Oh, Watermelon

To gather all the materials needed to make antibiotics as quickly as possible, Chrome volunteered to lead Li Xiang, Senku, and Kohaku to his secret base.

A little hut stood in the woods just outside the village.

This was the Secret Hut Chrome had kept hidden for years.

When they pushed open the creaking wooden door, the sight inside immediately made Senku's eyes light up.

The small hut held no unnecessary clutter. It was packed with ores, raw stones, and crystals from the mountains, all sorted by type and neatly arranged in colorful piles.

The rough wooden shelves and grass mats on the floor were covered with rare stones he had collected during years of trips into the mountains, building his collection bit by bit. Every piece was a treasure he had carefully selected and experimented with.

From ordinary rocks and mineral-rich soil to unusual raw stones, he had everything.

Looking at this room full of natural chemical raw materials, Senku's eyes instantly shone with fervor, and his signature wicked chuckle rang out.

"Heh heh heh..."

He strode forward, brushing his fingertips over ores with unusual textures, then turned toward Chrome, who stood beside him looking proud.

"Chrome, I never thought you'd be this reliable."

Finding someone in this primitive village who had taken the initiative to collect unusual ores was an unexpected windfall. It saved them most of the time they would have spent gathering materials.

Praised in front of everyone by a master of science, Chrome immediately straightened his back and lifted his chin, looking smug despite trying to play it cool. He was delighted.

He couldn't wait to join Senku in creating real "scientific sorcery" and cure Ruri as soon as possible.

As the two science enthusiasts eagerly huddled beside the piles of ore, selecting materials and discussing purification procedures, something else caught Li Xiang's attention.

Watching idly from the side, she suddenly spotted an adorable little figure.

Several round wild melons sat in an open corner of the hut. Among them, a small, round, bright green watermelon was actually moving on its own.

Instantly intrigued by this marvelous little thing, Li Xiang set down the ore in her hand and watched the watermelon that could walk by itself.

As the little watermelon wobbled and rolled toward them, Li Xiang's heart softened. She gently crouched down, gazing warmly at the lively little watermelon.

Just then, a soft, young voice came from the watermelon, tiny and sweet, with a child's unmistakable earnestness.

"Doctor..."

"Watermelon can help. Watermelon wants to save Ruri too."

He was a village child named Watermelon, sweet and sensible, who had quietly kept worrying about Ruri.

Li Xiang understood at once, her expression growing even gentler. "Your name is Watermelon, sweetheart?"

The round little Watermelon gently rocked his body and obediently nodded.

Seeing the little fellow, Kohaku also smiled warmly.

"Watermelon has always been really sensible and responsible. He volunteers to help with everything in the village, big or small. He's such a thoughtful boy."

"Thank you for all your hard work, little Watermelon."

Kohaku's words softened Li Xiang's heart even further. Besides making antibiotics, their immediate priority was to stabilize Ruri's condition and keep it from worsening.

After a moment's thought, she gently asked the well-behaved little Watermelon, "Little Watermelon, tell me, do you know the woods in the hills behind the village well?"

"I want to find two herbal combinations, Honeysuckle and Forsythia, and Mulberry and Chrysanthemum. We can brew them into Honeysuckle and Forsythia Powder and Mulberry and Chrysanthemum Drink to help control Ruri's inflammation, ease her coughing and wheezing, and keep her condition from getting worse."

At her words, the little fellow immediately nodded hard, his body bobbing.

He had been running around those hills since he was tiny and knew every part of them by heart. Finding herbs was well within his abilities.

"Perfect!" Li Xiang's eyes lit up.

She immediately turned and called to Senku, who was still studying the ores.

"Hey! Senku! I'm taking little Watermelon into the hills to find herbs to stabilize her condition. You guys sort out the mineral materials here!"

Without even looking up, Senku waved casually, his attention fixed entirely on the rare ores before him. "Go ahead, go ahead. Just stay safe and come back soon."

With his agreement, Li Xiang wasted no more time. She followed the round little Watermelon at an easy pace deeper into the hills.

A gentle breeze stirred through the woods, carrying the fresh scent of plants. The path was quiet and peaceful.

Along the way, Li Xiang watched the little fellow keep his helmet firmly on, hiding his entire face without exposing any skin. She couldn't help feeling curious.

The other village children were carefree and easygoing. Only little Watermelon always wore a helmet and never took it off.

After hesitating throughout their walk, she finally spoke softly, her voice gentle for fear of hurting his pride. "Little Watermelon, can I ask you something? It's all right if you don't want to answer."

Little Watermelon immediately stopped rolling and stayed obediently where he was, answering in his soft voice.

"Ask anything, Doctor. Watermelon will tell you everything he knows."

The little fellow's remarkable sweetness melted Li Xiang's heart, and she gently corrected him.

"You don't have to keep calling me Doctor. That's too formal. My name is Li Xiang. You can just call me Big Sister."

"Okay! Big Sister Li Xiang!" Little Watermelon obediently changed how he addressed her, his voice soft and sweet.

Li Xiang (kind personality) gently crouched down to meet the little fellow at eye level.

"Then tell me, little Watermelon, why do you always wear that helmet?"

She privately guessed that he had probably been injured when he was younger and had scars on his face. Children were sensitive, so perhaps he kept them covered because he didn't want anyone to see.

She kept her tone careful throughout, afraid of touching on something painful.

Little Watermelon lowered his head and thought silently for a few seconds, apparently debating whether to tell her his little secret. After a brief hesitation, he finally lifted his hands and slowly removed the helmet he always wore.

The instant the helmet came off, it revealed a young, round, adorable face. His features were delicate, his skin fair, without a single scar or blemish. His face was utterly unmarked.

Li Xiang froze. There were no scars or imperfections. He was simply an especially cute child.

But a moment later, little Watermelon narrowed his eyes, scrunching up his little face into an indescribably confused expression. His eyes squeezed into a tight squint, and he seemed to be struggling terribly.

He blinked gently and said in a small, unhappy voice,

"Big Sister Li Xiang... everything Watermelon sees is blurry."

So he was nearsighted!

No wonder he always wore the helmet. His vision was blurry, and putting it on blocked some of the stray light and narrowed the image, making it a little easier for him to see.

Now that she understood, Li Xiang felt both sorry for him and a little amused.

She rummaged through the small bag she carried and, after searching for a while, pulled out an old pair of glasses.

These were the glasses she had worn for her nearsightedness before arriving in the petrification era. The Petrification Beam had miraculously corrected the refractive error in her eyes.

Her nearsightedness had been completely cured, so the glasses had sat unused in her bag ever since.

Holding the glasses, she spoke gently to little Watermelon.

"So you're nearsighted. Poor little Watermelon. I have a pair of glasses here. Try them on and see if you can see clearly. I just don't know whether the prescription matches yours."

Little Watermelon obediently took the glasses and carefully put them on.

A moment later, he blinked in bewilderment. His little face first went blank, then brightened with delight tinged with disappointment.

"It's a little clearer... but it's still blurry."

Understanding, Li Xiang raised her eyebrows. "Your prescription is that strong?"

Congenital hereditary nearsightedness was a real nuisance, and it usually came with a high prescription. There was a risk of inheritance when the mother's prescription exceeded minus six diopters.

She gently removed the glasses from little Watermelon's face and carefully put them away. "It's all right, little Watermelon. Let's not wear these for now."

"Wearing glasses with the wrong prescription for too long could make your nearsightedness worse. We don't want your prescription getting stronger."

"Just wait patiently. Once we get back, I'll ask Senku to make a pair just for you, so you can see everything clearly. How does that sound?"

Little Watermelon's eyes instantly lit up, and he nodded hard, his gaze full of stars. "Yes! Thank you, Big Sister!"

Soft, dappled sunlight fell through the woods onto the two figures, one tall and one small.