Empire of Fantasy 5

Shu: Hmph. Big words, coming from you. Your appearance and mannerisms are needlessly grandiose.

Mika: Ngah, why’d ya go an’ turn into a giant like that, Nakkun? Is it ‘cause of that VR thing you were talkin’ ‘bout?

Natsume: “Fufu. Try not to tease me too much, Valkyrie. I’m sure from your standing, you have an endless list of questions. But I’m afraid I won’t be able to answer them quickly enough.”

“Let’s return to the topic at hand. You all are now living in a virtual reality world by means of our SSVRS. Think of it as something like lucid dreaming.”

“Or maybe it would be easier for the younger generation to understand if I describe this as one of those popular isekai worlds?”

Shu: You are also part of the younger generation, you realize.

Natsume: “I am. It is our privilege and our greatest weapon that we kids can think so freely—something that our obstinate elders can’t comprehend.”

“We will stand, weapon in hand. And when the moment is ripe, we will brandish it mercilessly.”

“That which we have built up in the past must now be wielded for the sake of the future.”

—T̢h͜at is͘ wh͢a̛t Sw̨itc̀h i͝s.^[1]

Shu: Don’t act so self-important; just say what you need to say and move on.

I’ve been patient in listening to you because you are the speaker, but under normal circumstances, I’d have turned around and gone home a long time ago.

Natsume: “Oh, but where do you plan to go? ♪”

Shu: ...What?

Natsume: “All of you will be living in SHINSEKAI for the time being. During this period, you will not be able to escape this VR world—There will be no going home.”

“But I believe we’ve already explained this to everyone involved other than Valkyrie, and you’ve all agreed.”

Shu: So then, why weren’t we informed of this beforehand?

Natsume: “I knew you would complain about it even if we did tell you, and then you wouldn’t play the game—right, Nii-san?”

“We have our own circumstances, and you two are the only ones who get this special treatment, for better or worse.”

“Anyway. You will be living inside SHINSEKAI for some time.”

“Because this is a dreamland, you might find that it’s different from reality in many ways.”

“Many laws and rules you think are common sense may not apply to this world, from here on out.”

“So keep in mind: The constitution and laws of Japan do not apply here—”

Mika: Oh, oh! That’s Howling Village ♪^[2]

Shu: Why in the world are you so excited about that, Kagehira...?

Natsume: “I figured that Mika-kun would understand the reference ♪ Although I did wonder if the story of the howling village would be appropriate for Tohoku, since it’s an urban legend from Kyushu.”

Mika: But you’re fine with SHINSEKAI? That has a pretty Osaka feel to it if y’ask me.^[3]

Natsume: “There are various reasons we chose Tohoku as our control group, one being that it’s a melting pot of customs and legends.”

“Forgive me for not delving too deep into the details of this world’s setting; they are a little vague.”

“But anyway! You all will be living in this exciting VR world, SHINSEKAI, for a while, okay?”

Shu: For what purpose...?

Natsume: “Fufu, I’m sure you’ll be able to figure that out bit by bit. But don’t you think there is much more value in this compared to lazing about inside the ryokan until the Qualifying Rounds are over?”

“I hope that this way, you’ll be able to enjoy yourself while killing time.”

“In the event that you have particular questions or concerns, feel free to ask the Switch NPCs located all over SHINSEKAI.”

Mika: Y’all’re all over the world...? How’s that possible...?

Natsume: “If you experience any difficulties, please contact one of us.”

“We’ll cooperate sincerely and assist you with our full efforts. After all, we don’t want this experiment to end in a disaster.”

Shu: Hmph. Then perhaps I should destroy your little experiment in retaliation for dropping us in such a contemptible situation?

Natsume: “You would never do that, Nii-san. You’re too kind.”

“And besides. I don’t think either of you has the luxury of interfering with our plans... ♪”

Shu: ...?

Mika: Ngah? What’s goin’ on? Why’d all these people start starin’ at us?

Natsume: “I forgot to mention, but in SHINSEKAI, SSG is the law of the land.”

“You’ll need to use your SSG in order to eat, sleep, travel between towns, and much, much more.”

Shu: SSG...? SSVRS, SSL$, it all sounds the same. You can’t expect me to keep up with it all.

Natsume: “Fufu. To put it simply, SSG is a currency which circulates only within SHINSEKAI.”

“The moment all of you idols stepped foot into SHINSEKAI, all of the SSL$ you possessed was converted into SSG.”

Shu: What’s the point in changing the name of the currency? Is it not sufficient to keep using SSL$?

Natsume: “Sure, but I could take that logic even further. Is it not sufficient to use L$ in place of SSL$? And then, is it not sufficient to use Japanese yen in place of L$?”

“The fact that a different currency is used means that there is a reason to do so.”

“The right to create and enforce a currency gives one considerable power—enough to control a country or two.”

“Juuust kidding. But don’t you think I’m giving away too many hints?”

Mika: Ngah? I ain’t really followin’ too good, but we got a whole buncha money offa the winner-takes-all thing yesterday, right? So we oughta be pretty dang rich, prolly.

Natsume: “Correct. Valkyrie likely possesses the most SSG currently.”

“But here’s some important information: Here in SHINSEKAI, it is not unlawful to attack other idols and steal their SSG.”

Shu: ...Excuse me?

Natsume: “As I’ve already said: In SHINSEKAI, SSG is the law of the land.”

“Without it, you can’t do anything. And with it, you can turn your every whim into a reality.”

Shu: So you mean to say—

Natsume: “Yes. Valkyrie is both unaware of how to navigate SHINSEKAI and is carrying a massive amount of SSG around, entirely defenseless—”

“I’m sure to the other idols here, you look like delicious prey. A pig with an apple in its mouth, so to speak. An easy target who sits and waits for someone to kill it, like a liquid metal slime.”^[4]

Mika: Ngaaaaaah?! O–O–Oshi-sa—Onii-chan! All these people are comin’ at us with some crazy scary looks on their faces?!

Natsume: “Ahaha. You might want to run, if you don’t want to robbed of everything you have ♪”

Shu: Non! Just what kind of ideal world is this meant to be?! It’s no different from a society of barbarians!

jp proofing: remi
eng proofing: Rui