"Say, little Senku, you're putting Chen Yu to work? Aren't you worried about crippling his hands? He's the only top-notch doctor we have, you know?" Gen said as he came up beside Senku.
"What's there to worry about? We've still got those two, don't we?" Senku pointed at Reiko, who had her butt sticking up while doing who knew what, and Miwa, who was wielding her knife decisively.
Gen looked at the two women. Reiko dug up a piece of rotten wood, then tossed it aside in disappointment. Meanwhile, Miwa gutted a rabbit without so much as blinking. Blood splashed onto her face, and she wiped it with her bloodstained hand, only making it dirtier.
Gen backed away a few steps with an awkward laugh.
You're counting on those two? You'd have better luck counting on me to convince someone about to go on a killing spree to renounce violence and become a saint.
Gen sighed helplessly and left, heading over to where Chen Yu was working nearby.
He watched Chen Yu hammer away at a piece of wood.
"Chen Yu, what are you doing?" Gen asked curiously.
"Making a mold."
"A mold?"
"Yeah. Once we have a mold, we can just cast whatever we need. The results might not be that great to use, but they should be pretty durable," Chen Yu said after a moment's thought.
He remembered that people back home had made things by casting them in the past, though he had no idea whether it would work here.
After working on it for a while, however, he gave up. It was too difficult.
He had the idea, but not the skills to pull it off.
He was interested in handicrafts, but this was beyond his abilities. He might as well leave it to Kaseki and Yuzuriha.
Right, it's still a little early for me to be making this stuff. After all, the ship's parts were only made later, once they'd gathered enormous amounts of manpower and resources. How could I possibly do it alone right now?
Gen watched Chen Yu walk away and thought, He really does lose interest in no time.
Chen Yu went over to a rock and looked at the people busily working a short distance away.
What was the point of his being here?
Originally, he had only wanted to stay alive and live a good life. Once he learned that this was the world of the novel he had read when he was gravely ill, he had worked even harder to study medicine. But it seemed they did not really need him. After all, he was not the only capable person here.
This is so frustrating.
Chen Yu sighed.
"What's wrong?" Senku came over and sat beside him.
"I'm wondering what my purpose is in this Stone World," Chen Yu said, putting his question into words.
"Found an answer?" Senku asked, looking at him.
"No."
"Then why dwell on it?"
"After you woke up, you set out to revive everyone in the world. But it's been thirty-seven hundred years. Out of over seven billion people-almost eight billion-probably a billion can no longer be revived because their statues broke or got buried. Then... does it still mean anything?" Chen Yu looked at Senku, wanting an answer.
"It does. After the Petrification Beam struck, humanity was thrown straight back into a primitive society. I was lucky enough to revive, so why shouldn't I use the science I've learned to revive humanity, advance civilization, and face the challenges together?" Senku explained his thoughts.
"Then what if you hadn't revived?"
"I guess I'd keep counting?" Senku said after thinking it over.
"That must be exhausting, right?"
"Yeah. Having nothing but your consciousness awake and counting those boring numbers really is dull."
"Then why keep going?"
"Maybe I'm just a boring guy," Senku said, looking ahead.
"Ah, after you were revived, your goal was to revive all of humanity. Taiju and Yuzuriha help you, while Tsukasa wants to build an outstanding human society, one without any riffraff. Gen was revived to check whether you were alive or dead, and everyone else was revived to meet Tsukasa's various needs. But what about me?" Chen Yu lowered his head.
"Did you forget? When we revived you, weren't we hoping you could tell us what caused all this? But you didn't know, right? So we had no choice but to ask you to be the go-between for Tsukasa and me," Senku said after a moment's thought.
Back then, he, Taiju, and Tsukasa had thought that a brilliant high school student like Chen Yu might know a way to undo the petrification, or what had caused it. But Chen Yu did not know, leaving him at a loss. After all, the flakes that came off were actual stone, while the substance that undid petrification was Revival Fluid made through chemical reactions.
"What made you think I could turn a stone statue into a living person? Even if I wanted to use acupuncture, I didn't have any needles. And even if I did, where would I stick them? It's all stone! Still, looking at things now, it seems my only purpose is treating illnesses and saving lives." Chen Yu gave Senku a speechless look.
At first, he had thought he would be useful as a doctor, but as time passed, he had realized that reasoning did not hold up.
After all, Senku knew that undoing petrification required a chemical reaction, and that the insides were solid stone too.
Why had he revived him?
"Heh. When I revived Tsukasa, I already knew there was a good chance he'd end up opposing me.
"Then I found out about you and Tsukasa. I also knew that, as a doctor, you wouldn't hurt anyone, so reviving you could help keep Tsukasa in check.
"But I didn't expect Tsukasa to be so unwavering about his goal. Later, when you gave us that idea, I was really glad. Even when we were at the end of our rope, you were still the Chen Yu I knew."
Senku paused, then stood and looked at Chen Yu. "You're feeling lost, aren't you? Then how about I form a special action team? Remember that medicinal powder you made? Why not use your knowledge to catch them off guard?"
Chen Yu looked at Senku, seemingly stunned by his words.
"Come on, Team Leader of the Biochemical Weapons Action Team. You're a devastating weapon in your own right." With that, Senku walked away.
Chen Yu watched him leave, remembering how hard he had studied before.
He knew every medicinal formula. He had made Paralysis Powder, and it worked quite well. Then he would use that as his foundation, applying the Pharmacology he had learned to help Senku clear away the obstacles ahead.
With that in mind, Chen Yu said goodbye to the others and prepared to leave. But after some thought, he decided to take a precaution. Hyoga and Senku had not encountered each other this time, so Hyoga's spear would give him an overwhelming advantage against them. Chen Yu asked for a small dagger and handed it to Gen. After all, when it came to being a mole, Gen was the man for the job.
Seeing the dagger, Gen knew what he had to do. They're leaving me no way out, he lamented inwardly. After all, if he went through with this, he would never be able to shake the label of traitor.
But he had no choice. Looking at Chen Yu's and Senku's smiling faces, he could only accept it.
Before leaving, he asked Senku whether he could make cola. After receiving an affirmative answer, he reluctantly accepted the job.
Before he left, Chen Yu handed the packet of Paralysis Powder to Senku, just in case.
After Chen Yu and Gen left, the time for Ishigami Village's tournament arrived.
(I'm going for a checkup tomorrow, so there might not be an update. Just letting you know in advance.)
Before you continue