Chapter 295: Hinako: Are You Trying to Do a Comedy Skit with Me?!
Hinako Akuta, real name Yu Mei-ren, was an Incarnated Elemental who had lived from ancient times all the way to the modern era.
Thanks to her stunning beauty, her "senpai" status, and her fiery temper, Type-Moon fans had long nicknamed her "Gucchan."
Honestly, Shinji meeting Hinako at all was a pure accident.
Even if you gave him ten thousand guesses, he never would've figured out that this spear-wielding granny would end up working… as a flight attendant.
But once he heard her explanation, Shinji had to admit—it made a weird kind of sense.
Simply put, the decline of mystery in the world had forced her hand.
As a non-human lifeform born from the earth itself, beings like Yu Mei-ren—so-called Elemental—had begun to lose their power as the world's mystery dwindled. Eventually, they would become unable to maintain even their own existence… and disappear.
Yu Mei-ren was no exception.
However, she was a little luckier than most of her kind.
Because she wasn't just a spirit—she was also a Heroic Spirit.
Thanks to the enduring legend of "Farewell My Concubine," her name had lived on in Chinese folklore for centuries. That continued cultural memory acted as an anchor that tied her existence to the modern world.
As long as her magical energy didn't run completely dry, Yu Mei-ren wouldn't fade away.
Still, being a half-Heroic Spirit only gave her permission to stay. If she wanted to actually survive, she needed a steady supply of mana.
And in this era where mystery was vanishing and magical energy was running dry?
Her best shot at survival was by tapping into the ley lines.
That was exactly why she took the job as a flight attendant.
By following international flight paths all around the world, she could quietly siphon off a bit of mana from the local leylines at each destination—just a little, not enough to be noticed. No fuss, no consequences.
That was Yu Mei-ren's brilliance.
One quick sip and gone. Most leylines owners wouldn't even notice.
And even if some stingy magi did sense something was off, they'd have no way to track her down. By the time they started investigating, Yu Mei-ren would already be 30,000 feet in the air, halfway across the globe.
It's way better than staying in one place and draining the same leyline over and over again—that was just asking to be caught.
So why did Yu Mei-ren contact Shinji?
Simple.
Sneaking around might work, but nothing beats living out in the open.
In the FGO timeline, Yu Mei-ren had agreed to join Chaldea at the request of the first Director precisely because humanity's reach kept expanding, and her freedom kept shrinking.
Yu Mei-ren didn't particularly like humans.
If it weren't for sheer survival, she would've never disguised herself as a flight attendant in the first place.
But now?
Shinji Matou was offering her a lifeline—a stable magical supply, full protection, and a legal, safe way to remain in the world.
To Yu Mei-ren, that was a godsend.
Technology kept advancing. One day, her disguise would be exposed.
It would be better for her to find a long-term solution before it was too late.
So when Shinji made her an offer—with just two conditions:
The first is for her to act as his advisor on Chinese thaumaturgy, and the second one is for her to take on a few roles in film and television.
Yu Mei-ren didn't really object.
Do the job, get paid, keep existing.
It sounded fair.
Shinji had even promised she wouldn't have to attend live events or media tours often—just occasional screen time. With that, she had no reason to say no.
But now, Yu Mei-ren was seriously questioning her life decisions.
Because this man—this monster called Shinji Matou—was unbelievably outrageous!
"So, Hinako, what do you think? I honestly believe this yandere role suits you perfectly," Shinji beamed.
"The way your face twisted when you went full True Ancestor? Absolutely divine. It's a perfect match for Fujino Asagami!"
"WHAT kind of BULLS—!"
Yu Mei-ren's voice exploded in raw, violent rage.
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A short time earlier.
"I need an actress, Master."
Inside the Type-Moon production studio's conference room, the action director of The Garden of Sinners, known as Li Shuwen, stared dead-on at Shinji.
His tone was calm but firm.
"Even if you just want flashy-looking fake moves, that still takes time to train. Unless you're planning to use only Servants as actors, you need to give me more prep time, Master."
Shinji nodded wearily. That made sense.
At the moment, the only confirmed cast member was Ryougi Shiki, and she was ironically the least in need of training.
In fact, her form with those fake martial arts routines had improved a lot. Her physical condition was top-notch, and visually, she was already camera-ready.
Let's be real—when editing can fool the audience half the time, this level was good enough.
"We'll have more confirmed soon," Shinji said, trying to appease Li Shuwen.
Then he turned to his assistant and Archer, asking what was perhaps the most brainless question of the day:
"So… who do you think should play the male lead?"
Archer scoffed through his nose, assuming Shinji was joking.
But Shinji was serious.
He genuinely didn't know who should play Kokutou Mikiya.
Sure, Mikiya was "just a regular guy" in the setting, but this was film.
He needed at least "harem protagonist" level of handsomeness—that is, a baseline ordinary that still somehow looked perfect on screen.
This made casting rather tricky.
By all logic, considering Kokutou's top-tier playboy charisma and the rising importance Shinji was placing on The Garden of Sinners, Diarmuid would be the perfect fit.
Handsome. Popular. Professional. Fan favorite.
Unfortunately, Diarmuid's schedule was already packed for the next several months.
And Shinji was working on a tight deadline—The Garden of Sinners had to finish shooting before the end of the year to make it in time for next summer's theatrical release.
"How about asking Johnny's to recommend one of their actors?"
Sensing Shinji's stress was real, Archer finally threw out a genuine suggestion.
But Shinji immediately frowned.
"Forget it. Those Johnny's types are always a pain in the ass. I'm not here to babysit brats."
He wasn't totally opposed to casting them in supporting roles. But for the main lead of a planned franchise, he needed someone reliable. Not someone whose next scandal might tank the whole project.
"It's not like the male lead needs to be that unique anyway. Just a basic soft-hearted good guy…"
Mid-sentence, Shinji paused.
Then a sudden thought hit him.
"What if… Lancelot played Kokutou?"
This time, Ophelia was the one to object.
"No way. If Lancelot takes the lead role, the trio's popularity will become way too unbalanced."
"Didn't Johnny's warn us already? It's a rookie team—we can't have one guy's fame shooting miles ahead of the rest before they've even debuted as a group."
"Unless, Boss, you plan to find equally strong roles for Gawain and Tristan. Otherwise, better rethink it."
Hearing that, Shinji groaned and slumped forward onto the table.
So many moving parts. So many egos to juggle.
Why was managing idols harder than directing movies?
Then Ophelia casually dropped a suggestion:
"Why not try Shirou? His personality's not far off from Kokutou's, right? Both are kind-hearted idiots."
That snapped Shinji out of his daze.
Come to think of it…
It had been a while since he asked Shirou to act in anything. He'd practically forgotten the guy even existed.
"Yeah. Tell Shirou to try on a black wig and do a screen test next week. If he doesn't mess it up, he's got the part."
Just as things started to settle—
"Now... we still need to finalize the second female lead."
Ophelia chimed in again with a sharp reminder.
"Didn't she literally tell you to fuck off? And you still want to cast her?"
Shinji waved it off with a grin.
"Oh come on, that was just a joke. You think she'd turn me down over that? Right, Gucchan?"
As he spoke, he turned toward the "girl" sitting quietly at the far end of the meeting table—black-haired, twin-tailed, and with a glare that could kill.
"Gucchan your head!"
The twin-tailed beauty—also known as Yu Mei-ren, or more recently, Hinako Akuta—looked like she was about to explode. A throbbing vein twitched visibly on her forehead.
"Shinji Matou! Just how much do you look down on me?!"
"And you, Eyepatch Girl!" she snapped, shooting a glare at Ophelia. "Talking crap about me right in front of my face! Do you two even see me as a person?!"
Ophelia just sneered without a word, her smirk icy and unbothered.
"You little—!"
Hinako's mouth twitched violently as her frustration built. Her grip tightened—and CRACK—a chunk of the meeting table came off in her hand.
"Alright, alright, everyone calm down," Shinji said, unbothered, legs crossed casually as always.
"Jokes aside, I really am sincere about this offer, Gucchan. I want you to play the second female lead."
Hinako scratched her head in disbelief.
"If you're really sincere, then stop calling me that stupid nickname first."
Ever since she joined Shinji's crew, he'd given her a "stage name"—Hinako Akuta.
She didn't mind the pseudonym. After all, even regular celebrities had stage names. And it's not like she could go around introducing herself as "Yu Mei-ren" in public. This wasn't the West, where ancient myth names were weirdly common. Heroic Spirits in the East needed to blend in.
In truth, she didn't even hate the name "Hinako Akuta."
It was vaguely poetic, a bit mysterious—clearly something Shinji had put effort into creating.
A name that hinted at her past without outright exposing it. That, she appreciated.
But what she did hate was—
Shinji's complete disregard for her trying to get used to the name.
Before she could even adapt, he was already calling her "Hinako" like they were neighborhood drinking buddies.
Hinako knew Shinji didn't mean any harm. He was just being his usual teasing self.
His reasoning? "Call you a few more times and you'll get used to it quicker."
Still… something about it rubbed her the wrong way.
Meanwhile, Shinji still had that damn smile on his face.
"Gucchan, I seriously think you're perfect for this yandere role. The look on your face when you transformed into your True Ancestor form last time? Pure gold. Totally matches Asagami Fujino's vibe."
What the hell kind of comment is that?!
"And how the hell do you even know what I look like transformed?!"
She nearly exploded.
Shinji, shameless as ever, just deflected the question.
"You just don't realize your true potential, Hinako."
"What potential?"
"This nose, those eyes, that flawless face—come on, you're basically a once-in-a-millennium miracle from the East. A living national treasure!"
He leaned forward dramatically, hand on his heart.
"For a yandere role? You're a godsend. Rena Ryuugu, Kotonoha Katsura, Yuno Gasai—you don't even have to act, just stand there and breathe. It's perfect!"
Hinako gave a deadpan laugh. Then—SLAM!—she slammed her palm down, leaving a visible handprint on the table.
"Shinji Matou! You think I'm some monkey for your circus?!"