I'm Not A Master, I'm A Director
Chapter 415: The End of The Garden of Sinners
Crack!
A thunder-like roar split the air.
Immediately afterward came the groaning sound of steel reinforcement straining beyond its limits.
Rumble—!!
The entire bridge began tilting to one side. Ceilings collapsed one after another.
Asagami Fujino stared blankly at the structure around her crumbling.
The kimono-clad girl who had been right in front of her was swept away by the world's sudden tilt the moment she activated her power.
If she hadn't seen wrong, Ryougi Shiki seemed to have fallen out of the parking lot.
But Fujino no longer cared about that woman. Her own situation was far worse.
Outside was a raging storm. Below was the sea.
If she couldn't grab onto something, she was finished.
"I… have to get out…"
Dragging her body—wracked with pain so intense she could barely breathe, as if she might ignite at any second—Fujino staggered toward the exit.
No matter what, she still possessed the most basic human instinct: the will to survive.
However, the situation was even worse than she imagined.
The rectangular parking lot had twisted into a rhombus.
Collapsing floors and ceilings turned the short distance ahead into something like a deadly platforming maze.
"—!"
Fujino tried to step forward, but she collapsed after just one step.
She couldn't breathe.
Her legs wouldn't move.
Her vision went dark.
Her mind turned blank.
Pain consumed over ninety percent of the information her brain could process, robbing her of judgment.
I want to die.
Her tolerance for pain had finally reached its limit.
If she had to live with this agony… death would be easier.
"Ugh…"
Lying face-down, Fujino coughed up blood.
Her consciousness blurred. The scenery faded—only the blood spreading across the ground remained vivid.
Red. Like a burning sunset… just like that day.
"…No…"
She stretched out her hand.
"I… don't want to die."
If her legs couldn't move, she would crawl.
"I don't want to die… I don't want to…"
Fujino dragged herself forward inch by inch.
It hurt.
It hurt.
It hurt.
Every sensation was drowned by pain. Her mind could hold nothing but the word pain.
The sensation she had once longed for now filled her with hatred.
And yet—ironically—it was precisely this overwhelming pain that made her cling desperately to life.
She didn't want to disappear.
She wanted to live.
Because—
"I never did anything… I never left anything behind…"
Such a life was too miserable.
Too empty.
Too—
"…sad."
Fujino moved her wrist, coughing up blood.
Her mouth babbled incoherently, yet her thoughts were crystal clear.
For the first time in her life, Asagami Fujino made a fervent wish—
She wanted to live.
She wanted to speak more.
She wanted to keep thinking.
She wanted to remain here—
"Ugh…"
But she could no longer move.
Without even the strength to lift her hand, she lay still, enduring the waves of pain.
This was the true nature of the sensation she once found joy in—inflicting deeper harm on her than anything else.
"Ugh…"
Her body convulsed.
Her vision dimmed until she saw nothing. Unable to bear the loneliness, she muttered weakly:
"It hurts… it really hurts… Senpai… it hurts so much… this kind of pain… I… might cry… Mother… can I cry?"
It was a small, sincere wish she had never voiced to anyone.
"…Does it hurt?"
At some point, Ryougi Shiki stood beside her, holding a long sword.
When she had been thrown out earlier, Shiki had decisively abandoned her short blade. Using a longer weapon, she cut through falling debris and successfully returned to the parking lot.
With the last of her strength, Fujino raised her body slightly, facing Shiki directly.
"If it hurts… you could've just said so."
At the very end, Shiki spoke the same words that Mikiya had once said in Fujino's memories.
'Maybe… that really was all it took…'
Fujino thought quietly.
'If I had been able to say that I was in pain back then… would I have avoided losing myself on this wrong path?'
Memories flickered before her eyes like a lantern reel. Accepting reality, Fujino smiled faintly.
'But it's too late for me now…'
She slowly closed her eyes, waiting for her end.
Without expression, Ryougi Shiki raised her long blade—and thrust it into Fujino's chest.
'Is… this how my life ends?'
Asagami Fujino's breathing gradually stopped. She felt her sense of pain rapidly fading…
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
"Did Shiki just kill Fujino?!"
Seeing the blade pierce Fujino's body, Aoko cried out.
"Hey, Alice!"
Swinging her legs restlessly, she asked, "She killed her, right?"
"…Hard to say."
Alice shook her head lightly.
Given Shiki's characterization so far, killing Fujino wouldn't be strange—but Alice didn't think she actually did.
If Shiki had really killed her, Shinji Matou would have shown it directly instead of switching the camera to Mikiya Kokutou's perspective.
The Garden of Sinners was clearly meant to be a series. Sir Matou likely wouldn't write a heroine who kills too decisively.
If Shiki had killed Fujino during the heat of battle, it might've worked. But now that Fujino had lost the will to fight, striking her down would easily provoke audience backlash.
Aoko wasn't the only one worried—many viewers were anxious about whether the busty beauty would really die here.
The atmosphere of the Garden of Sinners had drawn them in, and many were already looking forward to the next installment. Naturally, they hoped such a charming girl would appear again.
The poor audience didn't know that although Asagami Fujino would survive this film, she wouldn't appear again—unless Shinji someday adapted Future Gospel.
Everyone wanted to know whether Fujino lived or died, but Shinji Matou was skilled at teasing fans. Instead of revealing her fate, he shifted to a conversation between Touko and Mikiya, explaining Fujino's backstory.
By the time the film reached its end, the audience finally learned the full cause-and-effect behind Asagami Fujino.
And then… they collectively felt stunned.
If her congenital analgesia came from her father sealing her Mystic Eyes out of fear, that was understandable. Viewers might call the Asagami family "trash" or "idiots," but human fear of the abnormal made sense.
But the reason for Fujino's stomach pain being… appendicitis?
That left the entire audience speechless.
Everyone had assumed the pain was a side effect of using her Mystic Eyes. Such terrifying power demanding a price felt perfectly reasonable—after all, the story involved the supernatural.
Instead, her stomach hurt because of something utterly mundane.
It felt like watching a pseudo-science TV show where the mystery ends with a completely ordinary explanation.
Like how if someone is killed, they die—if you have appendicitis, of course your stomach hurts.
"…Well, I guess that explanation is flawless."
Aoko's mouth twitched slightly.
But Alice nodded with satisfaction.
"This is probably the core message Sir Matou wanted to convey."
"Oh? And what's your grand insight?"
"For normal modern people like us, seeing a doctor when your stomach hurts is obvious. But what about magi still living in a medieval mindset?"
"Fujino never considered consulting a doctor because her worldview had been warped by her Mystic Eyes. She always placed herself outside the norm—so she naturally developed ideas that deviated from common sense."
"This kind of situation could easily apply to magi who ignore modern society altogether. They refuse to admit they've already been left behind by the times—and that's the real tragedy."
The wheels of history roll forward. Those who fail to keep up are either abandoned… or crushed beneath them.
Alice murmured silently to herself.
The old magi looked down on modern common sense, believing it was the reason mystery declined.
But what about the mystery they stubbornly pursued?
Forbidden spells with massive destructive power?
Missiles could already do that.
If the firepower wasn't enough, there were nuclear bombs, hydrogen bombs… modern military arsenals surely had the appropriate yield.
And if they sought special effects—
What in modern life truly required magecraft?
Food, clothing, housing, transportation—none of them needed magecraft.
Want a house? Just buy one.
Need to cook? Use a gas stove.
Clothes? Go to a shopping mall.
Travel? Planes, ships, trains—go anywhere, even sky or sea.
As for entertainment, science utterly crushed magecraft.
Perhaps magecraft had unique uses in certain niches—but Alice believed nothing existed that absolutely required it.
"Perhaps what they desperately cling to isn't mystery at all… but their privilege and status."
At its core, Garden of Sinners was just a tragedy caused by a sheltered girl lacking common sense. Yet wrapped in the cloak of mystery and magecraft, it gained a unique charm.
And Alice had completely fallen for it.
"As expected of Sir Shinji Matou… to create such a cautionary tale for magi. I wonder how many of them will actually grasp this layer?"
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
When the screen returned to Broad Bridge, the audience saw it twisted like it had been wrung by a giant hand.
Touko, who had rushed there through the rain, was arguing with a security guard who refused to let her enter the dangerous area.
At that moment, Ryougi Shiki—covered in blood—suddenly emerged from the lower part of the bridge.
"Hey! What the hell happened to you?!"
Seeing a blood-soaked woman carrying a weapon walk out, the guard immediately became alert.
Shiki didn't bother with words. She stepped forward and knocked him unconscious without hesitation.
"Yo… I knew you'd be here."
Her pale face looked drowsy as she spoke.
Mikiya stepped forward to support her, but Shiki pushed him away in annoyance.
"Where's Asagami Fujino?" Touko asked, cigarette in hand.
"She was too crafty. At the end she reverted to her analgesia state again. That version of her wasn't someone I wanted to kill." Shiki complained like a sulking child.
"So I killed the illness in her abdomen instead. If you move quickly, she might still be saved."
Hearing that Shiki hadn't killed Fujino, Mikiya hurriedly contacted the hospital. In the theater, the audience collectively sighed in relief.
"She's alive?"
"Shiki really is a good girl."
"Cold on the outside, warm on the inside—that's her."
…
On screen, while Mikiya expressed relief that Fujino's attending doctor would personally come despite the terrible weather, the two behind him were having a rather dangerous conversation.
"That's a pretty direct way of stopping the bleeding… did you kill the blood itself?"
Shiki nodded matter-of-factly.
"Yeah. I killed the entire arm. It wasn't usable anymore, so I killed it. Touko, you call yourself a puppeteer, right? You can make prosthetics?"
"Sure. That'll be my payment this time."
Touko readily agreed—as long as she didn't have to pay cash, she was fine.
"Come to think of it, even though you have the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, your body's pretty ordinary. Since you're replacing your left arm, how about adding some special features? Want it to fire magic cannons? Or maybe capture spirits directly?"
Hearing Touko speak like an arms dealer, Mikiya's face twitched with black lines.
"Looks like the ambulance will be here soon. Staying here will only cause trouble—let's leave."
He hurriedly urged the two girls to go. If they stayed any longer, he feared they might get arrested for illegal weapons trading.
Touko, who hated trouble, gladly took the opportunity and got back into her car.
"In this kind of rainstorm, it's better to head home early. Shiki, come on."
But Shiki refused with a casual, "No need."
Touko glanced between Shiki and Mikiya, a mischievous smile forming.
"Then I'll head off first. Shiki, don't kill Kokutou just because you couldn't kill Asagami Fujino~"
Before Mikiya could protest, Touko drove away.
Mikiya pulled Shiki under the eaves of a nearby warehouse to avoid the rain. Soon, medical staff arrived and carried Asagami Fujino away, and he finally relaxed.
Turning back, he noticed Shiki's gaze had never left Fujino.
Over the noisy rain, he asked softly:
"Shiki… can't you forgive Asagami Fujino?"
"I already killed her once. I'm not interested anymore."
There was neither hatred nor emotion in her tone. To Shiki, Fujino had already become nothing more than a stranger.
Right now, Shiki was more interested in Mikiya.
"Kokutou, what about you? No matter the reason, you wouldn't kill someone?"
"Yeah. But honestly… I felt nothing about the deaths of those guys who attacked Fujino."
"That's surprising. I expected you to say they were lives too."
Mikiya closed his eyes, listening quietly to the rain.
He understood—Shiki wanted him to condemn her, to scold her as a killer who didn't treat people as lives.
But Shiki… you're someone who wouldn't kill anyone, aren't you?
Mikiya knew well that though Shiki appeared cold, she was fundamentally a girl who wouldn't harm others.
"Shiki… even if she lost herself, Asagami Fujino was still just an ordinary girl."
Using Fujino's case, he tried to guide her.
"Because mystery must remain hidden, her crimes won't be judged by the police or the public. But for Fujino… that's even more painful."
"Why?"
"Punishment… I think it's something one chooses to bear themselves. The stronger one's conscience, the heavier the punishment they place on themselves."
"Fujino is a kind girl. The happier her life becomes in the future, the more she'll sink into pain."
"You really are a soft-hearted fool."
That was Shiki's blunt evaluation.
"Then people without conscience wouldn't feel guilt, and their punishment wouldn't be heavy."
"I don't think that's possible."
Mikiya thought for a moment before answering.
"It's just lighter for them—but it still exists. Emotions that seem ordinary to us can become shackles for them. Even if the degree differs, the meaning of punishment is the same."
Like the sole surviving thug, Keita—driven mad by fear. That terror itself was the punishment born from his guilt.
To Mikiya, regret, guilt, fear… these negative emotions might not compensate for sin, but they compel people to try.
As Shiki said—
Mikiya Kokutou was simply too kind. He always chose to believe in the positive side of people.
"If society doesn't judge your sins, it might seem easier. But without someone else to punish you, you must bear it yourself. When no one forgives you… you can't forgive yourself either."
"The wound in the heart keeps hurting—like how Asagami Fujino's sense of pain remained. It will never truly heal."
Shiki silently listened to his words, almost like a poem recited in the rain.
Suddenly, she stepped out from under the warehouse roof into the downpour.
"Shiki?"
The kimono-clad girl turned back, rain soaking her.
"The more common sense someone has, the stronger their sense of guilt… that's what you think, right, Kokutou?"
"Yes."
"But I don't have that much common sense. Aren't you worried about letting someone like me exist?"
Mikiya simply smiled and conveyed his feelings.
"Is that so? Then it can't be helped. I'll bear your punishment for you, Shiki."
The sudden confession made Shiki freeze. She stood blankly in the rain, as if she'd forgotten how to move.
After letting the rain fall on her for a moment, she lowered her head in irritation.
"Now I remember… Kokutou, you've always liked making jokes with that straight face!"
Mikiya paid no mind to her complaint.
"I just think… if it's for a girl, I can carry it."
Hearing that, Shiki smiled, clearly pleased.
'I finally understand… the way I should live. The things I thought I had to rely on… aren't as bad as I imagined. You think so too, don't you, SHIKi?'
"A little…"
"Hm?"
"I have a little… urge to kill you, Kokutou~"
Mikiya hadn't expected that response to his confession, and his brow tightened wryly.
Still… seeing Shiki smile in the rain is enough. It's truly beautiful.
Because it was the first genuine smile he had seen from Shiki since she awakened.
And so, the final scene of Garden of Sinners froze on Shiki's smile.
As the ending song played, Shinji—who had directed the film—spoke with a hint of regret.
"Even though I shot it myself… that smile of yours was really beautiful."
Shiki naturally knew he meant her final smile toward the camera.
"Shinji-kun, be honest. Did you fall for me? Because of that smile?"
"Whether it's liking or love isn't the important part."
Shinji's tone echoed the relationship between Shiki and Mikiya in the film. They never did anything expected of an on-screen couple, yet their understanding felt like that of a married pair of decades.
"What matters is that two people understand each other… and spend a wonderful, happy time together."
The ending theme was halfway through now, and applause began to rise in the theater.
Shiki didn't stand to acknowledge the audience. She kept her eyes fixed on Shinji.
"In other words… you want to keep things ambiguous? Not define the relationship?"
Shinji only smiled.
Shiki sighed softly.
"You know, Shinji-kun… keeping things vague like this makes it easy for both people to lose their way~"
Seeing the timing was right, Shinji pressed further.
"I think we can go one step beyond simple ambiguity."
Shiki snorted, but she didn't reject him.
"Not today. My schedule's packed these next two days. No way I can take time off."
Shinji chuckled.
"I'm not in a hurry."
"…."
Shiki's cheeks flushed red. His calm reply made her feel like she'd walked right into his trap.
Meanwhile, ordinary viewers like Aoko weren't flirting like Shinji—they were focused on something else.
"So… do you think this movie will have a post-credits scene?"
<+>
<+>
<+>
<+>
<+>
<+>
<+>
Tn: I updated the story once every 2 days, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 455: Shinji — My Awesomeness Has Exceeded Even My Own Expectations[1]
Link: https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/im-not-master-im-160861502?collection=31097[2]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/im-not-master-im-160861502?collection=31097
[2] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/im-not-master-im-160861502?collection=31097