It had been a full two weeks. Ruri had been fully cured and today was the day she finally set foot outside the village for the first time in a while. (Name) herself had not forgotten the turmoil that burned hungrily in the back of her mind but decided to focus on the joyous moment.
"From now on, the chieftain of the Ishigami-Hallstein Village is Senku!" Kokuyou declared.
The name of the village sent sirens blaring in (Name)'s head. It had been so long since she heard it, it was completely wiped out of her computer brain memory as irrelevant information. Had she remembered it, she would have looked into it more during her year-long stay in the village. But back then she was occupied with the weighing emotion of suddenly being alone in an unfamiliar world. Now that it had resurfaced again, what was the truth behind the village's name?
"The truth is... I've known about both of you for a while now. Ishigami Senku. (Name). The hundredth story of the Hundred Tales. Its name is 'Ishigami Senku and Angel (Name)'."
"I see... In all likelihood, the people who made this Ishigami-Hallstein Village. It can only be them... my father, Ishigami Byakuya, and (Name)'s father, Eden Hallstein."
★彡
"So only (Name) and Senku's father, as well as five others, were saved because they were up in the sky. And all of us here in the village are descendants of those people from thousands of years ago?" Chrome summarised.
"That's right. At least most of it..." (Name) muttered the last part to herself, not intending for the others to hear, but Senku did. He knew exactly what she was wondering about. How did her father, who was in jail, somehow revive himself from stone and meet up with the astronauts?
Another realisation sparked in both their heads at the same time as they recalled their first moments of breaking free from the stone. They were separated. Just before the green light swallowed them whole, she and Senku were together, hardly even a millimetre apart. And yet, Senku woke up in the middle of a forest while (Name) was in the village. Even Taiju, who was further apart than they were, was found closer to Senku than she was. But the weird part was that according to how the villagers looked after her, she had been in the village for possibly longer than the oldest generation. That meant that she had been deliberately moved into the village at some point during her petrification.
"Ah, this is so mind-boggling!" Chrome cried out, clutching his head. "Let's think about the complicated stuff some other time, we're meant to be celebrating right now!"
Sometime during the celebration, between the cheers and downing of drinks, Ruri managed to pull (Name) and Senku out of the crowd and lead them away from the hustle and bustle of the night, bringing them up a small hill.
"Truthfully, there's still a last part of the story, a message from Senku's father," Ruri said, "but I thought only you two should be the ones to hear it."
"Hey, Senku, (Name), if you're listening to this message, it means you guys finally broke out of petrification, right? Although I don't know how many thousand years have passed, I'm doing great! Actually, I guess I'm already dead. Before I left for space, I promised you guys science souvenirs. As promised, those science souvenirs from me are the allies who continue the Hundred Tales. Even in a post-apocalyptic world, it was pretty fun! In the end, it was pneumonia that did us in. If you combine your science with your allies' strength, surely you'll make a more enjoyable world...
"I know you won't lose. You'll rebuild civilisation from scratch... and save all humanity. If it's you two, without a doubt...!!!"
★彡
"This is the village graveyard," Ruri said once she finished her message. It was an open cave with tombstones littering the raised hill reaching to the hole in the ceiling. The moonlight laid a spotlight on each stone, marking each honourable death. At the very pinnacle was a single small rock, grounded in the earth. "This small gravestone is said to be where the founders are buried."
(Name) rested her sorrowful eyes on the rock. Her joyful memories of her mother and Byakuya. They couldn't make new ones anymore. A small gasp of a laugh left her mouth. She felt so pitiful it was laughable. Everything was breaking apart. Between her distress with her father and the remorseful reality that the people who supported the most in her life were long gone, it felt like nothing could hold her up anymore.
Warmth weaved its way into her hand, entangling her fingers. Senku. Although she had yet to shed a single tear, she could tell he did by his slightly bloodshot eyes. And although she didn't look fazed by their deaths, Senku knew better than anyone else that she was mourning them with every breath. They grew up knowing how to understand each other, after all. And they knew they would survive if they had each other by their side.
★彡
They took a moment to collect themselves before returning to the village. It was their responsibility to lead the gifts Byakuya left behind for them, they will be sure to make sure nothing happens to them.
"So tell us, Gen, what happened in the Tsukasa Empire?" Senku said as they returned.
Gen put on a villainous grin. "They're coming! Tsukasa-chan and the others!"
"T-The enemy is here!" Kinro's desperate warning sobered everyone up and they took to arms immediately. It hadn't even been a minute since Gen announced their encroaching advancement to the village. Nobody was prepared.
Just as (Name) was picking up her bow and arrows, Senku and Gen stopped her. "Wait, you are our trump card." Senku put his hands on her shoulder. "Should we fail to keep them at bay, at the very least, you — with your martial art prowess — would be able to save the others."
'Not to mention, you aren't in the right state of mind to fight right now...' Senku thought but kept it to himself.
"Senku-chan's right. At the moment, Tsukasa has issued orders to bring you back unharmed. But if we lose you, it could spell trouble for our morale if we lose one of our leaders. Just for now, please stay hidden."
(Name) hesitated, clearly wanting to fight for the village, to find a distraction from her whirlwind of emotions. But she let it go. "I got it. I'll watch over the elderly and the children. Stay safe, you two!"
★彡
"I didn't know you were such a fast learner, (Name)!" Kaseki marvelled as he watched the young girl pound the metal down with brutal yet controlled force at the speed of light. "If I had known, I would've taken you in as my apprentice!"
The other villagers, although aware of her physical prowess, couldn't help but still be amazed by the sight. It was like the smithing goddess and the goddess of war had merged and come to them in the form of an angel. And that angel was swiftly producing sword after sword at an alarming rate.
"Hold it! How many more are you going to make?! We only have so many fighters!" Kohaku called out to (Name).
Her hammer halted an inch before making contact with the searing metal. As her cerulean eyes surveyed her growing pile of swords, no words could form in her mouth to give a good excuse. She had a bad habit of overdoing things when she was distracted.
"It's fine, she can just teach someone three-sword style or something like that," Senku casually waved them off. "She's gonna break half of 'em just using them to train anyways."
"Just by training?!" Ginro exclaimed. A sense of relief settled in his soul. How grateful he was that she didn't fight him seriously for the Village Games.
After barely holding Hyouga back with a fake gun, they were in the midst of preparing for their next showdown; this time with katanas! It was (Name) that brought up the idea of using katanas, mainly because she had been wanting to wield one for the first time. Of course, Senku didn't care about her ulterior motives because it would be beneficial either way.
"They even have designs engraved on them!" Chrome was awed as he examined her handiwork. "Are these words? They look so cool, although I don't understand them!"
Senku and (Name) held a solemn looks on their face. The knowledge of their time hadn't been completely passed down. Languages, arts, music, none of that existed anymore.
"In that case, I'll teach you. No, I'll teach everyone!" (Name) declared. "As soon as we finish up this battle with Hyouga and the Tsukasa Empire, I'll teach everyone everything I have kept in this head of mine. How to paint, how to write, how to sing. I will be the one to share the beauties of our time with all of you!"
"(Name)-sama..."
The villagers couldn't withhold their tears and came charging to her in a stampede, suffocating her with their tight hugs and words of gratitude. The young scientist smiled at the angel's smiling face. Since she came back from the Tsukasa Empire, she hardly smiled. It was a relief for him to finally see her joyful smile again.
"I see you looking at her~" Gen sang.
The boy jolted, embarrassed that he was caught in the act. A deep red burned his ears. "Shut it, mentalist..."
★彡
"Then, I will be with the children and the elderly in case anything happens." (Name) waved as she ran to the hut.
It was the day of the confrontation. Hyouga and his henchmen would be expecting guns, but they would never expect Japanese swords. And that was what they were counting on. Although Senku had told her that the villagers would be safe where they would hide, she decided to stay hidden with the unarmed villagers. Something about tonight didn't feel right to her. Her computer brain had considered multiple variables, and they all came to the same conclusions. The villagers would be in danger if she didn't stay with them.
★彡
The distant sounds of clashing metal were but a whisper in the wind from where they hid in the village. A strong wind was blowing from the mountains, bringing with it the early autumn chill. But despite the cold from outside, she couldn't stop sweating. Why did her predictions all say they would be in danger? It took into account every bit of information given by Senku about Hyouga and his henchmen, everything from how they act to how they breathe. What was she missing that her technological brain wouldn't tell her?
"(N-Name)-sama..." One of the children quietly crawled up to her. "Suika... She's not here...!"
It was as if she could physically feel her heart drop to her stomach. Suika was not here? At a crucial time like this? When her calculations are telling her they would be in danger? She had to find her! But that would mean leaving the other villagers defenceless. Should she save Suika, a single child, or the rest of the villagers?
"(Name)-sama," one of the elderly came up to her. "You should go find that child. We will know when to flee from danger. So don't worry about us and go get Suika!"
The girl hesitated, looking back at the huddled group of villagers hiding in the darkness of the hut. Completely bare and without proper safety. She hesitated. But the unanimous agreement between the villagers pushed her out of the hut and into the frigid outdoors. It was quiet. Something must have happened where the battle was taking place. Meaning she had to be all the more careful not to be noticed while roaming the village. Even from beyond the bridge, her figure would be easily distinguished by her large wings.
"Suika! Suika, where are you?" (Name) quietly called out as she searched every corner of the village. It was strange. Suika knew that her expertise wasn't combat so she couldn't help in this fight. So it didn't make sense that she would try to get involved in the battle, but what if Suika's disappearance was the hidden factor in her calculations?
"Don't move," a cold dagger twisted around her neck, "(Name) Weinberg."
This was it. The hidden variable that made her calculations go haywire. The angel searched her computer's archive of voices. "Ah, it's you... Momoji Homura. I don't believe we've had the honour of meeting face to face."
A hiss left her lips as the stone dagger pressed closer to her neck. "We haven't, but I haven't forgotten the countless times you effortlessly took away award after award in every competition we entered together. It would have been fine if you were happy with your achievement, but you weren't. You didn't enjoy the thrill of gymnastics, and yet they handed first place to you each time."
"None of that matters here, Homura. This is the Stone Age. Things of our time no longer exist."
"That's right." Homura sighed. "But you should be grateful that I wasn't born and raised in this Stone Age. For your head would have been long gone by now."
"Oh, how scary~ And let me guess. You're now going to bring me back to the battle as a hostage because Hyouga is losing?"
Her silence was her answer.
"It won't go your way, ten billion percent!" (Name) confidently declared, for she had already begun calculating the future outcomes with the newly discovered variable. They would win!
★彡
"We did it!" The village fighters cheered. Hyouga's strongest point, his spear, was broken apart and rendered useless.
"You think you won this fight, but don't count your chicks before they hatch, kingdom of science," Hyouga warned, casting his destroyed weapon aside. "Homura-kun, you're back. And I see you brought back a good friend with you..."
Senku's heart dropped. Why was she here?
"(Name)!" The people cried out seeing the young angel held in Homura's grasp, knife at her neck already trailing with dribbles of crimson. They were going to jump in to save her immediately. But it was that smile of hers. A confidently radiant smile that showed no fear in the face of danger. It somehow calmed them before they took action. She knew what she was doing. That was what her smile told them.
"So what was this about counting your chicks before they hatch, Hyouga?" (Name) mused.
Hyouga turned to glance at the girl. "You are rather calm for someone being held hostage. Is it because of your past experience with your father?"
Her smile drooped. The glimmer in her eyes faded. Kohaku recognised it immediately. That menacingly cold and sharp glare. (Name) was angry. In the frigid coldness of the dark night, her teal eyes burned with the fire of a thousand suns, threatening to scorch Hyouga to ashes; a bloodlust that overpowered the entire vicinity and made them tremble down to their fingertips. But it only stayed for a split second. She was smiling again.
"I'll teach you a little something, Hyouga." Her hand reached up to grasp Homura's arm. "It's rude to prod at someone's personal life!"
In a single motion, she clamped down on Homura's forearm and pulled it away from her neck, the dagger falling from her grasp at the same time. With her left leg planted in front of her, she spun Homura around her like a spinning top, letting go of her at the right moment to send her flying into the dazed henchmen and dropping low to swipe the dagger into her hands, holding it to Hyouga's neck. It pressed onto his skin just enough to draw the tiniest drop of blood.
"As expected of a prodigy created from scientific experiments. Your father would be proud—"
Before he could get another word out, (Name) snuck low and latched onto his ankle in the blink of an eye, so quick, he didn't notice until they were several meters above ground, flying towards the mountains. The other henchmen chased after her, a pathetic effort to get their leader back.
"Where is she bringing him?" Chrome said as he watched the girl soar with the man hanging by the leg.
"Wait, isn't that direction...!" Senku put the pieces of information together and rushed go after her, hauling a spare gas mask along. "We have to hurry! She's planning to trap them on the mountain using the poison gas!"
★彡
Upon arrival at the mountainside, (Name) unceremoniously dropped Hyouga on a nearby tree, keeping herself hovering a few meters away at a safe distance. "I wouldn't move from that spot if I were you," she said, then glancing to the grunts and Homura who had just arrived. "And I would suggest you get up and stay in these trees for as long as this wind blows." A stone-cold grin etched its way on her face. "It's poison gas, after all!"
Taking one look at the long trail of dead animals, they didn't question it and scrambled up the tree, hugging it tightly for dear life. It brought satisfaction to (Name)'s heart to serve revenge in any way possible. A toxic tongue should know the dangers of poison to the human body and mind. That should at least keep them busy for the next several hours while the gas dissipates completely. She wouldn't kill them, but that didn't mean she wouldn't serve justice where it was needed.
But the effort it took to carry Hyouga's large body mass of muscles took a lot of energy. The angel could barely keep herself afloat, finding herself drifting downward.
"(Name)!" Senku called out to her, reaching her side at speeds he didn't know he could run and quickly fastened the gas mask around her face. He would have started scolding her right there and then if it weren't for Hyouga and the others nearby. "Let's go back."