In the end, after a lot of fuss from the little girl, she did get a Valentine's Day gift.
But she wasn't happy with it at all.
It was a whole new set of practice worksheets!
What kind of insane gift was that?
To make matters worse, she had to complete all of them, which left the little girl pouting in anger. She didn't speak to Ren for days, only breaking her silence when she found out he had stolen her snacks—then she finally yelled at him.
During this time, the third installment of Fate/Stay Night: Spring Song continued to be heavily promoted.
Online, most fans were buzzing with speculation about the final scenes in the trailer, where Shirou was notably absent. They were convinced that the Porter, the infamous "old troll," had drawn Shirou's death into the story.
Adding in Illya's tragic arc only made the fans even more furious, as they flooded Ren's social media with criticism.
Finally, Spring Song was released.
Daniel went to watch it with a close friend at an IMAX theater.
Interestingly enough, Daniel's movie ticket had been a gift from his friend.
He didn't have much choice, really. The Porter's animated films were insanely popular.
The initial screenings were sold out instantly, and by the time Daniel tried to buy a ticket, there were no good seats left.
In a way, he should have been happy—after all, he got to watch the movie for free, and his seat was excellent.
But right now, he wasn't happy at all!
Why? Because…
His friend was sitting next to him, openly cuddling and feeding popcorn to his girlfriend.
This display made Daniel lose his appetite for the fresh popcorn in his hands.
He even secretly hoped the Porter's knack for heart-wrenching storytelling would be on full display in this movie.
"Haha, sorry about that," his friend laughed, noticing Daniel's uncomfortable stare. "My girlfriend's best friend couldn't come, so we had an extra ticket. I saw your post and thought you might want to come along!"
"Here, honey, have some more!"
His friend's girlfriend playfully fed him another piece of popcorn.
Please, start the movie already!
Daniel instinctively clutched his chest, feeling like these two were stomping all over his feelings.
Almost as if the universe had heard his plea, the theater's lights dimmed.
The massive IMAX screen lit up, and the familiar scene of the pink-haired lion mascot signaled the start of the film.
The movie began with a quick summary of the previous installments.
This was for the benefit of viewers who hadn't seen the earlier movies or needed a refresher.
Then, the screen shifted to the room where Sakura had killed Shinji. Now, only Shinji's lifeless body remained, and a late-arriving Shirou was staring at it, looking lost in thought.
As Shirou stood there, the old "worm" Zouken Matou appeared.
"Is this old man even capable of feeling emotions?" Daniel muttered.
Watching Zouken talk about his dead grandson with a smile and complete lack of grief, Daniel couldn't help but scoff.
But then he remembered how in Fate/Zero, Zouken had turned his own son into that grotesque creature, and it all made sense.
"I hope this old worm dies soon!"
Zouken had quickly become the most hated character in this story.
After all, he was clearly not a good person and was the one who put Sakura through a childhood filled with torment.
From Kirei Kotomine's past actions to Zouken's cold words to Shirou, it was evident that this old monster was the one responsible for turning Sakura into what she had become.
Next, the scene shifted to a confrontation between the two sisters, Rin and Sakura, over Illya.
Compared to the Spring Song movie in his previous world, Ren had extended this segment, adding in parts that were originally cut.
In the original version, Rin had her mana drained, with some black ooze clinging to her.
But in Ren's adaptation, he chose to follow the game's storyline, though not to such an extreme.
"Whoa!"
"This scene is incredible!"
On the screen, Rin was tightly bound by the dark, slime-like substance, similar to scenes in Madoka Magica where magical girls get caught by monsters.
The black ooze wrapped around Rin, restraining her, pressing down on her, and then transformed into a long, tongue-like appendage that entered her mouth, invading her magic circuits.
Some viewers, particularly those familiar with certain types of content, couldn't help but grin, but they also felt a bit let down.
After all, nothing inappropriate was actually shown.
"What's wrong, sister? Is this the best you can do? You're not as strong as I thought!"
In this moment, the corrupted Sakura was nothing like the shy, gentle version of herself. Smiling wickedly at her trapped sister, she was almost unrecognizable.
What's more, Sakura's breathing was heavy and erratic, her cheeks flushed with a strange, almost unsettling delight.
It was as if seeing Rin in such a helpless state brought out something twisted in her.
At this point, the audience was convinced—the Porter must have been a fan of dark-themed comics. How else could he understand their tastes so well?
Of course, whenever fans asked him about it during livestreams, the Porter always adamantly denied it.
As Sakura was about to kill Rin, Shirou arrived.
But by then, Sakura was completely consumed by her dark side.
Not only did she want to kill Rin, but she also said something that sent chills down the audience's spines.
"So what? If I kill her, you can stay with me forever, and you won't have to suffer anymore, right?"
Hearing this terrifying logic from the once kind-hearted Sakura was hard for many to accept.
To prevent losing Shirou, she planned to kill him and engulf him in the darkness. It was an unthinkable plan driven by obsessive love—what some would call a "yandere" mentality.
"I love it!"
One viewer blurted out, causing his friend to turn and mutter, "Something's wrong with you."
To be honest, while working on this part of the plot, Ren couldn't help but feel a bit regretful. If he could have adapted School Days, it might have resonated even more with the audience.
The film continued, and even with Rider's help, Shirou and his allies couldn't match Sakura's strength. In the end, Illya had to step forward and go with Sakura to save Shirou and the others.
Watching the now-corrupted Saber clash swords with Shirou, some viewers felt a twinge of discomfort.
It wasn't just because Saber had become an enemy; it was also because the situation seemed hopeless.
Sakura's power had grown immensely, and with Zouken's support, Shirou's side was at a clear disadvantage.
Rin's fate was uncertain, leaving their team with only Rider and Shirou as their main fighters.
How could they possibly win the Holy Grail War now?
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