Chapter 364: Shinji: "All of You, Go Promote Fate/Apocrypha!"
"Hmm… this actually looks pretty good."
Sitting in front of his computer, Li Ri'ang watched the freshly uploaded Fate/Apocrypha teaser on a video site and muttered to himself, "Way better than Fate/Zero."
As a member of TYPE-MOON's China branch—and a hardcore tokusatsu fan who'd been "tricked into love" by special effects shows more times than he cared to admit—he naturally loved the Fate series.
Even though the teaser was less than two minutes long, his personal impression was that it surpassed the previous film, FZ, by a wide margin.
At the very least, the tone no longer leaned as heavily into the pitch-black despair that defined FZ, the kind that left you emotionally drained just by watching it.
Even now, Fate/Zero remained the Fate story Li Ri'ang had rewatched the least.
Counting all the movies, TV series, and official side stories, FZ still ranked dead last in his personal favorability list.
There was no helping it—after growing up on tokusatsu shows packed with flawless happy endings, Li Ri'ang tolerance for tragedy was… on the low side.
Compared to FZ's overly solemn atmosphere, Fate/Apocrypha's teaser felt much lighter. The playful banter between the characters made the story seem far more in line with the cheerful vibe of a proper popcorn blockbuster.
Maybe their boss, Shinji Matou, had realized that FZ was just a bit too dark, and decided to tell a brighter story this time?
"I wonder if being a company employee comes with any perks…"
"Like getting into a test screening or something."
Scrolling through the webpage filled with Fate/Apocrypha news, Li Ri'ang indulged in some pure wishful thinking.
In reality, Fate/Apocrypha did have several test screenings—but they were all held either in Japan or North America. Unless Li Ri'ang somehow managed to snag a business trip to the Japanese headquarters during that period, his dream of seeing the movie early would remain just that: a dream.
Still, just because Li Ri'ang, stuck in China, had no shot at a screening didn't mean other Fate fans were equally unlucky.
The moment the teaser aired, countless moviegoers flooded TYPE-MOON's official channels, all trying to secure a spot at one of the Fate/Apocrypha test screenings.
Since this teaser mainly focused on character introductions, and offered little concrete information beyond the Red-versus-Black war framework, fans naturally shifted their attention elsewhere.
Their debates centered almost entirely on the true names of the fourteen Servants.
The least controversial were the "Arturia-face" characters. Jeanne's name was stated outright in the teaser, and Mordred had already appeared in FSN, so she was quickly identified as well.
At the time, Shinji hadn't actually summoned Mordred yet—but in the flashback of the Sword of Camlann, the King of Knights had been portrayed using her son's design.
Even if the actor wasn't the same, the outfit and silhouette were identical. Unless Shinji Matou decided to play dirty, that single-ponytail tomboy could only be Mordred.
But the remaining Servants weren't nearly as easy to pin down.
[I think that centaur has to be Chiron. There aren't many famous centaurs, and he's the most well-known one.]
[Who's that male Servant in the black armor? He looks insanely cool. I bet he's the next-generation Diarmuid!]
[Breaking news! TYPE-MOON replaces Diarmuid!]
[That white-haired one isn't bad either—just wonder if his Luck stat is higher than E. (lol)]
[I'm not interested in those guys. Personally, I'm way more into that pink-haired boy! He's just too cute! o(///▽///)o]
[Wait—he's really a boy?! I don't believe it!!]
[Didn't the priest say at the end, "Boys need to protect themselves when they're out"?]
[Someone that cute is actually a guy?! No, I need a moment to process this.]
[Process my ass! What's wrong with boys? Can't boys be pretty? Can't boys be cute?!]
[Fair point. It's not like we can touch him anyway. Just watching and fantasizing is enough.]
[You people are getting more and more outrageous—are you trying to get the official message board shut down?! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻]
[┬─┬ノ( '-'ノ) Here, I've put the table back. You can flip it again.]
…
"Can't these people just discuss the movie properly?"
Watching the comment section drift further and further off-topic, Shinji once again bore witness to the internet's boundless talent for nonsense and wild speculation.
Still, the fact that everyone was focusing their attention on Astolfo was actually good news for him.
Astolfo's role in the movie leaned heavily toward that of a mascot—like Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy, or King Shark in The Suicide Squad 2.
Granted, those two went for an "ugly-cute" aesthetic, while Astolfo was pure, unfiltered cuteness—but the core function was the same: comic relief and charm.
And such characters should never be underestimated.
Plenty of casual viewers decide to watch a movie on a whim, and a single especially funny or adorable moment can be enough to draw in a whole new audience.
Just how many people went to see Zootopia after watching that sloth "Flash" scene in the trailer?
"Looks like once the movie's large-scale promotion kicks off, Astolfo's cult-following plan can be launched in parallel."
Seeing the internet's obsession with the pink-haired cutie steadily climbing, Shinji nodded in satisfaction.
"Hey, Shinji."
Shiki suddenly leaned in close, resting her chin on Shinji's head while pressing her entire body against his back.
"You're pouring all the promotional heat into Fate/Apocrypha right now. Don't you think that's kind of unfair to me?"
Her voice carried a faint hint of coquettish complaint.
"There's no such thing as fair or unfair," Shinji replied calmly.
"The Garden of Sinners comes out after Fate/Apocrypha. When the time comes, we'll use Apocrypha's popularity to build hype for Garden of Sinners. All the traffic you're 'losing' now will be redirected back then."
Naturally, Shinji didn't say that Fate/Apocrypha was far more important in terms of overall positioning. Instead, he used the release order as an excuse to soothe her.
Shiki still looked unconvinced.
"Hmm… then at least give me a bit more exposure. Right now, I can't even beat a man in popularity~"
Shinji responded to her complaint with nothing but a cold laugh.
What a joke. Do you even know who Astolfo is?
An all-genders-welcome mascot, TYPE-MOON's very own Pikachu.
You, Shiki—aside from your chest and your cooking—what could you possibly compete with—
Shinji's gaze drifted upward. As he carefully took in Shiki's delicate, beautiful face, his certainty wavered.
Sensing his stare, Shiki shot him a sideways glance.
"What are you looking at?"
"Nothing," Shinji answered immediately.
"Haah~"
Shiki straightened up and stretched lazily.
With that motion, aided by the tension in her body, the alluring curves that had been hidden beneath her kimono were fully revealed before Shinji's eyes.
His throat suddenly felt dry.
During the New Year period, he'd shared an utterly shameless and indulgent "exchange of love" with Cloris.
To settle the outcome of their private bets, Cloris had worn all sorts of outfits and played through countless scenarios—thoroughly satisfying Shinji in the process.
But pleasures like that always came with consequences.
It was easy to go from frugal to extravagant—but hard to go back.
After feeding Shinji to her heart's content—and satisfying herself as well—Cloris had packed up and returned to North America to play Game of Thrones with a bunch of old men.
Shinji, meanwhile, was left struggling to restrain himself.
That single stretch from Shiki had stirred something in him—just a little—and he very nearly lost control.
As for Shiki, she hadn't realized it at first. But the moment she noticed Shinji swallowing hard, she understood.
Her beautiful eyes shifted slightly as she parted her lips.
"Shinji~"
It was just a soft call of his name, yet it carried countless implications.
Seduction. Vulnerability. Provocation.
Their eyes met.
From the look in Shiki's gaze, Shinji knew one thing for certain—if he backed down now, this woman would never let him live it down.
A man might refrain from laying a hand on a woman out of principle—but he could never allow a woman to think he was incapable!
Shinji propped his chin up with both hands, his gaze deep and serious as he spoke:
"If Shiki-nee doesn't mind, I could let you become the lady of the house in charge of the kitchen…"
Shiki rolled her eyes and shot back immediately,
"Then would your Miss Lissy be the lady of the house in charge of managing the company? And that Rin girl—she's in charge of your daily life?"
Shinji pondered for a moment, then nodded solemnly.
"In that case, Touko-senpai can be the mistress, Bazett the female bodyguard, Jeanne the girlfriend, and Arturia would be perfect as a pet. That way, my family would be complete."
After listening to Shinji's "perfect family" blueprint, Shiki deliberately covered her mouth and yawned, mocking him, "Shinji, you need to wake up from your dream."
With that, she walked off to the other side of the office to deal with the unfinished work on her desk.
Shinji lowered his head, lost in thought.
He had to admit—the topic Shiki had casually stirred up was… surprisingly tempting.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
Although Shinji had developed a tiny, slightly indecent wish deep in his heart, turning that dream into reality was absurdly difficult.
No matter how confident he was, he didn't believe it was something he could accomplish anytime soon.
Rome wasn't built in a day.
Neither was a harem.
Things like that had to be taken slowly.
That said, while his lifelong romantic ambitions could wait—after all, he was still young—some things simply couldn't.
As the Fate/Apocrypha test screenings drew closer, the movie's promotion entered a brand-new phase.
In addition to coordinating with the Times Group's publicity efforts and arranging advance screenings, Shinji also gathered the main cast and began having them make high-profile appearances at various events to build hype for the film's release.
Amakusa, the Empress, the Duke, and Jeanne in particular became frequent faces at public events, constantly showing up to draw attention and generate traffic.
And whenever the media or reporters managed to interview them, Fate/Apocrypha inevitably became the topic of conversation.
During one interview, Jeanne deliberately brought out full-body photos of herself and Arturia, placing them side by side for comparison.
Then, pointing at their respective family trees (painstakingly fabricated by Shinji), she complained to reporters in a pitiful tone that she and Arturia had absolutely no blood relation—they just happened to look alike.
Amakusa, meanwhile, began organizing various charity events. He made frequent appearances at orphanages, nursing homes, and welfare centers, helping those in need in all sorts of ways.
While there was undeniably an element of publicity involved, unlike those who merely put on a show, Amakusa genuinely practiced charity.
As for the Duke—
He simply kept recommending the razor he endorsed to the media, endlessly praising how miraculous and wonderful it was, and how every shave was an experience of pure bliss.
"Thanks to this razor, I was able to film the entirety of Fate/Apocrypha with such a handsome appearance!"
Facing reporters who were already growing numb, the Duke smugly stroked the stubble on his chin.
<+>
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