Fractal Androgynous Is the eigth chapter of the Steins;Gate visual novel, it also features the Luka Urushibara alternate ending
Plot[]
After spending one last moment with her father, Rintaro sends the D-Mail and Akiba is back to normal. He grabs a surprised Faris, holding her tight. Later, he heads to the shrine to see if the IBN 5100 was back in place but as he expected, it has still gone missing. He confirms the timeline hadn’t shifted enough yet by going to Suzuha’s home to collect the Divergence Meter again.
The next D-Mail to undo was to stop Luka being born as a girl. He had a hard time breaking the truth to her at the shrine. She cried upset that the Rintaro she was so fond of saw her as a boy. Mayuri was very angry – for the first time. Asking for Kurisu’ help didn’t work either. Kurisu suggested Luka goes through a brain scan to prove she was really a boy. Eventually, just like Faris, Luka reveals she too has memories of what the world was like before the D-Mail too. She was willing to undo the D-Mail if Rintaro would promise her one thing… A few days of dating. She confesses her feelings for him.
Dating someone who he knew was originally male wasn’t easy for Rintaro of course but remembering Luka was truly a girl, she looked kind of cute. Still, he reluctantly agrees and knows he mustn’t grow too attached or it will become very hard to undo the D-Mail after the dates are over. Before the dates, Rintaro sits down together with Kurisu at the maid cafes reading a “How to Date” book.
Over the following days, he does his best to follow the instructions as he and Luka dine out and walk around together. It was really awkward and although Luka said she was really happy, Rintaro felt she was lying. What’s more, she remembers the time when she had surrounded by Otaku cosplay photographers. It was odd that she remembers herself being harassed when she was trying to explain she was really a male.
Eventually, Rintaro realises perhaps treating her the same way as when she was a boy was best. He time leaps back to before the dates and brings the Katana to the shrine, putting on his Kyouma ego on again and making her practice. Indeed, it was really the best way Luka could be happy. Suddenly she recalls storing away the IBN 5100 into a public locker several months ago so that she could clean out the shed. It was so heavy she broke it while transporting it there. They go check the locker but it was no longer there. Reversing what her D-Mail changed was the only way to prevent any more unpredictable changes from happening.
Just before she writes the D-Mail to send back, she holds Rintaro tightly, crying in tears.
Rintaro reluctantly sends the D-Mail, angry at himself that he must destroy the happiness of yet another person. Soon, he finds himself still standing at the shrine but it appeared Luka was back to a male again.
Link of Corruption and Rebirth[]
Luka and Okabe with their child
Rintaro decides it was too much sacrificing the happiness of others. He doesn’t send the D-Mail and decides to spend the remaining time with Mayuri at ComiMa. When the fated hour came, Mayuri suddenly couldn’t breathe and died from suffocation. Only he, Kurisu and Lukako knows what really happened. Kurisu did not blame Rintaro for giving up meddling with time but she did think he should take responsibility with that certain person he had shifted the timeline for.
Lukako was very sad that Mayuri died but she knew that if she wanted to be with Rintaro, she can’t send the D-Mail. Instead, she decides to time leap herself and fulfil Mayuri’s wish to see Lukako cosplay at ComiMa. Sharing the guilty conscience that they could have saved Mayuri, Lukako and Rintaro is married and have a child.
Characters[]
By order of apparence: TBA
Chapter Title Explanation[]
TBA