t was the same old Beef Bowl Restaurant, the same old lunch hour.
The only difference was that this time, Okabe Rintaro and Hashida Itaru had brought Amane Suzuha to the restaurant.
"Hmm." Facing Hashida Itaru's question, Suzuha nodded, "I'd only heard about it before. It's really delicious."
Okabe Rintaro, holding his bowl, chuckled softly and offered his secret recipe: "Hmph, it tastes even better if you crack a raw egg on top."
"If you're a Warrior, you should learn to eat at a Beef Bowl Restaurant by yourself."
At Okabe Rintaro's suggestion, Suzuha picked up an egg with her left hand.
Only.
"Ah!" The sound of the egg cracking and Suzuha's voice rang out simultaneously. Although the camera inexplicably turned to a fan, it wasn't hard to imagine the scene that followed the sound.
"Ahhh…"
Hashida Itaru and Suzuha let out incredibly similar sounds of exasperation.
"However, Tonz and I often come to this restaurant. If you invite us, we'll always accompany you."
Suddenly, with a clatter, the bowl was put down sharply, and Hashida Itaru suddenly remembered something.
He abruptly stood up: "Ah! I remember now, I paid for Okabe's Beef Bowl last time!"
"There might have been something like that," Okabe Rintaro said casually.
"Not 'might have been'!" Hashida Itaru turned around and shouted, clearly displeased, "Don't even think about getting out of it, give me my money back!"
"Unfortunately, I didn't bring any cash today," Okabe Rintaro gently put down his bowl, then pulled out his phone:
"It's me, urgent. Wire some money to my Swiss bank account immediately."
A 'No Phones' sign was clearly posted behind Okabe Rintaro.
"What did you say?! The Organization hacked the Geneva server…"
"…" Sighing, the owner, who had been watching them, said, "No cell phones."
"Damn it, something like this happened?!" Okabe Rintaro was still pretending to talk.
Hashida Itaru, however, seeing the owner's displeased look, immediately chose to temporarily put aside his grievances with Okabe Rintaro and explained for him:
"Uh, he's just putting on an act."
Well, it seemed the owner was just giving a reminder and didn't intend to chase after them with warnings like last time.
"tuturu—" Suddenly, a familiar greeting came from the doorway.
Shiina Mayuri was smiling and waving at the door.
[Ever since Cowboy Hao suggested that the Part-time Warrior was Titor, I always get the feeling that no matter how I look at her, she seems to have come from a land of despair.]
[She hasn't eaten beef, and although no specific scene was shown, she definitely hasn't cracked an egg either.]
[Actually, adding a raw egg to beef rice isn't for everyone; I can't stand it. I think raw eggs are a no-go.]
[Brooch makes fake calls in the restaurant every day. I think the owner is already too tired to complain.]
[Hmm, hmm, hmm, since I didn't bring cash today, not only can I not pay you back, but this meal is also on you.]
[Tonz has it rough having Brooch as a friend.]
[tuturu—]
[You're not going to make Mayuri pay for this meal, are you?]
Under the dense shade of trees, bright sunlight mingled with the still noisy cicada chirps.
The four walked back to the Laboratory.
"Oh, Miss Suzuha is here too."
"Since it's lunchtime, if we had been earlier, we could have eaten together."
Hashida Itaru unhesitatingly seized the opportunity and made a suggestion:
"Then why don't we all go again tomorrow for lunch? Next time Okabe will treat…"
"What did you say?! Because of the Organization's meddling, the server will take a week to repair?" Okabe Rintaro suddenly raised his voice, interrupting his suggestion again with his role-playing.
"Ah, Miss Kurisu." Mayuri raised her hand.
Suzuha's expression changed slightly, but this time she didn't prepare to attack.
"Oh, Assistant, did you rest well yesterday?" Okabe Rintaro said casually.
"Don't call me Assistant." Makise Kurisu also retorted casually.
Okabe Rintaro calling her Assistant and Makise Kurisu refuting it had perhaps become a habitual exchange.
"…Hmm?" The two were talking casually, but Makise Kurisu suddenly felt a gaze.
Although she didn't do anything, behind Okabe Rintaro, Amane Suzuha was expressionless, continuously watching her.
Just as she seemed about to say something, Braun, carrying a box, walked to the door.
"Hey, Part-timer, hurry up and get to work once you've finished lunch."
Suzuha ran into the restaurant without a word.
"What's wrong with her?" Makise Kurisu found it inexplicable.
[Sure enough, Tonz paid again this time.]
[As soon as 'treating' is mentioned, Brooch immediately pretends to be on the phone. Chuunibyou is especially useful at times like this.]
[Mad Scientist (X), Poor Scientist (√)]
[Suzuha still thinks Assistant will betray them after all.]
[So, if Suzuha is Titor, then what she says, knowing the future, should be correct, right? Which means… Assistant really will betray them?]
[It can't be… right?]
[Why automatically assume betrayal? Suzuha only said to be careful, right? Besides, she also said she doesn't know anything yet.]
[Because when you talk about needing to watch out for someone, the first reaction can only be betrayal, right?]
"Round Table Conference?"
"Tsk." Gently twisting open the cap of the dr. pepper, Okabe Rintaro nodded, "Yes."
"What's that?"
Mayuri and Hashida Itaru didn't understand what it was.
"It's a meeting held among the Labmem," he explained.
"Has that thing ever been held before?" Facing the absurdities in Okabe's words, Hashida Itaru and Makise Kurisu successively retorted:
"Where's the Round Table anyway?"
"There's no physical object, but it exists in the hearts of us Labmem, doesn't it?" Okabe Rintaro said with a serious expression.
Makise Kurisu shot him a glance: "What do you mean 'doesn't it'? Don't just casually shove strange things into people's hearts."
Compared to these two, Mayuri, on the other hand, smiled:
"Does Mayushii's heart have one too?"
"Ah, of course," Okabe Rintaro said.
"Really? That's great." Mayuri belatedly remembered the question: "But what is a Round Table?"
"By the way, why use a Round Table?" Hashida Itaru asked, puzzled: "Are you talking about King Arthur?"
"After all, even though I'm a Labmem, it's only temporary," Makise Kurisu added, delivering another blow.
Unfortunately, it completely missed Okabe Rintaro.
He suddenly raised his hand: "I don't care."
"In short, it's a Round Table Conference," he said gravely: "It's also necessary for Mayuri to know our current situation."
"…Situation?" Mayuri tilted her head.