"Tap, tap, tap…"
"Okabe—" Hashida Itaru arrived late, panting and carrying two bags.
Watching Kiryu Moeka's retreating back, Mayuri couldn't help but exclaim, "Miss Moeka is so pretty and has such a good figure."
"She'd definitely be popular if she cosplayed."
"Hmm." Okabe Rintaro nodded again, but then, he suddenly realized:
"Mayuri, do you know the Shining Shiatsu Master?"
"Eh?" Mayuri tilted her head. "Yes, I do."
Okabe Rintaro once again reached out his hands, grabbed Mayuri's shoulders, and vigorously shook her body.
"Why? Why do you know her?!"
Mayuri, being shaken by him, mumbled, "You're the one who brought her, Okabe—"
[Hmm? Was it not Moeka who took it?]
[No, before sending Rukako's D-mail, it must have been Moeka who took it, but after this jump, it's not certain.]
[Moreover, didn't Moeka say, 'FB clearly said it was here'? That means someone, probably herself, sent her a message in FB's name.]
[Why would it be in FB's name and not that she is actually FB?]
[Because she herself was looking for FB; didn't she ask Okabe if he was FB before? There must be such a person.]
[Both thought the other knew the whereabouts of the IBN5100.]
[So Brooch's reaction is too slow, though I'm already used to it.]
[Stop shaking Mayuri! Why does Brooch like grabbing people's shoulders and shaking them so much? It feels like my brains are going to be scrambled.]
[Because only then can you know that the person in front of you is Hououin Kyouma and not Okabe Rintaro (not).]
"—" Okabe Rintaro finally stopped, a memory flashing through his mind.
Past scenes replayed before his eyes, and he couldn't help but murmur to himself.
"After Moeka sent the D-mail… Moeka's existence vanished from everyone's memories."
He clearly remembered Mayuri's response at the time, that she didn't know Moeka.
"Then, after Rukako sent the D-mail, she once again became aware of Moeka."
A ticking sound rang out, and the 'butterfly effect' animation that Makise Kurisu had previously explained replayed in his memory.
"Does reality gradually change every time a message alters the past?"
"…" The thinking and recollection ended, and the scene returned to reality. Okabe Rintaro stood dazed, not knowing what he was thinking… Elegant music and the program playing on the large screen above the building sounded together. Passing through the crowd, Okabe Rintaro and his companions stopped, stunned, at their destination.
"Is it really here?" Okabe Rintaro asked blankly.
"Yes, it is," Mayuri replied softly.
The building in front of them was very tall, very large, and looked extremely… out of the ordinary at first glance.
"Hmm, let me see…" Mayuri picked up her phone and glanced at it. "It seems to be the top floor."
At her words, the three of them instinctively looked up.
Ten floors, twenty floors, thirty floors… The tall building, whose end seemed almost out of sight in the sunlight's diffraction, stood serenely before them.
[What kind of super-rich maid is this?]
[Wuwuwu, how could I dream of such a thing, a beautiful girl who is super rich acting as a maid to serve guests?]
[Are you telling me Felis lives on the top floor?]
[In stark contrast to Brooch's shabby Laboratory.]
[Rich lady! Hungry, hungry! Food, food!]
"The young lady will be here shortly." The white-haired butler bowed. "Please wait a moment."
With that, he turned and left, yielding the scene to Okabe Rintaro and his companions who had arrived.
The three had different expressions.
Okabe Rintaro stood stiffly, bewildered, while Mayuri's mouth was agape in an O-shape, her face full of shock.
Only Hashida Itaru's expression seemed unchanged.
"I'm not really interested in butler cafes," he said.
"They're real butlers," Mayuri said, closing her palms in surprise, her gaze following the white-haired butler. "First time seeing one."
Okabe Rintaro said nothing, but walked directly to the huge floor-to-ceiling window that was immediately visible.
He pressed his hand against the glass and then burst into wild laughter: "Hahahahaha—"
"Look! People are like trash! What a beautiful view!"
"Hmph hahahahaha—"
Okabe Rintaro laughed wildly, while Mayuri and Hashida Itaru looked at him.
"Okabe…" Mayuri murmured.
Hashida Itaru sighed. "I knew he'd say that."
"Thanks for waiting, meow." A very soft voice sounded, and Okabe Rintaro's laughter stopped.
"Ah, Felis." Mayuri greeted her.
Hashida Itaru also turned around, then revealed an incredibly surprised expression, his cheeks flushed as he leaned closer, shouting happily:
"Waaah, this time it's Felis-tan's casual clothes!"
Unlike her previous maid outfit, Felis, dressed in loungewear, stood before them.
"How lucky!" Hashida Itaru couldn't help but exclaim, then made a strange sound: "Ha, ha, ha, ha…"
"—Felis Nyan Nyan!" Okabe Rintaro approached, saying loudly:
"It seems I must ask for your true identity!"
He stood in front of Felis, their height difference strikingly clear at this moment.
Looking down from above, Okabe Rintaro, a head taller than Felis, and Felis, who could only look up slightly to meet his gaze… [Now that I notice, is Okabe a bit tall?]
[It's fine, actually, in the design draft, he's only 177? Although on the internet, if you're not two meters tall, you have to work out, but compared to girls, he is indeed tall.]
[How can you all just pull out the design drafts? Weren't they only released for a short while before the animation production? Do you all screenshot them and keep them for real-time reference?]
[Yes.]
['People are like trash!' That's an old meme, right? Though I don't know if anyone still remembers it.]
[Uncle Big Nose definitely remembers.]
[I thought it was because Tonz was a hidden rich person, which is why he wasn't interested in this super-large apartment and butler, but it turns out he's just too immersed in two-dimensional reality.]
[As expected of a family that could afford to donate a computer like the IBN5100 back then, they are indeed rich, but if you ask me, not rich enough!]
[Mm-hmm, this is the internet, so Felis still needs to work harder.]
"Felis is…" Facing Okabe Rintaro's question, Felis raised her fingertip to her chin, making a thoughtful expression, but her eyes subtly shifted to glance at Okabe Rintaro.
Without much thought, she quickly made a move.
Clenching her hands into pink fists, she playfully placed them in front of her, and said in a feigned cute voice:
"—Felis Nyan?"