Part 15: The true nature of the Microwave Ophone (Temp) is revealed

"I'm baaack! Fwoo, I'm hungry..."





Looks like she's done with her part-time job.

"Fried food. Juicy Karaage Number One♪!"
"Okarin, did you get the bananas? Hey, Okariiin?"

Looking inside the development room, Mayuri tilts her head.



After noticing Kurisu, Mayuri slightly bows her head while smiling.

"I'm Mayushii. It's nice to meet you~"

"I'm Makise. I just became a Lab Mem."

"Eh? Really? That's great! A girl Lab Mem."

"Daru, what kind of control were you attempting with the X68000?"

"Just like I said, I was doing email receiving setting adjustments. Specifically, I was monitoring the moment that the microwave receives a mail. That's why I turned it on in 'freezing mode' for 120 secs. Today, we tried to enable the PC to do the freezing function, right? I did the same tests yesterday."

"Mayuri, put the Juicy Karaage Number One into the Microwave Ophone (Temp)!"

"You want to eat it? I can give one for each of you."

With her usual nonchalance, Mayuri puts the fried chicken into the microwave oven. I have Daru explain everything that's shown on the PC monitor. The operation method isn't very different from DOS. I enter '120#' on the keyboard and press the enter key. The Microwave Ophone starts working. The turntable and the Juicy Karaage Number One placed on it start rotating backwards.



"So, those are all the required conditions for the electrical discharge to occur, right?"

"Ehmm, how was it, again...?"

"You there, my assistant!"

"Huh? Me?"

"Who else could I be talking about?!"

"When did I become your assistant?!"

"Whatever, just send a mail to my phone already!"

If these are the right conditions, then sending an email to my phone connected to the Microwave Ophone (Temp) would cause the time-stamp of that mail to be the past, not the present. My assistant shrugs with a sullen face.

"I don't know your email address."

"Useless assistant..."

"Don't arbitrarily make me your own assistant!"



"Ah, OK, what should I type?"

"Anything!"

"Ehmm, umm..."

"Just send 'Cristina is a pervert'."

"I told you that 'pervert' is forbidden!"

"Well, I'll go with 'Okarin is a pervert'."

"You damn traitor...!"

"Good job, Hashida!"

Grinning, Kurisu throws a thumbs up to Daru. That is really hard to stomach.



As we're doing this and that, Mayuri looks at the usual banana bunch with a face that's about to cry.

"We used them for experiments."

"But they were Mayushii's..."

"Should I send the mail?"

"Mayushii, we'll give you money afterwards. Specifically, Hououin will."

"Why me?!"

"C'mon. Why are you always experimenting on Mayushii's food?"
"Ah, wait, are you experimenting on the karaage, too?"

"That's right. OK, OK, sending now. Sending, sending..."



With no hesitation, Mayuri puts her hand on the door--

"Hey, wait, don't open it, Mayuri!"

"Huh?"

While tilting her head, she opens it--





Video: Electric Discharge Phenomenon
(Brief glimpses of another two voices! Daru is Tomokazu Seki, and Kurisu is Asami Imai.)

In the dimly let development room, a bluish-white light akin to lightning appears.

"An electrical discharge!"

The violent sound of sparks. I grab Mayuri's body and move her a step away from the Microwave Ophone (Temp).

"I-Isn't this bad?!"



I smell something burning. From the flashes of light, I'm a bit blinded. I repeatedly blink in an attempt to restore my eyesight. I hear Kurisu and Daru coughing.

"Are you all okay?"

"S-Somewhat."

"Hey, are you sure that the discharge was only about 2 seconds?"

Mayuri strongly grabs my upper arm with her thin fingers.

"O, Okarin? What just happened?"



Mayuri looks very perplexed.

"Are you okay? No burns or anything?"

"It doesn't hurt anywhere, so I think I'm okay."

Looks like I was right to protect Mayuri. As an insane mad scientist, I must protect my comrades from danger, even if I have to use my own body. I let go of Mayuri's body, which I have been holding tight until now. I wipe the sweat off my forehead.

"W-Wait, look at this!"

Kurisus voice is tense. After my vision returns, I go back into the development room. THe sight in front of me makes me lose my words.

The table in the middle of this room. Made of wood and sturdy enough to hold 5 or 6 people. The table which supported the Microwave Ophone and the X68000...



Everything that was on the table is now on the floor. And, the vital part - the microwave - is piercing through the broken table. It literally penetrated the floor.

"What the hell? It's a microwave, it's not heavy enough to open up a hole in the floor..."

"An electrical discharge can't do this. What other phenomena...?"

I was lost for words until now, but the seriousness of the situation made me open my eyes.



I attempt to take out the cellphone and do the usual, but unfortunately, it's in the Microwave Ophone.

El Psy Congroo.

Without actually saying anything, I mouth those words. They have no meaning. I only use them because I like their feeling. However, even if they lack a meaning, they can eventually get one. Due to many years of saying them, I can now calm my heart and mind just by mumbling them.

"So, about Mayushi's fried chicken."

"Eh?"

After standing up, Mayuri slowly looks at the Microwave Ophone (Temp). The microwave is on the floor, and the door is completely open.



Since she looks downhearted, I gently hit her shoulders to cheer her up.

"Juicy Karaage Number One has become a noble sacrifice for the sake of the succcess of a grand experiment. Let us pray for its happiness in the next world."

"Who cares about the fried food? Right now, we must analyze what happened with the Microwave Opho--"

"But I care about it, Cristina..."

"Hey, Hououin Kyouma, do something about this! Mayushii remembers my name wrong!"

"I think we should ventilate the place first. Achoo!"

"Shut up, all of you!"



These buffoons do not have the right to ruin that. With my heart beating fast, I extend my hand towards my cellphone, which is still connected to the Microwave Ophone (Temp).

Happily, despite all that electrical discharge, my cellphone is unharmed. I quickly operate it. I bring up the list of received emails. Newest mails should be at the top of the list. But... the throbbing of my heart speeds up...

The mail that Daru sent just before the electrical discharge isn't the topmost. This 'miraculous' phenomenon is exactly what I desired. I look through the older entries.

And I

have

found it.



Success. I don't know why, but the experiment was successful! The time-stamp is saying that. The receive date of this email is the 24th of July, which is 5 days ago. This is the same as with the Kurisu stabbing notification mail! A mail sent on the 29th went backwards in time and reached the 24th.

Everything occurred to me just now.

"Everything has connected. The meaning behind all of these events, and a single answer to them all. I just saw the truth behind the hidden function of this Microwave Ophone! This isn't just my intuition, but my conviction!"

"Say it. What do you think it is?"

I'm becoming aware of my own grin. Kurisu is glaring at me, and I take it without flinching.

"First of all, let's say this. All the greatest inventions are accidental byproducts of that which goes on in the lab. That is called serendipity."

"Leave the boasting aside."

Guh... Why is she rejecting my introductory remarks? Oh well, let's get to the point, then.

"The email went back to the past. The defrosted fried food returned to a frozen state. The banana that was cut off from the bunch returned to it."

"...It can't be."

"Oh yes it can...!"



"This Microwave Ophone (Temp)... is a time machine!"