Inspired by The Variable by megannn.
It starts innocently enough. Kurisu is in the lab with Okabe, Daru, and Mayuri. She and Okabe are arguing ("flirting" according to Daru) about his latest idea for an experiment, Mayuri is working on a cosplay, and Daru is doing something perverted on the computer. It's been two weeks since the incident with the R world line, and she's assumed that things have gone back to normal.
"So the next phase of this experiment should be—" Okabe breaks off in midsentence, gazing around the lab like he's never seen it before.
Kurisu breaks the silence after a moment. "Okabe? Something wrong?"
Okabe whips his head around to stare at her. Mayuri, who seems noticeably worried now, chimes in. "Okarin? What's going on?"
Okabe quickly shifts his focus to her. "Mayuri?" he murmurs. He sounds confused. Finally, he looks around again and asks, in a tentative voice, "Where am I?"
Daru sighs and rolls his eyes. "Seriously? You're trying to pretend you don't know where we are? Lamest prank ever, dude."
Kurisu is getting annoyed too. "Is this just an attempt to get out of admitting that you were wrong?" she huffs, crossing her arms. "I'll admit, your acting skills are impressive, but you can't honestly expect me to believe—"
Looking panicked now, Okabe cuts her off, gesturing to her and Daru. "Look, I don't know who either of you are, but—" This time, Daru cuts him off.
"So now you're pretending that you don't know either of us too. Seriously, Okabe, you need to work on your sense of humor."
Mayuri, meanwhile, has been ignoring their discussion, and is studying Okabe with a frown on her face. "Okarin?" she finally ventures. He turns back towards her, looking lost and confused. "You really don't remember anything? Not Kurisu, or Daru, or the Future Gadget Lab?"
''That's what I've been trying to tell you," Okabe sighs, relieved that somebody seems to be listening to him.
"You can't really believe this, can you?" Kurisu asks, incredulous.
"He's not lying," Mayuri says, with no trace of doubt in her voice. "Okarin, I need you to tell me what's wrong—what's going on?"
Perhaps most surprisingly, Okabe does just that.
