Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a nice and calm day like any other average day, but then, the classroom door slammed open so hard that the sound of its impact vibrated through the room. 

Heads turned to look at the intruder. It was a teenager in a school uniform, with sweat shining on his face, and his emotions radiating in a wave with so much determination, so much so that it was making even the most weak-willed of the science club puff up, even without him radiating, one only needed to know by looking into his eyes, they were burning with it. His short, spiky brown hair was slightly dishevelled, and his thick eyebrows only made his expression more intense. 

Senku already knew who it would be; he didn’t even need to turn around.

Who else but Taiju, the big oaf himself, would dare to enter the Science club unprotected this suddenly, while the sign that his clubmates had made to signal when Senku was doing experiments, aka being himself, was up, and honestly, he can't even fault them. 

There were quite a few incidents.

A lot of incidents.

Regardless, there was a 70% chance Taiju was gonna start projecting his emotions, he was always a rather uncomplicated person, so much so that his emotions were easily picked up by even just acquaintances, it is even stronger with friends not to mention childhood friends who grew up together, so Senku started building his mental shields, and ah, he was right, while he was slightly out of breath, his voice and his emotions boomed as their usual volume with his typical tone one of unwavering and one full of conviction.

"Listen up, Senku!"

Taiju shouted passionately, and his emotions bombarded the room. 

Even with the mental shieldings, it still got through, and Senku cursed being his childhood friend as his brain automatically started cataloguing all of Taiju’s emotions and nuances, not that he regretted it per say, but he didn't need to know that Taiju was slightly hungry at this moment.

He is lucky that Taiju was not his soulmate not that he wasn’t a great guy, Senku was friends with him for a reason it's just that he can’t stand being able to hear his loud thoughts 24/7 he would go crazy and if he was to ever see his soulmate according to the science his soulmate should be able to keep up with him in his thought process, not to be egotistical, it just means they have to kinda be a genius, and Taiju was not at that level.

Since his shields were down, he started picking up on the signals that meant pain from the corner of his eyes. he noticed his club members were looking off he figured he should be a good club president.

“Oi, big Oaf, tone it down, you are blasting your emotions all around strongly with emphasis, seriously, you big oaf, look around you, you are giving everyone a migraine”, Senku reprimanded while managing to remain laser-focused on the project in front of him. He had known Taiju for basically most of his life; he had a feeling, he knew it was not very logical, but he was sure that if he bothered to try to glean Taiju’s surface thoughts, it would show the same conclusion.

Anyway, he knew what this was going to be about, and since he was almost done, he might as well make use of it. His hands remained steady regardless of the forming headache he could feel, but still, his mind was already five steps ahead. His lab coat collar was turned up, a habit he’d picked up while studying Ebola in Africa. 

It was not for aesthetic reasons like his clubmates may claim, but it was just for ventilation; Africa was warm, to say the least. 

The effect was immediate; what was once booming emotions was now just background noise, accompanied by a slightly embarrassed face. 

A moment passed before even, it was gone, and he stepped into the room. 

His voice boomed with unshakable determination, instantly drawing the attention of the club. 

Shocked expressions flickered across their faces as they turned to stare, all but one. 

Senku didn’t so much as glance up. 

He didn't need to, thou only Taiju managed to feel the flicker of Senku’s interest puffing up slightly, he announced, "I have made up my mind! Today, I will confess these feelings I’ve had for the past five years to Yuzuriha!"

The sudden exclamation startled nearly every member in the room. 

A chorus of groans and complaints filled the air as several covered their ears against the sound. At least they were no longer getting a headache from the emotions projected, the initial shock of Taiju’s entrance reigniting all over again. 

Only one person remained unfazed.

In the middle of the room, Senku didn’t so much as flinch. 

He moved only when he chose to, turning his head slowly toward his friend, his expression unreadable, his emotions under a tight lid. 

He regarded the brown-haired boy with detached curiosity. 

Then, in a purposeful, flat, dispassionate tone, he finally spoke. "Yeah? Well, that sure does sound interesting..." 

Even though in truth it was really not Taiju and Yuzuriha who were what was commonly referred to as soulmates, in simple terms, they were compatible where it mattered. 

He didn't understand how they could have gone five years without being together. 

That was a lie; in truth, he knew they were just like that. 

The big oaf probably worries about something lame like, Yuzuriha won't be his friend if it all goes wrong or something, and Yuzuriha is probably just giving him space to figure it out and something sappy like that.

He was more surprised that Yuzuriha could wait this long, or the fact that Taiju hadn't picked up on the fact that Yuzuriha already knew, considering they were soulmates as long as they are together more often than not, privacy in your mind was non-existent and the fact he has seen the two of them had an entire conversation just by being in proximity, says either Taiju is very skilled in shielding his thoughts or he is just that oblivious.

It was not logical, but still, he should respond.

Changing his face to one of boredom, his red eyes utterly untroubled. As he tried projecting his sarcasm, he drawled, "I’ll be cheering for you so hard my vocal cords will snap. From right here in this science lab." 

While he was conversing, not once did he stop his action; he clicked the vial into place on the complicated-looking machine in front of him. It was a hybrid of a mini distillery, with an in-built filtration system and a reaction chamber. 

There were a lot of prototypes before he got to this final version, but it should work now; his focus never wavered. 

Taiju didn't seem to pick up or react to his sarcasm; it was probably because that big Oaf could pick up the fondness hidden behind it all.

"OH, YOU WILL?! Thanks a ton, Senku!" Taiju practically launched himself toward the scientist with uncontainable enthusiasm. He skidded to a stop beside him, fists clenched, eyes shining. 

Senku winced, slightly rubbing his ears to clear out the lingering echo of Taiju’s shouting and squinting his eyes, trying to shoo away from Taiju’s very loud thoughts. 

He could see his clubmates doing the same. 

His expression was pure annoyance, but his red eyes held something quieter beneath it, affection that only Taiju was able to pick up on.

But still, he grumbled, "Ugh, Be quiet already, stop projecting your emotions so loud, I know you are excited, you don't have to highlight it, or I won’t be cheering for you even one millimetre, you big oaf."

Taiju looked confused before shouting once again, “WHAT!” before slightly composing himself at Senku’s glare, 

“Make up your mind, which is it?”

Senku only smirked, his brilliant mind already running through the calculations, crossing his arms. He teased, "Anyway, five years, and you still haven't said anything? Idiot. How illogical can you be?" He wasn't some expert on emotions, that's the soft science, but even he could see it. 

Not to mention, both Taiju and Yuzuriha were soulmates; he tested it, sure, he isn't the most well-versed in this subject, but it's only been half a year since it was proven to be less fantasy and more grounded in science which means after checking the paper and doing his own research, mostly just testing Taiju and Yuzuriha and comparing the results with the study he can confidently say yeah the two were soulmates.

But still, maybe Taiju just needed a little extra push, and it also didn't hurt that he wanted to mess with his clubmates; they were annoying and gross. 

Looking at his work desk, he smirked.

Looking around, he found a free flask. Fiddling with the mini distillery, he filled the flask with a kind of hidden glee, controlling his tone of voice, he spoke up, "I'll give you something so logical, it's to die for."

Before turning around and twisting his face to a devilish grin, he held up the flask, which contained a transparent liquid.

This time, his voice couldn't contain the mischievous edge, the same as his emotions, "A drug that will stimulate your pheromone output to the maximum, which will stimulate her to the extreme. In words you'll understand, it is a love drug."

He could feel the curiosity and desire all around him. 

The moment he finished his words, he kinda expected it, but still, anyway.

All his focus was on his friend as he paused for a moment, considering before he continued, “Once you drink this, you’ll win her over with ten billion per cent certainty!”

He could hear the mental screech happening in Taiju’s brain, fighting back the grimace, he schooled his face back to that devilish grin. 

For a moment looked like Taiju was considering it, but then his gaze hardened with determination. 

His emotions were steady once again, and then, with a calm flick of his wrist, he turned the flask over above the sink, pouring the clear, transparent liquid down the drain, and Senku smiled inside.

In an instant, the emotions in the classroom were boiling over with regret and loss. 

Senku was kinda praying his conclusion was wrong because if it was right, he would be both very disappointed and disgusted.

"Thank you, Senku! But sorry, I don’t want to depend on this kind of underhanded Trick!" Taiju declared, looking straight at Senku with unwavering determination, his emotions projected earnestness. 

Then, without hesitation, he turned and strode out of the room, his steps firm, his purpose clear. The door slammed shut behind him. 

For a moment, there was silence. 

Then, as if on cue, every head in the room snapped toward Senku, and he resisted the urge to sigh; he hated how right he was right, right now. 

Some moron decided to open his mouth, “So… Senku about that love drug?” he dragged on the end as if to make him talk, while a few students glanced toward the sink where the liquid had been poured, their expressions filled with obvious longing. 

Senku resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose.

Rolling his eyes, he grabbed a match and tossed it onto the drain as a huge column of fire emerged from behind him. 

Unable to hide his irritation, he unconsciously made a sound, “Tsk”

Using his impressive self-control he stated as flatly as possible “As if that exists, or I even have the equipment or motivation to make them,” He was so disappointed that he decided to make the point across, pulling his emotions, to the surface he started projecting disappointment in an instant, a wave of sheepishness was received back, but he might as well explain.

“What I had was just regular old gasoline that I refined from plastic bottle caps, if you remember, the molecular structure of polyethene, morons. It's just a long gasoline molecule with a few hydrocarbons chopped off."

The other students murmured in confusion; their confusion was practically gas at this point, but then silence before the murmuring started up once again.

“No, we can’t,” someone murmured as a wave of agreement sounded out “Not in the least,” another protested, looking at Senku like he was the weird one, not that he cared.

He wasn't the one to miss what was essentially a date rape drug, sure, one that was more advanced, but in essence, it was still that.

A boy with glasses spoke up hesitantly, "Wait... does that mean if he drank it, Taiju would have died?"

Senku turned to respond with a relaxed grin and another shrug. "There was a ten billion per cent chance he wouldn’t drink it. That straight-laced idiot? He would never." 

But still, there was another reason why he gave Taiju that, he had seen the statistics that most cases that happened were from someone the victim knew, and most importantly, besides the fact even if he didn’t know the other, he would still put a stop to it.

Yuzuriha was also his friend, and he wanted to prove that he wasn't choosing his friends wrong, letting a soft smile grace his face as he relaxed, updating his internal list of important events. 

His friends are finally gonna stop pinning it was getting annoying at this point, he mused fondly, rolling his eyes.

The scenery changed to sunlight filtered through the tree leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground below. 

Beneath a fractured branch stood a beautiful teenage girl, her long hazel hair cascading down her back, matching the warmth of her brown eyes; her emotions radiated peace and calm, and Taiju could feel it all.

Before he even saw her, he could feel her; he could sense the anticipation, the inquiry she was projecting to him.

Up until now, he had always avoided her gaze, the subject of what they are to each other. 

He knows he looks confident in everything he does, but in truth, he has his doubts, who wouldn't when your best friend was a genius beyond his comprehension, not that he faults Senku.

But not today, he was going to do it, and then he finally saw her, and as always, she took his breath away. 

She was dressed in her school uniform, a yellow vest over her blouse, and a red ribbon neatly tied in a bow at her collar. 

A distinctive white hairband, resembling headphones, held her hair in place. 

“Yes, what is it, Taiju? What did you want to talk about? I could have felt you throughout the school from here,” she noticed she was blushing, but so was he, they had been dancing around the subject for a while now, and oh she had been so patient waiting for him to be ready and in turn he had also waited for when she had been ready, oh snap she was getting flustered now, she should say something.

“Aww, you know what this is just like? It’s totally like a love confession or something” Why did she say that? She could start to hear Taiju's internal panic, trying not to giggle. 

She looked at him and started sending targeted waves of calm.

Taiju gulped, trying to wet his suddenly dry throat and to calm his face down.

He could feel the waves of calm Yuzuriha was sending him he appreciated it he do but he is also pretty sure he was ripe as a tomato now and trying to keep a tight lid on his thoughts he didn't want Yuzuriha to find out before he could say it what kind of man would he be if he let Yuzuriha do everything the least he could do was be the one who confessed.

From an open window above the courtyard, three teenage boys leaned over the edge, watching the unfolding scene with undisguised relish and a bit of dark amusement.

"Hehe, I’ve got a hundred yen on him getting full-on dumped," one of them muttered.

"Three hundred yen says he gets rejected hard," another chimed in.

"Five hundred yen for me," the last said with glee

They snickered, already anticipating the moment. But then, to their shock, another voice joined in from behind them. 

Senku was one who never engaged in such trivial bets, but the ones he did well, let's say, he already calculated the odds, with a smirk, he stated in a voice full of restrained glee.

"I’ll put ten thousand yen on him unexpectedly not getting rejected," and he will be a good friend and split the cash with Taiju and Yuzuriha, it's partially thanks to them being so awkward that nobody connected that they were soulmates yet.

"SERIOUSLY?!"

The trio turned in unison, eyes wide as they erupted in disbelief; their voices were a mix of shock and frustration at the sheer confidence in his words. 

They had known Senku for a while now; he never does anything without certainty, so it was unexpected and worrying when he said that, so they started fretting over losing their pocket money. 

Senku leaned with his back against the window beside theirs, the picture of casual confidence. He smirked as he calmly cracked open an energy drink, the sharp hiss of carbonation filling the air. Lifting the can to his lips, he watched his friends out of the corner of his eye.

Feeling at peace and satisfaction that his closest friends could finally start the next chapter of their lives-

Taiju’s gaze dropped, uncertainty clouding his expression. 

His mouth closed, shoulders tense. His thoughts racing, he had spent all this time afraid that by telling her how he felt, she wouldn’t even be his friend anymore… 

Regardless of what Senku said about the soulmate, brainwaves thingy science. 

He was still afraid, even after his parents, who had long passed on now, gave him such a fine name like Ooki Taiju; he had been a coward all this time

A moment passed, and it was enough; he looked up. 

Determination surged through him, pushing past the fear that had held him back for all these years. 

He stepped forward, his voice unwavering.

"Hear me out, Yuzuriha!"

Yuzuriha flinched slightly at the sudden intensity of his words, the raging emotions she could feel as his thoughts and words synced into one, her eyes widening.

She blinked, a blush dusting her cheeks. 

She didn't know Taiju could be this sincere and intense as he closed the distance between them.

"For the past five years, I have…"

Senku, mid-sip of his drink, suddenly startled. 

Lowering the can slightly, his gaze flicked toward the horizon.

A rapid luminescence, a huge green dome-like wave rippled across the sky. 

Crisis mode activated, his brain started churning immediately. 

Measuring and hypothesising, Waveform propagation. The small ripples or capillary waves are observed first. Hmm, no, that's for oceanic waves, thou this could apply, thou this was more dense. 

How about propagation wave speed, that is, frequency times the length of the wave, no equipment to measure? Simplify it: speed = Distance over Time. The distance between the two buildings is about 2 meters, and the relative velocity is… 

Taiju stopped. He hadn’t moved, but his gaze had shifted; it was no longer focused on Yuzuriha, but staring past her, unblinking. Intense green luminescence washed over the city, casting an eerie, ominous glow across every surface. 

The light stretched from beyond the horizon, its source unknown, unstoppable. In what took less than a finger snap, everything stopped; humanity stopped. Everything was on pause.

Taiju didn't know what it was, he did not care as an eerie gust swept through the school grounds and as everything was slowly being bathed in a green glow, Yuzuriha finally noticed, turning around she gasped in fear her fingers were pressing at the camphor tree as if to ground her, and all of that fear she was radiating Taiju could feel, in that moment he didn't think he acted he spirited passed her, his forehead was filled with sweat he was filling in dread as the impossible glow surged closer but still, he shouted.

"Yuzuriha! Hold onto the camphor tree!" and then, without hesitation, he planted himself in front of her, arms outstretched as though he alone could shield her from the world from whatever was coming, because, regardless, even if this was the end, he wanted her to feel safe.

Just in time as the wave struck. A flash of green engulfed him. 

Taiju’s face remained unchanged, unshaken, unwavering; he had made his peace. His eyes blazed with determination as he glared at the light, his body locked in defiance in protection against the unknown. 

Then, one moment he was flesh, the next, he was stone.

Within the school, the luminous wave seeped through the walls, its ominous glow swallowed everything in its path. The once-bustling corridors fell silent, lined with stone figures. 

The students and the teachers were frozen mid-movement. 

What should have been an average day turned into something else, a living nightmare. 

They were frozen, they were blinded, they could feel nothing, they could hear nothing, but their thoughts and inside their minds, chaos raged. 

"What's going on? It's so dark…" 

"I can't move." 

"I can't speak… Mom… help me!”

Beyond the school, an entire city bathed in green. 

The once bustling city was now silent, unmoving figures, the men, women and children now stone, their last moments preserved in silent horror.

As planes crashed down from high altitudes and Vehicles lay scattered across the road, crumpled and piled atop one another with no one to stop or control them, broken statues littered the highway, and for the first time in 300,000 years, there wasn't a single human on the abandoned world.

Chapter Text

Maybe it was a quirk of human evolution, maybe it was just something beyond, maybe it was just a coincidence, because even now, where nothing feels like it exists, not his body, not his sight or his senses, there was one thing that did, like a dim star in the endless void.

He could feel Yuzuriha not as sharply as he once could. Still, there was enough to know that he was not alone. How could he be when all he could sense was that dim star that was her.

For her, he held on, and time passed. 

As the stone statue that was Taiju stood silently, unmoving as a storm roared down on the earth, but inside, unknowing of the world, his mind roared in unknowing echo as lightning cracked above him, a brilliant flash cutting through the abyss, he held on to Yuzuriha's emotions, her mere existence in the dark as if a lifeline. 

His body remained unmoved, frozen, trapped in the exact place he had been as the years passed him unchanging. 

What was once his school uniform looked like rags; they had already started to disintegrate with the years and environment affecting them, the rain streaming down his petrified face, trickling between like tears.

But inside, he was not crying, he was not despairing; instead, his consciousness was burning, he was wide awake, and he was not giving up, not now, not ever.

“RRAAAAAAAAGH!!! Don’t you underestimate me!!” screaming, announcing to the void what in what felt like his voice, it was not weak, it was not wavering, but it was desperate and defiant.

“I’m not going to die!!!” At this point, there isn't any point in doubt, so he just didn’t.

He knew instinctively that if even for a second he let his guard down, he would be sucked into the darkness. 

He was not the type to be able to resurface; no, he was the type to try to die trying, regardless. 

He has to stay awake for as long as he can still feel her and beyond, because what would he be if he gave up the moment things got hard?

But still, he struggled; it was his own mind and nothing else but the passage of time. “No, wait, yes, there is still Yuzuriha,” he had to believe in her.

“She’s all right. I can feel her. She is safe!” No matter how much time had passed, he couldn’t and wouldn’t give up now; he wouldn’t leave Yuzuriha all alone.

He has to think, he has to try anything to keep his mind active “Ugh, his body won’t move… like it's a statue!”

Then a memory starts to nag at him. 

Seeing that he has nothing better to do, he tries his hardest to recall it.

Finally, he got it. 

His memory is not the best. 

He is to say it's average, like most people in the world; he doesn't have eldritch or photographic memory like Senku, but if he remembered it correctly, it happened only a few days before that green light that swallowed the earth. 

.. / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / .-- .- .. - / ..-. --- .-. / -.-- --- ..-

It was a sunny day. 

He had left his house early so that he could stroll to school, as he was thinking about how he soon would confess to Yuzuriha. 

Trying to get his courage up, he can't keep putting it off; he knows his thoughts were leaking, and that obviously Yuzuriha knows his feelings, but yeah, he wants to do it properly.

As he was deep in thought, he heard a thud. 

It brought him back to the present. 

He started to look for where the sound had come from for curiosity's sake, then he heard a female voice pip up, "Something fell over here?"

"A bird statue?”  another voice inquired. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another girl who looked like she was friends with the first one. 

He didn't have to see her to know that her curiosity was piqued; he could feel it.

Looking back at what they were talking about, he spotted it, there cradled gently among the foliage, rests a beautifully carved stone bird. 

It was everything you expected of a real bird was finely etched. 

Put it in any art gallery and you would call it a masterpiece; it was beautiful in a way that status couldn't.

"OMG, look at the craftsmanship! It is incredible! Look at the details in the feathers!" one of the girls exclaimed, her voice full of admiration.

And like all teenagers, as if by instinct, their smartphones were quickly whipped out, and the girls began snapping photos, their admiration evident in the joy they radiated.

"It looks so real," the girls squeal to each other without pausing their improv photoshoot.

Thou Taiju had another thought. 

Trying his best, he vaguely recalled that Senku had been explaining something about statues yesterday, so an unbridled thought roused, and unconsciously he blurted it out, "Maybe it is real." 

Now that he had that thought, he had to intervene, so he interrupted, going closer to the bird to investigate.

With his school uniform still on, a wall of black appeared suddenly, catching the girls off guard as he went closer to inspect the stone bird.

As he inspected it, he started to explain a habit he had gotten from Senku, "My friend said he saw one like that somewhere else. He posted a picture of it."

As carefully as he could, he picked up the bird, his expression softening.

"Poor thing. How did it end up like this…  Maybe it is some sort of bird disease that hardens its skin."

He needed to get it some help, carefully wrapping it with his jacket, bringing it close to his chest, thinking for a second there was only one place he could go, it was the vet, nodding to himself, he took off sprinting.

Finally, after running here and there, he had found a vet. 

Pausing before a glass door, taking a breath to steady himself. 

He saw a sheet on the glass door, which was the timetable for the clinic’s hours was displayed on the door. 

It took him a second before he realised, still holding the bird against his chest, his expression became one of a mix of frustration and sadness as the bird would have to suffer a bit longer.

“Sigh…hmf, Of course, the vet isn’t going to be open before school starts," he muttered, and uncharacteristically, his tone was resigned and slightly exasperated. 

He can't help but let his emotions out; it feels good to do so. He knows it isn't polite, but he feels this situation warrants it.

"You never think things through, do you?" someone to his right asked, he recognized her voice and he recognized her presence, it was Yuzuriha, his head snapped up in surprise trying to locate her and than he spotted her, she was just standing just a few steps away, Yuzuriha was observing him with what he could tell was a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

His face started to feel warm, and worst of all, he could feel the chiding and something else she was giving him, both with her facial expression and with their bond as she continued.

“Besides, there’s no way that sculpture is a real bird. Why are you taking it to an animal hospital? That’s so stupid, god… how embarrassing…” She was blushing, her voice was one of joy, but at that time, in the moment, he was too preoccupied to notice.

Feeling like a fool, he stammered out, “Ah… you're right! Sorry! For being so stupid.” 

Internally, he was scolding himself.

I can’t believe that the only other person who saw me was Yuzuriha, the only one I would mind seeing me like this

…Wait, his thoughts screeched to a halt, the only other person.

The only other person.

Besides himself was her; he felt the dots connect, so he finally looked towards her, and he finally noticed the flush on her face and the hidden amusement and shared embarrassment she had been sending in their bond that he had ignored in the moment.

His eyes widened as he spotted her in motion, raising her own stone bird. 

She continued, “And look at that! It's another person who embarrassingly didn't think things through, either my god!” 

He blinked in surprise, then a smile slowly spread across his face, gradually evolving into genuine laughter. 

Yuzuriha rolled her eyes with mock annoyance. 

Playfully, she shouted, "Come on, cut it out!" 

"Both of us will definitely be late for school now," she continued, trying to hold back her giggles. 

He was still laughing, nodded in agreement. 

"Yeah, you're right!" and god if he didn't love her before, he would have fallen right here and there, but still fear clamped his tongue down even now as they laughed in shared joy.

. ...- . -. / .. ..-. / .. - / .-- .- ... / ..-. --- .-. / -- .. .-.. .-.. . -. -. .. .- / .- -. -.. / -- --- .-. .

He is back to the present, the lingering warmth of the memory still clings to him; if he focused, he could still feel her at the back of his mind, but he was suffocating. 

He couldn't move. 

He couldn't breathe. 

He could feel nothing, not even the sensation of touch or temperature. 

And the worst thing was that the darkness was constantly trying to drag him back.

He is aware of nothing but his mind, and the faint feeling of Yuzuriha somewhere beyond it was what gave him hope that outside of him right now, things still existed.

He needs to focus. 

He needs to remember why he is fighting so hard, an image of Yuzuriha where he had left her flashed through his mind, where he had used his body to shield her, where he should be in front of, waiting for him once again beneath the camphor tree.

“This time… I will tell Yuzuriha, won’t let myself die a coward! I won’t let her wait this long for a coward!”

But still, the endless march of time continued, all around the world, continued on. 

As the moon shone down, a trio of burly, unkempt dogs stood in the darkness. 

Maybe they were the pets left behind when the beam struck, or perhaps they were from generations after. 

They were thin, hungry and snarling into the night.

As nature slowly but surly claims back the world in the absence of humankind, the buildings that once stood tall and sleek now loom in quiet decay, their body now overrun in ivy and moss, their roots snaking through shattered windows, collapsed doorways and slowly eating into the concrete, where once humans stood in place, a troop of monkeys, kenopsia is what is left of everything that was once human.

In a neighbourhood somewhere, in front of what was once a home, sewer grates one by one erupted like geysers, their systems that were once meticulously maintained by the hundreds of human hands now long-neglected for centuries of rain and ruin. 

The clothing of the petrified has finally turned into tatters, and time has worn away the last of human civilisation. 

“How many days have passed… Since it happened?” his thoughts feel sluggish; he no longer feels the march of time.

He has long since stopped keeping track; it has long become an act in futility.

But still he wont give up, he has to focus, and so he did clinging onto the one memory and thought, thus he burned with the past with the future of all the things he had been too afraid to do he focus on staying awake even as he could feel Yuzuriha wane in the background dropping slightly before coming back to awareness it was a worrying increasing trend.

He knows that she is relying on him to stay awake, so he must.

The day changed, the summers came and went, and the years passed, and the few thoughts he could have without going insane repeated inside his head like a merry-go-round.

“I can't die now, I can't let things end like this, I won't be a coward who couldn't do anything in the end! When I see her again, I’m gonna tell her how I feel,” the thought churned and burned any other remaining thoughts in his mind he couldn't doubt, he couldn't question, as that would slow him down; he was slowly but surely burning himself, but he was not losing in speed nor intensity.

It worked for him.

“I’m going to survive.. I’ll keep living on sheer will! No matter how many Weeks... No matter how many months it takes!” his thoughts kept moving as the world crumpled around him, as nature took everything back and included the Dam after years and years, a crack started to form, and it propagated with speed until one summer day it broke it started was a trickle then the pressure of the water started to push and break as surge of water came crashing.

Flooding the area.

You see while Taiju was focusing on keeping himself awake, so was Yuzuriha, in fact she always been paying attention to him, he was her soulmate afterall she can guess how he had stayed awake, he would do it the only way he could, with sheer force of will he would burn and it would be bright, he was the lighthouse in the ever darkness and he was all she had been focusing on.

“For how many years? Have I been focusing on him, his brainwaves are still so active even now…” Her thoughts were sluggish and slow as she came up with a rough estimate. 

Unlike Taiju, she knows she couldn't stay awake by sheer force.

She needed to keep herself active, so in the weeks or years after the event, she had come up with a way, and it was sewing all this time; she would make a thread for every second that passed.

It was a beautiful tapestry, one she thinks could continue for a millennia but she knew she was skipping seconds, minutes even it was only the force of Taiju bright emotions that pulled her back regardless it has been about 50-60 years, but now something had changed something was missing it took her a second but when she did everything stopped her sewing, her thoughts.

“Taiju!!!” She couldn't help it, she couldn't help but scream in her mind, as dread and horror set in, the reality presented itself, she couldn't feel him anymore; that constant reassuring presence was gone.  

Had he given up? 

Deep in her heart, she knew he didn't, but the years had been wearing her down, and time continued to pass as she waited.

It could have been days, months or years; she wouldn’t know she had stopped counting.

Her hope had worn thin and without Taiju’s presence reminding her to fight, to believe, to hope…

The darkness started to seem less and less scary. 

It started to look like comfort; it looks like it's waiting for her to just give in.

For once, she stopped and stared as much as she could in the silence. She was waiting and hoping one last time…

And then she gave in, first she could feel the slowdown in the thoughts she was keeping.

Then darkness…  

As the dam cracked and burst, a great surge of water was formed, rushing through the ruins, washing away debris, flooding the world in what would be a huge catastrophe if humans were still on the mainland. 

Unbeknownst to him, he was swept away by the current, leaving Yuzuriha all alone.

Deep in the crease of his mind, he clocked the change; it had finally happened, Yuzuriha, she stopped waiting, and he could no longer feel her presence.

You see, the thing was, he had been paying attention to her too.

He had long already suspected that soon she would go under; he had noticed sometime ago her presence had started to dim before spiking up for a bit. 

He noticed she had been waning; she had always come back, so he waited.

And waited.

But as the days passed and the year passed longer than all the time she had dip before, he finally understood it seemed like this time it was too much that the dark was too much. 

Regardless, he was going to protect her; he was going to stay awake and be there if she ever resurfaced 

“I am going to survive…”

Somewhere beneath the wreckage of time, Taiju stood unchanged, unmoving, lost to time.

“By willpower alone if I have to!”

His mind roared with conviction.

Even if the world had fallen, even if nature had buried the past, even if everything had turned to ash and dust, he would endure.

“Even if it's for weeks or months…”

As the world continued to crumble, shifting and eroding as centuries passed.

“I’m gonna tell her! No matter what! I won't let… my consciousness fade…”

The years went by, the decades, the centuries and the millennia, all of this he endured as the world changed around him, as cement turned to dust, as nature reclaimed the land, as he was buried among the trees, as all that was once built by human hands returned to nature once more.

Drip… 

A single yellowish drop fell.

As the birds sing, in a single unassuming cave surrounded by a lush forest untouched by human hands, its entrance is as if half-hidden by creeping vines and twisted roots. 

Outside, rows of petrified statues lie slowly being swallowed by the earth’s slow embrace in a way returning to nature; they are but a remnant of an era long ago.

Inside the cave, where the light barely reached except for a few strays, a stone figure was resting face down atop a bed of dry grass.

It was Taiju.

He was unmoving, still frozen in the same expression he had all those years ago, that silent determination that crosses his face. 

He was worn but truly unchanged.

He was waiting.

Above from where he lay, a small furry creature could be seen clinging onto the stalactites; they were bats, as they rested, a yellowish flow slowly gathering little by little before dropping by drop.

They fell onto the statue’s head, slowly but steadily. 

This continued for months, for days.

Until one ordinary day, a single drop fell. 

This time, something changed. 

There was a pause before a single crack formed. 

It echoed it prograded across his stone eye until the stone split with a harsh, splintering sound, his eye was finally free.

His hazel eye widened as he darted it around, observing the environment for the first time after what must have been millennia of nothingness 

As the cracks propagated through his stone body, he tensed his muscles gathering the strength the energy to break free and break free he did.

With a roar, his voice ripped through the silence of the cave, radiating all his emotions: the victory, the relief, the pain he had to endure, and the uncertainty he kept pushing down that allowed him to stay awake for so long.  

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRHHGHHH!"

Rising, the stone that was once his skin crumbled away, revealing his robust, entirely human form, still raw and unclothed.

"It’s broken!!! It's finally broken!!"

His voice rang out, wild with relief mixed with something he himself couldn't understand. 

The only evidence that the whole turning into stone had affected him more than just his mind was the two jagged scars that ran across his face like lightning strikes, one starting from his eyebrow, the other from his hairline, both ending just below his eyes.

In his celebration, he finally noticed something odd; it was quiet, not in the way of sound, no, it was in the way that the only emotions he could feel and detect were his own.

The silence…  

He hated it; it was what had accompanied him for all those years, and now that his out, it still followed him here. 

Can he never get a break? 

Raising his hands to grab his hair, he finally noticed something he could feel on his palm, so he decided to take a closer look. 

He glanced at his hand, noticing stone remnants clinging to it. "...A fragment… of stone…?"

Chapter Text

Finally, he looked towards the cave’s entrance.

The thing about Taiju was that he never really cared about his vocabulary; he didn't need to, for he knew the simple words showed his care better than any other complicated ones. 

Sure, he couldn't describe a sunrise more than it was beautiful and bright.

That was something his friends knew about him; they didn't care, they never called him stupid or doubted his intelligence because they knew if he truly wanted to, all he would have to do was ask, and Senku and Yuzuriha would always be there to help.

That used to be the case, and he was happy with that. 

Still, now in this world he was all alone, and for the first time, when he saw what was beyond the cave, he wished he could speak better to know more words as to describe what he was seeing or even just to list all the emotions running through him; the nuance of it all was lost on him, too many too fast. 

Still, he did know the biggest and largest stone sinking onto his chest, making it hard to breathe; it was despair, for all that was lost to all that will be missed and all that will never be again.

What he saw was something that would break almost everyone. 

It was a ravine, it was filled with statues, hands were protruding out of the stone walls, reaching out, with the desperate horror on the faces, that were still intact as if they were trapped alive.

But then there were the others, the ones who couldn't withstand the test of time, each of them in various states of disrepair; they were armless, legless, even headless. 

Among them, one caught his attention. It was a young boy, his head protruding from the soil, his one eye still intact, wide in terror as if asking Taiju for help, while his other side of his face was missing, the gap worn down by time.

He couldn’t help but mutter, “I see… so it’s true, that is what happened to all of you..!” the next thing he noticed was that he couldn't feel anything from the stone from the stautes, like they where never human like they weren't there inside clinging on like he did, like it was just an empty shell even thou he knew they were once people.

He realised he was looking at corpses, all of them, the ones on the ground, the ones in the walls, he was surrounded by what once was.

He started to feel heavy, and his thoughts started to catch up to him. 

Honestly, it was less of a surprise, but more of something he had been pushing to the back of his mind.

The thing was, while Taiju maybe inhumanly strong-willed even he was only human when he was all but stone, where he couldn't relax for a second or he would be at risk of never waking up, it was easy, but now he was out of the stone that had encased him, had trapped him in a prison with nothing but himself and Yuzuriha for just a mere fraction of what he had to endure before she too was gone.

The weight of eternity, the sheer years he had to stay awake, more than what humans were built from, all of it coalesces into a heavy stone pressing on his back, trying to make his proud back bend.

He knew that it had been more than a thousand years since then, but he couldn't keep track of how long ago it was.

Allowing himself this moment of solemnity, this moment of weakness, he looked at the people once again. 

This time, he spotted a broken girl. 

He stared at her for a few seconds before moving, as if by instinct, he started trying to fix her, looking around using his bare hand to dig the ground, constantly finding her broken parts until he couldn't, until he saw the pieces were too worn for him to ever make her whole.

His brown eye grew dull for a moment as he stared at her before bowing slightly with his hand clasped. 

He gave a single prayer to her, to him, to the future unknown and all those trapped in stone, “I’m sorry! I don't know who you are or where you came from… But for now… this is all I can do for you”

Looking around, his gaze returned its shine as determination once again flooded his body; if there was another person here at this moment, they would be amazed at how far his determination could be felt.

He decided to set off; he had a goal in mind. Navigating through the woods, he tried to look out for signs of water. He encountered statues interspersed amongst the natural landscape. 

Finally, he had found it. He paused for a moment to think as he quenched his thirst from a flowing river.

“I don’t know how many hundreds or thousands of years have passed.. But as long as no drastic changes have come across the landscape… There should have similarities, huh, I guess I do understand some of what Senku would rant about.” Smiling slightly at the thoughts of his loved ones before shaking his head, he continued to talk to himself while he gathered some vines and foliage to cover himself for modesty's sake.

“But anyway, if I just follow this river, it should take me there.. To where that camphor tree is...”

It took a while to even reach there; it was a trek, and he even spotted someone he once saw on TV on the way, but eventually, he found the clearing he had recognised from memory from all the times he would sit with her and the rare time they managed to drag Senku out of the lab to enjoy each other company in peace.

He had finally made it. 

As he stood before the tree. 

His eyes darted around until he finally spotted something; his eyes had widened and become misty in recognition.  

"Yuzuriha," he whispered, not daring to make a sound to break the peace, stepping into the sunlit clearing. 

He couldn't have ever mistaken her. 

He was what was on his mind for thousands of years, she was what kept him sane even after he stopped feeling her, and the fact was that the mere hope that they could see each other again was what kept him awake for so long.

Each step he took towards her felt like a weight removed, his steps steady, emotions coursing through him never settling on one, until he came to the edge of the now towering tree.  

Breathlessly, he spoke to her, "You survived… and you've been alive here since that day. All this time..."  Tears spilling from his eyes, they were tears of relief and aching doubt. 

Why couldn't he feel anything from her? 

Where was her awareness? 

Does this mean she didn't survive?

No, he has to believe.

Shoving the thought deep in his head, he couldn't lose hope now. 

He would find a way, he pressed on moving forward until at last he stood at the base of the tree, cracking his head up, he could barely see the top, it was so different from what it had been all those years ago. 

Entwined within its roots, there she was cradled against the vast trunk several meters above the ground. 

On the stone figure stood a single white hairband, somehow still here; it stood out, a contrast of pearl white against the ash grey of the stone. 

It was something so familiar, so comforting that it stole the breath from his lungs.  

She was there waiting for him, frozen in time with the same never-changing expression; he could see the green vines wrapping around her as if in the process of claiming her back to nature. 

She looked like Mother Nature. 

Looking at her quietly, ignoring all the doubts, his expression softened into a smile, his eyes filled with calmness as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "Good job staying alive! Well done, camphor tree!" he murmured, his voice thick with gratitude. 

"You protected Yuzuriha from washing away and breaking apart, didn’t you? All this time… I’m sorry that I couldn’t protect you or manage to stay with you for all these years.”

His expression changed, it shifted to one of truth, it was vulnerability, he continued, “no… in fact…”

He knelt on the soft ground, bowing his head in gratitude to the tree for surviving it all, before looking at the stone figure it surrounded.

"It was you, it always had been you, who was protecting me, Yuizuriha" Even now, while she was still stone as he poured his heart out, completely unmoving as she was fixed in place, gazing emptily ahead, unmoving despite his words, his emotions, his affections.

He continued, "It was your memory that kept me anchored... kept me sane, even as everything else changed. Through the silence, through the centuries, the millennial, I had held on to my love for you.”

Taking a deep breath, he finally let out his fears in a place no one could see. He questioned her, “But why won’t you answer me? Why are you so quiet? Why can’t I feel even the faintest trace of you? Why... why... why?" Tears were streaming down his face as he asked.

No, he begged.

He felt his world collapsing, his heart felt like it was being crushed. 

Despite being in stone for all those years, this was the first time he felt true despair; it filled him before it started to overflow.

He knew that he couldn't continue feeling this way; it would help nobody, not to mention Yuzuriha.

Sucking a deep breath, he let go of his fears, his worries, and once again, he was filled with determination. 

Slamming his palm on the tree, he announced with hope and conviction in his heart, “ Yuzuriha, I’m going to save you! Regardless of how long it may take, but as for how…”

A bit sheepish, he replied, “Well, I don't quite know that yet! But I swear I will…” As he was finishing his speech, he saw it there, carved into the very wood itself

‘Follow the river downstream, big oaf.’

He recognised that handwriting, and there are only two people who call him an Oaf so affectionately, one of them is in front of him as stone now, but the other…

He could feel the hope filling up his chest. 

He took off following the instructions, following the river downstream, running with all his might, panting heavily. 

He came to a stop beneath an overhanging tree branch, the exertion from his relentless running clear in every laboured breath.

He took one deep breath, his chest rising and falling as his eyes lifted to the branch above him. 

There he was perched atop the branch, smiling with a sly smirk radiating smug satisfaction. He laughed, "Kukuku…" 

He took this time to observe the face of a dear friend, one he thought he would never see again, so full of life and not stone. 

He noticed Senku’s face was like his own; it also bore distinctive crack-like scars, but unlike his own, Senku’s were symmetrical, extending vertically from the inner corners of his brows and ending just beneath his eyes.

He realised that Senku had changed his appearance; he looked different from how he had remembered him.  

His green locks now frame his face with two stray strands instead of one; they fall loosely to each side, kinda like his cracks. 

He would say he looked nice if Taiju couldn’t help but notice that Senku looked smaller than before.

Senku was wearing a makeshift short-sleeved shirt, which he could tell was made from animal hides, thanks to Yuzuriha's interest in fashion and different types of materials, and there was the equation E=mc² drawn in what can only be assumed was blood proudly displayed near his collarbone.

There was a series of straps cinched at his waist, holding a rudimentary belt from which various pouches and small packages hung. 

His forearms were wrapped in bandages, and his feet were wrapped in a bag, all seemingly fashioned from the same material, which is probably hide. 

In one hand, he held a bundle of sticks, and in the other, a primitive stone or was it a flint axe.

“So you finally woke up, ‘Eh? You great, big oaf.” Senku chuckled, cracking a small smile before his eyes narrowed, finally sensing Taiju‘s emotions, backing up as quickly as he could, but it was already too late. 

Taiju sprang up the tree and practically dove at him, tears and snot flying everywhere. 

"WHOAAAAH!” He couldn't help it, he had thought he would have been the only one, that he would be the only one for how many years as he would stand guard at Yuzuriha’s statue and Senku’s when he found his statue waiting for the two people he loved the most, his two family to wake up if they ever did.

Senku’s eyes widened in surprise as he twisted to the side, narrowly avoiding the full force of Taiju’s enthusiastic embrace. "YOU WERE ALIVE! YOU WERE ALIVE! SENKUUUUUUUU! I CAN’T BELIEVE IT I… I…"

Taiju lunged forward, attempting to hug the smaller boy around the waist, weeping loudly. Senku, horrified, quickly decided to ward him off with the bottom of his foot. 

"Don’t bloody try to hug me while you're almost butt naked! The fucking leave do nothing, I’ll fucking kill you!!!" Senku snapped, his voice sharp as he shoved Taiju back. He didn't want Taiju’s dick anywhere near him.

Taiju’s upon sensing Senku’s extreme distaste, calmed down and backed off, Senku feeling that Taiju no longer projected his excitement, and finally, calming down, he decided he should let the Oaf know about the situation, so with a calm voice of someone who had accepted it all.

“As of today, it is October 5th in the year 5738 AD. Honestly, big oaf, how long were you planning on sleeping, huh? Honestly, I have been awake and working for over half a year now.”

Taiju stopped, he froze, he let out a sound of confusion, “...Huh?” and then his mind grasped something, but just as quickly it slipped away, so he continued, unknown to him, there was a slight tremble on his face as sweat started to drip from his brow.  

Carefully and worriedly, he probed, weighing his words as he asked, “Hey Senku… how did you know… So precisely… what the date is…?”

Senku glanced at him for a second with his eyes hidden; no emotions could be seen or felt from him as he, in an eerily calm tone, answered him, “Oh, I just counted. As if there’s any other way of keeping track?”

Taiju looked at Senku and felt unease and disquiet, not because of Senku but for him. Deep in his heart, he knew, like him, Senku was probably not entirely sane.

How could one be after all that, and when he was in that state, he was mostly ignoring anything besides a few thoughts. 

How did Senku survive that while aware of exactly what was passing by, what they were losing, and how could he even begin to help with that, even then, do Senku even want his help?

In the endless darkness, where the only thing that existed was he and himself, he was speaking, if you could call it that, with no voice; it was more like an inner thought turned voice, he was counting drowning on endlessly “7... 8… 9… 1… 2”

He never did train the part of himself to better receive the emotions of others, but even he felt it when what he could only assume were the science club members stopped being there one by one; he couldn't tell their emotions or anything, only that they were there then not.

“116,427,065,520 seconds” 

A deep red eye snapped open, glaring into the void, seeing nothing. “Goddamit.. It felt like my consciousness was being pulled away again… it seems every 800,000-second cycle, it peaks,”

“hahaha .. it's a bit like having diarrhoea” he has to keep things and counting at the same time, or else I would slow down, I’ll just partition my brain and have it work in parallel.

“116,427,065,530.. That's the amount of time that’s passed since I’ve become unable to move…” his body lay petrified flat on the ground, deep in a forest overrun by moss. His unseeing stone eyes stared vacantly at the night sky.

“You know the thing about thermodynamics is that there are actually 4 laws about it, even thou the number only goes up to 3 because the last law discovered was the most important one, it became the Zeroth Law, in which it states If two systems are each in thermal equilibrium with a third system, then they are in thermal equilibrium with each other. This law establishes the concept of temperature and defines thermal equilibrium. Wow, I am getting bored enough to go through the basics.”

“That’s 3,689 years, 158 days, huh, fun.”

“…so than..In that darkness?" Taiju questioned, following Senku through the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees. "The whole time… All that time you…" 

“Even if I was able to wake up through sheer willpower alone… which I believe that’s what you did,” he started looking at Taiju, nodded, smiling slightly at getting that right.

“If I were to wake up without any means of survival in the middle of winter and no supply of food, it would be instant game over,” he continued, explaining with emphasis in his tone and his brainwaves as well.

“So that’s why, in order to survive, I needed to start in spring. Which means that the first piece of information I needed was an accurate calendar,” He concluded pragmatically, the bundle of sticks tucked securely under his arm. 

At least I avoided January and February, due to the location of Japan and the natural climate, those two months are the coldest in Japan, and the likelihood of my survival during that time is not high, not to mention how much I still struggled in April.

Senku started walking, and Taiju followed until they reached a clearing.

"Look, we’re here." Senku glanced at Taiju, who came to a halt beside him. "Time to stop blabbering and get to work."

Taiju froze in his tracks, his eyes widening as he gazed up in awe and confusion.

"Senku... did you... Did you put this together all on your own?" Admiration was thick in both his voice and presence, and Senku took all that in.

Before them stood a sizable treehouse; from the looks of it, it was not built for one but for three; it looked skillfully crafted from wood with a thatched straw roof. 

It was placed sturdily on a broad tree branch it leaning against another similar large branch, supported by several poles. 

The precision of its construction seemed too intricate to be the work of a single inexperienced teenager.

Senku didn’t directly respond to Taiju’s question; instead, he continued toward the structure. 

After a brief pause, he spoke in an exhausted tone. "I’m short on hands. Just making sure I have the essentials for survival takes up my entire day."

Beneath the treehouse stood a supply of spears and several large clay jars, each filled with items and rocks, one of which looked like it was filled with mushrooms.

"To advance civilisation, I absolutely need a big, muscle-bound stamina-idiot, and who better at that than you?" Senku said, narrowing his eyes meaningfully at Taiju. 

His dark red gaze burned with emotion. "I was ten billion per cent certain that you were still alive. There’s no way a man so intent on confessing to Yuzuriha would weakly give in after just a few thousand years."

Taiju had closed his eyes, his face set with intense concentration, feeling the emotions Senku was sending out, sorting and identifying them; the largest piece he could get was the pure relief and happiness.

"That is not who you are, is it!?" Senku taunted playfully, feeling once again like a teen hanging out with his friends.

"Yeah…" Taiju opened his eyes, his expression firm with resolve. "Of course not!"

"I'm counting on you to do the thinking, Senku," Taiju said.

“Anyway, stay there, I have made something for you”, Senku explained to Taiju as he walked to the tree house.

Taiju stayed in place and waited. 

He took this time to think not about anything really; he just had to accept that this was their reality, to accept that, for now, it would only be the two of them, but he was sure that Senku could do it.

Senku came back with a bundle, passing it over to Taiju, “Anyway, here are some clothes, go and wear something, we don't want you to get a cut walking around naked. I don't have the equipment or the materials to make antibiotics if you get an infection right now.”

Nodding, he took it and left, some time having passed. 

He was now dressed in animal skins of a slightly darker colour, wielding a stone axe to chop wood. "You can count on me to do the heavy lifting!"

The fire crackled to life, embers and ash floating through the air, dancing a dance unknown to all but to the world itself.

Senku spoke, his voice unwavering, thick with excitement and determination. 

There was a reason he and Taiju got along so well after all "It took humanity two million years to get from the Stone Age to the modern age. We’re going to sprint all the way back to the top."

The firelight reflected in his ruby red eyes, his voice was gleeful, and Taiju could pick up the hidden trembling excitement in Senku’s presence, as though the bleak circumstances they found themselves in were just a stepping stone.

Like he just finally found a worthy challenge that he can't wait to take on, "We are going to take the world back. And I'll figure out the science behind the petrification and our revival."

Across the fire, Taiju's eyes mirrored the same fire, a deep resolve burning within them.

"And save Yuzuriha."

When Senku spoke again, the image of a rocket came into view, his voice steady and filled with conviction. "We, a couple of high school brats, are going to create civilisation from scratch..."

A grin like the devil spread across his face, the cracks on his skin only intensifying the effect with the orange light of the fire casting on him, and he spoke once more.

"Hehe, you and I will be the Adam and Eve of this new world. Now things are starting to get exciting"

Chapter Text

A long frog was just sunbathing, relaxing without a care in the world, before the sounds of leaves crunching were heard. It leapt away just as the silhouette of a figure sprinting through the forest appeared, stepping on where the frog had once been. It was Taiju.

As he sprinted, beams of sunlight leaking through the leaves occasionally crossing his path, he had a wide grin on his face he was even humming a tune long forgotten to the world.

On his steady and broad back, he had a basket filled with various plants and a small animal he managed to catch in a trap Senku taught him how to make. It was impressive to be able to run so fast with such a large load without breaking a sweat or dropping anything.

His feet thundered thru the silent forest, his eyes sparkling as he spotted the clearing, rushing over he saw Senku and made his way towards him, dropping the basket in font of him as if presenting a pot of gold, he was radiating excitement for a job well done and Senku could tell what taiju wanted, but as he did a quick scan of what was brought back his eyebrow furrowed 

Carefully, in a way he only does in the rare times he tries to soften the news he spoke, “...wow… You got so much… you got some crazy cheats going on with your endurance there, Taiju… “

Taiju, not noticing the judgment, Senku was trying his best not to radiate, but he was not successful.

Taiju was still beaming in pride literally until he heard the sound of Senku sorting through the loot. He could hear Senku muttering as the pile labelled inedible grew higher and higher, overshadowing the pile labelled edible.

“Amanita Virosa, poison! Hypsizygus Tesselatus Brown Clamhell, nice Food!, Amanita Muscaria Fly Agaric, poison!” He stopped sorting for a second, staring at the mushroom, like he was rebooting his system due to sheer ridiculousness of its mere presence, then whipping his head to give Taiju a hard stare, while making sure to radiate as much judgment as possible, who cares about Taiju’s feelings.

“Taiju, are you kiddling me? I can understand if you didn't recognise the rest of them, considering they look similar enough,” he asked very incredulously, taking a breath before continuing.

“But can’t you just tell by looking at that thing to know it's no good? It looks like a goddamned Mario mushroom!" Feeling better getting that off his chest, he started regaining his disbelief.

He sighed putting it into the non edible basket not that its completely useless, it has some applications as a medicine but he is not well versed in that area to try, worse case it could be used as an insecticide and continued, while Taiju feeling embarrassed rock back on his heels, and continued to play attention to what Senku was sorting it out.

“Anyways, I know you never studied nor had a passing interest in horticulture or botany… So yeah, you Big Oaf don't feel so bad, you just pay attention and see what I am sorting now, which ones I put in the edible bin and what I put in the inedible one,” Senku added as a remark, telling himself he is only doing this to ensure no time was wasted on moping.

Not that he thinks Taiju would be down that easily, but with the fact that he stayed awake for 3700 years, there had to be repercussions. He is not well-versed in psychology to know how to diagnose, but he has read enough papers to spot the signs if he pays attention.

The mere fact that Senku was being so awkward way was more than telling. Taiju replied cheerfully, “Yeah, okay, no problem, I will pay attention.”

Smiling slightly and giving a thumbs-up at Senku’s attempt at comfort even thou he could feel Senku’s mild irritation.

“Artemisia Princeps, nice Japanese mugwort food! See, good job, now the next one Aconitum bloody Wolf’s Bane… How? It is not even native to Japan, sure, maybe in North Asia, yeah, but not Japan. How did you even find it…” Taking a deep breath, he continued.

“Hey Taiju, you know how I just tried to comfort you, yeah, I take that back, are you trying to fucking kill us, you moron?!” Taiju just smiled sheepishly, shrugging, radiating an apology, rubbing his forehead. 

Senku couldn't even be mad at him. Here they are after the end of the world, and somehow Taiju still managed to be the same as if things were the same; he just started chuckling at the absurdity of it all. Taiju, still smiling, joined him.

It's weird how even after all that has changed, the two of them are still able to joke and laugh like the teens they were, shaking his head.

He directed Taiju on where to store the inedible basket, and he got started on making lunch.

The fire crackled, and the savoury aroma of mushrooms and meat filled the air. Senku was staring intently at the skewers, waiting for them to cook, while Taiju, looking at the sunbeams streaming down cocking his head. 

He turned to Senku.

“Hey Senku, you know how Yuzuriha is my soulmate?” he carefully inquired 

“Hmm yeah i know, even if you didnt blurted it out to me immediately after you found her i would have figured it out sooner or later with how much you talked about her and followed her around like a lost puppy or better yet a golden retriever” Senku could tell that Taiju was side stepping the real question, it was uncharacteristic of him but still he played along.

“Haha, yeah true, hey Senku, do you think you would ever meet your’s?” Senku froze at that, still keeping track of the skewers; no point in wasting precious food due to inattentiveness.

“No, I don't think so. Maybe there was hope about 3700 years ago, but now the probability of it happening is not worth calculating,” Taiju started to frown at Senku’s tone. 

He could sense the resignation in his voice, so he voiced his refusal. “No! I’m sure you would meet them, I remember you reading and researching about how soulmates would be similar or something, if they are anything like you, maybe they would also wake up from the stone all by themselves, not to mention it’s fate!” 

With a sigh Senku started to pay more attention to Taiju, he is not sure what prompted him to talk about this but he could tell Taiju said all of that to comfort him from what he is still not sure but still he chuckled and felt warm both at his friend attempt to comfort him and from the hope, because evem if it’s rare Taiju did bring some good points.

“Yeah, you're surprisingly partially right, the research on soulmates with accuracy and proof to back it up was still recent for 21st-century standard,s being only out for 1.5 years, anyway, the study managed to debunk many myths and legends around soulmates, a major one being that soulmates were chosen by fate or a higher power.” Getting excited, Senku continued to explain, even if it’s not the hard sciences he loved and staked himself behind, being able to talk about any science still gets him excited.

“You see its probability, the fact is we evolved to be able to receive and decode the brainwaves from fellow humans to tell their emotions, and the ability to sense when a animal is present, with 7.6 billion people on this world there are bound to be people who are compatible in ways that allows accurate decoding of the brainwaves to gain more than just emotions, the fact that most people would find them near an area where they grew up has more to do with culture and psychology or better known as anthropology, i would explain more but i can see the smoke already coming out of your ears,” smiling Senku took a final look at the skewers it looks like its done taking them out he passes them to Taiju and gotten started on his skewer.

Man was he hungry, the first full meal of the Stone Age.

“Yeah, I didn't get that at all that but it just means your soulmate would be as smart as you, right?” Taiju asked excitedly.

At that, Senku paused for a second. 

It’s not that he never thought about it, but it wasn't ever more than a passing thought; most of the time, he pushed it back since there was already a culturally appropriate time to look for them if he didn’t find them earlier. 

At that time, he already had too many things to do, and to research in the modern world, there was no sense in rushing it, not to mention now.

Where survival takes precedence, but the fact is that for people to even decode someone else's brainwaves to sense the emotions giving off the brain must have a comparison in the first place to interpret the thoughts.

That's why people can still lie or mislead others with their emotions, which is already telling enough.

To even get true thoughts in a way to is understandable, at minimum, the two brains, for lack of a better descriptor, need to be on the same wavelength. 

As a fact, people do think differently, like verbal thinkers and visual thinkers, and that is not absolute. 

People think in a spectrum of the two terms for someone to even qualify to be soulmates, they must be on the same place on that spectrum at a minimum. 

Nodding in thought, he answered, “Yeah, they would probably at minimum be able to keep up with me, anyway. Enough of this talk, I’m starving, we should eat and stop wasting daylight, we need to survive first before we can do anything,” 

Taiju smiled, nodded at that and started on his skewers

“De…lious!! What did you season these with?!” After taking a bite, he was shocked. 

He thought it would be bland, making noises of satisfaction and pinging Senku with gratitude 

With a smile, Senku answered, he was also enjoying his meal, “Oh, it was just some regular old salt I extracted from seawater,” lifting one of the various pouches he had, signalling Taiju to take a look.

Taiju leaned in and saw that it was filled with a white powder, nodding that he could connect that was probably salt, but Senku was right, they can’t waste time if he wants him and Senku to survive, so he started to gobble up and finish his mushroom skewers, and tuned in to Senku’s explanation.

“With just salt added, humans can eat just about anything. Salt is also indispensable in preserving food; honestly, it was probably man’s greatest discovery” 

“Thank you, Senku! For all of this! For all the things I’d never be able to figure out! I’ll repay you for it in kind with determination and strength,” With his belly full, with his best friend here with him, not to mention the glint he could see in Senku’s eyes.

He knows him long enough to know what that glint means, and if he tries hard enough, he could sense Senku’s gears running; all this just means he had a plan; he just needed to do his part, and Senku would find a way to save Yuzuriha, everyone.

“All right! Time to go gather on the back side!!” Grabbing the basket, he set off, as Senku waved at him goodbye, still focused on his meal.

Senku’s mind was indeed moving swiftly, remembering and calculating, mostly about what they need to prepare winter would soon come, what else he could do at this moment, but occasionally it drifted to his hypothetical soulmate, he wonders what they would look like, how they would keep up with him, how they would be like, would they also be a scientist or would they have a different field.

He had finished his meal, and with a sigh, he looked up, observing the clouds above.

It really is pointless to think about that now, when so much is at stake, but I can't help but wonder… whatever, let's do something productive.

With that, he stood up and left.

He had been scavenging the forest for a while now, and he had reached a slightly shaded section of the forest.

Something caught his eye above him, there he spotted it in the sea of green he spotted something purple.

Turning around and changing his course, he jogged closer. 

There, he spotted clusters of shining purple grapes hanging from the grapevines as Taiju moved through, collecting them.

“Oh, wild grapes! Cool, wait, are these okay to eat?” Taiju muttered to himself, his eyes lighting up with curiosity and, if he was being honest, a bit of hope for something sweet was influencing his actions. 

He reached up to pick a bunch. 

"These won't be poisonous or was it venomous? right? I mean it's still just grapes, anyway, I’ll never find out just by thinking about it… only one way to find out is to try’em!” Grabbing a handful, he popped them in his mouth. 

The moment he broke through the skin, as the juice flooded his mouth, his face strained, and tears leaked out of his eyes, he was filled with instant regret. 

Spitting them out as fast as he could before gagging as he frantically tried to get rid of the taste on his tongue.

But still, he put them in his basket in this world; he can't afford to be picky with food.

He continued on passing by that statue once again, now that he wasn't in a rush, he finally identified who it was before he vaguely remembered seeing him on TV.

Now looking at him closer again, he could remember he was watching Gen Asagriri, the magician, someone, he remembered trying to get Senku to come and watch his shows with him, but Senku would always refuse, saying something about a waste of potential.

Yeah, he saw him on that TV special, it was called MenBato, facing off against Gen, he was introduced as the 'strongest primate high-schooler,' ‘The King of a Hundred beasts, ’  it was Shishio Tsukasa.

As he was foraging, he noticed that he had returned to where he had broken free. 

It looked like nothing had changed; he vaguely remembered that mushrooms can be found in caves as well, so he started to jog over.

Getting closer, he could hear the sounds of bats squeaking.

The first true step in, he first noticed the temperature shift, which was cooler, then he noticed the darkness. It took a while before his eyes adjusted to the light, finally looked at the surroundings.

“What is… This…?!” he couldn't help but exclaimed, hope was rising in him, he had noticed it in the deeper end of the cave, there was something not of nature that wasn't there before, it was a clay pot facing up, catching some liquid, what it was, he was not sure.

“Whoaaa! This means someone other than me and Senku survived, right?! Someone must have left it here,” tears were forming in his eyes as he started to radiate joy before he was interrupted 

In the most deadpan voice Senku can muster and the most bored waves he can muster, he replied, “Yeah. Me, moron.”

Jumping slightly at the reply, he couldn't help but shout in shock, “Youuu?!”

Walking over to stand next to Taiju, looking at the fluid, he sighed and continued, “Yeah… there aren't any other humans left in the world…!” With a grim face, he added, “Repopulating humanity! That is our most important task right now.”

With the most disgusted face he continued “do you think there’s any future for humanity in us two dudes just lazing it up out here,” not to mention even if one of them had the parts he really couldn't muster up any shred of interest in Taiju not that he is not a great guy its just he really is not his type he means Taiju couldnt even spel–

“You got a point,” Taiju replied, interrupting Senku’s internal thoughts that were getting more insulting, ignoring that it was time for Taiju to get up to speed on the plans.

Kneeling, he started to observe and prod the leftover stone fragments from Taiju’s breaking out of the stone, and he continued, “And besides, after 3700 years passed.. What was the reason that we broke free of our petrification?”

Senku could feel the buzz of activity that was happening in Taiju’s brain. 

Being the good friend that he was, he waited finally, it seems Taiju got it “Maybe the stone went bad?”

“MMM.. you see if we were to say that this mysterious mineral.. eroded… “

“Kukuku… then it is even stranger, isn't it, that the two of us broke free almost at the same time, if you look at the scale of 3700 years, the fact that we only broke only half a year apart” he couldn't help the grin that spread across his face, nor could he help the excitement he is feeling which he is sure is leaking out, if Taiju noticed he wasn't saying anything.

He continued, “This can not be a coincidence! There has to be a rational, logical reason for it! You see, like you, I was washed away down near the entrance to that cave as well, but…”

He sighed, pointing up, “ Look... you see that there dripping down?”

Taiju nodded, signalling to Senku to continue, “It’s miracle water born from the dropping of these bats, Nitric Acid.”

“Did you say nitric acid?!!” Taiju shouted out, startling Senku as he was filled in shock that Taiju even knew what it was before Taiju continued, “Err.. so what,t sorry Senku… I have no idea what that means.”

With a sigh shaking his head, he took the pot of Nitric acid and started walking back “I honestly didn't know what i expected from you, you great big oaf… anyway, It’s too much of a pain in the ass to have to try to explain the science to you, but thats fine we have different roles anyway.”

Grabbing a stone swallow he keeps in his belt pouch, he placed it carefully on a tree stump. Slowly, he poured a little bit of the nitric acid onto the stone swallow.

This was not the first time he had done this experiment, and won't be the last; he had tried on hundreds of swallows, each attempt was meticulously studied and experimented on in his search for answers. 

Taiju started to radiate anticipation, which Senku returned in turn as both of them started squinting at the bird. 

"OHH! I get it, so if we put the…the Nitric acid on it.. The stone will go bad, it will come back to life?!" Senku finished pouring the acid, watching closely for any sign of change.

A moment passed before he dragged a hand down his face as he spoke, "If it were that easy, I wouldn't be having any problems, as you can see”, waving a hand at it.

As disappointing as it was, the stone bird's predictability remained lifeless. 

But still Taiju and Senku stared at it, as if their combined will could somehow coax it back to life. 

Senku's eyes were fixed on the bird, silently willing it to change, for just the faintest flicker of something, anything, but all he was greeted with was stone.

He wanted it to work so badly; a small clue, a tiny indication, anything to show that they were on the right track. 

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Taiju sighed deeply, his shoulders slumping with defeat. 

Senku dropped to the ground behind the stump, his frustration boiling beneath the surface. He leaned back, rubbing his face with both hands. "It's fine. Don't be too disappointed. We’ll figure it out. Somehow. This is science, there is a way, and if we have to try again, we will."

Joining Senku leaning against the stump, he spoke to the air, “Hey Senku, can we sit here for a bit?”

“It's a waste of time, why not?” he knows how Taiju feels; they are still stuck at the first clue.

A moment passed, and Taiju started to stand up, patting himself internally. He did what he needed to ensure his friend had enough emotional support, even if that meant wasting a bit of time; he was never the best at comforting others.

Grabbing the stone swallow, he walked over to a wooden hut that he had spent too long struggling to construct. It was of a similar size and make as the tree house, but on the ground. 

Above the entrance, there was a painted sign that read Laboratory.

“I’ve tried a ridiculous number of times already.. Using different methods and different materials,” Senku was walking, grabbing something, and truthfully rambling ahead.

Taiju was not listening; he was staring at the hut was a cluttered wooden work table, a lot of wooden boards with notes scratched in, but what caught his eye was the wall, hundreds of birds were there, each with their own little hide notes, showing that Senku had been trying and trying all this time.

“Over and over.. And over again… but it’s all in the realm of fantasy for now. Are these even minerals? Do they have cells? There’s not even Equipment to research with anymore,” frustration started leaking out of Senku as he continued 

“So then there are things in this world.. Even science can’t explain…!” Taiju couldn't help but mutter.

As if hearing someone doubting science was enough for Senku to regain his spirit, Senku swiftly rebuted it, laughing a bit, “Kuku and there it is, the ol’ cliche. That’s why I keep coming up with more hypotheses and experimenting! Science is straightforward and honest.” 

But that is why he loves it so much, the way that there is always an answer, a reason why and how things worked, not to mention any problems are just new puzzles and challenges for him, it captures his attention in a way nothing else would. 

With his fist to his chin, deep in thought, he continued, pacing around, “If only we had some sake, if we had the alcohol in sake, in other words, ethanol.. By combining Nitric acid and ethanol, we could make Nital. It’s a corrosive solvent used for etching, among many other industrial uses” 

Taiju’s eyes were wide; he wasn't paying any attention to Senku’s continued explanation. Instead, he asked, “What did you say… just now… what did you say, Senku?” 

“Huh? Nital. It acts on the grain boundary of ferrous minerals.” Senku was halfway through the explanation before Taiju cut him off.

“Not that! I'm not gonna understand difficult stuff like that! But you said ‘if only we had some sake’ right?” he turned around, grabbing something from his basket, cradling it in his palms, showing it to Senku, continuing, “Well, I found these grapes, with these, couldn’t we make wine?!”

For a moment, Senku just stared puzzled at him before a smirk made its way to his face, radiating joy he was sure Taiju would catch. He shouted, patting Taiju on his back, “Not bad at all! You great big oaf!!”

Chapter Text

The scene opens into a white room, where there is a messy desk and rolling chairs, with a fume hood in a corner.

All around there were test tubes, beakers and Bunsen burners.

It was a laboratory in which there were two individuals, only one of whom was dressed in a lab coat.

What was weird was that neither of them looked human in the way of flesh and blood.

The one that had gravity-dyeing spiky hair turned around, seeming to support something the eye couldn't see, speaking to it.

“Hello everyone, I am MechaSenku, and this is TaijuBot.” The one who was speaking was a mirror image of Dr. Senku Ishigami if he were made of metal instead of flesh, and he pointed at another bot who bore a resemblance to Taiju, only this time with a helmet and armour-plated

“Me and TajiuBot are Non-Diegetic Characters. Welcome to the interlude, where we will mostly be discussing and expanding on the concepts presented in the main story. “ MechaSenku finished speaking, giving the reins to TaijuBot while he went back to pick up some papers in the background.

“Oh! I get to be a part of the introduction, Nice! Okay, continuing from what MechaSenku mentioned, each of us Non-Diegetic Characters has specialities, like one of MechaSenku’s specialities is chemistry. It is a reflection of the main story of Senku.” TaijuBot noticed MechaSenku had come back now armed with a bunch of notes, stopping letting him take over, his voice module was overheating anyway, he was not made for long, lengthy explanations anyway.

“Yep, for other things that our counterparts won't know, like psychological or cooking, if a character that would know has appeared in the story, they would be included in the interlude to explain their specialities” MechaSenku finished fishing out the first note.

“Ah, let’s see… in Chapter 1 it was mentioned that Senku was using a machine to extract gasoline from bottle caps… wow this is like NileRed (A real life youtube)... anyway since Author is not a Chemistry majour but an Aerospace one, we will be talking about what Oil Refineries are how they work.” He was smiling as the first note floated out of his palm into the screen.

–Oil Refineries–

So what are Oil refineries? The simple word for it is they refine crude oil to different petroleum products.

This is done through a process of fractional distillation, which is just normal distillation with fractionating columns purposefully calculated to catch the different products.

Despite how it might feel, crude oil is a mixture, not a compound, and what we want are the actual compounds that make up the crude oil, each of them having different densities and boiling points, plus condensation points.

The fact is what is written above is the most simplified explanation of the process and their uses to end products there are many other steps to refine the end products to get other end products like for gasoilne or diesel which we will get into in a future interlude when the main story embark on their quest for oil just know there are things like Reformer, cracking units, coker and alkylation units involved for the variety of products to create, get excited.

–End–

“Nice, that’s so cool, I wish for pictures!” TaijuBot asked, looking at the note in excitement.

“Well in fact the original verson of this interlude did have pictures but, the author ran into some issues with ensuring they load, after weighing the pros and cons they decided to get rid of them and rewrite secotions of the interlude that previously heavily depended on them so everyone can still understand what is being discussed and explained without losing context,” shaking his head he replied to the excited TaijuBot, luckly he didn’t lose his excitement

“Ah, I see that makes sense, but why didn't we talk about the details more?” TaijuBot exclaimed before cocking his head in question.

“KU KU KU, well, that's because it was not the main focus of the chapter, it was barely even mentioned, if later there is a chapter focus on let's say oil, it will be expanded on, plus see this stack of notes we have a bunch to go over,” laughing MechaSenku lifted the notes waving it to TaijuBot for emphasis.

Scratching the back of his head, TaijuBot nodded, “Yeah, you're right, so what is next?”

“I'm glad you asked, drum roll please…” TaijuBot obliged “its the types of chemical reactions you see in Chapter 1 Senku mentioned on how ‘the molecular structure of polyethene, is just a long gasoline molecule with a few hydrocarbons chopped off’ there is infact no actual chopping it is all done via chemical reactions which is addition and subtraction ” This time he did jazz hands as the next note floated out of the stack onto the screen.

–Types Of Chemical Reactions–

There are many different types of chemical reactions, from the basics to organic chemistry.

The 5 main types of chemical reactions, which everything else is just another variation of it is, are combination, decomposition, single-replacement, double-replacement, and combustion.

Now, let's go into specifics.

This is going to be a long lesson, so strap in.

Combination Reaction

First, a combination reaction, also known as a synthesis reaction, is a reaction in which two or more substances combine to form a single new substance. Combination reactions can also be called synthesis reactions. It looks like this.

A+B→AB

One such combination reaction is two elements combining to form a compound. Solid sodium metal reacts with chlorine gas to produce solid sodium chloride. This formula will probably be familiar to most people.

2Na(s)+Cl2(g)→2NaCl(s)

Note that in order to write and balance the equation correctly.

You need to remember that the seven elements that exist in nature are mostly as diatomic molecules (H2,  N2,  O2,  F2,  Cl2,  Br2, and  I2).

This has to do with valence electrons, aka the outermost shell of an atom.

Decombination Reaction

Second, a decomposition reaction is a reaction in which a compound breaks down into two or more simpler substances. The general form of a decomposition reaction looks like this.

AB→A+B

Looks familiar, doesn't it? Yep, it's the flip side of the combination reaction. Most decomposition reactions require an input of energy in the form of heat, light, or electricity.

Binary compounds are compounds composed of just two elements.

Why am I mentioning Binary compounds? Because the simplest kind of decomposition reaction is when it's a binary compound, when it decomposes into its elements.

For example, Mercury (II) oxide, a red solid, decomposes when heated to produce mercury and oxygen gas.

2HgO(s)→2Hg(l)+O2(g)

Do note that a reaction is also considered to be a decomposition reaction even when one or more of the products is still a compound.

Single-Replacement Reaction

A single-replacement reaction is a reaction in which one element replaces a similar element in a compound. The general form of a single-replacement (also called single-displacement) reaction looks like this.

A+BC→AC+B

In this general reaction formula above, element A is a metal and replaces element B, which is also a metal, in the compound.

But when the element that is doing the replacing is a nonmetal, it must replace another nonmetal in a compound, and the general equation becomes this, (do note I changed the letters for easier understanding)

Y+XZ→XY+Z

Y is a nonmetal and replaces the nonmetal Z in the compound with X, as you can see above.

For example, since magnesium is a more reactive metal than copper.

When a strip of magnesium metal is placed in an aqueous solution of copper (II) nitrate, it replaces the copper. The products of the reaction are aqueous magnesium nitrate and solid copper metal.

When written, it looks like this.

Mg(s)+Cu(NO3)2(aq)→Mg(NO3)2(aq)+Cu(s)

Fun fact: many metals tend to react easily with acids, and, when they do so, one of the products of the reaction is often hydrogen gas, and the way to test for hydrogen is to take a lit splint and put it in the opening and try to hear a popping sound.

Double-Replacement Reaction

A double-replacement reaction is a reaction in which the positive and negative ions of two ionic compounds (just remember compounds that involve a metal binding with either a non-metal or a semi-metal will display ionic bonding)

Exchange places to form two new compounds. The general form of a double-replacement (also called double-displacement) reaction looks like this.

AB+CD→AD+CB

In this reaction, A and C are positively-charged cations, while B and D are negatively-charged anions.

Double-replacement reactions generally occur between substances in aqueous solution. In order for a reaction to occur, one of the products is usually a solid precipitate, a gas, or a molecular compound such as water.

A precipitate forms in a double-replacement reaction when the cations from one of the reactants combine with the anions from the other reactant to form an insoluble ionic compound.

For example, when aqueous solutions of potassium iodide and lead (II) nitrate are mixed, the formula for it looks like this.

2KI(aq)+Pb(NO3)2(aq)→2KNO3(aq)+PbI2(s)

Combustion Reaction

Honestly debated if I wanted to add this in, as a combustion reaction is a reaction in which a substance reacts with oxygen gas, releasing energy in the form of light and heat.

Combustion reactions must involve O2 (oxygen) as one reactant.

The combustion of hydrogen gas produces water vapour.

This is what it looks like.

2H2(g)+O2(g)+2H2O(g)

Yes, a bomb is considered a combustion reaction

–End–

“Wow that was lengthy, but somewhat understandable, is that all for Chapter 1?” asked TaijuBot, he doesn't get it 100% but maybe just a good 75% but he could tell how excited his best friend was, so he stayed he knows that MechaSenku was missing his lover and apprentices they wont be here in the interlude for awhile.

Besides YuzuMachine, who is in the middle of a project now, he shouldn't bother her, but he is curious about what the project was; she was being kinda cagey about it.

With a wide grin, he replied, “Nope, we still have speed, relative velocity, and waves. It was a quick mention in Senku’s thoughts in chapter 1 when trying to measure the beam's speed”

Immediately, even before the page could fly out, he took it out and pressed it against the screen.

–Speed, Relative Velocity and Waves–

Let's start with speed, it’s something most of you would already know. But let's refresh ourselves, the easiest way to remember how to calculate speed would be the speed triangle.

As I can't insert pictures, I will just give the formula Speed = Distance over Time, just imagine a triangle with that formula with distance (D) is at the top, and speed (S) and time (T) are at the bottom, arranged such that speed is on the left and time on the right.

So to get the speed of something, you need the distance and time, and vice versa for any other values; it's a mix and match.

It doesn't matter if, for example, you double back because speed is a scalar quantity, meaning it only has magnitude (size) and no direction. It represents how fast an object is moving, without specifying the direction of motion.

Now let's talk about relative velocity.

It is, in fact, related to speed, but the thing is, it is not a scalar quantity, meaning direction matters in this case.

I could explain in great detail, but I don't have to do that, so in simple terms, relative velocity is defined as the velocity (speed) of an object with respect to another observer.

It is the time rate of change of the relative position of one object with respect to another object.

Vab = Va + Vb

Vab = Velocity of object A relative to object B.

Va = Velocity of object A relative to a fixed point

Vb = Velocity of object B relative to the same fixed point

This is a simple formula and example for relative velocity fun fact,  relative velocity is a big thing in aerospace, a lot of formulas use it.

Now, lastly, waves, what are waves in physics?

They are defined as a disturbance that transfers energy through a medium, moving from one area to another.

Waves can be classified into several categories, and that can be expanded on via direction and medium, but I will be talking about the direction of the Transverse and Longitudinal waves once again.

Since I can't show a picture, I will be explaining and hoping I get it across.

Longitudinal waves are when particles that oscillate in the direction parallel to the wave propagation, aka, just look at sound waves. Now, Transverse waves are particles that oscillate in the direction perpendicular to their wave propagation. This is the kind of waves that those on the electromagnetic spectrum are, aka light and others

–End–

“That was not as long as I thought it would be,” TaijuBot clapped while looking a something MechaSenku had been fiddling with.

Hearing a question being directed to him, he put down the side project he was working on, locking it in his desk drawer. TaijuBot could only catch a glimpse of it; it looks like a flower.

“Yeah, because it's the short and sweet version. Later, when later chapters have more specific scenarios, we will go into more details if not just talking and explaining about waves would be 5000 words, depending on how much the Author feels like it, like there are so many and the variety of ways to measure them, and all the different types, not to mention the uses that we have on them, its so exciting,” MechaSenku exclaimed and ranted a bit at the end, with his hands jazzing and flapping as he explained.

“So is there any more for chapter 1?” asked TaijuBot

“Nope, it's time for chapter 2,” shaftling to get chapter 2 notes “Huh, it's kinda short, so is Chapter 3 as well, anyway I guess I only have to present…Oooo Failure mechanics, that’s exhilarating,” exclaimed MechaSenku

Once again, the note floated over to the screen.

–Failure Mechanics–

Failure mechanics is a broad term, but it is the study of how and why materials break or fail under stress.

It encompasses understanding the mechanisms of fracture initiation and propagation, and predicting the conditions under which a component will fail.

This could relate to the dam breakage in Chapter 2, but that is theoretical.

Anyway, there are two types of material categories for this, it called ductile and brittle failure.

This is breakage when only counting on the material itself.

There are two categories of materials: ductile and brittle.

You see, it will look different at the breaks, as ductile materials have it has some necking, aka when pulled, the area gets smaller before the break, while brittle materials have a clean break, not to mention the stress-strain diagram, which represents a material's mechanical behaviour under load.

Basically, it plots stress (force per unit area) on the y-axis against strain (deformation) on the x-axis.

A major thing about fracture mechanics is that regardless of most materials, is that once a crack is formed, it tends to quickly progress to propagation and then fracture.

If you are curious, just a quick search online will show a diagram for this.

Anyway, the most energy is needed for the initiation, and as the stress increases with the size of the crack, less energy is needed to exert until failure of the material.

–End–

“They're nice and simple, understandable without going deep into the mathematical side of things”, looking at TaijuBot, seeing he is still paying attention

At this, someone came in, it was YuzuMachine, waving in with her beautiful needle-end fingers

“Hey guys, I'm back.” TaijuBot was stunned speechless and was just staring at her.

MechaSenku just shook his head. Why did the creators have to program Taiju’s shyness in? He could see that his CPU had started to overheat

“Oh, hey, YuzuMachine, are you done with your project?” asked MechaSenku. It can't be helped; they are the only two that can be in this space right now. He could go out, but then who would explain the things shown in the story?

“Yep, MechaSenku, it's a secret,” she didn't want to keep it a secret, but she did promise.

Shrugging, he accepted that answer; he had a job to do.

“Anyway, now we are starting on chapter 3, only again one topic, the four laws of thermodynamics, huh, nice.” This time, he held onto the note for a second before putting it on the screen.

–Laws Of Thermodynamics–

What is Thermodynamics?

Well, it's the study of the effects of work, heat, and energy on a system.

It was born in the 19th century as scientists were first discovering how to build and operate steam engines.

Thermodynamics deals only with the large-scale response of a system, which we can observe and measure in experiments.

Small-scale gas interactions are described by the kinetic theory of gases.

The methods complement each other; some principles are more easily understood in terms of thermodynamics, and some principles are more easily explained by kinetic theory.

There are four principal laws of thermodynamics.

Each law leads to the definition of thermodynamic properties, which helps us to understand and predict the operation of a physical system. Even if the numbering system for the four laws of thermodynamics is a bit confusing. 

The zeroth law of thermodynamics involves some simple definitions of thermodynamic equilibrium.

Thermodynamic equilibrium leads to the large-scale definition of temperature, as opposed to the small-scale definition related to the kinetic energy of the molecules. 

The first law of thermodynamics relates the various forms of kinetic and potential energy in a system to the work which a system can perform and to the transfer of heat.

This law is sometimes taken as the definition of internal energy, and it introduces an additional state variable, enthalpy.

The first law of thermodynamics allows for many possible states of a system to exist. But experience indicates that only certain states occur.

This leads to the second law of thermodynamics and the definition of another state variable called entropy.

The second law stipulates that the total entropy of a system plus its environment can not decrease; it can remain constant for a reversible process but must always increase for an irreversible process.

And finally, the third Law of Thermodynamics: a perfect crystal at zero Kelvin has zero entropy.

–End–

“Oh, I see, still it's kinda confusing that they had a zeroth law,” YuzuMachince commented while TaijuBot nodded along.

“Oh, it's because that law was discovered later but was the most important, and so many textbooks by then already had the previous law in that order, so they just added it like that,” MechaSenku explained.

“Oh, look in chapter 4, there is something you TajiuBot can present with me, it's Venomous vs poisonous”

“Ohh nice, oh I see” feeling his pockets, he found something there before, it was a crumbled piece of paper, pulling it out, he happily put it on the screen.

–Venomous vs Poisonous–

Okay, we've all seen the meme about it. Poisonous is when you bite it, you die, and venomous is when it bites you, you die.

The longer explanation is this.

Poisonous: it’s when you ingest the toxin. Like, for example, you lick or eat the wrong mushroom. Poison is a toxin that gets into the body by inhalation, swallowing, or absorption through the skin.

Venomous: it’s when the toxin is injected into you. Examples of this would be a snake that uses its fangs to inject venom, or a scorpion with its stinger. Venom is a toxin that gets into the body by being injected, usually by a bite or a sting.

–End–

“And that is a nice segway into the next topic, an Intro to fungi mentioned in chapter 4,” MechaSenku clapped as TaijuBot was grinning as having presented something, a thicker and longer note floated out

–Fungi–

What is a fungus?

Well, it is the larger term for all things mushroom and stuff like yeast; they are different from plants in that they lack chlorophyll and show a heterotrophic mode of nutrition.

They have a vital role in the ecosystem as decomposers. Spores help in the reproduction of fungi.

Most fungi are filamentous structures. They have long, thread-like hyphae, which form a network called mycelium.

Now, let's talk about what was mentioned in Chapter 4.

You would notice most of the mushrooms mentioned are not safe to consume, and some plants, like Amanita Virosa, Hypsizygus Tesselatus, and Manita Muscria Fly Agaric.

They are poisonous, you see in real life, mushrooms are very hard to identify as they are a highly diverse species, there are thousands, if not more, of them, not to mention their appearance can change based on factors like age, environment, and weather, making it harder to identify them based on appearance alone.

Fun fact: edible mushrooms have poisonous look-alikes, and relying on visual cues alone can be dangerous.

Remember how in chapter 3 Senku mentioned how he needed to start in spring?

This is the importance of Context because factors like the type of wood the mushroom is growing on, the time of year, and the surrounding vegetation can be important clues for identification.

Even in modern day, to recognise their differences,  there is often a need to use specialised knowledge, including the ability to perform spore prints, observe microscopic features, and conduct chemical tests.  

So conclusion, don't eat random mushrooms even if you are pretty sure they are safe.

Another tip avoid bright coloured things in nature, they are either poisonous, venomous or just very bitter to eat.

–End–

“Oh, that was shorter than I thought. I was assuming you would expand on the mushroom mentioned in chapter 4?” YuzuMachine exclaimed, kinda surprised at how short it was. TaijuBot nodded in agreement and added, “Yeah, why is that MechaSenku?”

“Ah, that's because it would be redundant to repeat too many things again for when a future character would come back and touch on it,” MechaSenku nodded to show understanding but explained further.

“Oh yeah, I forgot it won't just be us three forever,” TaijuBot muttered

“Yeah, you big oaf, I am still waiting, anyway-” MechaSenku started pulling out a sticky-sized note

“Hey, do we really need a whole note to explain how to get salt from seawater?” YuzuMachine was looking at the note when MechaSenku was pulling it out, and questioned cause even she knows how to get it.

“I mean, I could summarise it, so the short answer is evaporation, the long answer would include filtering it first before either leaving it to evaporate on its own, or boiling till saturation, then leaving it to evaporate.” He quickly summarised before pulling out the next note.

This one was bigger.

“Ah, now we are talking, it's Nitric Acid, Nital, Ferrous material and grain boundary,” smiling as TaijuBot and YuzuMachine started humming as their fans blew faster than their CPU.

The note was pasted on the screen.

–Nitric Acid, Nital, Ferrous material and grain boundary–

What is Nitric Acid?

Well, Nitric acid (HNO₃) is a highly corrosive mineral acid.

It's a colourless or yellowish liquid used primarily in fertiliser production, explosives, etching, and metal processing.

Its properties are that it is a strong oxidiser, highly corrosive, it reacts violently with many substances, and it dissolves most metals (except for noble metals like gold and platinum)

Now, how to get Nitric Acid in Nature, as can be seen and known if you watch the anime or manga, Nitric acid is not commonly found in its pure form in nature, but it can be formed naturally through atmospheric processes. Such natural sources are lightning, which can cause nitrogen and oxygen in the air to combine and form nitrogen oxides (NOₓ).

These then dissolve in rainwater to form nitric acid, contributing to acid rain.

The next method is microbial activity, which is how the cave of miracles works, in which soil bacteria in the nitrogen cycle can produce nitrates, which, under certain conditions, can contribute to nitric acid formation.

However, unless you get that rare cave, to actually obtain nitric acid in usable amounts in real life, it must be synthesised industrially, commonly through the Ostwald Process which is Ammonia (NH₃) is oxidised to NO, then further to NO₂, which is absorbed in water to form HNO₃.

What is Nital?

Nital is a chemical etchant made of Nitric acid (HNO₃), Ethanol aka alcohol (C₂H₅OH).

Its concentration is typically 2% to 10% nitric acid in ethanol.

In real life, it's used in metallography to etch metal surfaces (e.g., steel or iron) to reveal microstructures, like grain boundaries or phases.

What are Ferrous Minerals?

Okay, you see "Ferrous" refers to iron-containing minerals.

Some Common Ferrous minerals are Hematite (Fe₂O₃), Magnetite (Fe₃O₄), Siderite (FeCO₃) Pyrite (FeS₂), which also contains sulfur.

I have mentioned it earlier, but what is a Grain Boundary?

A grain boundary is the interface between two grains (crystals) in a metal or crystalline material.

Let's get a bit into material sciences, metals are made of many tiny crystals (grains). The grain boundary is where two differently oriented crystals meet. These boundaries affect its Mechanical strength, its Corrosion resistance, and the Electrical properties.

And as mentioned earlier, etching with Nital helps reveal these boundaries under a microscope to analyse metal quality or structure.

–End–

“Wow is that's lengthy, okay, now here is a fun topic and the last one for this interlude, it's the scientific method. If you look closely in future chapters that focus on Senku, you can see him using all the steps.” MechaSenku finishes while a colourful rainbow note is floated out.

YuzuMachine and Taiju are giving big smiles as they start to leave the room.

–The Scientific Method–

It is a systematic approach to acquiring knowledge through observation, experimentation, and analysis.

It involves formulating a hypothesis, testing it through experiments, and drawing conclusions based on the results.

This is an iterative process that helps refine our understanding of the natural world.

Here are the steps,

First is Observation, you start by observing the phenomenon or event that made you curious about it, to want to know more.

The second step is to create the question, based on the observation, a specific question is created about the phenomenon, like why the sky is blue.

Now you create a hypothesis, which is a testable explanation or prediction (hypothesis) that is proposed to answer the question.

Now the fun starts, you experiment, create an experiment that is designed and conducted to test the hypothesis. This involves carefully controlling variables and collecting data.

Then you analyse the data you collected from the experiment to determine if it supports or refutes the hypothesis.

And then you have a conclusion, which is based on the analysis, and a conclusion is drawn about the validity of the hypothesis.

If the hypothesis is supported, it may lead to further research or refinement. If it's refuted, new hypotheses are developed and tested.

And that is the fun thing about it, it's never a dead end,  just another clue on what the answer might be.

–End–

All that is left is MechaSenku.

There was a knock on the door as it opened.

Nobody came in, but MechaSenku seemed to be able to tell who it was with a smile.

He left his desk and started walking out.

As his last foot in the lab, he paused, turning back for a second, and gave one last response

“See you next time,” with a wave, and he is gone.

Chapter Text

Japan, Tokyo 

Down below on the street. 

A group of girls dressed in what could only be the local high school uniform, with its tortilla colouring and ruby school tie.

They were crossing the street, laughing and giggling, radiating joy.

Walking, jogging and jostling as they move, one of the girls spotted something out of her eyes.

Turning her around, she noticed it was a mom-and-pop store.

Smiling, she grabbed her friends, dragging them towards the store. 

The rest of her friends laughed, shaking their heads, but went in anyway. 

On the door that the group just passed by was a bright cherry blossom poster, with a cartoon Joker on it.

It was an advertisement for a special April Fools' Day promotion.

Behind the store counter were an uncle and aunt joking and ribbing each other, both radiating contentment and love, as they took care of the store, the shared life they created.

In a nearby park by Tokyo University.

Pink petals floated down and around, creating a carpet of pink amongst the sea of green, making a beautiful and romantic atmosphere. 

A couple was holding hands, walking through, friends playing about, and tourists taking photos as the city life goes on around them.

As the petals were falling, picnic blankets littered the area, with groups of university students gathering and having fun.

Away from the noise and crowd, leaning on a tree was a teenager absently shuffling a deck of cards.

He was eye-catching, his hair was dual coloured, on the right side of his head was black and on his left side was white, and weirdly, his hair on that side was longer.

While the asymmetrical looks don't work on most people, it looks like it would work on him…eventually.

But for now, he was awkward looking like how all teenagers were as their bodies make it’s way to adulthood.

Like the rest of the parkgoers, he was also enjoying the peach blossom as he paused his shuffling for a second to lift a hand to brush some off his lavender sweater.

Not far away, under the sun, a group of 5 small children were chasing each other. 

Their blue school uniforms were stained with mud and petals. 

It seems the only untouched piece was their insignia, which was of the rising sun; it's the logo of the nearby elementary school.

On each of their heads was a yellow bucket hat. 

A taller individual was watching them from afar; one could assume that she was their teacher, and they were having a learning journey out to the nearby park. 

One of the children spotted the teenager getting the attention of the rest, stopping their game for a moment.

The 10-year-olds watched mesmerised, the teen showed no indication that he had noticed them watching him, but if one were to look closer, they would notice the slight upturn of the corner of his lips.

His shuffling started to become more complex. 

He went through a bridge before moving on to a Faro, to a waterfall.

The children started to get closer, wanting to see what he would do next.

With a slight smirk, when the children were about 3 meters away from him, grabbing something in his pockets that none of them noticed, he waved his hands and all the cards disappeared. 

The children couldn’t help but cheer, attracting the attention of their guardian.

As the children started to move even closer, there was a burst of cherry blossom petals falling around where they were.

They couldn't help but exclaim as they looked up in wonder. 

Mixed in with the pink cherry petals, there were some yellow and white ones.

By the time they looked at where the teen was, he was gone. 

He had disappeared like a magician. 

Away and hidden from the enthusiastic gaze of small children, the teen was looking for another tree; he had a serious issue on hand, and he wanted proper space to ponder it.

Unlike everyone else, Gen was not truly enjoying the cherry blossoms, sure, a part of him was relaxing to looking at the sights and such, but the ball of heavy weight in his chest made it mildly uncomfortable, and he was well-versed enough to know he should address it, and not wait.

There is no point in dragging it out.  

Slightly joking in his internal monologue, he declared with faux seriousness.

He had an extremely serious issue in the history of issues.

He was bored…

Okay, maybe he had played it up a bit, but it was a serious issue. 

With his many issues that childhood gifted him, he could go into apathy real quickly, and he would spiral down to more dangerous activities to try to drag himself out.

Like the time he got involved with Japan’s underground, he was luckier even than with his still developing slivertongue and his general state of being a kid, so he could get away with the whole not understanding what was happening.

That he managed to convince everyone in that whole mess, he was just some kid, the real Magician was using as an intermediary.

He would pat himself on the back for his foresight in changing his voice and that he had watched enough drag shows in the orphanage to change his gender and dye his hair before he had done anything, but seriously, what was he thinking?

It was barely 2 years ago, and his face was already getting recognisable for being a child genius, yeah, so being bored for him is a bad idea.  

Not to mention the other side effects, when he is bored, he tends to psychoanalyse people he does it normally or not, but when his brain is seeking stimulation, it will be 100% or not.

He would find it harder and harder to focus when he knows what people would say before they even open their mouths, making him even more bored with the conversation, and it makes him want to crawl out of his skin.

When he knows after a minute or so what their intentions were, it's hard to connect with people when every dirty secret is aired out for him to read.

Stopping for a second in his search for a nice shaded tree, to rub a hand down his face and let out a groan, radiating displeasure.

Let's be honest with ourselves, face it, we are not bored.

No.. No.. No, we are bored, but the larger element, the driving force behind it, is that we are lonely . 

His thoughts echoed loudly, bouncing around his head, like the DVD logo on a TV. 

He is 15 years old today, he is a certified child genius, and he has just finished his master’s in psychology and neuroscience, which means he can finally specialise in neuropsychology.

Which is something he should be celebrating about, it was the intersection between the hard science and the soft sciences, of course, he prefers the soft sciences so much more interesting and debatable. 

Letting a small self-satisfied smirk out, he avoided a ball as if he didn't even notice it.

Neuropsychology is so cool, it's the field that he knows of that will allow him to discover more about humans’ ability to sense emotions and how soulmates work, as it is a branch of psychology concerned with how a person's cognition and behaviour are related to the brain and the rest of the nervous system

He remembers coming across an article about how it was a neuropsychologist who proved that the things we were sensing had their basis in science rather than it was the radiation of the soul.

The terms for it predate modern technology, so a lot of the names for it have been taken and used elsewhere, like the proper name for the soulmate bond is connection, and when talking about the other individual at the end of the bond, they are called a connector. 

He loves the brain; it's so fascinating, it is all they are and more.

The ability for humans to make decisions and feel is controlled and influenced by the chemicals we produce and ingest. 

He knows just by observing behaviour to tell what a person might do, but he wants to know how behaviour and cognition are influenced by brain function, and how that would read on his end with his receiver, the part of the brain that can receive the brainwaves of others.

The fact that this field he is aiming for needed him to be proficient in psychology and neuroscience was the extra challenge that he needed.

Another thing for the future- 

Abruptly, he stopped.

Snapping his head, eyes widening, staring at what he saw. 

It was a couple in bright eye-searing hot pink and neon green, his brain was not computing because, what kind of fashion choices are that, because even worse, it was in leopard print, and they are getting kinda hot and heavy in a public park. 

The number of choices one must have made, to get there, to think that, the clothes they were wearing as a pair looked good, he couldn't help but start to analyse their psyche.

… what was I thinking of again?  

Damn it, he lost his train of thought. 

Ah, what was he going on about again?

Ah, yes, when he was younger, he wanted to be a mentalist. 

It made sense with his talent; he naturally was able to sense the complex emotions of individuals more easily than the average person.

There is another trait of his that influenced him.

It was his ability to be able to obscure emotions, like how most escape artists are double-jointed, most magicians and diplomats are able to overlap their brainwaves, making them hard to read.

It's rare to have both double jointness and the dual-wave trait, which is what made mentalists so rare and hard to be, even without counting the skills to train and the knowledge of the human psyche required.

Even now, as he is knee-deep in academia, he has been keeping up with his magician training and making sure his body is flexible so he can do all those fun escape tricks.

The fact is that when he is ready with both the theory and practical side of things.

Feeling pride and ambition, in his mind, he declared.

I would be the greatest mentalist in the world

Another thought popped up.

And if I get a Nobel Prize for my hopefully future work in proving soulmates exist in the realm of science and beating back the fate myth…

Well, I want that too. 

I am a shallow man after all, praised in the moment and immortality in the history books.

But still, he has a dilemma on his hands, as much as it was fun to get his master's at the beginning, it was starting to get boring after a while. 

The fact that he could pick up the topics too easily meant that he was ahead of his already fast-tracked lessons.

Finally, he spotted a new tree, still one of cherry blossom but without constantly falling petals, which was out of sight from the kids, and was unoccupied.

It fits all his requirements, it’s perfect.

With a smile and a bit of theatre, he pulled a mat out of nowhere. 

It was from one of his many sewn-in pockets that he had poked himself too many times from the needle to not use them at every chance he could get. 

He set up a picnic, and another wave of his hands, he fumbled his cola.

Flushing immediately, he could feel the red start to spread from his neck up.

Embarrassed, he looked around, seeing nobody watching him, and he tried it again, getting it right on the second try. 

He may look calm, the poker face is one of the skills he mastered early on, he is still working on controlling his reactions, but his internal thoughts are extremely active in tone and inflexion 

Dammit, I have been skipping my dexterity training lately…I haven't flumbled anything this badly since I was 13…But hey, at least now I have finished my master's, I have more time.   

Carefully popping the bottle open.

Pop…hissss

Eyeing it for a moment, making sure it won't overspill, he took a sip.

“ Ahh… It's so much better than those bitter energy drinks,” he couldn't help mutter out loud.

Remembering how he chased his thesis, he shuddered, recalling all the energy drinks he had to force down his throat.

But still he was proud of what he wrote, it was how the human behaviour would be different if we as a species could not perceive the emotions of others, for his psychology and the neuroscience, it was about reciprocal emotions.

A more detailed explanation is that he wrote about which part of the brain aka the receiver, actively pick up those signals how the cells looks about the same as normal neurons but with a few key differences and how the brain decodes those emotions which part was activated, and how in the process of decoding there needs to be a comparison therefore reciprocal emotions.

He knows he could get them both to Phd level by the time he is 19 at the latest if he took time off here and there, which he can foresee himself doing as he would either need a completed research idea, or have prior research experience to even qualify for it.

Not that he couldn't really if he wanted to get a few recommendations to cut short that process to next year, it was a mix of reputation and his silver tongue.

But now he is bored, he needs to do something, he needs more, but now he wasn't sure what to do.

He had a few options. 

Number one, he could take a few years off to go train to become a magician. 

He mostly got down tricks that he can practise alone, but he needs some safety net for when he starts messing with pyrotechnics. 

Not to mention the experience, and he already has contacts for him to do so, but if he were to do it now, it would mean he would be pausing his academia until his fame dies down.

He doesn't want to experience studying while being hounded and stalked by fans, nor does he want to experience putting in effort for his research and only being asked about his other job instead of what he was researching at the moment.

Leaning his head back against the tree, he took to observing the clouds, leaning his chin on his hand as he rearranged his legs in a cross-legged position. 

He is a genius that is not an exaggeration, nor is that a brag, it is a fact, he was tested and proved it, by testing out of high school so early, he got his master's at 15.

While he doesn't have a photographic memory thank something for that, he has an eidetic one and pulling statics in his field of study is as easy as a card trick, he can recite that statics of getting a soulmate every year after 15 gets lower and lower he can even go into the percentage its a 1.5% drop on a curve.

The fact is, he is not a romantic; he doesn't need a relationship to live, nor is that a major goal of his.

Does he like the idea? 

Yes, he does, but does he need it? 

No, he does not; a platonic relationship is fine with him.

He knows well enough to know that not all soulmates are romantic, but regardless of that, he does want someone to understand him.

To be able to keep up with him, so he doesn't have to explain step by step what he is thinking or doing.

Hell, maybe his soulmate will be in a different field and he won't understand what they are doing that would be fun, but they should be able to keep up he hopes he would be able to just give the broad strokes and they would fill in the rest.

He knows it's going to be hard to find someone like that.

He knows his starting percentage of finding his soulmate randomly is lower than the norm; people, like scientists, as in people generally who have a high IQ or have different neural pathways, tend to find them later in life, compared to the average age of 14-18.

The moment his IQ was shown to be about 200, he knew, of course, he was in denial, but the fact he already researched and plotted out his chances before should have been a major sign, but hey, hindsight.

There are thousands of people born with this level of IQ every day around the world, but not everyone can develop it, and there should be only one or two in Japan in his age range, but if they are not, then he would have to go overseas.

Not to mention, there is a very real chance, if his theory on soulmates is right, that he might not have one.

Rubbing his suspiciously shiny eyes, he grabbed his bento.

He is not going to try to make it appear; he doesn't want to drop his lunch, he may not need to work now due to the stipend he was given, but it is not endless.

Is that so much to ask for, to wish for?

A single petal fell on his face. 

Brushing it off, he grabbed his cola he took another sip.

Honestly, he probably won't meet his if they even exist until his 21st, which is when he would be expected to go on a soulmate trip or voyage entre âme sœur , to go as far and wide as he could, only stopping until he finds them or gives up.

There are stories of people going on these trips for years.

It used to scare him when he was younger, thinking of never settling down, always on the move, but now that he is older, he might prefer that.

If how he is feeling is an indicator for the next few years…

It's so oring-bay.

He had done everything he could. 

In university, he had joined half a dozen clubs, but he had to sweet-talk most of them to even have a conversation with a 15-year-old, while the rest were 20+, but it felt too much like a mask most of the time

It’s exhausting, that's why I quit them… I know when I'm not wanted… too bad for them, they are issing-may this 

After finishing his lunch, he decided to go home as much as he liked to walk around the city, hoping to hear a clear thought among the millions of inhabitants. 

He still has a job later, actually it's more of a hobby, he has been getting into this new thing called social media, it's a fun way to practise his magic.

He should avoid that path home; the last he heard, there was a bunch of 12-year-olds doing all kinds of dangerous science experiments there, including playing with fire. 

He won't judge, considering who he is, but he is not risking it, nodding to himself, he took a hard left.

Chapter Text

Tsukutsukubooshi, the cicadas sang loudly in the air.

The sun was high in the sky, and an elderly couple walking by caught sight of the gleam of a rocket shining in the sky, and started whispering and trading glances. 

They tugged at each other to turn around and leave when two kids came over.

“Hey, Senku, we are here!!” he waved enigmatically, a boy with short, spiky brown hair, sweat dripping down his face, who was carrying a lot of heavy equipment.

Behind him, a girl was walking over, broadcasting her amusement and shyness, silently watching the boy in front of her with fondness before catching sight of what, or rather, who the boy was shouting about.

Smiling at her friend, she walked over, with a smile, digging for something in her bag.

“Hi, I'm here too. I brought what you asked of me,” She added, finally finding it, she finished it out, showing her handmade dolls of the three of them.

They were made from cloth and cotton, she remembered that Senku wanted them to have some weight to test for something, so she had added some beans to weigh them down. 

Of course, she added them at the bottom so they could, in a way, stand.

“Oi, you Oaf, no need to shout, and Yuzu, nice! That is just what we needed,” Shaking his head in amusement, as he chuckled a bit, he continued.

“Some test pilots for the rocket”, with a smile, he nodded at Yuzuhari, and he gently took the dolls and loaded them into the rocket chamber. 

Senku spent a few sleepless nights calculating to include it.

But it was worth it, even if it’s just a test… I want my friends up there with me.

Walking backwards, until he and his friends were at a safe distance, an unholy smirk crossed his 12-year-old face. 

If it were another kid, it would have looked very wrong, but to his friends, it was just a sign of his happiness and excitement.

Radiating smugness, after putting on his goggles and making sure his friends did so too, he pressed the launcher, and its display screen started the countdown. 

10… 

Looking at it gleam in the sun, he could feel his heart pounding; he was sure his friends could sense his excitement, as he could sense theirs.

9… 

He wonders if it would hit the expected altitude. 

8… 

In a world of soulmates, he is sure nothing, not even they, could beat this feeling because science is the best…but maybe if they exist and are out there, they could stand next to science?

6…

Wait…how can I get distracted right now? By soulmate-related thoughts, now! They are not even scientifically proven right, never mind focus now!

4… 

Sighing slightly, he refocused just in time for the last 3 seconds.

3… 

2… 

1…

The control made a beep before he could hear the booming sound.

The goggles may have protected his eyes at the initial launch, but now they only serve to hinder his view. 

He shoved them off his face, allowing his eyes to adjust to the light.

He stood in awe as his eyes trailed the contrail it left on its path to space.

The satisfaction Senku felt as his friends cheered him on, the achievement he had made, all of it gave his faint goal for the future weight; it all brought a smile on his 12-year-old face.

One day, I will go to space and I will bring my friends with me.

As the rocket launched off, Senku looked at it until it was out of sight and at the expected altitude, he knew that if it reached the correct height, he should have an email containing a picture on his computer.

As Yuzuhari looked at the rocket disappearing into the atmosphere, she smiled before noticing the time, “Oh, sorry, guys, I have to go now, my parents want me back for lunch”, she hurriedly mentioned as she started dashing away.

“Oh, it's okay, Yuzuhari, see you tomorrow,” Taiju shouted, waving enthusiastically.y 

As they crossed the bridge into the neighbourhood, Taiju was humming, unaware that the same elderly couple that turned around earlier were staring at them and whispering, “those damn kids”

Senku, on the other hand, could feel the displeasure radiating from them, thinking of a way to distract Taiju before he noticed, he started the dreaded love talk, “So, Oaf, when are you going to confess to her?”

“What do you mean?!” Taiju couldn't help but shout, leaking panic, waving his hands here and there as he looked around frantically, while his face slowly flushed, starting at his neck before spreading to his cheeks.

Senku had to hold in his laughter, taking a deep breath, calming down, holding his laugh, he reassured him, “Relax, she is no longer in earshot”

Ah, I will have to have these kinds of talks more often, if only to see Taiju’s expressions, it’s so interesting and funny. 

Like a flip of a coin, his face now no longer panicked as he started to calm down. 

He hummed, thinking for a bit as he rubbed his chin. 

He answered, “Ah, I will soon, besides, don't you don’t even believe in soulmates?” he couldn't help but question in the end.

It’s a bit weird that Senku is the one bringing out this topic… He normally avoids it at all costs… I wonder what's up with him… Maybe he finally wants one?

Senku couldn't help but crinkle his nose at that and answered in a firm tone, “I don't.”

Clearing his throat, he may have been too defensive, he continued, “I know some people are just compatible enough to hear each other's thoughts and achieve telepathy.”

He turned around to look Taiju in the eye as he stressed the next part, “but I don't subscribe to the notion of fate or that some god is choosing our soulmates for us,”

”Do you know how big the universe is? The notion that even if there is a higher power, they spent their time arranging dates for us humans is laughable," Senku couldn't help it as he went into a rant.

“You don't have to be so mean, I bet your soulmate will side with me”, feeling defensive, Taiju retorted back pausing as the traffic light turned red.

“No… If note that if they exist, they will side with me or have their own hypothesis on soulmates, making them not agree with me or you,” Senku couldn't help but feel a bit childish as he answered back, shifting his bag on his shoulders as they stopped the conversation to cross the road

Now that they are no longer crossing the road, Taiju couldn't help but mention a thought that he had been thinking about for a while, “Yeah, honestly, I can kind of see that, if they are your soulmate, they would have to be able to keep up with you.”

Under his breath, he muttered, “ I wonder what kind of genius can?” but all he could think of was just another version of Senku.

“Okay, enough guess talk on unscientific topics, I am taking a left here, like always.” Taiju nodded at that, looking like he wanted to shout something, so he quickly continued, “See you later, no need to shout, I will send the picture, later when I get home” Senku waved at Taiju as he turned.

“Thanks, Senku, I bet Yuzuhair would love them” Taiju couldn't help but feel excited and hugged Senku from behind. 

Being the taller child, he might have lifted Senku up in the air a bit.

Kicking his legs, he felt despair. 

Why must Taiju be so touchy and clingy? He wished he and Yuzuriha had got together already, if only to stop subjecting him to these bone-crushing hard. 

He couldn't help but wheeze, “Let go of me, you are crushing my ribs”

Taiju sheepishly let go and rubbed his head. 

Senku couldn't help but sigh before waving him off to show he forgave him, and he made sure to radiate the forgiveness as well to ensure the Oaf didn't misunderstand and get irritatingly depressed.

From the looks of it, Taiju got the message; the look on his face became sunny once again as he waved him off.

When he finally got home after the long talk he had with his best friend, he rushed up the stairs, logging on to his computer, he saw it.

It was a picture of the atmosphere, the kamlabe line, the edge of space. 

It was the three of them, floating at the edge of space, the world as their background.

Senku’s doll had his lab coat and his white but green-tipped hair, Taiju had his smile sewn on with his brown spiky hair, and she had her beloved headphones on and her long hazel hair.

Smiling, he attached the photo to send to his dad, Taiju and Yuzuhari.

Maybe I should send one to Dr X. I am sure he would give me some feedback.

.-- .... .- - / .- / .-- --- -. -.. . .-. ..-. ..- .-.. / ... ..- -- -- . .-.

Flicking on a switch, the one-room apartment lit up. 

Gen let out a sigh, locking his door, he started to take off his sweater and all his items. 

Once he was done, he made his way to his bathroom to freshen up at the mirror, past himself into the room behind him. 

He grimaced, and he noticed how his room was extremely messy due to his not cleaning it for a while.

Not to mention the fact that only he lives here, all alone, gripping the sink, he sighed, his face tugged into a frown as the mask of a smile faded away.

I'm lonely, I don't have friends, and my room is horrid…

How did I not notice it, and I know I am experiencing Ptsd…

I know it's affecting my ability to connect with others, but there is a reason we are not supposed to self-diagnose. 

One might ask what a 15-year-old was doing alone in the big city.

Well, it was a long story, not something that Gen would ever be willing to talk about, but sometimes the memories edged in regardless. 

- .... . / .-.. --- ...- . / .. / -. . ...- . .-. / .... .- -..

It was dark and gloomy, the moon hiding behind the clouds, and not a single star could be seen in the night sky; it was the chill of winter, dreaded and dreary.

Two drunk guys stumbling about singing to the sky, one stopped to vomit in a bush. 

There was a rundown apartment complex. 

In it, a small boy was watching television, it was a magician TV program, he was engrossed, trying his best to follow along with the only toys he had, his father’s poker cards. 

Just as he was attempting the farro shuffle.

Bang

The door slammed open, shocking him so much that cards went flying everywhere, snapping his head to the front door, and he saw it.

There was a silhouette outlined by the street light that showed a tall, overbearing man with a half-filled bottle in his right hand.

Behind him was a woman who was taller than the man, but her hunched shoulders and meek demeanour made her seem smaller and harmless.

The man stood by the side waiting for the woman to cross the threshold. 

She stopped at the edge, considering for a bit before, before stepping in.

The atmosphere tensed as the man stared at her, slowly closing the door.

…Click… the door was locked, the tense atmosphere skyrocketed so much that one could cut it with a knife.

Then it started under the cold light of one of the flickering hall lights. 

The man was flushed red, the woman started cowering back, unknown to the man but not to the little boy watching, there was cold light in her eyes, like she had already decided on something.

With a sigh, bending down, he picked up his fallen cards, getting ready to meditate once again.

This was not the first time his parents had fought. 

There was a time when he was 5, when things had been getting better, with him emotionally negotiating for both his parents.

There may have been a lot of manipulation involved on his part for them to see eye to eye, but it has worked.

And his 5-year-old self thought it was a good thing, so he continued to do so, getting better and better. 

Of course, it helps that one of the few channels on TV had been a magician show with a psychology segment.

There are studies of children developing their sensors early, typically in response to high-stress situations, in which observing the moods of the adults in their lives is the key to survival.

It echoes to him; it was his voice when he read the recent library books he had been reading, echoing in his head, forcing him to acknowledge this fact, which is really what explains him.

The thing is, his parents had been waking up to what he was doing.

They have been having their arguments away from him and have been leaving him alone more and more.

I… have been noticing the times that the physical violence between either parent has been steadily increasing… 

This is not good…  They are a danger to themselves. 

I don't know what to do… Or how to help.

All the books he had been searching for had been useless, or he was unable to borrow them due to his age.

Using the computer in the library always just prompts him to call the police. 

At first, he was resistant, but now he was no longer 5 natively hoping his parents would get better and stop fighting if he just intervened enough.

I am 7 now… I may be young, but I know I have been forced to mature faster compared to my peers… and being the one who had to emotionally regulate the adults in my life probably pushed that more. 

He knows that the right thing would be to call the police or tell another mandated reporter, like his teacher.

But I am only 7, why? Must I be born in a family like this? Why couldnt I have something like my peers–

Feeling the mix of emotions from his parents across the apartment, he took a deep breath, ignoring his thoughts.

He rubbed his ring finger as they mentioned on TV.

He has been trying to condition himself to calm down and focus when he does that action; progress is rough.

Once he was calm and ready, he went over the emotions that were getting louder and thicker. 

Just as he was about to open the door, it stopped.

Feeling cold dread, his mind racing, running through what could have made the lack of emotions.

Something metallic assaulted his sense of smell. 

For a second, he didn't know what to think. 

He could only stare at the oak wooden door.

He knew he was dissociating, but all he could see was that the edges were no longer solid, and he could see that the brass handle was off coloured.

The world was silent, slowly, he gripped the cold brass handle and turned.

…Red…  

The floor was red, no, it was stained red, and only his father was there. 

His face was ashen grey, and he was weakly trying to hold his neck as the puddle of blood spread further.

Gen caught in his head didn't notice he was locking eyes with his father's.

When he came back to his senses, he could see his father's desperate grey eyes, the same shade as his, to know what his own eyes would look like when they were in shaking fear.

Gen nodded as he sensed his father’s waves of fear, quickly but stealthily backing away, he had to assume his mother had a knife and was willing to use it, once he was out of sight.

He ran to the landline, feet pounding as quietly as he could on the tiled floor, his heart to his throat.

It was a grey rotary phone common in that era of his youth, and with shaky, clammy hands, he picked up the phone.

Pulling back the numbers to 9…9–

A finger was pressing the receiver, ending the call. 

He froze.

Slowly, he turned around.

Fear had made his face frozen; he could hear his heartbeat and the sweat on his palms.

There she was, his mother, for the first time in forever, she had a smile, her bloody hand cradled his cheek, leaning down to give him a gentle kiss on his forehead.

She whispered, “My darling, it’s fine, relax, mommy and daddy are just going to go somewhere, be a good boy and go to your room, don't leave until the morning tomorrow, won't you do that for mummy?”

He was only 7, but he knew the situation just as quickly the second he saw her smile so gently, the moment she kissed his forehead, and he confirmed it the moment she spoke.

His mind was never one to stop. 

He had been analysing forming words at the tip of his tongue even before he saw his father, and he had been polishing it the moment he ran for the phone.

She won't kill him, but she won't leave him unharmed if he tries, not even to talk; he could see the hard light hidden at the back of her gentle eyes.

Closing his eyes for a second, locking all emotions even farther.

He nodded slowly and walked to his room tiptoeing, trying his best not to make a noise. 

He didn't dare to breathe, not until the door to his room locked with a click.

Staring the the wall, he can't help but think of why it led to this, what he could have done differently, and would this have always been the case? 

Was he cursed? He knows it's not that curses don't exist, but right now in his room, while his murderer of a mother is finishing off his father, he sure feels like it.

He is only 7, the tears started flowing, and it didn't stop until he couldn't feel anyone in the house.

He doesn't remember what happened next, but the next time he found himself, he was at a police station.

Surrounded by police as they monitored him while trying to radiate comfort, it was not working, as he reported what he saw.

.-- --- ..- .-.. -.. / .. / . ...- . .-. / -... . / .-.. --- ...- . -.. / ..-. --- .-. / -- . ..--..

Booting up his pc, doom scrolling through Facebook, seeing it was time he started setting up his video camera and lights as he debated on what trick he should do.

The great thing about this new social media thing is that, unlike an alive audience, he can truly control the angles.

Meaning not only does he have a margin of error, but a lot of the more difficult or near impossible tricks to do in front of a live audience suddenly become moderately easy enough for him to do.

Finally decided on a simple spongeball disappearing trick. 

There are multiple ways to do so, but he settled on a pinch technique in which is one of the first tricks he learnt when he got spongeballs.

After setting the camera and the mic, he greeted his audience, showing his hands. 

He produced 5 spongebals, but with a wave of his hand, only one remained.

“Hello, people, today I am going to demonstrate a very simple disappearing trick. Take a close look, and try to spot that I did so. I will be slowing down so the keen-eyed amongst you can see how it unfolds” 

The first thing that he did was to pinch the spongeball in between his index and middle fingers, just on the edge of the spongeball. 

“You see, the technique is quite simple, it's not complicated at all, like all things magic, it's an illusion,” he commented idly.   

He doesn't even have to move from the position that he took his fingers out, holding the spongeball in the same position. 

Once he took his fingers out with the spongeball, he closed his fingers and rolled them inside, and then he gripped the spongeball between his thumb and the base of his hand. 

This allowed him to open his fingers and also grip the spongeball in such a way that it wouldn't show to the exterior. 

After which, he placed the spongeball in his other hand over here as he closed his hand, and then continued the waving motion. 

And just like magic, the missing spongeball pops out of his hand as he opens them.

Pausing the camera, he took out the SD card and started to boot up his computer. 

It's time to do some editing. 

As he was taking a break from editing the video, he saw an ad for a documentary on the cannibal tribes in the Amazon.

He was getting bored anyway; he had nothing better to do, so he clicked it open.

“Hmm…it is kinda interesting on how they would lure their victims or prey in by raditing distress, even when they are not feeling that at all, i wonder what kind of brain stursure allos that is it unique to their tribe or is it just a skill unpractised, not to mention how the lack of empathy in killing something when you can feel their fear and distressed is it similar to the typical psyche of serail killers, or is it closer to soilders? Or is it not even a concern?” he was kinda rambling. 

Oh, I'm so curious, I kinda want to study them…

I could… 

But seriously, I am not that bored, right?

The exams are already over, he had submitted his papers, his research and all the other fun stuff.

Now he is just waiting for it to be peer reviewed. 

What he doesn't get is how he still has to attend lessons like he is a double major in psychology and neuroscience. 

Why does he need to know the basics of engineering?

When would he ever need to know the six simple machines? 

Droning of the lecturer, he couldn't help but listen, and he wasn't going to ignore knowledge even if it could very easily be found in the library.

Time passed as the days seemed to merge into one until he got the confirmation of his getting his master's; all his hard work paid off.

But then, after that, the same problem persists: he is part of no club, he has no family to go to, he has no friends here, and the only thing he can do is wander.

Monotone life, nothing exciting, it's boring, it makes him want to say fuck his plans and go be a mentalist now, but no, he is smarter than that, he won't make the same mistake of momentary satisfaction that sacrifices long-term gain.

The world looks so grey, which scares him; he knows why, but to face it as a 15-year-old is something he doesn't want.

Snapping himself out of it, he started to format his plan of action, a thought unbridled popped up.

Who knows, I might find someone like-minded soulmate or not.

Tilting his head to focus and ignoring that thought, he created a list of steps.

First, he needs to create a budget; he needs to think of equipment and transport costs, as well as living and food costs.

Not to mention the protection cost, the gear and even the hazard pay and then he has to convince the university to fund his research.

Which would not be hard, still, he can not only sweet-talk his way, but he is also right as of now, after he had gotten his master's under bond with the university for housing and to pay for his schooling.

Due to his hobby and that 12-year-old him mistake, aka him diving into the dark side of Tokyo for a bit, he could pay the bond breakage fee.

Oh yeah, he also needs to learn their language, if not, he would be useless, eh, it’s fine, he can learn it, if he starts now, he can learn it in 8 days. 

Not to mention this was his idea, and he would be the one submitting everything, filling and talking to investors and such.

He is going to need people who would listen to him when he gives them research purposes and such, and so far, from what he could tell in his interaction and observation of the university.

People don't because of his age and the fact that he took psychology, he knows if he took something like chemistry or physics, it would be different, but it's funny how everyone just ignores him when they learn that he also took neuroscience.

It would be better if he went alone or just personally found and interviewed the people with whom he would be working, but he knows that when he goes to the university for funding, they would want some say and after analysing who was the best to bring it up to before going higher.

Gen can foresee that he would have to bring in some of the lectures and students along.

It’s an acceptable compromise; he just can't let them take away all of his autonomy, so he should keep the personnel who came from the university small.

…and send.

And he was hit with instant regret; he was going to die.

I am going to be killed and eaten, this is exactly why I shouldn't be bored.

Hah, nothing he can do, he already sent that email, he can only wait for the response, well, it's time to continue editing his video.