"What... what is this place?" Ian looked around at the almost completely dark environment, feeling a momentary confusion. Although he had been in Chaldea for some time, Ian, who now held considerable power, was certain he had never been to this location. Yet, at the same time, he could feel that this place wasn't far from Chaldea.
But—more than figuring out where this was, Ian was more concerned about something else at this moment: BB in front of him. She stood there alone, appearing somewhat solitary. This appearance was completely different from the mischievous devil who had been teasing him and Tamamo-no-Mae in the room earlier.
After a moment of hesitation, Ian chased after her, then reached out and gently grasped her shoulder, saying, "BB!"
"Eh—?!" BB, suddenly grabbed by the shoulder, turned around and was startled by Ian's appearance. "You, how are you here?!"
"That's what I should be asking you! Who exactly are you, and why are you in Chaldea?!"
"..." The man's questioning seemed to hit a nerve with BB; her expression quickly changed from panic to displeasure. "Why should I tell you—and besides, this isn't something I decided myself!!" Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, the girl named BB vanished from Ian's sight and reappeared in the distance.
"Aurea Pocula!" A gigantic golden Holy Grail rose from behind her, forming a presence like a small hill. "Before asking others questions, you should answer theirs first, shouldn't you?!"
"Shadow·Excalibur!"
"What?!" As BB gave her command, a golden beam of light quickly gathered behind her, shooting directly towards Ian. The man, of course, knew what this was—it was Artoria's Noble Phantasm, Excalibur! How could she use this?! Ian couldn't understand for a moment.
However—even though he completely failed to understand how BB could use such a thing, the man knew he absolutely couldn't just be hit by Shadow·Excalibur. That was an attack that could shake a city! Ian clenched his fist, gathering his magical energy. A dark black blade appeared in his hand—that was Excalibur Morgan, which he had obtained through "Memory Projection." Because his memory had been updated, its strength had also advanced from a fading fake to something extremely close to the real thing.
"Excalibur Morgan!" A dark beam of light shot out from Ian's position, countering BB's projected Noble Phantasm.
Boom—! In this dark space, two colors of light collided, creating a violent explosion. The gale force winds spread outwards, creating a powerful blast. Ian plunged Excalibur Morgan into the ground to prevent himself from being blown away. It was terrifying. BB's power was by no means as fragile as her appearance suggested. Although nominally a "projection" type Noble Phantasm, its actual power was probably no different from the original. At least in this space, that was the case.
"As expected of Mr. Ian." BB, who had summoned Aurea Pocula, clearly felt a bit more confident. She put her hands on her hips, looking at Ian, who was holding himself steady with his sword, and her tone returned to its previous mischievous attitude. "Then—try this?!"
"Shadow·Phoebus Catastrophe!" As soon as BB's voice fell, an arrow appeared behind her, shooting directly into the dark sky. Whizz. Ripples spread throughout the entire space, and in the next moment, a large number of arrows materialized, falling towards the ground. Ian was naturally not unfamiliar with this—it was Atalanta's Noble Phantasm, Phoebus Catastrophe! This girl named BB, could she actually use this move too? The man became increasingly incredulous.
However—he knew he absolutely couldn't just sit there and wait for death. After all, if he was hit by this so-called projected Noble Phantasm, who knew what the consequences would be! He had to use an appropriate countermeasure!
"Rashoumon Daiengi—!" Utilizing his Memory Projection ability, the dark blade in the man's hand vanished in an instant, replaced by towering flames burning behind him. The next moment, from within this curtain of fire, a giant fist emerged, countering the arrows falling from the sky.
Boom—! Another violent explosion, and the darkness of the entire area was illuminated for an instant. Ian was thus able to clearly see BB in the distance. But that single glance immediately calmed the previously enraged man down a bit. Because he discovered that BB was doing something he could least bear to witness at this moment—she was crying.
Yes. The devil who had been so playful just moments ago now had clear tears on her face. For a moment, Ian mistook her for Sakura Tohsaka. BB was completely unaware that her distressed appearance had been fully seen; she still spoke in that somewhat teasing tone.
"Yo~☆"
"Not bad—! You actually managed to consecutively block Shadow·Excalibur and Shadow·Phoebus Catastrophe!"
"As expected of the man who consecutively won two devil's games, BB-chan acknowledges you~?"
"Why are you crying?" the man asked directly.
"What?" BB was stunned; she thought she had misheard.
"I said—!" Ian waved his hand, repeating. "Why are you crying?!"
"..." This time, she really heard it clearly. The man in front of her was not exuding fighting spirit, but asking her why she was crying!
"I... I'm not crying!" BB turned her face away, retorting without conviction. "You saw wrong!"
"..." "No," Ian said firmly. "I didn't see wrong. BB, you are crying. What exactly is going on?!"
If at first, he had felt anger and displeasure towards the utterly explicit devil's game, then at this moment, Ian's heart was filled only with doubt and confusion. This girl named BB not only had the same face as Sakura Tohsaka but was also secretly shedding tears in this strange place. Could it be... was it really as Olga Marie had said, that she was triggered by his recent evaluation of the devil's game? Thinking this, Ian simply laid out his cards.
"I mean... do you perhaps care about my evaluation of the devil's game?"
"..." BB didn't answer. But from her taking a few steps back, it was clear that Ian had hit the mark.
"No way—!"
"I don't need you to give any evaluation of my devil's game!"
"..." Since he had already probed BB's thoughts, Ian didn't dwell on this matter with her any further.
"Alright then—if that's the case, I'll ask you one more question."
"What question?!" BB, standing in front of Aurea Pocula, immediately asked. Clearly, at this moment, her emotions had been stirred by Ian's previous question.
"You don't need to be so agitated. I just want to ask you—" Ian looked at the girl in front of him, having made some kind of decision. "Do you... know Sakura Tohsaka?"
"..." Almost the moment the words were spoken, the entire dark space fell into complete silence. When a sound was heard again, it was BB's command to attack once more.
"Shadow·Gae Bolg Alternative!"
"..." If the previous Shadow·Excalibur and Shadow·Phoebus Catastrophe still held back, then the Shadow·Gae Bolg Alternative BB was now using was a true "killing move." This was Scathach's weapon. It not only possessed the ability to always hit its target but also had the special effect of fixing the opponent's movements. Two dark shadows appeared at Ian's feet, binding him in place. A dark red spear formed above BB's head, shooting directly towards Ian on the other side! How should he defend against this?! Ian quickly thought of a countermeasure.
But the next moment, he no longer had to do such a thing. Because—he simply vanished from this space. Only BB remained, standing in front of Aurea Pocula, first stunned, then with a melancholic expression. She gripped her arm, muttering softly, "Couldn't he not mention her..."
"Ian?"
"Ian!"
"Ian?!"
Olga Marie's three consecutive shouts brought Ian back from his daze. "What's wrong with you? Why did you just stop moving the moment you touched this display screen?"
"..." Recalling what had just happened, and combining it with Olga Marie's current attitude, Ian carefully asked, "Director, did I just freeze here?"
"Yes, you did." Olga Marie nodded. "You were fine a moment ago... then you just froze the moment you touched this display screen."
"..." Ian remembered the situation before he met BB. He clearly heard his heart beating. Before, every time this happened, the man knew he would gain a new ability. So—this time should be no exception. Ian looked at the location of the display screen. If what Olga Marie had just said was true, he had frozen the moment he touched this display screen. Could it be... that BB was actually manipulating Chaldea's equipment from another space? If so—there was a reason she could always appear near him. Then he should go back again! Since he had finally caught the source of the problem, he absolutely couldn't let it go!
Thinking this, Ian, to Olga Marie's surprise, reached out his hand towards the display screen once more. However—things didn't unfold as the man had expected. This time, upon touching the display screen, he didn't enter that space as before. Ian quickly realized that this ability couldn't be activated anytime, anywhere; it had to be "entered" from the place where BB appeared after she manifested.
"What's wrong with you?!" Olga Marie couldn't hold back anymore. "You've been acting strangely since just now—did you discover something?"
"..." Ian actually wanted to tell Olga Marie what he had just seen. But he knew that if he did, it would only complicate matters further and make her worry. And even worse, it could make her feel like she "couldn't help at all." After weighing his options, the man decided to keep it a secret for now and tell Olga Marie everything once the matter was resolved.
"Nothing. Director, can you help me take care of Tama-chan today?"
"Eh?" Olga Marie blinked. "Where are you going then?"
"I have some things to do." Ian had initially thought he'd need to explain more, but to his surprise, Olga Marie simply nodded.
"Okay, I understand."
"Eh? Director, aren't you going to ask where I'm going?"
"I'm not asking," Olga Marie said, blushing, looking at the man in front of her. "I told you—no matter what you choose to do, I will absolutely support you."
"Director..." Ian felt a surge of emotion. "Mm, wait for me! We'll have another good ○ when I get back."
"You, you said it!"
This experience made Ian realize that BB's existence was by no means accidental. She, residing in another space, seemed to care deeply about the existence named "Sakura Tohsaka." He had to see her again! Based on the previous conditions... Ian thought, and after leaving the room, he immediately took out his phone and sent a message.
A Late Night Meeting
Late at night. Mash held a small bag in her hands, walking down the corridor with her head bowed. Soon, she stopped in front of Chaldea's library and data room entrance. She went inside and saw Ian sitting on a chair.
"Senpai, I'm here."
"Oh," Ian glanced at the time. "You're fifteen minutes earlier than expected."
"Mm... I wanted to come early, but I didn't expect Senpai to be early too," Mash said, a little flustered.
"Then I guess we're on the same wavelength," Ian looked at the small bag Mash was holding. "It seems you're ready."
"Mm." Mash walked over to Ian and emptied the contents of the small bag. Inside were various small items, such as a jumping ○ and a vibrating ○, among others.
"I've already brought them from the office."
"Senpai... please treat me as your girlfriend tonight and vent your X-desire to your heart's content."