A/N : 🎵 Your hand in my hand 🤝🏻 I could never choose to love another 💗 Maybe one day I can learn to love ❤️🩹... you 🙁... too 😞... 🎵
The following morning, the forest had been covered in fluffy, white snow, while everyone continued on doing their own business as usual. The main Kingdom of Science crew was working on their experiments, while the villagers went about their daily routine.
"Whoa, I got an incredible ideaaa!!" Chrome yelled eagerly, standing in front of you and Senku like a hyper kid, "Let's go check out the caves! We could go way deeper than we could before and we won't need torches anymore!"
"Right. With the help of batteries and lightbulbs we could go ten billion times further." Senku answered, although a little monotonously.
"Wait, wait, wait. That's a great idea, have-it-all!" You gasped abruptly, a grin stretching over your lips.
In contrast to Senku's response, yours was quite enthusiastic.
"Dude, let's go mining!" You cried out, gushing like a fangirl, "There are loads of minerals that were hiding just beyond our reach."
"I know right?!" Chrome's head turned towards you, and his eyes glowed even brighter, "We are totally gonna be the 'Science Spelunkers' team! We're gonna nab some incredible mineral resources."
You excitedly nodded your head before suddenly you appeared right next to Chrome wearing mining gear — A flashlight, two bags for basic items, and a large basket on your back.
The others just gave you a curious, deadpan gaze, questioning; 'Where did she get all that gear and how?'
"Let's fucking go, (Name)!" Chrome linked his arm around yours, both with the same confidence in your eyes, "You and Senku may be leagues ahead of me in science. But when it comes to exploring, I'm ten billion times more skilled!"
"Naturally, you have experience." Once more, Senku answered in a bored tone.
"What do we need, huh? Just name it." Chrome gave a smug smirk, "Captain Chrome and Commander (Name) will go find it for you all."
You cackle maniacally, eyes shining with something truly nasty behind them, "It sucks to tell you this, Chrome, but there are no materials missing."
"WHAT?!"
In the blink of an eye, you already saw him on all fours, head down, with nothing but a dejected expression on his face, "S-So... We don't need to go exploring?"
"Pfft- No worries, Dora the Explorer." You pat his shoulder, offering him an optimistic thumb up but with pure evil intentions, "Even though we have everything we need, we still need more minerals and extra copper."
Senku gave a nod of approval, "Yeah. There's no telling how much we'll use during our next brutal crafting session."
After hearing that, Chrome quickly regained his enthusiasm in the game.
"Oh, yeah!" Chrome cheered while the two of you simultaneously raised your hands in the air.
"LEAVE IT TO US!"
Too thrilled for your own good, you and Chrome were racing into the unknown of the forest at that very time.
"Just be back here soon! At least New Year's next week, alright?" Senku shouted from a distance, but neither of you answered him.
"Those two..."
For half an hour, you followed Chrome through the forest, relying on both your knowledge and instinct to figure out how to mine again.
After walking inside until it was dark enough to use the lightbulbs, you two saw something that seemed to be the most magnificent thing you had ever seen.
Yes, it was dark, but the enormous cavern and the glittering stones embedded in the cave's rocks were stunning.
"Wait, (Name), do you even know how to mine?" Chrome moved his head slowly to look at you, his frightened expression was apparent.
Simply smirking, you walked ahead of him, "Of course!"
"How?"
"It was something I learned in Minecraft."
At that very moment, Chrome stumbled backward in horror.
He was well aware that this 'Minecraft' was a game because you told him it was your favorite. It's a game, though! In reality, things are very different!
You just snickered, clearly amused at Chrome's reaction, "I'm joking, dude."
"Oh, thank goodness..."
"My family taught me actually," You spoke while the two of you eventually discovered a large amount of copper attached to the wall. So, you began excavating, "It's been years since I've done this, so hopefully I haven't gotten sloppy."
"Huh. You always talked about your family, (Name). You sure love them." While mining his share, Chrome responded.
"Well, of course. They shaped me into the person I am now." You smiled cheekily before clearing your throat, "Anyway, wanna know something interesting? There used to be a time when I had no idea who I wanted to be. Should I consider becoming an astronaut? Idol? Artist? Designer? I honestly had no idea."
"I'm sure you tried everything to figure out which career path is best for you." Chrome knows he's right, offering you a playful look.
"Bingo!" You picked up the just acquired copper and placed it in your bag, "My relatives already told me that I always fell asleep as soon as they taught me about rocks and minerals. Still, I insisted that I wanted to give it a shot."
"Classic (Name)."
"Yeah... Do you know what happened when it was time for me to test my mining skills? I actually found a cave. By accident, of course."
Chrome arched an eyebrow, eyes glistening with curiosity, "Really?! Did you find anything interesting to you?"
"A few. Mostly poop, though." You laughed at the memory, recalling how you believed it was rocks, but after a few days, your entire laboratory room reeks horribly.
Chrome imagined it and laughed right along with you.
"So I gave up on my dream of being a miner." You just shrugged, striking the wall with your pickaxe once more, "It doesn't fit me too. I mean, I love the sea after all. Plus, I'm sure that someone out there has the better skills to become a miner than I do."
"Huh..." When Chrome heard that, he progressively stopped mining.
After some time, he began to turn around to face you, only to find your sincere gaze already fixed on him.
"I never imagined it would be you." You muttered, smiling faintly.
Right then and there, Chrome felt like crying. A compliment from you is undoubtedly meaningful for him.
In a moment of nervousness, he pointed at himself and tried to display that smug smile, "O-Of course, it'd be me!! Who else could be a professional miner if not me?!"
Yet again, you cracked up at his reply, "Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry for offending you, Dora the Explorer."
"Please stop." Chrome's entire face rapidly transformed into a grimace, "Who the hell is 'Dora the Explorer' anyway?"
He felt like he was flying the moment you complimented him, but as soon as he heard this new nickname of yours, he was thrown back to the earth.
"You won't know if you ask it that way."
"TELL ME!"
After gathering a big amount of copper, the two of you decided to venture from cave to cave, taking breaks to eat and calm down. There were times when you two would part ways and compete to see who could obtain the most important minerals.
"Um, what the actual hell? Why is there poop in here, Chrome?" You threw Chrome's bag an odd look as you peeked inside.
It looked disgusting and it looked too much like a rock.
"To prank someone, obviously." With pride, he answered, "If someone touches it, I'm sure they'll think it's a rock until someone tells them it's actually poo."
"Ah! That's really smart." Your eyes widened as wicked grins appeared on both of you.
"Imagine they squash it by accident." Chrome added, which gave you two even more reasons to laugh uncontrollably.
Chrome then checked your bag while saying something about how you had more valuable minerals because your cave was larger.
He then reached for a stone that looked white. Raising an eyebrow, he playfully teased, "Ehhh? What is this, (Name)? Don't tell me you picked this up without knowing what it was."
"Nah, you're right. I don't know."
"WHAT-"
At the end of the day, you and Chrome finally returned to the Kingdom of Science, only to stumble upon Senku and Kaseki still figuring out what was wrong with their experiment.
At the same moment, you two exclaimed with joy, "We're back!"
"We copped us some copper!" With satisfaction, Chrome showed the copper in his hand. But he started to chuckle nervously when he realized that the others were responding in a judgmental attitude, "No pun intended?"
"Your timing couldn't have been better." Senku walked over to Chrome, snatching it immediately.
Senku and Kaseki went back to work, leaving you and Chrome to stand alone once again. The others were going about their daily business, and nobody stopped to say hello to you two.
"I guess we'll have to start working again." You heaved out a long sigh, "No rest for us, have-it-all."
"Aww man." Chrome groaned, leaning into you for support, "I think I'm gonna faint."
The two of you then tiredly stored your gears away while the Spartan Crafts Team created a copper tube to install it in the lightbulb.
"A copper tube makes the most sense. A tube will expand inwards instead of out." Senku clarified, "Which means our glass won't crack."
"It's finally working." Kaseki mumbled, "Boy, this vacuum tube sure is giving us a hard time."
Yet when Senku tested the tube, the bamboo filament rapidly burned out. That undoubtedly made everyone stare at it in confusion.
"That's bad. The bamboo filament just burned out instantly!" Chrome cried out in terror, violently shaking both of your shoulders, "This is bad, (Name). Really bad!"
"I know that. I'm not blind!" Even when you let out a loud roar, he didn't stop.
The Spartan Crafts Team manufactured more light bulbs to continuously test them, despite their first failure. Even so, each of the light bulbs burned out or broke the glass.
'Damn it. I knew something was missing from our plan.' You bitterly chuckled, 'The only material that wasn't possible to find here.'
Just next to you, Senku was letting out a disappointed sigh, but he was careful not to express it to everyone so they didn't become frustrated or lose hope as well.
He looked annoyed, expressing his frustration only to you. He only wanted you to see his emotion.
"Damn it all." Senku mumbled, "Bamboo filaments are just fundamentally too weak to use in vacuum tubes."
You replied by giving him a small comforting smile and a gentle touch on the back in an attempt to comfort him, and it strangely worked.
"Ha! I'm not gonna claim to understand the science behind it. But, basically we need something stronger." Kohaku said, holding onto hope.
"Then what's your call, rulers?" Chrome lifted his clenched hand to the air, "Captain Chrome and Commander (Name) are ready to ship out anytime."
You stare at him again, but this time your gaze is filled with sorrow rather than optimism.
It seemed as though the once-bright light in your eyes had dulled.
"We might be outta luck." Senku fixed his gaze on the ground dissapointingly, "There's nothing better in this era."
Kohaku, Chrome, and Kaseki could only cast worried glances towards the two of you. Since they always assumed the two of you would come up with another plan easily, they never expected you to look so desperate like this.
This time was different.
You and Senku merely remained there in quiet, thinking about everything you could use as a plan.
"Hey, Chrome. I need your help." You spoke up, startling the three primitives who were becoming comfortable to the silence.
"Y-Yeah?"
"Tell everyone to look over each mineral we collected." You spoke firmly, "There has to be one that can withstand the heat."
Uneasily, Chrome nodded right away, "Of course. Anything to help."
Soon, anyone who was still awake joined in the search. Some look for minerals from the storage room, while others search from the bags.
From a distance, Senku simply rested his head on your shoulder and said something about whatever was going through his head. On the other hand, you responded in a quiet tone.
This was what he would always do when his experiment didn't work. He would always ask you for help or need some alone time.
Usually, you would come up with a solution, but this time, you were at a loss for words.
"A dead end." Senku whispered, tightly shutting his eyes with his exhausted expression, "After coming this far..."
He needed more time, but couldn't.
He needed to rest, but couldn't.
He needed sleep for ideas, but he was too preoccupied with concern.
His mind was racing with concepts, one after the other, each of which was bound to fail. He needed this cellphone to be ready, but it's all useless.
Why did his plan fail!?
'If we can't make cell phones, we can't make cell phones. I don't have the fucking time to sulk, damn it.'
Yet, in the midst of those frustrating thoughts, he felt an unexpected warmth that freed him from the prison of worry.
He felt nothing but calm.
Abruptly, all of the thoughts that had been swirling around his mind stopped.
When he looked down, he discovered you were holding one of his hands with both of yours.
'(Name)...'
As always, his hand felt extremely cold. But yours felt incredibly warm, even in the winter.
Delicately, you entwined your fingers in the hopes that it would help him warm up a little.
In that moment, he started to remember one thing; You were someone Senku was able to rely on every time, no matter how difficult the challenge was.
His strategic mind was unexpectedly filled with memories of you being there for him constantly, providing him with a moment to breathe.
"Don't you dare give up hope, you damn lettuce head." Gazing up into his ruby eyes, you commanded sternly, "Don't overthink this."
He let out a sigh, unintentionally clenched your hands tightly, "Right."
"Senku... Give yourself a break. It's okay to rest today. There's always tomorrow to try again." You continued comfortingly, "Everyone is here to help you find a solution. They will always back us up, alright?"
"Yeah. You're... You're right, (Name)."
"And I... I'm here to be the shoulder you can always lean on."
At that very moment, Senku could feel the optimism within you burning like a flame. Despite the hope he was beginning to lose, he began to find the determination to keep going because of you.
He was not alone in this.
He never was.
It's because he's with you.
You gave him the strength to overcome his frustration.
'Warm...'
→
"Rise and shine, my lovely couple! Wakey wakey!"
After barely a few minutes of sleep due to your constant worries, you found yourself startled out of your slumber by Asagiri Gen, who was flashing a light beneath his face.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"
Of course, you let out a loud shriek and automatically prepared yourself to deliver a powerful blow.
Thank goodness you were being held back by Senku and Chrome (he's awake because of your shout).
While the two of them were laughing, Gen rapidly grew pale, feeling like he had seen his life flash before his eyes.
"Holy crap, (Name)-chan." Gen giggled uncomfortably, body trembling from fear, "Why did you have to scare me like that?!"
"Me?! You're the one that scared me, menta-freak!" Arguing back, You're ready to start throwing hands again, "Let me get yo ass-"
"Jeez! I was joking." Gen hurriedly cleared his throat to calm himself down before he declared, "Anywayyyy... Tonight is officially New Years."
"Huh?" You and Senku exchanged shocked glances right away.
You two were so caught up in talking about the plan for tomorrow that you entirely forgot today is the day.
"Everyone is planning to go watch the sunrise together." Gen remarked, flashing you a wink, "Just like the old days, remember?"
That's when it hits you that you used to watch the sunrise with Gen every New Year's Eve even if it was over video calls.
Your lips soon broadened into a huge grin, "Wait! Wait for me, Gen!"
As a response, Gen just laughed and hurried down the ladder. In less than a second, you were already standing next to him with excitement. Meanwhile, Chrome and Senku were still preparing.
"Gen, this will be our first time watching sunrise together." You jumped up and down with glee, "Also, Sen's birthday is just around the corner, so we also need to get ready for him!"
Hearing that, Gen was shocked, "Seriously!? When?"
Of course, you looked at him strangely before realizing what was going on, "Oh, I hadn't told you? It's four days away; January 4th."
"What? That is very near! Will we have time to get ready and give him something at all?" Gen leaned in, whispering in a fright.
But in contrast to his response, you casually shrugged, "Of course. I already know what gift we should give him."
"As e-expected from nepo baby-chan."
After Chrome and Senku had climbed down the ladder, the four of you finally joined the others. It was still dark outside, but thankfully the stars helped you find your path.
"Already New Years." Gen snickered sourly, "My internal clock is messed up. Must be due to the petrification. I couldn't even tell you how old I am anymore."
Senku merely answered tiredly, yawning, "Don't you know how many days you've been alive?"
"Who in their right mind could possibly remember such a thing?" Kohaku joined in.
However, when you and Senku lifted your hands nonchalantly, Gen and Kohaku both let out a huge sigh; 'Of course they would.'
"6.268 days." Senku declared.
You, on the other hand, remained silent, not wanting to give such information.
As you all arrived at a steep cliff-side coated in thick snow, you stood beside Senku.
His pinky unexpectedly entwined with yours, yet none of you pulled back your fingers. Instead, you gave his icy fingers a little squeeze to warm them.
After a few minutes, you all finally observed the sun begin to rise wonderfully. The stars were ready for the light of the sun to blanket them while the moon was ready for the sun to take its position once more.
But when the sky transformed from deep dark to the hazy shades of morning, all eyes were fixed on the bright, blue glow that emerged from Suika's hands.
As you gazed at what believed to be an azure jewel shining before you, the once small fire of hope within you blazed.
"Sen.. is that-" Your jaw dropped open, too stunned to speak.
But when Senku responded with a simple nod, you two knew that the stone Suika was clutching was the key to what you'd been missing.
A Scheelite.
"W-What is going on? Why is it glowing?" Suika worriedly inquired, fearing she was doing something wrong.
Unexpectedly, your body started moving by itself. You ran up to pick Suika up and twirl her around excitedly.
"You're the best, Great Detective Suika-sama!" You shouted a happy cheer and let Suika settle on your shoulder, "Do you know what that is?!"
Senku, who was standing next to you, looked at your big grin on your face with a hint of pink on his cheek. Then, he reached for the stone Suika was holding, admiring it with pure admiration.
"It's Scheelite." Senku noted, letting all of his worries out, "It glows blue when exposed to ultraviolet light!"
"That's right." Of course, you simplified Senku's words, "That means it's only visible right before the sun rises, Suika."
"Huh, quite the poetic magic." Gen commented. Chrome was intrigued by it as well, "That's the rock you carried in your bag, (Name)! I've never seen this l-like ever."
"Yeah, you're not the only one." Senku replied in disbelief, "That's an ultra-rare mineral right there... An insanely good find from the Chrome, goldfish, and Suika tag team!"
"This is the exact stuff used in 21st century filaments! Atomic number 74 : Tungsten." You let out a squeal of delight, "The strongest metal known to men that can't be defeated by heat! Oh my gosh. We did it, Sen!"
Looking up into his red eyes, his softened gaze was already fixed on you.
"Yeah... We did it."
When daylight eventually arrived, you helped everyone in preparing for their search for more Scheelite.
Naturally, the small amount of it won't be enough but you're certain there's more, so you informed Chrome exactly where to go for more information.
"So, who's gonna be in the team?" Chrome asked while others were also confused.
Senku's eyebrows furrowed at hearing that kind of query. Since he was too happy that they have Scheelite, he had never thought about it.
"You, Sen, and Magma."
Chrome yelped in surprise when a monotone voice abruptly appeared to his left.
When he realized it was you, he could only scowl at you for a little second before turning to look at you again in shock.
"You're not coming?!" In desperation, he cried out, "And why Magma?!"
"I'm too lazy-"
"I KNOW DAMN WELL YOU'RE NOT!"
You really aren't.
You truly want to come, but this was the perfect timing you needed to build Senku's gift without his presence.
"Fine..." You sighed heavily and dramatically, "Magma is the right choice because this Tungsten is tough as hell so we're going to need his brute force to collect it."
Turning around, you pointed happily at Magma with a very charming smile on your face, "Hey, Magmaaaa! You'll be in the trio of the spelunking buddies, okay? Prepare to enter a real-life treasure dungeon by going cave diving!"
"Ha? Buddies?" Magma murmured, incredibly puzzled.
At that very time, everyone's mouth dropped open and some even passed out from shock.
"Senku, Chrome, and Magma?!" Kohaku shrieked. Suika, somewhat surprisingly, agreed to that, "I-I don't know about this. It sounds kinda dangerous to me."
"Yeah!" Ginro nodded rapidly, occasionally glancing at Magma, "I mean, are you sure this is a good idea? He could be all like 'I'm the chief now, Senku!' and attack you o-or something."
Their strange looks at you, nevertheless, didn't bother you.
"Here you go, big bod." You held out the gear for Magma to put on, which he had first been hesitant to accept. After realizing that you were being fucking serious, he did not back down.
"Kukuku. We can't oppose our commander's command, Ginro." Senku snickered nervously, "We also need to start moving as soon as possible, all three of us."
In fact, he had no idea what you were thinking right now.
Him, Chrome, and freaking Magma?!
Even if this plan and team seemed strange, he trusted you. You were always right and had a plan in play after all.
With a casual smile, you hook both of your arms around Senku's and Chrome's necks, "Alright, my special team of spelunking buddies!"
"Please don't call us that-"
"Your main goal is to go down there and mine Sheelites, the magic stone we need to make vacuum tube filaments." You gave a firm command, "Chrome, you will be leading this expedition. Sen, you're the team's intellect. And Magma... You know what to do."
Eventually, as if to signal to Magma, your eyes darted up to meet his.
Instantly, Magma recalled the time you gave him the most important duty ever after everyone saw the sun rise; A duty that caused his eyes to widen in shock that someone like you could place such a large faith in him.
You lightly hit Magma's arm, winking, "Ya got that?"
In return, all he could do was sigh and lightly hit your arm back, "Heh. Of course."
From afar, every villager was confused as hell why you and Magma were hitting each other's arms like that. Are the two of you hurting each other or being friends?
Finally, the expedition crew soon waved goodbye to everyone in the village and left. When they were completely out of reach and had vanished from your sight, you and Gen immediately exchanged a nasty look.
Gen let out a wild laugh, "It appears that we've finally gotten rid of Senku-chan! Gone without a clue that he's in for a surprise of his life."
With a terrifying shine in your eye, you were also glaring at everyone, "Don't think that you can all get some rest without that lettuce head."
Right away, everyone in Ishigami Village shuddered upon seeing their second-in-command make such an expression.
"Pfft-" Gen snorted, sensing the unpleasant change in the mood, "Nepo baby-chan, please stop. You're scaring your own people."
You clearly snickered at that, tilting your head to show your playful smirk, "I'm joking, guys."
The villagers simultaneously let out a big sigh, which made you crack up once more.
"I just wanted to let you all know about something really important." Following that, you walked to the middle of the crowd and set down a large blueprint.
It was a design that you, Kaseki, and the child who can draw well planned together.
You were obviously the center of attention for everyone, but you didn't mind at all.
"We've done so much for science because of that damn lettuce head, don't you think? But his birthday is coming up in three days, therefore I need everyone to work together on this project to express our appreciation for him." You gave a cheeky smile, looking up at everyone, "Ready to help?"
"AWW MAN! THIS IS SO COOL! WE ARE READY!"
Of course they are ready.
Of course they will help you.
You are already one of them anyway.
Their second-in-command; Tsuyoshi (Name).
All of a sudden, several kids you taught last week approached you, their cute faces fixed on you as they cast determined glances.
"(Name)-nee! We kids are also prepared to help!"
"Despite our small size, we promise not to be a burden."
"Yeah. Tell us what needs to be done."
"We totally got this. Right, guys?"
"T-Totally!"
But then one of the villagers — known as Titan — chimed in, "Isn't Stone Day our chief's birthday? January 4th, right?"
"Wait, what?" You asked with an eyebrow raised, "Stone Day? What's that?"
"Huh? You don't know?" Humming, Kokuyo crouched down beside you to take a closer look at the blueprint, "It is the day when we pray for all the statues outside the village."
Oh damn.
OH DAMN!
"Ahh... That jerk strikes again." Murmuring under your breath, you peer up at the Kingdom of Science's flag.
"He made his son's birthday into a holiday. That's interesting, isn't it?"
When you eventually explained that you were going to make the storage room into a large observatory for Senku's birthday, everyone's eyes lit up. They were just as eager to see the outcome as you were. Seeing the blueprints had already had them all excited, especially Kaseki.
"Wait, (Name). What's this stick thing?" Kaseki pointed to an item on the blueprint.
You enthusiastically explained, "That, Kaseki, is a telescope."
Taking another glance at the design, everyone hummed in interest.
"It's a tool that astronomers use to see objects that are far away — A long tube with lenses inside." You described in such a way that they could easily grasp, "It gathers and focuses light with the use of curved lenses."
You began by grabbing a stick that was close by and drawing something on the ground, "To gather and bend light, we should use the huge lenses on the front. To magnify and concentrate light for our eyes, we should use the little lens on the other side."
"Oooo..."
Once you started assigning people to teams, it was clear that you were passionate about what you were doing currently. You worked really hard to create this detailed blueprint. You did not want anything to go wrong at all.
Even if you didn't say it, it was obvious to everyone that you did this because you love him.
You love Ishigami Senku — the chief of Ishigami Village.
"Wait, (Name)-chan." Gen called from afar, leading you to looked at him in wonder.
"Yes?"
"It looks like you want to make something more than an observatory and a telescope." He smirked mischievously, giggling, "What else are you planning, hmm?"
"Oh! I'm gonna make a paint that glows in the dark." You replied nonchalantly, grinning so innocently that Gen reacted to it as though he had just seen a ghost.
"A w-what now?! A p-paint that glows in the dark!?" He let out a loud shriek, "Did I hear that correctly?!"
"Uh, yeah? It's very easy. Just combine resin — a natural substance made from tree sap — with a catalyst to create the paint." You reached for a knife and a tiny piece of Phosphorus while you were talking.
"Next, I'm going to grind this mineral into a fine powder before mixing it with the paint."
"And i-it'll glow?"
"Pretty much."
"...I can't understand you at all, (Name)-chan."
→
You all spent the following three days working together to build Senku's observatory chamber and telescope. With incredible patience, you painted the entire solar system on the ceiling once it was completed. Beginning with the sun and ending with Pluto, the dwarf planet. To make it even more accurate, you also include many galaxies.
Everyone worked hard on this. They surely put their all into completing it in just three days.
At this very moment... All you saw was Senku standing in front of you.
His wrists were tied behind his back, a white cloth covered his eyes, and his expression — despite his best efforts to hide it — was all alert.
You leaned slowly toward Gen, trying so hard not to laugh, "Are we actually gonna-"
"Ah, you're back, Senku-chan." Gen interrupted you with that wicked voice of his to greet Senku.
"Huh? What is all this?" Senku questioned quietly.
"Ha! Now don't waste your breath by crying out for help." Kohaku scoffed, "Everybody's working together with (Na-"
She was about to say your name, but when she noticed you were giving her a death glare, she changed her words.
"-With Gen..."
Instantly, your entire demeanor returned to being cheery.
Senku chuckled bitterly when he heard that.
"I guess you sneaky bastards finally figured out the hack, did ya?" He enquired, "All you gotta do is present my head to Tsukasa, tell him science is dead and the village is safe. Perfectly logical."
He said that as though he didn't even fucking care.
But you know damn well he was hurt.
He felt betrayed, even if you couldn't see his eyes.
You kind of feel awful about planning this for him.
"I'm sure you guys kept that dumb goldfish alive since she's still helpful to Tsukasa. But may I make one request? Just... Just one." He mumbled.
"After I saved your Ruri-sama, the least you guys can do is let (Name) to leave this place." He went on, seemingly rambling, without pausing, "She needs to leave. She has to. She is the only thing holding this civilization together. Without her, no one can live peacefully. She can't fall into the hands of Tsukasa. It puts her and him in danger."
After a painful period of quiet, you finally gripped his jaw gently and pulled his face to match your height.
"Dumbass lettuce head." You laughed a little.
"H-Huh? (Name)?" Breathlessly, Senku wondered.
Just the touch of your hand caused his stiff body to relax.
Poor guy thought you were caught.
'She's safe. Shit. That's good.'
With your other hand, you removed the blindfold from his eyes, allowing him to see into your eyes from a close distance.
But as soon as you moved aside, he was peering through a telescope instantly. He could clearly see Saturn hovering in front of him. It is not visible in the modern world, but he can still manage to see it.
"You made..." Softly muttering, his eyes went blurry, "A telescope. Wait, no... Y-You made a whole observatory."
Senku was clearly unable to say anything while he backed away from the device slowly, likely remembering the moments before he became petrified.
"Happy birthday." You whispered.
Now it was your turn to ruffle his hair till it was a mess.
Though, he didn't care.
He was too shock about what was happening.
"Hoho! January 4th is Stone Day!" Kohaku and Kaseki both cheered, "Today is your birthday, isn't it, Senku? This is your gift and it's completely (Name)'s idea!"
Like a furious Chihuahua, you shot Kohaku a glare, "Girl! I thought I had told you not to say that!"
"Ah, really?" Senku was already smirking. Oh, he will definitely make fun of you about it later.
Suika chimed in, "Yeah! Also, everybody chipped in to help make it for you, Senku. (Name) truly wants everyone to help with this."
Senku couldn't help but glance at you with wonder and interest.
Nothing else.
He always looked at you that way anyway.
Being the asshole that he is, Ginro approached Senku out of the blue and poke Senku's side, "Oh uh! What's wrong, Senku? Are you actually moved by all of this? Even you're allowed to cry, y'know? You don't have to hold it in! Go on!"
You were about to make fun of Senku too, but Kinro already held the two of you back by the collar, scowling, "Why do you two always have to be like this?"
Senku rolled his eyes jokingly, "Excellent job, everybody. This is extremely practical. We can use it on our watch tower to keep an eye on Tsukasa!"
In response, everyone deadpanned at his answer, except you, of course, because you predicted it.
"Uhh... yeah?"
"That is true."
"Did he just say that? Really?"
"Good to see you can still keep your emotions in check."
Senku was amused by their expressions before he spoke, "I'm not the type of guy that brings up his own birthday. Not my style."
And with that softened ruby gaze of his, he stared at you, "It was you, huh? You told them."
Of course, you smirked smugly, prepared to respond with a sarcastic remark, "It appears that I don't have the memory of a goldfish after all, huh, Sen?"
"Yeah." He muttered faintly, "You never have."
"Anyway, Gen would have figured it out even without my presence here."
"Huh? How so? It would be impossible for him to figure it out if he didn't even know when I revived."
Gen hummed curiously, "Do you not remember, Senku-chan? You wrote down the date you broke out of the stone. Right by the entrance to the miracle cave. It was probably the first thing you did."
Following that, his eyes darted to stare at you, "And you, (Name)-chan! I also saw yours! Wasn't it close to that underground base?"
"It's still intact?!" When you heard that your former base existed, your jaw dropped open.
"In a very good condition." He giggled and then turned back to the two of you, "Come to think of it, ever since the beginning — even before I met you... Let me put it this way. I was a big fan, no matter what side we are on."
He sounded somewhat sincere.
Seriously, you were about to hug him right now.
"And I'm not the only one." Gen continued, "The whole village agrees. You might think that's kind of cringe to say, though."
Senku remained silent for a moment, processing the mentalist's words, before he finally laughed once, "Yeah. Just a little bit."
"Called it!" Gen giggled, "Anyway, we'll leave you two here, okay? OKAY! BYEEE!"
With that, Gen proceeded to push everyone down the ladder, leaving the two of you alone. Fortunately, everyone was content to give you two some privacy.
"So... always the mastermind behind every strategy." Senku started, grinning with that usual grin of his.
"Eh, maybe." You winked at him teasingly and then laid down, "Brings back memories, do you think? The time when you earn your first observatory room in the Modern World."
"Yeah." He sat down next to you, gazing down at your stunning face, which he had always found admirable, "You know, that got me wondering."
"What is it?"
"You tried to hide the fact that you were the one who organized everything, correct?"
"Uhh, yeah?"
Senku's mouth widened into a more menacing smile, "Does this mean you're hiding the fact that you had planned to give me that observatory room with Byakuya back then?"
"Ummmmm," You looked aside awkwardly, taken aback by what you'd heard, "Nooooo??"
"HAH! LIAR!"
"I'M NOT A LIAR!" You sit up again in a panic, shrieking, "You never asked whether I planned it with Byakuya or not."
"After all these years, how come you can still keep it a secret?" Senku scoffed jokingly, "I can't believe you could keep such a lie, goldfish."
But after a little moment, you two started laughing at how absurd this argument was sounding. He now knows that you were the one who planned to give him an observatory twice.
That's good to know.
Not only that, but it made his heart race even more.
How could you do this to him? He only handed you Kyudo's gears and a Shamisen. This is how you repay him?
Jeez, he would have given you the entire sea right now if he could have the capability.
That's the only way he can repay you after all you have done to him over his life.
"You suck."
"I know you didn't mean that." Senku said nonchalantly, lying to the ground and closing his eyes.
But as he opened it, he was astonished when he observed something he couldn't believe he was seeing once more.
All he could see at the moment was exquisite artwork. Nearly the entire ceiling was painted, from top to bottom and left to right.
"Is that..." He gasped in astonishment, "Is that a glow-in-the-dark paint?"
It was a painting of the complete Solar System.
It perfectly conveyed the idea that 'the galaxy is beautiful and endless' and was expertly painted.
"I'm surprised it's the first thing you noticed." You playfully nudged him, "The fucking paint."
"It glows in the dark. Of course that's the first thing I noticed." Senku said, still appreciating the lovely drawing.
The way you drew the sun was stunning. It wasn't like those children' solar system drawings; yours was way better.
Way better than anything Senku has ever seen.
You even added the zodiac constellation.
His gaze then went to meet yours, which were focused on the painting you created. You seemed proud, even smug, to see Senku admiring it.
Once more, he was staring at you while you turned your eyes away from him.
He looked at you while you were looking at something else.
This time, though, he didn't mind at all.
"Beautiful." He whispered under his breath.
Unlike when he was seven years old, he did not slap his mouth with both hands this time.
No.
He just let it out.
He didn't care if you noticed it or not.
All he knew was that he had once again grabbed your attention.
It was all clear when you stared at him with those surprised (e/c) eyes, face was only an inch away from his.
'You're beautiful.'