NOVEL WEB Chapter 33: Chapter 33: It was a dark and windy night
The commotion of Shinji being thrown to the ground drew the attention of the people around, who turned to see what had happened.
However, when they saw that it was a young girl who had thrown a young man to the ground, they all turned their heads back.
Seeing that the girl and the boy were both quite young, it was clear that this was a romantic dispute, something very common in the country of Romance, France, and the onlookers were no longer surprised to see such a thing happen, since it had happened so often that they became numb.
After the initial panic, Shinji quickly regained his composure.
"Ah, Cloris. You're still so enthusiastic after all these years."
"Enthusiastic? You shameless fellow! Your skin is really thick."
The girl's eyes, blazing with anger, rolled at Shinji.
Although her heart was far from calm, Shinji maintained a calm facade and even gave the girl a charming smile.
"This is me showing enough patience when dealing with a beauty like you."
Unfortunately, this eight-toothed smile, which even politicians would be embarrassed by, did not impress the girl.
"If you don't want to wear false teeth, then hide your teeth that are showing."
"Yes, Cloris-san."
In an instant, Shinji put away his smile, then quickly got up from the ground. When the girl wasn't paying attention, he made a throat-slitting gesture towards Waver and Kariya, who had been silently laughing.
The girl glared at Shinji and continued, "Shinji, you really are something else, to think you managed to avoid me all this time."
"What are you talking about? I've always respected you, Cloris-san."
Shinji deliberately emphasized the word "respect," clearly implying something.
"Of course, I've always cherished you, after all, our two families have been friends for generations."
Noticing that Shinji didn't continue using nicknames for her, the girl raised an eyebrow. Although she was a bit annoyed by his completely business-like attitude, she had to change her tone from earlier and adopt the social etiquette of junior members of large families.
This slightly older girl with silver hair and red eyes is Cloris Flora, the heiress of the North American magus family, the Flora family.
Although this young lady's magecraft skills were only average, her intellect was exceptional. She obtained dual degrees in management and finance at a young age and took charge of the family's business.
"So, you're the representative of Time Group's publishing department this time?" Shinji Matou rubbed his neck and asked.
"It seems that someone still doesn't know that I've taken over the publishing department. How heartless."
Cloris rolled her eyes again. "Shinji, you're something else, not even knowing who your partner in charge is."
"I didn't—Wait a minute, don't talk as if it's already decided that you're the Time Group's publisher!"
Realizing this, Shinji first loudly refuted Cloris's statement and then turned to look at Waver, who was standing nearby, eating melon seeds.
Waver, with a somewhat smug expression, said, "So far, the Time Group, represented by Cloris, is the most sincere among all the early negotiations."
After saying this, Waver leaned in and whispered something to Shinji's ear.
"Shinji, this young lady sincerely came to cooperate with us, just agree already."
Shinji had a dark expression on his face as he muttered, "Do you know about the history between me and her?"
"I don't know."
"If you don't know, then don't meddle!"
Shinji discreetly stepped on Waver's black shoe.
Then, ignoring Waver, who was holding his foot in pain, Shinji turned back to Cloris and chuckled, "I appreciate Time Group's interest in my film, but our FSN rating is PG-13, and it's quite different from your style with HBO, which is known for its bold content."
HBO is the largest premium movie channel in North America, famous for its explicit TV shows and programs.
How explicit? Just knowing that the future worldwide hit "Game of Thrones" was produced by HBO gives you an idea.
"Time Group doesn't just have HBO; they also have TBS, which is all-ages. Besides, aren't TV networks and movies completely different distribution channels?"
Cloris rolled her eyes at Shinji again.
Most women would look unattractive doing this, but Cloris appeared even more beautiful when she did that.
Because Cloris was truly stunning, even by the strictest standards, she was an exquisite beauty.
Her silver hair flowed smoothly, and her delicate features were captivating.
Moreover, her sense of fashion was impeccable. She wore a black dress with silver edges, revealing her lovely shoulders and elegant collarbone, giving an impression of simplicity and grace. She was the kind of young lady who would be popular wherever she went.
Unfortunately, this beautiful lady's name was Cloris Flora, the woman Shinji feared and least wanted to interact with.
So, Shinji seemed to ignore Cloris's stunning beauty and continued to resist.
"Time Group's main business isn't movies, right? I'd prefer to find a partner with a large movie distribution channel, like a certain big-eared mouse that can't be named."
This statement made the corners of Cloris's mouth curl up, and she sarcastically said, "Since you doesn't have that idea, why did you tell your Japanese partner that the European and American distributor is our Time Group?"
"Uncle—!"
Shinji glanced at Kariya, who was whistling towards the ceiling.
"He's the one who told me to contact the Flora family, kid."
Although Kariya didn't speak these words directly, his gaze clearly conveyed that message.
But Shinji Matou was still Shinji Matou, and his thick skin was not just for show.
"Did Uncle say that?" Shinji first exclaimed in a low voice, then frowned and guessed, "It must be Uncle, desperate to find a distributor, deliberately saying this to promote my film. Personally, I don't think it's necessary."
"Oh, really!"
Cloris clenched her teeth, and her tone unintentionally became heavier.
"Well, Time Group is indeed within my considerations. But I want my film to receive the best treatment."
The uneasy Shinji clicked his tongue and replied seriously, "Well, since I'm participating in this Cannes Film Festival to help the group find a suitable distributor, it's not necessary to rely solely on your film."
"Yeah, TYPE-MOON films welcome all distributors based on fairness and impartiality." Shinji spoke in a businesslike tone.
"If other distribution companies aren't interested, you can proactively approach Time Group. Personally, I have a high regard for your abilities, Shinji."
After that, while Shinji was about to speak, Cloris's hand stealthily looped around from behind and twisted his waist hard before he could say anything.
"Ah..."
Shinji Matou widened his eyes, gasping and staring at the silver-haired beauty, unable to utter a word.
"See you at the film festival," Cloris said with a triumphant smile and left, leaving Shinji with a look of both anger and silence.
"Hehe... Shinji... Haha... I never thought there would be a girl who could handle you... Haha..."
Once Cloris had left, Kariya couldn't hold back any longer and burst into hearty laughter while clutching his stomach.
"Uncle! Go die in a gutter!!"
Shinji, frustrated, kicked towards Kariya.
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The relationship between Shinji Matou and Cloris Flora was a bit complicated, and the two met three years ago.
Back then, Shinji, in order to understand the development of the North American film industry and learn about film production, stayed with the Flora family as an exchange student, thanks to the Matou family's connection with the Flora family.
At that time, Cloris was already 20 years old, the jewel of the Flora family, and a highly sought-after beauty.
Living under the same roof, and with both having budding interests in the entertainment industry, Shinji and Cloris frequently exchanged ideas.
Cloris wasn't interested in filmmaking, but she found Shinji's ideas about media development fascinating and highly appreciated the young boy's talent.
As a result, over time, they became friends with a good relationship.
However, Shinji didn't have any romantic interest in Cloris. Just like the Tohsaka family, the Flora family had a close relationship with the Matou family. If he were to pursue her, the only possible outcome would be marriage.
At that time, Shinji, who had the potential to become a harem king rivalling those of Shirou and his Saber face harem or Hakuno with his Tamamo nine harem, wasn't ready to give up the entire forest for one tree.
Originally, according to this script's development, the next generation of the Matou family and the Flora family would have formed a deep friendship, just like their elders, becoming a remarkable tale in the world of magic.
Unfortunately, life often throws unexpected surprises at you.
On a dark and stormy night, when murder and arson were rampant... no, on Cloris's 21st birthday, in celebration of finally reaching the legal drinking age, this woman did something unprecedented—she rebelled and drank a whole bottle of alcohol.
But she didn't have a natural talent for drinking, and she had never drunk alcohol before.
How good could her tolerance be?
It's just that what Shinji never expected was that Cloris, with her flushed face, would directly cling to him and keep pouring him drinks.
Although Shinji was underage for drinking in both Japan and America, he, as a Transmigrator, didn't take it too seriously. He just considered it as a casual drinking game with his buddies.
However, when Cloris's drunkenness entered the second phase, Shinji felt something was amiss. The red-faced Cloris directly embraced him, and her actions went beyond merely pouring drinks.
Although Shinji initially thought of resisting, he overestimated his alcohol tolerance after his Transmigration. His supposed resistance appeared more like compliance to Cloris.
As a result, Cloris was quite straightforward in dealing with Shinji.
This left Shinji utterly bewildered. He never imagined that he would be taken advantage of by a girl in this manner. Moreover, this girl was not even in his range of conquests.
Although Shinji enjoyed himself throughout the process, he realized that short-term pleasure didn't equate to long-term happiness.
Cloris, on the other hand, seemed quite open to the idea. Although the drunken incident was entirely an exception, she had a favorable impression of Shinji and didn't mind taking things to the next step.
So, Cloris hinted at certain things to Shinji, expressing her intentions.
Cloris' actions frightened him. Leaving aside the fact that Shinji had no intention of getting married at this point of time, Cloris and Rin had similarly strong personalities that didn't align with Shinji's ideal wife.
Most importantly, as someone with ambitions in the entertainment industry, Shinji didn't want to get too close to the Time Group.
Cooperation between friendly companies was not a problem at all. However, once Shinji Matou married the princess of the Flora family, it was unclear whether he was doing it for himself or for the Time Group's expansion.
Afraid of being pushed into marriage, Shinji decided to end his studies in the United States a year earlier than planned and ran back to the Clock Tower to find potential partners.
Since then, Shinji had adopted a strategy of minimal contact and communication with the Flora family and Cloris. Surprisingly, they met again at the Cannes Film Festival.