Chapter 328: Shiki Ryougi: Eh? She's Not Your Ex-Girlfriend?
In the end, a pair of hands rested stiffly on Shinji's shoulders, kneading them with an awkward kind of force.
Well, since she had accepted Shinji's employment, basic professional etiquette had to be upheld.
If it was just shoulder massages, Rin could barely bring herself to accept it.
"Shoulder massage, 1,000 yen each time. Shinji, are you sure you want to continue?" Rin whispered, reminding him: "This wasn't in the original agreement. I was only hired to clean the place!"
To be honest, Rin's technique was terrible. Compared to Li Shuwen, she didn't even come close. At best, she was a slight improvement over a stiff massage chair.
But for the sake of having a beautiful girl doing it, Shinji gave a nod.
"Keep going."
After a moment, Shinji added casually:
"Since you're already willing to massage my shoulders, there must be other extra services too, right? How much for each of them?"
Rin hesitated, her expression twisted in difficulty, before finally muttering:
"Leg massage is also 1,000 yen. Serving tea or water, 500 yen each. Doing laundry is 2,000 yen, but that doesn't include underwear. Foot rubs… forget it. And if you can't sleep at night, I can help you fall asleep—that one is 5,000 yen."
"Physically put me to sleep?" Shinji teased.
"Of course not!"
Having gotten used to Shinji, Rin instantly caught on to what he meant.
"I'll use magecraft! Magecraft! Got it?"
"Then forget it. Hypnosis spells aren't exactly hard for me either," Shinji shrugged.
"Don't move!" Rin scolded, her hands still kneading his shoulders.
"Alright, alright~" Shinji exhaled a long breath, a look of satisfaction spreading across his face.
Truthfully, Rin's prices were more than fair.
A proper massage parlor would charge far more.
As for serving tea and water—at a maid café, one such service could easily run several thousand yen. Before you knew it, the bill could shoot past ten thousand.
And most importantly—
When it came to looks, unless it was one of those top-class hostess clubs, no one could match Rin's beauty.
Her figure might be a little lacking, sure, but her face alone was flawless.
The only pity was her maid outfit—long skirt, no glimpse of those black-stockinged legs. That was Shinji's only real regret about her costume.
While enjoying the massage, Shinji suddenly asked:
"Any higher-priced options?"
Rin's brows twitched, her tone wary:
"And what exactly are you trying to make me do?"
"You're overthinking it. I meant things like playing games together or cooking meals. Basic maid café services, right?" Shinji explained.
"..."
Rin almost snapped that he was insulting her dignity.
But thinking about it again, what he said wasn't technically wrong. Maid cafés really did offer exactly that kind of thing.
So, gathering her courage, Rin leaned close to Shinji's ear and whispered:
"Gaming together, 2,000 yen an hour. Cooking, 5,000 yen per meal—and you don't get to choose the menu. Other than that, making tea or coffee is 500 yen each. That's all I can do."
Shinji glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and let out a snort.
She'd leaned in so close, he thought she was about to name some outrageous price… But in the end, that was it?
Honestly, if it were an actual maid café, her prices would've been doubled at least.
And even then, there was no guarantee Rin herself would get to keep the full amount.
Middlemen always skimmed off their share.
Still, Rin only set her rates like this because she already had that 15,000 yen hourly wage.
But for Shinji, that kind of money barely mattered. Every bit he got was in one hand and out the other, never saved anyway.
So if that money meant being served by Tohsaka-san herself, wasn't it a perfect deal?
Not to mention—half the salary Rin earned would circle back into his hands anyway.
Crunching the numbers, it was practically free.
Waving a hand, Shinji declared:
"Alright then, let's go with those rates. I'm satisfied. But make sure you do a good job."
"I understand… master~~"
Rin's lips twitched uncontrollably as she forced out the words.
As far as maid work went, Shinji's pay was generous enough, and Rin hadn't exactly suffered any mistreatment on the job.
The problem was—her employer was Shinji.
That fact alone was enough to make Rin feel unbearably awkward.
"Shinji, seriously, how did you even come up with using a job ad to trick me like this?"
After kneading his shoulders for a while longer, Rin finally ventured the question.
"That's thanks to Luvia~" Shinji replied airily.
"That blonde drill-hair woman?! To think she'd come up with such a nasty idea!"
Rin swore she would never let that woman have the last laugh.
"Well, do your best then~" Shinji encouraged half-heartedly.
What he hadn't told her was that the "Luvia" in question wasn't the real ojou-sama, but rather the version from the Fate/Kaleid Liner Magical Illya manga—the one who hired Rin as a maid.
In reality, it had nothing to do with the actual Luvia.
But Shinji was sure the real one wouldn't mind, and might even be delighted to shoulder the blame. After all, he'd just sent her a photo of Rin in a maid outfit. She'd replied with a very satisfied, "Good Job! 👍✨"
The only ones truly losing out here were the fans of Fate/Kaleid Liner Magical Illya. Their version would no longer feature Maid Rin. After all, you couldn't expect Rin to fall for the same setup twice—not unless she was a Saint Seiya character, anyway.
If Shinji had to pick between Rin playing maid in some TV drama or in his personal life, the choice was obvious: the real-life version was far more satisfying.
Besides, the whole maid episode in Illya wasn't even plot-critical, just an excuse for Rin and Luvia's love-hate antics. Hadn't Hiroshi Hiroyama shoved the maid arc into a side story anyway, leaving only a few scattered maid illustrations in the main run?
Season two of Illya already had way more plot than the first. For the sake of pacing, it made sense to shelve Maid Rin.
'If only the skirt were shorter… at least enough to show those black-stockinged calves…. Such a waste.'
Feeling that regret gnawing at him, Shinji suddenly turned to Rin and said:
"Hey Rin, can we discuss something…?"
"…What is it?" she asked suspiciously.
Shinji grinned.
"With all your little services added up, it's kind of a hassle—and a bit expensive too. How about I just pay you a flat 17,000 yen an hour?"
"Denied!" Rin shot back instantly.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
Shinji's days of lounging around at home like an old master didn't last long—only until the "explosion scene" was finished and the studio rebuilt its set.
Once the new stage was ready, Shinji summoned the cast again and continued filming as planned.
The only real difference this time was the presence of a red-dressed girl behind him.
After all, it would've been such a waste to hire a beautiful maid and only have her clean his house.
Of course, Shinji knew Rin's prideful nature. He didn't force her into the maid uniform again. Instead, she just wore casual clothes while serving him tea and water.
Rin was pleased—not having to don that humiliating outfit again was a relief.
Shinji was pleased too—he finally got to admire Rin's black-stockinged legs!
Publicly, he explained it as: Ryougi Shiki was acting now, so he'd hired Rin as his temporary assistant.
That explanation left everyone who knew the two of them deeply puzzled.
Since when had Shinji and Rin gotten this close?
Shirou even pulled Shinji aside, whispering:
"Lately I haven't seen Flora-san around. She's not coming over anymore?"
"She's busy with group business and had no time to visit," Shinji replied flatly, not sure why Shirou was even bringing up Cloris.
"Then what about Arturia?"
"She's polishing her acting. Waiting for me to line up a project for her to win an award." Shinji raised an eyebrow—Shirou was acting strangely.
"…And Sakura?"
At that, Shinji's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Shirou… just what exactly are you planning to do to my sister?"
"I-I was just asking. She hasn't shown up in a while."
Shinji snapped back irritably,
"Of course she's at school! She's a college freshman this year, did you forget?"
"No wonder you're bold enough to openly hire a new assistant here at the set!" Shirou exclaimed, as if everything suddenly made sense.
"What's with that enlightened tone?! Get back to work already!"
Seeing Shinji lose his temper, the people who had gathered quickly scattered, hurrying back to their posts.
But from the way they whispered among themselves, Shinji knew perfectly well that the gossip about him was still flying around.
"These people…"
He shook his head and sat back down behind the monitor, turning his gaze to the girl in red standing atop the rooftop set—Ryougi Shiki.
If swords or knives were her trademark accessories, then high-rise rooftops at night were her trademark stage.
Every Type-Moon fan out there carried an image in their mind: a perfect CG illustration of Shiki standing on a rooftop at night, blade gleaming under the moonlight.
But whether it was because Shiki hadn't captured the feel yet, or because a few days' rest had dulled her edge, the atmosphere she gave off now fell short of that iconic vision in Shinji's head.
"Hold it."
Leaving the monitor, Shinji stepped onto the temporary set.
His shoes pressed into the foam boards that formed the rooftop floor as he walked up to Shiki.
But she didn't look at him—her head tilted slightly, lost in thought.
Realizing she was trying to find her groove, Shinji didn't speak. Instead, he circled the set, studying it.
He had originally considered adding a flock of birds to this scene, to create the kind of vibe you saw in superhero shots—like Batman standing on a rooftop at midnight while bats swirled dramatically behind him.
But in the end, he dropped the idea. Not that he couldn't manage it—with a magi's skill at controlling familiars, summoning birds was trivial.
It was just that the whole thing felt too comic-booky, clashing with the more grounded realism Shinji wanted for this film.
As he pondered, Shiki finally stirred from her thoughts and turned her gaze on him.
"Shinji… Director. You told me I needed to project an expression of outward disdain, but with just the faintest trace of hidden warmth in my eyes, correct?"
Shinji nodded.
"Exactly. This shot is the setup for your duel with Asagami Fujino. You need to grasp the state of mind Shiki would have at this point in the story."
Shiki tilted her head thoughtfully.
"What if I used the kind of look you'd give a former boyfriend? You know—still harboring lingering feelings inside, so that beneath the contempt, there's just a hint of softness. Like this?"
She demonstrated, her gaze shifting ever so subtly.
"…The expression is on point. But where the hell did that weird comparison come from?" Shinji frowned.
"Tohsaka-san looks at you like this all the time," Shiki said matter-of-factly.
Shinji's eyes widened in shock.
"She— she does what?!"
Seeing his reaction, Shiki hurried to clarify:
"Tohsaka-san's your ex-girlfriend right? That's why she looks at you that way?"
"…"
Shinji felt compelled to respond.
"Shiki…"
"What?"
"Delusions are an illness. They need treatment."
His tone was heavy, solemn, as though imparting a life lesson.
<+>
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