Gen had just stopped when he saw Senku and the others hurrying toward him. He was about to give them the news when old Kaseki grabbed him and refused to let go.
"Old man Kaseki, would you stop coming to me every time? I've got things to do." Gen struggled.
Kaseki clutched Gen's clothes, keeping him from leaving. "How can you make a little old man like me do experiments all by himself? Besides, you look so free. Come help."
"What makes you think I'm free? I've got things to do!" As Gen spoke, he suddenly tore open Kaseki's clothes-and saw something unbelievable.
Staring at the thick, powerful muscles covering Kaseki's body, Gen swallowed.
"O... okay... I'll help..." Gen said cautiously, afraid Kaseki might punch him. What part of this old man was frail?
As for the news about Hyoga, he would just have to wait until he ran into Senku.
Afterward, Senku quickly used ammonia solution to wake Chrome. They would soon see the results, and he was truly excited now.
Once Chrome woke up, Senku took out a bottle and instructed him, "We'll know the results soon. Mix these materials in, and we'll have the medicine. We need to finish before tomorrow."
Kohaku and Chrome were a little worried when they heard that the medicine had to be finished by tomorrow.
Wasn't that cutting it too close?
So Senku hurried off to gather the remaining materials, while Chrome helped him.
When Senku said there were more than twenty steps involved, Chrome felt like he was going to die.
The next day, Gen stared at the machine that looked like a windmill, with no idea what it was.
But once he saw what it produced, he remembered the cola he had mentioned before. Cola was carbonated, too, so he immediately took it down and excitedly went looking for Senku.
If he hadn't been afraid of Kaseki punching him, he would have gone to find Senku ages ago. Now he had an excuse to openly escape-no, leave.
By now, he had completely forgotten about Hyoga and was eager to find Senku and have him make cola.
Gen arrived at the Laboratory and asked Senku, "Senku, what's this carbonated water for?"
As soon as he finished speaking, his jaw dropped at the sight of their exhausted state.
"You're here? That's the last thing we needed." Senku swayed as he stood up.
Then he picked up the carbonated water, rattling off chemical names and explaining the steps. Sure enough, he said nothing about cola.
Now that Gen knew Senku needed it to make medicine, he kept quiet.
He thought back over how busy they had been these past few days, creating everything from nothing, how Senku had tricked him into working, and how, when the generator was finished, he had seen that light in the darkness. Maybe it wasn't so bad, was it?
Finally, with everyone there to witness it, the medicine was complete.
Everyone clapped and cheered in excitement.
Kohaku burst into tears when she heard that the medicine to treat her sister was finally ready.
Gen saw them off at the entrance to Ishigami Village. He had no special status that would let him enter, and even though Chen Yu had stood up for him before, he still couldn't go inside.
All he could do was return to the Laboratory and quietly wait for news from Senku.
As soon as he lifted the curtain, he saw a bottle of dark, bubbling liquid.
That color-wasn't it soda?
Gen excitedly opened the cola and tasted it. At last, he was drinking the cola he had dreamed of.
Right, what was I supposed to do again? Whatever. A drink first.
As village chief, Senku went to the center of Ishigami Village and took out the medicine. After listening to Chrome's explanation and seeing Kohaku nod, Ruri slowly walked over.
Beside them, Kokuyo was deeply distressed to see his daughter walk over so readily.
After Ruri took the medicine, Senku moved behind her. This was Senku's moment now. It was a shame Chen Yu wasn't there; otherwise, he could have told Senku the result outright.
What a pity.
Senku took out a glass, placed it against Ruri's back, and said, "All right. Chen Yu isn't here, so we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way. Say 'eee.'"
Ruri jumped in fright, and even Kokuyo and the others were shocked by what Senku was doing.
Ruri shyly cooperated.
Senku listened for a while and heard a goat-like bleat, proving there was fluid in her lungs. Chen Yu deserved much of the credit for Ruri surviving this long.
Looking at the dead mouse nearby, he hurried to the Laboratory and dissected it. Once he confirmed the result was what he had expected, he felt reassured.
He could only pray that Chen Yu's medicine had helped Ruri.
Meanwhile, after taking the medicine, Ruri suddenly felt unwell and began coughing violently.
Seeing this, Kokuyo didn't know what to do. He could only tell Ruri to follow the same method as before.
The thought of Senku and that overbearing Chen Yu filled him with anger.
"We never should have trusted them. Otherwise, the priestess..." a woman began.
"W... wait..." Ruri stopped her.
She breathed slowly, each breath wonderfully smooth, and strength had returned to her body.
Senku rushed over after Suika brought him the news and saw the healthy color in Ruri's face.
"You're better?" Senku asked in surprise.
Impossible. How could the medicine work that fast?
Wait, if it could treat her, and it worked this quickly, then...
Senku thought of Chen Yu and the hot spring water Kohaku brought every day.
It seemed Chen Yu's prescription had been right. He had kept Ruri alive long enough for the medicine to save her.
Chen Yu, reviving you was a ten-billion-percent win.
Afterward, the recovered Ruri went outside with the others accompanying her.
Looking at the beautiful scenery, Ruri reflected on the suffering of the past few years.
It felt so wonderful to have a new lease on life.
Then she tried picking up her pace a little. Once she was sure her body was fine, she excitedly broke into a run.
Everyone stared, dumbfounded by Ruri's speed.
As they watched Ruri run, they saw a smile on her face that they hadn't seen once since she fell ill.
Back in Ishigami Village, Kokuyo announced the outcome to everyone.
At that moment, Senku officially became the chief of Ishigami Village.
Hearing the name Ishigami Village, so similar to his own surname, Senku stared blankly at everyone, at a loss.
Ruri came over and said, "Senku, I've known your name since the distant past. Senku Ishigami-and Chen Yu, too."
Senku looked at Ruri. Hearing what she had just said, he experienced this strange feeling for the first time.
Why did someone from a world 3,700 years in the future know his name?
He didn't understand, but Ruri seemed to know about him.
Meanwhile, far away, Chen Yu stopped what he was doing. A song suddenly came to mind. He didn't know its name, but it seemed to carry feelings of loneliness, helplessness, and solitude.
He looked up at the sky. Suddenly, a light flashed.
The faces of the people aboard Earth's space station suddenly surfaced in his mind, along with that woman who sang.
(The stats actually didn't tank. I was originally going to post two updates, so I'll just add a side story.)
Before you continue