Part 114: The search for Barrel Titor is off to a rough start

The bottom settled, but there's still quite a few pedestrians in front of the building. We spend about 30 minutes just sneaking in.

I have Kurisu keep working on the Time Leap Machine. She needs to have it done by the 13th at 2 o'clock. If it's late, that'll have a huge effect on time leaping to save Mayuri.

Mayuri herself disappeared into Akiba by herself to search for Suzuha's father.

"How is it?"

I call out to Daru, who's checking out the flooded satellite - I mean, time machine - as Suzuha and I stand guard. The hatch only opens when someone whose fingerprints have already been registered - in this case, Suzuha - touches the hatch area. Fed up, Daru crawls out of the machine while sweating profusely. We hurriedly pull out that huge body.

The satellite - I mean, the time machine - is fully visible from below. If someone were to see us, they might report us to the police. The festival's mostly ended, but many people still come to see this satellite. We need to be as careful as we can to not get noticed.



"It's not on the level of a steam bath... Underneath this blazing sun, the machine's seriously turned into a food dehydrator..."
"By the way, this machine won't lose its balance and fall, right...?"

The satellite-like time machine stands still as if scraping off the wall, but the police fixed the pointed end with something like rope, so Daru probably has nothing to worry about.

"Can it be fixed?"

"Nah, I still don't know for sure, but I noticed something just by touching it for a while."



"Then maybe it can be fixed, right?!"

"Nah, that's why I said I wasn't sure. I need to check a little more."

"Daru. Supah hakah. I can say that everything depends on your skill. You're the supah hakah who saved the world. In 2036, you will respected as the Mother of the Time Machine instead of Makise Kurisu."

"It's not hakah, it's hacker! How many times do I have to tell you?!"

"Anyway, get it done somehow or another in two days, Daru."

I place my hand on Daru's shoulder and frantically plead with my eyes.

"You're the only one I can count on."

"I'm not confident. Anyway, why two days?"

"That's..."



"After two days, the weather conditions will be perfect for creating the ring singularity. If we miss that, we won't have another chance for a year."

Nice excuse, Suzuha!

"Y-Yeah, that's it!"

"Fix it in two days? That's just nuts..."

"But if you do, you'll get the right to go on a date with Faris for a day. Can you fix it?"



Well then... the problem is whether or not Faris will hear that request out.



We're searching for something with that same cryptic logo as the pin badge. I didn't think it would be this difficult. Honestly, we were too naive. Akiba has plenty of underground shops, but they're all for electronic goods and PC parts, so there aren't that many accessory shops. We went around all of them, but couldn't get a single clue. We tried showing it to the salespeople, but they all just tilted their heads to the side. We walked all the way to the station, to questionable shops in Kanda, Ueno and Asakusa, but still no results.

Suzuha and I walk back home with a heavy gait.



Kurisu, secluded alone in the development room, greets us.

"Your faces say no results, huh."

"Where's Daru?"

"He didn't come back. It's already dark, so didn't he go straight home?"

Since it's nighttime, the closed Radio Kaikan's too dark for work. He can't use a flashlight, either, because that would be too conspicuous.

Mayuri's not around. Is she making any progress on the search for Suzuha's father.

"I kind of feel bad. This isn't the time to be doing this..."

"This isn't for you. Everything is to save Mayuri."

"...yeah."



I'll investigate tomorrow based on the information I find. There's a pin badge community in 'Frepara', where everyone shows off their collection, so I posted asking for information.



"--SERN's attack?!"



Kurisu's holding a phone. The sound's coming from there.

"Good morning."

Her sour face says the morning is not good at all. I wish she'd put herself in my shoes and see what it's like to be woken up with such a sour attitude.

I check the time with my own phone. It's before 7AM.

"...so you came to wake me up? Thanks."

"It's not like I made a morning call for you."

"Okabe Rintarou, there's something I want you to see, so I had her wake you up."