8. The Road to The Cure-All
Sept. 29, 2022
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"Thank you, Kohaku."
"It's alright, no need to thank me. Besides, you look super cute!"
"I do?"
You had to borrow a pair of white, matching swimwear from Kohaku, as you had nothing but a short dress. Luckily, there were many different sizes to choose from since there were some from the villagers, and you could pick the one that was your size. With that, you could head to the river with the giant magnet rocks that Chrome had to pick up the essential material needed for the first step of the road map.
"Took you long enough, slowpoke."
You heard Senku say as you and Kohaku made it to the river, where he and Chrome were waiting. All they had was cloth wrapped with a rope to cover their privates, though Chrome was holding four magnetic rocks in his arms.
The scientist looked up and down to inspect you with a blank look on his face. Then, he spoke, "You could've just gone naked instead of wasting time looking for your size."
Chrome and Kohaku looked shocked. You were not going to have this conversation with him again, so you replied plainly, "Absolutely not. Why haven't you gotten naked?"
"What are you?! Perverts?!" Chrome snapped at the both of you.
"No, but this boy over here thinks that nobody cares about crap hanging off of you!" you explained to him as you crossed your arms in annoyance and rolled your eyes.
Kohaku yelled at Senku, who had to cover his ears with his pinkies, "And here I thought you were a gentleman! What kind of man asks a woman to go naked like that?!"
Senku rolled his eyes. "Look, that doesn't matter. What matters right now is that we use the magnets that Chrome has to collect the black sand in the river. This sand will be used to make the cure for Ruri."
He took one of the stones that Chrome held and held it underwater. As he pulled the magnet up from the water, the three of you saw that there was black sand stuck to it.
"This is iron sand, the material needed to get the first item on the road map. Use the magnet to collect and scrape it into the pouches I told you to tie around your waists. We need to collect as much as we can," said Senku.
Everyone split off to gather the sand in the water. You were with Kohaku, while Senku was with Chrome. This experience would give all of you back pain due to bending over so much, but it would be worthwhile in the end.
"Wow, look how much got stuck to it!" Kohaku happily cheered as she held up her rock. It had a load of iron sand stuck to it.
"With this, humanity can finally enter the iron age," you said with a smile.
You were collecting sand steadily, your bags slowly filling up. You would follow Kohaku wherever she went, as it seemed like she knew exactly where all of it was. As you collected it with the blonde, you noticed that Chrome and Senku were slacking off.
"The lioness is amazing. Are all the people in the village like that?" Senku questioned. He was drinking water from a cup at the same time.
Chrome replied, "There are a few gorillas with superhuman strength, but Kohaku is the only nimble gorilla. Were the humans back then the same as (Y/N)?"
"Yeah, but there was never a slowpoke like her."
This conversation enraged Kohaku. She went up to them, screaming, "I ALREADY SAID I AM NOT A GORILLA, AND (Y/N) IS NOT A SLOWPOKE! Speaking of which, WHY are WE the ones getting most of the iron sand?! Maybe YOU lot should work more nimbly! We don't even have enough manpower!"
"Sorry..." they both apologized after Kohaku beat Chrome to the point where he had large lumps on his head.
All of you then continued to collect more sand. As you gathered more material, you noticed a large, green ball floating down the river towards your group.
"A melon?" You wondered.
It then stopped in front of you, Senku, and Chrome. You decided to get closer to it, and when you took a step forward, a petite person startled you in a dark-blue poncho with a rope around their neck had stood up. It was obvious that the melon was just a hat. Now that you looked at them, you realized that it was a child and that they held up a large rock.
"Ah, it's just Suika," said Kohaku. She approached the kid and patted their head. "What are you doing here? Did you follow us?"
"Their name is 'Suika'?" You questioned.
"I think it's a nickname. You know, since she wears a melon rind on her head," Chrome answered you. He then walked up to her and snatched the rock out of her hands. "Suika, don't just hold my magnet however you like!"
When he held it up close, you noticed some iron sand stuck to it. Suika started to sift through the water with her hands, and she began to speak, "Suika wants to help too. Suika's never been of use to anyone because she always wears this on her head. Even when she grow ups, she's sure it'll stay that way. So if there's anyone in need, Suika will--"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," you heard Senku interrupt her, and she stopped talking. She froze for a bit, looking worried, but the scientist let out a chuckle. "I appreciate it. The kingdom of science never sends anyone away. We need all the help we can get, no matter how small. Besides, it seems like a pipsqueak is a billion times better at gathering the sand."
You took the magnet from Chrome and handed it to her with a smile. "Thank you for your help, Suika. We're both counting on you to continue with us when we're building our kingdom."
She stopped and stared at both of you, in which the two of you walked away to gather more sand. You continued to hear their conversation, just barely.
"This is the first time someone didn't ask why Suika wears this. Surely, they noticed that she doesn't want to show her face, and that's why they treated her so kindly!" she said.
Kohaku added, "That's because you don't know Senku well, so don't glorify him. However, (Y/N) is the complete opposite of him, so she's an exception."
"Suika will get a bunch of iron sand for them!" She happily cheered, and you heard her swimming towards you.
"Are you Momotaro?! Don't drown!" Chrome yelled out to her.
You then stopped collecting and stood up straight as you heard that. "Momotaro? How do you know the story of Momotaro?"
Even Senku was surprised. "So, you don't know anything about Dragon Quest and Monster Hunter, but you know what Momotaro is? Now that I also think about it, how do you even know what a gorilla is? Do they live in the wild here?"
"No, I've never seen one in real life," said Kohaku.
Chrome asked, "Doesn't one appear in Momotaro? "
"What? No, there aren't any gorillas in the story," you corrected him.
"Huh?! Wasn't it one of the friends he got with millet cakes? With the lion, bear, gorilla, and crocodile!"
"What the hell is with that overly wild Momotaro?!" Senku hollered, not believing a thing he just said.
You then asked, "Then where did you hear about these animals and stories?"
Kohaku responded, "Ruri-nee was the one who told us all of these stories, and I've heard an insane amount of stories from her. Even all of my big words come from her! She can remember it like it's nothing."
You then pondered at the thought of what kind of person Ruri was. "How amusing... Ruri is real interesting, huh?"
"Kukuku, this Ruri person has piqued my interest, too, (Y/N). All the more important that we make the cure-all and save her," chuckled Senku, his smile growing with determination.
Chrome then frowned and glared at both of you. "Why are you interested in Ruri? What do you mean by that, Senku, (Y/N)?"
You knew that look too well. Chrome was jealous and had a crush on this Ruri girl. Senku was confused, but Kohaku was able to confirm it for you.
She whispered to the both of you, "Senku, Senku, (Y/N), (Y/N), Chrome seems to have a little crush on Ruri-nee."
"Oooooh. So, that's how it is," Senku said as he realized the situation.
You began to lightly laugh, "Chrome seems to be childish about it, seeing his reaction to Senku and me."
Kohaku nodded. "It seems to be subconscious too, so it's quite adorable."
"What are you talking about? Who are you calling childish?" Chrome innocently wondered. All of you have silenced your conversation but had laughed together after hearing him say that.
But with that, all of you continued to gather iron sand until all of your pouches couldn't hold anymore, which meant you were done in the meantime. However, instead of heading to the warehouse first after putting your clothes back on, Senku went straight to the bridge that Kinro and Ginro were guarding to ask Ruri some questions. Of course, Kinro didn't allow you or Senku inside because "rules are rules."
So, Senku had left to prepare the items needed to start iron making, while you, which the scientist had suggested and told you first, explained to Chrome, Kohaku, and Suika what you were supposed to do.
"So, with this black sand that we gathered...will it turn into 'iron'?" asked Suika.
You nodded. "Yup. As Senku stated, we just need to mix four parts of iron sand and one part of charcoal. Then, we heat it afterward."
"Wow, it's so simple!" Chrome exclaimed.
"Uh...not exactly. Burning things like wood is easy, but when it comes to metal, it'll be difficult," you corrected him.
"That's because when you burn wood, the temperature for the flames is 700°C (1292°F) at best. But to turn iron sand into iron, the necessary manufacturing temperature is 1500°C (2732°F)," you heard Senku say as he approached the group.
Kohaku had a worried look on her face. "Then...it's nearly not enough, is it? What are we going to do?"
"We blow air like crazy," Senku replied nonchalantly. "We'll have to provide oxygen constantly by pumping air nonstop. With this, we will be able to get the flame's power level from 700 to 1500 by using twin hits on it!"
He then tossed what looked like to be air pumps to the group, except for you. They tested it on their own, and they seemed fascinated by how much air could be pushed out.
"This pumps air? With something so useful, I feel like I can do it on my own!" Kohaku stated as she was impressed.
"Save the nonsense for later. Even with a lot of people, it won't be enough," said Senku.
"Hey, you're missing one," you said, motioning your fingers for him to give you an air pump.
"I'm not. You aren't going to do this," he said without looking at you.
Your eyes widened, then you furrowed your eyebrows. "What the hell?! Why not? I can handle it!"
He whipped his head in your direction. "No, you can't. The amount of air that we need to pump will take a toll on your body, especially since you're still healing. Just because you drank the ginger tea, doesn't mean it's the equivalent to a health potion."
"Senku, I am not going to sit around on my ass all day and do nothing while all of you do the work. I was able to get iron sand with you all with no problems with my neck, so I know I can handle this. Besides, how are you gonna do this with your lack of physical ability?" You snapped back. Chrome and Kohaku stared at Senku, seeing how he was going to reply to that awful burn.
He was taken aback by your sudden outburst but he didn't show it. The boy had only seen you like this a few times, but it was rare. Your eyes were full of fire, with no way to put it out. He knew you wouldn't back down now, no matter how much convincing it took.
She's either stubborn or stupidly determined. He thought as his eye twitched with annoyance.
Senku then sighed and handed you an extra air pump to help, which he had made for the very small chance that you would not comply. The scientist instructed all of you to get around the oven and kneel in front of the openings. All of you began to pump air rapidly into it without stopping. It was fine in the beginning but after a few minutes, your arms and bodies were getting tired, and all five of you were struggling to continuously pump air into it as the smoke had risen from the oven.
"THIS SHIT SUCKS!" You cried.
"DAMN IT, MY ARMS ARE GONNA FALL OFF!" Chrome screamed.
"IF YOU SLACK OFF, THE TEMPERATURE WILL DROP!" Senku warned him.
Kohaku joined in, "HOW MANY MORE MINUTES DO WE HAVE TO KEEP THIS UP?"
"That's right...at least a few dozen hours..." the boy revealed to them.
"IRON-MAKING IS HORRIBLE!"
As you all continued to pump air for the iron, Suika stopped due to exhaustion after lasting a long while. You were at your limit as well, sharp pain reaching from your elbows, shoulders, deltoid muscles, and your neck. Your arms gave way, and your respirations were heavy and quick, so you had collapsed.
"(Y/N)! Suika!"
Kohaku, Chrome, and Senku had stopped as well since they ran out of energy right after. As the five of you took a break to recover, Senku, Chrome, and Kohaku were the first to stand up. As Kohaku and Chrome went to check the child, Senku cracked open the oven to reveal the iron that couldn't finish smelting. He then went over to you, who was lying flat on your back with all four of your limbs spread out. He saw how quickly you were breathing and it was clear to him that you weren't in the best shape, but you were healing faster than he had expected you to. The great perks of being an athletic martial artist. You also noticed that he was dirty with soot covering his face, and sweat dripping down his arms and temples.
"You did pretty good, despite falling so soon. I'm sorry for underestimating you," he apologized sincerely, but quiet enough only for you to hear.
You sighed. "I'm also sorry, Senku. Sorry that I can't be in ship-shape condition. I'm a pretty useless assistant, huh?"
"No, you aren't. Don't take it to heart. It's not your fault that you're not doing so hot. You're ten billion percent the best assistant, even if you're a slowpoke," he told you with a smirk.
"Thank you, Senku," you appreciated, then slowly stood up. Your body was sore, and you needed to rest. "Manpower is top priority now. If we can't do much, then we need help."
"We have to increase the population of the Kingdom of Science," said Chrome. "We need to go to the village and convince others."
All of you went over to the bridge after cleaning up and resting for a bit, and the five of you saw Ginro hunched over on the ground, muttering "silver spear" to himself.
"Ginro is in our grasp," Senku snickered.
Chrome also chuckled, "We just have to repeat the pattern: persuade them with scientific bait."
"But not everybody is gonna want a silver spear. We need information on everybody. What do they all want?" You brought up.
The scientist replied, "Exactly. Though, how exactly will we get that information?"
Suika happily spoke up, "That's Suika's specialty! 'Cause Suika can turn into an ordinary 'suika' (melon)!" Suika can do things stealthily!"
Once she announced that, she immediately crouched down and the melon rind on her head covered her entire body, allowing her to look like a normal melon. All of you were impressed.
"That's actually so cool, Suika! That's just what we need!" you exclaimed.
"Alright! In order to gather manpower for iron-making, we'll use scientific bait!" Senku laughed evilly. "Make sure you gather enough info, got that, Ace Detective Suika?"
You can tell from under the melon that she had gone red. She didn't reply but she understood the objective, and immediately rolled away as a melon.
"It may take a while for her to get information. So, in the mean time, let's get working," said Senku.
He immediately went straight to redesigning the furnace, while Chrome would clean up what was remaining of your previous failure. As for you and Kohaku, you would go back to the river to get loads of iron sand. Extra bags would be filled left and right, just enough for you to have extra if all goes downhill once more.
Once the sun had almost set, Suika came rolling back. All of you sat around the campfire and ate food as the young girl had begun to explain what every villager had wanted.
Suika excitedly started, "So, Suika went around the village and asked everybody what they had wanted. First are the three sparkling sisters: Garnet, Sapphire, and Ruby!"
"Oh! The prettiest girls in the village!" Kohaku chimed in.
You heard Senku mutter under his breath, "I hope it's something that science can make in this era..."
The girl continued, "What those three want are boyfriends! ...What are boyfriends...?"
The scientist screamed in annoyance, causing sweat to drop down your temples. You chuckled, "Hey Senku, if this was fiction, we could technically try speed dating like in those dating simulator games. You know, like how the main character was able to date the gamer, model, hacker, and business people within seven days in that one mobile game."
"Heh, we'd have power is no time if that was actually possible," he said.
"Well, they said that they wanted a strong man, a hottie, and someone that can dote on them, coming from Garnet, Sapphire, and Ruby," said Suika. The scientist sighed and put his head down.
"They're all honest about their greed, aren't they?" Kohaku groaned. But then she looked up and directed her gaze towards the green-haired boy. "From the looks of it, Senku's kind of a lady-killer. Don't you agree, (Y/N)?"
"What? Why are you asking me?" Your eyes slowly looked over to Senku, whose just looked as though he was in deep thought. It was likely he wasn't paying attention to you anymore. You answered honestly, "Okay, uh...yeah. He is. However, I don't think he's the kinda...'hottie'...that this Sapphire girl is talking about."
Chrome spoke up as he ate his dinner, "Ah, this is why they say women just run their mouth saying whatever comes to their mind all the time. That's exactly why I hate women."
"You're such a child, Chrome! (Y/N), Ruri, and I are women too! Do you hate us?" Kohaku questioned him.
"You're no woman, Kohaku. You're a gorilla."
You clicked your tongue. "Wrong answer, Chrome."
The blonde woman was angry, as she got her weapon and shield to attack him. He stripped all of his clothes and kneeled down, begging and apologizing. You sighed and put your face into your palm.
Senku chimed in after thinking for a bit, "That person who said 'someone who will dote on me' will be our shot. What does she want?"
"Food. Like fish or something," replied Suika. She then quipped, "Oh, that reminds Suika! The biggest foodie in our village, Ganen, says that he's so sick of eating grilled fish every day that he could die! He's looking for something new to eat."
The scientist had a devilish grin on his face once he heard that. "Bingo. Well done, Detective Suika."
"Good job, Suika. We now have a clear target because of you," you praised her, and she smiled.
"Kukuku, the science bait that we'll use to get ourselves companions...everybody to bed! We have a lot of work tomorrow."
-To be Continued-
A/N: Not very satisfied with the next chapters I will upload but I hope you enjoy them regardless! â¡