53. Snapshot
04-06-2024
A/N: GUYS, look at the quick drawing my friend/editor (calling her Noodle again) made for this fic using her interpretation of the MC (ï½ï¼Ïï¼') isn't it beautiful??? The way she drew the Gen outfit makes her look like a martial artist! AHH I love her art.
ANYWAYS, please don't take it for use, this is my friend's drawing for this fic ONLY. If you guys decide to make art or something, I'll also put it in the spotlight as long as you DM me.
Q: You guys ever feel picky when it comes to fanfics?
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"Just who is the one to thank for making that incredible bread?"
"Francois~!"
"WRONG!"
After the creation of Stollen thanks to Francoi's handiwork, the butler had taken their time to create bread identical to that of modern civilization. All of you ate the different types of bread to your heart's content and much to your happiness. But the only person who had an issue with this was Minami Hokutozai.
"Well, no, Francois should also be thanked, but IT'S BECAUSE I GAVE UP MY PRECIOUS REVIVAL FORMULA!" The reporter cried out. "You said we'd make it part of a trade! I haven't forgotten that!"
"Right, right...kukuku, that mouth of yours is really too much, mentalist," Senku said with a chuckle.
"Well, I just got carried away and promised. You can make it, right, Senku-chan?" Gen slyly replied with his hands hiding in his sleeves.
You and the others were a bit confused, since Gen didn't exactly tell you what was needed to be made. Your partner then continued, "I'll need some detailed craftsmanship, so I want master artisan Kaseki."
"It'll take awhile for him to get here on foot. Should Taiju carry him over here?" You asked as you talked into the mic.
You then heard Kaseki answering back through the phone, "After I parted with Senku and the rest of you, just how much time do you think I've had? Don't underestimate an artisan!"
With that, he hung up with Minami. That left everybody confused now. But since there was time to wait, everyone else left to do their jobs--Francois with making bread, Kohaku, Ukyo, and Ryusui to continue exploring to find resources, and Gen going off to follow you and Senku into the lab.
"Before old man Kaseki comes over here to do the construction, we can do the science work right away," the scientist started. He propped a stone tray onto the table as Chrome came into the hut with a few liquid materials. "We're going to be mixing together sodium hydroxide, silver, and ammonia. Sound familiar yet?"
"Silver...ammonia..." you wondered as you thought long and hard. It sounded pretty familiar to you, but you had a hard time figuring it out. Suddenly, the mentalist stepped out from the lab and started shining a beam into your eyes. You took your arms to guard them from the blinding light. "Ah, Gen, what the hell?!"
"Hehe, sorry, (Y/N)-chan~ I'm just trying to give you a hint~!" He playfully stated with a smile.
You lowered your arms from your face as you saw the man fiddling with the ring on his finger. Looking down at your own, you remembered your conversation with Senku when he had given you the ring. "...a mirror?"
"Bingo! Ten billion points to you, slowpoke!" Senku exclaimed with a smirk on his face. He took a metal tong and placed glass into the mixture as he continued, "Now, we place some glass into it, and a little bit of fruit sugar for the secret ingredient. And...we're done!"
"You're done already?!" The brunette cried in shock. The green-haired boy pulled out the finished mirror and held it up against Chrome's face. Upon seeing his face on the device, he touched his skin. "This is me?"
"Weird to see your face so clearly for the first time, huh?" You told him with a grin.
"My face is so damn beautiful!" He replied in a bashful tone.
"Yeah, yeah, Mr. Handsome. Now to continue, we wipe the surface and add some paste on paper and carbon. Then you can use it fine without peeling off the silver plating," said Senku instructed. He gave you a finished version with a stick attached to it.
You peered into the mirror to see your face so clearly on it. It was much clearer than water, that's for sure, but you could see all the little changes that had went on throughout the years. You could tell you looked a bit older--more mature than before--along with the scars that were on your face and neck. It had proved to you that time was rapidly passing for the living, while the stone figures around you were timeless. The smile on your face had churned into a melancholic frown as you realized what it meant for everyone around you, as well as the statues that lay outside.
"What's wrong, (Y/N)?" The brunette questioned you as he noticed your change in attitude.
"We'll be adults by the time we revive everyone on this planet...or maybe even older than that," you mentioned as you placed your fingers on your scars, running them along your wistful face. Senku and Gen looked at you with sympathy, knowing what you were truly thinking about as you said those words.
"What's wrong with that? As long as we get everyone outta the stone, the better, right?" Chrome wondered as he also looked into the mirror with you.
"That's true. But seeing those people restored, you'll see that they have not aged at all. You'll be a completely different person to them the moment you revive them," said Senku with an absent expression.
Gen added with a quieter tone, "Seeing that your child had grown up too fast is something some people don't want."
You sighed as you handed back the mirror to the junior scientist. "I hope I get to see them again, at least one more time. The same with the others... Yuzuriha, Nikki, Ukyo... even Ryusui-san... they all have family too."
"You will," said the mentalist as he placed a hand on shoulder. "I sometimes forget you are still a child, (Y/N)-chan."
"You're not much older than us, mentalist," the senior scientist snickered as he started creating more mirrors with the materials leftover.
With the shrug of a shoulder, he stuck his tongue out and had silly look in his eyes, "At least I'm a legal adult~!"
"Only according to Japanese law," you informed him with a smirk. "Around the world, anyone who is eighteen is an adult."
"Even then, you're still not there yet--"
Your friend was then cut off by the sound of a low rumbling that was getting closer. The four of you hastily went outside to find the source of the sound and spotted a large vehicle coming your way. On that vehicle, Minami was driving with Kaseki sitting in the passenger seat. All of your mouths were opened in the shape of "O's" as you saw them riding a hotrod.
"DOUBLE PISTON THAT CAN CARRY OVER SLOPES?! IT'S THE STEAM GORRILLA II!" Senku and Chrome shouted in disbelief.
The reporter ended up drifting to a stop, allowing Kaseki to exit the car first. You widened your eyes at the attire that the old man was wearing. The other villagers were flabbergasted by how their fellow elder appeared, they couldn't even say anything to him.
"Those are the clothes Yuzuriha made for the department store runway show!" You recalled as you pointed at him.
"I gotta hand it to her for making such cool clothes. I will be wearing them from now on," the artisan proclaimed with his hands in his pockets. "Now, what did you go through all the trouble of calling me here to make?"
Senku crouched down and cupped his hands to whisper into the old man's ears. The moment he finished speaking, Kaseki flexed so hard that his clothes blew off of his body. The forced ripped the apparel apart, leaving him naked. The scientist then backed away from him to head into the lab.
"The clothes!" You cried out. "Well, at least Yuzuriha can make some more..."
"Put some clothes on, old man!" Chrome groaned as he threw a towel over him.
Senku came out of the small hut to give Kaseki a blueprint for him to use. "Kukuku, after you get covered up, work on this. We'll need it for the reporter."
The elder agreed and got to work straight away after getting clothes. Meanwhile, your other friends, Kohaku, Ukyo, and Ryusui, had returned from their short expedition, and you explained everything to them. Senku went to help Kaseki as that happened.
"A mirror? Is that what Minami-san wanted?" Ukyo asked the reporter.
"Maybe because she's worried about whether or not she looks ugly," said Chrome.
You lightly flicked his head, causing him to flinch at the pain. "That's not a nice thing to say."
"HAHAH, how inelegant of you, Chrome. All women are beauties. It's naturally to be concerned with their beauty!" Ryusui responded with amusement.
Minami let out a huffy sigh as she placed her hands on her hips. "A mirror is important, but what I want is a tool of my trade!"
"That mirror is 'film,'" Senku replied, leaving you and others to figure out what he was really making. He came up to the woman with a strange looking contraption and held it in front of her. "The Daguerreotype. Humanity's oldest camera."
The blonde stood there in shock, her body quivering with elation and incredulity. Slowly taking it in hand, she dropped to her knees, hugging the device tightly as tears poured from her eyes.
"Thank you. I'll definitely capture everything. Building civilization from scratch the record of the new world!" She weeped.
You went to her and placed a hand on her shoulde to give her a sense of comfort. A heartwarming grin spread across your face as your spoke to her, "We appreciate it, Minami. This'll go down in history."
"Yeah, go on and take a bunch! We'll also be taking some from the balloon with aerial photography!" Senku added as he wheeled in a cart full of cameras labeled "Senkon," a play on the original camera, "Canon." Your jaws dropped by how quickly Kaseki had gotten it done, but it completely ruined the mood for all of you. "This is ten billion percent faster than doing things with our eyes alone, so that's why I made cameras!"
"Senku!" You started to reprimand your partner, "You said you were making it just for her! Now you just embarrassed the hell outta her!"
"We had go make some more anyways!" He argued.
Minami was now shaking with anger and rage. She screamed out loud, startling you and Senku, "AT LEAST LET ME TAKE THE FIRST SHOT FOR COMMEMORATION!"
Ryusui barged in and dropped a bunch of drago in front of her out of nowhere. With a greedy look on his face, he shouted, "Then let me buy the right to decide the models for that photograph!"
"Why the hell should the first picture in the world be of you?!" The reporter retorted.
"What are you saying? This is a record of the start of scientific civilization. Isn't it obvious that it should be Senku?" The sailor started walking up to Senku, then began pushing him toward the hot-air balloon much to your surprise. "It'll be on the exhibit in the Nanami Museum, where the history of the New World will be recorded!"
"I guess you're not wrong..." You agreed with him.
Francois came up from behind you and replied, "It seems Ryusui-sama has made everyone else misunderstand him. He does not wish to make himself shine. His desire isn't something so simple. While making everyone else shine, even after that, he wants to acquire everything. And so, with the flow of events--!"
The butler then took a load of luggage out of the Steam Gorrilla. You saw that they were bags full of Yuzuriha's apparel. They brought the bags over to the balloon, then placed it next to the scientist.
"Please forgive my forwardness. For the photo shoot outfits, I had Kaseki-sama bring Ryusui-sama's collection," said Francois.
"HAHAH, THAT'S MY FRANCOIS!" Ryusui cackled with pride.
"Do I really have to do this?" Senku groaned as he stuck a pinky in his ear. The expression of displeasure was plastered on his face.
"It wouldn't hurt to try it, Senku," you told him with a bubbly smile. Inside, you were happy to see that he was going to wear something else rather than the tattered dress he's been wearing the entire time. The boy could instantly tell you were full of joy.
The butler began putting different clothes on him. They ranged from a suit and tie, to a captain's outfit, to Freddie Mercury. You simply enjoyed every single one of them, especially since he looked extremely handsome in your eyes. Suddenly, as you pulled some clothes out of the bags, you spotted something pink in the luggage. You couldn't hide your grin this time--an idea formed in your head as you pulled it out.
"Please wear this for a second!" You practically begged as you held up a frilly, pink dress for him to wear. Behind you, your friends were holding in their laughter after seeing the apparel.
Senku's eyes widened--sweat began dripping from his temples. "HUH?! Absolutely not, slowpoke!"
You started groveling in front of the butler as they watched your desperate act. "Please, please, please! Just this once! I promise you won't have to wear it again! Please, Francois!"
"Why are you asking Francois and not me?!"
Upon seeing your begging figure, Francois took the outfit from your hands and bowed before you. "If (Y/N)-sama so desires, then I will fulfill it."
You had happy "tears" pouring out of your starry eyes as you lifted your head up. However, Senku looked a bit frightened by how desperate you appeared before him--completely flushed with greedy eyes. Was there drool coming out of your mouth? Who knows? He has not seen that look before and wished to never see it again.
"Wow, Senku, you look soooo cute~!" You teased him as you watched Francois put the pink dress on him.
"Slowpoke, I swear I will get you for this later," he mentioned with his eyebrows furrowed, putting up a smile to hide his irritation from you. You found him too adorable.
Slowly approaching him, you scooped him up into your arms, much to his shock. You couldn't help but start snickering. With a smirk plastered on your face, you playfully asked, "How about you take a picture like this, princess?"
Gen couldn't handle it anymore as soon as he saw Senku's frozen reaction. He was laughing hysterically at how much you were teasing your boyfriend. Though, he could tell it was payback for the amount of times he's teased you in the past. The others held in their giggles to not further humiliate the boy in your arms.
"What's wrong, Senku-chan~? I thought you were used to her carrying you by now!" The mentalist cooed.
"How'd you even know about that?" You asked him.
"Kohaku-chan, of course!"
"Whatever. Not in situations like this, obviously," Senku huffed. He was desperately trying to suppress the blush forming on his face, but you could see the tiny tint of red on his cheeks. "Why does Ryusui even have this, anyway?!"
"I had Francois get clothes that would fit my dear (Y/N) too, of course! You're not the only one that's going to take a photo!" Ryusui answered him with grin.
You dropped Senku on the ground out of surprise. He quickly crawled away to remove the dress immediately. The scientist prioritized humiliation over pain. With a bug eyed expression, you puzzled, "Why? I didn't invent anything like Senku did! All I did was assist him with creating all that stuff..."
"That is far from the truth, and you know that!" Kohaku blurted out as she pointed a finger at you. "You had a very important role in supporting Senku and the village!"
"It's true! If it weren't for both of you, we wouldn't have gone this far!" Chrome piped up.
You then turned your head to Senku, who had a small smile on his face. "You may not have been with me the whole way, but everyone here agrees that you also deserve some credit, slowpoke. Besides, I want you by my side."
A dark color spread across your face as you heard those words come out of his mouth. Your partner then motioned you to stand next to him in front of the balloon, which you didn't hesitate to do. Before you could say anything, you were interrupted.
"Because you two are dating, there needs to be a lot of couple photos!" Gen chimed in.
The reporter then sighed as she held the camera up. "We'll just do one picture with them together! So, do pose for the camera!"
"I can't even imagine him smiling and posing..." Ukyo muttered with a deadpanned expression.
"How about Senku try to carry (Y/N) in his arms like earlier?!" The sailor cackled evilly. You remembered his little fight with Senku awhile ago, when he insulted him for not carrying you at all with his weak arms.
You replied with a palm on your head, "It's not like he has the strength to even do it."
"They want a pose, so let's just do one," the scientist breathed out.
He kneeled down and patted on his leg for you to sit on. You went in front of him and sat down. Feeling him place his arms around you made you shiver a bit, since you were still a little ticklish. You couldn't stop giggling when he was squeezing you with his hands.
"Can you stop laughing? I'm trying to carry you," he griped with a tight tone.
You looked at his face and you saw him struggling to pick you up. He was straining himself just trying to lift you at all. Oh, how you pitied him. You couldn't even laugh, and all you could do was smile nervously at him. The others mirrored your expression.
"That's enough, love. You tried your best. I don't want you breaking your arms trying to make me a princess..." you told him with sweat dripping down your temples. "How about you pose like a famous scientist instead?"
"Yeah, do that instead of having us watch you struggling down there!" Minami exclaimed. "You pose as a famous swordsman, (Y/N)!"
~~~
"As Senku said, we gas it with mercury. A fixing solution made from sulphur...we pour it in, and then we got it!"
Chrome held up the finished photograph as you, Minami, and Kaseki stayed behind while Senku flew of in the balloon with multiple cameras.
"Ohoho, Senku is on top of the board now!" Kaseki cheered as he looked at the image.
The young scientist wondered, "But what's up with that pose?!"
"Fufufu, you probably wouldn't know unless you were one of the modern people," Minami lightly laughed as she took the photo off of his hands.
With a smile, you told him, "It's the pose of the world's most famous scientist. As for the pose I did...you can ask Haru and their mom."
You looked at the photo as you held it. Senku was looking directly at the camera, which captured his high intelligence through his eyes. His tongue stuck out profoundly, imitating Albert Einstein. Next to him was a proud swordswoman. You were holding the blade with grace and power, just like the world's most famous swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi.
-To be Continued-
A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I did my best to make it entertaining for all of you <3