duang~~

Halfway through his work, Chen Yu saw that Senku had already finished. Well, all he could make for the Sleeve Arrow right now were the wooden parts. The iron parts would have to wait.

Then Chen Yu set down his work and went over to Senku.

"What's that?" Gen asked, looking at the wooden model in Chen Yu's hand.

"A component," Chen Yu replied flatly.

"You made it yourself?" Gen asked.

"Yeah."

"Didn't you say working with your hands would make them shake?" Gen voiced what was on his mind.

"That's because that kind of work involves a lot of movement. When I make things myself, I go slowly. Haven't you noticed how little I've done after all this time? There's still more to go." Chen Yu rolled his eyes at Gen.

Gen could only resign himself to it. He couldn't beat Chen Yu in a fight, and Chen Yu didn't fall for his little tricks either. He was helpless.

"All right, a miracle is about to happen," Chen Yu announced when he saw that Senku had finished assembling it.

"Is that... an Edison light bulb made from the island's bamboo?" Gen murmured.

"An Edison light bulb?" Suika asked curiously.

"Yeah, a light bulb. Once we have those, we won't need candles or oil lamps anymore," Chen Yu explained.

"Candles? Oil lamps?" Suika was even more puzzled.

(I don't know whether they had those.)

"You don't have those here either? Then how do you spend your nights?" Chen Yu quipped.

"We sleep," Suika replied.

Chen Yu: (·_·)

"Once we've taken this step, we won't have to fear the night anymore," Chen Yu said, recalling what was to come.

(What's that called again? When you know what's coming, really look forward to it, and then express that feeling. I've forgotten.)

"We won't have to fear the night?" Suika asked in confusion.

"Suika, watch carefully," Chen Yu said softly.

"Okay, okay." Suika quickly agreed, then fell silent and watched Senku on the roof.

Senku connected the two wires to the bamboo filament. The current flowed, and a brilliant light shone out.

Here, too, the entire Globe gave off its first light.

At that moment, this light would mark the beginning of technology.

The light shone on everyone's faces, on the animals around them, and on those cold stone statues.

They all seemed to be watching this place, watching that dazzling light.

Gen stared blankly at Senku on the roof. He watched the dazzling light without daring to blink, afraid that the next time he opened his eyes, it would be gone. Yet even the most dazzling light had its limits.

They still needed to make tungsten filament specifically for light bulbs.

"Electric lights in the Stone Age. I never would've imagined it," Gen said, sitting beside a large tree.

"When it's Senku, you stop being surprised. This is just where things stand right now. Later, Senku will come up with even more things you can't imagine. Even Tsukasa will lose his composure one day." As Chen Yu said this, he remembered Tsukasa's expression when, after being petrified and revived, he heard Senku say they were going to the moon. Tsk, tsk, tsk~

"Really? Then I'll look forward to it. But wouldn't Tsukasa's side notice this bright light too?" Gen asked after a moment's thought.

"Probably. But they can't attack us yet. Anyway, isn't it time we headed back?" Chen Yu said thoughtfully.

...Meanwhile, Kohaku was also telling Chrome and Suika about Senku and Tsukasa.

"That man named Tsukasa was the one who killed Senku. But because Chen Yu was there at the time and made me understand how terrifying Tsukasa was, I didn't go. Instead, I ran into Senku on the road." Kohaku remembered the overwhelming pressure Chen Yu had made her feel at their first meeting. That feeling hadn't been wrong.

"I didn't die," Senku explained, scratching his back.

"That guy's unbelievable. He wants to stop science from developing, and to achieve that, he killed Senku without even batting an eye!" Chrome stressed.

Suika, beside him, was utterly terrified.

"I told you, I didn't die," Senku explained again, rather speechless. Why did they have to say he'd died twice?

"So that means Tsukasa is a bad guy? Gen is his companion, right? Then Gen is a bad guy too? What about Chen Yu? Chen Yu helped us stop Magma, but what if he's a bad guy too?" Suika asked nervously.

After all, this friendly big brother didn't look like a bad person at all, unlike Gen, who wore a scheming look every day.

Gen: What did I ever do to you?

"Gen isn't a bad guy, but he isn't a good guy either. Chen Yu, on the other hand, is definitely a good person. After all, he doesn't want to see a war," Senku explained.

"People die in wars, after all. And what he hates most is the fastest way to harm the body-war," Senku said, recalling their conversations.

"Gen is a sly bat of a man whose words you can't trust. As for Chen Yu, I don't know," Kohaku quipped about Gen. When she thought of Chen Yu, she couldn't say.

"Whether Gen is good or bad, all we can do is bring him into the Kingdom of Science. Don't underestimate Chen Yu. He said he'd change Gen's mind, and there's absolutely no way he'd lie. After all, that look of certainty..."

As Senku spoke, he remembered doing experiments with Chen Yu before the petrification, how Chen Yu had trusted him completely and always spoken his mind. He had once asked Chen Yu about it.

Chen Yu had simply said, "Life is short. There's no need to waste it on so many deceptive tricks and tactics. You should treasure it instead. Otherwise, at the end of your life, you'll realize just how precious time is."

At that moment, Senku seemed to sense that Chen Yu had gone through something that had led him to say those words.

But he hadn't asked about it then.

And the matter had simply been left at that.

"Well? Did you hear what they said? How do you feel?" Chen Yu asked as he stood beside the wooden house with Gen.

"Nothing in particular. Chen Yu, this isn't exactly enough to make me report that Senku is dead," Gen said with a chuckle.

"Hey, did you hear that? Gen, you saw it too, right? Electricity! That incredible beacon of science! I don't care who wins or loses. Tsukasa versus Senku-which side has the advantage doesn't matter at all. The Kingdom of Science is clearly more interesting!" Chrome stuck his head out and shouted at Gen.

"My, my, young people really are so passionate. Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of enthusiasm, little Chrome. I'm the world's greatest smooth talker. I only consider what I stand to gain or lose. Isn't that right, little Yu-Yu? Besides, I haven't even seen the surprise gift little Yu-Yu told me about yet. Right? Huh?" After saying this, Gen looked at Chen Yu beside him, only to find his expression frighteningly dark.

"duang~~"

With a soft thump, a bump rose on Gen's head.

"Don't call me that. It's disgusting," Chen Yu said coldly, rubbing his fist.

Gen rubbed his head, marveling at Chen Yu's strength. He had no intention of calling Chen Yu "little Yu-Yu" again. Honestly, he'd tried it just once and gotten taught a lesson. He'd overplayed his act.

(What's going on with these stats? The readership is stuck in limbo, and it's so frustrating to look at. It's only a hundred views, so how is it still below eighty?)