Now it was time for Ishigami Village's village chief handover ceremony.
As long as Senku lost, Chrome would become the chief of Ishigami Village and get to marry his childhood sweetheart, Ruri.
Senku looked at Chrome lying on the ground and urged him to get up, but Chrome simply wouldn't budge.
When he leaned closer to listen, he realized Chrome was asleep.
Senku stared at Chrome, speechless. Was this guy really so carefree that he'd fallen asleep?
That didn't make sense. Chrome hadn't suffered any injuries, so he couldn't possibly be that weak.
Senku looked toward Kohaku and the others, hoping for an explanation.
"He probably wore himself out wrestling with Magma," Kohaku said, recalling their match. Partway through the fight, Chrome and Magma had suddenly started a contest of strength for some reason.
Chrome should have known how strong Magma was. Why had he suddenly turned stupid?
"Then what do we do? How do we finish the duel if Chrome won't wake up?" Senku asked, looking at him.
"That means Chrome loses, and you, Senku, would be... Huh? ... (◎_◎)" Kohaku froze halfway through her explanation.
"So Senku won?" Suika said.
The villagers began discussing it when they heard Suika's words. After all, this was the first time someone from outside the village had won.
The first person unable to sit still was the referee, who bore an uncanny resemblance to Byakuya Ishigami.
But he had no choice but to announce the result. "The new village chief and the priestess's husband shall be the winner of the Imperial Duel, Senku!"
He was only the referee, anyway. He would leave problems like this for someone else to handle. I don't know anything.
At those words, Kohaku, Suika, Ruri, and Kokuyo all reacted, as did Senku most importantly. Senku was relatively fine, merely surprised that he had won, but the light seemed to have drained from everyone else's eyes.
Although Kokuyo had already had an unusual clash with Senku and the others, the Chrome he had favored had somehow turned into Senku. What kind of mess was this?
Senku scratched inside his ear, feeling helpless and frustrated.
Things had suddenly become troublesome. His original plan had been to lose to Chrome, then have Chrome use his position as village chief to help him advance science and technology rapidly. Besides, Chrome and Ruri loved each other. Having Senku take his place put him in a difficult spot.
Still, for the sake of his later plans, he stepped forward, looked at Ruri, and said, "Then let's get married."
But now that he was meeting Ruri for the first time, she seemed to be doing much better. She didn't look seriously ill.
"Come to think of it, you don't look like you're critically ill," Senku said, studying her closely.
"That's incredibly rude, Senku," Kohaku said angrily.
Who said something like that to another person?
"Actually, it was those herbs Chen Yu gave me earlier. After I brewed them, he told me to mix them into the hot spring water. I was wondering how I could keep anyone from noticing the brown medicinal decoction, but then I saw it turn transparent and blend right in," Kohaku said after thinking for a moment.
"Chen Yu, huh? That's pretty impressive." Senku remembered Chen Yu flashing him a peace sign and saying, "Care to try Chen Yu's Elixir of Immortality?"
Later, he had tested medicines to uncover the secret of Chen Yu's supposed Elixir of Immortality, only to pass out several times. Only afterward had he learned that Chen Yu couldn't find anyone to test his medicines, so he had exploited Senku's commitment to scientific truth to turn him into an unwitting test subject.
In the end, he had discovered that Chen Yu had merely made something that prolonged life by keeping a person's body in its current condition.
But Chen Yu didn't have time to gather that many medicinal ingredients now, so this was probably an alternative treatment he had researched before.
"You were far too reckless, Kohaku," Kokuyo said.
"Hehe..." Kohaku scratched her head awkwardly.
"So that's why Ruri's health suddenly improved over the past few days?" a woman asked, recalling how Ruri had gradually regained her strength. Was that the reason?
"But where exactly did you come from, Senku? Regardless, I cannot allow you to become the new village chief," Kokuyo said.
"Well, well, if it isn't the former village chief. I couldn't care less about your approval," Senku said, looking at Kokuyo indifferently.
Seeing the former and current village chiefs at odds, everyone was at a loss.
No matter what anyone argued, Senku had indeed won.
"Say whatever you want. I won, anyway. Booze! Hurry up and give me booze! Bring me some booze!" Senku declared arrogantly.
He was completely oblivious to the strange look Kohaku was giving him from behind.
But the moment Kohaku heard that, she objected. Even Kaseki thought Senku was acting very much like a villain.
With the duel over, a father and son brought out three jars. They opened one and sniffed it. The smell had changed-it had turned into vinegar and was no longer fit to drink.
Watching them, Senku thought they were preparing a toast. But now that they had both vinegar and alcohol, the Special Medicine would soon be ready. Although Ruri's condition had improved considerably, a sudden relapse could make things even worse.
He was about to head out and gather everyone to make the Special Medicine when two people stopped him.
"Hold on. Where's the leading man going? Have a bowl first." As he spoke, he tried to hand Senku some alcohol.
"Next, everyone's going to drink until they drop. We still have a wedding to hold, too."
Senku looked at them and said helplessly, "In that case..."
They had no idea what he meant, then heard the most unbelievable words imaginable. "Then let's get divorced."
At those words, everyone in Ishigami Village instantly turned gray from head to toe, apart from Kohaku, Kinro, Ginro, and the few others who knew what was going on, along with the elderly people who had no interest in the matter.
Having said that, Senku grabbed Kaseki, the ultimate craftsman, and left. Kohaku picked up the alcohol and vinegar and followed, calling as she ran, "Sorry, Ruri! I'll explain when I get back!"
Ruri watched them leave, thinking about what Senku had just said. Am I the first priestess to be divorced? And less than an hour after getting married, at that.
Watching Senku's antics, the referee sighed at how reckless the boy was.
Ruri recalled the name her mother had once told her. "Senku Ishigami. This is a true story that happened a very, very long time ago. He also had a brilliant companion named Chen Yu."
Senku, have I finally met you? And Chen Yu, whom I've never met... I'm very curious about you, too. Thank you.
Ruri thought this as she watched Senku disappear into the distance.
Seeing his daughter looking unhappy, Kokuyo flew into a rage and was about to charge after Senku, drag him back, and make him apologize to her.
But Kinro and Ginro stopped him.
Then Kokuyo listened to Kinro's explanation, including where the two brothers had been going during their occasional recent absences. Once he heard the truth, he calmed down.
So that's what was going on? Still, no matter what, I'll make Senku pay for the way he treated my daughter.
Meanwhile, Gen Asagiri came running, hurrying as fast as he could. He needed to tell Senku and the others that Hyoga would soon arrive. Before leaving, he had sabotaged Hyoga's weapon. Being entrusted with that task had practically guaranteed that he would be branded a traitor. He hoped Senku could win. If Senku lost, life would probably become difficult for him. Still, with Chen Yu around, perhaps he would fare a little better.
(I've been forcing the iconic scenes into these past few chapters. Sigh, I don't even know if I can keep writing this.)
Before you continue