In the break room of the Type-Moon company, the screening of the third episode of Heaven's Feel (HF) had just ended. However, no one stood up to turn on the lights or clean up the DVD player.
Everyone remained seated quietly on the sofas as if processing what they had just seen.
"Wait... that's it? It just ends like that?"
As an outsider, Ryougi Shiki stared blankly at the credits rolling on the TV screen, her brain struggling to process the abrupt conclusion.
Tohsaka Rin got ambushed, and then what?
What happened after the ambush?
Did Archer succeed in rescuing her or not?!
The battle ended so suddenly—why not give us some closure?!
Feeling dissatisfied, Shiki began to poke Shinji, who was lying on the sofa, with her finger.
"Shinji-kun, is that really the end?"
Unfortunately, the petrified Shinji didn't respond to her question at all.
"Hmm… looks like we'll have to wait another month," Shiki said with a sigh, kicking her legs in disappointment as she pouted.
She believed the Type-Moon company must have the fourth episode of HF somewhere, even if it wasn't the final, polished version. At the very least, an 80%-completed version had to exist.
Unfortunately, based on the way Shinji and the others discussed the viewing experience earlier, it seemed like they didn't have the habit of watching unreleased material ahead of time.
In other words, even if they did have the fourth episode, they wouldn't screen it until next month.
"Oh well, at least watching it with everyone was fun," Shiki muttered, deciding to leave now that the episode had ended.
However, Arturia grabbed Shiki's arm just as she was about to stand up.
"Don't go yet; there's an after-credits scene!"
"After-credits scene?"
In this world dominated by arthouse films, after-credits scenes—a hallmark of commercial cinema—weren't exactly a common practice. Even for someone with a basic understanding of film production like Shiki, the term was unfamiliar.
Arturia quickly explained, "It's just a little fun extra, sometimes related to the sequel... um, that's how Master explained it."
"Huh?"
"Basically, it's a short clip lasting a few minutes, added during or after the credits, to keep the audience in their seats and engaged," Sakura elaborated in a more straightforward way, seeing Arturia struggle to explain.
"Oh, I see!"
Shiki nodded in realization. She finally understood why no one in the room had gotten up to turn on the lights or shut off the TV.
"Commercial film directors sure are sneaky," she remarked, throwing a teasing glance at Shinji.
"..."
Shinji wanted to retort and roll his eyes at Shiki, but alas, he couldn't do anything in his current state.
"Master said the ending of this episode was too abrupt, so he felt it was necessary to give viewers some closure," Arturia added. "He said he was afraid people might curse out his mother and demand their money back."
"How devious," Shiki commented with a slight nod.
Isn't it cunning to deliberately end on a cliffhanger, knowing full well it will frustrate the audience, just to boost future DVD sales?
And then, to prevent extreme viewers from exploding in rage over the abrupt ending, adding a post-credits scene as a form of appeasement—isn't that equally cunning?
"But Shinji-kun, how did you come up with the idea of adding a post-credits scene?"
'Because it's already been done to death,' Shinji thought to himself.
Before his transmigration, post-credits scenes were hardly novel. In fact, commercial films without them often left audiences puzzled, even suspecting scenes had been cut.
The real pioneer of popularizing post-credits scenes, and turning them into a mainstream trend in commercial cinema, was none other than the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Marvel originally used post-credits scenes as a compromise. Early MCU directors didn't want the main films to be disrupted by the need to develop the larger cinematic universe. However, they still needed to set up future films. Thus, they adopted post-credits scenes—short clips unrelated to the main film but capable of connecting the larger storylines.
As the MCU grew, its post-credits scenes became increasingly elaborate, sometimes to the point of trolling. Take, for example, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Deadpool, where audiences waited through the credits only to see Captain America delivering a moral lecture or Deadpool complaining about stingy producers.
Audiences were left staring blankly at each other, wondering if they had been tricked. Yet, Marvel's massive brand allowed such antics to slide, even garnering laughter from viewers.
Any other film pulling such stunts would likely have been bombarded with complaints, or worse, literal razor blades mailed to the studio.
Of course, Marvel eventually took the gag a bit too far. Shinji, for one, could never accept the post-credits scene from Spider-Man: Far From Home. To him, audiences should leave the theater having seen a complete story.
That said, double standards are a fundamental human flaw. While Shinji disapproved of Marvel's excessive use of post-credits scenes, he had no qualms employing cliffhangers and post-credits in Heaven's Feel.
After all, HF was a series, not a movie. To ensure good sales for the next episode, Shinji had no problem resorting to a few tricks.
Besides, Shinji wasn't the one who opened Type-Moon's mail. Even if fans sent razor blades or bullets, someone else would be startled, not him.
As the first ending theme played and the credits finished rolling, Shirou Emiya and the main cast appeared on screen once again. However, the group wasn't in good shape.
Lying in the middle of a scorched wasteland, they were all badly injured. From the conclusion of the previous episode, it was clear the shadow had succeeded in its ambush.
The most shocking sight was Shirou Emiya—he had lost an arm.
The camera shook violently, transitioning into chaotic flashes before zooming in on Sakura Matou waking up from a nightmare.
Through her connection with her Servant, Sakura had witnessed the battlefield in the forest through Rider's eyes.
Rushing to the bathroom, she knelt over the sink, retching violently.
It took a long time before her vomiting subsided, and she slowly calmed down. But even as her breathing evened out, Sakura gripped the sink tightly, her shoulders heaving as if she'd just run a marathon.
"Lies... Senpai's arm…"
In a trembling voice, she murmured, her guilt-ridden feelings surfacing.
Raising her face to the mirror, Sakura looked at her own reflection, overwhelmed by a crushing sense of guilt.
With her head bowed deeply, her expression showed genuine concern for Shirou Emiya's well-being.
She sincerely, genuinely hoped that nothing bad had happened to him.
But then—
"Well, with this… Senpai can't fight anymore, can he? Hee hee… hehe… hehehe…"
The girl in the mirror smirked, her twisted smile betraying her true feelings.
"Hiss—"
The chilling final smile from Sakura Matou sent a collective shiver down the audience's spines.
"So the sweet and gentle Sakura can look this terrifying when she smiles like that," someone commented, visibly shaken.
Shaking his shoulders, Shibamatsu muttered, "Just that one scene completely shattered my impression of her as a kind and demure Yamato Nadeshiko."
"So all that sweet and caring behavior was just a facade? Her true nature is… what's the word… ah, yandere!"
Looking at the stark contrast between the straightforward Rin and the scheming Sakura, Shibamatsu couldn't help but marvel at the difference between the two sisters.
How could siblings raised by the same parents turn out so vastly different?
At least for Shibamatsu, his interest in Sakura was entirely gone. That crooked smile of hers was too much for his heart to bear.
Still—
"Saber Alter is really gorgeous, though!"
Shibamatsu whispered to his friend beside him, who nodded in agreement.
Of course, it wasn't Alice he was talking to—he didn't dare approach her—but rather Fujita, someone who had similarly defected from disliking Saber Alter to becoming a diehard fan.
Fujita nodded, seemingly recalling the scene from the series where Saber Alter wore an elegant dress, even swallowing nervously.
"Her skin is so pale… like milk."
"...?"
Shibamatsu shot Fujita a surprised glance, not realizing his friend had such a specific taste.
Of course, Shibamatsu himself also found Saber Alter's fair complexion incredibly stunning. But what captivated him the most was Saber Alter's ethereal, otherworldly aura. That unapproachable "non-human" vibe gave him the impression of standing before a goddess untainted by worldly desires.
"Compared to the original Saber, the black-clad version looks more like a true monarch. Could this be Sir Matou's way of showing that even the same Heroic Spirit can exhibit drastically different traits depending on their class foundation?"
As someone deeply invested in magical research, Alice's perspective was naturally different from the others.
"...I think it's probably just plain corruption," Shibamatsu whispered hesitantly.
But Alice, already immersed in deep contemplation, didn't hear him at all.
"Regardless, Saber Alter is undeniably beautiful. If someone like her really existed, it would be wonderful."
Half an hour later, lying in bed and staring at the ceiling, Shibamatsu sighed as this thought lingered in his mind.
He was well aware that Saber Alter was played by Arturia. Shibamatsu admired both Arturia herself and her portrayal of Saber. But if it were possible, he wished there could be a separate actor embodying Saber Alter.
That dark tyrant had an utterly unique allure—one that was truly irresistible.
Meanwhile, in Fuyuki City, inside the cavernous void of Mount Enzou
"The time should be about right. The first group of HF viewers should all be asleep by now."
Zouken Matou snapped his pocket watch shut and glanced at the two figures standing beside him—Irisviel von Einzbern and Tokiomi Tohsaka.
The three stood within a massive magic circle, meticulously drawn with mercury.
"Einzbern family head, young Tohsaka, let us begin!"
With that, Zouken struck the ground sharply with his cane.
The magic circle beneath their feet erupted in a dazzling crimson light.
<+>
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