A/N: Hello once more! Here's the chapter a month later as promised. My life has been incredibly hectic as of late so I haven't been able to write up the conclusion to our story which is coming up in a few chapters. However, thankfully, I still have some chapters left in the backlog to help keep the process flowing. Without further ado, I present to you: Operation Forseti!
Date: August 3, 2011 7:02:01PM JST
Divergence: 1.048596 (Steins Gate)
Kurisu Makise's head was absolutely pounding. It had been about eight hours since she first arrived in Japan. She was escorted to the Future Gadget Lab first by Luka Urushibara and Mayuri Shiina, allowing her to make her greetings to everyone, even that guy, before leaving very briefly to check in to her hotel. Now, she was back in the Future Gadget Lab, lying down on the couch thanks to that guy calling a "Round Table Meeting" which basically equated to a barbecue on the roof. Yakisoba was cooked, drinks were shared, and stories were told. At some point, the building manager offered her a new drink when she finished her soda, a brightly colored can with a logo she'd never seen before. It was a little bitter for her taste, but she pushed through, not wanting to seem ungrateful for the building manager's kindness. However, as she got deeper and deeper into her drink, the warmth she felt became overbearing and her racing mind could only focus on one thing. That guy.
She brazenly approached him, accusing him of all manner of things (which were true). He and the lab visited America very briefly in early October to watch Faris' Rai-Net Tournament – only a couple weeks after she was able to find him on the streets of Akihabara. Her mind was a confused mess when she saw him – still was – and in that confusion, he kissed her, only to play it off as some "other worldline" BS and then proceeded to act like nothing even happened between the two! The entire time, in her head, she could not allow herself to believe that time travel was real, so why did her mind feel so muddled? It was like that before she even drank a drop of alcohol, too. In the middle of her confrontation with him, he put his hand over her mouth and dragged her back into the stairwell where she shamelessly threw herself onto him and indulged in the prickliness of his face. After that, they lost their balance and fell the rest of the way to the Future Gadget Lab. That was why she was lying on the sofa, her arms covering her eyes to avoid any stray light that might enter the already-dark lab.
She heard bare footsteps approaching her, prompting her to create an opening in her arms to peek at the source.
"Here, Assistant," it was that guy, Rintaro Okabe, offering her a cold, damp towel. "Cool your head a bit."
She shakily raised her hand to accept the offering. "Thanks…"
Free of the towel, he turned away from her. "Good grief."
"What do you mean, 'good grief'?" Kurisu's eyes followed Okabe as he took a few steps away from the couch.
"Trying to pick a fight again?" Okabe didn't face her as he spoke.
He was referring to the confrontation on the roof. As she recalled, she did use some colorful language as she tried to aggressively deny the existence of time travel and time machines despite the conflicting feelings that seemed to tear apart her psyche. Her eyes drifted downwards as she tried to stave off the embarrassment that came with that recollection.
"I wish I could tell you," she sighed, laying her head back down on the couch and applying the towel to her head. "I'm a scientist. I don't want to accept the idea of past life encounters, or destiny, or worldlines… and time machines."
"I know that," Okabe's voice was light, nothing like the haughty tone with which he usually regarded her.
"But… even though I try to deny them in theory, something keeps bothering me… My head just gets all messed up…"
As she spoke, she heard Okabe make a move to sit on the floor, however before he even got down, a light thud hit the ground. Her eyes shot open, looking at the source of the thud – a box had fallen out of his lab coat pocket.
"Uh, this is–" Before she even let him finish, she sat up and leaned down to pick up the box.
She pulled out the box's contents, recognizing instantly what they were. "A spoon… and a fork…"
"You wanted them, so…" Okabe sheepishly explained much to her surprise.
Firstly, she never told him. Secondly, why was he being sheepish? And thirdly, why did she find it cute?!
She looked at the spoon and fork again, "I did want them… but I never told you that…"
Kurisu saw Okabe's eyes widen very briefly before he just let his gaze land on the floor, still looking like someone she absolutely wanted to dote on. The whole experience, however, only served to muddle her mind even more than before. The intensity of her headache increased as she looked at the utensil set.
"It feels like someone's been peeping into my thoughts," she giggled a little bit, before putting them down on the table. "Sorry. I'm going to rest a bit."
Without waiting for a response, she laid herself back down on the couch. Within moments of her head heading the couch pillow, she found herself drifting off to sleep. She heard the approaching footsteps of another person and a muffled conversation between a higher-pitched and lower-pitched voice that she didn't have the mental strength to try to focus on. She let sleep claim her, finding comfort in the warmth of the room.
"—yuri!" Kurisu began to stir to the sound of a scarily frantic voice.
"What?" a higher-pitched voice responded in worry.
Without much space within responses, the frantic voice, the one that she recognized belonged to Okabe, spoke "Come this way!"
At the order, Kurisu heard a plate clang in the lab's steel sink. "Okarin?! What's wrong?!"
The higher-pitched voice was Mayuri. There was a rush of footsteps headed in Kurisu's direction, prompting her to finally open her eyes. "Wake up, Kurisu!"
Her eyes immediately widened as Okabe ordered her to wake up mid-stir. Having placed Mayuri by the couch next to the bathroom curtain, he rushed back towards the sink. Kurisu, still groggy, but equally concerned, got up to approach Okabe from behind, rubbing her eyes as she did so. "What's up with you?"
Without responding, Okabe toppled a stack of plates on the sink, breaking a good number of them in search for something within the basin itself. "Get back. Hurry!" Okabe pulled out a steak knife and unsheathed it, holding onto it as if he were about to attack someone.
Kurisu immediately backed into Mayuri, holding onto her in fear as flashes of her father made their way to the forefront of her mind. Hashida, having also made his way down from the roof, was on the other side of the room by the computer, too stunned to even move.
"Okabe?! What…?" Kurisu tried questioning him, but she was interrupted.
"Be quiet…" he pleadingly whispered.
Kurisu heard movement coming from the staircase that led up to the lab, making her tighten her grip on Mayuri's hands. Okabe, also hearing the noise, raised the knife, ready to ambush whoever it was coming up.
"Hey, you guys forgot this on the roof—" Kurisu recognized the voice of Mr. Tennouji as he turned the corner to enter the lab. However, he was cut off by Okabe raising the knife to his throat.
"Don't move!" Okabe ordered.
"W-What the hell?! Okabe, what are you—" A cold sweat formed on Mr. Tennouji as he froze, not wanting to get slashed by the knife.
"Kurisu! The Time-Leap Machine! Quick!"
Kurisu gasped in surprise. The Time-Leap Machine? They never spoke of such a thing, so what was he demanding of her?
"We don't have time, hurry up!"
"Okabe, calm down!" Kurisu finally found the ability to speak up. "There's no such thing here!"
"What are you saying?! It's just over there—" Okabe's head shot toward the back of the lab, but he was cut off by his own gasp. Whatever he was looking for wasn't there as his eyes frantically scanned the backroom that contained the other computer. After a few moments, he gave up the search.
"This… is the Steins Gate Worldline… isn't it?" he finally asked, still holding the knife to Mr. Tennouji's throat.
Mr. Tennouji was at a total loss for words, not knowing what anything Okabe said meant.
"Steins…?" Kurisu heard Moeka Kiryuu from behind the building manager, her presence only making itself known now that she spoke.
"Yes," Kurisu answered for him, still shakily holding onto Mayuri. "We're on the worldline you told me you fought to get to."
Okabe's body slumped as Kurisu answered his question. "Is that right? I'm sorry…"
Slowly, he took the knife off of the building manager's throat, placed it in the sink, and shakily walked out of the lab, refusing to acknowledge anything that happened.
"W-What the hell was that?" Mr. Tennouji was still frazzled as he dropped off the forgotten item – the mini grill they used for the barbecue.
All Kurisu could do was remain stunned, her mind racing at a million miles a minute as she tried to process what just occurred.
After a few minutes, due to the atmosphere created by Okabe's outburst, just about everyone left. It wasn't until Hashida decided to go home that Kurisu realized that she was still holding on to Mayuri. Once the realization hit, she quickly released her grip on Mayuri's hands.
"I-I'm sorry, Mayuri," she said, rubbing her hands which were soaked with her own sweat on her shorts. "That… was just a bit too scary for my liking."
"No, it's okay Chris-chan," Mayuri simply flashed the same comforting smile that she always donned. "Mayushii's glad she had someone to hold on to during that."
Kurisu eyed the entryway of the lab, waiting to hear for any approaching footsteps now that it had been minutes since Okabe ambled out the door. However, the only sound she heard was the distant buzzing of cicadas through the lab's open window. Her gaze drifted over to Mayuri, whose smile dropped as she also began to watch the entryway in worry.
"Hey, Chris-chan," she said, keeping her eyes on the door. "Have you ever had any weird dreams lately?"
Kurisu was so shocked by the question that her very first response was a "Huh?"
She then looked back at the entryway, her eyes softening as she began to recall what she knew.
"It's… it's tough to say," she answered. "Back when I first met Okabe, there were a lot of memories I had that felt like a mix of what I actually experienced versus whatever I experienced in a dream. He said that it was because those dream-like memories belonged to 'another worldline', but I've honestly forgotten a lot of them now."
She tried to recall the memories in question, but the best she could do was remember the feelings she felt in those dreams. In many she was sad, anxious, or frustrated. In others she was ecstatic, studious, or even infatuated… the source of her infatuation likely being Okabe…
Kurisu looked back over at Mayuri who was also in silent thought. A light breeze came in from the window, making her blue dress billow softly. With the way that she looked, Kurisu could have believed that this girl was just an ethereal incarnation of kindness. Everything about her looked so gentle — in fact, Kurisu has never seen Mayuri look in any way angry even once. It was Mayuri that she had to thank for the idea of the gift that Kurisu got Okabe — a gift she left at the hotel because she didn't know if it'd be weird to get that guy a gift. However, now that she had the utensil set, a small amount of guilt creeped into her heart for not already having her own gift for him on hand.
"You know," Mayuri started. "Mayushii kind of feels the same way. But I always remember Okarin's face. He looked so sad in every dream that I had and it felt like Mayushii was the reason. I was always so scared and Okarin did his best to take away the scary things, but he always failed…"
Kurisu allowed her mind to venture back to the moment that the whole mood switched. The first words she heard when she began to stir from her sleep was Okabe calling for Mayuri and quickly shuffling her away from the entryway. He didn't move a single step besides when he began to threaten Mr. Tennouji, but the entire time he placed himself between the entryway and Mayuri. On top of that, he demanded that Kurisu go and fire up the "Time-Leap Machine" — whatever that was. That level of devoted protection can't have been born in this worldline and Mayuri's dreams were further proof of that notion.
"Have you spoken to Okabe about your dreams?" Kurisu asked.
"Mayushii hasn't had the chance to," Mayuri responded, looking at Kurisu once more. "A part of me feels like it'll just make Okarin sad if I tell him how I feel."
Kurisu allowed a gentle smile to form. "Why don't you go talk to him now, then? It's very likely he feels the same way in some aspects."
There were two reasons why Kurisu suggested Mayuri go talk to Okabe rather than herself. One, the source of Okabe's outburst must have stemmed from whatever memories he had of Mayuri in that other worldline, so it would only make sense that the perceived source of that pain try and comfort him. Two, the scary look on his face and the way he brandished the knife still made her shiver. She needed more time to herself to recover from whatever that was.
"Do you know where he could have gone?" Kurisu followed up, realizing that Okabe gave no hint as to where he could have gone.
Mayuri nodded her head and flashed a smile that could rival the brightness of the sun to Kurisu. "Mayushii will go talk to him. Thank you Chris-chan!"
She took a couple playful steps towards the entryway, slipped on her boots, and waved goodbye to Kurisu before skipping down the stairs. Now, as it stood, Kurisu was all alone. She did want to talk to Okabe, but she wanted to use this time to try and recover from her own tumultuous emotions. Her eyes scanned the room, looking for a distraction, before eventually landing on the PC that Hashida was on before he left. She slowly made her way over, sat herself down and booted it up. The password for the computer was on a sticky note just underneath the monitor: "futuregadgetlab".
Talk about password security, Kurisu thought.
Having typed in the password and seeing that it was accepted by the computer, Kurisu went to the one site she was itching to visit since she first left America. All she had to do was type and her site of choice autofilled into the search bar.
Might as well argue with some trolls to get this energy out.
Date: August 3, 2011 9:34:15PM JST
Divergence: 1.048596 (Steins Gate)
At some point in the night, Kurisu ventured her way from the science board to the J-Drama board. If there was only one thing about channel that she absolutely loved, it was just the sheer glut of things she could talk about without needing to click off the site. There was a new thread for the Season 2 finale of a show she'd actually been particularly enjoying — now more than usual — so she clicked on it.
224 Name: Anonymous 2011/08/03 (Wed) 21:32:04 ID: 7LkaME5/0
It's disgusting how the showrunners are just pandering to the fujoshi fans now. There's been no hint of Kazuma and Hirotaka ever having romantic feelings for each other, but now suddenly they kiss? Give me a break (눈_눈)
Kurisu had never felt such righteous anger at a comment before. It was very clear that Lab Love Kiss (Rabu Rabu Chu) was heading to that peak moment ever since they established Kazuma Kurou and Hirotaka Yamada as the main characters of the drama.
236 Name: Kurigohan and Kamehameha 2011/08/03 (Wed) 21:34:57 ID: VoE860l9P
224
You sound like the type who just ignores the signs if they lead to things they don't like. Kazu/Taka has been a thing since EPISODE 1 （д）. I'm actually glad the showrunners finally confirmed their relationship (灬 ω 灬)
237 Name: Anonymous 2011/08/03 (Wed) 21:34:58 ID: tR1aLO3c0
i hope they cancel the show. guys kissing is so gross (ཀ」)
238 Name: Anonymous 2011/08/03 (Wed) 21:35:02 ID: 7LkaME5/0
236
LOL. Who invited the fujoshi?
239 Name: Anonymous 2011/08/03 (Wed) 21:35:06 ID: 4IWur1p0
236
GTFO fujoshi! just because the show did something u like doesnt mean it makes sense
໒( . ͡ ͟ʖ ͡ . )७
240 Name: Anonymous 2011/08/03 (Wed) 21:35:07 ID: Am1LKa9p0
THEY HAD SOMETHING SO GOOD GOING BETWEEN KAZUMA AND YUKI (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡 why tf would he go gay for Hirotaka all of a sudden? Hirotaka's just some grunt researcher while Yuki's a project lead like him! the show runners should go explode
241 Name: Anonymous 2011/08/03 (Wed) 21:35:16 ID: g4LE2sol0
is it weird that i wanna see them try to do a gay sex scene? i wonder what the actors' wives would have to say about it ( ͡ ͜V ͡)
242 Name: Kurigohan and Kamehameha 2011/08/03 (Wed) 21:35:16 ID: VoE860l9P
238
239
LMAO. Just because I have media literacy doesn't mean I'm a fujoshi you plebs. The story is through Hirotaka's POV, so of course he'd interpret Kazu/Yuki as more romantic than it was. I'd tell you to go back to your coloring books, but I'm scared you might start eating your crayons lololol.
243 Name: Anonymous 2011/08/03 (Wed) 21:35:19 ID: 7LkaME5/0
241
Die.
244 Name: Anonymous 2011/08/03 (Wed) 21:35:20 ID: 4IWur1p0
241
altf4 from life pls
245 Name: Kurigohan and Kamehameha 2011/08/03 (Wed) 21:35:23 ID: VoE860l9P
241
You've lost speaking rights ( )っ
Don't ever post on this thread again pls thx.
Kurisu Makise was in full flame-war mode. Unlike the objective analysis she could present on the science board if she ever got into arguments, TV shows were much more up to subjective interpretations, which would allow idiots to believe they were right no matter what. At some point, the thread devolved into a general complaint about the fact that they confirmed the BL part of the show, but she was going to do whatever it took to make them see reason. She typed away vigorously given she seemed to be the only normal person in the thread who approved of the show's decision to confirm the main ship.
In the middle of her typing, she heard what sounded like her internal voice speak, "Nullpo."
"Gah," she casually responded to complete the meme as she typed away. Only a total noob to channel would be unable to respond to a ( channel-only) phenomenon born out of the programming board.
Kurisu suddenly froze. That voice wasn't her internal voice finding an external release. Getting her wits about her as quickly as she froze, she slid the mouse across the screen to close the window she was using and spun around. However, she wasn't fast enough. There, looking over her shoulder with the most smug grin on his face was none other than Rintaro Okabe.
"I-It's not what it looked like!" Kurisu's face immediately went red as she now had to vigorously defend herself from this guy.
"Oh really, Assistant?" Okabe let out an evil-sounding giggle. "You mean to tell me that you weren't just vehemently defending the gays in the rotten cesspool that is channel like the avid fujoshi you are?"
Kurisu had to play dumb. " ... channel? …Fujoshi…? I don't even know what you're talking about…"
Okay maybe not that dumb.
"Worry not, Christina," he began pacing back and forth. "I've always known you were a dirty channeler at heart, it's why you were also dubbed channeler Chris."
"This is the first time I've ever heard of that ridiculous name!" Kurisu fired back. "And there's no way you could have known! I only browse that site — whatever it is — in my private time!"
"You reek of channel corruption, Assistant of mine," Okabe smugly retorted as he pointed an accusatory finger at Kurisu. "I'd have to be an absolute fool to not catch a whiff of it upon meeting you!"
"Huh?!" Kurisu's blush deepened as she brought her nose down to her armpits to sniff. All the while, she felt a tugging sensation at the back of her mind. "I…I don't smell! I still have the perfume I put on earlier…"
"That's not what I mean, Christina," Okabe tilted his head down to peer deep into Kurisu's eyes. The tugging sensation was becoming stronger. "I mean the stench of your soul."
Suddenly, as if that tug turned into one big yank, it felt like her head had become so much clearer through the pain. Her eyes widened as she realized just what was going on.
"...Because I reference memes in normal conversation… right?"
"Your references— huh?"
Okabe paused mid-sentence, realizing that Kurisu did not pick the dialogue choice he planned out in his mind. That reaction in itself was basically a confirmation for the genius scientist.
"Why…" Kurisu grabbed her head with one hand as the ache went on. "Did we have this conversation before? In another worldline?"
Okabe's eyes darkened at her words. It seemed like she was right on the mark — there was no Hououin Kyouma-esque retort to be had. He turned away from her and made his way to the couch, allowing her to actually stand up without being so close to him.
"I'm assuming I was right," Kurisu sighed as Okabe plopped down on his seat. "It's… eerie. Feeling like parts about myself that I've never revealed are just common knowledge for you… and having to fight the feeling of having already done these types of things with you."
She crossed her arms as she watched Okabe who squeezed his temples with his hand, covering his eyes. "You're right. We've had this conversation in the Alpha Worldline."
"And you were planning on just letting it play out as usual instead of telling me?" Kurisu's eyes narrowed at Okabe.
"Who was it that said she didn't believe in other worldlines and time travel?" Okabe answered her question with a question of his own. "I figured you wouldn't have wanted me to talk about it — which… no complaints from my end — it makes it easier to just ignore everything…"
Thanks to the clarity she felt in her mind, Kurisu was quick to make connections based on the things that Okabe left unsaid.
"I take it you're talking about the dreams that Mayuri mentioned?"
Okabe's head shot up to look at Kurisu very briefly, making her flinch, but he immediately hung it once more. "She told you about those dreams too, huh?"
"Well, I was the one who pushed her to go talk to you about them," Kurisu grumbled. "I certainly wasn't going to."
"Oh? And why is that?" Kurisu recognized that Okabe was trying to change the subject so she didn't interrupt him. "Were you anxious that the sheer might of my resonance would make you uncover the hidden feelings you have—"
"You scared me, Okabe," she decided she heard enough of his ridiculous rambling. "You almost killed Tennouji-san and you were yelling all these nonsensical things!"
Again, her mind was brought back to that July day. The murderous intent that emanated from her father the moment he laid his hands on her was far too eerily reminiscent to the scene that played out with Okabe today. Again, Okabe slumped his shoulders.
"You're right, it was all nonsensical," he breathed out. "I'm sorry for scaring you — just know my intent was never to harm you or anyone for that matter."
Okabe was so distant. Even with this direct confrontation, he didn't seem to want to open up about what was going on in his head. She wanted to help him, but he wasn't allowing himself to be vulnerable with her for whatever reason.
"Just forget it all," he said. "It won't happen again."
"It's kind of hard to forget that kind of scene," she frowned at him. "What happened on those worldlines to make you react that way?"
"Kurisu please," Okabe looked up at Kurisu, his eyes sparkling as he pleaded with her. "I just… I really would rather not talk about it."
He referred to me by my name! Oh my god, oh my god I need to preserve this memory as much as possible. I want to hug him so bad.
"...Okay," she relented. "Just promise you won't try to kill anyone anymore."
A gentle smile formed on Okabe's lips. "I know you desperately want answers, so I'll give you some. I'd like to put your mind at ease regarding the déjà vu you're experiencing — I can imagine it's quite an uncanny thing to go through especially when you don't know anything."
Kurisu's eyes lit up at Okabe's response. She got back on the chair and scooted it over to Okabe, ready to learn about the one thing that had been bothering her ever since she first met him. She hoped that one day he would open up about what happened to him so that she could help him, but for the time being, she relished in the feeling of being unironically helped by that guy.
Date: November 17, 2036 5:59:23AM PST
Divergence: 1.048596 (Steins Gate)
"Papa, wake up."
Okabe felt like he was being shaken from the first dreamless sleep he'd had in the longest time.
"Hmm?" Okabe sat up quickly, trying his best to blink out whatever tiredness remained. When his eyes were finally able to focus in the dark, he was able to make out the figure of Reina Okabe, all by herself and fully dressed in her school uniform.
"Reina?" Okabe's voice came out a lot deeper than intended — he truly slept like a rock. He cleared his throat before speaking again. "Was I making noise in my sleep again?"
Ever since Kurisu rushed out of the lab, neither Okabe or her were on speaking terms. When Maho dropped him back off at home in the late afternoon, she was already in the master bedroom with the door closed, and never came out for the rest of the day. For that evening, Okabe was responsible for feeding the twins, so he tried to re-gather his very amateurish cooking skills in an effort to make a simple fried rice. It seemed like a relative success given that they actually finished their bowls without complaint. On top of that, they didn't seem to let the situation that erupted between himself and their mother get in the way of the time they spent together. They all spoke very freely, Okabe opening up about any follow-up questions the twins had regarding his story, or him asking them how they were doing at school and in their social lives. It was a bonding moment he cherished, but one that was tainted by the absence of the love of his life.
Reina's face was filled with determination. "You didn't. I want you to take me to school. I know you probably forgot how to drive so I want to walk with you."
Okabe, too stunned to speak, simply blinked at Reina, trying to ascertain if he was still dreaming. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to see that the hour was barely rolling over to 6AM. As far as he knew, the kids weren't supposed to be in school for another two hours.
"...How far is the school if you're waking me up this early? And where's Haruki?" Okabe was apprehensive. As much as he would enjoy extra bonding time with his kids, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was an ulterior motive to this request.
"It's a 25-minute walk," Reina answered. "Haru and I usually walk back home if you and Mama are too busy to pick us up, so it's doable."
Reina then moved to snatch Okabe's blanket. Because of everything going on, he made himself at home on the couch, a decision he only came to regret now because of the soreness that began to seep into just about every bone in his body. The blanket flew off — Okabe was glad he had the wherewithal to ask Haruki to grab his pajama-bottoms from the bedroom that Kurisu inhabited, otherwise he would have exposed his daughter to his bare thighs.
"And you're waking me up now for it? Can't it just wait until it's closer to that time?" Okabe allowed the blanket to get snatched, comforted in the notion that he didn't have to hide his body.
"Is it so wrong that I want to spend time outdoors with my loving and doting Papa before going to school?" Reina hit him with a line that he swore he would normally use. She was his daughter alright. "And it'll just be me. Haru wanted to sleep in so I'm pretty sure Mama's gonna take him at the usual time."
Okabe's eyes narrowed at Reina. The way she overemphasized parts of her last sentence seemed like she had been practicing to say it to the point that it came out more like an act than a genuine answer.
Reina flinched at the suddenness of Okabe's reaction, pulling her arm up to her face to cover her mouth. Her voice dropped an octave as she spoke. "Don't tell me — you can see through my integrity filter?! I've honed that technique for ages and not a single soul should be able to overcome it!"
It was the same haughtiness with which he spoke as Hououin Kyouma. Out of principle alone, the only correct reaction to his daughter's words was to match her energy.
"I may have taught you just about everything you know, young apprentice, but I did not teach you everything I know. Due to a binding vow made with Omoikane himself, Hououin Kyouma is impervious to all secret techniques that distort the truth of the world!"
"It can't be!" Reina exaggeratedly gasped. "I'll never be able to recover from this pitfall!"
Reina prostrated herself before Okabe. "Please forgive me, Boss! I thought it a harmless act that you would not be able to see through."
"You are most fortunate that Hououin Kyouma is a forgiving leader, Amaterasu Kiyoko. Raise your head. It is unbecoming of mad scientists to bow before others."
"Yes, sir!"
Almost immediately, Reina popped back up, a smile on her face. It was a beautiful one, one that made Okabe's heart melt just from how innocent it was. The sight of her smile made Okabe form one of his own before bursting into a light chuckle that threatened to become a full-blown cackle.
"Spill it, child of mine," Okabe said, reining himself in. "What's your play here?"
Reina's smile dropped at the question. Her eyes then glanced over to the side, no longer being able to meet his gaze. "...Can it wait until we're out of the apartment at least?"
"Fine," he said after a couple moments of thought and then sniffed himself. "I do need a shower before we go, though."
Again, due to the fact that Okabe did not feel at all comforted by the notion of interrupting whatever Kurisu was going through, he allowed himself to remain exiled from the bedroom, which also meant his bathroom. He decided that the only people allowed to freely enter and exit the room were his children — after all, it seemed like Kurisu only really had a problem with him.
"You can use mine," Reina seemed to have already expected her father's need to bathe. Her eyes suddenly lit up. "And I can dress you up too!"
He did need someone to enter the bedroom to get his clothes. Though, he didn't feel like he could share in Reina's excitement. Ever since 2010, his clothing style was always rooted in dark-neutral colors, but with the way Reina absolutely glowed in her non-school outdoor clothes, he was sure she was going to ignore his preferred color palette. When Kurisu and himself went to Viktor Chondria, they dropped the twins off at the library on campus — Haruki seemed to share his clothing style, opting for dark, moody colors to match the "darkness in his heart", but Reina was a total tonal opposite to her brother. Bright pinks and whites always seemed to find their way into her style, whether it be the ribbons she put in her hair, or the actual clothes she wore.
"Just… try to keep in mind what Papa usually wears, please," Okabe sighed. "My life is in your hands."
"Oh please," Reina waved her father off. "You definitely need all the help you can get after that outfit you wore yesterday."
"Hey! That was how I usually dressed back when I was 18!" Okabe felt slightly offended by his daughter's remark, but then realized that offense extended to just about everyone who saw his outfit. "Is it really that off-putting for everyone that I like to wear black?"
Reina giggled. "You're not young and edgy anymore, Papa, so you should start dressing your age. I'm sure Auntie Maho had her way with critiquing you too."
His daughter looked so smug as she looked at him. He could have never hoped to speak to his own parents the way that Reina spoke to him, but for some reason, there was a warmth that was ever-present in his heart.
"Fine," he grumbled. "Just don't get carried away and spend a lot of time in there. I don't want to bother Mama."
Reina let out a gleeful squeal before raising her hand up in a salute. "Yes, sir!"
"Just lead the way," Okabe extended his hand out to Reina, a plan forming in his head. "Papa's forgotten the layout of your bedrooms."
Reina reached out to grab his hand and, with a grunt and a heave, Okabe almost immediately yanked her onto the couch alongside him and began cackling. "Rule #1: Never trust the handshake of a mad scientist unless there's an active deal involved!"
Now that Reina was seated alongside him, Okabe grabbed the blanket that was in her other hand and tossed it over her, covering her entirely. As she struggled, he grabbed the outline of her head and gently shook it. "Hououin Kyouma may be a forgiving man, but don't think you escaped the need to pay restitution for your attempts to deceive me!"
"Ow! Papa my hair! You're messing it up!"
"You should have thought of that before trying to lie to me!"
Okabe continued shaking Reina and poking at her sides for a couple more seconds before finally relenting. He got up from his spot on the couch, allowing Reina to get out from underneath the blanket on her own. She paused for a bit, waiting for further action, but once she realized that there was no follow-up, she let the blanket fall off from her head. The drop of the cloth revealed a very frustrated teenager, her lips closed in a pout, and a death stare aimed directly at her father. He did his best to not mess with her hair — over the weekend he saw the pride that she took in the way she styled it, but of course, there was no way to fully avoid ruffling it a bit with the blanket being on her. It was absolutely a saveable project: her braid was still fully intact and no hair had gotten loose, the only thing that could use a re-brush of her bangs which were now weirdly parted.
"Once you get a look in the mirror, you will see how easy you had it, spawn of mine," he placed his hands on his hips and smirked at her. "A repeat offense will see me actively targeting that pride and joy of yours. You have been warned."
Reina's eyes widened as she felt around the top of her head ran her hand down the length of her braid, not feeling anything out of place. She felt for her bangs as well, noticing the fact that they were slightly misshapen, but her reaction was tame. She looked back at her father in amazement.
"H-How did you do that?" Her eyes were sparkling, no longer hidden by the narrowness of a glare.
"It is one of my top-secret techniques," he let out a little "fufufu" as he spoke. "Perhaps one day I shall impart it upon you when you are deemed worthy enough."
It was literally just an appropriate use of force.
"Okay!" Reina reached her hand out to her father, her smile finding its way back to her face.
Okabe took his daughter's hand and, with a grunt and a heave, she tried her best to do to him what he did to her, but he didn't even budge. She gave a couple good tugs, but because he sniffed out her attempt the moment she stuck out her hand, every tug was done in vain.
"I've never tasted defeat this often since I first became your apprentice," Reina finally stopped, knowing that she lost. "I'm usually much better at this."
"Just because I've lost my memories," Okabe still held a firm grip on Reina's hands. "Doesn't mean that I've become naive enough for you to let your guard down."
With that, Okabe pulled his daughter towards him, making her jump off the couch. Standing next to him, Reina gave off a much different height than when he first met her on the night of the worldline shift. Now that she stood tall and proud compared to slouched in her blanket, she instantly gained a couple centimeters, putting her squarely at, if not over Haruki's height. Just eyeballing it since he could use his own height as a measuring stick, he could assume that Reina was about 166 centimeters, a good 6 centimeters taller than her mother, and 11 centimeters shorter than him.
He let go of her and beckoned her to lead the way. He was, in fact, telling the truth about not knowing the layout of the bedrooms besides the master bedroom. She led him down the hallway, reaching the very end where the path split to the right which led to the closed door of the prohibited zone, and to the left which Okabe could only assume was Reina's bedroom. Reina threw the door open and Okabe followed her inside.
The room was as big if not slightly smaller than the master bedroom. The walls were painted in a rose-gold hue which complimented the off-white carpet that led into the room itself. Her bed was against the center of the wall to the right of the door with a nightstand on each side. One nightstand had a lamplight as well as a couple books related to Quantum Brain Mechanics stacked atop it. Her other nightstand contained a wireless phone charger stand, a digital clock, and a couple of loose objects that she neglected to put away. The bed itself was queen-sized and fully made. Atop it was a darker pink comforter, and an assortment of pillows and stuffed animals. It was cute.
On the opposite side of the room from the door was a maple desk which contained all sorts of textbooks, encyclopedias, and research journals in a neat row starting from the corner of the back wall; a desktop computer and its keyboard; and a pull-out drawer just underneath the lip of the desk itself. The desk also contained two tiers of cubbies on the right-hand side beneath the main level which contained manga, light novels, and other pop-culture things that she may have liked to have on-hand. Due to the carpeted floor, the part of the room that contained the desk and her pink rolling chair had a clear vinyl floor mat to ensure that everything was protected.
Just to the right of the desk was a white wardrobe with two doors that opened outwards as well as four distinct drawers assorted in a 2x2 square just beneath them. The wardrobe was also closed so Okabe couldn't get a sense as to what it contained. A little further right at an equidistant location between the bed and its nightstands, and the wardrobe was a shut door — the only other door to the room besides the entrance.
"Bathroom's right there," Reina pointed at the shut door. "Clean towels are in the cabinet just below the sink, so feel free to grab one."
Reina turned around to leave Okabe to his devices only to freeze and sheepishly look back at him, a blush evident on her face.
"If there's a smell in there… please try to ignore it…" she looked down at the ground and toyed with her braid. "It's… that time for me."
Okabe looked at his daughter with creased brows, confused at the request. However, his brain very quickly made the connection and he couldn't help feeling embarrassed for Reina's sake. "Understood… I appreciate the honesty…?"
Reina nodded and then silently made her way to the closed door of the master bedroom. Okabe strode to his intended destination and opened the door. From the entryway he could very easily tell that the bathroom was where the difference between the master bedroom and this one was made extra apparent. It was essentially a small corridor as wide as just under double his wingspan walled by a roughly two meter vanity table that was built into the wall with a sink directly in the middle of it; and the other wall being the glass shower doors. At the end of this "corridor" was a traditional western toilet with a bidet and a trashcan next to it. There was about 30 centimeters of actual drywall that made up where the toilet was housed and on the left-hand side of it was the toilet paper roll holder.
The faintest smell of iron tickled Okabe's nose, forcing him to take a deep inhale to calm his immediately-elevated heart rate. Iron was just about all he smelled when outside in the Beta Worldline due to the sheer amount of bodies that the war and New Government regime racked up. He had to remind himself of his daughter's warning. The only reason why he smelled iron was far more innocuous than bloodshed, and rightfully embarrassing for a teenage girl. He shook off whatever feeling he had and made his way in. On the way in, he turned on the light and fan, closed the door behind him, and then finally made his way to the cabinet beneath the sink which contained fresh, white towels.
Okabe hung the towel on the railing that served as a means to slide open the glass door and stripped down to his birthday suit. He looked at himself in the mirror as he did so, letting his eyes land on his belly. It was just a white splotch on his skin that meant nothing to him, but when Kurisu explained the specifics of how she was saved, he couldn't help finding a sense of respect for the scar. He ran his hand over it — due to the fact that it had been 16 years, it was as smooth as the rest of his skin. The only hint that it even existed was just the fact that it never retained the same amount of melanin. The rest of his body was unremarkable. He built up quite a bit of muscle and general thinness from the stress of the war, but this body was a little more filled-out — still slightly muscular, but not as stickly thin as he was in the Beta Worldline.
After his quick analysis of himself, he hopped into the shower which had the exact same controls as the one in the master bathroom. He showered with the same quickness, scrubbing everything with the body wash that Reina had, though simply opting to wet his hair without putting any of the hair product in. He didn't want to incur Reina's wrath for using the things that maintained the very thing she adored. Without the hair product, he was able to shorten his shower to just over a minute and a half. Very quickly, he stepped out, wiped himself down with his towel, and then wrapped it around himself to step out of the bathroom and meet his daughter. As he stepped out, Reina entered the room, surprised at the sight of her father.
"Did you even let the water hit you? I woke you up super early because you always take your time in the shower." In Reina's hands was the change of clothes she picked out. It contained a pale-blue collared dress shirt, gray dress pants, a navy blue sports coat, black boxers, and dark socks.
"It's a habit I picked up in the other worldline," Okabe admitted as he grabbed his clothes from his daughter. "A really hard one to break at that."
Upon further inspection of the clothes, Okabe could say he was satisfied. "You know, I expected you to pick out something frilly and eye-catching. I'm glad you contained yourself."
Reina let out a snort at Okabe's comment. "If I wanted to do that, I would have had you wear Mama's clothes."
"That's fair, I suppose," Okabe looked at the clothes once more and then slinked his way back into the bathroom to get changed. He tucked his shirt into his pants and decided to hang the sports coat over his arm until they left the apartment. He needed to remind Reina to grab a belt for him because that was the only thing that looked incomplete.
Upon exit, he was immediately met with the sight of Reina holding out a brown leather belt and a silver watch. "I forgot to grab these, but here."
Glad that she read his mind, he looped the belt around his waist and slid the watch onto his left wrist.
"Shall we get going?" He asked.
"Yup. There's a park near here so we can hang out for a bit there before we walk to school. Let me just fix my bangs really quick and we can go."
With that, Okabe waited a bit for Reina to fix her hair and then followed her lead out of the apartment, wearing a pair of brown oxford shoes that she suggested to accompany the belt before exiting altogether.
Date: November 17. 2036 6:25:37AM PST
Divergence: 1.048596 (Steins Gate)
Kurisu Okabe stayed in the dark silence of her bedroom. She hadn't left her bed ever since just before Maho returned Okabe to the apartment, and even now she refused to move from beneath the covers. She heard some voices coming from the living room, but she tuned them out. She even heard the door silently open with some rustling in the dresser she shared with Okabe, but she didn't even bother turning to see who it was. Then she heard the large steel door that led into the apartment open and shut, returning everything to complete silence. She didn't find it in her to care about who left and why. She just wanted to be alone.
Her thoughts were all the company she had for the better part of 15 hours give-or-take - the main thought that dominated everything else being what occurred the day before. Whatever guilt she had over the weekend thanks to what she allowed herself to do on Friday was now amplified by 1000 times. She was the main source of a panic attack for the person she well and truly loved. She was a horrific vision in his eyes as he begged and pleaded with her to not kill him. She reminded him of the horrible things that he had to do to reach Steins Gate. She couldn't bring herself to face him or her children for what she had done. She was the main source of support for him ever since he arrived on the worldline and she went and ruined it.
Kurisu hugged the pillow she had been holding onto tighter. Even though she now knew the full story of what happened on the Alpha Worldline, there was still so much that she didn't know about this current version of her husband. He had to deal with the weight of not only killing her, but someone else all for the sake of doing what was right in the end. Her emotions had been completely upended. She didn't know what she should feel anymore. She was essentially lied to by the husband she made her memories with and traumatized the husband that she wished to know better. All she felt was numb. It was a numbness she didn't know if she'd be capable of overcoming. She hadn't cried a single tear since she hid herself in the bedroom even though she so desperately wished she could.
A knock on the door followed by the sound of the door opening quelled her thoughts very briefly.
"Mama?" It was the young, deepening voice of her son calling out to her in English. She chose to ignore it.
She heard a sigh and the sound of the door closing. She felt her heart grow heavier by the second. She was ashamed as a mother, as a wife, and as a person in general. However, those feelings of shame quickly transformed to surprise as she felt the covers from Okabe's side of the bed shift and a weight placing itself within them. Naturally, she would have turned around to see what it was, but she felt petrified. After not having shifted positions for the last hour or so, she felt her body just forgot how to move. Despite this, she felt the weight get closer only to have the left arm of Haruki Okabe place itself over her. It was an awkward hug, his hand was closed in a fist and was quite a ways away from her chest.
"I'm sorry if you don't like this," his voice was a shaky whisper. "I just want you to know that I'm here for you."
Kurisu felt him make the move to let go and get out of the bed, but she was finally able to get her own body out of its petrified state to grab his hand and keep him there. She adjusted his arm so that it could wrap itself flat across her collarbone, just below the throat so that he didn't accidentally choke her out, but just above the chest to avoid any awkwardness he may have felt for cuddling his mother. She still remained facing away from him, but at the very least the extra heaviness in her heart began to evaporate.
Haruki obliged and adjusted his body so that his arm could be more comfortable in its new position.
"I'm sorry I've been a bad mother lately, Haru," despite the sadness she felt, her voice came out steady and direct.
"I don't recall myself or Reina calling you a bad mother, Mama," now knowing that he could raise his voice, the shakiness disappeared. "As far as 'lately' goes, the worst you've been is absent in your room for like half a day. You never yelled at us, or hit us, or walked out on us, or anything like that."
Kurisu stayed silent as she processed her son's words. When she first became pregnant with the twins, her worst fear was that she would take on the aspects of her father's parenting that scarred her. The initial nights of her pregnancy were sleepless ones as the stress of the possibility creeped into her heart. The only one that was capable of saving her from those thoughts was Okabe, and in the end she was glad that she could be more like her own mother as a parent than like her father.
In the midst of her processing, Haruki spoke again. "If anything, I'm sorry we were so hard on you when everything first started."
Kurisu's thoughts paused as her mouth reacted before she could think. "You don't owe me an apology, Haru. You two were just expressing valid thoughts and fears. It was a moment of weakness on my end."
"Cool, then we both have nothing to be sorry for," Haruki blew air out of his nose as if he told a lighthearted joke.
They sat there in silence some more, but again Haruki was the first one to break it. "I thought I should let you know… Reina and Papa are walking to school together… so I'm gonna need you to drop me off when the time comes."
The statement prompted a small snort out of Kurisu as she immediately realized what was happening. "Which of you schemers came up with the idea to divide and conquer your parents?"
"Boss said that plans can only be considered schemes if they are made with nefarious intentions. Trying to raise our parents' spirits make a nefarious scheme, it does not."
He spoke with the faux haughtiness and questionable diction of the mad scientist Arakawa Masamune. Hidden from the view of her son, Kurisu could feel a smile creeping on her face as her emotions slowly leveled themselves out.
"I suppose I'm inclined to agree with you, Masamune," Kurisu wasn't as good at the mad scientist talk as Okabe was, but once she realized that it was no longer "just a phase" for the children, she figured she'd at least try a little bit on her end. "It's unbelievable to think that I produced mad scientists that are capable of such benevolent actions."
"I am the one true inheritor of Hououin Kyouma's Divine Left Arm after all," Haruki laughed. "This divinity is what makes it possible."
"So you're saying that you came up with this plan?" Kurisu slightly turned her head, but not enough to peer at her son.
"...No," Haruki sounded disappointed. "Well… I came up with the gist of it… but Reina helped with the specifics…"
"You already know my next question, right?"
"It's called Operation Forseti!"
Forseti, the Norse god of justice and reconciliation. Because of Okabe's knack to name every "operation" of his something Norse, she did the one thing a loving significant other would do and studied up on Norse mythology so as to catch any hidden meaning in the operation names he chose. Forseti's secondary role as a god of reconciliation gave Kurisu the rest of the information she needed regarding her children's plan. She let her head rest once more on the pillow, feeling warmth in her heart and in her face.
"I'm happy to see you're trying so hard for Papa, now," she said. "But it begs the question: what did Amadeus tell you to make you change your minds?"
"He made it known to us just how much faith he had in this memory-merge plan," Haruki willingly answered. "...And that he'd remember how poorly we treated him when that plan succeeds… and that there'd be consequences if we didn't get our act together…"
"It's unlike Papa to threaten you two like that," Kurisu furrowed her brows at Haruki's admission.
"Oh no, not the consequences you're thinking of… more like a rift in our relationship with him. I don't want Papa to become distant just because of this."
"Mmm," Kurisu slightly nodded her head, glad to have received the necessary clarification from her son.
There was yet another brief silence that Haruki broke. "Mama, do you love Papa as he is now?"
Kurisu stayed silent, prompting Haruki to continue. "It's… not a problem if you do — he's still Papa, after all. But it feels like your attitude towards him changed ever since you sent us off to school… I know I'm young and romance isn't exactly a thing I consider my strong suit, but I've caught your longing looks at him despite the distance you kept over the weekend."
Kurisu cursed the fact that her children were so observant of her. She didn't think she made anything of how she was feeling obvious to them.
"Of course I love Papa," she said. "No matter what memories he has, he's still the same person deep down."
"But… do you love him more now than before?" Haruki kept his voice level and gentle. "...Reina suggested that idea because she thought you looked more guilty than in love…"
Kurisu flinched at the question. She wanted to answer and deny it, but there was something within her that was forcing her mouth to remain shut. At her silence, she could feel Haruki's hand retract itself away from her across her collarbone, place itself on her top shoulder, and forcefully turn her onto her back. She didn't even try to fight it. She caught Haruki's eyes as he positioned himself onto his knees on the bed, sliding out of the covers as he did so to keep his mother covered. The blurriness of his form and the inability to make out the expression he had on his face made Kurisu realize that she had been crying.
"Mama…" Haruki said, pulling a handkerchief from the pant pocket of his school uniform and tenderly wiped the tears from Kurisu's eyes. "Something did happen when you sent us to school that day didn't it?"
Kurisu blinked away the remaining tears, allowing her vision to clear up. Haruki didn't look upset in any way, just concerned. "When Papa shared that story with us about what happened to him in 2010… I was upset with who he was before because he hid so much from me… from us…"
Haruki adjusted himself, lowering his position to a seiza pose to give his mother his full attention while she spoke. "When I sent you off to school, I was confused as to why, so I listened in on the argument that Papa was having with Amadeus… and the gist of it was that Papa from before couldn't trust us with the burdens he carried. The Papa of now comforted me through the feeling of betrayal, and in that comfort… I did fall in love with him as if he were a different person…"
Kurisu couldn't look Haruki in the eyes while she spoke, but once she finished, she finally had the courage to look at her son whose expression was glum, but still gentle.
"So…" he began after processing a bit more. "You fell in love with this Papa… and you feel like you betrayed the Papa who betrayed you?"
Kurisu's eyes widened in surprise. She expected to be shamed in some aspect by her son for practically cheating on his father, not to be made to feel silly for feeling how she did.
"Somewhere in that argument, I stopped seeing the two versions of Papa as the same person," she explained, practically begging for her son to be mad at her. "The person I fell in love with back then is not exactly the same person I fell in love with now."
Haruki put a finger up to his lip as he tilted his head in recollection. "I seem to remember someone saying that if we were able to merge Papa's memories, we'd be able to create a more complete Papa."
He looked back down at Kurisu with a smile. "You fell in love with two separate, incomplete aspects of Papa. One has the memories we grew up with that lacked the worldly experience to understand that some burdens aren't meant to be carried alone; the other has that worldly experience, but lacks the memories we grew up with. Combine them both and we get the best of both worlds!"
Kurisu adjusted herself up to a seated position, a frown now on her face. "Since when did you become so wise on the morality of love?"
"Ever since I read the greatest love story to cap off Jujulands."
"Wait, Sensei finally released the last chapter for Part 9?"
"Yeah. It was supposed to be a surprise release last week, but the leaks for it came out the week before, so everyone was expecting it. I just waited for it to come out on Jump."
"Huh. I've been so busy I must have missed it… But that's besides the point!"
Kurisu only felt guilt at her son's comforting words, her gaze dropping as the topic got back on track. "In my confusion about my feelings for Papa… I hurt him in an unforgivable way yesterday."
Haruki tilted his head. "So that's why Auntie Maho dropped him off. Did he not want to talk to you?"
"I…I don't know," she crossed her arms. "I felt ashamed for doing that to him, so I left him in your auntie's care…"
"Without talking to him about it?!" Haruki clawed at his face with his hands, frustrated beyond belief. "Mama! Feelings are things to be expressed! That was the first thing you told me and Reina when we were having issues at school!"
Was she really getting schooled by her 14-year-old son right now?
"He was actively avoiding the room and I thought it was because either you or him were mad at each other! Now I'm hearing that you were both just too chicken to talk to each other this whole time?! It's like you two are the main ship of a "will they, won't they?" romcom that's dragged on for two seasons too long!"
Well that's hyperspecific.
"But… what about the Papa we made our memories with?" Kurisu kept trying to find ways to place herself squarely in the wrong. "Don't you feel bad for him at all for the fact that I've gone and fallen in love with another version of him?"
"Not at all!" Haruki vigorously shook his head. "You're forgetting the end goal in all of this, Mama. We're going to merge Papa's memories. He'll have all the memories from before and all the memories of now. In all those memories, you were in love with him, not some version of him, but him. It doesn't matter what old Papa thinks, nor what this Papa thinks because the new Papa with the merged memories could also be a different person based on these weird standards you've set. Are you gonna feel guilty for being in love with him too?"
Kurisu was completely outclassed by her son's logic. This could have been a logical conclusion she would have come to eventually on her own, but the fact that it was made for her by her child quicker than she could form it herself left her utterly speechless. Just a couple days ago, the twins were passionately angry about the "intruder" in their father's body, and now they picked up her slack and defended him from her of all people. She could feel the clouds within her soul begin to part. She shouldn't feel guilty for being in love with Rintaro Okabe, he wasn't actively upset with her for triggering a panic attack, and she had all the backing of her children to be with him while they worked to figure everything out. She made a huge mistake in hiding away just because she let herself get into her own head rather than talking about it with her husband.
"For someone who is not well-versed in the concept of romance," she said, reaching out to pinch his cheek. "You sure have a way to see things in such a romantic light."
"A mad shientisht hash no need for romansh," Haruki indignantly crossed his arms while Kurisu pinched his cheek and stayed silent until she stopped. "But I have a need for two parents who love each other. Not a lot of people at school can confidently say that their parents are their best friends in a non-cringe way like I can."
"Aww," Kurisu giggled. "Mama's your best friend?"
"W-Well I have other friends," Haruki's eyes darted away from Kurisu's direction. "Lots of friends actually…! You're just among them…"
"There are many things I can say to refute that, but I'll let you keep your pride," she teased Haruki. "So long as you're happy, then I'm happy."
Haruki grunted in response. He felt a buzzing sensation from his phone which made him pull it out of his pocket. Kurisu watched as her son eyed the screen.
"It's from Reina," he said. "Looks like Papa forgot his coffee this morning and is already struggling."
He showed her his phone which displayed a selfie of the two — Okabe looking very handsome in his outfit, but also incredibly tired compared to their daughter with the bags he had in his eyes and the sweat that accumulated on his head.
"Okay," she said. "I'll start getting ready, then."
Date: November 17, 2036 7:37:00AM PST
Divergence: 1.048596 (Steins Gate)
Rintaro Okabe was dying. That was the only explanation. His vision was blurry and he had a splitting headache, all for no reason! The time spent with his daughter started off perfectly fine, they talked about what happened between himself and Kurisu on Friday (of which he kept certain details private), the feelings that she was getting regarding the situation as it was unfolding over the weekend, his own side of things of what happened at the Neuroscience Institute, and he also earned a scolding from her for not being "man enough" to speak to Kurisu and nip the whole problem in the bud.
That conversation felt like it was forever ago. He tried his best to look normal next to his daughter as her school came into view, but he was absolutely suffering on the inside. He didn't recall being in any situation where he got sick, and there was no way old age would have these consequences for simply walking. Something had to be afoot and he had to figure it out before it was too late.
"R-Reina," he asked as nonchalantly as he could. "Have I ever complained about blurred vision and headaches?"
Reina giggled. "I'm surprised it took you this long to talk to me about it. You've been struggling for quite a while now."
Okabe sighed. "Okay, fine, I'm not that good at hiding pain. What's going on?"
"Have you never had caffeine withdrawals in the worldline you came from?"
The gears in Okabe's head clicked — though rather painfully.
"I had no need for caffeine," he blinked. "There was no point in stressing my heart out any more than it was."
"Well, surprise! You're a caffeine addict on this worldline and you've certainly deprived your body for a couple days." Reina let out some jazz hands in Okabe's direction, but he was too pissy to pay attention to them. "But worry not my dear father, I've already called for reinforcements."
"I hope it's a cement truck filled with coffee that I can dive into," he grumbled.
"It'll be even better," Reina smiled deviously.
He decided to ignore it, at this point he'd accept any caffeine he could get if it meant making all the pain cease.
After a couple more minutes of silent walking, they finally reached the front gate which was packed with students being dropped off via car, or walking in like the father/daughter duo currently were. The academy itself looked massive behind the gate, but all Okabe could get a good look at was the front steps to the three-story building. It looked like a rather traditional private school building with the whole brick-and-mortar look, but the walls that he could see from outside the massive windows of the school were rather modern. It… was weird for Okabe in a sense.
"Ah, speaking of," Reina looked ahead and ran towards a very familiar car that was pulled up just ahead and to the left of them.
It was a red Kadillac sedan, the same one that Kurisu used to drive herself and Okabe to the Neuroscience Institute the day before. Okabe tried to freeze, but Reina doubled back to grab his arm and drag him with her. The passenger door flew open as they approached and Haruki stepped out in triumphantly dramatic flare - his fully slicked back hair undoing itself with the way he exited the car. The son's eyes landed on the father's visage, a proud smirk finding its way on his face before he approached.
"When all is said and done," he pointed at Okabe, speaking in Japanese. "Just know that you are indebted to your Twin-Star Scientists."
Haruki got behind Okabe and began to push his unsuspecting father towards the car door that he left open.
"Okay, okay, I get it," Okabe snapped at Haruki as he reached the door. "I have perfectly capable feet that I can use to walk."
"Someone's particularly snippy today," he heard a voice he longed to hear from within the car. "Did Hououin Kyouma forget that caffeine is his lifeline?"
He peered into the car. Within it was his wife, wearing aviator sunglasses and a heartfelt smile that he hadn't seen since Friday. Her right hand was extended towards him, holding a stainless steel rambler cup that Okabe could only assume was the nectar he needed to survive. Okabe looked back to see that his children had already disappeared within the crowd entering the school grounds before turning back towards his expectant wife.
"Perhaps if my Assistant cared enough to remind me," he snarked sarcastically. "I wouldn't be in this compromising position to begin with."
He leaned down to get into the seat and grab the coffee at the same time, but before he could grab it, Kurisu retracted the rambler, placed it in her left hand and extended her left arm out the window of the car. She tilted the cup precariously, threatening to spill the ambrosia that he longed for.
"I believe I misheard you. Did you say, 'Thank you for saving me, my darling wife'?" she looked him squarely in the eye.
"T-Thank you for saving me, my darling wife," he stuttered as he got settled in his seat and closed the door.
"That's more like it."
Kurisu brought the rambler back into the car and handed it directly to an Okabe who was eagerly ready to receive it. She then set the car into gear.
Okabe took a quick sip of the coffee, expecting it to be hot — which it was. But the warmth he felt spread through his body with just a few drops of caffeine meant that the cure was working. He looked at her, apprehensive of this apparent 180 in her attitude towards him.
She met his gaze, her foot still squarely on the break, and smiled. "Those children of ours really are amazing, you know?"
"I'm beginning to be made aware of that fact," his apprehensiveness quickly dropped once he realized that Haruki enacted his own plan once Kurisu was alone in the apartment with him. "They certainly have the minds of schemers."
"Apparently, Hououin Kyouma only ever considers a plan a scheme if it's done with nefarious intent," Kurisu laughed as she began to set the car in motion, being wary of any traffic that could come from her left.
"That sounds like something I'd say," Okabe said as he sipped his coffee happily. "Are we off to Viktor Chondria?"
"Why of course," Kurisu said, the car now fully in motion. "I think it's time we go about fixing that PTSD of yours."
A/N: And with a bowed head and slumped shoulders, I must once again ask for a month to post once more my dear readers. At this point it's just a matter of having content to post that I'm running out of, so hopefully when the next month comes, I will have enough to not have to extend out the releases like I have been. I shall see you all again, though, I promise! And when we meet once more, it will be for the chapter: "Mapping the Labyrinth of Echoes".
See you all!
~Quil