Thursday, January 12th, 2012; Future Data Laboratory, Akihabara, Tokyo; 11:20p.m.

Gazing at the soft glow of white text on a dark screen, reclining in a wheeled office chair in the dark realm of his apartment, Okabe's eyes absorbed a multitude of command lines copied in a vertical list, on a message in his email's inbox.

Interesting. She sure enjoys pipelining to a remarkable level. Guess if it streamlines processes that normally are manually timed for sequential execution, then... Huh. Tucked those two strings at the end, and... Slash, done.

Rubbing his eyes, his vision regained focus on the notation at the end, smiling from an emoticon sticking its tongue out.

'Coded this with Python. /sarcasm. Should have guessed you've spent quality time with Ruby too. Its a lot more flexible, and forgiving. :P Really like that screenshot of the cursor's context menu. Neatly organized and useful stuff hidden in there. ~ Maho =^-_-^= '

Like that feature, huh? You'd have a great time tinkering with this machine, miss Hiyajo. In fact... I didn't even get to ask last time but...

Fingers descending to the backlit keyboard on his lap, his heart began to beat a little stronger as a slightly different response formed under the patter of his fingertips.

'Ruby is my go-to shell, but Daru uses different ones depending on his mood and patience level. Also, wanted to ask, how long are you intending on being here in Tokyo? Was wondering. - Okabe'

Hesitating before clicking the send button on the message window, he re-read both sentences of his reply.

Innocuous. Good. Sent.

Drooping back against his chair, his eyes sank from the screen, down to the dark depths of the hardwood floor below.

Maybe if she's not leaving right away, there's a chance th-

Feeling his phone vibrate from an inbound message, his eyes rose back to the screen, seeing a new message listed in the inbox on the computer monitor.

Hm? Replied already? Didn't even know you were awake...

'I'll be here until the end of the month. Professor is meeting with several colleagues, hence why we've still been here since the tech seminar. Wondering about what? ~ Maho =^-_-^='

Exhaling from the development, his fingers churned into motion again.

'Wondering if you'd like to see and utilize our mainframe in person. Sharing screenshots is one thing, but actual testing and usage by a professional with your competence would be an honor.'

Hand touching his face, Okabe grimaced.

God. If you were anyone else, that would be the lamest pickup line in the universe... But I'm eager to talk to you in person, since I have no idea if we will ever meet again, once you do finally leave Japan.

Peeking between his fingers, and clicking the send button, he exhaled. Here goes nothing.

Listening to the second hand on a nearby wall clock tick for an uncounted period of time, the same message in the inbox illuminated again, drawing his mouse cursor to it.

'That so? I guess I do keep asking about it. You keep teasing me about what its actually made up of. Where do you live? I'll be free this afternoon, if you're not across the country or something.'

Brow rising, a chuckle left his insides.

'My apartment is right here in Akiba. Head down Chuo-dori until you reach Suehirocho Station, and take a left onto Kuramaebashi-dori. In the alley before the traffic light, look for the Ohiyama Building. We're up on the second floor. Also, I'll be in class until 4pm. I typically get back around 5:15. Any time after that is fine. Let me know if you do plan to visit. - Okabe'

*click*

There. Choice is yours, now that... You already replied.

'Hmm. I could probably drop by, but, I haven't really been around Tokyo too much on my own. Nothing weird is going to happen, right?'

Brow quirking, his lips pressed together from the latter sentence.

Guess there's reason to be cautious with people you don't know in a place you've never been...

'Getting around the city is a bit easier when you've lived here for a few years. And absolutely nothing weird will happen, I assure you that. Our lab is a home away from home for my friends and comrades. A laid back hangout and creative sanctuary, if you will. As far as an itinerary, more than likely we'll all be busy with school work at first, and after that, whatever mayhem happens from browsing and gaming. Typically figure out dinner around 7.'

Eyes closing, the faint tick of the clock resumed from behind, only for his phone's vibration to reveal another timely response.

'Alright. I'll come by if you're there at least. Not sure how long I'll end up staying but... I'm sure you understand.'

'Understood entirely. Everyone has their own schedule anyway and comes and goes whenever. It will be the weekend though so everyone will probably be staying late. You're welcome to visit as long as you wish.'

'Alright. ^_^ Thank you. I'll keep that in mind.'

Smiling with elation, and then yawning with a stretch of his shoulders and arms, Okabe closed the email client, putting the computer into hibernation and watching a series of glowing lights shut off in sequence, followed by the silencing of several fans and a small pump hidden behind the monitors.

Right then, great computer beast. Come the later hours of tomorrow, your destiny as an experimental showpiece truly begins.

Setting aside the keyboard from his lap and standing upright, his bare feet probed through the darkness of the apartment's floor space, in a heading towards one of two couches residing within.

Misses Hiyajo of the Amadeus project may soon grace our domain with her presence... And I fully intend for her to bear witness to your ultimate power and form.

Flopping down onto the length of the couch, feet draped over one end, he found a position of comfort, letting an exhale drift from his lungs.

Should probably tell Daru about what's going on... In due time.

Vision wandering towards the hint of city lights around the edges of the window blinds, his eyelids drooped tiredly.

I'm sure he won't mind a fellow super-programmer checking out our work. I don't think we've ever had a chance to demonstrate our mainframe to anyone. I'd like to see how he compares to her ability anyway. He's competent enough as our legendary-level hack wizard, but... Maho's work is like nothing else I've seen. Certainly a few tiers beyond what I can do. I've already learned half a dozen tricks and shortcuts, just through our recent emails.

Heartbeat quickening, he shifted his posture.

Her ability is amazing, even after what my best friend is capable of. That's why I want her to see what we've accomplished... That, and maybe just to see those incredible green eyes of hers again...

Friday, January 13th, 2012; Tokyo Denki University; 1:11p.m.

Looking around the interior of his classroom, listening to the nonstop pattering of keyboard keys with mild paranoia, Okabe's hand slipped into his bag laying beside the tower of his computer station, withdrawing a USB flash drive from its depths, revealing 'RINE' scrawled onto its side with a turn of his fingers.

Right. Beginning clandestine communications via the school network...

Plugging the drive into a multi-port USB hub, a window appeared onscreen, and with a straight face and double-click, he opened a single program, 'rine_basic'.

Seconds later, another plainly formatted window appeared, and was promptly reduced in size to the bottom of the screen. To the right, a small open panel listed only one other user online, 'DaSH', confirming the presence of the program on another computer nearby.

Peeking over his shoulder, and spotting the slightly overweight build of a fellow lab member, topped by an ever-present yellow ball cap, Okabe discreetly clicked on the username, starting a new chat conversation in plain html text.

Daru.

Waiting for several seconds, mouse wheel rolling beneath his finger, a reply appeared a short time later.

Go.

Remember when I went to that seminar the other day?

Yep.

Remember how I said I met the two main members of the AI project?

Yep.

Been talking to the lead programmer via email.

Cool.

There's a high chance she's coming to the lab tonight to see our project.

Heads turning and eyes meeting from afar, Okabe restrained a smile, and Daru blinked repeatedly.

Serious?

Totally.

You've been telling someone about our work?

She talked about hers in exchange. The stuff she does is amazing. She coded almost all of the AI programming on her own.

I'll be the judge of that.

Fine. Be warned, she's unstoppable with Ruby. Wrote her own OS for her project too.

Based on what?

On what she's shown me.

Meant the OS dude.

Oh, its custom, like ours. From the ground up.

Screencaps or it didn't happen.

I'll show you after class.

K.

Chuckling lightly, and minimizing the chat window, Okabe's eyes distractedly resumed reading the browser page on the screen.

You'll see, Daru. Maho defies expectations for being a computational powerhouse.

Friday, January 13th, 2012; Kuramaebashi-dori, Akihabara, Tokyo; 5:43p.m.

Strolling into a sparsely traveled alley, pavement damp from a short-lived snowfall an hour before, Maho walked with a determined pace, hands kept warm in the pockets of her olive-green coat. Keeping an eye on her surroundings with occasional turns of her head, her bangs brushed against her face, cheeks tinted red from the cold air.

Regardless of Japan's reputation for public safety... Strolling through unfamiliar streets on your own is ill-advised. Still. It would appear I'm near my destination. Right? The alley before the traffic light, a brick building by the name of...

Drawing to a halt near the front of a quaint little CRT shop, her eyes searched the exterior for a name, eventually finding a mailbox tucked into the shade of a nearby stairwell. Drawing closer, a faded plaque displayed 'Ohiyama Building', and on one of the boxes below, a laminated paper badge proudly touted 'Future Data Laboratory'.

Exhaling with humor from the cryptic name, a puff of steam rose into the air.

That explains the rest of your email handle.

Eyes rising to a large window a story above, with blinds drawn on one side and a snowflake decal present on the pane of glass, her hand withdrew her smartphone from the warmth of her coat pocket.

This must be the place...

Composing a new reply to their string of messages, her thumb tapped on the send button.

'Here.'

Discerning the opening and closing of an unseen door, she peeked down the empty street, eyes rising into the grey overcast sky above the varying heights of structures lining the streets. Realizing then that a set of footsteps were approaching, her attention whirled back to the nearby stairwell, only to discover the slender, tall profile of a college student emerging from the shadow within.

"Misses Hiyajo... Maho."

Breath left her nose as a calm, distantly familiar voice accompanied the gentle features of the young man's face brought into the fading daylight.

"O-Okabe. Hello."

Vision meeting his eyes with her own, a hint of a smile brushed aside her prior uncertainty as his open hand extended towards her.

There's that red sweater again.

"Welcome."

Meeting his larger hand with her own in a single shake, both of them withdrew into their pockets in an oddly familiar repeat moment, and Maho nodded towards the window above.

"So, this is your secret lair, I assume?"

"Just upstairs, yes. Daru and Mayuri are already here."

"Mayuri?"

"A friend of mine since childhood... She's an essential member of the lab."

"Is she a programmer too?"

"Not at all."

Brow quirking, she watched as Okabe turned and gestured towards the stairwell.

"Please come inside. I imagine you're cold from walking."

"A little bit."

"It stays nice and warm inside."

"Good."

Moving in tandem to the concrete steps, with Maho remaining just behind Okabe, she watched the rise and fall of his shoes, entirely unsure what to expect.

"I assume you've been well?"

Blinking from the wayward query, her vision rose to his somewhat unkempt hair as he rounded the corner of the stairwell.

"Yes, I've... Been working on things on and off. I went with the professor yesterday to one of his meetings. Nothing too exciting."

"Doesn't seem like you're rushed for time."

"We aren't. A month is a long time for a work vacation."

"Have you been enjoying your stay here in Tokyo?"

"I have. Been better than the last time I visited."

"Oh? You've been to Japan before?"

"I grew up here, actually."

Halting his ascent, Okabe turned aside.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Lived in Okinawa until I moved to America."

"I kind of assumed by your name, but I suppose I never bothered to confirm it until now."

"Well, its true. Have you always lived in Tokyo?"

"Ikebukero. Toshima ward."

"Always been a city boy, huh?"

Smiling from her quip, he shrugged.

"Perhaps."

Continuing up the stairwell again, reaching a small landing, his arm reached for the handle of the metal door before them. Twisting and pulling the entrance open with a noisy rattle, Okabe peeked inside, allowing a hint of music and keyboard pattering to escape.

"Okarin?"

"Password?"

"I was just inside!"

"Doesn't matter."

"Fine. Monkey wrench."

Pulling the door open, revealing the soft glow of lights from the room's interior, Okabe motioned for Maho to follow as he stepped inside, slipping off his shoes. Continuing forward onto the faded wooden flooring, he then paused with a turn as she ducked inside, closing the door behind, and dropping her lone slipper free from her foot, only to kneel down and untie the shoe present on her other foot.

There must be a reason for the mismatching footwear, but for the life of me...

"Oh, a guest?"

Peeking around Okabe's legs as he turned with a nod, Maho's eyes met those of another dark haired young woman, who spun in her computer chair with a cord-tangling whirl.

"I see Daru failed to notify you... This is my recently acquainted pen pal."

"From the seminar?"

Rising upright, Maho stepped beside Okabe, hesitantly entering the living room, and Mayuri rose to her feet, awkwardly unraveling the keyboard's cable from her legs, and stepping forward.

"Ohh, I didn't know it was a girl!"

Gathering Daru's attention to the scene, Maho blinked as the sheen of glasses and a yellow ball cap turned towards her, above an obviously overweight body seated on a second chair.

"That's the programmer?"

"She's so petite! Such long hair! So cute!"

Lost for words between Okabe's amused expression, Daru's perplexed stare, and then the overly friendly girl shaking her apparently-outstretched arm, Maho blinked repeatedly.

"I..."

"Welcome to the Future Data Laboratory, miss Hiyajo. Us three are the founding members. The friendly face before you is Shiina Mayuri, member double-oh-three."

"I go by Mayushii, but Mayuri is fine too. What's your name?"

"...I'm Maho. Hiyajo, Maho."

"Nice to meet you. I'm super glad to meet another girl, you know! Its been us three for so long, and I've wondered if we'd ever have another lady to balance things out around here."

"Ah, well... You're welcome I guess. I'm just visiting per Okabe's invitation but..."

"Well no matter what, new friends are always welcome here!"

Exhaling from her persistent friendliness, Maho then realized Daru was still staring at her, eyes visible behind his glasses, and her brow furrowed.

"You okay over there?"

"That's Daru, my right hand man, and member double-oh-two."

"You're really the lead programmer of the Amadeus project?"

"I am, is that a problem?"

"Not at all, loli-tan. I guess I expected someone, you know..."

Expression flattening, Maho's eyes narrowed as her posture straightened.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

"Don't worry about him. He's really quite harmless, but his exposure to the opposite sex is mostly limited to those on screens, so h-."

"HEY! Not cool bro! It takes macho skill and suave to seduce 2D ladies."

"Along with great precision of one's dextral input with a mouse cursor, we know."

Turning away with a spin of his chair and a huff, Daru resumed his focus on the screen, and Maho looked up to Okabe, only for a hand to settle onto her shoulder.

"Would you like a tour of the lab?"

Attention whirling to Mayuri, her mouth opened in hesitation.

"I, well... It doesn't look very big."

"Mmm, but big or small, the lab is a friendly place we all can call home. Come along with me, misses Maho!"

Dragged away amid a short-lived protest, Maho gave up resistance as Mayuri began openly describing the various features and areas of the apartment, and Okabe walked over beside Daru, hands slipping into his pockets as he observed his work on-screen, fingers flying across the keyboard in his lap.

"Did you fix the resolution issue with the renderer?"

"It won't support above twenty-fourty-eight pixels."

"Sad day."

"Yeah. Its not like we're the only ones with their systems hooked up to televisions."

"Woe are those unable to full-screen to four-oh-ninety-six."

"For real."

"...And finally, the holy grail of computer power. Nothing in the world compares to this mighty machine... According to Okarin."

Head turning, and watching with amusement as Maho and Mayuri appeared behind the unoccupied computer chair, Okabe then realized Maho's eyes were busily scrutinizing the setup in front of herself.

"Those are huge screens."

"Fourty-eight inch televisions, actually."

"Two of them?"

"Multi-monitor support for multi-tasking mayhem."

Eyes flitting aside from Okabe's quote, the chair beside herself squeaked from Mayuri plopping into it.

"Need the mouse, Mayushii?"

"Just to start the video."

"You got it."

"Uh, I thought we had the double-cursor input installed."

"Its still buggy. I disabled it for now."

"Hmm."

Heads turning from the audio and motion of an actively-streaming anime now playing on the right-hand monitor, Maho realized Daru was still busy at work on the left screen, and she peered closer to the variety of windows opened, discerning dozens of lines of code and a slowly-drifting line graph tucked among them.

"F Sharp, huh?"

"You've used it, I'm sure."

"Many times. Whatcha got going on there?"

"The 3D renderer that's currently running refuses to go higher than twenty-fourty-eight pixels. So I'm fixing that."

"Filling up your copious amounts of monitor space?"

"You got it."

"What about that one?"

"Related. Had to patch the software since it was having client-side issues."

"Is that because of your special operating system?"

Daru's head tilted, and with the press of a key, a circular window appeared on the right of the screen, with several contextual menu arms extending outward from the drifting of the mouse cursor.

"Yeah. Kinda."

Watching with widening eyes as one option was selected with a click, the button expanded outward into a new window, and Maho blinked from the previously unseen visual function.

"Whoa... You didn't tell me it did that."

Eyes meeting Okabe's, a grin broadened across his face.

"Couldn't reveal all of the secrets."

"Did you design that?"

"I did. Consider it a new form of the task bar, but in a radial form."

"That looked awesome."

"Okarin likes stylish visual flair, but he hides it all in his computing."

Distracted by Mayuri's statement, and then the anime still playing on her screen, Maho then peered back toward Okabe, who was now looking away, chin held high.

"Its true."

"That's why he's member double-oh-one. He's our original digital fashionista."

Face grimacing from the word choice, Okabe then cleared his throat in an attempt to save face.

"In any case, miss Hiyajo, what lies before you is our ultimate creation, to which I have described in some detail among our prior conversation."

"So other than the huge monitors, what's under the hood?"

"Mmhm, Daru, would you mind?"

"Sure. Did you count the towers on the left, miss Maho?"

Stepping aside for a better view, a line of large dark cases stood side by side, tethered together by dozens of multi-colored cables.

"...Eight."

"Yep. All eight linked in series. Six are dedicated to RAM, and the two with the decals are the homes of the GPUs."

"Wait... In series? This is one of those cluster setups, right?"

"You got it. The server over there runs the middleware that controls all of it as one single system."

"Okabe here had me convinced that it was one single unit that you guys were modifying."

"Far from it."

"Well, mister Rintarou, your non-specific descriptors left me in the dark."

"Mmm, my apologies, miss Hiyajo. Did you ask Amadeus to solve my ambiguous values for you?"

Trading quirked eyebrows, Maho's arms crossed.

"Her input was not necessary."

"Her? Amadeus is a she?"

"The current memory data sets are both female, yes."

"So, does that mean Amadeus is a 2D waifu simulator?"

"What? No!"

"Ehehe, Daru already has several wives in his virtual harem."

"And there's always room for more, Mayushii."

Blinking from the conversation entering her ears, Maho exhaled as Okabe gave her an implicit nod to explain.

"Amadeus... My project, rather, is an artificial intelligence system that emulates an interactive person, based on the scanned memory of a human being."

Watching then as both Daru and Mayuri's heads turned from her mouthful, a breath left her nose.

"Wait, you programmed an AI brain emulator?"

"Well... Yes. It actively learns and remembers, and has a personality. It responds to questions, and can hold conversation."

"Wow, so its just like a real person?"

"In a way. It still resides on a computer, but the memories it operates with are very much real."

"Is that what you were showing at the seminar?"

"Its up-to-date form, yes. Okabe spoke to it that day."

Eyes rising to the young man in question, he nodded with affirmation.

"Was an unusual experience, to say the least."

"Is that where you two met?"

"It is indeed, Mayuri. By happenstance, I encountered her professor, and in turn, met misses Hiyajo herself."

"Okabe was dying to know the ins and outs of my work."

"And I was interested enough to lend my ear for the duration of her explanation."

"Thanks for listening."

"You're welcome."

Trading looks of humor and wrinkling noses, both individuals then noticed Daru's index finger was rising into the air.

"So... The real question."

All three heads turned as he corrected his glasses.

"Are you guys going to develop a real 3D woman next?"

"No."

"Lame!"

"I thought you were a 2D man, hack."

"Doesn't matter. The world needs cybernetic robotic babes too."

Shaking her head, Maho distractedly peered towards the large screens in front of them again.

Alright. Only been here a few minutes and... Nothing is even remotely what I've expected it to be so far.

Sipping from a mug of barley tea offered by Mayuri minutes earlier, Maho sat in one of the computer chairs, legs crossed and eyes narrow, studying and scrutinizing Okabe and Daru's back-and-forth commentary on the computer before her.

"So aside from the 3D render software, there's five other programs currently running that I've been supervising."

"Keeping busy."

"The amount of file movement gets pretty crazy sometimes."

"Task viewer says there's currently... Fifty-four percent of virtual memory committed, with everything going."

"Seems to be running smooth."

"Under normal operating conditions, it hardly breaks a sweat. That's why we push the envelope, and see what this beast is made of."

"Yeah? What is it made of?"

Both young men turned to Maho, and a hint of a smile lifted her cheek.

"I coded Amadeus to run nine functions at once with hardly a stutter. What do you guys have in this system to make it so powerful?"

Looking at each other, both Okabe and Daru turned towards the row of eight towers, appearing to count several things on their fingers.

"For starters... Twelve terabytes of RAM."

"TERABYTES?"

"The server has eight terabytes of storage space on its own."

"Four GTX 680 cards on twin SLI mounting."

"Plus the... What, fourteen external hard drives around?"

"And the five billion flash drives you've been collecting."

"Gotta catch em all, man."

Reaching over and tugging out a drawer beneath the dual monitors, a literal pile of USB storage drives of various colors and shapes was revealed, only to be stowed away again.

"Water cooled, hence the tank and piping in back..."

Finally peeking back towards Maho, the cup in her hand had settled back onto the platter in her lap, and their eyes met, with Okabe amused by her wide eyed expression.

"You guys have a ridiculous amount of storage space at your disposal."

"That's the idea. We can store and run anything and everything."

Distractedly eying the shelving surrounding the mainframe, with hard drives and boxes of spare parts nestled among endless stacks of anime and video games, her brow furrowed.

"So aside from your, uh, stress tests, and obviously gaming... What do you guys do with this thing?"

Exchanging another set of expressions, and shrugs, both young men opened their mouths at the same time.

"Jobs."

"Research."

"And hacking!"

Looking over from the cheerful addition of Mayuri's voice, Maho blinked.

"Ahh, well, we like to keep our operations within the limits of legality for the most part, though admittedly... Clandestine curiosity can occur."

Okabe smiled weakly as Daru looked away, and Maho lifted her mug to her face again.

"Uh... Huh."

Speaking of curiosity... How much have they spent on this monstrosity? Okabe said they use some of the university's money now and then but... I'm starting to feel like that's a understatement. Twelve terabytes of RAM? You could buy a used car in America with that amount of money!

Peeking towards a distracted Mayuri as she stepped up beside her chair, eyes on the still-streaming show being played on the right hand screen, Maho's mouth drifted open.

"Mayu... Shiina, right?"

"Mhm!"

"Are you... Computer inclined at all? Besides just the basics?"

"Mmm, Mayushii isn't on the level of Okarin or Daru by any means. She's still in training."

"Oh, well, that's alright. A lot of what we do isn't really too easy or exciting to other people."

"Yes it is! Mayushii loves when her computer wizard friends make big discoveries. She doesn't always understand what they are and what they do, but the important part is that she supports them no matter what."

Leaning back in the chair from Mayuri's smile of unending appreciation, prompting a squeak as the seat reclined back, Maho's brow rose with pleasant surprise.

Well that's... Remarkably selfless. Ordinarily people that don't fully understand things like this, wouldn't bother to give it the time of day. But you... You're appreciative even without being involved. That's a wonderful quality.

Heart beating with newfound respect for a newly met friend, Maho gripped the mug in her hand as Mayuri disappeared behind, footsteps wandering across the wood flooring.

I think I see why Okabe likes having you around now.

Halting in the kitchen with a turn, Mayuri peeked back towards the twin screens, only for her eyes to wander to the people silhouetted in front of them. Looking between the tall, slender stature of Okabe standing between the two computer chairs, and the shorter, petite figure of Maho seated beside him, Mayuri's eyes twinkled from the sight, as she leaned against the rounded edge of the kitchen counter.

Okarin found a new friend that's just as nerdy and techy as him, and she might even become a member of the lab.

Hands clasping together silently, she eyed Maho with increasing fondness.

That would be amazing! More friends are just what the data lab needs... Especially another girl.

Future Data Laboratory, Akihabara, Tokyo; 1:09a.m.

A series of yawns ensued among the low hum of active electronic devices, and Maho's arms rose in individual stretches, watched with discreet interest by an equally-fatigued Okabe.

"...I think I'm finding the limits of my own runtime duration."

"Same."

"What's the time?"

"Ten after one."

"I think we've burned the midnight oil well enough."

Rubbing an eye, brushing a tuft of hair aside, Maho squinted at Okabe as she rose to her feet.

"You and your endless, dated metaphors."

"I prefer the term timeless."

"Regardless. Your lexicon pulls from all over the place."

"I consider that a good thing."

Eyebrow quirking with amusement, Maho then peeked back towards the distant door, realizing a prior occupant was now absent.

"When did Mayuri leave?"

"Hours ago. She headed for the station around ten-thirty."

"Oh."

"Computers warp time like that."

"Oh I know."

"We already have time twisting capabilities, in the form of desktop PCs."

Rolling her eyes from the nonsense remark, Maho then began towards her olive-green coat, laying folded on the back of the nearby couch.

"Heading out?"

"Yeah. Didn't realize it was already so late."

"A common occurrence here in the lab, believe me."

"I didn't really plan on anything after visiting here so..."

...So, eight hours later, I'm still here. Jeez.

Pulling the sleeves over her arms, and adjusting the wrists with separate tugs on the folds, she then peeked back to Okabe, eyes meeting bashfully.

"...B-But, that's fine. Honestly."

"Well we appreciate you taking the time to visit, no matter the duration."

"Then I thank you for having me here. I wasn't sure what to expect... Especially with your custom cluster monster over there."

"I like this new nickname, Maho-tan."

Shaking her head from Daru's voice, both her and Okabe traded smiles of amusement, only for the slender young man to calmly approach.

"Miss Hiy-ahh... Maho."

Head tilting, she faced the taller college student.

"Yes?"

"Your hotel isn't far, I assume."

"It isn't."

"Would you like me to accompany you there, in consideration of the late hour?"

Tiredly discerning the spoken query, her chin rose with visible hesitation.

"I should be fine."

"Alright."

Peeking towards the nearby window, the darkness of the wintry world outside the glass suddenly became far more intimidating, however, and she shivered in realization.

I should be... But its the middle of the night. Even in a safe place like Tokyo...

"A-Actually, uh, I guess if you don't mind..."

"I don't."

"Will you be alright returning on your own?"

"I travel alone quite often. You have no need to worry about me."

"If you insist."

Attention wandering towards the nearby doorway, and then Okabe's shoes sitting on the floor near her own mismatched footwear, she quietly exhaled.

Right. He's lived here for years, probably. I think I'm just used to living in the wild west of America. We're in the middle of Tokyo. Things are different, and the people...

Peeking towards a patiently waiting Okabe, she began into motion, socks shuffling along the smooth, faded flooring.

The people are certainly different. In a good way.

Temporarily re-awakened by the cold air of a January morning, both Maho and Okabe walked in tandem along the segmented concrete of Chuo-dori, illuminated by streetlamps in passing.

"It never ceases to amaze me how quiet the streets are here."

"America must be a noisy place."

A breath of humor left her nose from his remark.

"You have no idea."

"Do you like living there?"

"It has its perks. And just as many drawbacks."

"Good enough to reason staying?"

"I've definitely thought about moving back to Okinawa but... Maybe after I've done my time at the university."

"Dedicated to research?"

"Always have been."

"For years my parents always insisted I dedicate myself to schooling, and after the first year at Tokyo Denki, I finally realized they were right in saying so."

"Oh yeah?"

"Education is priceless, and not to be squandered."

"Not to mention expensive to waste."

"No doubt."

For a moment, both of their eyes wandered into the dark sky, stars visibly obscured by cloud cover.

"Do your parents pay for your education?"

"I... Well, I've gotten scholarships so... No, they don't."

"Must be handy in America. I hear everyone's in debt over there."

"They are, and its crazy. Something so important for the future of humanity, and people are buried alive by the cost."

"Its cheaper here in Japan."

"Oh I know. If I didn't get the full ride that I did, I'd be attending school here."

Entertained by the thought of a short-statured and feistily-tempered Maho wandering the halls of Tokyo Denki, Okabe's mouth curled into a chuckle, drawing her attention.

"Is that funny somehow?"

"A little bit."

"Why's that?"

"Oh, well... You say you'd rather be here, but your university is the only thing keeping you in America."

"Not the only thing but... It is the main reason."

"Couldn't you just transfer here and do research abroad?"

"Yeah. I could. I'm sure I will eventually but... I think I'm still coming to terms with the plan. Moving from here to the states was daunting, so I guess I'm just hesitant about doing the whole ocean-crossing thing again."

"Ah. Now I understand."

"Yeah. Didn't really mention that part earlier. Moving is a pain in the ass."

Laughing lightly from her conclusive comment, Okabe looked towards her, finding a teasing, amused smile on her expression as they approached another streetlamp.

"Have you moved a lot?"

"Twice. The second time was partially to the lab."

"Partially?"

"A lot of belongings are there, but not quite everything."

"You still go home, don't you?"

"I do. Hard to beat the meals and comforts."

"Were you planning on going back this weekend?"

"I wasn't, actually."

"No?"

"I helped with the store last weekend and got paid with groceries for the week."

"Ah."

"I'll be around the lab for the duration."

"Do you even have a bed in there?"

"The couches suffice."

"That can't be comfortable."

"You'd be surprised, actually."

Looking up to him, blinking tiredly, her nose wrinkled.

"Personally, I'd have a hard time going without a proper bed."

"I'm sure you're in need of one as we speak."

Head tilting away, realizing they were steadily approaching the street-side courtyard of her hotel, a breath issued from her lungs.

"Yeah."

Vision rising to the structure ahead, Okabe kept beside her pace as they turned in a heading towards the entrance.

"I assume this is the place?"

"It is."

"Very well."

Drawing to a slow halt, puffs of warm air leaving their mouths in a back and forth exchange, both young adults stood still, facing the double doors just ahead. Then, with a fleeting shuffle of clothing, Okabe's head lowered in a bow, eyes observing her mismatched shoes below.

"Miss Hiyajo... Maho."

Arms crossing, eyelids heavy but still quirking with humor, a breath wandered from her nose as he straightened upright again.

Pick one.

"Thank you for taking the time to visit the lab."

"Mm. Thank you for inviting me. I didn't know what to expect but..."

Hesitating, only for further words to be temporarily tangled in her mind, her lips pressed shut with mild embarrassment from the unintended drawl.

"Hopefully your time spent with us wasn't wasted."

Blinking, a smile spread across her features.

"Not at all."

Seeing an additional smile bloom upon Okabe's expression, a hint of a blush warmed her cheeks.

"That computer of yours... I wasn't too sure at first, but its really something different. In a good way."

Head lowering again, he offered a nod.

"Thank you. That truly means a lot from you... I mean, with your legendary programming skill and all."

Eyes flitting around from goofy, restrained blushes, both young adults tried to save face.

"You... You're welcome. I'm not legendary by any means, bu-"

"Nonsense. The world simply hasn't discovered your talents yet. But with Amadeus in the works, I'm sure that'll soon change."

Heart racing, Maho looked away, cheeks unbearably warm.

Stop, you... Person full of compliments.

"In any case... I suppose you're ready for a well-earned sleep, so I'll let you be."

"I'm used to being up late. You're the one that needs sleep here... Being in college and all."

Hands slipping into the pockets of his coat, his shoulders rose in a shrug.

"I suppose you're right."

Waiting patiently for further words, only for none to arrive among a moment of silence, both of them hesitantly turned away, and Maho began towards the front door of the hotel lobby, arm rising to the handle.

"Good night, Miss Hiyajo."

Pausing from the spoken farewell wandering through the cold air, her fingers curled tightly around the cold steel of the door handle.

You keep calling me that, but there's no need to be so formal. Just call me Maho. Like how I say your name... Okabe.

Head turning, chin brushing against her shoulder, a puff of steam issued from between her lips.

"Good night... Okabe."

Pulling the door open, and slipping inside, met by the warm air of the hotel's interior, her eyes rose to the patterned ceiling above, footsteps echoing among the room devoid of people and movement. Revolving around with curiosity, looking beyond the glass doorway, a fleeting glimpse of the college student's backside met her eyes, disappearing into the darkness of the city a moment later.

Squinting from the short-lived sight, a pang of loneliness prodded at her insides.

Okabe-san... It seems the tables have turned somehow. You were the one interested in my work with Amadeus... And now I'm interested in your work with that monstrous computer in that apartment. You and your hobby defy description... And I guess I'm just the same, huh? Except my work is research, not a hobby, and, well...

Eyes closing, and fingers rising to her eyes, she grunted after a momentary rubbing of her eyelids, beginning in a heading towards a pair of elevators nearby.

...Alright. There's no way I'm thinking straight anymore. I need to go to bed. Now. Before I turn into a zombie.