Chapter 53: This Stuff Must Be Popular in England
I am Waver Velvet, a lecturer in modern magecraft theory at the Clock Tower. When I came to Japan to work with my teacher, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, I was betrayed by some bastard.
I was so focused on guarding against Shinji himself that I overlooked the giant coming from behind. He grabbed me, forcefully poured a strange potion down my throat, and when I woke up...
My body had actually shrunk!
Thump!
A black magical bullet flew toward Shinji's forehead while he was giving an enthusiastic speech, but he easily swatted it away with a book.
"What's wrong? Don't you like this development?" Shinji teased the mini-version of Waver in front of him. "I think 'Mage Detective Waver' would be a very famous TV show."
"Famous my foot!"
As a teenager, Waver was livid and wanted to kick Shinji in the face, but he couldn't move as Shinji held his head firmly.
One had to admit that teenage Waver was really small, and he was completely dominated by Shinji in every aspect.
"You've changed a lot, Waver. Did magic make you grow after you turned twenty?" Shinji asked with genuine interest.
It's worth noting that the rejuvenation drug Shinji gave him had been carefully designed to stabilize Waver's body at the age of nineteen.
However, even though he looked like he was nineteen, the current Waver appeared much younger than Shinji. He was nothing like the tall and well-built European man he used to be.
"You... "
Seeing that he couldn't effectively attack Shinji, Waver's face turned crimson.
"Oh dear, oh dear. No need to get so worked up, Waver~" Shinji continued to taunt him with a playful smile. "After all, this is just a test."
"A test?"
Shinji nodded, "As an important character in the movie, you'll be playing at this age throughout the entire film, so we need to test how long a single dose of the rejuvenation drug can last in your system. That's why we need to do this experiment."
"I see, so I'm being used as a guinea pig— But why don't you do it yourself, Shinji?"
"Well, your role is quite significant, and if there are any unexpected reactions or side effects, it's better for you to experience them first."
Waver felt his mouth twitch from the constant rationalizations. "No matter what reasons you come up with, Shinji, you always make sense, don't you?"
"Of course."
Shinji openly admitted it.
He had himself to blame for getting involved with Shinji and his uncle in Cannes, so he was prepared to be trapped by Shinji's schemes.
"Teacher..."
Waver looked at Kayneth, who was casually discussing something with his fiancée, in distress.
Upon hearing Waver's words, Kayneth raised his head and said casually, "Waver, just sacrifice a little and follow Shinji's arrangements. It's all for the image of our Modern Magecraft Theory Department."
Waver sighed. "This teacher is beyond help, he's hopeless."
Kayneth, usually wise and brilliant, was an exception when it came to matters of the heart.
Now, drugged by his own fiancée, he had no say in anything anymore.
'As expected, women are really the source of all trouble!'
Seeing Kayneth deeply immersed in love and unable to extricate himself, Waver's determination to remain single for life grew stronger.
However, what bothered him the most today wasn't just being drugged.
"Waver, you still have a few days before you officially start shooting. During this time, you need to adjust your state and get into character as soon as possible."
Upon hearing Shinji's words, Waver sighed and said resignedly, "I understand. I'll cooperate with your work."
Although he had a lot of complaints in his heart, his self-esteem wouldn't allow him to slack off on his work.
He could only blame himself for having the wrong teacher and getting involved with the unreliable Shinji.
Shinji clapped his hands and said with a smile, "Very good, then during this time, you'll get along well with Iskandar."
"Alright, I'll get along with—wait, what did you say?"
Realizing that something was amiss, Waver quickly asked.
"In order to cultivate your teamwork, you and Iskandar will be living together, eating together, and so on for some time."
"Shinji, you did this without—"
Waver's complaints hadn't finished when a big hand lifted him up like an eagle grabbing a chick.
"Hahaha, kid." Iskandar let out a deafening laugh. "Come on, let's get to know each other better!"
"Wait, put me down!!"
Waver struggled and shouted.
As someone who considered himself an English gentleman, he naturally showed resistance to rough and boisterous men like Iskandar.
"Well then, let's start building our relationship!"
Iskandar held Waver under his armpit and walked out of the room casually.
"Waver, is he okay?"
Kayneth, using his last bit of conscience as a teacher, asked Shinji quietly.
"Okay? Why wouldn't he be? They'll become great partners." Shinji assured him with a pat on his chest. "Maybe when it's time for them to part ways after the film, Waver will cry his heart out."
"In that case, please make sure to capture it on film." Kayneth added, "That kid hasn't been cute since he graduated."
"Probably because he's surrounded by unreliable people." Shinji didn't say this out loud, considering that he was also one of those unreliable people.
"Kayneth, Miss Leigh, let's go."
Shinji took the lead and led the way out of the office. Once Kayneth and the others followed, he said, "Let me introduce you to the other main cast members and the members of my production team."
With Kayneth and his two companions joining the production team, it meant that all the major actors of FZ had officially entered the film crew, and the FZ crew had truly entered the shooting phase.
After showing Kayneth and the others around the set, Shinji finally brought them to the rehearsal area where Arturia and Diarmuid were preparing for the shoot.
Kayneth had already seen the two Servants at the train station, but at that time, it was just a fleeting glance. This time, with the spirit of a mage's exploration and curiosity, he was ready to observe and analyze the Heroic Spirits more closely.
In the world of modern magecraft, these Servants were currently the closest thing to the Third Magic. Even though Kayneth didn't specialize in the Third Magic, he couldn't help but feel a sense of mystery and curiosity about the unknown.
Regarding Kayneth's request, Shinji naturally agreed.
So he stayed by Leigh's side, watching Kayneth study the two Servants closely, while also discussing specific matters related to the shoot.
"As for the character Sophia-Ri," Shinji continued, "Miss Leigh, are you sure you want to use her original appearance and name in the movie?"
Shinji Mukai confirmed to Leigh.
In the original script of Fate/Zero that he made, the character of Kayneth's fiancee had her name and appearance changed. However, anyone familiar with Clock Tower gossip could easily recognize the prototype of that character.
Shinji changed Sola's appearance for the same reason he modified the early FSN script for Kotomine Kirei. Due to real-life prototypes, he wanted to avoid trouble.
However, Leigh made a request not to change anything about the character she was playing, including the name and appearance.
"I want to play as Sola," Leigh asserted with a nod.
"Can you tell me why?" Shinji asked with a tilted head. "Of course, if it involves your privacy and Kayneth's, then forget it."
Leigh shook her head slightly and explained directly, "I just want to get back at that ridiculous woman. She actually abandoned Kayneth, a good man, to pursue her own romance."
"Hmm..." Shinji whistled, as if he had heard some remarkable information.
It seems that in this world, although Sola did not participate in the Holy Grail War, she still found her "Diarmuid."
"She's just a spoiled young lady living in a dream," Leigh scornfully said, "If you enjoy the comfortable life provided by the Sophia-Ri family, you should contribute to the family. If you really want freedom, why not just abandon your name and live in the slums?"
Shinji touched his nose, refraining from commenting, and just said one thing.
"Do you mind if Kayneth gives up everything for Sola in the movie?"
"Doesn't that prove Kayneth is a good man?" Leigh played with the end of her braids in a refined manner. "That woman is a thing of the past, and now the one by his side is me."
Shinji shrugged, as long as Kayneth and Leigh didn't object, he had no reason to refuse.
"Okay, let's go with that. But your hair is quite different from Sola's." Shinji pointed to her pink long hair. "During the shooting, you'll need to use a wig."
"That's not a problem." Leigh nodded and added with a hint of concern, "But will there be trouble with close-up shots? Wouldn't it be better to just dye my hair?"
Miss Leigh herself is an actress, naturally much more knowledgeable about filming than the amateur Kayneth. Although technology is advancing, wig technology hasn't improved much from Shakespeare to the present. It's fine for daily use, but when using a movie camera, the "fake" of the wig will be exposed in high-definition images.
"Don't dye your hair; it damages the hair too much." Shinji explained, "Don't worry, we're using a new type of wig developed by the technical team. It fits very well, almost perfect."
The so-called new wig was an accidental product that Shinji obtained when improving Touko's "body improvement slime" (as named by Rin).
Non-toxic and harmless, and the styling is very natural. The only problem is that because it is completely sealed, it is not very good for the real hair under the wig, but compared to dyeing, this damage is negligible.
Of course, compared to making movies, Shinji has already seen a much bigger market for this wig.
Wigs are harmful to real hair, but they have no impact on the scalps of those who originally have no hair.
Shinji believes that this invention has unparalleled appeal to bald and semi-bald Mediterranean men (especially British men).
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