"No, I don't have some unhealthy obsession with red and blue. It's just that this cold-warm contrast happens to suit the character designs," Shinji explained to Rin. "Red and blue have a stark contrast, making it easy for viewers to distinguish between the characters at a glance. Anyone with a bit of design knowledge would choose red and blue."
"Look, doesn't that little actress, Akiha Tohno, who plays Miyu, like to wear red clothes?"
"Oh, really? But when she's playing Miyu, you'll have her wear blue, won't you?" Rin said in a long, skeptical tone, clearly unconvinced by Shinji's reasoning.
"Didn't I design the two factions in Fate/Apocrypha to be red and black?" Shinji reminded her. "How can you say I'm obsessed with red and blue?"
"That does make sense," Rin nodded, then added, "Wait a second—Vlad III, the main character of the black faction, still has a predominantly blue color scheme, doesn't he?"
"That's just because his Noble Phantasm color scheme is blue. I didn't deliberately plan it that way!"
"…Fair enough," Rin nodded again before giving Shinji a side-eye. "But I still think you're a red-and-blue fanatic!"
"I'm such a fool... actually discussing this with you," Shinji sighed and shrugged. "If you're so insistent, Rin, we could try putting you in a maid outfit. I'll make sure it's blue."
"Shinji, you're so petty."
"Right back at you, Rin," Shinji replied, his words making Rin's cheeks flush slightly.
"Annoying you is my favorite pastime," he added with a smirk.
"Shin! Ji!" Rin's fleeting sense of gratitude immediately vanished.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
What happened after that, and how Shinji managed to survive the wrath of the furious Rin, has little to do with the current filming.
Now, Akiha Tohno, playing Miyu, was reclaiming the Ruler's card.
First, she pulled a Lancer card from the cardholder on her thigh and placed it on her blue staff.
"Class Card [Lancer], Install!"
The prop staff was switched out off-camera for a red spear.
Then, facing the near-Alter version of Ruler, the blue-clad girl charged forward.
"Gáe Bolg Alternative!"
The red spear pierced Ruler's body instantly.
"Cut!" Shinji called out through the megaphone.
"Akiha-chan, your delivery feels a bit off," Shinji said, scratching his head. "Miyu's character doesn't have much emotional expression in the early stages. When shouting, your voice should be loud but remain calm."
"Shout loudly but without emotion?" Akiha tilted her head, looking puzzled.
"Exactly. When shouting out her Noble Phantasm, there should be no emotion—just the sense of fulfilling a task assigned by Luvia," Shinji explained.
He elaborated further, seeing the little girl still confused: "At this point in the story, Miyu is only retrieving cards in exchange for a place to live, clothes to wear, and food to eat."
"Hey, Shinji! Don't make me sound like the evil stepmother from a fairy tale!" Luvia, standing nearby, protested.
Akiha rolled her eyes and hesitantly asked, "So, something like how I'm following your instructions now to survive, Shinji-oniisan?"
This innocent statement instantly made everyone on set look at Shinji with judgmental expressions that screamed, Three years minimum, buddy.
"Don't say it like that..." Shinji's mouth twitched as his face contorted awkwardly. However, scolding an innocent little girl wasn't his style, so he slumped his shoulders in defeat.
"Fine, think whatever you want. Just convey that feeling in your performance," he said weakly.
"Got it! I'll give it a try!"
Akiha nodded enthusiastically.
"Take a break; we'll redo the scene later," Shinji announced, sitting back in the director's chair, looking both exhausted and resigned.
"Ah... I just wanted to film two episodes of Prisma Illya to get back in the groove. Why is it so troublesome...?" he muttered.
It was true that kids and animals were notoriously difficult to work with on set.
Shinji had no intention of filming the entire series himself. Shooting for too long wasn't worth it for a locally targeted tokusatsu show.
His plan was to film two episodes to regain his feel for directing, then shift his focus back to the Fate/Apocrypha set and leave Prisma Illya in the hands of Tsuburaya Productions' directors.
After all, Tsuburaya's directors were currently the most idle in the company, their only task being to assist with the production of Ultraseven X and learn how to stage large-scale scenes.
With the mentality of "If I'm working, everyone else should be too," Shinji dragged them over to the Prisma Illya set to take over the project after he finished his part.
However, the filming of the first two episodes turned out to be far more complicated than Shinji anticipated.
Not only had he grown rusty after nearly a year away from filmmaking, but the actors' performances were also less than ideal.
Rin and Luvia's rivalry was infamous, and Shinji had long decided never to have both of them on set at the same time—unless they were filming a fight scene. The primary reason wasn't even the cost of potential damage but the logistical nightmare. Many props and pieces of equipment were custom-made, and replacements couldn't be acquired quickly if broken, significantly delaying production.
Aside from Rin and Luvia, Ilya's performance was also problematic.
The little girl tried hard, but she kept relying on her experience playing Ilya in Fate/Stay Night to portray herself in Prisma Illya. Shinji had corrected her multiple times, but after a few good takes, she'd inevitably slip back into her old habits, leaving him exasperated.
In contrast, Akiha Tohno—who played Miyu and had just been given pointers—turned out to be the best performer among the four main actors.
The only issue was her sharp tongue. She took every opportunity to hint to the crew that Shinji was a "loli-con," causing him to become the subject of their watchful stares several times.
'Seriously, do I seem like that kind of person?' Shinji protested internally.
He much preferred women like Rider—full-bodied, curvaceous types. Second on his list were quality girls like Rin with toned thighs.
And if none of that were possible, at the very least, they needed to have Arturia's extraordinary looks and potential for character growth.
But Akiha? She had nothing! Her figure was even less developed than Arturia's already modest frame, and there wasn't any room for potential improvement.
"If I had to choose, I'd go for a fox girl over her, no question!" Shinji grumbled.
Shinji's regret traced back to a flippant comment he'd made: "I chose you to study you."
The decision to cast Akiha as Miyu had been an accident.
When Shinji first saw Akiha's name on the final shortlist of candidates, he'd been so startled he thought her father, Makihisa Tohno, had intentionally sent her as a favor.
But after thoroughly investigating the Tohno family, Shinji realized he'd overthought it.
The once-prestigious Tohno family had long since fallen into obscurity, even more so than the Ryougi family. At least the Ryougi still clung to the fringes of the mystic world. The Tohno family, on the other hand, had completely faded into ordinary life, no longer even retaining the status of local landlords.
The Tohno's wealth and mystical heritage had both been entirely lost generations ago. Today, their name only appeared sporadically in old records from other magus families.
However, while the Tohno family had distanced themselves from the mystic, the mystic had not distanced itself from them. The hereditary "Inversion Impulse" still plagued every Tohno family member.
Without proper records or connections to the mystic world, the Tohno family was powerless to address this condition. They could only watch as members succumbed to "demonization."
In modern terms, this "Inversion Impulse" manifested as severe aggression and emotional instability. To the average person, it was indistinguishable from a severe psychiatric disorder.
Indeed, the Tohno family had become notorious as a "crazy family," and they were also remarkably short-lived.
By Akiha's generation, the situation was even worse—she was the last remaining Tohno.
Her father and brother had been institutionalized due to their Inversion Impulse and eventually died there, reportedly from suicide, though the details were unclear.
Knowing she would inevitably succumb as well, Akiha resolved to earn as much money as possible before her condition worsened, hoping to afford the best possible treatment.
For a child, the paths to making big money were limited. Excluding illegal activities, the most feasible option was becoming a celebrity.
Fortunately, Akiha chose the entertainment industry; otherwise, she never would have encountered Shinji.
After learning about the Tohno family's circumstances, Shinji became deeply interested in Akiha.
Opportunities to study hybrid beings with non-human traits were exceedingly rare, and cases with guaranteed manifestations were even rarer.
Though Shinji loved the entertainment world, he was still a magus at heart.
Discovering someone like Akiha was akin to stumbling upon a treasure trove. He immediately brought her onto the set, ostensibly for her acting skills, but primarily to "research" her.
Unfortunately, Shinji had been too blunt, once telling Akiha outright, "I want to study you."
Naturally, the little girl misunderstood.
Even after Shinji explained concepts like magecraft, non-human hybrids, and the Inversion Impulse, Akiha remained clueless.
"How am I supposed to understand all that?" she retorted with a blank expression.
So, in her attempts to protect herself, Akiha began telling everyone on set that Shinji was a "loli-con" who had his sights set on her.
The magi and Heroic Spirits on the crew understood the truth but found Shinji's predicament hilarious. Watching him squirm was far too entertaining for them to step in and clarify matters.
Despite the setbacks, Shinji wasn't discouraged. He had already devised a way to handle the sharp-tongued little actress.
As an experienced magus, Shinji planned to give Akiha a dramatic introduction to the real mystic world.
Today marked the release of the fifth episode of Fate/Stay Night: Heaven's Feel.
"I've been holding back from using any magecraft during filming just for today's special viewing party," Shinji thought with a sly grin as he watched Akiha chatting with Luvia.
"Are you ready to face reality, Akiha Tohno?"
Behind him, Medusa muttered disdainfully, "Master, that smile is disgusting."
<+>
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