Later, Olga Marie stepped out of the bathroom and began dressing again.
She had just put her clothes back on, buttons still undone, when she noticed the book that had fallen to the floor earlier.
"What's this…?" she murmured, picking it up and flipping it open.
It was Chaldea's archived material, containing investigations that, while technically public within the Clock Tower, were rarely discussed openly.
The page left marked was the section on ORT.
"Were you just looking at ORT's records, Teacher?" Olga Marie paused. "The Clock Tower's documentation is extremely limited. I've read it too. Aside from what we already discussed in the meeting, there isn't any other useful information…"
From inside the bathroom, Shiomi leaned out, his hair still dripping.
"I just felt like there might be something we overlooked, so I wanted to go through it again. We're talking about that kind of opponent. I don't know how far a divine body can really go against it. I guess I can't help feeling uneasy."
"…I'm sorry." Olga Marie closed the book and lowered her gaze. "You're worrying about something this important, and I was distracted by my own selfish desires…"
"There's nothing to apologize for." Shiomi stepped out, a towel wrapped around his waist. "Seeing Marie take the initiative like that actually made me happy."
"Teacher—"
Before she could finish protesting, he caught her by the arm and kissed her.
Their lips met, teeth brushing lightly. It was brief, but it left behind a warmth that felt both lingering and complete, a quiet happiness settling between them.
If she were to lose her standing as an Animusphere Magus… perhaps staying by his side wouldn't be so bad. The thought slipped into her mind as they parted.
Afterward, Shiomi sat on the edge of the bed and began dressing. Olga Marie took a seat in a nearby chair. Worried that tidying herself up too quickly might stir things up again, she left her clothes slightly undone for the moment. If she had to take them off again, it would only be troublesome.
Still, there were serious matters to discuss.
"So, about ORT. Did you find anything new?" she asked.
"Nothing concrete." Shiomi shook his head. "In Proper Human History, ORT descended upon South America before the Common Era. But in the South American Lostbelt, its arrival predates that by far."
According to the intelligence Kirschtaria had provided, the ORT in the Lostbelt appeared to have arrived sixty-six million years ago.
That was a difference of tens of millions of years.
"Do you think the ORT in the South American Lostbelt might be different from the one in Proper Human History? Like some kind of subspecies?" Olga Marie asked.
"Possibly," Shiomi replied. "But even if it is, I doubt the difference is substantial. More likely it's just the result of differences in time, place, and historical development."
Since Kirschtaria hadn't been confident of absolute victory, he hadn't demanded complete intelligence on the South American Lostbelt. Instead, he had used Koyanskaya's services to conduct a limited investigation there, confirming that it was indeed the final stronghold of that Lostbelt.
He had felt regret over that afterward, unable to provide more detailed information.
Even he hadn't expected such a swift and decisive defeat, one so clean that he had no choice but to accept it.
"It's okay, Teacher… It'll be fine."
Olga Marie dragged her chair closer, stopping right in front of Shiomi. She took his large hands in hers and gently traced the lines across his palms. "Up until now, you've created one miracle after another. And now you've ascended to the seat of a god. So… I believe in you."
"Marie." Shiomi gave a small nod.
Then she shook her head, looking slightly flustered. "No, that's not right. We're supposed to be using all of Chaldea's strength to break through this final obstacle, but I made it sound like it's all your responsibility."
"It is my responsibility, and it's ours," Shiomi replied. "The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. It wasn't someone else who became a god. It was me. So naturally, there are things I have to shoulder. There's no contradiction in that."
"Teacher…"
Olga Marie looked at him with something close to awe.
There were no grand speeches, no dramatic flourishes in his words. And yet they carried a steady, reassuring strength. At least, to her.
Just then, the room's communication system chimed. Someone was requesting entry.
Olga Marie quickly stood up and connected the call. Touko Aozaki appeared on the screen.
"Sorry to intrude, Director. Is Tenkei with you? I didn't see him with the others," Touko asked.
"Ah—yes, he's here. I'll open the door right away."
Olga Marie fumbled slightly, a strange sense of being caught in the act creeping over her.
But thinking about it calmly, there was nothing to hide. Their relationship was what it was. Everyone knew, and simply chose not to say it outright.
The moment Touko stepped into the room, her nose twitched subtly as she caught the lingering scent in the air.
"You two… just finished?" she asked, lifting her tablet to half-cover her face as she looked at them with playful amusement.
Shiomi's hair was still damp. Olga Marie's hair hadn't been tied up yet, and her clothes were slightly rumpled. Clearly, they had just showered and changed.
"Ms. Touko!" Olga Marie flushed bright red, flustered.
Even without any real guilt, she felt restless under the teasing.
"More or less," Shiomi said, scratching his head. "You didn't come here just to comment on that, did you?"
"If you're interested, we could handle that too while we're at it." Touko handed him the tablet. "I'd like to borrow your power for a bit. The Automata's autonomous combat functions still aren't refined enough."
"You're not planning to turn your dolls into divine constructs, are you?" Shiomi asked.
"Like… Enkidu?" Olga Marie's eyes widened.
"It won't go that far," Shiomi said thoughtfully. "But it would be close to creating life. If mishandled, that could cause endless trouble."
"I know you're against creating life," Touko replied. "That's why I'm only aiming to enhance their combat capability as much as possible. We can't let Lostbelt forces exploit any gaps while everyone's out fighting."
She tapped the screen lightly.
"Koyanskaya mentioned that the South American side has military strength on par with the Atlantic Lostbelt, and they're equipped with NFF weaponry."
"Given the losses last time, you're aiming for a more precise approach?" Shiomi asked as he looked over the proposal.
"Exactly. Even a small improvement helps." Touko nodded. "Right now, Chaldea's main combat strength still lies with our frontline Servants. The dolls will focus primarily on logistics. Cleaning, maintenance, ship operations."
They would mainly handle support, assisting the Nemo units aboard the Storm Border. In cases of manpower shortages, they could also serve as a defensive force against sudden Lostbelt incursions.
"With more people on board now, everyone can manage their daily lives, sure. But having dolls to handle support work would make things a lot easier," Olga Marie said, finding it reasonable.
"Then let's go take a look," Shiomi said as he stood up.
He reached out a hand toward Marie, and the two of them prepared to head to Touko's workshop together.