Part 121: Word arrives from the year 1975

"Well then. With this, all my regrets for this world line are completely cut away... I should get going."

"W-Wait! You're going already? Don't you have a lot to talk to your father about?"

--What the hell am I doing? I silently click my tongue at myself while detaining Suzuha. Even if I detain her here, Suzuha won't stay, will she? It'll be troublesome if she does, since Mayuri's life depends on her leaving. So why am I trying to detain Suzuha...

"I'm okay. I'll be sure to get an IBN 5100."

While saying that, she shows us a dignified face.



"...Please. I want to change the future."

...Nobody answers that. Nobody says anything, or even nods, but Suzuha definitely gets the message.

Everything Suzuha entrusted to us. Her will. Her mission. As if swearing to protect them to the end, we tighten our expressions.

The future Suzuha warned us of. That isn't the future we wish for. That's probably the very reason Daru and I form the Resistance. So Mayuri won't die. So Kurisu won't be used by SERN. So Daru can be with Suzuha as a normal father, we must change the future.

"Well then, let's meet in 35 years. Ah, for you guys, maybe a few hours, huh. Ahaha."



With that final warning, Suzuha boards the time machine, quickly closing the hatch after waving her hand. Her figure disappears. The machine soon activates. The revolving lights attached underneath the fuselage light up.



Nothing comes out except sound. It's quieter than you'd think.

The people walking underneath the building start cheering and screaming at the abnormality of the satellite. Everyone looks up and points.

I notice I got a mail from Suzuha, and hurriedly open my phone.



The same single word parting message as before... yet that word holds a completely different meaning than the one before. Almost like it's a different word.



A cocoon of light appears, enveloping the fuselage. I squint my eyes at the brilliance...

"Suzuha..."

We can no longer meet her. No, maybe we can. We're no doubt going to meet each other again.

But between us is an immense wall of time. No matter how much we pray, no matter how much we wish, no matter how much we shout... when we meet again, she won't be the girl I knew.

Unexpectedly, Daru takes one step into the light.

"...Su, Susu, Suzuha!"



"I'll do my best until then! I, I hate my meager vocabulary for not knowing any other way to say it, though! Anyway, I'll do my best... So Suzuha, do your best, too!"

Those words probably won't reach her. Within that brightness, all I can do is block the light with my hands.

While shining particles fall, the cocoon slowly, slowly comes undone...



Peeking through it, I can see Akihabara Station below. I can smell ozone due to the discharge of static electricity. The atmosphere undulates in waves, as if increasing in density.

For a short while, we silently stand in the summer breeze, as if the wind were fate itself.





In just about an hour and a half, Moeka's group is going to attack the lab. Before then, we need to retrieve the IBN 5100 that Suzuha leapt back to 1975 to obtain. The circumference of Radio Kaikan is in chaos because of the time machine's light-emanating disappearance, so it was easy to slip out.

Suzuha said "let's meet in 35 years". Most likely, the 54 year old Suzuha saw the current ruckus and realized her younger self had traveled to 1975. In that case, she'll come to the lab with the IBN 5100. That's how things will go.



It seems Suzuha hasn't come yet.

"Haah, whoo... whoo... ahh, so tough..."

Kurisu's breath is short. In contrast, Mayuri's calmly eating a banana.

The red numbers happen to fall into my line of sight.



...Divergence hasn't changed. That's expected, since I didn't feel Reading Steiner at all.

Let's think again. It seemed like Divergence would've changed the instant Suzuha obtained an IBN 5100 in 1975. Or maybe the timing of the value change is different than what I thought. Maybe it's the instant Suzuha hands me the IBN 5100? Maybe it's the instant we hack SERN again and delete the mail data with our new IBN 5100?

At any rate, all we can do is wait for the now 54 year old Suzuha to bring us the IBN 5100.

"By now, Suzuha's turned 54, right?"

Daru, who had been hyperventilating a while ago, whispered such as his breathing calmed down.

"By daughter is more than 30 years older than me. I don't know if I want to see that or not. Feels weird man."

"On the contrary, it wouldn't be weird if she married and had grandchildren."

"S-So basically, I could have great-grandchildren at this age? I don't know how I should feel..."

"I think you should pretend to be a great-grandpa!"

"Please, don't call me a great-grandpa..."

While they have such idle chatter...



54 year old Suzuha came to visit!

I look at everyone's faces, half in expectation, half in anxiety, and open the door.

Standing there is...





A muscular middle aged guy, completely different from an older woman. Disappointed mood drifts about everyone.

"Oh, it's you..."

"Hey, have you seen my part timer?"

Manager peeks around inside the room.

"If you're looking for Suzu, she went 35 years--"

"Shut up, Mayuri!"

Kurisu blocks Mayuri's mouth.

"You know anything? Where'd that girl go? She's been taking these past few days off, and I don't know when she's going to work next. She won't even answer her phone."

Honestly speaking, we don't have time to talk to Manager.

"She said she went back to her old home. I guess she's not coming back here."

"Whaat? Is that so? That brat... She didn't say a word to me, her employer..."

The future changed... That's what I think. At this day and time, Manager has yet to come visit our lab. It might be related to Suzuha's trip to 1975. I think it's a good sign. Now, as long as the attractor field doesn't amend history...

Manager gives up looking around the room and turns to me.



"...with me?"

Manager puts on a serious face as he hands me an envelope. It's addressed to Okabe Rintarou, so me. There's no stamp or postmark.

The name 橋田鈴 is written on the back.

"What's this?"

"A letter from a person who I was indebted to. She asked me to give this to you today."

"Eh...? Who's... it from?"



I'm taken aback when Manager pronounces that name. If I look closely, isn't that surname the same as Daru's Hashida?

"Where is this woman now?"