Chapter 336: Shinji Matou Is an Alien!
Just as Taiga was lost in her wild thoughts, a light far brighter than any of the previous searchlights suddenly flared up from the intersection ahead, slowly drifting down the street.
The light was so dazzling that for a moment, Taiga thought dawn had come.
Almost reflexively, she looked up at the sky—
And then…
"Eh— W-What!?"
Her jaw dropped as she stared at the massive structure floating overhead.
"What is that thing!?"
At first glance, it looked like a castle hanging in the sky—but its sharp, spiked silhouette gave it a menacing, almost warlike air.
No, it wasn't a castle at all. It was a fortress!
But since when did any country build flying fortresses? Was this thing supposed to be target practice for fighter jets or something?
Taiga shook her head hard, trying to fling those ridiculous thoughts away.
At that moment, the "monster in the sky" passed directly overhead.
The roaring thunder of its engines, the trembling of the air itself, and the gust of wind it left in its wake nearly knocked Taiga off her feet.
She could only stare in shock as the crowd below surged forward, chasing after the floating behemoth as it drifted down the street.
Trailing behind them were several police cars, their lights flashing as they crawled through the congested road, completely blocked by the wave of onlookers.
"Wait… are the cops chasing that flying monster!?"
No matter how hard she tried, Taiga couldn't figure out what that thing was—or why it was causing such a commotion!
And then, thanks to her brain—honed by years of being trained (or tormented) by Shinji—an incredible idea struck her.
Her whole body trembled with excitement as she fumbled in her pocket, yanked out her phone, and hastily dialed the TV station's number.
"Hello, is this the Self-Defense Force!?"
Not even bothering to confirm who answered, the drunken Taiga shouted into the receiver in perfect, totally incomprehensible Japanese English:
"I saw an alien! I'm serious! There's a UFO flying over Fuyuki City! You guys better shoot it down before it attacks!"
Sure, the so-called alien spaceship didn't look very sci-fi—it had more of a gothic castle vibe—but still! That thing was definitely extraterrestrial!
After all, nobody's ever seen real aliens before, right? Maybe they just like that kind of aesthetic!
Thus, Fujimura Taiga, thirty years old and proud savior of Earth (in her own mind), stood in the middle of the street, waving her arms at the sky and yelling heroically.
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"Achoo! Man, this wind's freezing…"
Up on the aerial Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Shinji huddled in a corner that didn't leak too much wind—and more importantly, wasn't visible on any of the cameras.
He sat cross-legged in a chair, eyes darting between the monitors that displayed live feeds from all around the ship.
Every so often, he'd glance at another screen showing the outside view, just to make sure nothing unexpected was happening.
To finish filming all the shots he needed in one night, Shinji and the Fate/Apocrypha production crew had put in a lot of prep work.
First, they had to plan the entire flight path of the Hanging Gardens, then get official approval from the Fuyuki City government.
After all, this thing was no small drone—taking something that huge for a spin over the city wasn't exactly something you could do without the authorities' blessing.
Technically, there'd been no need for the Hanging Gardens to fly over the city at all. But with the movie only a few months from release, it was the perfect chance to stir up some buzz.
So Shinji, ever the opportunist, decided to kill two birds with one stone: use the reshoot as a publicity stunt, letting the public get an early look at what would soon become a major attraction.
Of course, to keep things from spiraling into chaos, he'd made sure the Hanging Gardens only took off at night—and coordinated with the TV and radio stations in advance to prevent any mass panic.
Under normal circumstances, no city government in their right mind would approve flying a massive fortress over a populated area.
But of course—there was a problem.
The one who proposed this entire project… was none other than Shinji Matou.
And to the city of Fuyuki, this man was nothing short of a walking treasury.
The city's finances basically revolved around two pillars: the cargo business at the port… and whatever Shinji happened to be involved in.
If Nagoya's government could build a dedicated highway from Akira Toriyama's house straight to the airport just to make sure he delivered manga manuscripts on time—then what kind of fools would Fuyuki's city officials be if they didn't show the same level of devotion to their own golden goose?
So, not only did the Fuyuki government fully cooperate with Fate/Apocrypha Studio's filming request—they offered unprecedented support.
As it turned out, the police Taiga saw trailing behind the crowd weren't chasing the floating fortress at all.
They'd been specifically assigned to maintain order and prevent stampedes among the gawking spectators.
Well… what can you do?
In a capitalist country, the ones with money are the ones who get treated like royalty.
Even putting aside the enormous taxes paid by Shinji and his Type-Moon Company, the economic ripple effects from his film empire alone were enough to make every official in Fuyuki bow and call him "Matou-sama."
Before Fate/Stay Night became a global hit, Fuyuki had been a no-name port town.
Now? It was one of Japan's—and even the world's—most beloved pilgrimage sites for fans.
Every year, thousands of people from around the globe flocked to Fuyuki to visit the real-life locations from Shinji's movies.
Sure, it couldn't hold a candle to Kyoto in terms of tourism, but for Fuyuki, that level of fame was more than enough.
Especially after Japan's bubble economy burst, when trade revenue from the port kept shrinking, Shinji's projects had practically rescued the entire city.
So when Shinji said "jump," the city government didn't just ask "how high"—they built a launchpad.
By the way, the most popular tourist attraction in Fuyuki these days was Ryuudou Temple.
After years of donations and endless tourist traffic, the monks there had grown so round and jolly that Shinji sometimes wondered if they could even walk up the stairs anymore.
The "earth-shaking" night shoot continued until the early hours of the morning, before Shinji finally called it a wrap.
When he descended from the Hanging Gardens to rejoin the crew on the ground, he was greeted not only by a cheering crowd of onlookers—but also by a horde of journalists rushing in from every direction.
The reporters packed the street so tightly that there was no escape; unless Shinji said something, he wasn't going anywhere.
Resigned, he agreed to a quick interview.
To keep the plot of the film under wraps, he answered with practiced, meaningless PR lines.
However, when one reporter mentioned that someone had called the Self-Defense Force that night—claiming the "Hanging Gardens" was an alien spaceship—Shinji blinked in surprise.
Seriously? Since when did Fuyuki citizens have such weak nerves? Just a few years ago, when they had horses (Medusa NP) and ox-carts (Iskandar NP) flying in the sky, everyone was perfectly calm!
He had no idea that the culprit behind the phone call was Taiga.
If he had known, his expression would've been much more awkward.
"Well, I suppose this just proves that my new attraction truly is one-of-a-kind. Quite the spectacle, don't you think?"
"Director Matou, did you just say 'attraction'?" one reporter pressed eagerly.
"Of course," Shinji replied smoothly. "Once the film is released, the Hanging Gardens will take to the skies on a regular schedule, circling above Fuyuki. Everyone will be able to come aboard and experience it themselves. Oh, and don't forget to buy a ticket."
His playful comment, meant as a joke, didn't even get a chuckle.
The reporters only surged closer, shoving their microphones forward, desperate for more exclusive details.
But in Shinji's mind, he'd already given them more than enough to talk about tonight.
With the help of his two trusty "bodyguards," Jeanne and Mordred, Shinji finally managed to shove his way through the wall of reporters, slip into his car, and make a clean getaway.
"Damn it! He got away again!"
A few of the reporters rubbed their sore shoulders, still aching from where Mordred had accidentally rammed into them, and groaned in frustration as they watched the car's taillights vanish into the distance.
Still, tonight's events had been explosive enough to keep every newsroom in Japan busy for weeks.
There was more than enough material here for multiple follow-up features.
"I wonder if we'll ever get the chance to step inside that castle ourselves," one of them murmured dreamily, gazing at the massive structure parked not far away.
Just getting some close-up shots of that floating fortress would be a career-maker. Their editors would love them for it.
Even if it didn't lead to a promotion, a fat bonus was practically guaranteed.
And if, by some miracle, they actually got to ride that castle as it soared through the night sky… Ah, just thinking about it was enough to make any sky-chasing reporter's heart race.
"Not likely," another journalist sighed. "Matou said it won't be open until after the movie releases. He won't let anyone near it before then."
"Ugh, that stubborn bastard!" the first one snapped, stomping his foot in frustration.
His colleague patted him on the shoulder with a sympathetic grin. "Let it go. We already have enough material for several headlines. No need to push our luck."
And he was right.
By the next morning, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon dominated every front page across Japan.
After all, last night's spectacle had been simply too insane to ignore—a castle soaring through the skies, a midnight shoot that turned into a public event, a mystery shrouded in lights and thunder.
To Shinji, the Hanging Gardens was just a compact "mini version" of his dream project.
But to everyone else, that massive, Ferris-wheel-sized fortress defying gravity was nothing short of miraculous.
Add in the hilarious twist of Taiga Fujimura's panicked call to the Self-Defense Force, and the whole affair had become the stuff of legend overnight.
Fans were ecstatic.
If even the props for the upcoming movie were this massive and spectacular, then Fate/Apocrypha was bound to be an absolute blockbuster!
Surely, with such grand designs, the film itself could only be something extraordinary.
But it wasn't just Fate fans who were losing their minds.
The Hanging Gardens's striking appearance had gone viral—even people who didn't know a thing about Shinji's movies were now arguing about it online.
Conspiracy theorists, naturally, had a field day.
Some claimed the Hanging Gardens was actually a secret American weapon capable of devastating ground targets.
Others—taking things several light-years further—insisted that the person who called the Self-Defense Force had been right all along:
Shinji Matou wasn't human at all.
He was, according to them, a wakame alien—a being from Planet Seaweed—who'd infiltrated Earth to develop advanced weaponry, all in preparation for his inevitable conquest of the planet.
And that so-called "Hanging Gardens"? It was his mothership, his interstellar battleship from the homeworld!
"Wakame aliens, my ass! At least call me a Star-Lord or something! Are you people kidding me?!"
Shinji fumed, hurling a gossip magazine to the floor in disgust.
The cover headline read in bold letters:
"Director Matou's Secret Revealed—Is Japan's Film Genius Actually from Outer Space?!"
He glared at it for a moment, rubbed his temples, and muttered darkly,
"Next person who says I'm from Planet Seaweed is getting sued for defamation…"
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