Chapter 46: Ten Playthroughs of Saving (17)
Although he talked about time machines and future gadget research institutes all the time, Okabe Rintaro clearly didn't believe that time machines actually existed. He completely took their talk of death rewind and reincarnation as a joke, thinking that everyone was just playing along with his silly, childish jokes.
But it's not particularly difficult to convince him.
Or rather, his values and understanding are already crumbling, and his remaining persistence is merely a last-ditch effort based on his past understanding of the ordinary world and his scientific rationality.
In comparison, this person with "chuunibyou" (middle school syndrome) is actually a very vigilant and rational type. They didn't say much about their own messy affairs, but they managed to get a pretty good idea of what was going on in the group.
In short, contrary to his appearance, Rintaro Okabe is not a simple person.
That makes sense. How could someone who had their own research institute and invented a time machine at the age of 18 be just a simple-minded, delusional person with delusions of grandeur?
[—Rei Furuya joins the group chat—]
[Natsuki Subaru: Furuya-san! Furuya-san, you're finally online! (Panda crying.jpg)]
[Okabe Rintaro: Hah, so your boss finally arrived? Bring it on! I want to see what other tricks you have up your sleeve. If you can't convince me, I might report you to the police for telecom fraud!]
[Rei Furuya: I am a police officer.]
[Rintaro Okabe:...]
[Okabe Rintaro: You're kidding me! You're at most 18! You're still a minor high school student!]
[Rei Furuya: I'm 29 years old, but considering the time spent in reincarnation, I'd be 30.]
[Rintaro Okabe:? ? ? 】
Rintaro Okabe repeatedly clicked on the blond youth's profile picture, but no matter how he looked at it, this blond, dark-skinned, youthful-looking handsome man was completely different from the policeman he knew!
"Ah, I get it, this profile picture is from the internet!"
An 18-year-old boy with black hair, wearing a white coat, couldn't help but rush to the mirror and look at his weathered face, which looked like that of an old man. He angrily punched the wall and cursed loudly.
"What a joke?! You're saying that face is that of a 29-year-old police officer? Who would believe that?! It's definitely a stolen image from some high school student to scam people! It'll fool any young girl, but using it on me? You've got the wrong target! At least use an image of a pretty girl!"
[Rei Furuya: I understand the situation. Leave it to me. You all go about your business. I'll train the newbies.]
[Subaru Natsuki: Homura and Shinpei are definitely too busy. I'm not busy right now, but I really can't have a normal conversation with this guy!!! (Frustrated.jpg)]
[Rei Furuya: Don't worry, let me handle this.]
[Rei Furuya: Okabe-kun, you said you're a scientist, right? A genius scientist who researches time machines. So, have you already created a time machine? And what is your goal?]
[Okabe Rintaro: It's Hououin Kyouma! That's right, I am the ultimate mad scientist!]
[Okabe Rintaro: Heh heh heh, you'd be terrified if I told you. My goal is to create inventions that drag the world's governing structure into chaos through a transformation of it, and to consider how to counter the mechanisms targeting me, and to devise a way to break the world's governing structure!]
[Rei Furuya: I see. You were indeed researching gadgets related to time and the future, but you weren't sure if you'd successfully created a time machine. However, something strange was definitely happening around you, right?]
[Okabe Rintaro: Were you spying on me nearby?! You damned secret agents! I never imagined you'd even infiltrate the government police!]
[Okabe Rintaro: I see. Could this memory discrepancy be due to the mechanism's memory manipulation?]
[Okabe Rintaro: Yes! That's right! I understand everything now! Whether it's the memory discrepancy, or you four agents sent by the organization, whether it's this chat group or our encounter—it's all the choice of Steins;Gate!]
[Rei Furuya: It seems there was indeed some memory distortion. Is it too late...? What does Steins;Gate mean?]
[Okabe Rintaro: Steins;Gate is Steins;Gate! It is the gate to all truth in the world!]
[Rei Furuya: Is this just one of those meaningless chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) catchphrases? But since it's become a name in the world, Okabe-kun and this word must be very important in the future.]
[Rintaro Okabe:...]
"Ugh, this guy is so rigid and serious! I can't talk to him at all! How scary! Is he really spying on me?! Or maybe he can read my mind?!"
"Okabe, you're so noisy! What's gotten into you today? You're even crazier than usual!" The chubby hacker was so disturbed by his noise that he couldn't concentrate on his work.
[Rei Furuya: You've probably already tried showing this chat app on your phone to the people around you, but no one else can see it no matter what you do. Even if you hire a hacker, they can't find or attack this group chat, right?]
[Rei Furuya: I know you're confused right now, but please calm down and think things through carefully. Organize your memories and find where things went wrong. Okabe-kun, aren't you a scientist?]
[Rei Furuya: Now that you've started your first playthrough, it means you've already gone through one cycle. Haven't you noticed anything amiss around you? If you don't notice something's wrong soon, there won't be time when danger strikes.]
[Rei Furuya: Okabe-kun, do you have very important people close to you? Family, friends, or lovers? Based on all our experience, if something happens, the first person to be in danger is definitely the most important person in your life. Are you willing to gamble with their lives?]
Rintaro Okabe couldn't help but turn around and glance at his childhood friend who was sitting on the sofa sewing a cosplay uniform.
"Hmm? What's wrong?" The short-haired girl tilted her head and blinked curiously.
"No, it's nothing." Okabe Rintaro took a deep breath.
[Okabe Rintaro: The email I sent a second before joining the group chat seems to have been sent to the past, and the timeline I'm in now has changed, but it seems I'm the only one in the world who remembers what happened before.]
[Rei Furuya: What kind of email was it? What changed?]
[Rintaro Okabe: It seems I really have invented a time machine. I'm currently conducting my second attempt.]
[Rei Furuya: No way!]
[Rei Furuya: We can't keep trying! Don't cross the line of cause and effect! It might not be too late to stop now!]
[Rei Furuya: Okabe-kun, do you know about the butterfly effect?]
*
"zero?"
Rei Furuya turned his head and met a pair of drowsy, open cat eyes.
Almost instinctively, he immediately shoved his phone under his pillow.
"Zero, you're awake?!" Morofushi Hiromitsu instantly snapped awake. "How are you feeling? Are you feeling better?"
"I'm feeling much better," Furuya Rei replied immediately, then gave a sheepish smile.
"You're lying, your fever hasn't gone down yet." Zhu Fujingguang raised his hand to touch his forehead, then immediately frowned and turned to get a fever-reducing patch.
When he returned, he found the blond youth, his face flushed and eyes glazed over, sitting up and typing on his phone with a serious expression, trying to keep his eyes wide open.
Morofushi Kagemitsu: "..."
Even with a fever, Furuya Rei was instantly alerted and immediately put down his phone, smiling ingratiatingly as he explained, "There's something urgent right now that needs to be dealt with immediately. If we delay, something terrible might happen."
"Is it about that group?" Morofushi Kagemitsu sighed helplessly.
"Yes, a new person has arrived." Furuya Rei obediently tilted his head back and let his childhood friend lift his bangs, then took a towel and carefully wiped the sweat off his face before placing a cool fever-reducing patch on his forehead.
"A newcomer?" Morofushi Kagemitsu frowned slightly. "What kind of person is he? Is he difficult to get along with? Zero seems quite troubled."
Damn it, I wish he could see this group too.
“He’s an 18-year-old chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) kid, and the kind of genius young scientist who can build a time machine. He’s really a headache.” Rei Furuya sighed. “What I need to do now is convince him that we’re not just playing along with his chuunibyou. But that’s not a big problem. The real challenge is how to convince him to stop researching time machines.”
“Compared to that…” Furuya Rei suddenly looked up at him, his eyes filled with utmost seriousness and determination, “Hiro, the game I used to play now has an extra resurrection skill.”
Morofushi Kagemitsu was taken aback, but quickly understood what he was talking about, and his eyes slowly widened.
"Just like you thought, even people who died before the save point can be resurrected with this skill," Furuya Rei continued. "It seems like you get a resurrection slot for each save point you clear. I'm leaving it for now. I don't know exactly how many save points there will be, but I'll save it for later and use it after I finish the game."
"Wait, you, I..." Morofushi Kagemitsu met those purplish-gray eyes and was so shocked by understanding what the other meant that he lost the ability to speak.
Could Zero's expression be suggesting that he could resurrect...his parents?
But... but is this really possible? How much pressure and despair would this level of hope bring to Zero? Wouldn't it make Zero bear the burden of two more lives?
"But no! You—"
“It’s okay, there will definitely be more than one or two save points.” Rei Furuya comforted him, holding his trembling hand and said earnestly, “When I say happy ending, that includes Hiro, of course.”
"Trust me, Hiro, I can do it," he said with a smile.
*
After Furuya Rei woke up, Date Wataru, Matsuda Jinpei, and Hagiwara Kenji rushed over and, together with Morofushi Kagemitsu, gave the blond youth who was cowering in a bad scolding.
This time, even if he tried to look pitiful with his baby face, his innocent, droopy eyes that were even more watery from the fever, it was no use.
They forced that bastard to sign various "unequal treaties" promising that he would never let his body get into such a state again before they reluctantly let Furuya Rei go.
The three of them originally planned to postpone their departure from school by one day because Rei Furuya suddenly fell ill, but they were refused and kicked out by him.
"There's not much time left, right? Hurry back and prepare for your official start date. I'm really fine now. The doctor said I just need to rest." The blond young man, who looked like he was in serious trouble, looked at them with unusual determination. "Hiro is looking after me here. We'll go back together tomorrow. Don't delay your start date. I'll contact you if anything happens."
Realizing that staying would only put more pressure on Furuya Rei, the three of them gave up.
Before leaving, Kenji Hagiwara first whispered a few words to Hiromitsu Morofushi, and then waved and winked at Rei Furuya, who was staring at them.
"Furuya, even after graduation, please keep in touch, or Hagi-chan will be sad~"
In the original timeline, this was the last thing Kenji Hagiwara said to Rei Furuya.
He will die in a month.
“Yes, I will,” Furuya Rei said earnestly.
But he will definitely change this timeline and the predetermined fate.
The current time is October 1st.
We'll find out on November 7th.
At that moment, Rei Furuya suddenly remembered what Rintaro Okabe had said.
That sentence, though meaningless, was unusually unsettling at this moment.
[Everything is a choice made by Steins;Gate]*
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