Chapter Text
"I always knew about the whole plan."
That's what he said. It doesn't matter that he actually didn't find out the hoax until it was too late. For months he was so hopeful for it to be truth, although it was the most absurd lie someone could ever come up with. Now, hope, that was given to him, was shattered.
Still, even when only left feelings with him were despair and grief, he will just strengthen himself with them. Just like what he heard Ryusui saying. He will use these feelings to move forward. He won't let them get in a way.
News needed to be broken to the rest of Kingdom of Science and the whole world. It was such a big deal that there was a message from the future, but now all misunderstandings have to be cleared. He tried not to look at his allies when he finally told them the truth. Was he the most afraid to see disappointment or pity on their faces? No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't miss how Kohaku looked at him with such a knowing and worried gaze, how tears started to well up in Taiju's and Yuzuriha's eyes. Xeno tried to walk up to him and say something, but he simply brushed him off and, with a smug smile, addressed everyone.
"Come on, guys. Even though the message was fake, it doesn't mean we have to be all sad about it. There is still a city on the moon to be build. We have a lot of work and science to do. This exhilarating, get excited!"
And just like that, the work began again. Like always, Kingdom of Science and its leader can come back from any obstacle and devastation. Though, now there are several concerned glances towards him from some of his friends.
Time machine is still in development. For some time Xeno wouldn't be involved, because he needed to travel around the world with Gen, Tsukasa and Stanley once again to talk about Medusa's future message. It would be more fitting for him to go with them or instead of his mentor, as he was the one who let himself and, therefore, everyone else be fooled by Why-man. But many scientists from the Old World still weren't ready to listen to someone, who was just a teenager when first worldwide petrification struck.
They think that he's some clueless kid.
It couldn't be farther from the truth.
He stopped being a kid the moment he broke free out of the stone.
Or, maybe, even the moment he was hit by the green light and started counting.
And as he starts remembering about time he spent counting, the situation he finds himself in the moment begins to remind him about what he experienced for more than 3700 years. As everyone left the laboratory to go home, he was the only one who stayed to continue working. He doesn't really need to finish anything, he just doesn't have a reason to go back to his house. There is nothing for him to do there, except, maybe, to eat and sleep. But he didn't need either right now. The more work he would put in, the faster he would accomplish his goal of reviving all of humanity.
The higher the chance of him being able to see his father.
No matter how much he keeps thinking about how important his work is, he just can't concentrate. The feeling won't disappear. That feeling of being all alone. Like he is the only person in the whole world. He understands that he is human, and humans are social creature. They need other people around. It was just so irritating to him. He was able to not talk to anyone for a whole day before petrification and just dive into his science projects without any care in the world. Now he couldn't be left by himself for more than a few hours because then this feeling would appear again. It wasn't a problem for most of the time, as earlier he was always surrounded by his allies. Whether it be Gen getting away from labour, or Chrome peppering him with a bunch of scientific questions. He was always been around people or distracted by some problem that needed his immediate attention.
Now, he's all by himself again, and everything comes down to the slow routine. Everyone moved on with their lives. Not him, though. He can't just go back to be some science nerd who likes to build rockets with his friends. He is now humanity's savior. He was the one who needed to bring back those that can't enjoy living in this New World.
But now, as he sits in the laboratory all by himself, he can't even do the most basic equation. And while his concentration is slowly fading away, the dread sets in. He is, once again, the only person in the world. Maybe, the rest of humanity was petrified the third time. Why-man already secretly petrified the entire population of mosquitoes in the whole region. What stops it from trying to humanity into a stone again? This sounds stupid, of course. There is absolutely no reason for it to do so. And even if it tried, he would also be petrified, as petrification would affect every single human. Still, this irrational fear won't just go away. He was already fooled by an absurd lie once, he could do it another time.
He needs to go away from here. To see someone. To hear someone. So that he could finally go back to-
"Senku, what are you still doing here?"
It seems like he run out of the laboratory and, luckily, stumbled into Suika. Why is she still in the faculty?
"I could've asked you the same question, Suika. I thought you had left hours ago. Why are you still walking around here? You know, if Kohaku heard that you still isn't home at this late hour, she would go full lioness and start sprinting from one place to another to find you."
"Don't worry! Kohaku knows that I can stay late in the laboratory for work sometimes. Although, now I'm here because I forgot some of my things and noticed only after I came back home."
As she said it, Suika immediately went to grab some of her stuff that was, indeed, laying forgotten at her chair. Even though he didn't show it, he was extremely grateful to have her for a moment. This nagging feeling is, finally, starting to disappear, and he could continue peacefully his work.
"Hey, what were you doing this late alone here?"
Or not.
"And why did you ran out earlier?"
"Tch," He started, putting a pinkie in his ear, trying to act as normal as possible and not as a person, who believed they were the only one of their species just minutes ago. "Just finishing some of my work. I realised midway that I also forgot something, but it is in the other end of the faculty. Needed to be fast as possible so I could be done with work as soon-"
"Then Suika will help you!" Suika smiled brightly at him and took his hand with both of hers. "I really want to be useful, so let me finish whatever work you have with you!"
He was stunned for a moment. It felt like she wasn't just trying to be useful, like there was something else. She of all people should know how loneliness feels like.
No. He won't let her do this. She suffered from being by herself for several years, and he will certainly not let his experience heavy the burden for her.
"Let's just go home already, wouldn't want you to sit here till the morning with me. If anything, we can do it tomorrow, when you will be rested and ready to work another day."
Suika stayed silent for a moment. Her expression was unreadable to him, but her eyes were definitely questioning such sudden switch-up from him. But as the moment passed, she again smiled sweetly at him.
"If you're done for the day, then what about going to the new bakery that Nanami corporation had opened? I've been there a few times, and food isn't very different from what Francois used to cook for. It's just like being able to eat their sweet bread at any moment you like!"
At that he could only give her a chuckle.
"No matter how great it is, I don't think we could go there today"
"Ha? Why?"
"Ryusui loves money, but I don't think he would go as far, as to force his employees work till midnight."
"Oh, right..."
As disappointment settled into the girl's expression, he gently ruffled her unruly hair to cheep her up, and was able to genuinely smile. No matter how old Suika is, in his mind she was still little girl with a watermelon on her head.
And he couldn't let her see how despair, which was supposed to give him strength, didn't leave and only grew. She needed to see hope and confidence in a person she looked up to. After all, Suika is one of the people that would lead science progress in the future. In a someone, who embodied science for many people in this New Age, she won't see any cracks or flaws.
Because He is Ishigami Senku, the person who, no matter how many obstacles he is facing, won't back down and will never lose hope.