Lost.
Miyamoto Musashi wasn't sure if she felt regret… or something else entirely. She had been wandering across countless worlds, challenging strong foes again and again in her endless pursuit of the highest realm of swordsmanship.
Victory and defeat — she'd tasted both. Even when she lost, her skill usually let her retreat unscathed.
And unlike the proud, stubborn swordsmen who believed in fighting fair, Musashi wasn't above using… creative methods. Sometimes a well-timed sweet smile was enough to distract an opponent. Her most shameful moment? Kicking up a cloud of sand to blind her enemy, then making a swift getaway.
As long as she could win, the method didn't matter.
But this time…Her Heavenly Eye couldn't find a single weakness in Muramasa Shirou. She had lost before even swinging her sword.
And it was inevitable — [Infinity] and [Emptiness], two realms of swordsmanship so fundamentally opposed, both mastered by the same man.
In pure swordsmanship alone, Musashi believed Shirou had already stepped into the domain of a true master.
She sheathed her blades and exhaled, no trace of frustration on her beautiful face. Her lips curved into a bright, unrestrained smile.
"I lost. I'll keep my promise and get you the Holy Grail. Please take care of me, Master~♪"
"Great! We won! Great! Great!" Doraemon, watching from a distance, bounced up and down in excitement.
"…?"
Shirou glanced at the Famed Blade Lightning Pill in his hand. To him, it was priceless — a key to entering the [Infinity] realm. Combined with the Origin of the Sword, it could let him truly master it in no time.
Pocketing the pill, Shirou turned to the striking, fearless woman before him and gave a small nod.
"My name is Muramasa Shirou."
"Ah, right, I haven't formally introduced myself either," Musashi said, sticking out her tongue playfully. "Let's start over~"
She cleared her throat.
"Servant Berserker, Shinmen Musashi — summoned and ready."
Doraemon waddled over, blinking in surprise.
"Shinmen Musashi? You mean the most famous swordsman in Japan?"
Musashi waved her hands in protest.
"No, no! My swordsmanship isn't worthy of the title Sword Saint. A Sword Saint stands at the absolute pinnacle of the blade. I still have a long way to go."
Doraemon patted his chest.
"Told you. Just the same name."
"Although I'm not the Musashi from this world… I am still Miyamoto Musashi."
"…" Doraemon just stared.
Shirou stepped in with a patient explanation.
"Doraemon, you know how your Time Machine can let you meet your future self? It's not exactly the same thing, but think of it like that."
Doraemon's eyes went wide.
"Wait… so you're really Miyamoto Musashi? And she's this beautiful?!"
Musashi flushed faintly at the praise and gave a warm smile.
"Please take care of me from now on, blue raccoon cat."
"I'm not a raccoon cat!"
"I know, I know — your name is Dorayoemon."
"It's Doraemon!"
"Same thing." She patted her stomach with a sigh. "Anyway, Master, can we eat? The Holy Grail might have taught me about this world, but it didn't fill my stomach or my wallet."
Doraemon crossed his arms.
"Wow, shameless. You were trying to hurt Shirou earlier."
Musashi scratched her head and bowed lightly.
"Sorry, sorry. That was just my swordsman's instinct. But… if I had to do it again, I'd probably make the same choice. A swordsman lives to challenge the strongest."
Surely a fellow swordsman would understand her path.
"No." Shirou's voice was flat.
"…?"
"Hey, don't be so petty. We're partners now! I'll give my all to help you win the Holy Grail War." Musashi's grin was utterly shameless.
To be honest, Shirou wasn't sure how to handle Musashi's overly friendly nature. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever met in either of his lives — big-sisterly in temperament, yet oddly unreliable. A little cunning, even.
But on her, those flaws just made her charm more striking. A contradictory beauty.
"Let's go," Shirou said at last. "We'll find a place to stay first."
"Oho~ is Master shy?"
They quickly discovered a problem — all three of them were illegal residents. Shirou, a time traveler using [Time Wrap] to pass as eighteen, had no legal ID. Doraemon and Musashi? Definitely not on Fuyuki City's census… or this world's.
Doraemon's pocket held hundreds of gadgets for housing, but Shirou's conditions made it tricky.
"Food and shelter are easy," Shirou said. "But it needs to be spacious… and hidden."
Doraemon rummaged.
"Travel Tent? No… Doorless Room? Too cramped… This? That? Ah, got it!"
He pulled out a small mirror.
"[In-and-Out Mirror]!"
"A mirror?" Musashi leaned in, saw her reflection, and muttered, "Wow… I'm gorgeous."
Shirou didn't recognize the item right away, but guessed its purpose from the name. Doraemon explained:
"We can use this to enter the mirror world. It's empty, but identical to our world — except everything's reversed. It meets all your requirements."
Musashi's jaw dropped.
"A whole other world?!"
Shirou looked from the mirror to Doraemon's round body and chuckled.
"Doraemon, isn't this mirror a little… small?"
His head alone could block the entire entrance.
But Doraemon was prepared. He pulled out two more gadgets:
"Magnifying Lamp. And just in case, we'll hide the entrance with the Invisibility Cloak."