Once the steel cable started moving, Nanaya Kiryu immediately noticed a critical problem the steel cable was moving faster than he had expected.
However, seeing Sera's calm expression, Nanaya was afraid that stopping her abruptly would make her nervous, so he remained silent for the time being. He only signaled to the staff operating the cable, telling them to slow down immediately if anything went wrong.
Sera, suspended in front of the camera, didn't feel any discomfort. On the contrary, she felt an exhilarating thrill as her body glided through the air. Especially when the wind brushed across her cheeks, she felt an urge to scream.
No wonder that guy wrote in the script that people yearn to fly…
The thought flashed through Sera's mind, and she quickly got into character. As required by Nanaya, she first tore off the yellow raincoat wrapped around her body.
"Release!"
In response to Nanaya's cue, the staff controlling the steel cable pressed a button, activating the mechanism hidden inside the raincoat. The device instantly pulled the raincoat away.
In the footage, it would look like Ryogi Shiki removing her raincoat and letting it flutter dramatically into the air.
Then, following Nanaya's instructions, Sera spread her arms wide—her left arm extended for balance, while her right hand drew a dagger from behind her back
Snap!
After striking a pose in midair, Sera crashed directly into a cushion placed on the rooftop of a nearby building. Staff members stationed there quickly rushed over to help her up.
"Miss Sera~? How are you feeling~? Anything wrong with your body~?"
Shounan's syrupy voice made Sera shudder. "Your creepy voice is making my skin crawl! If you want to be popular with women, just go to Ginza and try becoming a gigolo!"
"Miss Sera is so shy~ Too bad this prince only performs he doesn't sell his body~"
"Ugh!"
The maid shot him a middle finger.
"You sound energetic, so I guess you're fine," Nanaya's voice came from the speaker of Shounan's phone. "Sorry, I didn't adjust the timing properly earlier. It was a bit too fast."
"It's fine." Sera casually removed her slightly crooked wig. "I think it turned out pretty well."
Nanaya's voice suddenly became excited. "You did a great job just now. Can we do it again? I want to come over to your position to film the falling shot."
"The young lady said you're a workaholic, and I guess she was right."
Sera laughed. After spending the past few days together, she could clearly feel how much effort Nanaya put into the film. Because of this, she no longer viewed Nanaya as one of the annoying flies buzzing around Illya, and instead acknowledged him as a genuine friend.
Of course, if Nanaya ever showed even the slightest interest in the young lady, Sera would take action immediately.
"Oh, by the way," Nanaya continued, sounding a little embarrassed, "there are a few more fight scenes for Ryogi Shiki later, and I think some of the movements might be too difficult for Adachi. Could you help me?"
"No problem. I hope your movie succeeds too." Sera agreed without hesitation.
···
With Sera joining as a powerful stunt double, the action scenes in Kara no Kyoukai proceeded extremely smoothly.
One could even say that the crew had entered its most productive period since filming began. Progress was much faster than Nanaya had expected.
Nanaya originally thought that the domestic manager sent by Rinpo would impose strict budget controls, but that wasn't the case at all. The manager was practically invisible on set; unless Nanaya approached him for something, he simply stayed in a corner, quietly observing the Kara no Kyoukai crew.
He looked like a devoted father silently watching his child grow.
Although Nanaya didn't understand his intentions, everyone knew this was Utsumi's way of supporting him.
Nanaya himself was extremely grateful. In an efficient team, having two leaders only leads to friction. Given that Utsumi held the title of Production Manager for Rinpo, even the slightest dissatisfaction on his part would have made Nanaya's job a nightmare.
When April arrived and spring break ended, students gradually returned to school. The crew finally finished filming at his teacher's Building. Four more days were spent filming Ryogi Shiki and Mikiya Kokutou's apartment scenes, after which Nanaya and the team moved to the hospital to film Ryogi Shiki and Kirie Fujio's scenes there.
As the second most important location in Nanaya's script, the hospital naturally contained many scenes. However, unlike the Building scenes, hospitals are densely populated and filled with germs, making them unsuitable for a large film crew.
So Nanaya only filmed a few exterior shots at a general hospital, then took the team to a Rinpo studio to film the interior scenes.
The emotional acting scenes that followed were Adachi's specialty as a former child star. However, her grasp of the character still carried too much of her own interpretation, causing Ryogi Shiki to appear overly fragile onscreen.
Fortunately, most hospital scenes involved Ryogi Shiki waking up after the car accident, so the mood was barely acceptable
Nanaya also noticed that Adachi's diva-like tendencies were becoming more obvious. No matter how he explained a scene, she only seemed to understand halfway.
And when Nanaya yelled "Action," she performed exactly the same as before.
"I think she's just too tired," Ori said when Nanaya asked him privately. "Everyone has been under constant tension, and the rest time you give us is really short. Even I feel exhausted."
"I'm sorry. After the filming phase ends, I'll give everyone a break before we start post-production." Seeing the dark circles under Ori's eyes, Nanaya apologized sincerely.
"I'm looking forward to it," Ori said with a stretch. "But watching a movie take shape little by little in your own hands it's incredibly fulfilling."
···
Thanks to everyone's effort, the hospital arc was finally completed.
"We're meeting at the same place tomorrow. We'll be filming at Orange Studio, so don't be late," Nanaya announced.
The Kara no Kyoukai crew cheered and quickly dispersed.
"Director, is there not much screen time left?"
Just as everyone was packing up, Satomi Adachi unexpectedly ran over to Nanaya to ask about the remaining scenes.
"What's wrong? Why ask so suddenly?" Nanaya raised an eyebrow.
"I just wanted to know."
"Hmm… we're almost done. The remaining major scenes are the Aozaki Touko Studio sequence and some minor street scenes," Nanaya said as he counted. "Three… four… about a week left. Then filming will wrap and move on to editing and special effects. Oh, right stay reachable during post-production. If problems come up, I might call you in for reshoots or audio work."
Hearing this, Adachi's eyes wavered slightly before she returned to her usual cold expression.
"I understand. Goodbye, Director."
As Nanaya watched her leave, he suddenly felt that this might be the last time he would see her.
It turned out his premonition was right.
The next day, Satomi Adachi did not come to set. The entire crew waited for her the whole morning.
Illya looked worriedly at Nanaya. "Big brother, the lead actress still hasn't arrived. Should we film other scenes first?"
"How could we? Every scene in Orange Studio today requires Ryogi Shiki."
The actresses playing Touko and Mikiya Kokutou were already in makeup, waiting in the resting area.
"Should we adjust the schedule?" Ori asked.
Nanaya shook his head, a terrible feeling rising in his chest.
Something's wrong. She asked me specifically yesterday… Why?
Just then, Nanaya's phone rang. The caller ID showed Ikeda Subaru—the person Nanaya sent out to look for Adachi.
"Subaru, what's the situation?"
"Kiryu-san something terrible happened!" Subaru shouted over the phone. "Ms. Adachi… she's withdrawn from the film