Chapter 171 Seventy-Third Cycle (1)

May 1st.

Before leaving, Furuya Rei checked the date one last time.

He stepped out of the laboratory and saw the long-lost sunshine.

Putting aside his mental state, his body hadn't seen sunlight for a whole month, and today's sun was so bright and scorching that he could barely open his eyes.

However, Rei Furuya was in a very good mood. His long-cold body warmed up, and a smile appeared on his face.

This is what it truly feels like to be alive in the world; he's had enough of the deathly silent, pure white, cold laboratory.

It's May, and the cherry blossoms have mostly faded. Did he miss the class monitor and Natalie's engagement?

Maybe not? Knowing the class monitor's personality, he might postpone it like last time, waiting until he's sure Natalie is safe before going to focus on the engagement party and inviting him. It's just a pity that even now that he's out, he can't go...

The valley has begun to recede.

It rained yesterday, and the ground in the suburbs was muddy and dirty, but spring has spurred other flowers, plants, and trees to grow wildly.

The ground was lush and green, the sky was clear and blue, and the sunlight was dazzling and gentle.

Rei Furuya refused Renya Karasuma's suggestion to send him back, and instead of driving, he slowly walked back on foot.

When he saw stray cats and dogs on the street, he squatted down and played with them for a while. He thought that Hello was probably about to be born, so should he go back to the place where he found him and wait for him?

Furuya Rei slowly composed himself, trying to recover to a point where no one would notice anything amiss or worry him.

He didn't have a usable phone. His previous phone had been taken by the organization for analysis and had triggered a self-destruct program, rendering it unusable. However, he didn't need to buy a new one, as he had a spare one in his safe house.

But he can't contact anyone yet.

Karasuma Renya has always been cautious and careful. Even if he is released, he will be under strict surveillance for the time being and cannot be relaxed.

Scotland has indeed been looking for Bourbon, but Bourbon is unlikely to let Scotland see him in a weakened state. In addition, the organization's boss is also on Bourbon's side this time, openly favoring Bourbon like a crow guarding a treasure. Even if Scotland wanted to cause trouble for Bourbon, it wouldn't be able to.

So, in theory, Scotland should not be able to meet with Bourbon until he is able to go out and meet people again.

For example, now that he's out, Scotland has been sent to other places to carry out missions.

So even though he knows everyone is eager to know how he is doing and that Hiro really wants to see him, Rei Furuya has no intention of seeing them right now.

Karasuma Renya is keeping a very close eye on things, so just in case, it's best not to spend this birthday together. It'll also be difficult to give a birthday present then...

Rei Furuya reached out and gently pushed away the stray cat that was rubbing against his legs. He stood up, watched the stray cats leave together, resuming their dangerous yet free life on the streets, smiled, and turned to leave.

It's okay, they still have time.

Next year, we can give Hiro a proper 29th birthday celebration.

There shouldn't be anything happening on May 2nd next year.

Rei Furuya was sweating a little. He raised his hand to brush his sweat-dampened bangs, then squinted and looked up at the sun.

The final battle of the game's grand finale will take place on December 25th of next year. There will be no more problems with the plot before then, and by then, they will have become the top and second disciples of Detective Mouri and will be able to work together flawlessly.

Once we get through this period and put Karasuma Renya at ease, the final plan can officially begin when the game officially starts and Conan appears.

"Um...are you alright? Are you feeling unwell? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

The girl, holding her companion's hand, hesitated before approaching and asking in a low voice.

Despite the sweltering heat, the blond youth was dressed in heavy, oversized clothing. He appeared weak and unwell, walking slowly and sweating profusely. He had just leaned against the wall in silence for a long time, almost as if he had fainted, which was very worrying.

"...Thank you, I'm fine. It's just a little low blood sugar. I'll be fine after a short rest." The handsome blond-haired, dark-skinned young man turned and smiled at them. His eyes were indeed clear, and his expression was calm and natural. He didn't look uncomfortable or disheveled at all, just as they had imagined. He really didn't need their concern or help.

The two girls took out a bottle of strawberry milk, a piece of chocolate, and a few candies from their bags, handed them to him, and waved goodbye with smiles.

Rei Furuya was grateful for their kindness, but he wouldn't eat what they gave him, nor would he throw it away. He simply put it in his pocket and continued walking.

He wasn't that weak; it was just that the temperature-controlled laboratory was too different from the scorching sun outside, and he hadn't been active for too long, so he needed time to adjust. In addition, he needed to think about some things, which is why passersby thought he was sick.

Rei Furuya walked slowly but steadily down the street, his back straight, his eyes intently taking in the scenery around him.

This is the real world he lives in.

He walked through quiet suburbs, through bustling city centers, through narrow, dimly lit alleys, through busy streets, and then followed the crowds to squeeze onto the tram.

He watched young office workers and students hurrying to and fro, some happy, some worried; he watched elderly people slowly gathering in twos and threes, chatting about their own things; he watched food stalls on the street begin to steam and try various ways to attract customers; he watched flower shops display beautiful and vibrant bouquets of flowers in the sunlight…

It's 9:30 in the morning. The sun is rising higher and higher, and life in this world is becoming more and more lively.

It's the start of a new day, and all sorts of people are striving to live their lives on this ordinary day.

It is a very ordinary yet warm and beautiful world, a normal and real world that Furuya Rei has been away from for a long time.

Rei Furuya returned to the safe house before the midday sun was at its hottest. After locking the door and confirming that it was safe, he took out his spare phone, entered the password, and logged into the chat group.

The moment he entered, the chat group exploded, with five people and an AI instantly sending dozens of messages.

[Zero: I'm fine, but I've been under close surveillance lately. Don't call me; I have a GPS tracker and a listening device on me.]

After sending the message, Furuya Rei scrolled back a bit and chose to look at the records first.

Noah's Ark did indeed find Furuya Rei after he left the lab, but after Furuya Rei used the pre-arranged code to signal to the street surveillance cameras not to take any action without leaving a trace, the group discussed it in the group chat and still did not take any action.

but……

Furuya Rei watched Noah's Ark livestream his journey back to the other five people in the group chat, feeling both helpless and warm-hearted.

Fortunately, he didn't seem to be in any particular discomfort. He became more and more normal as time went on, and he didn't look strange at all when walking among the crowd. In fact, his mood got better and better, and the smile on his face was genuine.

This time he didn't deliberately avoid surveillance, but it wasn't a problem for either the organization or Noah's Ark to see him.

Bourbon was finally released, so of course he could be happy and marvel at how wonderful the outside world is.

[Zero: Don't worry, I'm fine, really fine. I just wanted to see more of the outside world after being locked up for a month.]

[Zero: Noah's Ark, are you still in contact with Sherry? Don't contact her anymore. There's still a risk of exposure. Don't drag her into this. She has her own important storyline to complete.]

[Zero: Hiro, don't come any closer. You can make gestures as if you want to see Bourbon, but don't force your way in. Even Scotland can't come to see Bourbon right now. If you go too far, the organization's boss will punish you.]

[Zero: Don't worry, I'll explain it to you slowly.]

[Zero: Just like the information I had Noah's Ark relay to you through Sherry, the plan went very smoothly, and we are now safe. However, the organization's boss is overly cautious and resentful, so he will continue to monitor me for a while. During this period, do not meet with me or call me to prevent your identity from being exposed by the trackers and listening devices.]

[Zero: Although the system tricked me into appearing in the organization's boss's dream, revealing my ability to reload saves and reincarnate, it was just a dream after all. As long as there's no evidence to prove it, he won't really do anything to me. He tested me for a month and still let me go. Aren't I safe and sound now?]

[Zero: Really, no, no, I completed the game in one go. If I had reloaded, wouldn't you guys remember? The last save point was at the four-petaled cherry blossom where the class monitor survived.]

[Zero: How could that be? Didn't we agree? I won't hide this from you. This time it really wasn't that dangerous, but I did get a lot of useful information.]

[Zero: You would never guess that there was a reincarnator in this world fifty years ago, and he was connected to my current system. He was probably a player from the previous generation...]

[Zero: In the end, I successfully fooled Karasuma Renya. He now suspects that his dreams about me being a reincarnator are just his own obsession, because he's always suspected I'm an immortal reincarnator. His reasons are really absurd: he thinks my appearance hasn't changed in years, that I look 18 even though I'm 28, and that my youthful appearance and the information-gathering abilities that others call a prophet make him suspect I'm a reincarnator!!!]

Upon hearing this, Furuya Rei was met with a string of ellipses and question marks.

He couldn't help but laugh before explaining seriously.

Tong Yan was just a point of joking skepticism; Karasuma Renya was equally skeptical of all people who were abnormally outstanding, especially those who were young but seemed to be all-around capable and incredibly powerful.

For example, Bourbon, Shuichi Akai, and Scotland.

Before that dream, Shuichi Akai was actually the prime suspect, followed by Scotland, and even Gin was suspected because of his exceptional talent and versatility.

Shuichi Akai, needless to say, remains a major concern for Renya Karasuma.

Scotland... Karasuma Renya suspects that Scotland killed Rum, suspects that Scotland wants to become the organization's BOSS, and that his entanglement with Bourbon is just a way to deceive others with his romantic mind.

As for Bourbon, the reason I valued him before was simply because, like Sherry and Vermouth, Bourbon was in charge of the Pandora experiment, which was researching things like immortality and rejuvenation.

Oh, and we should also add Bourbon's terrifying insight and intelligence gathering and analysis abilities, which were rumored by others in the organization to be those of a "prophet."

He explained the whole story without any flaws, telling them the explanation he had rehearsed repeatedly. Although the whole process was thrilling, it was all under Furuya Rei's control, and in the end, he did manage to get out safely before Morofushi Kagemitsu's birthday.

It does sound like there's nothing wrong, consistent with what they found during their investigation.

However, as Morofushi Kagemitsu watched the blurry surveillance video of the blond youth who had just come out of the laboratory, he still felt extremely nervous and uneasy. His subconscious told him that this was a very, very serious and terrible thing, and he wanted to find the reason but couldn't find it no matter what he did.

"Bang, bang, bang—"

Even though everything is fine, my heart is pounding.

The black-haired youth sat silently on the steps, holding a sniper rifle and looking down at his phone. Most of his face was hidden in the shadow of his hood, with only his sleek chin with messy stubble and tightly pursed thin lips visible.

Even though they couldn't see his face clearly, the others could still clearly feel the dangerous aura emanating from him. They all quietly shrank into the corner, not daring to make a sound, waiting for the big boss to finish dealing with his own affairs before taking action.

No wonder he's the infamous Scottish guy in the organization, he's really scary. Who said he was gentle and easy to get along with?

[Zero: I'm sorry, Hiro, I can't celebrate your birthday this year. And the birthday present couldn't be delivered to you without the organization's spies knowing. I'll definitely prepare something better next year!]

Rei Furuya sent a private message to his childhood friend.

[Hiro: It's okay, but are you really alright? My mission here will be finished tonight, I can come over, and I can keep the situation in Scotland under control so the bugging devices won't detect anything amiss. I want to see you in person, you're not hiding anything from me, are you?]

[Zero: No, no, really no. We already have so much intelligence and capability; as long as the timelines don't converge, it's not a problem.]

[Hiro: This time, the system team organized the BOSS to trick you, which was so dangerous. Did you really complete it in one go? No reloading? Tell me the truth, how many times did you reload? I won't be angry.]

Furuya Rei felt extremely guilty, but still firmly denied it.

After immediately denying it, he felt uneasy and nervously scratched the windowsill with his fingers.

He could have finished the game in the previous playthrough, but in order to erase Hiro's memories, he cleared his save file and started over.

It took a full hour to calm down the worried friends. Furuya Rei was really tired and lay down on the bed to take a nap.

It will probably take him a long time to get back to normal sleep and daily routine, and he can't see Hiro for a while, otherwise he'll definitely be noticed that something's wrong.

The frequent reloading of save files and the aftereffects of the nightmare experiments, as well as the countless hypnotic suggestions and suggestions he and others have given himself, all need time to gradually dissipate.

It's okay, those problems aren't serious, they can all be fixed, and he's confident that no one will find out.

Before going to sleep, Furuya Rei opened the Reincarnation group chat again for a quick look.

[1. Rintaro Okabe: From Steins;Gate, currently on his 1001st playthrough, has died 0 times.]

[2. Homura Akemi: From *Puella Magi Madoka Magica*, currently on her 121st playthrough, has died 0 times.]

[3. Rei Furuya: From "Detective Conan," currently on his 73rd playthrough, has died 73 times.]

[4. Subaru Natsuki: From *Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-*, currently on his 45th playthrough, and has died 45 times.]

[5. Shinpei Ami: From "Summer Revisited," currently on his 33rd playthrough, having died 33 times.]

Rei Furuya's gaze swept over the seventy-three cycles following his name, finally settling on Rintaro Okabe's cycle count at the top.

One thousand and one reincarnations...

Their time flow is synchronized. Furuya Rei typed a message asking but received no reply. Natsuki Subaru, who was online, gave him a brief explanation.

Furuya Rei frowned slightly, summarized his own situation, and then slowly flipped through their previous chat history.

While Rei Furuya is in crisis and frantically reloading saves to try and succeed, Rintaro Okabe also unexpectedly encounters a predicament.

After discussion, it was determined that Okabe Rintaro needed three thousand time jumps to overcome this difficulty.

During these three thousand time jumps, he will encounter many obstacles and almost fail several times.

However, his situation is not bad now. He has gradually become proficient. All that is left is to slowly wear down those two thousand reincarnations. And each time, he needs to explain it to his companions again and then work together to find the time machine to travel through time again.

This is not only physical exhaustion, but also mental torment.

However, compared to his previous dejected and escapist attitude, he has now regained his spirits and fully recovered to his previous state.

Although a mistake led to this almost hopeless and painful predicament, he has now found his goal and method, and with unwavering courage, he is breaking through the cycle of reincarnation time and time again to get closer to his goal of success. Even if he has to go through three thousand painful reincarnations, he is determined to create a world where everyone can live.

He won't choose between the two; he wants to save both Mayuri and Kurisu.

He wants to save world peace, he wants it all.

Rintaro Okabe calls that world line where everyone is alive "Steins;Gate".

This is good news; Furuya Rei can rest assured.

After turning off his phone, Furuya Rei lay down for a while, then got up again, took out the red scarf from the closet, put it on, and finally closed his eyes to go to sleep.

Everything is a choice made by Steins;Gate.

Rei Furuya slowly curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.

Of course, he will also find the world line of Steins;Gate.

That future where everyone survives, including himself, of course.

He wanted to see it, he wanted to join in.

Rei Furuya is now confident.

This incident wasn't all bad; at least he could guarantee that there wouldn't be any problems going forward.

He had already learned quite a bit about the system and the reincarnator from fifty years ago, and had even deduced many important things from it.

Moreover, if there is anyone in the organization who is most likely to be called the second-in-command after the BOSS, it can only be Bourbon.

There are still nine months until the game officially begins.

There was only a little over a year left before the game ended.

Victory is just around the corner.

Rei Furuya could see that many, many blue butterflies, representing hope, had appeared around him.