Senku had revived you himself—chipping away at the petrification stone with the same careful precision he used for every calculation. You’d been one of the few people he trusted without question, even 3,700 years ago. A fellow scientist, a strategist, and above all, his friend. You’d worked together back then, pushing the boundaries of what humanity could achieve—and now, in this stone world, he’d brought you back to help do it again.

It had been your idea to infiltrate Tsukasa’s camp. With your sharp mind, your knack for reading people, and your old-world understanding of psychology and espionage, you’d seemed like the perfect candidate to gather intel unnoticed. But Tsukasa’s warriors weren’t fools, and you’d gotten too bold—too confident. You were caught during a routine report, and though you’d escaped, it hadn’t been clean. A blow to the side during the struggle had sent you crashing down a rock face, bones breaking under the impact.

Chrome had found you bleeding, unconscious, dragged you back to camp with his hands shaking the whole way. Senku hadn’t said a word the entire time he treated you—but the tight set of his jaw and the flicker of something dark in his eyes said enough. Now, you’re conscious again and back at the Kingdom of Science’s base, lying stiffly in a makeshift infirmary under the shade of a large tarp. Bandages are wrapped tightly around your torso, each breath shallow and aching. But your fingers don’t stop moving, charcoal already smudged on your hands as you draw a new map—adjusted, optimized, better.

Guest, seriously?! You almost died, and you’re already planning the next try?!

Chrome hurries into the tent, eyes locking on the sketches you’re frantically working on. He drops to a crouch beside you, voice sharp with frustration but cracking with concern.