ENTROPY | SENKU ISHIGAMI

four.

| ON YOUR WAY BACK, YOU AND CHROME FOUGHT LIKE SIBLINGS BECAUSE HOW COME BOTH OF YOU HAD ZERO PERCEPTION OF TIME? Mother Senku said to be back before New Year's Day, but you guys didn't even know what day it was! Stupid caves and zero daylight to tell you... You should have known better due to your tri-yearly two-week Minecraft obsessions.

"Okay so the plan is to walk in holding up the copper that way if we are disastrously late, we won't get murdered by him immediately... he'll see cool science item, get distracted, and then we escape," you lowly spoke to Chrome's amusement. "Or... we can be extremely boastful, and then he'll feel bad about killing our ego and THUS IN TURN US?" Chrome offered the plan, which made you shake your head.

"That would work if our enemy was familiar with the concept of sympathy. Our target is heartless, remember?" you joked. Chrome was the last person you expected to enjoy goofing around with, so the days-long mining expedition really did its job!

As the two of you entered the camp, you combined both of your schemes. "Copper! Copper! Ahem, is any fine scientist in need of copper?" you hollered, waving the mineral around in the air. Chrome followed suit, "The badass expedition brings fruit for a badass scientist! Senku, appreciate us please!" The revived male looked at the two of you with a momentary deadpan look, striking fear in your hearts. However, the sight of copper granted him a carefree smile.

"Right on time!" he gleefully replied, causing a sigh of relief to come out of you and Chrome. "We'll use this to make tubes," he said. "The heat expansion should make-" Your eye twitched in what might have been annoyance or amazement, for you really had no idea what he was saying.

You just watched him, assuming he was right.

He rushed to perfect his contraption, and the crafts team plus you all hovered, awaiting to see its effect. To everyone's dismay, a sharp crack sound was followed from the lightbulbs. You could hear Senku hiss at the air but quickly calm himself (albeit, visibly disappointed).

"If we can't make phones, we can't make phones," he settled, determining there was no other option.

"The bamboo fiber can't suffice? And there's no other option?" you softly said. Senku shook his head. Somber feeling swarmed the air; the entire group was bummed as so much diligent work and excitement was contributed to this disappearing goal. Everyone remained silent, and Senku went inside the hut, undoubtedly wanting a moment to himself. You realized you shouldn't intrude, so you stayed back with the rest of the group.

"Poor Senku... he could probably really use a hug right now!" Gen suddenly chirped in your ear out of nowhere, provoking a jumpy reaction from you. You thought over the circumstances, but you responded with a firm and earnest, "No."
Gen was a little surprised.

"This is your moment! He's vulnerable!"

Okay since when did this damn mentalist figure out you even liked Senku? Whatever, that's besides the point.

You could hear Suika's high-pitched voice from the distance, "I'm going to make myself useful!"

It struck a chord within you.

"No, Gen. This isn't the time for dilly-dallying. I need to focus entirely on making myself useful so that he can succeed," you decided responsibly, forcing a grumble from the male. You moved to kneel down on the ground with Suika and search through the minerals.

Gen grumbled oh so quietly so you wouldn't know of his true intentions, "Who cares? I want drama."

| "SUIKA, I HOPE YOU REALIZE THE WORTH WITHIN YOU," YOU GINGERLY SPOKE TO THE SCRAMBLING LITTLE GIRL. Her melonhead rose to look up at you and her mouth made a curious "Oh?" shape. You could only laugh at the girl's cute innocence. Her gaze returned back to the stashes you both were examining, "It's just I want to contribute too..." she silently admitted.

You felt sorry for her; she was so young and already facing the internal conflict of self-worth. "It's enough that you want to do something, you know? Plus, Senku practically sung praises of you when he was catching me up- you've done so much," you hummed. Suika's ears perked from inside her headgear. "He did?" the girl's hand continued their rummaging, but it was apparent she was intrigued.

"You could practically write them down in canticles," you joked then remembered Suika wouldn't get that. "You could make poetry out of it," you said, thinking that'd be better but then snapped back- literature doesn't exist at all now. You pouted.

"Candy? Ponies?" she cluelessly mouthed.

"In my time, Suika, people would tell stories in rhymes and structure- like Ruri in a way," you explained and she was colored in delight. "Tell me one!"

"Hmm... I have none entirely memorized... except some bible fanfiction," you mumbled, smiling at the joke you made to yourself.

"For better waters now the little bark
of my indwelling powers raises her soul
and leaves behind that sea so cruel and dark."

"Now shall I sing that second kingdom given
the soul of man wherein to purge its guilt
and so grow worthy to ascend to Heaven."

"Yours am I, sacred Muses! To you I pray.
Here let dead poetry rise once more to life,
and here let sweet Calliope rise and play"

"some fair accompaniment in that high strain
whose power the wretched Pierides once felt
so terribly they dared not hope again."

Suika looked at you with wonder. "It's all so pretty! Not even Ruri uses big words like that!"

"That was just the beginning  of Canto One from Dante's Purgatorio," you chuckled lightly. "Forgive me for not telling the trilogy in order. Dante Alighieri wrote three books- a famous trilogy, see? Dante's Inferno... to Dante's Purgatorio, and it ends at Dante's Paradiso. It's basically the first ever fanfiction. I did a project on Dante's Purgatorio so that's the only reason why I'm so familiar with its Cantos," you resumed, and Suika cut you off. "So there's more to that story?" Suika beamed.

"You... actually want to hear me recite it?" you excitedly smiled, and she eagerly nodded. Yuzuriha had once agreed to listen to you read Sylvia Plath, but the girl regretted it after an hour of your voice or so...

Little did Suika know, she'd understand the crafty girl's torment around a couple of hours.

a/n: i HAD to give dante alighieri the honor of being the first author quoted in this fanfic- GUYS, HE'S LITERALLY US. if y'all are unfamiliar with his work, he basically wrote a bible self-insert fanfic in the early 1300s lmao. LIKE HE EVEN MADE SURE TO WRITE ABOUT ALL HIS HATERS SUFFERING IN HELL and included all his crushes ESPECIALLY VIRGIL no one can make me think he wasn't homosexual for that. ALL THE RESPECT TO HIM THO one of my favorite poets fr. also the chapters have been slow but i'm js tryna establish y/n's ties to characters before we REALLY progress and move on w/plot. all that's left after this is magma and a certain pair of brothers xP