Senku looked at the new pile, after Magma smashed the collected rocks into pieces to seperate the tungsten from the stone. He took a handful of it.
"I'm gonna take these blue jewels smashed into powder. Science 'em like this and that, and turn 'em into something like toothpaste."
"This and that?" you tilted your head.
"In other words, we wouldn't understand even if we asked huh?" Gen said.
Two teams were now formed, Chrome and the others will try and melt the tungsten to purify it without melting the glass container, and Senku will make the toothpaste. They both high-fived before getting to work. You smiled at their friendship.
"I'm getting rather jealous." Kaseki, standing beside you said.
"What do you mean?" you looked at him.
"Well, you know... From the start, all by myself, I've always love to craft things. I built that bridge and crafted shields, so that the others wouldn't look at me in such disdain."
You felt your chest tightened. You could relate to that. Because you weren't really taking your talent seriously, people like teachers and professional musicians would look down on you.
"Thanks to that, I remain on active duty, even at this age. However..." he continued. "Ohoho, to be honest, I've been thinking about it. How great it would be to have a friend to craft things with..."
"What are you talking about? You got at least two of them."
"Oh? Where?"
"Right there." you pointed at Chrome and Senku. "And, old man Kaseki, the help you brought was essential to us. And it's all thanks to you that I have my instruments. I could never look down on you for doing what you love." you smiled. "For that, I also consider you my friend."
"...even..." he looked down. "Even though I'm almost fifty years older than you kids."
"Hehe, age has nothing to do with it... Wha-Kaseki?"
You noticed his shaky shoulders and bent over to look at his face. You heart warmed up when you saw that he was crying.
"Oww~ don't cry!" you wrapped your arm around him, resting your head on his shoulder. "You're gonna make me cry to-OH GOD!"
You quickly backed away and covered your face when his determination overcame him and he flexed his clothes off.
Senku grabbed Gen by the hood and dragged him to the lab while he gestured you to follow him.
"Since you two are from the modern age, you're gonna give me a hand." he explained. "You still know more about science than anyone in the village probably."
"You think so?" Gen asked, his voice full of dread.
"Yeah!" you smiled. "With both our brains combined, we should wrap our heads around this science!"
"It's a freaking long process. Since you're probably completely clueless, I'll keep it real simple." he said as he started to put on the ingredients needed for this. "We simmer the blue jewels in sodium hydroxide, then crystallize them in a mixture of shells, hydrochloric acid, and ammonia, then finally, heat it and mix it with honey!"
Not hearing any responses, he looked up. Your and Gen's eyes were narrowed to the max. You had your hands joined together and your indexes were on your mouth. Gen held his arm, and his other hand was on his chin.
"...You guys didn't get anything." he glared at the two of you.
"...We take the jewels." you pointed towards the table. "We mix them with something."
"And then," Gen said. "we mix them with some other things... Until it turns into a crystal."
"And then we cook it with honey!" you both started to say at the same time and slowly turned towards each-other with huge smiles.
"Yeah!" you high-fived him. "We got it!"
"Did we win?!" Gen asked Senku.
You wheezed.
"Is this science yet?!"
"Have we done it?!
You both laughed. Senku groaned, having none of this.
"Man~ Chrome's gotta be ten billion times better than this..."
"Oh come on~!" Gen smiled. "Plus, doesn't matter who, no one would be able to handle your science talk Senku-chan!"
"Let us have some fun before we become your servants of science." you added and giggled.
Senku looked at you when you said that, your words made him smirk.
"And now you're done right?" he said in his evil voice.
"Oh-ho."
Senku worked you both to the bone all day all night. You guys barely got any sleep. By the end, Gen was barely standing.
"Tungsten toothpaste!" Senku exclaimed, looking at the final result.
"We did it~." you raised your fists up, with a sleepy smile.
"Niiiice." Gen said with an 'I want to die' voice.
You followed Senku outside while Gen probably passed out inside the lab.
"How's it going heating team?" Senku asked when he saw Chrome.
"Yo! We're just about done!"
"Woh!" you let out when you noticed the giant set he and the others made. "I was not prepared for that."
"What's with this all-in-one set?!" Senku exclaimed.
"You said it yourself Senku!" Chrome said. "You told me to use everything I learned!"
"This is *not* what I meant! It's freaking hideous..."
"Since when did science cared about aesthetics?" you said. "As long as it gets the job done right?"
After a moment, he smiled.
"Kukuku. Well actually, though it was unintentional, this might be the best! With everything, the heating power can only go up!"
"Awesome." you pointed at the shed with both your hands. "I'm gonna go take a nap now."
With one more important element to make the cell-phone. Kaseki worked his hardest to make that hickman pump Senku told him to build, fortunately he wasn't alone, Gen was forced into helping him. Meanwhile, the kids and elderly were working on the wiring and so the science team could focus on the final challenge, making plastic.
"What are you doing?" Senku asked you when he noticed you behind him as he walked into the lab.
"Huh? Uh..." you blinked twice. "G-going with you guys?"
"You don't think they can do this by themselves do you?" he pointed at the wiring team. "They'll need assistance from someone who knows how to do that kind of stuff. And you did it for longer than them."
You looked over at them. You couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed by this given task. It was less important compare to what's happening in the lab.
"You're a teacher now (Y/n)." he said. "You gotta learn how to teach."
'I'm a teacher?!' you thought. 'Oh my god I am a teacher!'
"O...Okay then."
It wasn't as bad as you thought it'd be. You got to spend time with the kids and the elderly, they were very sweet (unlike the brats and boomer back then). And you did your best to explain with the little experience you had how wire-making was done.
A cold winter wind blew and you shivered. Blowing hot air into your palm, you could tell everybody felt the cold.
"Looks like another harsh winter, doesn't it?" an old man said.
"It'd be wonderful if no one dies from the cold this year..." an old woman said.
The way they just casually talked about it broke your heart. This was a primitive village after all, but only now do you realized what it meant. Dying from the cold, lack of food, illness.
"What's wrong (Y/n)-chan?" Suika asked. "You look so sad."
You looked at her. She was shaking from the cold. You smiled.
"I'm good, don't worry about me."
After finishing a wire, you walked towards the lab.
"Senku...?" you stood in the doorway, playing with your fingers. "Uh, can you... I mean it'd be pretty bad if the Kingdom of Science started losing its people right? So-."
"Don't worry (Y/n)!" Chrome walked passed you with a bag on his back. "We're on it!"
You watched in confusion as he walked away and called for Kohaku, Magma and Ginrou. You looked back at Senku. He was smiling.
"Whoaaa! It's so warm in here!" Suika and the other children shouted in joy as they enjoyed a warm meal.
Those newly-installed stoves were beneficial in just so many ways. You could work inside, meals would be much more enjoyable. The whole village slowly but surely changed for the best with each invention Senku provided them. Even though he'd claim it has nothing to do with them, that those stoves were just tests.
And you, you were in heaven.
"It's a Christmas miracle~!" you said, sitting as close to the warm stove as possible to fully enjoy its warmth. "I'm gonna fuckin cry dude!"
"It's not Christmas anymore..." Gen said. "It's been weeks."
You ignored him and just made a noise that was a mixture of a moan and a groan.
"What in the world...?" Gen sent you a weird look.
"That's just her interpretation of 'happy noises'." Senku explained.
"Of course, you'd know something like that Senku-chan." he smiled.
You wrapped yourself into a blanket and then got back to work on your next thing. You, Gen and Ruri were to made those little batteries for the vacuum tube with the instructions given by Senku.
"In other words, get to work huh?" Gen mumbled as he sat beside you.
"What's your deal with working Gen? You know you can't just sit around." you said.
"Why not~?" he leaned over and rested on your side. "Why can't I just get my little harem and just enjoy life as others do the work for me?"
"Get off me! You're heavy!"
"Your blanket is so warm though~!" he snuggled closer.
"Get your own blanket dude!" you pushed him away.
Ruri giggled. You glared at her.
"Don't don't laugh Ruri."
"I'm sorry." she smiled. "You two just seem close that's it."
"The fu-?" you sighed. "Whatever."
You each made one battery, the process was kind of like making an onigiri. Plus they were pretty cute, so small~.
"What's this? We've finished already." Gen smiled, looking at his creation.
"See? It wasn't so bad." you said.
"You're right. That's wasn't such a tewwible project after all~."
"Please never say this again." you laughed.
"Make 800 of those!" Senku popped his head in.
"Tewwible!!!" Gen shouted in horror.
"What did I just say?!" you shouted back.
"Together, I'm sure we can do it." Ruri said, as the voice of reason.
As you three were working in silence, Gen heard you humming a tune that he recognize as being 'It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas'.
"You really love Christmas, don't you (Y/n)-chan?" he asked.
"I fuckin love Christmas." you said.
"So this, Christmas," Ruri said. "is it a specific day, or a general term for the cold days?"
"Normally, it's one night and the day after that." he glanced at you. "But you don't seem to think so."
"As soon as the temperature drops, I blast out my Christmas playlist."
"I'm a bit confused..."
"Because," you looked at her. "I get that people think of Christmas as this one day a year thing."
"We don't think, it just is..." Gen mumbled.
"But to me, Christmas is more like a mindset for the end of the year. Like, celebrate the passing year and going to the next, appreciate the people and the things around you. There's snow, there's warmth like those stoves, and the Christmas songs! Holly shit the Christmas songs!"
"The thing you were humming right? It sounded lovely!"
"Sounds to me like you just want to extend Christmas for as long as possible." he said.
"Nu-hu."
"I bet you start shopping for decorations and gifts when it's not even Halloween yet."
"...maybe."
You both laughed.
"I don't, actually." you said. "I respect all holidays!"
"My, how considerate of you."
"Either way, it sounds wonderful." Ruri smiled. "Wait... what's Halloween?"
"Oh it's *the* best holiday of the year!" Gen exclaimed.
"Wha-you did not just say that! How dare you?!" you looked at him. "After everything I just said?!"
Ruri started to regret her answer until she realized that, even though you two were arguing, you were still smiling, and the tone was kept light.
"Just fuck off dude." you laughed and went back to work.
Gen only giggled and went back to work as well.
Ruri was confused, she wondered if this was how friends talked back in the modern world.
The answer was yes, though, only the close ones.
Or maybe! This was the power of Christmas time. The best time of year ever! Unlike Halloween! Fuck you Gen!
You didn't know why, but you just really wanted to laugh right now.