"How about it? Isn't that a good deal?"
Not bothering to argue further with Hashida Itaru, Okabe Rintaro looked back at Makise Kurisu.
"Only for you, right?" Makise Kurisu didn't think it was a good deal at all.
For some unknown reason, the two suddenly started moving around each other as if performing a 'duet'.
"Honestly, it's so infuriating my blood is pumping and my blood pressure is rising." Makise Kurisu grumbled as she walked.
But Okabe Rintaro didn't seem bothered at all. He still urged her with a smile:
"Alright, Christina, what's it going to be?"
"I told you not to add 'Tina'." Makise Kurisu gave him a very exasperated look.
Despite being reprimanded, Okabe Rintaro's lips curled into a smirk, like an elementary school boy who gets more energized the more he's forbidden or opposed. He 'apologized' without any intention of doing so:
"My bad, THE ZOMBIE."
"Call me by my name properly! Hououin Perverted Kyouma!" Makise Kurisu frowned, finally deciding to fight fire with fire, and immediately added a new title to Okabe Rintaro's 'self-proclaimed' name.
"Shut up! Genius Perverted Girl!"
Evidently, Okabe Rintaro's defense also perfectly matched the characteristics of an elementary school boy; his verbal attacks were relentless, but any slight attack on him would show signs of him getting flustered.
The moment the words fell, the two stopped in perfect sync, glaring at each other through gritted teeth.
"A staring contest between perverts, so exciting!" Hashida Itaru, watching from the side, cheered on, completely oblivious to the danger.
At this, he immediately drew all the firepower.
"Shut up, pervert!"
"Shut up, pervert!"
After all, no matter how they compared, they certainly wouldn't be more perverted than Hashida Itaru. No matter how much they attacked each other, being called a pervert by that guy somehow felt unbearable.
Probably feeling that this would go on endlessly if it continued, and that she was utterly mad to engage in such a low-level verbal fight with someone like Okabe Rintaro, Makise Kurisu decided to back down.
She took a deep breath and said, "Fine, I get it. I accept the conditions, so you're not allowed to say 'pervert' anymore either."
"I won't treat you as a pervert anymore either."
Hearing this, Okabe Rintaro proudly lifted his head, puffing out his chest as if displaying victory: "Alright, then from now on, you are—"
"Labmem NO.004, Chris—Tina!" He pointed at Makise Kurisu, making the declaration.
"'Tina' is forbidden too!"
[Exciting, exciting, it's getting exciting!]
[The struggle between perverts, so exciting!]
[When dragged into Okabe's domain, this is the only outcome! An excellent chuunibyou will always try to drag their enemy into their home turf and then defeat them with their rich experience!]
[Christina, don't forget you're a genius who's published papers in Science!]
[Seriously, their chemistry is too strong]
[I declare, the true heroine has arrived!]
The next moment the bullet comments floated by, Shiina Mayuri, swaying side to side as she climbed the stairs, suddenly appeared.
"Juicy fried chicken No.1, wow~" Humming her self-made tune, Mayuri clapped open the Laboratory door: "I'm home!"
"Is it really teleportation? A conclusion-first line of thought is very shaky."
But there was no welcoming voice for her. Instead, it was Makise Kurisu's voice, and a pair of unfamiliar shoes by the door.
"So what exactly is this?" Okabe Rintaro also didn't notice Mayuri's arrival, but instead retorted to Makise Kurisu's words.
"At least when I put the whole banana and frozen fried chicken in, there was no teleportation, right?"
Following the sound, Mayuri peeked her head in from the door.
Then, she saw the unfamiliar red-haired figure.
"One, two, three, four..." After counting the number of people currently in the Laboratory with her fingers, including herself, Mayuri finally realized: "Huh, we have a guest?"
Unable to reach a conclusion in a short time, Makise Kurisu finally noticed the extra figure by the door. She then turned around and greeted her quite normally:
"Excuse me for intruding, my name is Makise Kurisu. Sorry for the sudden visit."
Mayuri blinked and introduced herself in return:
"My name is Shiina Mayuri."
"It seems I've also become a Labmem." With Okabe Rintaro's expression falling, Makise Kurisu took two steps forward and briefly explained why she was there.
Her pretty face flushed slightly with embarrassment.
Although she was inexplicably invited by Okabe Rintaro, introducing herself with such a title... "Labmem?" After a moment, Mayuri understood the meaning of her words and showed an incredibly joyful expression: "A girl Labmem!"
She cheered and gave Makise Kurisu a big hug.
Makise Kurisu's face grew redder: "Is it... that rare?"
"Yep, yep, yep, you're the first girl member besides Mayushii!" Mayuri grabbed Makise Kurisu's hand and shook it repeatedly: "Nice to meet you!"
Looking at the cute girl in front of her, completely unlike that guy Okabe Rintaro, Makise Kurisu smiled:
"Yes, nice to meet you too."
— "Isn't that great?"
— "Mayuri is an angel!"
— "She's so adorable, in her own dorky way!"
— "No jealousy, no questions, no doubts, this is the composure of the true main heroine!"
— "That's not it, she just doesn't have romantic feelings, right? Anyone with a childhood friend should be able to tell."
— "Sorry, I don't."
The clatter of a keyboard sounded in the background, and Okabe Rintaro suddenly exclaimed:
"What did you say?!"
"What?"
"It seems there was an electrical discharge phenomenon." he replied.
"Huh, why didn't you tell me just now?" Almost instantly, Makise Kurisu got into work mode, the redness on her face gone. She jogged quickly to the computer and said: "Tell me the details."
"Uh, well, it's like, the microwave oven emitted something like lightning..." Hashida Itaru scratched his yellow hat, trying with difficulty to describe the general situation.
Okabe Rintaro pressed on without hesitation: "When did this happen?"
"Yesterday, around noon, I think?" Recalling, Hashida Itaru's memory gradually became clearer: "After Okabe ran out upon seeing the news of the artificial satellite falling, I connected my phone to this thing..."