Steins;Gate WG Story - Chapter 02 (Patreon)

“Damn that girl…who the hell does she think she is…kicking me out of my own lab…”

Sweat poured down Okabe’s brow in a cascade as he plodded through the summertime streets of Akihabara with several plastic bags full of soda in one hand. The closest vending machine to the laboratory was beyond the train-station several blocks away and the heat only made it seem so much worse. He fumbled for his phone.

“Yeah…it’s me…I believe that I now truly understand what was meant by the ‘heat death of the universe’ theory…I might be about to experience it first-hand. Though the organization has tried its best to stop me…I continue to persevere. Christina might just be a spy after all…If I don’t make it…do what you must to protect the future as a part of the will of Stein’s;Gate…El Psy Congaroo…”

Talking into a cell phone which had been switched off was something Okabe found incredibly therapeutic. It allowed him to voice his discontent in a way he felt ‘normalized’ his rants but also fed into them at the same time. It was how the world made the most sense to him and gave meaning to his otherwise ordinary existence. Of course, he would never admit that to anyone, not even under penalty of torture.

The lab itself only seemed that much warmer as he dragged himself up the wooden stairway back inside. Heat gripped him through his lab coat, the fabric of his clothing sticking to nearly every inch of his. His drew deep, ragged breaths of warm air which seemed to burn his very lungs, something far different than the comfortable confines of the sanctum he had retreated into only an hour before.

“She even turned off the air-conditioning…and hid the remote...well played Christina…”

Knowing that no human could have easily sustained such stuffy conditions, Okabe could already deduce that Kurisu must have gone out. The lab was empty, with the only motion coming from the gel bananas which had been extracted from the mini-fridge that were slowly congealing into a single green puddle on the coffee table. She must have anticipated how much soda he was bringing and made room.

“Well, better get this over with…I could use a drink myself…”

Had the heat not already have baked his brain, a more observant Okabe Rintaro might have noticed that the minifridge had moved from its usual location at the corner of the room and was now sitting atop the laboratory work bench where Kurisu did most of her tinkering. All her tools were spread out around it and it was plugged into the computer array. Her mobile phone was even plugged into its USB drive where the icemaker should have been.

“Going to need more ice for this…I wish Daru would refill the machine after he finishes them all…Mayuri seems to be the only one who does…”

He picked one of the soda bottles out of the bag and placed it freezer compartment which Kurisu had claimed for herself. He just wanted to put this whole nasty business behind him. Maybe if she saw how tired and haggard he was, he could appeal to what little humanity still remained within her past her cold, scientific exterior. An 18 year old girl was still an 18 year old girl after all.

“Now set it to flash freeze and—”

There was a ripple.

The room suddenly felt instantly colder. Even after he had closed the door, it still felt like he had was facing down an industrial sized air conditioner at full strength. If the temperature threatened to drop any further he would have found himself staring down a blizzard. All his actions seemed to slow down, his movements became sluggish despite being completely aware of everything he intended to do. It was like the lag common to most internet pages as his body seemed to be unable to keep up with the rapid processing of his mind.

 And then it was gone.

There was the sound of heavy footfall leading up the stairs. Okabe checked himself for signs of frostbite, expecting his sweaty clothes to have formed icicles and sent him into a state of hypothermia. Instead he found himself completely dry and comfortable and the air conditioner was still running. Something had changed.

“Hey, I’m back.”

Kurisu had barely a moment to wrench a finger to pry off her shoes before she found herself being charged at by a distraught and confused looking Okabe.

“Christina! I think something has happened to the air conditioner! It was boiling hot a second ago and now it’s ice cold!”

“Well yeah…the summer heatwave was coming so Daru and I decided to try and enhance the air conditioner a little to make it easier to work. We used the same technology for the icemaker in the mini fridge.”

“The Flash Freeze (name subject to change)? Future Gadget Number 014! I never authorized such a use of lab technology! That’s only supposed to be used under the strictest of scientific parameters!”

“I could always just take it out and let you bake again.”

“T-t-thank you for your foresight…,” Okabe quickly back peddled.

“No problem.”

 Her attention was drawn to the plastic bag still clutched around Okabe’s fingers.

“Ah! I was just stepping out to restock the fridge! You should have told me you were going out ahead of me so I wouldn’t have had to walk all that way!”

She hoisted a similar looking bag, also packed to the brim with sodas, from behind her back.

“What are you talking about? You told me to go out and get them if I wanted your help on my time travel project.”

“Oh, you mean your scribblings on the whiteboard? Yeah, that’s totally absurd. However, it did give me some new ideas about how to apply your flash freeze technology-”

“Future Gadget Number 014!” interrupted Okabe.

“Right…applying ‘Future Gadget 014’…to other objects. Normally conventional cooling elements use a specialized cooling loop in order to-”

Kurisu’s explanation was cut short by a gasp. Normally she was used to them coming after she had finished.

“Huh?! It’s gone!”

“What’s gone?”

Okabe turned to her sharply and pointed at one of the bottles of Dr Pepper still warm in his bag.

“The Dr Pepper I put in the fridge!”

“Oh right, about that…I accidentally drank the last one in there thinking it was mine. I do apologise for that, which is why I went out to buy some new ones.”

“T-this isn’t possible…I just put one in there…”

“Maybe you thought you put one in there. You could be suffering from heat stroke or something.”

“But one is missing from the bag…”

“Maybe you drank it on the way home. I wouldn’t blame you, I had a couple myself getting back here.”

“I was so sure that I did…it was hot and I was so sweaty and…”

“Oh, come on, you big baby. Just put in one of mine and flash freeze it and it’ll be as good as new. I’ll have paid off my soda debt and you’ll get the tasty frosted beverage you wanted. We both win.”

She strode past him and put a couple of cans in the fridge. Then she turned the knob.

**********************

There wasn’t any cold blast of air this time. Okabe relaxed his arms which he had instinctively raised to shield himself. As the light of the room filled his eyes once more, all that stood before him was the same usual room, the same usual minifridge and the same usual Kurisu.

And yet, something was different.

“There we go, fresh and extra cold for such a warm day. I’ll go get us some glasses.”

Okabe rubbed his eyes a moment. Yes, this Kurisu was carrying on the same conversation as they were having just a moment before, and she was wearing the same outfit, but there was something odd about the way she moved. It only became more apparent to him when she ascended the little step ladder they kept in their kitchenette as she reached for the top cupboard.

“You’ve gotten kind of fat, haven’t you?”

The bluntness of the comment struck her like a club and nearly caused her to fall backwards.

“W-what?! How rude! And here I was trying to do something nice for you!”

Okabe was sure of it. There was a certain, undeniable roundness to her which had not been there before. Her curves were more pronounced which gave her body a far more womanly shape. The changes were made even more obvious as she stood on one leg, attempting to balance herself atop the shaky stool.

Plump calves emerged where her legs were previously without definition. Her thighs were rounder and stretched her black leggings. The barest hint of a belly roll hung over her belt which bit deeply into her side. What had to be the most obvious change however was how her dress shirt had loosened itself by one button to reveal a good inch of cleavage where she had previously always buttoned herself up. Having felt the heat of his gaze scanning her, she instinctively covered herself up, still holding two drinking glasses in either hand.

“Seriously, that’s not something you say to a girl! In fact, as a guy, you should completely ignore it!”

Okabe drew closer despite her objections, pinching the new softness at her upper arms and along her belly.

“But you weren’t always like this! I remember when we first met, you were always as skinny as a rake!”

“P-people change as they get a bit older! I might have graduated university, but I still haven’t experienced that ‘freshman fifteen’ that all developing girls are prone to. I am already at the age for hormonal changes like that to occur you know.”

“But this is impossible! When I last saw you this morning, you were this tiny thing and them BAM! It’s like you instantaneously put on like twenty pounds!”

“H-how dare you! It was fifteen at the most and I’ve been like this ever since I started working with you and your ‘Future Gadget Laboratory’. I thought I was hiding it well with my baggy coat and larger sized clothing but there’s just no fooling your perverted eyes. You might be the ‘mad-scientist/director’ but if you keep this up, I’ll have to file an office based sexual harassment suit.”

The mad scientist slumped to his knees. This was all too much. First his drink goes missing, now this. It was turning out to be a very strange day.

“We had this discussion before already, don’t you remember?” Kurisu began again. “You said that I could work here with you as long as I liked and because you’re so flat broke you’d pay me in Dr Pepper. I guess I might have put on a bit more weight since starting with you guys, but if there’s anyone to blame, it’s you.”

Ice clinked into glasses as Kurisu poured them both their drinks. Okabe dragged himself over to the lab’s single couch as they sipped together in silence.

“Was my assistant always this curvy? I might not be the most observant person at times, but surely, I would have noticed if she put on that much weight so quickly. Perhaps this is SERN’s grand world domination scheme to take the best and brightest of humanity under their wing and keep them complacent through food and forced obesity!”

“You’re thinking something weird again, aren’t you?” Kurisu suddenly interrupted. She heard the ice in his glass clink as he recoiled.

“N-not at all! I was just thinking how I never noticed. I’ve been drinking this stuff for years and I’ve never gained a pound. Mayuri always gives me hers and then again, when I tried introducing it to Daru, well…let’s just say he was a slimmer man when we first met as well…”

“If you’re going to act so childish every time you notice some womanly curves, you’re going to end up bitter and alone you know. Or maybe, that skinny shrine maiden that hangs out at the temple around the corner is more your body type?”

“Ruka is a guy!” Okabe exclaimed.

“REALLY?! You’re kidding me! But he’s so pretty and wears hair accessories!”

“I’m certain Mayuri is to blame for those. Besides, he’s been asking me to train him to build a manlier physique lately. Maybe you two could practice sword swinging together to try and shed a few pounds?”

Kurisu stood and gave him a withered look. When she bent over him like that, Okabe could notice that her face was rounder too.

“In this heat? You really must have suffered some brain damage from being out there too long. Speaking of which, I’m going to get another refill. Do you want some more?”

“No, I’m good thanks…”

“Alright, more for me I suppose.”

He had to admit the look did suit her. It was like watching a butterfly emerge from its chrysalis, as Kurisu’s teenage form exploded onto the cusp of womanhood. Mayuri still had a way to go so it would be nice to have someone with a more developed figure around the lab to keep up morale. It was depressing to acknowledge Daru as having the largest cup-size amongst its members.

“One for now and two for later,” Kurisu spoke out loud as she loaded the fridge up again. “Just in case you change your mind?”

She activated the flash freeze.