Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Such an uneventful morning you could almost sense the increase of boredom hour by hour.

Mayuri went out to Yugawaya on a hunt for new materials with her cosplay friends Yuki, Fubuki and Kaede, probably not wanting to lose any time she had left before the winter season of ComiMa.

Daru is here in the lab, sitting in front of the computer he keeps quietly pressing one button on the keyboard and groans out of frustration from time to time. He must be playing one of the latest ero-games and there is no denying that he currently tries to seduce one of the countless 2D wives.

Kurisu-… No, it's merely Christina in this world line. Okabe should be careful not to call her by her actual name.

Christina sits behind the curtains of the Development Room, working on Future Gadget No. 14.

If it were some time before, Okabe would be irritated with his assistant tinkering anywhere close to his precious possessions. Now, on the contrary, ever since her decision to postpone the return to the States, he would be okay with any allowances needed to be done to make her stay. As a matter of fact, it still surprised him to hear her saying such important things so casually.

If it were some time before, Okabe would be laughing crazily with Dk P in his hand while dodging away any annoyed complaints from his fellow lab mems as he explained genius ideas his brilliant mind came up with. Now witnessing mad scientist Hououin Kyouma was not a rare occasion. It felt like a lifetime ago since he would allow himself to act so ignorantly and careless, yet he had to adapt.

The thought that he somehow was missing that everlasting summer felt so wrong and messed up in his head. Yet it was all he could think about. Every little banter he shared with his assistant, never-ending pursuit for the IBN 5100, cheerful exchanges with part-time warrior while Daru was working on a time machine, Mayuri being her ditzy self, crazy talk with Faris, training swordsmanship with Rukako, even encounters with Shining Finger felt like a fond memory. That was gone now along with Phone Wave (name subject to change). Now all was only in his head, almost making Okabe feel alien to the world he desperately attempted to reach.

"Ironic." He thought to himself.

It hurt immensely to be the only one to remember.

"Foolish of me. Steins Gate has finally admitted me. Long hoped-for salvation is now in my hands!" Okabe's mind was battling a weird flash of nostalgia against the joy of the peaceful existing.

"Solitude is the best fit for a mad scientist." Then came a rueful conclusion.

Okabe was shaken off of his thoughts by a sudden unintelligible overly excited squeak that came from Daru.

Okabe looked at him with a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"What, did you finally win her over?" Words came out with a bit of mischief. Bad thoughts have started to fade.

Daru sighed.

"I wish I did," he answered, sounding somehow depressed. But his solemn expression immediately returned to the previous one, rather agitated. "Faris will hold a RaiNet Competition this evening! Oh, I'm so ready! Competitors can win a photo with her posing a special move 'Knock-mewout'! And a signature with hand-drawn kitten paws!"

Daru sounded so excited, he was nearly jumping out of his chair, and surely 2D waifu was long forgotten, without a chance losing to a single cat-eared 3D girl.

Okabe remained silent, mostly because he did not share his friend's obsession with the catgirl nor with the card game, she was now famous for.

"I need to do some preparations," Now the guy was mumbling his plans out loud. "This time I will get through qualifying rounds. Anzai-sensei, I want to get to play RaiNet with Faris-tan," Last line came out pretty audibly.

"If you give up, it's game over," Okabe was obliged to answer with this phrase. "Go, my right hand, defeat every soul who dares to separate you from your ultimate goal. You shall succeed in the demise of your rivals."

"Yes! I'm coming, Faris-tan!" Daru put his clenched fists up, looking cheerful and ready for combat.

"That's the spirit! Muahahaha!" Okabe was laughing in his mad scientist manner, clearly owning his moment of attention.

"Hey, quit that chuunibyou stuff. I'm working here and prefer it to be quiet," An annoyed voice came out of the Development Room.

There was a pause.

"Eh?" Okabe shared a confused look with his friend standing in front of him. "W-What was that again, Assistant?"

"What was wha-..?" Kurisu began to reply in an angry tone but upon realizing her mistake, she stuttered awkwardly. Then, after a moment of regaining her composure and swallowing a remark regarding the assistant title, she finally managed practically to yell a response. "I-I… I said shut up you both!"

"Why to be so defensive over being familiar with an otaku slang?" Daru asked almost whispering his words so that irritated Kurisu will not hear him.

Okabe just shook his shoulders, probably saying that neither he had any idea.

"Anyway, I'm heading out," Hashida was scratching his neck. Suddenly his facial expression changed, he cracked a crooked smile and narrowed his eyes. "You are alone for a whole day, so better spend some quality time together."

"Ghk!" Sounded like Okabe choked. Luckily, he was quick to stop a half-surprised half-terrified shout that was about to burst out of him. But not the regular exclamations of his true mad persona.

"I'm a mad scientist! There could not be anything between the Assistant and me. My heart belongs to science; I'm eternally entwined with chaos!" Hououin Kyouma was declaring his true feelings, trying his hardest to keep his voice down, but it seemed like his friend was not listening to anything he has just said.

"Yeah, yeah. Tell me the details tomorrow," Daru giggled, remaining completely ignorant to any opposition while being in his cheeky mood.

"There is no way I do," Okabe was mildly exasperated by Daru's nosiness.

"Oh, I hear subtle implications in your words." His glasses were casting a glare, hiding his eyes.

"There are none," Self-proclaimed mad scientist was now pinching the nose bridge in annoyance while loudly enough delivering his response.

"Give the people what they w-"

Daru’s taunt phrase was cut off because suddenly, the curtains of the Development Room parted with an unpleasant creak. Both men turned to face the source of the sound. Daru gulped upon looking in that direction, Okabe's eyes widened in fear.

"You two..." A merciless growl came from out there. "If you won't go quiet I will silence you myself!"

She was holding something heavy in her hands and walking towards them with one small step at each word she spoke.

"Man, I'm out!" And with these words, the regular enjoyer of ero-games rushed to leave the room, leaving his friend alone with a Fury.

"Daru, you traitor!" Okabe sounded desperate. His mind was racing in search of any possible way to escape his visibly exasperated Assistant.

"Okabe." Kurisu spoke his name in a deadly cold, intimidating tone of voice.

"Y-yes, Assistant," He was most definitely not afraid of her and his voice most definitely did not just tremble.

"I am not an assistant." Again, she rather snarled the words than said them properly. But all of a sudden her facial expression went to the one more peaceful.

She was fighting a yawn. One hand was hiding her mouth during that, but he recognized the gesture without any doubt.

Okabe remained still to that random change of mood. Commenting on this might cost him a life.

"I'm too tired to deal with you right now. Just make me a coffee or something." Indeed, the sacrificed hours of healthy sleep she spent working on a project at hand. And now they were taking a toll on her productivity and her mood in general.

Okabe, on the other hand, sighed in relief. Creepy murderous Kurisu was gone now and he hurried to the kitchen in fear of her abrupt return. He heard her move through the room. Without looking he could vividly imagine her, arms crossed and grumpy-faced, somewhere over there.

Okabe avoided adding any milk to her cup and put in two sticks of sugar out of reflex. Then he snatched out her personal spoon and with that turned heading inside the room only to find Kurisu resting on the green sofa with the left arm over her eyes.

"Hey..." Bearing no intention to startle nor provoke, he was unsure of how to refer to her.

Saying her actual first name was out of the question for obvious reasons, but using one of the nicknames he gave her would surely resurrect her yandere self. Therefore, a neutral phrasing it was.

"Your coffee." It felt odd, almost personal, to skip all the bravado he usually pulls up around her.

"Mhmm..."

She breathed a soft sleepy sound, but the composure of a mad scientist was much stronger.

"Drink it or it'll get cold," Okabe insisted but spoke in a light voice.

"I'm aware," Kurisu could not resist being the one saying the last words in the dialogue, even though in a half-asleep state.

"Then you should get up," He coaxed further, still not affected by her increasing cuteness at any rate. At all.

"Mhmm... Yeah, I'll..." She yawned yet another time, rubbing an eye with her right hand slightly clenched in a fist.

Okabe had found himself on a verge of an overload by the cuteness emerging all at once from one specific person. His last resort was a phone call he could fake if only it would not be a suicide attempt in this situation.

Kurisu got up, at last, looking a bit hazed and so far unbeknown to Okabe's internal struggle. She reached for the cup handle with one hand, then clasped the cup itself with another.

At some point Okabe snapped out of his untimely awe. Now he had another concern.

"Are you cold?" The question came out automatically despite the shyness he tried to shake off just seconds ago.

He shrunk startled, because random thoughts that popped up in his mind were supposed to stay within there, and most definitely not said out loud in such a casual way. Especially to her.

He wanted to bite his tongue, but the words were out and she has already heard them.

"N-no, I'm not," A lie out of stubbornness. There was no proper heating like in her hotel room, so even in a lab coat, she was feeling chilly.

The warm cup of coffee felt so nice against her cold hands that she has not even started to drink it.

"Hmph," He let out a little chuckle. "Mhaha!" Then it was even louder. "Mhahahhahh!"

"What is it?" Kurisu asked genuinely surprised.

"No one shall deceive the eyes which can see through any lie."

Okabe's vexation with the inability to control the embarrassment he felt might have gone over the edge so he used the mad scientist persona to get out of it.

"What are you talking about?" Kurisu still looked confused.

That face of hers made him turn away because he was certain that he might say something stupid again. Okabe was trying to look busy, but in actuality, he was just being chaotic and because of that acted on a whim. A brilliant idea struck him in a moment. He immediately went to the corner with Mayuri's belongings.

"What do you think you are doing, perv?" And Kurisu was back to her normal self in a blink of an eye.

"Silence you woman," He responded with more confidence now that they are back in safe waters.

Kurisu was about to respond in probably a not very nice way but Okabe got ahead of her.

He grabbed the thing he was looking for and giggled in excitement, as all mad scientists should do.

"Lab mem 004, I present you a warm red blanket," Okabe held up a knitted piece of cloth Mayuri had made a while ago.

"Mhm..." She mumbled something upon her breath.

The amusement it was to watch the longing in Christina's eyes for the comfort this blanket will bring her and how hard she fought against not showing it in front of Okabe.

"Now. Muahaha." Okabe has prepared his ultimate speech. "Now you shall receive the thing you wish the most upon one condition."

Kurisu crossed her arms; a glare was appearing on her face as seconds passed. However, she did not say a word, definitely hooked to hear that said requirement.

"You must finish your coffee before it's cold," Okabe announced his grand plan, subsequently laughing even more self-satisfied.

Kurisu let a sigh escape her in surprise and then for some unknown reason she averted her eyes by lowering her head down.

"Okay," She answered sounding a bit timidly if Okabe wasn't imagining it.

As the deal was sealed, Okabe was shortening the distance between them and Kurisu finally did her first sip of now not hot but warm coffee.

Suddenly, her eyes widened a bit and she made that little cute surprised sound again.

"What is it?" Okabe asked pretty bluntly.

"Well..." She hesitated with the answer, being afraid of talking about nonsense. But in the end, decided it was okay to say. "It is just the way I like it. I'm sure there are two sticks of sugar."

Okabe nodded, confirming her assumption.

"And you may think I sound weird or something," She quickly corrected herself. "Not that I care what you think about me-"

That was not the point Kurisu was trying to make.

"I keep getting this sense of deja vu whenever I'm here in the lab or around you. And I mean all lab members."

She gestured with her free hand.

"For instance, right now this is the first time you've made me a cup of coffee, but you've made it just right and I feel like it happened before. But it did not."

Kurisu looked at Okabe, searching for an answer in his eyes.

"You've told me your crazy story about time travel and different world lines and many other things, but it just doesn't feel real to me. It's illogical to me."

Her cup was almost finished.

"Yet each day I remember more and more things. Some of them are pleasant, like getting a cup of coffee, some are terrible."

She pursed her lips, recalling conversations featuring Mayuri.

"Some are just confusing and impossible. Those I can't stand." She spoke that line nearly in a whisper.

Kurisu took the last sip, put the cup on the little table, and looked up, finding Okabe right in front of her.

"Tell me about these that confuse you, maybe I could help."

His answer was straightforward and it sounded like he sincerely wanted to help. That caught her off guard. Okabe was looking her right in the eyes, probably being concerned but still ready to explain anything she might ask.

Kurisu felt her cheeks get warmer even thinking about what she was referring to when she was mentioning it. Her thoughts raced on how could she possibly be so foolish to mention 'that'. The last hope was that he won't get on her on this matter, but it was her wishful thinking.

"Are you blushing?" Okabe pointed out in disbelief, by that dragging Kurisu out of an erratic chain of debates in her head.

He honestly thought that she was somehow confusing the sequence of events in different world lines, but her mind was over mundane matters. And it probably won’t hurt to get some fun given the opportunity. At least it is what Okabe was considering at that moment.

"Oh I see!" He then declared with a mischievous smirk on his face.

"What d-do you mean?" Her heart was pounding in her ears, she felt like an animal in front of car lights. "I-It's not what you think!"

Kurisu was panicking, her gaze was wandering anywhere but the man standing right in front of her. She was fully baffled and only could shake her hands in protest to his technically correct assumptions as if it would convince Okabe at least a bit more.

His Assistant’s weak attempts at denying did nothing but only proven him right, making it close to impossible to just miss out on such an exceptional opportunity to tease her.

"So you do remember every now and then making out with your boyfriend in parallel world lines?" He looked as prideful as it is humanly possible, but mentally he struggled to withhold a good laugh that threatened to escape him a little too early, as Operation Nepsdóttir has only begun.

"You're not my boyfriend!" Kurisu yelled her response in an instant urge to deny the embarrassing accusation and, alas, before she could properly think through her answer.

"Me?" Okabe caught her contradiction right away because he half-expected to hear it from the start. "Care to elaborate my role in all this, American Virgin?" A self-satisfied grin practically imprinted itself into his face; no wonder since he was shamelessly enjoying himself.

"You! You're infuriating!" Kurisu's face now fully turned crimson and she was on a verge of doing something impulsive, something she would most likely regret in the future.

"How come I can't even count how many times you've kissed me?" Now Okabe was virtually mocking her. "You surely earned your title of Perverted Genius Girl."

"One more word and I'll surely shut you!" She said looking daringly into his eyes; her burning gaze was about to put Okabe in flames. To ashes.

"Wait, should I close my eyes this time?" He could not stop a soft giggle that escaped him.

"O-Ka-Be!" She fiercely voiced each syllable separately while leaning even closer. Her furrowed eyes were mere inches from his, piercing with burning determination to silence this overly amused guy for good.

Chapter Text

"Tutturu♪! Good morning everyone!" As always, Mayuri sang her greeting cheerfully with a wide smile radiating off her face.

She was happily meeting another day of carefree and joyful winter holidays. With only a little time left before ComiMa, she was sure to visit the lab every day in order to keep working tirelessly on a cosplay costume for Luka.

"Hey," Okabe answered simply, while at the same time absent-mindedly watching the girl taking off her coat and hanging it along with a scarf in the corridor.

"Hello, Mayuri," Kurisu said her salutations in English not a great while after, waving to the girl promptly.

"Ohh, Chris-chan is surely early today," Mayuri commented innocently, still wearing a bright smile. "Mayushii's really happy that Chris-chan likes in here!"

It looked like Kurisu's shoulders slightly twitched, but she was quick to regain her composure.

"I guess I can't leave this project unfinished," A classical Kurisu style evasive response through the unsophisticated smile, but truthful regardless.

Not that it was a revelation to admit that she enjoys spending time in this lab, given she visits it on a daily basis since her arrival in Japan. But rather she was concerned with a chain reaction of conclusions that may follow right after.

"Mayushii totally gets it," The girl then nodded in confirmation, "My project is unfinished, too. And I can't rest until it's perfect."

She proceeded into the room, still clinging to her shopping bags. Feeling chilly without her outdoor clothing, Mayuri went to the left corner. She leaned a bit with the intention to turn up significantly the power of the heater.

"I wonder why it is almost turned off," Mayuri’s face looked puzzled, but the question was probably rhetorical.

Upon noticing his childhood friend in that area, Okabe had suddenly become too aware of the situation unfolding around him. Interference was needed immediately.

"You should put down your purchases," Okabe suddenly offered, looking a bit alarmed for reasons only he may know.

Mayuri gladly hummed in agreement and followed up by putting down two plastic bags on the floor. One of them landed in an awkward position, therefore letting its contents out.

"Oh wow, I bought some oranges for everyone, but now they are..." Mayuri looked confused, probably not expecting such an outcome, therefore remaining standing idly and a bit fazed.

Both Okabe and Kurisu jolted up from their seats simultaneously, then crouching to collect each escaped fruit. While reaching for the final one their hands met, but they immediately withdrew as if from an electrical blast.

Kurisu was averting her gaze, clearly avoiding any contact with Okabe. A few moments passed and she was back on her feet. He, meanwhile, stayed there, still mentally recovering from just a momentary contact and also wondering where all his previous confidence went.

"Just grab it already," Her guidance came out mildly harsh, combined with a stern frown and crossed arms. "There’s one more right behind you," Kurisu held more like a defensive pose, fully ignorant of her hostile behavior.

"You're the one supposed to assist me, Assistant. Not order or distract." Okabe's response wasn’t the nicest either.

"Sorry, you give me too many titles. Don't think I can remember each." Instantly Kurisu has found herself a few steps closer to actually snapping at him.

Every so often, she would wonder whether she talked to different versions of Okabe every few hours judging by his rapidly changing demeanor around her. Okabe, on the other hand, evidently was not paying enough attention to his attempts to retrieve an orange, being too involved in the conversation.

"Then maybe I should buy you some memory pills," He pointed with an index finger at his temple in order to further persuade. "Your recollection of events was immaculate yesterday, but now you act as your memory is of a goldfish?"

"Rude!" Kurisu reacted right after the words had left his mouth. She was already preparing a suitable reply.

"Okarin, Chris-chan, please don't fight." Mayuri's voice was shaky and weak, almost on a verge of crying. "Mayushii wants you to get along."

"Mayuri, we are not fighting," A reassuring response was immediately out. Kurisu truly did not even realize that they began shooting mean replies at each other, it has been a habit lately.

"Sorry, Mayuri," Okabe apologized sincerely; he could not get ahold of his own emotions getting over the top, not to mention the words that came out of him.

"You should apologize to each other, not me," Despite Mayuri trying to look temperamental to the extent of using a scolding tone of voice, she could only look cuter and cuter.

"This should be simple," Kurisu surprisingly did not show any signs of hesitation, given she actually felt a tiny bit of guilt. "I apologize for my ill-tempered attitude."

She still managed to say it as if doing a favor and not being the one who started the quarrel all along. However, Mayuri did not seem to notice any malicious implies.

Now both girls were looking expectantly at Okabe. He was about to yell something about the next move of the Organization in a mad scientist manner, but driven by the latest developments, decided not to do it. On the contrary, his choice of words was as meticulous as it could be in those spare few moments he had to compose them.

"One might expect my words to be reconsidered once leaving the brilliant mind of mine," Naturally, Okabe couldn't help himself and what is more important, he managed to not say anything outright bold. Being perchance somewhat nonsensical, but it served its purpose.

"Mayushii’s not sure she has fully understood, but Okarin sounded sorry," An adorable frown had disappeared from the girl’s face, so the crisis was successfully solved before any peculiar developments.

Okabe has finally given Mayuri her oranges. He then put his palms in the pockets of a lab coat, wearing the most prideful facial expression he could master.

"Facepalm." Kurisu summarized all her emotions in just one gesture she has just performed. She felt like she was so done with all his lame acts, only to mentally remind herself that it was only morning.

"Facepalm it is, Makise-shi." Daru repeated her phrase in a squeaky mocking manner while entering the room and momentarily getting his place in front of the computer. "Morning everyone."

"Tutturu♪! Good morning, Daru!" Mayuri blithely greeted the guy, who was now booting up the PC.

"You don’t get to troll me," Kurisu muttered quietly in the background with no intention for anyone to hear. Not that she was angry, but a peaceful morning turned into this was, by all means, a frustration now.

"Indeed, Assistant," But Okabe was observant enough to catch the words and immediately use them against her. "It is only I with special prerogatives to outshine your genius more and more with each day pass."

"Give the crazy guy a day off," She sighed with a rather tired facial expression. "Why can’t you act like the normal person you were yesterday?" A confident look followed the question, challenging Okabe for a response.

"Ohh, did something happen yesterday?" Hashida cut off Okabe, who was about to say something, with an instant question and a smug pervy grin across his face.

"Nothing happened, Creep!" Both answered in unison, instantaneously.

They looked at each other slightly astonished, but then proceeded with more stoic certainty as if they actually planned everything a long time ago.

"Sus…" Daru purposely narrowed his eyes, staring with a scanning glance at Okarin and Kurisu.

Both equally felt out of place under such intense inspection. There was no reason for it, right? Kurisu was the first to mentally surrender. She crossed her arms and made her dissatisfaction evidently readable from the facial expression. Not intending to cope with the weirdo anymore, her choice of action was obvious.

"Keep that ten more seconds and I’ll sue you," Kurisu’s words sounded in fact genuinely intimidating, almost like an actual threat.

"Seriously, Daru, quit with that needless suspicion," Neither Okabe fancied the situation but was not so hard on his friend. Not like it was unusual for him to pry into delicate topics.

"You hear them say no proof — no case," Hashida had started in a kind of dramatic fashion. "Well I have mine, you damn normies," It might come out ominous if it was not ruined by @channel slang.

"Yeah, yeah, keep them in your dreams," Kurisu answered to that, not knowingly taking the bait.

"It’s funny you spoke, Makise-shi," The man adjusted his cap, a complacent smirk flashed for a second.

"Huh?" She was bewildered since she had no idea what Itaru was getting on.

"I mean you kinda gave away the whole thing," He still insisted on elusive answers for hell knows what reason.

Before either Kurisu or Okabe could react, there was a short sound. Like a jingle. And the conversation ceased.

"Oh, Mayushii didn’t mean to disturb anyone," The girl spoke apologetically, before reaching for the door handle. "It’s just I don’t get your jokes," She then pulled out a plate of chicken tenders from a regular microwave oven. "No worries, I don’t mind. But please don’t upset each other." Mayuri sat at the table with her favorite Juicy Chicken #1. "There’s always an Upa you can hug."

"Mayuri-chan, that is so sweet of you," Kurisu responded in a soft tone, like referring to a younger sister. "Don’t concern yourself with these two airheads, they don’t mean any harm. Right?" She shot a death glare at the two guys still with an innocent smile on her face.

Both men hastily nodded, confirming everything that was being said.

"So what were you saying?" Now it was Okabe who was hooked up for the resolution of a long build-up. "What secrets did my Assistant give away?" He looked at the said girl. She was showing just how much she thought of them as imbeciles. "I hope it’s something from her dark past. Bonus if embarrassing."

Okabe felt a light punch in the right shoulder from Kurisu but ignored her completely. Daru has yet to say anything since Mayuri’s little interference. He seemed hesitant for some reason.

"Come on. What is it, Daru?" Okabe asked, starting to get impatient.

The guy shifted in his seat, the look on his face reflected him being in some kind of a thought process. In actuality, he was simply astonished by just how uncannily timely Mayuri’s words were. Despite everyone’s opinion of him, he drew a line between a bit of a pushing tease and straight-up bullying. However, he wondered where were the borders here. Especially knowing these two stubborn tsunderes that would deny everything until deathbed.

"It can’t be?" The sheer ignorance one must have in order to so comfortably jump to own conclusions. Okabe was the definition of it. "Did you hack into Genius Girl’s laptop only to find gigs of hentai manga in the unsuspiciously named ”Work” folder?"

"What-...?" Kurisu has almost choked on her words. "The hell is wrong with you?"

"Nah, she’s as plain and boring as your typical granny," Daru answered, sounding a little too matter-of-factly.

"Do you have any abstract comprehension of the term privacy?" Though it was hopeless to ask, given Hashida knew that cat-girl’s whereabouts up to minutes precision and was blatantly proud of it.

"Perhaps you’ve finally uncovered her @channel alias?" Okabe was not planning to guess but rather to mock certain someone who makes it too easy.

"Buzz off," Kurisu’s message was clear as day, though a hint of red touched her cheeks. Anyone might have gone immune by that time to those constant remarks, but apparently not her.

"So insensitive," Okabe leaned in to get a better look at her delightfully grumpy face. "You needn’t worry, my fellow Assistant." An unctuous tone of voice accompanied his words. "We won’t judge you since we are all prone to fall victims to our dark desires."

"Speak for yourself," She then snorted, turning away from Okabe, who was plainly unaware of his close proximity to her.

The more they talked the more displeased she was getting with him. Now to think about it, taking an action has proven to be much more fruitful.

"Deny it all you want. Your effort is in vain." As stubborn as ever Okabe kept pestering Kurisu with an arrogant grin playing on his face, something from the repertoire of a mad scientist.

"Are you done?" She asked after putting up a disinterested facial expression.

"Makise-shi, Makise-shi," Daru suddenly interfered in their routine argument, which was clearly just for the sake of an argument. "Could you repeat that "r u done" line but with a more derisive tone?"

"Not on your life!" Kurisu angrily retorted in an instant.

"Huh, must have used all your eagerness yesterday," Despite Hashida’s nonchalant response he was watching both in front of him attentively because the bait has been cast.

Naturally, Kurisu was the first to indicate any reaction, by that catching everyone’s attention and throwing Daru in an excited mood. The game was on. Hashida was actually surprised that anyone at all would have taken that obvious bait.

"You dare to finish that thought and I would gladly insert a few electrodes up your brain," Her threat was simple yet effective. At least for now, because the guy looked ever so slightly uncertain after hearing it.

"What’s so special about Christina’s yesterday?" Okabe was somehow completely oblivious to all the death flags that the question has arisen for him.

Kurisu, on the other hand, was stunned by the fact that Okabe of all asked that. He had the nerve to call that day ordinary.

"You, filthy normie, won’t fool me, a seasoned halfway wizard," Somehow Daru has even managed to sound offended while literally using memes. "Better watch out for the hickeys on Makise-shi’s neck the next time," The joke was merciless, but so was the life in the society of hardheaded normies.

Kurisu’s eyes widened upon the horrific realization, in a few moments her hand swiftly moved to the neck. Her panicked gaze shifted at equally terrified Okabe’s, there was a silent question in her eyes. The one he was looking for an answer to while visually checking her appearance in a rush, but there were not any…

Oh. Oh.

Okabe silently withdrew. He could feel his face burn probably a deeper red than it had been yesterday at any rate. A phone was pulled out of a lab coat pocket urgently.

He slightly lifted up his head, turning it somewhere in the direction Mayuri was quietly sitting and eating. As if actually being in the middle of an important conversation and trying to avoid disturbance.

"Yes, it’s me. Operation Nepsdóttir had been sabotaged before I could initiate any obstructions. No, no need for backup. I’ll handle the crisis with as few casualties. Out. El Psy Congroo," The made-up communication as always ended in the same code words.

"Bury me," Kurisu could only manage a weak whine before permanently falling into a daze. She had just discovered a completely new level of embarrassment a person could feel at an instant and the damage was incompatible with life.

"Since Christina does not possess any signs of said marks, your accusation is ungrounded, Daru," Okabe considered he’d better stick to adequate responses, as the situation must not get any direr. For the sake of Kurisu’s and his sanity.

"Dude, you two are so busted!" Daru victoriously proclaimed while wearing a smug face. With their endless lover’s quarrels, honestly, they had it coming.

"Just forget it already," Now Okabe was regretting his previous curiosity, as he did not expect his own involvement in the matter at hand.

"Yeah, yeah, you should have seen your faces," The guy was forcing his words through a laugh.

"Cut it off, will you?" The embarrassment had started to fade into annoyance.

"Actually I was clueless up until recently, but my sources have proven to be trustworthy." Daru looked somewhere behind his tense friend.

There was a short bubbly sound. Okabe looked at his phone.

"A mail?" It was from Shining Finger, he read it aloud. "I spotted you ♪♫ Moeka. Gah!" He could not believe that he did not notice a spy nearby. Okabe looked around, finding the girl standing beside the green sofa. Another beep of the phone notification. This time he dare not recite it or else he may pretty much die at that exact spot. It said "Hello, Okabe-kun! I might expose a lil smth about this morning, too ♪♫ Moeka"

"Oh, she mailed me yesterday ‘bout ya snogging but I said that you tsunderes won’t go deredere out of sudden. Guess I was wrong," Daru shrugged; at this point, it would probably be impossible to convince him otherwise. "I should definitely get you a door sign with "Do not disturb" on it," He mocked them and even drew imaginary quotes in the air.

"Christina, we’re leaving," Okabe could not take it anymore; grabbing the hand of his partner in crime he dragged Kurisu along in a tactical retreat.

"Wait! Stop! I’m going to trip!" Her flurried voice echoed from the corridor.

"Dorks in love," Daru summarized the whole circuit show he just witnessed. "Mayushii, what do you think?"

"Mayushii thinks they are too shy about their feelings," She giggled lightly. "Let them have some time alone with each other, Daru-kun."

"Time alone? Each other?" Hashida frantically muttered being on a verge of a collapse from overlapping indecent thoughts inside of his head.