The next evening, Zouken Matou took Shinji to a year-end gathering of magi.
The moment Shinji walked into the banquet hall, all eyes were drawn to him.
Magi families from all over Japan surrounded him like sharks scenting blood.
Just as he'd anticipated, they were either there to discuss business partnerships or to promote their daughters.
Looking back, Shinji wished he had insisted on bringing Touko-senpai with him.
As he maintained a polite smile, Shinji sighed internally.
Originally, he had planned to bring Touko as his partner to serve as a shield. That would have discouraged many from trying to push their daughters on him. But Touko declined, saying she feared an "old, undead geezer" might attend, which left Shinji to go alone.
"Thank you for supporting the Matou family."
After seeing off a magus who was in collaboration with the Matou, Shinji couldn't help complaining to his grandfather, "This is why I didn't want to come to this kind of banquet. You have to mind your manners and deal with people wanting to network. Not to mention those who act like pimps for their daughters."
"Well, most of them, Shinji, you don't need to bother with," Zouken said, patting him on the shoulder proudly. "After all, you have the Matou name behind you."
"Still, I can't let our family lose face."
"True," Zouken nodded in agreement. "By the way, let me introduce you to someone."
Zouken led his grandson over to a middle-aged man. "Ryougi, this is my grandson, Shinji Matou."
"Hello, Ryougi-san."
The Japanese pronunciation threw Shinji off for a second, but he politely shook hands with the man. Unlike the other superficial magi, this gentleman had a refined aura, exuding elegance in his every movement with a subtle air of sophistication.
He has the aura of a court noble, Shinji thought to himself.
This kind of presence didn't come from new money; it was the kind that only generations of high-ranking nobility could cultivate.
"Oh! So this is young Shinji! Meeting him in person feels much warmer than seeing him in photos or films!"
Shinji was taken aback by Mr. Ryougi's words.
Before he could ask, Mr. Ryougi called out, "Shiki, come over here!"
"Yes, Father."
A young woman around twenty-five or twenty-six approached them.
She was elegantly dressed in a blue kimono, her features neat and beautiful, like a noble lily.
Like her father, she exuded an aristocratic aura, yet it didn't carry any air of spoiled upbringing, making her presence very comfortable.
"This is the Shinji-kun I told you about. You two can regard each other as brother and sister," Mr. Ryougi said.
"Hello, Shinji-kun!" she greeted confidently.
Despite her calm expression, her demeanor was anything but off-putting.
"Hello… um… hello, Shiki-nee."
It felt as if a vague recognition dawned on him, but her unusual status left him puzzled.
"Oh, I didn't introduce her yet. This is my daughter, Shiki Ryougi."
"Oh, so, Shiki-nee… I mean, Ryougi-san…"
Shinji quickly corrected himself; he almost let slip his usual term of address.
"Shinji-kun, Shiki has always admired your accelerated graduation from the Clock Tower. And she enjoys the films you made—wasn't one called Fate?"
Mr. Ryougi was clearly bringing up topics about Shinji on purpose, as if to prove a point to both Shinji and Zouken.
If it wasn't for his grandfather's interest and his own curiosity about the Ryougi family in this Nasuverse, Shinji would have made up an excuse to leave.
The group chatted for a bit, with Shinji carefully trying to glean information about the Ryougi family. However, his grandfather skillfully diverted the conversation whenever he got close to anything substantial. Shiki, however, was far more friendly than her portrayal in Kara no Kyōkai, and she kept asking him about movies and the entertainment industry.
"So, Ryougi-san, who's your favorite character in the Fate movie?"
"Saber!" she replied with enthusiasm, her answer delightfully normal.
'Is this a kind of mutual admiration between the two lead heroines?' Shinji's mouth twitched slightly as he asked, "Why do you like Arturia?"
"Hmm, because she has leadership. And she's a gentle woman."
Shiki replied, her voice carrying a unique ethereal quality that made it pleasantly soothing to listen to.
'Leadership, I can accept... but gentle? Come on, you've got to be kidding,' Shinji thought to himself, subtly touching his cheek, which was still sore from being hit the other day. But it did show that she really paid attention to the movies he'd been in.
'I wonder if Shiki has watched Heaven's Feel,' he mused, wanting to ask her thoughts on HF.
Unfortunately, it was rated R, so discussing it in front of their elders wouldn't be appropriate.
So, he shifted to topics girls might find interesting—like the daily lives of the actors playing the heroic spirits, and amusing on-set stories.
"By the way, Shinji Matou-kun," Mr. Ryougi said, exchanging a look with Zouken after their chat. "My daughter has always been interested in the entertainment world. I have a rather bold request."
"Go ahead," Shinji replied, feeling like he was being roped into something but nodding nonetheless.
"My daughter has always wanted to experience life in the entertainment industry. Could you arrange an internship for her, working by your side?"
After her father spoke, Shiki didn't say anything, simply standing obediently by his side, looking up at her "younger brother" Shinji.
"Shinji, that shouldn't be a problem, right?" Zouken asked, giving Shinji a look that clearly indicated he should agree.
"Sure, an internship is easy enough to arrange," Shinji replied, figuring that as the boss, getting her in wouldn't be difficult.
But Mr. Ryougi pushed further. "Actually... Shinji-kun, I'd like for her to intern as your personal assistant. That way, she might learn even more."
"…Fine," Shinji agreed, feeling slightly conflicted.
'Are they really trying to push me towards the Root? No way… no way…'
Once they had bid farewell to the Ryougi family, Shinji immediately pulled his grandfather aside and whispered, "Grandpa, do you owe the Ryougi money or something?"
Zouken pretended to raise his cane threateningly. "You brat, can't you say something nice for once?"
"Have you grown bold, or have I grown weak, huh?"
"I'm just worried you're getting tricked, Grandpa," Shinji chuckled. "So what's really going on?"
"The Ryougi family has quite a significant background," Zouken replied with a faint smile.
"Aren't they one of the four exorcist families?" Shinji said, rolling his eyes. "I thought all four families had fallen by now."
"The other three, yes. But the Ryougis are an exception," Zouken explained. "They've only partially exited the world of magecraft."
Based on Zouken's explanation, combined with what Shinji already knew, he pieced together the situation with the Ryougi family.
As the age of mystery weakened, Japan's four major exorcist families began to decline earlier than expected, even compared to what Nasu had written.
The Ryougi, however, adapted, switching from magecraft to business.
Leveraging their relationships with magus and their status as a powerful family in the non-magical world, they positioned themselves as intermediaries between the two worlds, handling business matters for other mage families.
They were both middlemen between magi and regular society, as well as white-glove intermediaries for other magus families.
Because of this, they became more prosperous in business, even absorbing the other three exorcist families' assets.
And to manage these relationships, the Ryougi left their old base in Misaki Town and settled in Kyoto.
"So what does any of this have to do with me having to accept Shiki as an assistant?" Shinji asked, getting to the heart of the matter.
"The truth is… ever since you returned from abroad, they've suggested an arranged marriage. But I turned it down because you said you wanted to make your own decisions about marriage," Zouken explained succinctly. "I suspect they want to use your talents to re-enter the magical world. After all, once someone has experienced magecraft, it's hard to give it up."
"…" Shinji felt his stomach twist as he contemplated whether he should be grateful Zouken didn't yet know about his relationship with Cloris.
"Judging by how things look, they likely still want a marriage alliance with you. Old-school magus families look down on them as not true magi, while new families don't meet their standards. By comparison, you make an ideal match."
As the head of the Matou family for decades, Zouken knew the minds of other families all too well.
"In my opinion, it wouldn't hurt to spend some time with the girl. The Ryougi family controls several valuable spiritual ley lines, and even if you two only have a business relationship, there's potential for partnership."
"I understand," Shinji answered with a peculiar look on his face.
"The Ryougi are seriously wealthy, you know," Zouken said with a smile. "Their assets are vast. Marry that girl, and you'll never have to worry about money again."
"Come on, Grandpa, don't tempt me with this. I might not resist the test," Shinji replied jokingly.
"Oh? Why wouldn't you be able to resist it?" Zouken asked, sensing that Shinji's response was both a joke and a touch sincere.
This surprised him since his grandson had been surprisingly disciplined since returning from abroad. He hadn't been entirely chaste, but at least he hadn't had any romantic rumors.
"How is it, after all this time, a girl in a kimono has you considering this?"
"Grandpa, I am a magus, after all…" Shinji sighed with a wistful expression. "Don't they say that one can become a True Magician by entering the Root? I'm just afraid I'll be too tempted to try…"
"What nonsense are you going on about now?"
Having never read The Garden of Sinners, Zouken was utterly baffled.
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Tn: Just so you know, Shiki is the Root, so, the word [Entering the Root Can Make You a Magician] can also be viewed as [whoever fuck Shiki will become a Magician], that's why Shinji said that he's afraid that he will be tempted.
Since, you know, if he really did try and succeed, he will have both Shiki and be a Magician.
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