Perhaps Nanaya's earlier method of "making an example out of someone" had worked, because the filming afterward went much more smoothly.
Although the extras were a bit stiff in their performances afraid that Nanaya might fire someone again at the slightest displeasure normal people are usually nervous when facing a corpse prop anyway, so it wasn't a big problem.
After shooting a few more scenes, Nanaya noticed the fatigue on everyone's faces. As the leader of the team, he knew that after giving harsh criticism, he needed to reward them appropriately to balance strictness with kindness. So once he confirmed that all the shots were fine, he announced a short break for everyone.
"Thank you for your hard work, Senpai."
Ori, who also served as Nanaya's assistant, immediately handed him some water. Having been shouting for so long, Nanaya took a huge gulp of mineral water to soothe his throat.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Nanaya said, "Phew honestly, I knew it would be tiring, but I didn't expect it to be this exhausting."
"For your first time, you've already done very well, Senpai," Ori encouraged him with a smile.
"Indeed. Aside from being a bit younger, Kiryu, you already look like a real director."
Hearing that nasal, monotonous voice, Nanaya immediately turned around. It was Sera, standing behind Illya. Meanwhile, her master Illya was curiously looking around the set, clearly fascinated by everything.
"Hey, big brother~ Illya came to visit the set!" Illya noticed Nanaya walking over and quickly greeted him.
"Senpai, who is this little girl?" Ori asked curiously, having never seen Illya before.
"Uh…"
Nanaya froze, at a complete loss for words.
Illya, however, was full of energy. She immediately stepped forward and greeted Ryougi Ori:
"Hello, big sister! Are you Ryougi Ori? You're just as beautiful as the rumors say! Illya is big brother's little sister~"
"So she's your sister, Senpai… Wait why have I never heard about this before?!"
Ori grabbed Nanaya's arm.
"And what's this about 'big sister'?! Senpai, what exactly have you been teaching your little sister?!"
"I only told her you're my reliable junior!"
(If you care so much about people mistaking your gender, then stop wearing a kimono as casual clothes! Of course people are going to misunderstand!)
Nanaya felt like he had swallowed a bitter pill unable to explain himself even if he tried. He figured Illya had simply gathered some basic info about the people around him, and when it came to Ori, she must've just assumed he was female.
Honestly, thinking he's a girl the first time you see his picture is probably the normal reaction.
"Little sister, don't listen to your brother's nonsense. I'm a boy, you know~"
Ori let go of Nanaya and corrected her gently.
"You're lying… there's no way someone this pretty is…"
Illya suffered a devastating blow. It looked as if she had been struck in the face; even her eyes lost their sparkle.
"Is there something wrong with me being a boy?"
Ori tilted his head, confused by Illya's despair, and looked around for answers.
(No, the problem is exactly that you are a boy.)
Everyone present silently complained in their hearts, but after witnessing Ori's combat prowess earlier, no one dared to say it aloud.
Fortunately, despite still being a child, Illya was unusually lively and energetic. Although learning that Ori was an older brother instead of an older sister had been a blow, she quickly recovered and began pestering him with all sorts of questions.
"Hey, why is Brother Ori wearing a kimono?"
Smiling, Ori replied, "It's a family tradition."
Illya looked enviously at the black kimono he was wearing. "Hmm… Illya wants to wear one too!"
"Maybe next time I'll have the chance. If so, I'll make a kimono just for you."
"They really look like sisters," Nanaya muttered as he watched Illya and Ori chatting happily not far away.
Standing beside him, Sera recited a list of instructions with a stern expression: "Listen carefully. The young lady is your distant younger cousin. She visits the set regularly because she's very interested in filmmaking. I am the young lady's older sister and guardian. Understood? Don't mix it up."
"Got it."
Honestly, having a relative's child on set made things easier for Nanaya. Although it felt a bit strange to let a kid wander around a film set, it wasn't a big problem as long as she didn't interfere with filming. After all, some film crews even hired assistants specifically to take care of big-name actors' pets.
"Kiryu, who is this beautiful young lady?"
A playful voice suddenly chimed in. It was Shonan Rantaro, who had wandered over during the break. Judging from how his eyes were glued to Sella, he was obviously captivated by her beauty.
"Uh… this is my relative, Sera. She and her sister Illya are here to visit the set."
The moment he finished speaking, Sera shot Nanaya a death glare, leaving him completely confused.
(What's your problem? Are you trying to imply my relative's relative isn't my relative? What kind of European aristocrat logic is that?!)
"Oh, Miss Sera~? My name is Shonan Rantaro. I'm Nanaya-san's best friend~ Nice to meet you~"
Rantaro threw all caution to the wind. He stretched out his hand toward Sera, trying to shake hands.
And then
In just 0.1 seconds, Sera chopped her hand straight into his throat.
Her expression darkened with murderous intent as she threatened, "If you can't control the tool you're carrying down there, I can help you tear it off and shove it into your mouth."
"I—I'm sorry!"
Rantaro was terrified. Not only did he freeze on the spot, but even his strange verbal tic vanished instantly.
(So he CAN talk normally…)
As Nanaya watched Shonan flee for his life, he couldn't help wondering if he should use the "lock him in a room and release Sera" method the next time Shonan had one of his delusional episodes.
Sera turned around and saw Nanaya staring at her. She immediately snapped, "What are you looking at? Birds of a feather flock together! Stay away from Miss Illya!"
"What does this have to do with me?!"
Nanaya's mouth twitched. He finally understood the ancient saying, 'Only petty men and women are difficult to handle.' He was being beaten even though he hadn't done anything.
"I'm getting back to work."
Afraid of Sera's overwhelming strength, Nanaya wisely chose to retreat
This wasn't cowardice it was a strategic retreat!
Muttering excuses to himself, Nanaya signaled to the crew that break time was over and it was time to get back to work.
For the entire morning, he filmed crowd shots of passersby in front of his Teacher Building. Nanaya used these less important scenes to help the crew synchronize and get into a steady working rhythm. By the time all the morning footage was wrapped up, the entire Kara no kyoukai crew was running smoothly.
Of course, the workload for Nanaya himself was also heavy, so when he finally announced that the morning's shoot was over and that everyone could go have lunch, the whole team let out a collective sigh of relief.
Although Kara no kyoukai was a low-budget production, it wasn't so poor that it would starve its staff.
Fancy meals were out of the question, but everyone received the same inexpensive bento boxes. Aside from cabbage, a small piece of boiled fish, and a few tiny nuggets of fried chicken, the rest was white rice sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Fortunately, everyone from the director to the lowest-ranking staff was given the same bento. This fairness left any complainers with nothing to say. After all, no one was forcing them to eat it they just didn't want to spend their own money at the convenience store next door.
"If I weren't afraid everyone would revolt, I'd cut the meat entirely," Nanaya grumbled to his trusted crew members as he shoveled rice into his mouth at alarming speed.
"That's enough you're taking it too far, Senpai." Ori immediately shut down Nanaya's unrealistic daydream. If he really did that, his reputation would be ruined beyond repair.
"Budget, budget! You never understand the cost of living until you're the one managing the expenses! Food alone drains so much money!"
Ori narrowly avoided getting hit by a stray grain of rice from Nanaya's rant. Ever since the budget tightened, Nanaya had practically transformed into a miser.
"Kiryu."
At that moment, Utsumi walked over and leaned in to whisper beside Nanaya's ear. "I checked on those extras earlier. It seems Momokusa toshinobu hired them to stir up trouble."
Snap!
Nanaya snapped his disposable chopsticks clean in half.
"That shameless bastard just won't give up!"