Everything is a choice in Steins;Gate

“Late again. This time, it’s you who’s late, huh? •᷄ࡇ•᷅”

Yang Yuan hadn’t even finished stepping in front of the Hero Center when the text was shoved right into his face.

Lu Qingyin had snuck up on him—who knew when—and was now leaning in with a lollipop dangling from her lips, tilting her head with a teasing smirk.

“My bad, sorry, sorry,” Yang Yuan said helplessly, spreading his hands.

He couldn’t exactly explain that he was late because his little childhood sweetheart had spent nearly ten minutes that morning whining for one last goodbye kiss before he could even leave the house.

Lu Qingyin giggled, didn’t press further, and reached out to grab his wrist—clearly planning to use her ability to teleport him straight to her sister.

“Hold on—can we skip the ability this time?”

“I don’t want to experience that spinning, nauseating mess again.”

Yang Yuan rubbed his stomach, his face twisting at the mere memory of the last teleport. The dizziness still haunted him.

Seeing his genuinely terrified expression, Lu Qingyin—though clearly reluctant—finally let go and nodded in agreement.

Side by side, they walked into the Hero Center. Staff in various uniforms rushed past, and occasionally, women with striking auras passed through dedicated corridors—undoubtedly official heroes.

“By the way, what’s your rank? Why have I never heard of you before?”

Walking down the wide, echoing corridor, Yang Yuan couldn’t help but ask.

Lu Qingyin shifted the lollipop to the other side of her mouth and typed a message.

‘I’m just a Hero Reserve.’

“Reserve?”

Yang Yuan had never heard the term. He didn’t pay much attention to hero rankings and knew little about the system.

Lu Qingyin seemed to sense his confusion. For once, she patiently began to explain, her fingers flying across the screen.

‘The hero system is strictly divided.’

‘At the very top are the ranked heroes, No. 1 to No. 10. They’re the nation’s trump cards. They only act in times of extreme crisis.’

‘Next are the active heroes, ranks No. 11 to No. 50. These are the ones the public sees as top-tier heroes. They handle major superpowered disasters independently.’

‘Below them are certified heroes without specific ranks. They’re the backbone of the Alliance, dealing with everyday superpowered crimes and minor incidents. They’re also the largest group.’

‘And Hero Reserves are usually new recruits who’ve passed the initial screening. They need to pass internal promotion exams and complete a set number of tasks to become official heroes.’

Yang Yuan was stunned by her typing speed. He asked one more question.

“So what’s your special case?”

‘Sister said the two of us together make up the complete No. 1 hero—the Prophet.’

‘So I don’t need to go through the normal promotion process. I can just stay as a Reserve.’

It sounded like she was admitting she was a nepo baby.

But Yang Yuan knew the truth—Lu Qingyin’s unpredictable space-travel ability, if fully developed, had a ceiling so high it was terrifying.

Soon, they entered what looked like a completely ordinary office.

“Whoa. I didn’t expect the No. 1 hero’s office to be this simple.”

Yang Yuan looked around, reminded of those legendary old masters in novels who lived like janitors.

“Of course. I value my own safety.”

“So you went through all this trouble to get me here—what exactly do you want me to do?” he asked bluntly.

Luo Jinghong leaned back, hands folded over her stomach.

“I need you to work here as a psychological counselor.”

“A psychological counselor? How does that connect to our goals?”

Yang Yuan was baffled. Saving Su Xiaoyou and preventing world destruction—how did either of those have anything to do with being a therapist?

“I don’t know,” Luo Jinghong admitted honestly, surprising him.

“Right after you accepted my offer, I saw a new future.”

“In that future, you were the Chief Psychological Advisor of the Hero Alliance.”

Yang Yuan absorbed the information, speechless for a moment.

“You’re sure this is reliable?”

“Actually, I find it strange too. This has never happened before.”

“My [Future Vision] can see countless branches, but the general direction is usually fixed.”

“But your arrival… it’s like you’re creating entirely new futures out of thin air.”

“Guess I’m pretty amazing then,” Yang Yuan mused, stroking his chin with a self-satisfied smirk.

Luo Jinghong actually laughed.

“Relax. Everything is the choice of the Steins;Gate.”

“You watch anime too?” Yang Yuan couldn’t help but tease.

“Occasionally.”

She handed him an ID card. His photo and name were printed on it, along with a new title: [Specialist Psychological Advisor].

“Your office is ready. Xiao Yin will take you there.”

“Now let’s see what kind of miracle you can bring to this doomed world.”

As he followed Lu Qingyin, Yang Yuan couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d been tricked by the No. 1 hero.

A psychological counselor—giving “mental support” to a bunch of female heroes with wildly different personalities?

But the more he thought about it, the more he realized… this job might actually be kind of fun.

****

Monday morning. The research wing of the Hero Center was always quiet.

Li Yu’an, as usual, was the first to arrive.

She changed into her white lab coat, tied her long hair into a neat bun, and began her daily equipment checks.

Since Li Yu’an wasn’t a combat-type hero—and because her ability came with such embarrassing side effects—she had dedicated herself to researching “ability-attuned artifacts.”

She was trying to stabilize and seal her [Jade-Holding Holy Light] energy into specially designed items, creating one-time healing tools.

This way, she could provide efficient medical support while minimizing the risk of triggering her side effects.

But today, her focus was off.

This woman, once known only for her dedication to work and research, had become strangely sentimental since meeting Yang Yuan.

Every few seconds, her gaze drifted to the phone on her desk.

On the screen, a message she’d sent earlier remained unanswered.

“Good morning.”

Two simple words. No reply.

“Why hasn’t he replied yet? He should be awake by now.”

“Is Yang Yuan still asleep? Or… does he find it annoying that I send good morning messages every day?”

The Monday morning fatigue, combined with Yang Yuan’s silence, left a tight knot in her chest.

She gave up on calibrating the equipment, pulled out a chair, and slumped forward, resting her forehead on the cool lab table with a quiet sigh.

Just then, the lab door opened. Two support researchers walked in, their conversation breaking the silence.

“Did you hear? The new psychological counseling room opened today.”

“I know! I just saw the photos in the group chat. The new counselor is actually pretty handsome. I’m gonna try to book an appointment. I’ve been feeling so stressed lately.”

“You don’t have any stress. You just want to flirt with a guy.”

The short-haired girl mercilessly called out her friend, then clarified.

“Besides, you’re dreaming. That counseling room is only for heroes. We regular staff have to go to the Employee Psychological Support Center on the third floor.”

Li Yu’an, still slumped at her desk, heard every word—but didn’t react.

Psychological counseling? In her eyes, it was just a gimmick. Useless.

Real mental strength could only be built through willpower. Seeking help from others was just a sign of weakness.

She reached for her noise-canceling headphones, ready to block out the idle chatter—when one of the girls added:

“Too bad. I even memorized his name. The new counselor’s name is Yang Yuan, I think. Exactly my type.”

The moment “Yang Yuan” was spoken, Li Yu’an shot up and stood in front of them.

“How do I book an appointment at the counseling room? Can I do it now?”

Li Yu’an’s impatience made the two researchers look at each other in confusion, and they all had the same doubts in their hearts.

This was the first time they saw the [Saint] look so out of control and full of desire under the sacred halo.