Ritsuka Fujimaru stared at the still-blushing Olga Marie, struck by how vastly different she looked from the strict Director she remembered.
"I never thought the Director had such a soft, vulnerable side."
Olga Marie shot her a fierce glare, the flush on her cheeks refusing to fade. Even her voice came out lighter than usual, almost like a pout.
"If you dare breathe a word of what happened today to anyone back at Chaldea, I won't forgive you."
Ritsuka grinned mischievously. "Oh? Which part exactly are you talking about?"
"Th-that's…!" Olga Marie stammered, memories of how she had clung to Adam and cried like a child flooding back. She couldn't form a single coherent sentence.
Ritsuka: 1, Olga Marie: 0.
Complete defeat.
Adam chuckled and stepped in to end their playful argument. "Alright, Ritsuka, stop teasing her."
Seeing Adam immediately take the Director's side, Ritsuka puffed out her cheeks. "You're already favoring her? Unbelievable."
Her gaze darted back and forth between Adam and Olga Marie. After stroking her chin thoughtfully for a moment, she asked with a sly smile, "Hey, Adam… In your world, are you and the Director actually dating?"
Olga Marie's ears perked up at once.
Adam's mind flashed through several rather intimate scenes involving U-Olga Marie. "Strictly speaking… no, we're not boyfriend and girlfriend."
He wasn't lying. Their relationship had long since passed that stage.
Olga Marie's shoulders drooped slightly in disappointment, though she wasn't entirely sure why.
Ritsuka, however, brightened noticeably. As long as they aren't official, I still have a chance.
Mash stood quietly nearby, her expression complicated.
Adam smoothly changed the subject. "Anyway, we should try contacting this world's Chaldea first."
Only then did everyone remember—they had been completely cut off ever since the explosion. No one knew what state the facility was in.
Olga Marie looked especially anxious. As Director, she cared more than anyone about Chaldea's fate.
"Let me think… To reestablish communication, we'll need…"
Her mind was still a little hazy after everything that had happened with Adam.
Adam finished the thought for her. "We need a strong leyline rich in magical energy. Connecting with Chaldea will require a massive amount of mana. Otherwise the transmission will keep cutting in and out."
He pointed downward with a smile. "Luckily, we're already standing on one."
They were inside the enormous crater that had once been the Tohsaka family estate in Fuyuki.
Whatever had happened here had obliterated the mansion, but the leyline beneath it remained intact and overflowing with power.
With coordinated effort from both Adam and the Director, they quickly set up a temporary base of operations.
Moments later, the link to Chaldea was finally restored.
The face that appeared on the screen was Dr. Roman.
"We're finally connected!"
"Hello? Can you hear me?"
The moment Roman saw the group on the other side, he froze.
Why are there so many people?
"Dr. Roman!" Ritsuka and Mash called out in relief.
Roman's face lit up with joy when he confirmed both of them were alive. "Fujimaru! Mash! You really did get Rayshifted after all!"
He looked genuinely impressed. "I can't believe you survived conceptual dissolution without a Coffin…"
Then his gaze landed on Adam.
"Huh? Who's that?"
Adam smiled at him, but for some reason Roman felt a chill run down his spine.
"Hello, Dr. Roman. Before anything else… would you mind if I take a look at that ring on your finger?"
The instant Adam mentioned the ring, Roman's expression turned to panic.
"W-what are you talking about? I have no idea what you mean!"
Adam said nothing. He simply stared straight into Roman's eyes with calm intensity.
An invisible pressure weighed down on the doctor, and a bead of cold sweat trickled down his temple.
[Roman Emotion Value +10]
He had no idea how this stranger suddenly knew his secret. The only one who should have known was the late former Director…
Adam eventually looked away.
Never mind. I'll deal with you properly once we're back.
The pressure vanished, and Roman let out a huge sigh of relief.
Then his eyes fell on the veteran Mash.
"?!?"
He rubbed his eyes, then leaned in so close his face filled the entire screen, staring back and forth between the two identical yet clearly different girls.
"Um… Fujimaru? Can you all see that… super Mash over there? The one that looks like a fully upgraded version of our Mash?"
Mash gave him a slightly hurt look. "Doctor…"
Olga Marie pushed forward between Mash and Ritsuka, arms crossed and Director mode fully back in place.
"Wait just a minute! Why are you the one in command over there?!"
The moment Roman saw her alive, his face went completely pale, as if he had seen a ghost.
"Director?! You're not dead?!!"
Olga Marie looked slightly awkward. "Well… technically speaking, not exactly."
She shook her head, Adam's face flashing through her mind. "Forget about that for now. It's not important!"
Roman looked utterly lost. Not important?!
"Why is the head of the Medical Department standing at the command console?!"
Roman answered honestly. "Because right now… there's no one left in Chaldea with a higher position than me."
Olga Marie's pupils shrank. "What about the Master candidates? What happened to the forty-seven people in the Rayshift Coffins?!"
Her voice trembled. Those forty-seven lives included heirs from many prestigious mage families.
If they died here, the Mage's Association would have every excuse they needed to strip Chaldea away from the Animusphere family forever.
"They're all in critical condition," Roman said gravely. "If this continues…"
He didn't finish the sentence. The implication was clear.
If they did nothing, they would die.
***
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