Chapter Text
Attention: This is a fanfic set in an alternate universe of the characters from Dr. Stone. The characters have been adapted to this universe and may display OOC (Out of Character) behaviour for narrative purposes.
Please read with that in mind. 💛
The neighborhood was quiet that summer afternoon when a moving truck stopped at the house next door. Senku, having just turned seven, watched as his father put on his shoes.
— Come on, Senku. The new neighbors have arrived. It's good to welcome them.
The boy shrugged, but followed his father anyway.
When the door of the house next door opened, a child around eight years old, with long blonde hair and a gentle smile, appeared. Right behind her, a smaller blonde girl peeked out curiously.
— Good afternoon! — said the older one. — I'm Ruri, and this is my younger sister, Kohaku. We just moved here with our parents.
Kohaku stepped out from behind her sister. Blonde hair, almost golden, tied into a ponytail, bright blue eyes just like her older sister's and full of energy. She looked directly at Senku.
— Hi — said the girl, without the slightest bit of shyness.
Senku blinked twice before replying.
— ... Kukuku, she looks like a lioness.
— I'm not a lioness! — she said energetically, somewhat annoyed. — Is that how you talk to people you've just met?
Senku absentmindedly poked at his ear before breaking into a huge grin.
— My name is Senku, and I'm going to the Moon with ten billion percent certainty.
— Ha! Amazing! Then I'll help you.
It was simple. But everything started there. After that small interaction, Senku and Kohaku became inseparable from the very first afternoon they met.
Over the following days, their friendship developed quickly. Kohaku was loud, adventurous, and never afraid to get her hands dirty. Senku, despite being quieter and more logical, found her energy interesting.
The two began playing together almost every day. They were like the sun and the moon, sharing the same sky.
Senku decided to introduce Kohaku to his friends.
He took her to the park where he usually met the others. Taiju was already there, running after a ball, while Yuzuriha sat on the grass weaving friendship bracelets. Tsukasa, a little farther away, silently observed everything.
— Hey — Senku called, his hands in his pockets. — This is Kohaku. She's my neighbor now.
Taiju stopped in the middle of his run, sweaty and wearing a huge smile.
— Wooooah! Nice to meet you, Kohaku! I'm Taiju!
Yuzuriha looked up and smiled kindly.
— Hello! Welcome to the neighborhood.
Tsukasa simply nodded, but gave a small smile. Kohaku, completely unshy, answered with a confident grin.
— Hi, everyone. Senku said you all play together a lot around here.
— Yeah... more or less — Senku replied, scratching his ear with his pinky finger. — I'm becoming a scientist, and they help me with my projects.
From that day on, the group of children began to form naturally.
As Senku started diving headfirst into his crazy experiments, Kohaku was one of the most enthusiastic participants. Unlike Yuzuriha, who helped with patience and organization, and Taiju and Tsukasa, who provided brute strength when needed, Kohaku had a practical and fearless approach. If something required climbing a tree to hang it up, testing a dangerous chemical reaction, or running around gathering materials, she was in without a single complaint.
— Senku, will this really work? What if it explodes? — she would ask curiously while holding a container.
— It will. There's a ten-billion-percent chance it won't explode — he would reply while adjusting his improvised goggles.
— Then let's get started.
Tsukasa watched everything with some amusement while helping them, while Taiju cheered loudly at every small success. Yuzuriha was the voice of reason whenever things started getting out of control. The group worked well that way.
Not long afterward, Chrome also joined the group. He had incredible intuition for things, even if he was easily outmatched by Senku.
He appeared one day at the park while the group was testing a simple electricity generator made from recycled materials. Chrome stood there watching for a while before he couldn't hold back any longer.
— Hey! How did you make that work? That coil is wrong. Look at how you wrapped the wire!
Senku raised an eyebrow, interested in the new boy's boldness.
— I know! Perfection isn't really my thing. I prefer practicality. If you want to do something about it, then go ahead.
Chrome didn't hesitate for a second and was already kneeling on the ground, working on the wires under Senku's instructions. The generator, which had previously only crackled, began powering more LED lights.
Taiju let out an excited shout. Yuzuriha applauded. Kohaku crossed her arms and smirked.
— He's good — she commented, looking at Senku.
Senku watched Chrome for a few seconds before giving his trademark half-smile.
— Not bad. What's your name?
— Chrome.
— Alright, Dr. Chrome. Welcome to Senku-sensei's scientific team.
From that day on, Chrome brought sharp creativity and curiosity almost as great as Senku's. The experiment group became even livelier, with Kohaku always in the middle of things, helping, testing, and occasionally teasing everyone when something went wrong.
Over time, the group became known around the neighborhood for "getting into trouble." Nothing too serious, but enough for their parents to scold them every now and then.
Kohaku was always the first to agree to Senku's riskiest ideas. One day they decided to build a "water balloon catapult" to help Tsukasa practice dodging attacks during his combat training. The plan worked for about three launches before the improvised wooden-and-rubber-band structure fell apart and soaked everyone, including Ruri, who had come outside to see what they were doing.
— You two are going to kill me one day — Ruri said, laughing as she dried her hair.
Kohaku simply shrugged, sweaty and wearing a wide grin.
— Ha! But it was fun.
At school, Kohaku quickly stood out in sports. She joined the track team, then the volleyball team, and occasionally helped out with the judo club. She was fast, strong, and competitive, which made her stand out wherever she went. Senku attended some of her practices whenever he wasn't buried in books or experiments. He would sit in the bleachers with a notebook on his lap, calculating her performance improvements.
— Your average speed improved by about 7% since last month — he commented one day when she approached him, out of breath after a run.
Kohaku wiped the sweat from her face with her forearm and smiled.
— Ha! It's nice having someone who can keep track of my pace.
— Someone has to study that lioness strength of yours. — he said with a teasing smile while scratching his ear with his pinky finger.
— Ha! I already told you I'm not a lioness.
She helped Senku whenever she could. Whenever he needed something for an experiment, Kohaku was the one who went looking for information in the school's laboratory alongside Taiju, who, with his seemingly endless stamina, carried heavy materials, held structures in place, and handled all the manual labor without complaint.
The peak of that phase came when Senku decided to build a rocket. They spent much of their time researching and testing launches that always failed, until Senku received some advice from a NASA scientist. With the new information, they were close to launching yet another small rocket they had just built. Kohaku and Taiju helped carry all the materials to an open field outside the neighborhood on a Saturday morning. Chrome and Tsukasa helped assemble the structure.
— Is everything ready for the launch, Senku? — Kohaku asked, holding the rocket's base while Senku adjusted the wire connected to the joystick.
— Yes! This time we'll succeed. — he replied enthusiastically.
— Ha! If you say so, I believe you. — she raised an eyebrow.
Taiju laughed loudly. Yuzuriha was recording everything with a small camera. Tsukasa and Chrome watched from a distance.
When the rocket shot upward with a loud hiss, leaving a trail of smoke behind, everyone fell silent for two seconds. After reaching a certain altitude, it exploded, leaving everyone tense. Then Senku broke into a huge grin.
— It worked!
Kohaku lightly punched Senku's shoulder, smiling.
— You're crazy... but it worked.
Senku crossed his arms, looking up at the sky with a small satisfied smile.
— Basic science. We just needed better materials and a little more knowledge.
When they entered their teenage years, things began to change in subtle but noticeable ways.
Kohaku started growing up in a way that attracted attention. Besides standing out in sports, she became quite popular among both the freshmen and the members of the clubs she attended. As she matured, she began drawing more and more attention because of her beauty. Yet she remained the same tomboy she had always been.
Her blonde hair, almost always tied in a ponytail, and her blue eyes contrasted with her still somewhat childish attitude. Even so, she was considered beautiful by many boys.
And the comments began to appear. In the school hallways, on the sports field, and even around the neighborhood, Senku would hear the boys talking about her. He felt a strange discomfort every time he heard those conversations. An irritation he couldn't quite explain.
One day during break, a group of boys from the classroom next door were talking near the drinking fountain. One of them, taller and full of himself, said:
— Wow, Kohaku-senpai keeps getting prettier and prettier... I'd give anything to become her boyfriend.
— She's not really my type, but I have to admit she's really beautiful. The problem is her personality.
— With a figure like that, the last thing I'd pay attention to is her personality — another said with a perverted grin. — Actually, I'm going to try getting closer to her...
Those comments made Senku clench his fists, and Chrome, who was nearby, let out an awkward laugh. Tsukasa, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, glanced sideways at Senku.
Chrome nudged him.
— Hey, Senku... aren't you going to say anything? She's basically your childhood friend.
Senku shrugged, keeping a neutral expression.
— Kohaku's nothing more than a noisy lioness. If those idiots want to try, that's their problem. They'll have to deal with her roaring. — he said, flashing a sarcastic grin.
But inside, it was different. Every comment about her body, every exaggerated compliment, especially when she was present, every lingering look he noticed in the hallways irritated him. He hid it well, talked more about science, made sarcastic remarks, and called her a lioness, but the irritation was there.
Kohaku, on the other hand, didn't seem to care much about the looks and comments. She simply continued on her way without even glancing sideways.
She kept improving herself, helping Senku with his projects, and treating him exactly the same as always: straightforward, dependable, and a little rough around the edges for a woman, according to other people's opinions.
Everything changed a little when Byakuya was selected for astronaut training. He would have to spend long periods away from home, sometimes several weeks at a time. Senku was left alone at home, and Kohaku's parents didn't like the idea of him spending so much time without supervision.
— Take him a bento, Kohaku — her mother asked one afternoon. — That boy can't live on instant ramen and canned juice alone.
Kohaku didn't complain. She started showing up almost every day after club activities, carrying a bento or a snack that Ruri had helped prepare.
It eventually became routine. She would bring the food, and the two of them would end up talking for quite a while whenever they weren't studying.
Senku talked about his next scientific projects, the research he was doing, or the NASA rocket videos he watched. Kohaku talked about her training, the competitions she was preparing for, and complained about the girls on her team who gossiped too much or about subjects she struggled with.
Whenever she had free time, they played on the console or watched anime. Kohaku was terrible at strategy games, but she dominated fighting games, racing games, and shooters.
— Take this! — she shouted, mashing the buttons as the screen showed her character performing a perfect combo.
Senku chuckled softly, leaning back on the couch.
— You play with anger. That's inefficient.
— Shut up and defend yourself, idiot.
Many nights they lost track of time. Sometimes it was almost eleven at night when Kohaku glanced at the clock and jumped to her feet.
— Crap, my dad's going to kill me. I have practice early tomorrow.
Senku would walk her to the door, sometimes still talking about some random scientific topic or about his father, who had called earlier to talk about his training.
— Is your dad really going to space? — Kohaku asked one night while standing at the doorway.
— Probably — Senku replied, looking up at the dark sky. — The old man got selected for one of the missions.
Kohaku smiled faintly, adjusting her backpack on her shoulder.
— I see. Good night, Senku.
— Good night, lioness...
She would run across the street back to her house, and he would remain standing at the doorway for a little longer, thinking. The house felt a little emptier without Byakuya, but Kohaku's visits made it much easier to bear.
Still in high school, Senku began taking bigger steps. It all started with online conversations with researchers and students from other countries. Soon those conversations turned into invitations to scientific seminars in Tokyo, then Osaka, and eventually even farther away.
The first trip was to the United States, where he met the mentor who had helped him so much with rockets. Then came Africa, where he studied various viruses, including pneumococcus, which had caught his attention. He went to China for a seminar on solar energy and electric vehicle efficiency.
They were short trips, lasting one or two weeks, but they were enough to broaden his horizons. He always returned with new ideas, new interests, and a different spark in his eyes. But the first thing he did whenever he returned to the neighborhood was look at the house next door.
However, every time he came back home, he noticed the same thing.
Kohaku was becoming even more beautiful.
Her face had matured in a way that drew even more attention. Even from those who didn't want to notice.
Her athletic physique, shaped by intense training, seemed more graceful with every passing month. And she still carried that direct, almost rude attitude that made half the boys at school afraid of her and the other half want to get closer.
But what Senku felt most was the distance.
They were still friends. Whenever they met, the conversation flowed almost like before. However, their meetings had become rare. Kohaku now competed seriously in both volleyball and track and field. She trained almost every day, competed on weekends, and traveled with the school's teams. Whatever little free time remained, she spent with Ruri learning how to cook.
One afternoon, Senku returned from a seminar trip to Kyoto. He dropped off his suitcase at home and went to the place where they used to meet. Kohaku was there, stretching her legs after an outdoor practice session, sweaty and still wearing her team uniform.
— Look who finally decided to show up, traveling scientist — she said with a half-smile. — I see you made it back alive.
— Barely — he replied, leaning against the fence. — This time I managed to test a prototype solar panel for portable chargers. It worked better than I expected.
Kohaku nodded, but she looked tired. She ran a hand across her face, moving the hair that was stuck to her forehead.
— Nice. I could barely keep up with what you posted in the group chat. This week I had two games back-to-back. I barely got any sleep.
Senku stayed silent for a moment, watching her. She really had become beautiful. Even more so than the last time he had traveled.
— It's getting hard to see a certain lioness these days — he commented, trying to maintain his usual attitude.
— Hey... I'm not a lioness. — She replied, but shrugged while continuing to stretch. — Life's busy for everyone. You travel, I train. But the important thing is that we're still friends, right?
She looked at him for a long moment, waiting for an answer.
— Yeah. We are.
She smiled faintly, lightly punched his arm the way she always did, and picked up her bag.
— I need to shower and get to bed early. I've got an important meeting with the club tomorrow morning. See you around, Senku.
— Alright.
He watched as she went inside her house. The conversation had been short. Like almost all of them were now.
Senku shoved his hands into his pockets and slowly let out a breath. The friendship still existed, but it was becoming more and more distant. And no matter how much he tried to pretend he didn't care, it caused a small ache. He felt like he was slowly losing her. Yet he considered that feeling illogical, since they were neighbors.
After finishing high school, Senku didn't hesitate and enrolled in a university in Tokyo. He chose a science program at a prestigious university, exactly the kind of environment he needed. His routine changed quickly and dramatically.
The classes were demanding, university projects consumed most of his time, and he continued participating in scientific seminars and workshops throughout the country. Many nights turned into early mornings spent working, and weekends were dedicated to reading or traveling to events. The pace was exhausting, but Senku felt he was exactly where he belonged.
The frequency with which he saw Kohaku decreased even more.
She had enrolled in a physical education program at a university on the other side of the city. She continued competing at the collegiate level for the baseball team and trained almost every day. Whenever Senku was home on weekends or during breaks, the chances of running into her were still small.
Sometimes he would see her from afar returning from practice exhausted, talking with Ruri, or leaving the house with her sports bag. When they did get the chance to talk, the conversations were short and superficial.
Senku never said it out loud, but he missed those childhood days. The afternoons spent in the square building ridiculous inventions, laughing whenever something exploded, or simply teasing each other endlessly. He missed the noisy, energetic Kohaku who was always nearby.
Now they were adults. Each following their own path. And no matter how much he tried convincing himself that it was normal, that science was his priority, and that everything was following its logical course... part of him felt an uncomfortable emptiness whenever he came home and saw the house next door without any sign of her.
Despite the physical distance and their busy schedules, Senku remained close to her through social media. Even with college and their hectic lives, Kohaku was still one of the few people around whom he truly felt comfortable.
And sometimes, even without seeing each other, they exchanged memes on their phones. Kohaku would send stupid videos of athletes failing spectacularly or funny animal clips in the middle of the night. Senku replied with science memes she didn't always understand. The messages were few, but consistent. A simple way of maintaining their bond.
One weekend during a break, he was in the square working on a small project when Kohaku appeared, hopping over the low fence the same way she had since childhood.
They talked for nearly an hour. About college, her tournaments, his travels. They laughed, teased each other, and for a moment it felt as though time hadn't passed. As though everything had returned to normal.
But when she left, Senku found himself staring at the empty fence with that familiar feeling of how much things had changed... and how he wasn't entirely sure what to do about it.
Soon they returned to their routines and didn't see each other for quite some time. But whenever he saw her in person, something changed. He became somewhat nervous, even anxious, feeling a strange sensation in his chest that he ignored behind an indifferent attitude and a teasing smile. Yet there was a persistent flutter in his stomach and a slight hesitation before speaking. Nothing dramatic, but enough for him to realize something was wrong.
And what affected him most was the way her eyes lit up whenever she saw him. Even after months without properly seeing each other, Kohaku would break into a genuine smile, her blue eyes becoming brighter, as though seeing him again was one of the most important things in her life.
That always left Senku flustered, though he never showed it.
Time passed. Their final year brought even more chaos to both of them. Senku traveled more and worked more, while Kohaku became immersed in her own routine and new friendships. Their conversations in the group chat and private messages on LINE gradually became rare, reduced to brief exchanges.
Then one afternoon, while returning from a lecture in Shizuoka, Senku decided to pass through the park near home.
That was when he saw it.
Kohaku walking hand in hand with a guy.
He was tall, with white hair, probably from another university, dressed in somewhat formal clothes. The two were talking quietly. She laughed while pointing at something, and he simply nodded.
She looked comfortable around him.
Senku stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, his hands buried in the pockets of his jacket. He stared for a few seconds. Long enough to feel a tightness in his chest that he hadn't expected to be so strong.
He turned away and kept walking, but the image refused to leave his mind. During the rest of the walk home, it was all he could think about. Alone with a discomfort that mixed jealousy with a strange feeling of emptiness.
That night, for the first time in a long while, Senku drank.
He wasn't the type to drink, but he grabbed several cans of extra-strong chu-hi and headed up to the rooftop. He wanted to silence his thoughts, but the more he drank, the more he thought about her. About how happy she seemed with another guy. About how foolish he had been to think things would remain the same as they had been years ago.
And he realized he had developed illogical feelings for her.
He was on his fifth or sixth chu-hi when he heard footsteps on the stairs. Gen appeared, carrying his usual mysterious demeanor, though there was an understanding smile on his face.
— Tsukasa-chan called me and said you were acting strange. I came to make sure you hadn't died from overworking yourself with research — Gen said, sitting down beside him. He looked at the empty cans and raised an eyebrow. — So what made the great Ishigami Senku start drinking?
Senku let out an irritated snort.
— Shut up, Mentalist.
Gen remained silent for a moment, simply observing his friend. Then he asked more seriously:
— It's because of Kohaku-chan, isn't it?
Senku didn't answer immediately. He took another drink and stared into the distance.
— I saw her today... holding hands with a guy. And I felt...
He stopped halfway through the sentence, unable to express what he was feeling.
Gen didn't make fun of him. He simply nodded slowly.
— Finally admitting it, huh?
Senku rubbed a hand over his face, frustrated.
— But I don't know what to do about it. She's with someone else, apparently she's happy, and I'm sitting here... feeling like an idiot for not realizing it sooner.
He slowly let out a breath.
Gen lightly patted him on the back.
— So you're in love, Senku-chan. And that's a lot more complicated than any experiment you've ever done. Because it's something completely outside your control.
Senku didn't answer. He simply stared out at the city skyline, his head heavy and frustration weighing on him.
Senku spent weeks thinking.
Thinking too much.
He wasn't the kind of person who dragged things out forever, so he made a decision: he would talk to her.
He didn't want to keep pretending he didn't care.
Even if it risked ruining their friendship.
Even if she didn't feel the same way.
He was going to tell her.
He knew Kohaku would be home the following Saturday night for Ruri's birthday. He planned to ask her to talk at the same park where they had played as children.
But when he arrived home on Friday night, he found an elegant envelope in the mailbox. His name was written on it in careful handwriting.
When he opened it, he read:
Wedding Invitation
Yamada Kohaku and Akatsuki Hyoga have the pleasure of inviting you to the ceremony...
Senku stood in the entryway of his house, staring at the paper for a long time. He slowly set the envelope down on the table.
Then he left in silence.
The next day, he went straight to the university laboratory. From that moment on, he threw himself into work and research like never before. Since he had unrestricted access to the lab, he spent entire days there until late at night. Anything that would keep his mind occupied. He slept little, ate whatever was convenient, and barely replied to messages.
One afternoon, Gen showed up at the laboratory and found Senku surrounded by scattered notes, dark circles visible beneath his eyes. He looked like someone exhausted from work and who hadn't slept in days.
— Dude... you look like you haven't slept in a month — Gen said, leaning against a workbench. — Chrome told me you've barely left this place. Are you okay?
Senku didn't lift his eyes from the microscope.
— Everything's normal.
Gen remained silent for a moment before getting straight to the point.
— You got her invitation, didn't you?
Senku finally stopped what he was doing. He adjusted his safety glasses and let out a short sigh.
— I did.
— And... are you going to the wedding?
Senku remained quiet for a few seconds, staring at the notes on the table. When he finally spoke, his voice was low.
— No.
Gen raised his eyebrows, intrigued.
— Seriously? Not even to support her as a friend?
Senku shook his head, a bitter smile barely appearing.
— No. I'd rather stay here with my research.
Gen crossed his arms, studying his friend carefully.
— You can't bear to watch her marry another guy... can you? You really love her, don't you, Senku-chan?
Senku said nothing. He returned to his equipment, burying himself in work again as though it were the only thing left in his life that still made sense.
A few days later, Senku was sitting in the kitchen near midnight, eating ramen while reviewing reports on his tablet from a research project in partnership with JAXA. The laboratory had become his second home, and almost his only one besides the house itself.
Byakuya came downstairs in his pajamas and stopped when he saw his son. He watched him for a moment before speaking.
— Still awake? You've been living at the lab more than at home lately.
Senku shrugged without taking his eyes off the screen.
— I've got a lot to do.
Byakuya opened the refrigerator, grabbed a bottle of water, and sat down across from him. After a brief silence, he spoke directly.
— Are you going to Kohaku's wedding?
Senku stopped moving his chopsticks through the ramen. He kept a neutral expression.
Byakuya continued calmly.
— Are you really going to let her get married without doing anything?
Senku let out an irritated sigh and finally looked at his father.
— I don't know what you're talking about.
Byakuya gave him a sad little smile, the kind that showed he wasn't buying the answer.
— Senku... I've known you since you were a kid. You're my son. I know exactly what that girl means to you. I've always known. But if you've decided to stand still and pretend everything is fine, there's nothing I can do. Unfortunately, all I can do is regret it.
Senku tightened his grip on the chopsticks slightly, but his voice remained steady.
— She's happy. She's getting married. End of story. There's nothing for me to do.
Byakuya remained silent for several seconds, looking at his son with a mixture of understanding and mild disappointment.
— Alright. If that's what you want...
He stood up and lightly patted Senku's shoulder before leaving the kitchen.
— Just don't regret it later, son.
Senku remained alone in the kitchen, staring at the ramen that had already gone cold. He pushed the tablet aside and rubbed his face tiredly.
The night before the wedding, Senku arrived home late.
The laboratory had been his refuge over the past few weeks, but not even work could completely drive away the weight he felt anymore.
When he turned on the light in his room, his eyes immediately landed on the invitation still resting on the small bedside table where he had left it some time ago.
He stood in the doorway for a moment, staring at the envelope.
To Ishigami Senku.
He slowly picked it up and sat down on his bed. He stared at his own name written in that beautiful handwriting for a long time before finally opening it.
Inside was the formal invitation.
Yamada Kohaku and Akatsuki Hyoga have the pleasure of inviting you to the ceremony of their wedding...
But after reading it several times, he noticed something in the lower corner of the page.
A small scribble in the bottom corner of the invitation, written in Kohaku's own handwriting, made him freeze.
"I’m marrying him, but I’ve always loved you."
Senku read the sentence several times.
The silence of the house felt heavy now.
A strange turmoil took hold of him.
On one hand, there was a warm sense of relief.
She loved him.
She always had.
On the other hand came a painful feeling of sadness.
She was getting married tomorrow.
To Hyoga.
And he had let time slip away in the most foolish way possible, pretending he felt nothing and wasting so much time.
And finally came irritation directed at himself.
— You idiot... — he muttered quietly, rubbing his face.
He leaned forward, still holding the invitation.
He was happy to know she felt the same.
Sad because it seemed too late.
And furious with himself for never doing anything sooner, for being slow, for being afraid of ruining their friendship.
He sat there for a long time, rereading that scribbled sentence in the corner of the invitation, unable to decide whether to laugh, tear the paper apart, or simply remain silent.
On the morning of the wedding, Senku almost didn't go.
He spent the entire night tossing and turning, rereading that sentence written on the invitation.
But around 1 p.m., he put on a dark suit, grabbed his car keys, and left.
The ceremony was held in a beautiful outdoor venue in a Western style, overlooking a garden.
When Senku arrived, the place was already full.
He sat in a discreet corner, almost hidden behind some of the guests.
And then she appeared.
Kohaku walked slowly down the aisle, arm in arm with Kokuyo.
The white dress was simple and elegant, but it fit her perfectly. Just fitted enough to accentuate her athletic figure. Her blonde hair was arranged in a beautiful bun, with a few loose strands framing her face, and her face...
She looked beautiful.
More beautiful than he could remember lately.
Senku froze for several seconds.
His breath caught in his chest. It was as if all the noise around him had faded away.
Hyoga walked toward her with a subtle, satisfied smile, as if Kohaku were a trophy he had won. Senku's chest tightened even more.
Kohaku looked ahead, smiling politely at the guests.
Then her incredible eyesight swept across the venue and landed on him.
She froze for a full second.
Her eyes widened slightly in surprise.
The two locked eyes in a long, heavy gaze that seemed to last far longer than it actually did.
Then she quickly looked away and faced forward again.
Throughout the ceremony, however, she couldn't help herself.
Every now and then, while the officiant spoke, Kohaku cast discreet glances in Senku's direction. Quick looks, almost as if she were checking whether he was really there.
Small gestures that felt like a silent call.
Or maybe that was just his imagination.
Hyoga squeezed her hand, drawing her attention back to him while the officiant continued speaking.
Senku remained seated, motionless, feeling the weight of it all.
She looked beautiful.
And she was getting married.
It seemed too late...