The Masterminds Behind the Scenes / Everyone's Expectations ...

The subtext is, 'You've already slept with him, and now you're not saying a word, trying to pretend you know nothing?'

Having been trained in that grotesque world before, Shirou is now extremely sensitive to these things.

Shirou was a little embarrassed, but he still explained, "No, I'm just dealing with things here. You see, we came out of there together, so we know each other's situation. But the fate of the others who got involved is unknown, so I need to make sure they're safe first."

"Hmm... I see. So you've been helping a lot of girls now?" Utaha Kasumigaoka asked the fatal question without thinking.

If the answer is yes, the next sentence will be, "No wonder you forgot about her; so you were with a lot of 'younger women,' playing the hero and saving the damsel in distress."

If not, then 'you didn't save anyone, so you're not...'

"Yes, everyone's safe and sound. Oh, right, Kousaka classmate from the other world, he was here just now too. He's already gone back with his friends. I'm waiting for the train at the subway station with Eriri and the others. Since it's late and everyone's tired, I was thinking of contacting you again tomorrow." Shirou explained, then Shirou before finally speaking his true feelings:

"I'm sorry. I just want to seriously think about our relationship going forward."

"Is that so... I don't usually go to bed this early either." Utaha Kasumigaoka let Shirou off the hook, then changed the subject, saying, "So... are you coming now, or tomorrow morning? I'm home alone right now."

"Yes, I will visit your home tomorrow morning, senior," Shirou replied earnestly.

"Okay, then I look forward to your arrival," the woman on the other end of the phone said with an elegant smile.

Indeed, the time humans spent as beasts and the time they spent as humans after developing civilization are far, far longer—they're not even on the same scale. But in terms of the magnitude of their influence, the last few hundred years of human history have been far more profound than the millions of years before.

Although the driving force behind a person's life may be animalistic instinct, this instinct has long been covered by a thick, all-encompassing layer of absolute protection, made of marble, steel, and cement. It is so solid that it is simply untouchable without the use of destructive weapons like nuclear bombs.

Perhaps animalistic instincts and desires are more direct and penetrating to the human heart, but in modern society, it is impossible to live a normal life without humanity, morality, and law-abiding behavior.

Shirou is now more worried about how he will face the girl's parents when he goes there tomorrow morning.

However, he was overthinking it; the girl opposite him wasn't actually that powerful.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Utaha Kasumigaoka, dressed in pink pajamas and clutching a pillow, was rolling around on her bed. She was both excited and shy, but when she called, she was also very nervous about Shirou's attitude. What should she do if he pretended not to remember?

Fortunately, Shirou softened his stance, which means Shirou cares about her. Moreover, this is the first time Shirou has explicitly stated that he will seriously consider their relationship, which means he has taken a big step forward.

"Oh no! What should I do? What should I do?!" The excited girl covered her face, rolled up the blanket, and tossed and turned on the bed.

"What's wrong, Shirou? Who called?" Hime no Toki asked, looking at the silent Shirou.

"I think I heard Utaha Kasumigaoka! That guy's voice!" Eriri gritted her teeth, growling warily like a puppy with its fur standing on end, as if she had encountered a natural enemy.

"No, I have to go to her house tomorrow, and it looks like I'll have to meet her parents," Shirou said in a deep voice.

"Eh?! Eh?! Eh?!!" The girls' eyes widened, and they screamed loudly, their voices echoing throughout the underground passage.

After the farce ended, the subway finally arrived, and Shirou and the girls boarded the train and headed home.

Unbeknownst to them, after everyone had left, several humanoid Black Shadow stood on the rooftop of a tall building not far above the subway station. The most conspicuous among them was a kimono-clad girl holding a large calligraphy brush that resembled a long spear. She stroked her nonexistent beard and spoke with a cheerful smile.

"Hehehe, I didn't expect the plot to become even more exciting after we entered the real world. I've seen people with good luck in love before, but a man with such an extravagant display of it has truly broadened my horizons."

The young woman who called herself "Old Man" was none other than Hokusai. She pulled out a stack of papers in front of her and held a G-type pen in her hand, quickly sketching.

Chapter 759 The Masterminds Behind the Scenes

"Tch, the script I wrote is clearly a tragedy! Just like the Little Princess, turning into sea foam is enough. Why bother with unnecessary interpretations? Letting the unfortunate receive an unfortunate ending is the true meaning. Holding unnecessary hope is just hypocrisy imposed on others for one's own peace of mind." Beside him sat the blue-haired boy, Hans Andersen, dressed in a suit and shorts.

"Eeya, eeya, don't say that, Andersen. Your acting skills have truly opened my eyes. You're clearly just a child, but you play the role of a perverted adult lord without any sense of incongruity," the boy beside him said with a smile.

"I would prefer the characters to suffer more hardships. They're too gentle now. At least add some tentacles and cannibals. Only those who have endured terrible suffering can be called protagonists, and only they deserve to be called '--Joan of Jeanne d'Arc!!!'" the French gentleman said righteously.

"Yes, then let's add it." Hokusai picked up his paintbrush and agreed.

"To be honest, it's really disgusting. Why did they have to add my former Master?" the handsome, curly-haired knight said, covering his face.

"Hey? Don't you think those self-important types are especially fun to play as N-headed characters? It seems the industry prefers easy-going, honest N-headed characters these days. Is that to cater to some kind of mentality? In my time, as long as you didn't allude to important figures, there was basically no problem. I really don't understand the thinking of modern customers." Hokusai said, but his pen didn't stop. He continued drawing.

It turns out that Hokusai and several other perverted Servant formed a group for different purposes, but with the same goal.

Some did it to create good works, some to write tragedies in a new medium, some out of a perverse sense of humor, and some simply to take revenge on the world.

To create more interesting stories, they first created a different dimension for the narrative, absorbing interesting characters into it as source material. To increase the realism of the stories, they also summoned other Servant to serve as supporting characters.

Hokusai would absorb the events that occurred within, artistically process them, and create exquisite doujinshi.

At his current unscientific speed, he might actually finish the work before daytime. However, during this crucial period when tens of thousands of copies are entering the market on the same day, all the printing companies in the vicinity are fully booked and have no machines available to print her doujinshi.

At that moment, a hole appeared in the air, and background music played. A girl wearing Magecraft's cloak flew out, smiling mischievously as she said:

"Yes, yes~! I'll leave the creative work to you all, and the rest will be handled by the adorable BB-chan ~!"

"Ah, the rest is up to you," the creators' Servant said.

"Well, after all, I also want to see Shirou-senpai's doujinshi." BB-chan said cutely, covering her face and feigning shyness.

As a character who recklessly uses overpowered abilities, it was she who provided the Holy Grail, allowing various writer Servant to appear in this world where the boundaries between fantasy and reality are very thin.

To be honest, my initial goal was simply to fulfill Shirou's wish.

After all, BB and the Sakura Team she created share the same goal: to dissolve the White God and achieve the best possible outcome—that is, for Shirou to find a world where everyone is happy.

However, achieving this goal is extremely difficult. It involves complex factors such as the future direction of all humankind, or the evolution of human nature.

Firstly, just talking about peace requires a significant increase in the intelligence and morality of all humanity, reducing violence, discrimination, and injustice. Secondly, it also requires preventing invasion by extraterrestrial forces. In the material world, this is almost impossible to achieve.

In short, it's difficult to achieve this goal by relying solely on them, so we must find various helpers and try to think about ways to solve this problem from different angles.

For example, it could be realized not in the material world, but in a fantasy world. The harshness of reality is unavoidable, but that doesn't stop people from having a beautiful dream. Rather than a perfect world, create a perfect script, and then everyone...

After all, people love stories about time travel and rebirth, right? From a realistic perspective, it's impossible to achieve without the protagonist's luck and a "smart" aura. However, if that world is a pre-scripted sandbox, it's not impossible. As long as the script is reasonable, the props are realistic enough, and the actors' performances are up to par, it's all possible.

Just like the movie 'The Truman Show,' but BB isn't filming a reality show, so she doesn't need a production crew. She can pick up the Holy Grail at will and influence and reshape the world. All the actors can play their natural roles, and she can even summon Servant to help her.

Shirou can choose to be a hero fighting dragons, go back to ancient times to become an emperor, or become a superhero in the modern era—it doesn't matter.

BB only needs to make some major changes to the world that Shirou arrives in while he is still in his spiritual form. The only problem is that Shirou is too detached from desires. He's practically a saint, an enlightened Buddha, but in a twisted way, making it impossible for BB to understand what Shirou considers true happiness, let alone how to extend that to everyone.

"Sigh, if Shirou-senpai were a little more open-minded, BB would bring him even greater happiness." The purple-haired girl held her Magecraft wand, smiled thoughtfully, then blushed and gave a wicked smile, saying, "Actually, I'm also looking forward to seeing Shirou-senpai state, turning into BB's personal little pig wouldn't be bad either."

"No, no, doujinshi are different from reality, aren't they?" Hokusai said, frowning.

"Yes, they are different, aren't they?" Diarmuid nodded in agreement.

"Hmph, don't have the mistaken expectation that my work can transform a person," Andersen snorted.

"Hey... isn't this quite effective? BB just wants senior to be more proactive in facing his desires. Opening a harem is fine, even being a scumbag doesn't matter, no matter what, BB will always protect him." BB said with a smile, cupping his face in his hands.

BB is not human, but a cancer of the moon. She has never lived a single day in the human world since her creation, and she has no sense of right and wrong like humans do. For her, all of humanity is perhaps not as important as her own preferences. Good and evil, right and wrong, are not actually that important. The key is the happiness of Shirou-senpai, whom she has been grateful to and whom she admires. It's the same reason why her other self in Chaldea would definitely stand by Gudako's side.

"No...this child is more dangerous than I thought." Hokusai said, his body trembling. He felt that this child was even more sinister than the evil god from whom he had stolen power.

I really don't know whether being liked is a blessing or a curse.

"Well... anyway..."

"Our latest doujinshi will be a huge success!!!"

The people in the Black Shadow raised their arms in unison and spoke.

"Yay~! BB-chan is looking forward to it too~!" The purple-haired girl raised her little fist and shouted with a smile.

Chapter 760 The People's Expectations

The next morning, unplanned booths will appear in the four corners and the center of the convention, selling doujinshi (fan-made comics) featuring the suspenseful, bizarre, and practical theme of a prison castle. The quantity will be so large that it will fill several trucks.

Knowing BB's usual quirky ways, he would use underhanded tactics to place his stall in the most attractive spot, then use psychological Magecraft to draw all the customers to the stall and get them to buy a piece of his artwork.

Hokusai's works are masterpieces. In fact, just looking at the covers alone, given Hokusai's prowess as a pioneer of doujinshi artists, is enough to make her a huge topic of conversation at this comic convention. Moreover, there's a huge quantity to choose from, with several volumes released at once, all featuring the same protagonist and different younger sisters. Readers can collect all the volumes in the series and analyze the complete story.

With exquisite drawing skills, he/she breathed life into the two-dimensional characters, making every glance and movement vivid and lifelike, as if they were alive. Of course, all of this is thanks to his/her keen observation of the story's world. Hokusai thoroughly grasped the characteristics of the characters, in each one...

And some models, even when dressed in different styles of clothing, are considered to be perfect cosplayers just by standing aside. It's like another revolutionary inspiration for modern illustrators since the rise of the "moe" art style.

When Shirou arrives at the anime convention with the girls he made plans with, I wonder what his expression will be. Of course, before that, Shirou has to get past Utaha Kasumigaoka first.

"Hehe, BB-chan is so excited!" The purple-haired girl imagined Shirou's shy expression and said with a mischievous smile.

Meanwhile, the actors on the other side were also gathered together, eating late-night snacks and drinking alcohol or beverages.

"Ah, right." The BB girl remembered something, reached into the crevice of her soft breasts, pulled out a letter, and handed it to Great Emperor Iskandar beside her, saying, "This is for you, Your Great Emperor. The date for what we discussed last time has been set."

"This is... Wow! Interesting! Very interesting!" Iskandar flipped open the invitation, his eyes flashing with a sharp light—the domineering aura only a conqueror could possess.

"According to what they say, I can bring a helper with me, right?" Iskandar said.

BB smiled brightly and agreed, "Yes, we're currently recruiting contestants. We're aiming to get 14 participants, divided into two camps, red and black. A name like 'Chu River and Han Border' would be nice. Who do you want to nominate? Do you need BB-chan's help?"

"No, he's right here. We'll go get him now," Iskandar said with a smile.

"Huh? Who is that? After Marshal Gill went crazy, he was no longer able to lead troops, and the French elves are not too strong." BB-chan asked in confusion.

"No, he is a trusted minister. There is no better candidate than him. What do you think?" Iskandar said, looking at his younger self.

"Yes, indeed!" The handsome young Alexander smiled at his future self.

In a room on the floor below the roof, surrounded by glass walls offering views of the nightscape, a tall, thin man with long black hair was smoking a cigar and gazing out the window.

He is Waver, born in Britain, and an instructor at the Clock Tower, a Magecraft organization. To atone for a mistake he made in his youth, he was burdened with the crime of killing his mentor and was forced to become the Lord's proxy, thus also bearing the title of Lord El-Melloi II.

His hobby is playing Japanese video games, and what he hates are troublesome disciples, the backstabbing and intrigue among nobles, and unreasonable requests and overtime work. Although, for now, he hasn't been able to escape any of them.

Even after becoming Pseudo-Servant, it remains the same.

"Hey! Kid!" a gruff voice rang out.

"Teacher, why didn't you join in?" Then another androgynous boyish voice came from behind.

At this moment, a tall and a short red-haired burly man and a boy walked towards them.

On one side is Iskandar, a giant with a height of 2.3 meters and massive muscles, whom he has decided to serve as his subject for the rest of his life, regardless of whether he exists or not. On the other side is Alexander, a lovely young man with a beautiful face, whom he has also sworn allegiance to.

Hmm... the two present a stark contrast, yet they are the same person.

No matter how you imagine it, you can't fathom what could possibly cause a petite, handsome young man to transform into such a muscular giant. It's as unbelievable as "You're So Beautiful" turning into a giant.

"How could I possibly keep up with such a stupid world? And what about this invitation? What are you going to do with it?" The long-haired man in a suit, smoking a cigar, said impatiently.

Iskandar pulled out a black invitation card with "BB Sponsored" written on the bottom right and sealed with a black bird emblem. He grinned and said heartily, "Such an interesting world! How could I miss it! Your sworn sister seems to be there too, right? Want to come with me, kid?"

The long-haired British man rubbed his furrowed brow and said helplessly, "Ah, if it weren't for this, I wouldn't have this headache. Ah... my stomach hurts so much. After all, the foundations of Chinese immortal arts and martial arts are completely different from those of Western Magecraft. Why is this happening? Don't drag an ordinary person like me into a war between monsters!"

"That's wonderful, teacher. Because I'm not mature enough, I didn't accept the invitation. Otherwise, I would have liked to go and see for myself. There is the Ancestral Dragon of China there. It is said that he is an immortal being who unified the Earth in the Lostbelt. I never thought that he would choose a suitable person to succeed him."

"But precisely because of this, this conquest will inevitably be a fierce battle. I'm really looking forward to it. I'll leave the military strategy to you, kid!" Iskandar said with a hearty laugh to the man with long black hair.

"Damn it, my stomach... it hurts so much, it feels like it's going to explode." Lord El-Melloi II took another puff of his cigar. This time, even the sedative smoke couldn't save him. He clutched his chest, his face ashen, looking as if he was about to vomit.

"Yes! Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Chu, was a hero no less than Achilles in Greek gods. And the emperor who defeated him and founded the Han Empire, forming two major alliances of nearly ten emperors and kings who fought each other to decide who would rule the earth—it was truly a masterpiece! The scale of it all gives me goosebumps just thinking about it." The burly man, Iskandar, grinned, revealing his neat teeth, his whole body trembling with excitement.

"That would definitely be a spectacular battlefield! However, it's a bit of a shame that the Ancestral Dragon, as the Holy Arbiter, didn't participate. If he had known back then that there was such a vast land further east, and had advanced a bit further, he could have had a chance to compete with 'Qin'," the handsome young man Alexander said with a smile.

The burly Iskandar laughed heartily and said, "Hahaha!!! It's alright! I'll just fight my way through this time! This time I'll completely conquer and dominate, then recruit powerful allies to challenge that First Emperor."

"I'm really looking forward to it. I'll leave the assistance to you, teacher." The handsome young man, Alexander, looked at the black-haired man beside him with trust and said with a smile.

"Could you... please not drag me into this... please let me have some peace and quiet?" Lord El-Melloi II collapsed weakly to the ground.

Chapter 761 Is the girl the protagonist of the doujinshi?

The next morning, Shirou got up very early, prepared breakfast for the girls, and then did some exercise before getting ready to go to his senior's place. He wasn't sure if she was telling the truth about her parents not being home, and what if her family happened to come home and see him if he went so early in the morning?

Feeling guilty Shirou planned to find a shop on the way to buy some delicate sweets to take with him, hoping that if the other party's parents were there, they might let him off the hook because of the gift.

Whether it was for his promise to Komachi or his own will, what's done is done, and what's meant to happen will happen. If he doesn't face it, he'll probably despise himself for the rest of his life, let alone others.

The girls had agreed to enter the convention center at 10 a. m. yesterday, but Shirou left at around 7 a. m. because of his promise to Utaha Kasumigaoka, just in time for office workers to leave for work. Hmm... it's definitely not because he had any bad intentions.

The girls didn't say much at the time, they just clicked their tongues and looked at him with disdain. In the end, they still agreed to meet at the convention center at 2 pm, since he needed to help them carry a lot of books and merchandise home.

After Shirou left, around 8:30, the girls woke up, ate the breakfast Shirou had prepared for them, and after getting ready, they headed to the comic convention. They agreed to meet under the pavilion outside after buying the artwork from the clubs they wanted.

Around 9 o'clock, Eriri and her group met up with Kirino, Ayase, and the others, and lined up together, waiting to enter in an orderly manner. As the last day of the carnival, many young people with the potential to become True Magic came here, their expressions solemn and serious, as if they were about to engage in a Holy War.

However, this day's comic convention was a little different. There was a buzzing sound in the sky, and then drones appeared, heading towards the long queue. They were directly on the large screen outside, and inside the venue, mechanisms were activated, and in many places, television screens were lowered from the ceiling by hanging.

The screen was showing a video presentation of a comic book, recommending today's featured comic book and introducing its plot, before abruptly ending at the most exciting and enticing part.

This lawless behavior, which is like the favored daughter of the comic convention, has sparked a lot of discussion. Compared to other doujinshi artists who honestly run their stalls, don't sell cosplay content, and have no other channels for promotion, this is incredibly unfair.

However, before they could even raise any questions, they were captivated by the content of the animated paper book. With the video, the wealthy BB specially commissioned someone to provide background music and even hired voice actors to dub it.

She even took to the stage herself and performed a piece of music. Accompanied by electronic sounds, the melodious music was sometimes mysterious and sometimes exciting, captivating the audience and making them excited and tense.

Within the deep, dark Western ancient castle, eight heirs arrive, rife with intrigue and unknown dangers. A black fog lurks at night, driving people mad. Who killed whom?

Was it suicide? Homicide? Driven by hatred? Or love?

"When you see these paintings that are like works of art, there's simply no reason not to buy them!"