Chapter 318: Miyu: Watch Closely, Sapphire! This is How You Use a Card!
That guy Fujita… he just loves spreading conspiracy theories. He takes half-baked clues, twists them into some crooked conclusion, and then starts preaching them like gospel to confuse others.
And the worst part? He doesn't even realize there's anything wrong with his reasoning.
Of course, all of his "conclusions" are basically textbook cases of taking things out of context, completely missing what the author was actually trying to say.
But people like Fujita aren't rare in real life. They rely on the fact that most people won't bother double-checking what they say, so they deliberately distort the heart of the story, peddling theories that look dangerously convincing at first glance.
After all, humans love gossip. It's in our nature. That's why conspiracies have this strange, built-in appeal.
The problem is, most of these so-called "theories" only work in one direction. The logic chain is flimsy at best—completely unable to withstand scrutiny if you dig into the details.
Take this time, for example. Fujita's grand thesis that "Shinji Matou is a total pervert" rests on one core "piece of evidence":
In Magical Illya, every Mirror World where the cards appear corresponds to a special location from that Servant's story in the original Fate works.
According to him:
Rider shows up at the school, which she appears in across all three Fate/Stay Night routes.
Assassin's forest is the one near the Einzbern castle, where he died in Fate/Zero, and where Hassan of the Hundred Faces also met his end.
Saber's battlefield is the bridge from the movie, where she clashed with Gilgamesh.
Caster, being a Saber fangirl, obviously followed her here.
And then there's Berserker. The only memorable "building" linked to him is the rooftop from the movie, where Saber and Rider had their big mid-film showdown. Ilya brought him along, watched from the shadows, and—after the battle—executed Shinji for being the loser.
So, technically speaking, when Fujita says "Shinji already died here once"… he's not lying.
But in Magical Illya, Shinji's just tagging along with Hiroyama's writing. Hiroyama setting Berserker's fight in the building is nothing more than an Fate/Stay Night Easter egg. There's no way Hiroyama could have predicted Shinji would end up isekai'd into a parallel Nasuverse.
Shinji himself knew the rooftop fight was a reference, sure—but he never imagined someone would twist that into some conspiracy theory starring him.
You've got to admit, Fujita's talent for stringing together completely unrelated threads into a single narrative is… impressive.
That said, Fujita's "theory" isn't entirely wrong either. Because, well… Shinji is kind of a pervert. Especially when it comes to his, let's say, unique preferences.
Still, pervert or not, Shinji has his bottom lines. Hurting little girls just to get revenge? No way. Even if one of those little girls did call him a pervert.
Shinji Matou is, after all, a director with professional standards! How could he possibly stoop so low as to actually harm a child actress on purpose?
Come on—this is TV drama shooting. It's all staged. Akiha might look like she got hurt, but it's just acting. Nobody's really injured.
Cough cough. At least, that's what Shinji genuinely believes.
But what Shinji thinks doesn't matter right now.
Because inside the television screen, Rin and Luvia were on the verge of losing it.
Trapped in a narrow building corridor, being hunted down by a towering two-meter-five monster, the girls were barely keeping it together.
Not only did the beast let out guttural roars of "■■■■——!", but it also smashed through walls at random, springing sudden ambushes like some kind of horror game boss.
"This is bad! There's no way we can beat him like this!"
After barely managing to shake off Berserker's pursuit, Rin made a quick decision. She would reuse the same strategy from when they first ran into Caster: retreat now, and figure out the boss's mechanics later.
That's also the instinctive reaction of most gamers when faced with a "first-time-kill" boss—run away first, look up a guide second.
But this time, the usually calm and collected Miyu did something unexpected.
She chose to charge straight in.
And the reason? Because her partner Illya had already whispered the winning strategy into her ear.
"Boundary Corridor—Part One, Reverse!"
With help from her wand, Sapphire, Rin and Luvia began activating the spell that would eject them from the Mirror World.
But just a heartbeat before the magic circle completed, Miyu let go of the two "older sisters."
She was going to face that terrifying monster alone—just like her brother once did.
—Well, that's material for two seasons later. For now, Miyu's setting is still just "mysterious magical girl with unknown origins."
Her sudden, reckless act left Sapphire completely baffled. But what happened next shocked the staff even more.
"Lady Miyu! What on earth are you planning?!"
"Because it'll be troublesome if anyone sees… it's better if I do this alone."
Miyu took out the Saber Class Card and placed it gently on the ground.
"Sapphire—this has to stay secret, okay?"
"A card…?"
She pressed her wand onto the card and channeled her mana into it.
"I don't know exactly how to do it, but… I saw Illya do this before."
As her mana flowed into it, the Saber card lit up with brilliant blue light. On the ground, the magic circle all Fate fans know by heart appeared, glowing with power.
"This—this is the true way to use a card!"
"Declaration—"
The chant echoed, stirring the blood of every fan. Even if they couldn't recite it from memory, they instantly recognized the incantation: the summoning of a Heroic Spirit.
And right on cue, the BGM inside the TV switched to that legendary track—the one that played when Shirou Emiya summoned Saber for the first time.
Of course, that music choice wasn't Shinji's idea. It came from Tsuburaya's post-production team.
Shinji had originally wanted a more bombastic track to heighten the tension, but the editor casually suggested: "If you're already recreating the lines, why not go all the way and reuse the original background music too?"
In short, when it came to homages, Tsuburaya was the real professional. Shinji could think up plenty of things during filming, sure—but he was no match for Tsuburaya's expertise in fanservice.
And so, under the nostalgic music and with a shot that felt all too familiar, fans once again saw the blue knight standing tall beneath the moonlight.
"Install—Saber!"
Clad in silver-and-blue armor, Miyu gripped her sword with both hands, raising the blade to meet Berserker's charge.
"I won't run away! I'll fight with everything I have—"
The golden sword clashed against his massive fist. A storm of mana burst forth, blasting the giant back several meters.
"Here! Tonight! This war ends now!"
Miyu, infused with Saber's full power, raised her holy sword high and declared her oath.
Across countless living rooms, Fate veterans were trembling with excitement. And then… they all said the same thing.
"So flat." xN
"I thought Arturia was already flat, but… there's actually someone even flatter wearing that armor."
"…What face am I supposed to make here?"
It wasn't nitpicking, really. It was just that, well… seeing Miyu in Saber's outfit felt a bit… off.
After all, Saber's iconic blue dress under the armor carried elements of a traditional European gown. And the chest design was, let's say, meant to highlight certain features.
By traditional European standards of women's fashion—and the expectations that came with it—this kind of outfit was meant to shine on a body with ample curves: fuller chest, slender waist, and shapely hips.
Arturia's figure didn't really meet those standards… but at least she managed to just barely pull it off.
But when it came to Miyu—or rather, Akiha standing in for her—it was hopeless. A grade-schooler's build simply wasn't enough to carry this costume.
Especially since Hiroyama, in a display of truly wicked humor, had armored every other part of the outfit except the chest.
It was like someone walking out in public fully dressed everywhere—except for leaving one very crucial part of their lower half uncovered.
No matter how proper the rest of their outfit was, people would take one look and instantly think: "Yep, this guy's a creep. Total perv."
That was essentially the effect Miyu's outfit gave off. It was practically screaming to the world: Flat as a board.
And it didn't stop there.
When Illya later used the Saber card, her costume was either the youthful and frilly Lily design, or a full-fledged Arturia battle dress—complete with chest plate intact. That armor not only added authenticity, but also gave Illya's modest bustline a touch of mystery and allure.
What can you say? Hiroyama's a man of questionable taste.
Not that he was playing favorites with Illya. Because when it came time for the Lancer outfit, the tables turned. Miyu's version looked proper enough… while Illya's was anything but.
Front: bare midriff.
Back: aside from a small flap covering her rear, the rest was completely exposed.
This wasn't a "backless dress." This was public indecency.
Was Hiroyama secretly a lolicon? Shinji didn't know for sure—but he was certain of one thing: the guy was definitely not normal.
Thankfully, Shinji hadn't planned a third season yet. Because if he had, there were a few Servant outfits he simply had no idea how to design without crossing a line.
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"I seriously didn't expect Magical Illya to lean this hard on nostalgia."
After watching Miyu's full transformation sequence, Aoko leaned back on the sofa, completely satisfied.
"I mean, at most I thought Shinji would just toss out a new outfit to sell some merch. But no—he went and recreated the iconic lines, even brought back the classic BGM. I actually got moved."
Hearing that, Alice curved her lips into a faint smile.
"If it didn't move you, how else would he get money out of your wallet? Sir Matou's counting on this series to turn a profit, after all."
"…"
Aoko scratched her head irritably. She had spent a small fortune on Magical Illya already. Just the toys alone had drained plenty from her budget.
But of course, there was no way she'd admit that. Instead, she puffed herself up and shot back at Alice:
"Hey! He's your idol, you know. Is it really okay for you to talk about him like that?"
"There's nothing wrong with it," Alice replied calmly. "Sir Matou has never denied his focus on the business side of things."
"In fact, I think not hiding his intentions shows how straightforward he really is."
"…So basically, he's just a money-grubber. Alice, I really wonder what kind of standards you use when you decide who to admire…"
Aoko muttered weakly, thoroughly exasperated.
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