Chapter 184: Steins;Gate Premieres! (Part 2)
"The universe has a beginning, but no end."
"Infinite."
"Stars may be born, but in time, even their brilliance fades."
"Finite."
"Those with intelligence are the most foolish of all—history makes that painfully clear."
"This, perhaps, is the gods' final warning to those who dare rebel."
Steins;Gate opened with a monologue, the camera slowly revealing a young man in a white lab coat standing on what looked like a rooftop. Speaking into a communicator, he muttered cryptic, overly dramatic lines to himself.
Though his words made little logical sense—clearly the ramblings of a hardcore chuunibyou—they nonetheless seized the audience's attention immediately.
A moment later, a black-haired girl in a pale blue dress approached from a distance. After a casual greeting, the two of them began walking side by side under the scorching sun.
…
The opening scene was brief and entirely devoid of traditional narrative. The protagonist's name wasn't even mentioned. For most of the audience, the lack of context was deeply confusing.
But fans who had seen Fate/Zero and The Garden of Sinners were more than used to this abstract storytelling. Rather than complain, they waited patiently for the plot to unravel.
Interestingly, among the viewers at the Imperial Mage Academy, there was a different kind of reaction—wide-eyed shock.
That was because they recognized the lead actor immediately: it was none other than Gebrun, the infamous problem student of the Mental and Spiritual Studies Branch who had failed more years than anyone could count.
And the girl in the scene? Also a student of the Academy.
Seeing such familiar faces on the big screen left many students stunned and speechless. Before they could fully digest what they were seeing, the movie's narrative took a sharp and intriguing turn.
…
"Commencing infiltration of the target facility!"
The protagonist declared dramatically into his phone, striking a pose as he and the girl walked into a large white building.
"There aren't many people here... Could the organization's interference already be at play?" he muttered cryptically.
His companion gave him a puzzled look.
"Is something about to start?"
"You followed me here and didn't even know that much?" he replied, sighing as he pointed at a nearby banner.
It read, in large bold letters: "Dr. Nakabachi's Time Machine Invention Announcement"
"A time machine? That sounds insane!" the girl exclaimed.
"Exactly. Dr. Nakabachi beat us other researchers to the punch. This press conference might change the world—we've gotta hear what he says!"
Just as the words left his mouth, a thunderous noise shook the building. Attendees looked around, startled.
The protagonist sprinted to the rooftop—only to see a strange machine descending and landing there with eerie precision.
As he moved in to investigate, a figure in bizarre clothing appeared, blocking his way. Assuming the man was some sort of security personnel, the protagonist reluctantly backed off.
On the way back down, he spotted his companion standing by a capsule toy machine, sighing in frustration.
The two began chatting about the machine. It was here the audience finally learned the girl's name: Mayuri.
Moved by her enthusiasm, the protagonist decided to try his luck. He inserted a coin—and miraculously pulled the very rare item Mayuri had been hoping for.
He handed it to her without hesitation.
"Are you sure, Okarin?" she asked gently.
"Please, call me Hououin Kyouma!" he barked, puffing out his chest.
"Thank you, Okarin!" she beamed.
"I said it's Hououin Kyouma!!"
Their playful back-and-forth was interrupted by an announcement over the building's PA system:
"Dr. Nakabachi's presentation will now begin on the 8th floor. Please prepare to enter."
…
Inside the hall, Dr. Nakabachi stood at the podium, his voice booming with confidence.
"The blueprints for the time machine's core structure are all in your handouts. I will now go over the fundamental theory behind its construction. To date, researchers across the globe have…"
His words were dense, technical, and borderline incomprehensible.
Unsurprisingly, no one in the audience seemed remotely interested in what he was saying.
The protagonist slouched in his seat, visibly bored. Next to him, Mayuri had already rushed off—apparently in search of the capsule toy she had just dropped.
Meanwhile, flipping idly through the handout he'd received, the protagonist suddenly froze. His eyes went wide.
Then—he shot up from his chair, storming the stage.
"Dr. Nakabachi!" he shouted. "What the hell is this time machine theory of yours supposed to be? Kerr black holes? Divergence numbers? World lines!? This is just a copy of John Titor's work! He talked about all of this back in 2000 when he claimed to be a time traveler! Don't tell me you've never heard of him!"
The doctor gave a disdainful snort. "Of course I've heard of him! But don't you dare compare my work with the nonsense of some internet scam artist!"
"Oh yeah? Then explain it! Tell me what makes your theory any different from his!"
Just as the tension was reaching its peak, and it looked like a heated clash was inevitable, a red-haired girl suddenly appeared behind the protagonist. Without saying a word, she grabbed him by the collar and dragged him away from the podium.
…
Up to this point, the movie had been a chaotic tangle of scenes, with rapid character introductions and jumbled dialogue. Most of the audience struggled to keep up.
And yet—despite the confusion—there was one theme that viewers managed to latch onto:
Time machines.
"So… what's this story even about?"
"Honestly, I have no idea. I can't make sense of anything so far."
"It's not that hard. The guy went to some time machine conference and picked a fight with the inventor. That's basically the setup."
"Time machines, huh? What even are those?"
"Beats me. I've never heard of anything like it before."
"And there's no magic in this world either, right? Don't tell me this movie's got no action scenes…"
"Seriously? That'd be so boring. I might actually fall asleep…"
Such whispers echoed through theaters across the southern provinces. Many viewers now wore expressions of disappointment. Clearly, this wasn't the kind of film they'd been expecting.
Even Fate/Zero, with all its lengthy exposition, had still delivered grand battles and exhilarating visual spectacle soon after its opening.
But Steins;Gate… felt completely different.
…
At the Edward Tavern, Emperor Hubbard and his assembled knights looked equally perplexed. None of them had anticipated this kind of story from Edward's latest film. The narrative so far was… baffling.
"Who even is the protagonist supposed to be?" the Emperor asked. "A mage? A scholar?"
Wilhelm furrowed his brow. "From what I can tell… he seems to be a scholar. But not like the ones in our world. These 'scholars' don't study history, literature, theology, or heraldry like ours do. They research things that feel far closer to… magic."
"Scholars researching magic?" murmured Wycliffe. "That just sounds… wrong."
Wilhelm nodded in agreement, sharing the same confusion.
In their world, scholars were men of learning—respected within noble circles, yes—but largely irrelevant in matters of actual power or innovation. The idea that such a figure could be the central character in a story about altering time itself?
To them, it defied all sense of reason.
In this world, both mages and the Church wielded far greater influence than scholars ever could. After all, the former had the power to literally protect the human race, while the latter held sway over the hearts and minds of the masses.
If a scholar hoped to rise above their station, they had only two real options: gain the favor of a powerful noble and become a trusted advisor—or awaken to magical talent and ascend as a mage themselves.
Otherwise, no one of consequence would so much as spare them a glance.
Now, however, this movie was showing a group of what seemed like scholars… openly discussing theories and concepts eerily similar to those only mages would typically ponder. To the people of this world, the whole scenario felt absurd—like something out of a fever dream.
Not far away, the Beastkin Oracle stared at the screen with a furrowed brow. He, too, was struggling to understand what he was seeing.
In the Beastkin Kingdom, where the average intelligence of their people fell well below that of humans, the title of "scholar" was virtually nonexistent. Only a rare few—those gifted with innate magical ability—could hope to study anything complex. These individuals usually became shaman-priests, trained in the arcane arts. And once they gained magical power, none of them bothered with mundane scholarly work—they became full-fledged mages.
As for Beastkins without magical talent? Their physical strength made them perfect for the battlefield. Not a single one would waste time pouring over books and scrolls.
Thus, the Beastkin Kingdom had no scholars.
So to the Oracle, watching an entire story built around these mysterious "magic-less thinkers" was downright alien.
…
While confused whispers spread through theaters across the continent, the Imperial Mage Academymy was erupting with heated discussions of its own.
Most of the academy's mages had gone into the screening expecting an epic tale of magic and spellcraft. Instead, they found themselves watching a story about scholars—plain old scholars—researching something so outlandish, so impossible, that it shook their understanding of the world:
A time machine.
"What kind of nonsense is this? That Nakabachi guy is just some normal person, right? How did he manage to create a time machine!?"
"Exactly! Ever since the Mage Tower classified 'time' as a special element, generations of mages have tried to unravel its mysteries. Thousands of years of research, and only one person ever came close…"
"You mean the Arch Mage who invented teleportation magic, right? Even he couldn't publish any coherent theory about time! He spent his final years obsessed with the subject—and came up empty-handed."
"This Steins;Gate movie doesn't feel grounded in proper magical theory at all."
"I've completely lost track of what it's even trying to say anymore…"
While the younger mages grumbled among themselves, the professors and lecturers sitting on the academy's higher viewing platform were far less restrained.
A heated debate broke out—aimed squarely at the man seated beside them.
"Edward! Just what in the world is this film of yours!?"
"If you told me it was about mages researching time magic, I could at least try to follow it—but you're telling me these are just regular scholars? What the hell!?"
"Exactly! What could a bunch of ordinary scholars possibly accomplish? Might as well hand them a stack of holy scriptures and let them go read in the corner like good little sages."
"Edward, you've let a few successful films get to your head, haven't you?! Where's your sense of rigor? Your magical consistency? Have you thrown it all away?!"
"…"
Faced with the barrage of scolding from the lecturers and professors, Edward simply stood there—calm, unmoving.
He waited quietly until everyone had gotten their complaints out of their system. Then, he offered a faint smile and finally spoke:
"Are you all done?"
"I won't argue with any of you—after all, this is my movie. Whether you watch it or not is entirely up to you."
"You—!"
The lecturers were stunned. None of them had expected such arrogance—from someone who had just graduated, no less. Their eyes went wide, their expressions full of disbelief and simmering fury.
But then… they all remembered something.
The man standing before them wasn't just a hotshot rookie director.
He was a Grand Mage.
Because Edward had spent most of his time in the Alchemy Tower and rarely showcased his magical abilities, many had nearly forgotten the sheer scale of his power. Compared to him, the majority of professors here were merely High Mages, still a full rank beneath him in raw capability.
Worse yet, Edward wasn't just strong—he was also the acting Head of Magitech Alchemy Branch.
The truth was simple: unless an Arch Mage from the Mage Tower itself came down to reprimand him, Edward had no reason to restrain himself. Against a bunch of over-opinionated High Mages?
He couldn't even be bothered to pretend to be polite.
In this world, where power decided hierarchy far more than age or title, there was no need for Edward to give these "elders" any face whatsoever.
Of course, not everyone present was a mere High Mage.
From a distance, Streige, one of the few other Grand Mages present, stepped forward and spoke in a more measured tone:
"Edward… I think you should at least offer some clarification about the themes in this story. Choosing a protagonist with no magical talent—it feels a bit… strange, doesn't it?"
Edward gave a respectful nod to Streige and answered sincerely:
"You don't need to worry about the internal consistency of Steins;Gate. Every scene, every plot point, exists for a reason. As for whether it's 'logically sound'—you'll need to understand the world the story is set in to make that call."
"After all, none of you even know what kind of world Steins;Gate takes place in yet. Isn't it a little early to dismiss everything out of hand?"
"…"
The room fell into stunned silence.
Because Edward… was absolutely right.
Steins;Gate had only just begun. None of them had seen the full picture yet.
Looking back, their earlier outbursts now seemed rash—even childish.
Realizing this, the assembled mages finally quieted down. They turned their attention back to the screen, their hearts filled with curiosity.
Just what kind of story was this film about to unfold?
And could it really change their understanding of what a world without magic might look like…?
<+>
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