48. Whatever It Takes
02-24-2024
A/N: This chapter is mostly original! I had to revise this chapter so many times before publishing it. ( ´-Ï-)
ALSO, if you haven't read it on my profile already, my upload schedule is once a week on Saturday/Sundays! Of course, the AO3 version will be published at least a day after! I will post on my profile if there are any delays!
Q: I've got nothing to ask! Maybe ask me a question?
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You were speaking to Gen after your little excavation earlier in the day. Both of you were hanging out with each other at dusk after an eventful, stormy day on the beach. The man had seen who your group revived and witnessed firsthand what Ryusui's personality was like when Senku decided to test the sailor's skill. The mentalist was dumbfounded by his ability through instinct alone--but the greed that he had shown off was the kicker.
"I still can't believe that we're going to have to look for oil," Gen stated as sweat slightly dripped from his temples.
"To be fair, it was bound to happen," you told him with a sigh; your fingertips were against your head in discontent. "A stove was never going to power a massive ship, so oil was the next best thing. And Senku told me that in Shizuoka, their local specialty was oil. It should be filled with oil now that the world has technically been reset."
"Well, despite all that, we're at this point because of Ryusui-chan and his intellect..."
You turned to him with what looked like he understood you. Pointing at him, you replied, "Yes, despite him being annoying, he's quite smart! Do you know how he recognized me? Just by the sound of my voice! He completely annihilated Senku's statement of not being able to recognize my face!"
"Being greedy and intelligent is a combination made for disaster," your friend told you with a shrug of his shoulders. He added with a worried look on his face, "I'm surprised Ryusui-chan has the guts to flirt with you in front of Senku-chan..."
-Earlier-
"Take my hand, my dear (Y/N)! I'd like for you to show me exactly what you have in store for me!" The sailor held his hand out for you to grab as you were trying to leave the boat.
You and the gang had brought Ryusui to the beach, where he had seen the massive ship-in-progress that Senku and Kaseki had started. On the way there, you had to keep yourself close to Senku, as well as deflect all of Ryusui's remarks with him, just to make sure he wouldn't try anything. But there was nothing you could do the moment you hit land.
Before you could reply to the blonde man, Senku started, "She can handle herself like a big girl. Keep your eyes on the bigger thing at hand."
"Thank you anyways, Ryusui-san." You hopped off of the boat as your partner led the sailor to the ship vessel, leaving you with the girls. You sighed as you kept your eye on both men, "Both of them are gonna be a handful..."
"At least Senku is doing his part on being a protective boyfriend," Minami said as you helped her off. "I'm afraid Ryusui won't listen unless something happens straight to his face."
"Oh boy, I wonder when that'll happen," you sarcastically stated with a groan. "I'm still grateful to Senku for doing what he can, but if there was a small chance of them fighting, he's not winning against Ryusui-san."
"He's in for a beating if he does try something with you though, (Y/N)!" Kohaku mentioned as she put up a fist, causing you to snicker a bit.
"I could teach you some judo moves if you want to fend for yourself without a weapon," Nikki added her comment. "Men can be quite annoying."
"That would be great, actually. Thank you, Nikki," you told her with a small smile.
Suddenly, you saw everyone scrambling to disassemble the ship. You met up with the men as they placed all the materials in safe spots, covering with blankets and tarps.
"What's going on?" You asked with bewilderment.
"The humidity has risen 90% with the wind going south by southwest. The temperature has suddenly rose to 14°C (57.2°F), and the capillaries clouds are coming at a speed of 60km/h, meaning that there's a maelstrom coming!" Ryusui explained to you with the snap of his fingers.
You looked at Senku for confirmation and he nodded as he held up a thermometer. "I checked with temperature and he's spot on. Based on that, it's better to assume that we need to protect everything."
The blonde sailor then looked at you with proud, golden eyes, holding his hand out for you once more. "My sailor's instinct is never wrong. Come, let's get you to shelter quickly, (Y/N). I'll accompany you as the storm passes."
The green-haired boy then stepped in between the two of you with a smirk. "I've got some other things to show you real quick, mister. Don't think about leaving here now."
The man furrowed his eyebrows a bit, understanding that your partner was truly not backing down--subtle as he was. He responded with a laugh, "Alright! I find you extremely amusing, Senku!"
He then went off to help the others store the supplies, and the scientist turned to you with an awkward grin that he was trying to hide. "You're not gonna tell me 'I told you so'?"
"Nope. You're experiencing the consequences of your actions. But, at least now we have an 'early weather alert system' in the flesh."
-Present Time-
"And he's still thinking of trying to marry me. Why? I don't know! I have no assets! I'm also with Senku! Sure, we're not officially married because we don't have an officiate, but that doesn't mean I'm up for the taking! Who does he think he is?!" You loudly ranted, ignoring the mentalist. You were nearly shouting at this point as you waved your arms in the air.
Gen stared at you with surprise, but spoke up as he slowly went up to you, "My, my, I've never seen you this upset, (Y/N)-chan. It feels out of character for you, especially seeing how much of a nice person you could be. You need to relax for now. You're not going through anything hormonal, are you?"
"I'm frustrated more than anything...and who knows?" you mumbled as he patted your shoulders so you could sit down on the sand. "I'm allowed to feel that way after what happened, right?"
"Yes, of course. I'd also be frustrated if the love of my life had revived a guy that I dislike~" he chuckled as he began to use his hands to work with your arms so you could calm down. "Things like this happen."
"If you said that in the modern world, you'd be called 'crazy,'" you started laughing.
He smiled calmly. "Well, this is the new modern world--if you get what I'm saying, (Y/N)-chan. Now, have you talked about this with Senku-chan yet?"
You shook your head. "Nope. He's busy discussing with the new 'Chrome Excavation Trio' on where to look for oil and to communicate with them for updates. He's also in the process of making a map for resources. But he told me he'd meet up with me soon."
"Ah...that boy. I told him to balance his work with your relationship," the mentalist groaned half-heartedly.
"He does. Of course, he puts a little more care in things that need more attention: the advancement of science and the wellbeing of the people here...like Tsukasa," you quietly said.
"Yes...like Tsukasa-chan. But that doesn't mean you're not important to Senku-chan. And speaking of Senku-chan..." Gen trailed off as he looked up.
You heard slow footsteps heading in your direction and turned your body to the sound. Your mouth slightly curled upwards to see your partner walking toward you and the mentalist; his hands were rubbing against the back of his head with a bit of a tired expression on his face.
"Oh, finally finished, are we?" Gen playfully questioned him. "And here I was, trying to swoop (Y/N)-chan off her feet with my magic hands~!"
"Yeah, yeah, it's not like I have enough competition as it is," Senku blurted out with a sigh as he approached you.
You lightly chopped his head--between his eyes with the side of your hand. "Why would you think you have competition when I've already chosen my victor?"
"Okay, let me rephrase that: it's not like I got any more bothersome people to deal with when it comes to you," he corrected himself with the click of his tongue, placing a hand on the spot you smacked.
The mentalist let out a gasp, then spoke slyly, "That's so mean, Senku-chan! I'm only being supportive toward (Y/N)-chan. But I'll leave you two alone for now~!"
"Good. I need to speak with her anyways on our new resident sailor here," he said with a serious look on his face, directing his eyes to you.
"Ah, thank you for the talk and the shoulder rub, Gen," you thanked the man as he turned away.
Your friend left with a goodbye, and the two of you were alone for the time being. Walking along the beachside together with Senku, the serene air was filled with the sounds of the waves gently crashing against the sand.
You spoke up, "Did Ryusui-san give you mote a hard time?"
"Kinda. Though, I do want to know more about this guy. Like I said, you know more than you let on," he replied. His eyes laid upon you as the two of you walked. "Care to tell me?"
You sighed as you answered, "Alright. But don't get jealous now."
"Why would I get jealous? Do you really think I'm capable of doing so?"
"Sure. If that's what you want me to believe," you laced your words with a teasing tone; laughter following after. Senku just stared at you--his brows leveled with annoyance. You held in another giggle before speaking once more, "Okay, so for starters, I've known Ryusui-san for a while, but was never close. I've seen him plenty of times at those parties that my parents have brought me to just for appearances."
Senku blurted out with a raised eyebrow, "Wait, I thought he didn't know what you looked like?"
"He didn't. I always wore a mask to cover at least half my face. Now be quiet, I'm explaining everything to you," you told him with a flick to his head.
"Ow. Fine, sorry," he grumbled as he placed a hand on the small mark you left.
You continued as you had your hands behind your back, "I know how he acts because he's been that way for a very long time. I've always avoided him as much as I can. But I wanted to know what the hell his deal was. And when I figured out he was one of my dance partners on my birthday, I did my research."
You then further explained how you looked up journals and articles about the man of greed himself, as well as watched interviews and videos about him. The more you looked, you couldn't help but find his attitude toward the public annoying. You knew he was intelligent, but he'd only use it for his own selfish gain; you found it quite sad. Which is why you had guessed that he tried getting cozy with you--the hope of possibly combining both the Nanami Conglomerate and the (L/N) Trading Syndicate to become bigger and better.
"With the way he is, I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up bringing capitalism back to a stone world like this," you told Senku with a shrug of a shoulder. "I have a feeling he might be a good person. After all, everyone always acts differently when they're in public. But right now, it's all baseless hope."
"Huh...well, this doesn't answer why he is infatuated with you. All remaining assets are gone, so he has no benefit other than protection," the scientist said straightforwardly.
You joked, "Are you saying that my being with you has no benefit?"
"No. You keep me sane amongst all of these fools, slowpoke," he snorted with a clever smile.
A subtle smile formed on your face, feeling all the love you had for the boy grows within you. But you continued with your discussion, "Anyway, Ryusui-san would do whatever it takes to get what he wants. That's the main thing about him. It doesn't matter what it is as long as he gets it."
You then noticed that Senku started to think deeply as you had finished explaining. He then had a smirk growing on his face. A mischievous tone passed his lips when he spoke, "'He'd do whatever it takes to get what he wants,' huh?"
You looked at him with curious eyes and asked him, "What idea do you have going through your brain right now, Mr. Sciencer?"
He faced you. "Kukuku, if he's willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants, then we've gotta make him do whatever it takes."
"Meaning...?"
"For things that he desperately needs or wants, we're gonna need someone to push him in the direction that we want him to go and gather information by sticking with him," the scientist replied, then placed two fingers on your forehead. "But this is your choice."
"My choice?" You reiterated, then realized what he meant. You stopped walking as you carefully unraveled the words Senku meant, "You want me to sway him?"
"Only if you agree to it."
"What about Gen?"
"The mentalist can do what he can, but he's not the one that our resident sailor wants...unfortunately."
He was right. Gen could probably do so much to manipulate and gather important information from Ryusui, but he wasn't the man for the job. You, on the other hand, could easily twist your words in a way that would get him to do what needed to be done. An added plus would be for you to learn more about him.
The only downside is that you're actually going to have to be in the presence of the captain.
Without Senku.
You sighed while making a dissatisfied expression, "I'll do it for the sake of the Kingdom of Science. But this is also going to be a pain in the ass... Will you be okay with me sticking close to him?"
"Heh, I'll be fine as long as you don't go cheating on me," he snickered. "Just do whatever it takes to manipulate him. But if you ever want to back out, I understand completely."
You then pulled him into a hug. "As if I'd ever leave you. And thank you."
Your boyfriend's eyes softened ever so slightly as he placed a hand over your head. Then an overconfident grin appeared on his face as he held you tightly. "Kukuku, you're right. Who the hell is gonna take you from me? I, Ishigami Senku, bagged the heiress of the (L/N) Trading Syndicate! He can't do anything about it as long as I'm around!"
"Oi, don't be getting cocky now."
~~~
"What the actual hell."
It was the next day. You had walked up to see a towering mansion on top of the mountain Tsukasa had originally used as a base. Off to the side, you noticed some others outside with the look of disbelief on their faces. Ryusui was sitting on a lawn chair--relaxing to his heart's content as a woman fanned him with a leaf and a man providing him with food at the entrance. The epitome of Greed was sitting before you.
"GAHHH, I'm so jealous!" You heard Ginro scream.
You walked up to your friends. "Did Ryusui-san do all of this?"
"He made people build it for him, even though he hasn't done anything at all," Kinro explained to you. "He's made everyone do his work for drago."
"What the heck is drago?" You had a look of bewilderment on your face until Ginro handed you a slip of paper. Taking it in your hand, you immediately recognized that it was money created to look similar to modern-day currency. You then looked up to see some shops already set up to help it thrive. "There's no way I predicted that he would bring capitalism back."
"Did you have drago back then, too?" Ginro wondered as he stared at the paper.
"...we had something similar," you replied with a sigh, then looked at the overconfident blonde man. "I'm gonna talk to him about this. You just continue doing your jobs."
"Will you be alright by yourself?" The brunette wondered as he pushed his glasses up his face. "Word has gotten around with how he is."
"I'll be fine."
You started walking up to the sailor as he sat in front of his mansion without a care in the world. The closer you got, Ryusui ended up noticing you approaching. You watched as he enthusiastically stood up from his spot-- his golden eyes sparkled as if he had spotted his beloved treasure. He waved his "servants" away to leave the both of you alone at the top of the mountain.
"Hahah, my dear (Y/N)! I haven't seen you since you left after the storm yesterday! I thought you disliked me, yet you casually approached me! Have your feelings changed?" He awaited his answer.
Looking up at the man, who had his arms opened with welcome, you replied, "Not exactly...but I've come up here to talk to you, Ryusui-san. If you allow me, of course."
"Anything for you. I assume that you're going to ask about the drago," he stated, and you nodded as you handed him the bill.
"The idea of currency has lost its value, yet you brought it back. What good does it do? Needless to say, if this were to continue, it would gradually fall apart the more it'd grow. What we had was already working because nobody had owed anyone anything," you told him, arms crossed instinctively as you looked upon the citizens of the Kingdom of Science from above.
He smirked. "This is one of the reasons why I like you. You're asking the right questions while bringing up Marxist theory. You're an intelligent woman."
"Me? Intelligent? With this bunch? You're charming. I'm only bringing up questions that my modern day friends would ask," you shrugged your shoulders, then thought to yourself, Pure coincidence! There's no way someone would casually bring up theories like that. Rich people, am I right?
Ryusui's smile only grew wider as he heard you speak. He held up a drago bill as he explained to you, "Well, to answer your question: The value of currency has nothing to do with that you actually have or don't have. It's all about faith! Faith that Senku will eventually find oil and turn this simple paper into treasure!"
"Faith, huh..." You chuckled lightly. Then you looked over the mountain side to watch all of your friends working hard, as well as doing their part in helping others. "Everyone here has a lot of faith in him already. I know I do. My trust lies on him and his knowledge."
"Yes, Senku here is has incredible intellect...I can see that he's advanced far with that brain of his. I'm sure that's why you're with him for the time being?"
Your eyes slowly rolled to him as you heard that last sentence. "'For the time being?' You sound very sure that what Senku and I have is temporary, Ryusui-san."
"It's possible that you could change your mind. Though, I know it'll take some time, considering that I've heard you've known each other since childhood," he casually mentioned as the man placed a hand under his chin. "But, my dear (Y/N), can I do anything for you to think otherwise?"
"All you can do is help us restore civilization back to the way it was. I'm not one to abandon a relationship for nothing--loyalty is the one thing that is guaranteed from me," you informed him. After a few seconds, you asked him in a softer tone, "Do you really think you can change my heart and mind?"
He frowned and began to think to himself as he furrowed his eyebrows. Soon, his honey-colored spheres had shown a hint of determination; a small smirk appearing on his face. "Of course, I will. I'll move your heart by doing what I can. If I have you, then that means I can claim Senku too!"
A light tickmark formed on your head when you heard that, but you calmed yourself. If you blew up now, you'd be playing right into his own hands. "...You're talking about us like we're property. We're people. You know that, right?
"I know that much. You are a courageously strong swordswoman, while Senku is an incredibly intelligent man. Both of you are invaluable assets that would benefit the Nanami Conglomerate!" He exclaimed.
"You're going to do whatever it takes to being back the Nanami Conglomerate, huh?"
"Whatever it takes. It would be better if you'd to join me by that time," he said, nodding in a way that makes him sure of himself.
Exhaling deeply, you replied with a playful smirk, "Well then, I look forward to seeing you persuade me to join you. As of now, the set of skills you have shown me was...amusing."
The grin on his face had widened. Just from his eyes alone, you could tell that he knew what you were doing. It was expected. Before he could even say anything, you heard a group of men yelling in the distance. Both you and Ryusui looked at the foot of the mountain to see Yo and many others carrying a bunch of plants to a pile--Senku and Gen were watching closely from behind. You realized that they had both manipulated the others to do important work at the expense of their drago. Even the man next to you had realized how ruthless and calculated Senku could be.
"How ruthless...yet, he's filled with ambition. He's a very interesting man, but I believe I have a chance at claiming my trophy," Ryusui mentioned quietly.
"But right now, you have competition. I'm currently following my victor, and that's Senku. So..." you lightly laughed, beginning to walk away from the man, "...catch me if you can, Ryusui-san."
-To be Continued-
A/N: Was experimenting with creativity for this chapter, though I'm not sure the execution for my ideas was as good as I thought it would be.
But let me know what you think! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!