Senku and [Y/n] sat on the rocky shore while watching Taiju gather seashells, and Tsukasa stood in the ocean, staring out at the sunset. [Y/n] leaned against Senku in an attempt to stay awake because of all the work they did last night.
"We're free in this stone world." Tsukasa suddenly spoke, gaining Senku and [Y/n]'s attention, "Shells never belonged to anyone. The same goes for the sea and the land." A gentle breeze flew by them. "There was once a poor boy who tried to make a necklace of seashells for his little sister, who was undergoing surgery. His sister loved The Little Mermaid."
Tsukasa turned to a statue of a middle-aged man and walked closer to it, "But then, a middle-aged man who owned the fishing rights to that spot arrived...and with him, the stench of liquor. The boy who was collecting shells...or rather, according to the man, the boy who was stealing shells, was beaten badly that his face was unrecognizable. He was never able to help his sister be like the Little Mermaid." Tsukasa finished then glared and punch the head of the statue off.
[Y/n] flinched and her eyes widened in horror as the head rolled closer to her and Senku.
Sure, [Y/n] was never particularly fond of humans, despite being human herself, but she didn't think a man deserved to perish in that way, innocent or not.
"You know what you're doing, don't you, Tsukasa?" Senku asked while [Y/n] stood and picked up the man's head. "You just killed a man." He smirked.
[Y/n] buried the head in the sand. "I'm sorry..." She muttered to it.
"I know what I'm doing, of course." Tsukasa said and turned to Senku, "Senku, do you intend to bring back everyone, including the grown-ups whose hearts are tainted? Sure, they'll be grateful to you at first. But, as soon as civilization returns, the rich and powerful seniors will say, 'That used to be my land.' 'Pay your rent.' 'Pay your taxes.' They'll rob the poor of our future again. We must not bring that world back."
Tsukasa began to walk to the shore. "This is the stone world. An untainted paradise. We'll revive only the pure-hearted youth and live in a natural world owned by no one." He continued with a scary look in his eyes, "It's a chance to purify humanity. Don't you agree, Senku?"
Tsukasa got ready to smash another statue. "Stop it!" [Y/n] yelled with a terrified look in her eyes, but Senku stopped Tsukasa by placing his hand in Tsukasa's shoulder.
"Not at all. Not even a millimeter. I'm a technology-loving boy who gets excited over mechs and space and Doraemon and stuff like that. I'm going to use the power of science to rescue every single person." Senku explained and smirked.
[Y/n] was instantly struck with fear. Senku was standing right next to a dangerous man, who could kill him in a second. 'Please, Senku... Step away from him!' [Y/n] thought, but nothing came out of her mouth. She felt stuck. She didn't know what to do. [Y/n] would usually avoid confrontation in the modern era, but this has Senku in the equation.
"Hey! Good news Senku, Tsukasa, [Y/n]!" They heard, and they turned to see Taiju running towards them with a clay container. "We have a full pot of miracle fluid from the cave! We can finally revive Yuzuriha!" Taiju announced.
Senku gasped with a troubled look on his face. "What's this 'miracle fluid' you speak of?" Tsukasa asked then gave Senku and tense look.
Senku chuckled then cracked his neck. "Let's not waste time standing here explaining it. It's ten billion times easier to just show you." Senku said and began to walk. [Y/n] stood up and walked closely behind him.
"You'd better feel honored to see this. Time to enjoy humanity's revival show." Senku finished with his signature smirk.
｡･:*:･ﾟ★｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
Once the team made it back to camp, they dressed Yuzuriha's statue in an outfit similar to [Y/n]'s, but it had a pink ribbon unlike [Y/n]'s floral one.
"Alright, Yuzuriha. We're finally going to save you for real this time!" Taiju said to Yuzuriha.
[Y/n] sat with Senku while she watched him make the fluid.
"What the hell?" Senku cursed, "This is just short enough for one person."
"What?! Did I take it out too soon?!" Taiju shouted.
"[Y/n] and I will play word games or something while you go get more. So make a dash for it, big oaf." Senku said.
"Thanks! I'll be right back! I'll go full speed!" Taiju announced and started to run. But, Tsukasa grabbed him.
"In that case, I'll go, since I'm the fastest. So would you tell me where if miracle fluid is?" Tsukasa asked, and Senku smirked when he took it the bait.
After being told where it was, Tsukasa left. "Did Tsukasa leave?" Senku asked with a yawn, and [Y/n] yawned as well.
"Yeah, in the blink of an eye. He's as fast as you'd thin-" Senku quickly got up and grabbed [Y/n] by the wrist. "Let's make the revival fluid and bring Yuzuriha back right away while Tsukasa isn't here!" Senku ordered, and [Y/n] nodded in agreement.
"What's going on? You just said there wasn't enough revival fluid." Taiju said as Senku and [Y/n] moved their operation to the lab.
"Did you really think I'd set out a pot that was the wrong size?" Senku questioned.
"Good point! Then you did you send Tsukasa after it?" Taiju asked.
"It was double-edged bait. I wanted to get rid of him before reviving Yuzuriha, even if that meant revealing where the cave was." Senku explained. He glanced over at [Y/n], who hasn't said a word since this morning. She was stirring the mixture with a worried expression. This was unlike her.
"Why do you want to get rid of Tsukasa? He's a good guy." Tsukasa argued.
"That's why he's too much to handle. I don't have even a millimeter of interest for his grand vision for a 'mighty world'. I find civilization-building games more exhilarating." Senku said and smirked.
"All right. You don't need to explain. Senku, I trust whatever you say. Something happened while I was gone, didn't it?" Taiju asked, and Senku turned to him with a dark look.
"Yeah." He said, "Shishio Tsukasa is a good guy...and a murder."
Once the Miracle Water was made, it was time for Taiju to pour it on Yuzuriha, but he hesitated.
"I told you, we're in hurry, you big oaf!" Senku yelled while running towards Taiju then smacked his hand, dumping the fluid on Yuzuriha.
"You just dumped it all on her!" Taiju yelled.
A second went by.
"Wait, nothing's happening. Is it all right?! No, it's all right, Yuzuriha! But is this all right?" Taiju asked, panicked.
"It takes time for the reaction to happen. This is a kind of cryostasis. It's like a protective coat made from trace metals in the body. Some mysterious mechanism causes those elements to phase-shift, maintaining a petrified." Senku explained.
"It's complicating! Seriously complicating!"
"It's just a hypothesis, based on a whole year of painstaking experiments. The point is, if even one part of it gets nital on it and breaks down, it creates a cascade effect that travels across the entire body. And the petrification is undone." Senku said, and the fragments of stone feel off of Yuzuriha.
Taiju was about to catch her before she fell to the ground. Taiju was in tears.
Senku glanced over at [Y/n], who stood next to him. She was longingly staring out into the forest, worrying about when Tsukasa would come back. Senku took his hand and placed it on her head, giving her a reassuring pat. [Y/n] looked up at him.
"Stop worrying so much." Senku said and gave her a gentle smile. [Y/n] blushed a bit and slowly nodded.
"O...kay..." [Y/n] muttered and looked down at the ground.
"Senku and [Y/n] spent a whole year working on the revival fluid." Tajiu said to Yuzuriha, and Senku chuckled.
"Sorry to barge in on your reunion but make up your mind before Tsukasa gets back." Senku said while walking closer with [Y/n]'s hand in his, "We only have two options." He held up two fingers with the other hand, "Choose one. Plan A: Taiju and Yuzuriha, you two run away right now, and live somewhere far away. Plan B: we fight together to end Tsukasa's murder spree, using weapons of civilization." He explained, and Taiju stood without hesitation.
"The answer's obvious! We're going fight by your side! Don't underestimate us, Senku!" Taiju yelled, and Yuzuriha stood up as well. "Yeah! I have no idea what's going on, but I'll help, too!" Yuzuriha said with a nod.
"I'm not trying to be nice or anything. It just seemed logical to give you both a chance to flee." Senku said with a shrug, and [Y/n] squeezed his hand.
Senku looked down at her and saw her determined expression. Senku smiled slyly as if he could read her mind, which was pretty obvious that he could because of how much time they've spent together in the modern era and in the stone world. He didn't even bother to ask her choice because Senku knew she wouldn't leave his side even if he asked her to. And that's what Senku loved about her.
"We have to stop him." [Y/n] said.
"Yeah! If Tsukasa is killing people, I'll-"
"Calling it 'killing people' is a matter of perspective." Tsukasa interrupted, and [Y/n]'s face went pale in that instant, "I'm culling them...for the benefit of the new world." he continued with his deep brown eyes glaring at them.
Tsukasa took off his lion coat and threw it to the ground then walked closer to them. Taiju stepped in front of the group while [Y/n] took a step back behind Senku.
'He didn't even try to hide his murders... That means... whoever gets in his way...' [Y/n] thought and she watched Tsukasa drop a piece of stone. There was an eye engraved in it.
"Senku, if things go bad, take care of Yuzuriha for me. I'm going to stop Tsukasa!" Taiju yelled, and charged at him. [Y/n] gasped.
'You damned simpleton!' Senku thought, 'He killed a lion with his bare hands. You're screwed, ten billion percent!
Senku quickly grabbed the crossbow he made and shot the arrow at Tsukasa. The arrow flew between Tsukasa and Taiju. Tsukasa managed to catch the arrow in mid-air and threw it to the ground then spun around, kneeing Taiju in the hand in the process. [Y/n] quickly grabbed her bow and aimed the arrow at Tsukasa while standing in front of Senku.
"You're the first person who's managed to remain standing after receiving my kick. Yes...And even more interestingly, it wasn't that you failed to attack me just now, but that you refused to. Why?" Tsukasa asked Taiju.
"I don't hit people! You can hit me or kick me all you want, but stop destroying the statue! Killing people is bad!" Taiju yelled while pulling his clothes, exposing his chest.
His friends gave him a dumbfounded look.
"Taiju, let me get this straight. You'll let me keep hitting you and never fight back, therefore, don't destroy the statues. Is that right?" Tsukasa questioned.
'That doesn't sound like a suitable agreement. Taiju is very simple-minded.' [Y/n] thought with a sigh.
"That's right!" Taiju said, and Tsukasa covered his face.
"I don't understand. There's no deal to be made here. If you insist on getting in my way..."
"I don't care how many times you attack me! I won't stop trying to stop you!" Taiju continued to yell.
"That girl was just revived...What if I told you I'd kill her?" Tsukasa questioned, and Taiju ran in front of Yuzuriha.
Suddenly, Taiju started bleeding in the side of his head then he passed out. "Taiju-kun!" Yuzuriha ran to his side.
"So that did hurt him. He's bleeding like mad. We'll have to let him sleep for a few days." Senku said.
"Yes. Let's not fight among ourselves. You protect Yuzuriha, instead of worrying about statues of people you don't know."
"That doesn't matter..." [Y/n] suddenly spoke. Everyone turned to her. She was glaring with an expression full of hatred. Yet, she was trembling. "Murder is murder. That's how it's been since the first Homosapiens have walked this Earth. You speak about people's tainted hearts when your heart's as black as night! My mother is out there...and I swear it if I find her in pieces, our Kingdom of Science will make you atone for your sins."
Tsukasa stared at her for a moment then turned and walked away. "I won't let you get in my way." Those were his last words.
'I knew we could not trust him from the beginning.' [Y/n] thought while continuing to glare in the direction Tsukasa had left.
Senku opened his mouth to call [Y/n]'s name, but she turned and climbed inside the hut before he could say anything. Not long after, she came out with a damp cloth. [Y/n] quickly walked over to Taiju and Yuzuriha, and began to dab the cloth on Taiju's wound.
"Will he be okay, [Y/n]?" Yuzuriha asked, and [Y/n] nodded.
"I soaked the cloth in distilled water. In a world without medicine, this is the only other option." [Y/n] said, "Worse condition, it could be a concussion."
"You're not gonna go down that easily in front of Tsukasa, are you, you big oaf?" Senku taunted.
"Of course I'm not!" Taiju said and got up, leaving [Y/n] and Yuzuriha confused.
"Huh? You're okay now?" Yuzuriha questioned.
"I'm built to last. I've got plenty of energy left to spare." Taiju said while [Y/n] and Yuzuriha sighed.
"Thank goodness."
"Right! Tsukasa! We need to stop his murdering!" Taiju said and tried to run off, but Senku grabbed him by the belt.
"Hold it, big oaf." Senku said.
"I'm not giving up!"
"How simple-minded can you be?! We just learned that we can't stop him!" Senku yelled and let him go.
"Still..."
"There's only one way to stop him in this stone world. Advance civilization and make weapons of science." Senku said with a smirk, "[Y/n], you know what to do."
[Y/n] stood up and nodded. She climbed into the hunt and started to smash the things they've created.
Soon, Senku joined her. "Such a waste..."
"What are you both doing?" Taiju asked.
"We're making it look like Tsukasa freaked up out and made us run off with just our food." Senku explained.
"What are you talking about? Are we running away?" Taiju asked.
"It's only an act. If we make weapons of science before he notices, we win. If he finds out first, we lose. That's the kind of race this is." Senku said, and they packed their things.
"We're going to find the materials to make weapons! Our goal is Hakone!" Senku announced, and they set out on their way, "Hey, it's just a huge 80-kilometer adventure, that's all." He said in a matter-of-fact tone as they walked through the forest.
"Two full marathons, huh? Five hours ought to do it." Taiju said, and Senku gave him a deadpanned look.
"Only for a meat head like you." Senku said, and Yuzuriha smiled. She turned to look at [Y/n] who was right next to her. Her long [h/c] hair that was left to fall down her back, her lovely [s/c] skin protected by the shade of the trees, and her mysterious [e/c]-colored eyes that stared into the distance.
Yuzuriha followed [Y/n]'s gaze, and it landed right on the back of Senku's head. [Y/n] had that longing look of love. Yuzuriha just smiled. 'It was bound to happen someday.' She thought and noticed a cherry blossom petal fall.
"The cherry blossoms seem different." She muttered.
"The cherry blossoms we know, Prunus yedoensis, isn't self-pollinating." Senku said.
"Which means..."
"They must have gone extinct right off the bat." He responded.
As they walked past the statues of people, [Y/n] gave them a sad look but continued to press forward.
Soon, they arrived at a mountain top. "Man, what a view!" Taiju cheered.
"Perfect." Senku said and pulled out his sextant.
"Huh? What's that, Senku?" Taiju asked. "A sextant. It's been 35,970 seconds since sunrise as of now."
"Did you really just say that like it was no big deal?" Yuzuriha questioned.
"Senku counted for hundreds of billions of seconds until he was petrified. This is a piece of cake for him." Taiju said.
"A sextant is supposed to tell you your current location based on the time, but the accuracy is such trash, it's a complete joke." Senku explained and handed it to [Y/n]. She held it up to her eye, trying to the right angle to line it up with the sunlight, but it was no use.
"I am positive we made this correctly. Could it be that the Earth's geography has changed? It has been 3,700 years." [Y/n] said and handed the device back to Senku.
"Still, this trash is the only GPS we have. We must be around Kamakura, I guess. I wish I knew our exact longitude and latitude." Senku muttered.
"Are there any buildings that can serve as landmarks?" Taiju asked.
"Anything metal is rusted away. There's nothing left." Senku said, and Yuzuriha gasped.
"What is it, Yuzuriha?" Taiju asked as she began to run. Her three friends followed her. They were led to a clearing of trees where stood a huge Buddha statue. This a landmark in Kamakura.
"I know where we are. We're at 35 degrees, 19 minutes north, 139 degrees, 32 minutes east." Senku said with a smirk.
[Y/n] stared at the statue for a moment. Then walked closer, placing her hand on the copper.
"What is it, honey?" [Y/n]'s mom asked, noticing her 5-year-old daughter stopped walking and stared at the statue in amazement. [Y/n]'s little hand went up and pointed out the statue. Her mother smiled. "It's really something, isn't it?"
The sad memory played in [Y/n] mind as she stared sadly at the Buddha statue. [Y/n] heard Senku chuckle.
"There's nothing to worry about. We're about to beat Tsukasa and save all of humanity." Senku said and smiled at [Y/n].
"That's right! And the Great Buddha just told us the way! He's stood thousands of years without falling apart. He really is a god! Wait, a Buddha? Something like that!" Taiju said and laughed.
"Well, yeah, they made the Buddha out of bronze. Scientifically, it doesn't rot." Senku said.
"Look! There's absolutely no foliage around Buddha! He made it so we could find him easily!" Taiju cheered.
"Well, yeah, it's leaking copper ions like crazy. It's just poisonous to most plants." Senku muttered and hit his fist in his hand. "That's it! Bronze! We can use it to make mirrors." Senku pulled out a stone hammer. "Time to upgrade our trash sextant! I'll just help myself to some of this!"
"Stop it! You blasphemous bastard!" Taiju yelled and ran over to Senku to stop him while [Y/n] back away next to Yuzuriha. The girl looked at each other and started to giggle.
｡･:*:･ﾟ★｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
Soon, the team made it to their goal which was a hot spring in Hakone.
"We made it to our goal! Hot springs!" Taiju cheered.
"Wow. There's a great view of Mount Fuji, too." Yuzuriha said.
"You two better not have forgotten why we came all this way." Senku said while he and [Y/n] were out of breath.
"So what is this 'weapon of science'?" Taiju asked, and Senku smirked.
"The greatest invention in human history..."
"Smartphones?!" Taiju questioned.
"You sure love your smartphone. No." Senku held his finger out to resemble a gun. "Guns. We're making gunpowder. The stone age was two million years ago. And gunpowder was invented recently, around 700 AD. Basically, we about to warp 1,998,700 years ahead in civilization. This is exhilarating." He explained with his evil scientist smirk.
He grabbed a hammer. "Thankfully, Japan is full of volcanoes. Go to any hot spring and you have an all-you-can-carry bargain sale of sulfur, the main component gunpowder." Senku continued and hammered some sulfur into a pile. "It's the birth of our ultimate anti-Tsukasa weapon: black powder."