Part 132: Makise Kurisu provides valuable advice

I endure the numbness in my brain stem and eyes. The pain in my parietal region disappeared as if it were a lie. I wipe the sweat off my brow and look around.

I can't see any more of Monad Snake's vapor. The air is very clear. Kurisu's reading a western book like usual. Mayuri's playing a handheld game while eating a banana. Daru's not there. Now that I think about it, he did say he was going out somewhere from noon to dusk today.

"Mayu--"

I quickly swallow my words.



When I wave my hand no, Mayuri tilts her head, and then looks back at her game. I sink into the sofa and close my eyes. I feel like screaming in regret, but desperately hold back. Even when I sacrificed our memories with Suzuha to change the world line, nothing changed.

Let's think. The Divergence meter shows about 0.4%. Let's think about how to get that above 1%. No, if I just worry about this by myself, things will turn out the same way. I'll consult Kurisu like last time.

"Kurisu, come with me a sec."

I lead her out of the lab. I sit on the bench in front of the building, confirming the absence of Suzuha's bicycle.





Kurisu says so and frowns.

"Japanese is weird."

"...please help me."

"...This is a shock. I never thought I'd hear those words from you. Do you have a fever?"

"Don't poke fun. I'm seriously consulting you."

"You time leaped, didn't you?"








"How much do you know?"

"How much about what?"

"That Suzuha was John Titor?"

"Eh..."

Kurisu stares blankly.

"I never thought of that."

When we stopped Suzuha from going to the time machine IRL meet on August 9, she decided to time travel on August 13. That event was most likely changed by my cancellation D-mail. Just what happened in this world line those four days?

I don't know.

"Have you finished the Time Leap Machine?"

"What are you talking about? I finished it yesterday after working all night. Okabe, when did you leap from?"

"8PM tonight."

In any case, it looks like I'll have to explain everything I've experienced again.










I talked about what I experienced, like Mayuri's death, about Suzuha, about Moeka, and a summary of what Suzuha told me about the world's structure. Kurisu didn't particularly doubt anything.

"So in other words, if you get back the IBN 5100, you win."

That's the conclusion.

"This is just a guess, but... you should think about what Amane said the other way around."



"It's most likely at that instant you'll achieve Divergence over 1%.

"The problem is where the IBN 5100 is now."

"You got the IBN 5100 once before. That is, if your memory isn't a delusion. If you can return to that world line, it'll inevitably come back, won't it?"

"I see, so that's it... The IBN 5100 was inside the lab and then suddenly disappeared."

"You made quite the ruckus about that earlier. Back then, I thought that you had finally lost your distinction between delusions and reality. I silently muttered 'oh god'."

"You Americanophile. What do you mean 'oh god'? You trying to say that Kurisu-chan is Christian?"

("Kurisu-chan" and "Christian" are spelled the same way in Japanese. )

When I say that, Kurisu looks at me with disdain.

"Oh, why, you..."

"...I regret saying it too."

This isn't the time for such worthless chatter.

"So, Cristina... you want to say this, right? The distortions we made to the world, namely, all D-mails so far that changed the world line, need to be negated. Then we can return to the world line where I found the IBN 5100 at Yanagibayashi Shrine."



At any rate, I've been lodging in the lab. Whenever I wasn't at the lab, another lab mem was. Someone was in the lab every hour of the day. It's physically impossible for someone to take away a retro PC that heavy without anyone noticing. So, it's proper to think that a D-mail caused us to deviate from the world line where I found the IBN 5100 at Yanagibayashi Shrine.

"That's still a hypothesis. I only came to that conclusion based on your explanation. If you're mistaking your facts, deceiving me, or shooting off delusions, then this hypothesis is a failure."

This assistant of mine has no confidence in me at all.

"You can't just blindly follow this hypothesis, either. You have some insurances, but if you're careless and get into checkmate... you won't get a second chance to save Mayuri."

I know. If I could, I'd like to ask for Suzuha's opinion too, but...

But in this world line, she traveled to 1975 on the night of August 9th. There's no way I can meet her now.

"Why did the IBN 5100 disappear? Which remaining D-mail is the source of its disappearance? Figure that out, and you're on your way to the solution."

"What I don't understand is how we delayed the timing of Mayuri's death exactly 24 hours."



"There's the possibility of the Butterfly Effect. In that case, any trivial source could produce a significantly deviant result. Anyway, it's important to ask with discretion. You shouldn't do anything careless. For example, the most important danger is your own death. You're probably the only one who can keep memories after crossing world lines. If you die, then consider Mayuri dead. You must absolutely not die."

"...By any chance, are you worried for me?"

"H-Huh?! What's with that? Whose benefit? No way in hell. Don't misunderstand me. When I mentioned your death, I meant since you're a valuable subject is all. Yeah. That's all. That brain of yours, having accumulated memories spanning world lines and several time leaps is a precious sample that can rewrite the history of neuroscience. I want to map out your brain and find out just what's going on in there. So these successive experiments that keep coming really help me out. Because the Time Leap Machine is, so to speak, the fruit of my research--"

"Calm down."

Kurisu turns this way with a sour look.



Anyway, to return to the world line where I get the IBN 5100 at Yanagibayashi Shrine, I need to cancel all the D-mails we sent so far - that's the hypothesis. Theoretically speaking, there are no contradictions. I don't have anything else besides Kurisu's explanation.

When I look at my watch, it's 6:42. Moeka's attack is in one hour. I decide to time leap once more, to daytime on the 13th. Right after the Time Leap Machine is complete.

"Cristina. I'll try out your plan."

"Oh. Okay."

I take Kurisu's hand, and firmly grasp it.

"Ah..."

"You've helped me out so many times. Sorry about that."

"D-Don't apologize, dummy. That throws me off... I-In the first place, I don't remember helping you out before at all. That just makes me the one angry at you. I don't get it..."



"I would remember if I could, because then I could look at how pitiful you look and go 'ha ha!'"

"You really have an awful personality."

"You're one to talk."

Thus, I time leap 28 hours back.