[ LOL, for a Chunibyo to be exposed on the spot, it couldn't get any worse. ]
[ My goodness, is this setting really that intense? A female lead who has published papers in Science? ]
[ And she doesn't look that old, does she? So, it's a story about a Chunibyo male lead and a genius female lead centered around a Time Machine? ]
[ Fifteen minutes... it really is Time Travel, isn't it? ]
[ The pacing is so fast. ]
"Let's make this quick. What were you trying to tell me just now?"
"About fifteen minutes ago, you were trying to say something, weren't you?"
"With a troubled expression."
Listening to Makise Kurisu, Okabe Rintaro's eyes drifted for a moment, then he raised his index finger close to her and said, "I... I've seen through everything, genius girl. The next time we meet, we will be enemies."
"Goodbye."
Making a farewell gesture, Okabe Rintaro unhesitatingly put his hands on his hips and burst into laughter:
"Hmph hahahaha——"
"Wait——"
Before Makise Kurisu could call out to him, Okabe Rintaro took off running.
Jogging to the staircase, leaning against the wall, Okabe Rintaro couldn't help but feel a pang of doubt.
"What was she talking about? She's seen me?"
As he pondered, he felt his phone vibrate, so he stopped thinking and opened his phone.
A chaotic, meaningless video appeared on the screen.
"..."
"Okabe——" Soon, Mayuri's voice came from the side.
"Mayuri, what are you doing?"
"I sent you a text, didn't I? The metal upa is missing, even though I wrote my name on it."
"Did you lose it?"
"Probably..."
"Give up."
"Eh—the metal upa could sell for 10,000 yen at auction!"
"1... 10,000?" Okabe Rintaro's expression changed.
His eyes widened suddenly, and his mouth stretched into a surprisingly wide grin.
"Go find it! Our Laboratory has no more funds!" He loudly issued the command.
"Eh, even if we find it, I won't sell it."
"If we had 10,000 yen, couldn't we buy parts for new Future Gadgets?"
"I said I won't sell it."
"Ah ah ah ah ah——"
Suddenly, a tragic scream abruptly rang out from upstairs.
[ LOL, Okabe's expression, he definitely regrets giving away 10,000 yen so casually just now. ]
[ My goodness, is the male lead not a Chunibyo? With a Laboratory and Future Gadgets, could the Organization actually be real? ]
[ Upstairs, don't be foolish. If it were a real Laboratory, why would they worry about a mere 10,000 yen? It must be a Chunibyo. ]
[ I smell trouble brewing. ]
"That scream is..."
Just as Mayuri was still a bit confused, Okabe Rintaro's expression suddenly changed. He sharply told Mayuri:
"Go outside!"
Having said that, he unhesitatingly turned and ran upstairs, towards the direction from which the scream came.
Okabe Rintaro walked cautiously down the dimly lit corridor, looking left and right, clearly wary of any potential danger.
But the corridor was empty.
"Hello, is anyone there?" He walked step by step to the nearest open door... Blood flowed out.
—He saw the woman lying in a pool of blood.
"Makise... Kurisu..." Okabe Rintaro uttered the name of the person before him, trembling all over. Her face, as she had been in front of him not long ago, flashed through his mind.
At this moment, the judges on the stage also immediately changed their expressions.
Uncle Big Nose gripped the armrest of his chair: "Whoa, whoa, whoa, is this a super plot twist right from the start?"
"Both the visuals and the music, and even the protagonist's expression, are perfectly on point. This really makes me shiver all over."
Cowboy Hao frowned, stroking his chin: "The female lead dies right at the beginning... Now the main plot should be clear. It should be about using a Time Machine to go back in time and save the female lead. That previous fifteen-minute segment should also be a foreshadowing."
"But is there such an obvious foreshadowing?"
Foreshadowing, foreshadowing. A qualified foreshadowing is something that audiences find reasonable on first viewing but are incredibly surprised by when it's revealed.
This is practically telling you outright that there's a problem here.
The scene continued.
As discussions about someone seemingly having died filled the air, the screen transitioned from black to white, and from the intense white light, Okabe Rintaro's figure emerged.
He hung his head low, breathing heavily, as if the shock of what he had just seen had not yet fully dissipated.
"Okabe——"
Finding Rintaro, Shiina Mayuri moved closer to him.
"What's wrong with you? Your face is pale."
"Someone died."
"On the eighth floor."
The sound of an ambulance lingered in the background, and Okabe Rintaro's emotions gradually calmed with Shiina Mayuri's arrival.
But the shock of having witnessed a figure that was alive and well just moments ago lying in a pool of blood still remained in his heart.
At one end of the crosswalk, the traffic light in front of him turned from red to green, and pedestrians crossed the crosswalk with the signal.
Okabe Rintaro took out his phone.
As he walked, he typed out a text message.
'Makise Kurisu, seems to have been stabbed by someone...'
Recipient: Itaru.
As Okabe Rintaro slowly pressed his thumb to the send button, the screen suddenly began to flicker violently.
Meaningless numbers flashed by, and the once bustling Akihabara street was suddenly left with only Okabe Rintaro.
Everyone else had disappeared.
Empty music, a street where no one existed, and Okabe Rintaro running madly.
[ Wow, what a powerful plot! This definitely has to be Time Travel, right? Is sending a text message the button to activate Time Travel? ]
[ This scene is a bit scary, walking along and then suddenly there's no one around. ]
[ Where's the Time Machine? Time Machine, come save her quickly! I want my genius girl! ]
"tuturu, here you go, Okabe."
Just as Okabe Rintaro reached the RAJIO Building, Shiina Mayuri's energetic voice suddenly appeared.
She extended her hand, intending to hand Rintaro the drink she held.
But Rintaro didn't take it; instead, he became even more confused.
"Where did everyone go? Why did everyone disappear?"
As Okabe Rintaro was saying these things, the screen flickered again, and the street, which had been empty, was once again filled with people.
"Disappeared?"
"They disappeared! Everyone who was just here, right before my eyes, they all—!"
"I don't understand."
"How can you not understand? You saw it too, didn't you! Right! Right!"
"I didn't see anything."
"What are you talking about—!"
Okabe Rintaro frantically sought answers from Shiina Mayuri, but he never received a definitive reply.
Suddenly, a piece of gravel fell from the sky, interrupting his questioning.