I should be able to prevent Mayuri from dying this time.
My thoughts repeated in my head over and over again. Why? Why does this keep happening? I stared at Mayuri's lifeless body. The white van that ran us over opened its door. Of course, it's Moeka that stepped out. She killed Mayuri on the other timeline, and she killed her again on this one. Again, sorrow and rage washed over me as I see the Mayuri's murderer step in front of me.
"...Okabe Rintarou, secured. Contact the police. Shiina Mayuri is dead." Moeka mumbled into her phone.
"Why did you kill her… Why?" It was to much. Mayuri died… again.
"Because you ran away." Moeka nonchalantly responded.
Damn it.
Using all of my strength, I jumped up from the ground and tackled Moeka with full force. To be honest, It was pretty satisfying to hear Moeka gasp as I pushed her onto the ground. Ignoring the sharp pain in my legs, I carried myself to the lab so I could time leap again.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
I stumbled in front of Mr. Brauns Workshop. Thankfully, the shop was closed. Considering my condition, Mr. Braun would probably start bombarding me with questions if he saw me.
As I opened the door to the lab, I was relieved to find that no one was here. It seemed that since Mayuri and I was running around outside, the Rounders had decided not to raid the lab yet.
I set up the time leap machine to go to the 11th instead of the 13th. I needed as much time as possible. With 2 days instead of 3 hours, I should be able to save Mayuri for sure this time… I hope.
I put the headset on and activate the time machine.
I dial the Phonewave on my phone, bracing myself for the cold.
I wait...
…
…
I don't feel anything. I opened my eyes but I saw that I was still crouching in front of the Phonewave (Name subject to change.) The blue lightning was still flashing.
"What the hell?" I said to myself. This wasn't good. Why am I still here?
Once again, I inputted the settings and activated the Phonewave, a sense of dread filling me. I dialed the Phonewave, and...
Nothing changed. My body was still hurting from the car crash and the lab was still empty.
No… No No No NO NO!
The Phonewave must be broken. But… How? Why? Suddenly, I flashback to the previous timeline.
The Phonewave had been shot several times. I could see several frayed wires poking out of the machine. That must have been what was producing the sparks.
Wait no. That couldn't be it. That didn't even happen in this timeline! There is absolutely no reason why the Phonewave should be damaged right now.
Could the Rounders have snuck in here and destroyed the Phonewave instead of taking it? Perhaps it somehow carried damage from the last timeline onto this one?
No, none of that makes sense. Stealing the Phonewave so that they could time travel themselves is the whole reason why Moeka raided this lab. It doesn't make sense that she would damage it. On top of that, this may as well be an entirely new Phonewave. Going back to the past should have reversed all damage made to it.
So… why? Has the universe just completely forsaken her? Is Mayuri doomed to stay dead forever?
Suddenly, the door slammed open. Before I could react, Moeka rushed in and pulled me away from the Phonewave roughly.
"Ugh!" Moeka slammed me into the ground and put me into an armlock. I couldn't move.
"... Your friends have been captured. Give up." Moeka stated this in her usual listless tone. So even though they got away from the lab, Moeka and her Rounders found them anyway.
I failed to save Mayuri. I failed to change the past. I even failed to save my other friends.
I let Moeka escort me out and to her van. I knew that there was no use resisting anyway. At the very least, I wanted to see my friends once more.
I felt a pair of extremely tight handcuffs snap onto my hands. It was so tight-fitting that some of my skin got caught between the cuffs.
"Hey, what the hell? Can't you at least give me a pair of bigger handcuffs?" In response, Moeka shoved a bag on top of my head.
I feel so powerless. Is this really it?
Suddenly, Moeka shoved me into the back of a vehicle. Since I was handcuffed, I couldn't catch myself and fell flat on my face. I didn't even try to get up. It's not worth it to try anyway.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
After what seemed like an eternity, the ride stopped. Moeka brought me out from the vehicle and removed the bag from my head. I was in front of a large building. There seemed to be no windows or signs on the building. I looked around, and as I expected, I didn't recognize any of the scenery around.
"... Come on." Moeka tugged me along to the entrance of the building.
Is this where Kurisu and Daru where being held? I'm not sure if I could handle meeting them right now…
As Moeka dragged me into the building, I noticed that it's interior was like it's exterior. There was barely any decor, save for a clock and some desks. According to the clock, it was exactly 11:59. That meant that the ride here probably took over 2 and a half hours.
"Sit." Moeka pointed at one of the desks. The desk was a melded combination of a chair and a small table, exactly like what you would see in a typical high school. As I moved to sat down, I suddenly felt dizzy. The world around me warped and twisted. Colors started to fade.
What in the world?
This feeling… No doubt about it, I'm going through a time leap. But how? The Phonewave is definitely broken. I've seen it for myself.
Moeka tapped on my back. "Hurry up and sit do-"
Then, I time leaped.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
I was back at the lab. For some reason, I didn't go through the sensation of cold and darkness again. Not that I was complaining.
"What the hell is going on here…?" I mumbled. While I waited for my nausea to pass, I decided to check my phone. It was the 11th at 3:00 PM. The exact settings that I had inputted into the broken Phonewave.
"Okarin? Are you okay? Your face is pale…" Mayuri looks at me worriedly.
Mayuri.
She's alive. I have another chance at saving her. All at once, several emotions fill me up. Desperation, relief, happiness, shock, panic…
"Okarin…?" Mayuri stares at me quizzically.
Before I could stop myself, I embrace her tightly.
"Ehhhh? Okarin?" Mayuri sounds shocked.
"..." I don't respond. Mayuri is alive again. I have another chance to save her. I don't know why the Phonewave was delayed for so long, but I'm relieved that it worked anyway.
"Woah! Okarin is finally making his move!" Daru nearly shouted. "Go die normie!"
"Don't overreact Daru." I say as I step away from Mayuri. I probably shouldn't have done that. I'm just going to feel more pressure to save Mayuri now.
"Woah, dude are you crying? You know I was just joking when I told you to die, right?" Daru said sheepishly.
I bring my hand to my eyes. When I pulled it away, it was wet with my tears. I was crying, huh? I didn't even realize it somehow.
"Don't be sad Okarin! You can hug Mayushii anytime you need to, okay?" Mayuri smiles warmly at me.
"Daru, do you know where Kurisu is?" I should probably consult her on this matter.
"Huh? She's in the backroom with the Phonewave. Don't you remember her saying that she's gonna upgrade it?"
Something was wrong with the time leap machine. Both times, I tried to leap with it and both times, something unexpected happened. The first time, I had undergone higher shock then I probably should have while using it, plus yellow sparks were appearing. The second time, the effects of the time leap were delayed several hours. Maybe she could fix the flaws in the time leap machine.
I went into the backroom where Kurisu was tinkering with the Phonewave.
"Kurisu?"
…
No response. She seemed extremely focused on her work.
"Hey, Kurisu! I need to talk to you."
…
This wasn't going to go anywhere. I extended my hand out and shook her shoulder.
"Ah!" Kurisu quickly turned around with a gasp.
"Jeez Okabe, I told you not to bother me while im working! What do you want?"
"I come from 2 days in the future. I used your time leap machine." I stated simply. Better to get straight to the point. She would probably believe me if I just said it without any bells or whistles attached.
Instead of acting surprised, Kurisu just glared at me.
"I don't have time for your delusions right now, Okabe."
... Alright, maybe I should try to be more convincing.
"I'm telling you this as Okabe Rintaro, not Hououin Kyouma, alright? Please, Kurisu. Just listen to me."
Kurisu stared at me in shock.
"Wait, seriously? You used the time leap machine? So it worked, right? I knew it! Wait, why did you time leap back? Did something happen?" Kurisu starts bombarding me with questions. I guess acting serious was enough to convince her.
"You sure changed your mind quickly, huh?" Just a second ago, she was calling me delusional. Honestly, I'm surprised that she could be so quick to change her mind.
Kurisu glares at me. "Well, if you're willing to throw away your dumb mad scientist persona, then this is probably a serious issue, isn't it? Just get on with the explanation already."
"Fine, fine." Taking a deep breath, I started with my explanation, starting with the first time leap. This was going to take a while.
"..." Kurisu stayed quiet throughout my entire explanation, save for the occasional mummering.
"And then, I suddenly time leapt after several hours of delay. So, here I am." I finished. It took around 15 minutes to finish my entire story. It seemed so surreal, recounting it. I wouldn't have believed it if I wasn't the one who experienced it myself.
"I was thinking that either the Time Leap machine somehow leaped in time itself, or that it was built with a malfunction in place. That would explain why it broke in both world lines."
"Both are impossible. I wouldn't mess this up and the Time Leap machine can't transport objects." Kurisu dismisses my concerns with a simple wave of her hand.
"What makes you say that?" I challenge.
Kurisu rolls her eyes.
"So, when you used the time leap machine, the blue light appeared as normal, correct?"
"Umm, yeah?"
"But after being shot, it started producing yellow sparks, indicating damage. If I messed up on the time leap machine, it would have been sending out sparks even before it was shot. So I didn't mess up. And it's impossible that it could have carried over damage in the first place. It can only carry over data, remember?
That… was true. I'm surprised I didn't realize that sooner.
"Alright, get out of here." Kurisu abruptly interrupts my thoughts.
"Huh?" What's with this woman? I pour out an entire story about time travel and she doesn't even spend more then 2 minutes trying to help me figure it out?
"I need to finish the Time Leap machine! We can discuss this later. Just get out of here for now."
"Can you at least call me when you finish it? I would like to confirm that it doesn't somehow end up damaged."
"Whatever! Just get out of my sight already." Kurisu snaps.
Even if I did question her skills, I wish she wouldn't be so rude about it. I walk out of the room and find myself standing in front of Mayuri and Daru.
"Hey man, you're acting weirder then usual. I mean, I've literally never seen you cry before. Is something up?"
"Mayushii is worried to..."
I can't let them know about this. Who knows what effects it will have on the timeline if I let Mayuri know about her death? I can't exactly trust Daru not to blab about it to her either. Besides, they probably won't be able to do much about my current situation. No use worrying them about it.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" I bellowed. "Fear not, my super hax0r! The organization just slipped some drugs into my food! That display was nothing but a sham put on by the organization agents in order to disrupt our work and lower morale! Forget everything you just saw! It was naught but a foolish attempt of sabotage."
Daru's face dropped. "Andddd he's back to normal. It was kind of refreshing for you to be serious for once, you know?"
"Don't overdo yourself, okay Okarin?" Mayuri smiles gently at me.
I sat down at the couch and sighed. There isn't much I can do while I wait for Kurisu to finish her upgrade. Perhaps I should have time leaped to just before it was finished instead. Once it's repaired, my first priority will be to save Mayuri.
