Ch-12 Thing's that need to be kept secret

As Li Fan entered Caris's room, a partially open door slowly open wider.

Nami cautiously peeked her head out and directed her gaze toward Caris's room.

"Is Caris trying to use her charm and body on Li Fan to negotiate a higher payment?" Nami speculated.

"If that's the case, could Caris end up with a bigger paycheck than me, the second female lead?"

"But hold on, maybe Caris is planning to ask Li Fan to alter the script, giving her character Sakura Matou more screen time compared to my character, Rin Tohsaka."

"In that case, my pay might be reduced."

Nami had made up her mind, thinking, "No, we can't let those two be alone in there. I need to see what's going on."

With a deep breath, Nami approached Caris's door and knocked loudly.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Caris's voice emerged from the room, "Who's there? It's quite late!"

After a brief pause, Caris opened the door.

"Nami, what brings you here at this hour?"

Nami wore a friendly smile, "Oh, I happened to see the director entering your room, and I've got some questions about my character that I'd like to discuss with him. I hope it's not too inconvenient."

Caris, her eyes bright with enthusiasm, took Nami's hand, "Perfect timing! I also have some character-related inquiries for the director. That's why I asked him in to assist me. Your input would be greatly appreciated."

Nami nodded, "Fantastic! If we all collaborate, we can make significant progress with our characters."

Karis said with a smile as she ushered Nami into the room, "After all, in the show, we are sisters, hehe."

Her sincere invitation surprised Nami, who had initially thought she was interrupting something between Caris and Li Fan.

Upon entering the room, Nami found Li Fan sitting at a table with the script for "fate/stay night" spread out.

"Director, Nami also wishes to participate in the script discussion, is that alright?"

Li Fan set down his tea cup and looked at Nami, "Certainly, if both of you deliver your roles effectively, I will provide full support."

Nami asked in surprise when she saw Li Fan neatly dressed, "Wait, are you really discussing the script?"

Caris looked at Nami oddly and replied, "Well, what else could we be discussing? Oh, I get it now. You thought I was up to something with Li Fan, didn't you?"

"Could it be that you have a crush on our director, Li Fan, and that's why you were concerned when you saw me inviting him into the room?"

Caris playfully whispered into Nami's ear and giggled, making Nami blush.

"Who...who would like this guy? I just like the berries he has."

"Really? In that case, I'm going to make a move."

Observing the two women's banter, Li Fan shook his head and asked, "I thought you both wanted to discuss the script, didn't you?"

"I said, don't you two want to discuss the script?"

"Haha, I'll be right there, director," Caris said with a slight smile and guided Nami to sit beside Li Fan.

"Let's continue, director. I must say I really like the character Sakura Matou."

"She's kind, gentle, always silently supporting the protagonist from behind, and selflessly giving."

However, because of this, I'm eager to learn more about this character.

Even though she's the third female lead, I sense that Sakura Matou's storyline isn't fully explored in the script.

"There's so much mystery around her connections with the Matou family and her involvement with the Tohsaka family."

"Li Fan, since you are the writer of this script, do you have more details about Sakura Matou?" Nami inquired.

In response, Li Fan silently took a sip of tea from his cup.

"Well, in regards to this script, it's all situation-dependent. Sakura Matou could shift from being the third female lead to becoming the first female lead."

"Of course, if Sakura Matou assumes the role of the female lead, she'll enter an entirely different storyline with Shirou Emiya, our protagonist."

"However, if I were to say that delving too deep into Sakura Matou's character might lead you into an abyss of darkness, would you still want to hear?"

Li Fan's words shifted Caris from a cheerful demeanor to a serious one.

After contemplating for a moment, Caris nodded firmly.

"As I mentioned earlier, I have a strong liking for the character Sakura Matou, and that's why I want to learn more about her."

"Alright, if that's your preference," Li Fan agreed with a slight nod. "In fact, there are three script versions for [fate/stay night], each with different plot developments."

"The heroines in these versions are Artoria, Rin Tohsaka, and Sakura Matou."

"The version I'm currently shooting revolves around the story of the protagonists Shirou Emiya and Artoria."

"In the Rin Tohsaka version, the main focus is on the conflict between Shirou Emiya and Archer. Additionally, Archer's true identity will be revealed in this version."

As for Sakura Matou's version, it's the saddest and most tragic of them all."

"Since Nami is here too, I'll share details about these two versions with both of you."

"But before that, let me provide some background on the prequel to [fate/stay night], which is [fate/zero]."

"Additionally, I'd like to request that you both keep what I'm about to share today confidential and not disclose it to the public."

"After all, this information could significantly impact the look and feel of the movie I'm currently working on."

Caris and Nami nodded in agreement.

With their consent, Li Fan began to explain slowly.

"Let's travel back six years before the Fifth Holy Grail War, to the time of the Fourth Holy Grail War..."