Saitama National University.
I'm in the science department, enjoying my campus lifestyle.
Come to think of it, Kanade, you're in Ikeda's research group, right?
I am. Why?
You're so lucky. There're a lot of women there, aren't there?
Yeah. It's about half women. It's pretty unusual, isn't it?
It's all guys where I am.
And they've all got black hair and glasses.
Our department's pretty much all like that.
There're only three girls in our year, after all.
I'm heading to the lab.
See you later!
Information & Computer Sciences
Our field, InfoSci, or Information and Computer Science...
(Natural Science)
looks at natural science...
There's suddenly a huge recession.
(Natural Science)
(Social Science)
...social science...
I'm suddenly totally ripped!
(Natural Science)
(Social Science)
(Human Science)
...and human science.
All of the information in the world, and aims to mathematically analyze it.
Information
(Natural Science)
(Social Science)
(Human Science)
Information
So, we use computers for things like calculations and programming.
In InfoSci, you're done with lecture halls in three years.
Starting in your fourth year, everyone gets attached to a research group,
where you help with research and work on writing your thesis.
And here...
Ikeda's Research Lab
in Ikeda's research lab, students overflowing with wisdom,
Kanade
Himuro
Yukimura
Ibarada
In Room
4th Dimension
Gone Home
strive daily in their research.
Kanade
Himuro
Yukimura
Good morning!
Huh?
She's so not doing research...
Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It
Saitama University 2nd year graduate student Ibarada Ena Height: 142 cm Weight: ? Blood type: AB Hobbies: Gaming, manga, novels, subcultures in general Favorite foods: Japanese sweets Favorite phrase: Wearing black showcases a woman's beauty Idol: Umehara Daigo Future goals: To live on an annuity
Proof 2 Science-types Fell in Love, So They Tried Experiments.
Ibarada-senpai,
were you up all night gaming again?
Yeah.
The limited event only goes until today, and I fell asleep.
You've gotta make up for stuff like that.
I've gotta pull some gachas, too.
You could, at least, narrow it down to playing just one.
In the Ikeda lab, you can come when you want and go home when you want.
You can eat whatever food and snacks you want, too.
Still, it is a shared living space.
A certain degree of moderation should be observed.
Okay.
This place is a research lab.
It's our duty to take all the various problems in the world,
conduct a mathematical analysis,
and explain them. That's why we spend every day researching.
Now...
I, Yukimura Shinya, will begin my heart-rate monitoring experiment!
Yukimura-kun.
You're too far away.
Could it be that you are embarrassed to have your heart rate increased?
Of course not.
This is in the pursuit of accurate data.
Really?
Then why are you running away?
Any given thing requires a certain amount of mental preparation.
Kanade-chan, catch him!
Huh? What?
Yukimura-senpai?
I-I'm so sorry! It was a reflex! I didn't mean to!
Are you okay?!
Yukimura-senpai!
Please, wake up!
Does Kanade-chan have a black belt in something?
H-H-Hey!
What's the meaning of this?
Why is it necessary to tie me up?
Himuro-senpai asked me to...
I'm sorry.
Yukimura-kun, you ran away. We have no choice.
I was not running away!
It was mental preparation to ensure that conditions were as close to normal as possible!
Hey! Are you listening, Himuro?
Let's see...
In order to make a man's heart race...
I see.
Something like this, I wonder.
7 Ways to Make a Man's Heart Race
Stare into his eyes. Get close.
Physical Contact
Interesting. It's not just touching,
but having him touch you seems to be effective, as well.
In that case, Yukimura-kun,
you have permission to touch me.
Where?
My head?
I wonder if it'd be okay to go home now...
Experiment 1
Point-blank range,
patting Himuro's head.
How about it, Yukimura-kun?
Are you experiencing any sensation of an increased heart rate?
I don't know, myself.
What principle is allowing her hair to move?
That should do it.
Wait.
Let's measure for another ten minutes.
Is that much time necessary?
There's nothing wrong with having more data.
You said so yourself, didn't you, Yukimura-kun?
That's some crazy stuff you're doing there, you two.
Ibarada.
This has nothing to do with you.
That's Ibarada-se-n-pa-i.
So, what's this experiment about?
We were doing an experiment to find proof of whether one party loves another or not.
Himuro-senpai's in love, you see, with Yukimura-senpai.
W-We haven't established that for certain yet.
Really...
We were just monitoring Yukimura-kun's heart rate.
Like this.
Flow of time
Heart rate
Begin head patting
End head patting
It can't be!
His heart rate's so high!
Himuro-senpai, yours was high, but isn't his higher?
What's this? Yukimura-kun, your heart was racing pretty fast, too.
Well... you know... This was...
Hey, guys.
Did you run a control in your experiment?
If you're referring to resting heart rate, we did measure that.
Not that. The person.
Um... Ibarada-senpai...
What do you mean by "control"?
In short...
Is A responding to B with an increased heart rate?
This is the objective of the experiment you were running.
To investigate this, you need to run an experiment where "B" isn't there for comparison.
That's a scientific control.
whoosh
No stimulus applied to A.
Heart rate
Right now, you're comparing results to an experiment where A is doing nothing.
whoosh
No stimulus applied to A.
Heart rate
ba-dump ba-dump
A gets close to B and pats head.
Heart rate
Comparison
Scientific Control (negative control)
This is called a negative control.
It's used as a scientific control when no response is expected.
However...
ba-dump ba-dump
A gets close to B and pats head.
In this case, comparison to a situation in which the other party is C is also necessary.
A gets close to C and pats head.
ba-dump ba-dump
A gets close to B and pats head.
A gets close to C and pats head.
Otherwise, you can't prove that the other party must be B.
Comparison
That's true.
Ibarada-senpai, you're amazing!
A gets close to C and pats head
A gets close to B and pats head
Comparison
In the experiment you were performing,
there's no way to tell if the given factors are affecting the results, so it's pretty pointless.
It might work at a reference level.
Which is why...
Let's begin an experiment now.
Is this man's heart racing because of Himuro...
Or...
is he some scumbag jerk who gets excited with any woman?
Experiment 2
Point-blank range,
patting Kanade's head.
I'm doing it.
Well, I guess this is okay...
Why am I doing this?
Oh. The way Yukimura-senpai is patting my head is surprisingly gentle.
Experiment 3
Point-blank range,
patting Ibarada's head.
Ibarada! You little...! Unhand me!
Heart rate
Begin head patting
End head patting
Flow of time
Ex. 1 (Himuro)
Ex. 2 (Kanade)
Ex. 3 (Ibarada)
Average resting heart rate
They're all about the same?!
Himuro, these results, they're...
Yukimura-kun.
It works for you regardless of the woman?
No!
You're disgusting. You beast!
I'm telling you, it's not like that!
To be completely honest...
When a woman gets close to me, I get so nervous, my heart rate skyrockets.
After all, I've lived my life thus far having absolutely no interactions with women.
That's not the kind of thing you say with that kind of cocky attitude.
You're pathetic.
Silence!
Still...
You two have gone and picked a thorny field of research.
There's no guarantee the change in heart rate's because of love,
so how do you prove that mutual love is present?
Well, do the best you can, Himuro, Yukimura.
Hey, Himuro.
I've got a list of the close associations I've had up to now.
And? What about it?
It's proof that I've never done anything like this with a woman...
It isn't like I think you're lying.
Then why are you angry?
No reason. I'm not angry.
Yes, you are.
No, I'm not.
You are angry.
Just leave it already, Yukimura-kun.
But, I mean...
She just messed up the place and fell asleep.
This is Ibarada-senpai.
She's small, super skilled, moody, and
she's our boss cat.
Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It
There are many ways to have a meal on campus.
You can use the school cafeteria...
or buy something at convenience stores or lunch-to-go places.
I tend to buy from convenience stores
because that way I can buy snacks, too!
There's a refrigerator in the lab, as well.
Though, the only thing in there is alcohol...
Kitchen
In the hallway of the floor our lab is on,
there's a shared kitchen, so you can even cook for yourself, if you want.
Though, there aren't many people who use it...
I'm beat!
Honestly, it's because that senpai of mine shows no mercy.
Read these immediately. Papers in your field of study.
I know I need to decide on a theme for my research as soon as possible, but...
I can't take any more English!
Huh?
Oh, man.
Guess I have no choice.
Himuro-senpai, I'm going out to buy some things. Did you want...
Wait. Huh?
Yukimura-senpai isn't here, either.
They were both there a little while ago.
I wonder if they started another weird experiment.
Now.
Let's begin cooking.
Yukimura-kun...
you can't start cooking looking like that.
Where did you bring that from?
I borrowed it from the Sawamura lab.
We can't use it. Go return it.
This is the first time I've seen them use the kitchen.
I wonder what they're making.
Yukimura-kun, you can start by sautéing the shirasu. I'll prep the vegetables.
Wow! That looks yummy!
Are they making it for their dinner?
TODAY'S MENU
All we need to do is follow this recipe, right?
That should prove no difficulty.
Prepare 50g shirasu.
Sauté for two minutes.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six...
Add a pinch of salt.
What does it mean by "a pinch"?!
State the measurement rounded to three significant figures!
Trying to do things "precisely" is one of the sad things about being a science-type...
Significant Figures
Significant figures!
When science-types cook, they try to do things in a weirdly precise way...
It's the kind of thing that happens with science-types, bear.
Now, then! This time it's significant figures, bear!
Of words science-types are likely to love, it ranks in the top 12!
Around there anyway, bear.
2 servings
Eggs
whole
Salt, pepper
Spinach
bunch
Mayonnaise
Salad oil
Imagine that this is how things were written in a recipe book, bear.
Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle!
If it were me, I'd cook that book in a frying pan until it burned to nothing, bear.
Stupid piece of trash, bear!
These numbers are 12-digit significant figures, bear.
It's beyond moronic, so I rounded them to three-digits and here they are, bear!
2 servings
Eggs
whole
Salt, pepper
Spinach
bunch
Mayonnaise
Salad oil
It's still got a lingering air of garbage to it, bear,
but it's a lot easier to understand now, bear.
In short, the number of digits in a significant figure is the number of digits that carry meaning.
Well, at any rate,
starting tomorrow, you can start referring to them as significant figures, bear.
With this, you're a fully-fledged science-type, too, bear!
A pinch of salt is an eighth of a teaspoon...
So, 0.625g then...
In that case, just list it that way to start with.
Yukimura-kun.
Being precise is all very well, but...
in cooking, the important thing is the proper administration of affection!
Affection?
It's not like you to be so unscientific.
Are you saying that something so insubstantial will make the food taste better?
I suppose an uber-novice cook like you wouldn't understand.
What did you just say?
Does love make food taste better?
Love type I (practical love) Adjusts recipe. This type of love changes the flavor.
Love type II (psychological love) Flavor is unchanged. This type of affection affects the mind.
According to my definition,
there are two systems of injecting affection into cooking.
Ghost Chili
He likes spicy food, so I'll make it just a little spicy.
You adjust the recipe. This type of affection changes the flavor.
Love type I (practical love) Adjusts recipe. This type of love changes the flavor.
Love type I. Practical love.
I'll arrange it nicely so it looks more delicious.
The flavor remains unchanged, but this type of affection affects the mind.
Love type II (psychological love) Flavor is unchanged. This type of affection affects the mind.
Love type II. Psychological love.
Psychological love?
Something like that's never going to make food taste better.
You think so?
Take two dishes which are exactly the same, A and B.
Depending on mental state and other factors, they can taste completely different.
Dish A
U-Um...
I worked really hard to make this, so...
Will you eat it? Only if you want to...
This, or...
Dish B
This.
D i s h A
D i s h B
Which would taste better?
It's clear that dish A would taste better, right?
Very clear.
Well, I suppose.
Please don't use me as a model without asking!
Oh! Kanade-chan. You were listening?
But Himuro's assertion is still no more than supposition.
How can one prove that it has become more delicious?
If I'm not mistaken,
Bitter
Savory
Bitter
Sweet
Savory
Salty
Sour
Salty
Sour
they have a device which can quantify flavor, a "taste sensor," over at Keio U.
Should we use it to compare the flavor of dishes A and B?
But there's no such thing as a "correct" flavor,
and every individual has different preferences.
Additionally, with the idea you've presented,
we would have to use the subject's favorite foods as the average,
calculate trends in preferred flavors,
Loves sweet food!
Sweet
Savory
Salty
Bitter
Sour
and then see which dish, A or B, came closest.
Loves sweet food!
Sweet
Savory
Salty
Bitter
Sour
Comparison 1
Comparison 2
That would be very time- and labor-intensive.
Then what's to be done?
There's a much simpler method.
What?
Dish A
Dish B
Which tastes better? (Which one has love in it?)
A is yummy
A has love
Love infusion success!
You take the dishes,
one with love and one without, and set them out so that you can't tell which is which,
then you have someone taste them to see which tastes better.
Yeah. That wouldn't work, would it?
As an experiment, it would be highly inaccurate, however...
It might work as a rough estimate.
It's simple, too. Shall we try it?
For real?
Wow, you're really good at that!
Do you cook often?
Well, more than Yukimura-kun does, I suppose.
Yukimura is standing by in another room.
I wonder if Yukimura-kun will be able to notice the love.
Kanade-chan, do you think love makes food more delicious?
Me?
I...
I think it does.
So, how are you going to infuse it with love?
Well...
When Yukimura-kun gets fired up about research, he always forgets to eat,
so he's always eating soy bars.
I'd like to make him something nutritious, something that will give him energy.
That sounds wonderful! I just know Yukimura-senpai will feel it!
For a 23-year-old male of 177 cm and 63 kg,
this would be the necessary nutrition for one day.
I'll divide that by three and enhance the nutritional value of the eggs, milk, and butter...
I'll augment the deficiencies with a general vitamin supplement.
Add some water-soluble vegetable fiber.
Plus just a little plant-based liquid silica concentrate.
That doesn't look like love so much as... way overdoing the supplements.
There. It's done.
Now, then. To make absolutely certain...
What is it?
So, this is the most reliable method?
It's ready, Yukimura-kun.
Th-This is...
Now, which tastes better?
For Yukimura-kun
Dish A
Dish B
Hold on.
There's no point to the experiment this way!
Don't make me repeat myself!
Which tastes better?
It's B!
Of course B is more delicious! There can be no question.
For Yukimura-kun
If it has something like this written on it!
Correct.
This is the system of "affection" which applies to cooking.
Even just watching this is embarrassing!
Those two were just as energetically crazy as ever.
Guess I'll read the rest of those papers.
I didn't end up going out to buy anything, either.
Eat this, Kanade.
Huh?
Yukimura-senpai?
Eggs, shirasu, spinach.
It uses ingredients which help stimulate the brain.
The most foolish are those who study less diligently than the idiots.
Exert every effort in your studies, so that you don't become one of them.
Good luck reading all those papers.
Th-Thank you very much.
Oh. So that's what it was.
They were making it for me.
No matter how you look at it, my senpai are weirdos,
but somehow, they just don't allow you hate them.
Okay! I'm gonna read through all those papers!
Next Time
Proof 3 Science-types Fell in Love, So They Try Planning a Date.
Next time, Proof 3.
"Science-types Fell in Love, So They Try Planning a Date."