21. Inferiority
Apr. 1, 2023
A/N: It's April Fools! Too bad I'm not clever enough to make a prank...or am I?
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"This is an all-out war!"
Your friends were fearful of the warning that Asagiri Gen had delivered.
"You're telling us that the long-haired man has an entire army of people as absurdly strong as he is?! And they're on their way here?!" Kohaku frantically questioned him.
He replied, "That's the gist of it. He's been de-petrifying them like mad. However, the most dangerous ones are Tsukasa-chan...as well as Hyoga-chan and Miyamoto-chan, who were revived recently. If Tsukasa-chan or Hyoga-chan is leading the war party, your only option is to flee...all of you!"
Your eyes widened in shock. You brought your thumb up to your mouth and bit down on your nails as you began to think. 'Miyamoto'? They can't be the same person, can it? It has to be a coincidence. If it's not, I can learn. I can learn to beat them...but if it's her...
"My, my (Y/N)-chan, I've never seen you so worried before. You look as though you know one of them..." Gen stated.
"It has to be a coincidence...it just has to be. If this 'Miyamoto' person happens to be who I'm thinking of..." you trailed off, then immediately gripped your bokken with uneasiness in your gut.
Senku placed a hand on your shoulder, which caused the uneasy feeling to slowly dissipate. "Remember. Tsukasa is currently reviving the young, which can be anyone under the age of thirty. There's a chance it may not be her."
The mentalist continued, "'Miyamoto' isn't their first name. They wanted to be referred as such when discussing plans about coming here. I doubt they would be one to lead a party though...their personality is quite daring, really. Anyways I told them I'd sneak in and influence you guys, which is how I convinced them to take the lead. Though, I doubt it'll buy us much time--"
"EVERYONE!" You heard Ginro's voice cry out. "THE ENEMY'S HERE!"
You saw him with a frightened expression on his face. All of you headed to the bridge to see Kinro fighting someone with a spear. You squinted your eyes to see that he was a fighting a fairly built man with white hair, as well as a mask to cover his face. He had feathers around his neck and a cloak to cover his skirt and sash.
"Already fighting?! Wait a minute...the one Kinro-chan is fighting is Hyoga-chan!" Gen feared for the worst.
You then saw Hyoga thrust his spear, which seemed to spin around in a rig, and pierce Kinro in the stomach.
"Kinro!" All of you cried out.
The boy then began to fall off the bridge, but grabbed the man's leg as a last resort. He called out, "Now, Ginro, cut the bridge down."
The blonde boy started doing so, but he seemed hesitant. Kohaku was screaming from the top of her lungs, her father holding her back.
"Quick Ginro...cut it already. I'm done for..." Kinro continued.
The boy, tears dripping from his eyes, whimpered, "I can't...I could never. You can't die, Kinro. Don't die...nii-chan!"
You clenched your fist, then immediately snatched Kohaku's shield from her back, much to her dismay. You equipped it firmly into your left arm, and held your bokken as though it were a spear. You immediately charged in without listening to the others pleas.
"(Y/N)!" Senku called out as you swiftly crossed the bridge. "Come back!"
Hyoga has a Kudayari spear, meaning he is using a Kan style spear technique. As a sword user, I have less range and leverage, so getting up close and personal is the only way to go!
You noticed Kinro trying to pull himself up with his other arm, grabbing the planks of the bridge.
As you quickly approached the man, he immediately started spinning his spear in a circle shape. You then started running faster, head on. The spear spun and you managed to block one side with your shield, but it ended up piercing your right shoulder. You used that to your advantage by dropping your bokken and grabbing the polearm. The white-haired man was surprised by your intervention, and you were able to see his sharp, but cold, eyes of his as he tried backing away. Using the shield, you rammed into Hyoga and pushed him back, basically tackling him to the ground. You quickly stood up and backed up into the bridge again to get Kinro.
"Thank you, (Y/N). I owe you," the brunette weakly stated.
"Thank me later, Kinro," you grunted as you pulled him up with your strong arm.
Sharp pain from your shoulder then reached your brain as you stood up after lifting him. You reacted by covering the wound with your free hand. You noticed Kinro's eyes get wider, and you turned around to get on the defensive. The next thing you knew, you were struck in the face by an unsuspected assailant that popped up in front of you looked. You knocked into Kinro and the both of you fell over on the bridge.
"Hahaha! Pathetic! Even my mother would say that to you!" You heard a shrill voice cry out.
Your head was still spinning from the sudden bludgeon to the face, but you recognized that annoying voice anywhere. You looked up to see an petite, young child with shoulder-length black hair, and bangs held to the side with a small white ribbon. With bright, grey eyes and a mole under their right, a confident smirk splattered over their face. Their outfit consisted of a black and white hakama with long, flowing sleeves that topped off their androgynous appearance. They held a small, stone dagger, as well as a long bow sticking from their back.
"Miyamoto-kun, why are you here?" you heard Hyoga ask as he stood next to them. They were only above half his size. He seemed extremely annoyed.
"To see this, of course! How could I when I saw you get absolutely shit-faced by my mother's number one pupil! I couldn't leave the opportunity of beating up my rival to waste!" The kid chirped with their arms crossed.
"Miyamoto...Haru," you breathed out. It wasn't your shishou that was revived, but rather, her young child. You then felt liquid running down from your eyebrow and put your hand over it. You looked at it and saw blood.
"Yes, it is I, Miyamoto Haru! Miyamoto Mori's one true child!" They placed their hand on their chest as if they were royalty. You noticed the stone scars wrapped around their hand and wrist. "I was revived in a new world where the strong are worth more than weaklings! Considering you couldn't even block my strike, you've gotten weak! Hah, how amusing."
"You...you struck her from behind! You're a child with no chivalry!" Kinro blurted out using most the energy he had.
Your eyes widened a bit. "Kinro, now's not the time--"
The kid's smile faltered and turned into a frown. "Chivalry is dead. Very much like you two once I'm done with you. Tsukasa-san will be sooo happy when he finds I killed you, senpai!"
"Wait, we can talk about this!" You put one arm up. "You're not a murderer, Haru! You're still young! Think about it!"
They yelled at you, their emotions heightened, "Stop treating me like a kid! There are people who actually need me, like Tsukasa-san and Hyoga-san, so treat me as a superior!"
Hyoga placed his gloved hand on their shoulder. "Enough. Screaming isn't going to get you anywhere."
There were many that had come out from the shadows as support for the two martial artists. You noticed all the scars, meaning that they were previously revived.
-BANG-
You saw something hit the cliff, then turned towards the village to see Senku holding a metal rod with smoke coming out through one end. You noticed that his positioning made it seem as though he was holding a rifle. Gen came up in front of him and pushed the rod upwards.
"A tacrical retreat is in order, Hyoga-chan, Miyamoto-chan! The village has developed fire-arms!" The mentalist frantically called out to them.
The revived brawns were shocked, and so they had started running away. Gen also ran away, hopping over you and Kinro as he crossed the bridge. Hyoga and Haru were left at the foot of the bridge, staring at you and Senku.
Hyoga started, "Firearms, huh...which means you must be the infamous..."
"Kukuku... You guys sure gave me plenty of time. By the way, it's already up and running...my Kingdom of Science!" The scientist declared.
"Oh? I'm thrilled to hear it! Tsukasa-kun will be too!" The white-haired man exclaimed.
Senku pointed at him and Haru. "Go on! Tell Tsukasa that Ishigami Senku and (Y/N) (L/N) are alive! With the power of science, together, we've made ten billion guns!"
Hyoga turned to leave. Haru stared at you with furrowed eyebrows. "I will come back to finish you off, senpai. You are my rival, and I intend to take everything from you, including that science guy of yours."
"Yeah? Well don't get your hopes up. He will shoot you down," you chuckled weakly.
The young child clenched their fist and went off with a "tsk". The moment you noticed that Tsukasa's men were gone, you relaxed. All your adrenaline had drained, and your energy depleted. You lied down on the bridge next to Kinro, who was breathing slowly.
"Nooo! Kinro's deaaaad! (Y/N) is deaaaaad!" You heard Ginro cry as him and your friends approached you two.
"I'm not dead," you said in a tired tone.
"I-I'm still alive...thanks to (Y/N)...don't kill me off yet, Ginro..." The brunette groaned. Then you saw Senku shove a glass funnel into the boy's mouth and poured powder into the hole so he would swallow without hesitation.
"Acetanilide. Fever reducer and analgesic. I made some of this while creating our sulfomanide panacea," said Senku. He then took another powder and threw it onto the wound, which caugh your friends by surprise. "Take some of this! Cram some sulfomanides into your wound and you'll be good as new tomorrow!"
"Tomorrow?!" Kohaku wondered.
"Sounds too good to be true..." Chrome added.
"I...It's not acetaminophen? Wasn't acetanilide considered toxic...?" You mumbled. Kinro started freaking out as those words left your mouth.
The scientist chuckled, "Kukuku, I'm surprised you remembered that, slowpoke. Yes, it is. But only in large doses or after prolonged use. Good to know your brain is still working after that slam to the face. Now, let's get to the warehouse. We can't have you two back without carefully monitoring your wounds."
Senku kneeled down and lifted your head for you to drink the acetanilide. After painfully rubbing the sulfomanides into your shoulder wound and eyebrow, he slowly pulled you up to stand and gave you a clean cloth to put over your shoulder to slow down the bleeding. Ginro and Chrome put Kinro's arms over their shoulders to bring him over.
All of you entered the chemistry lab, where Senku was getting supplies for all your injuries.
"We gotta clean your wounds before wrapping them, so this is gonna be hella painful!" Senku had a wicked grin on his face.
He grabbed a few flasks and went over to a giant jug. You immediately knew what was going to happen, so you closed your eyes and put your hands together. You started muttering, "Please don't let there be any alcohol left...please don't let there be any alcohol left..."
Senku announced, "Good thing we still got all this alcohol left!"
"Damn it!" You screeched, causing the other boys in the room to flinch.
"Kukuku, I told you already, slowpoke. This is gonna be painful. Chrome, Ginro, I need you to hold Kinro down for me on the table," the scientist ordered.
Much to Kinro's dismay, they forcefully put him on the table and held his arms as they made him lie down. Senku put on some gloves and put a bunch of cloth wrapping next to him on the table, as well as more sulfomanides and acetanilide.
"Is this really necessary?! I can handle this pain!" Kinro immediately tried bargaining.
"This is just for extra precautions! I can't have you flailing around while I clean you!" Senku informed him.
"I-It should be fine, Kinro!" Chrome tried calming him down.
Ginro then muttered, "But what about (Y/N)? She was over there praying..."
"Please be quiet," you begged.
Senku then started pouring the alcohol on Kinro's wound. You could see Kinro's eyes tearing up and widening from the pain that he felt. The acetanilide could only do so much with reducing pain. Unfortunately, nothing could stop him from screaming bloody murder as Senku had to pour more onto the wound as he wiped it up.
~~~
"You're good to go. Have him stay in the warehouse," Senku said with a thumbs up.
Kinro was pretty much dead as Ginro and Chrome brought him outside the lab. The two boys shivered as they left, hoping that they would never experience what the brunette had gone through in the future. It was just you and Senku left alone in the lab.
"Guess it's my turn," you sighed and sat on the table dejectedly.
"You're handling your injury well. You feeling dizzy at all? Tired? Tingly?" The scientist questioned you.
You shook your head. "I'm just tired...probably from the blood loss."
You closed your eyes after pulling your shirt down to reveal your wound. Clenched up, you were waiting for Senku to pour the alcohol on your shoulder. But alas, you only felt a sting. You opened one eye to see him using a cloth and tweezers to clean the blood around the wound.
"You're not gonna pour it like how you did on Kinro?" You asked.
"Your wound wasn't as deep. Thanks to Yuzuriha's skills, the cloth didn't break all the way. She technically saved you," he stated.
"Oh."
It was quiet between the both of you. Air outside was still, and only the sound of crickets and frogs could be heard chirping through the night. Since it was dark, the lab was pitch black, and your only sources of light were the candles lit around the room. As much as what happened today, this was the most calm you felt.
"I'm sorry that I left you back there. I had to do what was right," you spoke softly.
Senku poked your wound, causing you to hiss in pain. He then replied, "You did what was right. It was dangerous, but right."
"...if I had stayed, you probably would've used the gun bluff, huh?" You wondered.
"Yep. Unfortunately, you ignored everyone around you and gotten hurt. I said I trusted you, but I didn't think you'd head into danger at moment's notice," he said with a small chuckle. "Though, your life is in my hands, so I did what I could to save you."
"...ah..." You recalled the moment you had together with Senku before heading off to get the sulfuric acid.
My life is in your hands, as yours in mine. I will protect you, as you do the same.
But not even a second later, you remembered the events that happened after, which was your so-called "dying confession" to the scientist himself. This caused your face to heat up and cheeks to slightly turn dark.
"What? Did you already forget, slowpoke?" Senku blurted out. You turned to see his face inches away from yours, which caused you to twitch in surprise.
You swiveled your head away from the boy to avoid any suspicious gaze he may put upon you. "No... There's no way I'd forget."
"Good. Now, what's going on in that head of yours, since you're not answering me," he questioned. "You're worried about Haru, right?"
You slightly widened your eyes. "Yes. They're being manipulated by Tsukasa, I know they are. They've always been a brat, but I don't every recall them wanting to kill me."
"Whatever Tsukasa told them, it must've been super convincing. The kid was literally inching to end your life," Senku told you as he studied your reactions.
"Haru has always been competitive. They have always been proud to be part of the Miyamoto family, considering their history. I know that their family has kept their techniques a secret, especially to foreigners, so they probably think I am a stain to their family name. Their mother was so focused on me becoming her successor, they also hated that they weren't number one," you explained to him with guilt ridden on your face.
The scientist then said, "They probably got an inferiority complex. I've only seen that kid a couple times before. They seemed to hate me too, for whatever reason."
"What the--well, anyways, I don't think words are gonna convince them, so I'm thinking I might need to beat the crap outta them," you said with a pumped fist.
Senku replied, "Well, better take care of yourself before deciding to do that. Though, I need to do this first."
The boy suddenly leaned his face in closer. You closed your eyes once more, preparing for what was to come, and then felt a pain above your eye. You realized that he was only cleaning your eyebrow, and didn't notice that you already had your shoulders wrapped in bandages. You let out a sigh of disappointment, as you were expecting something else.
"You closed your eyes so quickly. You scared of some alcohol?" The green-haired boy snickered.
"I'm not." You crossed your arms with a huff. "I just expected it to hurt more..."
"Yeah, yeah..."
---
It was the next day. You were able to sleep well due to Senku's treatment, and your shoulder seemed to be healing fairly well. Everyone from the village had come to check on you and Kinro.
You informed them from inside the warehouse, "I'm okay! My wounds are healing well, but I cannot move as well as I did before. Give it a few days and I'll be fine!"
They all grinned, happy to know you were okay. On the other hand...
"I'm as good as new!" Kinro declared as he was climbing down the warehouse ladder.
"No way!" Your friends cried out with shock. But then they saw him trembling as he bit his lips to hold in a scream. "Hang on...he's acting! He's not good at all!"
"As a sentry, I can't be bedridden! We have no idea when that gang from yesterday will come and attack again!" The wounded warrior snapped at them.
"How can you be so dedicated?!" Chrome questioned him.
"That's Kinro! So straight-laced and dedicated to the end," Ginro sighed.
Senku piped up in the warehouse. "Not necessarily. We can predict when they'll show up again. Since they're wary of our imaginary guns, they'll probably hang back until the weather turns. I've told Gen to gently guide them to that decision to give us time. But before we do anything, we need to fix a few things..."
You and Senku guided Kinro to many different science objects that would make the single most important item for him. That item was a new pair of glasses. Since the lenses were going to be smaller than Suika's, and the frame was going to be made with wood, it took longer to make it.
"Holy crap, so cool!" Chrome cheered.
Kinro had put his new glasses on in front of everybody, including the villagers. They were practically jumping from their spots as they knew that the warrior could see well now.
"Oh my, oh my~" you heard a few girls say as they saw him. You had to agree that Kinro looked quite handsome with his new glasses.
"So this is the power of sorcer--I mean science!" Kohaku's father exclaimed.
"Oh, you too, Suika! You got a new helmet!" Kohaku cooed as she saw the young girl spinning with joy.
"Suika just feels right at home with a good helmet!" The girl chirped.
You started clapping to get everyone's attention. "Okay everyone! We need all of Ishigami Village to listen!"
Senku grabbed a basket of charcoal and shouted as he carried it to the oven, "Our scientific planning doesn't end here! No time to get lazy! It's a race to be ready before the next storm comes!"
The scientist then gave everyone tasks to do for preparation. Each of them were separated to get materials, while others stayed in the village to help with the pumps to heat the ovens and reinforce buildings.
"The man in the black mask and that kid that (Y/N) fought seemed like skilled warriors. Are there any scientific strategies to beat them?" Kohaku asked.
Senku nodded. "Yep. Something that Gen was real eager to have us make. Though, he was jumping the gun before."
"He wanted something specific?" Chrome wondered.
"Did he ever mention it at all?" You asked.
The boy didn't answer you. All he did was give you a grin and whispered something in Kaseki's ear, which got him extremely fired up. The scientist then grabbed Chrome and ran off, coming back with a load of iron pieces to melt down into a bunch of sheets. As him, Kaseki, and Chrome were in the middle of process the metal, you could put bits and pieces together of what they're doing.
"Charcoal from pine can reach 1,200°C (2,192°F). When the flame is ready, it'll turn purple. You take the metal and hit it a bunch of times to get rid of its impurities, then fold it, heat it, and repeat. This technique is called okikaeshi tanren," the scientist explained. "You do this brutal, slow work ten more times, but doing it wrong will turn it into a bomb. But folding it twice is just as good for us."
A light bulb appeared in your head. The moment you realized what Senku was doing, your heart tightened.
"You're making a katana...aren't you?" You questioned Senku.
The scientist looked at you, then smirked. "Yeah. I know that you were going to make your first one with your shishou back when you moved up a grade, but...I hope you accept the one I make for you."
"I'll accept anything you give me. I'll honor my first katana for my master and make her proud," you said with a soft smile.
"Now, what matters in this quenching step! Only the sharp part cooks through, turning it to martensite, while the blunt edge coated in clay becomes half-baked ferrite," Senku continued explaining with scientific terms.
"Can't say I follow the science of it, but whatever works," said Kaseki as he was still continuing to work. "The blade is sharp and curved, while the other side is flexible, perfect for parrying!"
You nodded, agreeing with him.
"How amusing... This is why the Japanese katana is considered the finest blade in the world."
-To be Continued-
A/N: I managed to finish this chapter earlier than I expected! I was so focused on fixing this chapter because I didn't wanna make an unlikable OC and make Senku OOC. I try to stay true to his character. I'm still not really satisfied with how this chapter ended up but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless!
-Extra-
Some facts about Haru:
- Uses they/them pronouns
- They're 12 years old, so they're technically a kid.
- Like the reader, have learned iajitsu (art of the quick-draw) together with kenjutsu (art of the sword), which is why you got caught off-guard.
- They are a grade lower than the reader for kenjutsu, which is why they call you "senpai".
- Like the reader, their skills are above their grade.
- They were part of the archery club at their school.