"My name is Kohaku. It seems I've taken quite a liking to you."

The moment those words left her lips, you found yourself freezing up with (e/c) eyes as wide as saucers and you swore your heart stopped beating for a bit as your entire world screeched to a halt.

This was the first time you heard someone of the opposite gender confessing to Senku who had never received a single love confession from any of the female students' body in both middle and high school back in the modern world as they were never interested. Hence, you never had to worry about having a competition fighting for the scientist's affections.

However, now that you did, you weren't quite sure how to respond to the possibility of having a love rival since having one never crossed your mind before thanks to Senku's view on romance.

A million thoughts began to flash through your mind at a hundred miles per hour, not lingering long enough for you to dwell on it before moving onto the next one. 'What do I do now? I know Senku isn't into romantic relationships, but what if he changes his mind since it's been 3,700 years? Also, this girl is way younger and prettier than me and what if she's his type??'

You bit your lips, feeling anxious over the insecurity and uncertainty taking roots in your heart the more your thoughts spiralled out of control. Just as when you were about to give yourself a panic attack from overthinking too much, Senku finally spoke up.

"I don't like what I just heard." Senku bluntly responded, red eyes narrowing in suspicion. "We just met, and she's already in love? In this state of emergency?"

In an instant, some of your doubts about whether Senku might be interested in the blonde faded. Although, you were still concerned at the possibility of Kohaku actually being in love with Senku and becoming your rival in love.

However, that was quickly shut down by said person who pointed a finger at the scientist after retying her hair, her brows furrowing in incredulity over his assumption which she was quick to correct. "I didn't say anything about that! I'm saying I like you as a person, so I'll cooperate with you!"

"Oh, I appreciate that, then," Senku answered, although there was still a hint of scepticism expressed on his face. "Nothing is as illogical or trouble-prone as relationships."

You let out a sigh of relief as the rest of your worries disappeared into thin air just like that, yet you couldn't deny the small voice of disappointment in the back of your mind that Senku's view towards romantic relationships was still the same even after 3,700 years.

Well, you would change his mind real soon, hopefully.

When both you and Senku managed to free Kohaku, the sun had already started to set and now, the first few signs of stars could be seen in the twilight sky and so, the trio decided to set up camp for the night.

It wasn't long before the sky turned completely dark as the moon took over the sun and along with its brethren of stars, watched over the earth as its occupants laid down to rest their weary souls.

The sounds of fire crackling and crickets singing their lullaby were soothing to your ears as you laid in your sleeping bag, yet you found yourself still wide awake and unable to sleep; (e/c) eyes staring up at space.

Apparently, you weren't the only one when you heard Senku's light breathing, indicating he was still very much awake as well. Feeling a bit restless from having laid in the same position for quite some time already, you shifted to lay on your side and wiggled around for a bit before letting out a small pleased sigh as you settled into your new comfortable spot.

As you were pulling your blanket higher up so that it was resting under your chin, you heard a grunt coming from Senku whose back was facing yours.

"Will you stop moving so much?" He grumbled and you froze with your blanket still grasped in your hands. "I can't sleep with all the rustling and shuffling sounds you're making."

You didn't reply straight away as you slowly let go of the blanket and laid as still as possible in your sleeping bag before uttering a quiet apology. "Sorry, it's just that I can't sleep and thought lying on my side instead of my back may help. I didn't mean to cause any disturbance."

Hearing the genuineness in your voice, Senku didn't have the heart to get mad at you. So, with a soft sigh, he said, "It's fine. I wasn't upset or anything. Just go to sleep."

You let out a small hum in agreement, snuggled deeper into your sleeping bag and before you knew it, you were off to dreamland. Maybe it was due to today's events finally catching up to you or it could because you finally felt assured knowing that Senku wasn't going anywhere anytime soon after nearly losing him today; whatever the reason was, it left you feeling relaxed enough to fall into a deep slumber.

When Senku heard nothing besides the occasional mumble from whatever dream you were having that night, he flipped onto his other side so that he was facing you. His face softened as red eyes traced your face, a small smile creeping onto his lips when your nose scrunched up slightly before relaxing again.

He watched your slumbering figure for a while more before his focus shifted to the new third party who was currently sleeping upright, her back leaning against the tree with her daggers held tightly in both hands as though she was ready to strike someone the moment she sensed anything unusual.

And Senku didn't doubt that fact one bit. Shifting again, he was now facing said person and with furrowed brows, he commented, "What are you, a new species of hominid that sleeps with a sword?"

Without even opening her eyes, Kohaku was quick to reply, proving the scientist's theory about how she wasn't fully asleep and rather was simply just resting while still being aware of her surroundings. "It's because you started talking about relationships."

Her eyes snapped open in the next second, narrowing into a distrustful glare as she turned to look at Senku. "I like the way you live, but I don't trust you yet. I take care of myself, and this habit is a result of that. Don't take it personally."

With his back facing her once more, the scientist responded. "I'm not enough of a hero to assault a lioness willy-nilly. Hurry up and get some sleep."

"Lioness?!" Kohaku let out an offended protest and jumped to her feet, no longer in her resting period as she went on an angry rant. "I have feelings, too, you know! You live like a gentleman, but your foul mouth is of another dimension. I think I might accidentally kill you someday."

However, Senku wasn't frightened by the threat, not one bit as he calmly replied with his eyes closed. "Then go to sleep before you cause any accidents. I don't want to get killed twice in the same day."

Kohaku blinked once, blue eyes glowing in the firelight as she observed the green-haired teen in silence for a moment before asking quietly. "You're fighting against that long-haired man, aren't you? I'll help you."

Senku opened his eyes and his gaze slid over to the blonde who went on before he could even utter a single reply. "I can't just back down, either."

"Yeah." He sat up with a small smile on his face, red eyes softening with understanding. "That's why I'm making a nation of science. First of all, I need manpower."

"So you want allies," Kohaku responded as she rose to her feet and let out a chuckle. "Then why don't you come with me?"

"You have more of your lion buddies, huh?" The scientist questioned with a smirk.

"Yeah," Kohaku confirmed, blue eyes glowing with excitement. "I'm sure they'll be dependable allies. I know one man who'd be perfect. Allow me to guide you, Senku. Come with me."

There was a moment of silence as Senku contemplated her words, his gaze sliding over to your sleeping figure – facial expression relaxed and dreaming on peacefully with a contented smile, oblivious to the conversation happening between both of them.

Then, he replied in a soft voice. "Alright. We'll come with you."

Time skipped

"Hot water?" Senku raised a brow in question as he watched Kohaku fill a large jar with water from a hot spring, wondering what she would need it for.

"Yeah." Said blonde calmly answered, her focus trained on the task at hand while she gave an explanation. "I take it home to make a hot spring bath. For healing purposes."

The scientist's eyes widened in amazement as Kohaku carried the heavy jar with ease, a small contented smile on her face. Blinking his eyes once, then twice, he commented. "You look like a ten billion percent healthy kid to me. What use does a lively lioness like you have with any more healing?"

"I'm not a lioness!" Kohaku protested, her brows furrowing in irritation. "And it's not for me! It's for my sister!"

You let out a yawn, still feeling slightly sleepy from having woken up so early this morning as tears gathered in the corners of your eyes. Rubbing away your eyes, you asked, "Why do your sister need it for? Is she sick or something?"

Turning her back to the two of you, Kohaku let out a helpless sigh as she replied, "Honestly...She's such a troublesome nuisance of an older sister. She's been especially sick lately. If only I could swap her body with my exceedingly healthy one..."

She trailed off and began to walk off, not bothering to wait for a response from either of you. You didn't have to see her facial expression to know how worried she was for her sister because you could hear it clearly in her voice.

Both you and Senku exchanged gazes before the scientist simply shrugged and turned to follow after their new friend. You furrowed your brows in slight confusion at Senku's lack of response, but before you could mull over it, you noticed the lack of striking green hair and hurried off in the direction Senku had gone lest you got left behind.

You almost tripped over your feet, but thankfully didn't fall when you caught up to the teen and fell into step beside him.

Red orbs narrowed slightly, fixated onto the jar that Kohaku was still carrying without so much as breaking a single sweat. "That jar looks like a little less than fifty litres. It's not quite enough for a bath. How many trips do you make with that heavy-ass jar? Every single day..."

You remained silent as your gaze jumped back and forth between the scientist and the blonde who let out a scoff before answering, "It's just part of my daily training. I'm a lot stronger thanks to it, too. I should be grateful to my nuisance sis—"

Her sentence got cut off when suddenly, her legs gave in and Kohaku stumbled, nearly spilling the large jar of hot water if it wasn't for Senku who stopped the jar from tipping over with just one hand.

"You haven't fully recovered yet, have you?" The scientist questioned with a smug smirk. "I can't have you overexerting yourself and dying on me. Hand it over."

"Senku..." Kohaku breathed out in awe.

On the other hand, you weren't sure if Senku's suggestion was a good idea when you remembered all those times where he struggled with heavy labour due to his lack of strength and short stamina.

"I don't think that's a..." You tried to stop Senku but was too late for he was already carrying the jar. "...good idea."

You finished off lamely and began to worry for your friend when you noticed how his legs were starting to tremble slightly while his cheeks were puffed up from exerting himself. Your arms shot out on instinct when he faltered but managed to steady himself at the last minute.

"Are you sure you'll be fine, Senku?" You nervously asked and stepped forward slightly to offer your assistance. "Why don't I help carry as well? At least with two people sharing the weight, it won't be as heavy."

However, Senku was quick to turn down your help and instead, waved off your worry with a reassured smirk. "I'm fine, (Name). Instead of worrying about me, why don't you keep an eye on Kohaku just in case."

"I'm fine!" The blonde girl denied, then stared at the scientist with a concerned frown. "I think your friend here has a point. You look like you're struggling. Are you sure you'll be able to carry the jar all by yourself?"

"Yes, I am fine." Senku rolled his eyes and turned on his heels (with much difficulty), heading down the slope without bothering to wait for his companions.

Kohaku watched the retreating scientist for a few seconds before turning to you with a raised brow. "Is he always this stubborn?"

Biting your lips, you hesitantly replied as you stared at said person with a pair of worried eyes. "Senku...he may be stubborn, but it's usually for a good cause."

"I can see that." The blonde mumbled. "Well, let's go then before the idiot ends up collapsing under all those heavyweights."

A small smile appeared on your lips as you let out a giggle. "That I can't argue with you."

And true to her words, when both of you caught up to Senku, he was lying face down on the ground with the jar on top of him and water spilling everywhere.

Kohaku peered down at the scientist with crossed arms, a look of disappointment written on her face. "You're the one overexerting yourself."

Meanwhile, you shook your head and let out a small sigh, half tore between feeling amused and resigned. "I did warn you."

"Is everyone other than me in this stone world a gorilla?" Senku complained, his limbs twitching slightly under the crushing weight of the jar. "Kohaku, Tsukasa, Taiju..."

"Gorilla?!" Kohaku cried out. "At least call me a lioness! That was better!"

"That's not the point here," Senku grunted. "Also, stop standing around and help get this thing off of me!"

"I say you deserved it." Kohaku snorted, earning a low growl from the scientist whose patience was wearing thin.

Chuckling at their bickering, you finally decided to put your friend out of his misery. "Alright, let me give you a helping hand."

Senku released a relieved groan when you lifted the jar off him and set it aside before reading a hand out towards the teen. "Are you alright, Senku? Does anywhere hurt or something?"

He accepted your hand and was pulled onto his feet, letting out a deep sigh as he cracked his back and rolled his shoulders backwards. "Yea, I'm fine. Also, Am I really the only one without strength in this world?"

"Well," You scratched your cheek, the corners of your lips curling into a sheepish smile. "It wasn't that heavy."

The scientist frowned and grumbled how he was surrounded by gorillas which earned a deep scowl from Kohaku and an amused giggle from you. With an annoyed huff, Kohaku marched over to her jar, picked it up and headed back towards the hot spring for a refill; all the while complaining about how Senku was of no help at all.

Said person rolled his eyes at the blonde's retreating back before turning his attention. "Thanks for helping me back there, (Name)."

"You're welcome, Senku."

With that, the two of you joined Kohaku. When you saw how she was carrying the jar once more, you remembered the incident from earlier on and worried that something like that might happen again, you rushed over to help her.

"Here, let me help you." You supported the jar and together, both of you placed the jar onto the ground, careful not to spill a single drop of water.

A grateful smile graced Kohaku's lips as she said, "Thank you, (Name). Unlike a certain somebody, at least you're of actual help."

Rubbing the back of your neck, you smiled sheepishly. "It's no big deal."

"Well, let's get going then," Kohaku commented, back to her usual serious self. "We still have quite a long way to get back to my home."

As the blonde moved to lift and carried the jar, you instantly tried to stop her. "You shouldn't exert yourself too much, Kohaku. After all, you're still recovering."

"(Name) does have a point," Senku spoke up in a disinterested voice. "It'll be a waste of time again if we have to make another trip back here."

Blue eyes were twitching as Kohaku whirled around to face the scientist, growling, "Whose fault do you think it was?! Trying to play the hero when you knew you couldn't handle it! Even (Name) here has more common sense than you!"

Senku opened his mouth, ready to retaliate but you quickly jumped in, wanting to avoid another argument from breaking out between these two. "I'm sure you already have a solution in mind, don't you, Senku?"

One side of his lips curled into a confident smirk as red eyes twinkled. "Of course, what do you take me for?"

Lifting a brow out of curiosity, Kohaku asked, "And what exactly do you have in mind?"

Senku's grin widened as he let out evil cackles, rubbing his hands together in excitement. "Oh, it's going to be something fun and exhilarating."

Meanwhile, you were filled with a sense of unease at whatever Senku had thought of.

"I really have a bad feeling about this," You mumbled worryingly, but the other two didn't hear you as Senku led the way towards the clearing where Kohaku was rescued previously.

Time skipped

Eek!" You let out a fearful shriek and clung tightly onto the automobile that the three of you were currently on as it zoomed down the slope; (h/l), (h/c) hair whipping behind you.

Meanwhile, Kohaku's lips were curled into an excited grin with both arms thrown wide open, enjoying the feeling of wind rushing through her hair. "I'm impressed you built such a useful thing so quickly!"

"It wasn't quick," Senku replied from the back of the vehicle. "I managed to use the pulleys from yesterday as wheels. Civilization births civilization. Applying developments is the basis of science."

The younger female stared at the scientist in awe from over her shoulder before turning her attention back to the front when they came to a fork in the road. "Turn right up there."

Senku did as told, except he steered the vehicle into the opposite direction of where it was supposed to go and ended up crashing into a tree. The three of you were sent flying as the automobile was smashed into pieces on impact.

Thanks to her quick reflexes, Kohaku managed to land safely on both feet with the jar held securely in her grasp, preventing another spill from happening. Senku weren't as fortunate as his face planted into the hard ground while you landed on his poor back which broke your fall slightly.

"Urgh..." Senku let out a painful groan. "You're heavy, (Name). Get off me this instant."

"Sorry," You moaned and rolled off the male, your head spinning that you missed his indirect comment of being called fat.

Glancing over her shoulders at the duo still lying on the ground, Kohaku spoke up with a small smile. "Look, Senku, (Name). There it is."

You lifted your head and (e/c) orbs followed the blonde's gaze which widened upon seeing the sight up ahead. You got up from the ground, followed by Senku, and headed towards where Kohaku was standing at the edge of the cliff; blue eyes fixated on the village below.

"Wow..." You breathed out in awe; taking in the scene of two islands, connected by wooden bridges, filled with numerous huts.

Senku's mouth gaped open as he, too, stared at the village in amazement while Kohaku piped up from beside him. "Welcome to my village."

"How many people do you have here?" The scientist questioned; his voice coloured in disbelief.

"I don't remember how many retirees and children there