Hyoga's attempt to recruit him

"Your pharmacy?" Ukyo asked in surprise.

"Yep, my pharmacy. I went away for a while with that self-proclaimed mentalist, Gen Asagiri. When I got back, I saw a lot of unfamiliar faces. I guess Tsukasa revived a bunch more people," Chen Yu said after a moment's thought.

"Hmm, the medicinal herbs have been stored pretty well. Looks like whoever Tsukasa assigned to this did a decent job. Still, I can't be the only doctor here. I need to find an assistant, too. How am I supposed to handle everything on my own?" Chen Yu looked around at the mess.

Although everything was just as he had left it, one person couldn't possibly keep up with all the work.

"If you're still worried, come with me." Chen Yu stood up and beckoned to Ukyo.

Ukyo was worried that he might be an enemy spy using this as an excuse to escape, so he had no choice but to follow Chen Yu.

As they walked, Chen Yu greeted familiar faces one after another. But they all seemed to have something to do and left in quick succession.

Seeing this, Ukyo felt that everyone seemed afraid of Chen Yu. With his keen hearing, he also caught a few whispered remarks.

"What's he doing here?"

"The demon... doctor..."

"I miss when he wasn't around."

A doctor, and a demon? Ukyo thought, deciding to ask around later.

After walking for a while, Chen Yu spotted Yuzuriha and Taiju and went over to them.

"Taiju, Yuzuriha, long time no see! How's it going? Settling in all right?" Chen Yu greeted them.

"Oh, Chen Yu! It's you. We finished what you asked Yuzuriha and me to make. Who are you planning to give it to, though?" Taiju replied when he saw him.

"I have a use for it. Oh, and if you can, sorry for the trouble, but when you've got nothing to do, carve some stone statues of Senku and yourselves from memory. Hmm... this guy, too, and Tsukasa. Make them life-size. They'll be a big help to me later," Chen Yu said after some thought, planning a little gift for someone.

"What do you need so many stone statues for?" Taiju asked, baffled.

"Well, you'll find out later," Chen Yu replied cryptically.

"All right, all right. But they're a real pain to make, you know. Here." Taiju waved a hand, then passed Chen Yu something covered in animal hide.

"Thanks." Chen Yu waved and left.

Then he reached the cave, Tsukasa's headquarters. Gen was kneeling on the ground, his expression shifting constantly.

Tsukasa was interrogating Gen. When he saw Chen Yu arrive, he immediately stood and walked over.

"Are you all right?" Tsukasa asked with concern.

"I'm fine. Couldn't be better. He really helped me out on this trip down the mountain. Without him, I couldn't have found so many medicinal herbs. But why is he kneeling?" Chen Yu replied, looking at Gen on the ground.

"It's nothing. Get up, Gen." Tsukasa was pleased that Chen Yu had come back with something to show for the trip, so he let Gen off for taking Chen Yu away without regard for his safety.

Gen had been kneeling for so long that his legs had gone numb when he stood. Only now did he realize how important Chen Yu was to Tsukasa.

The moment he had arrived, he had been forced to his knees. And the first question hadn't been about Senku, but about where Chen Yu was.

With no other choice, he had relied on his eloquence, quick thinking, and ability to steer the conversation. He had explained that Chen Yu was fine and had gathered plenty of supplies, then said that he hadn't found any trace of Senku in the village below the mountain.

After he finished, Chen Yu arrived, allowing him to escape disaster.

"Hmm? Ukyo, why did you come along, too? Weren't you supposed to be on lookout duty?" Tsukasa asked, noticing Ukyo in his hat behind Chen Yu.

"I hadn't seen him before, so I was worried he might be an enemy and followed him here. I'll be going now." Ukyo gave an honest account, then left.

He didn't want to stay around Tsukasa, who destroyed stone statues like some murderous maniac.

Watching Ukyo leave, Tsukasa said, "He isn't an enemy. He's my friend."

Ukyo stopped, replied, "Understood," and left.

"Seriously, why'd you have to snap at him? Anyway, take a look at what I asked Yuzuriha to make for you. Remember, you can't let anyone see this. Got it?" As Chen Yu spoke, he took out the protective gear he had asked Taiju and Yuzuriha to make and handed it to Tsukasa.

Seeing that it was armor meant to be worn under his clothes over his upper body, Tsukasa asked, "What do I need this for?"

"You can't afford to let your guard down around people. Understand?" Chen Yu said, patting Tsukasa on the back.

"All right." Tsukasa smiled and agreed, planning to put it on that night. He wouldn't change into it during the day because Chen Yu had said to keep it hidden. If he put it on now and something happened that exposed it, that would defeat the purpose.

"Oh, right. I noticed we've got quite a few people here now. I can't handle all the work alone. Could you find me two or three people with some medical knowledge?" Chen Yu asked after a moment's thought.

"Give me a moment." With that, Tsukasa went out, leaving Chen Yu there.

Bored, Chen Yu wandered around. Before long, someone arrived. Assuming it was Tsukasa, Chen Yu turned to look, only to see Hyoga wearing his mask.

"Isn't Tsukasa here?" Hyoga asked when he saw that Chen Yu was alone.

"He's out. What's the matter?" Chen Yu replied.

"Well, this works out nicely. I have something I'd like to ask you, Doctor." Hearing that Tsukasa was absent, Hyoga smiled.

"What is it?" Chen Yu asked.

"How would you like to work with me, young doctor? I feel that following Tsukasa won't bring out your full potential," Hyoga said.

"Why? I'm just a doctor. Whoever I follow, I'll still be a doctor. What's the difference?" Chen Yu asked, realizing that Hyoga was trying to recruit him.

"Naturally, there is no difference. But Tsukasa revived me because he needed my help, and our ideals don't align. What I want is to eliminate all the weak. Of course, I'll need your help as well, to keep me from being deceived by appearances. What I need are people who are strong through and through, not those who rely on underhanded tricks," Hyoga said sinisterly.

"Strength above all else? You're even more extreme than Tsukasa," Chen Yu said after hearing him out.

Hyoga and Tsukasa eventually turned against each other. Chen Yu didn't know why, but Hyoga's betrayal must have stemmed from their conflicting ideals. Still, he hadn't expected Hyoga to believe in strength above all else, with no place for the weak, including Yuzuriha.

After all, Yuzuriha was physically weak and couldn't help at all in a fight. But Hyoga could control her, since they still needed help from people like her.

By being deceived, Hyoga probably meant people who concealed internal injuries or other deficiencies and passed themselves off as strong, slipping through the cracks.

(You didn't even tell me there was a typo. You can go find Xinghe, haha. It's the only account I follow. I use that account to chat.)