~ normal
~ sign language
~ M/N speaking
~ thoughts
On Chapter 16
"Your expressions seem like some bad people. Kohaku, what do you think? Is it good to cheat in the game?" He asked Kohaku who stands there observing them. "It doesn't matter. It's fine as long as the odds of saving Ruri-nee are good." Kohaku says.
-THE GRAND BOUT-
Third Person POV
Senku and M/N were walking towards the village, and the scene surprised the villagers and stood still.
"You both have been here for almost half a year. Finally...." Kohaku said.
"We stepped into the village for the first time. This is the first step." Senku stated. They then walked towards the arena that will be holding the Grand Bout.
"Is that the outsider that will participate in the Grand Bout?" the person asked, not knowing a certain (H/C) person can hear them with ease.
"That's right. One of them are named Senku, and the other one named M/N." Jasper replied.
"Senku? M/N? Did you just say that both of the outsider's name is Senku and M/N?" Ruri asked Jasper to confirm what she had just heard.
"What's the matter? Have you met him before, Ruri?"
"No, I haven't" Ruri replied. "It's not possible for me to have met them. But still, I..." Ruri continued and stopping at the middle of her sentence.
"I know about Senku and M/N." Ruri then walked down the stairs, startling both the men inside the hut.
"A few years ago.... No perhaps longer than that. I knew him from a distance past." Ruri replies, Senku noticing a voice almost behind him.
"You're Senku-san and M/N-san, right?" Ruri confirms with the twins. "So you are Ruri, the Shamaness. We finally meet." Senku replied. "Nice to meet you, Ruri." M/N greeted with his usual deep voice.
"I have something to ask you both. Senku, M/N, what's are your last name?" Ruri asks. "Could it be that you... Ishi-" Ruri then starts to cough violently.
M/N having fast reflexes, he then went towards Ruri before anyone knew it and slowly patted her back. "Easy there. Don't talk too much. Control your breathing. Drink some warm water if you have some to ease the coughing." M/N said quietly almost anyone not knowing what he has said except Ruri and Senku.
"What do you think you're doing with Ruri-sama?!" Jasper then push M/N away from Ruri.
"Both outsiders, don't come near the Shamaness!" Turquoise warned the twins. "We shouldn't have let her out. Quickly take her inside." A man instructed.
"I have a lot to ask too. I'll question her after the Grand Bout is over." Senku said. "This is great. I don't have to make the move to kill Ruri. She'll die soon after we get married." They turned their heads and saw it was Magma who commented such a thing except for M/N.
M/N then walked towards him and takes Magma down to his height. "Don't get too cocky, you bastard." Before he throws Magma's collar.
"Not bad for a little build." Magma mumbled. And this was left unheard by the (H/C) man.
Time Skip
It was around few hours before the Grand Bout, so the Kingdom of Science decided to go back to the hut, and Chrome released his anger by attacking the shield that was hanging from both of the trees.
"Chrome's attack seem pretty good to me." Kohaku observe. "Chrome has been practicing all day with the target." Suika added.
"It's a practice to aim at Magma's vital point." Chrome answered. "Vital point? Does it mean...." Ginro said.
"That's right. His crotch area." Chrome answered as if it was common sense. M/N then smacked his head informing there was a child here.
"I agree. Since the purpose is to weaken the enemy's physical strength, you should attack his crotch area." Kohaku completely agreeing with Chrome's statement.
"Kohaku-chan, you're not just boyish, but swift and fierce. How should I put it? You're really good at combat." Kaseki commented. "That sounds brutal..." M/N started thinking while imagining that someone would attack there. He just shivered at the thought.
"Although I don't stand a chance winning, before Kinro fights with Magma, I should at least deal him with a blow. That's the least I can do." Chrome commented, somehow sounding eager to attack Magma.
"The line up is important too." Kohaku stated.
Time Skip (at the Grand Bout arena)
"Don't let Kinro or M/N ni-chan up against Magma. Let Kohaku up against Magma. Suika mumbled out while Kaseki thinks that Suika was doing a tongue twister.
"They're writing down the line-up." Kohaku informed which grabs our attention.
"The first round of the Grand Bout. Kinro versus Magma!" Jasper announced.
'There goes our luck...' M/N thought while sighing.
Time Skip
They went back to the hut all asking why their lucks were the worst.
"There's no choice then. Having luck as prerequisite isn't a Scientist's train of thought. No matter what the situation is, we have to do our best. We'll win the schemer's Grand Bout by doping. The Kingdom of Science special, the power-up drink of Science." Senku announced to the Kingdom of Science.
"It's another drink that looks suspicious." Kohaku commented. "Is that edible?" M/N asked his twin while sweat dropping.
"Did you add some dangerous drug in it?" Chrome questions Senku. "Unfortunately, it's a healthy drink. The ingredients are tea, honey and sweet flag. Stay awake with caffeine, and freshen up with sweet flag. Honey raises blood sugar. In this Stone World, it's doping." Senku explains.
"How can you finish it up?" Kinro asked his brother while whacking causing bumps to be visible on his head. "Is there no more of it? What can I do? If Kinro loses to Magma, I will have to fight Magma!" Ginro exclaims.
"He actually finished up all the ingredients." Chrome sweat dropped while looking at the jar that was once filled with sweet flag.
"Looks like what he ate was the sweet flag." Senku commented while grinning. "Is sweet flag the type of grass that grows by the river?" Chrome curiously asked Senku.
"I'll pick them up for you! I can't join the competion, but I want to help out too!" Suika then turns into a watermelon and rolls off. "Be careful Suika!" M/N yelled out.
Time Skip
"But think about it, it would be great if Kohaku-chan can join the finals in my stead." Ginro suddenly commented while still chewing the sweet flag that he had eaten before.
"This is bad!" Someone screamed from the bridge. "Suika-chan, who went to the river to pick up the herbs, fell into the river!" Then man exclaimed.
"If Kohaku-chan, who's the fastest doesn't save her now, she's going to die!"
"You're ten billion percent definitely lying." Senku commented, making the man dumbfounded. "I-I'm not lying. I happened to pass through the wooden bridge and saw her."
M/N then suddenly jumps a great distance and landed safely on the bridge dragging the poor man and puts him down on the floor.
"How do you know Suika is picking up some herbs? Do you have any proof?" M/N stated creepily, voice deeper than usual.
"That's right. Ani-chan's right. How do you know that Suika went to go and pick up some herbs when we were at the hut talking?"
"Did you eavesdropped at us talking? Not to mention, I remembered hearing bushes rustling back at the hut."
"If you saw her at the river, how did you know that she went to pick up herbs?"
"Trying to act smart in front of us?"
"You will need ten billion more years to that, you baka."
"They certainly are twins..." Kohaku mumbled.
Both of the twins asked questions to the idiotic man that seemed very bad about lying. Kohaku and Chrome simply sweat dropped at the twins, mentally reminding themselves not to lie to any one of them when both the twins are present.
Kohaku then informed that she will go check just in case the man named, Mantle wasn't lying.
"First round, Kinro versus Magma, start!" Jasper announced making the Science team to turn their heads to watch the match between the two.
"But Kohaku went to save Suika." Chrome said to Jasper. "If Kohaku doesn't make it back on time, before the third round that she's in, she'll disqualified." Jasper informed.
"Darn it." Chrome murmured out.
"That's great! Now that Kohaku is gone, I don't have an opponent anymore! Ruri's husband and the next village chief, will be me, Magma-sama!" Magma announced. M/N simply gritted his teeth, ready to beat the shit out of him.
"I hereby announce, the first round between Kinro and Magma begins!"
(1388 words)