Walking into the Head Boy's/Head Girl's quarters, Harry perked up a bit at seeing who was there. Briefly, he thought that it was his mother when he realized who it really was and grinned, "Nagato-Chan!"
The actress, meanwhile, blinked a little at the girl in the sailor suit before her eyes widened at realizing who it really was, "H-Harry-Nii-San?! Is that you?!"
Beside her, her usual Abyssal guard blinked a little with a frown on her face, '… I wonder why he is looking like a girl…?'
Moments later, Nagato-Chan asked the exact same question which got a chuckle from Harry as he shrugged with a grin, "Honestly? Partially because it amused me and partially due to a… challenge, of sorts."
Perking up some, Negotiator looked towards him, "A challenge, Lord Harry?"
With a slow nod, the wizard smiled some, "Well, Fleur bet me that she would make a better guy than I would a girl. Probably wasn't all that serious about it, but…" Doing a hair flip, Harry smirked, "Still took it up."
Lips twitching some, Nagato-Chan chuckled some, "I see…" Pausing for a moment, she considered the crossdressing boy in front of her before nodding, "I must admit… you do pull it off."
Teruzuki then spoke up and shook her head, "You have no idea!" Pulling out her phone, she brought it around and began to show Nagato-Chan some video, "See? Harry-Chan is really good at it!"
Eyebrows shooting up as she continued to watch as her brother acted like a girl, the Setgirl only nodded, "Very impressive." Rubbing her chin, she looked up at him, "You've done this before?"
Rubbing the back of his neck, Harry chuckled some, "Well… I've crossplayed some. So… it doesn't bother me that much…" Feeling a tap on the shoulder, he turned to find Argalia there, "Hmm? Something wrong, Argalia?"
Just smiling, the pink-haired weapon spirit nodded his head in the direction of the bathroom, "Do you mind if Melissia and I go for our shower first, Master?"
A smile on his own face, Harry chuckled, "Go ahead. Though remind me later to get a Repair Bath ready for you. From what I know, it does wonders for a weapon spirit."
It went without saying that both weapon spirits promptly gave him a grin along with a jaunty salute before they walked towards the bathroom. Meanwhile, Nagato-Chan continued to watch the videos being shown her with a practiced eye. Finally, she looked up at Harry with a small smile on her face, "I'm impressed, Nii-San. It is not easy to act as the opposite gender."
Quirking his lips, Harry sat down beside her with a chuckle, "Well… like I've said to others, I'm comfortable in my own skin. I know who I am and so it doesn't make much difference to me what I wear. As for acting like a girl…" He then gave a small shrug, "Grow up with as many girls as I have, and you can get a good idea of how to act like one."
Soft smile on her own face, Nagato-Chan nodded at that, "That is true, Harry-Nii-San. One does need to be comfortable with themselves to act properly."
Just nodding, the wizard watched as his "Little sister" turned back to the phone to look through more video and pictures. It struck him right then that, in an odd way, this was something that he shared with said Setgirl, being able to act like something that they were not. Briefly, his smile grew as the two sat together on the couch with Nagato-Chan pointing out various other things he could have done and can do to improve his performance for the next time. Something that made the teen grin.
Of course, then a thought struck him which made him frown a little.
Noticing that, Nagato-Chan tilted her head with a frown of her own, "Is something wrong, Nii-San?"
With a glance at her, Harry's frown deepened, "Hai, mainly that I haven't been spending much time with you like I should."
A little to his amusement, that seemed to fluster the Setgirl as she waved her hands around, "Y-you really don't have to-"
However, the wizard cut her off as he looked at her, "Yes, I do. You're my Nee-San and I'm your Nii-San. Therefore, I should be spending time with you and bonding. We're family after all."
Unknown to him, Nagato-Chan felt warmth in her chest from that proclamation. But then, she frowned a little bit, "I… wouldn't mind it, but I need to fill in for Mama after all with you…"
Rubbing his chin, Harry hummed a little bit at that, "Yeah, but maybe…" Then, a smile appeared on his face and he snapped his fingers, "Actually… we could spend some time in the Room of Requirement."
That made the Setgirl blink as she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Negotiator, meanwhile, raised her eyebrows, "Room of Requirement, Lord Harry? What is that now?"
Grin fully on his face, Harry chuckled, "It's a special room here in Hogwarts. Basically? It can become whatever sort of room you want."
Eyebrows shooting up, Nagato-Chan had a look of wonder on her face, "Any room that you could want?"
Lips twitching, the crossdressed teen nodded at that, "Hai. I've seen it be a training room, a small library, a classroom, a pool, and something of a cross between a lost and found as well as a storage warehouse." If anything, his grin widened some as Nagato-Chan blinked at his next words, "That last one is important because I've been going through it slowly to salvage things in it. And there is a lot… Maybe we could find some things that you could make use of for props? Just the two of us."
Blinking, Nagato-Chan's expression brightened as she reached over and hugged him, "I'd like that, Harry-Nii-San."
Just hugging her back, Harry held her for a few moments before another thought struck him, "Actually… there is another thing that we could do together." When she pulled back with an interested look, he smiled, "One of the weekends that I'm off, I'm going to be heading up to Ginzan to check on one of my investments via Yukikaze-Chan and I could use someone experienced in acting and the entertainment business for help."
Now even more intrigued, the Setgirl gave him a raised eyebrow, "How so?"
Glancing at Natsumi, Harry smiled a little bit, "Well… mainly that I'm going to check out the newly re-established Ungaikyō Films and need someone experienced in that type of thing to tell me if it's good or not."
Rapidly blinking, Nagato-Chan furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she thought and searched her memories, "Ungaikyō Films? I'm… not familiar with them."
A surprised look on her face at having heard the name, the Kitsune shook it off after a moment, "I'm not surprised." When Nagato-Chan looked at her, Natsumi gave a small shrug, "It was a film studio on the magical side of things. They mostly made movies for No-Majborn witches and Wizards as well as Yokai who mostly lived in the non-magical world. Using magic and Yokai illusions for special effects."
It went without saying that Nagato-Chan's eyebrows shot up, "That… sounds interesting." Rubbing her chin, she hummed a little, "I've kind of wondered from time to time about what one could do with magic in regards to film before, so…"
Very slowly, Natsumi nodded, "They're good films, trust me." However, she frowned and turned towards Harry, "But I thought that they went under when the Magical Diet passed laws to shut them down? How…?"
Chuckle escaping him, the teenage wizard shrugged his shoulders, "Well, the Tokyo Diet is no longer in charge and they met some people now in Kyoto. With the Statute coming down, there's no reason for them to be banned under 'Threatening the Statute of Secrecy'. They just needed some investors to help them get back on their feet, so…" Sucking his teeth, he continued after motioning with his hand which they nodded at, "Another reason that they haven't really been talking about it was that they were in negotiations with Studio Nue and the like as they needed to settle some possible legal issues before the fall of the Statute of Secrecy. And it was best to get it done now and out of the way without anyone really the wiser."
Jerking back some, the Setgirl frowned a little at that, "Studio Nue? Why would they be in negotiations with them?"
Natsumi was once more the one who answered her question with a look of thought, "Back in the 80s. Among other films they made were a live action Space Battleship Yamato and Super Dimension Fortress Macross. Back then, they couldn't exactly get in Contact with the rights holders, even if they tried to do them good…" She then continued to frown in thought, "Because of the audience that they were making the movies for, they decided to make the movies because it was partially a challenge and partially because they actually really liked the series. Though, from what I know they did send them some money for what they made from the movies…"
Frown on his face, Harry nodded a little bit, "That was one of the reasons that they were hammered under the laws from the Magical Diet, because they used back channels to get a portion of the money that they made back to the owners of the copyrights in question. Hence, risking the Statute…" Briefly, his lips twitched a bit, "It was a bit of a surprise apparently for Studio Nue as they always wondered where the money that sometimes showed up in accounting came from. Because when they had accountants go over it, it seemed to come from nowhere and they could never find out who was giving them it. Some of them thought that someone in the company was using it to launder money." Scratching his chin, the wizard frowned some, "They've come to an agreement and apparently it involved a re-release of the live action Macross film trilogy that they did as Studio Nue really liked it, but… I can't say much more than that."
Understanding on her face, Nagato-Chan nodded before cocking her head to the side, "How did they make it, the live action Macross films?"
The wizard blinked at that before humming, "Well… the scriptwriters were fans of the show and didn't change much besides adding some detail and cutting away a bit. It followed the actual series pretty closely with each of the three films being about an hour and a half long. For the Producers, Director, and cast? They had them sit down and watch the series from beginning to end a couple of times to get used to the story, the characters, and the like. They also built sets and everything."
At that, Natsumi gave a nod, "They actually built a twenty foot long version of the Macross made out of steel that actually transforms and can fly…" Pausing, she chuckled weakly, "Well, levitate, but I heard that they had some small turbines in the legs to propel it around with fox fire to give the illusion of it being propelled via thrusters." The Kitsune then smiled a little bit, "They also built some scale models of the other ships as well which also had levitation charms and small turbines to propel them along. From what Chichi-ue told me, they filmed the space battles in hangers using multiple Kitsune and Tanuki to cast illusions to make it look like it was in space as they used the cameras to record it. Not to mention the indoor sets for everything as well, also built to scale."
Slightly amused at Natsumi's enthusiasm, Harry chuckled some and gave a slight shrug, "There was also how they filmed the scenes where you had the human characters facing the Zentraedi and such outside of their VFs." At the interested look from the Setgirl, he continued, "They made use of Osaki and Itachi, having them take on the form of the characters, but at the size of their animal forms. Meanwhile, the ones playing the Zentraedi and such would be normal size, hence looking like they were giants compared to the normal human characters."
Leaning back in thought, Nagato-Chan hummed some as she considered what she had just heard and chewed her lip, "I can see how that would work… and work very well." She then cocked her head to the side and frowned, "But do they have any projects that they're working on now, Nii-San?"
Not answering right away, the crossdressed teenage boy leaned back, "I… know of at least two projects that they're working on." At the interested look, he smiled a little bit, "The first is the Tale of Tamamizu and the second is the Fox in the Cycle since neither need a whole lot of special effects…"
Perking up at the last one, Natsumi looked at him in surprise and excitement, "They're making a movie based on the Fox in the Cycle?"
Unable to help himself, Harry chuckled a little bit, "Hai, Natsumi-Chan, they are as a matter of fact. I take it that you read it."
Blush appearing on her face, the Kitsune looked away sheepishly, "Well… I always did like the story."
Looking between them, Nagato-Chan had an interested look on her face, "I take it that it is a good story?"
Turning to her, Natsumi took a deep breath before nodding, "Hai." She then continued some with a sigh, "It's a Kitsune love story that was written and published in the magical world. Basically… it follows a female Kitsune through the cycles of reincarnation of her lover. See, the first chapter outlines their first life together and he died from wounds in her arms. Hence, she went to the Shrine to Inari-Sama in Kyoto and prayed for a way to meet her lover once more, where the Kami appears in front of her and gives her a gift. As Inari-Sama tells her, it is double-edged in that she will find her lover each time they reincarnate, but as a Kitsune, she will be forced to watch them die."
Eyebrow raised, the Setgirl slowly nodded, "I take it that each chapter follows a different life?"
With a hum, Natsumi smiled a bit and glanced at Harry, "Hai, she finds her love in different lives. Sometimes they're male, and sometimes female. But always human and someone who falls in love back. Each time, though, as Inari-Sama told her, they die and she continues to live due to the lifespan of a Kitsune. A few times in the books, the lover dies of old age, sometimes of sickness, and a few times from combat or wounds thereof. Each time, she feels like her heart is ripped out, but keeps going on so that she can see them again. So it is kind of bittersweet…" With a small sigh, the Kitsune had a far off look on her face, "The last chapter of the book happens in World War Two, where her husband is away when the firebombing of Tokyo happens and rushes home to find the Kitsune trapped under debris as the fires inch closer. She begs him to leave and, crying, he tells her that he would never leave her to die. As she stayed at his side through his different lives, which he now remembers, so too will he die at hers. Thus, the two embrace best that they can as the fires overwhelm them with Inari-Sama above watching and weeping."
A lump in her throat, Nagato-Chan slowly nodded, "That… is pretty bittersweet."
Very slowly, the Kitsune nodded, "Hai, but there is a happy ending as there's an epilogue in the modern day. A young Kitsune girl rushes to school and bumps into a boy who helps her to her feet, with it being revealed that he, too, is a Kitsune. Both of them feel a connection and their hearts beat faster as they hold hands, while Inari-Sama watches from above, weeping, but in happiness. With Inari-Sama's last words being that devotion such as they had shown should be rewarded, thus stating that the two are the Kitsune and her lover, now together in a way where they can live out their very long lives together without fear of one dying of old age long before the other."
Considering look on her face, Nagato-Chan chuckled a little bit, "You know, I can see that as being a good movie."
They continued chatting for a few minutes before Melissia came walking out of the bathroom with a towel around her torso, which revealed a modest amount of curves and some cleavage, with a happy sigh, "Ah, nothing like a nice hot shower." She then noticed Cathy sputter some, "Eh? What's wrong?"
Just coughing some on her drink, Cathy flushed some and pointed at her, "Wh-what are you doing walking around in just a towel?"
Rubbing the back of her neck, the Sword of Astolfo chuckled sheepishly with a grin, "Ah, sorry about that! We forgot to grab some clean clothes before we headed in for our shower. But it isn't that big of a deal."
It was then Argalia's turn to come walking out with his towel around his neck and wiggling a bit in his ear to get the water out, "What's with the yelling?"
Yet again, Cathy sputtered some and turned to him, "Y-you both aren't wearing clothes and… and…" She stared for a little bit as her eyes trailed down Argalia's body, slowly becoming redder, "You're a man!?"
Very slowly, the Lance blinked before looking down and nodding, "Yup! Still a man!" He then turned his attention back up to a reddening Cathy, "Why?"
Harry then blinked himself and turned towards Cathy, "Wait, you didn't know that only one of them was a girl? I thought…?
Needless to say, the sputters from the blonde sword was enough of an answer for all of them before she screeched a bit. Then, she groaned and placed her hands over her face, "… No, I did not."
Of course, that was when both Argalia and Melissia chose to start laughing at her reaction, which got grins and chuckles from the others.
