Okabe Rintaro clicked his tongue quite audibly.
"Why do you deny what you've seen with your own eyes?" he asked in a deep voice.
"No reason."
"?!" Okabe Rintaro's face showed a look of sudden realization: "Could it be... a past psychological trauma?"
Saying that, Okabe Rintaro closed his eyes and began to tell a story: "Yes, it was when Christina was five years old, on the plains of Arkansas, she was struck by lightning..."
"It would be strange if she was struck." Makise Kurisu sighed after glancing at Okabe Rintaro for a while out of the corner of her eye.
"Then why?"
"I've told you, theoretically it's impossible." She turned around.
"Theory is just a language game; you should acknowledge everything that's happening before your eyes, shouldn't you?"
"No."
"Hmph." Okabe Rintaro chuckled softly: "Why are you so stubborn—"
"I said no!" But his pressing words were cut off before he could finish, pushed back by Makise Kurisu's incredibly vehement retort.
"I won't!" Her words paused for a moment, and the emotions in her heart finally burst out: "Repeat my father's mistakes!"
[A high-end hotel, no washing machine?]
[Pay attention to the time, in 2010 there certainly wasn't, right?]
[That's not important, just assume the hotel's washing machine is broken, and fate forces the Assistant to come along, then it's fine.]
[Okabe Rintaro really just makes things up as he goes, he must be good at telling stories.]
[It really is a psychological trauma.]
[Okabe really spoke a prophecy.]
[Theory is theory, practice is practice, why don't you understand?]
[Theory can't explain everything in the world; in the end, it still has to come back to practice.]
[She exploded, she exploded, the Assistant exploded!]
[I'm sorry, I'm Makise Kurisu's father, it was my fault, my mistakes caused her psychological trauma, I'll immediately make her continue researching the Time Machine.]
[Assistant: Please get lost.]
Okabe Rintaro: "..."
He finally closed his mouth, no longer pressing her.
"..." Makise Kurisu also came to her senses. Her hand rested on the washing machine, and she turned around, no longer facing Okabe Rintaro: "I'm sorry, I got emotional."
"..." Okabe Rintaro was quite surprised.
This woman actually apologizes?!
"Hmph." He laughed, letting out his characteristic mad cackle: "Hmph hahahahaha—"
His laughter made Makise Kurisu turn her head again involuntarily.
"Don't worry about it, I was just trying to test your tolerance by deliberately making you angry!" But as soon as he said that, Makise Kurisu's brows furrowed.
She glared fiercely at Okabe Rintaro, her gaze incredibly menacing, so menacing that Okabe Rintaro suddenly fell silent with a 'ka' sound.
After taking a deep breath, she turned her head away again.
"Anyway, the Phone Microwave is not a Time Machine," she said.
Finally, Okabe Rintaro stopped insisting.
"I understand, it was wrong of me to force you to be a Labmem; you don't have to come anymore." He shoved his hands into the pockets of his white coat.
Makise Kurisu: "..."
"But I want to tell you, Labmem NO.004 will always be missing, that number will always be yours." Saying that, Okabe Rintaro waved his hand, about to turn and leave.
"What are you trying to act cool for!" Makise Kurisu finally couldn't hold back. She turned her head and grabbed Okabe Rintaro.
Just as he had pulled her not long ago, she pulled him back as he was about to walk away.
"What are you doing!? I finally staged a dramatic farewell!" Okabe Rintaro was very displeased with her actions.
But.
"That's what makes me so angry, don't you still have clothes to wash?" Saying that, Makise Kurisu pushed Okabe Rintaro away: "I'm leaving, goodbye."
But just as she was about to pass Okabe Rintaro, his large hand once again rested on her shoulder.
"Kya—" She was startled and suddenly turned around: "What do you want!"
"This is revenge, to make you reflect properly on your rash actions." Okabe Rintaro raised his head.
"Guwu—" Makise Kurisu made a strange sound. She was about to retort further but then suddenly gave up on that idea.
If she continued to entangle with this guy, it would be endless.
She lowered her head, took a deep breath, and sighed: "Alright, alright, goodbye."
Saying that, she waved again and turned.
"Wait." Okabe Rintaro's large hand reached out again.
"Don't grab there!"
Ignoring Makise Kurisu's reaction, Okabe Rintaro finally voiced his question:
"Regarding the IBN5100, what do you know about it?"
"IBN?"
The rotating drum of the washing machine stopped.
"It's an old computer."
"What do you need it for?"
"Are you very interested?"
The cicada chirps, which had been playing in the background, suddenly became clear.
Okabe Rintaro and Makise Kurisu looked at each other, silent for a moment.
"You're very interested, aren't you?" Okabe Rintaro raised an eyebrow.
"..." Makise Kurisu couldn't take it anymore: "Honestly! A little bit."
Okabe Rintaro chuckled softly, then quietly gave the answer:
"The IBN5100 is closely related to SERN's secrets."
Makise Kurisu: "Huh?"
"SERN is researching time travel."
At first, Makise Kurisu was listening carefully, but as soon as she heard what he said, her expression became a little impatient again.
"To crack their secret program, the special functions of the IBN5100 must be used."
"How about it? Surprised?"
Although the cicada chirps suddenly stopped, and the ticking, oppressive BGM seemed to be making the atmosphere incredibly tense.
Makise Kurisu, however, pouted:
"Hmph, like an idiot, it's like I heard nothing."
The tense music stopped abruptly.
Makise Kurisu completely lost interest and turned to leave.
This time, Okabe Rintaro couldn't stop her.
[Okabe Rintaro, you're really made of paper.]
[Full of aggression, full of provocation, but cowers with a glare.]
[Although he sounds cool, the Assistant doesn't fall for it, sorry.]
[Are you two performing a crosstalk? These reversals are one after another.]
[What do you call tacit understanding? (shrugs)]
[The Assistant's shoulder is so sensitive.]
[I've already recorded the sound, preparing to replay it.]
[Just asking, is this a 'tease and stop' challenge?]
[Assistant, too much curiosity can get you controlled by bad men, you know.]
[Laughing, as soon as Okabe mentioned his time travel again, the Assistant's face fell.]
[Take it as a lesson, it's your fault for listening seriously to this guy.]
[Brooch, I'll teach you, when stating a conclusion, you must bring your evidence, just like making her see the gel-nana with her own eyes. As long as you present the facts, she can't refute it.]
[That's why having a science-minded girlfriend is good, she's objective.]
[BOR thinks his girlfriend is Makise Kurisu.]