A Song of Hope, Tomorrow Will Be Better

Not long after Chen Yu and the others left, Tsukasa arrived.

Looking at the empty room, Tsukasa was utterly puzzled.

He pulled someone aside and asked what had happened. Only then did he learn that, for some unknown reason, Chen Yu had suddenly stopped the other doctors and hurried down the mountain with the women. No one knew what he was up to.

Tsukasa thought it over, then sent a few people after them.

Among them was a blonde woman with bulging muscles.

Chen Yu arrived at a small hill and looked at the three women behind him. Though their faces were full of confusion, they seemed to have eyes only for him.

"Can you sing?" Chen Yu asked the three of them.

"I've never tried."

"No."

"I can."

At that, the other three looked at Reiko. This girl could sing?

"Oh, please. I was in a band, you know?" Reiko said proudly, lifting her chin.

"Good. Then can you sing anything by the superstar Lillian?" Chen Yu nodded and asked.

"Lillian? Do you mean that star from America?" Reiko asked, lowering her head in thought.

"Yes. Can you sing her songs?"

"I've sung them a few times, but only hummed a couple of lines. Songs that beautiful shouldn't be ruined by my off-key voice."

Uh...

Chen Yu stared speechlessly at Reiko. Was this going to work or not?

He had brought them here intending to have them sing a song, or simply take them away from this place.

But now that he thought about it, they might as well finish singing first. All that mattered was letting their people hear it.

For that, he needed to find a tall mountain, hoping the sound would carry farther.

He had even made a little loudspeaker along the way.

How could he hang around Senku without picking up a few technical skills?

"Then let's sing together," Chen Yu said.

"Why do you suddenly want to sing?" Miwa asked.

Even Xiao Xi looked curiously at Chen Yu.

"Maybe because of... fate. They need a little hope, don't they?" Chen Yu thought it over. It wasn't just for the people of the Tsukasa Empire, but for their descendants too.

"All right. But if it sounds awful and they complain, don't blame me," Reiko said, pursing her lips.

"If you're ready, let's begin," Chen Yu said, looking at Reiko.

Then the two got into position and picked up the microphone Chen Yu had hastily made.

Chen Yu warmed up his voice. He wanted to reproduce Lillian's voice as closely as possible.

"Let's just sing a short section," Chen Yu suddenly said.

He didn't know whether Lillian had originally sung the whole song or just a section, but saying that would at least save him some embarrassment.

It wouldn't hurt if they sang a little more.

"Okay," Reiko replied.

Just then, the wind began to blow...

"Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide~

Every step a struggle~

Searching without giving up~

Hardship before my eyes, understanding in my heart...

Placing my hope in tomorrow...

Ready to set out, but where do I begin?

A thousand paths, a thousand calls...

Only by forging my own way, breathing deep and giving my all...

One small step from zero, I have nothing left to fear, I will build my ideal world...

One small step toward becoming a hero, I will seize my chance, and when I succeed, the one in my heart will always be you..."

When that short section ended, the people who had followed them stood wide-eyed after hearing it.

For a moment, they seemed to see an entirely different scene.

The only woman in the group was especially moved. She sobbed, feeling as though she had just heard her idol, Lillian, singing.

But the four figures nearby told her that these people weren't Lillian. They weren't her Lillian.

Over in Ishigami Village.

After hearing the song, everyone came out into the clearing. They looked toward its source, not knowing who was singing.

"Why does it sound so familiar?" Kohaku said, lowering her head.

Ruri was lost in thought too. She knew it was a song, but had no idea who could be singing it.

"It's so beautiful!" Suika said, raising her hand.

"That's Lillian's voice." Senku remembered a female star he had once seen on television. That voice sounded exactly as though she were there in person.

"Hearing a song like that makes everything we've done so far feel worthwhile, and the future seems more worth looking forward to than ever!" Chrome said excitedly.

"Yeah. Everything has meaning, and hope, doesn't it?" Senku gazed into the distance until the singing stopped.

(I just checked, and it looks like they really aren't related by blood. What do I do? Did I mess everything up?)

"Let's go. We've passed on hope and light. They should have more energy to keep going now." Chen Yu called to the others and headed down the mountain.

They met the people who had followed them coming up the path. All of them were silent, with tears glistening in one woman's eyes.

"Let's go. We still have to keep living, don't we?" Chen Yu said with a wave.

"Yeah," the woman replied.

Meanwhile, after hearing Senku explain that he and Byakuya weren't related and were father and son in name only, Magma jumped straight into the sea, swam back up, then jumped in again.

Damn it! That bastard told me Senku might be my ancestor, but they aren't even related by blood!

Then what was all that respect I showed him these past few days for?

Senku, I'm going to kill you!!!

Chen Yu: It's not my fault. I didn't know either. Who told those two to act just like a biological father and son? I was sick back when I watched it, and my memory was damaged. It's not my fault, so don't come looking for me...

Magma roared inwardly.

Meanwhile, Senku and the others stared dumbfounded at Magma's repeated antics.

"What's wrong with him?" Chrome asked.

"I don't know. He just suddenly started doing that," Suika replied.

"Never mind. Let him do what he wants. Where were we? Right, blood relations." Senku picked at his ear and spoke casually.

"Even if we were related by blood, how many generations has it been? What's the point of talking about family ties?" Senku said indifferently.

Hearing that, everyone decided it didn't matter either. Since Senku's father had founded Ishigami Village, then as later generations and fellow villagers, they had all the more reason to help Senku.

What awaited everyone afterward was an even grander bonfire party.

It wasn't just because Senku was the village chief, but also because of his connection to the first village chief.

Back in the Tsukasa Empire, Tsukasa was there to welcome Chen Yu.

It was already late when they returned.

Seeing Chen Yu walk over safe and sound, Tsukasa let out a sigh of relief.

"You sang well," Tsukasa praised him with a smile.

"Thanks. Come on, I'll make your favorite grilled meat today."

"I eat that every day, you know."

"So do you want it or not?"

"Yes..."

"Then there you go."

And so Chen Yu left with Tsukasa, the two chatting and laughing.

At the end, Chen Yu looked up at the sky, then toward Senku. Tomorrow will be better, won't it?

(Someone said Senku eventually built a time machine and brought Byakuya back just before he died. Since I'm not bringing Byakuya back, just take it as the protagonist not knowing about it. It's been so long since I watched that I've almost forgotten the plot. What a pain. Anyway, I just hope you all don't mind.)