In the past week, 'Hikaru no Go' had exploded in popularity within the Go community—thanks entirely to that one game record. It had fully gained recognition from an entirely different industry.
Even Great Zhou's official state television ran a short segment on the wave of attention caused by the match featured in the show.
Now, under normal circumstances, a TV drama getting airtime on the official channel would be seen as low-brow. But Go was different—it was traditional culture, a respected art form.
Naturally, this shift in focus stirred up some feelings of unease among fans of 'Steins;Gate'.
Just like how fans of famous screenwriters often debate which of their works is the true masterpiece, fans of 'Steins;Gate' were feeling that subtle rivalry with 'Hikaru no Go's fanbase.
After all, which one of Jing Yu's many creations truly stands at the top?
"'Hikaru no Go' has topped the ratings two weeks in a row, guys! Time to push 'Steins;Gate' back up the charts! If you've got two TVs at home, don't worry about the electricity bill—turn them both on for the finale tonight!"
"The finale? Isn't there another episode next week?"
"Next week's just a bonus ep. Supposedly a side story that YunTeng TV greenlit at the last minute. The main storyline ends tonight."
"Nothing more to say, really… airing 'Steins;Gate' at the same time as 'You, Under the Cliff' was just rotten luck. Otherwise, I'm convinced 'Steins;Gate's ratings wouldn't be any lower than 'Hikaru no Go''s."
"Same here. I watch both, but 'Steins;Gate' is more my style—if you make it past the first four episodes."
"Ugh, if only those first four episodes hadn't driven away so many viewers… it could've easily been the top show of the summer."
"But without that slow burn at the beginning, we wouldn't have this incredible payoff. You win some, you lose some, right? Can't have your cake and eat it too."
"Anyway, ratings aren't everything. Sure, 'Steins;Gate' is only ranked fifth in ratings this season, but its review score is number one. That says something about the audience's growing taste."
"Let's go all in. Since both 'Steins;Gate' and 'You, Under the Cliff' are dragging each other down, at least for this final episode, let's give 'Steins;Gate' one win. Call your friends—tonight, we'll watch!"
By mid-day, hardcore 'Steins;Gate' fans were already fired up.
Over at YunTeng TV's official forums, fans had been organizing since 6:00 PM, swarming the site with coordinated hype and discussion.
At 7:30 PM, YunTeng TV's viewership had already surpassed 3% and was climbing fast.
Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away at Huanshi TV, the 'You, Under the Cliff' production team sat gathered together, watching the live ratings update with a mix of resentment and anxiety.
Their show had just breached 5%, but Yun Teng TV's 'Steins;Gate' wasn't far behind at 4.79%.
After weeks of rivalry, they'd come to grudgingly accept one fact:
Their ratings were being dragged down by 'Steins;Gate'.
Not much they could do about it now. It had already happened. All that was left… was fate.
Still, they clung to two final hopes:
That their overall average rating would remain the highest of the summer.
That no matter what, they would not lose to 'Steins;Gate' in any individual week.*
Losing even once to a drama from a rival network—especially one not even considered that network's flagship show—would be a permanent stain on their record.
A disgrace that Lin Bin, the head writer, would never allow.
So, to prevent that, he personally re-edited tonight's episode of 'You, Under the Cliff'—cutting every scene he deemed boring or redundant, tightening the pacing until there wasn't a single "bathroom break" moment.
"It's starting," said the director beside him.
"What's the rating for both networks?" Lin Bin asked, eyes locked on the screen.
"We're at 5.99%."
Lin Bin's hand trembled.
Back when 'You, Under the Cliff' first aired, the premiere episode had opened to an average rating of 6.8%.
Now, two months later, that number had dropped to 5.99%—because too many viewers had been poached by 'Steins;Gate'.
He was furious.
"What about YunTeng's number?"
"5.90%."
Over at YunTeng TV, 'Steins;Gate's final main episode was now airing.
The powerful opening theme once again pulled viewers deep into the story.
Picking up from the last episode, Suzuha—
No, the β-worldline version of Suzuha—arrived in the main timeline using a time machine, teaming up with the protagonist Okabe to find a way to save Makise and shift the world into the fabled 'Steins;Gate' worldline.
Zhu Qing narrowed her eyes and took a deep sip of milk tea.
"How are they going to save her?"
That was the question burning not just in her mind, but in the hearts of every 'Steins;Gate' fan.
They'd been debating it all week, combing through every clue—and the consensus was grim:
There's no solution.
Based on the show's lore, worldline convergence cannot be broken.
That's why Okabe had to push the world from the α worldline to the β line in the first place.
In this universe, the "α world" referred to any worldline with a divergence ratio between 0% and 1%, made up of countless decimal variations:
0.1234567, 0.9876543, 0.555555…
No matter how precise you measured, so long as the value stayed between 0 and 1, it remained part of the α worldline—a future where SERN rule, and Mayuri must die.
Similarly, once the divergence passed 2%, it entered the β worldline—a different kind of doomed world, where nations discover time travel and eventually destroy the world in a global war.
And in every β timeline, Makise Kurisu dies on July 28.
That was the inescapable convergence point.
Even if every possible cause of death were prevented… she would still die—suddenly, inexplicably.
"How the hell are they supposed to save her?"
"I don't think they can. If they could break worldline convergence, that would break the entire premise of the show! As much as I want Kurisu to live, if it means undermining the logic of 'Steins;Gate', I'd rather she didn't…"
"Maybe there's some unexpected way."
"Suzuha said herself that the so-called 'Steins;Gate worldline' where both Mayuri and Makise survive… might just be a fantasy Okabe imagined. Even she doesn't know if it's real."
"Damn, I waited all week for this, and you're telling me she doesn't even have a plan? She just invited Okabe to jump back a few days with her and try to change things?"
"What's the point in trying? In the α line, Okabe tried hundreds of times and couldn't save Mayuri. Why would it work in the β line for Makise? What makes her special?"
"But hey, gotta hand it to that fat bastard Itaru. No matter the timeline or divergence ratio, his future daughter always ends up being Suzuha. Is that… worldline convergence too?"