Although she had nominally proactively requested to be demoted to the position of Director's secretary, the actual amount of work Olga Marie had to handle hadn't decreased much.
Ultimately, it was because she wanted to ensure that the massive organization left behind by her father could continue to operate.
Of course.
Achieving this wasn't easy.
At least... it wasn't easy right now.
Every time she saw the death list filled with the names of her former colleagues, Olga Marie's heart would ache with pain.
She deeply regretted why she had trusted Lev so much back then, leading to such a terrible mistake.
However——
Regret was regret, but after Ian's guidance, Olga Marie knew that just being remorseful was useless.
She had to find a way to make up for everything, to fill the big hole she had dug with her own hands.
Because of this, by the time the tired Olga Marie learned that Fujimaru Ritsuka was learning magecraft from Ian, several days had already passed.
And under such circumstances, Olga Marie went through some trouble before finally finding the room 016 where the two were.
Although it was already night.
But Olga Marie, who was focused on finding the two of them, didn't care about all that—she didn't even notice who the room originally belonged to.
But something unexpected happened at this moment.
She was just about to knock on the door when she found that it wasn't locked at all.
"What are they doing... not locking the door at night, aren't they afraid something will happen?" Olga Marie muttered in complaint, then realized something.
It seemed...
It was impossible for anything to happen.
At this moment, the only people left in the entire world were those in Chaldea.
Given the current shortage of manpower, let alone not locking the door, even if it was wide open, it was impossible for anyone else to come here.
Thinking this way, Olga Marie couldn't help but feel a little sad again.
But realizing that this wouldn't do, the Director shook her head, throwing all the previous thoughts out of her mind.
"Excuse me." She gently pushed the door open and walked into room 016.
She knew this was Ophelia's room—although the person herself had fallen into a sleep with an unknown end.
However, Olga Marie didn't expect this.
At this moment, there wasn't a single person in the room.
Instead, the bathroom light was on, and a series of sounds that sounded a little off were coming from inside.
So familiar——
Olga Marie closed her eyes and listened carefully to the sounds emanating from the bathroom.
Wait!
Isn't this...
Isn't this only during that kind of time...
The girl wasn't just saying it casually.
It was because she herself had personally experienced something similar to the current situation—for example, when she helped test tools in front of Ian.
Thinking that Ian wasn't the only one staying here, Olga Marie immediately realized something.
She opened her eyes and tiptoed to the bathroom door.
The bathroom door in Chaldea wasn't designed to completely isolate the inside and outside. Instead, it had frosted glass that allowed one to vaguely see inside.
So——
Even from the outside, Olga Marie could vaguely see some of the scenes inside the bathroom.
The door was wet.
This meant that someone was definitely taking a bath inside.
But this didn't mean much—after all, just seeing the light on could also confirm this.
The truly crucial information was the image projected on the frosted glass.
What are they doing... Olga Marie's face flushed red as she looked at these images.
But she quickly found that although she felt this situation was extremely embarrassing, her body was a little unable to move.
She leaned forward little by little until her ear was pressed against the bathroom door.
Gulp. Olga Marie's throat moved slightly.
She was both afraid of what she might hear and worried about what she might not hear.
Fortunately, this entanglement didn't last too long.
Because Ian and Fujimaru Ritsuka's voices quickly reached Olga Marie's ears again.
These were sweet words that only lovers would say, and every sentence sounded so enviable.
This was especially true for the girl at this moment—she also really wanted to hear Ian say these words to her.
But the current situation wasn't like that.
The more she listened to these words, the more they went to her heart. Olga Marie felt her legs trembling slightly.
She felt like there were bugs crawling all over her body.
Her gaze also gradually became hazy with this sensation.
Finally, as the girl's symphony being played behind the door became more and more passionate, Olga Marie also participated in this strange performance.
As a descendant of nobility, the instrument her voice could be compared to was naturally more noble than that of ordinary people.
The girl began to play along with the rhythm she heard, then emitted classical melodies from her throat, until everything was perfectly integrated into the performance that intertwined inside and outside.
Only at this moment, she still wished that she could be inside the bathroom, not outside.
Gradually, the girl completely immersed herself in this fantasy.
She slid down the wall little by little and slumped to the ground.
She didn't notice at all that the door behind her had actually been opened for quite some time.
Ian, who was holding Fujimaru Ritsuka, watched Olga Marie's solo performance for a long time.
Seeing the other girl slide down, he then said,
"Director, you've arrived?" Ian asked softly, his blue eyes looking at her with a hint of amusement.
"Eh?!" Olga Marie suddenly realized that she had ignored the situation behind her—she hadn't even had time to stop her own voice.
Her body in a mess, she stammered for a long time without being able to say a word.
On the contrary, Ian spoke with considerable understanding,
"Shhh——" Ian whispered, his blue eyes looking at her gently.
"Ritsuka is asleep."
"Director, get up first, we can talk later about anything."
These were words that would make anyone feel embarrassed to the extreme in an instant, but after Ian said them, they became much easier to accept.
Olga Marie nodded, then, in front of the man, slowly got up by holding onto the wall.
A few minutes later.
On the bed in room 016.
Fujimaru Ritsuka was already fast asleep in the blanket—her snoring even played a beautiful lullaby.
This was perhaps the first time she had rested properly in the past few days.
And beside the bed, Ian and Olga Marie were sitting side by side.
"Director, why did you come here?" The man looked at the girl before him and asked.
"..." Olga Marie muttered softly,
"You sound like you're not very welcoming of me."
"Of course not." Ian glanced at the clock on the wall. "I... just didn't expect you to come at this time."
"It's because I've been busy." Olga Marie tugged at the corner of the man's clothes and explained the reason. "I rushed over as soon as I found out."
"I see." The man reached out and stroked Olga Marie's head.
"You've worked hard, Director."
"...Idiot." Olga Marie's tone became a little coy.
"We agreed to support each other... there's no such thing as hard work or not."
"However——" The Director turned her head to look at the sleeping Fujimaru Ritsuka, her expression a little complicated.
"Why did you come here with her?"
"Did you... take a liking to her?"
"..." Realizing that Olga Marie cared about this, Ian gently scratched her nose with his finger.
"What's wrong?" Ian asked softly, his blue eyes looking at her.
"Director... are you feeling unhappy?"
"..." Olga Marie was silent for a while before continuing.
"Of course, I'll feel unhappy."
"But——"
"If you really like Fujimaru Ritsuka, and she's willing... I won't have any objections."
"After all, I said I wouldn't stop you from doing this kind of thing."
"Besides, if this can make Chaldea more harmonious, then I should even thank you."
"But——" Olga Marie looked back at Ian before her, a hint of genuine concern in her eyes.
"There's one thing you must promise me."
"Oh... what is it?" Ian asked.
"It's when you're doing that kind of thing." Olga Marie said, her face flushed red. "You must be very, very careful."
"If you're not prepared... you can tell me, and I'll help you prepare."
"The manpower in Chaldea is quite insufficient now... we don't have extra people to send for this kind of thing."
"..." "Pfft." Ian chuckled.
"What are you laughing at!" Olga Marie pinched the man's hand with considerable displeasure.
"I'm being very serious when I say these things to you."
"I know." Ian turned around and held Olga Marie's hand tightly. "But it's precisely because I know you're serious that I find it funny."
"Think about it."
"A very cute girl, in front of you, saying that you need to prepare beforehand."
"How could I not laugh?"
"Besides——" Ian's brow furrowed slightly.
"Director, why do you have that kind of thing?"
"Eh, this?!" Suddenly asked by Ian about the crucial point, Olga Marie became nervous all over.
She gestured with her hands and feet as she explained, looking like a little penguin.
"It was a free gift when I bought those toys before!"
"Oh——?" Ian raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Of course, it's true!" Olga Marie's face flushed red.
"If you don't believe me, you can check the brand later! It's from the same manufacturer!"
"I see." Ian nodded thoughtfully.
"Then——"
"Let me ask another question."
"What question?"
"Hmm." Ian looked back at the bathroom where they had just come out of, and Olga Marie's disheveled appearance by the wall flashed in his mind.
"Director, why were you doing that kind of thing there just now?"
Olga Marie wasn't slow-witted. She immediately realized that Ian was referring to her solo performance at the door.
She started to play dumb. "What... doing what?!"
"Really?" Ian's hand rested on Olga Marie's stocking-clad thigh.
"I thought the Director wanted to do something."
"Since that's not the case, then let's rest first... we can talk more after daybreak."
"..." Seeing that Ian was really about to lie down on the bed to rest, Olga Marie suddenly became anxious.
She hadn't expected the opportunity to take things further to disappear so quickly!
No! It hasn't disappeared yet!
Olga Marie grabbed Ian's hand and said softly,
"Don't sleep yet!"
"I... actually have an idea."
"Hmm? Really?"
"Really!" Olga Marie hesitated for a moment, then took Ian's hand and placed it on her chest, letting him feel her pounding heart.
"You... understand now, right?"
"I understand, I understand." Ian looked at the Director, who was actively hinting at him. "But I don't have any preparations right now."
"It's okay." Olga Marie looked directly at Ian before her, her eyes filled with tenderness for him.
"I don't need you to prepare... I have a way to deal with things afterward."
Having said this, it would be impolite not to make a move.
However——
Glancing at Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was still asleep beside him, Ian knew he had to take some soundproofing measures.
So.
He picked up the spare panties that Fujimaru Ritsuka had brought here and held them out to Olga Marie.
"Director——"
"I feel like we need to reduce the noise."
"..." Although it was extremely embarrassing, Olga Marie still nodded obediently in the end.
"I... I understand." The girl's mouth gained some unexpected padding.
The quiet night also began to become not so quiet.
At dawn.
Olga Marie looked at the ceiling of the bed, her eyes showing a hint of post-coital melancholy. But more than that was involuntary happiness.
She had finally accomplished something she wanted to achieve.
She felt that her inner self had completely become something he could easily control.
But... this similarity made her feel incredibly comfortable.
However——
When Olga Marie came to Ian's side, she saw that the man wasn't paying attention to what had just happened but was looking at something with a serious expression.
She instantly remembered the purpose of her coming here.
It wasn't just for taking things a step further!
Damn it! She forgot the main business again!
Feeling extremely ashamed, Olga Marie slowly climbed onto his lap.
After seeing what was in the other person's hand, she showed a surprised expression.
"Mmmph mmmph mmmph——!" Olga Marie made sounds that were impossible to understand.
Realizing this, Ian gently removed the "silencer" for her.
"Where did you get this book?" The Director, who had regained her freedom of speech, asked.
"...Ophelia's."
"Eh?!" Hearing Ian's words, Olga Marie then realized that she seemed to have overlooked something from the beginning.
This was Ophelia's room!
"Um——"
"Ian, you wouldn't be thinking of teaching all of this to Fujimaru Ritsuka, would you?"
"Yeah." Ian nodded. "What's wrong?"
"There's no way she'll be able to learn this!" Olga Marie said with a worried expression.
"This is a special edition Clock Tower's introductory manual for magi!"
"How is this suitable for Fujimaru Ritsuka to learn?!"
"What?" Ian felt like he had finally found the reason why Fujimaru Ritsuka had been stuck in the same place in her magecraft learning.