Material Edition 24 - Sugary Days 11

Well, today's the big day Kirito faces off his crippling depression in the anime. So to celebrate... and make it easier to deal with said crippling depression, here's so diabetes mellitus to make life better.

Next week we'll probably be making an Ordinal Scale release, since Team Lycoris is a bit busy with personal stuff. Any feedback is appreciated.

-Gsimenas

Credits

Translation: Gsimenas
Editing: Gsimenas
Proofreading: JengKay

Translation (choice/nuance) comments:

• Agil speaks in a coarse/masculine tone with some slangy grammar (-nai --> -nee, atarimae --> ttarimee etc.). I accounted for this by making his speech slangier (to -> ta, omitting the g in -ing, using "ain't" etc.)
• Corsage in this story refers to the upper part of a woman's dress (i.e., "bodice"), not flowers.

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)
• 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 10

Index

Sugary Days 12

1

#Long-handled weapons#(Polearms) like two-handed axes, halberds, and spears are usually made from metal in their entirety. Although there are also versions with #handles made out of wood#(wood shafts), they can't compete with metal handles in durability.

However, albeit few in numbers, there actually are players who prefer wood shafts among long-handled weapon wielders; as they put it, their weapons apparently have a higher 《critical hit rate》 than those made entirely out of metal.

Numerical values for critical rates are not specified on a weapon's properties list in SAO… actually, the definition of what constitutes a critical hit itself is pretty vague, thus it can only be measured by the wielder's guts; though, seeing as the one-handed straight swords I use as my main arms are entirely made out of metal——there actually are swords with wooden grips, but the only real difference to them is how holding them feels——I'm not one to comment. The same probably applies to Asuna, who wields rapiers. In any case, research into anything related to critical hits is a big old 《swamp》 in this floating castle; it's not a world that anyone should tread into lightly.

The shaft of the two-handed axe that Agil's been gazing at emotionally was made out of wood with a black lustre. Although there were countless small scratches on both the worn handle and its head, the axe appeared to still be very much usable, as far as I could tell from the gleaming blade.

"……You've used that axe in boss battles for a time, right?"

At my question, Agil's shaved head moved downwards in a nod.

"Yeah, I've had my ass saved by this lil' guy more than once by now. Whenever I felt like I was a goner, I'd always manage ta pull off a crit with it, strangely enough."

"Heeeh."

This reaction came not from me, but rather from Asuna.

"Are all those talks about polearms with wooden handles having a higher critical rate really true?

"Nah, can't say fer sure……"

Despite him being the one to bring it up, the axe merchant's thickish lips curled up into a grin.

"I haven't collected any proper data ta support the claim, after all. As a merchant, I'd have ta answer that it's all probably just some silly mysticism. Though……"

At that point, Agil shut his mouth for a few moments and gently stroked his scratch-filled handle, before continuing his thought in an unusually sentimental tone.

"……As an axeman, on the other hand, I do believe that all weapons, regardless of their specs and the materials they're made out of…… heck, even the mass-produced ones that NPCs have in stock, respond to their owner's feelings and love."

"Indeed…… I believe in the same thing myself."

Now that Asuna nodded at his words with a smile, I had no choice but to express my agreement as well. Heck, if I were the kind of player who would disagree with their opinion, I probably would have never gone out of my way enhancing a sword that had dropped for me way back on Floor 50 to such an extent that it could still pull its weight on Floor 75 in the first place.

Of course, there would eventually come a day when I'd be forced to replace my current partners, the 《Elucidator》 and the 《Dark Repulser》, just like how I had to do it with all my other favourite swords so far. However, when that day does come, I'll probably just stash them away deep into my storage as my cherished possessions, rather than selling them off or melting them into ingots. Just like how Agil has kept the two-handed axe Mahokl had made for him stashed away for over a year now.

That thought of mine brought me back to the mystery at hand, so I began inconspicuously counting with my fingers on my lap as I continued with my thoughts.

Mahokl the Woodcrafter commissioning Agil to gather as many rare A- and S-class logs happened slightly over a year ago——meaning that it had to have taken place around September, 2023.

Meanwhile, Agil ought to have begun his business in full gear right after we cleared Floor 50, so it had to have happened in January, 2024.

Finally, Mahokl discovering the composition recipe for a ballista and then hiding away in Zumfut, the main town of Floor 3, happened one month ago, in September 2024——

Is there any link between those events? Also, why did Mahokl decide to try building a ballista now of all times?

This might not be a matter that Asuna and I should stick our noses into. However, we can't act blissfully ignorant if Mahokl is trying to do something dangerous, and the only one we could question about her circumstances is Agil, who apparently had some partnership with her a year ago.

Making use of the momentary pause in the conversation, Asuna gave a light nudge at my sides with her elbow from her seat beside me. She was probably prompting me to get to the point already, but now that I knew the person we've been looking for is my old friend Agil, I hesitated on how to broach the topic.

Perhaps having noticed my unnatural silence after standing up and returning the wooden-handled two-handed axe back into his home storage, Agil took a sip of his black coffee, before picking up the piece of metal——the 《Tree House Roof Nail》 from the table.

"……So, why exactly did'ja bring this thing 'ere ta me fer appraisal? Sure, it's not the kind of item ya'd come across that often, though not like it's some super rare commodity that'd fetch ya a good price either, is it?…… Or perhaps ya already knew that I was the one who had used this nail as a landmark……"

"Ah, eh, ugh."

As I let out childish groans, Agil gave me a distrustful look. Even Asuna beside me let out a slight sigh. However, what if, perchance, Agil and Mahokl once had a relationship in love, and what if their love issues were also the cause that led to them seemingly no longer interacting with each other anymore…… can a boy who'd be going to his first year in high school at his age be blamed that just imagining those possibilities froze his tongue in place?

"Agil-san."

Perhaps having come to the conclusion that she could no longer rely on me to continue the conversation, Asuna straightened her posture, before calling out to the man.

"Remember those materials we requested you to procure some time ago?"

"Sure do."

Nodding, Agil glanced up to the ceiling.

"Let's see…… thirty Solidite Ingots, twenty Acutite Ingots, ten Ancient Teak Logs, and eight Greatrock Dragon tendons…… as I recall."

"I-I'm surprised you remember it all, even down to the quantity."

When I interjected reflexively at that, the axe merchant gave a smile at last.

"Ya ain't gonna get far as a merchant without havin' a memory like that…… I'm just kiddin'; I was just curious what those materials were for. I've done a lil' diggin' but couldn't find any recipe like that, so it's been buggin' me."

"As a matter of fact……"

After taking in a breath, Asuna finally uttered it.

"……That's the recipe for a #ballista#(barisuta). We ourselves were hired to collect the materials by a certain person……"

"A #barista#(barisuta)……?"

As Agil parroted her words back in a mutter, deep wrinkles appeared on his brow.

"And that, understandably, ain't referring ta employees that serve coffee…… but rather, some big ass bow, ain't that right?"

"Yeah, we're talking about a #crossbow artillery#(dohou)."

Not sparing a glance at me as I explained the term in Japanese, Agil gazed down at his coffee cup still in his right hand.

"So yer saying…… the material round-up job came from Mahokl the Woodcrafter, huh."

"……!!"

Upon finally hearing that name coming from Agil's own mouth, Asuna and I reflexively exchanged glances.

When both of us returned to our original position at the same moment, we confirmed his guess with a nod. As Agil stared off absentmindedly, I double-checked with him in a whisper.

"……Agil, the commissioner for the rare wood and the creator of that wooden-handled axe you showed us just now… was Mahokl, right?"

This time, the axe merchant nodded in silence. Giving a slight cough, I went a step further.

"Ehm…… so, what kind of relationship do you have with Mahokl……?"

"………………Hmmgh……"

With a deep groan, Agil entrusted his huge frame to the backrest of his chair. A sharp glare at me from beyond his finely-chiseled nose bridge was followed by a clearly forced cough.

"Fer starters, I'll have ya know, well, umm…… it was nowhere near the kind of relationship ya have with Asuna, ya hear."

"Hah……?"

Unable to grasp what he was trying to imply with that statement, I looked to my side, where I found Asuna with an utterly blank expression on her face…… scratch that, she was getting slightly red in the cheeks. At that point, even I finally discerned what Agil was trying to say there, and nodded in response.

"O-oh, I see…… Actually, that caught me by surprise a little. I was so sure you had some very complicated relationship with her……"

"'Course not. I'll have ya know, I've got a wife on the other side, ya hear."

"WHA!"

That shout came not from me, but Asuna instead. With her cup still in hand, she leaned forward and bombarded the guy with questions.

"Agil-san, you're married!? By 'the other side', you must be referring to the real world, huh. So, how did you and your wife mee……"

However, she ground to a halt so suddenly at that very moment that you could hear her mouth snapping shut; after pulling herself back to her original posture, she gave a deep bow with her head.

"……I'm so sorry about that, talking about the other side is considered a violation of basic manners, right."

"Oh, nah, there's nothin' ta apologise for here. I'm the one who brought it up, anyway."

Now Agil was the one shaking his head in a panic, waiting for Asuna to lift her head, before he added the following.

"……Though, let's save the talk about my wife for later. Right now we've gotta do somethin' about Mahokl…… seeing as she collected the materials for the recipe, the gal probably does intend to make one, a ballista I mean."

"We were worried about that ourselves, which is why we've been looking into things. At first, we found her whereabouts because we wanted to order some furniture…… but when we heard the story of why she moved her atelier, it all smelled rather fishy. I was thinking…… that perhaps she was being threatened into creating a ballista by someone……"

Hearing my guess, Agil opened his eyes wide for a moment, before giving a slight shake of his head.

"Nah, don't think that's the case 'ere."

"……H-how can you assert that so quickly?"

"Oh c'mon on now, ya know that Mahokl's…………"

Just then, the axe merchant closed his mouth and scratched his nicely-shaved head with his left hand, before responding with a question of his own.

"…………Ya guys, do ya seriously not know why the gal became a woodcrafter?"

"Huh……?"

After I exchanged a glance with Asuna once again, we both shook our heads at the same time. Tilting her head in the same motion, Asuna spoke up as if reaching back into her memories.

"Ehm…… do artisan class players even have a 《clear event that led to them choosing that path in life》? My smith friend told me that she "just found herself doing it one day" or that she "felt a calling for the hammer", for example……"

That definitely sounds like something Lisbeth the Blacksmith would say, so I had to restrain myself from erupting into a strained laugh at that. Though, I do indeed get the feeling that the overwhelming majority of players who got into artisanship in this world belong to the 《chose that path from the very beginning》 type. After all, when you change your #skill composition#(build) midway through the game, the loss of even a single skill could lead to an unignorable decline in your capabilities; now, if you were to apply that logic to a full role switch from swordsman to artisan or vice versa, it would basically mean that you'd have to start over and plough your way back up from level 1. Although I did discard my Two-Handed Sword skill that I hadn't been using whatsoever for the sake of acquiring the Fishing skill yesterday, it did still take me a very long time to pluck up the courage to do so even when I knew the action would have no effect on my battle capabilities.

Hence, I was convinced that Mahokl herself had to be a player who had chosen to pursue the life of a woodcrafter ever since she was first confined in this death game——putting it the other way around, I couldn't fathom anyone ever reaching such heights in skill proficiency unless they had been using those skills from the very first days of the game.

Having heard Asuna's words, Agil stroked his head once more, before letting out, "That so……", as if groaning.

"Well, I do see yer point that players who go fer the life of an artisan with a clear impetus behind their choice are few and far between. Though, in that case, I can't exactly just blab out about Mahokl's circumstances willy-nilly to ya……"

""Whaa——h!""

'Oh come on now, you can't just leave us hanging like that when we've made it this far!', as this thought ran through our heads, Agil responded to our shout by raising one of his eyebrows.

"Ya know, I'm thinkin' the gal's probably takin' a likin' to ya. Try talking to 'er directly…… If ya show just how serious yer concern for 'er is, she can't possibly give ya the cold shoulder."

"A-at least give us a hint of some sort……"

In response to my tenacity, Agil spent three seconds thinking something over, before responding with a serious look.

"Yer hint is 《criticals》."

2

Once we left Agil's store, we found that the sunlight coming in from Aincrad's circumference had already dyed Algade's townscape in yellow. It was nearly evening time.

As I've been living in this town for quite a long time, there were quite a few stores that I had been frequenting. Of course, the majority of them were ＮＰＣ shops, so the shopkeepers wouldn't spare a thought about me coming in for the first time in weeks, yet I did still feel like dropping by at one of them after all this time anyway.

As thoughts like that passed through my mind, I looked over to Asuna in profile as she walked beside me, whereby I noticed that she was sunk deep in thought about something. Was she thinking about Mahokl, or about something else instead. Either way, getting something delicious to chow down on was the best way to take your mind off things at times like these.

"Hey, how's about grabbing something to eat over there?"

When I called out to her, Asuna's eyes blinked several times beyond the hood hiding them from sight, before giving a smile.

"Good idea. Is there anything in particular that you want to eat?"

"Hmm…… well, since we've already made our way here……"

Muttering this, I was about to head into a narrow alley from the main street, but Asuna pulled on my coat to stop me.

"Hey now……. I sure hope you're not actually planning on going to the 《Algade House》."

"Oh, just what I'd expect from your insight."

"Ab-so-lutely not!"

Proclaiming thus in a staccato, Asuna was about to head full speed ahead towards the Teleport Gate Plaza, thus I was the one who had to grab her by the hem of her cape to stop her this time.

"W-why not…… admit it, you've taken quite a liking to it yourself, Asuna……"

"I have not!"

Her shout prompted multiple players walking down the street to turn towards us, thus we first stepped aside to the edge of the street, before continuing our conversation in a low voice.

"Well, although I'd be fine with going over there like once a month, every time I eat there I start feeling real hazy. I can't tell for sure whether the dishes there are ramen or soba, nor can I tell whether the master of the restaurant is a player or an NPC either…… I've already got a lot of things on my mind as is, so the last thing I want is to add even more concerns on top of all that!"

——Once a month is quite frequent, if you ask me.

That thought crossed my mind, but instead of voicing it out, I decided to try being a little stubborn.

"In that case…… we do have the option of going for some Algade Fry or Algade Boil rather than Algade Soba……"

"Aaaab-soooo-luuuutely not!"

Now that she turned it up all the way up to staccatissimo in her proclamation, I couldn't exactly pester her any further.

'Some day, no, make that in the coming days, I'm gonna have to at least make it clear whether that shopkeeper is a player or an NPC!', making this vow in my heart, I softly raised up my hands in surrender.

"Very well. Righty ho, there's a cafe where you can chow down on a diverse selection of fruit cakes nearby, so how about we head there then?"

At that point, a sweet smile finally found its way on my young wife's face.



By the time we returned to Floor 22 from Floor 50, the floor was already in the process⁽¹⁾ of being enveloped in purplish dusk.

Chasing the fading afterglow, we walked along the forest path, until we returned to our dear old——although it's only been three full days since we started living here—— log house. Once we both said our 'I'm home's at the same time in the entranceway, went into the living room and tossed our coats and boots and whatnot aside into our storage, I finally felt at ease in both body and soul.

Having returned to her #knight outfit#(corsage) that I was so familiar with upon taking off her hooded cape, "Uuuu～～n", even Asuna let out a sound as she had a good old stretch.

"Hah…… we've only just moved in, but it kinda already feels like we've been living here for years……"

As Asuna voiced the exact same thought I was having, I caught her by surprise by lifting her up from behind, before sitting down with great force onto the large rocking chair placed by the fireplace. Despite taking on the weight of two people at once, the chair made by the grand master woodcrafter Mahokl didn't even let out a creak.

Letting my body enjoy the pleasant rocking back and forth, I buried my face into Asuna's shoulder, taking in a deep breath.

"……It's only been three days, yet it feels like it's already been three days……"

When I muttered this, Asuna also nodded, snuggling up to me herself.

"Hm…… This is perhaps the first time that time went by so quickly for me since coming to this world."

"Well, we have been running around all over the place with Mahokl's stuff every day, after all."

That instant, Asuna puffed out her cheeks.

"While that is true, that isn't the sole reason for it. It's because every day I'm feeling like I don't want the day to end just yet."

'Oh, so you want more time for solving the mystery behind Mahokl's ballista then'…… even someone as socially inept as me could tell that this was not what she was actually implying there. In order to express my agreement with actions, I put more force into my arms around Asuna's body.

Just then, the slender figure inside my embrace turned thirty degrees or so to the left and her hazel eyes peered directly into mine. After spending a few brief moments gazing into each other in silence, I raised my right hand on top of Asuna's head, gently drawing it closer to me.

Without any cues, both of us closed our eyelids as one. As our lips came into contact, electric signals encoding warmth, tenderness, and many more sensations aside from those tactile ones went between our avatars back and forth in large quantities.

I wish these peaceful yet stimulating days continued forever. However, that was a wish that would never be fulfilled.

Four days ago, on the night we moved into our house on Floor 22, I made a promise with Asuna. That once we cleared Floor 100 and no longer had any need to fight, we'd throw a grand wedding ceremony.

We'd invite Klein, Agil, Lisbeth, Silica, Argo, and all the Clearers there and have Heathcliff the KoB Commander give the speech. I'd mobilise all the knowledge and experience I've acquired to round up a load of S-class ingredients and have the grand master chef Asuna throw a feast with them. I'd commission Mahokl to create a huge table and plenty of chairs for the venue.

It'd surely turn out to be a lively and fun party. Yet, there's practically no chance for this vision of mine to become reality. After all, once the death game was cleared, all the surviving players would be logged out from Aincrad and return to the real world, as Kayaba Akihiko had proclaimed. This is the outcome that everyone is waiting eagerly for…… However, right now I can't say for sure whether I actually want that moment to come, or not.

All of a sudden, I felt a gentle and warm sensation on my right cheek.

When I moved my eyelids up, I found a transparent drop going down the smooth, white cheek before me. Dripping down, it popped on my face, generating a modest oscillation.

"……Asuna."

Upon my whisper, Asuna blurted out an "Ah……", as if just noticing that she was crying, and blinked repeatedly multiple times. Yet the tears continued pilling up and spilling out one after another with a silver glimmer.

I used my left hand to stop Asuna from trying to wipe them away with the cuff of her knight outfit and placed my lips on the corner of her eye. Although tears in this world did not have any flavour, the sorrow contained in those droplets stabbed me in the chest a little.

As I stroked her hair with my right hand, I wondered how many minutes we spent like this.

Before long, the tears finally stopped and Asuna entrusted the full weight of her body to me with a slight sigh. Close to my ear, I heard a faint whisper.

"……Sorry about that. I was just…… thinking about the outside a little."

Her 'outside' wasn't referring to the exterior of the log house, but rather outside Aincrad itself. I'm sure Asuna's been continuously thinking about the real world ever since she started asking Agil about his wife in his store this evening.

"…………I was thinking about the same thing myself just now."

When I whispered back to her, I felt the body in my embrace twitching.

Even if our newlywed life in the log house were to end, or perhaps if we were to be logged out from this world, there were ways to maintain my bond with Asuna. All we had to do was to tell each other our real names and exchange our contact info…… that's all it'd take.

However, there was one jinx that no one ever dared to voice, yet one that everyone shared all this time.

That if you were to talk about your RL, you'd die——

Of course, it was all just a nasty superstition with nothing to back it up. Although that's what I personally believed in, once something becomes a taboo, it gets awfully hard to disregard it. We absolutely could not allow ourselves to die in this world, after all.

——'We're going to survive, clear the death game, and meet up in the real world once more, for sure.'

Wanting to convey the feelings I couldn't put to words at least in thought, I firmly embraced Asuna.



Since we ended up eating two servings of cake each in the evening, we settled for a light menu, consisting of bouillabaisse soup, salade niçoise, and crisply-baked baguette, for dinner. It was my first time hearing the name niçoise or whatever, but it was apparently a French salad consisting of tomatoes, potatoes, beans, olives, boiled eggs and other such ingredients. In its place of origin, they apparently put the potatoes and beans into the salad raw, but if you were to bite into a raw potato in Aincrad, you'd be met with a very forlorn taste, thus I did not want to test my luck a second time.

Once we neatly finished up our dishes, we went over the things we learnt today over sweet wine with cheese snacks.

Just a little over a year ago, Agil, the then-still leader of the 《Bro Squad》 guild…… I mean, the 《Two-Handed Builders》, had been going out alone at night for some tree chopping.

As Agil engaged in such activities, his business partner Mahokl commissioned his services to gather some rare logs.

And now Mahokl was trying to create a ballista not because she was threatened into doing so by someone, but because it apparently had some link to the reason why she became a woodcrafter——

"……But, you know, Mahokl-san definitely did say this: 'I was forced to go into hiding with my whole atelier because I discovered the composition recipe for a ballista.', didn't she?"

At Asuna's words, I gave a nod while chewing some blue cheese (a specialty of Floor 61, named as such not because it had some blue mold on it, but because it was entirely deep blue to an alarming level).

"Uh-huh…… since she said she was hiding, she had to be doing so from someone or something…… right? The only way I can possibly interpret this is that there was someone who wanted a ballista from her, and so she ran away from whoever that was."

"True. Also…… the hint we got from Agil,《criticals》, is also enigmatic……"

"You sure got that right…… The only possibly relevant thing I can think of is that rumour about weapons made out of wood having a higher crit rate. ——Come to think of it, wasn't there one in the KoB? A guy who was obsessed with wooden weapons, I mean."

"Oh, there is. He's a spearman, yet crosspears with wooden handles were the only thing he…… "

Just when Asuna was about to finish that thought… My ears caught a faint sound coming from outside the window.

The dry rustle was similar to tree leaves being moved by the wind, yet slightly different. Carrying a faint sense of weight that I couldn't express in words, was a footstep——someone had stepped on the grass in our yard.

(To be continued)

Afterword

This is Kunori, thank you for purchasing this book!

I do remember writing "I'll be ending it with the next installment" in the afterword of Sugary Days 9, and "I'll be ending next time, for sure", but, ugh, the outcome is…… as you see here……

I just realised that this series is about to hit the 200 page milestone if converted to Dengeki Bunko format, and if it continues at this rate, the compilation will likely end up being a yikers, thus I shall now cast aside my concerns and declare the following. Next time, for sure, I will truly be ending the story!⁽²⁾

To finish things off, I'd like to make a little advertisement here…… The Ordinal Scale BD&DVD limited editions that will be going on sale on 27 September will include a bonus side story.⁽³⁾ This story will be about what happened after the movie, and will focus on Kirito, Eiji, and Yuna, so please look forward to it!





Sword Art Online Material Edition 24
Publisher: WordGear
Date of publishing: 2017-8-20
Supervisor: Kunori Fumio
Printing: Ryokuyou

Sugary Days 10

Index

Sugary Days 12

Notes

1. ^ Kawahara made a kanji typo here. Instead of writing ~始めて（いた） (had begun), he wrote 初めて (for the first time)

2. ^ Captain Obvious Spoiler: No, he doesn't.

3. ^ Referring to Cordial Chords.