I'm Not A Master, I'm A Director (Creating Fate Movie In Nasuverse)

At the Emiya residence, in the living room.

Shirou was flipping through the entertainment section of a recent newspaper, a faint worry visible on his face.

"The ratings for the second episode dropped to 35%, and now the third episode dropped to 28%... This can't go on," Shirou sighed.

The UBW third episode that aired yesterday covered the storyline from Shirou and Rin's after-school battle to Saber storming Ryudo Temple at night.

If you look for differences between the movie and the TV series, the third episode has plenty. However, if you summarize the plot, you'll find it doesn't differ much from the movie version.

Considering this, it's not surprising that the ratings for UBW have dropped again.

Several fans, after watching this episode, directly posted online saying things like, "If this is what Shinji calls a completely different story, then I'm really disappointed!"

The internet, while making communication convenient, also makes it easier to stir things up.

In the past, to stir public opinion, one needed to publish announcements on major platforms and media, then gradually build momentum. But online, as long as there's traffic, it only takes a few words to start a wave. Even without a starting image or detailed content, a few words can set the tone.

Undoubtedly, the narrative around UBW had been set, and although Shinji's fan club, led by Zouken, continuously refuted the criticisms, the voices condemning UBW remained unrelenting.

In Japan's entertainment industry, unless it's a film that grosses over 10 billion yen, popular TV dramas generally have a higher impact.

Seeing UBW's ratings continuously decline made Shirou increasingly anxious.

Although Shirou wasn't aiming for a career in the entertainment industry, he still didn't want to see his work fail.

"Shinji said that the ratings would bounce back once the latter half airs, but at this rate, there might be no chance for a rebound."

Shirou opened another newspaper, which also contained negative news about UBW.

Since the ratings drop of the second episode, the Japanese media had been in an uproar.

If the show were made by someone else, a 35% rating would be great. But this was Shinji Matou's work, and the first episode had a 40% rating!!

"Broken Myth: Shinji Matou's First TV Drama Flops!", "Big-Budget Drama Becomes a Laughing Stock!", "End of the Road for a Genius Director!"... Such headlines appeared in various Japanese newspapers the next day.

Shinji had been too successful these past two years, to the point where Japanese entertainment journalists were itching to see him fail.

How can you be so successful in the entertainment industry without any scandals to dig up? Why don't you just die!

Japanese journalists love to dig up the moments when prominent figures fall from grace, but Shinji had never given them the chance.

Now that they finally saw Shinji fail, they naturally had to make a big deal out of it.

It wasn't just the journalists, but the film critics as well.

After being humiliated by Shinji Matou twice, the critics finally saw what they thought was his failure.

Or rather, what they believed to be his failure.

Shinji Matou's "old friend" Ippei Kawachi even wrote a special article titled "The Real Face of a Clown: An Ending for a Jester."

"UBW is a very, very bad drama. Forget everything else, the identical plot to the movie alone is unbearable."

"If you thought the FSN movie wasn't enough to put you to sleep, then congratulations, you've now found a better sleeping aid."

"Shinji Matou is completely wasting the large budget of a TV drama. I feel sorry for those yen! If this money were invested in real art, we could produce so many classics like 'Half Confession.'"

"Utter nonsense!"

Shirou threw the newspaper aside. Even someone as mild-mannered as he couldn't accept the critics' blatant distortion of facts.

He had no bias against "Half Confession," a film that won the Blue Ribbon Award and the Japan Academy Prize. It's fine for critics to claim it as a classic, but comparing two works of completely different styles and production scales is ridiculous.

"Ah, that's right... Those people are indeed sick; it's not their first time either."

Shirou finally understood what Shinji meant when he said, "When a dog bites you, whether you bite back or not, you'll still feel disgusted." 

Caring about these people's opinions was already a loss.

"Onii-chan!" Just as Shirou was considering whether to ask Shinji for a solution to the declining ratings, Illya suddenly slid open the door and rushed in.

"Illya, what's wrong?" Sitting on the tatami, Shirou curiously looked up and asked.

"Shinji called just now. He said that to celebrate UBW's great success in ratings, he's holding a special press conference tomorrow, and you, as the male lead, must attend."

"What?" Shirou was stunned upon hearing this.

In fact, it wasn't just Shirou who was shocked; the media were also completely taken aback.

All the journalists had the same thought: How can you still have the nerve to hold a press conference, Shinji Matou?!

Reporters gained a new appreciation for Shinji's thick-skinned nature, thinking they had never seen someone so shameless. Yet, they also felt that facing such a thick-skinned guy and publicly embarrassing him would be immensely satisfying.

Who wouldn't love to see a big shot fall from grace?

So, even though there was less than 24 hours' notice, reporters from all over Japan rushed to Fuyuki City as quickly as possible.

Two hours before the press conference started, the venue was already packed. Many reporters who hadn't been assigned seats could only squeeze into the aisles at the front and sides. 

They weren't there to show support; they were there to watch the spectacle.

When the time came, Shirou and Ophelia accompanied Shinji into the venue, flanking him on either side. The journalists near the entrance immediately turned their cameras on the trio, the flashing lights nearly blinding Shirou.

Shinji, the main protagonist of the press conference, remained calm. Ignoring the buzzing chatter of the journalists, he walked straight to the stage and sat down.

The host briefly introduced UBW before opening the floor to questions from the media.

"Now, reporters with questions, please raise your hands..."

As soon as these words were spoken, the reporters all raised their hands simultaneously. 

The sight of hundreds of hands going up at once made even Shinji's right-hand man feel somewhat impressed.

"Director Matou, are you really satisfied with the 28% rating for UBW to hold this press conference?" the first reporter bluntly questioned.

Shinji, sitting confidently, looked at the reporter and replied, "Is that a poor result?"

"From what I know, the ratings for this drama have dropped—"

"By 12%, correct?" Shinji interrupted. "I don't need you to remind me. Your reports have been hammering this point; I'm already sick of seeing it."

"Let me ask you two questions. Do you know what the highest prime-time rating was last year?"

The reporter was at a loss for words, knowing the answer but afraid to say it.

"I can tell you: it was the final episode of 'The Great White Tower,' with a rating of 32.1%. The average rating for the entire series was 23.9%."

As soon as Shinji finished speaking, a buzz of murmurs filled the room. The quick-thinking journalists already guessed what Shinji was about to say next.

"UBW not only surpassed last year's highest single-episode rating but its current average rating also far exceeds it," Shinji proudly announced.

Shinji's arrogance and confidence silenced all the reporters. They exchanged helpless glances, seeing the futility in questioning him further. 

They had come to see Shinji embarrassed, but he seemed completely unfazed despite a significant drop in ratings. Why wasn't he worried at all?

"Director Matou..." a reporter picked up the microphone, frowning.

"What do you want to ask?" Shinji's eyebrows arched, his eyes gleaming red.

"Uh... well... I..."

Under the influence of Shinji's magecraft, the reporter's attitude turned cautious and fearful.

"I know what you want to ask, so I'll answer it," Shinji said, fully in control. "The current 28% rating is temporary. UBW's story is just getting good. By the sixth episode, the ratings will start to climb again. It might even break the first episode's record."

The reporters, rendered speechless, felt powerless and anxious. They wanted to say something but found themselves at a loss for words.

"Shinji, this is a bit too much..." Shirou muttered telepathically, noticing something unusual. "Did you use hypnosis?"

Shinji smirked, replying telepathically, "They brought this on themselves. They always want to stir up big news; let them become the news."

Shinji, completely dominating the situation, wasn't done yet. 

He had Ophelia hand him a stack of newspapers, which he unfolded one by one, reading them aloud. Each one contained criticism of Shinji's drama, articles that once made the journalists proud now served as evidence of their public shaming.

Even though Shinji only read a sentence or two from each paper, the authors felt as if he had read their entire articles.

After finishing, the journalists hung their heads, avoiding eye contact with Shinji.

With a cold smile, Shinji said, "Now, I can share some news. UBW has reached 12 million viewers in North America, making it the most popular TV drama in the last five years."

The journalists felt as if they had been slapped in the face by this revelation.

Looking around the room, Shinji leaned back arrogantly, his arms crossed.

"Now, can someone tell me what it means to be an international hit TV drama?"

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