Chapter Text
The group waited. One hour passed, and it became clear: the mentalist wasn't coming back for the little reunion and planning session. Senku sighed, arms crossed.
"Well, the mentalist isn't coming. Let's start without him."
He glanced at the team leaders. The others, busy with their tasks, turned their heads and gave small nods of agreement.
Finally, it was time to move forward with the plan.
______
The journey lasted half a day. The morning had gone well, but something still felt off. Ukyo noticed that Gen was avoiding some people, specifically Ryusui, Senku, and himself. But, he still spoke to them, with a certain distance and made only short conversations.
Observing Gen on the deck, Senku also noticed something strange and quietly joined Ukyo in a more isolated area, away from curious ears.
"Did you notice something too, Ukyo?" said Senku with disinterest, surprising Ukyo who hadn't heard him approach.
"I prefer not to jump to conclusions," replied Ukyo, narrowing his eyes. "But... Gen has been acting weird since yesterday."
Senku didn't say a word and simply nodded. Before one of them could continue to talk, a voice chirped behind them, making them tense up.
"Ukyo-chan! Senku-chan! Are you two plotting something without me?" laughed Gen, stepping into view with his usual playful tone.
"Nothing, mentalist. Just talking about the meeting you missed yesterday." replied Senku with a hint of reproach, his hands on his hips like a scolding parent.
"Oops~ Sorry, Senku-chan! I got bumped into a chat with Yuzuriha-chan and Taiju-chan about that scary voice message." said Gen smoothly, hiding his lies behind a soft smile.
"And what did you think of the announcement?" Ukyo asked, raising a brow, trying to corner him. "You were unusually quiet."
"Oooh, dear Ukyo~ Are you suspecting me of something?" sighed Gen dramatically, hiding the slight trembling in his sleeves. "Honestly, who wouldn't be scared? Survivors—unknown ones—on this island? We have no idea what they want. I just didn't want to rush into anything."
Silence.
A cold breeze brushed past their faces. Ukyo didn't look convinced. Senku stood still silently, analyzing every words and every twitch from Gen. But both of them noticed how the mentalist hid his shaking hands. They looked at each other and quietly confirmed that Gen was now a suspecious.
"Well then, Senku-chan~ What did I miss in yesterday's plan?"
Senku frowned and walked past Gen without answering directly, gesturing for him to follow toward Chrome.
"Are you slowing down, mentalist? Trying to avoid your job?"
Senku smirked, watching Gen's reaction closely. The scientist noticed how hard Gen was trying to keep calm, but said nothing.
As a response, Gen just smiled and caught up with him.
The rest of the day went... strangely normal.
______
They arrived at Ishigami Village. Everyone stepped off the ship, joyfully.
"Finally! Land! Glorious land!" shouted Yo, falling to his knees and kissing the dirt.
"You're so dramatic," sighed Senku, scratching his ear with a faint smirk. "It's only been a week."
"You can't deny it feels great to be back, Senku-chan~!" Gen laughed, making Yuzuriha and Suika nod excitedly.
"Gen's right! It feels amazing!" Taiju added with his usual enthusiasm.
"Yeah yeah. But we've got no time to waste. Let's revive Tsukasa," said Senku, arms crossed.
"HAHA! Now we're talking!" shouted Ryusui, snapping his fingers.
______
Climbing the mountain to reach Tsukasa wasn't hard—if you were as strong as Taiju. After a rough climb, Senku, out of breath, reached the cryogenic chamber where Tsukasa was resting.
Fortunately, all their effort was rewarded. Now, the depetrification fluid had advanced enough to fully heal Tsukasa's injuries. Senku grinned, approaching the fridge with a flask in a hand.
"It's time."
He glanced at the Medusa device in his other hand, murmured a command, and gently placed it on Tsukasa's chest. When he was far enough, a green light enveloped the fighter's body, freezing him in a stone state.
"And now..."
He removed the Medusa, letting the golden fluid run over the stone. This time, a brilliant yellow light submerged Tsukasa.
"Welcome back, Shishio," said Senku, scratching his ear with a smile.
Tsukasa slowly sat up. Gen approached with a flourish, holding out his cape and without hesitation, he caught the cape, handed to him.
"Did you dream of science during your nap, Tsukasa-chan~?" teased Gen, clearly trying to lighten the mood.
Tsukasa said nothing, simply staring at him in silent.
Now awake, Kohaku stood still, watching his every move, fully on guard. After all, he was still a formidable fighter. Taiju, oblivious to the tension, smiled wide at the sight of his old friend.
"We're going to the moon," announced Senku nonchalantly.
"The... Moon?" Tsukasa blinked, stunned.
"Why-man is there. So, we're going up. Oh, and by the way—we found survivors on this island," muttered Senku, already deep in thought.
"Survivors? How's that even possible?" asked Tsukasa, frowning.
"Right?! It's like ghosts or something!" gasped Chrome.
"That's kinda scary..." murmured Yuzuriha.
"Don't worry, Yuzuriha! I'll protect you!" Taiju declared with a hand on his chest.
"Oh, thank you, Taiju," she giggled softly.
A loud clap caught everyone's attention.
"That's why we're going to explore their secret base!" shouted Ryusui confidently.
"You're sure they're scientists?" asked Chrome.
"No doubt," Senku replied, arms crossed. "It's 10 billion percent certain they're scientists."
His red eyes shone with excitement.
"Our next mission is to find them and negotiate a peaceful cohabitation. The more allies we have, the faster we rebuild the world."
"Aren't you being too optimistic, Senku-chan?" Gen asked, eyeing the scientist already mapping things out in his head.
"It's possible, isn't it?" asked Ukyo calmly.
"Sure, it's possible," said Gen with a fake smile, uncomfortable under Ukyo's stare. "But we know nothing about them."
"That's why we're going to negotiate!" grinned Ryusui.
"And of course, you want me to come along..." sighed Gen.
Everyone nodded. Tsukasa smirked at the scene, though deep down, he remained cautious. After the planning, Tsukasa agreed to join the mission after Senku filled him in.
But his thoughts were elsewhere.
All he could think about... was her.
And then he saw her.
A little far, among some children, a girl stood holding a basket full of flowers. She slowly turned and locked eyes with her brother—the one she'd waited for all this time.
"Brother..." she sobbed, walking toward him. "You came back..."
"Yeah." Tsukasa smiled gently as Mirai ran and hugged him tightly.
"What a heartwarming scene, Tsukasa-chan~" teased Gen.
Tsukasa glanced at him, but this time... he let the smile stay.
"Now that you've reunited, shall we move to the next step?" said Senku, already halfway back to his lab.
"Wait! Don't you think it's unfair that you're the only one with the cool face marks?" said Gen, with a grin.
"Hah? That's not important."
"But he's right, Senku!" added Taiju.
Gen gave a mischievous smile, holding up a pot of ink. He redrew his own mark before turning to Tsukasa.
"There, Tsukasa-chan~ Or are you scared to get ink on your pretty face?" he teased.
Tsukasa chuckled lowly. "Only if you draw it with your eyes closed."
Gen blinked. "Wait, what?"
"Kidding," Tsukasa said deadpan, making even Senku snort softly.
"He made a joke... is the world really coming back?" whispered Chrome.
And with that, the spark of humanity, warmth, and uncertainty continued to grow among them.