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"Here," Senku said, before tossing something to Kohaku, who skillfully caught it.
"What...?" she said, staring at the brownish-orange... stone.
"It's amber. It's a fossilized resin of plant origin, mainly from the remains of conifers and some angiosperms."
"Why are you giving this to me?"
"I found it and thought of you," he said, scratching his ear with his little finger as if it didn't mean much, while his eyes refused to make eye contact.
But that action did not stop the female's cheeks from blushing.
"You thought of me?"
"Because Kohaku means amber," he retorted. "It's the meaning of your name, Lioness," he explained. "Didn't you know?"
"Don't call me Lioness!" she exclaimed. "And yes, I knew," she replied. "But I don't understand why you're telling me and giving me this."
"Amber represents a valuable source of information for science; because thanks to the fossils found in various samples, researchers have been able to recreate some aspects of what life on Earth was like millions of years ago. A piece of amber can contain air and water bubbles, organic material from the time or remains of extinct animals; whether complete bodies like the case of insects or body parts like fur. Even amber has preserved DNA and red blood cells in good condition."
"Is this important?" she said, looking at it in awe and holding it carefully.
"Yes," he agreed. Kohaku's expression became confused, now she understood even less why he was giving it to her. "Amber is important for science."
With a glance at the fossilized resin, he knew. It was instant, when his mind decided to think not of what the amber could contain inside, but of Kohaku and what she meant to him.
His red eyes looked into the expectant blue eyes belonging to the young woman who was holding something valuable in her hands, but, in the end (for him) not as valuable as who was holding it.
"And you, Kohaku, are important to me."