Tokyo: Oreimo

Soon, Okabe, Mayuri, and Takako arrived at the rooftop of the radio station.

There is a large machine in the scene, which looks like a satellite standing on the rooftop.

"Time machine".

Almost instantly upon seeing it, Ling Nai confirmed the object's identity.

And the figure standing next to it, Ling Nai would never forget.

Amanne Reiha.

It was no longer that outfit, but a camouflage-like uniform.

She did indeed draw this character's portrait, and she also saw this outfit at the end of Amane's route.

"Rintaro Okabe?"

This is the first time that Reiha from this timeline has met Rintaro Okabe.

"I'm a time traveler from 2036, and I have something I'd like to ask Uncle Okabe for help."

"In the future of this timeline, World War III has broken out!"

"Please help me change the past so I can avoid it, I beg you!"

"Huh?"

Ling Nai was stunned for a moment.

Based on previous developments, the β worldline should have been a sufficiently peaceful one. How could it possibly fall into crisis in the future?

The girl continues to advance the plot.

Unlike Amane Reiha from other timelines, the setting regarding this time machine has undergone a significant change.

The former Amane Reiha, who piloted this time machine, could only jump back in time.

This is why she ultimately died of old age in 1975.

But this one is different.

"You mean that time machine can jump to the future?"

"If it can't, can it still be called a time machine?"

"There's no way to refute it."

To be honest, when Ling Nai first encountered the setting of this time machine, she wanted to complain.

A time machine can only be considered a machine that allows you to freely travel through time. It's too strange to think that light can jump to the past but not come back.

Through Aman's narration.

The β worldline is not as peaceful as imagined. Time machines still appeared, and although SERN did not obtain them, they were fought over by countries around the world.

The resulting nuclear war drastically reduced the global human population to 10 billion.

The Earth has also become uninhabitable for humans due to war.

This is completely different from the ending that Reiha described in the α world line.

No matter how much you struggle, will things eventually turn out badly?

Although Mayuri did survive by crossing the world line barrier, Makise Kurisu died as a result.

Despite paying such a price, a terrible future is still inevitable.

"Then Kurisu died for nothing, didn't she?"

How can the past be changed?

"Does this mean we have to go back to the alpha world line?"

Of all the world lines that Ling Nai knows, only the β world line is the safest.

There is no better ending than this timeline.

At least Mayuri won't be killed by fate again.

What's the purpose of this final chapter?

Ling Nai was a little confused. She originally thought it would be related to Makise Kurisu, but she didn't expect that it was Amane Reiyu who came for the sake of future world peace.

"I will not let Kurisu die in vain, nor will I let Mayuri be murdered."

"Is Okabe not going to agree?"

If Ling Nai put herself in his shoes, to be honest, if she were Okabe, she really wouldn't want to go through that kind of torment again.

It was only after more than ten time jumps during my first playthrough that I finally managed to save Mayuri.

As a character in the work, Rintaro Okabe tried countless times for this role.

"It's only natural to refuse, right? If I listen to Lingyu and help her, and then experience the convergence of world lines again, I might fall into that cycle again."

However, from Ling Nai's perspective, she still hopes that things can continue.

After all, a completely new worldline offers entirely new possibilities, and who knows, we might even find the most perfect worldline within it.

"...The Kurisu that Uncle Okabe mentioned earlier, is it Makise Kurisu?"

"There's no one else besides that, right?"

Ling Nai muttered something, then froze.

and many more.

Where in this world timeline has Amanne heard this name before?

Based on their previous reactions, it appears that both Bucket and Mayuri have lost their memories of Makise Kurisu.

Logically speaking, Kurisu, who died at that time, should not have come into Amane's sight.

Ling Nai suddenly felt a sense of anticipation.

"Since this name has been mentioned, it means..."

She clicked the mouse and looked at the dialog box.

"Listen to me, Uncle Okabe."

"What if, and I mean if, the necessary condition for changing the future of this world line is to bring Makise Kurisu, who is supposed to die on July 28th... back to life?"

Ling Nai felt a shock throughout her body.

"Just as I thought!"

But how do we do it?

Even with the aid of a time machine, no matter how the past is altered, unless the barriers of world lines are continuously crossed, they will eventually be captured by the convergence of world lines.

That wouldn't change the outcome.

Even if she went back in time and saved Makise Kurisu, just like Mayuri, she would still die for other reasons.

Doing that is pointless and will only result in repeated torment.

Having experienced multiple endings, Ayano has now evolved to the point of being extremely familiar with the theories in Ryosuke's work.

Making logical changes is theoretically almost impossible.

If, in order to meet players' expectations, the previous settings are violated and the ending of Makise Kurisu is forcibly rewritten, it will definitely be criticized by some players.

Forcing this kind of thing into a serious work is worse than making a separate spin-off.

The answer was given by Amane Reiha on the screen.

"The world line I'm looking forward to isn't the alpha world line that Uncle Okabe experienced."

"My goal is—the gap where world lines converge."

"A unique world line that is completely unaffected by any world line convergence range."

"Steins Gate, if I remember correctly, that's what Uncle Okabe named this world line."

"The key to reaching that world line is to rescue Makise Kurisu."

"This is the key to avoiding World War III. As long as she survives, the war will not happen, and at least 57 billion people will not have to die."

Is that so?

Ling muttered to herself.

Looking at Amane Reiha's statement, this theory does not contradict the earlier parts of the work.

Because ultimately, this timeline is completely new and independent.

That world line, "Steins Gate," is unknown. Even Amane Reiha, who comes from the future, doesn't know what kind of future it holds.

Perhaps after World War III, someone will construct a dystopian society.

Or perhaps Makise Kurisu will die again within two days of being revived, and perhaps Okabe will die before 2025 as a result.

It's also possible that the world will actually become a better place after this.

"It's unpredictable, completely unknown, and besides, I was never going to be able to save Kurisu anyway. Even if I travel through time and change the past, everything will still be brought to a head."

"They are merely being manipulated by the will of the world."

Looking at Okabe Rintaro's almost unintentionally rejecting lines in the scene, Ling Nai pursed her lips.

She shared the same concern.

"Is that guy going to pull some kind of trick to attack the player at the very end?"

Ryou and Okabe Rintaro have completely different perspectives.

She's a player; ultimately, she's just playing a game.

The ending was already predetermined from the very beginning.

"If all that hard work only leads to an even worse ending, then I'd rather not have a bad end."

"...Even so, if you're still willing to go, if even so, you're still willing to jump back to July 28th with me."

"Then hold my hand."

"Are you going, Okabe?"