The Gold of the Kunie
Page 25
Akatsuki was gazing up at Shiroe through her eyelashes, as if she was waiting for him to speak.
“I’m home, Akatsuki.”
“Welcome back, my liege.”
The lost swallow had returned to the branch where it could rest its wings, the treasure it had won through protecting others safe in its breast.
Even if he’d made mistakes, her stubborn guild master had made her wish come true, and had returned.
For now, with the smiles of children showing their trophies to each other, they simply welcomed each other home.
AFTERWORD
To those I haven’t seen for a while, it’s been a while. To those I’ve never met, it’s great to meet you. This is Mamare Touno.
Hey, what was that, huh? What’s with the breezy greeting? Wasn’t it supposed to be autumn now, hmmm? (Self-administered comeback.) I’m sorry, I’m really sorry. Apologizing’s become a habit for me lately. I’m reaping what I sow, but anyway. When this book hits the shelves, the world will probably be coming up on Christmas (Nostradamus style). I’ll corrode your Christmases with what I’ve sown (Grim Reaper).
If you’re wondering why the “great to meet you” greeting is there, it’s because—yes, that’s right—the Log Horizon TV anime has started airing. By the time this book gets to you, it will probably be about halfway through. Thanks to all of you, they’ve created a very well-made anime. I’m sure there are new people watching it, too.
Thank you for picking up Log Horizon, Volume 7: The Gold of the Kunie. Due to the above, I’ll be praying that this book makes it into the hands of new readers, too. Or, no, it won’t be the power of prayer that gets it to them. It’ll be Enterbrain’s publishing and Tosho Printing’s printing and the distributor’s hard work and the bookstores dynamically doing their jobs that get it to them.
Setting that aside, let me talk about the Afterword’s Season Two heroine.
In other words, this is about my supervising editor, Ms. Fta.
Do you know about meetings between authors and editors? They discuss creation theories, sometimes fighting, sometimes acknowledging each other, and it’s terribly intense. (Reference material: Blaze Up, Pen.) Fta and I are constantly holding ferocious meetings, too.
“……”
“……”
“It’s raining, huh?”
“Yes, what a drag.”
“Did you eat already?”
“I could eat.”
“You could, hmm?”
“All right, then, let’s go.”
I was informed that deciding whether it’s time to eat, not by the amount of time that’s passed since your last meal, but by whether you could eat or not, is probably the secret of youth. Not that all we do is skip work or anything.
Come to think of it, when I quoted Fta’s comment that “women are carnivores” in the previous afterword, I got a big response.
I asked about twenty women “Do you like meat?” and all of them answered, “Yes. I like meat.”
Is that true?
Are you serious?
I got culture shock. I didn’t know women were such meat eaters. I mean, I’m not denying that there are women who like meat. Of course there are. I just didn’t think the rate was this high (100 percent, from my observations).When I asked Sister Touno—whose staple food was daikon radishes—just to be on the safe side, she said, “Meat that someone else buys for me is yummy.” I’m always treating my sister to things. She’s gotten a little sharper again.
Speaking of things Fta’s done lately, she bought a new notebook computer. A MacBook Air. It’s a splendid computer. During meetings and whenever she’s got free time, she always has her hands on it.
“Ms. Fta. When you use that computer, you look like a really skilled businesswoman.”
“Don’t I?! Don’t I just?!”
“Yes.”
Takka takka takka takka clack!! (Check that out!)
“You’re very cool.”
Takka takka takka takka clack!! (Check this out!)
“Very cool.”
That pose when she hits the Enter key and the proud look she gets when she’s done it (and then glances at me) say “businesswoman” all over. Parenthetically, I’ve never worked with women in uniforms in an office in my life, so the “businesswoman” that appears in this text is fiction. She likes meat, and she sits on a coffee cup and says “Hisssss!”
Hisssss.
And with that report on the current situation, this has been Log Horizon, Volume 7.
Friends are hard. Once you’re out in adult society, they’re really hard.
It’s tough both to make them and to keep them, and it’s hard even to admit that friends are friends. When I was in school, if I did something for someone or they did something for me, I thought of that person as a friend. I thought we needed proof, you see.
Once you’re an adult, you realize how little you can really do for your friends. You can’t take over your friends’ problems for them, and when they’re worrying about something, you can’t draw a conclusion in their place. You feel bad about your powerlessness to do those things, and so you hesitate to call them friends.
Well, Shiroe is bad at making friends, but it isn’t that he doesn’t treasure them, and I bet he’s the type who can. He’ll keep making new companions and friends, little by little, along with Naotsugu and the new character Tetora. Guys may be tiresome, but they’re simple, and if they kick up a ruckus on a raid together, they’re able to make friends with each other.
I think it’s okay to be friends even if they don’t do anything for you, and you can’t do anything for them. As other people, there was never all that much we could shoulder for them in the first place.
About all we can do is go out for dinner together and pay their check.
I can certainly treat them to meat, and I’d be glad to do it.
The items listed on the character status screens at the beginning of each chapter were collected from Twitter in August 2013. I used items from @Dateryu, @IGM_masamune, @RN_oinu, @SakamotoRiji, @ebius1, @haniwatw, @hige_mg, @hpsuke, @iron007dd22, @kane
_yon, @kuroyagi6, @makiwasabi, @makotoTRPG, @me_pon, @momon
_call, @roqku, @sig_cat, and @yamaneeeeee. Thank you very much!! I can’t list all your names here, but I’m grateful to everyone who submitted entries. I actually got submissions from overseas, too. People are supporting Log Horizon from all sorts of countries.
For details, and for the latest news, visit http://tounomamare
.com. You’ll find information about Mamare Touno that isn’t Log Horizon–related as well. There’s also information on the anime. Come to think of it, they’re putting out a TRPG, too.
Finally, Shoji Masuda, who produced this volume (and who also attended lots of anime script meetings); Kazuhiro Hara, the illustrator (Tetora’s really cute); Tsubakiya Design, who handled the design work; little Fta of the editorial department! Oha, I’m in your debt yet again! And Kosuda and Nishi from Tosho Printing, of whom I made unreasonable demands right at the end, thank you very much! I’m really sorry to have been late with my delivery.
Now all that’s left is for you to savor this book. Bon appétit!
Mamare “Dreaming of ordering a new notebook computer and practicing that ‘clack’” Touno
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
AUTHOR: MAMARE TOUNO
A STRANGE LIFE-FORM THAT INHABITS THE TOKYO BOKUTOU SHITAMACHI AREA. IT’S BEEN TOSSING HALF-BAKED TEXT INTO A CORNER OF THE INTERNET SINCE THE YEAR 2000 OR SO. IT’S A FULLY AUTOMATIC, TEXT-LOVING MACRO THAT EATS AND DISCHARGES TEXT. IT DEBUTED AT THE END OF 2010 WITH MAOYUU: MAOU YUUSHA (MAOYUU: DEMON KING AND HERO). LOG HORIZON IS A RESTRUCTURED VERSION OF A NOVEL THAT RAN ON THE WEBSITE SHOUSETSUKA NI NAROU (SO YOU WANT TO BE A NOVELIST).
WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.MAMARE.NET
SUPERVISION: SHOJI MASUDA
AS A GAME DESIGNER, HE’S WORKED ON RINDA KYU
UBU (RINDA CUBE) AND ORE NO SHIKABANE WO KOETE YUKE (STEP OVER MY DEAD BODY), AMONG OTHERS. ALSO ACTIVE AS A NOVELIST, HE’S RELEASED THE ONIGIRI NUEKO (ONI KILLER NUEKO) SERIES, THE HARUKA SERIES, JOHN & MARY: FUTARI HA SHOUKIN KASEGI (JOHN & MARY: BOUNTY HUNTERS), KIZUDARAKE NO BIINA (BEENA, COVERED IN WOUNDS), AND MORE. HIS LATEST EFFORT IS HIS FIRST CHILDREN’S BOOK, TOUMEI NO NEKO TO TOSHI UE NO IMOUTO (THE TRANSPARENT CAT AND THE OLDER LITTLE SISTER). HE HAS ALSO WRITTEN GEEMU DEZAIN NOU MASUDA SHINJI NO HASSOU TO WAZA (GAME DESIGN BRAIN: SHINJI MASUDA’S IDEAS AND TECHNIQUES).
TWITTER ACCOUNT: SHOJIMASUDA
ILLUSTRATION: KAZUHIRO HARA
AN ILLUSTRATOR WHO LIVES IN ZUSHI. ORIGINALLY A HOME GAME DEVELOPER. IN ADDITION TO ILLUSTRATING BOOKS, HE’S ALSO ACTIVE IN MANGA AND DESIGN. LATELY, HE’S BEEN HAVING FUN FLYING A BIOKITE WHEN HE GOES ON WALKS. HE’S BEEN WORKING ON THE LOG HORIZON COMICALIZATION PROJECT WITH COMIC CLEAR SINCE 2012.
WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.NINEFIVE95.COM/IG/
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