Author’s Notes
I am Kawahara Reki, and this is the final volume in year 2010, «Sword Art Online 6, Phantom Bullet».
Ever since February ’09, this series SAO and the other ‘Accel World’ series were released in alternating months, and 12 volumes were published. However, the reason why this seemingly impossible task could be completed was because «the SAO series had its original script in the first place». I thought that I just needed to edit the web publishing a little bit and that there wouldn’t be too much work.
But after reading through my original script, I found that there were parts that couldn’t be edited slightly, but modified heavily…however, volumes 1 and 2 were still «edited», 3 and 4 were «added on», 5 was more like a «rewrite»…but 6 was already «an original script» (laughs). Also, the number of pages in this volume exceeded every single previous volume…now that I can successfully (or unsuccessfully) write my afterwords, even I felt that it was a miracle. So to warn myself, I have to shout—WHY! DID! THINGS! END! UP! LIKE! THIS!
Well, I spent so much effort with unknown meaning to complete a volume, but I’m glad if this can allow me to understand my new friends through single volume releases and that my old friends who I know on the web version can feel refreshed by reading the main works. The next volume’s slate to be on Asuna who we waited for a long time. She’s the main heroine but almost didn’t have a chance to appear in volumes 5 and 6. She’ll be extremely active in the next volume, so everyone, please look forward to it! (It won’t become a rewrite, most likely…)
And then now, for the final apologies today…
I guess a few readers knew about it, but during the «Dengeki Bunko Autumn Festival 2010» which was in October at Akihabara, abec-san, who’s in charge of the illustrations, and I were supposed to be attending the autograph session. Yes…I was late! And really late! We ended up being late by 30 minutes! The reason was that my brain data was damaged and viewed the time «12:30pm» as «2:30pm»!
…It’s said that during the 4,000 year history of Dengeki Bunko, I was the first author to delay the autograph session because I was late…to the readers who registered to take part in the autograph session and waited for a long time, I really don’t know how to apologize to you…I’m really sorry, I won’t do this again. (But it feels like they won’t let me do another autograph session again!)
In the end, because of how I was late and that the late submission of the script, I caused a lot of problems to the editor Miki-san, but I would like to say to him and the illustrator abec-san that I hope to get along well with them next year. Also, I’ll wish you, who read through the entire volume, a brilliant year 2011! And I also hope that I won’t be late again!
A certain day in October 2010, Kawahara Reki
Sword Art Online - Volume 6 - Phantom Bullet Page 32
