Chapter 6: Thank You

"Illya!"

In the temporary set of the Einzbern Castle, Shinji called out to Illya.

Earlier, they had been filming a trial scene where Illya kidnaps Shirou. The overall effect was good, but Shinji believed Illya could do even better.

"What's up, Shinji onii-chan?" Illya bounced over to Shinji and looked up at him with her cute, big eyes.

Shinji bent down, meeting Illya's gaze, and said, "You did great just now, but if you make your innocent expressions even more natural, it would be perfect."

Among the main actors, Illya had the most distinct personality difference from her character in FSN, making her portrayal the most challenging.

Although most of the actors weren't trained professionals, their characters in the script closely matched their own personalities. As long as they could act naturally in front of the camera, they were successful.

Illya, on the other hand, was an exception. Without the dark experiences from the original story, she was truly an innocent heiress.

Of course, the Illya in the original story wasn't a typical villain in the traditional sense either.

Shinji felt that describing Illya's character as morally ambiguous would be more accurate. This placed high demands on Illya's acting abilities.

However, Illya was quite diligent, and while her performance was far from perfect during rehearsals and filming, it did show her rapid improvement.

But perhaps due to the script's setting, where Illya's actual age was that of an older sister compared to Shirou, Illya always wanted to display a more mature side when acting. This made her performance seem a bit forced.

"You're doing great, Illya."

Shinji placed his hand on Illya's shoulder and continued, "But I know you can do even better. Didn't you tell me you're a genius actor? Show me all your potential."

Illya wrinkled her nose, pouted, and muttered, "I will."

When Illya had said this earlier, she was actually hinting to Shinji to give her more scenes, which would provide a legitimate excuse to skip classes.

Little did she know that Shinji would actually hire a private tutor for her, and it was one-on-one tutoring at that. As the only elementary school student in the cast, this was far more painful than attending school.

"Shinji, you scheming onii-chan!"

Illya blushed and put on a pouting expression that said, "I'm super mad!"

Unfortunately, Shinji had no interest in the 10-year-old loli and simply waved her off, saying, "Go get ready."

The makeup artist immediately followed Illya, helping her and Shirou, who was also about to leave for a scene.

For the next while, the crew continued with trial shots rather than full production.

Even though many shooting techniques had been planned during pre-production, the difference between conceptualization and on-site filming could sometimes be quite significant for newcomers like Shinji.

Additionally, the cinematographer for the production had been hired from a film company and wasn't personally trained by Shinji. While the cinematographer's skills were good, they still needed time to adjust to Shinji's vision.

"Ah, now I understand why renowned directors have their own regular crew. That way, they don't have to get everyone acquainted anew every time they make a new film."

Sitting in the director's chair, Shinji sighed with a hint of helplessness, realizing that forming his own crew was now a priority.

"Prepare the lighting!" Shinji picked up a microphone and addressed everyone, "Actors, get ready—Action!"

Due to the earlier trial shots, both the crew members and the lead actors, Shirou Emiya and Illya, quickly got into their respective roles.

According to the script, Illya slowly walked to the center of the room, positioning herself in front of Shinji's camera.

When Illya reached her designated spot, Shirou, who was bound to a chair, panted and spoke with a slightly tired voice, "Let me go, Illya. No matter what you say, I..."

Illya pressed her finger to Shirou's lips, sporting the innocent smile unique to young girls. She said, "Shirou, you're really clueless. Listen carefully, the current you is like a little bird in a cage, okay? Whether you live or die is entirely up to me. So, you can't say things that would make me mad, okay?"

Saying this, Illya playfully brought her face closer to Shirou's.

Her eyes glimmered slightly, drawing Shirou's gaze into those eyes that resembled rubies. He felt like he was being drawn into those eyes, as if they were going to swallow him whole.

"I've waited for ten years, you know. Killing you like this would be too boring."

"What—"

The voice that sounded like a plea for a toy, the voice that made Shirou's spine chill, caused him to involuntarily hold his breath.

He glanced at Illya again and instinctively struggled against his restraints.

And then—

'I can't break free, this is a deadlock! What's going on??'

Shirou looked down at the rope binding him. Before he could react, Illya continued speaking.

"This is the end, onii-chan. I'll ask you one more time—"

With brimming anticipation and excitement, Illya looked at her elder brother.

Like a beautiful elf, Illyasviel spoke with an irresistible tone, "Shirou, become mine."

"Hiss~"

Shirou took in a sharp breath, feeling something strange crawling up from his feet to his forehead.

For some reason, Shirou had the uncanny sensation that his sister truly intended to turn him into her possession.

"Illyasviel, I am not yours to claim. I have Saber, as long as Saber is with me, I fight only as her Master," Shirou recited his lines, almost forcing down the fear within him. He reminded himself repeatedly that this was just acting, not reality.

"..."

The little girl's disappointment with her brother's response was evident in her gaze as she stared back at him.

In the end, as if giving up, Illyasviel spoke in a tone that brooked no refusal, "Is that so? Even you are betraying me, Shirou."

Illyasviel calmly walked away from Shirou, her voice cold as she said, "Fine. Since Shirou won't listen to me, I won't listen to Shirou either. Although I've spared you all in the past, that ends now."

Her voice held only a sense of murderous intent.

Casually picking up a metallic knife from the side, the blade slid across Shirou's nose bridge.

Shirou even distinctly felt the cold sensation of the metal against his skin.

"Illya!" Shirou's expression changed, "What are you doing?"

At that moment, Shirou genuinely believed that Illyasviel was about to kill someone.

In the shadows, Shinji choked back laughter, shaking with suppressed amusement in order to avoid ruining the shot.

He had added the scene of Illyasviel picking up the metal knife specifically to make Shirou feel threatened and enhance the performance.

From Shirou's nervous expression on camera, it seemed like the effect was quite successful.

"Don't worry, I won't harm Shirou now."

Illyasviel's demeanor in the frame seems to be satisfied by Shirou's reaction. She set the knife aside, "But I'm going to kill Saber and Rin. That way, Shirou might regret it a little, right?"

As Shirou looked at the innocent and excited smile on her face, he felt that beneath her angelic appearance, a demonic heart was concealed.

He struggled, but the ropes binding him to the chair were far tighter than he had anticipated.

"Don't speak of killing so lightly! You're not suited for such things. Illya, you're still a child, you can't do something like this. Right?"

Shirou's plea was tinged with fear as he spoke.

Illyasviel seemed taken aback by Shirou's tone for a moment, staring at him in a daze.

Fortunately, after a brief moment, she quickly adjusted herself and smiled again.

"What a pity. I've already killed someone, onii-chan~"

With an extremely cheerful expression, Illyasviel responded to Shirou's words.

"I thought onii-chan would take care of that seaweed head, but it turns out I had to do it myself. Seaweed is really salty~"

"...?"

Director Shinji could clearly feel mocking gazes directed at him, and he was quite certain that it wasn't just one or two people!

With a glance, he noticed Rin, Sakura, and Arturia were all part of it.

'These cheeky brats, more than one or two of them need a good lesson!'

As Shinji thought this in his mind, he signaled to the cameraman to focus the shot on Illyasviel, capturing a close-up of the little devil.

Compared to the relaxed viewers outside the frame, within the frame, Shirou was nearly scared out of his wits. The eerie smile on Illyasviel's face drew closer to him once again.

"Illya! You—"

Shirou struggled harder, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free from the ropes.

Three meters, two meters, one meter, half a meter...

The distance between them grew shorter and shorter, and Shirou felt the danger closing in on him. He continued to struggle, but it was all in vain.

"Sorry, Shirou."

Illyasviel stopped in front of Shirou, extending her free hand and lightly patting his cheek. Her smile was both innocent and seductive.

"Killing the Master, that's what the Holy Grail War is about."

Illyasviel's words sounded so matter-of-fact, as if there was nothing out of the ordinary.

This was the girl named Illyasviel— an angelic demon.

"Cut! Great job, everyone."

Shinji finally called a halt.

Although there was a bit more to the scene, continuing would likely have frightened Shirou too much.

Shirou was, after all, the most important male actor in the cast. He couldn't collapse during filming, especially not halfway through the movie.

The remaining part could be shot later, and it would be a good opportunity to change the camera angle as well.

"Did I do a good job?"

The little devil immediately returned to her usual self, bounding over to Shinji and seeking praise.

Shinji ruffled her hair and praised, "Yes, Illyasviel, you were amazing."

"Hehe~"

Illyasviel beamed a brilliant smile and then went to find her parents.

"Good work, Shirou."

Shinji snapped his fingers, and Shirou immediately felt the ropes binding him loosen.

Shirou quickly stood up from the chair, patting his chest and saying, "Honestly, you almost scared me to death just now. I really thought Illya was about to kill someone."

"I didn't expect her acting to be so good, Is my little sister really a genius actress?" Shirou spoke with envy.

Despite being the protagonist of the movie, it had taken him quite a while to get into the right state for filming. Yet, his little sister managed to perform so well in just a few moments.

"Well, about that, I had Illyasviel use suggestion magecraft during her performance, putting you in a semi-hypnotic state to help you get into the role. It seems the effect worked well, and your acting has improved significantly."

Shirou's mouth twitched.

"—I really have to thank you, Shinji!"