Part 82: Kiryuu Moeka's condition continues to deteriorate

"Oh yeah, Mayuri. Have you not been working at a part time job lately?"

"Job? You mean at Lemoine?"

That's right. In the current Akiba, devoid of moe shops, MayQueen+Nyan² doesn't exist.

"Well, it's rigiht before ComiMa, so I'm taking days off. I gotta do cosplay giving my all!"

"Exactly how many costumes are you making this year?"

"Three. Umm, for Kaede and Fubuki. And then one for Ruka."



Well, of course not. After all, even though he looks like that, he's still a genuine guy.

No, wait. That was before we sent the D-mail. Now she's a genuine girl, I guess. How complicated...

"Ah, it's Moeka."

"What?"



She looks awfully serious. There are shadows all around her eyes, and her hair is frayed. She seems more worn out than the last time I've seen her.

I hesitate to call out to her, feeling an unusual atmosphere. She's ignored me before. It's quite difficult to deal with Shining Finger. But as a fellow lab mem, I can't just ignore her.

"You, the masseuse! You seem pretty depressed, don't you?"

"Tutturu, Moeka! What are you doing here?"



She mutters something, but I can't quite catch it.

"Hey, are you listening? If you have any worries at all, this insane mad scientist, Hououin Kyouma, will splendidly settle them for you! That is, if you're prepared to see Akiba become a sea of blood... hehehe."





She lifts her head and stares at me with open eyes... or so I thought. She gets up with a staggering force, drawing closer to me. This is the first time I've seen Moeka express so much emotion.

"..."

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"..."

So she can't speak directly after all... Moeka hangs her head and starts typing on her phone. Looks like she's writing another mail.






"What do you mean, what happened?"






"It's not fully understood yet. We're in the middle of improving it."

"It's amazing! You know, they say this time, we might be able to time leap."






"Don't report it. If you do, we'll have to excommunicate you as a lab mem."

Moeka violently shakes her head. Seems she won't report it.

"Through hacking SERN, we discovered another possibility for the Microwave Ophone (Temp). It''s a new time travel system made possible by borrowing part of SERN's equipment. This will repaint the history of mankind, advancing it one more step up the ladder. That is, the conquest of the barrier of time. Thus, people won't be washed away by the future, but be able to choose their own. Our Future Gadget Laboratory will soon accomplish that which is unprecedented throughout all of the history of mankind...!"

"Okarin Okarin, that explanation was so roundabout, that you lost Mayushii."

To be unable to understand my message is to have not a shred of emotion. Moeka bites her lip and irritatedly types out a mail. She grabs my upper arm and sinks in her fingernails, rather painfully.

"W-Will you let go of me, please..."

But Moeka won't listen.






"Time leaping, in other words, sending your memories across time. We found a way to make that possible. Before long, we'll actually time leap, and become conquerors of time."

"Well, Okarin come up with the idea, Cris said it was possible, Daru's helping, and Mayushii and Okarin are out shopping♪"

Moeka absentmindedly lets go of me. She squats down on the spot, just as we had found her - no, wait, she looks even more powerless.

"Moeka, are you okay? Do you feel bad?"






"I won't say any more than that. There are still several problems left to solve. If we can settle those easily, I guess it'll be complete in a week. But if we can't settle them, then it won't ever be complete. Everything is Steins;Gate's choice. I believe that we will surely find the path to settle them... And once the door is opened, what will visit is the chaos I desired. Curtains shall fall on The Organization that rules the world from the shadows at the hands of Ragnarok...!"

"Who are you fighting, Okarin?"

"They never appear on center stage, but they manipulate governments."

"Heeh, amazing. But you shouldn't do anything dangerous, okay?"

Why is Mayuri the one looking out for me?

"hm... hm..."

Oh...?

While sitting, Moeka's lips curl up into a smile. Unlike last time, she gets up sluggishly and staggers off as if she had forgotten about our existence.



"What do you think is wrong with Moeka?"

I thought she was a weird girl since I first met her, but... Maybe she's a mental patient. Hehehe, but I'm the most ill of us all. After all, what I wish for is world chaos.

"Fuhaha, fuhahahaha, foooohahaahahahahahahaha!"

"Whaaaah? Even Okarin's getting weird! Mayushii's worried..."

I stop my loud laughter once I see her about to cry.



Returning to the lab with our purchases in hand, I see a surprising - yet somehow expected - scene.



Kurisu's at the lab PC. In a panic, she closes an opened window.

"H-Hey. At least knock when you enter."








"What idiot would think that any sort of enemy could attack, huh?

"So, Cristina. What were you looking at as you skipped out on your duties?"

I can somewhat guess. Or, actually, I saw it for a moment when I came in.

"R-Research materials."

Looks like she plans on feigning ignorance to the end. I place my bags in front of the computer.

"Hey, d-don't come here--"

I slip through Kurisu's blocking arms and restore the minimized window.


"..."