[187] "Steins;Gate" Premieres! (5)

Chapter 187: "Steins;Gate" Premieres! (5)

At the top of the Mage's Tower, the sci-fi elements in the film left the Archmages in awe, but aside from marveling at whether future magic could truly be made accessible to everyone, these details did not evoke much deeper emotion.

After all, once their magical powers reached their peak, the environment they lived in was already far ahead of the current era.

At that moment, as the Archmages watched the content of the film, they were more concerned with the confusing plot that unfolded.

Clearly, even they struggled to understand why the story in the film developed in such a way.

"What do you think is the reason for the discrepancy between the protagonist's memories and reality?"

In response to Dean Hohenheim's remark, many Archmages pondered for a moment before offering their views.

"I believe the protagonist's memory has been manipulated. Although this is generally quite difficult to accomplish, since this story is set in a fantastical world, anything that happens wouldn't be surprising."

"Yes, I think so too. Otherwise, it's hard to explain the stark differences between what's in the protagonist's memory and the actual reality."

"Why do you all insist that it's the protagonist's memory that's at fault? Since there's a difference between memory and reality, perhaps it's reality that has a problem?"

"Uh, I had considered that as well, but it seems somewhat implausible. After all, what could happen to turn the whole world upside down in an instant?"

"Exactly, and more importantly, besides the protagonist, everyone else's memories are normal. They even remember the things the protagonist has said, yet only his memory has gone awry. Does that make sense?"

"What about the deserted street that appeared before? Maybe that's when the protagonist's memory became disordered."

"Yes, yes, I also support that viewpoint."

Most of the Archmages opted to believe that the issue lay within the protagonist's memory, as it seemed more reasonable and easier to accept.

In response to this, Dean Hohenheim pondered for a moment before suddenly saying:

"I have a different perspective."

"Oh?"

His words caught the attention of the other Archmages, who were curious to hear his insights.

After organizing his thoughts, Dean Hohenheim slowly continued:

"Do you all remember the giant machine that suddenly appeared on the rooftop? In the protagonist's memory, that machine didn't crash through the roof; instead, it landed smoothly on it. In contrast, when the protagonist's memory became disordered, the reality was that the machine smashed through the edges of the roof. The difference here seems a bit too minor, doesn't it?"

"That's why it seems to prove that the problem lies with the protagonist's memory."

"Well, what if we consider it this way? Because that giant machine damaged the roof, the event was interrupted, preventing the protagonist from attending the presentation, resulting in everything in his memory not happening, while instead, the reality unfolded as we see. Conversely, had the giant machine not damaged the roof, the event might have gone smoothly, and the protagonist would have attended, experiencing everything that took place in his memory…"

"What are you implying?"

Upon hearing Dean Hohenheim's speculation, the Archmages were momentarily stunned, followed by a chill running down their spines.

To this, Dean Hohenheim slowly spoke:

"Regardless, since Durin mentioned that this is a story about 'magic,' let's allow ourselves to imagine freely. Perhaps, through this story, we might uncover a hint about the mysteries of time."

Dean Hohenheim's remarks caused all the Archmages to nod in agreement. These pinnacle magic users finally set aside some of their pride and began to view the story with a calm and decisive perspective.

...

The plot of the movie "Steins;Gate" continued.

As the protagonist, Rintarou Okabe, pushed aside the events of the prior day, he began to engage in light conversation with the members of his research team.

Moreover, Okabe unveiled a peculiar machine, claiming it was to conduct an experiment that would shake the world.

In reality, however, this so-called experimental device was merely a microwave oven capable of heating items.

What was noteworthy about it was that the oven was connected to Okabe's phone, allowing him to start it by sending a text message.

"Let's do it! Begin our experiment!"

With that, Okabe placed a banana inside the microwave and sent a text to get it started.

However, once the experiment concluded, the banana was merely heated and distorted, without any extraordinary results.

"As expected."

With a sigh, this particular experiment came to an end.

The next day, Okabe and Itaru Hashida went to the university to attend a presentation.

Upon arriving at the university and stepping into the elevator, Okabe recalled the strange events from before, suddenly remembering that he seemed to have sent a message to Hashida about Kurisu Makise being murdered.

With this thought, he snatched the phone from Hashida's hands, disregarding his protests, and began checking the messages one by one.

"You're violating my privacy!!"

"Forget about that! I sent you a text, didn't I?"

"Huh?"

"The one about Kurisu Makise being murdered. You received it, right?"

"You mean the one from last week?"

"Last week?"

Unable to grasp the situation, Okabe recalled that he had supposedly sent that message just the day before.

Quickly, Okabe indeed found the message he had sent in Hashida's phone's inbox from the previous week, and his expression was instantly consumed by terror.

"The email… it was sent to the past?"

As he uttered these words, the two of them arrived at their designated floor via the elevator, and as the doors opened, they were greeted by the sight of the red-haired girl leaning against the wall—Kurisu Makise!

....

"What… what's going on here?"

"Wasn't she dead?"

"Why… how is she alive again?"

"By the way, what did the protagonist mean when he said the text was sent back to last week?"

"I'm getting more and more confused."

"..."

In the various theaters, the audience's bewilderment was evident.

After all, most viewers were unable to comprehend the fact that Kurisu Makise, who had clearly died, was now alive again. What had initially become a somewhat clearer plotline was now leaving everyone utterly perplexed once more.

Of course, some observant viewers began to piece together the reason behind Kurisu's resurrection. If everything Rintarou Okabe had seen at the presentation was nothing but an illusion, then it was perfectly plausible that Kurisu had not died after all.

The main issue, however, boiled down to what had caused all this to happen. What did the chaotic elements in the protagonist's memory truly represent?

Even the most attentive moviegoers struggled to grasp any of it.

Meanwhile, Emperor Hubbard was also at a loss for understanding, but he was far more intrigued by the "sci-fi" props depicted in the film. Whether it was the design of the elevator or the architecture of the university, everything felt refreshing and novel to him.

...

Imperial Mage Academy.

The mages were now thoroughly puzzled by the plot, particularly by the fact that emails had been sent to the past, which completely disrupted everyone's previous speculations about the storyline.

"Rintarou Okabe's email was sent out? And it was sent back to a week ago?"

"How is that possible? If his memories are all false, then how can this email genuinely exist?"

"Are his memories real or not?"

"Could it be that everything in his memory actually happened a week ago, but due to the distorted memories, he forgot everything that occurred in between?"

"That shouldn't be possible. If that were the case, how could Kurisu Makise still be alive?"

"Regardless, either reality or memory has to be flawed. If the protagonist's memories are correct, then what's problematic must be…"

"Reality?"

In an instant, all the mages froze in place, a bold and terrifying notion sending chills down their spines, leaving them rooted to the spot.

...

Meanwhile, in the film.

Like the viewers, the protagonist Rintarou Okabe could hardly believe the situation.

He awkwardly rushed to Kurisu Makise's side, disregarding her annoyed expression. He touched her hair, poked her cheek, and even attempted to lift her clothing to check for wounds that should have been there.

Such actions undeniably angered her, but just as she was about to call for help or security, a staff member hurried over from a distance to escort her away.

Though Okabe wanted to stop it, he felt helpless, left watching as she was taken away while he and Itaru Hashida made their way to the presentation hall.

"..."

"Thank you all for being here today. Since this is my first time giving a presentation, it may be a bit awkward, so I appreciate your guidance."

Surprised, Okabe and Hashida exchanged glances when they realized that Kurisu Makise was the lecturer for the day.

"The organizer wanted me to speak about time machines. Although the content differs from the paper I submitted, I will do my best to deliver this lecture."

"To make it clear, in my conclusion, time machines do not exist. They are simply a ridiculous fantasy."

As soon as Kurisu finished speaking, Okabe's expression exploded with disbelief.

"I object!"

Instantly, amidst the surprised gazes of the other students and lecturers, Okabe raised his voice:

"It's too rash to say that we can't create a time machine!"

"It's you?"

Recognizing him, Kurisu sighed and motioned to stop the staff member beside her. She calmly replied, "It's not a matter of being rash. It's something that should be theoretically denied."

At that moment, the tension between the two created sparks that were visible to anyone in the room.

However, in the end, the debate undoubtedly concluded with Rintarou Okabe's overwhelming defeat; an ordinary university researcher was no match for a world-class genius like Kurisu Makise.

On his way back, Okabe felt a mix of frustration and anger, yet he found himself powerless.

Later, he encountered Mayuri, who was returning home from grocery shopping. Under her guidance, he met the cross-dressing shrine maiden, Ruka Urushibara, and ran into Suzuha Amane, who had just started her part-time job at the convenience store downstairs.

All these encounters gradually helped him forget the strange events of yesterday, which he ultimately dismissed as a mere hallucination.

However, just as he prepared to cast everything aside, another bizarre occurrence happened.

When he instinctively reached for the books by the time traveler John Titor, who had appeared in 2000, he discovered that all the books were gone.

At first, he thought Itaru Hashida might have hidden the books, but when he searched online, he found that all the information about Titor had also vanished completely.

The time traveler John Titor, who had appeared in 2000, had suddenly ceased to exist in this world.

"What the hell is going on?"

One strange event after another pushed Okabe's confusion to its peak, igniting the curiosity of the audience as well.

...

"What on earth is happening?"

"It feels like it's not just the protagonist's memories that are the problem."

"Could it be that reality has truly changed?"

"The world has changed?"

"By the way, what was that machine the protagonist was using? It seems like it could look up information, and it looked really convenient!"

"Yeah, if only we had something like that in reality."

"This movie's depiction of the world is so fascinating; many of the things in it are completely detached from reality."

"Could this be some kind of imagination of the future world? What genre is this—fantasy future?"

"If such a future could really exist, I'd love to see it with my own eyes."

"..."

The discussions echoed in the cinema, and as the plot of "Steins;Gate" gradually unfolded, it finally captured the attention of many viewers, drawing their focus closer.

Everyone was eager to uncover the many mysteries within the story and understand their origins.

...

Similarly, at the Imperial Mage Academy, the mages were gradually realizing the true background of the story, and they became increasingly excited.

"Could it be that a certain action by the protagonist has influenced reality, causing changes in the real world?"

"But why? What exactly triggered this?"

"The most important question is: why, after everything changed, is the protagonist the only one who retains his memories?"

"What is the foundation of these changes?"

"Is this film truly about magic?"

A flurry of questions arose, and even the mages were completely captivated by their curiosity, each displaying expressions of eager anticipation.

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