"How did this show turn into something like this?"
"No idea… but damn, it's amazing! Completely different from the dull first four episodes — Episode 5 finally ties everything together!"
"Now I feel like sticking with those first four episodes was totally worth it. Without that buildup, this episode would've made zero sense."
"It's making my scalp tingle. Has Great Zhou ever had a drama like this before? A time travel story done this well?"
"Nope. All the time travel dramas we had were modern people farming in ancient times or ancient people acting clueless in the modern world. Fun for an episode or two, then it gets old. This is something else entirely."
"I'm doomed. This show is killing me. Okabe, hold on! Don't give up — if you give up, it's all over!"
"Can someone explain why Mayuri keeps dying? I don't get it. Heart attack was weird enough — but choking on water?? Come on! And why does the actress make even that look so damn convincing?!"
"The point is — she's fated to die. Doesn't matter if SERN intervenes or not. It will happen."
"So hopeless… like fate itself is out to kill her. How do you even save someone from that? The scene where Jing Yu breaks down — man, I almost couldn't keep watching."
As the plot continued to unfold, Okabe finally came to a painful realization:
He couldn't save Mayuri alone.
That's when Makise, the series's second female lead, finally stepped into her role.
Okabe came clean with her.
And she… accepted everything.
"Isn't a mad scientist supposed to reconstruct the very fabric of the universe? Of course! Wahahahahaha!"
With her arms crossed, lab coat fluttering, hair flying in the wind, Makise mimicked Okabe's usual over-the-top pose — not mockingly, but comfortingly.
She, who had always scoffed at Okabe's chuunibyou antics, now embraced them — to keep him from falling apart.
After nearly 30 minutes of suffocating tension, the screen softened.
In Okabe's eyes, reflected under the setting sun, was the tall and beautiful figure of Makise.
The music swelled, emotional and warm.
She reached out her hand to him — saying nothing, yet saying everything.
Even though she now knew the Phone Microwave they'd built would destroy their normal lives…
Even though she knew Mayuri had died — would die — Makise chose not to run.
She chose to stay with Okabe and face it all together.
Chen Ke's eyes went red.
"Assistant… I love you!"
"I'm not crying, you're crying! It's such a small moment, but I'm tearing up…"
"It's that feeling — when you think you're walking through darkness all alone… then you turn around and realize someone's there with you."
"Mayuri is adorable, no doubt. But Makise? She's the real one. Her stock just skyrocketed!"
"Wait, didn't Jing Yu act in another drama with the actresses who play Makise and Mayuri? What was it called? I wanna buy the DVD now!"
"'White Album 2' and 'Your Lie in April'. Both are sold on JinHui TV's site. Classic, funny, emotional romance dramas. I'm a good person. You're welcome."
"Okay, okay, Makise's pretty great. But for me, Doodooroo is the one true god-tier waifu! Please don't die again — if you die, Makise is gonna steal Okabe for real!"
With Makise's arrival, the oppressive atmosphere lightened — just a little.
Then came her plan.
To prevent the soul-leaping Phone Microwave from being erased due to timeline shifts, Okabe could only jump within a five-hour range — the window after the time machine was successfully built.
There wasn't enough time.
They needed to use those five hours wisely.
Then, Suzuha, the part-time warrior, stepped forward after overhearing Okabe and Makise's conversation.
She revealed her identity: a traveler from the future.
Her mission was to go back to the last century and secure the vintage computer — the only device capable of breaching SERN's database.
She was supposed to retrieve it in the past.
But she lingered in the present…
Because her father — a man she had never met — was living in this era.
She just wanted to see him, once, before going back.
Her time machine could only travel to the past, not the future.
If she didn't take this moment now, she would lose her one chance.
And finally, through her explanation, Chen Ke — and every other viewer — finally understood:
What is "worldline convergence"?
Why must Mayuri die?
The answer:
Okabe was currently on an α worldline.
It had endless variations, yes.
But every variation led to the same fixed conclusion:
SERN will rule the world through time travel.
The process could change.
But the outcome would not.
In this α worldline, Mayuri's death is inevitable.
The cause may vary — bullets, trains, accidents — but the result never changes.
That's the convergence of all possible α timelines.
To break this fate, Okabe must leap beyond α — into a β worldline.
A timeline where SERN doesn't rule.
And if that outcome can be changed…
Then maybe — just maybe — Mayuri's death can be avoided too.
The ending theme rolled in.
Episode 5 ended.
"Huh? That's it?!"
Chen Ke blinked.
You just revealed the possibility of saving Mayuri — and now you cut to credits?!
"Wait, wait, wait… there's really only one episode this week? Not another double drop like last time?!"
"Cliffhanger demon!! This writer — are they even human?!"
"Come on! You just revealed Suzuha's true identity — why not extend the episode ten more minutes and wrap up the arc?! Now we have to wait another week?!"
"Can someone smarter than me explain the worldline theory? My brain hurts. I think I'm not smart enough for this show…"
"Here's what I don't get — Okabe keeps jumping worldlines. But what happens to the ones he leaves behind?"
"You don't get it? There's only one world. Okabe isn't hopping between infinite parallel worlds. He's altering the current world. Each jump rewrites it.
So long as he refuses to give in to convergence — and keeps fighting to change fate — there's hope of saving Mayuri.
But if he gives up?
Then her death becomes absolute."
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Only if you feel like it—I'm just glad you're enjoying it!