"Tell me, Senku, [Y/n]. How do we make the cure-all medicine? We're going to defeat Ruri's sickness!" Chrome yelled the next morning.
"I'll help in any way I can, if it means Ruri-nee gets better!" Kohaku said with a determined look.
Senku had a creepy smile while [Y/n] sighed.
"He's scheming again." [Y/n] said to her pig, and Inosuke squealed in agreement.
Senku chuckled and grabbed a stick then started drawing in the dirt. "The kingdom of science is going to be making an antibiotic. It's a scientific wonder drug that kills bacteria infecting a person. It's saved hundreds of millions of lives ever since it was discovered in the early twentieth century." Senku explained.
"We're unable to do blood tests, and there's no telling what disease she has. But, to save her, anything is worth trying." [Y/n] muttered.
Chrome and Kohaku had determined looks.
"All right, let's get on it right away!" Chrome yelled.
"What do we need?" Kohaku asked.
"We're missing all kinds of stuff. Pay attention when we talk." Senku said with a deadpanned look.
"There are two routes to making antibiotics." [Y/n] explained while Senku drew up a diagram in the dirt, "We can choose the biological route and obtain penicillin from living organisms, or we can choose the stone route and obtain sulfa drugs from rocks."
"Hold on, [Y/n]. Living things? Rocks? How can you make medicine from those?" Kohaku questioned.
"Penicillin, made from green mold, is the more famous one." Senku continued.
"However, making penicillin in this stone word has a low rate of success and would be a waste of our time. We would have to pray long and hard from a nice sample that will not kill her." [Y/n] said, and Chrome and Kohaku gave a terrified look.
"Meanwhile, the stone route, making sulfa drugs, will take insane amounts of diligence and manpower, but even in this stone world, we'll land on the drug, ten billion percent." Senku finished.
"Then the answer is obvious!" Chrome yelled.
"You get it, don't you? We're neither gods nor geniuses. We crawl around on the ground, making everything step by step." Senku stated and finished his diagram, "We're taking the stone route. We'll get each of these things one by one and warp right through two million years of science history. This is the science roadmap to the cure-all."
"Let's start with this 'iron' stuff, then. Wait, what is iron, anyway? Teach me everything." Chrome said.
"Iron isn't going to be easy." Senku said.
"Senku-sensei's sorcery science class, huh? I don't think I could keep up." Kohaku said.
[Y/n] and Senku taught Chrome everything about the modern era until night time.
"Are you serious?! Damn!" Chrome yelled with stars in his eyes. "The planet's the one that's moving?! Dude!" He continued to yell while Senku laid exhausted on the ground.
[Y/n] was falling asleep with Inosuke in her lap.
"Yeah, that's right." Senku said.
"That doesn't make any sense." Kohaku said from the tree, "Why am I not being flung off this branch, then?"
"Because there's gravity." Senku said, tiredly.
"I always thought it was weird. Some of the stars don't move at all." Chrome said.
Senku sat up and pointed at the sky. "That's the North Star. It's a ridiculously useful star that's ten billion percent true north. Remember that." Senku said.
"Oh, is it?" Chrome questioned.
"It seems slightly off from true north." Kohaku said.
"It can't be. It's within the margin of error-" And Senku's eyes widened. "Earth's axis is shifting! The whole planet has tilted slightly over the past 3,700 years. It's currently AD 5,379. The North Star shifted." Senku said then he chuckled, "A true scientist would laugh at me. How could I not have seen that?" He looked down at [Y/n], who was bobbing her head in an attempt to stay awake. 'She noticed it well before I did.' He thought. "You guys are way more observant because you have no preconceived notions. I'm such a loser."
"You don't seem like a loser to me, Senku." Kohaku said.
"I'm not saying that to put myself down. I think of myself as being so rational, but I can't keep up on this scale. That's all. 3,700 years. It never hit me until now how insanely long that is." Senku explained then it hit him., "Wait, how did you know that the ex-North Star isn't true north?"
"So even the great Senku doesn't know about this rock. This crazy rock that I happened to find on a bald mountain!" Chrome sneered and presented his rock, "For some reason, when you hang it or float it, it always points straight north! Isn't it nuts?"
Senku's eyes widened a bit. "It's a magnet." He stated, and Chrome fell on the ground.
"You know of it?! Damn it!" Chrome yelled.
Senku chuckled and picked up the magnet. "Good going, Chrome. If we have magnets...we can collect iron sand." He said.
｡･:*:･ﾟ★｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
The next day, Senku, Chrome, [Y/n], and Kohaku changed into swimwear. [Y/n] had to borrow Kohaku's second one. All there was to say about it... it was a bit small.
"I said I'm not a gorilla!" [Y/n] could hear the guys bullying Kohaku as she walked closer to the group. "Also, why am I doing all the collecting here! Why don't you guys get off your asses and do some work, too?! We don't have enough manpower." Kohaku continued.
[Y/n] couldn't but giggle. "She's like a mother." She said as she walked closer with a magnet.
Senku's eyes widened a bit as his eyes trailed along [Y/n]'s body. He can enjoy the view all day.
"Because of our lack of manpower, this could take quite a while." [Y/n] said and straightened her ponytail. Senku snapped out of his trance.
"Y-Yeah." Senku said and got back to work.
Chrome and Kohaku were dumbfounded.
"He just..." Chrome muttered.
"He stuttered..." Kohaku muttered.
They looked at [Y/n], who was cluelessly collecting sand. "She didn't even notice..." Kohaku said with a deadpanned look.
"Should I get someone from the village to help out?" Chrome asked.
"As far as the villagers know, you three are suspicious sorcerers. Sadly, no one is going to come help." Kohaku said, and Senku sighed.
[Y/n] noticed something floating down the river. "A watermelon?" [Y/n] muttered and took a step back.
The watermelon stood up, which scared [Y/n] a little.
"It's Suika. What are you doing here?" Kohaku asked, and Suika held up a magnet, "Did you follow us here?"
"Her name is Suika?" Senku asked.
"It's a nickname, probably. She's always wearing a watermelon rind." Chrome said.
"She's cute..." [Y/n] muttered.
"Hey, Suika! You took my magnet!" Chrome yelled and snatched it back.
"I want to help. I can never make myself useful to anyone because I have this thing on my head. That's not going to change even when I grow up. So if there's ever anyone in need...!" Suika said, but Senku interrupted her.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I appreciate it. The kingdom of science doesn't turn anyone away. We need all the help we can get." Senku said and smiled.
[Y/n] walked over to Suika. "You'll make it a lot easier to collect sand." [Y/n] said and handed Suika a magnet.
"We're counting on you, Suika." Senku said, and [Y/n] smiled a little.
"Thank you, Suika-chan." [Y/n] said, gently, then got up and followed Senku.
"I'm going to another all the iron sand! Donburako, Donburako...." Suika cheered. "What are you, Momotaro?!" Chrome yelled, which intrigued [Y/n] and Senku.
"You don't know Dragon Quest or Monster Hunter, but you do know Momotaro? Who taught you?" Senku asked.
"Hey, you know Momotaro, too?" Chrome asked.
"Ruri-nee told us all about him." Suika said.
"Come to think of it, how do you know about gorillas? Are they out in the wild?" Senku questioned.
"I've never actually seen one." Kohaku said.
"But there's a gorilla in Momotaro, isn't there?" Chrome said, and [Y/n] tilted her head in confusion.
"No, there isn't!" Senku yelled.
"He used millet dumplings to win friends, remember? A bear, a lion, a gorilla, and an alligator." Chrome explained.
"What kind of wild-ass Momotaro is that?!" Senku yelled.
"I heard all kinds of stories from Ruri-nee, too. Come to think of it, I learned all my big words from Ruri-nee, too." Kohaku said.
'This Ruri person seems to have the central knowledge of the village. Who is she? It would be in our best interest to speak with her...'
"I'm low-key interested in this Ruri chick. We really need to make the cure-all and save her, whatever it takes." Senku said while [Y/n] nodded.
"What do you mean, you're interested in Ruri? What does that mean, Senku?" Chrome interrogated Senku.
"Senku, Senku..." Kohaku whispered while waving him closer to her. "Chrome seems to have a crush on Ruri-nee." She said, and Senku gave a deadpanned look.
"So that's what it was. Here we go." Senku said.
"And Chrome's such a child. I like how oblivious he is." Kohaku said.
'Sounds like someone else I know.' Senku thought and glance at [Y/n], who was a bit confused about the situation.
｡･:*:･ﾟ★｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
"So, the black sand we got from the river turns into this 'iron' stuff?" Suika asked.
"Yeah. Mix four parts iron sand and one part coal, and bake." Senku explained.
"Hey, that's easy." Chrome said.
"It's more difficult than it sounds. Unlike making clay pottery, the highest temperature that burning wood can obtain is 700 degrees. However, ironmaking, turning iron sand into iron, requires 1,500 degrees." [Y/n] explained with her pet in her arms.
"That's not even close enough! What do we do?" Kohaku asked.
"We blow it like hell. We have to give it as much oxygen as we can." Senku said and led the way to a furnace, "We'll send a ton of air and double the flame's damage output from 700 to 1,500." He continued while handing everyone primitive air pumps.
"This thing blows air? With something this useful, I could probably do it by myself." Kohaku said, examining the pumps.
"You can make that claim one you've done it. We're never going to have enough manpower." Senku said, and they got to work.
The pain of their overexerted arms was too agonizing to even describe. They didn't melt the sand.
"Manpower is our top priority. The kingdom of science needs more citizens." Senku huffed, and they went to the bridge to see if Kinro or Ginro was there.
Ginro was found sleeping near the bridge. "The spear... Kinro..." Ginro muttered in his sleep.
"I knew it. We almost have Ginro." Senku said with an evil smirk along with Chrome.
"Good. This is working in our favor." Chrome finished.
"We're going to use bait that is science to gain manpower!" Chrome and Senku said in unison while [Y/n] and Kohaku had disturbed looks.
"Quit calling it bait, both of you." Kohaku said.
"But it's not like the whole village is going to appreciate a shiny spear. We need intel about what people want." Senku said, and Suika raised her hand.
"I'm good at that kind of thing! I can turn into a watermelon, so I can go anywhere without being noticed." Suika announced and spun around. She crouched down into her watermelon helmet.
Senku smirked. "Not bad. All right, Great Detective Suika-sama, we call your services to find us manpower for ironmaking." Senku said.
"You got this, Great Detective Suika!" Chrome cheered, and Suika smiled.
"I'm going to make myself useful!" She cheered as the rolled away towards the village.
"Now all we can do is wait." [Y/n] muttered.
By the time Suika came back to the shed, it was nightfall. The team sat around the campfire eating fish.
"I went to listen in on people, to see if there's anything they want. First, the dazzling sisters, Garnet, Sapphire, and Ruby." Suika said.
"Ah, the prettiest girls in town." Kohaku added.
"What those three really want..."
"I'd appreciate if it's something we can make with the technology in this age." Senku added.
"...is a boyfriend!" Suika finished.
"And that's something we have no chance of making with science!" Senku yelled, and Inosuke squealed with him while [Y/n] deadpanned look.
"They're faithful to their desires." Kohaku said, "If you ask me, you're quite an attractive man, Senku. But I don't think you're the kind of 'handsome man' that Sapphire's asking for."
Her comment gave [Y/n] a weird feeling. It wasn't jealousy, but [Y/n] was kind of relieved that this beautiful girl named, Sapphire, wouldn't fall for Senku. But, the other part of her was kind of annoyed that girls didn't see him as a catch.
[Y/n] shook the thoughts out of her head while blushing a bit. 'You mustn't think that way! Senku's your friend and partner in science. Nothing more!'
"Look at them, saying whatever they want. This is the problem with women. That's why I hate women." Chrome said.
"Chrome, you're such a child. Ruri-nee and I are women, so do you hate us?" Kohaku asked with a smile.
"Kohaku, I don't think of you as a woman. You're a gorilla." Chrome said, and Kohaku glared, making Chrome grovel at her feet.
"I think I have a shot with the one who wants someone to feed her. What does she want?" Senku asked Suika.
"A feast, like fish and stuff. Speaking of feast, Ganen, the biggest glutton in town, said he's bored to death of eating grilled fish every day. He's been looking for something new to try." Suika explained, and Senku chuckled.
"I knew you could do it, Great Detective Suika-sama. I can already see the scientific bait we need to get them on our side." Senku said.
"Are we actually going to cook for them?" Kohaku asked.
"What does that have to do with science?" Chrome questioned.
"It has everything to do with science. Food is science. Where do you think the umami of the fish you eat every day comes from? It's glutamic acid and inosinic acid." Senku said and placed a hand on [Y/n] shoulder, "It's your time to shine." That comment shocked [Y/n] for a moment.
"My cooking isn't michelin-star quality, but I'll get it my best." [Y/n] said and watch Suika play with her dog. "Suika, what is that?" She asked.
"This is my friend Chalk's favorite toy. It's dogtail millet." Suika said.
"You mean foxtail millet." Senku corrected.
[Y/n] thought for a moment. "Yes, that may work. See as we don't have any wheat or rice." She muttered to herself as she continued to think then she nodded with a small smile, "We may be able to make one of the world's most popular dishes that everyone in our old world loved..." [Y/n] said, and Senku chuckled.
"This is exhilarating." He loved when [Y/n] was in the "zone". Her usual blank expression would change to one of focus. Nothing could distract her.
｡･:*:･ﾟ★｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
The next day, Kohaku, Chrome, and Senku collected all the foxtail millet they could for [Y/n].
"We're making gourmet survival foods from scratch." [Y/n] informed them. They began to whack the plants on a few rocks.
"We're not actually eating foxtail millet, are we? I think I'll pass." Kohaku said.
"We're whacking the hell out of it to husk it so we can eat it." Senku said.
"Foxtail millet is genuinely a grain. It's a primitive millet." [Y/n] explained and gathered the millet into a large jar.
"It looks nasty." Kohaku said while staring at the jar.
"It's covered it furry stuff." Suika said.
"It has to be cleaned first." [Y/n] said as Chrome hauled in the water. [Y/n] straightened her ponytail, and she poured the millet into the jar of water and used a stick to mix and clean the millet.
"It's a cycle of inspiration and trial-and-error. Cooking is a perfect example of science." [Y/n] muttered. Soon they acquired foxtail flour.
"Now we have wheat flour, or rather, foxtail millet flour!" Senku announced and the team high-fived.
"Add wild bird eggs, and tenderize it with potassium carbonate. A pinch of sodium chloride." [Y/n] said while mixing in the ingredients, "This dish was accidentally by an anonymous person in Mongolia sometime in the fourth century. I presume there are more people who are willing to do any and everything. Isn't that correct, Chrome, Senku?"
Again, that tone of voice. Senku's weakness.
[Y/n] continued to cook until she was finally done and was serving a bowl. "We called this 'Ramen'. It was very popular 3,700 years ago." [Y/n] said while handing Kohaku and Chrome a bowl then gave one to Suika.
"But this is actually foxtail millet, isn't?" Kohaku questioned, looking a bit unsure.
[Y/n] sat down next to Senku. 'Can they not hold chopsticks properly? They must be descendants of foreigners. Then again, there's not much you can eat with chopsticks in a primitive world.' [Y/n] thought while Inosuke crawled into her lap.
"I'll make sure it's safe! It's the duty of a sorcerer not to be afraid of something new!" Chrome announced and took the first bite. His eyes widened.
"It's good!" He yelled and continued to eat. Next, Suika ate some, and she couldn't stop. [Y/n] smiled a little.
"I'll give it a try." [Y/n] muttered and picked her chopsticks. She took some noodles in her mouth and her face scrunched in disgust.
"It's terrible. I mean, the broth is good, but the noodles... I worked so hard." [Y/n] said, sadly.
Senku took [Y/n]'s bowl. "Wait, no, Senku. It's not that great." [Y/n] said, and he chuckled with his usual smirk.
"It's been 3,700 years since I've had a proper meal." Senku said and began to eat.
[Y/n] expected him to stop eating and say how disgusting it was, but he finished the whole bowl. "It was... good." Senku said, a bit out of breath from how fast he was eating.
[Y/n] smiled and took his bowl. "Thank you, Senku, but I know you ten billion percent want to vomit right now." She said, " It's crumbly with a bitter aftertaste. It's more suitable as medicine than anything else."
Senku looked away while hiding his face. "I tried to spare your feelings..." He muttered, and [Y/n] giggled a bit. She leaned on his shoulder.
[Y/n] could feel her heart swell with happiness when she's close to him like this. The stress of bringing back civilization and the fear of Tsukasa had distracted her from this warm feeling. The feeling of being safe. "Thank you, Senku. I love that about you." [Y/n] said, and Senku blushed a bit.
Later that day, Senku and Chrome made a cart for the ramen, and they set up in front of the bridge while Suika played her seashell.
"I'm going to colonize this village with the scientific food that is food." Senku said with an evil look.
"You look like a villain." Kohaku commented while [Y/n] nodded in agreement and Inosuke squealed.