Chapter 306: A Brand New Illya You've Never Seen Before
When Cu Chulainn was giving his acceptance speech, the live broadcast camera panned across to Shinji's seat.
On the monitor, Shinji was smiling and clapping, looking perfectly at ease.
Although it was his first time hearing his name mentioned in someone else's acceptance speech, he'd already grown used to hearing gratitude directed toward him in countless interviews.
So naturally, his face remained calm and unchanged this time as well.
Of course, that composure was just what Shinji wanted others to see.
In truth, he desperately wanted to crouch down and rub his aching foot.
'This kind of pain… at the very least, it's going to bruise.'
From the corner of his eye, Shinji kept glancing toward the nearby camera, silently willing it to move away so he could finally check what kind of mess Cloris had made of his foot.
While Shinji was quietly distressed, Denis Villeneuve was quietly disappointed.
Cu Chulainn winning Best Actor meant Ultraseven X had lost its shot at the Golden Lion.
For Denis, as its director, that was a heavy blow.
He already knew he couldn't outshine Alain Resnais for the Silver Lion in directing, so Denis had pinned his hopes on Ultraseven X claiming Best Picture.
After all, in filmmaking, the director is king.
If the film itself wins, the glory naturally flows back to the one at the helm.
Of course, a Best Actor award indirectly honors the director too, but in most people's eyes, those trophies are seen as personal triumphs of the actors.
"…Still, maybe a miracle will happen."
Though the odds of winning both were slim, Denis couldn't quite snuff out the tiny ember of hope in his heart. Until the very last second, no one could predict the jury's choice.
But that year's Venice Film Festival held no surprises—the Golden Lion went to Still Life.
"It's fine, Denis."
Clapping along with the crowd, Shinji leaned over and said reassuringly,
"For your next film, we'll push hard for both Best Director and Best Picture."
"…Thank you, Director Matou."
The smile on Denis's face was faint and forced, but his gratitude toward Shinji was genuine.
After all, Shinji had pulled him out of the obscurity of the Canadian scene and given him a stage to truly prove himself.
Say what you will about Westerners prizing individuality—no one respected an ungrateful backstabber.
Not winning hurt, yes. But Denis would never blame Shinji. He knew better than anyone how vital this year's Best Actor trophy was for Type-Moon Studios.
It just wasn't his turn.
"When the film premieres in North America, we'll aim for the Oscars next," Shinji said, wagging a finger, his eyes sparkling.
"European approval already secured… I'm sure America will—OW!"
His boast cut short by another yelp, Shinji shot Cloris a furious glare.
"You again?! I'm warning you, Lissy—my patience is running out!"
Cloris only bit her lip and made a strange little noise.
"And what about my patience, huh? You talk like the Oscars are child's play! Do you really look down on them that much? Just worshiping European awards, are you?"
"No, no, not at all!" Shinji waved his hands quickly.
"There was this one Chinese director—won multiple Grand Prix at the Big Three festivals, but never once got his hands on an Oscar. Drove himself crazy trying. See? The Academy's standards are way higher."
He plastered on a flattering smile.
"Right, Lissy? The Oscars are on a whole other level."
But Cloris just stared at him with the look of someone thinking Are you seriously trying to gaslight me right now?
"You think I'm stupid? The Academy geezers would die to fawn over a director like that. You expect me to believe they'd ignore someone who's won the Big Three?!"
'I'm telling the truth though…'
Shinji rubbed his nose awkwardly.
Of course, he couldn't exactly explain this little tidbit came from a parallel world.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
Tokyo, Young Magus Club.
"Fwaaah—"
Watching the award presenter hand the Golden Lion statue to that Chinese director on TV, Aoko yawned wide and stretched lazily across the sofa.
"Alright, Alice. We've seen enough of this awards show—hurry up and change the channel. Magical Illya is about to start."
If it weren't for Alice wanting to know whether Shinji would actually win anything, she never would've wasted her time on such a meaningless ceremony.
Whether Shinji came home empty-handed or not had nothing to do with her. What she really cared about was the Ruby Mystic Code staff from Magical Illya, which was going on sale next month.
That was Bandai's PROPLICA series—high-end replicas of props, reproduced in 1:1 scale.
Rumor had it that this Ruby staff came with the latest recognition tech, capable of reading the seven Class Cards packaged with it. Lots of play value, high bang-for-buck—basically, every collector's dream.
"Hey, hey, Alice~"
Aoko leaned in close to her best friend, voice sticky-sweet and dripping with flattery.
"About that Ruby staff coming out next month… it's a teensy bit pricey, and my wallet's, um… you know—"
"No."
Before she could even finish, Alice cut her off with cold, absolute finality.
"But I didn't even finish my sentence…" Aoko whimpered, trying her best to weaponize cuteness.
"Then don't start it."
Too bad for her—Alice wasn't the type to fall for that.
"..."
Seeing her friend's heartless rejection, Aoko's eyes flicked slyly to the side.
"I heard Bandai is packing some real futuristic tech into this one, you know~"
"Ha."
Alice let out one flat laugh—clearly uninterested in such claims.
"But!" Aoko lowered her voice, drawing the others in. "From what I heard from my sister, that so-called 'futuristic tech' is really just a cover. What they're actually using… is magecraft."
"—What?!"
Before Alice could even respond, the others in the lounge—Shibamatsu, Fujita, and the rest—rushed over in excitement.
Aoko nodded. "Mm. My sister was directly involved in development. She would know."
"What kind of magecraft is it?"
"Where's it applied?"
"Wait—can it actually fire magic bullets?!"
Questions came rapid-fire, like a barrage of spells.
It was Bandai merch, meant for the mass market. So what kind of bounded field or thaumaturgical formula had Shinji Matou and Aozaki Touko smuggled into it? Of course they were curious!
Even Alice, who had been silent until now, sat up straight, listening intently.
"Ehh… well, my sister's bound by an NDA, so I can't spill specifics." Aoko laughed nervously, waving her hand. "But I can tell you two things for sure. First—Shinji's trying to open up more magecraft-based revenue streams. Using it in toys is just a test case."
"The second is this—he and my sister want to verify a hypothesis. If it works… it could bring about a revolution in magecraft incantation."
"…A revolution in incantation?"
At those words, Alice's eyes finally flickered.
A new revenue stream? She couldn't care less. If Shinji was attaching some throwaway bounded field to toys to spice them up, that was beneath her notice.
But magecraft incantation—and Shinji calling it a "revolution"—that was something else entirely. That was big.
Too bad Touko hadn't told her sister any details, which meant Aoko couldn't tell them either.
Their appetites whetted and then left hanging, the group could only stew in restless frustration.
The feeling was eerily familiar—exactly like last week, when Magical Illya had cut off right at a cliffhanger.
Now, Aoko's half-truths about "futuristic technology" had left them in the exact same state: restless, unsatisfied, and desperate for more.
If there was one difference from last week, it was that last week's cliffhanger had been resolved, while this week's… well, this week's would probably torment them until next month.
"Man, that Matou guy really knows how to mess with people's nerves," Shibamatsu muttered, popping dried fruit into his mouth while glaring intently at the TV.
"No matter what, Saber's probably bowing out this episode, right?" he guessed.
Fujita shook his head. "I'd rather Saber join Illya's team as a new member! I mean—Arturia's a girl too, isn't she?"
"..."
On whether a Heroic Spirit really counted as a "girl," Shibamatsu chose to withhold judgment. Thankfully, the episode had already started, saving him from having to give an answer.
Last week's Magical Illya had ended on Illya breaking a seal. Naturally, this week began with her pained inner monologue.
"What's happening to me…? I don't… understand…"
"All I feel is fear…"
"And sadness…"
"I'm completely… helpless…"
On screen, Illya clutched herself, her face twisted in anguish.
As the lock shattered, the "other" Illya that had been sealed inside finally awakened.
"I don't know what fate awaits me… or what's about to happen…"
"And then… my memory ends here."
Almost as if to prove her words, two massive whirlpools of mana burst from her body, soaring skyward like wings sprouting from her back.
"No way…"
Miyu, watching from nearby, couldn't comprehend what she was seeing. The magic flooding from Illya was overwhelming—far beyond what any ordinary human could endure.
But wasn't Illya supposed to be just an ordinary girl before becoming a magical girl?
"…Must be defeated."
Illya's expression went cold, her eyes shifting from crimson to blazing gold. She was no longer the same person.
"I'll kill you."
Her gaze locked onto Saber standing in the distance, and she declared her intent.
"What should I do? What method? What power…?"
"Ah, I see."
"The power… is right here."
After her murmured self-questioning, Illya pulled out Archer's Class Card and slammed it against the ground.
"Install!"
With a burst of radiant light, Illya reappeared on the screen clad in Archer's crimson garb!
"YES! That's it!!"
The fans who had waited a whole week exploded in cheers—like Loki watching Hulk smash his brother senseless.
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