She really was gentle after all

The entire village gathered around the clearing, their cheers rising wave after wave. Flowers, applause, and boisterous teasing all poured toward Senku, who stood at the highest point.

He had won the championship, rightfully becoming the new Village Chief of Ishigami Village.

According to the ancient rules passed down in the village for a thousand years, the new Village Chief had to marry Ruri, the village Priestess, before his authority was formally established and he inherited the village's fortunes and duty to protect it.

The villagers watching the spectacle knew exactly how to stir things up. They all joined in, their synchronized shouts echoing through the forest.

"Get married! Congratulations to the Village Chief and the Priestess on their wedding!"

"Get married! Get married!"

Everyone beamed and applauded in celebration, making the scene festive and lively.

Ruri stood at the front of the crowd, her fair cheeks instantly flushing crimson. Her eyes fluttered, and her heart inexplicably began to race.

Caught off guard by everyone's teasing, she grew shy and flustered, her fingertips lightly clutching the hem of her clothes. She had yet to process the sudden well-wishes or her own confusion.

With every eye on him and the excitement at its peak, Senku casually picked at his ear, looking utterly unconcerned as he took everyone's teasing in stride.

"Sure."

His tone was light, frank, and casual as he tossed out a few words.

"Then we're married."

The crowd's cheers instantly rose another notch. Everyone thought the new Village Chief sincerely intended to follow village tradition and marry the Priestess.

Ruri froze, a flicker of surprise crossing her eyes as an inexplicable flutter stirred in her heart.

But that flutter and shyness did not even last a second.

An instant later, Senku abruptly changed tack. With an absurdly calm tone, he immediately added a bombshell in front of the entire village.

"But now that I'm the Village Chief, let's get divorced."

As his words fell, the noisy crowd instantly went deathly silent.

Every villager's smile froze. They stood rooted to the spot, staring in slack-jawed disbelief.

Divorced right after getting married?!

Are you out of your mind...?

Ruri was completely stunned, all her shyness and confusion vanishing.

She thought she had done something wrong.

Li Xiang and the others, however, were simply speechless, staring blankly at the utterly composed young man before them.

Gen Asagiri complained with a look of utter despair.

"I have no words... Senku, you could at least put on a little act! You're not even pretending!"

He could have gone through the motions for a couple of days, at least kept up appearances, but no.

Still, that was very Senku!

Senku paid no attention to their complaints, his expression perfectly untroubled.

Supplies secured!

With the brewing ingredients acquired and his goal achieved, the marriage agreement was naturally useless.

Senku calmly collected his supplies and began the next stage of his research, thoroughly satisfied.

Everyone at the tournament grounds reveled in the absurd yet hilarious atmosphere, celebrating the victory with nonstop cheers.

While everyone else celebrated, Li Xiang quietly slipped out of the crowd, avoiding the bright lights and noisy voices as she headed alone toward the wooden hut where their prisoner was held.

The clamor faded behind her. The evening breeze carried the cool mountain air, and the silence left only the sound of her footsteps.

Inside the hut, Homura remained securely confined, with no chance to escape and no one visiting her. She was all alone.

Li Xiang raised a hand and pushed open the wooden door. A soft creak broke the silence inside.

She carried a small portion of warm food that she had deliberately set aside from the celebratory feast.

Walking up to Homura, who sat stiffly upright, Li Xiang gently placed the food before her and spoke evenly.

"Eat."

Homura looked up at her, her eyes still wary, stubborn, and distant. She said nothing, facing her in silence.

Seeing how tense she was, Li Xiang spoke calmly.

"It isn't drugged."

Homura remained silent, her gaze stubborn. She refused to yield or offer any thanks.

The mountain breeze slipped through the gaps in the wooden window, bringing a biting chill that sent the temperature inside plummeting.

Finding the wind too cold, Li Xiang instinctively turned slightly and drew herself back, blocking the draft with a natural, gentle movement.

She lowered her eyes to the girl, who remained full of suspicion, and spoke with particular sincerity.

"I've never wanted to hurt you."

"We're just on different sides, each serving our own leader. There's nothing personal between us."

"I won't lay a hand on you or deliberately torment you, provided you behave yourself and stay put."

Having said that, Li Xiang lingered no longer. She turned, gently closed the wooden door behind her, and quietly left.

Silence returned to the hut.

Only after the footsteps had completely faded did Homura slowly raise her eyes toward the empty doorway, the tension in her heart easing just a little.

It was then that she suddenly noticed a brand-new, thick quilt on the bare, cold plank bed. She had no idea when it had appeared.

It was just what she needed to keep out the cold mountain winds at night.

Li Xiang had quietly left it there.

As Homura looked at the quilt, a tiny crack appeared in her layers of wariness for the first time, and conflicting emotions filled her heart.

Outside the hut, darkness had fully enveloped the mountain forest, and the entire village rested beneath the gentle night.

Li Xiang returned to the wooden hut where she slept and lay down on the soft hay bed. Her thoughts were in turmoil, and she could not settle down for a long time.

Instinctively, she called up the system's viewing panel, which had lain dormant in her mind for ages.

The screen slowly lit up, light and shadow shifting as footage from the long-unwatched episodes automatically appeared.

The image stopped precisely at the very beginning-the memorable scene where she, Senku, Yuzuriha, and Taiju parted ways in the desolate Petrification World, setting off down different paths.

All the earlier footage was automatically skipped. The images raced forward, replaying everything that had happened since she came to this Stone Age village.

Light and shadow shifted across the screen, bringing each memory vividly before her eyes.

She and Senku had followed the trail deep into the mountains and unexpectedly discovered Kohaku trapped there.

Following Kohaku's trail, they had finally found Ishigami Village, isolated from the world and enduring peacefully for a thousand years.

Watching the rustic village and its simple, honest people on the screen, Li Xiang's eyes flickered, and she murmured softly.

"This village... really does have deep ties to you, Kohaku."

The images continued racing forward, the story unfolding in orderly progression.

She had gradually become part of the village alongside the team, getting to know its warmhearted, sincere residents and meeting the innocent, sweet Little Watermelon.

Next came the scene of her first meeting with Ruri.

Seeing the girl weak and haggard from years of chronic illness, her instincts as a doctor had driven her to examine her immediately.

Combining modern medical knowledge with the conditions of the Stone Age, she had finally reached an accurate preliminary diagnosis of Ruri's long-standing lung disease.

She had identified the illness, worked out the approach to treatment, and firmly established her goal.

From then on, she and Senku had embarked on an endless journey of gathering materials.

For medicine, for healing, for restarting civilization, and for protecting the people around them.

The two worked seamlessly together.

From fabric and dyes to medicinal herbs, brewing ingredients, and basic chemical materials...

Step by step, building everything from nothing, they had forged the foundations of modern civilization in the primitive Stone Age.

The system footage slowly came to an end, and the screen dimmed.

Li Xiang stared up at the dark ceiling, her heart filled with conflicting emotions.

Now that Senku had successfully become Village Chief, the hope of curing Ruri was finally within reach.

[Li Xiang really is gentle after all.]

As the final viewer comment drifted through her mind, Li Xiang scoffed. She held out her hand and studied it. "I don't think there's anything particularly gentle about me."

"Maybe..."