Note: This Chapter is Re-Translated on 6 / 15 / 2025
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Chapter 32: Japan's New Housewives' Idol
Frankly, it wasn't surprising the magi were jealous of Fate/Stay Night's ridiculous box office numbers.
After all, these days, researching magecraft was a money pit with no bottom.
As the age of mystery continued its decline, the costs of researching magecraft only went up, while the results became fewer and further between.
Still, magi were obsessed—both by their pursuit of the Root and by generations of inherited obsession.
Even if it meant bleeding themselves dry, they simply couldn't bring themselves to walk away.
Many ancient bloodlines had bankrupted themselves trying to cling to mystery.
A lot of magi families had ended up destitute, their names fading into obscurity.
Sure, there were still some filthy-rich families like the Matous, or elite politicians and business magnates mixed in the ranks, but for the majority?
They were all slowly sliding into decline—just like the Tohsaka family.
Then came Fate/Stay Night, and for magi across Japan, it was like witnessing the first light of dawn.
Wait a minute... You mean we can use magecraft to make... money?
And not just any money—big money?!
Even with the yen's declining value, 2 billion yen wasn't a number to scoff at.
Plenty of research departments in the Clock Tower didn't get anywhere close to that much for their entire annual budget.
Of course, everyone understood that not all 2 billion went to the producers.
But what they also understood was that Fate/Stay Night wasn't even close to peaking.
Because in its fourth week, Fate/Stay Night's box office climbed again—an additional
1.56 billion yen, breaking through the 3 billion yen mark to land at 3.56 billion yen.
And all this… was thanks to Shinji's genius in activating a new demographic.
One of the biggest cinema-going demographics in Japan—housewives.
Don't underestimate the women spending most of their time at home.
According to Japanese entertainment statistics, housewives were the biggest consumers of media in the country—bigger than kids, and even bigger than otaku.
Why?
Simple.
They controlled the household finances.
They had tons of free time.
And other than cooking and cleaning, they had no major responsibilities.
In other words: time + money + boredom = media consumption machines.
It was thanks to this formula that Johnny's talent agency had risen to the top of the industry—powered by legions of housewife fans.
And Shinji?
He targeted them.
He had Bandai cut together a special Fate/Stay Night highlight reel, a promo ad featuring all the handsome men in the cast, and had it aired during daytime dramas—a housewife's favorite viewing window.
This brilliant idea had come from a certain swooning fan during the early test screening—the one who was completely smitten with Gilgamesh.
She'd raved about his looks and presence so much that Shinji realized something critical:
The King of Heroes... can conquer women's hearts on looks alone.
Originally, Shinji had intended to use Gilgamesh as a last resort—a secret weapon in case box office sales needed a boost.
But Fate/Stay Night was already flying high without him.
So instead of being a safety net, Gilgamesh became the point-scoring ace to break 3 billion.
And it worked.
His devastating good looks had the housewives swooning.
Drawn in by the teaser trailers, they brought their husbands, their children, their friends—all to the theater.
Afterward, they grumbled about how little screen time Gilgamesh got, but still carefully tucked away his photocard—the limited-edition one given out as a bonus to moviegoers.
Because yes, Shinji had added a final push:
Every movie ticket came with a free character photo card.
And that turned Japan's housewives into a collecting horde.
Especially when word got out that Gilgamesh's card was the rarest.
How many moms gave the Saber or Shirou cards to their kids, only to secretly keep the golden-haired king's for themselves?
Well….
Illyasviel reported back to Shinji that at her school, Gilgamesh's photocard had already become the most sought-after collectible.
And yet, the number printed for Gilgamesh was the same as Saber and Shirou.
"Why do so many women like that golden-haired monkey's face?!"
Sakura complained while walking through the mall with Arturia and Medusa.
In her eyes, Gilgamesh had been nothing but a pain during filming—a diva and a nuisance.
So why was he getting all the love?
Medusa calmly adjusted her glasses.
"You have to understand something, Sakura. When people don't know the person behind the face, looks become the most important factor. And that twisted bastard... happens to be objectively handsome."
"But Rider, you do admit he has a terrible personality, right? Arturia, what do you think?"
Sakura still felt unwilling to accept it.
She turned to Arturia, hoping to find someone—anyone—to back her up.
Arturia tilted her head slightly, a half-eaten meat bun still in hand.
"Hmm... it's not that strange that Master is popular. He does resemble Sir Lancelot a bit, after all."
Sakura blinked. "What does that have to do with Onii-sama?"
Arturia responded, confused:
"Good-looking, terrible personality—isn't that exactly like Master?"
. . . . . . .
"Achoo!!"
Somewhere, Shinji sneezed violently as if he'd just been struck by a curse.
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Thanks to Shinji's relentless promotional onslaught, Fate/Stay Night's box office was skyrocketing, like a wild stallion let loose.
Despite it being April, usually a dull month for cinemas, the movie had somehow kicked off a full-blown moviegoing boom.
The buzz surrounding Fate/Stay Night was now so intense that media outlets were starting to speculate:
Could this become the first Japanese film this year to break the 10 billion yen mark?
Is it even possible Fate/Stay Night becomes the box office champion of the year?
Sure, a lot of those headlines were clickbait designed to stir up hype.
But once they hit the internet, they had two major effects:
They infuriated the critics who had slammed Fate/Stay Night as a worthless cash grab.They deeply tempted the magus families who had once turned their noses up at the entire project.
After all, Shinji had extended invitations to various magus families when he was first assembling the Fate/Stay Night production team.
But back then, every single one of them had turned him down with the same smug response:
"Shut up. You're disturbing my mystery research."
And now?
Now they were drooling.
Because that was 10 billion yen we were talking about!
Just skimming a fraction off the top would be enough to fund several new research programs.
So, one by one, the heads of magus families began reaching out to Zouken Matou.
Some were subtle, some were direct, but they all had the same goal:
Get a slice of the pie.
A few of the bolder ones even proposed marriage alliances—blatantly targeting the project's central figure, Shinji himself.
"My daughter (or granddaughter) is very pretty, just the perfect match for your grandson Shinji. Wouldn't we make great in-laws, hmm~?"
Of course, not all magus were that shallow.
Some still clung to their disdain for the mundane world and remained devoted to the path of mystery.
These ones came in with their own bizarre agendas:
Some wanted to learn—they politely asked Shinji to explain the magecraft techniques shown in the movie.
Others came to dissect—planning to reverse-engineer the Holy Grail system itself to get closer to the Root.
Those were the truly dangerous ones.
And honestly, among magi, normal people were already a minority.
These extremists? They were the worst of the bunch.
To keep things secure, Zouken had no choice but to station Heroic Spirits at Ryuudou Temple, rotating them as guards.
Even though the Servants in this world weren't as broken as their counterparts in parallel timelines, they were still more than capable of swatting away rogue magi.
And thus began the time of hardship for Arturia and the others—forced to suffer through the "security guard" arc like that one old man whose name must not be spoken.
Yan Qing, of course, was thriving.
He'd taken a liking to the role, often cosplaying that infamous temple gatekeeper and scaring the crap out of would-be intruders for fun.
It kept things entertaining during those long, boring shifts.
Unfortunately for all the magus who came to Fuyuki—whether they were there to court, collaborate, or conspire—not a single one got what they wanted.
Those who broke in were swiftly dealt with by the Servants.
Those who came with deals or marriage proposals left empty-handed.
It wasn't that Zouken was stingy.
In fact, his excuse was perfectly logical:
"My precious Shinji isn't here. As his grandfather, I can't make those decisions for him."
And… it wasn't even a lie.
Because starting in May, Shinji had left Fuyuki, taking Kariya with him on a trip to France.
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France – Nice Côte d'Azur Airport
Dragging an oversized suitcase behind him, Shinji Matou strutted out of the arrival gate, a confident (and ever-so-slightly devilish) grin on his lips.
He whistled a carefree tune as he walked.
Behind him followed Kariya—looking exactly like the obedient lackey in a gangster movie.
"Man, flight attendants on French airlines really are something else," Shinji chuckled, utterly shameless.
"French guys? Meh. But the girls? Pure gold."
"…Hey, what're you looking around for, Kariya-ojisan?"
Shinji raised an eyebrow when he noticed Kariya craning his neck like a suspicious meerkat.
"Oh, nothing," Kariya replied, eyes darting. "Just looking for whoever's supposed to pick us up."
It was… not very convincing.
Shinji clicked his tongue.
"The one picking us up is Waver, obviously. Shouldn't be hard to spot, right? He's got that face that just screams kidney deficiency and stomach ulcers—you could spot him from half a kilometer away."
He gave Kariya a sidelong glance.
"Or don't tell me you messed up your communication with him?"
Kariya shot back, not missing a beat:
"Of course not. I spoke to Velvet-san on the phone, but I've never actually seen him in person."
"Ah, that's true. Anyway, just look for the guy in the crowd who looks like he's about to collapse from overwork. That's your guy."
"SHINJI MATOU! Are you talking crap about me again?!"
A voice cut in, so hoarse it practically bled overtime pay.
A very annoyed Waver Velvet stormed toward them, glaring daggers at Shinji.
He looked utterly exhausted, clearly still reeling from whatever hell he'd been dragged through.
But Shinji? Not only did he show zero shame, he even looked delighted.
He spread his arms wide and marched up for a hug.
"If it isn't my best bro from the Clock Tower—Waver! Long time no see. Those dark circles of yours look even deeper than last time!"
"Tch."
Waver clicked his tongue in irritation, the frown lines on his forehead practically forming trenches.
Shinji, still grinning, patted Waver's black suit and gave him a fake-sincere nod.
"Come on, Waver, you've gotta take care of your health. I worry about you."
"Save the fake sympathy," Waver growled, teeth clenched.
"You suddenly vanished back to Japan, and I ended up buried in your leftover work!"
"Huh? Did that happen? Can't remember something that ancient."
"Ancient? It was just a few months ago!!" Waver practically groaned as he rubbed his temples.
"You've always been like this. It's incredibly aggravating!"
Standing to the side, Kariya nodded along in agreement.
"I totally get it. Shinji always dumps all the troublesome work on others, then follows it up with outrageous demands. He really is the worst."
"A kindred spirit!" Waver exclaimed, immediately grabbing Kariya's hand in solidarity.
"Even though we only spoke on the phone, now that we've met in person, I'm sure of it—Kariya Matou, you're my comrade in arms!"
"Absolutely, Velvet-san!" Kariya replied with matching enthusiasm.
Watching them get along like best friends, Shinji couldn't help but feel a little left out.
"Oi. Are you two forming some kind of class solidarity pact now?"
Before the "Workers of the World, Unite" act could go any further, Shinji quickly cut in with work talk to shut them up.
"Waver, I asked you to contact the distributors in the West first. How's that going?"
Waver instantly snapped back into business mode.
"I've already reached out to several of them. Most showed real interest in the film. But..."
He paused, giving Shinji a meaningful look.
"One of them made a... special request."
"Special request?"
Something about that phrasing made Shinji's gut twist.
"That's right," Kariya chimed in, wearing the same ominous smile as Waver.
"Velvet-san did ask my opinion about it first, and I gave him the go-ahead. After all, you handed me full authority on overseas matters, didn't you, Shinji~?"
"Ugh..."
Sensing that he was in danger, Shinji involuntarily shivered.
His instincts proved right.
Next thing he knew, both Waver and Kariya had moved in, one on either side, each placing a firm hand on his shoulder.
"What are you two trying to pull?"
Shinji's voice trembled slightly. It was rare to hear him so rattled.
"Oh, nothing much," Waver replied, the faintest trace of glee in his tone.
"Just here to introduce you to one of the distributors."
Just as Waver was about to complete the introduction, someone else showed up—
A silver-haired, red-eyed girl stepped into Shinji's view.
"SHINJI. MATOU."
The girl's glare could melt steel.
In the next second, she slammed him to the ground.
Shinji found himself flat on his back, her hand clamped firmly around his throat—both physically and spiritually.
He croaked out her name in a tremble:
"Cloris... Flora..."
Shinji looked exactly like a mouse caught in a cat's paw, trembling and stammering under the pressure.