of a parable." he removed his hat and placed it on the table. "Say you're a knight in some medieval kingdom."
"What?" Senku frowned, confused.
"As a young and dashing knight, you pine for the princess of the palace. You talk about having a future together. But the princess has a more appropriate suitor, the prince from the next kingdom over. Marriage between the two would bring peace and harmony to all the land. What's your move, as a science pro?"
"Is this about (Y/n)?" he pointed at you. "'Cause if it is, what the hell ma-"
"Senku."
He looked at you and noticed your sad expression. You glanced at Ryusui, then at the scale model that was also on the table. His eyes widen, putting the pieces together, and his expression turned more serious.
"A science pro is a man of efficiency. So if the other dude is ten billion percent a better fit for the job than me, then of course I'm handing over the reins."
Ryu sighed, smiling.
"Heh, but you knew my answer before you even asked."
"Hmph! Kinda rude to call me out like that."
"Ryu..." you looked at him.
"Now," he leaned forward. "what if that princess was (Y/n) and I was the prin-"
"Ain't gonna happen!" Senku frowned. "If anything, in this scenario, I'm the king and (Y/n) the jester."
"A jester?!" you exclaimed. "Nah nah nah, Gen's the jester, and you're that weird alchemist whose lab's in the dungeon!"
Ryusui laughed, having successfully dodged the subject of how he was truly feeling in the matter, and instead just enjoyed the light-hearted conversation.
The next day you told Xeno about your decision to revive Stanley. He quickly turned away when he said that, but you knew he was very happy to hear that.
"A truly wise pick for the job. No objections." he said, playing it cool.
'Man, everybody here's afraid of showing how they truly feel huh?' you smiled, your eyebrows furrowed.
"But I must say," he looked back with a slight smirk. "I'm shocked by this proposal. Stan is the ultimate soldier. And I'm willing to bet (Y/n)'s still not over him shooting Senku."
"Yep." you bluntly said. "Still think he's a jerk."
"And if we join forces, we might try to take over the world again."
"Hmph! The world domination scheme is a nonstarter with so much back up and running!" Ryusui exclaimed. "So I say we can put our trust in you!"
"Heh." Senku picked on his ear. "Some folks aren't gonna be happy about this risky decision we've made."
Xeno faced the horizon, his hands behind his back. He was silent for a moment.
"Tell those malcontents that I made a threat. That I swore to sabotage the rocket engines unless you revived Stan."
You looked at him with big eyes, your heart twisting a little bit. Now you finally understood what he meant when he said he was ready to play the role of a villain.
"There's no need for that." you smiled, making him look at you. "I may not like him, but I know he's the best for the job. And I know the others will feel the same. Won't be the first time we work with a shady dude." you chuckled.
"(Y/n)'s right." Ryu smiled. "There's no need to burden you with the villain's role, Xeno. Whether you like it or not, you're a citizen of the Kingdom of Science now. You're one of our leaders."
Of course, people had their doubts about reviving Stanley, Xeno's best friend, but they ultimately trusted Ryusui and Senku's decision. When he was revived, Xeno gave him a lighter and a pack of cigarettes.
"What's the job?" was the first thing he said.
Senku laughed.
"Love it when they catch on so quickly!"
"Stanley will execute any taste he believes he's capable of." Xeno said. "Professionals are always quick on the uptake." he turned towards him. "Say you shoot a one-pound piece of ammunition with an initial velocity of 600 meters per seconds. On the Moon's surface, gravity and acceleration are a sixth of what they are on Earth, and air resistance is zero. Your target is a medusa device," he tossed it towards him. "exactly one kilometer away."
Stanley caught it effortlessly.
"Firing angle should be 0.13 degrees."
You didn't have to check in with Senku to figure that he gave the correct answer.
"Are you up to the task, Stan?"
Instead of answering, Stanley raised a hand and placed it on Xeno's jaw, caressing his chin with his thumb as they looked into each-other's eyes in silence. You and Senku looked at them, weirded out, as this literally came out of nowhere.
'Come on you two,' you thought. 'you're not the only ones here.'
"This could be just me," Senku whispered to you, leaning closer. "but is this..."
"Nah I see it too." you whispered too. "This isn't...This isn't friendship stuff."
"Are we like this?" he looked at you. "Is this what we look like?"
"I don't think so. Pretty sure these two are just very dramatic. And also maybe..." you flicked your wrist, hanging your hand down.
"...Even if we do ask about that, they'd *never* answer us."
"I agree."
You noticed Stanley coming closer and you two quickly leaned back from each-other. He faced you.
"Uh...Hey." you awkwardly smiled, remembering the last time you met.
"'Sup."
"So you'll join the space team?"
"I said I'd do it."
"Oh. Didn't hear you." you scratched your head.
There was a moment of silence. You glanced away, his stare making you nervous.
"You're a man of a few words aren't you?"
"And you're a woman of a lot of sassing and kicking."
"Okay!" you threw your arms into the air before walking out. "A jerk, I told you!"
Xeno and Senku cackled.
"A expert sniper when it comes to words too!" Senku managed to say, holding his stomach.
Stanley let out a 'heh' with a small smile.
Later, that evening, you went to see Ryusui once you heard he was still training at the shooting range.
"Why are you still training?" you asked, standing beside François.
"I might've lost my seat on the space rocket, but as the backup, I'd better polish my skills. Just doing my pilot's duty, am I wrong?"
"Oh Ryu..." you said under you breath.
"How very like you Master Ryusui." François smiled. "You've set aside your personal desire in favor of a greater desire: victory for mankind. So noble of you to relinquish your spot to Master Stanley without regret-"
"There's no need to comfort me."
He hung his head down, the gun shaking under his grip, with his other hand, he covered his eyes, and with his captain hat, his face was completely hidden.
"I wanted this so bad..." you heard him say, clearly trying to sound normal. "Dammit!"
Your face twisted with a sympathetic pain. You went to face him.
"Ryu..." you softly called as you gently took his hand.
He allowed you to move it away, revealing his red face, soaked with tears. He was biting his bottom lip so as to not make any noise. Seeing him like this broke your heart, and your eyes became teary. You removed his hat, and gently pulled his head to rest on your shoulder as you embraced him. He sniffed and let go of the gun to hug you tightly, pressing his face on your shoulder as he quietly sobbed. François discreetly walked over and took his hat from you before stepping away. You mouthed 'thank you' and they bowed before leaving. You and Ryu stayed like this. You kept caressing his hair, not sure what to say. But at the same time, you knew there was nothing to say.
Then, in the distance, you spotted Stanley, looking at you guys, then at the shooting targets in the distance. He took out his gun and aim but then he noticed the intense, almost unblinking stare you gave him. A dark glare that clearly said 'don't you fucking dare'. He looked into your eyes for a moment before sighing, lowering his gun, and walking away.
'How dare you try to make this about you?' you thought before focusing back on Ryusui, your expression softened.
After a while, he seemed to have calmed down, but he hasn't moved.
"...I wish I had something to give you to cheer you up." you said. "But as *the* Ryusui Nanami, you can get whatever you want."
He chuckled and sighed. He lifted his head and pulled you closer, resting his chin on top of your head.
"This, my dear. This moment is plenty enough."
You heart skipped a beat and you hugged him back.
"Actually..." he leaned back and looked at you, placing a hand on your chin so you'd look up at him. "There is something you could give me."
"Uh..." you blushed. "Dude no wa-!"
He kissed your forehead.
"This." he smiled.
"Oh." your face became redder. "Well that's fine."
He laughed.
Now that the astronauts have been selected, the space suits could be made. And so the finals touches for the spaceship could be done!
"Um." Chrome pointed at the final roadmap. "What's this 'by-null' stuff?"
"Vinyl." you said. "It's the stuff I record my music on."
"Pretty funny that a whole rocket ship cam before something as simple as vinyl!" Nikki laughed.
"Wait what?"
"Before that, we needed an oil refinery." Senku said.
"What are you talking about? There were vinyl records at Xeno's castle! He said himself he used to record all phone communications!"
"Indeed, the order of these inventions seems all topsy-turvy." Gen chuckled.
"Then what the fuck were these records?!" you shouted. "Is this another plot hole?!"
Everyone ignored you and you just sighed. You're probably never getting the answer to this.
"Kukuku~!" Senku chuckled. "We got people all over the world to quickly run through the literal rocket science, while ignoring plenty of other stuff we could make."
Then, his smile faded, his gaze wandered, and for a moment, he stayed silent. Eventually, he looks back at everyone, picking his ear and smiling.
"So how about some last-minute crafting projects before the Moon launch? We can whip up just about anything."
Everyone let out a cry of shock, before commissions came flowing, with Ryusui asking for the most stuff.
"Okay," Senku's shoulders dropped, feeling more and more tired already as the list went on. "not possible to do everything."
"Well I don't need anything." you said. "So don't worry about me."
"Oww~ are you sure (Y/n)-chan?" Gen tilted his head. "It can be anything you want~."
"Really, I'm good." you folded your arms. "I got everything I need."
As the two of you talked, Senku looked at you from the corner of his eyes. There may not be anything you need, but he knew there was something you'd want.
And that thing, to him, was going to be the biggest, most difficult project of all. He gulped at the thought.
'I'll have to start brainstorming right away.'