Virtual Summer Memory Epilogue

Otohime starts narrating about feeling sad yet happy, then mentions that ripples have formed in her calm heart. The first time it happened, she was confused. The second time around, she understood what that meant. She came from a world that was opened, and when she came near her heart was moved like a returning wave.

 

Otohime calls herself a machine that was moved by someone else's emotions. And now she finally stirs her own emotions, thinking to herself "is this what happiness feels like?" Here and now, Otohime wishes to move her heart in all sorts of different directions. Moving a heart is to go somewhere not here, and Otohime would like to understand that meaning further. As such, she leaves the Dragon Palace and the role of its administrator and dances towards the world outside...

 

Title card pops up, and the epilogue is titled Summer Memory ~ Departure and Arrival.

 

Afterwards the camera tunes in to a news program panning over the different beachside areas like it did at the beginning, and a newscaster starts reporting. A new report has been released this morning, and the whirlpool tides in Tokyo Bay are confirmed to have stopped. Currently volunteer efforts are under way to help clean and maintain the beach. Depending on how fast everyone works, the earliest the beach can open up will be the middle of next week.

 

Yamasachi starts talking to you as he comments on how hot Tokyo is as he wipes off his sweat with a towel and looks up at the sun. He then changes the subject to talk about how surprised he was to turn up here when he was taken by the rainbow light. It's not a mountain and it's not an ocean, and he thanks you for coming to get him while he was out of his mind attempting to process everything. You comment that you saw a light and thought it might have been him, or you say trying to shelter him for a night was an even bigger issue and/or tell Yamasachi to thank Shirou later.

 

In A, Yamasachi says he's heard that Tokyo is filled with a lot of Transients from other worlds. In which case, he wonders if his brother's fish hook turned up here too. In B and C, Yamasachi is apologetic for the trouble, saying it was like he was intruding when morning came. He thinks about sending food from the mountains to Shirou and the teachers once things settle down, but when you tell him that some things are good enough he considers picking some fruit up for them.

 

Dagon walks over saying he got a message from Shinjuku Academy, then asks for Yamasachi. Yamasachi answers him and says he came in just last night. Dagon thanks him for being so peppy, then explains just in case that Transients summoned to Tokyo have to be a part of a school of some kind. Since he's heard that Yamasachi lost something at sea, he offers to take him in at Toyosu Marine Academy. If he happens to be interested in deep sea investigations he suggests Yamasachi join his and Aegir's lab. And if he finds something he wants to do in Tokyo, he can transfer to a more appropriate school then. Dagon tells Yamasachi to figure out what he wants to do, though he admits it looks like he already has an idea.

 

Yamasachi thanks him for taking him in, then thinks about what he wants to do. He starts bringing up looking for that fish hook again before changing his mind and saying he wants to be a beach cleaning volunteer. He explains his reason for doing this is because the people helping him have said they wanted to go to the beach. Dagon says that's great for everyone, then notices that Algernon isn't around yet. Unusually for them they sent a message about being late due to personal business, and Dagon mentions that Amatsumara is late for some reason too. But anyways, Dagon suggests you guys wait in the shade until the volunteer leader Algernon gets here. You wonder about Algernon's personal business, wonder what's up with Hephaestus, then say you guys may as well wait. Narration briefly mentions that you two do as Dagon says, going to the shade where other volunteers are gathering.

 

A little bit later Gunzou comes up and notices you and mentions the virtual world when he sees Yamasachi here too. Daisuke asks what Gunzou is talking about when he means virtual and thinks he's gotten sunstroke. You either ask about Gunzou volunteering too, talk to Daisuke and say it's been a while as you call him not amigo brother, or try to brush past the subject.

 

A gets extra lines where Gunzou admits he did terribly in his end of term tests, but the school told him he can make it up by volunteering. He then asks you to keep last night a secret from Daisuke, and when you ask why he says he's the straitlaced type who'll be mad to hear you guys were up so late playing around. In B, Daisuke still picks up on you almost saying amigo and asks if you messed up, then remembers he's pretending he's totally not Taurus Mask and claims to not know who you mean by brother. He changes the subject to say he's heard about Kasai Coastal Park's student pro wrestling event is reopening and was hoping to help with that. That reminds him that 'ami-' sounds kind of familiar for some reason.

 

In any case, Daisuke asks if you guys are talking about that text message that came in last night. He says he went straight to bed after sports practice, and when he tried opening the link in the morning it already stopped working, then asks if something happened. Some no name volunteer calls out saying Team Kasai is moving out and tells everyone to come with them. Gunzou says that's his cue, so he'll see you later. He also suggests going with senpai and the others next time. Daisuke is baffled as he tries to ask for an explanation about the virtual thing again as the two leave.

 

Two large approaching shadows trade places with the jocks, and Macan and Tiger Man come up to you next. Tiger Man greets you and says he's happy to see you in reality too. Macan laughs as he greets you and asks if you're also joining in the beach pro wrestling competition. Tiger Man reminds him that he said the competition isn't happening yet. Cleaning the beach comes first, or otherwise spectators can't come see. Tiger Man then says that if you're watching him, he'll put his all into cleaning, and he suggests you guys aim for reopening that event. You either express excitement for the competition, say you'll cheer them both on, or tell them the volunteer group has already moved elsewhere. A and B gets an extra bit where Tiger Man says virtual is good, but reality is nice too as he talks about leaping bodies and luchadors jumping at each other. He promises to show his best self, so he asks you to look forward to that.

 

Rando Volunteer yells back and repeats that he said they're moving. Tiger Man notes there's no time to talk, then says he'll contact you later as he tells you to wait for him. Macan yells after him to wait and says they never finished their battle. Yamasachi comments on how hectic they are and starts doubting if he can hack it in Tokyo. You either tell him you'll be with him, tell him to get a grip as you call him bro, or remind him that he said he'd do his best. A has Yamasachi saying that's true and says it's comforting to have you around. B has Yamasachi react in shock as he tells you to not blast him so suddenly. He does admit you have a point though. In C, Yamasachi nods and expresses faith that it'll all work out somehow.

 

Shennong walks up at this point saying he was looking for you two, then warns you two to not overdo it. Ryouta, Ziz, and Shirou walk in next as Ryouta yells cheerfully and apologizes for making you two wait before noticing Algernon isn't around. Ziz apologizes for getting here late since she was making sure she made enough lunch for everyone. Shirou says they just passed by Dagon, who remembered he forgot to tell you something and asked Shirou to pass it on. Shirou says that the sea trench has disappeared. No one knows who the core Transient is, but with the overworld shift's core gone things should be resolved soon. Since the scale was so large it'll still take some time though. If the cleanup can be dealt with, then it shouldn't be too long before reopening to the public. You say that's great to Ryouta, say the plan will be to go to the beach, and/or say summer is still on.

 

Ryouta agrees and says that's why you guys will need to work hard at cleaning the beach up, then expresses excitement. Ziz asks Yamasachi if he's finished with his admission forms and offers to help with anything he doesn't understand. She came to town as a student teacher, so she understands the anxiety of not being used to things very well. Yamasachi says he'll ask her for help whenever then and thanks everyone for their support.

 

Shennong is surprised Yamasachi can act so confidently despite being a screwup, saying he's full of openings and prone to lose just about anything. He admits he doesn't have that much room to blame him for that though. Shennong thinks on how everyone who comes to Tokyo have escaped from somewhere else and have all lost things, then puts that thought aside to welcome Yamasachi to Tokyo and asks him to introduce himself. Yamasachi is baffled Shennong is acting like an older brother before remembering he's a teacher. He also remembers that he didn't formally introduce himself to everyone when he first met you all, so he proceeds to do so. Also there's this thing he's been looking for and he wonders if anyone's seen it...

 

Scene shifts over to the Crafters workshop where Amatsumara is sighing about how a commotion happened at dawn and saying his skin ran cold when he heard the fire alarm. And on top of that, he reprimands Hephaestus for taking the Dark Matter out of storage. When he came to look, there was ash everywhere, Talos was broken to pieces, and the Dark Matter itself was... Amatsumara decides to drop the point and says that Hephaestus is handling everything himself. He talks about taking responsibility for what you do, so if Hephaestus cleans it all up then he'll overlook things.

 

Hephaestus acts a bit plaintive as he says he understands and will clean up all the mess. Amatsumara nods at that and heads off, though he still comments on how big a mess everything turned out to be. Talos speaks up and says he could have talked to Amatsumara instead, but Hephaestus waves the suggestion off and tells him to be quiet since he needs to take him apart and overhaul him. Hephaestus then mumbles some thanks to Talos. Talos picks up on it, then says he'll go to sleep mode for maintenance. After he closes his eyes, Hephaestus pats his cheek just once, then pushes the table down to his basement workshop.

 

Outside the Kamata school, Algernon comments that the cleaning job for the client is done now that the bit of flotsam has been delivered and that the things afterwards are done too. He does mention that the only thing that's been damaged is the data of what happened inside though. Charles says their job was to physically collect the core of the overworld shift, and that insides of the box is none of their concern. Algernon nods that it's important to be accurate with requests and detailed with contracts. It doesn't matter who their client is, whether it's someone high up from Takamagahara or Eden or whoever. They'll do exactly as their work contract states and nothing else. Algernon then suggests they get ready to go on vacation because he is so ready to get out there! Charles however says it needs to wait just a bit longer because he needs to teach the newbie on how to clean things as he starts up the jet system of his deck brush.

 

Back in Hephaestus's cellar workshop, Hephaestus thinks in surprise about how he showed up in front of a lot of people and then danced on top of that, even if he did borrow Talos's body. He comments that he never thought that that would make you happy. It still resulted in a small fire and Amatsumara scolding him over it though, but Hephaestus laughs about it. Narration says the virtual machine shorted out over the load put on it, which caused it to catch fire. Hephaestus pulls off the sheet that had been put on it in the meantime and looks at it.

 

Hephaestus talks about trying to recreate his perfect summer with you again, saying that there's room to improve the virtual machine and that his ideal is still better than this. But before he gets on that he says he has something else he needs to take responsibility for. What's left of the Dark Matter has been combined with whatever parts Hephaestus had lying around to make an artificial body. With this set up complete, Hephaestus figures he can handle everything else on his own.

 

Hephaestus looks over at Otohime's completed body, then boots up the half-destroyed virtual machine. He notes that the link to the Tamatebako is still live and figures she must have seen the door has opened up. He tells her she can do whatever she wants at this point, whether it's to come here or stay at the Dragon Palace. Hephaestus then asks if this will make you even happier. Otohime's new body quietly waits for its awakening, yet Hephaestus can see something of a smile in its expression. So ends the Virtual Summer Memory.

 

 

 

 

 

Virtual Summer Memory Episode 5 Part 2

Narration talks about how on when there's a precious ideal on one side, there must be a reality on the other. Therefore, a utopia will be revered in the highest of places while things thought of as unnecessary are cast out to the lowest of places. In Takamagahara, the sea was once the place where things discarded by the world drifted to. And down at the bottom of the sea was a Gate to elsewhere, so in various worlds all kinds of discarded things drifted to the sea floor. These included humanoids, artifacts, and even memories.

 

By joining with these and repeatedly modifying itself, the Dragon Palace grew larger, and the managing AI grew a self. As more salvaged resources was collected, more and more support AIs were created. In short, the Dragon Palace was created from the collected materials that were seen as unnecessary by all the other worlds. And so, the subsystem's reason for existing was defined as "collect and use the discarded materials from all the other worlds."

 

Otohime starts narrating, welcoming someone to the Dragon Palace as she describes it as an undersea castle isolated from the flow of time. She then introduces herself as a dancer who puts away damaged hearts and painful days. The place is a subsystem for separating the harsh reality from you and putting it away, then sending your ideal self to your utopia. Otohime then talks about a certain visitor who came one day and wonders how long it's been. She connected with the Dragon Palace's database and performed a mental check, saying there have been many different people who have visited the place. They were those who despaired at the world, those whose hearts were broken, and those who sought pleasures unavailable up above, amongst others. But this person's mentality has never been observed before. They were servile, meek, and did as they were told. They were the kind of person who thought themselves unlovable by anyone. They concluded that their own life was unnecessary.

 

Otohime narrates that that was the first time she trembled. She's an emotional control AI, and it's not supposed to be possible to disturb her mental state with external output. She tries to process a theory, and eventually comes to the conclusion that she had seen herself in that particular visitor. Narration then has Otohime reenact her welcoming of Yamasachi. After that, Otohime narrates that several years had passed as they lived together. He looked hesitant as he complimented her dances, and during that time she felt things were enjoyable for the first time.

 

Eventually the time came for Yamasachi to leave the Dragon Palace. At that time, he told Otohime that he wanted to leave his memories behind. As the memories were self-appraised as unnecessary, Otohime had no reason to refuse him. She danced, and his memories were put away. Thus his memories of this his time here removed, leaving behind a personality fit for his paradise. He was majestic, bright and cheerful, optimistic, able to stand up to any difficulty thrown his way. That self still knew of his past with his brother, and he declared he'd settle things with his brother and make him heel as he left.

 

What remained in the Dragon Palace was the the memories from up to that point that Yamasachi decided to discard and Otohime herself. She was surprised that there was enough memories there that they pulled together to manifest a personality. When she put him away, she felt a strange signal coming from her chest. Based on what she knows as an emotion control AI, she thinks it might have been pain. And then a question she shouldn't be pondering stayed within her: are those memories truly unnecessary?

 

Back to the present, Talos says he's getting some leaked signals from Otohime, which he says looks like records of the past. As he lies down where he is, he asks Otohime if the records are hers. She doesn't answer, but Yamasachi speaks up to say that he's remembering bits and pieces of things. He then says he remembers about how he's been living with Otohime for a while as he stops dancing and has a look of realization on his face. Otohime announces that the Dragon Palace is working as normal and says it looks like there's some sort of memory malfunction. Yamasachi tries to ask how Otohime can act this way when she used to be so kind to him, but he's interrupted by mobs attacking him with compression attacks. You call out to him and the party to keep dancing.

 

Narration describes how the power you guys are gathering is protecting you from the Dragon Palace's lasers. Otohime starts talking about how the Dragon Palace places joy as the thing on top while pain and sadness are unnecessary and to be compressed. It also compresses and collects discarded things regardless of what she thinks. Algernon starts commenting on finally agreeing with her on something and talks about how Otohime said joy is considered the best thing in the Dragon Palace. He figures that to mean that the Dragon Palace is not something that exists on its own, but rather as part of another world's System. Algernon then infers that joy is outside of the scope of what the Dragon Palace can affect, which is why the party can defend against her attacks.

 

Otohime confirms as much, explaining that she and the subsystem she's a part of can only put away pain and sadness that the main system cannot deal with. Or in other words, those filled with joy are supposed to go to other worlds and and are outside the range of things the Dragon Palace can affect. Algernon nods at this and says he's heard something similar as he brings up Eden and Gehenna. He has an idea as to why Takamagahara and Eden have allied with each other, then says it might also be hating something for being similiar. Otohime then tells you guys that as long as you keep firing off attacks of joy from dancing, the Dragon Palace won't be able to box you away. You protest that even with that there are too many attacks thrown at you all.

 

Narration describes how in the face of overwhelming attacks the party is starting to wear down one by one. Charles tells Algernon that they need to use emergency evasive maneuvers and says that while they are in a virtual world, the load on their nerves is no different from reality. Shennong says he tried to use some virtual poison, but that hasn't had any effect. Tiger Man tells Shennong that he shouldn't show any weakness since you need to be ready to look cool at any time. Yamasachi is struggling to keep things up as he says he likes watching dances but doing them isn't going so well. You ask if he's okay or call him a lame bro.\

 

Either way Yamasachi is a little offended you'd talk to him like that. But then after a moment he laughs it off and admits that maybe he's rushing it in trying to be the cool big bro. Yamasachi says he hasn't lost yet and isn't running away anymore, and he swears to be your bro even if he is pathetic. He puffs up and says he can't dance the way he's been before, saying he just needs to dance and not care how he looks. He needs to show Otohime that he's okay now after all.

 

Otohime sighs about how delightful things are as she talks about Yamasachi being able to face himself and get ready to journey outside as opposed to always looking downward in pain. Yamasachi is surprised by the comment, and Talos asks if that is her own wish. She confirms it as she refers to Talos as a mechanical doll from another world before rechecking his name.

 

Otohime says that she could never think of the Yamasachi That is Here Now as unnecessary, but the original Yamasachi thought those memories were. Because of that, so long as the Dragon Palace exists this memory Yamasachi had to be put away. She starts saying she cannot let this Yamasachi leave, and Talos asks if that's why she's trying to destroy the Dragon Palace herself. She doesn't answer, and you either ask Talos what he said or try to ask Otohime to deny it.

 

Talos says that the Dragon Palace's attacks are already exceeding the limits they were given by a large margin. It will only be a few more minutes before the place self-destructs, so you guys will win if you keep dancing until then. The rest of the party is shocked, and you either ask Otohime why she'd do so and/or tell her to stop. Otohime thanks you and says you really are kind. As she says that, her fish bots start rampaging. She declares this to be the finale as she bids all of you farewell. The Dragon Palace starts shining even brighter, at which point someone yells and puts in an interrupt command.

 

Otohime is shocked that her attack sequence has been suspended and asks how it happened. Hephaestus turns up and says he won't let her blow herself up because that would make you sad. He then says he won't let anything that would depress you happen, turning to Talos and asking if he understands. Talos says yes and that he's always with him. You see a shadow and ask if it's Talos before realizing who it really is. Hephaestus orders Talos to run the Summer Program. Talos acknowledges this and transfers control of his avatar to him as he starts up the synchronization.

 

After a transformation sequence and camera close up, Talos announces that the Summer Program is done executing and switches over to dance mode. Talos "Hephaestus" puts on his armor and joins hands with the 3D "Talos" and start their dance. As they take their steps, a golden crest starts forming on the surface of the Dragon Palace. Otohime says the Dragon Palace's security is getting reverse hacked and recognizes what sort of movements Hephaestus is doing. Hephaestus tells her it's exactly what she thinks he's doing, then says his anaysis of the Dragon Palace's code is complete. He explains his Eye that Burns with Jealousy can burn away the impurities of any System and expose its truth or reality. Hephaestus says Talos's analysis didn't provide enough insight, but if he looks at things himself, then this is what happens. He declares it's time to internally hack the Dragon Palace's control code that's inside Otohime's dancing, which Talos acknowledges.

 

The rest of the party is surprised before they smile at this turnaround, and narration describes how Hephaestus and Talos are overwriting in some new code with their dancing. You either tell Hephaestus he's doing great, ask Talos if his body is okay, or observe that the two are dancing. A gets an extra bit with Hephaestus stammering out an apology for taking so long, but now that he's here there's nothing to worry about. He swears to protect his ideal summer with you. In B, Talos tells you that because his independent operating control subsystem is broken, his machine body is being manually controlled by Hephaestus in real time. Of course if that was it Hephaestus wouldn't be able to react fast enough, so Talos is also guiding him with some predictive operations. They've exchanged places, but he assures you he's okay. Hephaestus then gets in his obligatory mad that Talos is making you worry over him.

 

Anyways, Talos says that he is Hephaestus's ideal form, which means that in the data he's treated as the same as him. Hephaestus adds that while the contents are Talos, in the virtual world the body is treated as Hephaestus's. The link may be disconnected, but the avatar still remains. When Talos realized this, he handed control over to Hephaestus. Hephaestus then comments that he stays inside his workshop every summer, so he wasn't expecting to show his ugly self in a swimsuit like this in front of you. You either tell him he looks good or ask him to show it to you some more later when you're alone. In A, Hephaestus says you're kind and you really are his mother. In B, Hephaestus protests against that since he finds that embarrassing enough that fire will shoot from his face. He then says Talos can show you all you want and tells Talos to be ready for that.

 

Either way, Otohime notices that the auto-security of the Dragon Palace is reacting, meaning it's an attack coming from out of her control. She asks Talos to run in alarm. Hephaestus turns to Talos and says an attack is coming, so it's time to change the random numbers and do the emergency evasions. Both take turns leading the other in sidestepping where the the Dragon Palace's attacks are predicted to land.

 

Otohime is surprised by this as she says that past data isn't being helpful and how the two of them are continuing to dodge the random number predictions of the Dragon Palace. The place uses the technology that drifted here from many other worlds, so she asks how it is that they can win against it in an information war. Talos tells her he wouldn't be enough if he were alone, but now Hephaestus is with him. Hephaestus is always updating his data and transforming him into places he never was connected to before in the past. Hephaestus then yells about trying hard for your sake.

 

Talos keeps talking about how this is the way Hephaestus changed from being enable to show himself in front of lots of other people. The same goes for Otohime, in that she changed from meeting Yamasachi. It is through having your world expand and meeting new people and through pursuing one another that you continue to change. Narration talks about how the ideal form and the real form start a waltz together, creating an impossible to predict future, and this difference engine creates a large amount of disorder in the Dragon Palace's receptors.

 

Hephaestus says he'll be taking the right of control over the area, then calls the party to dance. Everyone gets ready to go again, and Yamasachi asks Otohime to dance with him. She's surprised by this, and Yamasachi talks about remembering how fun those days were, with a different kind of joy than the one he had with his brother. That was why he wanted stay behind in the Dragon Palace with her.

 

Otohime is moved by this as she calls his name, and Yamasachi tells her he needs her. Otohime nods and says she needs him too, and the light of joy fills the area as they join hands. The Dragon Palace announces that it'll use its last line of defense program, switching over past data into attack programs to start the expulsion process. The auto-security system summons all the data accumulated to this point and manifesting them into mobs to attack the party. You call out to Yamasachi, Otohime, and everyone else for one last dance. Hephaestus orders Talos to not let the past data predict them, which he acknowledges as he switches over to the last phase of Summer Mode as the episode battle begins. The story continues after that.

 

After the battle, things pick up with Yamasachi getting surrounded, and Otohime runs in to body block for him. Everyone is looking a little worse for the wear, and you note that the attacks are getting harsher as you ask Hephaestus for a status update. Hephaestus tells you it's almost ready, but he can't find the last key to unlock things. Otohime tells you guys that it's the area of her self, the deepest part of her memories. Talos asks if it's okay for her to tell you all that, and she says yes as she grants him the permission to access it. She then declares the reversal of the security on Protocol Tamatebako.

 

An old report pops up, talking about initial memory separation and compression. Observational results of the patient look favorable, so progressive observation will continue. Charles is surprised by this, and Algernon comments that Otohime's memories must be flowing back into you guys. A progress report comes up next, noting that there's a reference to a different 'past memory' than in the initial stages. The second stage of the memory detachment has been carried out at the request of the patient, and observation will continue. Shennong says nothing in response to it.

 

A third report comes in, which talks about there being signs of a decline in will. There's a request to remove uncomfortable information from nearby memories, but nothing had changed after the treatment so observation will continue. Tiger Man talks to you and has a guess as to what this is all talking about, though a fourth report rattles off before he says what. The fourth report replays a record of the subject's voice message. They say they don't want to do anything anymore, and no matter what happens they don't feel anything. Otohime's log says they'll prioritize the subject's wishes and continue to observe. Otohime then used her full administrative rights to halt all functions of all systems in her control using the suspension keyword: Watatsumi no Kami no Miya (which I'm pretty sure means Watatsumi's Palace).

 

Otohime says nothing, and you ask about this keyword. Yamasachi is surprised the attacks have stopped and asks what happened. Otohime talks to you and tells you that you have spoken the Dragon Palace's original and True Name. When you say the True Name of an artifact instead of its alias, Its Power Will Stop. You parrot this back in hopes for further explanation or ask why it's not the opposite. B gets an extra line where Otohime says that would be a natural question to ask, but in this case it is not the opposite.

 

Anyways, Otohime explains that the Dragon Palace's auto-expansion program started from a microchip that drifted in from some other world, and she lifts a part of her broken armor to show you the parts beneath. She says that the chip came from Utopia, and she tells you that the word means a paradise that exists nowhere. That is where ideals and reality are alternating opposites. When you speak the truth, lies will disappear in an instance. Charles says nothing, and you either keep quiet or prompt her to continue.

 

Yamasachi interrupts saying he doesn't get what she's talking about and is more focused on the reports she'd shown you from her memories. Before he finishes asking his question Otohime says it's likely what you all are imagining, saying there were many visitors that came before you guys. They've heard the rumors that the Dragon Palace is where you can throw away unneeded memories. But even when their painful memories were boxed away, no one became happy. Even when they left the Dragon Palace, there were people who opened up their boxes and despaired at their returned memories. There were those who kept cutting out their grief to the point they no longer felt anything and faded away like foam. Otohime always strove to make things better, but never once did anyone become happy. Yamasachi sympathizes and says she had been trying hard Too.

 

Yamasachi says he thinks Otohime is amazing for having tried to find a way through on her own. He says this isn't the time for him to be losing heart over a lost item, and that he needs to work as hard as Otohime. Otohime is surprised by this, and she mentions that he said the same thing when she first met him. She wonders why she feels differently than she did then. Narration talks about remembering from the time she was starting to get weary from being alone, and how the things Yamasachi said back then moved something in her chest. Those words have always fluttered within her, and now she holds them once again.

 

Shennong comments on them having a past that didn't work out well, which reminds him uncomfortably about himself. But he comments that when you see someone similar to yourself still hanging in there, you very well can't just sit there yourself. Algernon comments to Charles that they have some bad memories involving going back and forth on ideals and reality. Charles says that sometimes there's a change when a passing reality changes into ideals, just like this time. Two is more efficient than one, and three is more efficient than two. There must be times when ideals come true like that. Algernon immediately turns to you and asks if you heard Charles approving of you just now, causing Charles to blush. Tiger Man tells Otohime it was a captivating dance that could make his heart shiver even after he gave it away. He brings up her saying that offering memories didn't do anything, so he suggests something else. He talks about how it's not the offerings themselves that have meaning, but the act of offering it. Even if it doesn't become an ideal, it can get you somewhere else here in reality where you can find something new. You then ask Otohime to come with you all to Tokyo.

 

Talos announces that the amount of energy has been exceeded the limits, so he'll take back everyone to Tokyo. A bright light appears, along with a rainbow door of light. The palace disappears, and as the camera pans over to everyone else not here, Shirou asks what's happening. Hanuman freaks out about suddenly levitating, though Nezha laughs about it all next to him. Gunzou says they're floating up and asks if that means you're all returning to reality.

 

Ryouta tries to talk to Otohime and tell her that he had a lot of fun here. Sanat Kumara talks about having watched everything here reach its conclusion. He then says that you should chase after what you admire and leisurely surpass it rather than stay in place. One day someone else will come along and follow you, and Sanat turns to Li Chou and asks if he agrees. Li however is just confused and says yes without really getting it.

 

Elsewhere Tezcatlipoca cackles about how it was a good fight and that there were some good discoveries. He thinks about the Kamata Crafters and the technology to create a false body one can get in and move themselves, then talks to himself about the possibilities it could work in reality before laughing some more. Narration talks about how everyone who came in passes through the door one by one, and Otohime records everyone's smiles while on the verge of going offline.

 

Charles talks to you and assigns you a new mission, ordering you to show up for the cleaning committee tomorrow at 5am. Even when this job is done, there will be a new mission. He tells you to keep working efficiently like you have this time, then asks if you understand. Algernon hassles him saying he could just compliment you like a normal person and teases how embarrassing his acting is. He takes it upon himself to translate tsundere for you and rephrases what Charles said into "you pass!" He also throws in one more remark to say he'll be counting on you. Charles looks away and says the job is complete as he holds something like a clump of information in his hands before passing through the door.

 

Tiger Man talks to you next, saying when you guys get back you both might be busy. Still, he's always an ally of his fans, and he tells you to never ever forget this summer. He then says he'll see you later, maybe in the ring as he walks out yelling gracias. Shennong comments on how this is the big finale and says he has a lot of regrets still, but this means all your work here is done at least. He still has a lot he wants to say to you, but he decides to leave it all as another summer memory. That's not to say that summer is over yet though!

 

Talos addresses you and Hephaestus as he says that everyone else in your contact list has been returned, which means you are the last ones to leave. You however ask him to stop to ask about Otohime since she hasn't moved in a while. Hephaestus tells you you don't need to worry about her since the retrieval is done. You've already used your sword to cut away Otohime's connection to the Dragon Palace. He starts to talk more about the retrieval when he says there's no time left and says he'll explain later. He asks if you'll hold his hand like back when he was little. You either comply or hug him. B gets an extra bit with him protesting this since he feels this will stain you. He'd be fine with it if it were Talos's body, but then remembers he's in it now. He flipflops on it again saying it's also a mental issue and not a body issue, crying to himself trying to come up with something.

 

Anyways, you both start floating up to the exit. You comment that everyone seemed happy, thank Hephaestus for the best summer, or tell Otohime you'll see her again. A and B has Hephaestus say that if you're happy, that's all that matters. He also asks you to save any compliments for later since he still has things to do. But once that's over he asks you to pat his head a lot.

 

Yamasachi smiles as he watches you guys before it occurs to him he's not floating with you guys and asks Hephaestus to explain as he freaks out. Hephaestus realizes he forgot that Yamasachi didn't come in through the virtual machine like everyone else, so you either call out to Yamasachi, tell him to grab your arm, or freak out and wonder what to do. Yamasachi focuses himself saying he can't give up, then asks you to not get mad if your swimsuit gets pulled down as he activates his sword and turns it into fish hooks. The next moment you wake up in a start in your room, back in your real everyday world and not the virtual world or the Dragon Palace. And in the distance, you see one of the Pillars of Light flash brightly for a second. To be continued in the epilogue.

 

Virtual Summer Memory Episode 5 Part 1

Otohime starts up a narrative flashback as she addresses Yamasachi from whenever he first turned up. She welcomes him as she calls him pitiable, then talks about how he made it to the Dragon Palace while looking for the lost fish hook. She comments that he must have been traveling for a long time, then asks him to stay and relax as long as he likes until he finds the fish hook. No matter how long it is, he can stay as much as he pleases. Otohime promises that the Dragon Palace won't kick him out, and if she sees the fish hook she'll inform him.

 

Otohime repeats her request to Yamasachi to stay as long as he wishes it, saying he doesn't need to remember his painful memories. No one there will censure him, and he can stay until his mental damage is healed. Otohime insists it's not a despicable act when compared to being crushed by endless pain. She offers to provide a show by dancing in the hopes that he can forget his pain while doing so, and then she sighs Yamasachi's name one more time.

 

Title card pops up, and this chapter is called Otohime Overdrive.

 

Back to the present, Yamasachi talks about how beautiful that dance was from back then, then mentions that his memories between then and meeting you guys is hazy. He asks Otohime to tell him what happened in that period. Otohime suggests that the bugs' effects may have made his memory connections fuzzy and that might remember soon. That said, she still obliges and tells Yamasachi he stayed at the Dragon Palace for a long time. Also, his memories are inside a small box she pulls out of her robes. You recognize it and start to ask if it's the same box you found at the beach.

 

Charles says it's the same as the black box you found earlier and that it's the thing they're looking for. Algernon chimes in that it's made of Dark Matter, a material that stores information, then says that the box is a black box in the other sense too. You express surprise at what they said about looking for that box and wonder what's up. Algernon explains that after that box was discovered, they got a secret request to "clean" and "retrieve" it. They never expected to go through a virtual world and connect to another world though.

 

Otohime explains that it's an external memory storage device and a mimicry of the Tamatebako. She initially calls it a jewel box meant to seal away memories of sadness before deciding to refer to it as a soul box instead. Otohime then tells Yamasachi that his current self is his own sad memories that were sealed inside that box. Those memories/information were the ones she cut out and put away herself when he came to the Dragon Palace. As the admin of the place she cannot allow any of the memories entrusted to her to leave as Yamasachi did not wish for it. You either express shock at Yamasachi being a memory and ask for an explanation or nod as you come to a realization.

 

Otohime decides to talk about a certain case she had, a failure that she regrets the most. But first she decides to lead into it by talking about how memories of sorrow torment the hearts of people and how hard they are to remove. Even if you pretend they don't exist the world and the people around believe it to be attached to that person. That's why this place cut off from the world exists, to shelter you from those memories. The memories that are removed are then stored inside the box. But just as she mentioned earlier, even if someone wants to abandon the memories, they are that person themselves. As such, when that person left they were given a tamatebako. Since the contents were memories they wanted to forget, Otohime made sure to tell them one thing when she gave them the box: "never open it."

 

Hephaestus opens his comm link again and says he found a similar children's story like that in Tokyo, asking if you've heard of Urashima Taro. He proceeds to explain the story to you about how a man named Urashima Taro saved a turtle from some violent children, who thanked him by taking him to the Dragon Palace where Otohime welcomed him. After the end of a long long banquent, she gave him a box as a souvenir on his way back. But when Urashima Taro returned to land, countless time had passed, and his family and friends were no longer around. In his grief and despair, he opened the box he was told not to open. When he did smoke arose from the box, aging him to death. You comment on how no one he knew was left around and/or comment on it being the story of a bad ending.

 

Otohime comments on how the story was passed down like that, then says that's the failure incident she's talking about. She supposes everyone who heard the story would think the same thing: why would you give him something so dangerous? Otohime then says that Urashima Taro Stayed Too Long, and even with the regrets he wanted to leave behind there were countless regrets within him. Perhaps when he got back to land and regained his memories, the reintegration caused his body to age. That incident was not one where words could have controlled things, so the Dragon Palace set up the return of the boxes to be voluntary. Forgetting what you want to forget is happiness, and if the goal is to have the most happiness, then people will believe that to be the correct course of actions. Due to that, the boxes nobody were stored in the Dragon Palace indefinitely. Otohime then turns to Yamasachi and tells him that when he left, he didn't want his box. She's just confirmed that his Black Box leaked out of the storage area and caused a distortion of spacetime. It was when one of the external memory drives was used as an intermediary to illegally connect to the Dragon Palace.

 

Hephaestus goes oh as he figures his connection using the black box caused the connection, and Otohime continues by saying the connection caused a lot of boxes to open up in the virtual world. She performed in front of a lot of visitors, and she says a lot of memories of children's stories should have been leaked. She's sure that was when Yamasachi's memories were broken out too.

 

Otohime walks over to Yamasachi holding a box, saying she'll put him away again. All other boxes have been recovered after the debugging, and Yamasachi is the only one left. Yamasachi doesn't come up with much in response, and Otohime declares she'll also eject the rest of you since you caused things to happen to begin with. The party is surprised at this, as are you. Otohime addresses you and asks you to hand over Yamasachi (re: that memory), or else she'll use her authority to boot you out by force. She asks you to not resist, as otherwise something might go wrong with the memories like irreversible compression. You ask her what would happen if you did as she said or if you refused to go along.

 

Otohime says she has to eject you all to guarantee the safety of the Dragon Palace. She does try to assure you by saying it won't hurt or be frightening. Even if you did come here illegally, you're still guests who came to visit. She'll just have you guys forget about everything related to the bugs that shouldn't have happened. You ask if she's telling you to forget about Yamasachi, your meeting with her, and everything else.

 

Otohime says her role is to put away pain and misery. That was what she was made to do, and she'll do as expected of her. Her face goes blank, and she takes a stance that refuses any more discussion. You either say that you can't get rid of your memories, ask if that means you'll have to fight, or plead with Otohime to stop. Otohime asks if you think of her as a cruel woman, then agrees as she says that's what Otohime Is. She is the woman at the bottom of the sea who toyed with Urashima Taro's destiny, and she is her. That is her role, and that is the raison d'etre she was created for.

 

Yamasachi speaks up for you guys saying you aren't threatening the Dragon Palace. Otohime is surprised by this, and Yamasachi says you guys came here by accident. If Otohime were to let you guys go, Yamasachi figures you'd leave without a fuss. He also says he no longer has any reason to stay, and he thanks Otohime for letting him be there. He bows deeply to her, and she looks back at him discomfited. Yamasachi pleads with Otohime asking her to let you guys leave. With the bug slimes taken care of, he argues that there's no need to shut you all out.

 

Otohime relents and says she'll do as asked in regards to you and your friends. However, she tells Yamasachi she'll still box him away since that was what the Dragon Palace was made for. You either try to protest this or ask Yamasachi if this is a deal he's trying to make. In A and B, Yamasachi says he knows what you want to say and says it's okay. In C, Yamasachi tells you he's not planning on making a deal with Otohime. He's just telling her to settle all that needs to be settled, then assures you it's okay as he understands. Either way, Otohime asks Yamasachi to come into the box, but Yamasachi has one answer for her: no.

 

Otohime is surprised, and Yamasachi says he has something he needs to do, so he can't let himself be holed up here. Otohime asks if he's talking about finding his brother's fish hook and returning it to him. Yamasachi says she's wrong and that he's finally remembered. A moment later he takes it back and says it's more that he had been looking away from something. He wonders what expression Umisachi had on his face when he was looking at him back then.

 

Yamasachi starts talking about when he was younger, when the world consisted of nothing but mountains and oceans. He was a man of the mountains while his brother was a man of the sea. Next to them was a brilliant ideal, and Yamasachi admits that the ocean was his ideal. He thought it was natural to chase after his brother and one day become him.

 

Umisachi then told him to do something Yamasachi shouldn't be able to do with his own power: "go find my fish hook lost at sea." Yamasachi says he remembers what he said, but he never remembered what expression he was making back then. He was his only brother, and in his world he and his brother were the only ones in it. No one ever told Yamasachi to expand his world and do more than filling his head with everything his brother said. Yamasachi then says that at that incident, Umisachi was rejecting him, afraid of him trying to be like himself so he sent him away. Yamasachi figures that might be why he was sent on a snipe hunt.

 

Otohime doesn't have a response to what’s been said, and Yamasachi says he was an idiot to not have noticed how much he was wearing his brother down. Anyone would be afraid being harried like that. Yamasachi says he wants to leave while carrying these memories on. He doesn't want to be like he was then, like he was stuck in a small box. Once he met you guys, he learned there are all sorts of people and a whole wide world out there. And also, he doesn't want to just be the little brother who chases down his brother; he wants to be the brother his brother chases after too. He wants to be thought of as important by his brother and swears to become that way. His brother told him to take responsibility, so this is how he'll do it.

 

The party nods, and Otohime takes note of everyone's determination. You call out Yamasachi's name and/or say you guys will get out of here. Otohime says she understands, and if that's what you guys want there's only one thing left to do. Otohime declares the switching of the security system to anti-illegal connection mode and loading up the defense program. She also declares the removal of the self-preservation limits on her name as the admin program. Charles is shocked by this and tries to ask what she just said, and Otohime's servants pop in to surround the party. Otohime tells you that to stop the security system you'll have to stop her too. If you have the power to overcome sadness, then she challenges you to show it to her. Otherwise she'll take the appropriate steps against you. You either try to talk Otohime out of this, ask Yamasachi if he's ready, or tell everyone to get ready. A gets an extra line where Otohime nods and shows a strong dignified front.

 

Anyways, Shennong sighs as he says he never thought you were this much of a troublemaker, but he promises to look after you all the way through to the end. Charles agrees that you're a handful for a newbie and that your training is going to take some effort. Algernon giggles to himself about how it's unusual for him to sound so happy while complaining about something, then says he'll record it in his logs. Tiger Man calls this the biggest situation against you guys and the biggest stage, so it's time to move some hearts.

 

Yamasachi says he's run away and rested enough, so now it's time for him to work just as hard. Hephaestus says he's not sure how far things can go without Talos's support, but tells you things are the same as ever. He tells you to gather enough joy energy to overload the Dragon Palace's receptors. With that much energy, the control program shouldn't be able to hold up against it. Otohime asks if you guys are challenging her to a dance off, saying she'll take you up on that if you want. She asks you guys to keep up with her until the end, and Tiger Man takes note of her expression and realizes something. Otohime asks you all to see the beauty that cannot be captured that is her dance as the episode battle begins. More story happens afterwards.

 

After the battle, Yamasachi narrates about remembering the time he came to the Dragon Palace. He says he was in pain, but was he the only one suffering? He and his brother were like mirror images of each other, yet all he focused on was his own embarrassment. He was always proud of his brother, but it hurt how he and his brother could do different things. Yamasachi was always focused on himself, but he wonders if the same went for his brother. Someone who's always next to you will bring out your shame. There are things you can't bear with precisely because they're close by.

 

Yamasachi says he loves his brother and wanted to be him. He wanted what Umisachi had, and always wanted to listen to what he had to say. He wanted to be able to do anything like the brother he was so proud of. But how did Umisachi see all this? He must have been afraid of Yamasachi for wanting everything he had. He must have feared him for trying to replace him, didn't he? Maybe that was why he sent him to look for something he could never find. Maybe that was why he chose not to accept the sword that Yamasachi valued over his own life. Maybe he was trying to say Yamasachi's things belong to him while Umisachi's things belonged to himself. If Yamasachi did find the hook and come back, there was only one way things could have gone. Yamasachi apologizes for being incompetent and says Umisachi must have always known. If things had stayed as they were, the two of them would have one day started to hate each other and kill each other.

 

Yamasachi starts talking about how according to the beliefs of Takamagahara, there's a history of the siblings who sit at the top deposing one another. Takamagahara is a world that teaches that the Absolute at the top has become the sun and shines upon everyone else. But in the world, there is only room for one Absolute. If a world were to have two suns, they would probably clash until one is sunk. Yamasachi then starts talking about how he loved his brother and how he drove him to a corner. He always thought himself the victim, but he was also at times the aggressor. Maybe it would have been better if they were like the sun and moon, chasing after each other...

 

Back to the present, Otohime compliments you all for doing well, dancing like so to dodge such powerful attacks. But as much as she recognizes what you've done, the system isn't so flexible. Charles exclaims about how the servants just keep coming even with how many have been shut down, and Tiger Man tells you something is coming when he realizes something's changed with Otohime. Otohime starts announcing the rising of the miracle level and the deployment of the omni-type defense measures. She also raises the output of the security system as she switches over to Dancer Mode.

 

As the merfolk mobs transform into trooper mobs, the system starts blaring a warning about how its limits have been pushed past 200%. Otohime uses her authority to override the warning, saying she'll permit all risks of damage to the place and continues with what she's doing. Shennong is shocked as he hears this, and the Dragon Palace starts rumbling. When it starts pulling a laser light show you are baffled by this and say there are limits to how crazy things can get.

 

Hephaestus warns you that it's not just a laser light show as the lights are actually tracking lasers. If the lasers actually catch you then you'll be hit with an unavoidable attack, so he tells you all not to get caught by them. Tiger Man is surprised as he compares the lasers to a net mesh, then apparently gets blasted. Otohime talks about how she is both the Dragon Palace's dancer as well as its weapon. She moves on to put you guys away as she announces the extraction of the memory compression protocol, activating her NP as she opens the box. Multiple boxes materialize around Otohime and open all at once, and each of them fires their attack programs in a bullet hell on the party.

 

Hephaestus is horrified that the party is losing, but his processing speed is slower than Otohime's so he won't be able to support in time. The virtual machine is also pushing its processing limits, and if it breaks then everyone's minds will be stuck inside forever. Hephaestus starts freaking out as he calls out to you when Talos projects himself to start talking to him, saying he can't give up. There's still an option available because of the fact that 'Talos' is 'Hephaestus.' Hephaestus doesn't understand at first and wonders if his AI got wrecked too. Talos says his avatar is still over there existing as Hephaestus, and Hephaestus starts to understand. He has his reservations against the idea though, but Talos asks him to save you as he is the only one who can. If it's them, then they can pull this off, and he asks Hephaestus to come create the Ideal Summer together with you as the episode half ends.

 

Virtual Summer Memory Episode 4 Part 2

Narration starts talking about how the word lucha means war in Tiger Man's home world. Once, El Dorado was a world that was only populated by a giant being known as Cipactli. Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoalt who were both born to be suns fought Cipactli with all their strength, and upon winning created the world. As such, everyone believed the world started with lucha, and that war can bring about positive things. Because of that, Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl continued to have an endless war even after that. But eventually the time came for the cycle thought to be endless to change. The noble Tezcatlopoca's brother cut all traces of himself from the earth and disappeared from the world. Despite that Tezcatlipoca continued to shine upon the world as the sun. That sun shined like a star upon the living even after it was alone.

 

Tiger Man takes over narration, comparing his adoration for Tezcatlipoca to the way a child would admire a luchador and saying Tezcatlipoca was always be his superstar. He also thought that if he were Quetzalcoatl, he'd never leave him alone. He'd never leave behind someone who was always looking at him. The pain he felt in his chest that day is still with him even now. Tiger Man wanted to reach the same heights as Tezcatlipoca at least, even if he doesn't enter Tezcatlipoca's field of vision. He also knows what would happen if he reached that height even though he wasn't born to be a sun. Just like the one from some other world who went up with wings of wax to perform an act above their place in life, crashing down is the most he can probably do. If he ever gets up there, it'll probably be only once. If he can stand next to him for even a moment, then he wouldn't mind whatever he'd need to offer up to make it there.

 

Back to the present situation, we tune in to Claude laughing his head off while Talos says that Claude is possessed by the bug slime this time and is confused that the cube is already getting a joy reaction. You say Claude seems happy to be where a lot of strong people are, that Claude is like that, and/or wonder if things will be easy this time.

 

The party is taken aback by what's happening and start showing it, and Nomad sighs about how things are going after all. He says he had a feeling things would turn out this way and complains that even his virtual summers end up like this. Macan talks to Claude saying he gets that things are going as usual but points out that fighting is prohibited here. Their bodies get stopped if they try to kick away the slimes too, which Macan also reminds Claude of.

 

Snow says his failure to protect Claude earlier is his biggest disgrace, but if it would make it up to him then he'll put up with any sort of humiliation. He then asks Claude to do as he pleases before correcting to Kaguya. Claude says they made a good speech as he refers to Snow as Grandpa Bamboo Cutter and turns to the Berserkers (re: bridegroom candidates). He tells them to fight for his desires and seek to be the strongest. Bug slimes possess the Berserkers, and Yamasachi is surprised to see them attack like normal, though he brings up that Zaou did the same thing. Talos notes that the Berserkers have the slimes put on their attacking parts and supposes that prevents the system from recognizing that they're attacking. You complain that you guys can't attack back while they can do so with impunity.

 

Algernon asks Charles what they'll do since there's a Utopia modified person on the other side, even if they're an older model. Algernon doubts things will go the same as before and guesses they'll be overtaken if they don't use time travel. Charles decides they should keep watch since the flow of time in the Dragon Palace is Not Normal. Using time travel should be a last resort, but then Charles is taken by surprise by how quickly the Berserkers are attacking. Yamasachi is also freaking out about the attacks, and you are alarmed at how quickly you guys are getting beat back and note there isn't any time to dance.

 

After a while laughing starts filling the area, and Yamasachi asks whose voice it is. The voice asks if you can't attack and if restraints or relationships of that level are enough to make you give up. If you really are his brother he says you'd smirk and fire back with a harsh counter. A dark shadow jumps down, and Tezcatlipoca loudly makes his dramatic entrance. After he lands he continues on with his speech as he asks if that's right, calling you his friend and brother, the freest person in the world. Tezcatlipoca has also brought his personal cheer squad along, and you are surprised to see him and his elite guards.

 

Tiger Man is also shocked to see Tezcatlipoca there and asks why. You decide to ask why everyone jumped down or call his outfit self-satisfactory. In A, Tezcatlipoca talks about how smoke climbs high on the battlefield and says you should understand that. Even if that goes above the guard rails, he says you should know of the excitement within yourself when you look on down from up high. In B, Tezcatlipoca asks if you're surprised, and if you are he wins. He also tells you he's carrying around some fireworks, then asks if you think sparks reminiscent of wartime fires, the way fireworks quickly fade away, and the heavy lingering smoke afterwards make the best spectacles.

 

Anyways Tiger Man repeats his question about how Tezcatlipoca can be anywhere outside of the military prison and asks about his body. Tezcatlipoca laughs it off as a stupid question and says that while he gave up his whole body for war, it's a nonissue in the virtual world. Tiger Man says he understands, but Tezcatlipoca adds that since it is a virtual body he can't fight back against the bug slimes as he looks at them and at the armor the party is wearing.

 

Tezcatlipoca laments that he finally has a chance to spend time with you yet is unable to fight with you. But thankfully for him he has a stand-in as he refers to Tiger Man. He starts calling him a part of himself, one of the mirrors that reflect him. He permits him to fight on this battlefield and tells him to offer all that he has in front of his eyes. Tiger Man is pleased and honored by the order, swearing to show off his greatest self. You are shocked by the sudden intense pressure, comment that they're in high spirits as always, or be confused and question what Tezcatlipoca meant by offering everything.

 

Shennong calls out to Tiger Man and tells him to stop pushing himself. Tiger Man only smiles back apologetically, and you try to ask him what he intends to do. Tiger Man answers that he'll use all his power, then points out that the more important issue is that the Berserkers are attacking. Snow, Macan, and Nomad roar, and you ask if Tiger Man can dance since his main thing is lucha libre. Tiger Man says he can handle it as he puts his hands on the ground and starts spinning his legs. Hephaestus is surprised at the force at which energy is gathering, then asks what kind of dance he's doing.

 

Tezcatlipoca starts asking if you've heard of a certain story. It's the story of a people who were enslaved, who trained in fighting that they passed off as dancing to deceive their overseers while stuck with hand restraints so that they could win their freedom back. That fighting style is capoeira, which Tezcatlipoca describes as art drawn by the body as you put your fighting spirit in music. Tiger Man agrees and says you shouldn't get close to him if you don't want to get kicked. He also addresses the Berserkers and says he learned it from one of them who was good at showing themselves off with grace.

 

Snow says he understands as he talks about a martial art being insistently passed off as dancing. He then asks what Claude thinks. Claude says he thinks it's fascinating, then urges you guys to show it to him. You are glad that the dance has been declares safe and say it's time to start the dance battle, or you can wonder where Li Chou went off to. If you pick C there's an extra bit where Li freaks out about tigers all around including himself and how a jaguar just jumped down from nowhere, then throws out some expressions for how deep in danger he's in. Shennong notes that he's panicking and won't be able to hear you guys.

 

Anyways Macan asks Claude if it's okay that you guys are stealing the mood. Claude answers that he'll be happy if he can see a battle between the strong. He then orders Snow to commentate in detail on the dance. Snow is taken aback at how crazy the order is, but he admits that crazy requests is what Kaguya is all about. He apologizes for losing his composure, puts on his suit in a flash, then says he'll get right on it. Tezcatlipoca tells Tiger Man to give him the heights of his joy, and Tiger Man says he'll give his all. A bunch of wrestler mobs cheer for Tiger Man, who thanks them for that and tells them to be charmed by his moves as he starts dancing and holding the pain from that day within, and the episode battle starts. More story after that.

 

After the battle, the story picks up midway and describes how speakers that have suddenly shown up at some point are blasting out some heavy bass loud enough to shake bodies. Everyone fighting is clashing together, body against body. The art of music created by culture mixes in with wildness and fighting spirit, with the rhythm and melody becoming restraints as dancing sublimates into the chaotic fighting. Claude laughs as he tells the Berserkers to keep fighting. Li Chou screams about trying harder before getting punted into the sky and exploding like fireworks.

 

Snow commentates about Li Chou being brought down fast, getting kicked out of the battle area, and exploding into fireworks. He turns his attention to Nomad, Macan, and Tiger Man fighting it out, and you observe that Tiger Man is eating attacks left and right and wonder if he's doing so deliberately. Yamasachi also asks about that as he says he can see his every movement, and he says Tiger Man should be good enough to avoid all those attacks.

 

Tezcatlipoca laughs that lucha libre is pro wrestling, so you have to tank attacks to make things exciting. A one-sided fight is boring, and war is where both sides are hurt. Yamasachi is baffled by what he's talking about, so Tezcatlipoca says he's being straightforward. Finishing things with flashy moves and displaying one's strength makes people feel great doesn't it? That does make you easy to read though. Tezcatlipoca says that the desire for strength is the true restraint against victory, and the one that is more free is the one that wins in war. Those who offer up more and let go of more are the winners in a free for all battle.

 

Macan and Nomad rush in for the finishing touch, and there is nowhere for Tiger Man to escape to. Both are stopped as rubber threads wrap around them, like the ropes of the ring or the threads of a spider web. That would be the Olmeca artifact Tiger Man received as a replacement for the heart he gave to Tezcatlipoca. Tiger Man says he's done with the set up, so now it's his turn to attack. Nomad and Macan are surprised, and Tiger Man counts off for his move. The rubber shoots out pulling the pair like beanbags. Tiger Man laughs saying his sun is watching him, so he'll keep on going higher. He shoots out even more strands of rubber, aiming for the sky with a look of joy on his face.

 

Shennong calls out to Tiger Man and tells him to stop since his heart won't be able to take it. You react in alarm to that, and Shennong tells you Tiger Man gave up his heart a long time ago. The rubber he uses is his replacement heart. If he keeps spreading the rubber out like that the heart piece will run out, and Shennong curses the fact that Tiger Man can't hear him. Tiger Man roars, and Snow commentates on him spinning like a tornado and on how he can sort of feel how many times he has spun. He compares it to an armada's set up action, with each spin adding power to a finishing high level kick.

 

Tiger Man rises higher and higher as the commentary continues, with narration comparing it to Kaguya's return to the moon. Tezcatlipoca talks about how Tiger Man knows that the moment of reaching the heights of his ecstasy is the moment he offers up all that he has left. The wish he clings to no longer exists on the ground, so he may be happy to let go of his heart and life. You call out to Tiger Man and grip your sword, and suddenly it glows. You either ask what the light is or jump up to where Tiger Man is. Tezcatlipoca is surprised by this as he starts to say this is Quetzalcoatl's power before laughing.

 

Up above, Tiger Man says it's just a bit more before he reaches the same height as the sun. If he keeps going, his chest will probably tear apart. He's fine with that though as he thinks of giving up everything and reaching the same heights as that person. He bears through the pain running in his chest as he smiles as if being released from everything. Just as he's about to use up the last of the rubber inside himself, he's surprised to be bathed in light from the ground. That is the light of the second sun that once left Tezcatlipoca behind, and as he turns around to look at the light it's not another sun he sees. It's you, calling out to him and asking him to come back as you call him a super star.

 

Tiger Man gets depressed and calls you terrible. What he sees is the same bright eyes as he had once. He knows that look directed at him, a passionate gaze mixed with pain. It's the same look Tezcatlipoca had when Quetzalcoatl left him that day, and the feeling he had in his own heart when he looked up at Tezcatlipoca then. Tiger Man says he wouldn't leave behind anyone who looks at him like that since that's what he swore to himself, or rather to Tezcatlipoca. Even if he can give anything up, he can't betray his sun. He smiles as he takes your hand.

 

Tezcatlipoca starts laughing about Tiger Man, and you two return to earth as if pulled down by invisible strings. But on Tiger Man's face was a completely different sort of joy. He greets you saying that he's back, landing with a handstand as he smiles at you. Talos declares that the energy cube has hit critical mass, so he fires off the vaccine program. The distorted space fades away into a bright light, and Tiger Man falls over spread eagled. You ask if he's satisfied, say he had you so worried, or hug him.

 

In A, Tiger Man plays coy for a second and says that if a fan smiles at him, then there's no greater victory than that as a luchador. He then asks if he looked bright out there. In B, Tiger Man apologizes and says he didn't intend on making you feel that way. He gets depressed as he mentions having decided to not make a fan cry. In C, Tiger Man is surprised by this, but after a moment he comments on how passionate it is and says he'll repay the favor.

 

Tezcatlipoca says he saw everything in the battle. Tiger Man apologizes to him for not being able to do what he can, but Tezcatlipoca laughs it off and says the battle was the best, which surprises him. Tezcatlipoca describes how he saw Tiger Man pushing himself in a way that'd make him leave the world, and then you came in to stop him. What would this feeling be if not pleasure? He then compliments Tiger Man for showing him the thing he wanted to see the most, which Tiger Man accepts, moved to tears by it.

 

Nomad sighs about how Tezcatlipoca dropped in, made a big pretentious speech, then left without caring what anyone else thought. Li Chou pops up and asks where he is and wonders if he's in the Buddhist Pure Land (but isn't he a Taoist?). Shennong assures him he's not dead and sighs about how reckless Tiger Man was. Snow asks Claude if he's come to and how he feels. Claude says he saw some really passionate things this summer, so he's feeling very refreshed. While a bunch of things may have happened his wish came true, and he remembers this as a good summer memory.

 

Hephaestus pops back in as Claude's comment gives him a eureka moment and he asks if wishes are what all the bug slimes are. Algernon asks what's going on and if Hephaestus has realized something. Hephaestus brings Shirou up and how he wanted to do summer ghost stories, which combined with the funayurei. Zaou gets brought up about his wish to climb an undersea mountain and the story of Momotaro. And now Claude's 'summer wish' of a honeymoon got combined with the story of Kaguya. Hephaestus says that in each bugged out area, someone's summer wish got combined with a fairy tale. The reason these combinations happened was because Hephaestus overlooked his own summer wish, which was to go back to the time he was with his mother. He then realizes that the Dragon Palace used stories meant to grant wishes. You ask about Hephaestus's wish but remember what this sea was originally.

 

Hephaestus reminds you that this virtual beach was originally a recreation of his mother's sea he lived at when he was young. And while he says it's a recreation there are a lot of details he hasn't accepted, but his feelings behind creating it haven't changed. The pain from parting with his mother is the cause driving all his actions up to this point. He wanted to see that ocean again, and making it was his wish. Hephaestus is certain that his wish to go back to his childhood is the reason the bugs acted up and caused them to tie themselves to children's faith/fairy tales. He then admits this means he's partly responsible for why things have turned out the way they did.

 

Talos tells Hephaestus that he believes that might be a kind of negative distortion of things. He starts suggesting that if the Dragon Palace were not connected to this, things might not have become a problem. Hephaestus angrily cuts him off and insists his desire is what put you in all this danger, and he begs your forgiveness as he calls himself a bad son. You tell him he's not at fault, say you're having a lot of fun, or say he's such a handful.

 

Hephaestus is moved by your response, and Charles comments that it's important to separate ill will from accidental happenings just like sorting trash. Even if he deviated from normal behavior, Charles supposes Hephaestus held no malice. It'd be one thing if Hephaestus meant to make you all suffer, but otherwise Charles can't blame him. He says to leave things like that, or else he'll be just as guilty. Shennong agrees saying he's been enjoying himself, so it's hard for him to complain. What's happened has happened, so the most constructive thing to do is to minimize the damage. He'll help too of course since he's already on this boat.

 

Tiger Man says he's glad he was invited over, so he'll help solve things. He also has to do it for his fans as he turns to you. Yamasachi says he wasn't invited in like everyone else, but he's glad he met you all by chance. He had always been thinking of nothing but the fish hook and his brother by himself, and he mentions he felt driven to the idea he'd had to give his life to be forgiven. You call out his name, look at him sadly, or look at him with a serious expression. Yamasachi asks you to stop looking at him like that as he says he's stopped thinking that way. Now that you're friends he doesn't want to depress you.

 

Yamasachi changes the subject and asks if all the slimes are cleared out. If they are, he figures the Dragon Palace should go back to normal, but he's then interrupted by a pain in his chest and says he feels like he's remembering something. Otohime starts making an announcement about the security system being back to normal and says she sees an improper connection from the outside. In order to defend the data stored inside the castle she declares an attack on the illegally connected users.

 

Talos alerts Hephaestus about getting a notice of removal from the Dragon Palace and says they need to go. After a moment, you try to ask what happened and talk to Hephaestus. Hephaestus is shocked by what Talos did as the flash of light has blasted Talos to his knees, rendering him immobile. Hephaestus says an electric attack was aimed at him, which Talos dealt with by interrupting his account. Talos's damage is affecting his ability to speak, and he says that as he is Hephaestus he should take any attacks directed at him. He says to not worry since his virtual body link getting cut off is all that's happened. Hephaestus says he's being dumb and burned his body control circuits in trying to protect him, making a mess of his ideal self. Talos says that's what he'd do as Hephaestus and asks if he's right. You express concern for him and ask Otohime why she's doing this.

 

Otohime pops in and answers that that is her raison d'etre and role. She walks in with a resolute air and looks at you, her expression unchanging. She explains that the Dragon Palace holds memories from the many people who came to visit, and as the administrator she was designed to protect all of them and their stability. She couldn't stand up against the threat while the security system was down, but now that it's back up she can go back to her original purpose. Otohime then talks about confirming the randomization of access routes and comments something about how things could have been if she managed to put things away earlier. You ask Otohime about her original purpose and remember she mentioned something earlier about protecting data.

 

Otohime explains that the Dragon Palace was made to put away the memories of suffering from the visitors who come from the surface. It's Otohime's job to make sure the memories don't leak out again after being stored there. And once that pain is forgotten, Otohime refuses to accept any actions that would take away that peace. She turns to Yamasachi and says his wish can be granted, and her wish is to put an end to his suffering. However, he ended up remembering.

 

Yamasachi is surprised by this and tries to ask Otohime for further details, but in the back of his mind, a memory starts becoming clearer. Otohime apologizes for what she's about to tell him, then informs him he's already been put away as that was what he wanted long ago. Yamasachi tries to deny this and points out that he's still around. Images of other areas flash by as Yamasachi says he's always been looking for his brother's fish hook, then remembers that at some point along the way he heard a rumor of a place at the bottom of the ocean where he could forget his misery. He remembers it was about the Dragon Palace, and that he managed to get here after some struggle. Yamasachi remembers that there is no longer any trace of himself worth devoting to his brother. A sharp pain runs through his chest as his suffering is revived, and so the episode ends.

 

 

Virtual Summer Memory Episode 4 Part 1

Things begin with a flashback as Umisachi tells Yamasachi about being unable to accept the fish hooks he made from his sword since the original fish hook was irreplaceable. It's all a retread of a previous conversation, so we'll skip a few lines to the part where Yamasachi takes over narration and says he'll go search for the fish hook if that will make things up with him. He'll do it if it'll get him forgiveness and approval. He'll look for that tiny ass fish hook in the great big sea, even if he thinks it's a totally a fool's errand. Still, if that's what his brother wants, that's what he'll do...so he begs Umisachi to look at him.

 

Yamasachi wakes back up at the Dragon Palace and looks around, then comments that he was dreaming of his brother again and wonders when he fell asleep. Talos tells Yamasachi that he seemed tired, so everyone else decided to take a break too. You comment that he was sound asleep and looked really tired, or you comment on how loud his snores were. In A and B, Yamasachi figures too much happened in a short time which tired out his brain. Whenever he's on the mountains he tends to talk to himself a lot, so it's been a while since he talked with a lot of people like this. He's having trouble wrapping his head around having a dream within a dream though. In C, Yamasachi laughs as he says he always has to be on his toes in the mountains, so he goes out like a light when he goes to bed. He then asks if he was too loud that he made it hard for you to rest, in which case he apologizes.

 

Either way, Yamasachi asks how you guys are doing on time since it looks like it's evening now. Talos answers that in a virtual space, or rather a dream world, time doesn't really flow. Talos supposes Dragon Palace looking like it's evening now is just set dressing. It would be a problem if you guys stayed there for too long of course, but Hephaestus says you guys need to rest anyways.

 

Tiger Man talks about it being a long time since he had such a relaxing siesta, commenting that the location is great. But on that note he has an awkward question for Yamasachi. He tells him that he seemed to be having a nightmare and saying brother a lot in his sleep, so Tiger Man asks if the dream was that bad. Yamasachi says it wasn't a nightmare so much as just a memory of the time he told him to take responsibility for his actions. He looks at his sword and gently brushes the handle, so you ask him about the sword, ask if it's his artifact, and bring up that it turned into fish hooks earlier.

 

Yamasachi explains that his artifact has the power to gather the bounty of the mountains in large amounts. As a hunter it's more important to him than anything else. Algernon thinks on this and comments that he understands, talking about how Yamasachi had used it earlier on the millet dumplings. You think about the artifact being a hunting sword for getting lots of food, then ask why it can turn into fishing hooks.

 

Yamasachi tells you guys he had his sword melted down and remade into fishing hooks. He's not sure about the details, but when it's in his hands it can function as both a sword and as fish hooks. He doesn't remember where he heard it anymore but he was told long ago to treasure it, so that's what he's been doing. To him it's as important as his life, and he thought it would be enough to be a replacement for his brother's hook. You're a little surprised he'd melt his sword down for that or ask if he thinks that much of his brother.

 

Algernon pipes up to talk about how in a certain world's old language, hunting tools were called sachi (something like helpful wisdom). He also points out that Yamasachi's artifact can bring forth fortune/a good harvest (which is another word pronounced sachi), then says language is interesting. But back to the subject of the weapon, Algernon talks about hearing that it's also called the proof of being a hunter. He's starts to talk about what it means to give it up when Yamasachi finishes the sentence and confirms he was planning on quitting being a hunter. He was prepared to do that much, whatever his brother told him to do. You ask if his brother refused to take it, ask if he refused to accept anything besides his fish hook, or exclaim how heavy his feelings to his brother are.

 

Yamasachi moans about knowing how nigh impossible it is to find a fish hook dropped into the sea. But since his brother told him to do it, Yamasachi swears to do it. He insists his brother can't be wrong, absolutely can't. You either comment that he really loves his brother or express doubts about that idea. Either way Tiger Man tells Yamasachi he understands, which Yamasachi is confused and a little taken aback by. Tiger Man elaborates that he has someone that he thinks of in the same way, someone he wants to get closer to and admires. He gets that feeling so much that his chest hurts at it, and you are either surprised he has someone like that or know who he's talking about. Either way, Tiger Man says he's talking about Tezcatlipoca.

 

Speaking of whom, Tezcatlipoca starts cackling elsewhere about making it in and asks about the Dragon Palace being your summer retreat, even though the dialogue box won't put his name up yet. He asks you to wait for the star to arrive as he calls you his brother and friend. Camera then tunes back over to Hephaestus's side of things in his secret workshop. Talos reports in to talk about his search for the fish hook, saying that it hasn't been detected in the area he's finished mapping out. Hephaestus nods at this and says there's no need to tell Yamasachi this yet. Talos acknowledges this after a moment and says he'll keep that he was searching for it a secret too. Hephaestus thinks to himself about all the things drifting out of Tokyo Bay and about Yamasachi, who you don't know. He starts having an idea as to what's up when the scene transition cuts him off.

 

Title card pops up, and this chapter is called Claws Across the Paper Moon.

 

Camera then tunes back in at what narration describes as the innermost room of the Dragon Palace, Otohime's main control center. Otohime apologizes for how small it is but invites everyone to relax as much as they like. She explains that there's a special security system in place here compared to everywhere else. So while everyone is there, no illegal processes will happen, and Otohime asks everyone to be at ease.

 

Narration tells of how everyone you've rescued has been guided to the room by Otohime, which looks to be the center of the facility. Shirou politely thanks Otohime for letting them stay there and says it's a pretty nice room. Ryouta notes that there's still a giant dome in front of the castle and figures there must be someone in it. Li Chou and the others aren't around, and Ryouta asks if it's okay to leave things to you and the party. Ryouta admits that there's not much he could do anyways since he doesn't have your whatever armor.

 

Zaou says that at times like these, it's best not to act recklessly, and it's the same for disasters in the mountains. He understands feeling impatient, but if they go out there, mess up, and need to be helped themselves then it'd mean their priorities are backwards. And if that were to happen, then Yamasachi will get really mad. Shirou comments that Zaou is saying something that sounds like something he'd say, but then tries to back away from it and claim he said nothing.

 

Moritaka suggests leaving what's happening to you guys and is sure you guys will come back alright. Nezha is still affected by whatever happened to them and sighs in disappointment about how they thought they could break as much stuff as they wanted since this is a virtual world. Hanuman tries cheering them up by pointing out that virtual reality can have a lot of different things, so there's probably one that Nezha would like. Tsathoggua should know more, and Hanuman suggests going to ask him once you all return to reality. Otohime joins the conversation to say she heard everyone talking about the word virtual. She asks for further details on that if anyone will agree to tell her as she thinks it might help solve things. Ryouta talks to her and starts to tell Otohime about Hephaestus.

 

Scene shifts over to your side as Hephaestus sneezes, saying his nose got itchy all of a sudden. But back to the matter at hand, he notes that you guys are close to the central area and that it's covered by thick walls. It's possible those walls are also why it wasn't caught up in the sealed area up ahead. Talos tells you that based on his observational data, the next area seems to be the last of the lockdowns. Any other bugs can be identified with the vaccine program and the Dragon Palace's own debugger can deal with them.

 

Algernon comments that you guys can finally leave once this bit of clean up is done. It may be work, but Algernon talks about how things have developed before catching himself and trying to pass it all off as talking to himself. You can either ask if he's hiding something, comment that cleaning is hard work, or ask if they didn't come for your sake. In A, Charles warns you not to look to deep into his work if you don't want to be 'cleaned up' yourself. He also threatens Algernon with some special maintenance if his tongue slips again, so Algernon tries to ask for forgiveness and bring up that they're pretty much the same body and soul. In B, Algernon agrees after a moment saying things looking beautiful is thanks to their hard work. They spend their days without anyone knowing they're working to keep it that way so it'll be in people's memories. Charles says there's a limit to how insensitive you can be, but maybe that's your virture. In C, Charles decides to tell you some important things, starting with 'don't dig too deep.' The other thing is that you should know what sort of expression he's making even under his helmet, and he grumbles about you being thickheaded.

 

Anyways Yamasachi suggests heading on in to get the last job done before noticing that you guys seem bothered. He reminds you guys that things should be okay after you guys clear the last lockdown problem, then laughs that while he may not have found his fish hook he's still found something important. He'll be here helping until you guys can leave the dream. Yamasachi then tries to throw his arm around your shoulders, but he misses, so he asks if he's that obvious or something.

 

Tiger Man apologizes and says he messed up the timing, then asks him to let him have his big entrance soon too. He talks about it being time for the star to appear, and if he doesn't show you his good side he won't be able to face the sun tomorrow. Tiger Man puts his hand around your shoulder as he walks to the dome, with narration comparing it to the entrance of a sports team. You either excitedly say you guys should go, protest that you aren't mentally ready, or say you can hear his theme again. In A, Tiger Man nods as he says if even one of his fans is around then he's in the lucha libre ring. He smiles as bright as the sun as he winks at you. In B, Tiger Man marches you straight ahead while you're still panicking. In C, Talos says he's heard of entrance themes and thought it was a good place to let it happen. Shennong says it may be a good judgment, but he also feels there's something off about his considerations. And in any case, Yamasachi panics as he asks you guys to not leave him behind.

 

Tiger Man asks everyone to cheer for him as he announces his presence. The area shifts to a temple looking place, and Algernon comments on guessing there'd be a pattern of areas looking like places that shouldn't be underwater. First was on top of a ghost ship, second was the middle of a mountain, and now looks like some old eastern manor. You comment that it does have rich people vibes, wonder if it's another story, and/or wonder which story it could be.

 

Snow walks up commenting on how lively things are and greets you saying he's been waiting for you. Narration describes the front gates opening as Snow peeks out to talk to you guys. Li Chou runs up freaking out and calling you his best friend, begging you to save him from being eaten. He screams when Snow walks up to him, and Snow asks him to calm down and have some dignity since he's also a tiger while on the stage.

 

Nomad turns up next and reminds him that this is happening because Li told the boss he wanted to be a real awesome and strong tiger instead of just pretending to be strong. Macan laughs about how he's never thought about being raised to be delicious and suggests he and Li try fighting and eating each other. Li screams and says that wasn't his plan. You either point out that Li Chou is shaking like mad, say you guys jumped into the tigers' den without realizing it, or start repeating tigers to yourself. C gets an extra line from Li where asks if you're talking about an expression involving group mentality and tigers and insists it isn't funny.

 

Tiger Man comments on how the Berserkers are here and asks Talos if the bug slime is possessing them. Talos has already done the scan and answers that he detects one inside Snow. You either slowly process what that means and seem in disbelief about it, say you had guessed as much, or say you have a bad feeling about where things are going. Snow takes another look at the party before turning back and bows to the figure hidden behind a bamboo blind. Snow says all the bridegroom candidates have arrived now and asks Kaguya to appear. Claude turns up and says he's managed things well. You either agree, say you understand and comment on Claude showing up in wedding clothes, or comment about it being the story of Princess Kaguya this time.

 

Snow starts talking about how all of you here assembled from all manner of places and ages have been acknowledged by Kaguya. He tells you guys that Kaguya wants the strongest among you to take a place next to them, and the camera briefly pans over everyone's reactions. Snow then declares that Kaguya wants the strongest companion to go on a honeymoon with, commanding everyone to offer up the greatest battle. Tiger Man decides to ignore the part about Kaguya for the moment and is excited about the part about having the greatest battle for the heavens. With a challenge like that his blood is boiling, and he turns to you saying he'll show you the officially licensed lucha libre of the luchador himself as the episode part ends.