Steps to survival

Chapter 11 : Rod of Lightning

Gen cautiously looked toward me with a pleading look. I didn't take pity but I lowered my weapon slowly.

"Don't push me," I walked back to the stall and stored my bow away. Senku on the other hand was thinking about the multiple ways he could praise you later on without sounding too weird.

"Heh. What a scare. But still, there's no such thing as a free lunch. You and everyone else who ate ramen have got some work to do," I smirked joyfully at Senku's endless audacity.

Later on that day everyone, including the weasel, was crouched around Senku's furnace, definitely burning off the ramen they recently had digested. They screamed in dismay, their arms burned and began sweating buckets.

"We've upgraded the blowing capability! Iron furnace: level two!" Chrome announced proudly.

"We're gonna have to take turns, but I think it'll work!" Kohaku exclaimed.

"Frankly I see this as way more efficient, it will still take approximately a full 7 hours at this rate," I explained. Overall the pumping noises I managed to hear Senku Talking to Gen.

"How are Taiju and Yuzuriha doing these days?" Oh, so that's the game he's playing? Senku's exhausting him into confessing.

"Uhh," he squeaked.

"Oh, so that's your game, yeah? Work me into a state of exhaustion and fool me into fessing up? You've got guts, trying to pull a trick like that on a renowned mentalist," Gen suddenly stopped pumping oxygen into the contraption.

"There's no need for you to worry, Taiju's strength is without end. But you know that, right, Senku?" He started looking at Senku menacingly.

I walked over, but Kohaku stumbled in front of me, making me halt.

"He's definitely with that long-haired man! Should I kill him?" She asked I tutted.

"Wait, Kohaku," I stopped her.

"Okay, Gen. You ten billion per cent knew I was trying to make you talk, so why'd you suddenly let it slip that you're working with Tsukasa?" Senku questioned.

"Well, because once I saw all of this, the tides turned, as they say," he gazed off. I couldn't help but feel extremely uneasy around this guy. I'll have to keep my guard up.

The next few days were focused on acquiring iron, which we successfully managed to do just two days after meeting Gen. We stood scattered behind Chrome as he lifted the iron bar proudly into the air for us all to see.

"All I found was a tiny primitive village. Seems Senku is no more," I heard Gen interrupt the comfortable silence.

"One fraudulent report would spare your life. Does that sound good to you?" I switched my gaze over to Senku, whose face was half-hidden by an apron he was wearing. His eyes, however, were unreadable.

"Actually, music to my ears and I'd really appreciate you doing that," he chuckled. I turned away but could feel a pair of eyes on me, I turned to somehow spot Gen quickly turning his head away from me. What's he looking at?

"Don't go thinking I've got some 'moral compass'. I'm unbelievably shallow," I looked him up and down judgingly.

"Give me a life surrounded by hot girls and I'm happy as a clam," my mouth twitched in annoyance as he glanced at me. Senku caught him and turned to Gens gaze, he followed it onto me. I turned my whole body away, pursing my lips in displeasure.

Senku didn't seem any happier than I was, which was weird to me, normally he wouldn't care about things like that.

"I couldn't care less if you and that primate Tsukasa live or die," he smiled sweetly, but it didn't last long, his face suddenly took a darker appearance.

"But I'll be on the winning side, no matter what I have to do. What benefits me most? Is it aligning with your fledgeling Kingdom of Science, or perhaps Tsukasa's Empire of Strength? That is truly the extent of my concern," I couldn't listen anymore.

I found myself walking as far away from them as possible. I snatched my bow and a few arrows and decided to take out some of my firey frustration on a poor old dying tree. I carved on an edgy target with a sharp rock.

I was unaware that from a distance a few sets of eyes were trained on me. Villagers whispered of pleasantries and curiosity in the distance, watching me repeatedly hit the centre of my makeshift target.

I pulled back the string on my bow just to hear deafening lightning strike the tree in front of me. I gasped dropping my bow in shock. My heart was rapidly pounding in my ears. I picked up the clattered equipment on the floor and sprinted to Chrome's shed.

"Woah, what happened to you?" Kohaku asked with a hint of concern.

"Just almost got struck by lightning, you know, the usual," I panted and sat down on a nearby log.

"Lightning?" Suika asked. And just then another crack of thunder was heard, Suika jumped out of her skin and backed up into my knees. She turned and I leaned back and parted my legs slightly, trying to catch my breath from shock.

I froze when a pair of small, warm arms wrapped around my chest, I looked up at Kohaku asking her mentally what I should do. She mouthed something along the lines of 'comforting you'. I nodded understandingly and wrapped my arms back around her awkwardly.

I felt a tinge of thankfulness for the young girl in my chest. At this point, everyone has gathered around in a circle.

"Looks like we're getting our lightning, then" I commented.

"Ha! It is rainy season, after all," Kohaku said rather enthusiastically.

"Ah! Can you believe how lucky we are?" Chrome clenched his fists.

"This isn't luck, it's the worst-case scenario!" Senku spat, abruptly all attention trained onto him.

"We are in no way prepared to utilize this right now!" He continued. I know what this is about, they're trying to make a generator of some sort! I managed to overhear then earlier.

"Are you sure about that?" I asked, my mind running with ideas.

"The generator will run on lightning?" Gen asked.

"That's ridiculous," he stated.

"Is it though? We can catch the lighting with the rod, can't we?" I gestured the rod in Chrome's hands. He hummed in response. Then grinned at me madly.

"Heh. Pardon the pun, but we've gotta move as fast as lightning," you groaned at how cringey he sounded.