Material Edition 25 - Sugary Days 12

Well, the final episode of the Alicization anime came with an announcement for a Progressive anime adaptation. What better way to celebrate than with an Aincrad side story with Kirito and Asuna, right?

Next week we'll be making an Ordinal Scale release.

Any feedback is appreciated.

P.S. I didn't have proper scans of the guest illustrator artwork, so you'll have to bear with what I do have. Unless someone has a better version.

-Gsimenas

Credits

Raws: Takazuki
Translation: Gsimenas
Editing: Gsimenas
Proofreading: JengKay

Translation (choice/nuance) comments:

• The new character is a total dork who speaks in dialectal samurai speech... as if any one of those isn't enough on its own... Sigh, to account for the three-in-one package, I made all his lines broken archaic English. since I'm a nice guy, I added a hidden proper English version of his lines in white font just below each line. just highlight to see them.
• The new character's speech pattern consists of things like using "oi" as a personal pronoun, using weird abbreviations, and near-Kansai-level grammartical structures. Also, he uses a -don honorific, which is the southern Kyushu version of -dono. A homonym of "don" is 丼 (bowl of meat), which is probably why it made Asuna cringe.
• I chose to keep the names of Japanese articles of clothing as is. I'm pretty sure everyone knows what a kimono is by now, so I won't bother explaining that one. A hakama is a pair of pleated Japanese trousers that look similar to a long skirt. Zori are flat and thonged Japanese sandals.
• The original text for "tickled her funny bone" was ツボに入った (tsubo ni haitta). It's an idiomatic expression for describing the action of getting a joke just right and making someone laugh. The "tsubo" in this expression apparently refers to accupuncture points, so the phrase would literally mean something like "hitting someone in their (humour) weak spot". Since all of this seemed complicated, I just came up with something that carried the same meaning without the need for all the explanations.

Markup explanation:

• Itallics mark text that was written in katakana English (I only highlighted the cases where the author uses both English and actual Japanese equivalents for the same thing, or when I needed to emphasise that an English word is used there).
• Courier font indicates that the original word was written in kana for emphasis (when such a word usually isn't written in kana)
• Comic sans indicates emphasis added by myself when I needed to stress something to get the meaning across properly.
• In some instances, the original text used furigana. In cases where the furigana wasn't exact match for the underlying text (usually when the author uses furigana to translate or describe foreign words in Japanese), I maintained the furigana format. Furigana text should be read as follows: #Japanese translation/description of what the term/name means#(What was actually said) (e.g. #cat fairy race#(Cait Sith) - "Cait Sith" is what was actually said in text, while "cat fairy race" is just a brief description of what Cait Sith are to help differentiate between the different fairies.
• Single quotation marks (') are quotes that weren't in the original text but were added for the convenience of English speakers to mark implied quotations. I used it mostly to separate Kirito's internal monologue from his narration, as well as mark sound effects and so on. Actual dialogue lines or quotations (with 「」 punctuation marks) within a narration line are indicated with the usual double (") quotation marks.

Sugary Days 11

Index

Sugary Days 13

Sugary Days 12

Suddenly peering into Asuna's face at point-blank range, I placed a finger in-between our lips. As Asuna maintained her silence despite giving me a questioning look, I gave her a bare minimum explanation on what was going on as quietly as possible.

"There's someone in the yard."

"…………!"

As Asuna instantly took on a serious expression and switched from her young wife mode into her swordswoman one, both of us slipped out of the rocking chair without a sound. It may just be some acquaintance of ours coming over for a visit⁽¹⁾, but then there'd be no reason to muffle their footsteps in that case, plus there should only be a very limited number of players, even including our friends and acquaintances, who are even aware that Asuna and I are living here.

Since the curtains are pulled over all the windows facing the yard on the southern side of the house, it's impossible to see the inside of the house from outside, but they also block our view of the outside as well in return. Of course, it is impossible to invade a locked player home from the perspective of the game's system; there's no way we could be harmed here even if an ill-intentioned player were to loiter around our yard, though I can't exactly enjoy our days off at ease anymore without at least figuring out who the loiterer is.

Crouching down to ensure we didn't let our shadows show up on the curtains, we moved over to the pantry to the north of the living room for starters. Using my menu window, I took out my beloved 《Elucidator +45》 and Asuna's beloved 《Lambent Light +32》 from our shared storage, handing over the latter to her.

"Asuna, I'll go outside through that window over there, go around the back of the house, and check on the yard, while you go to the entranceway and……"

'Wait there' were the words that I failed to utter when a slender finger sealed my lips.

"I'm going too, of course. There's no guarantee that the trespasser is alone, is there?"

"……Well, you do have a point."

Seeing as I've been hanging out with her since Floor 1, even if there was a long break in our relationship midway through, I knew full well that it was pointless to argue with her on this at this point. Hoping to at least secure the right to go out first, I whispered, "Then I'll entrust my back to you", before heading to the window.

Though the bay window at the back of the pantry was just barely big enough for a person to pass through, considering my physique, I shouldn't get stuck in it. I tried taking a look outside beforehand, but the conifer tree forest behind the house was pitch dark; even if there were people hiding there, it would be difficult to spot them. Bracing myself for what was to come, I stood up, grabbed onto the window frame the moment I opened the window while being careful not to make any noise in the process, lifted myself up and smoothly jumped out the window toes-first. Two seconds later, Asuna landed on the lawn even more gracefully than I had.

Back-to-back, we spent a few moments observing our surroundings. No Colour Cursors appeared in our view, nor did we hear any unnatural sounds anymore. Turning around, we nodded to each other, before beginning to quietly move along the wall.

Actually, now that I give it more thought, 《a very limited number》 of players being aware of this log house is very much an understatement, seeing as Argo, the information dealer who just happened to have been present when we bought the house due to unavoidable circumstances, is the only one that fits the bill. Although we did have a chat with Klein, the leader of the 《Fuurinkazan》 guild, after calling him to the main town of Floor 22, we parted ways with him back in town; even a guy like him would never stoop to tailing us back home.

Which means… if we have some trespasser bearing ill will against us on our hands, the guy had to have bought info on this house from Argo…… I guess? And yet when we bought the log house at the end of the odd event that the three of us: me, Asuna, and Argo had got dragged into, I'm pretty sure she specifically said——'I'll refrain from selling this tidbit and instead keep it a secret for yA.'

Hoping that my conjecture was misguided, I continued moving silently along the log house's sidewall, hid behind some log ends that stuck out about fifty centimetres from the corner of the house, and took a peek at the situation in the front yard. It's already been nearly two minutes since I had heard something that sounded like a footstep, so a skilled trespasser would have long since hidden themselves away by now——or so I thought.

"…………The heck is that supposed to be."

"…………What is that supposed to be."

My mutter was matched by Asuna's in tandem when we pulled our heads back behind the log ends. Thinking that I must have been seeing things, I once again took a look at the yard, but I still found that same something…… no, make it that same someone there.

At the very center of the yard, consisting solely of a plain old lawn, as we haven't yet got around to customising it due to only having just recently bought the house, sat a single player cross-legged. With the starlight coming in from Aincrad's aperture and the flame-scarlet light coming from the fireplace behind the curtains, I was able to make out the details of the person somehow. It was a man…… quite the large one at that; his armour consisted mainly of fabric, while his weapon was a biggish #long-handled weapon#(polearm) that was held upright on the ground by his left arm.

"What is that person doing in our yard? And what is that weapon?"

Asuna whispered once again, thus I explained as far as I myself understood.

"He's sleeping…… is out of the question, I guess…… While his weapon…… sure doesn't look like a spear, nor a halberd. Guess it's a #two-handed staff#(quarterstaff) then?"

"Now that's a weapon you don't see every day……"

At that comment, I nodded in approval.

The merits to long-handled weapons are: 1) their long reach; 2) their penetration power; 3) their ability to inflict debuffs. However, seeing as a quarterstaff doesn't have any metal spearhead, its penetration power is even lower than that of a dagger; you can't exactly call its reach long either, seeing as the weapon is generally held at its centre. It doesn't exactly have all that many Sword Skills that inflict debuffs either, compared to other long weapons.

Despite us waiting another two minutes, the large man holding the oddity that's regarded as an utter hobby weapon in the current Aincrad for the aforementioned reasons, did not budge one bit from his position at the centre of the yard.

"……Don't tell me… he can't actually be sleeping there, can he."

"I've started getting the same impression myself here……"

Looking up to me as she nodded, Asuna shivered a bit. Seeing as she was only wearing a shawl on top of her pyjamas, the late autumn night wind must be hard on her. Although you don't catch a cold from the chilly weather in this world, past a certain point the player's HP will start decreasing, and they will start sneezing.

Getting the impression that this situation of two homeowners peeking from the shadows at a trespasser brazenly sitting in their yard was growing more and more ridiculous by the minute, I made up my mind and whispered the following.

"Let's go. I'm not getting the sense that he has any mates hiding in wait anyway."

"True."

Nodding, Asuna withdrew close to the wall, before opening her menu window and changing into her usual fully-decked outfit. I also switched over from my loungewear to my black, leather long coat, before gripping my sword once again. After exchanging a fleeting eye-contact with each other, we went around the log ends into the front yard. Just when I took a step forward towards the quarterstaff guy, creating a crunchy sound effect of the grass being stepped on…

The cross-legged trespasser suddenly opened his eyes wide. Once he stood up in a single moment using the staff in his left hand for support, he turned towards us. I myself reflexively got into a battle posture, sending my right hand for the handle of my beloved sword on my back.

However, both Asuna and I stopped our hands just before we managed to draw our blades. Because the large man standing about ten metres away from us suddenly gave a deep bow of his head in silence. After about three full seconds of maintaining his head bowed low, he lifted his head up, an energetic and deep voice ringing out from his mouth.

"Mai sinsyrest apolojys fer intruding on thine graunds so leit at nait."
"My sincerest apologies for intruding on thine grounds so late at night."
…………This guy is very much bad news.

With that thought in mind, I skipped the greetings and went straight to the questions.

"Before you start apologising, I'd like you to explain who exactly are you and why did you hunker down in our yard."

With these words, I moved about three more metres closer, at which point I finally managed to get a clear look at the guy.

He really was big. Although he fell behind Agil when it came to height, he probably was still over a hundred and eighty centimetres-tall. His large frame was covered in a Japanese-style kimono and hakama, while his feet were placed inside zori-ish sandals. A long, white headband was wrapped above his roughly-built face. His weapons consisted solely of the quarterstaff held in his left hand.

The small eyes beneath his thick eyebrows fixed straight on me, as the man gave his name.

"Ai em nouhn as Taikoku. I hev intruded on thine graunds behring an entryty fer da 《Blehk Sworzman》."
"I am known as Taikoku. I have intruded on thine grounds bearing an entreaty for the 《Black Swordsman》."
That instant, Asuna let out a prickly aura beside me. After all, the large man calling himself Taikoku came for a visit fully aware that this was my home. It doesn't seem like Argo had sold this man info on my new residence, yet if he deduced where I live by other means, the guy warrants more caution than his attire and conduct would imply.

"……How did you find out that this is the home of the 《Black Swordsman》?"

Having switched over into her Vice Commander mode, completely different from what she was like just a few minutes ago, this time Asuna was the one to pose a question. Taikoku's face twitched just the slightest bit, before the guy answered her question following a short pause.

"Ai beg thy pard'n, but Ai shel bi teiking da liberty of seiving da anser tu dat kveschon az a kard tu plei dyuring aur negoshiashons."
"I beg thy pardon, but I shall be taking the liberty of saving the answer to that question as a card to play during our negotiations."
"A card to play during negotiations……?"

"Kirito-don, Ai wud laik tu rekvest a metch wiz thee. If Ai wer tu luse, I shel sher wiz thee enysing thou wish tu 'nou, inkluding hau Ai menijd tu trehk daun dis lokeishon. Wail if Ai wer tu vin, dere iz samsing I wud laik thou tu anser mi."
"Kirito-don, I would like to request a match with thee. If I were to lose, I shall share with thee anything though wish to know, including how I managed to track down this location. While if I were to win, there is something I would like though to answer me."
Hearing the man's words, Asuna let out an odd sound deep in her throat for just a single moment. The phrase 《Kirito-don》 probably tickled her funny bone. However, perhaps because the violent word 'match' offset the cringe, she instantly returned to her serious aura.

Giving a slight cough, I added another question myself.

"In that case, at least answer me this as a freebie. Is your Kagoshima dialect the real deal? Oh, and why didn't you just knock on the door?"

"Mai daialekt iz…… feik, az anforchunet az it mei bi. Ai hev never hed za plezhur of viziting Kyushu, let alohn Satsuma."⁽²⁾
"My dialect is…… fake, as unfortunate as it may be. I have never had the pleasure of visiting Kyushu, let alone Satsuma."
"T-that so……"

"Nau az fer wai Ai did not nok…… it iz bicuz I wish'd tu konfirm wezer dis truly iz da houm of da Blehk Sworzman. If thou were tu rispond tu mai ohra end hed autsaid, dat wud konfirm dat thou r da wan end ohnly Blehk Sworzman; if thou were tu feil tu du sau, den it wud myn thou r just a feik."
"Now as for why I did not knock…… it is because I wished to confirm whether this truly is the home of the Black Swordsman. If thou were to respond to my aura and head outside, that would confirm that thou are the one and only Black Swordsman; if thou were to fail to do so, then it would mean thou are just a fake."
Staring at Taikoku as he made this declaration with a straight face, I was forced to revise my impression of him from moments ago.

——This guy isn't just 《very much bad news》, he's 《straight up bad news》.

Even if I myself have about sixty percent conviction in the possible existence of a 《hypersense》 non-system skill, I never once expected to draw out people……especially players located indoors with my 《aura》. In the end, Aincrad here is a virtual world controlled by digital code, thus it has no place for any genuine occultic phenomena…… or at least it shouldn't.

"…………Hmmh……?"

The moment the word 'occultic' went through my mind, I went over Taikoku's entire frame, faintly illuminated by the light coming through the window, with my gaze once more.

The quarterstaff in his left hand was entirely made out of wood, with no metal parts to be found anywhere whatsoever. The kimono-style armour was also basically entirely made out of fabric, while the gauntlets and shin guards were probably made out of leather, likewise no metallic radiance to be found. I actually know of a group that was this tenacious with eliminating any and all metallic pieces of equipment from their gear.

"……Taikoku-san, you're a member of the Critlers…… the Critical Fundamelists, aren't you?"

At my question, the large man displayed something reminiscent of an expression for the first time. The tips of his broad lips slightly rose up, as the bottom of his quarterstaff struck the lawn——

"Ai em not fond of dat neim. Kal as da #Way of the Critical Hits#(Kaishindou)⁽³⁾."
"I am not fond of that name. Call us the #Way of the Critical Hits#(Kaishindou)."
""K-Kaishindou……?""

As we repeated the word in tandem, Taikoku thrust the tip of his quarterstaff, make that his rokushakubou⁽⁴⁾, at us.

"Ai esk thee agen. Kirito-don, dyul mi end if thou were tu luze, I want thou to anser mi. Wat r da anlok kondishons fer da 《Dual Bleidz》 Yunik Skil…… end wehr ken Ai faind Mahokl-don, da suprym instraktur of da Kaishindou."
"I ask thee again. Kirito-don, duel me and if thou were to lose, I want thou to answer me. What are the unlock conditions for the 《Dual Blades》 Unique Skill……and where can I find Mahokl-don, the supreme instructor of the Kaishindou."

(To be continued)

Afterword (unmarked)

Regarding Sugary Days

This is Kunori. Sorry, not only did I not manage to wrap up the story here, this one even turned out with less pages than usual…… I have already decided on what the plot will be like till the very end, thus it is simply a scheduling issue. On top of all the tasks that piled up on me, I also had this and that unexpectedly spring up during November, snatching away my time. However, I'm pretty sure that maybe perhaps the next one will end the story for sure! I think!⁽⁵⁾ I will also be making a compilation of the entire story!

Also, thank you very much Kurusu Tatsuya-san for contributing those 2 pages……!

Regarding the Alicization Arc anime adaptation

It has finally been announced, huh…… After the Aincrad Arc, the Fairy Dance Arc, the Phantom Bullet Arc, the Mother's Rosario Arc, we will finally get an Alicization Arc anime too. This is all thanks to all of your support thus far, everyone. I truly thank you!

I believe I mentioned this in some interview, but while I was working on Ordinal Scale, I still had not even a single inkling about an Alici Arc anime adaptation; I just wrote the script believing that a movie would be the culmination of the mediamix.
And so, I finished working on the script around the middle of 2015, then the production for it began, and the movie was released in February 2017; it was only May that year when my editor made his usual bombshell: "We're doing Alici Arc too.", I think.

However, by the time we got to that point, I'm sure the production committee had already had quite a few meetings on the subject…… After all, the novel spans an entire 10 volumes, so how many episodes would it take to air it on TV.
I am sure that you all are very much interested in that question yourselves, but I am currently unable to say anything more at the moment…… I believe that some kind of announcement should be made by the end of the year, so hold on just a bit longer please!

But what I can say is this: both the director, the scriptwriter, and the producers are putting in their hard work to make this grand-scale project sail without doing any disservice to the novel. It's already been nearly half a year since the script meetings began, but our heated arguments still unfold on a weekly basis. In addition to Sigsawa-san's 『GGO』, I hope you will be waiting for the broadcast with bated breath. Please continue supporting the series!

Regarding the SAO New Chapter

Regarding the 《New Chapter》 that was announced at the end of Volume 18 of the Dengeki Bunko version, sorry for keeping you all waiting for this story as well……
Technically, I do plan to plan to finish something up for a December 10, 2017 release, thus I will make a followup announcement as that date draws near. As for the content of the New Chapter, until just a while ago, I had been planning to make a novel version of the movie as well.
Though, there would have been a change to its chronological order; while the anime's order was 『Mother's Rosario』➝『Ordinal Scale』➝『Alicization』, I thought of placing Ordinal Scale after Alicization for the novel; with that plan in mind, I tried writing a prototype story named 『Augmented Magic』, which was released as ME22.

However, a proper rendition of it would take two bunko volumes, while the story would not be all that different from the movie, thus for a true New Chapter, I changed my mind: I want to write an entirely new story!, thus I decided to have the Ordinal Scale Incident take place in April 2026 in the novel as well, and will be working on the sequel to the Alicization arc starting from volume 20. I haven't written the title for the New Chapter yet, but I will be working hard to make it the culmination of SAO for sure this time. I hope to receive your support for this project as well!

Sword Art Online Material Edition 25
Publisher: WordGear
Date of publishing: 2017-11-23
Supervisor: Kunori Fumio
Printing: Ryokuyou

Sugary Days 11

Index

Sugary Days 13

Notes

1. ^ Kawahara made a typo in the original text. Instead of writing 訪ねてきた (came for a visit), he wrote 訊ねてきた (came for questioning). Both phrases are pronounced as "tazunete kita".

2. ^ Satsuma is a town in the Kagoshima prefecture on the Kyushu island.

3. ^ Kaishin (会心) usually means either satisfaction or understanding, but in RPGs it refers to criticals. This usage comes from the Dragon Quest franchise, where critical hits (made by allies, specifically) were called Kaishin no Ichigeki (会心の一撃, literally "satisfying hit" or "joyous hit" or something along those lines).

4. ^ A rokushakubou (六尺棒, literally "a 6 shaku-long wooden staff", where shaku is a unit of distance equal to around 30.3 cm) is a 6 shaku (1.818 m)-long staff weapon used in Okinawan martial arts.

5. ^ Spoiler alert: no he doesn't. Again.