Chapter 138: Aoko: What Is Going On?
After teasing Arturia, Shinji smugly made his way over to the table where the older folks were seated, going around toasting with each of them.
"Sorry, everyone, I don't drink, so I'll be using a soft drink instead."
"Shinji, at your age, you shouldn't be drinking anyway, right?"
Zouken Matou glared at Shinji, reminding him.
Although Japan has a law forbidding alcohol consumption before the age of 20, enforcement is quite lax.
Outside of official establishments, most places turn a blind eye.
However, drinking privately is one thing; openly defying the law in a public setting is a different story.
Especially in an environment like this, where there are many people watching, if Shinji drank, it would surely make headlines by the next day.
"Grandpa, don't be so serious," Shinji said with a sycophantic smile. "Look, I'm not drinking alcohol, am I?"
"You brat, you deserve a beating."
Seeing Zouken raise his cane, Shinji quickly ducked out of the way.
Sitting next to Zouken, Susumu Kurobe chuckled, "Haha, you're just as rebellious as your grandfather was when he was younger."
Shinji was instantly intrigued and scooted closer. "Was my grandfather as much of a troublemaker as me when he was young?"
'You know you're a troublemaker yourself, right?'
Several of the older folks rolled their eyes.
Susumu Kurobe grinned mischievously. "Back in the day, your grandfather was something else. Always walking around with his head held high. I used to worry he'd strain his neck."
Zouken Matou tapped the table in protest, "Kurobe! When did I ever act like that? Don't make things up!"
"Oh, really? Then who was it that stepped right into a mud pit on set?"
Zouken's face reddened slightly. "That was Eiji's doing, he set a trap!"
"Haha! So you're admitting it now?"
Susumu Kurobe laughed heartily, with no concern for his dignity.
He and Zouken had known each other for years, and neither held back when joking with one another.
Back when they were filming Ultraman, Zouken would often visit the set to see Eiji Tsuburaya, and through this frequent interaction, he got to know several of the actors well.
After laughing for a while, Susumu Kurobe took a sip of his drink and sighed. "Ah, it's been so many years. Time sure flies by."
Zouken nodded in agreement. "Yes, it does. I remember talking to Eiji about what the future might hold, and then, in the blink of an eye, he was gone."
"It's really a shame about Director Tsuburaya. If only he could see how things are today."
Shinji couldn't help but smirk at Susumu Kurobe's remark.
If Tsuburaya Eiji could see what his descendants had done, he'd probably die all over again from sheer anger.
In some ways, it might have been a blessing that the old man passed when he did.
"Eiji was too driven," Zouken reminisced. "I always told him to take care of himself, but I don't think he ever really listened."
"Probably didn't protect himself enough on set," Shinji commented thoughtfully. "Working on special effects films is risky—there's all that exposure to harmful chemicals during explosions and such. You notice that those from the Tsuburaya family who worked on set didn't live long, while the more distant, less involved relatives are still around."
"Ugh..."
Sitting at a nearby table, Kazuo Tsuburaya choked on his drink upon hearing this.
Shinji gave him a disdainful glance. "Can't even handle a drink?"
'Why don't you just announce my ID number while you're at it?'
Kazuo looked at Shinji with eyes full of frustration.
He knew exactly who Shinji was referring to: him.
He was one of those distant relatives Shinji was talking about.
Raising an eyebrow, Shinji slowly drawled, "Tsuburaya Masahiro and Tsuburaya Akira are real embarrassments to the Tsuburaya name, don't you think?"
"I thought—"
"You thought what?"
"N-Nothing."
Kazuo wisely shut his mouth.
He could tell that Shinji was deliberately putting pressure on him. But what could he do? It wasn't like he could just punch Shinji in the face.
Thankfully, Cu Chulainn reappeared, helping to diffuse the tension.
"Master! I heard everything!"
Cu Chulainn leapt forward, pointing an accusing finger at Shinji. "So that's why you always stay far away during the explosion scenes, huh?!"
Shinji answered matter-of-factly, "Obviously. Isn't it basic human instinct to avoid danger?"
"Then why do we have to be right next to the explosions?!"
"What's the big deal? It's not like your lungs can get sick."
That was exactly how Shinji saw it.
The more he worked with these heroic spirits, the more he realized how absurdly cost-effective they were—so much so that he worried he might accidentally push them too hard and break them.
"Master!"
Cu Chulainn let out a dramatic wail.
Thanks to Cu's interruption, the wrap party finally ended in a joyful atmosphere.
The Ultraman production crew had officially wrapped up, and most of the team, including Shinji, would be going on a break.
Only Hirosi Nagano, who was also an idol, wouldn't have any such luxury.
He had to rush back to his group to continue their V6 anniversary tour.
After all, Johnny's Entertainment was no charity.
In a critical money-making period like this, there was no such thing as "taking it easy" for idols like Nagano—996 (working 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week) would be a dream by comparison.
In contrast, Shinji, being his own boss, was in a much better position.
After filming for Super 8 wrapped up, Shinji first took a solo trip to Hokkaido for a relaxing vacation, enjoying the hospitality of the hot spring inn's hostess along the way.
Once he had recharged enough, Shinji returned to Fuyuki City and officially began post-production work on Super 8.
By this time, it was already autumn of 2005, and the final installment of Shinji's Fate/Stay Night trilogy, Heaven's Feel, had finally been released.
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September 25, 2005. A group of late-night fans gathered on what should have been an empty street in Akihabara.
"There are really a lot of people here. Is this the power of Fate?"
Shibamatsu stomped his slightly numb feet while standing in line.
Scenes like this, where people lined up overnight, only usually happened for big games or console launches in Shibamatsu's memory.
He never thought that a film or TV series release would warrant such a situation.
Normally, early release of a product before the specified date is a serious violation of contract, which could lead to the store losing its distribution rights.
Most stores follow the rules and only release products on the official sale day.
But this was Akihabara—a hub for games, consoles, models, comics, electronics, and audio-visual products.
In this competitive environment, even a delay of a few hours could cost a store customers.
To avoid losing out, many shops here took the risk of releasing their products at midnight—a legal grey area.
But queuing up all night just to experience a product a few hours earlier was something only hardcore fans could understand.
In Akihabara, the stores were willing to sell at midnight, and the fans were willing to buy at midnight.
That said, it was still rare for a product like a DVD to have people lining up overnight.
After all, most fans would have already seen the movie or show when it first aired.
Even diehard fans wouldn't be so eager to watch something they'd already seen, just to get a few hours' head start.
As for series that were planned as straight-to-video releases (OVAs), they typically weren't popular enough to attract any sort of crowd.
But then again, this was Fate we're talking about—no matter the release format, there would always be diehard fans willing to be the first to get their hands on it.
Shibamatsu thought he had arrived early enough, but there was already a long line stretching out ahead of him, impossible to see the end of.
And it wasn't just the number of people that surprised him—there were also a few individuals with cameras and video recorders standing nearby.
Based on the logos on their clothes, Shibamatsu immediately guessed they were from the media.
"Should I say it's expected of Fate? But why not release it directly in theaters?" Shibamatsu muttered while standing in line. "With Fate's influence, even if it's rated R, plenty of fans would still pay to see it in theaters, right?"
"Exactly! Maybe that damn director just wanted to see us out here freezing in the middle of the night, which is why he chose this release time," said the person behind him, full of malicious speculation. "I heard the director has a twisted sense of humor."
"Maybe... but... I hope not..." Shibamatsu responded uncertainly.
Being part of the magus community, he had heard more about Matou Shinji than most.
There was a rumor that during Shinji's time at the Clock Tower, he once bribed a professor to fail a rival in several courses, forcing the rival into a desperate cycle of cramming and eventually losing out to Shinji.
Shibamatsu wasn't sure whether to believe this rumor, though.
After all, according to the two big sisters in his social circle, Matou Shinji was a man who always won over women in a straightforward and gentlemanly way, often having them fall for him first.
"Tsk, the more I think about it, the more envious I get."
Shibamatsu clicked his tongue in annoyance as he pulled out his phone and posted in the Matou Shinji fan group chat.
"I'm in line in Akihabara," he typed.
The replies flooded in almost immediately.
Redhead Aoko: "Ohhh! You're buying HF, right? I want to go too!! Seriously, why did my grandpa have to make me stay today of all days! (╬◣д◢)"
Alice in Wonderland: "Aoko, stop messing around with your phone. If Tohko sees you, we're all done for. Also, Shibamatsu, remember to buy five copies. I've already made arrangements with the store."
Red Dog Amatsu: "Five copies?"
Alice in Wonderland: "One to watch tonight at the club, one for the club's collection, one for me, one for Aoko, and one more for my personal collection."
Redhead Aoko: "Wow, Kuonji-san, you've really thought this through!! (*￣3￣)╭♥"
Alice in Wonderland: "Aoko! Go practice your magecraft!!"
Redhead Aoko: "Got it..."
Aoko reluctantly put her phone back into her pocket, letting out a dissatisfied snort.
"Looks like I'll have to turn off my phone for the next few days," Aoko muttered to herself as she headed downstairs. "No doubt that woman is going to spoil everything for me, so I better be prepared."
As she reached the first floor, Aoko took a deep breath to calm herself and then entered the room with the grace of a young lady from a noble family.
"Grandpa, I'm here. What are we studying tonight?" she asked.
Sitting on the sofa, Tohko Aozaki looked up and said, "Aoko, you're here. Tonight, we're not studying anything. Instead, we'll be watching something. Here, help me set this up."
In Tohko's hands was none other than the first volume of the Heaven's Feel DVD, set to officially release in just a few hours.
Aoko: "???"
What... is going on here?
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