Heading out! VR Shinkageryu!

Vwom, vwom.

Vwooom.

... ...

Vwom, vwooom.

... ...

Vwoooooom.

... ...

...May I ask what that is?

What what is?

That is...not the answer I was expecting.

Um, let me see... How can I put this...?

Oh come now, Lady Tomoe, surely you must know what I mean!

Go on.

That thing you are doing with the light swords that make "vwom vwom" noises while blindfolded! Well, um, I suppose you are not wearing the blindfold at the moment...

At any rate, what is that all about? It does not appear to be a form of sword training.

And I know you are not usually the type of Heroic Spirit to suddenly go off on wild flights of fancy.

So I would be greatly obliged if you would tell me what is going on here...

...and whether or not this is something I should report to Master.

I, um, I see.

Hehe. Wild flights of fancy, you said? I did not expect you to be telling jokes, Lady Chiyome.

At any rate, your question took me by surprise. Surely what I am doing here must be obvious!

This is VR Shinkageryu!

VR Shinkageryu.

That's right. VR Shinkageryu.

I see...

(I don't see at all.)

(I know that VR stands for "virtual reality"...)

(And I am aware of the Shinkageryu style of swordplay that is practiced by Lord Yagyu Tajima-no-kami at Chaldea...)

(But how can those two things possibly go together?)

(That mystery continues to elude me.)

Oh good! I can tell from the expression on your face that you now understand perfectly!

Seriously?

I mean... Surely you cannot be serious, Lady Tomoe.

(What in the world happened to her? Could it have something to do with her new appearance?)

(Come to think of it, this IS the time of year when many Heroic Spirits suddenly alter their Spirit Origins.)

(Perhaps she unwittingly gained a new undesirable mental skill when she changed to this summer Spirit Origin?)

(I hope nothing happened during this summer to cause Lady Tomoe to lose her mind...)

Now that you understand, I am sure no explanation is necessary, but allow me to elaborate a bit...

As we all know, VR is typically reserved for video games.

While I have been playing video games at Chaldea for some time now...

...as of late, I have taken an especially keen interest in VR games that make use of 3D goggles.

(I understood...some of those words.)

(Those are the games played upon the screen of the device known as a television, correct?)

(...Aha! NOW I see!)

Say no more, Lady Tomoe. Summer is synonymous with cicadas, and cicadas shed their skin, just like many Heroic Spirits shed their usual outfits.

Therefore, you must be cosplaying a light sword-wielding cicada from one of your VR games!

Not quite.

Oh.

Hehe. This is just the outfit I wear when I wish to engage in VR.

Ahh, now I see. So instead of learning a new ultimate technique that causes you to transform, it is as though the transformation itself enables you to learn the technique.

Indeed. And as a result, I have acquired VR Shinkageryu!

(I am once again lost.)

One day, I was enjoying a VR game in an outfit just like this.

And while I was waving my light swords around and making them go "vwom vwom"...

...I had an epiphany, and remembered that there were many skilled swordfighters right here in Chaldea!

So I went to one of them, bowed my head, and begged him to teach me what he knew.

...Y-you speak of Lord Tajima-no-kami?

Correct!

So, you asked him to teach you his Yagyu Shikageryu... in order to improve your skills at VR sword games?

Exactly!

(There is being fearless...and there is THAT. Is this how all members of the Genji clan are?)

So now, the "vwom vwom" sounds you hear are those imparted to me directly from Lord Tajima himself!

VR is essentially like a dream we experience while we are awake, right?

So as Lord Tajima put it:

Indeed. At times, one's sword and one's dreams will be inextricably linked.

One need look no further than the large number of styles with the word "musou," or "dream," in their name.

Indeed, Itou Ittousai, the founder of the Ittouryu school, is said to have had his Musouken technique come to him in a dream.

Furthermore, some warriors are said to have encountered the gods and the Buddha in their dreams. In other words

I see... I never would have expected you two to arrive at such similar conclusions from such different approaches...

Hehehe. From there, Lord Tajima went on to teach me all manner of things about Shinkageryu!

But then...

Now that you are wielding these swords not just in a virtual game, but in reality as well...

...would that not mean you are simply using Yagyu Shinkageryu itself, rather than a VR variant?

......

Now that you mention it... Hm? Am I...?

R-regardless, Lord Tajima was very clear that he was not teaching me Yagyu Shinkageryu itself...

...but a Shinkageryu designed solely for use in VR.

Of course, many of Shinkageryu's strengths...

...lie in how it has been constructed by studying and adapting techniques from other styles.

Indeed, that is how it went from Kageryu to Shin, or new, Kageryu.

Lord Tajima also said that,

"VR and outer space are identical in every way that matters!"

It was at that moment that Chiyome realized Tajima-no-kami may just have the most rock 'n' roll mindset of any Heroic Spirit in Chaldea.

VR Shinkageryu...

It is both quite clear and a mystery to me at once... Hmm. This is going to bother me unless I do something...

...I've got it! Lady Tomoe! Would you do me the honor of sparring with me?

I believe this will be the best and quickest way for me to understand what VR Shinkageryu is all about.

Oh my, you would be willing to spar with me!? Absolutely! It would be my pleasure!

Then what are we waiting for!? Let us begin right away!

Understood. Then without any further ado...

Have at you!

Magnificent.

Not at all, Lady Chiyome. Your bladework is as keen as ever.

I think I have finally seen what VR Shinkageryu is for myself now.

Indeed, it is not Yagyu Shinkageryu, but numerous techniques so flashy they make you feel as though you are playing a video game.

I could not help but sense both your earnest desire to fully enjoy yourself, and Lord Tajima-no-kami's refined technique.

As one who has only trained in combat techniques designed to end an opponent's life...

...I could never have imagined a style so enjoyable to watch! Truly, you have accomplished something impressive, Lady Tomoe!

In real life, master swordfighters strive to free their minds from worldly thoughts, but in VR, it is the mind itself that becomes a force unlike any other!

Hehe. I am afraid I do not really understand what you mean, but I am glad you are so clearly enjoying yourself.

Oh yes, of course I am!

Say, would you like to join me, Lady Chiyome?

Join you in what?

In attempting to reach the pinnacle of VR Shinkageryu over the course of this summer!

... ...

...Part of me does think that would be fun.

But given that I have not even changed my Spirit Origin...I must respectfully decline, lest I end up with a strange tic!

I see... I suppose that would be a problem.

In that case, what about just joining me in a round of competitive VR gaming? That should have no effect on your Spirit Origin or your techniques!

Hmm...

Well, I suppose there should be no issue there, so in that case, I will do so gladly.

However! I have my own matters to attend to, so my condition is this:

No more than one hour of gaming per day!

What!? Noooooo!