Part 75: The name Barrel Titor is first mentioned
Those sensations soon pass, to be replaced with warmth throughout my body, and pulsation in my ears. I blink slowly. Reading Steiner activated again, so I'm convinced that we successfully secured Suzuha.
I hurry down the stairs. In front of the building, I confirm the presence of that which should be there.
And on the bench next to that bicycle, looking up to the sparkling summer sky... sits Amane Suzuha.
"...Good morning, Working Warrior."
I try to remain calm as I call to her.
Her very Daru-esque usual greeting.
"Playing hooky?"
"Come on, no customers come. And besides, we were partying all night upstairs. I'm really sleepy.""Partying all night? Who was?"
"Okabe Rintarou, did you drink too much yesterday? You're drunk, huh. That's no good for a minor."
"Last night, you couldn't meet your father, so we had the Last Supper to make you into a test subject. Correct?"
"Ahahaha. Yeha, yeah. Yesterday, you did say something like that. Thank you for all you did yesterday.""...I don't really remember it that well, but how did we secure you?"
"Don't tell me you really drank too much yesterday?""Just tell me."
"Well, I was going to go home from the time machine offline meet when--"
"Yup."That's the same offline meet that Daru was going to, right...?
"Was that the place your father could've appeared at?"
"I said so yesterday, didn't I?""So, you were going home, and then..."
"Suddenly, you, Hashida Itaru, and Shiina Mayuri appeared, and took me to the lab. And they all lived happily ever after."So basically, the events of the pursuit operation went by gloriously. I can't help but smile at how smoothly things went.
"Yesterday sure was fun, huh."Suzuha murmurs earnestly as she looks back up at the blue sky.
"It would've been more fun if Makise Kurisu weren't around. The apple pie she made was murderous. But Urushibara Ruka's curry was first-rate.Your lab, doesn't it seem like an, um, club? That sorta place is kinda good. Everyone gets along, and it's always fun... That's the first time I've ever had so much fun in my life."
Maybe she was a bullied child. Maybe that has something to do with the disappearance of her father.
"Working Warrior. Just as promised, I'll have you become a test subject."
"But I've already told you, I don't know Fathers mail address.""Then we'll have to postpone the experiment until you find out. By the way, the Microwave Ophone (Temp) used in the experiment is our lab's top secret item, so we'll have you become a lab mem to prevent information leaks to the outside."
"Lab mem?""Short for laboratory member. People awarded a lab mem number are, in other words, the lab's comrades."
"...Is it okay?"
Informed with such gravitas, Suzuha hangs her head while squatting. She sniffles once, then she lifts her face, revealing a smile.
"...You don't want to go home anymore?"
"Nope. I'll try my best to search for Father a little more.""You are a lab mem starting today. If there's anything you need, we'll help. By the way, do you have any clues about your father?"
Suzuha hesitates a little... and then stands up, turning to me. She whispers with a serious expression.
"Wait, Titor, as in THAT Titor?!"
"You know about him? Right now, he might be using a different code name, though..."I don't just know about him. For the past several weeks, he's been on @channel, hasn't he?!
I open up a relevant @channel thread on my phone and show it to Suzuha.
"Look! Someone named John Titor is posting, isn't he?!"
Suzuha stares at the screen.
"This solves your puzzle! Your father is on @channel!"
"Ahh, umm, you're right...""...eh, hey. What's with that indifferent reaction?"
"No... It's not this person.""How do you know? You just said your father called himself Titor, didn't you?!"
That's a roundabout way to say it. It's almost like she knows who this John Titor is...
As if to answer my inner doubts, Suzuha continues.
"He's not John. The name my father used is..."
(Episode ten, and finally chapter four, cleared.)