"Alright, slowly put it down!"
Suddenly, the Laboratory door opened, and Okabe Rintaro's voice came out.
"I know."
So, Mayuri unhesitatingly abandoned the T-shirt, got up, and came to the door.
"Ms. Makise!" She let out a welcoming sound, smiling.
After slowly putting the box down, Makise Kurisu turned her head:
"Sorry, I've come uninvited again."
Mayuri shook her head:
"No, you can come anytime, because you're a Labmem too."
"Just yesterday you said you'd never come again, you snobbish fellow." Okabe Rintaro mocked petty-mindedly, watching their interaction.
"It's not like I wanted to come, didn't you tell me to 'come help'?" Makise Kurisu tossed her beautiful hair, striking a perfectly standard pose.
However, although her retort to Okabe Rintaro was valid, Mayuri took it to heart, showing a very sad expression:
"Eh, Ms. Makise didn't want to come?"
Tears welled up in her eyes, twinkling in her aggrieved expression.
At this, Makise Kurisu panicked:
"Ah, no, it's not like that, I didn't mean I dislike it here."
As she fumbled for an explanation, Hashida Itaru finally emerged.
"So, what's in that box?" He pointed at the cardboard box they brought back and asked.
Okabe Rintaro snorted lightly: "Hmph, want to know?"
"Originally—"
"IBN5100." Okabe Rintaro was about to put on airs and brag a bit more, but Makise Kurisu also let out a light snort, then stated the answer directly.
"Really? That's amazing!" Hashida Itaru unhesitatingly pounced, opening the box while exclaiming: "As expected of Okabe, he easily accomplished something we couldn't!"
"So admirable and—"
"I wouldn't be captivated." Makise Kurisu said without hesitation.
"Huh?"
"Ah?"
"Eh?"
At this, the three couldn't help but look sideways.
"Cough, cough." Slightly embarrassed, Makise Kurisu coughed twice in a row, then quickly changed the subject:
"Anyway, let's try starting it up first."
Saying that, she turned around and went back to change into her indoor shoes.
[Assistant is too easily manipulated]
[Okabe and Mayuri, these two, one plays the bad cop and one plays the good cop, playing Assistant for a fool]
[By the way, this is the second time this sentence structure has appeared, right?]
[What?]
[Admirable and captivated or something, is that an inside joke?]
[And Assistant's reaction… it feels like something was exposed]
[The topic change was too abrupt]
Soon, the four gathered around the computer desk.
"It's all thanks to Mayushii that we found it." Mayuri first said with a smile, seeking credit.
And Okabe Rintaro, surprisingly, didn't throw a tantrum and readily admitted her contribution:
"Yes, this time it's all thanks to you."
"Hehehe."
"Zzzz—" With a soft hum, the IBN5100 lit up after being powered on.
"It's on."
"Now we can analyze that program code, right?" Okabe Rintaro asked.
But Hashida Itaru shook his head: "It's not that simple, we don't know how to use this thing yet."
"Because it's a product from the pre-internet era, it's not like you can just plug it in and use it."
Saying that, Hashida Itaru pulled out a blank piece of paper and wrote a long list of terms on it.
"Anyway, I need these parts." He handed the folded list to Okabe Rintaro.
"That's it, I'm counting on you, Assistant." But after unfolding and glancing at it, Okabe Rintaro very naturally, as if it were a matter of course, handed the list to Makise Kurisu.
Makise Kurisu, of course, didn't take it willingly. She complained with a speechless expression: "Don't act like it's a given, alright?"
But Okabe Rintaro just waved the list in his hand up and down, saying:
"You're the Assistant."
Makise Kurisu turned her head: "I·am·not·"
Just as the two were arguing, Hashida Itaru spoke up:
"Okabe, you go. Ms. Makise isn't familiar with Akihabara."
With that said, Okabe Rintaro had no reason to argue further. He clicked his tongue and turned to Mayuri:
"It can't be helped. Mayuri, let's go!"
"Mayushii wants to make Ms. Makise like the Laboratory." Mayuri smiled and found an excuse: "I'll work hard to be a good guide, so I won't go."
No one would want to go out in such summer weather to search for parts according to a list.
Even Mayuri felt the same.
"Christina, you!" Okabe Rintaro asked through gritted teeth: "Could it be that Mayuri was also captivated by your beauty—"
"Captivated, my foot!"
"Ms. Makise and Mayushii, here comes the yuri plot…" Hashida Itaru muttered softly behind them.
Makise Kurisu reprimanded sharply:
"Don't think nonsense, pervert!"
"It's nice that they're both girls." Mayuri's eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled and said.
"Then, then quickly take me on a tour." Makise Kurisu said.
Mayuri nodded vigorously: "Mm!"
[I thought it could be decoded directly, but I guess we still need to open a side quest?]
[Just thinking about it, you'd know it wouldn't be that simple]
[Oh no! Tonz, your role as the Roasting is about to be replaced by Assistant!]
[Every one of Okabe's actions makes one want to complain]
[Assistant almost accepted the default title of Assistant, if Okabe hadn't tried to assign her tasks in that role]
[Tonz! Have you betrayed us?! You're siding with Assistant?!]
[Mayuri quietly averted her gaze]
[A look full of wisdom]
[Okabe Rintaro, just accept your fate, this is a side quest just for you]
"Then let's start by introducing the bathroom inside!"
Mayuri reached out and pulled open the curtain in front of them.
"Eh, there's a bathroom too." Makise Kurisu was a bit surprised.
To be honest, despite calling itself a 'Laboratory,' this room was actually quite small.
When too many people gathered, it would become a bit crowded.
Of course, with the current number of people, it was still fine.
"Mm, but be careful, if you use hot water for too long, it sometimes turns cold." Mayuri added.
Makise Kurisu quietly looked at the bathroom in front of her.
What separated the inside and outside of the bathroom wasn't a door, but a cloth curtain.
Which meant… "Um, does Ms. Mayuri also bathe here?" she suddenly asked.
Mayuri didn't realize anything was amiss and nodded with a big smile:
"Mm, sometimes."