32. From Me to You
09-02-2023
A/N: Better late than never! I have important stuff to talk about regarding chapter length and update schedule at the end of the chapter! Make sure to stick around by then!
Q: How is/was your summer?
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Everybody was working together to create the phone. Sooner or later, it was eventually finished after weeks of hard work; Gen creating manganese batteries, Kaseki completing the vacuum, the kids finishing up the wiring, and the rest of the science team making the plastic. With all of it combined, the creation of radio waves was possible. Humanity had finally harnessed electromagnetic waves.
"How do we send a voice across electromagnetic waves?" Kohaku questioned.
You replied, "We're going to need a microphone."
"Yup! Making a mic will be the easiest thing yet! It's so easy that even a grade-schooler can do it!" Senku exclaimed. "All you need is win and seaweed!"
"I can't imagine how that works at all," Gen nervously stated.
Soon, the scientist explained how to get it as he went along the process. The first thing was to get little pink grains of stone that had built up under the wine barrel lids. The second thing was go cook seaweed, and the last thing was to dissolve both items into hot water together to create what was known as Rochelle salts. The Rochelle salts are able to change sound into electromagnetic wave, and so they were put into the mics of the cellphone.
Senku started with a grin, "Through the materialization of the greatest weapon of modern warfare, our voices can now reach to infinity--"
"--and beyond!" You finished his sentence with a smile.
The villagers cheered at the sound of that. They believed that with their voices, it'll be able to dance in the heavens above and reach the great beyond. However, the moment was ruined when Kohaku started speaking.
"By the way, I get this whole voice dancing off in the skies bit and all...but how exactly are we gonna catch it and hear it?" The lioness asked.
Everyone stopped in their tracks. Senku put up a playful expression and replied, "Ah. We need another one of these."
You nervously said as the villagers were dumbfounded, "Sorry for keeping it from you guys...having just one cellphone is pointless."
"You sure kept quiet about this on purpose, didn't you? Especially since if you told us from the start that we needed two of them, everyone's spirit would be broken..." Gen told you with sweat dripping down his face.
The scientist then grabbed the wires connected to the phone and started spreading it out through a roller. "Well, although we may not have another cellphone to receive the signals, if we extend the cable, we should be able to connect a landlines telephone. Slowpoke, you stay here and I'll go over to the chief's place so we can test this out."
"Alright! Chrome, you come with me so you can test the mic!" You told him as you grabbed the yellow cone from the phone. He willingly agreed with anticipation.
He followed you up the warehouse with Kohaku and Ginro, as well a few other villagers. You helped move a few wires and gave Chrome the mic.
"If you speak into the mic, the sound will travel all the way to the Chief's place through the wire," you explained to him.
"Oh! So, if I talk into here, then they can hear me over at Ruri's!" He exclaimed happily.
Kaseki added with concern, "But without the delicately crafted vacuum tube, we wouldn't be able to hear them, right?"
"Uh...no. We need more just to exchange voices to each other," you told him. "But this is just a test!"
"Well, I guess that's fine. It's not like we get it right on the first try," he said.
As Chrome was getting ready, you noticed Ginro with a scrunched appearance on his face. Soon, a knowing smirk curled upwards, causing you to raise an eyebrow.
"Ahem, Chrome! Now that we've finally connected the phone, have you decided the most important thing?" Ginro questioned him. "What is your first message going to be? After all, Ruri-sama is listening on the other end. So this is your big chance to tell her your true feelings! (Y/N), you could even do the same for Senku!"
Everybody's ears had picked up his words, causing them to stare at both of you and Chrome.
"It's not like I need to do that, Ginro. You just want everyone to know about us," you hissed at him, causing him to play dumb.
"Our true feelings, huh?" Chrome muttered. Suika then switched the phone on with the blonde boy's command, causing the brunette to get ready. He took a deep breath, yelling through the phone, "Ruri, didja see that?! Science is badass, isn't it?!"
Every villager placed a palm on their forehead. "Not that!"
Chrome handed you the mic. "You talk now too, (Y/N)!"
You took the phone with a grin and spoke through it, "Senku, let's do our very best to keep it up with the science stuff, okay? I want to be able to record the very first messages in the new world when our technology advances!"
"'Record messages'? What does that mean?" The young scientist asked you.
You answered him with a finger pointed upward, "It means you can capture the sound into a device and play the message over and over again."
"It's possible to do that?!" Chrome questioned you with surprise, his eyes sparkling with wonder.
Nodding, your replied, "Yes! That's how so many of us can listen to music and such--"
"SLOWPOKE, GET DOWN HERE!"
You and the villagers looked outside to see Senku frantically running over the bridge--Gen and the others following behind. Worried, you hurried down the ladder and met up with the boy.
"What's wrong? Did the phone not work?" You asked him.
He cupped your cheeks in his hands and had a confident grin on his face. "You and Ruri said something that made me realize something. We need to go to Byakuya's grave!"
The boy then grabbed your hand and started dragging you all the way to the graveyard, leaving you confused with many other villagers. He explained to you how Ruri had mentioned a story in the Hundred Tales about a bee named "Speaker" that stuck its needle into a gravestone. Once it was stuck, it would be able to talk to the voices of the dead.
"Why would Byakuya-san make up a story like that?" You asked him as you ran together with him.
"Exactly! Why would the old man tell a story about that?! The only reason you'd use that word is if you're trying to send a message to someone from the modern era! The answer is in the grave stone!" He told you.
You climbed up the hill with Senku, who quickly snatched the stone from the ground. This caused a few villagers to be shocked, as they thought that the two of you would be cursed for damaging the grave.
The scientist let out a chuckle. "Kukuku, I should've realized it sooner...my old man really was a clever one. Only the gravestones of the founders were brought here? That's ten billion percent too cryptic."
"Then...that's not a gravestone, is it?" You wondered.
"What is it?" Chrome asked.
The green-haired boy replied, "This is a time capsule! If we bust it open, then there should be something inside--"
"DID SOMEONE SAY BUST IT?!"
All of you turned to see Magma holding a large hammer and lifting it above his head. You noticed Senku stepping away from him with the instinct to protect the item, so you stepped forward with your arms out. Speaking out, you said, "Wait, Magma!"
"Yes, wait, you fool! When I say bust it, I mean we need strength and precision to break this open. If my prediction is right, then what's inside of it is glass," the scientist explained, then looked at you and Kohaku. "One of you can do this quickly and powerfully or it'll be damaged."
"Let's head back so we can open it then!"
~~~
Both you and Kohaku both worked together to open the time capsule by holding the rock down and breaking it apart using small pickaxes. When it had opened, there was a silver mass shining from the inside. After taking it out, Senku had grabbed it and dumped it into hydrochloric acid.
"The silver is aluminum foil that was guarding it, but washing it with hydrochloric acid will allow it to dissolve," he said as he begun go take it out using tongs.
He held the item up for everybody to see, which was a skinny glass cylinder with a hole in the middle of it.
"A 'speaker' and a 'disc'...'speaking with a needle' reminds you of something, doesn't it?" Senku asked you two with a smirk.
You and Gen had a lightbulb appear in your heads as you realized what he meant. "A record!"
"Ten billion percent correct! That disc has my dad and his fellow survivor's voices on it!" The scientist declared, shocking all of the villagers that were gathered around. Senku then lightly snickered to himself, "Heh...you went outta your way to leave something behind as audio? If whatever it is doesn't excite me, I'll kill you, ya hear me, dad?"
"Not like you can. He's been dead for a long while now. Gotta wait until you make it to heaven," you chuckled with him.
"So (Y/N) wasn't wrong about capturing voices to record them!" Chrome exclaimed happily. "Science is so coooooool!"
"B-But sound isn't something you can hold!" Suika cried out.
"I can't even begin to understand...how on earth?" Kohaku queried.
With a smirk, the scientist explained to them the inner workings of a record or disc. Using a needle to vibrate with sound, it creates grooves on its surface. If you run a needle over the riddled surface with grooves, the sound will be emitted in accordance to the groove depth. Of course, you'd need to connect it to a speaker for it to work.
"So that record was created by Senku-san's father thousands of years ago...?" Ruri asked.
"Ehhhh, probably not. He couldn't have managed this on his own. He probably had the help of the people around him, since the group of astronauts were elite scientists, you know," said Senku as he stuck a pinky in his ear.
"Give him some credit, Senku. He probably came up with the idea, after all," you added with a small smile.
Your boyfriend looked at you and returned the gesture. "You're right...only he could've thought of something as ridiculous as this."
All of you then worked together to gather materials to create a device that could play the record. Using parts from other inventions to save time, you managed to help Senku create a record player using Kohaku's gear shield, a bone needle, and the cellphone. The moment it was finished, Ginro was in charge of spinning the record and Senku placed the needle within the first layer of grooves. You signaled the blonde boy to start turning the gear to play the record.
""
"WHOAAAAA?!" All of the villagers screamed out with a range of multiple emotions.
"Shut up, I can't hear!" Senku said in an annoyed tone.
"But this is the actual voice of the founder of Ishigami Village!" Kokuyo told him.
The recording continued, ""
Through the message, you could hear the sentiment from Senku's father. Just from the tone of his voice, you could tell that Byakuya missed his son dearly.
""
There was a slight pause, which caused you to raise an eyebrow, and Senku to have a knowing smirk on his face.
"" Byakuya said with a playful tone.
"Hehehehe, he gets me," Senku cackled in his spot.
Kohaku said, "You're so cold to your father."
"That's just the bond that they have," you told her with a shrug, then continued to listen to the message being played.
"" Your eyebrows lifted upon hearing those words from the record. Your boyfriend kept a straight face, as if he anticipated for this to happen. ""
You let out a small laugh as you listened to him talk about you, which Senku smiled at. You grabbed your boyfriend's hand and spoke out as if he were there to hear you, "Of course, Byakuya-san. I'll always protect your son."
You thought he was done, but he continued his speech, which caused you to freeze upon hearing these words.
""
As you absorbed that message from Byakuya, the grip you had on Senku's hand had tighted so dearly. He returned the squeeze, understanding what you were feeling in that moment. The villagers were so moved by Byakuya's message to you that they began to cry at the genuine sincerity and love that the man had for both you and Senku. The ones who were the most moved were Kokuyo and his daughters, as they related in a way.
"Damn it, Byakuya-san...why'd you have to go and say all that..." you muttered as you rest your head on Senku's shoulder, holding in the waterworks.
"You know how much he loved you," Senku told you softly.
You slowly nodded. "I know...I can never thank him enough."
The record continued, ""
"" You heard one of the astronauts tell him in the background.
""
The whole village looked at the both of you as those words were heard amongst them. Small discussions emitted from the group, wondering if you and Senku were to get married due to their founder's message. A slight blush caused your face to heat up,as the thought of marriage still embarrassed you.
"Even your father thought it was obvious Senku-chan! So nice to have a wonderful in-law, (Y/N)-chan!" Gen begun to tease the both of you. "I guess I'm not the number one stan after all!"
"Gen, please stop using that word," you told him with hooded eyelids.
"Goddammit, old man... Always gotta say something so troublesome about us..." Senku clicked his tongue in annoyance, then whipped his head towards the mentalist. "You're no better."
"Senku's right." You agreed with him.
"Aw, come on! Without me and the support of all your friends, you guys wouldn't have gotten together~" The man sung.
"Can you shut up now so we can finish the recording?"
And so Ginro continued the record, ""
In that moment, you heard a beautiful melody of familiarity playing through the speaker. The voice of Lillian Weinberg had begun to form into her most famous song through the record, stunning everybody around you. Moved by her singing, the villagers had more tears in their eyes. You looked over to Senku to see that he had a wistful appearance in his ruby red spheres, and you laid your head on his shoulder as you weaved your fingers in between his. A small smile tugged on his face as the two of you shared the moment together.
"A song..." Ruri mumbled to herself.
"This...is just too beautiful!" Suika cried out.
Kaseki added, "It's the voice of an angel!"
Gen began to explain to them, "Well, even in our time, Lillian-chan was one of the world's greatest singers. But I feel you...hearing her like this...it's so sudden~"
As Ginro spun the record, tears and snot poured from his eyes. "Oh my gooooood! This is so amazing! Her song...it's just too amazingly amazing!"
"Great lack of grammar you got there," said Kinro, sweat dripping down his temples.
"But in the past...where you guys are from...was there a lot of music like this?" The blonde boy sniffed out.
"Yes. I've been trying my best to explain it to you guys in simple terms, but I haven't had a great example until now," you told them with a small smile.
Senku added, "And not just music. Games, television, manga, movies, and much more...the forms of entertainment that we were able to create were all thanks to the advances of science. The actual items might be lost in the annals of history, but in the hearts of humanity, they remain!"
With those words, the moral of the village had been boosted tenfold. They all realized that if they were to beat Tsukasa and revive all the statues, they could have all forms of entertainment that were present back in the day. Who knew that the power of music could do such a thing?
"It'd be so great if everyone in the TsukasaA Army could hear this record..." Suika weeped.
The old man joined in, "They'd be so stunned by its beauty that their hearts would throb! Wouldn't that make them stop attacking?"
"Nahhhh...the people from our era is too familiar with Lillian Weinberg. They probably wouldn't care as much as you did," Gen told them.
You then added, "Especially with that sound quality. It's not crystal clear for anyone to distinguish it properly...anyways, it's starting to get late. We can start firing up a new phone tomorrow, right?"
"Right." Senku nodded, then headed up the warehouse, with you following behind.
~~~
"It was nice to hear Byakuya-san's voice again."
You were sitting under the stars in the observatory with Senku. Midnight was nigh, and the two of you were together, talking about the event that happened in the same day.
"The old man said some pretty annoying stuff though," Senku told you as he looked through his telescope.
"It was sweet. I didn't realize how much I affected your lives," you beamed. "And Byakuya-san knew how much you cared for me..."
"He was delusional. He couldn't see anything." The boy rolled his eyes, then landed them on you. He walked up to you and placed a small kiss on your forehead, smiling as he looked into your (E/C) eyes. "But he was right about me loving you more than him."
Giggling slightly, you answered him. "He's definitely partying in heaven right now...but unfortunately, we're not married, so I'm not his daughter officially."
"Yet." He added with a smirk.
Widening your eyes, you laughed, "Right. Yet."
"Well, aren't you two adorable~"
The both you and Senku flinched as you heard the mischievous mentalist speak out of nowhere. You looked to see him with a suspicious smile on his face, and raised an eyebrow.
"What are you here to discuss about?" You questioned him. "You could've talked about it earlier."
"Ypu made me realize something earlier, (Y/N)-chan. I didn't want our pure and upright gang to have to hear this to see. You know, like Kinro-chan or Kokuyo-chan..." Gen told you.
"Heh. Didn't seem like a good time to bring it up," said Senku.
His smile only got wider and more devil-like. Walking into the observatory, he replied, "You read the mood well, Senku-chan~ but all we need is a record and two cellphones. If it all goes well, we defeat Tsukasa-chan's empire without bloodshed and save seven billion people on the other hand, if it doesn't, and if God is watching us..."
"Ishigami Senku, (Y/N) (L/N), and Asagiri Gen will happily fall in Hell together~"
-To be Continued-
A/N: Shorter chapter this week guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Anyways, I'm going to try something!
I'm gonna try cutting chapter length in half from 4k-6k words to 2k-4k words. But with that, I'm also gonna try doing weekly updates instead of bi-weekly updates! I'll be doing this for maybe 2-3 weeks to see how that goes. If it works out, then I'll stick with that schedule!
But I also want feedback on whether or not you like it once the chapters are over!
Okay, thank you and see you next weekend!