Don't Call Me Master, Call Me Director

Waver, performing the same action, chimed in, "Yeah, and I feel really annoyed about it too."

"What a coincidence, me too."

"..."

"..."

"Damn it! Matou Shinji!"*2

Almost simultaneously, the names of the same person were called out by the master and disciple.

Chapter 44: High Emotional Intelligence: You Drink Too Much British Water

Although Second Master had dinner with senior Touko that evening, nothing happened between them.

As Shinji had said, the dinner was merely a bribe for Touko accompanying him to the Clock Tower.

Touko herself was annoyed that Shinji thought he could buy her off with just one meal. She was, after all, one of the top Magic Item production masters of the current era, so why was she only worth one meal?

At least two meals would be more appropriate!

This showed that apart from Magecraft, Miss Touko's scope was limited to this.

Bringing Touko to the Clock Tower wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision for Shinji; it was the result of careful consideration.

Shinji had two main objectives for this trip to the Clock Tower: first, to inform Kenseth and Waver about the filming of FZ and to have them make preparations and arrange their filming schedule.

The second was to strengthen the cooperation between the Mage Families and have them contribute to Master Shinji's entertainment empire project.

However, Shinji knew very well that those Mage Families were not to be trifled with. After FSN became popular, it was hard to say if anyone would develop other ideas.

Bringing Touko along could effectively prevent those Mage Families with ulterior motives from pushing their luck.

It wasn't that Touko herself was particularly outstanding, but her presence represented Shinji's attitude—if you go too far, I won't play with you anymore and will just cooperate with Mages from Japan instead!

As a Mage who had wandered the world, Touko had seen all sorts of situations and naturally guessed Shinji's intentions in seeking her out.

But considering the luxurious meal, Touko didn't object to her junior Matou using her as leverage. She could just treat it as a subsidized trip to Britain.

In any case, Touko in this world had not been sealed by the Mage's Association, so she could freely enter and exit the Clock Tower.

"The air in this country is as bad as ever."

Shinji dragged a suitcase as he walked down a London street, looking up at the misty sky and complaining.

"Yeah, it's sunny only a few times a year," Touko, following behind Shinji, agreed. "The high humidity really affects my item production."

"That sounds truly tragic."

Shinji chuckled lightheartedly.

After arriving in Britain, Shinji didn't go directly to the Clock Tower. Instead, he first toured the city to check on the promotional work for FSN and had a leisurely meal at the Royal Restaurant before heading to the Clock Tower, which was located in the suburbs.

There was a misconception about British cuisine, and the jokes about British dark cuisine were no less frequent than those about France.

However, if one had lived in Britain for a while, they would know that British food wasn't as terrible as commonly perceived.

Many of the so-called British dark cuisines circulating online weren't even eaten by the British themselves, and many Britons didn't even know about the strange dishes in their own country.

Of course, this didn't mean British food was delicious. Compared to French and Italian cuisine, British food's taste was indeed somewhat inferior.

On the other hand, British desserts were very tasty, even famous throughout Europe (in a positive way).

But like most British dishes, English desserts contained a large amount of butter, to the point of being sickeningly rich.

No wonder there were so many fat people in Britain.

For the sake of his health, Shinji rarely touched English desserts, only symbolically eating a small piece of cookie.

"Even so, I still find it too rich."

Shinji smacked his lips, saying with a helpless tone.

By this time, Shinji and Touko had entered the outskirts of London, and the building in the distance, with a style similar to Big Ben, was faintly visible in the mist.

Actually, the location of the Clock Tower wasn't too remote, but due to the barriers set up around it to repel people, there weren't many pedestrians on the streets, and only Mages from the Clock Tower hurried past them.

"What a waste," Shinji commented, feeling the familiar magical energy of the barrier. "To use the magic of the Ley Lines for such a pointless endeavor. It would be better to use it to summon Heroic Spirits."

Touko pushed up her glasses and said with a hint of sarcasm, "You know, for those old guys, 'hiding mystery' is the most important thing."

"If that's the case, then why do they recruit ordinary people with Magecraft talent every year?" Shinji sneered. "Hiding, but not completely hiding. A perfect example of wanting to have your cake and eat it too."

Touko spread her hands. "What can you do? Those old men have flexible moral standards when it comes to 'hiding mystery.' After all, if their own Magecraft has no successors, then hiding it is meaningless, isn't it?"

It was clear that both Shinji and Touko held disdain for the old fuddy-duddies at the Clock Tower.

The two of them walked towards the old fuddy-duddies' stronghold while complaining about them.

It was already afternoon tea time, and the cafes on both sides of the street were filled with students from the Clock Tower who didn't have classes.

Some sat alone in a corner quietly doing their homework, while others gathered with their companions, drinking tea and chatting.

As Shinji walked by, many students greeted him.

"Yo, Shinji. You're back."

"Long time no see, Mr. Matou."

"Hello, Matou."

"You're quite popular," Touko said to Shinji, who was waving at people. "Unlike me, nobody recognizes me anymore."

"That's because you graduated years ago, Senpai? I was still here last year."

Shinji puffed out his chest proudly.

Before Master Shinji could enjoy his triumph for long, he heard someone deliberately shout, "Matou, you're back at the Clock Tower to pick up girls again!"

Master Shinji's eyes widened. "How can you slander me like that out of nowhere..."

"What slander? I saw you harassing that young lady from the Atollholm Family last time. You two were squeezed into a corner, doing who knows what."

Shinji's face turned red as he argued, "Isn't talking to a girl considered hitting on them?... Hitting on them... How can it be called hitting on girls when my Second Master is complimenting them?"

Then came a barrage of incomprehensible words, like "Magecraft exchange" and "bodily fluid transaction," which made everyone burst into laughter.

The streets on both sides were filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

"I can see that you're indeed very popular," Touko teased from behind, a slight smirk playing on her lips.

"Cough, cough, these brats. They're just jealous of me."

Shinji seemed to have forgotten his own age, the fact that he was younger than most of these students.

"Don't worry, I'll let them know how cruel society can be," Shinji muttered in a voice only he and Touko could hear. "I've noted down everyone who was heckling. I hope they don't choose the Modern Magecraft department, or I'll show them what endless homework looks like."

Snap.

Touko suddenly grabbed Shinji's shoulder and leaned in, asking, "That's a very evil revenge plan. But I have one question I'd like to understand."

"Please, go ahead."

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Shinji's temple. The force with which Touko gripped his shoulder gave him a bad premonition.

"That person just now, the Atollholm Family... it's not that Atollholm Family, is it?"

"Hmm... I'm not very familiar with the surnames of those Mage Families. Well, it's getting late, let's hurry inside the Clock Tower..."

Shinji, who tried to escape, had his head pushed down by Touko.

"You little brat, you're trying to find women at my teacher's house!!"

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Only after Master Shinji swore on Kenseth's crystal chandelier that he had no substantial interactions with the young lady from the Atollholm Family did Touko reluctantly let him go. The two were then able to continue towards their destination – the Modern Magecraft department of the Clock Tower.

Bang!

"Kenseth! I'm just dropping by!"

Without any announcement, Shinji unceremoniously kicked open the door to Kenseth's office.

"Matou Shinji!! So you're the reason I've been sneezing!!!"

Kenseth, who was grading student papers, felt the veins on his forehead throb violently upon seeing the uninvited guest.

But Shinji seemed oblivious to Kenseth's constipated expression. He swaggered into the office and plopped down on the sofa, taking in the surroundings.

As one of the twelve Lords of the Clock Tower, Kenseth's office was so luxurious it looked less like a teacher's office and more like a noble's grand reception room.

Shinji ran his hand over the armrest of the sofa, mentally calculating the value of the antique furniture.

As for Kenseth, whose forehead was covered in bulging veins, Master Shinji had long since ignored him.

Seeing that Shinji continued to ignore him, Kenseth took a deep breath, trying to calm his agitated mood.

"Teacher..."

The student standing by Kenseth's office trembled. He had never known that the usually elegant Director Kenseth of the Clock Tower could also be so furious.

To avoid becoming the professor's outlet for frustration, the student could only shrink himself as much as possible, trying to appear as inconspicuous as he could.

"Hmph."

Despite being thoroughly angered by Shinji, Kenseth wasn't so petty as to vent his anger on a student.

He let out a cold snort and then said to the student, "I have a guest right now. Your thesis guidance will be postponed until tomorrow morning. Also, go find Professor Velvet and tell him I need to see him."

"Yes, sir."

The poor student, as if granted amnesty, grabbed his thesis and scrambled out of the office.

"Hey, Shinji, don't go too far," Touko nudged Shinji with her hand, whispering a reminder.

She had a good impression of Kenseth. He, along with her own teacher, was one of the few Lords at the Clock Tower she didn't dislike.

Unlike the Kenseth in FZ, the Kenseth of this world, although holding the title of Lord, had not received the title of "Child Prodigy."

In the current era of declining mystery, Kenseth's talent, while outstanding, was not enough to set him apart from most Mages.

This was actually a good thing for Kenseth. Not being put on a pedestal, he wasn't as arrogant and condescending as the Kenseth in FZ.

In contrast, this Kirei Kotomine placed more importance on each student's individual talent than their bloodline or ephemeral reputation.

It was Kenseth who discovered Waver's astonishing talent for Magecraft theory and took him on as his direct disciple.

This unconventional style made Kenseth very popular among many Clock Tower students, who saw him as a teacher who was serious and earnest in his studies but friendly and approachable in person.

It also made Touko view this Lord in a different light.

Despite Touko's reminder, Shinji's attitude remained quite casual.

"It's fine, Kenseth and I are old friends, he won't mind."

"Nonsense, if I minded, I would have died of anger from you long ago."

Kenseth retorted unhappily, placing the teapot containing tea leaves on the coffee table.

Touko noticed there was no water in the teapot. Just as she was about to ask if he had forgotten, she saw Shinji proactively extend his hand.

"This is nice, I like your black tea the best here, it's always top-shelf."

Shinji first casually slipped a can of black tea from the side of the tray into his pocket, then took out a bottle of water and poured it into the teapot.

Snap.

Accompanied by Shinji's snap of his fingers, a small flame emerged from the bottom of the teapot.

"???"

Touko was utterly bewildered by Shinji's familiar set of actions.

Kenseth, however, was already accustomed to it.

"You're still the same as ever, never drinking British water."

"Nonsense, the local water in Britain has too high a calcium content. Drinking too much will make you go bald."

As he said this, Shinji deliberately glanced at Kenseth's forehead.