May the light of Science be reborn!
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"At last, the Kingdom of Science approaches the beginning of the Iron Age...!!"
Kohaku and Ana swiftly dip their magnet under water, collecting all the iron sand in those spot. Chrome and Senkuu are lazing--- resting on a rock nearby. Senkuu couldn't help but ask, "This lioness is amazing, are all the people in your village like that? Ana is slowly becoming one too, is she being influenced?"
"There are a few gorillas with superhuman strength, but Kohaku and Ana are the only nimble gorillas." Chrome replied casually from his lying position with his head resting on his hand.
"I already said I'm not a gorilla!!" Kohaku retorted. Ana just pick up a small rock, smiling, "I belong in the house of snakes, not Gryffindor but..."
Both girls pointed at the boys, Kohaku breathing menacingly and Ana's smile unwavering. They spoke at the same time, "Speaking of which, why are we the one gatherin most of the iron sand? You lot should work more nimbly."
It's kinda impressive how Ana can synchronise with others by just copying their actions and predicting what they will do or say next by analyzing every little movement they make. Perfect copy, perhaps? Nah, Czar is the one who have that.
Senkuu and Chrome know that it would be like asking for a death sentence if they don't comply. "Sooorry." They apologized halfheartedly.
All four of them started working again, with Chrome having several bumps on his head courtesy of Kohaku.
Ana's knee suddenly buckled, water splashing a bit around her. She tried to balance her self, "Ah! Ang lalim---" Before Senkuu can ask her about it, Ana continued while turning to him with the oppa sign, "-Ng pagmamahal ko sayo, YIEE!!"
(Translation: Ah! It's so deep---! My feelings for you!) (What the fuck this is shitty xD)
The girl chuckled to her self going back to work, having the thought that Senkuu won't know the meaning of it. Boy, was she wrong. She heard another loud splash, Senkuu dropped his magnet. "Ay nahulog--- Ako sayo." He drawl out dryly and picked his magnet back up.
(Translation: AH! I fell for you.) (Kill me now.)
A startled gasp left her mouth, Ana can only think of one thing. Instead of getting flustered, 'OH SHIT! ALL THIS TIME HE KNEW WHAT WE'VE BEEN SAYING?!'
"HOW DID YOU KNOW HOW TO SPEAK IN FILIPINO?!"
He just look blankly at her, "Learning the Filipino language is actually pretty easy."
As they were bickering, Ana noticed something weird in the water. She tapped Senkuu's shoulder, "Uhh... Is it just me or this... 'Melon' is floating against the current and not along with it?"
Senkuu deadpanned at it, "A melon...??"
Before they can inspect it any further, the 'melon' suddenly stood up. Chrome is spooked as he wasn't prepared, "WOAH!?"
The melon held up a magnet with a lot of iron sand on it. Kohaku walked closer to them and patted the head of the unknown child, "Oh, if it isn't Suika! Whatcha doing here? Did you follow us?"
Senkuu turned to Chrome, "Suika is her name?" In which Chorme replied with, "It's a nickname, probably because she wears a melon rind as a hat."
Ana closed her eyes, "I don't mind, I think it's actually cute---"
She was cut off by Chrome snatching away the magnet from Suika's grasp, "Ah! Hey, Suika, you little brat! Don't just hold my magnet however you like---!!"
Another bump was added to his head as Ana hit him on the head really hard, "Sate sate sate~ Why don't you look at what's on the magnet first before you scold her?"
That's exactly what Kohaku, Chrome and Senkuu did, "!! Iron sand..."
Suika put her hands underwater and starts talking in third person, "Suika wants to help out, too. Because I'm always wearing this... I've never been of any use to anyone... Even when I grow up, I'm sure it will still be that way..." Suika stood back up, looking expectantly at Ana and Senkuu, "Because of that, if there's someone who's in need, Suika will-"
"Oh my... enough with the chit-chat." Suika tensed at what Ana is going to say next. The girl smiled and gently put a hand on Suika's head, "In truth, we're grateful." She gave back the magnet to Suika, who accepted it, "The Kingdom of Science sends no one away. We need all of the help we can get, no matter how small." Senkuu chuckled as he added his own input "It seems a pipsqueak is one billion times better suited to gathering sand. Kukuku, we're counting on you, Suika."
Suika didn't say anything for a moment as she watch Senkuu and Ana walk away, "This is the first time Suika has met someone who didn't ask why Suika wears this." Sparkles appeared around her as she blush, "Sure, they noticed that she doesn't want to show her face! And that's why they treated her so nicely..."
Kohaku closed her eyes calmly, "That's just because you don't know Senkuu well. Don't glorify him. Ana? You can, only a little bit."
Chrome watched the two gather some more iron sand, "Even though they had a look like they were going to war, they basically said they don't really care."
Suika started swimming around, "Suika will get a ton of black sand!" She proclaimed loudly. Chrome looked at her in disbelief as he saw a similarity at what he's seeing, "Are you Momotaro?! Don't drown!!"
[TL Note: Momotaro is a folk tale, involving a large peach that floats down a river.]
Senkuu and Ana stopped what they were doing, with Senkuu speaking, "You don't know about Dragon Quest or Monster Hunter, but you know the story of 'Momotaro'? Who did you hear it from?"
Chrome and Suika grinned at them, "Oh, you know Momotaro too, Senkuu?" Suika added, "Miss Ruri tells us a ton of stories!"
Ana put a finger under her chin, "Now that I think about it... How did you know about gorillas, too? Do they live in the wild here?"
Kohaku smiled at her, one hand on her hip, "I've never seen one in real life."
Chrome pointed at her, "Yeah, but doesn't one appear in Momotaro?"
"NO, IT DOESN'T!!" Senkuu and Ana countered.
Chrome is confused at what they said, "?? Wasn't it one of the friend he go with millet cakes?" He described it at the two, and boy were they horrified at what they heard.
Bear, Lion, Gorilla and Crocodile...
"WHAT'S WITH THAT OVERLY-WILD MOMOTARO?!" Senkuu questioned.
"Where in the frickin' world did that Momotaro come from?!" Ana is horrified at that Momotaro too.
Senkuu got serious again, '...This story was told with strong and dangerous animals...?'
It was a good thing that Kohaku provided them a clue, "I've heard an insane amount of stories from Ruri, too. Super difficult words as well, Ruri can remember like it was nothing."
Senkuu smirked, "Kukuku, this Ruri lady really piques my interest. All the more important, then, that we make the cure-all and save her."
Ana's hand twitched unnoticeably, what draw her attention from it was Chrome, " Why are you interested in Ruri? What do you mean by that, Senkuu?"
"Huh?" Ana wondered, could it be...?
Kohaku inched closer to Ana and Senkuu, "Ana, Senkuu. Professor Senkuu and Professor Ana~"
She cleared it out for them, Ana was right. Chrome~Ruri.
Those words comforted Ana as she smiled devilishly at Senkuu and Kohaku, ".......... Oooooh. So that's-how-it-is."
Kohaku, Senkuu and Suika followed Ana back to the village, Chrome still in the river. Kohaku explained it a bit more, "Chrome is so immature when it comes to this. That it's subconscious, too, is pretty adorable."
"Hey, what are you talking about?! Damnit! Who's immature!?" Chrome screamed from his position.
Ana put a hand on Senkuu's shoulder, Senkuu turn to her with a questioning gaze.
Ana smiled up at him, "Remember, Senkuu-kun. Stay productive, not reproductive."
[Entrance to the village]
Kinrou blocked their way with the golden spear that Ana and Senkuu made, Ginrou can't help but to admire it, 'That golden lance is soooo nice.'
Kinrou pointed the golden spear to Ana, "Didn't I tell you not to take a single step into the village? RULES ARE RULES!!"
Ana pushed away the tip of the spear with her forefinger, "We only want to ask Miss Ruri a couple of questions."
Looks like Kinrou won't move away, so Chrome thought of an idea, "Well, anyway, once we complete the scientific cure-all, nothing will get in our way. We're already well on our way to making it!"
As they are walking back, Ana starts singing again. "Yeah, I'm gonna take my friends down the stone cold road. I'm gonna learn 'til I can't no more-" Senkuu joioned in, "-I'm gonna take my friends down the stone cold road. I'm gonna learn 'til I can't no more."
The two laughed all the way back. Chrome, Kohaku and Suika wondered what they were laughing about as they didn't know what language they were singing.
[Outside the storehouse]
As soon as Lalaine saw Ana and the others walking back from the distance, she threw open the door and jumped out.
Ana, shocked at Lalaine's action, sprinted towards her direction. Lalaine is getting close to the ground, 'I won't make it---!!! Nah, I will.'
Ana took a deep breathe, bracing her right leg and lunged to where the spot Lalaine would've fell onto.
"OOF!" Lalaine landed right onto Ana's back.
Ana didn't waste any time pushing her off, hugging herself, "Pisitng yawa, MY CHEST FRICKIN' HURTS! THIS IS WHY I DON'T LIKE DOING PANCAKE IN A VOLLEYBALL MATCH!"
Lalaine apologized to her, "I'M SORRY! YOU CAN'T BLAME ME, I'M SCARED OF WILLIAM SNAKESPEARE!!!"
Speaking of, William slithered his way down on the ladder and onto Ana's form. "How can you be scared at such a cute noodle?" Ana deadpanned.
"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!"
Senkuu placed the container that has all of the iron sand they've collect down ont he ground, "The dawn of the Kingdom of Science. This iron stuff!!!" Ana presented to Lalaine as she gestured to it.
Suika looked over the inside of it, "That black sand we gathered at the river, will turn into 'iron'?"
"Right, after mixing four parts iron sand with one part charcoal, you just heat it up."
Senkuu measured their weight by hanging a tree branch on another tree branch with iron sand tied on one end of it and the charcoals on the other end. Chrome smiled at this, "Wow, it's so simple!"
Senkuu chuckled at him, "Kukuku, don't be so naïve. This is different from baking earthenware. When you burn wood, the flame's temperature, is 700 degrees at best. However in order to turn iron sand into iron, the necessary temperature for manufacturing is-"
Ana continued as she gripped Lalaine's shoulder, who was about to run to escape at what she thinks they will be doing, "-1500 degrees."
Kohaku and the others are still not catching up with what Ana and Senkuu are planning, "... Then it's not nearly enough, is it? What should we do?"
Ana puffed up her cheeks, "The only thing in my mind is to blow like crazy." Suika, Chrome, Kohaku and Lalaine flinched at the idea.
They all look up at the furnace, Senkuu explaining what they have to do, "Yes, we blow like crazy. We'll have to provide oxygen constantly. By pumping air nonstop, we'll get the flame's power level from 700 to 1500 by using twinhits on it!!"
(TL Note: This is a Dragon Quest reference, I believe.)
Senkuu tossed all of them something he made just recently, air pumps. Kohaku looked at it in amazement, "It pumps air? Something so useful, I feel like I can do it on my own!"
Senkuu countered her, though, "Save the nonsense for later. Even with a lot of people, it won't be enough."
They started pumping air crazily into the furnace, a lot of smoke rising up from it. Everyone is trying to catch their breath, while Ana is taking shallow breath. All of them are sweating bullets, even Kohaku. Despite all of these, they still continue to pump more air.
"DAMNIT, MY ARMS ARE GONNA FALL OFF!" Chrome yelled out.
Senkuu scolded him, "IF YOU SLACK OFF, THE TEMPERATURE WILL FALL!"
"HOW MANY MORE MINUTES DO WE HAVE TO KEEP THIS UP?" Kohaku screamed out.
Ana prevented herself from laughing for the sake of breathing. From beside her, she saw Lalaine fainted and fell onto the gorund.
Senkuu calculated how long they need to do this, he lost all hope once he got the answer, "That's right. At least-" He slammed his hands down, pumping a big quantity of air into the furnace as he turn to them, "A FEW DOZEN HOURS."
Chrome, Kohaku, and Suika screamed in disbelief, "IRON MAKING IS HORRIBLE!!!!"
Suika couldn't take it any more, she ran out of energy and fell back on the ground. Ana noticed that she had reach her limit, "Don't push yourself, Suika-chan. Go rest!" She concentrated again.
Suika got tears on the corner of her eyes, 'In the end, only I was useless after all...'
She was snapped out of her thoughts by Lalaine, "Don't worry, Suika. I'm only here for comedic relief unlike you." Suika is confused at what Lalaine said.
[With Kinrou and Ginrou]
The two guards stare at the smoke rising up into the sky, "It looks like they're up to something pretty big. S... Should I go help?" Ginrou asked as he really want to join them.
Kinrou immediately scolded him, "No, Ginrou! You must not abandon your post. Rules are rules!"
Ginrou looked at him, "But why? They already made that gold lance for you..."
Kinrou started sweating bullets, "OH, IS THAT IT?! SO YOU THOUGHT THAT I WOULD BE MOVED BY THEIR KINDNESS, LIKE SUIKA WAS- IS THAT RIGHT?!"
"You're really the worst, Kinrou... Well then, let's trade lances." Ginrou made a motion to grab Kinrou's golden spear but he held it behind him, "NO."
"Right now, mine isn't silver and I can stand the gold."
"NO."
[With Senkuu and the others]
In the end, Ana was the last man standing thanks to her doing a certain breathing pattern she searched up online thousands of years ago. Chrome is laying on his back, dazed. Senkuu's soul is coming out. Kohaku clutching her stomach while kneeling down. Suika and Lalaine's form shaking. Ana sitting down, her legs sreatched out and head facing up in the sky, breathing and sweating heavily.
A few minutes later, Senkuu broke the side of the furnace with a stone axe. The iron sand is still iron sand.
"....."
"Manpower is top priority." Senkuu said, a lot of soothe on his face.
Ana is behind him, wiping the sweat and soothes on her face off with a towel she made, "We have to increase the population of the Kingdom of Science." She gave another towel to Lalaine and the others. She cradled William on her arms, the snake just hissing silently at what happened. He was watching them a few feet away earlier.
Senkuu and Ana made their way to the entrance of the village. There they saw a sleeping Ginrou, mumbling in his sleep, "Lance... Silver..."
Senkuu smiled crazily at him, "Kukuku, Ginrou is almost in our grasp."
Chrome added his own comment, showing his own crazy look, "We can do it with our pattern: Persuade Them With Scientific Bait."
Ana crossed her arms under her chest, turning to Kohaku, Lalaine and Suika, "Not everyone in the village will be happy with a shiny lance. We have to gather info. What does everyone want right now."
Suika smiled happily and starts spinning, "That's Suika's specialty! 'Cause Suika can turn into an ordinary 'suika'. Suikca can go do things stealthily!" She turn into an ordinary melon by compressing her entire small body inside and dropped down on the ground.
"WOOOOAH!?"
Lalaine sighed to her self, "Sana all stealthy..."
Ana smirked, "Kukuku, isn't that perfect! Alright! In order to gather manpower for iron making, Detective Suika-chan is on the move!!!"
She then turn to Lalaine to whiper something, "By the way... Did you know that Senkuu-kun knew how to speak in Filipino the entire time?"
"WHAT!?"
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