[GGOV1] Afterword

And here's the final part of the quadruple update, which completes the first volume of SAOAGGO. I'll probably compile the whole translation into a full text version (and maybe make some adjustments and corrections while I'm at it) when I have free time. But don't expect anything until after Christmas, as I'll be swamped with real life worries. Thank you all who have read our translation to the end, and we hope you enjoyed it.

Italic text is Engrish (English written in katakana). Comic Sans MS font is for Japanese words written in katakana or English words written in hiragana. Full-width alphanumeric characters are for actual English words. In cases when I needed to emphasise that the word is Japanese (or when the text specifically commented about it being Japanese), I added the Japanese version as furigana.

Feel free to point out any errors, give suggestions or just talk about the story itself in the comments.

Credits

Translation: Gsimenas
Editing: Pryun

SECT.14

Index

V2 Prologue

Afterword

Good day to all nine hundred million readers in the country! I am the author, Sigsawa Keiichi.

Eeh? There aren’t that many people in Japan right now? Aren’t my calculations off, you say?

I have to point out that I am a bunkei⁽¹⁾.



Now then, I truly thank you for purchasing——

『Sword Art Online　Alternative　Gun Gale Online 1 —Squad Jam—』

The book named thus.

It loses to my latest series,

『Danshi Koukousei de Urekko Light Novel Sakka wo Shiteiru keredo, Toshishita no Classmate de Seiyuu no Onnanoko ni Kubi wo Shimerareteiru. —Ｔｉｍｅ ｔｏ Ｐｌａｙ— ⁽²⁾』

But it is still a book with a very long title. I have not decided on the official abbreviation at the present time, thus, please call it either

『Sword Art Online　Alternative　Gun Gale Online 1 —Squad Ｊ—』, or

『SAOGGO1SJ』, or,

『#竿#(Sao) #顎#(AGo) #磯#(ISo) #次#(J)』, or,

『#Squid#(Ika) Jam』, or,

『Sigsawa’s latest work that makes full use of his hobby』, as you please.

And now, let’s begin the „afterword“ of this book.

As you all know, there are no spoilers for the volume here, as per the Sigsawa family precepts. Thus, please be at ease and continue reading.

By the way, I am the first and last generation of the Sigsawa family.


Now then, this work, as the title implies, is a spinoff (note: a derivative work) of 『Sword Art Online』(SAO)

SAO is a highly popular Dengeki Bunko series that is receiving high praise and is on sale now.

It is a story that takes place in the near future, with a world where virtual games that allows one to experience all five senses and the games themselves as the stage, and focuses on the activities of the protagonist Kirito, heroine Asuna, and many other fascinating characters.

The author is Kawahara Reki-san. And the illustrator is abec-san.

For more details,

http://www.swordart-online.net/

Please visit this official site!

It would feel wrong if I wrote it here myself. And, I feel like I’d be told that it would be 「inflating the afterword」.


Now then now then, for this work, I was allowed to use the world setting of the SAO series, as well as the the game setting, and constructed Sigsawa-original characters and story.

In other words, this is not a story where Kirito and other SAO series’ characters will appear. This, is important. I wanted to say just this even if it became a spoiler, that is why I wrote this.


Now then now then now then, the stage for this work is a virtual online game, called『Gun Gale Online』 (GGO), that appeared in the 『Phantom Bullet story』 in SAO paperback volumes 5~6. It is an SF role playing game where only guns, rather than swords and magic, are used.

When I, a gun maniac, finished reading the 『Phantom Bullet story』 in August 2010, I felt so, so frustrated and engulfed in agony.

“Kuhaa, that was so entertaining! And…… Why didn’t I come up with such a setting! With such a setting, wouldn’t I be able to write as many gun action stories where people don’t die as I wanted! Moreover, I could use a real world Japanese person as the protagonist!”

After some time of loudly expressing my regret with all my energy, I suddenly had an idea.

“I want to write a derivative novel that uses the SAO world, and GGO, as its stage! I seriously want to write one! If I do, I want to publish it! Even if I had to do it as a doujinshi, though, if possible, I would prefer to get the proper consent and release it via Dengeki Bunko with Kuroboshi Kouhaku-san as the illustrator!”

It was nice as an idea, but I did not know whether it would be possible to realise. After all, there had been no precedent for it.

“Ain’t it impossible, to put it bluntly?”

In that case, would there be anyone who would criticise me for giving up without trying? No, there wouldn’t be anyone.

However, I thought ‘Well, should I at least try bringing it up seeing as I came up with it?’, and after a while, I told my supervising editor about the spinoff publication idea——

And I was surprised. That I got the answer ‘It’s possible, if you get the proper permission from all related people, starting with Kawahara Reki-san and abec-san.

“Alright, let’s write it some day!”

I firmly decided in my heart, but I did not actually do any writing, while time flowed by as I was busy writing other series——

What pushed the realisation of my aspiration, which I thought might disappear as my plan would have crumbled at this rate, was the second season of the SAO anime.

The second season of the anime had the GGO story. Having unexpectedly met its producer Osawa-san at a certain event venue, he asked me a question for collecting data on small arms for the second season. ‘I want the anime staff to fire real guns, isn’t there some good place for that?’, to be precise (actually, Osawa-san was also the producer of the anime version of 『Kino’s Journey』 that was broadcast in 2003. Could this be foreshadowing anime Kino?).

And thus, our talk went ‘You told us about a recommended shooting range in Guam, and then accompanied us on data collection there, so how about treating it as a job and get an official remuneration?’

And thus, I ended up accepting being the small arm supervisor of the second season of the SAO anime. And speaking of what kind of job that was specifically——

In my case, I consulted them on the ideas of the small arms and situations in which they would be used, and gave my ideas, I brought model guns that seemed useful as materials for drawing and lent them to the studio, and things like that.

When the script, storyboard and video were done, I’d also check them, and look for any big mistakes in small arms depiction, aside from those that were intentional.

And my, that was a very fun job. And it was the first experience in my life of my name being shown on the anime ED telop⁽³⁾ credited other than as the original author.

While doing my job as the supervisor,

“This timing, greatly affected by SAO is my only chance to make the GGO spinoff that I’ve always harboured the aspiration for! Now’s the time! I am seriously going to write it, so please allow me to make one!”

I haughtily shared my once-in-a-lifetime request with my supervising editor, Kawahara Reki-san, and Kawahara Reki’s supervising editor——

And now you are reading this „afterword“!

That is the grand history drama behind the publication of this book. Well, looking back at it, a lot did happen.


I believe that this is perhaps the first attempt at a „Dengeki Bunko work that is based on another Dengeki Bunko work“.

I’ll borrow this place to thank Kawahara Reki-san, who gave consent for this work and became its supervisor, from the bottom of my heart.

Truly, thank you very much!

As for the work itself,

“Won’t people not understand it if they don’t know SAO?”

I was very frequently asked this on Twitter right after the announcement and figured I’d give a serious answer to it here as well.

To conclude, the book is written in a way that it could be enjoyed even by people who have not read the entirety of the existing SAO series, or even by people who have not watched the anime.

But hold on! I believe that people who have read up to volume six, the 『Phantom Bullet story』, of the original SAO novel, or have watched the entirety of the first season and up to episode fourteen of the second season, the『Phantom Bullet story』, of the anime will enjoy it even more! SAO is entertaining, I recommend it!


And so, the in-virtual game gun action novel that the gun maniac Sigsawa put his whole heart into is completed.

The illustrator Kuroboshi Kouhaku, who I have formed a long-time tag-team with, has once again drawn a cute protagonist! Thank you very much!

And most of all, I am glad if you enjoyed this, perhaps first in history, „Dengeki Bunko spinoff of a Dengeki Bunko work“!

10th of December 2014 Sigsawa Keiichi

Hello, this is Kuroboshi Kouhaku. I did my best so that I wouldn’t be told “Sigsawa was the small arms supervisor of the Sword Art Online II anime, but Kuroboshi Kouhaku can’t draw small arms at all!”. By hiding it as much as possible with the character's body...

SECT.14

Index

V2 Prologue

Notes

1. ^ In Japanese high schools, the students must choose one of the two courses: bunkei (文系, humanities, social sciences and fine arts) or rikei (理系, science, maths). The chosen course determines the number of lessons the student will have on a given subject.

2. ^ The English title of the series is "I'm A High School Boy and a Successful Light Novel Author, But I'm Being Strangled By A Female Classmate Who's A Voice Actress And Is Younger Than Me." And it's apparently so long that I can't fit it into a ruby tag... Figures...

3. ^ This word originally referred to a device that was used to broadcast onscreen text (e.g. credits or subtitles) in the old days, but nowadays it refers to the onscreen text itself.