Becoming a Magician by reaching the Root?
Of course, Shinji was only joking about that.
Relying on Ryougi Shiki to reach the Root?
That's a ridiculous notion, really.
Anyone who actually attempted something like that would be a fool.
Moreover, in this world, Ryougi Shiki never received the Ryougi family's personality training.
Whether or not she can even connect to the Root is completely unknown.
As for Shiki acting as his assistant, Shinji didn't think much of it.
He figured there was no way a delicate young lady could handle the assistant's complex, mundane tasks.
In less than two months, she'd probably beg to leave.
Shinji's task was simple: don't offend this highborn lady of the Ryougi family.
Once she's had enough of experiencing common life, she'll leave naturally.
After attending the year-end party, Shinji felt a sense of completion, as if he could prepare for the New Year break.
It was an illusion, but his body protested, demanding a break.
After all, with 80% of "Super 8 (Superior Ultraman 8 Brothers)" in post-production, they'd have it ready for Chinese approval by April even with some delay.
Embracing the worker's tradition of procrastinating until the deadline, Shinji decided to give himself an early vacation.
Not that he'd lie around all day – Shinji planned to tour various sets, actually fulfilling his duties as a producer for once.
Though he was credited on every film shot in Fuyuki City, Shinji hadn't actually visited any set in person.
Fuyuki City had numerous sets and many production crews.
Visiting a set each morning and dropping by the office in the afternoon to relax – he could easily coast through the day.
Of course, different production crews required different approaches.
For "adopted" crews, Shinji merely visited, but for the "in-house" ones, he needed to check filming progress, the crew's situation, and offer relevant guidance.
The crew he was most invested in was the "Seven X" team.
During his tour, he even called over the director, screenwriter, and technical consultants to carefully review everything.
Initially, Shinji wanted to have one of Tsuburaya's directors film "Seven X."
However, none of them met his expectations.
They were accustomed to the style of Japanese tokusatsu films, and their sets and storyboards felt cramped to him.
So he asked Cloris to find someone suitable in North America. And surprisingly, she found someone who satisfied him – Denis Villeneuve.
Though not widely known in film circles yet, Villeneuve was truly one of a kind in the Hollywood of Shinji's previous world. "Arrival," "Blade Runner 2049," "Dune" – all of Denis Villeneuve's brilliant sci-fi films showcased his outstanding artistic sensibilities. Especially "Blade Runner 2049," a cyberpunk masterpiece that left an indelible impression on Shinji.
This was his biggest reason for selecting Villeneuve.
Villeneuve's highly personal aesthetic often kept his films from high box-office returns, but Shinji wasn't producing "Seven X" for ticket sales anyway.
Rather than a lucrative 8-out-of-10 movie, Shinji wanted a perfectly crafted 10-out-of-10 film.
Even if "Seven X" failed to gain recognition from academic circles, it didn't matter as long as core film enthusiasts loved it.
Once the children who grew up watching "Seven X" became leaders in the film industry, they'd have the voice to shape its future.
"Denis, this film requires your utmost attention," Shinji reminded him on set. "Especially the scenery; the audience has to feel like this world truly exists."
"I understand, Producer Matou," Villeneuve nodded, committing Shinji's advice to memory.
He deeply appreciated Shinji's support.
Back in 2000, he won the Best Director at the 20th Canadian Genie Awards with "Maelström." But Canada's awards meant little in the world, unlike the Oscars, which dominated.
Without Matou Shinji, he'd still be struggling to build a name in North America with low-budget indie films, not directing such a major project.
And Matou Shinji had said it himself: no need to worry about box-office returns – just make the film as he envisioned it.
Praising his "generous boss," Denis Villeneuve dove enthusiastically into refining the script of "Seven X."
The more he analyzed it, the more he felt this script was perfect for him.
A world of advanced material civilization and an impoverished spiritual one, with extreme wealth gaps.
Just thinking about it, there were endless stories to tell.
"Too bad, though," Denis Villeneuve sighed, "with only a feature-length runtime, it'll be hard to cover everything."
Shinji glanced at him and said, "If 'Seven X' can win any of the top three European awards, I'll invest in a series so you can tell the story to your heart's content."
"Really?" Denis Villeneuve could hardly believe his ears.
"Of course, work hard," Shinji encouraged, giving Denis Villeneuve a pat on the shoulder.
When Denis left, visibly thrilled, Shinji turned to Medea.
"Well, he didn't notice anything unusual, did he?"
Though the Canadian director was indeed talented, he wasn't a magus. So, any magical elements around the set required a little discreet camouflage from Medea.
"No problem at all," she smiled, "I've arranged most of the magecraft-related tasks to happen either before or after filming. If magecraft absolutely has to be used during the shoot, I cover it up with new 'technology' tricks."
Choosing a non-mage director for "Seven X" was Shinji's experiment. As things expand in the future, it won't be feasible to shut out all non-mages. Finding a way for mages and non-mages to coexist on set is one of the learning curves with this production.
"This guy's clever—he doesn't care how it works, just that it gives him the desired effect."
It was evident that Medea approved of Denis Villeneuve.
"Just be careful. If he does catch on to something, it's no big deal. Worst case, we explain and clarify."
The World of Magecraft's rule that ordinary people should never learn about mysteries was strict, but its enforcement always had some wiggle room.
Even in the Mushroomverse, examples of non-mages knowing about magecraft are plenty, especially in this world where mystery is already fading.
As long as magecraft isn't widely publicized, the World of Magecraft tends to turn a blind eye.
If Denis Villeneuve remained oblivious, that would be ideal. But if he did find out, no problem – they'd just clarify things and assign someone to keep an eye on him.
After all, Denis Villeneuve was an experiment; Shinji had prepared countermeasures for either scenario.
Once the conversation was over, Shinji also reminded Cu Chulainn to put 200% into his performance to ensure an excellent final product, then left the set.
On his way back, Shinji made a stop on the shopping street to pick up some gifts for Arturia and Sakura.
He bought two big bags of snacks for Arturia and some elegant handmade jewelry for Sakura.
Since Shinji's tendency to speak a bit too freely had recently disrupted the peace in the Matou household, he figured a little bribery might help smooth things over with the two.
"I hope these gifts will calm them down a bit during the New Year."
Gazing out at the scenery passing by the car window, Shinji thought to himself.
"Master, someone from the company contacted you while you were shopping," Medusa, who was driving, suddenly mentioned.
"What was it about?"
Shinji leaned back into the comfortable rear seat, looking relaxed.
He had already set up tasks with the company, so he didn't expect anything major to come up.
"It was a call from Yan Qing. He said a girl came to the company today to report in, saying she's your intern assistant," Medusa replied.
"An intern assistant? Shiki?!"
Shinji sat up straight immediately.
"The Ryougi family's gone mad, haven't they? Really couldn't wait?"
Shinji had expected that, even if they were eager, the Ryougi family would wait until after the New Year to send her. But here she was, arriving much sooner than he anticipated!
"Hold on!" Shinji suddenly realized something and asked anxiously, "Who's at the office today?"
"How would I know?"
Medusa rolled her eyes, clearly exasperated.
Realizing he was asking the wrong person, Shinji quickly called up the ever-reliable Ota in the company, "Yan Qing, about the newcomer…"
"Oh, Master, you mean Miss Ryougi?"
Yan Qing's voice carried an unmistakable smirk, "She's currently chatting happily with Miss Saber. Miss Secretary Phamrsolone is there with them, too."
"Just the two of them?" Shinji raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, everyone's there—Ah, right, Miss Flora also dropped by. She's been keeping a very close eye on Miss Ryougi. Hohoho~~"
Yan Qing's words dripped with mischief.
So, all these so-called loyal Heroic Spirits are just there enjoying the show?!
After hearing what Yan Qing had to say, Shinji felt a sinking feeling.
He realized he was in big trouble.
"Rider."
"Yes, Master?"
Shinji looked up at the car ceiling, resigned, "If I say that I accidentally looked into your petrifying eyes and have to stay stiff on set all day, would that work as an excuse?"
"Absolutely not."
With that, Medusa pressed down hard on the gas pedal.
Thanks to Riding: A+, Medusa managed to get the car to Type-Moon Studios at top speed without breaking any traffic rules.