Chapter 52: Shinji - Fate's Good Cycle

Pshh.

With a sound reminiscent of tearing fabric, the yellow spearhead sliced through the Sea Demon model.

"Cut! That's it for today's shoot. Great job, everyone!"

Satisfied, Shinji called out from behind the monitor.

"Phew..."

Diarmuid let out a sigh of relief, placing his dual spears aside before wiping his face with a towel. In the pursuit of scene realism, the inside of the Sea Demon models was filled with a sticky substance, creating the effect of real creatures being killed when they were destroyed. However, this made it less friendly for the actors involved.

Diarmuid wasn't particularly germophobic, but even he found the slime uncomfortable.

"Really... Wait, Master, didn't you say the shoot was over?" Diarmuid noticed that Shinji was still filming him with a handheld camera.

Shinji, who was focused on his camera, replied without looking up, "The film shoot is over, but I'm shooting some behind-the-scenes footage now. Your exceptional handsome face can't go to waste; I need more material."

Shinji had learned from the way Gilgamesh was treated how much handsome male actors attracted female fans. He planned to replicate the same strategy in the new film.

As a handsome man himself, Diarmuid naturally became the best method to attract female viewers for the Fate/Zero movie.

Shinji even considered creating an idol group of male Servants, but his current roster only consisted of Lancelot and Diarmuid. He needed one more member to meet the minimum of three for an idol group.

Unfortunately, Caster Gilgamesh wasn't suitable as an idol; Berserker Lancelot had already been groomed as a comedian, and Red Archer's appearance wasn't quite up to the level of captivating girls.

As for Cu Chulainn, if he could focus on acting in movies properly, it would already be a blessing. Organizing concerts for him would probably require the use of Enkidu's Gate of Babylon as a whip.

"Seriously, I should have summoned Gawain."

Shinji complained for a moment before asking, "By the way, do your moles also have an effect in photos and video clips?"

"I don't know. I've never tried."

Diarmuid had no idea because such things didn't exist when he was alive.

"Well, we'll find out when the time comes." Shinji shrugged.

Realizing that the shoot was almost over, Shinji finally put down the camera he was holding.

"Alright, now it's really over," Shinji said as he handed the camera to his assistant and gestured to Diarmuid. "You should clean up quickly, and then come with me."

"Go? Where are we going?" Diarmuid asked curiously.

Shinji grinned at Diarmuid, "Of course, we're going to pick up your Master."

Fuyuki City, the train station.

Since the Heroic Spirits couldn't leave Fuyuki City, Shinji chose to pick up their guests at the local train station rather than at an airport in a neighboring city.

"It does seem a bit inconvenient," Irisviel whispered in complaint as she arrived to help. "Shouldn't we consider building an airport in Fuyuki City if we have to pick up guests frequently?"

Shinji replied casually, "Sure, that way I can travel to Europe and the Americas more conveniently. Does your family still have large open land in Fuyuki City?"

"No, no! We don't!" Before Irisviel could respond, Kiritsugu quickly spoke up. He knew his wife's fondness for starting projects, and he wanted to keep her away from Shinji. He knew that if Shinji continued to persuade her, they might actually end up building an airport in Fuyuki City.

Failing to convince them, Shinji shrugged in disappointment. According to his future development plans, he might indeed need an airport in Fuyuki City when it became a global center for film production. But for now, it was too early to think about such matters.

Since Kayneth and his team were informed of their visit to Japan, they didn't have to wait long before seeing the British group emerging from the station exit.

"I thought the nobleman would arrive in a private car," Diarmuid commented while stroking his chin.

"I did ask about that, but Kayneth thought it would be more ceremonial this way. It's the aristocratic style," Shinji replied.

After a brief murmur of complaint, Shinji approached Kayneth and extended his hand. "Mr. Kayneth, welcome to Fuyuki City."

"Shinji Matou, we finally meet in Japan," Kayneth responded, shaking Shinji's hand. In public, Kayneth was still conscious of his image and didn't behave as openly as he did in the Clock Tower.

"Kayneth, Waver," Shinji greeted, "consider Fuyuki City your second home. When you're not filming, feel free to enjoy yourself, eat, and drink. Japanese water doesn't have excessive calcium, so it won't affect your hairline."

Kayneth made a cross on his forehead, joking, "You're not going to stop talking about hair, are you?"

Standing next to Kayneth, the female companion covered her mouth and let out a light laugh. "Hehe, this is the Shinji Matou you've been talking about, Kayneth– He's indeed an interesting person."

Shinji gave her a quick once-over, then extended his hand politely, shook it briefly, and maintained a respectable distance. He was well aware that this woman was Kayneth's partner and didn't want to make any gestures that could be misconstrued.

He slightly bowed and greeted the pink-haired woman, "You must be Miss Leigh Euphia Archelot, right? Nice to meet you."

Miss Leigh Euphia Archelot was the daughter of the head of the Achtelot family, the current Lord of the Clock Tower's Botany Department, and Kayneth's current fiancée.

The reason Kayneth and his previous fiancée, Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri, had separated was unrelated to Shinji. This had happened even before Shinji went to study at the Clock Tower. Kayneth's recent fiancée was a new choice, and it seemed that he was putting the previous engagement behind him.

However, Miss Leigh was not just any young lady. She hailed from the prestigious Achtelot family, who were the current leaders of the Clock Tower's Botany Department.

The Achtelot family had always been a bit unconventional. Despite being representative of the typical aristocracy, they had close ties to the media and even dabbled in arms dealing. They were considered part of the progressive faction within the aristocracy, and this might be one of the reasons why Kayneth was willing to become engaged to Miss Leigh.

Miss Leigh was not an ordinary woman either. Despite being a magus herself, she aspired to be an actress and had been active in the British entertainment industry for many years.

One of the main reasons Kayneth agreed to participate in Fate/Zero was Shinji's promise to cast Miss Leigh as "Sola-Ui" in the film.

In Shinji's opinion, Kayneth might be in his thirties, but his way of charming women was only slightly more sophisticated than "making a girl cry" as an elementary schooler would. If taking your current fiancée to the battlefield was acceptable in parallel worlds, what kind of operation was it to cast your current fiancée to play your former fiancée in a movie?

In any case, it was Kayneth's own business, and Shinji decided to put his thoughts aside. After all, he wasn't the one who would end up unmarried, so there was no need to worry on behalf of the lemon-headed guy.

On the other hand, Miss Leigh initiated a polite greeting to Shinji, "It's an honor to work with you, Director Matou. I'm very happy to be part of an outstanding production."

She wore a bright smile, hoping to make a good impression on Shinji.

With Fate/Stay Night already earning over $500 million worldwide, while not the highest-grossing film ever, it was certainly among the top-grossing films in history. The portrayal of Arturia Pendragon had turned her into a well-known star across Europe. People might not know what their own mayor looked like, but they definitely knew the golden-haired, blue-eyed King Arthur.

Cooperating with such a heavyweight director, building a good relationship was definitely necessary.

"I hope that we will have a pleasant collaboration in the days to come," Miss Leigh added.

"Of course," Shinji maintained his gentlemanly smile, "I believe Miss Leigh will enjoy this experience. Kayneth had quite a few demands for me, all for your sake."

Since Kayneth was standing quite close by and had given a thumbs-up in secret, Shinji continued his playful banter, "Kayneth is a bit childish when it comes to emotions. I've had to accommodate many of his unreasonable requests. Taking care of such a big child can be quite taxing."

Naturally, Kayneth, who had initially given a thumbs-up, began to reverse the gesture, lowering his thumb from upright to down behind his back.

Ignoring Kayneth's antics, Shinji introduced Diarmuid to Kayneth. They would be working together during the upcoming shoot. Shinji thought it would be a good idea for them to get acquainted beforehand.

As for Shinji himself, he turned to Waver and gave him a hearty pat on the shoulder.

"Hey, Waver! Long time no see!"

"What's wrong with you?" Waver rubbed his shoulder, annoyed, and asked, "Didn't we just meet in June?"

Shinji grinned mischievously, "I just wanted to take a good look at your current appearance and imprint it in my mind."

"What are you up to?"

Sensing that something was amiss, Waver took a step back, only to realize he had backed into a solid wall of a man who stood over 2 meters tall.

"No way, it's you, kid?" Iskandar let out a hearty laugh. "I guess it's time for me to learn from you for a while."

"Learn from me– You've got to be kidding! Shinji, what are you up to?" Waver asked, puzzled.

Shinji's lips curled up slightly. "Waver, the wheel of fate turns. Remember that time in Cannes when you played a little prank with Lizzie on me? Well, it's payback time."

"What are you talking about..."

Waver hadn't finished his sentence when the big man behind him stuffed something into Waver's mouth.

"Cough, what is this? Alcohol?"

Waver looked at the bottle that had been pulled out of his mouth, its strange taste making him feel uneasy.

"Alcohol? Not even close. This is Aptx-4869."

"What is that?"

Soon, Waver's eyelids began to feel heavy, his head became fuzzy, and his steps grew unsteady.

"Just have a good sleep, Waver. When you wake up, it'll be a whole new world."

"You– "

Before Waver could finish his sentence, his eyes darkened, and he lost consciousness.

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