Plans
The afternoon sun hung lazily in the sky, casting a golden glow over Hoshikawa. Kohaku wiped the sweat from her forehead as she restocked the shelves at the store, her thoughts still circling around yesterday’s events.
Senku had stopped by again—not that she cared or anything. It was just…a routine at this point. Yeah, that was it. A predictable part of her day. It wasn’t like she was looking forward to their usual back-and-forth banter or anything ridiculous like that.
Honestly, it was kind of weird how often he came by. Two and a half months had passed since he arrived in Hoshikawa, and yet, he still hadn’t packed up and left. For someone who never shut up about science and progress, he sure seemed content lingering around her village, her store, and—annoyingly—her personal space.
"Hey, Senku, I wanna ask—why is this cave so important to you?" Kohaku asked as she absentmindedly scanned his purchase.
Senku smirked at the question, lazily picking his ear.
"Well, lioness, the reason this cave is so important is because it’s got a mineral deposit that could change the world—again."
He tapped the counter with a finger for emphasis. "That cave has a rare concentration of platinum and iridium, which are insanely valuable for scientific progress. We’re talking about catalysts for advanced chemical reactions, fuel cells, and—get this—potential use in spacecraft engineering."
He leaned forward slightly, his red eyes gleaming with excitement. "If we refine it right, this stuff could be a game-changer for making durable, heat-resistant materials—something that could push humanity back into space."
Kohaku blinked, her hands pausing over his items. "Wait… You’re telling me that this dusty old cave could help people get off this planet someday?”
Senku shot her a smug grin, resting his elbow on the counter. “10 billion points for you lioness to actually understand it”
Kohaku rolled her eyes but couldn't fight back the small smirk tugging at her lips.
"Yeah, yeah, don’t get cocky." She placed his purchase—a few energy bars and a bottle of water—into a paper bag before glancing at him skeptically.
“and how is this…cave research doing exactly?”
Senku clicked his tongue, leaning back with an exaggerated sigh. “Painfully slow, thanks for asking”
he grab the paper bag off the counter. “Science isn’t magic, lioness. You don’t just snap your fingers and get results. Real progress takes time.”
He turned toward the door but paused, glancing back at her. “Anyway, don’t miss me too much while I’m gone.”
Kohaku rolled her eyes, but the corner of her mouth twitched up. “In your dreams, lettuce-haired weirdo.”
And with that, Senku strolled out, and Kohaku exhaled, shaking her head as she returned to her routine.
About an hour later, just as she was finishing up reorganizing a display, the door swung open with a chime. Kohaku barely had time to look up before she spotted Yumi, grinning at her like she was up to something.
"So… how did it go?"
Kohaku blinked. "How did what go?"
"Ohhh, don’t play dumb with me~" Yumi sing-songed, her grin widening. "The date, obviously. You know, with Dr. S?" She made a teasing cat-like expression, wiggling her eyebrows.
Kohaku’s face instantly turned red. “It wasn’t a date, Yumi!”
“Oh come on,” Yumi whined, leaning on the counter. “You two spent the whole festival together. Under the pretty lights! Eating festival food! Walking around all alone—oh, and let’s not forget the totally romantic ‘firework gazing’ moment. Sounds exactly like a date to me.”
Kohaku raised an eyebrow. “And how did you know all of this exactly?”
Yumi straightened up, giving her a mischievous grin. “I have my ways, my dear Kohaku~”
Kohaku folded her arms. “Uh-huh. So you’ve been spying on us now?”
Yumi winked dramatically. “Maybe a little. Or maybe I have an inside source who likes to accidentally leave important details out in casual conversation.” She grinned wider. “I’m not saying any names, of course.”
Kohaku groaned. “You didn’t.”
“Oh, I did,” Yumi said with a sing-song tone, enjoying the effect her words had. “And by the way, that little moment under the fireworks? The way you two were looking at each other? Definitely not just a science lecture.”
Kohaku’s face flushed, and she shot a look at the door, as if expecting Senku to walk back in and make her life even more awkward.
“Yumi, I swear—”
“Yeah, yeah, ‘not a date,’” Yumi said, pretending to be bored. “But it’s fine, Kohaku. You don’t need to admit it to me. The whole village can see it.”
Kohaku sputtered. “The whole village?!”
Yumi nodded sagely. “Oh yeah. You’ve got the glow.”
Kohaku groaned again, rubbing her face. “There’s no glow. I’m just—”
“Just what?” Yumi interrupted, smirking. “Having fun with a guy who happens to know how to make your heart do weird things?”
Kohaku opened her mouth to argue but paused. There was no denying the strange feeling that stirred inside her when she was around Senku. But it’s not a date. She gritted her teeth.
“I’m not falling for it, Yumi. I’m not some lovesick fool.”
Yumi burst out laughing. “Of course not! You're just totally cool about it.” She winked. “Keep telling yourself that.”
Kohaku just stared at her, feeling like she was losing this battle. “You’re impossible.”
“And you’re in denial,”
Yumi shot back with a smirk before grabbing a snack and casually strolling toward the door.
“But hey, I’m here if you ever want to talk about it.”
Kohaku watched her leave, biting her lip. She didn’t want to admit it, but... maybe Yumi wasn’t wrong.
At Chrome's home he was busy handling one of Senku’s many requests—sorting paper, organizing data, or something equally tedious—Senku’s phone buzzed on the table. With a glance at the screen, he saw Chelsea’s name flashing.
He picked up the call, holding the phone to his ear. “Yo, Chelsea. What’s up?”
Chelsea’s voice came through, laced with excitement.
“Senku! You’re not gonna believe this. I finally ran the full analysis on the cave’s mineral deposits, and it’s way more promising than we thought. We’re talking insanely pure platinum and iridium concentrations. If we extract it properly, this could fast-track so many of your projects!”
Senku’s sharp red eyes gleamed with interest as he leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers against the table. “Tch. Knew it. That cave’s a damn goldmine.”
Senku’s voice was steady as he asked, “And the coordinates?”
Chelsea didn’t miss a beat. “Sending them now.” A second later, Senku’s tablet pinged with an incoming file. He opened it, scanning the details with practiced efficiency. His smirk deepened.
"10 billion points for you, Chelsea," Senku remarked, his signature smirk playing on his lips as he scrolled through the data.
Chelsea laughed on the other end. "Damn right. I expect a prize for this later!"
Senku snorted. "Your prize is the satisfaction of contributing to the advancement of the future."
Chrome, still sorting through paperwork, looked up with an unimpressed expression. "You mean free labor?"
Chelsea groaned on the phone. "Exactly! See, Chrome gets it!"
Ignoring the banter, Senku zoomed in on the satellite images of the cave. The mineral concentrations were clustered deep within, meaning they’d need specialized equipment to extract anything useful.
“huh… this is harder than it looks, we probably need some backup for this ‘cave exploration’... I'm gonna call Ryusui”
Chelsea whistled on the phone. “Oof, good luck keeping anything low-key with that guy.”
Chrome leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “Yeah, if you tell Ryusui there’s a hidden cave full of valuable minerals, he’s gonna want to go full expedition mode—balloons, ships, and all.”
Senku pinched the bridge of his nose. “Which is exactly why I need to phrase this carefully so he doesn’t turn it into a grand adventure.”
Chelsea snickered. “Yeah, good luck with that, genius.”
Still, Senku dialed Ryusui and Moments later, a familiar, enthusiastic voice crackled.
“Senku! What’s this? You finally need the great Ryusui’s expertise again?”
Senku exhaled sharply. “Yeah, yeah, don’t get too excited. We need a discreet team for a cave exploration—minimal fuss, minimal noise.
There was a brief silence. Then, as expected, Ryusui burst into laughter. “Discreet? Me? Come on, Senku, you know me better than that!”
Senku smirked, already anticipating his next move. “I do. Which is why I’m calling you first—to convince you to behave before we bring anyone else in.”
Ryusui hummed in amusement. “Alright, you’ve got my attention. But you owe me one hell of a reward after this.”
Chelsea groaned on the phone. “Ugh, not you too! Do none of you science nerds work for free?”
Chrome chuckled. “We’re learning from the best.”
Senku ignored them, his focus back on the cave images. “Fine. Now let’s get planning—before Xeno catches on.”
"hah!! so what is the plan?" Ryusui asked
Senku leaned back, arms crossed, eyes locked on the satellite images. “We need a small team—just enough to get in, extract the minerals, and get out before Xeno gets wind of it. No flashy entrances, no big movements.”
Ryusui chuckled. “You do realize who you’re talking to, right?”
Chelsea sighed on the phone. “Yeah, this is already doomed.”
Senku smirked. “Not if we do it right. Ryusui, you handle transport—something quick and quiet. A small boat, maybe a disguised fishing vessel, so it doesn’t attract attention.”
Ryusui stroked his chin, intrigued. “A stealth mission, huh? I like it. But I’m guessing we’re not just walking into this cave empty-handed?”
Chrome perked up. “Of course not! We’ll need gear—ropes, climbing equipment, maybe even a pulley system if the terrain’s rough.”
Senku nodded. “Exactly. And since we don’t know what’s inside, we’ll need Tsukasa and Hyoga for security. If anything collapses or if we run into trouble, we’ll need their strength.”
Chelsea whistled. “Damn, this really is a full operation.”
Ryusui grinned. “Alright, I’ll prep the transport. But remember, Senku—you owe me for making me stay under the radar.”
Senku smirked, already looking ahead. “Yeah, yeah. Just don’t blow our cover before we even set sail.”
"Oh wait one more question!!" Ryusui shouted at him.
"what?" he replied, picking his ear.
"...why don't you want Xeno to know about this?"
Senku’s smirk faded slightly as he flicked the earwax off his finger. “Simple. If Xeno finds out, he’ll either want control over the operation or—worse—try to stop it.”
Ryusui raised an eyebrow. “Stop it? Why? We’re just grabbing minerals.”
Chrome crossed his arms. “Just grabbing minerals? Dude, have you met Senku? If he’s going through all this trouble, these aren’t just some random rocks.”
Senku zoomed in on a specific mineral cluster on the image. “These deposits contain rare earth elements—stuff we need for advanced tech. The kind of materials that could push us closer to rebuilding modern,advance and futuristic industry.”
“And let me guess—Xeno would rather keep that under his control, to build advanced weapons huh?” Chelsea said on the phone, sounding a little serious.
Senku’s expression darkened slightly.
“Exactly. Xeno’s a scientist, but he’s also a tactician. He knows the power of rare earth elements—electronics, high-grade magnets, even advanced weaponry. If he thinks we’re stockpiling them, he’ll see it as a threat.”
Chrome frowned. “So what? He’s you're mentor and partner in both Nasa and Jasa”
Senku exhaled sharply, sitting back in his chair. “Yeah, and that’s exactly why I know how he thinks. Xeno’s a brilliant scientist far more superior and smarter than me and his priority has always been control. He doesn’t take risks unless he’s the one managing them.”
Chelsea hummed on the other end. “So if he gets wind of this, he’ll either try to take over or shut it down completely?”
Senku nodded. “Bingo. He’ll argue that this kind of power shouldn’t be rushed, that it needs oversight. But while we’re stuck debating whether to move forward, he’ll already be working on it behind our backs—and we’ll lose valuable time.”
Ryusui smirked. “And time is something you hate wasting.”
Senku grinned. “Damn right.”
Chrome crossed his arms, still looking uneasy. “I dunno, man. Sneaking around like this feels kinda... wrong. Xeno’s been helping you from the start, when you were... well, nothing,” he added, trailing off, unsure if he should’ve said it.
Senku’s expression softened for a moment, but only briefly. He leaned forward, eyes narrowing as he considered Chrome’s suggestion.
“I get where you're coming from, Chrome. Xeno’s been there for me when I was just starting out. He helped me build everything we have now. But he’s also got a different way of thinking about the world. A lot of the time, it’s all about control for him.”
Chrome looked conflicted. “But maybe, if we talk to him first, we could… I don’t know, convince him it’s better for the world if we move forward now?”
Senku exhaled slowly, weighing the possibility. “Maybe. But there’s a risk. If we go to him, he might see us trying to go around him as a sign of distrust. Or worse, he might see it as a challenge to his authority.”
Chelsea, who had been quiet for a moment, spoke up. “I mean, look, if Xeno’s so focused on control, it’s gonna be tough to get him to see it your way. He’ll think he knows what’s best, and nothing you say will change that. We’re not just dealing with a scientist here—we’re dealing with someone who’s used to calling the shots.”
Senku’s eyes sharpened. “Exactly. And if we give him the chance to take over, we’ll be back at square one—no progress, no time to rebuild what we lost. We can’t afford to risk that.”
The conversation continued, flowing from one idea to the next, as Senku, Chrome, and the others hashed out their plans. They spoke of strategy, secrecy, and the risks they’d have to take. It was a familiar routine, one that Senku had grown accustomed to—always thinking, always calculating, always staying one step ahead.
But outside of Senku's room, was a girl quietly listening to their conversation.
It was Yumi.
She had been on her way to deliver some baked sweets, a small gesture of kindness, but curiosity had stopped her in her tracks. The muffled voices from the room had caught her attention, and though she had planned to knock and leave the treats, she found herself staying to listen.
She wasn’t angry at Chrome for not sharing the full details with her. After all, she knew he had his reasons. But this… this was something different. Something bigger. The tension in the air felt palpable, and the urgency in Senku’s voice was unmistakable. Yumi’s mind raced as she tried to piece together what they were really planning.
She was good at staying silent, blending into the background when needed. And right now, she didn’t want to interrupt or reveal that she knew more than she let on. Her fingers tightened around the tray, but she kept her breath steady.
As she stood there, the weight of the secrets being discussed seemed to hang in the air, heavy and foreboding. Yumi glanced toward the door, contemplating whether to enter. But something told her that whatever was unfolding, it was far from over—and it might be best to wait and see where this path would lead.
For now, her silence would remain her ally.
END OF CHAPTER.