The only one who seemed unfazed was Mashiro, whose eyes occasionally gleamed with wisdom as she analyzed the screen.
"Go here." Mashiro pointed at a spot on the screen.
Without hesitation, Eriri controlled the character to move there.
Suddenly, a giant skull emerged from the darkness and crushed the character.
"AHHHHHHH!!"
GAME OVER.
The bold, ominous words flashed across the screen as Eriri screamed.
Mashiro blinked innocently. "Huh? Dead again?"
No one answered her.
Eriri had already tossed the mouse aside and thrown herself into Mahiru's arms, trembling.
Mahiru, though less dramatic, had turned pale and stiff as a board.
Watching the chaos unfold, Mugiho sighed and shook his head.
"Honestly, I'm warning you guys. The ending of this game is not going to be pleasant."
He remembered watching a review video on a certain streaming site in his past life.
To sum it up, this game would break even the most mentally stable players.
Whether you had a heart or not, you'd still be emotionally wrecked.
The only true winner was the Demon.
But of course, the girls didn't take his advice seriously.
[189] The Legendary Scene of "Steins;Gate"!
Eriri shot him another glare.
"Please. Aside from Steins;Gate, when did your games ever had a happy ending?"
She looked as if she were not scared at all.
Of course.
If only her body hadn't been trembling when she said that, it would have been far more convincing.
In response to Eriri's complaint, Akifumi scratched his nose.
"Even if you say that, this work is quite special among my past work."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Eriri waved impatiently. "Just go do your thing."
Akifumi shook his head.
Since things had already come to this point, there was no need to persuade them further.
Returning to his room, Akifumi turned on his computer and checked the comments on the post he had made the day before.
"Cleared the game! The story is simple, but the level design is ingenious. Super fun!"
"Simple story? This is one of the rarest perfect endings ever!"
"If this were any other developer, yeah, it'd be simple. But coming from you, Sensei, this ending is anything but simple!"
"Ugh, the frog scene was such an emotional gut-punch... but at least the ending was good!"
"Seeing Viola escape from the witch's house and being saved by her father was just too sweet! And coming from the 'Warrior of Love and Hope' Sensei, this sugar hit even harder!"
"Sensei, we've cleared the game. Where's the follow-up you promised?"
"Didn't Sensei say we need to unlock all the endings first? There must be other routes, right?"
"Of course! Did you guys miss the 'End?' after the credits?"
"I've played through it twice and didn't notice any difference."
"+1. Did we miss something along the way? My head hurts."
"How did you guys clear it so fast? It's been an hour, and I'm still stuck in that reference room. Is this a bug?!"
"Reference room? Check the walls carefully."
"There's already a guide out if you're really lost. But honestly, solving puzzles yourself is way more satisfying."
"Exactly. Following a guide ruins the fun. Might as well just watch a Let's Play."
"Sensei, please give us more stories with perfect endings in the future!"
"+1."
"+2."
"By the way, isn't Steins;Gate updating tonight?"
"...Don't bring up Steins;Gate! I'll start crying over Mayushii again!"
"Damn it, my good mood just evaporated."
"But didn't Sensei promise a perfect ending this time? What's there to be sad about?"
"Do you really trust Sensei to be that kind?"
"Maybe it's just bait for the game, 'The Witch's House.'"
"But... Sensei has never lied to us before, right?"
"Well, whatever. We'll find out tonight anyway."
"A perfect ending, huh?" Akifumi smirked.
"These guys completely misunderstood because they couldn't figure out the truth. Can't blame me for that, right?"
After all, neither the fake ending nor the true ending was actually happy.
The former was because players hadn't uncovered the truth, while the latter laid everything bare for them to see.
"I just hope they won't be too heartbroken when they reach the true ending. Amen."
He tapped on his screen a few times and opened the creator's backend on Steam.
"Whoa..."
Seeing the sales figures, Akifumi Mugiho couldn't help but suck in a breath.
133,493 copies sold!
That's a whopping 186 million yen!
Even with the platform taking a 30% cut, it was far better than the measly royalties from book publishing.
Of course, the two industries couldn't be directly compared.
Publishing involved rent, utilities, staff salaries, printing costs, and equipment maintenance. Plus, bookstores wouldn't buy inventory at the suggested retail price.
Though the publishing industry was profitable for the big shots, the process was exhausting and full of red tape.
Akifumi had no interest in dealing with that.
That said, game development wasn't as easy as it seemed either.
Selling over 130,000 copies within 12 hours, without any promotional slots, was something only someone like Akifumi, who already had a solid fanbase, could pull off.
Combined with a well-crafted story and word-of-mouth promotion, the sales kept climbing steadily.
"Still, out of 130,000 players, not a single one found the true ending?"
"These players are hopeless."
Shaking off his stray thoughts, Akifumi put on a serious expression.
He still had a few illustrations left for the prequel to 'The Witch's House.'
If the players unlocked all the endings and he didn't deliver the promised content, that would be embarrassing.
"Let's finish everything today!"
Time flew by, and soon, it was 8 PM.
The long-awaited episode 23 of 'Steins;Gate' was released.
Though Mayuri's death had broken everyone's hearts, Akifumi's post from the previous day sparked hope among the fans.
Could Kurisu really be saved this time?
With bated breath, the audience pressed play.
As the story unfolded, the anticipation built.
The timeline had been restored, and Suzuha once again found Okabe.
And In the near future, World War III would still break out, with countless lives lost.
The root cause? The time machine.
Suzuha begged Okabe to help her change the future.
But Okabe refused.
After all, this was the timeline where he sacrificed Kurisu to prevent the worst-case scenario.
If he helped now, everything would have been for nothing.
"But what if... the key to preventing World War III is saving Kurisu from being stabbed that day?"
The moment Suzuha said that, chills ran down the spines of every viewer.
Goosebumps erupted.
"Everything is connected. Every timeline influences the same future."
"This story... is truly a masterpiece."
On screen, Okabe's hesitation faded as he accepted Suzuha's request.
It wasn't for world peace.
It was to save the woman he lovedKurisu Makise.
But, to everyone's shock, this rescue attempt ended in failure.
And the killer who stabbed Kurisu... was none other than Okabe himself.
In that moment, one thought echoed through the minds of all the viewers:
"Damn it you trick us again, you bastard!"
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[190] A Work That Only Brings Pain!
Without a doubt, the two plot twists in this episode have elevated Steins;Gate to the final step of ascending to masterpiece!
The previous storyline had already amazed and shocked the audience.
The continuous time travel, altering event after event to restore the twisted timeline to its original state, left everyone's scalp tingling with the intricate logic.
But if that were all, people would simply consider it a near-masterpiece.
And they would pity the two heroines who could never be obtained.
However...
With this episode's broadcast, that impression was completely shattered!
The two seemingly unexpected yet inevitable developments elevated the entire story to new heights!
According to Suzuha's original statement, as long as one remains on the same world line, no matter how much effort is made, the same ending will be reached.
This is the convergence of the world line.
To save Mayuri, one must escape this line and reach another one, which is exactly what Okabe had painstakingly achieved!
Yet, these two seemingly unrelated lines both pointed to the same future in this episode
Which is a World War!
Without Mayuri, this tragedy unfolds.
Without Kurisu, the same tragedy occurs.
Upon deeper thought, doesn't this imply that they still haven't escaped the convergence and interference of the world line?
Only by achieving the final, perfect ending can true salvation be accomplished
To truly... change the future!
This perfect logical loop carries an unparalleled aesthetic.
Not to mention the storyline that emerged from it was simply breathtaking.
The combination of both has truly propelled this work to the level of a masterpiece!
Without a doubt, as this episode ended, the comments under Akifumi's social media account exploded!
"From now on, I declare Steins;Gate as my eternal god-tier anime!"
"I used to scoff when the creator said it would be a happy ending. What could be more perfect than the ending of episode 22? The answer finally revealed itself in episode 23!!"
"Ugh, this is exactly Warrior of Love and Hope-sensei style! Never inflicting pain for the sake of pain, but letting the plot unfold the pain naturally!"
"Finally, sensei didn't break my heart this time. This time, I feel healed!"
"Although this episode ended with the tragedy of Okabe killing his own love one, seeing Okabe's pained expression didn't make me want to cry. I actually wanted to laugh!"
"Sorry, I already burst out laughing!!"
"Those who called Steins;Gate trash, come out! I just want to ask, does your face hurt now?!"
"I wish I could go back to the day Steins;Gate first aired and punch the me who doubted sensei skills!"
"Stop roasting, stop roasting, I know I was wrong."
"No matter which world line, I will always love Kurisu. This is the choice of Steins;Gate!! So edgy, but so cool!!"
"Dropping and picking this anime back up was the best decision I made this year!!"
"Watching this episode reminds me of Okabe, who tirelessly traveled through world lines to save Mayuri.
"He would speak to her in the gentlest tone, understand her prayers as she reached for the sky, and hold her hand, saying, 'This is our promise.' Even if, in the end, he would be with the person who meant more to him."
"The future is unpredictable. Just like this reunion, the future holds infinite possibilities. This is the voice of Steins;Gate!"
"How can such an amazing anime exist? This is the peak of anime in recent years!!"
"Episode 1: Confused. Episode 11: Bored. Episode 12: Shocked. Episode 22: Crying like a fountain. Episode 23: Mind-blown!!"
"I really want to open up sensei brain to see what's inside that could come up with such an incredible story!!"
"Sounds a bit terrifying, but I want to see too!"
"I wonder how the final episode will save Kurisu!"
"Can't wait! Can't wait!!"
"I'm so happy, I decided to buy the creator's game to celebrate!"
"Me too!!"
"..."
Seeing the flood of comments, Akifumi sighed with mixed emotions.
Despite the praise, why couldn't he feel any joy?
It felt like there was subtle mockery hidden between these comment!
And when he saw the last comment, Akifumi's expression turned to shock.
"Wait, what!?"
He instinctively opened the creator's backend on the Steam platform, only to find that within the last thirty minutes, sales had increased by over 5,000 copies!!
"Creating a happy ending once in a while can actually boost sales?!"
Akifumi clicked his tongue, a bright smile appearing on his face once again.
These guys could've avoided this, but in their excitement, they acted so impulsively.
"I hope they don't realize the truth too soon."
Otherwise, he'd worry that the good mood they just gained would vanish in an instant.
"Phew."
"I finally found it!"
Even as the words "Game Over" appeared on the screen, Kasumigaoka Utaha's face lit up with a bright smile.
After finishing her work for the day, the girl rushed back to her rented apartment and carefully combed through the game story from the beginning.
Yet, until the very end, she couldn't find anything different from before, leaving her utterly puzzled.
Until the final chase scene, where she entered room after room and found the item named "Ellen's Knife" in a cabinet!
Though she hadn't reached the ending yet, Utaha knew the truth of the story was within her grasp!
"It was worth skipping episode 23 of Steins;Gate for this!"
She took a sip of water and resumed her serious expression as she reloaded the game.
With her previous experience, she smoothly obtained Ellen's Knife.
After some clever maneuvering, she successfully exited the house.
Just like before, she used the delicate little bottle to wither the witch's rose and advanced to the next map.
The screen transitioned to a cutscene.
The blonde girl, Viola, walked forward as the background rapidly faded away.
The screen dimmed, as if sinking into an abyss.
The purple-haired witch, with a broken body, appeared at the top of the screen.
"As expected!"
Utaha's heart leapt with joythe joy of discovering the truth after countless efforts.
"What will change in the story this time~"
In her eager gaze, the animation continued.
[Half-bodied girl: ...Ye... go...]
With a few flashes, the witch was only a few meters away from Viola.
[Half-bodied girl: Yo yo...]
Without any fear, Viola took a few steps closer.
A line of dialogue appeared:
[Viola: Huh. You're so stubborn.]
Even without voice acting, the impatience in the girl's words was clear.
Then, a flash of red light swept across the screen, accompanied by a striking sound effect.
[Viola: How long are you planning to chase after me? You know that body won't last long.]
[Half-Body Girl: ...Mm... Eh... Oh... Ah...]
Viola turned around, taking a few steps back to distance herself from the witch.
Suddenly, the scene before her flickered, and in the upper half of the screen, a close-up of Viola's face appeared, tilted slightly.
