Chapter Text
The sun's absolutely roasting my overthinking brain today.
like it's determined to turn me into some kind of fancy soufflé.
The cicadas are screaming their heads off, backing up my misery like the world's worst chorus line. Everything smells like boiling resin and vine-fibers, and somewhere close by, Chrome's probably tripping over his own feet because he's too excited about something.
So here I am - Asagiri Gen, mentalist, miracle-worker, professional charlatan facing an experiment way more dangerous than anything involving nitric acid or gunpowder.
No, this one's about the chemical reaction happening every time Kohaku looks at Senku Ishigami with those hopeless, glittering, completely transparent heart-eyes.
It's killing me.
Seriously.
Her eyes go all soft when she watches him - which they shouldn't be able to do, honestly. She shifts her stance whenever he gets too close to the acid jars, like she's ready to throw herself between him and danger.
She's trying so hard to play it cool, to keep that fierce lioness thing going, but every little glance gives her away.
And don't even get me started on the blush - this tiny pink thing that creeps up her cheeks whenever their hands brush reaching for a beaker.
It's a goldmine of human emotion.
Total catnip for someone like me.
And because I'm an absolute idiot, I decide I can help.
"Oh, Kohaku-chan," I say, sliding up beside her with my best harmless smile - the one that screams 'I'm definitely not up to something.'
"You seem a little... distracted today. Everything okay? Or is there something on your mind?"
She goes rigid. Her hand twitches toward her spear before she catches herself.
"Nonsense, Gen. I'm perfectly fine.
Just watching Senku's latest breakthrough."
Her voice stays steady, but her eyes? They're glued to the back of his ridiculous spiky head like her life depends on it.
I hum thoughtfully, stroking my chin like the wise fraud I am.
"Mmm, it's fascinating.
Very tensile.
Very useful. But tell me - do they usually make people's hearts do somersaults?"
The blush gets brighter, spreading across her cheeks like wildfire.
She growls at me, low and warning, but there's no real bite to it.
"What are you talking about, you sly fox?"
"Oh, nothing," I wave it off, already tasting victory.
This is way too easy. "Just a friend noticing another friend's... very obvious feelings for a certain Dr. Stone. Don't worry, Kohaku-chan. Your secret's safe with me. Though,"
I lean in with a conspiratorial wink, "if you ever need a little push in the right direction, you know who to call."
And then - it happens.
The slip.
Everything unravels.
She looks away, eyes darting nervously toward Senku. And in this tiny voice I almost miss, she whispers, "I... I do like him, Gen. Romantically."
My world stops.
The cicadas shut up.
The fire under the resin pot goes silent in my ears.
The entire Stone World hits pause while my brain screeches to a halt.
She said it.
She actually said it out loud.
To me.
She likes Senku.
And here's the kicker: so do I.
Of course I do. Who wouldn't? He's brilliant.
He's relentless.
He's steady as a mountain and unreachable as the stars, but then he trips over the human parts of himself so completely that it's... endearing.
Maddening.
Charming.
He's this spark in the darkness, this crazy little flame that won't die.
And yeah, somewhere between his arrogant chuckles and his impossible plans, I fell too.
My helpful smile cracks. My whole carefully rehearsed act slips.
And before my brain can stop it, my mouth betrays me.
"Oh, Kohaku-chan," I hear myself say, voice dripping with fake cheer.
"Isn't that just fascinating? Because I happen to... appreciate Senku-chan too. In a rather... romantic way."
I flash her my most dazzling, challenging smile. "Looks like we're rivals, then."
The temperature drops ten degrees.
Her blush vanishes, replaced by that steely glint - the one she gets when facing down lions or Tsukasa or anything else stupid enough to get in her way.
Pure predator.
Aimed right at me.
"Rivals," she repeats, voice low and dangerous. "So that's how it is."
"Indeed!" I chirp, my grin now plastered on like a mask. "May the best person win! All in good fun, of course!"
She doesn't answer. Just stares at me long and assessing, like she's measuring what I'm worth - then turns sharp on her heel.
She stalks off toward the trees, golden hair catching the sunlight like some kind of war banner.
My spine prickles.
My stomach churns.
Oh no.
I definitely overplayed my hand here.
Hours later, I'm still stewing in my own panic when this booming voice cuts through the air like thunder.
"BEHOLD! THE ARENA OF LOVE AND RIVALRY!"
I jump so hard I nearly knock over Suika's helmet. "What?"
I turn around. And there's Kaseki - ancient craftsman, muscles rippling like carved marble, beaming proudly beside what can only be described as... a coliseum.
This circular stone and wood monstrosity with raised platforms, carved pillars, and yep a central stage. It gleams in the afternoon light like something out of a fever dream.
I stagger closer, equal parts horrified and morbidly curious. "K-Kaseki-san? What in the word is this?"
He wipes something mud? war paint? from his forehead and declares, "A proper arena! For the ancient ritual of lovers' duels! Kohaku-chan reminded me this is how we do things in Ishigami Village! When rivals compete for someone's heart, they test their strength and spirit here!"
My heart drops straight into my stomach. "Wait. Wait wait wait. A lovers' duel? As in - Kohaku told you... about me?" My voice cracks.
"About Senku?!"
Kaseki nods gravely, like he's sharing divine wisdom. "Indeed! She came with fire in her eyes and resolve in her heart."
"Said she has a rival now. That rival... is you."
I laugh. It's broken, strangled. "Me? Oh no. No no no no. Surely we can settle this with words, with charm, with... anything but gladiatorial combat!"
But Kaseki's already striding off, flexing proudly, shouting about tradition and honor. Behind him, villagers are gathering, whispering excitedly, painting their faces blue.
Blue for Kohaku.
Oh no.
And then, because the gods clearly hate me, Ryusui shows up.
"Magnificent!" he cries, arms spread wide like he's hosting the world's most glamorous circus. His blonde hair glints like treasure. His abacus clicks merrily in his hands. "An arena of love! A battle of passion! A perfect chance for commerce! Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen, for the most thrilling event the Stone World has ever seen!"
And the villagers -
The blue faction takes over. It's everywhere banners, stripes, swirls smeared across faces.
Chrome's got two bold lines under his eyes, hammering a lioness flag into the ground. Kinro and Ginro, dramatic as always, have elaborate blue designs across their foreheads, flexing like they're on stage.
Even Ruri has this delicate swirl, though she looks pretty unimpressed with the whole thing.
Suika's got blue dots peeking from under her melon helmet, bouncing with excitement.
And Magma? He's a walking blue wall.
His chest, arms, and face are painted like a living banner, and he bellows, "Kohaku wins this fight before it even starts! Put your Dragos on the lioness!"
His voice booms like a war drum, and the crowd roars back.
Kohaku doesn't even need paint.
She's standing near the arena, spear in hand, golden eyes sharp and merciless. Just the sight of her rallies half the village into chanting her name.
Then there's the purple faction.
My supposed side.
It's pathetic.
Yo Uei's front and center, his entire face smeared purple like a toddler went wild with finger paint. He waves his arms frantically, shouting, "GEN'S GOT THIS! PUT ALL YOUR DRAGO ON THE MENTALIST!"
Behind him, Nikki stands steady, arms crossed, a neat purple stripe under her eye.
Francois has the tiniest, most elegant line imaginable - like this whole thing's beneath them but they'll participate out of principle. A few confused villagers round out my ranks, but compared to Kohaku's ocean of blue, it's embarrassing.
And Yo Uei only gets louder because of Magma.
Every time Magma bellows a bet for Kohaku, Yo screams back twice as hard for me, veins popping in his forehead.
Their betting war becomes its own battle, whipping the crowd into a frenzy.
And then... the green faction.
Taiju and Yuzuriha stand proudly at the center, painted bright green from cheek to cheek. Taiju shouts, "WE FIGHT FOR SENKU'S DREAM, NOT OVER HIM!" His booming voice shakes the air.
Yuzuriha, quieter but just as determined, nods and holds up a green banner with a carefully painted flask.
A few others, clearly too nervous to pick sides, have joined them, forming a small but stubborn cluster.
Finally, there's Ryusui.
Of course, he's got both purple and blue streaks across his perfect face, abacus in hand, taking bets with a flourish.
He refuses green entirely, calling it "dull neutrality." He looks like a peacock exploded on him, and somehow makes it work.
“Why limit yourself? Make it poly! Let them share the prize — a duel of love without losers!” His words hang in the air, planting a wild, impossible idea:
The noise swells, the chaos consumes, and in the center of it all I'm about to be thrown into a duel for Senku's heart.
"Oh dear," I whisper, pressing my hand to my forehead.
"I'm gonna die. I'm gonna be pulverized in the name of love while Senku's in the lab, blissfully unaware, inventing god knows what."
And still - the smallest, most dangerous part of me thrills.
Because yeah, Kohaku likes him.
And yeah, I do too.
And suddenly, this farce isn't just about survival anymore.
It's about him.
It's about me.
It's about what I can't quite admit out loud: I want him too.
The noise is deafening.
The arena Kaseki built wasn't made for subtlety - it's all thundering wood and creaking stone, this patchwork miracle groaning under the sheer weight of the crowd.
Villagers climb over each other for better views.
Banners snap in the wind, paint smears into sweat, and the smell of roasted meat from a hastily-erected food stand mixes with the sharp tang of nerves.
Ryusui's responsible for the food stand, obviously.
He's got Francois selling skewers between bets.
He'll make money off this chaos if it kills me.
And it very well might.
"Step forward, combatants!" Ryusui bellows, like he's auditioning for ringmaster of some nightmare circus. "Kohaku, the lioness of the Stone World! Gen, the illustrious mentalist of ten billion lies! One duel, one prize, one heart - Senku Ishigami himself!"
The roar nearly knocks me back a step.
The fight is chaos - on the field, in my head, everywhere.
Kohaku lunges, her spear cutting the air like lightning. I barely stumble out of range, tripping over my own robe and crashing into the dirt.
The crowd screams like it's some grand strategy rather than sheer panic.
My ego may never recover.
"KOH-A-KU! KOH-A-KU!"
"GEN-CHAN, YOU'RE A MASTER OF DODGING!" Yo Uei howls, his purple face paint dripping with sweat.
He throws his arms so wide he clocks Nikki in the jaw, and she shoves him back down with a growl.
He still pops up again like an overeager jack-in-the-box.
The noise swells, then fragments into a dozen little wars.
Ginro's on someone's shoulders screaming "KOHAKU SUPLEX HIM!" while Suika's hopping up and down, shrill as a kettle whistle, chanting, "Don't die, Mister Gen!" Chrome, caught up in the blue frenzy, tries to rally a chant of "LIONESS! LIONESS!" but Kinro shuts him up with a shove.
Francois sighs audibly over the din, clearly regretting the purple stripe they bothered to paint on.
Ryusui's strutting through the chaos, abacus spinning in his hand like a gunslinger's revolver.
"Odds have shifted, ladies and gentlemen! The lioness shows her claws - two to one in her favor!" His coat flares dramatically as he points toward me, smirking. "Unless, of course, our slippery Gen pulls a miracle. A miracle pays triple!"
The villagers eat it up. Dragos are flying back and forth like confetti.
Someone hurls a painted gourd in Magma's direction; it bounces off his rock-thick skull, and he roars in triumph like it was a gift.
Kohaku circles me like a predator, but there's something almost... protective in her stance.
She wants me to try, to rise to her challenge, not just fold under it.
I flash a grin, blood dripping from my cheek.
"You do realize I'm a lover, not a fighter, right?"
Her answer is a thrust so fast I nearly soil my perfectly good robes.
I leap sideways, arms flailing, hearing the spear crack against the ground where my foot was a breath ago.
The crowd explodes - half cheering my "cunning evasion," half booing my cowardice.
Yo Uei shrieks, "BRILLIANT FOOTWORK, GEN-CHAN!"
Magma roars, "PATHETIC!"
And Ryusui, ever the vulture, stands atop a barrel and sings out, "Odds are shifting! Purple two-to-one! Blue three-to-one! Place your bets before the mentalist's heart gives out!"
I stagger upright, panting, my mind spinning faster than my legs can carry me.
Ryusui's words gnaw at me.
Poly.
Sharing.
Rivals turning allies.
It's absurd.
Ridiculous.
But then I glance at Kohaku.
Her golden eyes burn with devotion - for Senku, not for me.
And I know my own heart's just as hopeless.
We're both chasing the same star, one too far to reach, one too brilliant to belong to anyone.
What if we stopped clawing at each other for it?
The thought's terrifying.
Dangerous.
Tempting.
Kohaku charges again, and I barely parry with a flimsy branch some villager threw me out of pity.
The clash reverberates up my arm, jarring me, but her blow falters just enough to give me a heartbeat of space.
"Kohaku," I gasp, half-grinning, half-sincere. "What if this fight doesn't need a winner?"
She freezes - not for long, but long enough. "What?"
I take the opening to circle away from her spear, keeping my branch raised like it might actually save me. "Think about it! We're both hopelessly smitten with a man who'd rather spend all night with glassware than either of us. That's not a triangle - it's a stalemate!"
Her cheeks flare pink even as her eyes narrow. "Don't say it like that!" She thrusts again, faster this time, but there's hesitation in her strike.
I barely duck, feeling the wind of her weapon pass overhead.
My heart's pounding, but not just from fear.
Seeing Kohaku flustered - her confidence cracking just enough for embarrassment to shine through - sparks something strange in me.
Something fond.
She's... cute like this.
I grin wider, reckless now. "Oh-ho? Did the mighty lioness just blush? Never thought I'd see the day!"
Her ears turn scarlet. "I did not!" she snaps, lunging again, but her movements are sharper than her words - more frantic, less focused.
"Adorable," I tease, dodging backward, robes flying.
"Truly, if Senku were here, I think he'd be fascinated by this new chemical reaction - you, flustered!"
"Gen!" she growls, but it's less a battle cry and more a warning.
The crowd eats it up. Blue banners whip the air, purple voices crack as they scream my name, and somewhere green banners wave in confusion at this strange turn of events.
Ryusui's grin widens like he's watching the birth of a new market.
And through it all, I keep pressing - not with blows but with words.
"Maybe we don't need to fight each other into the ground. Maybe, Kohaku-chan, we're not enemies at all. Maybe -"
Her next strike misses entirely, the spearpoint grazing the dirt.
Her face is flushed, her golden eyes wide.
For the first time since this insanity began, Kohaku looks unsure.
And I feel a wild thrill at having flustered the unflusterable.
The arena's a storm.
Kohaku's chest rises and falls, her golden eyes fierce but conflicted, her grip on the spear tightening like it's the only thing keeping her grounded.
I'm standing opposite her with my "weapon" - a stick that'd lose against a stiff breeze - and for once, the crowd isn't sure who's winning.
Ryusui twirls his abacus, practically drooling. "A deadlock! A duel of wills rather than weapons! The odds are swinging, my dear gamblers, the odds are swinging!"
But I don't hear him.
Not really.
My ears are full of my own pulse, hammering with something reckless and absurd. Because the thought I've been chewing on - the one Ryusui planted like a poison seed - won't leave me alone.
Poly.
Sharing.
Rivals turned allies instead of enemies.
It's wild.
Impossible. And yet... what if?
Kohaku glares, cheeks still faintly pink from my teasing. "Why are you smiling, Gen? You're cornered."
"Oh, am I?" I say, wobbling upright, bloodied but grinning like I've already won. "Or have I found the one card you never thought I'd play?"
The villagers lean in.
Even Magma pauses mid-bet.
Kohaku tilts her head, suspicious. "What card?"
I take a breath. A mad idea needs a madman's delivery. "The 'no one has to lose' card. You and I - together. Not as enemies, not as rivals. As... partners."
Her golden eyes narrow in confusion. "Partners? What are you talking about? Senku's only one person. There's nothing to partner over. One wins, one loses. That's how it works."
I laugh, nervous and wild. "Ah, but that's the Stone World talking. In the modern age, there's another way. A concept called polyamory."
Her brows knit tighter. "Poly... what?"
"It means," I say, gesturing with my ridiculous branch like I'm lecturing at a chalkboard, "that love doesn't have to be a duel. It doesn't have to be just one or the other. People can... share. Build something together. Not a triangle where one person gets cut off - but a circle. Equal, open. You and me, Kohaku-chan, not tearing each other apart, but standing side by side, both... loving him."
The arena goes so quiet I can hear the crackle of the resin fire in the distance.
Then - pandemonium.
"WHAT KIND OF STRATEGY IS THAT?!" Ginro shrieks, nearly falling off someone's shoulders.
Chrome's screaming into his hands.
Yo Uei bellows, "GEN-CHAN'S A GENIUS! A REVOLUTION IN LOVE!"
Magma just looks confused. "Share... Senku?" He scratches his painted blue forehead. "That's... weird."
Ryusui's glowing, his grin sharp as a blade. "Oho! A new market in the making! A daring gamble, Gen dear, I adore it!"
But the only reaction that matters is Kohaku's.
Her knuckles are white on her spear. Her lips part, then close again, her breath catching like she doesn't know whether to laugh, strike, or demand I repeat myself slower.
Her blush deepens, blooming wild across her cheeks. "You... you can't just - say something like that! Not here! Not - like that!"
"Oh, but I can," I purr, twirling my broken branch like it's a magician's wand. "I just did. And judging by that blush, Kohaku-chan... you didn't hate it."
The crowd roars louder than ever - some chanting my name, others hers, all of them whipped into a frenzy by this impossible proposition.
And me? My heart's pounding so hard I think it might burst - but for the first time since this madness began, I feel like I'm not losing. Not yet.
Kohaku stares at me like I've grown a second head.
The word "polyamory" is still hanging in the air, alien and absurd, bouncing around her skull with nowhere to land.
Her grip tightens on the spear until her knuckles flash bone-white.
"You're lying." Her voice is sharp, almost trembling under the steel. "You're just trying to talk your way out of this fight. Like always, Gen."
My grin falters. "Now, Kohaku-chan, don't be cruel. Talking my way out of things is a skill, not a flaw."
She shakes her head, golden hair whipping like a banner.
Her cheeks are flushed, her eyes bright with something dangerously close to... hurt.
"You can't just make up strange words and act like it means you're serious. This is about Senku. This is about who fights for him. Don't turn it into another one of your games."
Then she lunges.
The spear thrusts so fast my life flashes before my eyes - city lights, velvet curtains, cocktail glasses, the sweet illusion of safety.
I stumble backward, tripping over my own robes, and the spear cracks the ground where my foot was half a heartbeat ago.
The crowd loses their minds.
"GEN'S RUNNING!" Magma bellows, slapping his painted chest.
"STRATEGIC RETREAT!" Yo Uei shrieks in my defense.
Ryusui's practically singing, "Odds plummeting! Purple four-to-one, blue even! Place your bets before the poor mentalist evaporates entirely!"
I'm panting, spinning, my stick raised like it's gonna do anything against the warrior woman bearing down on me.
Kohaku circles me, predator sure of the kill, and for one horrifying second I'm convinced she will kill me just to make her point.
But then - something slips through.
Her stance isn't merciless.
It's protective.
She wants me to fight back, to prove I'm more than a coward with pretty words. She wants me to rise to her challenge.
And I - I've got nothing. No strength, no weapon, no chance. Except -
My heart lurches into a mad, terrible idea.
"Kohaku-chan," I gasp, half-tripping over my tongue as much as my own feet, "forgive me for this!"
Before she can thrust again, before I can think better of it, I surge forward and close the distance.
Her golden eyes widen in shock too slow to stop me.
And I kiss her.
It's clumsy, desperate, nothing like the smooth performances I used to stage under candlelight and city smoke.
It's messy, reckless, the act of a man cornered by love and death at once.
Her lips are warm, soft, and trembling against mine, and for one suspended heartbeat the entire Stone World stops spinning.
The arena goes silent. Utterly, impossibly silent.
Even the cicadas seem to choke on their own noise.
Kohaku freezes, spear limp at her side, eyes wide as the sky.
And me? I'm dizzy, breathless, and more terrified than I've ever been in my life. Because I don't know if she'll strike me dead... or kiss me back.
The world holds its breath.
Kohaku's lips are still pressed to mine, but she isn't moving - rigid, frozen, like someone carved her from marble mid-battle.
My heart hammers so violently I swear she can feel it rattling through my chest.
The stick in my hand slips from my sweaty palm and clatters uselessly to the dirt.
Every second drags like an eternity.
Oh gods, what have I done? I think, panic swelling like a tidal wave.
She's gonna kill me.
She's gonna stab me through the heart and call it justice.
Or worse - she's gonna laugh. She's gonna laugh and tell everyone it was all a trick, another one of Gen's pathetic cons.
And maybe it was, but maybe it wasn't, because I -
Her lips are warm.
Too warm.
Too real.
I can't breathe.
The silence stretches.
Then the dam breaks.
"WHAT?!" Ginro's shriek ricochets off the arena walls.
Chrome practically faints into his own hands. "That's not SCIENCE!"
Yo Uei loses his mind, leaping into the air with purple paint streaking down his sweaty face. "GEN-CHAN'S A LEGEND! KISS OF VICTORY!"
Magma roars like a bull, face redder than his paint. "FOUL PLAY! THAT DOESN'T COUNT!"
Ryusui, of course, throws his arms wide like he's orchestrated this very climax. "A twist worthy of opera! Bets are voided! No, doubled! No, TRIPLED!" His abacus sings like a chorus of bells.
The arena's chaos - villagers shouting, banners whipping, paint-smeared faces screaming in disbelief or delight.
The blue side howls for blood.
The purple side screams for romance. The green faction Taiju is shouting something about "TRUE LOVE TRIUMPHS ALL" while Yuzuriha buries her face in her hands.
But none of it matters.
Not really.
Because Kohaku's still staring at me, her golden eyes wide, her breath caught in her throat.
Slowly, achingly slowly, she pulls back just enough for our lips to part.
Her face is flushed crimson, her hand trembling on the shaft of her spear.
"Y-you..." Her voice cracks. She clears her throat, tries again. "You kissed me."
I flash my most desperate, trembling smile - the kind that says 'please don't murder me for this.' "In my defense, it was either that or be skewered alive. And I do so prefer staying in one piece."
Her cheeks blaze hotter. Her grip tightens. For one terrifying moment, I think she'll swing the spear anyway. But then - her stance falters.
Not out of weakness.
Out of confusion.
"You're insane," she mutters, but there's no bite in it. No rage. Just bewilderment and something softer she doesn't want to name.
And my heart poor, ridiculous, desperate thing flutters at the sight.
Because she's flustered again.
And gods help me, she's even cuter than before.
Kohaku's breath is still ragged, her face flushed in a way I've never seen before.
The spear wavers in her hands - not from weakness but from something else, something twisting and turning beneath her skin.
The crowd's a riot.
Purple shrieks.
Blue bellows.
Green tries to sing about teamwork over the noise.
Ryusui's already scaling a barrel to announce "Kiss betting pools" like it's the greatest economic innovation of the decade.
And I an idiot, charlatan, hopeless romantic can't take my eyes off her.
She finally lowers her weapon.
Just a fraction.
Just enough.
"You're still ridiculous," she mutters, cheeks burning, golden eyes locked on mine. "But... maybe..." She swallows hard, her voice softening like the rare hush before a storm. "Maybe we don't have to fight. Maybe what you said - it isn't as foolish as it sounded."
My jaw nearly unhinges. Did I just win? Did I actually -
Kohaku exhales, cheeks still scarlet. "If... if this 'sharing' thing means neither of us has to give up on him, then... yes. Fine. I'll try it."
For a moment, my brain completely short-circuits.
The mentalist, outmaneuvered by his own gambit.
My grin comes out shaky, genuine, disbelieving. "Oh-ho? Did the mighty lioness just agree with me? Maybe miracles do happen in this Stone World."
The arena erupts - shouts, cheers, boos, groans.
Yo Uei collapses in victorious sobs.
Magma threatens to crack the earth in half.
Ryusui announces this is "the dawn of a new market in romantic futures." And somewhere in the background, Taiju's screaming about friendship so loudly the birds take flight.
And then -
"Oi. What's with all the noise?"
The chaos freezes. A ripple moves through the crowd. Heads whip toward the source.
There he is.
Senku Ishigami, hair wild, lab coat flapping, a smudge of soot across his cheek.
He steps out of the lab, utterly uninterested in whatever madness is happening, and squints at us all like we're inconveniencing him.
His voice cuts sharper than any spear. "Ten billion percent of you idiots should be working. That ship won't build itself."
Dead silence.
Then, slowly, the mob disperses like guilty kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Blue paint, purple paint, even Ryusui's streaked masterpiece - everyone shuffles back toward planks and ropes and barrels of pitch.
The banners droop.
The chants die.
Senku doesn't even notice Kohaku's flushed cheeks or my trembling hands.
He doesn't notice the broken branch still at my feet or the way the air between us hums with something new, something unspoken.
He's already rattling off measurements, snapping at Taiju to lift a beam, telling Chrome to fetch more sulfur.
Just like that, the world resets.
Kohaku glances at me one last time, golden eyes softer than I've ever seen them.
She doesn't say anything.
She doesn't have to.
Her earlier words echo in my skull: Yes. Fine. I'll try it.
I press a hand to my chest, half in disbelief, half to keep my heart from leaping straight out of my ribs.
Senku strides past, oblivious as ever, muttering about something.
And I - Asagiri Gen, mentalist extraordinaire, rival-turned-partner, lover caught in an impossible constellation let out a breathless laugh.
Because somehow, in this mad Stone World, I've survived.
And somehow, I'm no longer alone in chasing the brightest star.