Part 14: Makise Kurisu performs science

"Let's welcome Cristina. No, The Zombie!"

"Both are wrong. Use my actual name, Hououin."



The first one who looked away was Kurisu. She puts on an air of disappointment.

"What a kid..."

"Did you say something, perverted genius girl?"

"Ahh! 'Pervert' is forbidden! I'll stop treating you as one, so let it go already!"

"As long as you understand. Let's go back to the real issue here. Daru, explain to Cristina--"

"'Tina' is also forbidden."

"Explain to Kurisu all about the experiments we've conducted up until now."

"I refuse."



As expected of a genius, she didn't ask a single question.

"This is truly interesting."

"Let's hear your opinion."

"At the very least, I'm quite sure we can dump worthless theories like electromagnetic wave weaponry or teleportation."

This madame sure is belligerent.



After saying that, she picks a normal banana from the bunch without even waiting for our approval. With a serious look on her face, she puts the banana in the Microwave Ophone (Temp) and uses her own phone to start it up. While gazing at her, I think that... she looks like she's having fun. Even though she always has a sour look on her face, I thought that for some reason.

Well, since she's a splendid scholar in the making, it's not weird if she's also an experiment-loving girl.

"Okabe and Hashida, please look at the banana bunch."

"I'd like it if you didn't give me orders. I am the mad scientist Houou--"

"Whatever, just don't look away from them!"

Instant anger.



We'd be looking at them even if she didn't order us, since we neglected to do so the first time the 'teleportation' happened.

"60 seconds have passed. Any change?"

"Nope."

Right now, the banana should become gelified and return to the bunch. If a phenomenon happens once, we can call it an accident or an unexpected byproduct, but if it happens twice, then we can say something is actually happening. If it happens now, Kurisu will probably rethink some things. Then, she might agree that this is the first successful teleportation experiment in human history.

As if praying, I keep staring at the banana--

"100 seconds."

A few seconds after Kurisu said that--





Out of nowhere, a gelbana appeared without any sound. There are now 2 of them in the bunch. It happened in an instant shorter than the blink of an eye.

"It appeared!"

The impact is enough to make me lose my words. Just now, I saw something unbelievable. An obvious teleportation phenomenon.

The timer of the oven rings. With a hard expression, Kurisu is looking inside the microwave oven.

"What happened on your side?"

"Eh? Uh, ehmm..."



She's slightly panicking. There aren't many people who wouldn't be surprised by such a phenomenon.

"This is an actual teleporter. The first one in human history!"

Kurisu quickly becomes calm. She starts thinking after wrinkling up her eyebrows and folding her arms...

"Instant movement... Is that really possible...? But it actually happened... No matter how unbelievable that is..."
"Is it quantum teleportation...? No, this is above the quantum level..."

"Don't avert your eyes from the truth. What you just saw is the all!"

To these words of mine, Kurisu responds with a sharp look. Those eyes are like those of a sniper. Her fighting spirit is not to be underestimated.



"Well then, girl genius, what would you call this phenomenon?"

"Let's look it over. The bunch of bananas and the frozen fried food didn't teleport, right?"

"...So there might be limits to the size of the object which can teleport."

"But fried chicken is smaller than bananas, right?"

"For all experiments we used the same 12-in-1 pack."

Mayuri doesn't buy anything besides 'Juicy Karaage Number One!'.

"That's quite a large amount."

"What about salt? You said you experimented with it, right?"

One time, we tried this experiment with a handful of table salt on a plate. Nothing happened.

"The plate was in the way."

"We tried without it, as well, but nothing changed."

"Then, does that mean that the grains of salt are too small for something to happen? Hmm... I need a clue..."



"Any others? Are there any other things you found out that are related to the Microwave Ophone?"

"It's not the Microwave Ophone, it's the Microwave Ophone (Temp)."

"Nobody cares. Is there anything you know about it?"

Kurisu looks not at me, but at Daru. He's the one who did all the maintenance on the Microwave Ophone (Temp), so he should know more about it.

"Ah, right, this one time, this thing did a great electrical discharge."



"It happened when you weren't in."

"How powerful was the discharge?"

It was like a fluorescent lamp was lit up. It continued for like 2 seconds."

"What was the situation?"

"I was tuning the cellphone which is attached to it. I took it out and replaced it with my own. A short time after I did that... sparky sparks."

"When did this happen?"

"Noon yesterday, when you went to see Dr. Nakabachi's presentation."

"Dr. Nakabachi..."

That's right, yesterday I went to see Dr. Nakabachi's presentation. Speaking of which, the time travel theory that he spoke of was all a John Titor rip-off.



"Yeah, but you still went there along with Mayushii."

...I don't have such memories. What I remember is that Nakabachi’s presentation was never cancelled. My memories are still inconsistent.

"Speaking of which, I sent Daru a mail. Did it reach you?"

"What mail?"

"The one that you showed me yesterday in ATF?"

After I nod, Kurisu comes closer.

"If I remember, it said that in that presentation, I was stabbed by a man and died, right?"

"Yeah. For some reason, it reached Daru's phone a week in the past..."

"Huh? But that was a lie, wasn't it?"

"I always speak the truth! If you don't believe me, then I'll show you my transmission history."

I take out my phone and look through my sent messages. But...



There are no traces of that mail in my history. I clearly remember what happened about 30 minutes after Nakabachi's presentation. After seeing the dead Kurisu, I left the Radio Center in a rush. I sent the mail after that. No matter how hard I search, I can't find the record of the mail I sent. Something that should be here is gone. Just like the banana inside the Microwave Ophone (Temp).

"Why isn't it here...? I'm sure I sent it at about 1 o'clock yesterday."

"Ah, that's about the time that the electrical discharge happened! It's Okay To Laugh!' was just about to end."

That moment, it occurred to me. Just like Edison wanted, I got the 1% of inspiration. I am truly a genius!

With a broad grin, I look over Daru and Kurisu.

"I get it... So that's how it was."

"Eh, what?"

"Ah, this is one of Okarin's weird habits, so I think it's better to ignore it."

"Silence! I finally got it! I finally understand it!"



"The mail that I've sent and the weird electrical discharge phenomenon... are somehow related!

"..."

"..."

"..."

"So?"

"Huh?

"I understand that they're somehow related, but how?"

"It's your job to find that out, Cristina."

"Hashida, it's very tiring to talk to this person."

"Everyone's like that at first. The basic counter-measure is to not take him seriously--"

"Hey! Don't negate all of my speech and conduct."

Okay then, I shall prove that I am right. If we repeat the electrical discharge, then the time-stamp of a mail should become weird.



"It was in quite a ridiculous state. My cellphone was connected to it, and I was testing if it was possible to control it with the X68000."

I take out the phone being used by the Microwave Ophone (Temp) and replace it with my own. After doing so, I hear the sound of a door opening.