Chapter 269: Wait, I Got Dumped? Since When?!
Even though Shinji had absolutely gotten his petty revenge on Mordred and the others the night before, his mood the next morning was still in the gutter.
People always say your mood is directly linked to your meals—and for once, Shinji had to admit they were right.
If you don't treat your stomach right, the frustration doesn't fade—it festers.
The moment he walked onto the set, his foul mood was obvious. Unless someone had the awareness of a brick, it was clear: Shinji Matou was about to snap.
And yet, due to his reputation (and the fact he was technically everyone's boss), no one dared to ask. Instead, the cast and crew gathered in little gossip huddles, speculating in whispers.
"Yikes… He really looks like he's in a bad mood, huh…"
Astolfo squeezed in beside Jeanne and whispered with a mischievous glint in his eyes, cheeks flushed as if he were imagining something way too spicy.
Turning his head to hide the grin from Shinji, he flashed Jeanne a row of unnaturally perfect teeth.
"I thought he said he was gonna slack off at the office yesterday? Why does he look like he just lost a war? Think the negotiations went badly?"
Unlike Astolfo, Jeanne actually used her brain. She studied Shinji's stormy expression and muttered her own theory.
"Mmm… Doesn't seem likely. Gawain and the others said during the party last night that the clients were thrilled."
Mordred, of course, was completely unaware she might be the root of Shinji's emotional meltdown. She tilted her head, honestly puzzled.
"I don't get it. The party was a total success."
"That's because," Astolfo declared proudly, "when a guy like that is in a funk, there's only one possible reason—he's got girl problems!"
"Right?!" Mordred nodded with absolute confidence. "He got back super late, and his mood was horrible. Has to be love trouble."
"Tch tch… Can't believe he's still chasing after other girls when he's already got this many babes around him…"
Astolfo's grin widened, looking more like a mischievous bunny than ever.
Jeanne gave him a suspicious glare. "What are you scheming now?"
"I'm just sayin'," Mordred added, "our Master isn't exactly a saint. I could feel the way he was eyeing Father during our late-night snack session. It was sketchy."
"Oho~ So that's his type? The kind with more curves in the back than the front? Didn't see that one coming…"
"Hard to say. Magi are basically inhuman to begin with. Wouldn't be surprised if he had weird tastes."
"Wasn't he always bragging about how he 'burned through the entire Clock Tower?' Pretty sure the guy has zero standards."
"Maybe he's even into that kind of beep-type stuff—?"
And just like that, the gossip spiral dove off a cliff.
"Hohoho~" Astolfo chuckled devilishly. "So, who do you think broke our Master's heart? Could it be someone we know?"
"Well… most of us were at the party yesterday, including Father… so maybe he's been seeing someone outside?"
"Oooh~ That's bold!"
They all gasped and giggled like high schoolers peeking at someone's love diary.
"Tch. Even if I'm keepin' a side chick outside, that still makes me your dad."
A low growl came from behind Mordred—followed by a hot breath hitting the back of her neck.
Shinji had appeared like a vengeful ghost.
Instantly, the entire area fell dead silent.
Shinji raised a brow at the suddenly paralyzed group in front of him.
"You lot…" he drawled, voice like ice. "Are you really that curious about what kind of freaky stuff I'm into?"
His smirk twisted into a dark, sarcastic grin.
"Are you trying to turn me into some kind of pervert mascot, or what?"
Mordred's expression froze in pure awkwardness. She subtly shuffled a step backward.
"Master, come on… You know me. If it were me who said that stuff, I'd never—"
"Stop. Just stop right there."
Shinji cut her off coldly, not giving any of them the slightest chance to defend themselves.
"I know all of you are absolute weirdos with your own particular talents. No need to explain."
"..."
Seriously?
No one said it aloud, but the looks they gave Shinji were practically screaming:
"Dude, that's not how the script's supposed to go."
But Shinji wasn't having any of their nonsense. He went straight to business.
"Lines—did you memorize them?"
"Blocking—did you nail it?"
"Character emotions—did you actually get into their heads?"
With every question, Shinji's tone rose a notch. And with every notch, Mordred and crew's morale dropped like a stone.
"You mean to tell me none of that's done, and you still have the energy to stand around here gossiping like high school girls?"
Shinji's glare was sharp enough to slice through armor.
"How the hell do you even have the nerve to stand here chatting like this? You got no pride?"
"Master, we'll… go practice our lines now!"
Sensing the situation going nuclear, Mordred beat a swift retreat.
Jeanne quickly followed suit, covering her mouth with a polite laugh.
"Yes yes, I should probably check on the set pieces."
"Wait, weren't my scenes already wrapped?"
Only Astolfo, the walking disaster, didn't understand what was happening. He blinked innocently up at Shinji.
And was immediately grabbed—one arm by Jeanne, the other by Mordred.
"Come on now, you."
"Let's go that way."
"Eh? Wait, wait! I still wanted to ask which girl broke Master's heart!"
"SHUT UP!"
"Brats," Shinji muttered, watching the troublemakers disappear from view.
Sure, they were all technically adults—or close enough—but Shinji swore nothing captured their essence better than the term "brat squad."
"Come now, Master," said Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, who had quietly followed Shinji onto set. "They're just worried about you. If they didn't care, they wouldn't be trying so hard to figure out why you're upset."
"…"
That... left Shinji speechless.
The way he said it made it sound like Shinji had actually been dumped last night.
He hadn't!
He was just still salty about missing out on a nice dinner, alright?!
But Shinji realized how petty that would sound if he explained it now. So he let it go.
"Amakusa, you should focus on the movie too. Remember what we talked about before? If you want to 'save humanity,' then you need people to understand you first. And that only happens if we make this film a success."
Shinji smoothly slid into his manipulative mode, reusing the PUA-style pep talk he'd given Amakusa before.
"Only if this film is released and well-received will people begin to truly see your ideals."
"Why?" Amakusa asked directly.
"Because…"
Shinji paused, carefully choosing words that wouldn't ruin the image of himself as a wise, mysterious mentor-figure.
"Because even if your methods aren't perfect, the film shows your heart. It helps people try to trust you, even a little. Especially with the new magecraft initiative we've got brewing."
"...Alright."
Amakusa could tell Shinji wasn't giving the full picture, but he didn't press.
He turned and walked away silently.
Still… a faint unease lingered.
Amakusa couldn't help but feel like his director—his Master—was hiding something from him.
'I hope I'm just imagining things…'
He tried to comfort himself with the thought.
Too bad for him, he wasn't wrong.
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