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Talk:Tenkyou no Alderamin:Volume 3 Chapter 1

2015-11-12T19:05:34Z

Multipartite: (Sorry, forgot to add signature.)

Confirmation: Are those actually cocoa leaves (hot chocolate), or coca leaves (powerful anaesthetic, stimulant, Coca-Cola)?
(Ah, forgot to add signature, sorry. -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 19:05, 12 November 2015 (UTC))

Talk:Tenkyou no Alderamin:Volume 3 Chapter 1

2015-11-12T19:04:33Z

Multipartite: cocoa leaves -> coca leaves anaesthetic question.

Confirmation: Are those actually cocoa leaves (hot chocolate), or coca leaves (powerful anaesthetic, stimulant, Coca-Cola)?

Owari no Chronicle:Volume4 Chapter 22

2014-01-03T07:25:34Z

Multipartite: had been tread down -> had been trodden down

==Chapter 22: Impetus to Stand Up==
[[Image:OnC_v04_0205.png|thumb]]
''You make a decision

''You may have done so in conceit

''But that is where it begins

Sayama looked up at the night sky.

He was sprawled out while lying on the ground.

''I got my clothes dirty,'' he thought while standing up in his vest.

Turning his head caused a dull pain. And in a lot more than one place.

…''That shows just how many times I have been slammed into the ground.

Beyond the cold air of the night, he could see the dark blue night sky and the dark shapes of the mountains.

He was in the outdoor dojo located next to Hiba Ryuutetsu’s dojo/home in the mountains of Okutama.

The dojo was in an elevated area, so the starlight was enough to see the ground.

Sayama stood up and looked over his shoulder while surrounded by the evening dew in the air.

He was inside by a 15 meter square dojo made of wood. The center had been trodden down until no grass remained and an old man stood there now.

He was Hiba Ryuutetsu.

His red eye and white shirt showed up best in the night.

His short silhouette showed he had his arms folded.

“What’s wrong? I hope you aren’t going to say you’re too heavy because you ate too much.”

“No, that is not it. Oddly enough, I do not remember eating much of that hot pot we had for dinner.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

“For some reason, a petty monkey came down from the mountains and ate my portion of the food. When I struck him on the temple and called him an undisciplined beast, he dragged me out here.”

Sayama brought a hand to his chin and looked up at Ryuutetsu’s face from a diagonal angle.

“Also, that monkey looked an awful lot like you.”

“Do you have any idea how to respect your elders?”

“Unfortunately, all the elders around me are the worst possible examples. I truly hate the elderly.” He looked back at Ryuutetsu and gasped. “There is an elderly person right there. Could this day get any worse?”

“Okay, Mikoto. I’ll kick your ass for that later, but listen up for the moment.”

“Fine then. Please speak, Hiba-sensei.”

“I’ve given up fighting your mistaken politeness. …Anyway, that idiot Kaoru would occasionally visit here and complain about you. At the beginning of spring in your second year of middle school, he said you got into a fight and wouldn’t speak to him.”

“I was trying to study for the end-of-term exams, but he charged at me shouting ‘revenge for the great pudding!’. I merely slammed him into the counter in response. He said the pudding he had bought had vanished and we began a five hour fistfight. In the end, we discovered the guard dog Pes had eaten it. A dog that can open the refrigerator is bad enough, but I think an old man that hasty deserves to be castrated immediately. It is too late for that now, though.”

“I see that idiot never changed.”

Ryuutetsu’s comment brought a slight pain to the left side of Sayama’s chest.

…''Come to think of it, I only know that the two of them were old acquaintances.

Had Ryuutetsu been a part of the National Defense Department?

''It is too soon to say,'' he thought with a bitter smile. ''But he should have heard my grandfather’s conditions for the Leviathan Road.

Those related to the Leviathan Road could not provide information on Gears unrelated to themselves.

And so Sayama faced Ryuutetsu while still feeling the slight pain in his chest.

“Once more.”

“Are you sure this is accomplishing anything?”

“Of course. You were able to reproduce the Art of Walking just from my explanation. Merely knowing anyone can pull it off is a huge step forward.”

This was a simple dojo without a concept space, but Ryuutetsu had merely said “this is probably what they are doing” and suddenly reproduced the technique.

On the level of perception, Sayama could see him more than with Diana or Atsuta.

But it was still too much for him to react.

Ryuutetsu refused to tell him how it was done. He told Sayama to figure it out on his own. That was how it always was.

“I would like to do this once more, even if you do not wish to.”

“You leave me no choice. But I’d rather not stay up this late at my age, you know?”

“I hear your wife caught you watching adult programs late at night and threw you in the well.”

“Don’t be silly. She didn’t throw me in. I jumped in to escape her. It was the middle of the winter, but she still put on the lid and placed a weight on top.”

He approached while calmly speaking.

“It may be a bit late to say this, but I am glad to see you are doing well, Hiba-sensei.”

Sayama moved as well. He took the initiative and attacked.

He aimed for the knees with a left kick.

“Would you look at that? You can give a proper greeting. …But that’s too slow.”

The back of that leg was kicked out of the way.

As he lost balance, Ryuutetsu charged in.

Once the old man got close, he would grab Sayama’s collar and throw him.

So Sayama sank down and placed his hands on the ground in a sitting position.

And he kicked forward with the leg that had been knocked out of the way.

But…

“You fool. I thought I taught you not to throw a straight kick if it isn’t gonna hit.”

With that comment, he grabbed Sayama’s leg.

He grabbed at the ankle and the back of the thigh.

“!”

As if righting a log, he lifted Sayama’s body using the leg.

He stood Sayama up.

The next thing he knew, he was standing up and Ryuutetsu stood right in front of him.

“How do you like that?”

“A clever trick. It makes me think you are trying to trick me into thinking you have any kind of skill.”

“You never shut up, do you? You could at least show me some respect.”

With a bitter smile, Ryuutetsu vanished. More accurately, Sayama’s eyes ceased to see him.

But he could still perceive him.

“Listen. There is one way to defeat this Art of Walking. You need to catch on to the trick.”

Sayama then felt someone grabbing the collar of his vest.

“Is this still not enough? Are you sure you were looking at that girl properly?”

Shinjou opened her eyes in the darkness.

She first noticed that she was lying in a futon and that she was wearing different clothes.

She quickly sat up and the futon fell off of her.

The area around her was still dark, but she could see faint pale light coming through a sliding door to the right.

She was in an oblong room that was had an area over 18 square meters. She had been sleeping near the entrance and the only furnishing was a partition screen covered in cursive writing located toward her feet.

There was no one else in the room.

Once she took a breath and looked down at herself, she found she was wearing a white yukata.

The left chest of the yukata said “Hiba Dojo”.

…''Then is this inside the dojo?

She had never been there before, so she could not say for sure.

“But I’m hungry.”

Her stomach felt completely empty. That was why she had woken up. ''Pathetic,'' she thought while holding her stomach.

Suddenly, a light appeared to her left. The light was accompanied by the sound of a sliding screen and a female voice.

“Are you hungry?”

She squinted as she looked toward the sudden brightness and she saw an old woman entering the room.

She was wearing Japanese-style clothes and she held a tray with a small pot on it.

Shinjou wondered who this was, but the old woman with short gray hair showed no sign of caution.

“I will iron your clothes, so you can wait until tomorrow morning. I was the one that changed you out of them. Kids these days certainly have nice bodies.”

“That…isn’t true.”

Shinjou saw the woman sit next to her and fix the futon that had fallen to her lap.

After the thick futon was flattened out, the woman placed the small pot and tray on top of it.

Shinjou used a pillow behind her waist to hold her in place and she looked back and forth between the tray and the old woman.

“U-um…”

…''Where is Sayama-kun?

“If you are wondering about the young Sayama, he is practicing something with my husband in the side yard. It has been two years since he did that. He said there is someone he must defeat.”

…''Oh, I get it.

Sayama had mentioned he would ask Ryuutetsu about 2nd-Gear’s Art of Walking. He must have been on his way there after leaving UCAT when he had come across her.

…''I can’t believe he would go ask someone for help.

That likely showed how much he trusted this place.

But then she remembered why she was here.

…''I said some odd things, cried, and clung to him at the Hikawa Shrine.

As Shinjou thought, the old woman opened the lid to the small pot on the tray. A lot of steam brought the aroma of bonito to her nose.

“Wah,” she said as she looked down at the pot.

“The others had a hot pot, so I made ojiya out of it.”

“Ojiya?”

She saw damp, colored rice with vegetables casually thrown in.

The yellow covering the surface of the rice was likely egg.

“It may not look pretty, but it is a type rice soup without much liquid. You can eat it and go back to sleep. I heard about you from the young Sayama. It seems he wants to speak with you about something, but you aren’t ready yet, are you?”

Shinjou thought for a moment and then nodded.

“I still haven’t gathered my thoughts.”

Despite saying that, she had made a decision in her heart.

That decision was why she had clung to Sayama’s chest.

“I didn’t want to keep lying.” She took a breath. “So once I calm down, I think I will reveal my lie to Sayama-kun.”

“I see.”

With that word, a hand was placed on her head.

It brushed her head.

The reassuring warmth she felt through her hair seemed to push tears out of her eyes.

“…Hyah.”

“Oh, dear.”

The old woman let go of her head and rubbed her back.

The hand on her back helped calm down her sobbing breaths.

“I wonder if he’ll hate me…”

“I do not know that, but I do know that you are a diligent hard-worker and that the heavens will help out people like that.”

Shinjou smiled bitterly at that.

“If the tears have stopped, you can eat. And we can keep it a secret that you woke up. You can go back to sleep once you finish eating.”

“B-but I need to get home…”

“Young Sayama contacted someone earlier and said you would be spending the night here.”

He had likely been speaking with Ooshiro. This relieved Shinjou a bit and she smiled bitterly again.

After taking a breath, she realized there was nothing she had to do.

And so she should eat. The problem would wait until tomorrow.

She picked up the spoon and scooped up some slightly dry egg.

She timidly brought it to her mouth.

“…Nn.”

The surface had cooled, but the inside was warm.

The flavor of the thick and moist rice had a hint of soup stock made from soft bonito. She felt soft noodles between the rice.

She brought the first bite into her mouth as if searching for its identity and something like a plant stalk came apart on her tongue. Sweetness spread out within her mouth.

“The egg is cooked just right, isn’t it?”

Shinjou nodded and smiled a bit.

She then brought another spoonful to her mouth.

She decided to leave the egg for last and smiled bitterly again.

“Have you cheered up a little?” asked the old woman as she rubbed Shinjou’s head again. “You’re a good kid. I’ll tell the others you are still asleep, so sleep until morning. You will work diligently tomorrow, right? So take this time to get some rest.”

Sayama found Ryuutetsu’s comment odd.

“Are you saying Shinjou-kun is connected to the Art of Walking?”

As he spoke, his body was carried forward and he heard Ryuutetsu speaking.

“Have you been looking at her properly?”

“I…”

“Shut up. I’m asking the question. And you’re not the one to answer it. The answer will come with the result you and she reach.”

Sayama’s body was lifted up onto Ryuutetsu’s waist.

“You are right. You are wrong in the right away. But did you properly face that girl as a villain when you made her cry? You know she was truly crying, don’t you?”

Ryuutetsu pulled him further forward and moved in to sweep his feet out from under him.

“Did you look at her properly just now? Did you see her true side?”

His body was thrown up into the air.

“If you were being a villain properly and you were looking at the true side of that girl, you would know what it means to see things and to not see things.”

The sensation of Ryuutetsu’s grasp suddenly vanished.

“I did it. I pulled it off perfectly. That was an unrestrained unseen throw. Now, break through it. If you don’t, you’ll fall on your head and die.”

Sayama felt as if he had been thrown with all the old man’s strength.

“…!”

He could not perceive the one who had thrown him and he had even lost track of the timing with which he had been thrown. No matter how skilled his ability to land was, there was nothing he could do without that starting point.

He did not understand anything at the moment.

He did not know in what way he was spinning or how he would land.

Hiba Ryuutetsu was a man who would truly try to finish him off.

Without a doubt, this throw could kill him.

So he had to see that unseen sensation.

“…”

Suddenly, he recalled a similar situation. He recalled when Diana had knocked him flying.

What had he said then?

“Why can I not see you even though I am seeing you?”

He had to confront them and think about what it meant to face them.

When he had faced Shinjou earlier, he had replied by embracing her.

When he did, he had received her pulse, breathing, body temperature, trembling, voice, touch, and tears.

And he had gathered his confidence and replied to her words.

…''That is not true.

He could not make that rejection if he was not facing her.

And so he thought.

…''We faced each other while both right and wrong.

She may have been hesitating and crying in fear over a lie, but even that was right.

So when was it that he would lose sight of Shinjou?

…''She is my opposite, so it is when I am not facing her head on.

“It is when I have deviated from you!”

As soon as he grew convinced of that fact, Sayama understood the Art of Walking.

When he brought together the ideas of facing someone and being deviated from them, he arrived at the answer.

“Is that it?” he muttered while using all of his senses.

And he saw it.

He saw the state of his body. He saw the state of his surroundings.

But as soon as he perceived everything, his body slammed into the ground.

An elevated location was exposed to the wind of the night.

It was a rooftop.

Specifically, it was the top the first dorm in the row of girls’ dorms in Taka-Akita Academy.

Two figures stood there. One was a girl holding a mop in both hands. The other was a young man holding a deck brush in one hand.

They were Kazami and Izumo wearing track suits.

They two of them were currently motionless.

Izumo had lowered his large body as he tried to approach Kazami.

Kazami had stopped his movement by holding the mop handle out horizontally between her hands.

The sudden stop of such quick actions had created a tension which hardened their bodies and repelled the surrounding wind.

But Kazami finally sighed and lowered her shoulders.

“I…saw it. I was able to defend.”

“I see. So you saw it,” said Izumo as he stood up.

He had a few fresh scrapes on his cheeks, but he smiled toward Kazami in the starlight.

“Well, that’s the trick to 2nd-Gear’s Art of Walking.”

“But, Kaku. I can’t believe you managed to pull off their technique. You couldn’t do it at all last night and passed out from my counter. Did you have some kind of strange revelation while asleep today?”

“No, it was last night when you were healing my wounds with that sexual-…gah! A-at least let me finish my joke!”

Kazami ignored him, drew back the end of the mop, and smiled.

“Let’s stop making this difficult and keep it simple. …So what is the trick to 2nd-Gear’s Art of Walking?’

“Hm, well…” Izumo folded his arms and glanced over at her. “To be honest, I really want to make a joke here.”

“I see. Then let me give you a useful bit of information. This roof is 16 meters up.”

They both looked over at the fence on the edge. Kazami frowned when she heard Kaku make an indecisive groan.

“Do you want to make a joke that badly? Okay, you can make a small one.”

“Eh? Really? Really? Okay, I need to decide what joke to go with. …Oh, I know! That one’s sure to-…gwoh!”

“Okay, that’s enough. You went over the time limit. Now give me the answer.”

Izumo held his solar plexus and glared at her with half-lidded eyes.

“You want the answer? Well, it’s pretty simple.” He stood in front of her and held his right index finger in front of her eyes. “This is the center of your vision. Got it? …Now watch this.”

Without moving his finger, he slightly shifted the rest of his body to the right.

He then lowered his raised finger.

Kazami’s eyes were not looking at the center of his body. She was looking at his side.

She more or less realized what this meant, so she spoke aloud to herself.

“You move from their vision such that they don’t notice?”

“Not just that. Basically, you deviate from all of their senses and their timing just enough that they won’t notice.” He counted off the examples. “Breathing, movements, pulse, hearing, etc. You alter each individual one just slightly. When it’s all combined together…”

“They can’t perceive you?”

“Right. The more we focus, the more we refine our senses and the easier it is for them to deviate from them. It has nothing to do with speed or strength. If you can’t perceive them, you can’t evade their attacks even if they just walk up to you.”

By the time he finished speaking, Izumo was suddenly standing next to her.

That was the Art of Walking.

“I can do this to you because of how well I know your timing. It would require a lot of training to pull it off against a stranger like Diana and it’s crazy to think anyone can keep multiple people from perceiving them like 2nd-Gear’s Atsuta did.”

“I see.” Kazami nodded and the wind blew through her hair. “So at your level, you can’t peep on the girls’ bath or enter the girls’ locker room.”

“Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-what are you talking about?”

“You don’t need to get so flustered. Something horrible will happen to you later, so calm down. Anyway, how do you plan to defeat this Art of Walking?”

“You just did it, remember? It’s simple once you realize how.”

“But how well will it work in a real battle?”

“Who knows. But for the moment, this is all we have. We found this one method, so we have to cling to it,” said Izumo. “But the Art of Walking is a sad technique if you think about it.”

He took a breath.

“You can view it as a technique where you flee from your opponent and refuse to face them.”

<noinclude>
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| Back to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_21|Chapter 21]]
| Return to [[Owari_no_Chronicle|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_23|Chapter 23]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Owari no Chronicle:Volume4 Chapter 17

2013-12-12T11:35:57Z

Multipartite: '必然' characters' significance appreciated and noted in a reference (please correct if badly formed).

==Chapter 17: A Scream in the Rain==
[[Image:OnC_v04_0085.png|thumb]]
''Not everything is inevitable

''There are some places where “yes” will certainly be said<ref>'certainly' and 'yes' are 'kanarazu' and 'shikari', the kanji of which when together are the word 'inevitable' ('hitsuzen').</ref>

''But the one to shout it has to reach that place first

Just as the clouds hid the afternoon sun, the wind began to blow.

The white-walled building of Japanese UCAT’s headquarters trembled very slightly in the wind.

The noise could be heard in the first-floor lobby.

Two figures were there to hear it: Ooshiro Itaru and Sf.

Itaru sat on the sofa while drinking a glass of water.

“Sf, how is my old man doing?”

“Testament. He is holed up in his room. Should I check inside with my thermovision?”

“Can you also shoot lasers? If he’s playing an 18+ game, fire one into his ass.”

“Eye beams is an available option. Please email a request to German UCAT’s Sf Development Official. Students receive a 50% discount, so I can forge a student ID if necessary.”

“Oh? How kind of you. What goes on in that brain of yours?”

Sf nodded and pointed at her own head.

“Testament. The artificial synapses of my artificial brain are preserved at minus forty degrees, a temperature cold enough to hammer a nail with a banana.”

“I see. Is that why you’re so coldhearted?”

“No. The oil that acts as my blood is kept at room temperature. My exterior is kept at a slightly lower temperature to reproduce an artificial coldness.”

“That’s what makes you coldhearted.”

Itaru sank into the sofa and did not even turn toward Sf as he spoke.

“You sit down, too.”

“Testament.”

Sf sat sideways on Itaru’s lap.

He half-closed his eyes.

“What’s this? Did I ask you to use your master as a chair?”

“Testament. You told me to sit down. My deep memory contains an incident when you asked me to sit down in a train and you stopped me when I attempted to sit on the floor. If the floor would be preferable, I can move there.”

“I see, I see. I’m shocked. You can actually learn? I’m truly shocked.”

“Testament. If you are delighted, please stamp this card.”

Itaru wordlessly stamped the card and returned it. Sf bowed.

“Testament. Kazuo-sama certainly has been staying in his room a lot lately. Is he trying to rot away in there?”

“Let him rot. This is because…his old man destroyed 2nd-Gear.”

“That statement is incorrect. Based on the records I have recently reviewed and the conversation from the other day, 2nd-Gear was destroyed because the people of the Gear overused their control system until they lost control of it.”

“That’s why. If there was anything the people of 2nd-Gear could have done, they could have shared the sin. But my old man’s old man was the one who should have been able to do something. He failed on his own and bore the sin on his own,” explained Itaru. “Remember this: my old man’s feelings about this are complicated. He’s the one person who knows the full story.”

“The full story?”

“That’s right. His old man was the one who couldn’t stop Yamata in 2nd-Gear, so why was he able to do it here in Low-Gear? My old man was a kid back then, so he knows the answer.”

Itaru looked up at Sf.

“Do you want to know why?”

“Not really.”

“Then I won’t tell you. …Now, I’m about to talk to myself for a bit, so don’t listen.”

“Testament. I will begin speaking to myself as well.”

Itaru took a drink from his glass, looked up at the ceiling, and opened his mouth to speak.

“The project to build Susaou began March 12, 1945. Three days before that, a certain event occurred in Tokyo. And my old man’s old man took part in the event even though his friends tried to stop him.”

“I can determine this event was something quite flashy. …By the way, that was me speaking to myself.”

“Then this is me talking to myself. …It was a flashy festival. So flashy it’s still written about in history textbooks.” Itaru let out a breath. “After all, it created such a cry of pain that the city of Tokyo was almost destroyed.”

Shinjou and Sayama arrived at Shinjuku in Tokyo.

Sayama had said they needed some material on World War Two, so he had gone around to the different major bookstores and bought a few books. Shinjou had never seen the big city before, so she was overwhelmed by the size of the bookstores.

“Would you want to live in a place like this?”

When Sayama had asked her that, she had nodded.

After leaving the Showa Memorial Park, he had not asked about her.

He had not asked about why she had been late or about the lie she had mentioned the night before.

[[Image:OnC_v04_0091.png|thumb]]

Currently, he was simply pulling on her hand as they walked toward Shinjuku Station.

They were surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the city. People and their voices filled every direction.

And seemingly catching all those people were the lines of buildings and car-filled roads.

When the faint oppressiveness of it all caused her to look up toward the heavens, she saw the gloomy sky and felt the wind blowing down from it.

The humid wind was filled with the scent of the city.

The dampness of the wind told Shinjou it would rain soon and she started to look around.

“A-are we going to the station? Are we going back? Is it going to rain soon?”

“Ha ha ha. I will answer each of our questions in turn: we can reach the station from anywhere, we can return at any time, and we still have some time before it rains. After all, we are on our way to a moment in the past.”

Sayama let go of her hand and pulled a book from the paper bag under his arm.

“I have finally found a common point between 2nd-Gear and us for this Leviathan Road. Here it is.”

“An overview of American aerial missions during World War Two? How… How is this a common point?”

“Do you remember when the project to build Susaou began? March 12, 1945. …When you think about it, there is no greater point in common. Do you remember back in UCAT’s cafeteria when I said I would mention something once I had confirmation?”

“Oh, that’s right. Did you find some kind of meaning in that date?”

“An excellent question, Shinjou-kun. I feel as if I am returning to a simpler time. …Three days before that date, something very similar to 2nd-Gear’s destruction occurred here in Low-Gear.”

“Eh?”

What did he mean?

The other Gears were connected to Low Gear in fixed places via the ley lines. However, she had not heard of any indirect effects like that. And this would be something similar to destruction.

“Y-you’re kidding, right? After all, Tokyo is right here. It wasn’t destroyed.”

“No, it was not. It survived and it recovered.”

Sayama suddenly stopped walking.

They stood at the center of the large scramble crossing in front of Shinjuku Station’s east entrance.

“Look, Shinjou-kun.”

Drawn by his words, Shinjou looked around.

A great number of people were moving out of the way and walking past them. Lines of cars were waiting for all of the people to cross.

And on the asphalt road supporting them all were structures made from a metal framework.

Shinjou felt the humidity press in at her throat.

Sayama’s left arm suddenly wrapped around her back.

“A busy place, isn’t it?”

“Looking at it again… Tokyo is an amazing place.”

“Yes, but this city was nearly destroyed once. That is a fact.”

“Eh?”

Her questioning tone brought Sayama’s gaze toward her.

“It happened on March 9, 1945. That was approximately five months before Japan surrendered in World War Two. And it was three days before the project to build Susaou began. On that day, the American military performed a certain experiment on the city of Tokyo.”

“A-an experiment? What kind of experiment?”

“The same experiment they had earlier performed on Hamburg, Germany and failed. While bombing, they used flammable fuel in place of normal explosives. They performed a firebombing,” said Sayama. “Tokyo was constructed from wood, so the result of the experiment was clear. In one night, approximately 120 thousand people died and almost all buildings in Tokyo were destroyed. That experiment elicited the greatest cry of pain Japan gave during World War Two.”

“You mean…”

“Yes, the Firebombing of Tokyo.”

And…

“Why did Ooshiro Hiromasa grow so serious about constructing Susaou and Totsuka after he did not save 2nd-Gear? …The answer is simple.”

“You don’t mean…”

“Yes. He was here when Tokyo was bombed. He saw it with his own eyes. He saw his own world of Low-Gear destroyed in flames.”

Sayama remained expressionless as he spoke.

And Shinjou saw Baku poke his head from the breast pocket of Sayama’s suit.

The first thing Sayama could sense was light.

He saw crimson. He saw the color of flames.

He also heard noise, saw motion, and saw the scenery. But…

…''It is all mixed together.

Flames burned.

Was he in a village, a town, or a city?

Sayama knew the answer: this was Tokyo.

The sky was covered with dark clouds and smoke. Flames and wind blew across the land.

Countless shades of scarlet colored the crumbling people and houses.

He heard countless sounds of something being dropped from the sky.

He also heard ringing fire bells and people’s voices.

The heat sent countless voices crying together into the sky.

Amid those voices were people crying for their father, their mother, their son, or their daughter. Some were crying for their grandfather or grandmother.

All those voices gathered together, but not a single response came.

The sounds of destruction and the whistling of flames slammed the crying voices into the ground and the color of flames blasted up into the sky.

The scene of Tokyo burning lay before Sayama.

“…!”

He clearly saw it.

He saw dark shadows. As they crumbled in the flames, he could not even tell if they were people or buildings. As people ran and shouted in confusion, the attacks from above scattered the color scarlet across them.

The wind blew, but it did not bring in rain. It only caused the flames to dance.

This air current was created when a large area was burning. It first gathered flames around itself and then raced across the city in search of oxygen.

The wind was not merely hot; it was burning.

Wind as hot as fire raced across Tokyo in every direction and burned away rows of houses just by caressing them.

East, west, north, and south. The raging wind guided the flames in every direction.

That wind raced about to find air.

The rivers flowing through Tokyo were all filled with people trying to escape the heat, but the burning wind descended to the river and roasted them as well.

The people standing atop the bridges were struck by the hot wind flying in from the side.

The heat cooked the metal of the bridges and easily bent them. Once set afire by napalm and exposed to the blazing wind, the bridges’ arch structures melted and they collapsed into the river in no time at all.

Before the water could splash up, the shimmering of flames and the black of smoke rose up.

No one could escape. They were not allowed to.

Most of the air-raid shelters were roasted inside and out because their doors were sucked open by the pressure difference created by the flames.

The roads, buildings, rivers, basements, people, and everything else touching the air were roasted and they instantly showed one what carbon was.

Above the rising smoke, shimmering, and screams, countless dark shadows and dark rain could be seen in the sky.

The shadows were large B-29 bombers and the rain was a barrage of incendiary bombs.

Occasionally, a few of the bombers would descend and fly close by over Tokyo.

As the great noise and heat assaulted Tokyo again and again, Sayama saw something.

A man stood still in front of an Izumo truck which had been burned with the city.

Sayama knew who he was.

“Ooshiro Hiromasa!”

Hiromasa wore a lab coat and stood within that city which was nothing but shimmering and light.

The stone hanging from his neck emitted its blue light at full force.

That light protected him so that he grew dirty but did not burn. He shouted something and questioned the city.

“————!?”

Is anyone there? Hurry up and evacuate. Get out of here. All of his cries were drowned out by the wind and the bombs. The heat twisted the screams he heard, so he could not even grasp how far away they were.

But he continued shouting and ran aimlessly through the burning city. He jumped over what looked like clumps of charcoal lying in the roads, tripped over one, fell, and continued running.

He ran through a flame-filled alley, trying to find a safe street.

But just before he made his way out into one, a burning wind passed through the street like a wall.

“!”

That one quick pass brought a great roar with it.

Once the flaming wind had passed, nothing remained.

The buildings, people, and everything else were unrecognizably covered in flames, leaving only black silhouettes.

No matter which way he looked, he saw only the burning ground and the night sky filled with sparks.

He fell to his knees when he reached the empty, flame-filled street.

Sayama suddenly spoke while watching him from behind.

He spoke his unheard voice which could not reach the past.

“You failed.”

Hiromasa hung his head down.

“You knew there was nothing you could have done, but you still wanted to gather the survivors and feel that you had ‘saved’ them. That desire came to you here, didn’t it? You wanted to atone for failing to save 2nd-Gear.”

But…

“But the destruction did not even allow you that.”

Hiromasa touched the blue stone hanging from his neck.

“So will you destroy yourself? If destruction is the only path remaining for the world, will you gain a lonely superiority by destroying yourself ahead of time? If that is what you intend, just look before you.”

A wave of crimson assaulted the street before Hiromasa’s eyes.

That wave resembled a giant serpent. It was the largest fire current created by the center of Tokyo burning. It undulated, blew across the rows of houses, and brought a burning wind.

“Now, Ooshiro Hiromasa. This is a crossroads. To take responsibility for being able to do nothing, will you throw away your protective stone and wish to be destroyed along with everyone else? Or will cling to your small life and expose yourself to the shame?”

The expanding flames seemed to answer Sayama.

Hiromasa reacted. He squeezed the philosopher’s stone in his right hand.

“!”

He tore it from the string around his neck.

“Now, what will you do with that stone? Make your decision!”

As if responding to Sayama’s question, Hiromasa slowly raised his hand.

He was preparing to throw it.

But then he saw something.

The flames approaching around him lit up everything and made their structure clear.

“…”

Something lay collapsed there.

Something sat motionless on its knees.

Something lay motionless over a child.

Something had placed a blanket over a child to protect it, but had become just as motionless as the child.

Hiromasa had a child of his own. But the flames ignored that fact as they easily burned everything away.

Everything burned. Everything turned to charcoal.

Soon thereafter, Hiromasa opened his mouth.

“Oh…”

A voice escaped.

“Oahhhhhh!”

His voice became a great cry similar to a newborn’s and it did not stop.

He then began to move.

But he did not throw away the stone. He held it in his hand as he formed a solid fist.

The philosopher’s stone which kept him alive was no longer something which simply hung from his neck. He now clenched it in his fist.

He forcefully stood up while continuing to cry out.

Sayama only existed as his vision, but he smiled at the action.

“So you have chosen to live in disgrace, engineer of the past! That is the action of one who continues forward without fearing failure!”

With the flames before him, Hiromasa looked up into the sky.

He opened his mouth, arched his back, and shouted something further.

This was a cry of protest. It was a voice of anger.

As Sayama watched, he spoke in response to that protest.

“Shout! Feel your anger! Destroy your hesitant heart! Face the unreasonable sight before you!”

He looked at the flames in front of him.

“Let out a scream!”

And Hiromasa did just that. He let out a loud, loud voice toward the many, many flames before him.

“I…”

He threw his fist toward the burning wind which ripped him from the ground and blew him away.

“I…!!”

As Sayama heard that shout, he was knocked from the past.

A narrow road traveled through the forest of Okutama’s mountains.

No cars drove on this road, but a man wearing a work uniform walked along it as clouds began to cover the sky.

He was Kashima.

The right shoulder of his clothes was still torn from a sword strike.

In his left arm, he held the thick waterproof envelope his parents had given him.

He thought while the cold wind bringing rain pushed at his back.

…''What should I do?

That thought filled his mind and would not leave.

What should he do?

With his past in the 3rd Production Room before his eyes, he had run away. That had reminded him of a certain fact.

…''That is where I used to be.

Long ago when he had failed to fulfill his grandfather’s dying request, he had tried to forget by losing himself in his power as a man of 2nd-Gear.

And in doing so, he had forgotten about the person he cared about as a man of Low-Gear.

“Natsu-san…”

He had forgotten about her and had only remembered once he had hurt her and rescued her.

He would never forget that again.

But at the same time, he had begun to deny something.

He had been denying that thought for so long now.

“I was denying that I had not forgotten my power.”

The cut in the right shoulder of his clothes told him all he needed to know about his power.

…''I can never truly be someone of Low-Gear.

He looked like one, his culture was similar, and he had a family there, but there was nothing he could do about his own existence at the base of it all.

But the thought still would not leave.

“What should I do?”

There was a simple answer: he just had to stop having these thoughts.

He just needed to forget about his power. If he did not, he could not be honest with Natsu and Harumi.

…''Should I continue lying and lose myself in my power again?''

''No,'' he thought.

“But,” he muttered.

…''But what am I supposed to do?

Suddenly, the cold wind blew across him once more.

The chill snapped him out of his thoughts and he realized he had stopped walking.

Ahead of him, the road turned sharply to the right. This was to circle around a steep slope that jutted out.

“This is…”

It was where that landslide had occurred eight years ago. This was where it had all been determined.

Kashima stood at the location of his past.

As he stood silently, something small struck his shoulder.

It was rain.

The rain fell from the sky and began gently striking Kashima and his surroundings, but it gradually grew stronger.

The rain did not stop.

It only grew more intense.

In the plaza in front of Shinjuku Station, rain clouds filled the sky and the wind blew, but the flow of people did not lessen.

As everyone moved to their destinations to escape the coming rain, a single figure sat on a stone step.

This figure crouching at the bottom of all the noise was Shinjou.

Another figure walked toward her.

It was Sayama. He held a cup out toward her.

“Want a drink?” he asked.

Shinjou looked up and gave a weak smile.

“Oh, sure. Thanks. What kind is it? Don’t tell me it’s 100% sea urchin juice or something.”

“Ha ha ha. We are not in a shady secret organization beneath Okutama. It is just tea.”

“I see. …That feels kind of empty,” she said with a bitter smile.

Sayama thought on her comment.

…''Would it have fit her ideal image of me if I had bought something strange?

If he had searched for an IAI vending machine, he could have found something that packed a punch. It would not have been as much as what one found in UCAT, but it would have been a start.

…''Did I make the wrong choice? No, but… No, no. But…

“S-Sayama-kun? It looks like you’re lost in thought about something. A-are you okay?”

“Y-yes. Sorry. I was just thinking about my ideal self.”

“That sounds suspicious… But what drink did you get?”

“Strawberry milk.”

“…”

“I have a lot to think about, so I need sugar for my brain. I also need calcium for concentration, so this was the best option. Yes. Now that I think about it again, this choice is well worth praising me ove-… What is with that look?”

“Nothing. I was just thinking nothing I said could stop you.”

Shinjou’s expression then returned to normal.

“I can’t believe you’re fine after seeing such a harsh part of the past. You really are tough, Sayama-kun.”

“Really? Setsu-kun once said I am surprisingly timid.”

“Enough about that,” she said with an exasperated look.

He was unsure how to react and Shinjou seemed to sense something from his expression. She lowered her head and said “sorry”.

“But I wonder if Ooshiro-san’s father was able to truly feel the destruction of 2nd-Gear in that bombing,” she said.

“I think we can assume so. He saw what would happen to this world if Yamata appeared here. That was why he put all his thought into creating Susaou and answering Yamata’s question.” Sayama nodded. “And the people of 2nd-Gear held the same thoughts. And they must still hold them.”

“Eh?”

He narrowed his eyes and nodded in response to Shinjou’s questioning tone.

He spoke what it was he had learned during the preliminary negotiations.

“I believe 2nd-Gear is a sleeping dragon. They wish for peace, but are still able to choose the best option. That is what they did sixty years ago. Those who created Susaou and Totsuka had to have raised a cry of resistance in response to what they had lost.”

He took a breath and asked a question.

“Can you hear it, Shinjou-kun? Can you hear 2nd-Gear letting out a scream as they awaken from their slumber?”

The rain soaked Kashima, but he continued facing the slope ahead of him.

His eyes stared forward at the guardrail that cut him off from the slope.

The guardrail turned to the right to follow the new road, but the old road lay behind it, buried by the slope.

Most of the bottom of the slope was hidden by concrete.

This was a place of memories. It had once received that concrete makeup, but the rain caused hard mud to spew from the cracks and from above. Its old face peeked through.

As the mud spilled down, he heard a soft noise. It seemed to be asking a gentle question: why are you here?

The sun must have warmed the ground because mist began to rise across the area.

He was surrounded by rain, mist, and a slight wind.

The gathering clouds above produced the rain.

As he heard the rain falling, Kashima looked into the forest and up into the sky.

“A world much like this once existed.”

The people who had tried and failed to protect that world had argued with each other.

But even as they did, they had worked to protect this new world.

Why was that?

Why had the two fought yet protected this world together?

…''I don’t know.

That was the past and it was what others had done. There was no way he could know.

But he had had a certain thought about it in the past.

“Even if I can never fully understand, I can still approach an understanding.”

…''That’s right.

His grandfather had told him stories of a war in a different world.

He had not thought they were true and his grandfather had always enjoyed telling them, but the old man had always looked sad at the end.

…''I never said anything about that sad look.

“Can we really just forget it all?”

Could they really just forget about his grandfather and the thoughts his grandfather had given him?

“Can we really just forget it all?”

He realized the answer was no. And he realized no one but him could arrive at that point.

“…”

The sky suddenly grew blurry in his vision. He assumed the rain had fallen in his eye.

The rain felt oddly warm. It seemed to have body heat. As he felt that rain, he spoke to himself.

“I need to decide.”

''What are you saying?'' he thought, but not even that could stop the words from coming.

“This must be the place where I need to make a decision.”

This was where he had come to fear his own power and where he had gained something precious.

He trembled as he stared at the slope which was partially covered in concrete.

The trembling he had felt in front of the 3rd Production Room returned.

Choosing the old road would bring trembling.

With that in mind, he turned toward the new road to his side. That safe road brought no trembling.

But he quickly shook his head. It looked like he was shaking something off.

“There is something I need before I can head down that road.”

He took a breath and took a certain action.

He would cross the guardrail. He would move to the other side where the slope lay waiting.

Amid the rain, he took one step and then another.

With that action, he crossed the guardrail and stopped on the other side.

He could not stop the trembling.

Even so, he had chosen to stand here.

That was his decision.

He used his trembling body to take in a breath.

He opened his mouth and spoke as if addressing someone.

“This is the method I choose.”

He took a breath.

“I will carry the past as I walk down a new road.”

He walked through the rain and approached the slope.

He trembled, but the trembling gradually vanished as he continued forward.

And as he walked, he recalled the past.

He recalled his grandfather asking for forgiveness in the very end.

He recalled the disappointment of finding the bridge in Susaou’s head destroyed.

And he recalled causing this landslide and grasping Natsu’s incomplete hand.

Amid all of those memories, there was one thing he could say for sure.

There was one thing in common about all of his questions, anger, resentment, and joy.

…''It all came from having this power.

He could not forget or rid himself of those memories.

Those memories had left him conflicted for so long and he had not been able to shake free of them even when he gained a family.

“But there is one thing I never asked of the power that caused it all.”

He stood before the slope and spoke in a scratchy voice.

“Can my power do anything other than take things from me?”

He took in a breath and placed his left hand on the dirt of the slope.

He slowly held up his right hand and shook his head.

“I know it’s selfish! But I…I want to use this power which hurt the person I care for the most!”

He swung his right fist into the muddy slope before his eyes.

A splashing sound rang out.

“I want to use it to regain everything I lost!”

His hand sank into the mud up to the wrist. The soft and wet mud was warm from the sun.

As he felt the heat in his right hand, some of the rain on his face entered his mouth.

That warm rain dripped onto his tongue and he tasted it.

…''It tastes just like blood.

He tasted that flavor and sensed his right hand in the mud.

The wet feeling in his hand was a lot like what he had felt while holding Natsu’s hand back then.

He had not forgotten.

The trembling of his spine expressed the emotions brought by the same sensation as eight years ago.

But he could no longer turn his back on the slope.

“I…”

His voice trembled as if he were bearing with something.

“I am going to lie to you, Natsu-san.”

''I’m sorry,'' he thought. ''I’m sorry, Natsu-san.

''I am trying to once more wield the power that hurt you.

''I’m sorry, Harumi. Your father is a liar.

''But I will not apologize for lying after this. I will not say sorry.

“Because I have made up my mind.”

He had decided to lie and to protect everything with his own power.

And with his decision made, he turned to the right.

He grasped the feeling from eight years ago as well as some mud and looked toward the new road.

The asphalt road seemed to continue on forever.

“…”

Every part of his body sensed his heavy breathing and racing pulse.

But his heart remained calm.

…''I am not choosing 2nd-Gear or Low-Gear.

“I am choosing to hide my 2nd-Gear power and remain within Low-Gear.”

…''The place to which I am headed is not one or the other.

He had decided. He felt it was selfish, but he could find no more opposition to the idea than that.

And so he made up his mind.

He pulled his right hand from the slope and opened his mouth.

“Oh…”

A voice started to escape.

He had no reason to oppose his thoughts.

He opened his mouth toward the heavens and released it.

He cried out. It was like the cry of a newborn baby.

His trembling vanished as if thrown off of him and his voice grew even louder.

“…!”

He twisted his body, bent forward, and arched backwards.

His body stretched toward the sky, breath passed from his lungs to his throat and his mouth, and he let out a cry.

His great roar tore into the gathering clouds in the sky.

Below the dark clouds and amid busy Shinjuku, Shinjou’s shoulders trembled at Sayama’s question.

“A cry?”

“Yes.”

Sayama nodded and brushed up his hair in the wind.

He looked up into the sky with a calm expression. He spoke as if remembering something.

“People who struggle and people who fight will use their voice or their thoughts to raise a cry that is either voiced or silent. Just like Ooshiro Hiromasa did.”

And…

“Just like 2nd-Gear is sure to do.”

Shinjou gasped.

She remembered two things: what Ooshiro had told her about Kashima the night before and the past she had just seen.

…''Will he make up his mind like Ooshiro-san’s father did?

He would. She was sure of it. After all, he knew what power he held.

…''But…

What about her?

She had no answer. The emotion that fact brought caused her to tremble.

“!”

She reflexively moved.

To reject the thought, she stood up and gathered her strength.

But…

“…”

When she realized what she had done, she looked over at Sayama who was looking up at her.

He gave her a questioning look which caused her to realize again what she had done.

“S-sorry. I’m not feeling well.”

Her shoulders drooped and she took a breath.

And when she awkwardly sat back down, she heard Sayama speak.

“I can understand having difficulty getting over seeing that scene from the past, but it is not healthy to be so tense.”

“I know…”

To keep him from realizing how shaken she was, she forced a smile and asked a question.

“Th-then do you have anything to talk about so I can get my mind off it?”

Sayama thought.

After a few seconds, he clapped his hands. On his head, Baku emulated the action. He then turned his head and Baku toward her.

“Then how about I once more invite you to the All Holiday Festival tomorrow?”

For just an instant, the word festival brought a look of joy to Shinjou’s face.

But she quickly realized something and her shoulders trembled.

…''I can’t.

She frantically waved her hands toward Sayama.

“U-um, I have to train tomorrow, so…well…enjoy the festival with Setsu.”

“That does sound nice, but…”

Sayama’s halfhearted tone brought an immediate question out of Shinjou.

“Do you not like Setsu?”

“Of course I like him.” He embraced the binder under his arm. “But I was asking if ''you'' would come.”

“Ah,” gasped Shinjou.

She realized what her question meant and what Sayama was thinking.

She realized his consideration and her reasons for rejecting it.

“…”

She did not know what expression was on her face.

Sayama’s slightly frowning expression told her the answer: she was about to cry.

“Shinjou-kun.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

She stood up and took a step back.

She checked her watch and found it was just about to turn 5:40 PM.

“U-um, Sayama-kun. I…I’m not feeling well, so…I’ll head back on my own.”

Sayama’s eyebrows moved.

He raised his head as if in realization and put on a serious expression.

“Given the subject matter, I will ask indirectly, but is it your perio-…gfh!”

Her knee struck his gut mid-sentence. He doubled over and she panicked further.

“S-sorry, but it slipped out because I think ‘indirect’ means something else.”

“Heh…heh heh heh. That was an excellent attack, Shinjou-kun. And it was actually a repeat joke, so I suppose I deserved that. However…”

“Enough of that. For one thing, I still haven’t started having a period.”

“What a pain,” he muttered.

But then his eyebrows moved. He formed a puzzled expression and spoke in a puzzled voice.

“You still haven’t started?”

“Ah,” said Shinjou when she realized what she had said.

…''But it’s true.

She held her own body to harden her defenses. She then took a deep breath so she could look him in the eye.

“Is that…strange?”

She felt it was strange, but she asked to be sure.

However, his answer was different. He straightened his tie and collar as he answered.

“It differs from person to person, so I cannot say anything one way or the other.”

“I see.”

Even as she nodded, Shinjou could tell her face had grown red.

What was she supposed to say here?

“Sorry I’m just a kid. But there’s a reason for it… And I think that same reason is causing problems for you.”

“Is this reason the lie you mentioned last night?”

“…Yes. But I can’t say anything more.”

Shinjou quietly nodded and then turned toward the station.

“If I say anything more now, I don’t think I can stand it… But I do want to ask one thing. Will you let me ask a sudden question?”

“If you wish to ask it, go right ahead.”

She had permission. That fact brought relief and she formed the words.

“I said I wanted you to go to the All Holiday Festival with Setsu, right? Well, I’m not sure how else to put this… Would you be fine if Setsu left?”

“…?”

“Don’t give me that look. Your arm is healed now, right? And…and even if Setsu leaves, you still have Sadame…you still have me. So you don’t need Setsu, right?”

Shinjou somehow managed to draw out the words which were sinking down in her gut.

“But right now – just for a bit – stay by Setsu’s side.”

That was all she could manage. She could not continue.

She glanced at his face and saw a slight look of surprise. That expression made her feel apologetic.

And so she turned her back, brought strength to her legs, and began walking.

“Sorry. …I’ll see you later! Later, okay!”

She immediately checked her watch and switched to a run.

Sayama stood up, but he could not make it in time.

She slipped into the crowd and between two women carrying large bags.

Something fell from the sky and landed on the shoulder of her jacket.

It was not an incendiary bomb that fell on her. Something else was falling on the world of the present.

“Rain.”

<noinclude>

==References==
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| Back to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_16|Chapter 16]]
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| Forward to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_18|Chapter 18]]
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Talk:Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 12 Chapter 4

2013-12-11T08:20:40Z

Multipartite: 'Hirmoi' question.

The word 'Hirmoi' suddenly appears in 'Hirmoi lightly tapped off the deck'; it looks like a misspelling, but I can't guess of what. Change recommended. | Separately, much squeeing at the recent translations in this volume! *joy* -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 02:20, 11 December 2013 (CST)

Owari no Chronicle:Volume4 Chapter 15

2013-11-26T09:56:14Z

Multipartite: Minor alterations/corrections.

==Chapter 15: Point of Acquisition==
[[Image:OnC_v04_0029.png|thumb]]
''Look back

''Look back

''And remember so you never need to look back again

Kashima stood in the passageway behind the design room that led to the production rooms.

He wore his usual work uniform and lab coat and he held the cardkey Tsukuyomi had given him.

“What am I supposed to do? Director Tsukuyomi told me to face this, but…”

''What will that teach me?'' he wondered.

His heart was feeling restless and he looked forward in order to fill the hole he felt there.

In the past, he had often used that white walled passageway, but now he only occasionally passed by its entrance.

…''The newcomers probably think I’m a useless guy who loiters around the entrance.

That was not inaccurate.

His job was to perform the final modifications, but the newcomers seemed to think he was stealing their final job.

A few of those newcomers avoided speaking to him.

The Kashima family had a history with the sword god and swordsmith god families such as Katori or Mikami.

“The military gods of Kashima ended up forging the swords that those families were meant to forge.”

He had heard about it from his grandfather.

As the Concept War had continued, the military gods of 2nd-Gear had started forging their own swords because they had experienced the battles for themselves.

…''The original smithing gods ended up forging small tools and daily items instead.

“But the situation has reversed these days.”

Kashima gave a bitter smile toward the floor and then faced forward.

The 1st Production Room was on the right side of the passageway and the 2nd was on the left a bit further down.

What mattered was the room past the corner and at the very end.

That was an area which had existed since the days of the National Defense Department.

…''The 3rd Production Room.

“I used to use that room constantly, but now it is used by no one.”

Kashima nodded and began to walk.

After a dozen or so seconds, he passed by the 1st Production Room.

After a similar amount of time, he passed by the explosion-resistant door of the 2nd Production Room.

The passageway turned to the right and the 3rd Production Room was about 100 meters further down.

“…”

Kashima walked.

…''I sure am calm.

His pace was steady and his grip on the cardkey in his right hand was relaxed.

…''Is this all?

No hint of trembling could be heard in his footsteps and they were not too loud. He tried to move his shoulders and had no difficulty.

He felt an odd sense of loss in his body. He felt himself being cut free of something as if he was announcing that the past was only the past.

He approached the corner.

He turned right.

He focused on his actions again, but his pace was still steady and he was still looking forward.

The white explosion-resistant door of the 3rd Production Room was about 100 meters away.

The thick double door looked as white as the day it had been made.

And that was all.

“…”

Kashima touched the left side of his chest just as he had seen that boy named Sayama do in the cafeteria.

Everything was normal. His pulse was not racing and he felt no pain.

…''Why am I so calm?

For some reason, the accident from eight years ago felt like a long gone event.

He recalled the sensation of the rain, of the mud, and of Natsu’s hand.

…''They all feel so distant.

He wondered why. This was completely different from what he had expected.

He had thought trying to remember would cause him to relive the past in real time.

“But the past is nothing but the past,” he muttered with a sigh.

He relaxed his body once more, faced forward, and began walking.

…''At this rate, I’m going to have to reassess myself.

Kashima predicted he would be able to walk up and open the 3rd Production Room as if it meant nothing to him. Then he could pick up the two pieces of Futsuno’s broken frame.

“I need to do something about it.”

Given his current calm, his options were limitless.

He could smash it on the spot and dump it down the garbage chute. He could reforge it, deliver it to Atsuta, and receive his friend’s thanks. However…

“Either way, I might quit UCAT.”

If his connection to the past was gone, he would no longer need to feel guilty concerning Natsu.

…''I will be able to be an even better husband to her.

He was now only twenty meters from the door.

He continued walking while thinking about what was to come.

He thought about what he would do once he no longer had to worry about the past.

…''I might be able to help with Natsu-san’s rehabilitation. She might recover to the point that her left hand and the rain no longer bother her.

Perhaps that was being arrogant, but this burst of confidence showed just how much the past had been bothering him.

But now the past was just the past.

He had feared it so much, but now that he was facing it and approaching it, it was nothing.

“I feel so stupid for avoiding it for so long.”

Kashima faced forward once more.

He had not moved a single step closer to the 3rd Production Room’s door.

Atsuta arrived at the back entrance to the Tamiya household on his motorcycle.

The back entrance was a small wooden gate. Atsuta was greeted by a young man in a suit. It was Kouji.

Kouji folded his arms while the slight afternoon wind washed over him.

“Long time no see. What brings you to the back entrance of our house?”

“You’re as stubborn as ever, Kouji. What’s going on out front anyway? It’s so loud I didn’t want to get anywhere near it.”

“The same thing you and my sister did back in your school days: preparations for the All Holiday Festival.”

“Oh, the festival. Ryouko was the student council president, so the festivals were pretty crazy back in our day. We didn’t make any preparations at your place, though”

“I knew how destructive your singing is, so I did everything I could via our parents to keep that from happening.”

“Y’know, you’re pretty damn rude.”

Kouji ignored him, sighed, and changed the subject.

“Anyway, my sister is currently out.”

“With Sayama?”

Kouji immediately reacted to that name.

His body moved ever so slightly and Atsuta’s right arm shot up.

An object suddenly appeared between Atsuta’s index and middle fingers.

“A sasami knife? You’re about 0.2 seconds faster than before. Toh!”

Atsuta’s final shout came as he jumped down in front of his motorcycle. He kept his hands on the handlebars and performed a flip. At the same time, Kouji’s left hand sent a kitchen knife through the air in a backhand swing.

“You have more techniques than the last time I saw you, Atsuta-san.”

Kouji faced Atsuta’s back as the other man landed.

Immediately afterwards, Kouji swung both arms and threw two kitchen knives at the exact same moment.

But Atsuta did not even turn around.

“If I couldn’t do this much, I wouldn’t be able to protect Ryouko!”

Atsuta swung the sashimi knife he had caught.

That produced two metallic noises.

As he slowly turned around, two knives broken at the center lay at his feet.

He faced forward and saw Kouji standing next to the motorcycle and holding a new knife in a backhanded grip.

“Atsuta-san, where did you hear about the young master?”

“Ryouko mentioned him last night.”

“And what is your relationship with the young master?”

“Like I’d tell you.”

“Then please leave. And please do nothing which would harm the young master.”

“C’mon, Kouji. Are you really gonna say that to me? You know you’re no match for me. In the same way, I know only you can handle Ryouko's problematic side.”

“I am aware I am no match for you.” Kouji gestured toward the motorcycle next to him. “Which is why I will instead do things to this motorcycle that will make you cry.”

“That will make me cry?”

“Yes. First, I will use this knife to write ‘real Yankees never die’ on it. Later, I will periodically use my family’s information network to locate the motorcycle wherever it may be and carve new statements into it.”

“Please stop. In fact, when did you get so cunning?”

“Anyone would after constantly being caught up in the trouble my sister causes.”

Kouji stared off into the blue sky and Atsuta sighed.

“Don’t say that,” said Atsuta while recalling the past. “She helped me out quite a lot. She’d go apologize to the families of the people I punched and she’d bring me a lunch when I had no money.”

“I see. For some reason, my memories of my middle school days involve being lectured with my sister at strange houses and being forced up at the crack of dawn to make two lunches for her. I suppose it is important to view everything in a positive light.”

“You got a problem? Why do you keep staring off into the distance?”

“At any rate, please leave. What is with today, anyway? You never act for anyone but yourself. Are you having some trouble with a friend?”

Atsuta smiled bitterly, climbed back onto the motorcycle, and removed the kickstand.

“That’s right. A friend of mine is having some trouble. He doesn’t seem to know who he is.”

Kashima gulped as he stared at the thick door.

He had not moved even a step closer to the white metal door since the last time he had looked at it.

He looked down and could see he was standing. His legs were not trembling. He could feel the floor beneath his feet and he could sense his waist and abdomen being supported by his legs.

But despite thinking he was walking, Kashima had not moved a single step since arriving twenty meters from the door.

“I was standing still while convincing myself I was moving forward.”

He checked his left arm to see if any concept was in effect, but the black wristwatch had not reacted since entering the design room.

What was happening?

…''I can’t move forward.

The feeling welling up in his heart seemed to slide up his spine.

He was not sure how to describe the sensation or the emotions it gave him. His desire to deny it formed words.

“My inability to face the past has reached a subconscious level.”

He did not feel any fear, but he could not approach that place.

He faced that explosion-resistant door while wondering why.

A few colored metal plates were attached to the wall next to the sealed white metal of the door.

Those metal plates were engraved with the surnames of the past managers of that production room.

The leftmost plate contained the name Kashima.

However, his own name was not what he focused on now.

He started with the earliest name. That name belonged to the very first manager of the 3rd Production Room.

“Ooshiro Hiromasa.”

Next to that name was the name of the second manager.

“Kashima.”

This time, Kashima was not written in kanji. Kashima’s grandfather had refused to write it that way because he opposed fully naturalizing himself even if he had abandoned his old surname of Takemikazuchi.

Kashima finally began to tremble when he saw those two names.

He felt an extra strong beat of his heart. He did not know what to call it.

He knew nothing of his grandfather or Ooshiro Hiromasa.

Nevertheless, those two names were there. His own name was listed far to the left.

…''How can this be?

Carved into that steel were names from the past and the name of the one who was to inherit the past.

Only someone who was the same as those in the past could arrive here.

Kashima recalled the past. He recalled that day nine years ago.

He had finally managed to see that giant humanoid weapon, but the bridge in the head had been mostly destroyed.

…''My grandfather’s dying request to go to Susaou became meaningless.

He had focused solely on demonstrating his power in the 3rd Production Room so that he could pursue his grandfather.

As he did nothing but pursue his own power, he had forgotten all about the girl he had grown close to in his college days.

“What happened to me after that?”

He suddenly heard a certain noise.

It was the sound of rain.

…''It can’t be.

He was underground. There was no way he could be hearing that.

But he was undoubtedly hearing rain.

He had gained something on that rainy night when the earth had collapsed.

What had it been? How had he acquired it?

He absentmindedly raised his left hand up in front of his face. He did so ever so slowly.

But he could not fully raise it. It stopped while positioned diagonally down.

It looked like he was holding his hand out to someone.

…''To who?

“Stop.”

…''Don’t think back. Don’t think back to what you reached for and what you gained.

He had thought he had carved it into his heart, but he had actually avoided touching it and simply deceived himself.

…''Don’t look straight at it.

But his left hand was definitely grasping something in the empty air.

He was grasping the hand of someone he cared for. He could feel the missing fingers and the warm wetness.

“…!”

Just as before, Kashima let out an enraged cry.

He clenched his hand which was covered in phantom warmth and heat. He faced forward.

He only recognized three of the names: the two rightmost names and his own name on the left.

“Why…?”

Why had he wanted to have his name engraved there?

''Back then, I viewed it as my pledge to pursue the past,'' thought Kashima. ''Please… Please let it be a lie.

He wanted to erase the fact that he had ever wanted that.

Otherwise, everything he had now would become a lie.

Natsu, Harumi, their house, the flowers in the garden, his parents’ concerns, their own concerns…all of it.

But all he felt in his hand were missing fingers and wet blood.

“That is the truth,” proclaimed the letters in that steel. “Everything you have gained is nothing but a lie used to escape from us.”

Kashima distinctly recalled the feeling of creating Futsuno.

…''I felt such superiority.

He had felt joy, but that joy had frozen over in an instant when he heard the scream.

He trembled as he recalled the emotions he had felt.

“Please,” he muttered.

…''I don’t need any of that anymore.

“Please rid me of this name…”

His trembling voice received no response. The engraved names sent him nothing but silence.

Those names would not move from the past.

That truth caused him to instinctually move back. He took a step back and immediately followed it with another.

“Ah,” he said quietly as he turned his back on those names. “Ahh…”

He tripped and almost fell as he began to run. There was nothing he could do to stop himself. He finally realized his entire body was trembling.

…''Run.

“Ahh…”

He felt as if the door behind him had opened and some unknown presence had come from within.

It was already right behind him. The names of the past and the names of the present were trying to swallow him up.

''Is this what I abandoned?'' he thought again.

“…!”

Kashima ran. After taking a few steps, he realized he still held the cardkey in his right hand. He threw it behind him.

He did the same with everything he thought would get in the way of his escape: the pen in his lab coat pocket, his calculator, his handkerchief, the lab coat itself, and the glasses on his face. He threw them all at the presence pursuing him.

But the past would not leave him. That feeling that caused him to tremble refused to let go.

He felt as if it would never let go again.

He swallowed a scream and continued to run.

…''I have Natsu-san and Harumi now.

He turned the corner and ran out into the empty design room without looking back.

…''So why won’t my power leave me?

“Okay. How should we handle this?”

A woman in a lab coat stood beneath the clear sky.

It was Tsukuyomi.

She was inside the 2nd-Gear concept space containing Susaou. She was in the small open area next to Susaou’s lake.

Other than the lake to the north, she was surrounded by forest.

With the rotting pier extending toward Susaou to her back, she stood in the cool wind with her arms folded and a slight smile on her lips.

She faced a boy wearing a suit. He was Sayama Mikoto.

She used her smile to welcome him and slowly began to speak.

“Sayama Mikoto-kun, are you alone?”

“Yes. The others do not like negotiations, so they are investigating the area. How about you?”

“I’m alone, too. Kashima had to gather his thoughts a bit, so he won’t be coming. I, Director Tsukuyomi Shizuru of the development department, will handle the preliminary negotiations in his place.”

“So you will be my opponent, is that it?”

“Yes.”

She nodded just before her expression changed.

Someone had exited the forest behind the boy.

The person wore an orange jacket and a white dress.

She was out of breath and Sayama turned toward her.

“Shinjou-kun,” he said.

“Yes,” replied Shinjou Sadame upon having her name called. She looked at him and then Tsukuyomi before giving an exhausted smile. “Sorry I’m late. This is the preliminary negotiations, right?”

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_14|Chapter 14]]
| Return to [[Owari_no_Chronicle|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_16|Chapter 16]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Owari no Chronicle:Volume4 Chapter 15

2013-11-26T09:44:02Z

Multipartite: /* Chapter 15: Point of Acquisition */ might quite UCAT -> might quit UCAT

==Chapter 15: Point of Acquisition==
[[Image:OnC_v04_0029.png|thumb]]
''Look back

''Look back

''And remember so you never need to look back again

Kashima stood in the passageway behind the design room that led to the production rooms.

He wore his usual work uniform and lab coat and he held the cardkey Tsukuyomi had given him.

“What am I supposed to do? Director Tsukuyomi told me to face this, but…”

''What will that teach me?'' he wondered.

His heart was feeling restless and he looked forward in order to fill the hole he felt there.

In the past, he had often used that white walled passageway, but now he only occasionally passed by its entrance.

…''The newcomers probably think I’m a useless guy who loiters around the entrance.

That was not inaccurate.

His job was to perform the final modifications, but the newcomers seemed to think he was stealing their final job.

A few of those newcomers avoided speaking to him.

The Kashima family had a history with the sword god and swordsmith god families such as Katori or Mikami.

“The military gods of Kashima ended up forging the swords that those families were meant to forge.”

He had heard about it from his grandfather.

As the Concept War had continued, the military gods of 2nd-Gear had started forging their own swords because they had experienced the battles for themselves.

…''The original smithing gods ended up forging small tools and daily items instead.

“But the situation has reversed these days.”

Kashima gave a bitter smile toward the floor and then faced forward.

The 1st Production Room was on the right side of the passageway and the 2nd was on the left a bit further down.

What mattered was the room past the corner and at the very end.

That was an area which had existed since the days of the National Defense Department.

…''The 3rd Production Room.

“I used to use that room constantly, but now it is used by no one.”

Kashima nodded and began to walk.

After a dozen or so seconds, he passed by the 1st Production Room.

After a similar amount of time, he passed by the explosion-resistant door of the 2nd Production Room.

The passageway turned to the right and the 3rd Production Room was about 100 meters further down.

“…”

Kashima walked.

…''I sure am calm.

His pace was steady and his grip on the cardkey in his right hand was relaxed.

…''Is this all?

No hint of trembling could be heard in his footsteps and they were not too loud. He tried to move his shoulders and had no difficulty.

He felt an odd sense of loss in his body. He felt himself being cut free of something as if he was announcing that the past was only the past.

He approached the corner.

He turned right.

He focused on his actions again, but his pace was still steady and he was still looking forward.

The white explosion-resistant door of the 3rd Production Room was about 100 meters away.

The thick double door looked as white as the day it had been made.

And that was all.

“…”

Kashima touched the left side of his chest just as he had seen that boy named Sayama do in the cafeteria.

Everything was normal. His pulse was not racing and he felt no pain.

…''Why am I so calm?

For some reason, the accident from eight years ago felt like a long gone event.

He recalled the sensation of the rain, of the mud, and of Natsu’s hand.

…''They all feel so distant.

He wondered why. This was completely different from what he had expected.

He had thought trying to remember would cause him to relive the past in real time.

“But the past is nothing but the past,” he muttered with a sigh.

He relaxed his body once more, faced forward, and began walking.

…''At this rate, I’m going to have to reassess myself.

Kashima predicted he would be able to walk up and open the 3rd Production Room as if it meant nothing to him. Then he could pick up the two pieces of Futsuno’s broken frame.

“I need to do something about it.”

Given his current calm, his options were limitless.

He could smash it on the spot and dump it down the garbage chute. He could reforge it, deliver it to Atsuta, and receive his friend’s thanks. However…

“Either way, I might quit UCAT.”

If his connection to the past was gone, he would no longer need to feel guilty concerning Natsu.

…''I will be able to be an even better husband to her.

He was now only twenty meters from the door.

He continued walking while thinking about what was to come.

He thought about what he would do once he no longer had to worry about the past.

…''I might be able to help with Natsu-san’s rehabilitation. She might recover to the point that her left hand and the rain no longer bother her.

Perhaps that was being arrogant, but this burst of confidence showed just how much the past had been bothering him.

But now the past was just the past.

He had feared it so much, but now that he was facing it and approaching it, it was nothing.

“I feel so stupid for avoiding it for so long.”

Kashima faced forward once more.

He had not moved a single step closer to the 3rd Production Room’s door.

Atsuta arrived at the back entrance to the Tamiya household on his motorcycle.

The back entrance was a small wooden gate. Atsuta was greeted by a young man in a suit. It was Kouji.

Kouji folded his arms while the slight afternoon wind washed over him.

“Long time no see. What brings you to the back entrance of our house?”

“You’re as stubborn as ever, Kouji. What’s going on out front anyway? It’s so loud I didn’t want to get anywhere near it.”

“The same thing you and my sister did back in your school days: preparations for the All Holiday Festival.”

“Oh, the festival. Ryouko was the student council president, so the festivals were pretty crazy back in our day. We didn’t make any preparations at your place, though”

“I knew how destructive your singing is, so I did everything I could via our parents to keep that from happening.”

“Y’know, you’re pretty damn rude.”

Kouji ignored him, sighed, and changed the subject.

“Anyway, my sister is currently out.”

“With Sayama?”

Kouji immediately reacted to that name.

His body moved ever so slightly and Atsuta’s right arm shot up.

An object suddenly appeared between Atsuta’s index and middle fingers.

“A sasami knife? You’re about 0.2 seconds faster than before. Toh!”

Atsuta’s final shout came as he jumped down in front of his motorcycle. He kept his hands on the handlebars and performed a flip. At the same time, Kouji’s left hand sent a kitchen knife through the air in a backhand swing.

“You have more techniques than last time I saw you, Atsuta-san.”

Kouji faced Atsuta’s back as the other man landed.

Immediately afterwards, Kouji swung both arms and threw two kitchen knives at the exact same moment.

But Atsuta did not even turn around.

“If I couldn’t do this much, I wouldn’t be able protect Ryouko!”

Atsuta swung the sashimi knife he had caught.

That produced two metallic noises.

As he slowly turned around, two knives broken at the center lay at his feet.

He faced forward and saw Kouji standing next to the motorcycle and holding a new knife in a backhanded grip.

“Atsuta-san, where did you hear about the young master?”

“Ryouko mentioned him last night.”

“And what is your relationship with the young master?”

“Like I’d tell you.”

“Then please leave. And please do nothing which would harm the young master.”

“C’mon, Kouji. Are you really gonna say that to me? You know you’re no match for me. In the same way, I know only you can handle Ryouko’s problematic side.”

“I am aware I am no match for you.” Kouji gestured toward the motorcycle next to him. “Which is why I will instead do things to this motorcycle that will make you cry.”

“That will make me cry?”

“Yes. First, I will use this knife to write ‘real Yankees never die’ on it. Later, I will periodically use my family’s information network to locate the motorcycle wherever it may be and carve new statements into it.”

“Please stop. In fact, when did you get so cunning?”

“Anyone would after constantly being caught up in the trouble my sister causes.”

Kouji stared off into the blue sky and Atsuta sighed.

“Don’t say that,” said Atsuta while recalling the past. “She helped me out quite a lot. She’d go apologize to the families of the people I punched and she’d bring me a lunch when I had no money.”

“I see. For some reason, my memories of my middle school days involve being lectured with my sister at strange houses and being forced up at the crack of dawn to make two lunches for her. I suppose it is important to view everything in a positive light.”

“You got a problem? Why do you keep staring off into the distance?”

“At any rate, please leave. What is with today, anyway? You never act for anyone but yourself. Are you having some trouble with a friend?”

Atsuta smiled bitterly, climbed back onto the motorcycle, and removed the kickstand.

“That’s right. A friend of mine is having some trouble. He doesn’t seem to know who he is.”

Kashima gulped as he stared at the thick door.

He had not moved even a step closer to the white metal door since the last time he had looked at it.

He looked down and could see he was standing. His legs were not trembling. He could feel the floor beneath his feet and he could sense his waist and abdomen being supported by his legs.

But despite thinking he was walking, Kashima had not moved a single step since arriving twenty meters from the door.

“I was standing still while convincing myself I was moving forward.”

He checked his left arm to see if any concept was in effect, but the black wristwatch had not reacted since entering the design room.

What was happening?

…''I can’t move forward.

The feeling welling up in his heart seemed to slide up his spine.

He was not sure how to describe the sensation or the emotions it gave him. His desire to deny it formed words.

“My inability to face the past has reached a subconscious level.”

He did not feel any fear, but he could not approach that place.

He faced that explosion-resistant door while wondering why.

A few colored metal plates were attached to the wall next to the sealed white metal of the door.

Those metal plates were engraved with the surnames of the past managers of that production room.

The leftmost plate contained the name Kashima.

However, his own name was not what he focused on now.

He started with the earliest name. That name belonged to the very first manager of the 3rd Production Room.

“Ooshiro Hiromasa.”

Next to that name was the name of the second manager.

“Kashima.”

This time, Kashima was not written in kanji. Kashima’s grandfather had refused to write it that way because he opposed fully naturalizing himself even if he had abandoned his old surname of Takemikazuchi.

Kashima finally began to tremble when he saw those two names.

He felt an extra strong beat of his heart. He did not know what to call it.

He knew nothing of his grandfather or Ooshiro Hiromasa.

Nevertheless, those two names were there. His own name was listed far to the left.

…''How can this be?

Carved into that steel were names from the past and the name of the one who was to inherit the past.

Only someone who was the same as those in the past could arrive here.

Kashima recalled the past. He recalled that day nine years ago.

He had finally managed to see that giant humanoid weapon, but the bridge in the head had been mostly destroyed.

…''My grandfather’s dying request to go to Susaou became meaningless.

He had focused solely on demonstrating his power in the 3rd Production Room so that he could pursue his grandfather.

As he did nothing but pursue his own power, he had forgotten all about the girl he had grown close to in his college days.

“What happened to me after that?”

He suddenly heard a certain noise.

It was the sound of rain.

…''It can’t be.

He was underground. There was no way he could be hearing that.

But he was undoubtedly hearing rain.

He had gained something on that rainy night when the earth had collapsed.

What had it been? How had he acquired it?

He absentmindedly raised his left hand up in front of his face. He did so ever so slowly.

But he could not fully raise it. It stopped while positioned diagonally down.

It looked like he was holding his hand out to someone.

…''To who?

“Stop.”

…''Don’t think back. Don’t think back to what you reached for and what you gained.

He had thought he had carved it into his heart, but he had actually avoided touching it and simply deceived himself.

…''Don’t look straight at it.

But his left hand was definitely grasping something in the empty air.

He was grasping the hand of someone he cared for. He could feel the missing fingers and the warm wetness.

“…!”

Just as before, Kashima let out an enraged cry.

He clenched his hand which was covered in phantom warmth and heat. He faced forward.

He only recognized three of the names: the two rightmost names and his own name on the left.

“Why…?”

Why had he wanted to have his name engraved there?

''Back then, I viewed it as my pledge to pursue the past,'' thought Kashima. ''Please… Please let it be a lie.

He wanted to erase the fact that he had ever wanted that.

Otherwise, everything he had now would become a lie.

Natsu, Harumi, their house, the flowers in the garden, his parents’ concerns, their own concerns…all of it.

But all he felt in his hand were missing fingers and wet blood.

“That is the truth,” proclaimed the letters in that steel. “Everything you have gained is nothing but a lie used to escape from us.”

Kashima distinctly recalled the feeling of creating Futsuno.

…''I felt such superiority.

He had felt joy, but that joy had frozen over in an instant when he heard the scream.

He trembled as he recalled the emotions he had felt.

“Please,” he muttered.

…''I don’t need any of that anymore.

“Please rid me of this name…”

His trembling voice received no response. The engraved names sent him nothing but silence.

Those names would not move from the past.

That truth caused him to instinctually move back. He took a step back and immediately followed it with another.

“Ah,” he said quietly as he turned his back on those names. “Ahh…”

He tripped and almost fell as he began to run. There was nothing he could do to stop himself. He finally realized his entire body was trembling.

…''Run.

“Ahh…”

He felt as if the door behind him had opened and some unknown presence had come from within.

It was already right behind him. The names of the past and the names of the present were trying to swallow him up.

''Is this what I abandoned?'' he thought again.

“…!”

Kashima ran. After taking a few steps, he realized he still held the cardkey in his right hand. He threw it behind him.

He did the same with everything he thought would get in the way of his escape: the pen in his lab coat pocket, his calculator, his handkerchief, the lab coat itself, and the glasses on his face. He threw them all at the presence pursuing him.

But the past would not leave him. That feeling that caused him to tremble refused to let go.

He felt as if it would never let go again.

He swallowed a scream and continued to run.

…''I have Natsu-san and Harumi now.

He turned the corner and ran out into the empty design room without looking back.

…''So why won’t my power leave me?

“Okay. How should we handle this?”

A woman in a lab coat stood beneath the clear sky.

It was Tsukuyomi.

She was inside the 2nd-Gear concept space containing Susaou. She was in the small open area next to Susaou’s lake.

Other than the lake to the north, she was surrounded by forest.

With the rotting pier extending toward Susaou to her back, she stood in the cool wind with her arms folded and a slight smile on her lips.

She faced a boy wearing a suit. He was Sayama Mikoto.

She used her smile to welcome him and slowly began to speak.

“Sayama Mikoto-kun, are you alone?”

“Yes. The others do not like negotiations, so they are investigating the area. How about you?”

“I’m alone, too. Kashima had to gather his thoughts a bit, so he won’t be coming. I, Director Tsukuyomi Shizuru of the development department, will handle the preliminary negotiations in his place.”

“So you will be my opponent, is that it?”

“Yes.”

She nodded just before her expression changed.

Someone had exited the forest behind the boy.

The person wore an orange jacket and a white dress.

She was out of breath and Sayama turned toward her.

“Shinjou-kun,” he said.

“Yes,” replied Shinjou Sadame upon having her name called. She looked at him and then Tsukuyomi before giving an exhausted smile. “Sorry I’m late. This is the preliminary negotiations, right?”

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_14|Chapter 14]]
| Return to [[Owari_no_Chronicle|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_16|Chapter 16]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Owari no Chronicle:Volume3 Chapter 12

2013-11-18T12:42:35Z

Multipartite: korokke -> croquettes

==Chapter 12: Morning Plan==
[[Image:OnC_v03_0337.png|thumb]]
''Welcome to a place of comfort

''The wind blows along the heavenly path

''And the people return to the grass of the land

Even on Saturday, the Kazami household got an early start.

The father was a project planner, so he could choose to take days off but had no set days off.

He usually took off when Kazami announced she would be returning home, but her decision had been sudden this time. As such, the father had to begin eating breakfast at seven in the morning.

Her familial duty outweighed her sleepiness, so Kazami joined them for breakfast.

The small built-in kitchen was as pristine as ever.

The table contained cups of soup and ingredients to make breakfast sandwiches.

Kazami’s parents looked toward her from the table.

“Oh.” Her mother’s long hair swayed as she stood up. “What do you want to drink?”

“Coffee. Chisato, you want coffee, right?” Her father stopped putting together a sandwich on his plate and looked at her through his glasses. “I know you’re tired, but I would love it if you could fully wake up for breakfast.”

“Oh, sure. I’ll have tea.”

Not even Kazami was sure who she had been responding to as she sat in her chair.

Her father looked a bit disappointed as he reached over the table.

A few plates were lined up on the table which contained lettuce, lightly fried eggs, ham, onion, tomatoes, and other ingredients.

The Kazami family’s style was to make a sandwich by taking what you wanted and piling it up on bread.

“You’re taking too much, dad.”

“A-am I? Maybe I am. It’s just so fun.”

“Are you ever going to grow up?”

Her mother gave a troubled sigh when she saw the ingredients piled ten centimeters thick.

Seeing her mother in a blue shirt preparing a teapot and her father folding his arms in a gray hooded sweatshirt, Kazami finally felt she was truly home.

“You’re dressed too, mom? Are both of you going somewhere?”

“Yes. I’m going to the site with him.”

That comment cleared away Kazami’s sleepiness.

She could tell her shoulders had jumped. She belatedly noticed the chill of the morning air.

“Are you singing again?”

“I’m just going with him.”

Her mother had a hint of warning in her voice, but her father spoke up.

“But there is a plan for a combined Christmas concert toward the end of the year. The main performers will of course be whoever the sponsors choose, but there’s still room for a guest performer. What should I do?”

“I see.”

Kazami nodded and turned toward her mother who was preparing tea.

Her actions were no different from normal, so Kazami had no idea what she was thinking.

…''Does she think it’s just his usual nonsense?

However, the delighted look on her father’s face left Kazami almost certain he was serious. The way he meaninglessly began eating his sandwich starting with the top of the pile was the same as always, so her certainty only grew.

Then her cup of tea arrived along with two slices of bread on a plate.

“I see both my parents are working hard,” commented Kazami as she spread margarine on the bread.

“What about you, Chisato? Are things going well with Izumo-kun?”

She wished he had not brought that up.

“Well…”she said as she thought.

“Make sure to bring him by sometime. Don’t drive him away on the doorstep.”

“I’m not driving him away…”

“But you are kicking him away so he leaves, aren’t you? I saw you,” said her mother as she sat down.

Her lips were smiling, but her eyes were not.

“I’ll invite him in next week,” obediently promised Kazami.

“All right!”

Her parents smiled and high-fived.

…''Why is that idiot so popular?

Kazami sighed inwardly, but her mother was already humming.

“I’ll make croquettes next week. I’m sure your papa and Izumo-kun will eat and drink like crazy in another competition, so I can make a whole lot. I’ll make white ones, curry ones, cream ones, and rare super-spicy wasabi ones for a surprise.”

“Sounds great. Make sure to put in plenty of chopped cabbage. We need to show who the better man is once and for all. I’ll do my best! Even if it’s meaningless!”

“Kyah! You’re so cool! Even if it’s pointless.”

“U-um, mom, dad? Why are you discussing next week before this week is over?”

“Hm? Did you say something, Chisato? Could you say it again?”

“No, never mind. …And mom, why have you had such a scary look in your eyes lately?”

“Don’t worry about it. You need to root for Izumo-kun next week. We’re pointlessly splitting into a parents team and a daughter/son-in-law team, so…”

“Sorry, but what kind of project are you working on now, dad?”

He looked up at the ceiling for a moment.

“It might be due to the material I came up with that was used on that suspicious educational program ‘Can You Do This?’ last week. At any rate, I’m working on a replacement project for the anime ‘Mr. Guevara’ that’s ending due to censorship.”

“I’m going to ignore half of that, but what is the replacement project?”

“It’s a sequel to the Aretorman series. Y’know, that cult classic from the Showa era. We’re making Aretorman Shoot which follows the story after Aretorman Cement. In the first episode, Shoot refuses to shake the monster’s hand, climbs on top of him, and punches him for three minutes straight. He doesn’t stop even as the monster tries to tap out. It’s really exciting.”

“Let me guess. In the second episode, does the monster get behind him, pin his arms, and make him put up with it for three minutes?”

“How did you know? That’s my daughter for you. Once Shoot realizes how to reverse the situation, he gradually begins to learn how to wrestle properly. He learns at the Aretor Training Base known as the Man Hole.”

“I have a feeling this is going to be taken off the air for a different reason.”

“Hmm.”

Her father folded his arms and thought.

Kazami saw her mother pour him some tea, but she was fairly certain his cup had originally held coffee. She began to sweat, but then he took a sip.

“Delicious. Your tea is always great.”

She knew she would never be any match for those parents. She also began to wonder if she would end up like them in the future.

But she ignored that thought and her father asked her a question.

“What has you lost in thought? If you have any trouble or problems at school, just tell me. What does it matter that I won’t be any help whatsoever?”

Unsure what to say to that, she changed the subject.

“How about you two calm down for now? It’s breakfast time.”

She sighed and began to make a sandwich of her own. She started with a lightly fried egg, lettuce, and mayonnaise. Then…

“Let’s add some jam, salted kombu, yam, and-… gah! Ch-Chisato! Domestic violence is wrong!”

“Mom, do something about him.”

“Bad papa.”

''Is that all?'' she thought, but her father really did hold his head and tremble.

She realized this was another method of scolding someone.

“Chisato, just put up with it. Having you back has left your papa a bit wrong in the head.”

“I’ll agree with that last part.”

Suddenly, Kazami realized how she could make use of her father.

“Hey, dad. Have any of your past projects dealt with Japanese mythology?”

Her father raised his head.

“Hm? Oh. Yes, they have.”

“I was investigating some stuff with Kaku and a few underclassmen, so do you know anything interesting related to Yamata no Orochi?”

“Hmm. Yamata no Orochi, you say? …There’s a lot there. Do have any keyword to focus on?”

“Well…”

When she brought a hand to her chin and tilted her head, she realized her mother was making the exact same pose as she thought. She had not noticed Kazami though, so Kazami merely smiled bitterly.

…''What would be a good keyword? 2nd-Gear is only known by UCAT, so they wouldn’t know that term. Then what? 2nd-Gear’s concepts deal with…

“Names. Do you have anything interesting related to the keyword of names?”

“Names?” asked her father as he looked up again.

The smile on his face told her she had chosen right.

“Chisato. Tell me the story of Yamata no Orochi’s slaying.”

“Well,” began Kazami. “After being banished to the surface, Susanoo fell in love with Kushinada-hime who was to be sacrificed to Yamata no Orochi. She promised to marry him and he got Orochi drunk and cut off the serpent’s heads. Is that good enough?”

“You shortened it like crazy, but that’s more or less it.”

“I’ve been studying it lately. Oh, and the sword that cut off Orochi’s heads was called Totsuka. The sword chipped in the process and, when Susanoo checked to see what had happened, he found another sword within Orochi. It was a nice sword, so he gave it a test swing and it easily cut through the surrounding grass. That was Kusanagi, aka the Grass Cutting Sword.”

And…

“Susanoo married Kushinada and settled in the Izumo province. When his descendant presented Kusanagi to Amaterasu, he regained his position as god. That’s the story, right?”

Her father nodded and muttered the word “names”.

“I am going to explain this in an indirect way, Chisato. In ancient Japan, people changed their name upon coming of age. You learned that in ancient literature class, right?”

Kazami nodded, but she did not actually remember that.

“Good, good,” said her father without realizing the truth.

The bitter smile on her mother’s face made it clear she had caught on.

Kazami once more realized she would never be a match for them.

“Okay, Chisato. Why do you think people would change their name?” asked her father.

“Eh?”

She did not know, but she gave it serious thought.

“Because they were adults?”

“Sorry, but no. Think about it. In Japanese mythology, Yamato Takeru gained that name upon killing his enemy, Kumaso Takeru. Changing one’s name does not mean becoming an adult.”

Then what was it?

As she thought, she saw her mother shaking back and forth a bit. For some reason, her right hand would rise some and fall some, but Kazami ignored her.

Kazami continued to think and realized the answer was surprisingly close by.

When she had first met Izumo Kaku, he had used the language of 10th-Gear. His language and his name had been different. And now he used Japanese.

“Because their position changed?”

“Correct. In ancient times, one’s name indicated their job or position in society. When that changed, their name changed. Returning to Yamato Takeru, the name Takeru means hero. The hero of Kumaso was Kumaso Takeru and the boy who killed him was given the position of the hero of Yamato.”

Kazami’s mother secretly snapped her fingers and struck a pose.

Her father did not notice his wife’s action and raised three fingers on his right hand.

“Now, with that in mind, let’s get down to the real issue. There are three mysteries surrounding the story of Susanoo and Yamata.”

He lowered his ring finger.

“The first mystery is why the name Yamata no Orochi does not refer to a job or position.”

“…Eh?”

“Think about it. What does Yamata no Orochi refer to?”

It meant Eight-Forked Great Serpent, so it referred to his form.

“Ah,” said Kazami when she realized that. “Are you asking why Yamata didn’t have a name?”

“Yes. Yamata no Orochi had the important role of producing the sword Kusanagi, but he was not given a job or position. This goes against the established rules. So why was this giant, eight-headed dragon of Japanese mythology not given a name?”

He then lowered his middle finger.

“The next mystery is about Susanoo.”

Kazami knew this one, so she took the initiative and raised her hand.

“It’s why he kept the name Susanoo after being banished from the heavens, right?”

“Yes. He descended to the human world, but he kept his name. Why is that? You have the great serpent with no name, the storm god whose name did not change, and then one other mystery.”

“The last one is related to Kusanagi, right?” said her mother.

Kazami and her father turned her mother’s way. She shrunk back and said “sorry” while sticking out her tongue.

But Kazami did not understand.

“What’s wrong with Kusanagi?”

“Oh?” Her father turned toward her with an expression similar to a smile. “How about you discuss that with your friends? This is a topic I tried to get put on an educational program, but no one would take it. I hope it will be some use to you, Chisato.”

There was no worry of that.

…''This is more than enough.

Not only did she have some hints, but she had realized some things herself too. She felt that was quite good for the athletic type. On top of that, she had some mysteries for them to solve.

“I’m glad I came home to visit,” she said.

Her parents cheered and high-fived.

She would never be a match for them.

It was still morning, but Kashima was in UCAT’s cafeteria.

It was only occupied by a few night shift workers, so it was nice and quiet.

“Why did you bring me here, Atsuta? I haven’t even entered the design room yet.”

“This is about the time you usually get some Nappa cabbage from your parents. If so, you’ll be working on getting rid of your extra pickled vegetables. Hand them over.”

Atsuta wore his combat uniform and held out chopsticks and a bowl piled high with white rice.

“Are you going to eat nothing but pickled vegetables and rice?”

“Don’t underestimate me, military god. An old saying says to eat vegetables on your rice and a bowl of soup. This is the same.”

He pulled something out of his pocket and placed it on the table.

It was a can of coffee. It was a UCAT brand named Morning Coffee Gotz. To increase its morning image, a high contrast red and white image of a healthy butler wearing nothing but an apron was printed on the can.

“Is that your ‘soup’? I suppose the color does resemble miso soup, but having that, Nappa cabbage, and rice for breakfast is really mixing Japanese and western, don’t you think?”

“You got a problem with this? Keh. You sure have gotten full of yourself.”

“Do you even know what ‘full of yourself’ means? Anyway, you want me to provide the vegetables?” With an exasperated sigh, Kashima took Natsu’s homemade bento from his bag. “Natsu actually predicted this. Look, she even put in some of the pickled cherry blossoms you like.”

“Oh, where she pickles the flower petals? They’re a bit bitter, so they go good with alcohol. …Unlike you, your wife does everything so well it almost pisses me off.”

“I can’t tell if you’re complaining or complimenting her.”

“You idiot. A guy can’t compliment women that easily.”

“You mean you have to compliment them difficultly?”

“Eh? Oh, well, um…what? I guess, uh… You idiot!”

“I’m not sure how you ended up there, but that’s quite the conclusion. At any rate, I’ll tell Natsu-san what you said.”

“Yeah, you do that. Tell her ‘Please make more, dammit!’ ”

“I really don’t understand what you’re trying to say half the time,” said Kashima with his usual sigh.

He suddenly realized Atsuta had opened the pack in his hand and started eating.

He did not approve of using the Art of Walking on friends, but using it may have been second nature to Sword God Atsuta.

“Is it good?”

He took the lack of a response as a yes.

The next thing he knew, Atsuta had refilled his bowl of rice and the pickled vegetables were almost gone.

Atsuta then spoke up as if carried by his momentum.

“So what’re you gonna do about the Leviathan Road?”

“I’m not sure. …How about you do it?”

“C’mon.” Atsuta stopped moving his chopsticks. “You really have no motivation, do you?”

“To be honest, no. The commotion here yesterday reminded me I have no reason at all to care about 2nd-Gear.”

“Stop treating this all so seriously and just give yourself a reason, you idiot.”

“Don’t say that. I really don’t have a reason. Seeing the damage to Susaou made my grandfather’s dying words meaningless, and now I have a family.”

He recalled Sayama’s words from the day before.

…''He wants to properly face 2nd-Gear.

“They’re all so serious, so I think they deserve someone better than me.”

“Then quit.”

Atsuta took a breath and spat out more words.

“Just quit UCAT.”

Kashima thought for a while about Atsuta’s suggestion.

“That might be a good idea.”

“Wait.”

“Don’t give me that look, Atsuta. To be honest, for someone with my lack of guts, in my position, and with my thoughts, running away by dropping out might be easier.”

If he quit, he would not have to worry anymore. He would have no reason to hold on to it all anymore.

He suddenly thought about how his parents lived. Rather than choosing the path of a swordsmith, they had chosen farming. The only blades they held were kitchen knives and sickles.

Natsu felt bad about receiving vegetables from them, but it delighted them.

“Some people have more than one option. That’s just how it is.”

“And are you one of them, Kashima?”

“I don’t know, but I left the path of a swordsmith after that accident eight years ago. My hands never again held a chisel and I only provide adjustments to finished products using a keyboard.” Kashima lightly tapped his fingernails on the table. “It’s been eight years. I have not made a single Cowling Sword since then. If I have a chance to leave…”

“Are you saying that chance is now? Are you saying you’ll run just as you’ve been given the important role of Leviathan Road negotiator?”

“Yes, that’s what I’m saying.” He took a breath. “I can’t reveal anything. I can’t even tell my child about the weapons-making skills passed down by my ancestors. If I’m going to quit, now is the time. I can join Low-Gear and have a happy family. …I always wondered if I was a resident of Low-Gear or not, but my child won’t.”

“Then what are you gonna do about the truth of 2nd-Gear you mentioned before? Only your family knows about it.”

“I can pass it on to Director Tsukuyomi and leave the decision with her.”

He looked forward and saw Atsuta who was rising up from his chair a bit.

“Are you serious?”

“I’m not sure. I just went with the flow of the conversation. But this is tough.” His shoulders drooped. “I can’t seem to decide what I should do.”

Atsuta clicked his tongue and lowered back into his chair.

“You don’t really need a reason, y’know? I enjoy cutting people down for no reason.”

“Are you hoping to find someone who agrees with how your brain works?”

Kashima gave a bitter smile and Atsuta narrowed his eyes.

“Oh? You think I don’t have a reason to care about the Leviathan Road, do you?”

“I-it can’t be. …Do you?”

“Don’t act so surprised, you idiot. Yes, I do. It’s about a girl I’ve fallen for.”

“That classmate from your school days? That’s an odd connection. Well, I won’t pry, but it sounds like a personal grudge.”

“How is that not prying?”

With a look of annoyance, Atsuta slid over the pack of pickled vegetables.

“What? You don’t want it?”

“Idiot. I can’t eat the pickled vegetables of a woman who seduced a military god.”

“Ha ha ha. You’re jealous that I have such a great wife.”

“Do you ever listen…?” Atsuta spat out a “keh” and took a sip of coffee. “Gather your things and get lost, you loser. This is pathetic. Completely pathetic. The Kashima family of Takemikazuchi, 2nd-Gear’s greatest military god and swordsmith, is dropping out to be with his wife and kid? Have fun with your home life, dammit.”

“I’m amazed you can say this much about it.”

Atsuta clicked his tongue, leaned back, and looked up at the ceiling.

Kashima did not resent him. He felt he was a good friend to have around.

“I haven’t decided whether I will drop out or not. I just don’t have the energy to face the Leviathan Road. UCAT pays well and sticking with it will allow me to pay off my mortgage. …I’m just troubled because I don’t enjoy it at all.”

“Fine, fine.”

Atsuta straightened up and picked up his bowl. He grabbed the salt from the seasonings on the table and sprinkled some on the rice.

“Hey, Kashima.”

“What is it, Atsuta? And aren’t you putting too much salt on that?”

“You idiot, I need salt because I have low blood pressure. You didn’t know that?”

“First I’ve heard of it. Relative to you, the rest of humanity must have extremely low blood pressure.”

“If you’re gonna say that, I have something else to say. I’ll ask this in place of a parting gift: What is the truth of 2nd-Gear and Yamata’s question?”

“I will tell that to Director Tsukuyomi first.”

“Is it that important?”

“I don’t really know.” Kashima tilted his head. “My ancestors have been passing it down for generations, so we’ve kind of lost sight of the importance. And that’s apparently why Yamata didn’t trust my ancestor’s answer when 2nd-Gear was destroyed.”

“Then isn’t it useless now?”

“It’s still useful as a negotiating tool. Low-Gear wants to know it.” Kashima folded his arms and said something even he felt was unlike him. “Ooshiro Hiromasa found that word in exchange for his life. My grandfather resented him and that word made him suffer and swear complete submission to Low-Gear. …It must have value.” Kashima smiled bitterly and kept the smile on his face. “But it’s been 60 years. We’ve become too influenced by Low-Gear.”

Once he finished speaking, Atsuta stopped moving his chopsticks and gave an annoyed look.

Kashima wondered why for a moment, but then realized the answer.

…''Oh. I’m giving a strange smile, aren’t I?

His eyebrows were bent weakly and his head was lowered, but his smile remained.

As he wondered what that kind of smile was called, Atsuta’s voice prodded at his thoughts.

“Well, if the desire to quit doesn’t go away, stop by the design room’s third production room.”

“The third-…”

Kashima suddenly frowned.

The third production room was a forbidden room in the development department.

It had remained unopened since that night eight years ago.

“That’s where I sealed-…”

“You can’t say it? But you haven’t forgotten, have you? There’s something in there that can’t just be thrown out as oversized trash. The power you sealed away is in there.”

Kashima suddenly remembered.

Eight years ago, he had saved Natsu from the mud and carried her into the rescue vehicle.

Afterwards, while he was soaking wet from the rain, he had lifted something up from the mud without even wiping the blood from his fingers.

It was a sword frame that had broken in two.

…''I sealed it deep in the corporation bearing the name Izumo.

“Do you get it, Kashima? You sealed away what should’ve been given to me: the Cowling Sword Futsuno. Even while sealed, the residual fear it emits is enough to keep the newbies away.” He took a breath. “If you quit, get rid of it. It’s only polite.”

As the morning came to an end, Sayama and the others wore their school uniforms as they walked through the city.

They were on their way to the Tamiya household where Sayama had grown up.

Sayama, Ooki, and Shinjou Setsu led the way and other volunteers from their class followed.

They all held wooden panels, paint, metal pipes, or other materials.

Shinjou turned back toward line following them and spoke to Sayama.

“We’re skipping fourth period to build a festival stand at your mansion. This is kind of amazing.”

“Ooki-sensei did a splendid job of forgetting to order the materials. I have business in Tachikawa later, but I can help out until then. We have to get this stand built fast.”

That afternoon, he had the preliminary negotiations with 2nd-Gear in the concept space within Showa Memorial Park.

…''I wonder if that Kashima will show up.

As Sayama thought, he saw Ooki walking ahead of him.

She wore a blouse and was swinging her arms while humming a cheerful tune.

“Lunch at Sayama-kun’s place is sure to be magnificent!”

Shinjou poked at Sayama’s arm.

[[Image:OnC_v03_0359.png|thumb]]

“Sayama-kun, can’t you stop her from speaking her mind so honestly?”

“No. If it was possible, I would have done so last year. The results were less than satisfactory.”

“That must have been tough.”

Ooki suddenly turned around with a smile on her face.

“I wanted to go with the entire class, but I guess that isn’t going to happen. A lot of people are busy preparing the stands for their clubs or have part-time jobs. Harakawa-kun rode off on his motorcycle right away.”

Sayama glanced behind them and Shinjou followed his gaze while carrying a binder of loose leaf paper. About thirty students followed them.

“But about 70% of the class saw this as their top priority.”

Sayama saw Shinjou turn an impressed look toward Ooki. Ooki on the other hand looked troubled.

“Sorry, Sayama-kun. I actually wanted to solidify the bonds of our class with a cookout, a campout, or a marines-style training camp.”

“I will kindly ignore that last one, but you should not feel bad about using the Tamiya household instead.”

“I know. And your home knows the trick to creating a good festival stand.”

Shinjou tilted his head at that.

“I thought the Tamiya family ran a security company? Do they do construction too?”

“No, they just so happen to have a lot of specialists like that. Mr. Kim from China joined the company about four years ago and he is really good at building sturdy mobile stands.”

“Really?”

“Yes. The only problem is he likes to add bulletproof shields, GPS, and escape devices if you are not careful. …He takes it seriously, don’t you think? Ha ha ha.”

“I-I think he might be building something other than a festival stand.”

“But we won the award for best stand last year!” added Ooki.

“Yes. Thinning the armor paid off in the high-speed cruising. And by giving it electronic controls inside, a commander and driver could take on a great number of people on their own. It was quite powerful.”

“S-sorry, but what are we talking about here?”

“A crepe stand. Have you never seen one? They are quite common.”

“Oh? So stands that can fly are common?”

“Do not worry about it.”

Sayama patted Shinjou’s shoulder.

Shinjou looked up at him with a hint of dissatisfaction in his eyes.

But Sayama’s eyes were fixed on the binder Shinjou held in his arms.

Shinjou must have noticed what he was looking at because he held the binder tighter as if to protect it.

“U-um. I…uh…didn’t bring this so I could avoid helping prepare.”

“You did not want to let go of it, did you?”

That was a part of it, but Shinjou lowered his head and blushed.

“I finished the plot, so I wanted you to take a look at it. …Would that be a problem?”

“Why would it be a problem?”

“Well…” said Shinjou as he looked around.

Ooki had faced forward once more and was humming. The other students were speaking with their friends. No one was paying any attention to them.

Shinjou quickly moved closer and whispered so only Sayama could hear.

“I think you might figure it out if you read it.”

“Figure what out?”

Shinjou stopped walking for an instant.

He lowered his head and did not look toward Sayama.

And so Sayama asked another question.

“You mean I will figure something out if I read this plot, correct?”

“Y-yes.”

Shinjou raised his head, revealing his slightly reddened face.

And then…

“…”

Shinjou’s shoulders trembled and he wrapped his arms around his stomach.

As Shinjou seemed to shrink back, Sayama wrapped his arms around his back.

“Is something wrong?”

“N-no. I’m fine.”

Shinjou’s raised head showed a weak smile.

Shinjou checked to make sure no one was watching them and spoke.

“Th-this happens sometimes. About once a month, I get this feeling like my stomach is sinking down. …It hadn’t happened recently, but it just came now.”

“Hm. This is a touchy subject, so I will try to ask this tactfully: is it your period?”

“Has the meaning of the word ‘tactfully’ changed since I last checked?” Shinjou sighed. “Not to mention that I don’t have a period.”

From his expression as he spoke, Shinjou seemed to be fine now.

But when he finished speaking, his eyebrows lowered and Sayama was fairly certain he saw a disappointed look on his face.

At any rate, Sayama nodded.

“When we arrive at the Tamiya household, I will have Kouji prepare you a hot drink. Also, I think Ryouko has an excellent painkiller. You can take some.”

“Medicines don’t have much effect on me.”

“Not to worry. The Tamiya family’s secret original formula uses no chemical additives. According to Ryouko, half of the drug is made from ‘mercy’.”

“And is the other half mad from ‘absolute seriousness’? Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Of course it is okay. I tried some once. The next thing I knew, three days had passed and I was surrounded by tons of people.”

“That isn’t okay at all!”

Shinjou sighed, lowered his shoulders, and looked forward.

Sayama faced forward as well.

The path opened up ahead of them and a large flat silhouette surrounded by a fence came into view.

That tile-roofed mansion with a large yard was the Tamiya household. Trees, large stones, and a pond were visible over the tall fence and the vast mansion sat in the center.

Shinjou sighed again and this time it was a mixture of relief and wonder.

He realized everyone had stopped walking and Ooki stood before the gate.

“Um… Oryaaah!”

She pushed on the gate, but it did not open.

Sayama and Shinjou watched on, wondering what she was planning to do. Ooki tilted her head and then clapped her hands together in realization. She knocked on the gate and let out a shout.

“I request an audience with the master of the house!”

“Ooki-sensei, what era do you think it is?”

“Eh? But the gate opened on its own when they said that on TV yesterday.”

“That was the TV drama version of Tsujigiri Samurai that began yesterday at eight. Can you not see the intercom next to the gate?”

“Oh, you’re right.” Ooki brought a finger to the intercom. “Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding, ding, ding… Sixteen in a row! …Ow ow ow ow ow! What kind of student hits their teacher’s head sixteen times in a row, Sayama-kun!?”

“Shut up. For the sake of mankind’s sanity, never touch that intercom again. Got it?”

As soon as he said that, Sayama sensed a presence to his right.

He felt the air move in toward the side of his non-dominant hand.

“I see you haven’t changed, Mikoto.”

Sayama heard a husky voice and all of a sudden found himself looking up at the blue sky.

He had been thrown through the air.

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| Back to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_11|Chapter 11]]
| Return to [[Owari_no_Chronicle|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_13|Chapter 13]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Owari no Chronicle:Volume3 Chapter 12

2013-11-18T12:41:03Z

Multipartite: /* Chapter 12: Morning Plan */ shoulder’s had jumped -> shoulders had jumped

==Chapter 12: Morning Plan==
[[Image:OnC_v03_0337.png|thumb]]
''Welcome to a place of comfort

''The wind blows along the heavenly path

''And the people return to the grass of the land

Even on Saturday, the Kazami household got an early start.

The father was a project planner, so he could choose to take days off but had no set days off.

He usually took off when Kazami announced she would be returning home, but her decision had been sudden this time. As such, the father had to begin eating breakfast at seven in the morning.

Her familial duty outweighed her sleepiness, so Kazami joined them for breakfast.

The small built-in kitchen was as pristine as ever.

The table contained cups of soup and ingredients to make breakfast sandwiches.

Kazami’s parents looked toward her from the table.

“Oh.” Her mother’s long hair swayed as she stood up. “What do you want to drink?”

“Coffee. Chisato, you want coffee, right?” Her father stopped putting together a sandwich on his plate and looked at her through his glasses. “I know you’re tired, but I would love it if you could fully wake up for breakfast.”

“Oh, sure. I’ll have tea.”

Not even Kazami was sure who she had been responding to as she sat in her chair.

Her father looked a bit disappointed as he reached over the table.

A few plates were lined up on the table which contained lettuce, lightly fried eggs, ham, onion, tomatoes, and other ingredients.

The Kazami family’s style was to make a sandwich by taking what you wanted and piling it up on bread.

“You’re taking too much, dad.”

“A-am I? Maybe I am. It’s just so fun.”

“Are you ever going to grow up?”

Her mother gave a troubled sigh when she saw the ingredients piled ten centimeters thick.

Seeing her mother in a blue shirt preparing a teapot and her father folding his arms in a gray hooded sweatshirt, Kazami finally felt she was truly home.

“You’re dressed too, mom? Are both of you going somewhere?”

“Yes. I’m going to the site with him.”

That comment cleared away Kazami’s sleepiness.

She could tell her shoulders had jumped. She belatedly noticed the chill of the morning air.

“Are you singing again?”

“I’m just going with him.”

Her mother had a hint of warning in her voice, but her father spoke up.

“But there is a plan for a combined Christmas concert toward the end of the year. The main performers will of course be whoever the sponsors choose, but there’s still room for a guest performer. What should I do?”

“I see.”

Kazami nodded and turned toward her mother who was preparing tea.

Her actions were no different from normal, so Kazami had no idea what she was thinking.

…''Does she think it’s just his usual nonsense?

However, the delighted look on her father’s face left Kazami almost certain he was serious. The way he meaninglessly began eating his sandwich starting with the top of the pile was the same as always, so her certainty only grew.

Then her cup of tea arrived along with two slices of bread on a plate.

“I see both my parents are working hard,” commented Kazami as she spread margarine on the bread.

“What about you, Chisato? Are things going well with Izumo-kun?”

She wished he had not brought that up.

“Well…”she said as she thought.

“Make sure to bring him by sometime. Don’t drive him away on the doorstep.”

“I’m not driving him away…”

“But you are kicking him away so he leaves, aren’t you? I saw you,” said her mother as she sat down.

Her lips were smiling, but her eyes were not.

“I’ll invite him in next week,” obediently promised Kazami.

“All right!”

Her parents smiled and high-fived.

…''Why is that idiot so popular?

Kazami sighed inwardly, but her mother was already humming.

“I’ll make korokke next week. I’m sure your papa and Izumo-kun will eat and drink like crazy in another competition, so I can make a whole lot. I’ll make white ones, curry ones, cream ones, and rare super-spicy wasabi ones for a surprise.”

“Sounds great. Make sure to put in plenty of chopped cabbage. We need to show who the better man is once and for all. I’ll do my best! Even if it’s meaningless!”

“Kyah! You’re so cool! Even if it’s pointless.”

“U-um, mom, dad? Why are you discussing next week before this week is over?”

“Hm? Did you say something, Chisato? Could you say it again?”

“No, never mind. …And mom, why have you had such a scary look in your eyes lately?”

“Don’t worry about it. You need to root for Izumo-kun next week. We’re pointlessly splitting into a parents team and a daughter/son-in-law team, so…”

“Sorry, but what kind of project are you working on now, dad?”

He looked up at the ceiling for a moment.

“It might be due to the material I came up with that was used on that suspicious educational program ‘Can You Do This?’ last week. At any rate, I’m working on a replacement project for the anime ‘Mr. Guevara’ that’s ending due to censorship.”

“I’m going to ignore half of that, but what is the replacement project?”

“It’s a sequel to the Aretorman series. Y’know, that cult classic from the Showa era. We’re making Aretorman Shoot which follows the story after Aretorman Cement. In the first episode, Shoot refuses to shake the monster’s hand, climbs on top of him, and punches him for three minutes straight. He doesn’t stop even as the monster tries to tap out. It’s really exciting.”

“Let me guess. In the second episode, does the monster get behind him, pin his arms, and make him put up with it for three minutes?”

“How did you know? That’s my daughter for you. Once Shoot realizes how to reverse the situation, he gradually begins to learn how to wrestle properly. He learns at the Aretor Training Base known as the Man Hole.”

“I have a feeling this is going to be taken off the air for a different reason.”

“Hmm.”

Her father folded his arms and thought.

Kazami saw her mother pour him some tea, but she was fairly certain his cup had originally held coffee. She began to sweat, but then he took a sip.

“Delicious. Your tea is always great.”

She knew she would never be any match for those parents. She also began to wonder if she would end up like them in the future.

But she ignored that thought and her father asked her a question.

“What has you lost in thought? If you have any trouble or problems at school, just tell me. What does it matter that I won’t be any help whatsoever?”

Unsure what to say to that, she changed the subject.

“How about you two calm down for now? It’s breakfast time.”

She sighed and began to make a sandwich of her own. She started with a lightly fried egg, lettuce, and mayonnaise. Then…

“Let’s add some jam, salted kombu, yam, and-… gah! Ch-Chisato! Domestic violence is wrong!”

“Mom, do something about him.”

“Bad papa.”

''Is that all?'' she thought, but her father really did hold his head and tremble.

She realized this was another method of scolding someone.

“Chisato, just put up with it. Having you back has left your papa a bit wrong in the head.”

“I’ll agree with that last part.”

Suddenly, Kazami realized how she could make use of her father.

“Hey, dad. Have any of your past projects dealt with Japanese mythology?”

Her father raised his head.

“Hm? Oh. Yes, they have.”

“I was investigating some stuff with Kaku and a few underclassmen, so do you know anything interesting related to Yamata no Orochi?”

“Hmm. Yamata no Orochi, you say? …There’s a lot there. Do have any keyword to focus on?”

“Well…”

When she brought a hand to her chin and tilted her head, she realized her mother was making the exact same pose as she thought. She had not noticed Kazami though, so Kazami merely smiled bitterly.

…''What would be a good keyword? 2nd-Gear is only known by UCAT, so they wouldn’t know that term. Then what? 2nd-Gear’s concepts deal with…

“Names. Do you have anything interesting related to the keyword of names?”

“Names?” asked her father as he looked up again.

The smile on his face told her she had chosen right.

“Chisato. Tell me the story of Yamata no Orochi’s slaying.”

“Well,” began Kazami. “After being banished to the surface, Susanoo fell in love with Kushinada-hime who was to be sacrificed to Yamata no Orochi. She promised to marry him and he got Orochi drunk and cut off the serpent’s heads. Is that good enough?”

“You shortened it like crazy, but that’s more or less it.”

“I’ve been studying it lately. Oh, and the sword that cut off Orochi’s heads was called Totsuka. The sword chipped in the process and, when Susanoo checked to see what had happened, he found another sword within Orochi. It was a nice sword, so he gave it a test swing and it easily cut through the surrounding grass. That was Kusanagi, aka the Grass Cutting Sword.”

And…

“Susanoo married Kushinada and settled in the Izumo province. When his descendant presented Kusanagi to Amaterasu, he regained his position as god. That’s the story, right?”

Her father nodded and muttered the word “names”.

“I am going to explain this in an indirect way, Chisato. In ancient Japan, people changed their name upon coming of age. You learned that in ancient literature class, right?”

Kazami nodded, but she did not actually remember that.

“Good, good,” said her father without realizing the truth.

The bitter smile on her mother’s face made it clear she had caught on.

Kazami once more realized she would never be a match for them.

“Okay, Chisato. Why do you think people would change their name?” asked her father.

“Eh?”

She did not know, but she gave it serious thought.

“Because they were adults?”

“Sorry, but no. Think about it. In Japanese mythology, Yamato Takeru gained that name upon killing his enemy, Kumaso Takeru. Changing one’s name does not mean becoming an adult.”

Then what was it?

As she thought, she saw her mother shaking back and forth a bit. For some reason, her right hand would rise some and fall some, but Kazami ignored her.

Kazami continued to think and realized the answer was surprisingly close by.

When she had first met Izumo Kaku, he had used the language of 10th-Gear. His language and his name had been different. And now he used Japanese.

“Because their position changed?”

“Correct. In ancient times, one’s name indicated their job or position in society. When that changed, their name changed. Returning to Yamato Takeru, the name Takeru means hero. The hero of Kumaso was Kumaso Takeru and the boy who killed him was given the position of the hero of Yamato.”

Kazami’s mother secretly snapped her fingers and struck a pose.

Her father did not notice his wife’s action and raised three fingers on his right hand.

“Now, with that in mind, let’s get down to the real issue. There are three mysteries surrounding the story of Susanoo and Yamata.”

He lowered his ring finger.

“The first mystery is why the name Yamata no Orochi does not refer to a job or position.”

“…Eh?”

“Think about it. What does Yamata no Orochi refer to?”

It meant Eight-Forked Great Serpent, so it referred to his form.

“Ah,” said Kazami when she realized that. “Are you asking why Yamata didn’t have a name?”

“Yes. Yamata no Orochi had the important role of producing the sword Kusanagi, but he was not given a job or position. This goes against the established rules. So why was this giant, eight-headed dragon of Japanese mythology not given a name?”

He then lowered his middle finger.

“The next mystery is about Susanoo.”

Kazami knew this one, so she took the initiative and raised her hand.

“It’s why he kept the name Susanoo after being banished from the heavens, right?”

“Yes. He descended to the human world, but he kept his name. Why is that? You have the great serpent with no name, the storm god whose name did not change, and then one other mystery.”

“The last one is related to Kusanagi, right?” said her mother.

Kazami and her father turned her mother’s way. She shrunk back and said “sorry” while sticking out her tongue.

But Kazami did not understand.

“What’s wrong with Kusanagi?”

“Oh?” Her father turned toward her with an expression similar to a smile. “How about you discuss that with your friends? This is a topic I tried to get put on an educational program, but no one would take it. I hope it will be some use to you, Chisato.”

There was no worry of that.

…''This is more than enough.

Not only did she have some hints, but she had realized some things herself too. She felt that was quite good for the athletic type. On top of that, she had some mysteries for them to solve.

“I’m glad I came home to visit,” she said.

Her parents cheered and high-fived.

She would never be a match for them.

It was still morning, but Kashima was in UCAT’s cafeteria.

It was only occupied by a few night shift workers, so it was nice and quiet.

“Why did you bring me here, Atsuta? I haven’t even entered the design room yet.”

“This is about the time you usually get some Nappa cabbage from your parents. If so, you’ll be working on getting rid of your extra pickled vegetables. Hand them over.”

Atsuta wore his combat uniform and held out chopsticks and a bowl piled high with white rice.

“Are you going to eat nothing but pickled vegetables and rice?”

“Don’t underestimate me, military god. An old saying says to eat vegetables on your rice and a bowl of soup. This is the same.”

He pulled something out of his pocket and placed it on the table.

It was a can of coffee. It was a UCAT brand named Morning Coffee Gotz. To increase its morning image, a high contrast red and white image of a healthy butler wearing nothing but an apron was printed on the can.

“Is that your ‘soup’? I suppose the color does resemble miso soup, but having that, Nappa cabbage, and rice for breakfast is really mixing Japanese and western, don’t you think?”

“You got a problem with this? Keh. You sure have gotten full of yourself.”

“Do you even know what ‘full of yourself’ means? Anyway, you want me to provide the vegetables?” With an exasperated sigh, Kashima took Natsu’s homemade bento from his bag. “Natsu actually predicted this. Look, she even put in some of the pickled cherry blossoms you like.”

“Oh, where she pickles the flower petals? They’re a bit bitter, so they go good with alcohol. …Unlike you, your wife does everything so well it almost pisses me off.”

“I can’t tell if you’re complaining or complimenting her.”

“You idiot. A guy can’t compliment women that easily.”

“You mean you have to compliment them difficultly?”

“Eh? Oh, well, um…what? I guess, uh… You idiot!”

“I’m not sure how you ended up there, but that’s quite the conclusion. At any rate, I’ll tell Natsu-san what you said.”

“Yeah, you do that. Tell her ‘Please make more, dammit!’ ”

“I really don’t understand what you’re trying to say half the time,” said Kashima with his usual sigh.

He suddenly realized Atsuta had opened the pack in his hand and started eating.

He did not approve of using the Art of Walking on friends, but using it may have been second nature to Sword God Atsuta.

“Is it good?”

He took the lack of a response as a yes.

The next thing he knew, Atsuta had refilled his bowl of rice and the pickled vegetables were almost gone.

Atsuta then spoke up as if carried by his momentum.

“So what’re you gonna do about the Leviathan Road?”

“I’m not sure. …How about you do it?”

“C’mon.” Atsuta stopped moving his chopsticks. “You really have no motivation, do you?”

“To be honest, no. The commotion here yesterday reminded me I have no reason at all to care about 2nd-Gear.”

“Stop treating this all so seriously and just give yourself a reason, you idiot.”

“Don’t say that. I really don’t have a reason. Seeing the damage to Susaou made my grandfather’s dying words meaningless, and now I have a family.”

He recalled Sayama’s words from the day before.

…''He wants to properly face 2nd-Gear.

“They’re all so serious, so I think they deserve someone better than me.”

“Then quit.”

Atsuta took a breath and spat out more words.

“Just quit UCAT.”

Kashima thought for a while about Atsuta’s suggestion.

“That might be a good idea.”

“Wait.”

“Don’t give me that look, Atsuta. To be honest, for someone with my lack of guts, in my position, and with my thoughts, running away by dropping out might be easier.”

If he quit, he would not have to worry anymore. He would have no reason to hold on to it all anymore.

He suddenly thought about how his parents lived. Rather than choosing the path of a swordsmith, they had chosen farming. The only blades they held were kitchen knives and sickles.

Natsu felt bad about receiving vegetables from them, but it delighted them.

“Some people have more than one option. That’s just how it is.”

“And are you one of them, Kashima?”

“I don’t know, but I left the path of a swordsmith after that accident eight years ago. My hands never again held a chisel and I only provide adjustments to finished products using a keyboard.” Kashima lightly tapped his fingernails on the table. “It’s been eight years. I have not made a single Cowling Sword since then. If I have a chance to leave…”

“Are you saying that chance is now? Are you saying you’ll run just as you’ve been given the important role of Leviathan Road negotiator?”

“Yes, that’s what I’m saying.” He took a breath. “I can’t reveal anything. I can’t even tell my child about the weapons-making skills passed down by my ancestors. If I’m going to quit, now is the time. I can join Low-Gear and have a happy family. …I always wondered if I was a resident of Low-Gear or not, but my child won’t.”

“Then what are you gonna do about the truth of 2nd-Gear you mentioned before? Only your family knows about it.”

“I can pass it on to Director Tsukuyomi and leave the decision with her.”

He looked forward and saw Atsuta who was rising up from his chair a bit.

“Are you serious?”

“I’m not sure. I just went with the flow of the conversation. But this is tough.” His shoulders drooped. “I can’t seem to decide what I should do.”

Atsuta clicked his tongue and lowered back into his chair.

“You don’t really need a reason, y’know? I enjoy cutting people down for no reason.”

“Are you hoping to find someone who agrees with how your brain works?”

Kashima gave a bitter smile and Atsuta narrowed his eyes.

“Oh? You think I don’t have a reason to care about the Leviathan Road, do you?”

“I-it can’t be. …Do you?”

“Don’t act so surprised, you idiot. Yes, I do. It’s about a girl I’ve fallen for.”

“That classmate from your school days? That’s an odd connection. Well, I won’t pry, but it sounds like a personal grudge.”

“How is that not prying?”

With a look of annoyance, Atsuta slid over the pack of pickled vegetables.

“What? You don’t want it?”

“Idiot. I can’t eat the pickled vegetables of a woman who seduced a military god.”

“Ha ha ha. You’re jealous that I have such a great wife.”

“Do you ever listen…?” Atsuta spat out a “keh” and took a sip of coffee. “Gather your things and get lost, you loser. This is pathetic. Completely pathetic. The Kashima family of Takemikazuchi, 2nd-Gear’s greatest military god and swordsmith, is dropping out to be with his wife and kid? Have fun with your home life, dammit.”

“I’m amazed you can say this much about it.”

Atsuta clicked his tongue, leaned back, and looked up at the ceiling.

Kashima did not resent him. He felt he was a good friend to have around.

“I haven’t decided whether I will drop out or not. I just don’t have the energy to face the Leviathan Road. UCAT pays well and sticking with it will allow me to pay off my mortgage. …I’m just troubled because I don’t enjoy it at all.”

“Fine, fine.”

Atsuta straightened up and picked up his bowl. He grabbed the salt from the seasonings on the table and sprinkled some on the rice.

“Hey, Kashima.”

“What is it, Atsuta? And aren’t you putting too much salt on that?”

“You idiot, I need salt because I have low blood pressure. You didn’t know that?”

“First I’ve heard of it. Relative to you, the rest of humanity must have extremely low blood pressure.”

“If you’re gonna say that, I have something else to say. I’ll ask this in place of a parting gift: What is the truth of 2nd-Gear and Yamata’s question?”

“I will tell that to Director Tsukuyomi first.”

“Is it that important?”

“I don’t really know.” Kashima tilted his head. “My ancestors have been passing it down for generations, so we’ve kind of lost sight of the importance. And that’s apparently why Yamata didn’t trust my ancestor’s answer when 2nd-Gear was destroyed.”

“Then isn’t it useless now?”

“It’s still useful as a negotiating tool. Low-Gear wants to know it.” Kashima folded his arms and said something even he felt was unlike him. “Ooshiro Hiromasa found that word in exchange for his life. My grandfather resented him and that word made him suffer and swear complete submission to Low-Gear. …It must have value.” Kashima smiled bitterly and kept the smile on his face. “But it’s been 60 years. We’ve become too influenced by Low-Gear.”

Once he finished speaking, Atsuta stopped moving his chopsticks and gave an annoyed look.

Kashima wondered why for a moment, but then realized the answer.

…''Oh. I’m giving a strange smile, aren’t I?

His eyebrows were bent weakly and his head was lowered, but his smile remained.

As he wondered what that kind of smile was called, Atsuta’s voice prodded at his thoughts.

“Well, if the desire to quit doesn’t go away, stop by the design room’s third production room.”

“The third-…”

Kashima suddenly frowned.

The third production room was a forbidden room in the development department.

It had remained unopened since that night eight years ago.

“That’s where I sealed-…”

“You can’t say it? But you haven’t forgotten, have you? There’s something in there that can’t just be thrown out as oversized trash. The power you sealed away is in there.”

Kashima suddenly remembered.

Eight years ago, he had saved Natsu from the mud and carried her into the rescue vehicle.

Afterwards, while he was soaking wet from the rain, he had lifted something up from the mud without even wiping the blood from his fingers.

It was a sword frame that had broken in two.

…''I sealed it deep in the corporation bearing the name Izumo.

“Do you get it, Kashima? You sealed away what should’ve been given to me: the Cowling Sword Futsuno. Even while sealed, the residual fear it emits is enough to keep the newbies away.” He took a breath. “If you quit, get rid of it. It’s only polite.”

As the morning came to an end, Sayama and the others wore their school uniforms as they walked through the city.

They were on their way to the Tamiya household where Sayama had grown up.

Sayama, Ooki, and Shinjou Setsu led the way and other volunteers from their class followed.

They all held wooden panels, paint, metal pipes, or other materials.

Shinjou turned back toward line following them and spoke to Sayama.

“We’re skipping fourth period to build a festival stand at your mansion. This is kind of amazing.”

“Ooki-sensei did a splendid job of forgetting to order the materials. I have business in Tachikawa later, but I can help out until then. We have to get this stand built fast.”

That afternoon, he had the preliminary negotiations with 2nd-Gear in the concept space within Showa Memorial Park.

…''I wonder if that Kashima will show up.

As Sayama thought, he saw Ooki walking ahead of him.

She wore a blouse and was swinging her arms while humming a cheerful tune.

“Lunch at Sayama-kun’s place is sure to be magnificent!”

Shinjou poked at Sayama’s arm.

[[Image:OnC_v03_0359.png|thumb]]

“Sayama-kun, can’t you stop her from speaking her mind so honestly?”

“No. If it was possible, I would have done so last year. The results were less than satisfactory.”

“That must have been tough.”

Ooki suddenly turned around with a smile on her face.

“I wanted to go with the entire class, but I guess that isn’t going to happen. A lot of people are busy preparing the stands for their clubs or have part-time jobs. Harakawa-kun rode off on his motorcycle right away.”

Sayama glanced behind them and Shinjou followed his gaze while carrying a binder of loose leaf paper. About thirty students followed them.

“But about 70% of the class saw this as their top priority.”

Sayama saw Shinjou turn an impressed look toward Ooki. Ooki on the other hand looked troubled.

“Sorry, Sayama-kun. I actually wanted to solidify the bonds of our class with a cookout, a campout, or a marines-style training camp.”

“I will kindly ignore that last one, but you should not feel bad about using the Tamiya household instead.”

“I know. And your home knows the trick to creating a good festival stand.”

Shinjou tilted his head at that.

“I thought the Tamiya family ran a security company? Do they do construction too?”

“No, they just so happen to have a lot of specialists like that. Mr. Kim from China joined the company about four years ago and he is really good at building sturdy mobile stands.”

“Really?”

“Yes. The only problem is he likes to add bulletproof shields, GPS, and escape devices if you are not careful. …He takes it seriously, don’t you think? Ha ha ha.”

“I-I think he might be building something other than a festival stand.”

“But we won the award for best stand last year!” added Ooki.

“Yes. Thinning the armor paid off in the high-speed cruising. And by giving it electronic controls inside, a commander and driver could take on a great number of people on their own. It was quite powerful.”

“S-sorry, but what are we talking about here?”

“A crepe stand. Have you never seen one? They are quite common.”

“Oh? So stands that can fly are common?”

“Do not worry about it.”

Sayama patted Shinjou’s shoulder.

Shinjou looked up at him with a hint of dissatisfaction in his eyes.

But Sayama’s eyes were fixed on the binder Shinjou held in his arms.

Shinjou must have noticed what he was looking at because he held the binder tighter as if to protect it.

“U-um. I…uh…didn’t bring this so I could avoid helping prepare.”

“You did not want to let go of it, did you?”

That was a part of it, but Shinjou lowered his head and blushed.

“I finished the plot, so I wanted you to take a look at it. …Would that be a problem?”

“Why would it be a problem?”

“Well…” said Shinjou as he looked around.

Ooki had faced forward once more and was humming. The other students were speaking with their friends. No one was paying any attention to them.

Shinjou quickly moved closer and whispered so only Sayama could hear.

“I think you might figure it out if you read it.”

“Figure what out?”

Shinjou stopped walking for an instant.

He lowered his head and did not look toward Sayama.

And so Sayama asked another question.

“You mean I will figure something out if I read this plot, correct?”

“Y-yes.”

Shinjou raised his head, revealing his slightly reddened face.

And then…

“…”

Shinjou’s shoulders trembled and he wrapped his arms around his stomach.

As Shinjou seemed to shrink back, Sayama wrapped his arms around his back.

“Is something wrong?”

“N-no. I’m fine.”

Shinjou’s raised head showed a weak smile.

Shinjou checked to make sure no one was watching them and spoke.

“Th-this happens sometimes. About once a month, I get this feeling like my stomach is sinking down. …It hadn’t happened recently, but it just came now.”

“Hm. This is a touchy subject, so I will try to ask this tactfully: is it your period?”

“Has the meaning of the word ‘tactfully’ changed since I last checked?” Shinjou sighed. “Not to mention that I don’t have a period.”

From his expression as he spoke, Shinjou seemed to be fine now.

But when he finished speaking, his eyebrows lowered and Sayama was fairly certain he saw a disappointed look on his face.

At any rate, Sayama nodded.

“When we arrive at the Tamiya household, I will have Kouji prepare you a hot drink. Also, I think Ryouko has an excellent painkiller. You can take some.”

“Medicines don’t have much effect on me.”

“Not to worry. The Tamiya family’s secret original formula uses no chemical additives. According to Ryouko, half of the drug is made from ‘mercy’.”

“And is the other half mad from ‘absolute seriousness’? Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Of course it is okay. I tried some once. The next thing I knew, three days had passed and I was surrounded by tons of people.”

“That isn’t okay at all!”

Shinjou sighed, lowered his shoulders, and looked forward.

Sayama faced forward as well.

The path opened up ahead of them and a large flat silhouette surrounded by a fence came into view.

That tile-roofed mansion with a large yard was the Tamiya household. Trees, large stones, and a pond were visible over the tall fence and the vast mansion sat in the center.

Shinjou sighed again and this time it was a mixture of relief and wonder.

He realized everyone had stopped walking and Ooki stood before the gate.

“Um… Oryaaah!”

She pushed on the gate, but it did not open.

Sayama and Shinjou watched on, wondering what she was planning to do. Ooki tilted her head and then clapped her hands together in realization. She knocked on the gate and let out a shout.

“I request an audience with the master of the house!”

“Ooki-sensei, what era do you think it is?”

“Eh? But the gate opened on its own when they said that on TV yesterday.”

“That was the TV drama version of Tsujigiri Samurai that began yesterday at eight. Can you not see the intercom next to the gate?”

“Oh, you’re right.” Ooki brought a finger to the intercom. “Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding, ding, ding… Sixteen in a row! …Ow ow ow ow ow! What kind of student hits their teacher’s head sixteen times in a row, Sayama-kun!?”

“Shut up. For the sake of mankind’s sanity, never touch that intercom again. Got it?”

As soon as he said that, Sayama sensed a presence to his right.

He felt the air move in toward the side of his non-dominant hand.

“I see you haven’t changed, Mikoto.”

Sayama heard a husky voice and all of a sudden found himself looking up at the blue sky.

He had been thrown through the air.

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| Back to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_11|Chapter 11]]
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| Forward to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_13|Chapter 13]]
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Talk:Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 11 Chapter 15

2013-11-16T19:56:48Z

Multipartite: 'a poor young girl' reconsideration suggestion.

'a poor young girl': the lace rules out 'binbou', and the circumstances rule out 'kawaisou'. If 'karen', perhaps 'touchingly lovely' or similar? Separately, extreme joy at this chapter (and by extension the rest of the volume) now being readable! -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 13:56, 16 November 2013 (CST)

Owari no Chronicle:Volume3 Chapter 8

2013-11-01T13:10:08Z

Multipartite: Only Totsuka is remains -> Only Totsuka remains

==Chapter 8: The Beginning of an Answer==
[[Image:OnC_v03_0201.png|thumb]]
''An unrealized past awakens and begins to move

''During that short history

''Chain-like bonds are created

The concept weapon development department was located on UCAT’s second basement next to the maintenance storage room and armory.

The development department was divided into four large sections: the design room, the production room, the experiment room, and storage.

The design room was a fifty meter square space divided up into partitions.

Inside one partition, Kashima and Tsukuyomi were looking at Susaou’s design diagram.

While he had been staring at the landslide, it seemed Tsukuyomi had met with Team Leviathan’s representative.

He had also heard that other members of Team Leviathan had entered the Second Reference Room.

“They are interesting children.”

With that introduction, they began discussing old times.

As they looked at the documents on Susaou, Tsukuyomi spoke.

“It was only nine years ago, but it feels so nostalgic. The development department had only just been reorganized underneath me. As soon as you were assigned to the department, you asked me what is in Tachikawa. But I was as new to UCAT as you, so I didn’t know.”

Tsukuyomi gave a bitter smile and Kashima gave one of his own.

“That’s right. But you negotiated with the higher ups and acquired the necessary documents from the Second Reference Room. You gave me the documents on Susaou which exists in the concept space set up within the former Tachikawa Airfield and current Showa Memorial Park.”

“But Susaou did not live up to your expectations.”

“That’s right,” said Kashima again.

He had gone to see Susaou just once.

“Examining Susaou was the development department’s first job once it was reorganized after the great Kansai earthquake. But…”

Kashima displayed a single image on his laptop.

It was a photograph. With the blue sky in the background, a giant figure stood with clouds around its head.

That giant form was over five hundred meters tall.

However, its entire form was slightly distorted.

“Yes, it makes sense if you think about it. Even nine years ago, it had been about fifty years since Susaou had been active. And Susaou is a humanoid machine built to oppose and confine the ultra high temperatures of Yamata. A used weapon is always on the road to destruction.”

He zoomed in on the image.

Susaou grew larger as it stood in front of the bright sun.

Portions of the blackened armor covering its giant limbs and body had melted and the bridge in the head had vanished as if it had been gouged out.

“On his deathbed, my grandfather mentioned the box of the bridge in the head, but that no longer exists.”

The head had been destroyed.

The metal had melted and formed a square stage with fifteen meter sides. Only a single object stuck up from that floor.

It was a straight piece of metal around a meter and a half long.

“The only thing left in the remains of the bridge is Totsuka, the Cowling Sword my grandfather created to seal Yamata. That’s all.”

As he muttered into the LCD monitor, he heard a sigh from behind him.

“And we went through all the formalities to get there. Even if it is under UCAT’s control, we received permission from each country’s UCAT.”

Tsukuyomi’s words drew nearer as she leaned in toward the monitor.

She then spoke as if yearning for the past.

“Afterwards, you began researching concept weapons, but soon drew back from real development and design. Now you act as the demon of fine-tuning and only perform practicality checks on new models.”

“That is not all I do. I have other jobs. Remember that weird gum project?”

“But you are avoiding any jobs that use 2nd-Gear’s power and the name of Kashima, aren’t you? Is that landslide accident from eight years ago still bothering you?”

Kashima gave no answer. He chose other words for his response.

“Right now, my interests lie elsewhere.”

The photograph of Susaou was not the only image on the monitor.

It also showed photographs of his wife and young daughter.

Tsukuyomi grinned bitterly.

“Ha ha. I guess we can’t compete with your family.”

“Director Tsukuyomi, how are things going regarding the previous director?”

“Oh, you mean my husband? Well, I think it would be nice if I found anything he left behind, but all the documents from his time here vanished in the blank period. What was he doing without telling me while I was in IAI?”

Kashima continued to stare at the LCD monitor, so Tsukuyomi patted his shoulder as if trying to cheer him up.

“Being that fond of your kid is a good thing, but don’t forget that you’re someone’s kid too. My daughter is always out late job hunting and going to informative seminars. When she gets back home, she eats, bathes, and sleeps before heading right back out the next morning. She isn’t a carrier-based aircraft, so she should really get some rest.”

“Your daughter is an F-14? But you haven’t told her about UCAT or 2nd-Gear, right? You seem to be conforming to Low-Gear, but…”

“Is that why you’re confused? You can’t figure out why this eccentric director would leave the rights to the Leviathan Road with someone trying to be a Low-Gear resident like you?”

“We…”

Kashima started to speak, but trailed off.

“…”

Finally, he shook his head.

Tsukuyomi patted his shoulder again. She did so more softly and gently than before.

“Listen, Kashima. I turn 50 this year and I haven’t gone through any longevity procedures. I doubt I can remain on the forefront of development for another ten years. From now on, things will be run by you and the others of your younger generation that knows nothing at all of the war. That is why I think you need to give this some thought.”

“Give this some thought? My grandfather’s dying words and my own power have already-…”

Kashima stood up but stopped when he saw the look on Tsukuyomi’s face.

She still stood at the entrance to the partition, but her expression was very gentle.

One look at that and he lost all words.

''I can’t stand up to that,'' he thought as he fell silent.

She smiled a bit when she saw him sit back down and wait for her to speak.

“I like seeing a man waiting for a woman to speak. Makes me jealous of your wife.”

“Sorry, director, but your age has not been kind to that ingratiating voice.”

“Just leave me be. …Anyway, you need to think about your stance as part of 2nd-Gear. Also…”

“Also?”

“This will likely be your last chance to be involved with Susaou.”

“It doesn’t matter. The remnants my grandfather mentioned are no longer there. Only Totsuka remains.”

Kashima opened a text file on his laptop.

The document contained the results of some research he had done. It provided the reason 2nd-Gear could not leave UCAT.

“The records contained a single fact. Susaou’s captain spoke the word to control Yamata and sealed Yamata in Totsuka, but he died. That was all.”

“And with his death, Low-Gear lost the word to seal Yamata,” muttered Tsukuyomi with a sigh. “It’s a difficult issue. If the Low-Gear engineer who once sealed Yamata had survived and that word had remained with Low-Gear, we could have formed a full allegiance with Low-Gear.”

“Yes.” Kashima nodded and spoke that engineer’s name. “Ooshiro Hiromasa. The father of UCAT’s leader, Ooshiro Kazuo, the grandfather of Team Leviathan’s supervisor, Ooshiro Itaru, and the man who my grandfather resented for not saving 2nd-Gear.” Kashima gave a bitter smile. “Of course, I did not carry on his grudge. But…”

“But?”

Tsukuyomi repeated his last word and Kashima gave a troubled smile.

“But that is why I am finding this decision so hard to make.”

Sayama and Ooshiro Kazuo walked down a UCAT corridor.

After Diana left the training room, Sayama had told the others that Tsukuyomi had used a technique similar to the mysterious one Diana had used.

That had been enough for the others to agree to 2nd-Gear for the next Leviathan Road.

“Someone might be leading us in this direction, though. Not knowing is kind of frustrating.”

Kazami’s comment had summed up everyone’s thoughts.

Sayama was also interested in what sort of negotiation he should use.

Shinjou had remained in the training room, saying she wanted to perform additional target practice, but Kazami and the others had agreed to meet up in the cafeteria once they were done sorting through the documents they had gathered.

Sayama’s job was to tell Ooshiro they intended to go ahead with 2nd-Gear’s Leviathan Road.

However, Ooshiro was currently walking quickly alongside him.

Wearing his suit once more, Sayama quickened his pace to line up beside him.

“Old man, aren’t you in a lot more of a hurry than before?”

“No, no. I’m just testing a new prototype.”

He showed Sayama a digital pedometer at his waist.

It was a yellow plastic device with an LCD showing a stylized girl performing some kind of ritualistic dance. She seemed to be in as sort of trance.

“There is a lot I want to say about that, but it is relatively normal compared to some other things UCAT is developing.”

“UCAT may be developing it, but it will be sold as an IAI product. We can’t make it too out there.”

“What is the product called?”

Ooshiro answered with a confident thumbs up.

“This is the digital pedometer ‘Mambo-chan’. The character is a shaman from an esoteric religion.”

“Oh? That is quite the uncreative name.”

“Yes. To show her desire for you to walk with the pedometer as much as possible, I wanted to name her Pedo Lover, but that was immediately rejected.”

“That was for the best. But I get the feeling one can buy a pedometer anywhere these days.”

“This one is a bit different. Mambo-chan has a surprisingly direct personality. If you stop before reaching the set number of steps, she scolds you with her shaman power.”

“Just out of curiosity, what is this power?”

“Seventeen fully charged shocks on the level of a stun baton.”

“I see. If you slack off, you end up passed out on the road. Are you going to sell them to the marines for marching training?”

“Don’t worry. Situations in which you have to stop are rare and the tension can accelerate your diet. See? I’m walking just fine.”

Sayama thought for a moment.

“Old man,” he finally said. “Where have you tested the prototype so far?”

“Within UCAT. Why?”

“I have one question.”

“What is it?”

Sayama looked up at the ceiling as he walked and his expression finally grew serious.

“Have you ever heard of traffic lights and railroad crossings?”

Ooshiro looked up at the ceiling as he walked and his expression finally grew serious.

“Now what do I do?”

“Oh? So you finally reached the truth? Now, the current problem is the automatic door visible in the distance. How long does it take for the electric shocks to activate?”

“M-Mambo-chan is short tempered, so she suddenly attacks if you stand still for even a second.”

“What about turning around? We can make a quick U-turn and come back the way we came.”

“Unfortunately, Mambo-chan insists you resolutely continue on. If you turn around, she gets mad. …Ahhhh! We really are getting close to the door! Mikoto-kun! Could you go on ahead and open it for me!?”

“To change the subject, is it fine if we go with 2nd-Gear for the next Leviathan Road?”

“Don’t completely change the subject! And please hurry! I have less than fifty meters now!”

“Hm,” said Sayama with a nod. “In that case, I have something I wish to ask you again. Please answer me honestly.”

“Is this any time for that!? Ahh, Shinjou-kun would help me if she were here. Is she still in training?”

“Yes. She said she wanted to do some target practice, but does she really need that much training?”

Ooshiro’s expression was impatient, but he still formed a smile.

“Sh-she has always scored highly in training. She has problems in real battles, though. She hesitates and can’t fire.”

“But…”

“Yes, she has improved somewhat since the battle with 1st-Gear, but the development department’s output records for Ex-St show she has not fully overcome it.”

Sayama recalled the battle with 1st-Gear. Shinjou had wielded enough power to be on even footing with Fafnir Custom.

“You mean she can draw out even more power than that? What is holding her power back?”

“Has she given you a reason?”

Sayama thought for a moment.

“She has no memories before six years ago.”

“I see. There is that, but there is a bigger reason too.”

“A bigger reason?”

Ooshiro nodded.

“Mikoto-kun,” he began as a warning. “It seems you do not understand. Then again, this is very like you.”

“What do you-…?”

Before he could finish speaking, Sayama recalled something from earlier that day.

…''Is the hint to this “Yamato Takeru”?

Shinjou Setsu had said that was his “lie”.

Did Shinjou Sadame have something like that as well?

Sayama nodded and said, “If I do not understand what is holding back Shinjou-kun’s power, I will be killed by her like Kumaso Takeru. Is that what you think?”

Ooshiro gave no response, but Sayama’s thoughts continued on.

He recalled how Kumaso Takeru had been killed by Yamato Takeru.

“He crossdressed and, even as he stood right before Kumaso Takeru, the disguise worked and his true form remained unseen.”

He recalled what he had thought during his fight with Diana.

...''Why am I not seeing you even though I should be seeing you?

This led Sayama to a sudden realization.

He realized another doubt concerning Shinjou Setsu and Sadame.

“Oh, I get it now. That was a complete blind spot for me.”

“Do you know now why Shinjou-kun cannot use her full power, Mikoto-kun?”

“I do. I sure am brilliant.”

“That last part does not matter, so could you get to the main point?”

“I am in a good mood, so I will say Testament.” Sayama confidently gave his answer. “Shinjou-kun is crossdressing. That is, Setsu-kun is dressing up as a girl to be Sadame-kun.”

“Mikoto-kun…”

“What is it? Why are you staring at me with such suspicion?”

“Are you the type that gives your answer without giving it much thought?”

“When have I ever jumped to a hasty conclusion? Say that again and I will knock you to the ground.”

“That’s hasty enough as it is!”

“Calm down, calm down,” said Sayama as he held a hand out to restrain Ooshiro. “At any rate, it seems I let my guard down concerning Shinjou-kun.”

Sayama began to think once more. He had confirmed that Shinjou Setsu was a boy at the public bath.

…''But I never confirmed that Sadame-kun is a girl.

He had seen Shinjou Sadame’s breasts before, but that might have been a UCAT trick.

''If so, they have frightening technology,'' thought Sayama with a cold sweat. ''I should have touched them to make sure.

He had known her for a month, so why had he never considered gently groping them?

…''I was careless.

“M-Mikoto-kun, I do not know what you are thinking about so seriously, but let me give you a warning.”

“What is it?”

“Committing crimes is a big no-no.”

“Ha ha ha ha. How can you say that as an old man whose very existence is a crime? And do you really think someone as clever as me would do that?”

“Ha…ha ha ha. I-I suppose not even you would.”

“Exactly. If I explain the situation, she will understand.”

“Wh-what did you just say?”

“Nothing. More importantly, you might want to look forward.”

Ooshiro looked like he still wanted to say something, but he panicked when he looked ahead.

“Wah! We’re less than thirty meters from the automatic door! Mikoto-kun! Please hurry up and open it!”

“Now then, old man. The issue concerning Shinjou-kun was a worthwhile digression, but we need to get to the main issue.”

“You’re ignoring me!? And do we really need to talk now!?”

“We do. Now, calmly listen to what I have to say for the remaining 25 meters. My first question is whether a relative of yours was involved with the destruction of 2nd-Gear.”

“Yes! Yes! One went to 2nd-Gear as an engineer!”

“Tell me why in detail.”

“H-how much detail!?”

Sayama thought for a moment on that impatient question.

“About twenty meters’ worth, I suppose.”

“I’m going to ignore that. Anyway, 2nd-Gear could not control Yamata with their own techniques, so they hoped to get the help of engineers from other Gears! They thought an idea from another Gear’s viewpoint could solve the problem! But… Ahhh! The door’s less than ten meters away! Hurry, hurry, hurry!”

“A quick question: do you really think I will open the door until I have heard what I want to hear?”

“That reaction really pisses me off! Let’s see… Anyway, my father didn’t make it in time! So even though they resented the engineers who had evacuated, they worked together to build the giant humanoid machine and the sealing sword and used them to fight back against Yamata!”

“Lastly, what were those machines known as?”

“The giant humanoid machine was Susaou! The sealing Cowling Sward was Totsuka!”

“I see. That is what I wanted to know. So may we go with 2nd-Gear for the next Leviathan Road?”

“Yes, yes! Just hurry!”

“You did not seem to give that much thought,” replied Sayama as he hurried to the door.

Ooshiro breathed a sigh of relief just as the door opened.

However, two large obstacles stood in his way.

They were two humans.

The aboveground portion of the UCAT facility took the form a building disguised as a transportation administration building.

The fifth floor of that building contained a certain private office.

The room was filled with scattered piles of documents and trash and a single figure was visible beyond the piles of documents on the large desk.

A man in a black suit and sunglasses sat in the desk’s chair.

He held a local newspaper.

His eyes moved across the text, but he did not appear to be actually reading it.

He folded the newspaper to view the back and brushed up his white hair.

“…”

He suddenly looked up.

He had heard quiet footsteps in front of the room’s door.

He quickly folded the newspaper and tossed it near the door.

It made a dry rustling sound as it fell to the floor.

In the very next moment, the office door opened and a maid wearing a black dress and white apron entered.

She held a silver tray carrying a cup.

However, she did not look over to see if the man was at the desk. It was as if his presence was a foregone conclusion.

As she took a step forward, her expressionless gaze noticed the newspaper at her feet. She picked it up with one hand.

“Itaru-sama, today’s morning paper has arrived. Would you like to read it?”

“What’s the headline, Sf?”

“Tes. ‘In Shinjuku yakuza turf war last night, one of our own reporters met a surprising end!’ ”

“No, thanks. Throw it over there.”

“Tes.”

With only a single shake of her short hair, Sf walked straight over the documents scattered on the floor.

However, she did not leave any footprints on those documents. Not a single paper so much as shook.

Once Sf reached Itaru, she held out the silver tray in her hand.

“Itaru-sama, I have brought your coffee.”

“I don’t want it.”

“Tes. I simply wanted to say that, so do not worry. Shall I dispose of it here?”

“The last time I told you to dispose of it, you really did dump it on the floor.”

“Tes. That was two weeks after I arrived. I have checked that memory to a depth level of five, so there is no mistaking it.”

“Yeah, I remember it too. I ultimately had to wipe the floor myself. It was also the first time I thought about having you dismantled, so it’s a day to remember. High-quality machines are so wonderful because they do what you tell them to.”

“Tes. I have determined you must be very methodical if you were ready to dismantle me for maintenance within two weeks. But do not worry. I am the pride of German UCAT and my automatic internal cleaning is guaranteed to suffice for 666 years.”

“Oh? You perform automatic cleaning?”

[[Image:OnC_v03_0219.png|thumb]]

“Tes,” answered Sf with a nod. She lightly rotated her wrist. “At night when I have nothing else to do, I remove the parts myself and diligently brush them.”

“Automatic just means you do it yourself? Anyway, I don’t want the coffee, so you drink it for me.”

“I have no digestive system, so I cannot drink it.”

“I see. Then I guess I’ll drink it. It’s a shame you’re a machine that can’t experience this wonderful flavor.”

Itaru turned to Sf with a smile and Sf remained expressionless.

“I am glad you are pleased. Please take your time.”

“…Come to think of it, a defective machine like you can’t understand sarcasm, can you?”

“Tes. I determined that to be what you wanted. If you change your mind, I can always add emotional functionality.”

“Emotional functionality? What would happen if you plugged that in?”

Sf thought for a moment and finally tilted her head.

“Tes. Plugging it in would only get in the way. I would install it internally.”

“And what would happen once you installed it?”

“Tes. Once I installed it, I would have emotions.”

“For example?”

“No matter how unreasonable a command, I would respond with a smile. No matter how disagreeable a master, I would cry upon his death.”

“That isn’t emotional functionality. It’s robot functionality, you problem machine.”

Itaru took the cup Sf held out and took a sip.

Seeing that, Sf tilted her head expressionlessly.

“You can drink coffee now?”

“It’s nothing but water, caffeine, flavoring, and coloring. Describing it as similar to poison would not be an exaggeration. I hate it.”

“Then why are you drinking it?”

“Because you said you can’t, Sf. That makes this your fault.”

“Tes. I will make sure to bring some for you after every meal.”

“Why? Some kind of unnecessary consideration for your master?”

“Because it is what you want, Itaru-sama,” said Sf expressionlessly.

Itaru looked back at her face and finally held up the cup.

“Next time, bring me something colorless. The coloring stains my mouth.” He brushed up his white hair. “I only accept meaningless things like color and flavor.”

“Tes,” said Sf with a nod.

She quickly turned around as Itaru watched.

“…!”

She swiftly turned toward the entrance. Of the two hands holding the tray, she moved her right.

Her right hand held a black handgun which she aimed up at the office entrance.

Itaru then noticed a woman standing in that entrance.

This tall woman wore a black suit.

Her long silver hair swayed as she lightly raised a hand in front of the already closed door.

“Oh, dear. I didn’t expect you to notice when I had only walked in. I miscalculated.”

She used a joking tone, but Sf’s pose did not change.

The tray was still in her left hand and the handgun in her right.

“I detect a powerful philosopher’s stone. You are of unknown affiliation, so I ask you introduce yourself. You have 15 seconds.”

“Oh, my, my. Itaru-kun, can you say something to her?”

Itaru sighed.

“She is an extremely uninvited guest. Sf, do as I wish.”

“Oh? Isn’t that a harsh greeting for someone you haven’t seen in ten years? And Sf, have you forgotten one of the people who helped create you?”

“When I was re-adjusted in Japanese UCAT, I was formatted for Japanese use.”

“Eh!? You’re kidding!” The woman brought a hand to her mouth in surprise. “Th-then did they delete all the episodes of the cartoon Herr Himmler I hid in a corner of your memory!? Even the rare episode ‘Goebbels is Flustered’!?”

“I just performed a search and discovered a large blank in the surplus memory on the fifth depth level. I have determined that is all that remains.”

“Ahh, and after I came here to get them back.”

“Hey, Sf, you can go all out eliminating her.”

Sf silently aimed the handgun.

The woman frantically waved her hand.

“You really can’t joke with her, can you? But what if that goes for me, too?” With a bitter smile, she gave her name. “I am Diana Zonburg of German UCAT. Damit Gut?”

In a corridor on the third basement, Sayama saw two people blocking the way ahead of him.

One was an older bald black man wearing a white armored uniform and a vest.

Sayama had met him during the battle with 1st-Gear. His name was Boldman and he helped coordinate with the normal units.

The other, Sayama did not recognize.

He was a large old Arab man who wore a sand yellow combat coat over his white armored uniform.

He wore a cloth wrapped around his head like a turban and he was facing Sayama.

He may have been old, but he was around two meters tall and his gaze was plenty sharp.

His white eyebrows and long white beard moved.

“Sayama?” he said in a low voice.

Immediately afterwards, Sayama felt a pain in the left side of his chest.

Sayama wondered why until he noticed the man’s gaze. He was looking in Sayama’s direction, but…

…''He is not looking at me.

He seemed to be looking toward Sayama yet recalling something from the past.

As soon as Sayama realized that, the pain in his chest strengthened.

“Out of the way, Abram!” shouted Ooshiro.

His slender body and lab coat had made it within three steps of the door.

The Arab man named Abram began to move aside.

“…”

But with Boldman next to him, the door was full. He could not move.

Upon noticing that, Sayama turned to Ooshiro and nodded.

“How very unfortunate.”

“I know you don’t actually think that!” shouted the old man just as a door along the corridor opened.

However, Sayama knew that door led to the concept space office floor.

Another old man suddenly burst from the darkness on the other side of the door.

He was slender and had long black hair. His name was Yonkichi and he had helped navigate the helicopter taking Sayama to the battle with 1st-Gear.

As Yonkichi left in a hurry, Ooshiro charged into the office floor.

Mambo-chan may have insisted one resolutely continued on, but it seemed right angle turns were acceptable.

The door quickly closed and Yonkichi looked confused.

“Um, what was that about?”

“Nothing more than an old man’s recreation. If he does not go for a walk, he cannot remove the toxins from his body.”

“Testament. Anyway, I must be going!”

Yonkichi quickly ran off in the direction Sayama and Ooshiro had come from.

Sayama let out a breath, realized the pain in his chest was gone, and looked toward the two large men who took a step away from the door and toward him.

Boldman indicated Abram to his side.

“Should I call you commander, Sayama Mikoto? This is the director of the field operation department, Director Abram Mesam. You have not met him yet, have you?”

“Team Leviathan is a special division of the field operation department, so do you supervise us?” asked Sayama.

Abram responded in a low, clear voice.

“No, Team Leviathan essentially has independent authority. Its direct supervisor, Ooshiro Itaru, and the man who just left, Ooshiro Kazuo, both have more authority than me when it comes to you.” His tanned face then twisted into a smile. “Nice to meet you. I am Abram Mesam and I control your backup and the other field operation members. If you ever need anything, Boldman here will take care of it.”

“Testament,” replied Sayama.

He no longer felt any pain from Abram’s gaze.

With a quick nod to Sayama’s response, the man began walking away. As he did, the hem of his coat flipped around and he asked a question.

“Is 2nd-Gear up next for the Leviathan Road?”

“That is our current plan.”

Abram gave a bitter laugh at Sayama’s tone.

That laugh reminded Sayama of how Siegfried had reacted to his words after the battle at the Imperial Palace. In that case…

“Director Mesam, were you one of UCAT’s original members?”

“Testament.”

“I know UCAT originally had Professor Kinugasa at the top, Izumo’s grandfather, my grandfather, the old man’s father, and Siegfried. How many other primary members were there?”

“Including me, four. There were a total of eight gathered under Kinugasa Tenkyou and every single one of them was stranger than me. And if you wish for it, you will surely meet all of them.”

“Is the name Shinjou among those last four?”

“No.”

His response was an immediate denial.

Sayama had expected that answer. Just as Fasolt had said, the Shinjou in the National Defense Department had disappeared before he entered UCAT.

Sayama did not know what it meant, but it was as Abram said: if he wished for it, he would surely meet them.

Abram did not turn around, but his voice mixed in with his departing footsteps.

“Will you be going to the Showa Memorial Park in Tachikawa tomorrow?”

Sayama frowned.

That location had just come up at school and Kazami had mentioned it after training as well.

“You mean where that giant humanoid machine is located?”

“Testament. The two machines which saved Low-Gear from Yamata are located there. The first is the five hundred plus meter Susaou. The other is the divine sword Totsuka.”

“So it follows the legend of Susanoo?”

“Yes. The Concept Core that is Yamata is closed within Totsuka. I am on my way to the development department to suggest we regulate the concept space around Susaou tomorrow. …How about you perform the preliminary negotiations there with 2nd-Gear’s representative?”

“Testament.”

Abram did not turn around.

Instead, Boldman turned toward Sayama and raised his right hand as a sign of parting.

Sayama turned his back on the two men just as an old man dashed out of the darkness of the office division to the side.

He was slender, had long white hair, and wore a white coat.

“You are Nijun who I met in the medical room before. Why are you in such a hurry?”

“Oh, Sayama-sama. Did you happen to see my youngest brother?”

“You mean Yonkichi? He rushed off in that direction not long ago.”

“Is that so?” Nijun pulled a cell phone from his pocket. “Brother, pass this on to Mitsuaki. That fool is most likely on his way to the second floor.”

“What exactly is going on?” asked Sayama.

“That fool has once more tried to build up his own character independent of us. This time, he started adding ‘gelge’ to the ends of his sentences. As his older brothers, we were just about to punish him.”

“I see. With four brothers, it must be difficult to remain coordinated.”

“It is. Oh, here comes my brother. I see he has brought the Azure Dragon Sword. …I will be going then.”

While making sure not to look toward the newly arriving brother, Sayama asked a quick question.

He was curious about a certain inconsequential matter.

“Excuse me, but I believe an old man whose foolishness is of the highest order ran inside there a bit ago.”

“So that would make him the foolishest? No, that might not be a word. Anyway, you mean Ooshiro-sama, correct? He ran inside half-crazed not long ago, but…”

“But?”

“A female employee stood in front of him and held out some tea, but the moment he stopped and began to drink it, he collapsed. He is still collapsed on the floor and convulses once about every five seconds. Everyone assumed it was some new game of his, so we are leaving him be.”

“That is fine. This game will end after 17 rounds. I will collect him once the electric shocks are over.”

“Goodbye,” said Nijun as he left.

Sayama gave an exasperated sigh as he listened to the man’s footsteps.

“Why is this place always so lively?”

A short silence filled Ooshiro Itaru’s private office.

It was caused by Sf as she faced Diana.

As soon as Diana’s introduction came to an end, Sf narrowed her eyes.

“…”

And she suddenly lowered her handgun.

“Tes. I have checked your child string vibration. Name: Diana Zonburg. Affiliation: German UCAT. Rank: Division Chief. Sex: Female. Age: ”

“You don’t have to give that. Be a good girl now.”

Diana quickly walked up alongside Sf, embraced her, and stroked her head and cheek.

Itaru, the owner of the room, sighed and looked up at Diana with half-lidded eyes.

“Why are you here, you old-style German? Did you want to see my present situation?”

“Do the Japanese even know what an emotional reunion is?”

“Then are you here to bring back memories of my past? You should know I can never forget that past.”

All intonation left Itaru’s voice.

Meanwhile, Sf lightly brushed away the hand rubbing her head.

She took half a step to move between Diana and Itaru.

“I must inspect your belongings.”

“Is that what your master wants?”

“Tes. It is also my decision. But please keep in mind that I will not let my guard down even if you possess no dangerous objects, Diana-sama. Words can be dangerous these days.”

“Yes,” said Diana with a sigh as Sf’s slender fingers poked at her hair and shoulders.

Her smile vanished.

“I guess I still can’t talk about old times with Itaru-kun.”

“You can do that once I die. But how about you speak to their empty graves instead of me?”

Diana did not nod in response and her smile did not return.

“Team Leviathan has some interesting members,” she said.

“Oh, so you met them? You are Germany’s greatest witch who was once known as the Mother Cat. What are you doing here? Are you going to crush any idiot who tries to oppose us like you did during our time?”

Diana still did not nod, but a thin smile appeared on her lips.

“You really haven’t changed. But I’m relieved. I can tell you and your father are still manipulating things behind the scenes. I never thought you would manage to gather so many members for Team Leviathan. And you’ll gather even more, won’t you?”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I saw Director Abram earlier. It was only from a distance, but he was giving a rare smile.”

“…So he was smiling.”

“Testament. He only smiles when talking about the past. He refers to himself as an imposter, so he must be happy to talk about the true eight.” She nodded. “You will gather all of them eventually, won’t you? UCAT was originally made up of the destroyers of worlds known as the Eight Great Dragon Kings plus Kinugasa Tenkyou for a ninth member. You will eventually gather the people who will succeed them and go further than we ever did, won’t you?”

“Hah. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Testament. You can say it like that if you want. We are the only ones…no, you are the only one that understands. …I worked to forget what once was, but you are still actively involved,” she said. “But promise me one thing. Do not let them become like us. Also, give them a future. …If you do that, I will fully support Team Leviathan.”

“I can’t promise that, but you still need to help. It doesn’t have to be full support.”

Diana’s shoulders drooped at his expressionless words.

She let out a fake-sounding sigh.

“You are a complicated person. When a woman asks you for a promise, you are supposed to agree.”

“I don’t need promises. I need people who will work so I don’t have to do anything. I don’t bargain. Does the Mother Cat ask the owner of the house for permission to play with her toys? What is your job?”

“I think I will defeat them as many times as it takes.”

“Oh? From that look, I take it you’ve already cheerfully done so.”

Both of them gave bitter smiles and Diana nodded.

“I will be showing up in training more and more and let them lose to all sorts of things. They have no time and they cannot afford to lose in a real battle.”

“Only one that loses and recovers will grow stronger. That is the creed of German UCAT, isn’t it?”

“Japan walks down the same path. You seem to be valuing weakness in modern times, though.”

“We are a happy country that can accomplish a journey to find ourselves all within our own minds. Of course, that method will only find the version of yourself that is convenient. Any real philosopher would find it laughable.”

Diana did not nod, but she smiled at Itaru.

“Testament. I am a bit relieved.”

“That Sf is taking her job seriously if you ignore her odd interpretations of orders?”

“Sure, let’s go with that. …I did only just reunite with her, though.”

Diana then looked down at Sf.

“Sf?”

“What is it?”

“Um,” began Diana as the ends of her eyebrows lowered slightly.

She tilted her head while clearly having difficulty deciding what to say.

She looked more directly at Sf who was touching her body.

“Why have you been kneading my breasts for a while now?”

“Tes. They are so needlessly large that I suspect you are hiding something inside them.”

“Knowing her, she could have napalm in there, so be careful,” commented Itaru.

“I bought it myself.”

“Tes,” said Sf as she continued to touch Diana.

“Sf,” called out Itaru. “If you’re searching for concept weapons using the philosopher’s stone reaction, it’s no use. She modified her body to make herself young again. Just like with Doctor Chou, her entire body will give off the philosopher’s stone reaction.”

“Tes. Understood. The reaction coming from her chin, chest, and lower belly is especially-…”

“You don’t need to bring up any unnecessary information! C’mon, look how cute you are.”

Diana forcibly embraced Sf and stroked her head while staring at Itaru with half-lidded eyes.

“You didn’t install anything weird when you formatted her, did you?” she asked out of the corner of her mouth.

“I used the method you prepared,” he replied without nodding.

<noinclude>
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|-
| Back to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_7|Chapter 7]]
| Return to [[Owari_no_Chronicle|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_9|Chapter 9]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Talk:Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 10 Chapter 9

2013-10-30T14:29:51Z

Multipartite: Great happiness at the chapter being translated!

(YESSSS! I shouldn't write here without a suggestion, but nevertheless I wanted to express my deep gratitude for translating this chapter which bridges the gap between previous chapters and later chapters (which I am now about to read). *joy*) -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 09:29, 30 October 2013 (CDT)

Owari no Chronicle:Volume3 Chapter 6

2013-10-21T10:10:43Z

Multipartite: an organization that's leader walks -> an organization of which the leader walks

==Chapter 6: Former Admiration==
[[Image:OnC_v03_0147.png|thumb]]

''The world’s entrance is surprisingly close by

''Will you turn around or look upwards?

''The easiest boundary to accept is at your feet

When Ooshiro Itaru awoke, it was the afternoon.

Instead of his usual private room, he was on the roof of the UCAT building.

He had been sleeping in a cloth reclining chair and a blanket while below a large parasol.

Next to him was an astronomical telescope and…

“Sf, what are you doing with that notebook?”

“Tes. I am recording the heavenly bodies we saw last night.”

“Oh? I only remember showing you dark parts of the sky and saying ‘Look, dark matter’.”

He sat up and noticed Sf was filling the entire notebook page with the color black.

“Wait. Are you saying this was my fault?”

“This was what you wanted, Itaru-sama.”

Itaru brushed up his hair and placed a hand on the telescope.

“Wanna look at the stars during the day?”

“Tes. Thank you very much. Now I can use a different color of colored pencil.”

“What color are you going to use now?”

“Tes. Only the color blue.”

“So you think you can only see the sky, is that it? It’s time I taught this ill-tempered German machine that the stars do exist.”

Sf tilted her head in response.

“Are you sure you want to talk about the stars?”

“For me at least, they’re meaningless. But I have an interest in that kind of thing. Remember that.”

“Tes,” said Sf with a nod.

“Did anything happen since I fell as asleep last night?” asked Itaru.

“According to the business division, Sayama-sama wishes to meet with the 2nd-Gear representative.”

“Ha. They haven’t even agreed to a mutual contract and he’s already here for a preliminary investigation? Any sign of him coming to me?”

“Tes, none at all. Kazami-sama and Izumo-sama arrived ahead of him and were let inside the Second Reference Room along with Sibyl-sama. I predict he will meet up with them.”

“I see,” said Itaru with a happy look. “He can dig up the past with his friends and trick himself into thinking he knows everything.” He gave a bitter smile. “2nd-Gear is a lot like us, but that means they won’t open up to us.”

Sayama walked through a corridor in UCAT along with Ooshiro.

He was on his way to a meeting with 2nd-Gear.

He had chosen to carry out the meeting alone because Kazami and the others were focused on inspecting documents.

“Most of the development department is asleep right now because they work through the night and the Leviathan Road representative has yet to arrive? It sounds like I will not be able to meet with them.”

Ooshiro nodded in response as they walked down the corridor.

“I can still introduce you to the director of the development department. And you need to experience 2nd-Gear’s concepts for yourself, don’t you?”

“True.”

They both created a loud footstep as they came to a stop.

They stood before the Standard Division’s 1st Armory on UCAT’s 2nd basement.

When the automatic door’s camera spotted Ooshiro, the door opened.

“Did you see that, Mikoto-kun? I’m a total VIP. You should show me more respect.”

“Wow, that’s amazing. …Is that enough?”

Ooshiro ignored him and stepped into the darkness before their eyes.

Sayama followed.

He heard a voice.

—'''Names provide power.

Sayama checked the red text scrolling across the watch on his left wrist.

He stared forward and saw that a dimly-lit storehouse had appeared at some point.

The ceiling emitted a bluish-white light and endless rows of steel shelves were covered in swords.

Countless swords were displayed while affixed to the shelves, scabbard and all.

“Listen. While in here, we gain power simply by having our names.”

“I see. Then what does Sayama give me?”

“Hmm… One theory says the name Sayama refers to a certain territory. Instead of giving you a special ability, it gives you the social status of owning that land. My name of Ooshiro means I am sturdy.<ref>Ooshiro means “great castle”.</ref>”

Ooshiro pulled a box cutter from his pocket.

He pressed it to his wrist and drew a line.

“See? Nothing happened.”

“Oh, now that is a surprise. But I am not sure I like the idea of an organization of which the leader walks around with a knife. Should I report you to the police? Also, old man, there is a flaw in your theory.”

Sayama took the box cutter from Ooshiro.

He immediately traced the blade along his own arm.

“Ahh! Mikoto-kun is going along with the latest fad!”

For some reason, Ooshiro raised his right thumb as he shouted out. Sayama showed him the right arm he had cut.

However, the arm was unharmed. The only mark was the slight redness of pressing something up against it.

“This box cutter is mass produced, so it has no inherent ‘name’.”

Sayama pulled a pen from his pocket and wrote the word “blade” on the knife blade.

“In 1st-Gear, this would have made it a blade.”

He did not hesitate to stab Ooshiro in the gut.

“Wahh! Wh-what are you doing, Mikoto-kun!?”

“Stop shouting. It only cut your clothes. It unfortunately did nothing to what lies within. Do I have to name it the ‘something-or-other knife’ for it to work? …This restriction is fairly strict.”

As he spoke, someone was staring at him with half-lidded eyes, but it was not Ooshiro.

He received a response from an amused female voice coming from further back in the armory.

“That’s more or less it. …You are a crazy person, bearer of the Leviathan Road.”

The voice held a bitter tone and Ooshiro scratched his head as he looked around.

“Hey, Director Tsukuyomi, could you come out to help us study 2nd-Gear?”

“Sure, but wait a moment. I need to put on some makeup with a young boy present.”

“Why bother?” asked Ooshiro.

As soon as he spoke, the old man flew backwards.

A sound of impact rang out.

''What was that?'' thought Sayama just as he spotted a light.

A bluish-white light had knocked Ooshiro beyond the automatic door.

However, it quickly disappeared.

“What was that?”

“Curious? You have excellent focus. Of course, that could cost you your life someday.”

The female voice suddenly came from quite nearby.

Sayama turned to the left and saw someone standing there.

An elderly woman in a lab coat stood in the dim light. Her narrowed eyes were turned toward him.

“You are here out of interest in 2nd-Gear, I take it?” She took a breath. “I am Tsukuyomi Shizuru, director of the development department. I will teach you a thing or two about 2nd-Gear’s concepts.”

The Second Reference Room was large.

Between two of the gray bookshelves on the white floor, Kazami wandered around with a few bundles of copy paper in her arms.

The sides of the lined up bookshelves gave the subject their documents were classified under.

“And the bookshelves covering the same subject are divided up by year and other subdivisions.”

Kazami was currently looking at the employee histories.

That was where she would find the data on the 2nd-Gear members working in UCAT.

The documents on the shelves were the master copies and a copier within the room was used to make copies that could be taken out.

However, some concept seemed to be in effect because some of the documents would have a portion blacked out on the copy.

“The truth lies in unseen places, hm?”

Also, it seemed there was some information they could read but would immediately forget and some they would interpret as entirely different text when they tried to read it.

Supposedly, a man had once snuck in to steal some income and expenditure reports, but when he arrived at home, he realized he had instead printed out 26 chapters’ worth of a story featuring a sick younger stepsister.

Kazami guessed that man had been Ooshiro.

“I get the feeling that would actually make more people want to sneak in… Anyway, you can’t take anything out at all unless you can alter its string vibration. And we only have permission to take out what we print onto the designated copy paper.”

…''I wonder if Sayama could find a hole in the concept’s rules and take out any information he wanted.

“He probably could…”

She smiled bitterly.

''That underclassman of ours can be a bit of thief and he tends to let the ends justify the means,'' thought Kazami. ''But what if Shinjou was with him?

The Shinjou siblings acted as a stopper for Sayama’s eccentric actions.

Sadame had filled that role during the battle with 1st-Gear, but at school, Shinjou Setsu had often acted in Sayama’s place and warned or stopped him concerning his speech or actions.

Kazami did not know much about Shinjou.

She had first met Sadame when Team Leviathan had been put together and had first met Setsu during spring break. Before that, she had only heard that there was someone named Shinjou who UCAT was protective of.

The one thing Kazami really did not understand was why Sayama made no effort to look into who those siblings were despite having both by his side.

…''He must have some reason and he must be satisfied just having Shinjou with him.

Her relationship with Izumo was similar.

They knew each other’s families, but the details about the other’s parents were mostly unknowns.

They were okay with not knowing and that might have meant what they already had was enough.

“I don’t know, though,” muttered Kazami as she thought. “Even if you’re fine not knowing about the other, you still want them to know about you. And that desire grows stronger the closer the two of you get.”

…''And Shinjou’s secrets are probably larger than ours.

For those sheltered siblings, the desire had to be even stronger.

“But will Shinjou be able to reveal her secret?”

Kazami just hoped Shinjou would not feel guilty if she continued keeping quiet about this important secret.

As she thought, she heard Sibyl’s voice in the distance.

“Chisato-sama.”

Kazami shrugged and turned toward the bookshelf.

Unfortunately, she had yet to gather the documents she had been tasked with finding.

…''Sibyl is way too fast.

She had no intention of feeling bad about being slower than Sibyl, but it made her stomach ache how Sibyl continued to call out her name.

“Um, uh, Chisato-sama…”

“Yes, yes. Wait just a moment.”

''That doesn’t even buy me a minute,'' thought Kazami as she looked forward.

The employee histories were lined up before her by department.

She glanced along the filing numbers on the edge of the clear file folders holding the documents and reached for the file she wanted.

But Kazami suddenly noticed a certain fact.

“There’s…”

“A missing period, right?”

Kazami turned around when she heard Izumo’s voice to her right.

He had a ten centimeter stack of copied documents detailing the development of 2nd-Gear concept weapons, but he tilted his head as he looked at her.

Kazami looked first at the blank spot on the shelf and then at the documents in Izumo’s hands.

“There is a blank period…but what’s with those documents?”

“Oh, Sibyl helped me gather th-…ow ow! Why would you start kicking me out of the blue?”

“Shut up. Guys who take the easy way out will never be good for anything.”

Sibyl’s skill was amazing, though.

“She is a master of information. The name Sibyl is based on a goddess, right?”

“Yes, Cybele. I wonder who named her that.”

“It was probably someone connected to UCAT, but I couldn’t say who.”

“Chisato-sama!”

“Oh, sorry. I ran into a distraction, so wait just a bit longer.”

“A distraction?”

“A terrible distraction. …Kaku, why do you look so upset?”

Despite Izumo’s expression, Sibyl called out again.

“Chisato-sama, how about I help you search?”

''Now there’s a good idea,'' thought Kazami. She almost agreed but swallowed the words. ''No, no. We asked her to help, so I can’t have her help any more than this.

Sibyl was always bringing tea and snacks during training.

In fact, Kazami had a feeling she would occasionally bring them bentos too. Bentos Kazami had taught her how to make.

…''Not good. She’s surpassing me and I never noticed until now. What do I do?

“Chisato, you look really conflicted, but some things are easier if you just give in.”

“Shut up. That comment settles it.”

''That’s right. I can’t rely on her. I need to stubbornly refuse her,'' she thought.

“I’m on my way,” said Sibyl.

Kazami’s shoulders drooped and she looked up at the ceiling.

''Dammit,'' she thought as Izumo spoke up next to her.

“Sibyl’s the type to not think too much about our feelings. But now you’ve been dragged into the same world of laziness as me. Wa ha ha! Give in to the laziness beam and just laze around until you die.”

“I’ll ignore that, but was it the same when she ended up helping you?”

“She walked up next to me and began pulling out all the documents I was after and piled them up with a smile. There was nothing I could do.”

“Sibyl really likes helping people, doesn’t she?”

“The scary part is how it’s like an indiscriminate bombing. Some people hate that kind of thing and there are some things people have to do themselves, so try to drag her away at times like that.”

“Sure,” said Kazami. “But, Kaku, what’s the deal with that blank period?”

“From the few bookshelves I saw, there are some shelves that really are empty. There’s nothing but a few abandoned documents remaining. I wonder if there’s a Third Reference Room where the really important stuff is-…”

“It was not moved anywhere like that,” said Sibyl as she walked up from behind.

Kazami turned around and saw Sibyl circle around a bookshelf while her high heels produced loud footsteps.

“Judging by the maintenance department’s concept space facility maintenance records, UCAT has no other concept space of this same type,” continued Sibyl. “I looked through most of the shelves and it seems the blank period exists here in the Second Reference Room as well.”

“As well?”

“Testament. UCAT has a past that is kept hidden from everyone.”

In the dim armory, a scarlet light appeared before Sayama’s eyes.

The light came from the sword in Tsukuyomi’s hand. The matte black blade was spewing red flames.

She turned toward him with a confident look.

“This is a piece of equipment used by the standard division. It is a Cowling Sword named Hinokagutsuchi. With a philosopher’s stone, it can produce high enough heat to cut through metal. In this concept space, its name gives it the ability to shoot out fire.”

“Can you control that fire?”

“Someone with the name of a sword god or someone with great skill would likely be able to.”

Tsukuyomi showed him the blade. The fire it produced illuminated the name “Ichiroumaru”.

“We number them like this so it’s still a name.”<ref>The name Ichiroumaru can be interpreted as the number 160.</ref>

“That is very thorough. But isn’t it inconvenient to call in power using names? Compared to 1st-Gear’s writing concept, it seems a lot more restrictive.”

“Didn’t 1st-Gear’s lack of restrictions prevent them from leaving behind many written records?” Tsukuyomi gave a bitter smile and returned the sword to its scabbard. “In 2nd-Gear, the bearer of power was determined properly. The different powers were controlled by those who possessed them and were used to their fullest when released. 2nd-Gear was a Gear of specialization in skills and ability.”

“Then 2nd-Gear’s representative for the Leviathan Road is…?”

“Yes, a man with great power. Kashima Akio is 2nd-Gear’s greatest military god and swordsmith.”

“He will negotiate with me?” asked Sayama before asking another question that floated up in his chest. “Did you make a military god your representative because you expect the Leviathan Road to involve combat?”

“It is a distinct possibility, isn’t it?” Tsukuyomi’s expression changed. The ends of her eyebrows lowered and she looked up with a troubled expression. “But it may not happen. I just hope he can face the Leviathan Road seriously.”

“Does he feel no desire to negotiate because 2nd-Gear is already on the same level as Low-Gear?”

To test the waters, Sayama threw out the question he and the others had raised earlier.

However, Tsukuyomi did not give him an answer.

“Kashima has his reasons. But that is exactly why I chose him. Sayama-kun? Do you have some time?”

“I intend to train with my comrades and exchange information on 2nd-Gear. Afterwards, I plan to tell the old man you knocked outside whether I would begin the Leviathan Road with 2nd-Gear or not.”

“I see. Then there is no need to hurry. But it would be best if you met Kashima soon. If you do, you should be able to face the question you have about 2nd-Gear.”

Sayama replied to the slight smile in her voice.

“Director Tsukuyomi, may I ask you one thing about that question?”

“What is it?”

Before he spoke, Sayama thought back once more to what Ooki had said.

“The people of 2nd-Gear are supposedly little different from the people of this world. But what do you think? Have you and the others been fully naturalized to Low-Gear?”

“Well.” Tsukuyomi thought for a beat while returning the sword to the shelf. “Those of us who do not know about 2nd-Gear and know nothing of concepts likely have no doubts they belong here. My daughter is like that.”

“I see. Are you saying you and the others here are different?”

“Hm, I don’t know. Everyone is different. We have a certain power, but we all view that differently. Personally, I have no intention of passing that power on to my daughter, but I still think it is useful.”

Tsukuyomi then added another answer to her statement.

And the smile on her lips deepened as she did so.

“How about you learn firsthand just how useful the power of 2nd-Gear’s ‘names’ is?”

Tsukuyomi snapped the fingers of her right hand.

In the next moment, Sayama sensed something coming from overhead.

He looked up and saw light. It was the beam of bluish-white light that had knocked Ooshiro away earlier.

Sayama took a defensive stance against the falling light and he heard Tsukuyomi speak.

“The name Tsukuyomi means to ‘read the moon’, so it lets me control moonlight. The dim light here is modeled after a moonlit environment, so the light here is my ally. This is the power of the name belonging to 2nd-Gear’s former imperial family.”

Meanwhile, the light arrived.

Sayama moved on reflex. He moved back to distance himself from Tsukuyomi. However…

“The light…”

The light should have fallen to the floor, but it suddenly bent and curved.

The light shot by across the ground and jumped up toward Sayama’s stomach.

Sayama stood in the narrow area between shelves, so he could not evade.

Tsukuyomi stopped smiling and spoke.

“If you make it through this, I will admit you understand a bit about us. And if you do, I will show you a certain technique as a reward.” She took a breath. “It is an anti-foreign world combat technique we can use without relying on the concepts of our Gear.”

Sibyl spoke to Kazami and Izumo in front of the rows of document shelves.

“A portion of the documents have been removed from the freely available First Reference Room as well. The period seems to span from 1985 to about 1995. Half of ’96 is missing as well.”

Kazami recognized one of those years.

“So it’s the ten years leading up to ’95 when this Gear’s negative concepts began to activate?”

“Testament. It is the ten years leading up to the great Kansai earthquake. …I am sure you have heard that information on UCAT was nearly exposed when we lost so many people in that earthquake. To avoid inspections and whistleblowers, the documents were destroyed. Some people refer to it as UCAT’s blank period.”

“So they decided it was safer for the important documents to not even exist, is that it? It is true the security here is ridiculously tight.”

“Is it?” asked Kazami with a hint of uncertainty.

“Yeah,” said Izumo with a nod. “I was looking at a porn magazine I found with the confiscated documents and none of the contents would reach my brain properly.”

“…Could you stop talking about that kind of nonsense so seriously?”

“Chisato-sama, that is just who Izumo-sama is. I would be more surprised if he said something worthwhile.”

“Hey, you two? Are you denying something about me?”

The other two ignored Izumo’s refreshing statement.

“Anyway, Sibyl, thanks for the help. …We really gathered a lot.”

“You are going in to train next, right? I will organize it all by the time you are done.”

“Thanks,” said Kazami again before sighing. “Sibyl, even ignoring the blank period, there’s still a great divide between us and the higher ups. Both Sayama and Kaku’s grandfathers died before they could learn about them.” She turned toward Izumo. “And he couldn’t find any documents on his father.”

“…I wasn’t looking for anything about him.”

“Fine, fine. If you say so. I saw you wandering around on your own, though.”

Kazami stroked his head as he glared at her and then she took a document from him.

The copied document described 2nd-Gear’s past concept weapon development.

She read the top of the fairly old-looking paper.

“A god of war?”

Printed at the top of the A4 piece of paper was the title Overall Diagram of the Humanoid Machine.

Sibyl peered over Kazami’s shoulder at the blurry lines of the paper.

“That is a very unrefined design. It is not a direct descendent of the ones from 3rd.”

“Well, it’s really old. Look, it says 1945…”

Kazami gasped when she realized what her own words meant.

“That’s the year Japanese UCAT was founded!”

Sayama took a certain action as the moonlight attack approached.

He looked up at the line of bluish-white lights on the ceiling.

Those lights produced the “moonlight”.

After checking on the faint lights filling the armory, Sayama faced forward.

Tsukuyomi looked a bit surprised.

“You plan to receive the attack? It’ll blow you away!”

“I will not let it!”

Sayama stared at the beam of light that was just about to strike him.

And he swung up his left arm.

With that single motion, he removed his coat and transferred Baku from the coat pocket to his head.

“If this is moonlight…”

Sayama placed the coat over his head as the beam of light approached from the front.

It all happened in an instant.

“If the moonlight is cut off from the moon, it cannot reach me!”

When the coat cut the beam off from the lights on the ceiling, it visibly weakened.

At the same time, Sayama kicked the moonlight up into the bundled-up coat.

The sound of the strike resembled a splash.

Particles of moonlight scattered from below the coat.

And finally, the light disappeared.

The coat fell to the ground, but Sayama left it there and continued moving.

He took another step toward Tsukuyomi.

…''Show me 2nd-Gear’s anti-foreign world combat technique!

He stepped forward with his left foot and threw a kick with his right. He aimed low down at her feet so it would be difficult to avoid.

He did not hold back because his opponent was a woman or because she was elderly.

“That is what it means to fight.”

Sayama kicked.

In the next instant, an unthinkable change occurred.

Tsukuyomi disappeared from before his eyes.

“!?”

His foot flew through empty air and he took a defensive stance.

Wondering where she was, he began to turn around.

“A negotiator should not drop his coat.”

Hearing that voice behind him, he hastened his turn. He found his coat held out toward him.

He slowly took it from Tsukuyomi who was holding it.

Based on the timing with which she had held out the coat, Sayama calculated the time it took her to move there.

“After I threw my kick and lost sight of you, you walked behind me and picked up the coat?”

During that time, she had vanished from his sight.

''What happened?'' he wondered while Tsukuyomi showed a bitter smile.

“Mysterious, isn’t it? 2nd-Gear developed techniques like this that we can use without concepts. That way we can win no matter when someone wants a fight,” she said while looking extremely pleased. “You will be looking into our past now, right? I hope you can bring us an excellent negotiation afterwards.”

Kazami looked at the humanoid machine drawn on the diagram in her hand.

It was a metal giant that seemed to be made by connecting together the bodies of warships using giant cylinders and bolts. The torso was a simple T-shape, but the arms and legs were very thick just like a toy.

Even the modern gods of war UCAT had started sending out into battle more closely resembled humans than this.

“The Yamata Sealing Humanoid Machine named ‘Susaou’. Jointly developed between Low and 2nd. …The central format is listed as Mikage format?”

Kazami thought she heard Sibyl gasp at the word “Mikage”.

However, Kazami did not ask about it. If Sibyl wanted to talk about it, she would.

She gave a bitter internal smile and continued looking through the blurry words of the copy.

How advanced a machine could they have made when Japanese UCAT was first established?

“The project to construct it was proposed March 12, 1945 and completed August of the following year. So they started this about half a year before the end of the war. …I’m amazed they could do that while Japan was undergoing tons of air-raids.”

“It was developed along with 2nd-Gear, so it most likely works under 2nd-Gear’s concepts rather than those of 3rd-Gear, the world of gods of war. That must be why it is called a ‘humanoid machine’ instead of a god of war.”

“I see.”

Kazami nodded and checked the measurements given around Susaou. She read off the blurry writing.

“Crew size: approx. 200 people. Total height: appox. 500…”

She trailed off. Her head was unable to keep up with what she read.

“…What is this? A height of approximately 500 rice? Like, five hundred grains of rice?”

“No, Chisato-sama. That means 500 meters. Meter used to be written with the character for rice.”

“Um, Sibyl. Even in a concept space, that’s too big to be real.”

“But these documents mean it is real,” said Izumo. He took a breath and met her gaze. “Are your thoughts bound by common sense by any chance?”

“O-of course they are.”

“Well, this huge thing exists somewhere in Tokyo along with Yamata. And there’s something even more surprising on that copy.”

Izumo moved in closer to her and pointed at one line on the copy.

It listed the names of Susaou’s captain and second in command.

“The captain was Ooshiro Hiromasa and the second command was Kashima. …Do you see the UCAT connection now?”

“I don’t recognize the name Kashima, but Ooshiro…”

“That’s right. …It’s all connected between sixty years ago and today.”

<noinclude>
===Notes===
<references/>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_5|Chapter 5]]
| Return to [[Owari_no_Chronicle|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_7|Chapter 7]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Talk:Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 10 Chapter 8

2013-10-19T18:36:33Z

Multipartite: 'Ashe' -> 'she' explanation.

“Hello, Shizuku? Did something happen?”
As predicted, the one who appeared on the screen was Ashe. However, her appearance that came through the picture was wholly expected.
Shizuku looked like she was wearing her pajamas. Following the height of fashion, her sleeping garment failed to include a robe.

So, who's Ashe? and it was expected? those are some expectations, unless I'm misinterpreting things. [[User:SonodaYuki|SonodaYuki]] ([[User talk:SonodaYuki|talk]]) 19:42, 18 October 2013 (CDT)
:Fairly sure from looking at the passage that the word should be 'she' (referring to Shizuku), with 'A' inserted as a typo. I can't tell whether 'she' or 'her' or either is most grammatically corrected, so I've opted for the smallest change and removed the 'A'. -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 13:36, 19 October 2013 (CDT)

'Ara, Erika. You’re not with Yoshida-kun?'--even if there's a 'ja nai ka' in there (to indicate surprise), a different wording may express the meaning more clearly, given that Yoshida (Mikihiko) is in fact arriving with her. Ah, and 'That was' afterwards should perhaps be 'That's' for 'That is'. In any case, very happy to be able to read further in this series! -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 13:13, 19 October 2013 (CDT)

Talk:Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 10 Chapter 8

2013-10-19T18:13:45Z

Multipartite: 'You're not with' suggestion.

“Hello, Shizuku? Did something happen?”
As predicted, the one who appeared on the screen was Ashe. However, her appearance that came through the picture was wholly expected.
Shizuku looked like she was wearing her pajamas. Following the height of fashion, her sleeping garment failed to include a robe.

So, who's Ashe? and it was expected? those are some expectations, unless I'm misinterpreting things. [[User:SonodaYuki|SonodaYuki]] ([[User talk:SonodaYuki|talk]]) 19:42, 18 October 2013 (CDT)

'Ara, Erika. You’re not with Yoshida-kun?'--even if there's a 'ja nai ka' in there (to indicate surprise), a different wording may express the meaning more clearly, given that Yoshida (Mikihiko) is in fact arriving with her. Ah, and 'That was' afterwards should perhaps be 'That's' for 'That is'. In any case, very happy to be able to read further in this series! -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 13:13, 19 October 2013 (CDT)

Talk:Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei

2013-10-07T23:18:01Z

Multipartite: /* Anime */

I'd like to take a chance to thank you guys at baka-tsuki for translating all these novels I can't understand japense at all and after reading a number of your translations i've ended up going out and buying them when they are released so i wanted to say thanks for letting us all read the works when they come out, thanks again-soulwave

Just want to say thank you to [[User:Dreyakis|Dreyakis]] for translating so much of Mahouka. Because of him, this has been one of the best experiences I had with baka-tsuki. Keep up the good work, and may you never get bored. ^_^ --[[User:EZ-Jay|Tortex]] ([[User talk:EZ-Jay|talk]]) 18:20, 22 January 2013 (CST)

Best place to post would probably be on the forum topic. I'll link you to it in a min.--[[User:Gohankuten|Gohankuten]] ([[User talk:Gohankuten|talk]]) 20:30, 6 December 2012 (CST) http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=4664

Guys I'm still dependent on my parents and i cant donate or know other language like japanese to translate. But I just wish to say thanks for translating this novel. I have been looking forward for it and check it every other day :D - ChiAji

Hey, so I just read the first two chapters of the anime and I found it awesome. Is there a translator for this right now? - Desodus

Atm there isnt--[[User:J112|J112]] 19:22, 21 January 2012 (CST)

How do you read anime? -[[User:Pryun|Pryun]] 19:27, 21 January 2012 (CST)

Maybe the two chapter of this manga...

Whoops, sorry, I meant to say manga.--[[User:Desodus|Desodus]] 18:43, 13 February 2012 (CST)

Any update on this being updated? From what I've read of the novel and the manga, this seems like a pretty awesome series, and I need moar :D --[[User:Vaane|Vaane]] 18:33, 1 April 2012 (CDT)

Uhh seriously why do people ask? The last update was on the 19th, and from the registration page people are working on other parts. The more you ask the more people don't feel like doing it :( --[[User:Lighthalzen|Lighthalzen]] 21:39, 1 April 2012 (CDT)

The reason I asked was that some of the chapters (namely Chapter 3) have no translator registered, and I was wondering whether there was anyone who was translating and hadn't put their name down. But I can understand the feeling of being annoyed at asking for updates, so forget I asked :P --[[User:Vaane|Vaane]] 10:58, 3 April 2012 (CDT)

Actually, the latest revision was on March 31st (in terms of actually adding translations); Seitsuki added some more to chapter 6, if memory serves. I also hope people will eventually get to translating this. --[[User:CrimsonLord|CrimsonLord]] 17:17, 3 April 2012 (CDT)

When are teaser projects allowed to be moved to the main section? Could really use some more exposure to get more people on board translating. I'm sure the recent manga releases have helped drum up some excitement for the series.

Are the translators doing it by the volumes as they come out on sale, or from online readers? Because the fifth volume just went on sale this month, but on this Japanese reading site, there are 6 volumes online.--[[User:Desodus|Desodus]] 22:04, 18 April 2012 (CDT)

There are 6 volume release online cause the web version is longer than the published one, the published one is the compilation of the web version I just can't remember how they are allocated I think its like this v1-2 of the web version is v1 of the published one, and the total number of web version that will be released is around 12 I think? --[[User:Serice|Serice]]

---

http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=4664#p120782

''Originally Posted by Baka-Tsuki''
:'''The web novel consisted of only 6 web chapters written covering the First Year arc, and the author has already planned for a total of 15 web chapters to cover the entire three years of Magic High School. As of August 2011, web chapter 1 has been been compiled into volumes 1 and 2, and as of December 2011, web chapter 2 has been compiled into volumes 3 and 4.''' The author expects the series to be compiled into a total of 20 to 25 volumes (ie. if Dengeki allows him to finish the series) [SOURCE: Author's tweet on 6-Nov-2011, #dengeki_mahouka]
:'''Volume 5 will be a special chapter that has never been released on the web.'''

http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=4664&start=135#p143960

http://forums.animesuki.com/showpost.php?p=4110854&postcount=561

--[[User:Larethian|larethian]] 22:53, 18 April 2012 (CDT)

---

Interesting... very interesting... I think it would be a good idea to hurry and complete the teaser chapters and then promote this into an official project. Because of the manga version, people over at Batoto are taking an interest as well. And there are many comments mentioning Baka-Tsuki and wishing it was an official project here. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 15:40, 26 April 2012 (CDT)

This has enough content to become a project, but the problem is, no one wants to list himself as an active translator, I'll give another few weeks before I check back with suarhnir on her progress. I'm glad enough she agreed to take over the manga from me, so I don't want to give her 'pressure', if possible. --[[User:Larethian|larethian]] 20:13, 26 April 2012 (CDT)

Moreover, this project is really hard and time-consuming to translate. It seems to me that even suarhnir who is majoring in Japanese in university (not studying it as an elective mind you) is taking more time than she had expected. --[[User:Larethian|larethian]] 20:19, 26 April 2012 (CDT)

Query: Does Baka-Tsuki accept Chinese-English translations for this series?

I believe the good folk at lightnovel.cn are much farther in advance in terms of translations, but theirs is (obviously) only in Chinese and their work alone. I do not read Japanese at all, but I am confident in my own Chinese-English translations. Would Baka-Tsuki accept my possible contribution if I converted the Chinese translations into English? This is, of course, under the assumption that the translators from lightnovel.cn give the go ahead. --[[User:Dreyakis|Dreyakis]] 22:59, 02 July 2012

I think that as long as you follow registration procedure for the chapters (to avoid overlapping), you can go ahead. People want to see the translation of this great series. If there is any mistake people that can check japanese raw can edit it after. [[User:Xenocross|Xenocross]] 01:14, 3 July 2012 (CDT)

The art really similar to aquarion evol, are they drawn by the same person?

It would be great if somebody could translate the rest of chapter 2 or at least for the time being offer some kind of summary. Iin this kind of consistent story it is almost imposible to read the rest if you don´t know what happens in the previous chapter.--[[User:KaprJarda|KaprJarda]] ([[User talk:KaprJarda|talk]]) 16:35, 10 September 2012 (CDT)

Yeah. I know the feeling. I wanted to read the whole thing but now that there is a gap in the middle I've lost the desire to read further. Someone finish c2's translation including the japanese text in the middle. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 18:30, 10 September 2012 (CDT)

Let's be patient, the last update was only one week ago, the translator is working on it. Everyone has real life commitments. [[User:Zakashi|Zakashi]] ([[User talk:Zakashi|talk]]) 18:38, 10 September 2012 (CDT)

Yeah, I just notice this too. I thought there wasn´t anybody working to translate it, since it was in this state for months. I didn´t read the history till after writing my comment. So lets hope the rest gets translation as soon as possible.--[[User:KaprJarda|KaprJarda]] ([[User talk:KaprJarda|talk]]) 23:54, 10 September 2012 (CDT)

Ooh, found an interesting AMV/MAD of this, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ01QsdHers [[User:Zeru|Zeru]] ([[User talk:Zeru|talk]]) 06:25, 6 September 2013 (CDT)

This illustration here is missing from the chapter http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=File:MKnR_v01_131.jpg [[User:Arczyx|Arczyx]] ([[User talk:Arczyx|talk]]) 07:28, 26 September 2012 (CDT)

== Volume 1 The late great favorite ==

What is this? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 10:19, 26 September 2012 (CDT)

Additional commentary by Kawahara Reki (SAO/AW author). [[User:Seitsuki|Seit]] ([[User talk:Seitsuki|talk]]) 06:29, 27 September 2012 (CDT)

== Editing ==

I'm just wondering but what are the requirements for being an editor?

There are no requirements. Just edit.(btw you should sign your comments)--[[User:KaprJarda|KaprJarda]] ([[User talk:KaprJarda|talk]]) 05:54, 27 September 2012 (CDT)

Also you have to be a dedicated one. Once you write your name under the editor's list, it is expected that much. --[[User:Chancs|Chancs]] ([[User talk:Chancs|talk]]) 06:08, 27 September 2012 (CDT)

So i'll have to make an account as well? And sign like how you all sign with the name, date and time?

Using this : <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> [[User:Arczyx|Arczyx]] ([[User talk:Arczyx|talk]]) 11:46, 1 October 2012 (CDT)

Simply click on the "pencil" in the edit toolbar and you will have your signature as per the settings. --[[User:Chancs|Chancs]] ([[User talk:Chancs|talk]]) 14:02, 1 October 2012 (CDT)

OK, thanks --[[User:Cliff|Cliff]] ([[User talk:Cliff|talk]]) 15:28, 1 October 2012 (CDT)

Trivial thing but shoud it not be Arc or Part instead of Chapter in ex Volume 1 - Enrollment Chapter (I) --[[User:Medisuena|Medisuena]] ([[User talk:Medisuena|talk]])

== Novel illustrations ==

Umm... is it ok if i level the b&w ilustrations? i mean make the black black, and the white white. it's annoying that everything is grey. also crop them where there is a need. ..::[[User:Gradient|Gradient]]::.. 08:18, 9 November 2012 (CST)

Why not give one image a level and give a link to it? I can understand your desire to level things, but I think the gray color suits a light novel. It's a bit too different from manga which has less reliance on shading, so it may not look right if you do it improperly. Then again, I have very limited experience as an editor, and I have no idea what it is you can do, so I guess that may seem a bit condescending of me. Well, if the quality is good, I doubt people would mind it much, but give us a sample so someone doesn't decide they dislike it and re-uploads the picture and gets rid of your hard work -- [[User:EnigmaticAxiom|EnigmaticAxiom]] - [[User_talk:EnigmaticAxiom|Talk]] - 09:40, 09 November 2012 (CST)

it looks like this with the leveling i think it's better but it's up to you ..::[[User:Gradient|Gradient]]::.. 12:35, 9 November 2012 (CST)

I personally think it looks better as well. May as well see what the others think of it. If they don't bother, you can post on the forum to get their opinion (since they might not look here), or I can bring their attention to it if you don't have a forum account. -- [[User:EnigmaticAxiom|EnigmaticAxiom]] - [[User_talk:EnigmaticAxiom|Talk]] - 13:20, 09 November 2012 (CST)

Please do bring this to the forum. If needed i can provide more leveled images. Also it's not realy that big of a work. It's like 5 minutes and a volume worth of images are croped and leveled. <Please post a link to the thread here so i can look at what's going on as well> ..::[[User:Gradient|Gradient]]::.. 13:56, 9 November 2012 (CST)

forget it i registered and made a post in the general thread. ..::[[User:Gradient|Gradient]]::.. 14:51, 9 November 2012 (CST)

well i started uploading them since arczyx in the forum said that they looked closer to the truth, and someone asked me for them to put in the pdf. so volume 1 is up, more coming. these two images have become useless so i'm deleting them. ..::[[User:Gradient|Gradient]]::.. 08:48, 16 November 2012 (CST)

i put up vol 3 and 4 leveled, the rest looks OK so i wont fiddle with them ..::[[User:Gradient|Gradient]]::.. 10:40, 10 December 2012 (CST)

== Missing Chapter ==

Isn't the "Late Great Favorite" a chapter in volume 1 missing, i mean i get why sometimes Afterwords aren't translated as they are just the authors thoughts but does the chapter missing in volume 1 have some kind of plot implication?

If you checked the forum thread you would find out its just some comments from Kawahara Reki(author of Accel World/Sword Art Online) and doesn't contain anything vital to the story.--[[User:Gohankuten|Gohankuten]] ([[User talk:Gohankuten|talk]]) 20:58, 2 December 2012 (CST)

So which brave soul will be translating chapter 16 come do it for your country

== Helping with translating ==
Hello, I really have not idea if this is the correct place or not but here goes: I would like to help, I do not read the Japanese Language very well but, I would like to try to help with the translating. English is my first language and this is my first time ever on a site like this. I enjoy reading Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei so, I want to help get it out faster for everyone. Dec. 6, 2012 username: sqyde
Thanks and if this is the wrong place to post this, sorry.

Try translating 5 pages first. You can post your translations in the Mahouka forum. --[[User:Larethian|larethian]] ([[User talk:Larethian|talk]]) 03:35, 7 December 2012 (CST)

== Volume 4 ==

Is volume 4 fully translated? I was wondering because aside from the Preamble it also doesn't have a "full text" so i was wondering if some little edits were required or if translators were waiting for Preamble to be done before the full text went up. --Black Swordsman825

It's a wiki you know, you're free to set it up when it's appropriate (I've done volume 4 now). Also, from what I understand the preamble is the blue page and the character info/glossary of term pages you can see in the illustrations, therefore it isn't really that important since it (the events/timetable of events) is explained in detail within the storyline anyways.--[[User:Drowzycow|Drowzycow]] ([[User talk:Drowzycow|talk]]) 19:57, 22 December 2012 (CST)

== Volume 5 ==
Hi guys, as I am currently trying to translate the afterwords, I found out that volume 5 does not seem to have one? Can anyone help me confirm this with the Japanese raws? From all the Chinese sites that I go to there aren't any that have include in an afterword for volume 5. Thanks! [[User:Royaloyalz|Royaloyalz]] ([[User talk:Royaloyalz|talk]]) 10:36, 7 February 2013 (CST)

Well I actually checked the raws myself, and have realised that there is actually an afterword for volume 5 as well. However, as it seems like the Chinese translation sites that I went to do not have them, I can only hope that some Japanese to English translator would be kind enough to help translate it for us. -- [[User:Royaloyalz|Royaloyalz]] ([[User talk:Royaloyalz|talk]]) 18:05, 14 February 2013 (CST)

Can anyone link or send me the raw for volume 5? I want to read the machine translation of the 3 middle chapters. Seeing as how it's all character development, I'd like to know more before moving on with the story. --[[User:Mufarasu|Mufarasu]] ([[User talk:Mufarasu|talk]]) 16:19, 25 February 2013 (CST)

Hey guys. I don't know if this was already asked or not, but why are the 3 middle chapters of volume 5 not translated? Just wondering because I like to read thing in order. --[[User:Casary|Casary]] ([[User talk:Casary|talk]]) 22:28, 9 March 2013 (CST)

It completely depends upon if I translator picks up the chapter, as translators are allowed to choose single chapters. Skipping Volume 5 wouldn't affect the story as there "Side Stories" to the main plot :3. Although i would also like them translated.

Oh, I see. They aren't named chapter X or anything. Ok, thanks. A bit of OCD, I guess. --[[User:Casary|Casary]] ([[User talk:Casary|talk]]) 00:35, 12 March 2013 (CDT)

== Inconsistent terminology ==

Some chapters use "Public Moral Committee", others "Public Morals Committee" (I prefer the latter). Also "Club Management Group" vs "Club Activities Group".

i think "Public Morals Committee" and "Club Management Group" souds better. Also please do sign your post with <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> ..::[[User:Gradient|Gradient]]::.. 14:13, 1 February 2013 (CST)

== Volume 7 ==

As I stated at the discussion page of chapter 9, I think "electrons" should be "protons" (check the concept of nuclear fusion).--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 14:38, 14 February 2013 (CST)

I just had to say this, was anyone else thinking that Tatsuya made a Gundam when they kept mentioning the mobile suit he developed? That picture with the tank didn't help either. I just kept seeing everything turn into a mecha battle lol. Anyone else or am I the only one who got brainwashed like that by the Gundam franchise? --[[User:Mufarasu|Mufarasu]] ([[User talk:Mufarasu|talk]]) 15:10, 11 March 2013 (CDT)

well i was also thinking the same thing at that mobile suit that he developed, but it turns out that it was something like a fullbody armor with all kinds of resistance something. while reading the last few chapters of volume 7 it feels like something like this. IS(Infinite Stratos) vs Gundams in my imagination. [[User:James Gobilzkame|V33]] 15:21, 11 March 2013 (CDT)

arent the pictures from page 225 and 313 showing what the mobile suit look like? --[[User:Syfer|Syfer]] ([[User talk:Syfer|talk]]) 15:31, 11 March 2013 (CDT)

I would think the cover page would have shown you what to expect, as it is already there in full (black) color. If anything it just looks like a all black pilot suit...
In any case, the 'mobile' or 'mobility' suit is basically your flying armor, except since its technomagical its more logical having the 'flight capacity' CAD module as the whole suit, instead of wings or a broomstick. It does show something more practical compared to what more contemporary fiction shows.
And yes, I was also hoping for mecha to appear since the cover had a pilot suit... laughed when the pilot suit Was the whole thing.--[[User:Gabgrave|Gabgrave]] ([[User talk:Gabgrave|talk]]) 04:41, 12 March 2013 (CDT)

== Thank you ==

I just wanted to take a moment to say thanks to all of those who's work brings us this project. So thank you.

I just wanted to take a moment to say thanks to all of those who's work brings us this project. So thank you. --[[User:Mathes|Mathes]] ([[User talk:Mathes|talk]]) 02:37, 25 March 2013 (CDT)

I tried reading auto-translated Chinese translations, one already translated here for testing and it's even worse than I expected. Seriously, thank you for taking the time to do this, I love this novel and my only regret is not being able to help with the translation myself. --[[User:EZ-Jay|Tortex]] ([[User talk:EZ-Jay|talk]]) 16:40, 18 April 2013 (CDT)

== Latest Update List ==

I just want to ask permission to edit the last entry on the latest update list (or you guys could edit it for me, that would be really great), just a minor one 'Vokume 8' to 'Volume 8'. Thanks a lot. - [[User:SkyZenith|SkyZenith]] ([[User talk:SkyZenith|talk]]) 5:47, 30 May 2013 (CDT)
:Hmm.. I don't need to keep up with CDT time do I? Not that hard, but I am proud living down under. - [[User:SkyZenith|SkyZenith]] ([[User talk:SkyZenith|talk]]) 20:50 30 May 2013 (EAST)
::Done (I accept any responsibility if I've crossed any lines); from my experience so far, no one seems to mind if 99.9% certainty spelling/grammar careless errors are discreetly corrected, even if the corrector is not formally registered for a project. (As a general mode of operation, I mark the edit as a minor edit and leave a brief description of the change(/its reasoning) in the summary. For more ambiguous things, if I note something in Discussion and enough time passes without a reply or a change, I change it just in case (and keep watch to see if someone has a reason to change it back).) -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 06:12, 30 May 2013 (CDT)
::|
::Edit: By the way, how did you change your signature? *curiosity* I have my time zone set to 'Asia/Tokyo', and I see 'Recent changes' and History pages with times consistent with that, but my signature is still CDT. I don't mind leaving it like that, since it presumably helps others compare my writing times to others' with litle confusion (and since I can check the History if I forget), but I don't see a way to change it in 'My preferences' and would like to learn about such a way if it exists (out of a desire to know those things I as yet do not). -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 06:18, 30 May 2013 (CDT)

::I am but an unregistered user here at BT, so unfortunately I don't have any signatures or anything of that sort. So yeah I really can't talk about it. But if you are talking about the time thing on the last part, is it safe to assume that it's all been preset? Cause I do it manually just for the formalities.

::Hmm... I do see some grammatical errors every now and then, but my thinking is that the translator probably made it that way willingly. Glad to be of help though. - [[User:SkyZenith|SkyZenith]] ([[User talk:SkyZenith|talk]]) 21:38 30 May 2013 (EAST)
:::Ahh. Manual writing out? Though it won't include your chosen name, four consecutive tildes should still automatically make a signature which makes it easier to match what you say with an entry in a Discussion's History. (One option would be to first write your chosen name manually, then leave the formal signature to the tildes.)
:::|
:::There are cases where characters have distinct/characteristic speaking styles, but there are also glaring cases where normal fallibility is far more plausible than intention (as with spelling errors). To be on the safe side, best to change only things that one can feel nearly certain about (and that no one has objected to in the past). -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 17:22, 30 May 2013 (CDT)

:::I didn't know you can do that with tildes.. Thanks for the info. I was just copying whatever I could here at the discussion page since I am not really a user, so do expect me to make a few beginner-like commands.
:::On a side note, does the tildes only match the CDT time zone? I'm quite intrigued. SkyZenith 20:19, 1 June 2013 (EAST)
::::So it seems! (The CDT-matching.) That's why I in turn was intrigued when it looked as though you had a way to make them give a non-CDT time zone. Rather than taking my word for it, I suggest you try the four tildes at least once to confirm to yourself(/your brain) that it functions (and if something goes wrong, to find out why and correct the source). (Essentially, it should be ~ ~ ~ ~ without the three spaces.) -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 01:19, 2 June 2013 (CDT)

::::Incidentally, this is what it looks like when not logged in. (Posting now with a hyphen and four tildes after having logged out.) -[[Special:Contributions/180.43.16.157|180.43.16.157]] 01:21, 2 June 2013 (CDT)

::::...We probably have gone off-topic now huh. Sorry for that. Yeah since I plan to visit BT every now and then in the first place, I just made an account. Hope to be of help! - [[User:SkyZenith|SkyZenith]] ([[User talk:SkyZenith|talk]]) 08:59, 2 June 2013 (CDT)
::::This actually looks cool, but alas it's in CDT.

I added some missing materials in Mahouka, that's all for now. Pui Pui have to wait (some more)--[[User:Superduperelectromagnetictops|Superduperelectro]] ([[User talk:Superduperelectromagnetictops|talk]]) 00:31, 17 June 2013 (CDT)

== Dengeki Bunko Magazine: Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei Ninendo ==

I have a question
is the "Dengeki Bunko Magazine: Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei Ninendo" that you uploaded it's Magazine Illustrations - is the double seven arc? and when it will be release in a light novel version- what will be it's arc number or it's volumes numbers ?

:It's the double 7 arc, so starts covering the events in the Tatsuya's second year. From memory, those chapters should start after this arc is complete; I think it'll end up being started as volume 13. Maybe 12 depending on how volume 11 goes.. --[[User:Drowzycow|Drowzycow]] ([[User talk:Drowzycow|talk]]) 08:37, 26 June 2013 (CDT)

== DVD Drama ==
Hey, did you know mahouka no Rettousei audio dvd drama comes with a special story (at leas, it seems to me a "story") If you are interested in raws, just tell me [[User:TerryBoom|TerryBoom]] ([[User talk:TerryBoom|talk]])

== Anime ==
IT HAS BEGUN, IT HAS BLOODY BEGUN. *SQUEELL!* http://mahouka.jp

:Nothing to be happy about. They will probably make another failed adaptation like SAO. Just look at previous works of the director or what Madhouse did to Kaminai. The worst thing is that we can expect americans buying licence for novels after the anime, and B-T dropping the project. Another title I'll never come to finish.--[[User:Antanaru|Antanaru]] ([[User talk:Antanaru|talk]]) 14:29, 7 October 2013 (CDT)

Failed apadation? How so. If you would care to electorate. (Edit: author = All Nighter94)

Don't you mean "elaborate"? i'm pretty sure that's the correct word... not to be a pain, just for clarification purposes. considering that "electorate" means a collective of individuals who gather to vote for governmental purposes, like the senate and such? (Edit: author = Tintexan24)

I had trouble watching the PV on the website, but was able to view it at youtube watch?v=RiuznXhx4_Q . The art style is a little worryingly simplistic (reminiscent of Vocaloid visual quality?), but I have no complaints regarding the two main characters and look forward to seeing what is done with it.
 | 
In recent season, 'Campione!' is my freshest memory of an anime adaptation which did not adequately succeed, but it was nevertheless enjoyable to watch. No matter what, there will always be dissatisfaction with how much ends up not adapted from a novel, but I (aside from a certain incorrect error message) was thoroughly satisfied by the SAO anime adaptation.
 | 
...It would be a deep shame to not be able to keep reading new Rettousei volumes, but on the other hand most main climaxes have already taken place. Granted, I would be deeply interested in reading about Miyuki taking over the Yotsuba family, or about Miyuki and Tatsuya's super-babies, but if the translation was shut down I would hopefully be able to focus on the wonderful volumes that have been translated thus far and be happy (and grateful) that I had a chance to read them.
 | 
Horrible-quality animation comes around every once in a while, but most anime adaptations these days are quite good. An anime of a beloved series is something to be interested in, to be curious about, and definitely something to be happy about. (Though unrelated, the studio is completely different from the one behind the SAO adaptation.) If (in the worst case scenario) the visual quality in fact turns out to make it painfully unwatchable, one can always minimise the window and listen to it like an audio book. In any case, it would take some quite serious mangling for one to not be able to get happiness from this anime, and mangling of that level is rare indeed (though admittedly not unwitnessed). -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 18:18, 7 October 2013 (CDT)

Owari no Chronicle:Volume3 Chapter 1

2013-10-02T23:10:33Z

Multipartite: beyond the closing the gate -> beyond the closing gate

[[Image:OnC_v03_0036-0037.png|thumb]]
''As if building up

''It all slowly begins to move

''And hopefully continues to the place it wants to be

—''I cannot ask if I can stay here.

—''I decided I would stay here.

==Chapter 1: The Two in the Flames==
[[Image:OnC_v03_0039.png|thumb]]
''Someone asks something

''So what should you do?

''You understand nothing and have decided nothing

Sayama Mikoto was dreaming.

He could see the inside of a giant wooden building. His vision existed in the center of it.

The structure of the building resembled the interior of a Shinto shrine.

However, it was on a much larger scale. The ceiling was easily thirty meters tall and the entrance through which the sky was visible was over fifty meters wide.

…''I do not recognize this building. This really must be a dream.

Sayama moved his vision to look at the entrance. The red sky was visible through it. It was a burning and flickering sky.

''I am dreaming of a fire,'' thought Sayama.

Flames and shimmering covered the sky and sparks poured down like rain.

''Is this an air-raid?” he thought. ''No, this is different,'' he quickly corrected.

The sound filling the air was not that of airplanes passing by overhead or of fire bombs falling from the sky. It was a bestial roar that resembled distant thunder.

This beast’s voice tore at the air.

As that cry reverberated through the air, Sayama saw new movement within the building.

The large gate was being closed from the left and right of the front entrance.

Sayama stared beyond the narrowing gap between the two sides of the gate.

His view below the red sky was from some elevated place. He may have been atop a mountain.

When he looked down on the land, he saw a sea of flames identical to the sky.

Originally, the landscape had likely been made up of fields, forests, a village, and distant mountains, but all of it had been transformed into a field of crimson that rose up in places and lowered in places. Whenever one of the areas sticking up collapsed, more sparks would fly up into the sky.

Sayama suddenly realized a woman stood beyond the closing gate.

The old woman had her back to him. She had black hair and wore a simple white outfit with a yellow cloak over it.

Sayama then saw two men run from behind his vision and toward the entrance.

The man in the lead wore a dirty lab coat. He was a middle-aged man wearing glasses.

He ran toward the closing gate and the woman standing beyond it.

The second man was short and wore a simple black outfit.

He ran after the man in the lab coat.

Sayama saw the man in black catch up to the other man and tackle him to the ground.

As the world outside burned and the bestial roar continued, the two men could be heard falling to the ground.

The man in the lab coat cried out, but not at the man holding him down. He shouted through the closing gate.

“You can’t! You’re…You’re their leader, aren’t you!? Why are you choosing death here!?”

The woman standing outside did not turn toward the man. Instead, the man in black answered.

“This is the rule! This is how we do things!”

The man in the lab coat prepared to shout another question, but he stopped.

The man holding him down with his arms and knees had pressed his head down.

As silence fell over the two of them, a voice suddenly came in from beyond the closing gate.

“Military god, take care of him.”

The man in black nodded without saying anything.

As he did, the gate continued to close. Only a meter gap remained.

But the woman’s voice could still be heard.

“Engineer from a country connected to ours in another Gear, these seeds were sown by us. If Yamata devours this world, it will surely make its way through this gate and to your world.”

The man in the lab coat raised his head.

“If…If I had only had more power… If I had made the decision sooner…!”

“Yes,” replied the old woman. She continued with a smile in her tone. “Everyone thinks that. Both those who were unable to reach this place and those who did. But just like you, we had no power. …Protect your own Gear.”

And…

“Can you protect your world from destruction?”

The man in the lab coat was unable to answer. He only clenched his teeth while being held down.

As the gate closed, the surrounding walls were dyed in darkness.

“Listen,” said the man in black. “The two thousand people we could fit in this temple will be moved to your world. Our glory was once said to be countless, but it has been ruined and lost. And now we will lose our world too!”

“Kh,” groaned the man in the lab coat.

His twisted face was turned toward the closing gate. Sayama turned his vision in that direction as well.

That old woman was visible through the slight crack remaining.

She was turned toward the sky and a single flame could be seen in the sliver of sky Sayama could see.

The flame took the form of a dragon. That serpentine flame dragon had eight heads.

It was easily over a kilometer long and continued to stretch out longer.

As it flew through the sky, it turned toward them and opened its eight mouths.

Immediately afterwards, Sayama heard a voice.

It belonged to the woman beyond the gate. She spoke with an intonation to her voice.

“I have-…”

As soon as the rhythm began, the gate closed with a roar.

With the outside light gone, the building filled with darkness. A voice could be heard from outside the gate.

It was a new voice. Compared to the woman’s voice from before, this voice was more powerful and caused the surrounding area to shake. It was…

…''The dragon’s voice.

It did not use words.

This was a bestial question. It was a cry filled with an intonation made up of only emotion and intention.

This was the dragon’s lamentation.

That cry descending from the heavens was the dragon’s voice.

And it held the meaning of a question.

“———!!”

It asked.

It forced two things upon the listener.

It forced them to answer and to destroy.

The cry pierced through the air in search of an answer and of destruction.

At the same time, everything was overcome with darkness.

In the very next moment, Sayama heard a long cry filled with both sorrow and resentment.

As soon as anguish filled the scream, the images and sounds Sayama was experiencing came to an end.

Sayama awoke.

The early morning air was cold and the newly risen sun was so bright it looked white.

He sat up within his dormitory bed.

However, the remnants of the dream remained vividly in his head, so he still felt a bit removed from reality.

As his sleepy eyes worked to bring his vision into focus, he recalled the dream.

The world had been burned, a lot had been lost, and ultimately he had been forsaken. That was the dream.

…''Was that the destruction of another world? Another Gear?

“That was quite a heavy scene. …But I think I know why I saw it.”

Sayama silently reached up to the top of his head. The soft sensation above his head was Baku.

Baku was a four-legged beast with thin fur covering his body. Sayama picked him up and realized his small eyes were closed in sleep.

That animal had undoubtedly been what had shown him the past.

Sayama then reached out to the side.

He would find a book there. It was part of an investigation report written by Kinugasa Tenkyou that collected legends and myths from around the world.

…''Baku must have called in the past in response to what I was reading last night.

This was the second volume that detailed Japanese mythology.

''That must have been 2nd-Gear being destroyed in that dream,'' thought Sayama as he gazed up at the ceiling.

But as he reached for the book, his hand touched something warm and soft.

“…Ee.”

The sensation was accompanied with a voice.

Wondering what was going on, Sayama looked down. As his vision came into focus, he looked down toward the blanket covering his body.

But he found something else instead.

For some reason, a butt was sticking out sideways there.

Two bare legs kicked at the air near the ladder on his left and a back covered by a shirt could be seen by the wall to his right. A butt with white underwear tightly covering it was located between the two.

[[Image:OnC_v03_0047.png|thumb]]

“Ah…no…wait…”

As Sayama heard that frantic voice, saw the waving hair, and saw the squirming round skin in front of him, Sayama gave a sleepy comment.

“Why are you suddenly performing such fruity actions, Shinjou-kun?”

“I-it’s because you suddenly sat up! And right when I was trying to wake you up.”

“I see,” muttered Sayama, but his mind was still muddled with sleep. “So I sat up and dragged you in just as you were leaning over the bed.”

“Wh-why are you calmly analyzing this so early in the morning!?”

“Then allow me to give a different analysis. …Ohh! Th-that’s an ass, Shinjou-kun!”

“Please help me instead of acting crazy!”

“Hm.” Sayama watched the butt moving up and down in front of his face. He finally spoke in a gentle but certain tone of voice. “Beautiful.”

“Wh-what? Did you just say something kind of weird!?”

“I did nothing more than state the obvious. Anyway, you need to calm down. Here, I will help you up.”

“Eh? Ah! N-no, stop. Don’t touch my butt!”

“I am not touching it. I am grabbing it!”

“That’s the same thing! Please finish waking up before-… Ah, n-no! Don’t pull on my underwear! It’s riding up!”

“Then what am I supposed to grab in order to help you up?”

“Um…” muttered Shinjou as he turned his head toward Sayama.

Their gazes met while Shinjou was blushing and looking troubled.

“What am I supposed to do?” muttered Shinjou as he stopped kicking his legs wildly.

His legs were now hanging over the edge of the bed and their weight started to drag him off.

“Wah!”

As Shinjou panicked, Sayama caught his waist in both arms.

It all happened in an instant.

Sayama turned Shinjou face up in his arms and sat him up on his lap.

Shinjou kicked his legs meaninglessly two or three times.

“Nn…” he sighed while being held below the arms.

His flushed face was looking up at Sayama.

“S-sorry about causing such a commotion first thing in the morning.”

“Do not worry about it. Being woken by another person is one form of happiness.”

“Really?”

“I suppose you would not understand as you always wake up before I do. Perhaps we should reverse that at some point.”

“Sayama-kun, how would you wake me?”

“Well, if I wanted to be certain, I would perform an early morning body press or lie next to you and give endless flirting comments until you woke up. That would be good, don’t you think?”

“No.”

Shinjou averted his gaze, sighed, and left Sayama’s arms.

As he placed his legs on the ladder, he turned a puzzled look toward Sayama.

“Um… After you wake up, how about we eat breakfast on the cafeteria terrace?”

“Sounds good. I believe the morning menu is tororo soba and a melon soda float.”

“Why do they always serve such odd combinations here?”

Shinjou tilted his head as his slender back and waving black hair descended the ladder.

As Sayama watched that back, he realized something. When he picked Shinjou up before, his bandaged left arm had not hurt at all.

…It is almost fully healed.

Once that wound healed, Shinjou would have no reason to remain at the school.

He suddenly found that disappointing and then smiled bitterly.

If he felt that way about it…

…''I have accepted Shinjou-kun as someone close to me.

So what would he do if Shinjou did leave?

“———”

He had exchanged a certain promise with Shinjou Setsu on a certain windy night.

“If you do not wish to be here and I wish to do what is best for you, I will hate you.”

Sayama added “as a villain” under his breath and nodded.

He then picked up a thick hardcover book in his right hand and climbed out of his blanket.

After 6:30, the city was filled with light.

The city’s transportation system was already moving that early in the morning.

A certain train station was part of the Chuo Line that cut across Tokyo from east to west. An early morning train leaving Tokyo arrived at Ochanomizu Station, the third station from the east.

The train contained few people that early in the morning.

The first car had only two people sitting in it.

They were Kashima and Atsuta on their way back from guard duty.

Kashima put on his glasses and opened his laptop on his lap.

He spoke to Atsuta on his right without turning toward him.

“Atsuta, how can you board the train dressed like that? You look like a cosplayer.”

“Before giving me advice like you’re my mother, how about you do something about your abnormal fashion. A lab coat over work clothes? Does your wife never question it at home?”

“Natsu-san is very understanding about my work.”

“That’s surprising for someone of Low-Gear. …Have you still not told her?”

“No. She still knows nothing about UCAT. Nothing has changed since our college days. She thinks I chose to climb the corporate ladder within IAI.”

The young man named Kashima operated the touch panel and a few different programs began running on the screen.

“Ever since I had a kid, I couldn’t help but start up a website. Look at this video of her. Look, look. She’s about to cry. Ah, she’s crying. How cute.”

“You’re gonna make me cry, you idiot father.”

“What do you mean idiot? You can’t deny how cute she is. Do I need to say it again? She’s so cute.”

“That’s what makes you an idiot, you idiot. Babies are no different from monkeys.”

Kashima gave a toothy smile when he heard that.

“Monkeys? Is that what you said? Is it? But I’m so happy with my life right now that I won’t get mad even at that. In fact, I feel sorry that you can’t understand how cute she is, Atsuta.”

“That’s scary. You’ve lost an important emotion.”

“Ha ha ha. Sorry, sorry. I used to laugh at parents like this too, but I went out and bought a video camera as soon as my own kid was born. I really am an idiot.”

The train door closed, the train shook once, and it began to move.

Meanwhile, Kashima closed the video on his computer.

“But, Atsuta, you let all of them go, didn’t you? What kind of false ally of justice are you?”

“Don’t be stupid. A catch and release policy is standard when it comes to villains. Doing anything else leaves you with fewer and fewer people to defeat.”

“How did your mother raise you?”

“She told me to always be honest.”

“That is an excellent lesson. I’ll take that into consideration when teaching my daughter.”

Kashima let out a breath.

“Now then,” he said as his expression changed. A hint of tension entered his face. “Who were they? They didn’t seem to all be from one Gear. It was creepy.”

“How should I know? All I saw was a bunch of enemies. Do I need to ask people their name, age, address, and occupation before cutting them down?” Atsuta sighed, stuck a hand in his coat pocket, and stretched his legs out into the passageway. “Are you never going to do anything more than make adjustments to Cowling Swords?”

“That accident eight years ago taught me that making them is not for me. My father makes farm tools and works as a farmer, you know?”

“I always feel bad about all the rice he sends me every year. …But your grandfather was 2nd-Gear’s greatest swordsmith, right? Are you still hesitant to directly make something that kills people?”

“I am going to say yes,” said Kashima in a flat tone as he stared forward. “I have a certain power, but I have decided not to use it. It’s easier this way. …And I won’t tell my family either. I’m sure those naturalized from other Gears have similar issues to deal with.”

As he spoke, Kashima thought. He finally gave a bitter smile and spoke once more.

“How many times have we had this conversation now?”

The second floor of the school cafeteria contained only a few students with morning training and was very quiet.

The western style window was open to help circulate the air.

This let in the cold air and the distant noises and shouts of the sports teams’ morning training. And…

“I hear hammering and electric guitars.”

“They are preparing for the All Holiday Festival, a spring school festival held over the long holiday coming up. You know Kazami, the treasurer, right? She is the one that hits people a lot. She is having a band play at the festival. That is them practicing.”

Sayama and Shinjou carried their morning meal trays to seats by the window.

They had placed their things at that table ahead of time.

“Sayama-kun, do you have work today, too?”

Setsu did not know about UCAT, so Sayama had told him he had a part time job at IAI.

Sayama nodded and recalled his dream from that morning.

“Yes. I think there is something I need to do there.”

They arrived at the table as they spoke.

Sayama looked down at something.

A leather bag sat on Shinjou’s side of the table by the window and a pile of loose leaf paper sat on top of the bag.

When they had left their dorm room, Shinjou had quickly snatched that paper up from his desk.

Sayama tilted his head as he looked at the untidy stack of paper.

“N-no! Don’t look at it!”

Shinjou frantically ran to his seat and practically threw his tray down.

“Ah,” said Shinjou when he realized what he had done, but he covered up the pile of loose leaf paper all the same.

While fixing the position of the tray that was about to fall over, Shinjou looked up at Sayama. The ends of Shinjou’s eyebrows were lowered.

“D-did you see?”

“No. I only saw what looked like some kind of title.”

“You didn’t see anything else?”

Sayama thought back, but he had only seen the text for a split second.

However, he could take a guess as to why Shinjou was so flustered.

“So I was right. You were writing something lewd…”

“No, I wasn’t. And what do you mean ‘I was right’?”

“I think you have been giving immediate tsukkomi a lot more recently, Shinjou-kun.”

“I try not to. Getting caught up in your pace is dangerous.”

“But then I feel sad.”

“I-I think you should feel be made to feel sad in this case. C’mon, eat your food and then go take a bath. Look, you can have the cherry from my morning soda float. Look, two cherries. You can’t be sad then, right? Right?”

“I bet that would work really well with a young child,” said Sayama as he looked at his soda float with two cherries.

…''Well, this might be for the best.

With that serious thought, he placed his tray down. Shinjou’s shoulders relaxed and he gave a sigh of relief.

He placed the loose leaf paper in a black binder inside his bag.

Sayama sat down as he watched Shinjou put away the paper.

“Is that what you have been working on late at night and early in the morning recently?” he asked.

Shinjou turned around, averted his gaze, and spoke in a troubled tone.

“…Yes.”

“I see. Do your best, but do not force yourself too much. Someone like you needs to look after his health. If you are ever in trouble, come to me. I can introduce you to a good hospital.”

“Just out of curiosity, what kind of hospital is it?”

“It is the hospital the Tamiya family uses. Even the biggest coward will return a brave man after spending three hours there. They always grow depressed about three days later, though.”

“They’re definitely doing something bad there.”

Shinjou sighed but soon sat down and leaned back in the chair.

“Sorry.”

“What are you apologizing for?”

“Oh, um. I panicked and rejected you just a moment ago.”

“No, you did not. That was my fault. I tried to peek at something that belonged to you.”

“Yes, but…sorry,” he said, but a look of resignation quickly appeared on his face. “Sayama-kun, you do seem crazy at times and suddenly do strange and even criminal things, but you’re very strict when it comes to other people and their secrets.”

“I have a feeling you have made some kind of misunderstanding about me.”

“R-really? But everyone says you are an idiot who lives in the Sayama universe where the world revolves around you.”

“Hm, even if I accept everything after it, I have a hard time understanding why someone with grades as good as mine would be called an idiot.”

“Um, idiot can mean a lot of different things. …Wait, you’re fine with the stuff after it?”

“Oh?” Sayama tilted his head. “You took me seriously, Shinjou-kun? Do not worry. It was a joke. I know the world revolves around the sun.”

“A-ah ha ha ha. Th-that’s right. You do seem to live in a world of your own sometimes, so I wasn’t sure.”

“Well, fear not, Shinjou-kun. Ever since the middle ages, the world has followed the heliocentric theory. With me being the sun, of course.”

“Eh!? Wh-what? What was that last part?”

“Ha ha ha. A trivial matter, Shinjou-kun. Do not worry about it.”

Sayama laughed and suddenly looked out the window.

The student dorms were lined with cherry trees which already had green leaves. In front of them was the parking lot for faculty and visitors.

Sayama saw a woman walking along the gravel of the parking lot.

She had wavy blond hair that was almost silver and she wore a black two piece suit that swelled out at the shoulders.

The hem of her long tight skirt shook back and forth with great regularity because she walked as if treading along a single line.

Just as Sayama started to look away from her, she took a sudden action.

She instantly turned toward him and bent her eyes in a smile.

Their gazes met.

It was as if she had noticed him. Sayama gulped slightly.

She was at least thirty meters away and her back had been turned to him.

Even so, she had turned her blue eyes directly toward him and a slight smile could be seen on her face.

That smile made Sayama frown, but he quickly created a different expression.

He replied to her smile with a calm one of his own.

And she reacted when she saw it.

“————”

She gave a broad smile. Her slight smile was replied by a look of joy at his response.

With that pleasant smile, she turned back around and walked away.

Not having noticed any of this, Shinjou tilted his head in front of Sayama.

“What is it?”

“A greeting I suppose. Someone wanted to exchange a pleasant smile and I complied.”

''Something new is beginning,'' thought Sayama.

A woman wearing a black two-piece suit gave a pleasant sigh as she stood on the gravel below the early morning sun.

“That was a nice response. It would have been cute if he blushed, though. I wonder if he realized who I am.”

She smiled and continued walking. She walked along the gravel path in high heels, but produced no footsteps.

The back of the 3rd year general school building was visible ahead of her.

“Now, it’s time to go meet Siegfried Zonburg, the librarian of Kinugasa Library,” she said with a sigh while observing the shape of the building. “I need to check on the state of Low-Gear.”

“It comes down to how we should live here in Low-Gear.”

''Really, though. How many times have I asked myself that?'' thought Kashima in the train.

Atsuta spoke quietly while staring up at the ceiling.

“Your problem is how we’re a lot like the people of Low-Gear but not exactly like them, isn’t it? How about you just take it easy?”

“I used to do that so I could pursue my grandfather’s final words. But…I learned something in that accident eight years ago. I started to lose something important to me and could no longer accept my own power.”

If he closed his eyes, he could remember it.

It had been a rainy night eight years ago.

He had been producing Cowling Swords at the time.

He had been delighted at a certain sword’s quality and had gone out alone to a mountain testing ground near UCAT.

…''And I caused an accident.

He remembered the result of his actions and a single emotion all too well.

As he looked down from the mountain that night, he saw the earth collapsing.

As the rain pelted him and he held the hilt of that broken Cowling Sword in his hand, he had run over to the large-scale collapse.

Kashima still remembered the feeling inside him at that moment.

…''A sense of superiority.

It had been incomplete, but he head still felt pride in his ability to create such a powerful Cowling Sword.

But Kashima’s feelings had frozen over in the next instant.

He had heard a single voice coming from several dozen meters down the slope.

Beyond the uncertain darkness, he had heard a scream.

It had been a scream of fear. And that scream had come from below the collapsed earth where-

“…!”

Kashima’s pulse rose abruptly and he opened his eyes.

He felt sweat all over his body and he suddenly realized he was inside the train.

Atsuta was staring at him.

“Are you okay, you idiot? Don’t get too lost in the past. It isn’t healthy.”

“Yeah… But I can’t help it.”

“If you feel yourself slipping back, start thinking about your wife’s breasts.”

Kashima obediently thought about them.

“Yeah, they’re pretty nice. Can’t argue with that.”

“Don’t start kneading the air inside the train! I only told you to think about them, you idiot!”

“Y-yeah, but to be honest, Natsu-san’s chest is really relaxing.”

“You want my honest opinion? A military god shouldn’t be so sexually lovey-dovey. Anyway, what do you want? You told me to join you on the train because you had something to tell me, right?”

“Oh, right, right. Wait just a second.”

The train shook as Kashima spoke.

After several seconds of deceleration, the train arrived at the next station, Yotsuya.

No one boarded. All that entered was the slightly chilly wind of a morning in late spring.

As soon as the doors closed again, Kashima pulled a white envelope from his pocket.

“That Supervisor Ooshiro gave me this. It seems Director Tsukuyomi has given me full authority.”

“Let me see that. Is old woman Tsukuyomi just trying to get you out of the way? You said it was about-…”

“The Leviathan Road, yes.”

Kashima gave a bitter smile when he saw Atsuta’s displeased look.

His friend was displaying his own feelings amazingly well.

…''That allows me to act more maturely.

“I was even told to prepare to release 2nd-Gear’s concepts.”

“Let’s see, let’s see. This is the document. Um, what does this say? L-L-Levi…”

“Leviathan Road. You can’t even read that? I’m a bit shocked.”

“Sh-shut up. Reading is a pain, so just explain it to me.”

“How I negotiate this is being left entirely up to me. Director Tsukuyomi may be the leader of 2nd-Gear, but she claims she’s too busy to do it herself.”

“That old woman just wanted to shove this annoyance on someone else.”

As they spoke, the train began slowing once more. They were near Shinjuku.

“You’re switching to a different train here, right? You’ll be coming to UCAT after greeting your wife and kid, won’t you?”

“Yes,” replied Kashima as he took the envelope back from Atsuta. “But is it really right for us to take care of the Leviathan Road?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

Kashima could not respond right away. He closed his laptop and returned the envelope to his pocket.

…''How can I best explain it?

As he thought, the bright platform of Shinjuku Station rushed by outside the window as if to catch them.

“Well, there’s that accident for one, but I also have no interest in the Leviathan Road.”

“Oh, your grandfather’s final words.”

“Yes, his final words. He once wielded the sword that sealed Yamata, but his final words became meaningless nine years ago. That was when we inspected Susaou, the giant humanoid machine created to restrain Yamata.” He let out a weary sigh. “Releasing 2nd-Gear’s concepts means entering the concept space in which those two sleep and releasing the seal of Totsuka to call out Yamata.”

“You make it sound like there’s a ‘but’ coming.”

Kashima smiled bitterly.

The train began to stop and noise came from its metal wheels.

While surrounded by that noise and the shaking of the train, Kashima thought. He thought about something he had been thinking for a long time.

“Neither of us experienced the Concept War. Not even Director Tsukuyomi did. In that case, do we…no, do ''I'' have any right to take control of releasing the concepts?” He took a breath. “I have no grudge against this Gear, but I am not thankful either. I was born here and living here is completely normal for me. …So how are we supposed to handle this?”

Atsuta frowned at his question.

“C’mon, stop thinking so much about it. Just treat it like a festival. Make it nice and exciting.”

“There are times when I’m incredibly jealous of your personality.”

“How do you feel about my personality normally?”

“I pity you. I wonder why the world would let a creature like this be born.”

“Go to hell. I’ll tell your wife her husband looks down on people in his work.”

“What a pain,” said Kashima as he nodded and stood up. “But that’s fine. Natsu-san is very understanding about my work.”

“Doesn’t that just mean she isn’t all that interested in it?”

Kashima grabbed the pole next to the seat and turned toward Atsuta.

“And I am thankful for it,” he said with a smile.

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| Back to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Prologue|Prologue]]
| Return to [[Owari_no_Chronicle|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_2|Chapter 2]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Owari no Chronicle:Volume3 Chapter 1

2013-10-02T23:09:28Z

Multipartite: Whenever one of the areas sticking up would collapse, more sparks would fly up into the sky. -> Whenever one of the areas sticking up collapsed, more sparks would fly up into the sky.

[[Image:OnC_v03_0036-0037.png|thumb]]
''As if building up

''It all slowly begins to move

''And hopefully continues to the place it wants to be

—''I cannot ask if I can stay here.

—''I decided I would stay here.

==Chapter 1: The Two in the Flames==
[[Image:OnC_v03_0039.png|thumb]]
''Someone asks something

''So what should you do?

''You understand nothing and have decided nothing

Sayama Mikoto was dreaming.

He could see the inside of a giant wooden building. His vision existed in the center of it.

The structure of the building resembled the interior of a Shinto shrine.

However, it was on a much larger scale. The ceiling was easily thirty meters tall and the entrance through which the sky was visible was over fifty meters wide.

…''I do not recognize this building. This really must be a dream.

Sayama moved his vision to look at the entrance. The red sky was visible through it. It was a burning and flickering sky.

''I am dreaming of a fire,'' thought Sayama.

Flames and shimmering covered the sky and sparks poured down like rain.

''Is this an air-raid?” he thought. ''No, this is different,'' he quickly corrected.

The sound filling the air was not that of airplanes passing by overhead or of fire bombs falling from the sky. It was a bestial roar that resembled distant thunder.

This beast’s voice tore at the air.

As that cry reverberated through the air, Sayama saw new movement within the building.

The large gate was being closed from the left and right of the front entrance.

Sayama stared beyond the narrowing gap between the two sides of the gate.

His view below the red sky was from some elevated place. He may have been atop a mountain.

When he looked down on the land, he saw a sea of flames identical to the sky.

Originally, the landscape had likely been made up of fields, forests, a village, and distant mountains, but all of it had been transformed into a field of crimson that rose up in places and lowered in places. Whenever one of the areas sticking up collapsed, more sparks would fly up into the sky.

Sayama suddenly realized a woman stood beyond the closing gate.

The old woman had her back to him. She had black hair and wore a simple white outfit with a yellow cloak over it.

Sayama then saw two men run from behind his vision and toward the entrance.

The man in the lead wore a dirty lab coat. He was a middle-aged man wearing glasses.

He ran toward the closing gate and the woman standing beyond it.

The second man was short and wore a simple black outfit.

He ran after the man in the lab coat.

Sayama saw the man in black catch up to the other man and tackle him to the ground.

As the world outside burned and the bestial roar continued, the two men could be heard falling to the ground.

The man in the lab coat cried out, but not at the man holding him down. He shouted through the closing gate.

“You can’t! You’re…You’re their leader, aren’t you!? Why are you choosing death here!?”

The woman standing outside did not turn toward the man. Instead, the man in black answered.

“This is the rule! This is how we do things!”

The man in the lab coat prepared to shout another question, but he stopped.

The man holding him down with his arms and knees had pressed his head down.

As silence fell over the two of them, a voice suddenly came in from beyond the closing the gate.

“Military god, take care of him.”

The man in black nodded without saying anything.

As he did, the gate continued to close. Only a meter gap remained.

But the woman’s voice could still be heard.

“Engineer from a country connected to ours in another Gear, these seeds were sown by us. If Yamata devours this world, it will surely make its way through this gate and to your world.”

The man in the lab coat raised his head.

“If…If I had only had more power… If I had made the decision sooner…!”

“Yes,” replied the old woman. She continued with a smile in her tone. “Everyone thinks that. Both those who were unable to reach this place and those who did. But just like you, we had no power. …Protect your own Gear.”

And…

“Can you protect your world from destruction?”

The man in the lab coat was unable to answer. He only clenched his teeth while being held down.

As the gate closed, the surrounding walls were dyed in darkness.

“Listen,” said the man in black. “The two thousand people we could fit in this temple will be moved to your world. Our glory was once said to be countless, but it has been ruined and lost. And now we will lose our world too!”

“Kh,” groaned the man in the lab coat.

His twisted face was turned toward the closing gate. Sayama turned his vision in that direction as well.

That old woman was visible through the slight crack remaining.

She was turned toward the sky and a single flame could be seen in the sliver of sky Sayama could see.

The flame took the form of a dragon. That serpentine flame dragon had eight heads.

It was easily over a kilometer long and continued to stretch out longer.

As it flew through the sky, it turned toward them and opened its eight mouths.

Immediately afterwards, Sayama heard a voice.

It belonged to the woman beyond the gate. She spoke with an intonation to her voice.

“I have-…”

As soon as the rhythm began, the gate closed with a roar.

With the outside light gone, the building filled with darkness. A voice could be heard from outside the gate.

It was a new voice. Compared to the woman’s voice from before, this voice was more powerful and caused the surrounding area to shake. It was…

…''The dragon’s voice.

It did not use words.

This was a bestial question. It was a cry filled with an intonation made up of only emotion and intention.

This was the dragon’s lamentation.

That cry descending from the heavens was the dragon’s voice.

And it held the meaning of a question.

“———!!”

It asked.

It forced two things upon the listener.

It forced them to answer and to destroy.

The cry pierced through the air in search of an answer and of destruction.

At the same time, everything was overcome with darkness.

In the very next moment, Sayama heard a long cry filled with both sorrow and resentment.

As soon as anguish filled the scream, the images and sounds Sayama was experiencing came to an end.

Sayama awoke.

The early morning air was cold and the newly risen sun was so bright it looked white.

He sat up within his dormitory bed.

However, the remnants of the dream remained vividly in his head, so he still felt a bit removed from reality.

As his sleepy eyes worked to bring his vision into focus, he recalled the dream.

The world had been burned, a lot had been lost, and ultimately he had been forsaken. That was the dream.

…''Was that the destruction of another world? Another Gear?

“That was quite a heavy scene. …But I think I know why I saw it.”

Sayama silently reached up to the top of his head. The soft sensation above his head was Baku.

Baku was a four-legged beast with thin fur covering his body. Sayama picked him up and realized his small eyes were closed in sleep.

That animal had undoubtedly been what had shown him the past.

Sayama then reached out to the side.

He would find a book there. It was part of an investigation report written by Kinugasa Tenkyou that collected legends and myths from around the world.

…''Baku must have called in the past in response to what I was reading last night.

This was the second volume that detailed Japanese mythology.

''That must have been 2nd-Gear being destroyed in that dream,'' thought Sayama as he gazed up at the ceiling.

But as he reached for the book, his hand touched something warm and soft.

“…Ee.”

The sensation was accompanied with a voice.

Wondering what was going on, Sayama looked down. As his vision came into focus, he looked down toward the blanket covering his body.

But he found something else instead.

For some reason, a butt was sticking out sideways there.

Two bare legs kicked at the air near the ladder on his left and a back covered by a shirt could be seen by the wall to his right. A butt with white underwear tightly covering it was located between the two.

[[Image:OnC_v03_0047.png|thumb]]

“Ah…no…wait…”

As Sayama heard that frantic voice, saw the waving hair, and saw the squirming round skin in front of him, Sayama gave a sleepy comment.

“Why are you suddenly performing such fruity actions, Shinjou-kun?”

“I-it’s because you suddenly sat up! And right when I was trying to wake you up.”

“I see,” muttered Sayama, but his mind was still muddled with sleep. “So I sat up and dragged you in just as you were leaning over the bed.”

“Wh-why are you calmly analyzing this so early in the morning!?”

“Then allow me to give a different analysis. …Ohh! Th-that’s an ass, Shinjou-kun!”

“Please help me instead of acting crazy!”

“Hm.” Sayama watched the butt moving up and down in front of his face. He finally spoke in a gentle but certain tone of voice. “Beautiful.”

“Wh-what? Did you just say something kind of weird!?”

“I did nothing more than state the obvious. Anyway, you need to calm down. Here, I will help you up.”

“Eh? Ah! N-no, stop. Don’t touch my butt!”

“I am not touching it. I am grabbing it!”

“That’s the same thing! Please finish waking up before-… Ah, n-no! Don’t pull on my underwear! It’s riding up!”

“Then what am I supposed to grab in order to help you up?”

“Um…” muttered Shinjou as he turned his head toward Sayama.

Their gazes met while Shinjou was blushing and looking troubled.

“What am I supposed to do?” muttered Shinjou as he stopped kicking his legs wildly.

His legs were now hanging over the edge of the bed and their weight started to drag him off.

“Wah!”

As Shinjou panicked, Sayama caught his waist in both arms.

It all happened in an instant.

Sayama turned Shinjou face up in his arms and sat him up on his lap.

Shinjou kicked his legs meaninglessly two or three times.

“Nn…” he sighed while being held below the arms.

His flushed face was looking up at Sayama.

“S-sorry about causing such a commotion first thing in the morning.”

“Do not worry about it. Being woken by another person is one form of happiness.”

“Really?”

“I suppose you would not understand as you always wake up before I do. Perhaps we should reverse that at some point.”

“Sayama-kun, how would you wake me?”

“Well, if I wanted to be certain, I would perform an early morning body press or lie next to you and give endless flirting comments until you woke up. That would be good, don’t you think?”

“No.”

Shinjou averted his gaze, sighed, and left Sayama’s arms.

As he placed his legs on the ladder, he turned a puzzled look toward Sayama.

“Um… After you wake up, how about we eat breakfast on the cafeteria terrace?”

“Sounds good. I believe the morning menu is tororo soba and a melon soda float.”

“Why do they always serve such odd combinations here?”

Shinjou tilted his head as his slender back and waving black hair descended the ladder.

As Sayama watched that back, he realized something. When he picked Shinjou up before, his bandaged left arm had not hurt at all.

…It is almost fully healed.

Once that wound healed, Shinjou would have no reason to remain at the school.

He suddenly found that disappointing and then smiled bitterly.

If he felt that way about it…

…''I have accepted Shinjou-kun as someone close to me.

So what would he do if Shinjou did leave?

“———”

He had exchanged a certain promise with Shinjou Setsu on a certain windy night.

“If you do not wish to be here and I wish to do what is best for you, I will hate you.”

Sayama added “as a villain” under his breath and nodded.

He then picked up a thick hardcover book in his right hand and climbed out of his blanket.

After 6:30, the city was filled with light.

The city’s transportation system was already moving that early in the morning.

A certain train station was part of the Chuo Line that cut across Tokyo from east to west. An early morning train leaving Tokyo arrived at Ochanomizu Station, the third station from the east.

The train contained few people that early in the morning.

The first car had only two people sitting in it.

They were Kashima and Atsuta on their way back from guard duty.

Kashima put on his glasses and opened his laptop on his lap.

He spoke to Atsuta on his right without turning toward him.

“Atsuta, how can you board the train dressed like that? You look like a cosplayer.”

“Before giving me advice like you’re my mother, how about you do something about your abnormal fashion. A lab coat over work clothes? Does your wife never question it at home?”

“Natsu-san is very understanding about my work.”

“That’s surprising for someone of Low-Gear. …Have you still not told her?”

“No. She still knows nothing about UCAT. Nothing has changed since our college days. She thinks I chose to climb the corporate ladder within IAI.”

The young man named Kashima operated the touch panel and a few different programs began running on the screen.

“Ever since I had a kid, I couldn’t help but start up a website. Look at this video of her. Look, look. She’s about to cry. Ah, she’s crying. How cute.”

“You’re gonna make me cry, you idiot father.”

“What do you mean idiot? You can’t deny how cute she is. Do I need to say it again? She’s so cute.”

“That’s what makes you an idiot, you idiot. Babies are no different from monkeys.”

Kashima gave a toothy smile when he heard that.

“Monkeys? Is that what you said? Is it? But I’m so happy with my life right now that I won’t get mad even at that. In fact, I feel sorry that you can’t understand how cute she is, Atsuta.”

“That’s scary. You’ve lost an important emotion.”

“Ha ha ha. Sorry, sorry. I used to laugh at parents like this too, but I went out and bought a video camera as soon as my own kid was born. I really am an idiot.”

The train door closed, the train shook once, and it began to move.

Meanwhile, Kashima closed the video on his computer.

“But, Atsuta, you let all of them go, didn’t you? What kind of false ally of justice are you?”

“Don’t be stupid. A catch and release policy is standard when it comes to villains. Doing anything else leaves you with fewer and fewer people to defeat.”

“How did your mother raise you?”

“She told me to always be honest.”

“That is an excellent lesson. I’ll take that into consideration when teaching my daughter.”

Kashima let out a breath.

“Now then,” he said as his expression changed. A hint of tension entered his face. “Who were they? They didn’t seem to all be from one Gear. It was creepy.”

“How should I know? All I saw was a bunch of enemies. Do I need to ask people their name, age, address, and occupation before cutting them down?” Atsuta sighed, stuck a hand in his coat pocket, and stretched his legs out into the passageway. “Are you never going to do anything more than make adjustments to Cowling Swords?”

“That accident eight years ago taught me that making them is not for me. My father makes farm tools and works as a farmer, you know?”

“I always feel bad about all the rice he sends me every year. …But your grandfather was 2nd-Gear’s greatest swordsmith, right? Are you still hesitant to directly make something that kills people?”

“I am going to say yes,” said Kashima in a flat tone as he stared forward. “I have a certain power, but I have decided not to use it. It’s easier this way. …And I won’t tell my family either. I’m sure those naturalized from other Gears have similar issues to deal with.”

As he spoke, Kashima thought. He finally gave a bitter smile and spoke once more.

“How many times have we had this conversation now?”

The second floor of the school cafeteria contained only a few students with morning training and was very quiet.

The western style window was open to help circulate the air.

This let in the cold air and the distant noises and shouts of the sports teams’ morning training. And…

“I hear hammering and electric guitars.”

“They are preparing for the All Holiday Festival, a spring school festival held over the long holiday coming up. You know Kazami, the treasurer, right? She is the one that hits people a lot. She is having a band play at the festival. That is them practicing.”

Sayama and Shinjou carried their morning meal trays to seats by the window.

They had placed their things at that table ahead of time.

“Sayama-kun, do you have work today, too?”

Setsu did not know about UCAT, so Sayama had told him he had a part time job at IAI.

Sayama nodded and recalled his dream from that morning.

“Yes. I think there is something I need to do there.”

They arrived at the table as they spoke.

Sayama looked down at something.

A leather bag sat on Shinjou’s side of the table by the window and a pile of loose leaf paper sat on top of the bag.

When they had left their dorm room, Shinjou had quickly snatched that paper up from his desk.

Sayama tilted his head as he looked at the untidy stack of paper.

“N-no! Don’t look at it!”

Shinjou frantically ran to his seat and practically threw his tray down.

“Ah,” said Shinjou when he realized what he had done, but he covered up the pile of loose leaf paper all the same.

While fixing the position of the tray that was about to fall over, Shinjou looked up at Sayama. The ends of Shinjou’s eyebrows were lowered.

“D-did you see?”

“No. I only saw what looked like some kind of title.”

“You didn’t see anything else?”

Sayama thought back, but he had only seen the text for a split second.

However, he could take a guess as to why Shinjou was so flustered.

“So I was right. You were writing something lewd…”

“No, I wasn’t. And what do you mean ‘I was right’?”

“I think you have been giving immediate tsukkomi a lot more recently, Shinjou-kun.”

“I try not to. Getting caught up in your pace is dangerous.”

“But then I feel sad.”

“I-I think you should feel be made to feel sad in this case. C’mon, eat your food and then go take a bath. Look, you can have the cherry from my morning soda float. Look, two cherries. You can’t be sad then, right? Right?”

“I bet that would work really well with a young child,” said Sayama as he looked at his soda float with two cherries.

…''Well, this might be for the best.

With that serious thought, he placed his tray down. Shinjou’s shoulders relaxed and he gave a sigh of relief.

He placed the loose leaf paper in a black binder inside his bag.

Sayama sat down as he watched Shinjou put away the paper.

“Is that what you have been working on late at night and early in the morning recently?” he asked.

Shinjou turned around, averted his gaze, and spoke in a troubled tone.

“…Yes.”

“I see. Do your best, but do not force yourself too much. Someone like you needs to look after his health. If you are ever in trouble, come to me. I can introduce you to a good hospital.”

“Just out of curiosity, what kind of hospital is it?”

“It is the hospital the Tamiya family uses. Even the biggest coward will return a brave man after spending three hours there. They always grow depressed about three days later, though.”

“They’re definitely doing something bad there.”

Shinjou sighed but soon sat down and leaned back in the chair.

“Sorry.”

“What are you apologizing for?”

“Oh, um. I panicked and rejected you just a moment ago.”

“No, you did not. That was my fault. I tried to peek at something that belonged to you.”

“Yes, but…sorry,” he said, but a look of resignation quickly appeared on his face. “Sayama-kun, you do seem crazy at times and suddenly do strange and even criminal things, but you’re very strict when it comes to other people and their secrets.”

“I have a feeling you have made some kind of misunderstanding about me.”

“R-really? But everyone says you are an idiot who lives in the Sayama universe where the world revolves around you.”

“Hm, even if I accept everything after it, I have a hard time understanding why someone with grades as good as mine would be called an idiot.”

“Um, idiot can mean a lot of different things. …Wait, you’re fine with the stuff after it?”

“Oh?” Sayama tilted his head. “You took me seriously, Shinjou-kun? Do not worry. It was a joke. I know the world revolves around the sun.”

“A-ah ha ha ha. Th-that’s right. You do seem to live in a world of your own sometimes, so I wasn’t sure.”

“Well, fear not, Shinjou-kun. Ever since the middle ages, the world has followed the heliocentric theory. With me being the sun, of course.”

“Eh!? Wh-what? What was that last part?”

“Ha ha ha. A trivial matter, Shinjou-kun. Do not worry about it.”

Sayama laughed and suddenly looked out the window.

The student dorms were lined with cherry trees which already had green leaves. In front of them was the parking lot for faculty and visitors.

Sayama saw a woman walking along the gravel of the parking lot.

She had wavy blond hair that was almost silver and she wore a black two piece suit that swelled out at the shoulders.

The hem of her long tight skirt shook back and forth with great regularity because she walked as if treading along a single line.

Just as Sayama started to look away from her, she took a sudden action.

She instantly turned toward him and bent her eyes in a smile.

Their gazes met.

It was as if she had noticed him. Sayama gulped slightly.

She was at least thirty meters away and her back had been turned to him.

Even so, she had turned her blue eyes directly toward him and a slight smile could be seen on her face.

That smile made Sayama frown, but he quickly created a different expression.

He replied to her smile with a calm one of his own.

And she reacted when she saw it.

“————”

She gave a broad smile. Her slight smile was replied by a look of joy at his response.

With that pleasant smile, she turned back around and walked away.

Not having noticed any of this, Shinjou tilted his head in front of Sayama.

“What is it?”

“A greeting I suppose. Someone wanted to exchange a pleasant smile and I complied.”

''Something new is beginning,'' thought Sayama.

A woman wearing a black two-piece suit gave a pleasant sigh as she stood on the gravel below the early morning sun.

“That was a nice response. It would have been cute if he blushed, though. I wonder if he realized who I am.”

She smiled and continued walking. She walked along the gravel path in high heels, but produced no footsteps.

The back of the 3rd year general school building was visible ahead of her.

“Now, it’s time to go meet Siegfried Zonburg, the librarian of Kinugasa Library,” she said with a sigh while observing the shape of the building. “I need to check on the state of Low-Gear.”

“It comes down to how we should live here in Low-Gear.”

''Really, though. How many times have I asked myself that?'' thought Kashima in the train.

Atsuta spoke quietly while staring up at the ceiling.

“Your problem is how we’re a lot like the people of Low-Gear but not exactly like them, isn’t it? How about you just take it easy?”

“I used to do that so I could pursue my grandfather’s final words. But…I learned something in that accident eight years ago. I started to lose something important to me and could no longer accept my own power.”

If he closed his eyes, he could remember it.

It had been a rainy night eight years ago.

He had been producing Cowling Swords at the time.

He had been delighted at a certain sword’s quality and had gone out alone to a mountain testing ground near UCAT.

…''And I caused an accident.

He remembered the result of his actions and a single emotion all too well.

As he looked down from the mountain that night, he saw the earth collapsing.

As the rain pelted him and he held the hilt of that broken Cowling Sword in his hand, he had run over to the large-scale collapse.

Kashima still remembered the feeling inside him at that moment.

…''A sense of superiority.

It had been incomplete, but he head still felt pride in his ability to create such a powerful Cowling Sword.

But Kashima’s feelings had frozen over in the next instant.

He had heard a single voice coming from several dozen meters down the slope.

Beyond the uncertain darkness, he had heard a scream.

It had been a scream of fear. And that scream had come from below the collapsed earth where-

“…!”

Kashima’s pulse rose abruptly and he opened his eyes.

He felt sweat all over his body and he suddenly realized he was inside the train.

Atsuta was staring at him.

“Are you okay, you idiot? Don’t get too lost in the past. It isn’t healthy.”

“Yeah… But I can’t help it.”

“If you feel yourself slipping back, start thinking about your wife’s breasts.”

Kashima obediently thought about them.

“Yeah, they’re pretty nice. Can’t argue with that.”

“Don’t start kneading the air inside the train! I only told you to think about them, you idiot!”

“Y-yeah, but to be honest, Natsu-san’s chest is really relaxing.”

“You want my honest opinion? A military god shouldn’t be so sexually lovey-dovey. Anyway, what do you want? You told me to join you on the train because you had something to tell me, right?”

“Oh, right, right. Wait just a second.”

The train shook as Kashima spoke.

After several seconds of deceleration, the train arrived at the next station, Yotsuya.

No one boarded. All that entered was the slightly chilly wind of a morning in late spring.

As soon as the doors closed again, Kashima pulled a white envelope from his pocket.

“That Supervisor Ooshiro gave me this. It seems Director Tsukuyomi has given me full authority.”

“Let me see that. Is old woman Tsukuyomi just trying to get you out of the way? You said it was about-…”

“The Leviathan Road, yes.”

Kashima gave a bitter smile when he saw Atsuta’s displeased look.

His friend was displaying his own feelings amazingly well.

…''That allows me to act more maturely.

“I was even told to prepare to release 2nd-Gear’s concepts.”

“Let’s see, let’s see. This is the document. Um, what does this say? L-L-Levi…”

“Leviathan Road. You can’t even read that? I’m a bit shocked.”

“Sh-shut up. Reading is a pain, so just explain it to me.”

“How I negotiate this is being left entirely up to me. Director Tsukuyomi may be the leader of 2nd-Gear, but she claims she’s too busy to do it herself.”

“That old woman just wanted to shove this annoyance on someone else.”

As they spoke, the train began slowing once more. They were near Shinjuku.

“You’re switching to a different train here, right? You’ll be coming to UCAT after greeting your wife and kid, won’t you?”

“Yes,” replied Kashima as he took the envelope back from Atsuta. “But is it really right for us to take care of the Leviathan Road?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

Kashima could not respond right away. He closed his laptop and returned the envelope to his pocket.

…''How can I best explain it?

As he thought, the bright platform of Shinjuku Station rushed by outside the window as if to catch them.

“Well, there’s that accident for one, but I also have no interest in the Leviathan Road.”

“Oh, your grandfather’s final words.”

“Yes, his final words. He once wielded the sword that sealed Yamata, but his final words became meaningless nine years ago. That was when we inspected Susaou, the giant humanoid machine created to restrain Yamata.” He let out a weary sigh. “Releasing 2nd-Gear’s concepts means entering the concept space in which those two sleep and releasing the seal of Totsuka to call out Yamata.”

“You make it sound like there’s a ‘but’ coming.”

Kashima smiled bitterly.

The train began to stop and noise came from its metal wheels.

While surrounded by that noise and the shaking of the train, Kashima thought. He thought about something he had been thinking for a long time.

“Neither of us experienced the Concept War. Not even Director Tsukuyomi did. In that case, do we…no, do ''I'' have any right to take control of releasing the concepts?” He took a breath. “I have no grudge against this Gear, but I am not thankful either. I was born here and living here is completely normal for me. …So how are we supposed to handle this?”

Atsuta frowned at his question.

“C’mon, stop thinking so much about it. Just treat it like a festival. Make it nice and exciting.”

“There are times when I’m incredibly jealous of your personality.”

“How do you feel about my personality normally?”

“I pity you. I wonder why the world would let a creature like this be born.”

“Go to hell. I’ll tell your wife her husband looks down on people in his work.”

“What a pain,” said Kashima as he nodded and stood up. “But that’s fine. Natsu-san is very understanding about my work.”

“Doesn’t that just mean she isn’t all that interested in it?”

Kashima grabbed the pole next to the seat and turned toward Atsuta.

“And I am thankful for it,” he said with a smile.

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| Back to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Prologue|Prologue]]
| Return to [[Owari_no_Chronicle|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_2|Chapter 2]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Owari no Chronicle:Volume3 Prologue

2013-10-02T23:03:22Z

Multipartite: You're here to steel -> You're here to steal

==Prologue: The Beginning of False Testimony==
[[Image:OnC_v03_0011.png|thumb]]
''The beginning contradictorily tells of the end

''Where does that wind lead?

The heavens were filled with the dark colors of night, but no stars could be seen.

This was Tokyo. The moving people shook the air and artificial lights erased the stars from the night sky.

A certain sound was audible in one street of that city.

It was a solid sound. A metal tip was striking the asphalt.

A voice joined the sound.

“Sf, what do you think of Tokyo’s Kanda district at night?”

Those words were spoken by a gray-haired man wearing a black suit. He used a metal cane to walk alongside a white-haired maid named Sf.

Sf spun around and looked around the area when she heard his question.

“The sidewalks are filled with people and the roads with cars, but I have determined they are all moving toward the train station.”

“Oh? And does a wise automaton such as yourself know why?”

“Tes, I have determined they are hurrying home, Itaru-sama.”

“I see,” said the gray-haired man with a nod. Sf stopped in front of him. “What is it, you stupid automaton? Are you trying to block your master’s path?”

Sf was holding both hands out. Those small hands were holding something.

“What’s with that small piece of paper and stamp?”

“To put it simply, this is an ‘I did what Itaru-sama wanted’ point card. Once I reach 20 points, I can praise myself. I usually stamp it myself, but this is the 20th point. Itaru-sama, you do the honors.”

Itaru narrowed his eyes as he took the card and stamp and stamped it.

“What is this weird super deformed face symbol?”

“It is you, Itaru-sama. It was developed by the UCAT development department.”

Sf took back the card and bowed.

“Excuse me a moment.”

She rubbed her own head with her right palm, lowered her hand, and spoke expressionlessly.

“Tes. I am done.”

“Is once enough? You sure are modest.”

“If you wish, I can do it any number of times.”

“Once is enough. And don’t do that in front of people. …Who knows what they would think.”

“Tes. I will only do it in front of you, Itaru-sama.”

“Oh? Sorry, but I’m a person, too.”

“If you say so, Itaru-sama.”

Itaru gave no response.

He began walking again. His feet and cane chose a path leaving the road.

He left the people hurrying home along the main road.

“Itaru-sama, doesn’t this path lead to…?”

“Yes. You’ve been here for some adjustments before.”

Itaru stopped in front of a large white-walled building taking up a large space in the city.

“Officially, it’s known as a hospital, but it’s actually Japanese UCAT’s Tokyo lab. It works with the Okutama development department. I hear they’re improving the anti-3rd god of war.”

“Why are we here today?” asked Sf.

Itaru pulled an envelope from his pocket.

“I have to give this to a certain man. He’s a descendent of 2nd-Gear which is the basis of Japanese mythology.”

“A descendent of 2nd-Gear?”

“Yes. …He holds the name Kashima which is both 2nd-Gear’s strongest military god and swordsmith. Tonight, he left UCAT in Okutama and came here.”

“Could you not wait until tomorrow and give it to him once he returns to UCAT?”

“In all things, the atmosphere is important. Remember that, Sf.”

“Tes. In all things, useless additions are important. I understand.”

Itaru returned the envelope to his pocket and walked toward the white building.

Sf followed right behind him.

“But who is this Kashima?”

“Well, this may be a roundabout way to answer…but do you want to hear about 2nd-Gear?”

“No, not really.”

“Then I will tell you.” Itaru slowed his pace and smiled. “Sixty years ago, 2nd-Gear sided with Izumo Aviation Institute’s National Defense Department before any other Gear.”

“I have heard of that. Control of 2nd-Gear’s Concept Core control system was lost as the Concept War continued and it became the flame dragon Yamata. They signed a treaty and asked that IAI come to their aid.”

“Yes, but help did not arrive in time. 2nd-Gear was burned and destroyed by Yamata. …And in ’46 after the war ended, Yamata was sealed here in Low-Gear. It was sealed using a giant humanoid machine created by a certain researcher in Low-Gear as well as…” He took a breath. “A sword created by Kashima’s grandfather. But…”

“But what?”

“But when it was sealed, the flame dragon Yamata was unable to trust the people of 2nd-Gear who allowed it to lose control. It was sealed based on the trust of a certain Low-Gear researcher. The right to control Yamata should have been passed down by certain people of 2nd-Gear, but Low-Gear stole that right due to Yamata’s lack of trust,” explained Itaru with a bitter smile. “But the Low-Gear researcher who spoke the word to seal Yamata was burned to death by the heat of the flame dragon while sealing it.”

“So the word used to seal Yamata has not been passed down to anyone?”

“Only the Kashima family knows it.”

“Testament. And that is why you are meeting Kashima-sama. Yamata must be controlled when 2nd-Gear’s Concept Core is released.”

Sf looked forward and Itaru followed suit.

An oden stand was set up on the empty street in front of the white-walled building.

“That oden stand is a UCAT disguise, isn’t it? It is the central guard station.”

Currently, a single man sat in the chair behind the stand.

He wore glasses, work clothes, and a lab coat. He looked around thirty, had a slender frame, and was facing the laptop placed on the small counter.

As Sf approached him, she narrowed her eyes. Finally, she spoke.

“Tes. I have checked his child string vibration. He is Kashima Akio of Japanese UCAT’s development department. His is a senior member. He, his parents, and his grandparents all have pure 2nd-Gear blood. However…”

“However?”

“His physique does not befit the title of strongest military god.”

“No, it doesn’t,” said the man behind the counter as he stood up.

Kashima stood with a relaxed posture and smiled toward Itaru and Sf.

He took a few steps toward them.

“I like it when people don’t think of me as a military god.”

Kashima gave a small bow. Sf lowered her head in place of Itaru, but she frowned.

Kashima tilted his head when he noticed.

“Did a sudden thought come to you?”

“Tes. Kashima-sama, why would you like that I did not compliment you?”

“Because I dislike power. …I dislike my own power.”

“That’s all there is to it, Sf, so don’t question it. He’s a member of the development department. Do you want to cause a split among comrades by unnecessarily finding fault in him?”

“I was not aware you had any comrades, Itaru-sama.”

“Oh? It looks like modern automata naturally reject their master’s personality.”

Kashima suddenly smiled in realization as he listened to the two of them.

“Oh, by any chance are you Supervisor Ooshiro of Team Leviathan? What are you here for?”

“I am here to meet you. Am I interfering with your work? From what I heard, you were on guard duty so you could defeat some persistent attackers while also testing a Cowling Sword.”

“Yes. Oddly enough, the research facilities around here have been attacked a lot lately. And by a mysterious group. My friend Atsuta and I have guard duty here, but I arrived a bit early.”

Kashima raised his right hand. That hand held the laptop which had been sitting on the counter before.

Itaru looked at the opened LCD monitor.

“Were you killing time by researching Cowling Swords as a bearer of the name Kashima?”

“No, I stopped producing them eight years ago. I was passing the time by watching videos I took of my daughter. She’s only four months old, but she’s super cute. Look.”

As the screen displayed a video of a baby, Itaru grabbed Sf’s shoulders and casually pushed her forward.

Sf watched the baby and woman with short hair on the screen.

“I can find no visual match. …Are this woman and child from Low-Gear?”

“She was a classmate during my college years. My wife is Natsu and my daughter is Harumi. Oh, look. Harumi is about to raise her hand. Look, look, look. Ah, she raised it! How cute!”

“Itaru-sama, how should I react to this?”

“Praise him.”

“Tes. Kashima-sama, I have determined Harumi-sama did very well.”

“Thanks, thanks. …Anyway, what do you need with me?”

“Well, Kashima-kun, it’s a simple matter. To put it in a more roundabout way, what do you think of Team Leviathan?”

Kashima gave a troubled smile at that sudden question but answered after a short pause.

“I think it’s amazing,” he said with a shrug. “You have unfair weapons using Concept Cores, you’ve gathered skilled people from all over, and you’ve proven yourselves by getting 1st-Gear to ally with you. I think you’ve done quite well.”

“Then how would you compare us to your own power, Kashima-kun?”

Kashima’s smile vanished, but Itaru continued speaking.

“I hear the Cowling Sword you wielded eight years ago could emit power that rivals Izumo’s V-Sw.”

“That…was destroyed back then,” said Kashima expressionlessly.

Sf must have thought something about this change in Kashima’s attitude because she took action. She swiftly moved in between Itaru and Kashima.

“I apologize. Kashima-sama, your shoulders have tensed-…”

Sf trailed off because Kashima had placed his hand on Sf’s head at some point.

Sf’s expressionless face grew even harder. Kashima sighed and nodded.

He rubbed Sf’s head.

“Sorry. I have no intention of harming your master.”

“Then please stop rubbing my head.” Sf pulled a paper card from her pocket and held it out. “If you wish to do so, take this. If my usefulness earns 20 points, you may rub my head.”

“Thank you. …Anyway, I hope you understand. I sealed my own power in that accident eight years ago. I sealed my power to create swords and to wield them. Why are you here, Supervisor Ooshiro? Don’t tell me you came here to dig up my past.”

“I am happy to tell you that is exactly why I am here. You can be as surprised as you like.” Itaru gave a nod and a bitter smile. He pulled the white envelope from his pocket and held it out. “The next negotiations in the Leviathan Road will be with 2nd-Gear. Tsukuyomi, the development department director, said you would be the representative.”

“…”

“2nd-Gear has already allied with Low-Gear, so what could you want now? And what could the military god who sealed his own power want? I would like for you to show us that.”

Kashima remained perfectly motionless and Itaru bowed his head.

Sf did the same while standing in front of him.

As they bowed, a single voice and the sound of a metal cane rang out into the night.

“For our atonement with the past that the late Sayama wished for, you will take part in the Leviathan Road in search of some answer. That is what we all wish for.”

The area that best absorbed the darkness of the night was not the ocean or the city.

It was the forest.

A certain Tokyo forest existed far to the west of the city center. It was located in the area known as Okutama.

Below the moon in the night sky were trees surrounded by darkness.

Just one spot of that dark forest was not filled with shadows. The moonlight reached that spot.

Rows of white-walled buildings could be seen sitting there.

Those buildings were the Tokyo Branch of IAI.

Further back in the valley behind IAI was a single long runway and a white building.

That building was the IAI transportation administration building as well as the headquarters for Japanese UCAT.

The lights were on in that building’s lobby.

White light filled that high-ceilinged lobby and a single painting hung on its wall.

The framed oil painting measured two meters square and it showed the Virgin Mary embracing her crying child. Below the painting, six lines of English lyrics were carved into a metal plate.

They made up the English translation of the hymn Silent Night.

Two people sat in the red carpeted lobby below the painting.

One was a black-haired girl. She sat on a sofa while wearing a black T-shirt and a white denim dress. She was speaking to the old man sitting across from her.

The gray-haired old man wore a lab coat and smiled as the girl gestured and smiled while talking.

The girl raised both hands and her smile grew.

“And Sayama-kun is just so amazing, Ooshiro-san. What took me a month in reflexes training he finished in just a week. There are some things he’s really weird about, but I think he’s mostly an amazing person.”

“That is because Mikoto-kun used to train at a really weird dojo called the Hiba Dojo. Shinjou-kun, he should tell you about it eventually. As well as what happened to him.”

“Yeah,” said Shinjou Sadame as she lowered her hands.

“Where is Mikoto-kun now?” asked Ooshiro to the girl whose cheeks were a bit flushed.

“With starting school this month and working with the student council, he hasn’t finished his training time yet. He said he would work at it until late tonight. …He sure has a lot of energy.”

Her eyebrows lowered slightly and she looked at the painting on the wall.

Her mouth opened slightly and she muttered the first line of the English lyrics.

Shinjou then lowered her gaze once more.

“It seems Sayama-kun’s left arm is almost fully healed. Will Setsu’s role be over soon? He won’t need Setsu to help him out anymore.” Shinjou’s voice grew quieter. “Once Setsu leaves Sayama-kun, my lie will be half gone.”

“Are you really okay with Setsu-kun leaving him?”

Shinjou raised her head, looked at Ooshiro with her black eyes, and formed a smile.

“I think it went well. Normally, I…Setsu and I are not allowed out of UCAT. Getting to go to school and be with someone like him may have been more than enough.” She nodded. “Once the Leviathan Road is over, Sayama-kun will have no more reason to be with me. …Once that happens, will I have to stay goodbye to Sayama-kun as well?”

“Well.” Ooshiro folded his arms. “Shinjou-kun. I have a hypothetical question for you.”

“Hm? What is it, Ooshiro-san?”

“What if Sayama-kun said he wanted to remain with you even after the Leviathan Road?”

Shinjou thought for a moment and blushed.

“Th-that would never happen. Sayama-kun is only with me so he can bring out his serious side and face the Leviathan Road. I can’t conveniently assume it’s anything more. And…”

“And?”

“If I’m always with him, he’ll find out about my lie. Sayama-kun is clever. It’s dangerous enough as it is. …If he found out about my lie, I think he would start avoiding me.”

Shinjou lightly embraced her own body.

She sighed as if to say it was not fair.

“I can only be with Sayama-kun because of my lie. You understand, don’t you, Ooshiro-san? You and the others who know the reason behind my lie take such good care of me.”

After a while, Ooshiro finally nodded. He let out a deep breath and adjusted his position on the sofa.

As he did, the sound of exhaust could be heard outside the lobby and next to the administration building.

Shinjou and Ooshiro looked out the large window and saw the lights of three vehicles leaving and heading toward IAI.

“Come to think of it, you use those trucks disguised as mobile food stands even at night. What are they heading out for?”

“You know the UCAT Tokyo Laboratory in Kanda, right? They research concept space production devices and update the god of war. Lately, there have been some attempts to get at what’s inside there, so we’ve strengthened the security a bit.”

“Security? So was that some special division?”

“No, it was the development division. The 2nd-Gear group said this was a good opportunity to test out a new Cowling Sword. Director Tsukuyomi always helps us so much with our equipment that I can’t say no.”

“I see. 2nd-Gear adapted well to Japanese UCAT and has already been fully naturalized, right? 2nd-Gear was the basis for Japanese culture after all.”

“Yes. They are impossible to tell apart form a normal Japanese person. Some of their older people will occasionally give classes on 2nd-Gear history for the younger ones, but they are otherwise normal citizens of Low-Gear.”

“I see,” said Shinjou again with a nod.

She looked out the large window which showed her reflection a bit. The lights of the vehicles were no longer visible.

She looked at herself in the window.

She was surprised to find the ends of her eyebrows lowered.

Shinjou tilted her head at her own reflection.

“I hope I can adapt to myself.”

In the Kanda district of Tokyo, the stillness of late night surrounded the UCAT Tokyo Laboratory.

This was the time when the city of Tokyo would get some short sleep in the light of the streetlights.

However, a few noises around that white-walled building disturbed that sleep.

There were three noises in all.

The first was the wind rustling through the trees along the road, the second was a high-pitched metallic noise, and the third was a song.

The first was the last traces of the wind signifying the end of spring, the second was the clashing of swords signifying the beginning of a battle, and the third was an out-of-tune male voice.

“Say farewelllll to themmmm! Knock them out with a single punnnnnch!”

As that song filled the air, the wind may have died down, but the sounds of the swords never stopped.

The voice and the noises came from between some buildings located away from the UCAT Tokyo Laboratory.

The song came from a shadow.

This shadow sang as he weaved along the functional street that contained no residences.

A few other shadows charged at the first shadow. They reached him but were blown away.

“As they shed some tearsssss! Say goodbye with three taaaaaps!”

The shadow running on ahead would not fall.

Without lessening his speed, he ran across the road, weaved between the trees, and cut in between buildings.

After a total of seven clashes, seven other shadows collapsed and the chorus came to an end.

Once the shadow finished singing, he ran out from between the buildings and into the street.

He stopped below a streetlight.

The light showed he was a young man wearing the white combat coat of UCAT.

He had short hair dyed blond, slender shoulders, and thin forward-looking eyes.

“I can’t keep this up. I just can’t. I’ve even run out of enka songs. …I need some more fuel.”

As he spoke, he held his right hand up to his shoulder. He wore a black gauntlet to prevent the sword he held from slipping. On the surface of the sword’s white cowling was a black label that said “7STAR”.

He casually held the sword between his right shoulder and neck so he could use both hands to search through his pockets.

As he did, a staticky male voice came from his neck.

“Atsuta. I’m not getting any data from the Cowling Sword. What are you doing?”

The voice came from a small communicator. The young man named Atsuta frowned.

“I was taking a quick nico break.”

“Nico break?”

“It means to smoke, Kashima. Y’know, nicotine and all? I think it sounds more bright and positive than calling it a smoke break.<ref>Nico is Japanese onomatopoeia for smiling.</ref>”

“I’ll ignore most of that, but no smoking on the job. For the sake of your health, chew some of the nicotine gum in the box I gave you. It will make some people very happy. Me, especially.”

“Yeah, you quit smoking after your kid was born. But why are you trying to regulate my health, too? Anyway, come watch my battle and recital. I’m sure you’ll find it moving.”

“Moving, hm? We do say that when something fills us with emotion. The question is which emotion this would fill me with.”

“C’mon, you idiot. This is a hell of a lot more normal than staring at pictures of your wife and kid.”

“Staring? You have it all wrong. I am admiring them.”

“It’s the same thing, you idiot father.”

“Ha ha ha. Thanks for the compliment, Atsuta. More importantly, I have something to discuss with you, so accompany me on the train ride home.”

“What do you want to discuss?”

“The Leviathan Road. Supervisor Ooshiro went out of his way bring me the paperwork himself. It seems Director Tsukuyomi has given me full authority. To be honest, I’m not sure what to do.”

“Yeah, you lost all assertiveness eight years ago.”

Atsuta started ignoring Kashima.

But when he pulled his hands from his pockets, he held a long, narrow package of gum.

That nicotine gum had the UCAT symbol on it. The front had a drawing of a smiling man with his eyes opened wide as he ran down a railroad track. The name of the product was “Thomas the Danger Engine Nicotine Gum”.

“Kashima, quick question. …What is wrong with your taste for coming up with something like this?”

“The sales just keep rising.”

“Are you sure you’re not reading the chart wrong? Is it rising as you go to the left?”

“What are you talking about? Do you hate Thomas the Danger Engine that much? …All the kids love him.”

“Um, kids don’t need to stop smoking. Can’t you make some nicotine gum for adults that’s filled with sex and violence? Something like Female Teacher Excitement Nicotine Gum.”

“Calm down. If I made that, it couldn’t be sold in the normal market.”

“Are you insane, you naïve father? You’re going to sell this gum to the general public?”

“Apparently, it will be sold as an IAI product. The copyright check was strict. Something about the smile needing work.”

Without speaking another word, Atsuta switched off his communicator. He grabbed the sword held between his neck and shoulder and looked up into the sky.

“I need to forget that unpleasant conversation.”

He began chewing the gum.

“Salted salmon flavor. Now I want some rice,” he muttered while slowly glancing around.

At some point, Atsuta had been completely surrounded.

Atsuta stood in the center of the illumination of the streetlight and a few different shadows were standing around him.

There were four in all. They were all men wearing long black clothing.

As Atsuta watched, he realized all four of them had altered a portion of their body.

“Ha ha. You’ve got the armored body modifications from 3rd-Gear. Wouldn’t it be better to attach those toys to an automaton instead? …What Gear are you from?”

The men silently took defensive stances, but Atsuta lowered the white sword in his right hand.

“No. That attitude just won’t do. It just isn’t right. Listen up, you idiots. When I ask you a question, you answer me. Let’s try it again. …Are you part of that rumored Army that takes in people from any Gear?”

The only response he got was silence. Atsuta chewed the gum while a smile appeared in his eyes and on his lips.

“You’re here to steal the god of war being improved in the UCAT Tokyo Laboratory, right? You bring such a large group to sneak in during the night and this is all that’s left to take me on? How boring. You might as well just go ahead and leave.”

In the very next moment, Atsuta took action.

He took a casual step to the right.

It was a quick action.

He moved toward the right hand soldier in black who had mechanized both his arms.

The soldier frantically moved his metal arms into a defensive position.

But he did not make it in time.

Atsuta had already made his way close enough.

Immediately afterwards, his Cowling Sword swept by in front of the man’s chest.

That was enough to smash his arms like ice.

“———!”

The soldier in black opened his mouth in a wordless cry and Atsuta pulled a piece of gum from his pocket and shoved it into the man’s mouth.

“It’s popular with children, you defeated beginner.”

Without waiting for the man’s opinion of the flavor, Atsuta kicked his unguarded body.

With his arms gone, the soldier in black collapsed and a metallic noise rang out.

But Atsuta did not even look at him. He turned around and watched the remaining three.

“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you. I’d never hear the end of it from Kashima otherwise.”

“Oh?” replied a voice.

It came from the man with two false arms who stood in the center of three standing ten meters away.

“I had heard there was an insane warrior in UCAT. He comes from the sword god family of 2nd-Gear which is the basis for Japanese mythology. His family name is Atsuta and his given name is Yukihito.”

“I’m surprised you know that. You sound like a sensible person.”

“What are you saying? You are the descendent of the gutless Gear that surrendered to UCAT before any other Gear!”

“Shut up. You’re gonna bring up something from 60 years ago that not even my dad was around for? That won’t do. It just isn’t right. …And what do you mean we surrendered, you idiot? Listen,” began Atsuta. “The culture here in Japan with its occasional sexiness and violence is based on 2nd-Gear. Our ancestors didn’t surrender. They compassionately descended before the primitive natives here, you complete idiot.”

His words and tone erased all expression from the three soldiers’ faces.

But one breath later, the man from before spoke again.

“Then we can assume 2nd-Gear will cooperate with the Leviathan Road? The holy sword Totsuka that sealed Yamata is held by UCAT along with the giant humanoid machine Susaou. So will you also…”

“Ally ourselves with UCAT in the Leviathan Road?” asked Atsuta. “I don’t know. We’ve gotten used to this country in the sixty years since the war, but Low-Gear doesn’t know the truth about us.”

“The truth?”

“The word used to control Yamata. The Low-Gear researcher who sealed Yamata died while sealing it, so it wasn’t passed on to Low-Gear. The only person who knows it now is my friend Kashima.”

In that case…

“Low-Gear can’t control Yamata right now.”

Atsuta nodded and looked at the three men.

“Okay, that should be enough. I’ve talked enough for today. I’ll cut you down now.”

As Atsuta watched them, his enemies’ faces stiffened. One was on the right, one was directly in front, and one was to the left.

“Oh, so you can show some nice expressions. As a reward, I’ll show you something neat.”

“What?”

“Just watch. If you can.”

As soon as he said that, Atsuta began walking. He walked toward the man on the right.

He walked casually and without suppressing his footsteps. However, the man did not react. He only waited for the approach as if he could not see Atsuta.

Atsuta moved up to the man.

Finally, the man panicked. He looked left and right as if he could not see Atsuta who stood right in front of him.

“H-hey, where did that idiot get-…?”

His cry was cut off.

Atsuta had cut him down.

“I won’t kill you. Take your time and enjoy this.”

Atsuta stuffed a piece of gum in the man’s mouth and turned around toward the man who had been on the left.

The exact same thing happened.

As soon as Atsuta turned around, the man on the left lost sight of him.

He checked to the left and right and bent down as if he could not see the man standing directly in front of him.

“Wh-where did-…!?”

His question was cut off.

Atsuta had travelled six steps to the left and cut him down.

Once again, Atsuta stuffed a piece of gum in his mouth.

The men on the left and right had both been unable to react until he had already attacked.

All that remained were the two wrappers Atsuta balled up and tossed aside.

“You can tell your kids about it when you get home. It should be going on sale soon.”

With that comment, Atsuta stood before the man who remained in the center. Atsuta’s expression was one of complete boredom.

“Now then. Why do you look so pale, you ape? I haven’t removed any of your blood. Or did you panic because you think I’m a psychotic murderer or something?”

Atsuta held the Cowling Sword in front of the man’s face.

When he saw the white steel point of the sword, he flinched back a bit.

“That technique,” he muttered.

“That was 2nd-Gear’s Art of Walking. You approach while escaping your opponent’s perception and then take their life. There are stories of approaching an enemy to assassinate them in Japanese mythology, right? Anyone well-known in 2nd-Gear can do at least this much.”

“You have that much skill and power yet you still serve them?”

“Shut up, you idiot. …The thing is, this woman who’s important to me is from Low-Gear. It may just be one person, but, well…she’s important to me.”

Atsuta smiled bitterly. With that embarrassed smile, he scratched at his head.

“C-c’mon, you idiot. Don’t make say such embarrassing things at a time like this.”

With that comment, Atsuta jabbed his knee into the man’s gut.

With a loud sound of impact, the mechanical arms and organic body collapsed and stopped moving.

“Ahh, ahh,” sighed Atsuta. He looked over the four collapsed figures and said, “Make sure to clean up before you leave. And don’t spit your gum out on the road. Got it?”

<noinclude>
===Notes===
<references/>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
| Return to [[Owari_no_Chronicle|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_1|Chapter 1]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Talk:Toaru Majutsu no Index:NT Volume8 Chapter3

2013-09-23T16:00:59Z

Multipartite: 'We’ll shake their hand and without a rock paper scissors tournament.' question.

(Thank you very much for the translations!) A suggestion: I'm not sure what 'We’ll shake their hand and without a rock paper scissors tournament.' means, but it may be worth rechecking/rewriting.

Talk:Toaru Majutsu no Index:NT Volume8 Chapter2

2013-09-18T10:08:57Z

Multipartite: Bunker clusters/busters confirmation question.

Term confirmation: should 'bunker clusters' be 'bunker busters'? (*joyfully reads!*) -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 05:08, 18 September 2013 (CDT)

Talk:Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 9 Chapter 6

2013-09-15T15:42:22Z

Multipartite: Question about Leo's presence/absence in the classroom with Tatsuya and Mizuki.

My apologies if I'm mistaken but in the section where Tatsuya requests a conference with Maya, Miyuki referred to her as okaa-sama. Shouldn't that be obaa-sama instead seeing as their mother is Miya?

Ah, This was What I was wondering as well. Also, please add a signature with a <nowiki>"~~~~"</nowiki>
[[User:SonodaYuki|SonodaYuki]] ([[User talk:SonodaYuki|talk]]) 02:04, 12 September 2013 (CDT)

As in the most recent edit, most have been updated to Oba-sama/ue (Obaa is grandmother, Oba is aunt)[[Special:Contributions/24.1.246.14|24.1.246.14]] 02:08, 12 September 2013 (CDT)

A question about the lines 'Leo-kun, how are you feeling' and 'I should be alright': These parts are written as though Leo is present in the classroom with Tatsuya and Mizuki, but the paragraphs above and below (especially the part where Mikihiko and Erika enter and only greet two people, not three) conflict with this. Is there an alternative reading in which Mizuki is asking Tatsuya about how Leo is doing, and Tatsuya is talking about Leo in his reply? Unrelatedly, extremely happy to see this translated! *joy* -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 10:42, 15 September 2013 (CDT)

Talk:Sword Art Online

2013-09-11T04:47:10Z

Multipartite: /* Licensing */ (Alarm.)

==Picture Translation==
====Volume 1====
They are the ones at the beginning of the first book. Here are the links:

<gallery>
Image:Sword_Art_Online_Vol_01_-_002-003.jpg|Kirito: "''Strange, Asuna. Why are you showing your face in a place like this?''." ''A [Solo Player] swordsman aiming to reach Aincrad's topmost level.'' Egil: "''Our shop's motto is to buy cheap and sell cheap''." ''A merchant stationed at city [Algate], located at Level 50 of Aincrad.'' Asuna: "''Kirito-kun...''" ''Of an acquired alias of "The Flash", the sub-leader of the guild "Blood Knights"''
Image:Sword_Art_Online_Vol_01_-_004.jpg|Kirito: "''Better than you can, most likely''." Cradil: "...''I'm going to kill you... I'll definitely kill you.... Do you think a pathetic player like you can protect Asuna-sama!!''" ''A member of the "Blood Knights", serving as Asuna's escort.''
Image:Sword_Art_Online_Vol_01_-_005.jpg|Heathcliff: "''Fight with me, if you win, Asuna can go with you but if you lose, then you will have to join the Knights of Blood''." ''A cross-shield user, the leader of the "Blood Knights" and their strongest.''
Image:Sword_Art_Online_Vol_01_-_006-007.jpg|Asuna: "''D, don't...look over here...''"
Image:Sword_Art_Online_Vol_01_-_008.jpg|Gargantuan Game Castle "Aincrad" An iron-and-stone made castle consisting of 100 floors. Inside it are numerous cities, small towns and villages, forests, grasslands, and lakes. One stairway connects each floor to the previous and succeeding floor, and all of them are in dangerous labyrinth zones where monsters wander about. Players in this world rely on one weapon as they run past them, find the way to the upper floors, and take down strong guardian monsters, single-mindedly aiming for the top of the castle. Aside from battling with monsters, there are many scopes of play from manufacturing like smithing, leathercraft and sewing, to hunting and cuisine, to music. This is not merely adventuring in a vast field, [Life] is literally possible here. "Aincrad" is the world set as the stage for "Sword Art Online", declared as the world's first in the VRMMO game genre.
</gallery>

Thanks!!

----

I'll use Sharramon's translations for these... Well, for the most part. Lines may be wrong as well. They're just quotes from the story and descriptions anyway. 

----

Could you translate those sometime too please? --[[User:Darklor|Darklor]] 23:16, 7. Feb. 2010 (UTC)=
:We should probably put the illustration translations in the discussion pages of the novel images, and perhaps just put a link here to them as a reminder.
::That was the idea. Or to be precise I would add the translations to the image pages in the image discription. And for those, where it work in the illustration pages, too. I did add they here only to show which images I meant --[[User:Darklor|Darklor]] 07:24, 8 February 2010 (UTC)

For Vol2 Img7, do I see....a love interest? XDDD On a more on-topic note, I think I put the translation for that page in the right section (the discussion tab right?), care to check?

-Kenena
====Volume 2====
<gallery>
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 02 - 002-003.jpg|Kirito:"...I'm sorry. I couldn't save your friend..." A [Solo Player] swordsman aiming to reach Aincrad's topmost level. Shrika: "...No... Thank you...for coming to help..." A [beast tamer] girl possessing the familiar monster [Feather Ridora].
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 02 - 004-005.jpg|Lizabeth:"Err, the dragon's attack pattern is a left right claw, and a water blast and a sudden gust attack! Be careful, okay?" A girl running the blacksmith shop at Aincrad's 48th floor main district, [Lindaas Street]. Kirito: "Idiot!! Don't come out yet!!"
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 02 - 006.jpg|Yui: "Wah~ Papa, carry me~!" A mysterious girl found collapsed in Aincrad's 22nd floor's forest.
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 02 - 007.jpg|Sachi: ''Hey, Kirito. Let's go run away somewhere.'' A member in the guild «Black Cats of the Full Moon» in Aincrad.
</gallery>

====Volume 3====
<gallery>
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 03 - 002-003.jpg|Asuna: "Quickly...quickly come and save me, Kirito-kun..." A captured girl inside the high specification VRMMO [ALfheim Online].
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 03 - 004-005.jpg|Lyfa: "Come, hurry! On to Yggdrasil!" A girl Kirito met in «ALO». The race of her fairy avatar is «Sylph». Yui:"Papa is carefree as usual." A young girl AI who adores Kirito as her papa. Supports Kirito as a «Navigation Pixie» in «ALO». Kirito:"Oh...how exciting. At this rate I want to fly all the way." The strongest «Solo Player» in «SAO». Turns to a «Spriggan» swordsman in «ALO».
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 03 - 006.jpg|Kirigaya Suguha: "...I'm so stupidstupidstupid!" Kirito's (Kirigaya Kazuto's) younger sister. She's a third-year in junior high school and is a part of the Kendo club.
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 03 - 007.jpg|Eugene: "If you can withstand my attacks for 30 seconds, I'll trust you as an ambassador." The strongest knight among all fairy avatars. His race is «Salamander». Possesses the legendary weapon «Magic Sword Gram». Kirito: You're so generous, aren't you.
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 03 - 008.jpg|Yggdrasil. The destination of all players who log in to «ALfheim Online». The tribe who reaches the legendary floating city above <Yggdrasil> and has an audience with the <Fairy King Oberon>, who lives there, is able to be reborn as a high-class race, the <Alf>. By being reborn into true fairies, the <Alf>, the hover limit imposed on the system is eliminated and unlimited flight is possible. And along with it, they are capable to become the rulers of this infinite sky. It's possible to enter this floating city through a dome at the root of <Yggdrasil>. However, guardian knights who boast of overwhelming strength guard the entrance. One year has passed since the opening of «ALO», and that quest has yet to be cleared.
</gallery>

Quick comment on your translation for ALO. While I haven't seen any official English translation for its name, the Japanese Wikipedia calls it Alfheim Online. Personally, I agree with it since it follows the Mythology theme, with Álfar meaning elves in Norse Mythology, making Alfheim mean Elves' (Alf) Home (Heim). The reason I think it follows the Mythology theme is that I believe Yggdrasil makes an appearance (I couldn't find where I read this, and I have bad memory at best, so possibly wrong), Kirito's class becomes a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spriggan Spriggan], Lyfa (or whatever it ends up being) is a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylph Sylph], and Yui is a Navigation Pixie. Hope this helps. ~EnigmaticRepose

:In the Japanese raws of volume 3 (page 61), the name is written in English: "ALfheim Online"

:[[User:Vaelis|Vaelis]] 11:13, 8 February 2010 (UTC)

::<nowiki>*changes my translation from whatever it was before to spriggan on the img 4~5 discussion page*</nowiki> -Kenena


I wouldn't have known that I haven't read much and I know nothing about the Mythology theme, anyway Vaelis has indicted its proper English name. Mind putting the link of the jap wiki here? - --[[User:KuroiHikari|KuroiHikari]] 12:11, 8 February 2010 (UTC)

:Japanese wiki: http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%BD%E3%83%BC%E3%83%89%E3%82%A2%E3%83%BC%E3%83%88%E3%83%BB%E3%82%AA%E3%83%B3%E3%83%A9%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3

:[[User:Vaelis|Vaelis]] 13:01, 8 February 2010 (UTC)

:::With the last pic vol 3 pics are done. So can someone please translate the pics below so that I can photoshop the pics? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 04:13, 20 January 2012 (CST)

==== Volume 4 ====

<gallery>
Image:Sword Art Online 4 - 002-3.jpg|「G'morning Sugu. You seem awfully sleepy. What in the world were you doing last night?」 Kirigaya Kazuto: The Black swordsman that led the game clear of the nightmare game <SAO>. Other name "Kirito". 「Morning, brother.U--mm......[Oh,] on the internet.....」. Kirigaya Suguha: Kazuto = Kirito's sister, in her third year of junior high, as well as a member of the Kendo club.
Image:Sword Art Online 4 - 004-5.jpg|「Ki, Kirito-kun!! Wa, Wait......alone, it's impossible!」 Lyfa: The young girl Kirito met in «ALO». The race of her fairy avatar is a «Sylph». 「That might be true...... But, I, have to get there.....!!」 Kirito: The strongest «Solo Player» in «SAO». Becomes a Spriggan swordsman in «ALO».
Image:Sword Art Online 4 - 006.jpg|「"I'm here...! Yui-chan, Kirito-kun!"」 Asuna - A captive girl in a high specification VRMMO, ALfheim Online. 「"--But Kirigaya-kun, no, perhaps it is better to call you Kirito-kun. To think that you would come all the way here. I cannot decide whether you are brave or stupid".」 Oberon, the fairy king - Sugou Nobuyuki in the real world. Ploting on using the trust from the father of Asuna, aka Yuuki Asuna, to force against Asuna's will for a marriage of convenience.
Image:Sword Art Online 4 - 007.jpg|「......You're......Onii-chan......?」 「Eh......? ----Sugu......Suguha......?」
Image:Sword Art Online 4 - 008.jpg|Is already edited by BeginnerXP
</gallery>

Please translate these too ..::[[User:Gradient|Gradient]]::.. 04:21, 7 January 2012 (CST)

:I'll start doing the remaining three now. One per day. I've already done the two-page spread. BTW I used the font '''Anime Ace 2.0''' which is the default for Manga. Plus I intend to continue doing so. If anyone wants this font then all they have to do is google '''Anime Ace font'''. I got it for free that way. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 10:25, 20 April 2012 (CDT)

:Done. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 13:33, 1 May 2012 (CDT)

==== Volume 5 ====
<gallery>
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 05 -002-3.jpg|
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 05 -004-5.jpg|
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 05 -006.jpg|
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 05 -007.jpg|
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 05 -008.jpeg|
</gallery>

I'd like to request a re-translation of the fourth pic above. I think there is some problem in the description of Death Pistol. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 02:11, 19 August 2012 (CDT)

:I've corrected the dialogue by matching it to the chapter translation. But it wouldn't hurt to recheck that too. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 02:13, 19 August 2012 (CDT)

:Please check the name too. Isn't it supposed to be Death Gun not Death Pistol? I think the previous translator got it mixed up. The raw can be found in the file history. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 02:20, 19 August 2012 (CDT)

:I've finished cleaning. Waiting for someone to correct. (It'd be a shame if it keeps sitting on my hard drive, cleaned but not translated.) [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 03:02, 19 August 2012 (CDT)

"An unknown virtual image in <<GGO>> battles." => "A mysterious avatar who PKs (kills other players) in <<GGO>>." And yes, the name is Death Gun, not Death Pistol. The rest is correct. [[User:Dammitt|Dammitt]] ([[User talk:Dammitt|talk]]) 03:26, 19 August 2012 (CDT)

:It should be Death Gun in the character description, but in dialog, he said Shijuu then repeated it with English meaning - 'Death Gun', so either remove Shijuu or translate it using synonym word like Pistol of Death or something. -- [[User:BeginnerXP|BeginnerXP]] ([[User_talk:BeginnerXP|Talk]]) 04:23, 19 August 2012 (CDT)

::The translation version is Death Gun and Death Pistol. So I'll stick with that. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 04:51, 19 August 2012 (CDT)

::Done. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 05:22, 19 August 2012 (CDT)

The info page for the PGM Hécate II may need to be re-done. I see some potentially wacky wording, and some improper terminology. For example the original text clearly says "anti-materiel rifle", and "anti-materiel" is an actual term. I'll submit a draft within a few days.--[[User:HashiriyaR32|HashiriyaR32]] ([[User talk:HashiriyaR32|talk]]) 21:27, 17 October 2012 (CDT)

==== Volume 6 ====

<gallery>
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 06 -002-003.jpg|「I......don't want to believe it. There can't be a VRMMO player who doesn't PK but truly kills.」 Sinon : A female player in the MMO of guns and steel «Gun Gale Online». A sniper wielding the large rifle «Hecate II» 「I am going to fight him...... the «Death Gun». I can't let him shoot anyone with that gun any further.」 Kirito: A boy who, in order to come in contact with the «Death Gun», entered «GGO». The only «Sword» user within the MMO of guns and steel.
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 06 -004-005.jpg|「Even if it is Kirito, he wouldn't go that far. ......well, I don't think he would.」 Asuna: Kirito's lover. An Undine sorceress in «ALO» 「Ahaha, well that could be true too. Plus, with a sword instead of a gun, in a shooting game.」 Lizbeth : The girl who created Kirito's sword in «SAO». In «ALO», a Leprechaun blacksmith. 「Really......it's a surprise isn't it. Since it's about Kirito-san, I expected him to go guns-ablaze from the start or something.」 Scilica: A girl saved by Kirito in «SAO» Within «ALO», she takes the form of a Cait Sith, capable of Taming. 「Brother isn't shown on the screen much--」 Lyfa: Kirito's sister, Suguha. In «ALO», she acts as a Sylph magical warrior.
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 06 -006.jpg|Sinon: 「Whenever it is, always check six.」
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 06 -007.jpg|(Kirito) 「--------!!」 (Death Gun) 「You can't do anything. You will be defeated here by me, on the ground helplessly while I kill that girl, being able to only watch.」
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 06 -008.jpeg|Translated and edited by BeginnerXP
</gallery>

Please translate these too ..::[[User:Gradient|Gradient]]::.. 04:21, 7 January 2012 (CST)

:Only one left. Can somebody translate the last one so I can photoshop it? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 13:33, 1 May 2012 (CDT)

:Done. I still have the PSD files so if you want any changes just let me know. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 09:46, 3 May 2012 (CDT)

==== Volume 7 ====

<gallery>
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 07 -002-003.jpg|'''(top)''' "......uah..." Kirito: A player called the «Black Swordsman» by other players trapped in the death game «SAO». Real name is Kirigaya Kazuto. Chooses a Spriggan avatar in «ALO». '''(following is from right to left)''' "I think the reason why Scilica-chan is sleepy, is due to that." Lyfa: Kirito's sister, Suguha. In «ALO», she acts as a Sylph magical warrior. "...Ah, I see..." Asuna: Kirito's lover. An Undine sorceress in «ALO» "U... Uu... I'm sleepy." Scilica: A girl saved by Kirito in «SAO» Within «ALO», she takes the form of a Cait Sith, capable of Taming. "I wonder why looking at that causes sleepiness... Maybe it's the illusion-type magic that Spriggan are good at or something?" Lizbeth : The girl who created Kirito's sword in «SAO». In «ALO», a Leprechaun blacksmith.
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 07 -004.jpg|"It's alright, as long as he matches you, anyone who is outstanding is fine. However I'm saying this in advance, that kind of kid -- students from that type of facility are not included." Yuuki Kyouko - Asuna's mother. A university lecturer who's very strict about her daughter's education. Tries to get Asuna, who attends the same school as Kirito, to change schools. "... Could it be... You investigated? About him..." Asuna - The daughter of Yuuki Shouzou, CEO of RECTO, a large electronics company. In the past she was trapped in the VRMMO 《SAO》 that her brother Kouichirou bought. 
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 07 -005.jpg|(from right to left) Nochi - Male Gnome " ... How about it? Our, Sleeping Knights, request, won't you do it?" Shiune - Member of the «Sleeping Knights» guild lead by «Absolute Sword»(Zekken). Female Undine. Taruken - Leprechaun youth Jun - Salamander youth Nori - Spriggan girl
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 07 -006-007.jpg|(left) "We're almost there! Keep going, Asuna!" Yuuki: A mysterious girl who came to be known as the «Absolute Sword» after her incredibly powerful and fast sword style. Invites Asuna to join her party after a duel. (right) "Somehow... Did you really, need me at all? I don't feel like there's anywhere where I could help you all out with..."
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 07 -008.jpg|OSS Its formal name is 《Original Sword Skills》. An improved version of the 《Sword Skills》 system of the now defunct Sword Art Online, implemented in 《Alfheim Online》. Each weapon has its own 《Skill Tree》. Brought forth drastic change to 《ALO》 which was previously dominated by long-range 《Magic》. Different from the 《Sword Skills》 in 《SAO》, OSS are not skills predefined by the system but rather skills that can be invented and registered by the player. However, in order to register such skills, players are required to perform them "without system support at a speed normally impossible without system assist". This somewhat contradictory strict requirement is the main reason why there's only few players who posses OSS. The OSS system supports a function known as 《Sword Skill Inheritance》. Players who successfully register an OSS are able to pass down a single-use 《Skill Manual》 to other players. Because the development of an OSS is extremely difficult, 《Skill Manuals》 for OSS, especially those that contain over-5-hits special moves, are currently the most expensive items in ALO. 
</gallery>

Please translate these too ..::[[User:Gradient|Gradient]]::.. 04:21, 7 January 2012 (CST)

:I'd like to scanlate them all '''after''' their text has been translated. So can someone please add the translated text? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 08:45, 1 June 2012 (CDT)

:I'm doing the first one, currently. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 11:07, 1 June 2012 (CDT)

:Done first one. Can someone provide me with the translations for the rest? Then I can photoshop it into them them too. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 14:02, 7 June 2012 (CDT)

::Done these too :D --[[User:HolyCow|HolyCow]] 08:09, 23 July 2012 (CDT)

I'll get to work on these. It'll take some time though. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 08:45, 23 July 2012 (CDT)

:Second one done. Will do the rest soon. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 14:43, 28 July 2012 (CDT)

:Third done. Working on fourth now (Progress: 60%). If possible, I will upload it today as well. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 07:08, 30 July 2012 (CDT)

:There. Now there is only the toughest one left in this volume. Re-building the whole cloud thing will be time-consuming and difficult. Wish I had Photoshop CS5 or above. It would have been easier with CS5's Content Aware Healing Brush. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 08:32, 30 July 2012 (CDT)

Nochi? It should be Tecchi or Thatch right? [[User:Arczyx|Arczyx]] - [[User_talk:Arczyx|Talk]] 05:40, 31 July 2012 (CDT)

:Yes. No idea how the translator got nochi --[[User:Pryun|Pryun]] - [[User_talk:Pryun|Talk]] 06:14, 31 July 2012 (CDT)

::Then you should have told me that! This is why ''grumble grumble''. Just kidding! :P Thanks for telling. Could you also go over the others and double-check them as well, Pryun. Vol 8 (below) as well. I'll temporarily halt work on them. So tell me when you've completed the double check. The faster you do it the faster I finish them. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 06:28, 31 July 2012 (CDT)

:::I'm gonna start up again. Since there have been no responses I must assume there are no more errors. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 04:36, 3 August 2012 (CDT)

:::"In the end... there can be only One" Hahahaha. Sorry couldn't resist mentioning [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highlander_%28franchise%29 The Highlander]. Old but gold. Anyways, only one pic left. And the toughest one to boot! [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 00:57, 6 August 2012 (CDT)

:::You guys said Nochi was wrong? You need to '''clearly''' tell me the mistake and it's '''proper''' correction before I can fix it. So which one is it? Tecchi or Thatch? Vol 7 chapters have both, one in the earlier chapters and the other in later ones. So which one is it? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 14:50, 6 August 2012 (CDT)

::::Nah, ask the translators themselves for that. Literally, it is read as Tecchi, which is the one Aiko used. Meanwhile Teh Ping interpreted it as Thatch in english. I don't have any experience translating JP->EN so I don't know for sure. I'm sure it's not Nochi though. [[User:Arczyx|Arczyx]] - [[User_talk:Arczyx|Talk]] 21:57, 6 August 2012 (CDT)

Then I'll have to wait until they decide which one is correct. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 23:23, 6 August 2012 (CDT)

:Stick with Tecchi, those 3 Thatch in volume 7 slipped pass the term check, which was my duty back then. -- [[User:BeginnerXP|BeginnerXP]] - [[User_talk:BeginnerXP|Talk]] 01:59, 7 August 2012 (CDT)

::Understood. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 08:44, 7 August 2012 (CDT)

:One...last...page.... [[User:Castor212|Castor212]] ([[User talk:Castor212|talk]]) 04:52, 11 August 2012 (CDT)

::I need someone to check the last pic. I think there might be a few small things missing. Or absense of «» somewhere. Please check. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 23:54, 13 August 2012 (CDT)

::Alright the final pic is ready to roll. I just need confirmation that the translation is all good. So please? BeginnerXP? Pryun? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 01:05, 14 August 2012 (CDT)

:::It looks fine to me, I wouldn't be able to translate this image anyway, as the quality is so low many kanji aren't even readable (at least to me). -- [[User:BeginnerXP|BeginnerXP]] ([[User_talk:BeginnerXP|Talk]]) 01:19, 14 August 2012 (CDT)

::::Click on the pic to go to the image page. Click on the pic there to go to an image only page. And then zoom in. I hope your browser has that capability. Zoom in to actual size. It's big enough to read. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 01:35, 14 August 2012 (CDT)

::::Well, some of the kanji are smudged even when zoomed. In that case, The first line: '''Original Sword Skills'''; is it encapsulated with «»? I think it is but I need you to make sure. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 01:54, 14 August 2012 (CDT)

::::Oh I see [[User:Dammitt|Dammitt]] made a few adjustments. I guess they're alright with BeginnerXP since he posted after him. I'll make the changes. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 01:57, 14 August 2012 (CDT)

::::Done. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 03:25, 14 August 2012 (CDT)

==== Volume 8 ====

<gallery>
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 08 - 002-003.jpg|Kirito:「......で,团長どのは,何か閃いたことはあるい?」 Romaji = (......De, danchou-dono wa, nanika hirameita koto wa aru I?) Translation = "......So, Guild Leader, do you have any clues?" Kirito - A player trying to save everyone in the VRMMO Death game «SAO» nicknamed the «Black Swordsman». A «Solo Player» who possesses the unique «Dual Blades» skill. Asuna:「......なんなの,この料理?ラーメン?」 Romaji = (......Nan'na no, kono ryōri? Rāmen? Translation = "...... What is this dish? Ramen?" Asuna - Sub-Leader of the «Knights of Blood» Guild. A rapier master nicknamed the «Flash». Healthcliff:「では`この偽ラーメンの味のぶんだけ答えよう」 Romaji = (Dewa `kono nise rāmen no aji no bun dake kotaeyou) Translation = "Then, I'll give you an answer of equal value to this bowl of fake ramen." Healthcliff - Guild Leader of the strongest guild «Knights of Blood». Possesses the unique skill «Holy Sword», known for his overwhelming power. Does not get along very well with Kirito. 
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 08 - 004-005.jpg|Text on top right corner: 「Alright, all the weapons have been fully repaired!!」「Great job!」「Thanks for coming everyone after my sudden notice. I'll be sure to repay everyone, moral-wise! Let's work hard and achieve our goal of obtaining the «Holy Sword Excalibur»!」「Yeah!」 Asuna - Kirito's girlfriend. In «ALO», she plays an Undine spellcaster. Lyfa - Kirito's cousin, real name Suguha. In «ALO», she lives as a free-spirited Slyph Magic Swordswoman. Cline - Kirito's unasked yet inevitable acquaintance. In «ALO» he is a Salamander Swordsman. Yui - A female-type AI Kirito encountered in SAO. In «ALO» she materializes as a navigation pixie, assisting the party Lizbeth - A girl who forged Kirito's sword in SAO. In «ALO», she runs a weapons shop as a Leprechaun. Scilica - A girl whom Kirito helped in SAO. In «ALO» she appears as a Beast Tamer Cait Sith. Sinon - A girl whom Kirito helped in GGO. In «ALO» she plays a Cait Sith Archer. 
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 08 - 006-007.jpg|「—Let's go. I'll draw the «one with the seed»'s attention, please finish off the «one with the flower» quick.」 Coper - The first person Kirito met after playing SAO. 「...... Understood!」 Kirito - A young boy dragged into the "Death Game" SAO. Also a β tester.
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 08 - 008.jpg|Already translated in the image
</gallery>

Please translate these too ..::[[User:Gradient|Gradient]]::.. 04:21, 7 January 2012 (CST)

:If you guys would add the translations here I can photoshop the text into the pics. So please. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 22:20, 19 January 2012 (CST)

::You guys realize that all those color pics are in the book like the black and white pics? Well except for some of the explanation ones. If you are bored, go and find where they belong. By the way, some of the pics are translated at the pic location. [[User:Xplorer30|Xplorer30]] - [[User_talk:Xplorer30|Talk]] 04:21, 23 January 2012 (CST)

Added translation for the first pics, I cannot make out what healthcliff is saying, I am not a translator nor proficient in japanese. --[[User:Kyo171|Kyo171]] 12:48, 26 April 2012 (CDT)

:Got the translation for what healthcliff is saying from reading the chinese translated version, it might not make sense juz by looking at the pic coz it refers to the story. --[[User:Kyo171|Kyo171]] 01:05, 4 May 2012 (CDT)

::Double translation can be problematic. Unlike chapter translation, picture editing takes more effort. To the point where editing is more work than translating. I'd like someone to double check. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 01:47, 4 May 2012 (CDT)

::I corrected the Romaji. Cross-checked with Google translate's phonetic typing function. It's translation capabilities might suck but the phonetic speech and typing functions are the real deal. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 01:54, 4 May 2012 (CDT)

:::oh, what I meant was I got what healthcliff was saying in japanese but since it did not make sense juz solely based only from the context of the picture I did not put it in. So I was reading the chinese translated version of vol 8, and I got to this particular scene of the story so I could translate it more effectively.It should be correct but I could be wrong. --[[User:Kyo171|Kyo171]] 02:20, 4 May 2012 (CDT)

::::I'd like to scanlate them all '''after''' their text has been translated. So can someone please add the translated text? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 08:46, 1 June 2012 (CDT)

Translated the remaining images. --[[User:HolyCow|HolyCow]] 07:00, 23 July 2012 (CDT)

:I'll get to work on these as well. It'll take some time though. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 08:45, 23 July 2012 (CDT)

:Okay these are complete. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 00:53, 6 August 2012 (CDT)

::"Lyfa - Kirito's cousin, real name Suguha." The raw says, Lyfa - Kirito's '''little sister''', real name Suguha.

:::I'll fix it. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 13:44, 6 August 2012 (CDT)

:::There. I chose to make it '''"little sister" (cousin)''' Since imouto, in these circumstances, can be used to refer to both. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 14:46, 6 August 2012 (CDT)

::::Imouto has only single meaning, and it's little sister, if cousin, it's itoko, both are not interchangeable. Yes, I do know she really is his cousin, but what written in the image is what we should stick to. -- [[User:BeginnerXP|BeginnerXP]] - [[User_talk:BeginnerXP|Talk]] 14:54, 6 August 2012 (CDT)

The circumstances are different, he's adopted into the family thus it's okay. I'm aware the normal is Itoko. Besides, I put cousin in brackets so it's fine, no? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 14:58, 6 August 2012 (CDT)

:It's fine if your goal is to describe her using your own words, but it's not fine if your goal is to put the correct translation of the given Japanese text in the image. -- [[User:BeginnerXP|BeginnerXP]] - [[User_talk:BeginnerXP|Talk]] 15:03, 6 August 2012 (CDT)

::Ah I was interrupted before I could write the following. Still... if you '''''strongly''''' feel we should remove it then I'll do so. But then I request the quote marks remain on '''little sister''' as a subtle reference/hint. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 15:06, 6 August 2012 (CDT)

::Otherwise, I foresee a future where the readers begin asking us: "I thought she was his cousin." "What's going on?" "Mistake?", etc, etc. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 15:10, 6 August 2012 (CDT)

:::I have no authority nor desire to force you to change it. I just want to point out that imouto can't mean cousin, that's all. -- [[User:BeginnerXP|BeginnerXP]] - [[User_talk:BeginnerXP|Talk]] 15:17, 6 August 2012 (CDT)

Okay. I do understand your point. That's why I put the cousin in brackets in the first place. And don't mind, I respect your input. So don't hold back and help me out by revising the translations given above. I need and welcome all the help you give me. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 15:26, 6 August 2012 (CDT)

:Regarding the "color tweak", I don't think it was necessary, the colors look out of place. IMHO, translations should stick to giving the same experience as the native speaker would have, which includes not changing the illustrations beyond replacing the text. I think the readers should be able to figure out who is saying what by themselves. - anon (for now) - 00:25, 30 September 2012 (GMT+2)

::Sorry, but I'd like to help the readers as much as I can, ''without changing too much''. The text was too closely written and because of this it could cause confusion for ''some'' readers. In order to avoid that, I decided to make a small exception to make things a bit clearer for the readers. It's only done so for this pic though. I do hope you understand and overlook this as an exception. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 18:41, 29 September 2012 (CDT)

:::The fact you only did it for this picture is what makes it look out of place ^^; As a suggestion, maybe you could make the colors less saturated? Like #a82f38 for Liz and #734669 for Kirito? That way it shouldn't stick out too much, but still help people distinguish between the different people. Thank you for your work so far, everyone. - anon (for now) - 02:53, 30 September 2012 (GMT+2)

==== Volume 9 ====

<gallery>
File:Sword Art Online Vol 09 - 002-003.jpg|
File:Sword Art Online Vol 09 - 004-005.jpg|
File:Sword Art Online Vol 09 - 006-007.jpg|
File:Sword Art Online Vol 09 - 008.jpg|
</gallery>

[[Sword_Art_Online:Volume_9_Illustrations|Volume 9 Illustrations]]. I cleaned all of the volume 9 images and have edited one of the color pics to be english translated. Will do the remaining two as well soon. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 20:47, 6 May 2012 (CDT)

Done last two. All color pics now have their levels corrected and also are English translated. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 12:38, 20 May 2012 (CDT)

:Has anyone noticed that most of the pages/links are missing from this volume? [[User:Zeru|Zeru]] ([[User talk:Zeru|talk]]) 19:40, 14 December 2012 (CST)

yes, what on earth happened? this was fine the last I checked...
[[User:AkaSora|AkaSora]] ([[User talk:AkaSora|talk]]) 20:24, 14 December 2012 (CST)

All that needs to be said is that the translator withdrew his translations, but they can still be read via the PDFs on the forums or from [http://dreadfuldecoding.blogspot.ca/ this blog]. -[[User:AKAAkira|Akira]] ([[User talk:AKAAkira|talk]]) 20:33, 14 December 2012 (CST)

==== Volume 10 ====

<gallery>
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 10 - 002-003.jpg
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 10 - 004.jpg
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 10 - 005.jpg
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 10 - 006-007.jpg
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 10 - 008.jpg
</gallery>

Please Translate these. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 13:48, 11 July 2012 (CDT)

:And can you translate '''all''' the untranslated ones above? You merely have to translate the text and post it, leave the photoshop-ing to me. It's a shame that they're left like that when they can be done quickly. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 13:48, 11 July 2012 (CDT)

::Wow, I am almost scared to see these translated, they look like major spoilers. Does Teh_Ping have the raws yet? [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] - [[User_talk:Draeke|Talk]] - 00:42, 12 July 2012 (CDT)

:::If he doesn't, there are copies in picture format at http://www.manga-zone.org/archives/2468.html

::::Vaelis was the one who uploaded these. Hats off dude. But I'd ''reeeeally'' appreciate it if, at the very least, someone translated the vol 7 & 8 pics above. So I can photoshop them. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 04:01, 12 July 2012 (CDT)

:::::It would definitely be amazing, but seeing as how I can not understand Japanese, I am not really in much of a position to go harassing translators for them. [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] - [[User_talk:Draeke|Talk]] - 09:01, 12 July 2012 (CDT)

i would go photoshop-ing too, if there were some translations. i already leveled the B&W images, not much cleaning to do afterwards. ..::[[User:Gradient|Gradient]]::.. 09:36, 27 July 2012 (CDT)

:Umm. I kinda have dibs on photoshopping the color ones. And I'm currently in the middle of doing the other volumes' color and dialogue ones as well. I'll register myself for them. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 11:40, 27 July 2012 (CDT)

:Here's a teaser for all you hungry guys and gals out there. Enjoy! [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 14:30, 27 July 2012 (CDT)

Is it Tactics Guide or Tactical Guide? I need someone I am familiar with to recheck the second pic and onwards' translations especially the names (preferably BeginnerXP or Pryun or Teh Ping, well if you don't have it checked by the time I'm awake I'm gonna put it in mistakes or not, I'll have the PSD file so correcting will be a cinch). I'm almost done cleaning all the pictures though, but I gotta sleep now. Will do the small remaining portion after I awake around about 6-8 hrs in the future. Also is '''a senior and Xth seat''' meaning a '''senior (aka senpai) as well as a Xth seat''' or a '''senior Xth seat'''? I can't tell for sure. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 17:40, 27 July 2012 (CDT)

:It's senior as in Senpai.

::I've finished the second one. I'll wait a few hours in-case anyone wants to recheck the names, etc. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 04:02, 28 July 2012 (CDT)

::Third one also finished and ready. Waiting for final seal of approval of translations. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 04:27, 28 July 2012 (CDT)

::By ready I mean I've cleaned the pictures as well as inserted the text. All I'm waiting for is the final seal of approval on Median's translations of the pics. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 04:30, 28 July 2012 (CDT)

Hmm. I carefully romanized the names 1 katakana at a time. Is it Uoro or Ouro? Cause the katagana are arranged as Uoro, yet Median translated it as Ouro. Unless there is some special reason? And you still haven't answered whether it's Tactics Guide or Tactical Guide. I just need someone I know to go over this. Other than that I have the PSDs ready to convert to JPG and then upload. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 08:35, 28 July 2012 (CDT)

:If you don't answer soon then I'll modify the names in question to their closest counterparts ie: Solterina Selruto/Sellto/Cellto/etc and Euro Libantein (Don't worry I'll keep the PSDs for later modifications) and choose Tactical since it's more correct. I'll give you guys an hour. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 08:55, 28 July 2012 (CDT)

::I saw your reply in Tomtkp's talk page so I thought you read my answer, but apparently not so let me repeat it again: Terms/Names in these images need to be consistent with the content of the volume 10, which has yet to be translated, you can go ahead and upload images with your version of terms/names, but please be prepared to fix it once the actual content had been posted. Btw, Rinko family name is wrong. -- [[User:BeginnerXP|BeginnerXP]] - [[User_talk:BeginnerXP|Talk]] 09:14, 28 July 2012 (CDT)

:::I intend to keep the PSDs for that purpose. I'll just leave Solterina Seruruto as it is and change the other to Uoro Livantein. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 10:05, 28 July 2012 (CDT)

:::There we go. Do you think [[:Image:Sword Art Online Vol 10 - 004.jpg]] is a little too bright? If so I could redo it. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 10:20, 28 July 2012 (CDT)

...Just looked at one of the images: "I'm just getting started" Makes absolutely no sense. What is the original JP? my guess is I still have a long way to go(if I remember it correctly), or something like that based on the context----[[User:Pryun|Pryun]] - [[User_talk:Pryun|Talk]] 11:46, 28 July 2012 (CDT)

:For each Image page if you scroll to the bottom you will see the '''File History'''. There, click on a lower pic to view a previous version. That's how you can still get the japanese version. I asked over and over again for re-checking... well, I still have the PSD files so just tell me what's wrong and the correct version and I'll fix the problem in a snap. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 12:02, 28 July 2012 (CDT)

::Why so rush with volume 10 anyway? HolyCow already gave you all translations for volume 7&8, shouldn't those have higher priority? Yes, I could translate all those images, but volume 10 isn't mine, I did all translations of image in volume 9 because it was the volume I worked on, I don't want to overstepping my responsibility here.

:::For the feedback, I'd like it more if font choices are closer to original JP version, like Brownsheep's version in volume2/3, or over at Toaru Index project which is very impressive. -- [[User:BeginnerXP|BeginnerXP]] - [[User_talk:BeginnerXP|Talk]] 12:36, 28 July 2012 (CDT)

::::Anime Ace 2.0 is the default. That's why I'm using it. Sorry I don't share the idea that that font is closer to the original JP version. I am doing vol 7&8 as well. They'll be up in the next few days. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 13:33, 28 July 2012 (CDT)

Where have you asked over and over for rechecking? I must be getting old, as I can't see it. Besides, not all translators are so free as to be on this website all the time. I do see you giving "an hour", and I assume that you think that we are all on the same timezone as you or something. --[[User:Pryun|Pryun]] - [[User_talk:Pryun|Talk]] 03:47, 29 July 2012 (CDT)

:Hour? I started asking for rechecks nearly 18 hours in advance: ''Is it Tactics Guide or Tactical Guide? I need someone I am familiar with to recheck the second pic and onwards' translations especially the names (preferably BeginnerXP or Pryun or Teh Ping) -- 17:40, 27 July 2012 (CDT)''. Oh well I guess it wasn't enough time, my bad. So just check and correct the mistakes now and I'll fix it and upload in a jiffy. I still have the PSDs. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 07:11, 29 July 2012 (CDT)

::First of all I don't get why you're so impatient about this. I doubt many people really care if the images get photoshopped immediately, especially the translators who you keep hounding. The way you're asking has a very demanding and spoiled tone. Second, from what I've read on here I thought you understood Japanese at least somewhat as you said you watched stuff raw, so I'm surprised you wouldn't get a set phrase like まだまだ. [[Special:Contributions/74.133.8.182|74.133.8.182]] 11:54, 3 August 2012 (CDT)

:::Dude, I said I understand '''verbal''' japanese, not written. For written I need to run the text through a romanjifier like google translate's phonetic reader. But I can't do that with pictures now, can I? Anyways thanks for the j-text. I just put it through and found that it was "mada mada". But it can actually be translated both ways, as in "I've still got a long way to go" and "I'm just getting started/This isn't all I have/Not yet/etc" But the word that translates to "No" before the term points to "I've still got a long way to go". I know that but it seems the translator didn't and since I couldn't extract the j-text and run it through a romanjification program, thus I missed the error. But now I got it, so... I'll fix it now. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 01:14, 6 August 2012 (CDT)

'Cuse me, but it's Koujiro, not Koujirou [[:File:Sword Art Online Vol 10 - 002-003.jpg|here]]. Thank you very much.—[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] 10:10, 6 August 2012 (CDT)

:Thanks. It's a teaser anyways. We plan on using your translations when you start on Vol 10 (Please begin. This loyal fan awaits your superb translation skills). [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 11:52, 6 August 2012 (CDT)

::I meant that I would have expected someone familiar with Japanese to recognize the phrase from one of its common translations and, based off the context, realize there might be a more appropriate choice in a similar way to how Pryun was thinking. This would be independent of knowing what the original text was. Being able to recognize this sort of thing can really improve your effectiveness as an editor as you would be better able to let the translators know of a possible mistake. [[Special:Contributions/74.133.8.182|74.133.8.182]] 03:54, 7 August 2012 (CDT)

:::How could I when I need to romanjify in order to understand? I guess you overestimated my abilities. The phrase fit the circumstances, even if it was wrong. And whenever I sense a mistake I immediately ask for the j-text, run it through google translate, check both the romanji and the translation (Just checking the translation isn't good enough but the romanji helps a lot), examine the sentence in both languages and then give suggestions. I've helped translators a lot via this method. I do intend to learn written Japanese as well. But pretty soon I'll probably be starting my Masters. So it'll have to be delayed. Anyways, I can't use an OCR (like Capture2Text) on color pictures so I '''must''' rely on translators for that. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 09:03, 7 August 2012 (CDT)

::::Then I recommend you to spend a bit of time to learn Hiragana & Katakana, since you like anime & manga, knowing how to read both kana helps greatly. I learnt how to read them by myself when I was in elementary school to play some jRPG, so it should be a cake for you, I think about a week is all average adults need in order to remember all kana. -- [[User:BeginnerXP|BeginnerXP]] - [[User_talk:BeginnerXP|Talk]] 09:17, 7 August 2012 (CDT)

I've already downloaded a sheet of both. But what of kanji? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 10:29, 7 August 2012 (CDT)

:If you read manga, especially those shounen manga, all kanji will have hirakana characters (furigana) telling readers how it's read, it helps a lot to use that reading to look up the kanji, rather than tracking the kanji via radicals or stroke counts. Learning kanji properly would require a large amount of time (years), so it's entirely down to each person's determination. But kana is simple enough like A-B-C, so it should be a good foundation to have for anyone who enjoys Japanese media. -- [[User:BeginnerXP|BeginnerXP]] - [[User_talk:BeginnerXP|Talk]] 10:44, 7 August 2012 (CDT)

::Unfortunately. I don't live in a country where I can get my hands on the raw shounen or any other kind of manga. In fact I have yet to see manga of any kind in any book store, raw or translated. I watch anime and read manga online. And I don't quite like the idea of downloading gigs of raws only to delete them after reading. But I'll think of something, don't worry. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 14:06, 7 August 2012 (CDT)

::There is a program on sourceforge called zkanji. It's still in it's beta stage but it seems to work well as far as I've seen. It can be used to learn Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji (both reading and writing). I've started using it to learn how to read Hiragana. When that's done, I'll move onto Katakana. And after that finally Kanji. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 22:20, 7 August 2012 (CDT)

::Waiting for the "Totemo shinsetsu hito-tachi" who will translate the last two pics for me, so that I can photoshop them. XD. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 03:27, 14 August 2012 (CDT)

::Teh Ping, could you please re-translate these. Now that you are doing the volume your translations should be used. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 19:04, 18 September 2012 (CDT)

:::Well, the only one left the translate, is the one with Kirito, Eugeo, Ronie (Tea haired) and Teiza (Red Haired). Judging by everything, it should be the scene in Interlude II, where Kirito hands the bag of pies to Ronie, and tells her to share it with her class mates. If you can't translate the whole thing, try translating bits and pieces to get an idea of where in the text this is. I might do it though, if you don't want to xD But either way, it's ineffective, as it could just be wrong all together.. haha...
[[User:Rage|Rage]] ([[User talk:Rage|talk]]) 17:07, 30 September 2012 (CDT)

::::Sorry, but I had already decided that the previous translations would only be teasers until Teh Ping did vol 10. It, preferably, has to be his translations since he's TLing the relevant chapters. So please Teh Ping, TL the color pics as soon as you've finished v10c4. Then I'll photoshop them. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 13:38, 2 October 2012 (CDT)

::::Okay so I've downloaded BeginnerXP's PDF and am going to photoshop using the pic translation there. I should be done in the next 24 hrs. Of course I'll be editing it and the others to be more in line with the volume text translation by Teh Ping (names, etc). [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 11:39, 10 October 2012 (CDT)

::::There we go. Now all that's left are the small mistakes in the other ones. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 14:47, 10 October 2012 (CDT)

::::Okay, I've fixed the names in the remaining v10 pics. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 14:58, 10 October 2012 (CDT)

I don't think it's nice to use someone else's translations, but change the names. Unless you had permission? Still, It would be nice to just have linked to the pdf for those that wanted it, since it was already done and all, instead of taking it up upon yourself to, uh, horriblify the text. I liked BeginnerXP's names and terminology far better than the ones you used... As to who translated those pictures... Uhh, you DLed BeginnerXP's pdfs, who do you think translated them? [[Special:Contributions/124.13.216.92|124.13.216.92]] 02:11, 11 October 2012 (CDT)

:Umm. Listen I know you're trying to be helpful and all but [[Sword Art Online:Volume 10 Interlude II|Teh Ping's chosen translation and naming]] takes priority, since that's what's being read (if BeginnerXP had done it then his would take prority). So it's '''not''' horriblifying. I've been working with both BeginnerXP and Teh Ping for a while now. If they find errors they'll tell me. And since I keep the PSDs thus I can change the text in a few seconds. Thanks for your input. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 05:27, 11 October 2012 (CDT)

::Don't know if my eyes are playing tricks on me or not, but 'Teiza' seems more like Tize to me. Ah, also, Interlude II was done by Melannis, not Teh Ping. [[User:Florza|Florza]] ([[User talk:Florza|talk]]) 05:37, 11 October 2012 (CDT)

:::Yes, It's pronounced Tize. I can see anon's point too, using Beginner's translated pics as reference would be... unfair considering it is his translations, unless you have permission, which I doubt: as he has his own terminology, I assume he prefers his own.--[[User:Pryun|Pryun]] - [[User_talk:Pryun|Talk]] 06:11, 11 October 2012 (CDT)

Quoting: ''If you mean the text in volume 7, the image quality is too poor for me to want to spend my time on. But for volume 8, I already did all of them, just I didn't add them to wiki, you can get the text from my SAO8 PDF I post in forums and edit the images accordingly, you also might need to correct some mistakes as I didn't want to bother Pryun to look at them with his busy schedule. -- BeginnerXP - Talk 05:22, 7 June 2012 (CDT)'' ([[User_talk:Zero2001/Archive_1#SAO_Pics|Thank God I archive my talk page discussions]]). So I do kinda have an okay to at least cross-check and edit. Besides, considering the amount of work done during scanlation, other than text translation (ie: cleaning, leveling, cloning, etc) I don't think it's unfair especially since I'm not taking the credit for the translation, only the editing and photoshopping. Anyways, Teh Ping said this in the history comments: ''Note, this is done by a person called Melannis. I'm really grateful for the help here. (received this through twitter lol)'', therefore it's approved by him and that's good enough for me. But if a proper namer change is decided (forums SAO Names and terminology discussion) then I'll edit it accordingly as soon as I'm informed of it. I have the PSDs after all so it'll be a snap. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 13:22, 11 October 2012 (CDT)

:Other than that, if the translators find an error in the pics then please let me know. I'll fix it at once. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 13:28, 11 October 2012 (CDT)

::I think teh_ping said something about the Tize vs Teiza issue a couple of days ago on twitter but his twitter page is down at the moment, you could try looking there later. I'll probably copy and paste it here if I get to it first. --[[User:Drowzycow|Drowzycow]] ([[User talk:Drowzycow|talk]]) 15:15, 11 October 2012 (CDT)

:::Look... I don't really care about the names (unless they're obviously wrong), but there is a set procedure. Please discuss and decide on the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=3592&sid=b5447c9c8bc496b3f50d16797fa77b6a&start=420 SAO Names and Terminology discussion forum] once you have done so and reached a decision just inform me along with a link to the part of the thread with the decision. I'll immediately make the changes in my PSDs, save them as JPGs and then upload them. Okay? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 16:20, 11 October 2012 (CDT)

::::@Zero2001: At first, I wanted to just ignore this double offensive actions from you (one is taking my translation and change the terms without permission, second is asking in Ping's talk page if there is any error in my translation, as if you picked up something from the street and asked if it's genuine). But I guess I should make it clear as you quote what I said regarding to my image translations in volume 8. I don't mind at all if you use my translation and I also don't mind for grammar corrections that might be needed, but I will never allow anyone to mess with the terms/names I use. Since it's already this late, I won't ask you to take the image down or anything, just please be careful next time.

:::@Drowzycow: Teiza is sure completely wrong, while Tize works, but I think many would read it as "Taiz", that's why I use Tizay, less confusion this way. Please look [http://dreadfuldecoding.blogspot.com/p/pronunciation-guide.html here] for audio samples on how to pronounce both girl names in Interlude II. Also note that we're still trying to fix the issue that it doesn't work on some mobile browsers, so please use desktop browsers for the time being. -- [[User:BeginnerXP|BeginnerXP]] ([[User_talk:BeginnerXP|Talk]]) 20:03, 11 October 2012 (CDT)

::::Ah sorry. I just matched the terms to the text translation. About taking your translation, it seems I mistakenly thought your permission on pic translations would automatically extend to the latest volume. That's my mistake. I sincerely apologise for that. As for my request for correction. Plenty of times in the past it's happened that after I photoshopped the pics, then and ''only then'' people started pointing out the mistakes. So that's why I asked. You should know me well enough BeginnerXP, I hold no ill will in such matters. My apologies. I'll be more careful next time. It seems as you're still conflicted on the issue, so when you guys decide on the spelling of the names then please tell me. I'll change them on the double. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 21:04, 11 October 2012 (CDT)

::::I followed the link and heard the pronounciation. Here's my two chips: Indeed it sounds like Tiz'''ay''' or Tiz'''ei'''. Google translate types ティゼー phonetically as Tizē therefore Tizei would be closer in my opinion. Also, Tizay is short form of "It is ay" (ie: Acting as a confirmation to someone Else's question.) [http://lastnames.myheritage.com/last-name/Tizei Tizei], on the other hand is a name. But I'll leave the choice to you guys. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 21:11, 11 October 2012 (CDT)

==== Volume 11 ====

<gallery>
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 11 - 002-003.jpg|Kirito: These are good. It tastes better than the stuff at the Prancing Deer Inn, Ronye, Tiese. ''A young boy lost within the mysterious «Undersworld». In order to escape from here, he is searching for a «System Console».'' Ronye: Wah, really?! ''A «Valet Trainee» that aims to become an «Integrity Knight» and serves as Kirito's assistant.'' Tiese: Erm, we were the ones who made it, so whether it fits your tastes or not... ''A «Valet Trainee» that aims to become an «Integrity Knight» and serves as Eugeo's assistant.'' Eugeo: Kirito, if you already helped out that much, stop trying to ditch us! ''The first inhabitant Kirito met in this world. Became «Elite Swordsman Trainee» at «North Centoria Master Swords Academy» with Kirito.''
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 11 - 004-005.jpg|Ronye: No... Help... Help, Eugeo-senpai! Eugeo-senpai - ! Tiese: N-no...no...NO...! Eugeo: Uh...gu...ooh...! I, I...!
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 11 - 006-007.jpg|Eugeo: ...Alice...? Is that you...? Are you...Alice...? Alice: I am the Overseer of Centoria, an Integrity Knight of the Axiom Church - Alice Synthesis Thirty. ''An «Integrity Knight» who protects order in the «Human World».''
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 11 - 008.jpg|'''«North Centoria Master Sword Academy and Integrity Knights»''' Located in the center of the Underworld’s «Human World» is the largest city of the Human World, the «Capital Centoria». It is enclosed within a perfect circular rampart with a diameter of ten kilol, and possesses a population of over twenty thousand. The solid walls in the shape of an X divide the circular city into four equal parts, and these separating walls are called the «Eternal Wall». «North Centoria», «East Centoria», «South Centoria», and «West Centoria» are what the divided municipalities are called; they are the capitals of the four empires which divide and rule over the vast Human World. In the middle of the «Capital» is the pure white grand tower that lies at the heart of the Human World, the Axiom Church’s «Central Cathedral». The tower is so tall its zenith is hazy and can't be seen, and the square grounds of the church are enclosed by a high wall, so it is impossible to see what lies inside. The «Eternal Wall» that divides the city of Centoria starts from the Cathedral, and stretches outward in four directions. Within the highest ruling system «Axion Church» there are officers known as «Integrity Knights», and these knights that maintain the order of the world are the Sacred Task that all the swordsmen of the world aspire to. If one passes the entrance exam of the swordsmen training institution «North Centoria Master Sword Academy» in order to aim for the rank of «Integrity Knight», they become a «Beginner Trainee Swordsman» in public. The Trainees train themselves diligently over the period of one year, and at the end of every academy year, they aim for becoming swordsmen of even higher rank during the promotion exam. The final objective of the academy students is to participate in the «Northern Empire Swordsmanship Tournament». Kirito and Eugeo are aiming to win the competition even higher than that, the «Four Empires Unity Tournament» that is the highest swordsmanship tournament in the Human World, where the winners are appointed as honorable «Integrity Knights».

</gallery>

Notes:
*<s>Not 100% sure on Kirito's comment, that's the best I could guess
*Reason for changing Ronie's first comment's comma to exclamation point was since "Wow, really?" seems to be used with too much sarcasm too often these days
*I'm pretty sure there's a more eloquent way for Teiza to hint the gesture, but it's evading me at the moment
*Since 打ち can mean both "hit" and "reach", a possible but slightly less likely different interpretation is: "Kirito, if it turns out that my fist can reach you, you don't have to run away, okay?"
**I peeked at what PROzess translated so far and...well, one word: context. Rather facepalm-worthy. As such, changed Eugeo's quote. But, Teiza's quote is somewhat confusing. Unless it's a case of ''extremely'' liberal context usage, I don't think she even uses that particular quote in-story. Can someone correct me?</s>
***Ronye says that bit, which explains why I didn't find ''Tiese'' it. And yup, another botched trans.
*<s>Intros of the first pic are the same as the previous volume, except for the second half of Eugeo's</s>
*Also, not quite sure if it's "Elite Swordsman Trainee" or just "Elite Swordsman" - but then again, previous volumes had them interchanged, so maybe it doesn't matter?
*If anyone wants to dispute my interpretations, here's a quick dump of all kanji used in the first three pics: 君跳鹿亭優劣味私作口合打解今逃修剣学院上級士助僕君人界秩序守市域統括公理教会
-[[User:AKAAkira|Akira]] ([[User talk:AKAAkira|talk]]) 15:59, 15 December 2012 (CST)

As soon as these are fully translated I will photoshop them. The first pic is still incompletely translated at this point (only one of the character descriptions has been translated the others haven't, even I can tell). [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User Talk:Zero2001|Talk]] 05:45, 16 December 2012 (CST)

:As this wiki lacks a flashy quote template, I'll just make do with pointing out my fifth bullet point in the notes.

:On the other hand, I still suggest waiting until at least one other pair of eyes goes over them before actually using the translations. This was my first time, I'm almost afraid to think how much I could've messed it up. -[[User:AKAAkira|Akira]] ([[User talk:AKAAkira|talk]]) 16:50, 16 December 2012 (CST)

I know the character descriptions for Kirito, Ronie and Teiza are already technically done in Vol 10, but I thought I'd put up my own translation of them in case anyone wants to use it. (Feel free to comment or suggest changes.) Also, I intend to translate the story description on the fourth page, if nobody minds. --[[User:Eternal Dreamer|Eternal Dreamer]] ([[User talk:Eternal Dreamer|talk]]) 14:39, 22 December 2012 (CST)

:For the record, I ''was'' planning to do it, but this is what I get for procrastination. ^^' I did a quick proofread, though. -[[User:AKAAkira|Akira]] ([[User talk:AKAAkira|talk]]) 17:14, 24 December 2012 (CST)

" It tastes better than those prancing deers at the pavilion, " shouldn't it be "it tastes better than those at the Prancing Deer's Pavilion,"?

:Yes, it should be. I didn't realize it was a name initially, which was why I was so confused. In volume 10 it was translated as "Jumping Deer Inn", so I'll go with that for now. -[[User:AKAAkira|Akira]] ([[User talk:AKAAkira|talk]]) 17:14, 24 December 2012 (CST)

Already, the story description is done on the fourth page. As for the location text on the map itself, it's the exact same as the one from Vol 10, so just copy it from there. --[[User:Eternal Dreamer|Eternal Dreamer]] ([[User talk:Eternal Dreamer|talk]]) 10:03, 24 December 2012 (CST)
:I don't know a thing about Japanese, but looking at the Raw images for the last image in both this vol and from vol 10, there's only one difference in regards to the location texts.. There's a spelling differentiation in the line where "Indomitable Wall" is.. It's the second character only though, so I'm not really sure what that translates to... [[User:Rage|Rage]] ([[User talk:Rage|talk]]) 10:27, 7 January 2013 (CST)
:My stubbornness made me look up the character XD... For some reason, Reki renamed the wall from 不屈の壁 (Indomitable Wall) to 不朽の壁 (Timeless Wall (according to Google Translate))... Could it be a typo on the behalf of one of the editors of the LN? or was it a hint regarding the story? [[User:Rage|Rage]] ([[User talk:Rage|talk]]) 12:30, 7 January 2013 (CST)

You can translate Ronie's comment to "Wah, really?". It'd sound more sincere that way -[[User:M.A.D|M.A.D]] - [[User_talk:M.A.D|Talk]] 22:55, 5 January 2013 (CST)

Just two more pages~
SOrry if I sounded demanding, didnt mean to. [[User:Castor212|Castor212]] ([[User talk:Castor212|talk]]) 02:32, 16 March 2013 (CDT)

==== Volume 12 ====
<gallery>
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 12 - 002-003.jpg|Kirito: Eugeo, I'll stop the first attack somehow, so it's your job to get a strike in. ''A young boy lost within the mysterious «Virtual World», Underworld. In order to escape, he is searching for a «System Console».'' Eugeo: —Got it. ''The first inhabitant Kirito met in this world. Became «Elite Swordsman Trainee» at «North Centoria Master Swords Academy» with Kirito.'' Deusolbert Synthesis Seven: To bathe in the fires of this «Flame Bow» should have meant to become purified for two years. I see, it appears you truly possess the skills Knight Eldrie Thirty-one argued you had, despite being criminals. ''An Integrity Knight who uses the «Flame Bow».''
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 12 - 004-005.jpg|Fanatio Synthesis Two: This is farewell, you young, foolish criminal. The light hidden inside this Heaven-Piercing Sword, I free from its shackles right now! —Release Recollection! ''The Integrity Knights' Deputy Head Knight who mastered the «Heaven-Piercing Sword».'' Kirito: Uooooh!
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 12 - 006-007.jpg|Kirito: I'm Swordsman Trainee Kirito, and I want a fair swords match with Miss Changed Knight Alice! Alice Synthesis Thirty: —It's all right, your wicked hearts are such low things that I suppose you may try with that sword of yours. ''An Integrity Knight who wields the «Osmanthus Sword».''
Image:Sword Art Online Vol 12 - 008.jpg|'''Central Cathedral''' Located at the middle of Underworld's «Human World» is its greatest city, «Capital Centoria». At the core of «Capital», the heart of the Human World itself, there exists the pure white superstructure, «Central Cathedral». The tower's zenith is at a height that peters out into obscurity, and the church's square grounds are surrounded by high walls; peeking inside is utterly impossible. The supreme body «Axiom Church», governing the Human World from «Central Cathedral», maintain peacekeepers named «Integrity Knights», and these knights that protect the order of the world are what every Trainee Swordsmen in the world yearn to become. The Cathedral is built with a hundred floors in all, and the top floor contains a room for the High Priestess.　The middle floors host monks, priests, and so on, and those who conduct the business necessary for the Axiom Church to rule the Human World also live there. On the third floor is an armory, but the fiftieth floor has a utility called «The Great Hall of the Spirit World's Light»
</gallery>

Notes:
*Kirito & Eugeo's descs borrowed and modified from Eternal Dreamer's descs from last volume.
*Not entirely sure Deusolbert's referring to himself or his bow.
*熾 turned up "Seraphim" in Google Translate. No idea what's up with that.
**熾焰 in Chink can mean something along the lines of "Blazing". Also, Sky Piercing Sword sounds better than Heaven Piercing Sword to me.
***Eeh, "Heaven" sounds more flashy to me, when it's "Heaven Piercing" vs "Sky Piercing"...unless it's maybe something like "Skysplitter". -[[User:AKAAkira|Akira]] ([[User talk:AKAAkira|talk]]) 19:45, 3 May 2013 (CDT)
*実 has way too many different positive trait translations. "Sincerity", "truth", "fidelity", "faith", "confidence", "devotion", "trust", "reliance"... I think "purity" works best here, though.
**From context, it seems like it's been two years since he last used the bow's true ability. The bow becomes engulfed in flames when it's Enhance Armament is activated.
*I ''think'' いか in this case is supposed to be the 以下 kind. I think.
*剣筋 stumped me. Pretty sure it's supposed to be a compound word, but no idea what it entails. I just left it at "sword".
*"Superstructure" there isn't intrinsically correct, but it definitely sounds good - better than "great tower" (which I'm pretty sure is the original meaning) and more accurate than "skyscraper" (especially with the modern image that word draws upon).
*I'm pretty sure 霞んで見えない basically says "so hazy it can't be seen", but that was kinda hard to conform into a "the tower's zenith is at a height" sentence structure, and I thought "obscurity" covers both the "indistinct" and "lack of ability to see" bases well enough anyway.
*I think this のぞき　is the 覗き kind?
*Strictly speaking, 憧れの天職 translates more as "yearn to take as their calling", but..."yearn to become" is virtually the same meaning.
*Not entirely sure about 先活. 先 is along the lines of "former" and 活 is basically "lives"...but apparently 活　is a synonym for 生, and 先生 is ''sensei''. For now, went with the former, since that makes more sense in context.
*Kanji dump in case someone wants to refute: 初撃止前斬込仮想解熾焔弓炎浴実二年振騎士渡合技咎人操整合若愚天穿剣秘光今枷放副長司修改殿尋常立会所望邪心剣筋試金木犀剣操整合
*Kanji dump of fourth pic: 人界中央部位置最大市真心純白巨塔天頂霞見高正方形教会敷地壁囲内部不可能統治組織公理教会整合騎士武官世秩序守修剣憧天職全百階構造上司祭屋層道統治必要業務執行員先活三武具保管庫五十霊光回廊呼設備

====Volume 13====
<gallery>
File:Sword Art Online Vol 13 - 002-003.jpg|'''Eugeo:''' "...Relaxed, aren't you."'''Bercouli Synthesis One:''' "Now that's one uncommon stance, boy. ...You don't happen to practice the Continual Sword, do you?"
File:Sword Art Online Vol 13 - 004-005.jpg|'''Kirito:''' "Your real name is Alice Schuberg. As you are right now, you're just ≪Alice in name≫, created by Administrator."'''Alice Synthesis Thrity:''' "Alice Schuberg... That is, my, name...? I don't recall anything at all..."
File:Sword Art Online Vol 13 - 006-007.jpg|'''Eugeo:''' "I have nothing more to say to you. Let our battle begin... that's what the lot of you are here for, isn't it?"
File:Sword Art Online Vol 13 - 008.jpg|
</gallery>

Uploaded scans of the Illustrations. That' about as far as I went, haha... [[User:Rage|Rage]] ([[User talk:Rage|talk]]) 00:32, 14 August 2013 (CDT)
:Tap translated some of them in the forum. --[[User:Kuno|Kuno]] - [[User talk:Kuno|Talk]] 19:35, 14 August 2013 (CDT)
:Yeah, I forgot about those! haha...
Is tap doing the translation for this volume too?
:[http://www.taptaptaptaptap.net/interlude-iv/ yeah].

*Kanji dump of the 4th picture's floors: 地下牢 (Underground jail/prison), 螺旋階段 (the prison's spiral staircase) 大図書館 (Great Library), 西面1F バラ園 (Rose garden), 3F 武具保管庫, 29F: 階段, 30F: «飛竜» 発着場, 50F:霊光の大回廊, Elevator: 昇降盤, 80F:雲上庭園 90F: 大浴場, 95F: 暁星の望楼, 96~99F: 元老院, 100F: 最上階居室 --[[User:Gsimenas|Gsimenas]] ([[User talk:Gsimenas|talk]]) 13:35, 20 August 2013 (CDT)

==== SAO Progressive Vol 1 ====
<gallery>
Image:Sword Art Online Progressive Vol 1 - 002.jpg|Kirito: “…That was an extreme overkill just now.” ''A swordsman that aims to reach the top floor of «Aincrad». He decided to strengthen only himself and became a «Solo Player».'' Asuna: “…Everyone is going to die anyway.” ''A player that has been imprisoned within «Sword Art Online». She does nothing but fight monsters with no concern for her own life.''
Image:Sword Art Online Progressive Vol 1 - 003.jpg|Kirito: “While we hunted just now, you saved up the targeted amount of strengthening materials for the Wind Fleuret, right?” Nezuha: “I got it, then please allow me to take your weapon and materials.” ''A blacksmith that runs a business in the eastern square of «Urbus», the main town of «Aincrad»’s second floor.''
Image:Sword Art Online Progressive Vol 1 - 004-005.jpg|Kirito: “—First, let’s defeat the enemy.” Asuna: “……Yes.” Egil: “Until you finish drinking your pot, we’ll support you guys.” ''A player that has been imprisoned within «Sword Art Online». Member of the «Floor Boss Subjugation Party». A young man with a large build that doesn’t look Japanese. His main weapon is a two-handed battleaxe.'' Kibaou: “Listen up, you guys should just take on the small fry kobold mobs that slip past my party as your enemy.” ''A player that has been imprisoned within «Sword Art Online». Member of the «Floor Boss Subjugation Party». He hates «Beta-Players» that have more information on «SAO» than other players. His main weapon is a one-handed sword.'' Diabel: “Everyone…There’s only one thing I have left to say! Let’s win!!” ''The leader of «Aincrad»’s first «Floor Boss Subjugation Party». He leads the forty-odd players of the capturing group. His main weapon is a one-handed sword.'' Illfang the Kobold Lord: “UGURUUOOOOOOOO———!!” ''The Floor Boss Monster that lies hidden within the farthest depths of the twentieth floor of «Aincrad»’s First Floor Maze.''
Image:Sword Art Online Progressive Vol 1 - 006-007.jpg|Kirito: “Here it comes!” Baran the General Taurus: “VUUVOOOOOOO————!!” ''The Floor Boss Monster that lies hidden within the farthest depths of the twentieth floor of «Aincrad»’s Second Floor Maze.''
Image:Sword Art Online Progressive Vol 1 - 008.jpg|Done
</gallery>

Give me the translations here and I'll photoshop them as usual. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 13:19, 20 October 2012 (CDT)

Although... judging from the awesome quality and colorings, it seems cleaning will be tougher than usual. This will be fun for me. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 17:14, 20 October 2012 (CDT)

Just thought I'd add the translations for the images, since I'm starting on doing "Aria in the Starless Night". Of course, anyone is free to point out corrections to make, I only made these on the spot. --[[User:Eternal Dreamer|Eternal Dreamer]] ([[User talk:Eternal Dreamer|talk]]) 12:18, 21 December 2012 (CST)

==Editor==

OK some of you might notice that this thing has an editor all of a sudden. I've done this 'without' a supervisor..... I hope that's OK.... O.o

:Feel free to keep editing if you see something wrong though, we're only two pairs of eyes and it's highly probable that we'd miss something. Also we aren't perfect.

::This is also not going to affect the speed in any way (well except for only today I think... since y'know it's going to be first 'gap' but it'll be back to normal. Actually you guys won't even notice).

:::You're never be going to be waiting for too long.... well unless I'm translating slowly. If the editor hasn't put the next chap up in two days I'll put mine up first. The editor can chance it with his (or her???? Now I think about it I don't know O.O) version. But I don't think that that's going to happen.

:::And thank you all for reading!!!!

:::--[[user:sharramon|sharramon]]-- Jan. 16, 11:19:24 UTC

Far from perfect. We're both ESL (English as Second Language) people after all. The good news is that I can do Chinese-English proofreading/editing, the bad news is that tenses are a weakness for me. I'm trying to keep an eye out on other people's edits and track what kind of things I miss, but if you notice a particular pattern that I fault in please don't hesitate to fix and/or drop me a note. Also, having more editors is usually a good thing. -- Aorii

:I should have asked before putting up my rather literal translation up, but is that okay? It has already be reverted though.
As when I went through the japanese text, some stuff was missing.
By the way, the tense used is past tense, right? Tenses should be same throughout the novel. -KuroiHikari

Hello, i was just wondering if you guys would accept another editor here. I have read almost all 9 volumes, and there are always many, MANY grammatical errors and weird literal translations in the text. The translation itself is solid, but it is just really awkward to read. I do really appreciate the work you guys put into this, and I'm not trying to demean or anything, but i think i could contribute greatly to the editing of this novel. I am very proficient in english, and I could probably edit a chapter in 2-3 days, or faster depending on the length of the chapter. If you'll accept me, you could send me an unedited text from something to test my skills if required. I would be happy to lend a hand to such a great project. [[User:Jasou|Jasou]] 01:20, 20 June 2012 (CDT)

:Some translations are literal for a reason. Excessive '''Englishification''' ruins the original meaning and funniness. Just be careful. And please sign you posts with <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 17:33, 19 June 2012 (CDT)

:I've reviewed your edit on Volume 9 Interlude I. I think it's okay, but since I don't have the original japanese LN, I can't say for sure. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 17:37, 19 June 2012 (CDT)

::hey guys, I edited a bit on the part 1 of volume10 ch4. I hope that's fine :)
[[User:AkaSora|AkaSora]] ([[User talk:AkaSora|talk]]) 09:09, 13 September 2012 (CDT)

So, I started reading the novels after having watched the anime. I really like it and I appreciate the work, but I think there's a lot that I could offer as an editor. Besides odd sentence structure, I've seen a few misspellings. I know it says on the main page to contact a supervisor if you want to join the project, but I'm not sure how to go about doing that. If someone could help me out, I would appreciate it. --[[User:nVitius|nVitius]] 3:00, 5 January 2013 PST

:Supervisor for SAO is Sharramon. Contact via [[User talk:Sharramon]], or PM on the forums, I think. That's only if you want to be a registered Editor, though. [[Format guideline#Anonymous Editors]] encourages drive-by edits. -[[User:AKAAkira|Akira]] ([[User talk:AKAAkira|talk]]) 19:27, 5 January 2013 (CST)

==This is REALLY GOOD!!!!==
I really like this. When I first started reading it sounded like just another virtual reality/MMORPG anime... thing, but now, it looks really cool!
Please Give us chapter four soon!

:I agree with this fellows statement as well. It sounded dumb at first, but the character's feel far more realistic than I would have thought. I hope this gets alot of attention. Good luck Sharramon!

::I like this a lot too. Sounded and is very interesting Very good novel. Please continue...

:::Thank you all ^^ I've done chap four now! But it's more of a run through of how the situation was like in Aincrad. The story starts properly from chapter five. I'll try to translate that as quick as possible too!
::::I love you

::::Thanks for the update

This is good! I like the development in chapter 5. Will wait until next update! I look forward to the next chapter, from what I see in the illustration there will be some romance...

:Dammit now I want chapter 6... Please give it to us soon!!! PLEASE!!!! And thank you once again for translating this!

::This overwhelming pressure! XD I'm workin' on it! I'll try and get it up soon but the soonest SHOULD be Thursday but we'll see!

:::Thank you very much for your effort! ^^ Awaiting next update eagerly... You update surprisingly fast^^. Please do not take this as a pressure but as encouragement^^

This is turning into a pretty good response column, and for a nifty reason; SAO is pretty kick ass. All our thanks go out to you, Sharramon, keep up the good work! ps BTW you have the fastest chapter updates I've seen in awhile! and as the previous comment mentioned, that isn't some weird pressure build up, its a compliment.

:I agree this is really good, thanks for the translations

:BTW you have the fastest chapter updates I've seen in awhile!

::That's most probably because this light novel has the shortest chapters that you've seen in a while! :D And chap 6 done! Hell yeah!

:::Thanks for chapter 6. This is a really good light novel. Can't wait for the next chapters. I would like to know though when you get volume 2 whether Kirito stays with Asuna after volume 1 or not. Because looking at the covers for volumes 2 and 3 it seems he teams up with other girls.

::::He does stay with her. Book two's about the past and the third book is about saving her from a game or something by what I gather...

:::::Thanks for the info. I was agonizing over the thought that she might have died and he moved on to party with another player.

::::::I shouldn't say so much! I'm spoiling people!

Seeing the update section.... I've realized that I've done more than a chap every two days WITHOUT the prologue O.O.....

:That's why you're Sharramon-sama :) thanks for the great releases xD

::damn! this is like reading Naruto. No, not the storyline, but on the updates... (yours is of course, much faster than the weekly updates) but nonetheless, the suspense, the waiting... it feels the same. Anyway, thank you for the fast updates! SPOILERS!!!!! nuooohh!!!

:::oh shit now I'm going to this page regularly just to see if there is any updates..

don't understand third volume images ç.ç aren't they supposed to have their true form? so why there are non.humans? waiting fro spoileeeers XD

:You will understand once the translation gets that far. It's not fun being spoiled. Because you just keep wanting to know more.

You are awesome and so is this book! I know this is a minor point, but semicolons are meant to separate two closely related things that could be sentences by themselves, like the first line of the synopsis. For parts like "...floating castle, 'Aincrad'; he distinguished...", it should really be commas on both sides of Aincrad.

:Wooo, I left this for a while and its already this much already XD YAY! Again and again, thank you so much, Sharramon-sama XD

::Thanks for chapter 14! Too bad there isn't a picture of Kirito in his KoB uniform =(

:::at first, I thought that SAO is just a .hack><druaga><yureka look-a-like... I was wrong. seriously... I'm jealous of Kirito ;_; Sharramon-kakka, you have my deepest gratitude (for your speed-translating). keep up the good work! XD -randompasserby

::::chapter 18 is already out!! CHEERS! XD

== keep up the good work! ==

you know, you have the breaking record for the fastest update in baka-tsuki...
And we love you!

:^^ What this person said. We LOVE you Sharramon-sama :D.

::Sama O.O....

:::Uh...We LOVE you Sharramon-dono*? :D

::::We aren't samurai either.

:::::Let's go with san!... or kun? Hell I'll take tan!XD

::::::Nah, I prefer Sharramon-kakka myself. So let's use that!

You guys are bloating his persona, he'll be crowning himself emperor of britannia soon at this pace :p
:He IS the rightful ruler after all, so that would make sense.

::Nah, You guys... Just say it like this "Sharramon-nyoro!!!!" RIGHT?

:::How about Shar-tan? He is Paya-tan's master!

All hail Britannia! (really couldn't resist saying that). I wonder what I'd like more... geass or a deathnote?

:Easy. You like SAO the most!

::Hey, wait... I'm a supervisor???

:::Started reading the first volume a couple days ago, finished it in one setting. I can't tell you guys how supremely awesome you are for bringing this book into english. Great Job and many thanks!

==Volume Names==
Both the first and second volumes are called "Aincrad"? Weird...

:That's how they are named. Take a look at the third colour page for volume 01 and 02.
{| style="background:black; color:black"
|They are named after the setting they take place in or so it seems.
|}
::I know that, I was just commenting on how it was odd.

:::It all makes sense after reading the descriptions of thos images from volume 3 above.

== So because I couldn't wait... ==

I thought hey why not use ATLAS to translate the raw to at least get a hint of what's going to happen.
This did not go well, I mean although the program boasts its amazing accuracy in translating, when I translated the whole novel it didn't even make sense at all. In fact, a Google online translation did better than the $1,400 program.
So in conclusion, I decided to patiently wait . . . okay never mind! Please!!!! I can't wait! where's the next chapter...
Thank you for translations, I really appreciate it. I LOVE Sword Art Online!-Jun

I actually did the same thing, but I could understand like one sentence out of 15, and it also helps if you know what ATLAS translates the names as. I also found a timeline of SAO's events, and used Rikaichan to skim through it (I probably look for spoilers a little too much on series I really like, and I wasn't disappointed). Anyway though, I've been meaning to ask this: sharramon, are you using official Korean translations or fan translations?
-Enigma

Official. I'm translating with the book in my hands.... I'll have to buy another one. This one's gotten really dirty XP

I did as well. Oddly, I can figure out quite much of chapter 5 with it. It hurt my eyes and mind though. It feels like deciphering a code @-@. I decide to quit because the deciphering work reduce the enjoyment in reading it and when I read sharramon-sama's translation to find out he bits I'm missing, it just won't as fun since I got to know part of the stroy already.

@Enigma wait there is Korean translations of Sword Art Online? If there is, where could I get my hands on it? -Jun
Edit: Oh wait, never mind. I ordered the Korean version through AladdinUS. Can't wait to read it ^_^ -Jun

== Historic moment ==

SAO is most probably the first book in a while that got first place in daily views within a single month of it being put up in this forum! Thank you all!!! (is burning with a NEED to translate faster XD)

== Discussion Forum? ==

Sup. Kenena here~
Anyway, is there a forum for SAO (I guess its also ALO too, but whatever)? I dont wanna making a new comment here every time I want to ask something. Link or something would be great.

-Kenena

In the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/ Baka-Tsuki Forum] in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewforum.php?f=44 Auxiliary Brigades section] can be created additional threads if they are need for discussions about SAO, but there is also already a [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=3128 thread for SAO] --[[User:Darklor|Darklor]] 09:38, 8 February 2010 (UTC)

== Volume 3 query ==

Just wondering but could it be that Kirito and Asuna get out of SAO in the 1st volume but Asuna gets kidnapped and put into[Alvheim Online]? And then Kirito goes into the game to save her? Cause this pic looks like Kirito looking at Asuna with the nerve gear:http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/images/4/43/Sword_Art_Online_Vol_03_-_043.jpg

http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Image:Sword_Art_Online_Vol_03_-_000a.jpg
http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Image:Sword_Art_Online_Vol_03_-_003.jpg

I think these two should answer your question.

Well usually to know this kind of things you wait for the volume to be translated don't you u_u.

===Chapter 3/4===
If the book version has only three chapters, then our translation should have also only three chapters, since the web version is gone and the book version is working as the translation reference... --[[User:Darklor|Darklor]] 14:38, 11 April 2011 (UCT)

Ive been studying japanese for quite a while now, and can happily sayim slowly progressing,and as such decided to buy the published version that's still in japanese, two questions now: one, is it in kanji/furigana? and two if not what level of reading should I know to be able to read it effectively

== What are we going to do with 16.5 in the full text version? ==

Eventually Volume 1 will be finished, and we will do what we always do with a finished volume: make a full text!! But we have this chapter 16.5 complicating the situation. Does it go in? Stay out? Make two versions (what I think is would be best)? Something else? Let's decide what's going to happen before the volumes done.

I say make a full text with reference to 16.5 but not actual text...or throw in a link to 16.5 with a dire "read at own disgretion" message.

-Ence

I think we should make 2 versions of it, SFW and NSFW... XD - RandomPasserBy

:Don't add it to the full text. I wouldn't even add it to the volume 1 overview nor to the "forward to.." box, to be honest. 16.5 may be canon, but it is not part of the book. As far as I know, he had this chapter only posted on his back-site without any reference on the front page. [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] 08:16, 26 February 2010 (UTC)

oh yeah, now that you mention it... the book can't possibly have this chapter...

Considering all the killing, explicit violence that the book has, its already at least 16+ or young adults.. can't rate something M just because of some cybersex.. -Irec

Wouldn't it be better to, at least, put a link in the full text to let those who want to read it in the good context be able to read it ?

I think a link with a warning would work.

Chapter 16 still links to 16.5... is this intentional or a a side-effect of the nav template? -[[User:Milki|milki]] 03:53, 18 February 2012 (CST)

I did not realise there was a chapter 16.5 at all before I came over this... And now that I've seen it, I agree that it shouldn't be put in the full text. What I'm wondering about, though, is if Reki Kawahara really wrote this himself, where it was published and how on earth it came to this site. Oh, and this chapter might be a little hard to notice if you go directly to the full text to read volume 1.

-

You know - this is pretty much under the carpet now, but I think this was handled pretty poorly. If 16.5 was not canon, it should have been put under the side stories with an R-18 warning. The author had it on his website with other stories that are up here, so the argument that he didn't write it is not a very good one. Age appropriate is not good either - R-18 warning as stated, but this site is not an all-ages site to begin with. You have R-18 visual novel projects, Type-Moon's numerous titles, etc. Some of the posts for removing it were downright confusing: "it left a bad taste in my mouth." Or "look at what people recognize me for." I'm sorry, but...what? You didn't like a chapter, so it should be erased from history? One is going to quit translation of this series because of the "infamy" of it? I know you aren't in this for public recognition, so why do you care about that? This massive double standard with sexual content is an American value style product that confuses me, but it shouldn't be influencing what goes up and comes down. We have titles on here that involve graphic descriptions of extreme violence, graphic descriptions of sexual content and innuendo, as well as images of nude people of all ages and violence against them to accompany them. I am really disappointed that management is going down this route, because it's only a matter of time before other titles get censored or screwed up because of this new standard. - somewhat disappointed and concerned long time reader. --Anonymous

:Sadly too true... :( --[[User:Darklor|Darklor]] ([[User talk:Darklor|talk]]) 01:10, 17 September 2012 (CDT)

...Now, what do you say we do with this? If you're going to tell us to restore it for the sake of the fans, save your letters. If you're targetting at me, fine, just say it to my face, no need to be discreet. I'm the bad guy here after all...

And yeah, I'm losing my patience with dealing with this again...

Darklor...we should talk...--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] ([[User talk:Teh Ping|talk]]) 01:30, 17 September 2012 (CDT)

In my opinion, this wouldn't be so much issue if the chapter wasn't included in volume 1 to begin with, it being up there caused confusion to many readers as they think it's actually in the published version, I was under that very impression for a while, until I had chance to check the JP book version.

@anon, it seemed you misunderstood the fact, author really wrote 16.5 and he really put it on his website, but he ''never'' put it along with the web version of Aincrad arc, he made a temporally R-18 section named 'Word Gear Reverse' and put 16.5 along with some R-18 stories written by someone else there. So putting it in volume 1 section is a bad idea, and that's the reason I was strongly against it.

Currently BT has a vague stance about the mature content, there is no rule preventing the mature content to be hosted on wiki, but in forums, the rules clearly stated that posting mature content is not permitted. Maybe the higher ups could discuss about this double standard and come up with a single rules set for both wiki and forums.

On a side note: Why so many complaints about the removal of 16.5 but no one cares that ME1&3 can't be hosted here? Especially when ME1 is mentioned in both anime & published volumes. Just curious. -- [[User:BeginnerXP|BeginnerXP]] ([[User_talk:BeginnerXP|Talk]]) 08:33, 17 September 2012 (CDT)

Honestly, I don't want to shift the blame here nor try to explain myself since I suppose none of you would want to hear me out, so I'll take responsibility for this. Mature content '''can''' be posted on the wiki, but '''must''' be labelled with a warning, an R-18 tag. However, this is a different case for the forums, where no one is allowed to post such stuff. If you wonder why there is a different standard for the forums, it's because the rules for the forums were 'copied' from Animesuki...Personally, I don't believe there's a need to review it.

As for your last paragraph, Beginner, I think you would know the answer...--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] ([[User talk:Teh Ping|talk]]) 21:31, 17 September 2012 (CDT)

I was not trying to shift blame, only point out the issues with said reasoning. I was particularly surprised that Ping said what he did because he always seemed opposed to removing content over anything that didn't involve content getting licensed or users making unjust profits. Like I said, I just thought it was handled poorly: it should have simply been moved to the side story section and given an R-18 warning. I did not know about other stories being removed, but if they have, I would of course recommend the same action. Removing R-18 content like this just creates needless problems involving content that BT shouldn't have to deal with. For example, it's really easy to argue that DxD or Campione should not be hosted because of their content based on this decision (there is not a single warning of R-18 content either.) It is not any of you guys' responsibility to be the parent for children lurking the internet, anyway. It had a warning when I read it last time, and when I came back to re-read SAO, it was gone completely. I do not have any thoughts about the forum; as it is separate from the Wiki, I do not think it is a problem to enforce a different set of rules. On a closing note, please take this less personally, Ping. I am not making you out to be a "bad person" or whatever strange thoughts you're having. I wanted my thoughts known, but I didn't want to clog up the forum seeing as it seemed to be a dead issue. While I would want any removed stories to be restored, the management and translators such as yourself are obviously the ones who have the final word. Restricting content because it doesn't appeal or seem appropriate to (x) audience is a dangerous direction to go for BT though, I feel. Take it easy and thanks for reading. --Anonymous

@Beginner, does ME 1 & 3 contain questionable content? All I know is that they are doujins, so might not belong in a LN wiki like BT. Maybe a link might be good instead of no content (which had me assume no work was done on it, up until recently), but thats up to the heads.

@Teh Ping, I respect you for your decision to take responsibility for the ire of readers on removing the chapter, though I think its not something you have to do (if it was made out of frustration and a wish for the topic to be dropped). Not sure what was the cause of the removal (I'm willing to listen if you have the time to chat), I cannot help but feel those who complain so much about it, will not or can not see beyond wanting to have everything in one place for their convenience (the internet is a wide place after all). For those stating it affects BT, do realize that even novels on the market are constantly being revised and edited as they are reprinted, to fit the standards of the time. Removing one event which does not have much plot context (unlike the anime...) and is not even part of the published novel is not going to affect anything, and is a weak point for argument. Comparing other LNs to this is even weaker, considering those rarely even reach the level of content shown here (LNs get edited before release as well...) So do consider your argument on insisting you must be able to find it on BT.--[[User:Gabgrave|Gabgrave]] ([[User talk:Gabgrave|talk]]) 01:51, 18 September 2012 (CDT)

@Anon, While I don't read nor watch DxD & Campione, I know for sure that those 2 series are at most R-15 and still can be sold at normal channels in Japan, while 16.5 is in a completely different situation, it's clearly R-18 and will never be able to sell alongside other light novels even if it's published. It's fine if you compared 16.5 to our visual novel projects, but please give a legit example of R-18 light novel hosting here.

@Gabgrave, ME1&3 are manga written by author himself, their content are clean, and I particularly like ME1 too, you should be able to find them at some online manga reading sites. The reason we can't hosted them even though they're both completely scanslated now, is because of its nature, we don't host manga here unless the script is posted as well (like ME2). The reason is legit and I respect that decision, it's just funny that the removal of the questionable content caused so much stir within SAO community here, while 2 clean & good legit stories from the same author not being here didn't raise any question nor request.

@Beginner, Thanks for the description, I have the links and will be looking them up. I think why people are not commenting is because like me, they see the red links in the page, and assume they are not translated yet. Only if we happen across some comments that make us aware that they do exists already, then we start looking for it.--[[User:Gabgrave|Gabgrave]] ([[User talk:Gabgrave|talk]]) 02:25, 18 September 2012 (CDT)

Forgot to mention this earlier, Ence was the one who translated and posted 16.5 here, not Teh_Ping, please be careful and not spreading misinformation. -- [[User:BeginnerXP|BeginnerXP]] ([[User_talk:BeginnerXP|Talk]]) 03:12, 18 September 2012 (CDT)
My bad. Mistaken information received. Removed from post.--[[User:Gabgrave|Gabgrave]] ([[User talk:Gabgrave|talk]]) 03:23, 18 September 2012 (CDT)

Firstly, when I say trying to shift blame, I would refer to the guy who actually took down the page, Vaelis, the admin of the SAO project. On Baka Tsuki, each project can be removed by three groups of people. The translator of the work, the Supervisors, and the admins. Since we're going to be stuck here for a while, I'll break it down.

First, while I said that I didn't like having 16.5, I respect the fact that it was uploaded. That was why I never demanded for it to be deleted, even though I am vocal against those who wanted it on '''just to see that Kirito and Asuna have their relationship consummated''', which is a completely stupid excuse (note that I don't say reason here because there was nothing reasonable at all). When I posted '''in white''' that I would go unless it was removed, note that it was in jest. Do note that while I am against it being posted, I am neutral against it being removed because the damage had already been done. [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=3128&start=2040 All the mess can be read from here until the next 5 pages or so] If you had seen my actions during the Volume 9 incident, you would have realized that if I wanted a page to be deleted, I would have just gone ahead to delete all the stuff way back when I joined this project (as a Supervisor), and how I nearly nuked the entire Accel World project here. Now, I really don't want Vaelis to be blamed for this, but he did delete it after reading through our arguments (on both parties). This is why I say that I will just take all the blame, because if I go on to explain, other people are just going to be implicated as well, (and I'm pretty much...the fall guy on Baka Tsuki at this point). If you're going to talk about how I had been whining about it affecting my rep, Gabgrave made the mistake I knew was coming from a mile away (before correcting it). No one is trying to be a 'parent' here, but I won't be elaborating on this part because I'm in class right now

And yes, I am very frustrated that we're still arguing over when it has been almost 3 months since this was 'resolved'. Unfortunately, I don't think there would be a proper conclusion in this case. The way we have been going on about this is as if some important story was omitted like how Kirito took on Heathcliff. If you say that it's important, understand this, it's not in the official printed LN. If you argue for the case of how the MEs and other stuff are all uploaded even though they're not in print media, again, bottom line is whether the three groups of people want it online.--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] ([[User talk:Teh Ping|talk]]) 04:06, 18 September 2012 (CDT)

It seems like my point is being missed...removing content because it is "objectionable," is not something I think BT should do. It's not in the official printed LN, which is why I said it should be moved to side stories. I don't really care if it consummates their relationship or not (it's a harem where one girl is given the "I'm going to win regardless" before said chapter even happens, so...) There is no such thing as "damage done" if you ask me: if the author thought it was good enough to be on his site, I'm not going to judge it as some "garbage" or "painful to read" work of a fan. And while you, Gabgrave, may think DxD/Campione is not R-18, you would have an incredibly hard time persuading someone who was raised in a Western environment otherwise (I read all three of these titles, and they go pretty far, haha.) I'm not sure why anyone is getting upset over this, but I can't keep a rational topic going for long if I'm the only one trying to do so. I'll drop it with this. -- Anonymous

Sigh. Listen, if you really want to read it then you can always go to Tap-Trans. I'm not giving the link. Search for it yourself. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 18:56, 18 September 2012 (CDT)

Can't believe I actually registered an account just to respond to this message. Look, are you trying to guilt trip the other guys here, or are you just trying to get them to say sorry for removing and stuff? From the look of your first paragraph, it already showed that you were trying to blame someone for this, especially Teh Ping. I can understand why Ping wanted to hurry up and get over this because he has better things to do than to respond to someone like you who's digging up the past for your own sake. If you want to know where your beloved 16.5 went, just follow what Zero got to. Rational topic? How rational is it in the first place when you're talking about it, ''3 months after it was removed,'' when everyone is planning to just continue on, and how about talking about R-18 and stuff when your American standard doesn't match what the Japanese assume to be R-18? There's a reason why Campione and DxD are both published while this 16.5, even with Japan's lax standard for fanservice nowadays, failed to make the cut. Consider me grateful that it was taken down because it was such a huge distraction (Doesn't chapter 17 imply that they did it in the first place?). Now, if you're going to continue to post here regarding this, I think Teh Ping would be pissed that he has to be the one arguing with you instead of working on volume 10 of SAO (I can only remain patient as a reader).--[[User:Wertmog|Wertmog]] ([[User talk:Wertmog|talk]]) 21:38, 18 September 2012 (CDT)

I'm honestly kind of impressed. Like, why do either of you visit this site? Apparently neither of you can read at all! I do not care about too much about 16.5. It is easy to find and it does not add much, if anything, to the story. I care about the fact that '''IT WAS CONSIDERED SOMETHING THAT SHOULD NOT BE UPLOADED AND LATER REMOVED BECAUSE OF OBJECTIONABLE CONTENT.''' There is nothing about guilt trips and I have no idea why people like you have to make things personal despite my repeated assurances that I was not. The entire point of me bringing up standards is because '''THERE ARE NO SUCH STANDARDS.''' What is considered obscene in Japan is not considered obscene in the US, and the opposite is often true as well. When you do things like this, you create a standard. And creating this particular standard jeopardizes other projects in the future because declaring what content is appropriate is a ''very'' slippery slope. There is nothing to argue about; this is simply how things work. That concerns me and I would rather say "this looks dangerous" instead of standing by and waiting for things to play out. I'm glad Ping cares enough to read and respond to my concerns, but it seems like he simply assumed I was complaining about how 16.5 is gone and nothing more. I don't want to assign "blame" or else I would be quite frank about it (as I am with you two.) I don't consider it his responsibility that the chapter was taken down, but BT's as a whole. Furthermore, Ping is free to do whatever he pleases; I doubt he considers "arguing" with me a priority when choosing between the browsing the internet, translating, and whatever other recreational stuff he does. So take your flame baits somewhere else. Or don't, I said I would drop this, and now I will. I voiced my concerns and what's done is done. If someone can't handle me having the last word, insult me or tell me how wrong I am... or let the issue die. Regardless, I wish the best to Ping and those involved with translating, as well as those who bothered to think about my concerns in a logical manner. --Anonymous

Blablabla, immature question about intelligence of others, denial of topic at hand DESPITE this page and topic being what it is, then bringing up standards instead of in the... well, it's not that hard to make a new thread on forum, saying that there are no standards despite there being one, even if it is not recognized by you, stating the obvious "this is simply how things work", ignores the fact that there were loads of people on BT arguing against removal, even if they lost, stating once again that will drop despite seeing the same words in the previous one, I cann't stand you having the last word(I'm immature like that), your concerns are logical(so are the concerns of those who removed it. Did YOU think about that?) but your arguments are not. ~~ Just as Anon

Umm... Could you stop using caps with bold? Personally I get what you're saying. I was against it's removal too, precisely because I didn't want to risk any more removals. But at the same time I understood their point of view as well. Therefore, if you want to read it then search out Tap-Trans (it's not like it's ''gone'' gone, just think it's re-located). That's all. Deal with it. It's not the end of the world. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 06:15, 19 September 2012 (CDT)

== Similar to Prince Revolution? ==

I've read two chapters of SAO and up to chapter 4 of PR's Vol3 and so far the settings are really similar, although they're different in terms of characters and amount of comedy and other things.

It may be very similar, but you can't say that this setting is very unique in terms of anime and manga, I mean, look at .Hack. I think that this is the similarity is only a result of the similar settings.

_______________________________________

Prince Revolution is the name of the site/group that translates the novel "1/2 Prince" by Yu Wo. Not the novel itself. There may be some similiarities to 1/2 Prince, the .Hack//-series or Yureka, but that is because all of them are about virtual reality MMOs. If you look at them from another point of view, you might see the differences in the plot. SAO is about being trapped in the game, with virtual death killing your real body and the struggle to escape this. This is not the case in 1/2 Prince, where the big problem lies in

-*************SPOILER ALERT START************ (Is it possible to put the following lines in a spoiler-tab? I have no idea how to do it)

NPCs getting self-concious and revolting against human players in the game world. Yureka also have a few "virtual death = real death" parts, but the main story is about the main character finding the hacking program called Yureka who is somewhere in the game world. I haven't read .Hack//, so sadly, I can't say anything about that.

-*************SPOILER ALERT END*************

So, think of this before you imply that a novel is a copy of another one. Sure, it may have been an inspiration to SAO (Actually, that depends on which of them were written first), but unless the plot is the exact same thing, they are looked at as two different novels. An example of this is Lion King. It is inspired by Hamlet, but would you sue Disney for trying to copy Shakespeare?
____________________________________

==Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer (Aincrad 46th Floor, December 2023)==

here, don't you mean 2024??? all the other dates were 2024

Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer occurs before the first 3 short stories.
It's also the most touching if you ask me T_T

[[User:Mikazuki|Mikazuki]] 11:52, 22 March 2010 (UTC)

Am I going bonkers or somehow I can't seem to find chapter 4 for volume 3...flipped through my book. hrmph...

[[User:Datenshi|Datenshi]] 3:29, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

I expect tears, given who this chapter involves... T-T

Just a little trivia: December was dubbed <<The Month of Holly>> here, because the kanji character for holly (柊; commonly read as ''Hiiragi'') can also be read as "Noel", which also means Christmas. And since Christmas falls on December 25th, well you've got the point. Hope this help :)

Well, all 12 months of Aincrad were given names after a kind of tree, so I'm sure it's an in-game thing. People don't actually call it the month of Holly irl --[[User:M.A.D|M.A.D]] - [[User_talk:M.A.D|Talk]] 11:24, 16 August 2012 (CDT)

You should put such trivia in a ref tag. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 17:45, 16 August 2012 (CDT)

== Korean RAWs? ==

Anyone kind enough to send me Korean RAW scans of volume 2?
I can't find the Korean official translated book anywhere(except on Korean sites, which I can't order from)
Since I'm fluent in Korean, I could help a bit if anyone is doing the translations from the Korean RAWs.
--[[Special:Contributions/68.100.64.165|68.100.64.165]] 01:52, 29 October 2010 (UTC)

== Is there going to be a SAO-manga or did I just see something else? ==

Hey,
I just saw some kind of SAO-manga and wasn't quite sure what it actually was - a oneshot? some fan-made stuff? or is there really going to be a SAO-manga?

It's about 33pages long and just looked like the beginning of the first volume, though it was a little different.
And as I neither have seen anything about a SAO-manga existing up till now nor am able to read japanese, I just thought I'd ask here.

Here's the link: http://comic.xxbh.net/colist_171754.html

newer translated link http://www.mangafox.com/manga/sword_art_online
---------------------------
Isn't that the illustration from Volume 1 page 2-3? Try google translate--[[Special:Contributions/68.100.64.165|68.100.64.165]] 06:05, 29 November 2010 (UTC)
---------------------------
As I already pointed out it's 33pages long. I should have made that clear, sorry -> http://comic.xxbh.net/201010/171755.html (link to the chapter)

Yup, there is a SAO manga. I read a few chapter in chinese quite some time ago.
- [[User:Destinyz|Destinyz]]

Ah, ok thanks.

Well, for those who intend to read it, a small advice : don't u_u. The novel story is way better, even though I thought it would be great in anime or manga x). - Allucyfer

== LAUGHING COFFIN ARC ==

Ok, I have been debating with myself (I'm going nuts) whether to add the LAUGHING COFFIN ARC in the table of contents- It seems that this arc, happened during Aincrad, a side story that should be included in the Volume 2. But because it's long (4 chapters) the publishers dropped it, but the events in this is mentioned in vol.1, tho, in a few words only. It'd be nice if we can read the entire story about this right? Kirito, Asuna and other Clearers vs the Laughing Coffin Guild, the biggest PKers in Aincrad. - Saorian

I'd love to read the laughing coffin arc. From what I've heard, it might be important to some of the other books. But, would you add it as if it were another book - like instead of Sword Art Online: Volume ## --> Sword Art Online:Laughing Coffin Arc?--[[User:Darn2k|Darn2k]] 14:36, 15 April 2011 (UCT)

How about like this: Volume SS - LAUGHING COFFIN ARC , and stick it between Volume 2 and 3? - Saorian

I added it - since Side Stories 1,2,3,6 were made into vol2 Aincrad, Side Stories 4 included in Phantom Bullet vol 5 and Side Story 6 got it's own very own book, vol 7 - It's safe to say that SAO SS 5 - Laughing Coffing Guild arc, won't get published as it's Timeline was passed on already (between vol 2 and 3) The other SS respected the proper timeline...

----
Btw. if more timeline issues pop up you could create a timeline page, where the story is listed sorted in chronological order... --[[User:Darklor|Darklor]] 21:57, 16 May 2011 (UCT)
----

So is this chapter even published? Because from what I read here it seems it's out but nobody wants to add it cause we already went past it in chronological order.
I fail to see how that's a reason though as the special with Kirito meeting Asuna was inserted after we went past those event.
Can someone clarify?
Thanks.--[[User:Mufarasu|Mufarasu]] 22:06, 11 March 2012 (CDT)

It's in volume 8 first side story, with the name 'A Murder Case In the Area' --[[User:BeginnerXP|BeginnerXP]] 20:53, 12 March 2012 (CDT)

Okay, thanks.--[[User:Mufarasu|Mufarasu]] 19:06, 14 March 2012 (CDT)

== Simply Amazing ==

This is simply amazing. Honestly I'm not much of a crybaby I watch and read sad animes and mangas all the time and just take them in as a story. So far I've only cried twice during watching all the animes and mangas I've seen in the past 5,6 years of my life, to Bitter Virgin (Manga) and to Kanon 2006 (anime... which truthfully I watch all eps in a single sitting crying from ep 7 onwards practically non stop.). So far this Story has made me cry numerous times. It is so well written and the characters are so real its strange.Only problem I have with it is that I don't like how volume 2 works. I only really like the AsunaxKirito/Kazuka storyline not all that extra stuff that doesn't continue on with the story. Sadly the way I see it after reading Volume 1 I can't see any room for a prequel. The story starts with entering SOA. And nothing that happens up until he kills the Ragout Rabbit matters. I spose how Asuna and Kirito initially met matters slightly but honestly, I find it much better knowning that they knew each other as acquaintances and thats all. Even the part about him having Asuna nap next to him really doesn't add all that much.

Volume 3 while not as touching seems to bring up a lot of my memories of the first volume as well as adding in some slight new things... it doesn't really seem it (so far only on chapter 3) but it does so in a subtler way then Vol 1

- Karnowo.B@gmail.com / Karno
[Edit: Adding to what I have to say.]

Well, read volume 2 as it comes out and stuff. It is full of Kirito's awesomeness. Also, one of the things I love most about this novel is how "The Black Swordsman" is codeword for "Oh Shi-!" [[User:Ax'el|Ax'el]] 21:09, 16 May 2011 (UCT)
======Request======
Greetings.(Sorry for creating yet another heading.)May I ask about using the image links in SAO English in SAO Indonesian when I start translating them?Thanks before.--[[User:User753|User753]]-[[User talk:User753|Talk]]- 11:57, 2 June 2012 (CDT)
== The Tentative time line ==

I think you should remove the tentative time line from the page or put it under spoilers, because it spoils for people who didn't read it, how the first volume ends.

== Suspense: Volume 4 Chapter 9 ==

Ahhh dear editors, don't build up sooo much suspense! I and I think many others are like dying to read the final chapter (though I think the highlight were chapter 7 and 8). But really thanks a lot for all of your work! I really appreciate it!
== confused ==
s00000 uhhhhh chapter 8 was actually the last chapter and chapter 9 was a joke? im confuse.

No it is not, there is a chapter 9, and it will be out soon. If rnn doesn't post it by noon, I will.--[[User:Darn2k|Darn2k]] 08:48, 24 May 2011 (UCT)

great, something to look forward for tonight XD - RandomPasserBy 08:51, 24 May 2011 (UCT)

ohhhh thx I was confused before but now im excited! cant wait!!!! --[[User:Zer0light|Zer0light]] 08:57, 24 May 2011 (UCT)

== Confused, but for a different reason ==

First off, thanks so much for the excellent translating job everyone's doing! But, I'm a little confused as to why v7 is being translated before v5&6. Is v7 a type of stand-alone volume/how does it relate in time to the arch's of v5&6? Ok, now I think I'm rambling, but I hope you get what I'm asking. Thanks again and keep up the good work!

They are being translated by different groups/people.--[[User:Darn2k|Darn2k]] 19:03, 26 May 2011 (UCT)

Ah! Thanks for the answer. Don't know why that thought didn't occur to me.

== Sword Art Online Extra Story #7 : The Cradle of the Moon ==
===Entry 0 [September 12th, 2009 (Saturday)]===

====■To everyone reading [Sword Art Online] via the Dengeki Bunko publication:■====
This [Sword Art Online Side Story 7] is written in relation to the web version of the SAO series, the 4th Arc: Alicization, but is designed to be read as an independent fantasy novel with names that happen to match. However, there may be some information about the Dengeki Bunko release accidentally obtained by reading this, so I would like readers to take these points in consideration when reading.
====■Glossary■====
*Underworld: Another (VR) World
*Human World: Located in the Western section of Underworld, a country surrounded by the《Mountains at World's End》. Only Human World citizen live here. Capital is 《Centoria》.
*Demon World (Lit="Pitch-Black World"): Area surrounding the Human World. The five races of Demon World citizens, orcs, goblins, ogres, and giants live here. The capital is 《Obsidia》.
*Boundary Wall (Lit:Wall at the End): An infinitely high vertical cliff that surrounds all of Underworld. No race can reach the top of the wall.
*Holy Church: Used to be the governing body that took control of all of Underworld. Later dissovled, it is now re-established as the 《United Congregation of the Human World》.
*Central Cathedral: A tower that was the former Holy Church's headquarters, consisting of 100 floors. Currently the United Congregation of the Human World's base.
*Knights of Virtue (Lit=Alignmen Knights):The strongest knights of the Holy Church.
*Sacred Arts (Dark Arts): The magic used by knights and sorcerers. Uses the eight attributes of Flame, Ice, Wind, Earth, Steel, Crystal, Light and Darkness as it's base.
*Heaven's Blessing: A kind of durability assigned to all things in Underworld. Beings that reach a value of zero will die, inanimate beings will deteriorate.

====■Characters■====
*Ronier Arabel:A girl in an apprenticeship to become a Knight of Virtue. Her knight is 《Tsukika》.
*Tiez Stolinen:A girl in an apprenticeship to become a Knight of Virtue. Her knight is 《Shimosaki》
*Kirito: Swordsman. Representatve of the United Congregation of the Human World.
*Asuna: Swordswoman. Kirito's partner.
*Fatiano Synthesis Two: Leader of the Knights of Virtue.
*Sheta Synthesis Twelve: Knight of Virtue. Ambassador of the human world.
*Lenri Synthesis Fourty-Nine: Knight of Virtue.
*Mudai Syldrei: Blacksmith. Senior advisor of the cathedral's arsenal.
*Ishkhan: Gladiator. Representative of the Dark World's Five Tribe Congress.

----

Is someone translating this? --[[User:Darklor|Darklor]] 15:43, 14 June 2011 (UCT)

I don't think so, or at least if it is, no-one has updated to show a larger portion of the story. which is a pity really because there aren't enough translators, though if decent enough translations are made part by part, and the abundant editors will probably be able to sort out grammar and consistency [[Special:Contributions/92.41.251.249|92.41.251.249]] 16:39, 7 November 2012 (CST)

I believe it is being translated, but might not be posted here yet because of the Alitization spoilers [[User:Bilagaana|Bilagaana]] ([[User talk:Bilagaana|talk]]) 16:56, 7 November 2012 (CST)

== Appreciate the work ==

Hey, I recently started reading sword art online, and I sincerely appreciate the work that's been done thus far. I'd love to contribute, but an upcoming major exam's hogging my time. Sword Art's been great read, and it really helps in stress relief. Once again, thanks all.
this page has now gotten over 1,000,000 views!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

== Great story, great translation! ==

I just finished volume 4 and I wanted to stop by and say how awesome you guys are for translating this.
This series is a great piece of science fiction and I'm glad you guys are bringing it to another audience.
I've heard how troublesome and time consuming translating can be, especially Japanese, but you're all doing an awesome job!

Keep up the good work! :)

== I think this is an issue ==

Chapter four of Mother's Rosario has the link that leads to chapter five, but chapter five isn't shown as being done or having any link on the main project page.

Probably means that the translator doesn't want his incomplete work to be shown to the masses yet I guess.--[[User:WingsofSnow|WingsofSnow]] 09:44, 16 September 2011 (CDT)

== http://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=333893 ==

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~ 21:55, 1 October 2011 (CDT)

haha yeah an anime adaptation (w/ Accel world)
Hope it will be good like .hack

I heard a game is coming underway too, is that true?

How many episodes do you suppose there will be in the anime? Hope they're more than 12. Also is there only one season planned or will that depend on the ratings? GAME?!?!? mmo based on ALO or visual novel?

== Replacement of nav table with nav template ==

I would hence like to propose that we replace the current (and if I may say, extremely limited capability carrying) nav table system:

ie:
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Sword Art Online:Volume 2 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
| Return to [[Sword Art Online|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Sword Art Online:Volume 2 Chapter 4 Part 2|Part 2]]
|-
|}

with the new [[Template:SAO Nav|SAO Nav Template]].

ie: {{SAO Nav|prev=Sword Art Online:Volume 2 Chapter 3|next=Sword Art Online:Volume 2 Chapter 4 Part 2}}

which is becoming popular and has more capabilities/advantages.

Advantages of the new system:
#We can decrease the overall page storage size. (No need to write long code, just the call code will be enough, take a look of this section in edit mode to get the picture.)
#Have a call code that is easier to:
##memorize
##recall
##and write. (Again, see in edit mode if you still don't understand)
#Have page jumping ability to any page in the series regardless of where we currently are, thus speeding up page navigation in case of checking previous or future facts for comparison.
#Can make changes to template page itself and have the navs on the pages immediately mirror the changes. (Reduction of data redundancy and error, ie: you wont have to go through all the pages and change every single one just editing the template page will be enough).
#Template's next and prev links are generic so they can be used for both volume and chapter pages without problems, ie: uniform system.
#Collapsibility ensures that size is compact and acceptable, for jumping one just needs to expand it by clicking the [show] link.
#Page center aligned. (Not really important, it looks better than right aligning it, still... minor point)

This template was previously fully implemented but then removed due to some issues. All those in favor or against please respond. If you wish any improvements to the template then please suggest them on the [[Template Talk:SAO Nav]] page. I will address them as best as I can. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 14:25, 11 December 2011 (CST)

Hey hey. If there is no one against it then it is fine to implement it, right? I mean the advantages listed above show that it is more beneficial to implement. And no one having any points against it kinda also suggests the same. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 07:34, 28 December 2011 (CST)

I'm against it and I already implemented a nav bar with most of the advantages you mentioned. I put it in volume 1 and will do the other volume soon.
[[User:Vaelis|Vaelis]] 08:47, 28 December 2011 (CST)

Hmm so you are using this:
{{Nav|Sword Art Online:Volume 1 Chapter 1|{{SAO List v1a}}|Sword Art Online}}

Page jumping is still not implemented. That is the main functionality of my proposed template. And you say that you are against it? May I ask why? Please explain in detail. I say that there is a great advantage in implementing it because it will allow both users and translators to jump between pages.
*Translators will be able to navigate between their different chapters more easily and create new chapters with just a click. ''(Plus since the chapter page names will be decided beforehand there won't be a chance of page name inconsistency that often happens.)''
*Furthermore, users will be able to navigate more easily as well ''(in the case of dead ends as well as to check a previous chapter for a related fact, or to skip a volume while re-reading, people do that you know)''.

If I recall previously you mentioned that you didn't like how the template ''looks'' like, is that correct? I must tell you that Infinite Stratos, Itsuka Tenma, Toaru, BakaTest, Chrome Shelled Regios, Dantalian no Shoka have all implemented and started making use of similar templates. I'm only trying to do what is best for this project. Please support me. I assure you that you won't regret it. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 17:26, 28 December 2011 (CST)

On the opposite side the template Vaelis has implemented is rather interesting. Hmm it has properly addressed the problem of repetition, excessive space wastage, as well as the non-user-friendly coding. Particularly that is automatically generating the links. Very interesting. I'll examine it thoroughly. Maybe I can implement that in my templates somehow. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 17:28, 28 December 2011 (CST)

Hey hey. We need more participants in this discussion. Please tell us which template you think has more functionalities. User feedback is essential. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 17:37, 28 December 2011 (CST)

I don't know about other people, but all I need is the link back to Main. The Back and Next is nice extra. For reading, I mainly use my other comp that is not logged on, so I can read cached stuff which is faster. If people don't already know, if you sign in with a name while reading, you get served fresh pages every time, anon people get faster cached pages. [[User:Xplorer30|Xplorer30]] - [[User_talk:Xplorer30|Talk]] 20:24, 28 December 2011 (CST)

- Personally, I don't really care as long as "forward" "main page" are included, since I simply tap backspace to get back, though I must say it'd look ugly without the "back button". Also, jumping through halyard from a volume to another volume is, I must say, unuseful in my case. However, I find the nav bar pretty good-looking, which is the reason why I wasn't fully opposed back then, even if I was sceptical about it. Personally, if the bar could simply keep the back/forward buttons, the main page buttons, it'd be fine, though I would like the chapter names indicated on th next/previous button. Also, I feel more concerned about these huge references tag that take too much space in the text than the nav bar... [[User:Kira0802|Kira]] ([[User_talk:Kira0802|Talk]]) 21:09, 28 December 2011 (CST)

I agree with Kira. Note this isn't about SAO directly but rather about this type of navbar as a whole. If I really want to jump chapters/volumes, I really won't care about 2 clicks instead of 1 (Main -> the chapter I want). Actually, I don't even use the Main button much, just the Forward one. I can't recall ever using the Back button.

For me I'm fine whether or not the chapter name is included, because when just reading I don't care what the name of the next chapter is, I can just click Forward to get to it, and when I'm editing stuff I use the Main Page as a portal (it'd be open in a tab by itself) and the chapter names are available there.

In fact, I've even created a group of navs that have most of the advantages you state and maintains the simplicity of the Nav template, but is in my opinion better than the generic Nav template, in that it is specialized for each novel, so if it needs to be changed for some specific novel it can be done without affecting any of the other novels. They can be found [[:Category:Simple_Navbars|here]]. It would be nice if there is some kind of standard that could be decided, for the moment anyways. By the way, I'm starting to think this doesn't fit in the SAO talk anymore and maybe should have a forum topic.. --[[User:Jonathanasdf|jonathanasdf]] 21:43, 28 December 2011 (CST)

Hmm, interesting points, I'll try and explain my reasoning below:

*You guys might say that you don't care but you must admit that it is much easier to navigate if it is a one step method (chapter A -> chapter B) rather than a two step method (Chapter A -> Main Page -> Chapter B). While you may say you might not care, page jumping can help speed up navigation for those who reach dead ends or are translating multiple chapters at the same time. Plus the Next, Previous and Main Page Links are already present in the SAO Nav. Additionally I don't think forum is needed. This is about SAO strictly.
*About chapter names included in the next previous: my stance is that it makes the whole thing look bulky. And you can simply expand SAO Nav not only to see your own position (black text) but also the positions of all the chapters (translated and untranslated) this helps motivate people to translate more chapters in less time because of the clash between the visual red and blue links.
*Those who strictly want to use the next/previous/main buttons need not expand the template at all just use the Next, Prev and Main Page Name Links. It's a system that caters to both types. And just doesn't restrict itself to one type. Plus the SAO Nav is for the SAO Novels alone so making changes in it will only affect SAO and no other novels.
*I am not a fan of the words forward and back since they give off a vibe in terms of page navigation history rather than novel navigation (by page history navigation I mean those two back and forward buttons in the Navigation Toolbar of your Internet Browser).
*Simple Navs only cater to those who read through linearly and only once. Not everyone does. SAO Nav caters to both parties and it's already ready to roll, so why is it wrong? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 23:37, 28 December 2011 (CST)

this helps motivate people to translate more chapters in less time because of the clash between the visual red and blue links.

hahaha if only that was true :P

It's not "wrong" imo, it just seems a bit ... overkill. I'm neither for nor against, in that my stance is "I don't really care either way as long as there is some way to get to the next chapter", but I would like it to be standardized. Also, even if this is SAO only I still think it belongs in the forums because it's hard to quote stuff in wiki. --[[User:Jonathanasdf|jonathanasdf]] 00:54, 29 December 2011 (CST)

It's actually true. It's a subconscious trick I learned from my experience with mediawiki. People can't stand redlinks. They desire to remove them or turn them blue. If they can't remove them then they can '''only''' turn them blue by making articles. This is one of the things I have learned. Please have faith in me. I believe this trick has actually helped speed up the translation rates on many of the projects where similar templates have been implemented. I don't know about you guys, but I am sick and tired of waiting. If only I could read kanji/hiragana/katagana, I could help translate. But since I can't I must use such methods. If I didn't I'd just be a simple leacher (At least this way I can contribute indirectly). Furthermore, I assure you that my template will sate '''both''' those who want linear navigation '''and''' those who need to jump between chapters quickly. Isn't that better than just favoring one party? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 10:20, 29 December 2011 (CST)

I hereby declare. Implementing SAO Nav '''will''' improve not only the navigation but also the rate of translation. It is a time-tested surefire method. Please support me. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 10:34, 29 December 2011 (CST)

There's no need for that. Ping's doing a good job enough so we don't need to subconsiously press him. IMO, anavbar should just go forward and to the main page. No, wait, you just need to click 'SAO' on the sidebar to get back to the main page. Also, Zero, I'll ask you this: When do you surf through a certain chapter of a volume to another chapter 2-3 volumes after? There's no need for that, and in my old computer, the bar colapses too slowly. Not that I do really mind, since it's at the bottom, but still, it loads unnecessary content. [[User:Kira0802|Kira]] ([[User_talk:Kira0802|Talk]]) 11:15, 29 December 2011 (CST)

I prefer the old one for its simplicity. Just go for previous/next chapter, and navigate 2 other chapters frm main page. short n simple. --[[User:Chancs|Chancs]] 11:29, 29 December 2011 (CST)

Time-tested surefire method? Where's the evidence? As for why I personally don't think the chapter jumping is useful, it is because I actually rely on chapter titles to look for where I want to jump to, and this navbar doesn't have (and can't really have) chapter titles. So, to me there is no advantage of this navbar over the old one, so I am not supporting it.

At the same time, to me there is no disadvantage that this navbar brings since my internet and computer are fast enough to load both at around the same speed, so I am not against it either... --[[User:Jonathanasdf|jonathanasdf]] 13:13, 29 December 2011 (CST)

I completely agree with 'chapters title' issue --[[User:Chancs|Chancs]] 13:27, 29 December 2011 (CST)

Simple design is fine, but the aforementioned lack of chapter title is a huge turn-off for me as well --[[User:TheQwertiest|TheQwertiest]] 14:15, 29 December 2011 (CST)

It is time tested. Shortly after it's implementation Infinite Stratos picked up it's pace of translation as did Itsuka Tenma and Baka Test, I will concede that for some reason it didn't work on Hidan no Aria, but it still has a high success rate. Toaru and Chrome Shelled don't count because they are near completion. About the chapters title issue. I can easily implement further variable tags that can take chapter names from writers and thus display them like the nav table of old. Even though I won't like that but if you guys say that you prefer it that way I can do it. Or I can Implement a system like the one in the [[Template:Nav]]. To have both links and have chapter names be generated automatically. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 16:20, 29 December 2011 (CST)

I surf/go back to check up on a previous fact. For example in chapter 9 of volume 4 the people from Volume 2 make an appearance. I can go back to refresh my memory of them. And sorry I don't just read a story once. I find that I understand new things each time I read them (like foreshadowings, predictions, etc). Each time I read through I find new and more interesting tidbits. And I am not alone in this. Each and every person goes through stories more than once, either due to the aforementioned reasons or just because they want to read through it again. And it is not definite that they will read through all the volumes linearly. Some might want to skip certain volumes. And I for one find going back to the main page tiresome. It's unnecessary. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 16:33, 29 December 2011 (CST)

Though

1. Infinte Stratos was pretty much because Ping joined in. The content is rather easy. So is Baka-Test. I don't know about Itsuten though. However, the implentation of nav bar coincided with the summer vacations, if I remember well, so it's another factor.

2. OK, fine, some do use the 'skip a few chapters' function. However, from what I see from the comments, no one else needs it really.
[[User:Kira0802|Kira]] ([[User_talk:Kira0802|Talk]]) 16:59, 29 December 2011 (CST)

Yeah, I'm not sure that counts as proof, since the cause-effect could really go either way. Rather, I have a feeling it is because the translation speed picked up that there was more attention which led to the navbar being implemented. After all, I only see this navbar in the most popular novels...

And I was talking about the chapter names in the expanded navbar. I don't really care about chapter names in the next/prev because the only time I need chapter names is when I'm looking back for stuff. I don't think this navbar can easily have chapter name support in the expanded mode because some of them are really long.

I'll try to stop writing anything more here since my stance is neutral anyways... --[[User:Jonathanasdf|jonathanasdf]] 17:45, 29 December 2011 (CST)

*''About being not needed:'' Dude, that's how all new things start out. People think they don't need them but give a while of use and it becomes indispensable. A few centuries ago people didn't need electricity or natural gas as much as they do now. But now, they start rioting if it's cut off for too long.
*''About Translation Speed:'' Ping was present before the template was added as well but only two volumes were translated. However after the Infinite Stratos Nav was implemented I believe a fire was sparked in Ping. I believe the redlinks were the motivation or rather the inspiration he needed. Of course I don't think this method affects everyone. But I'm sure it does affect some. and their example will move others, kind of like those cartoons where a little rock knocks down a bigger one which in turn knocks over an even bigger one, thus triggering an avalanche. We need to motivate people, even if the most mundane or subliminal methods are present I believe we should grasp and use them. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 17:49, 29 December 2011 (CST)

Even if it is circumstantial evidence at best I have faith in this method. About chapter names: True it would be difficult to implement full chapter names. But it is possible in some cases. However we are not talking abpout nav templates as a whole. Only for SAO. Please bear that in mind. And SAO does not have many named chapters. So that isn't an issue here. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 17:55, 29 December 2011 (CST)

...Zero, why would Ping scroll the nav bar anyways to see the red links? In my case, I post the translation, then I say 'Goodbye' and leave. Also, he posts his translation progression in the forums, in a portfolio.

For the chapter names, I'd like to say that I want to know where I'm heading when I press 'forward'. Especially when there's 24 chapters in a volume that you don't care to remember which chapter you are on. [[User:Kira0802|Kira]] ([[User_talk:Kira0802|Talk]]) 21:38, 29 December 2011 (CST)

Seeing red once would be enough, it stays in your head. Plus it is a fact that the pace picked up after implementation. And like I said I can add the next/prev page name display functionality if you guys really want it. But that's something to be requested on the [[Template Talk:SAO Nav]] page. It's actually quite simple to implement that. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 00:45, 30 December 2011 (CST)
------------

OK, here are the facts, ingnoring the IS argument since it was mostly because Ping started translating like a madafter he finished Index. They obviously show the opposite of what you are saying. Here's my statement: '''The translation pace does not get faster if there is a nav bar of added, with all the red links and else. It might even slow the pace.'''

*Itsuten: Volume 1 got completed 7 days earlier than Volume 3. Volume 1 was done before the nav bar was added, and volume 3, after. Can't say if it worked or not, but it's more penching towards the 'no' side.

*Hidan no Aria: The comparison before/after is obvious. It didn't work.

*Dantalian: What is the number of chapters completed since the nav bar was added? 0. It probably didn't work.

*Chrome Shelled Regios: 41k done in around four months. Around 178k before for the same length of time. Didn't work.

*Toaru Majutsu no Index, NT and SS: I can't find the updates page, but it probably changed nothing. However, Ping retired shortly after, so the place probably got slower. Following that reasoning, I say that it has less translation after. Though let's put this in the gray zone if you really want to insist.

*Baka To test: Volume7 has been done in 78 days. Volume 3.5 in 76. Hwever, since the nav bar was added during the translation of 7, soI can't use that. As for Volume 7.5, I didn't calculate it as different chapters were done in different orders, and that I use the beginning of the first chapter and the creation of the full text as references.

*Sword Art Online: During the time the bar was used, there were no completed chapters. Did not work.

So, you argument does not stand, Zero. [[User:Kira0802|Kira]] ([[User_talk:Kira0802|Talk]]) 15:45, 30 December 2011 (CST)

:Finally, someone who does his homework. I see, but I still hold that it does motivate others at a subconscious level (so much so that people don't realize it, normal rate is that it takes half a year to translate a single volume). It does not change the fact that SAO Nav will make navigation easier. Does it? Easier navigation leads to more popularity in websites which in turn will lead to faster development here. '''[http://www.mardiros.net/good-navigation.html That is a fact]''' (See ''Less clicks the better''). Jeez it's even drilled into every Computer Science student while discussing website development. Just look at the sidebar on the left. Why do you think they listed and linked the project names there when they could have made a separate page with the list? Answer: for faster navigation. Just because you won't use it, it's not right to ignore those who do. If you think there are people who would use it, shouldn't you accommodate them? Or will you ignore them just because they don't think like you. That's why I integrated next prev in all the nav templates, so that ''both sides would be happy''. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 16:32, 30 December 2011 (CST)

:You also mentioned (many posts ago) that the SAO Nav would collapse slowly. That's a personal problem. Since coding is used for the collapsing function, it stands that it's the fault of your computer alone. Nowadays everyone has at least a Core 2 Duo level processor. Those who don't are way behind the times. If you also have a Core 2 Duo or higher level processor then you must have CPU % intensive processes running on your computer in the background (try terminating them if there are, just be sure to check if they aren't a critical process on the net). But even if you don't and there is some other reason for the slowness that is no concrete reason to shelve faster navigation. The bar is at the bottom. By the time you would reach the bottom of the page (while reading) it would already have been collapsed. Like I said before it might not seem necessary now but give it a few weeks and it'll become indispensable. That's how it always goes with every new thing. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 16:32, 30 December 2011 (CST)

:Toaru and Chrome Shelled Regios were already near completion before the navbar was implemented. The navbar does not seem to work for nearly completed projects for some reason. I acknowledge that weak point. I also acknowledged that the navbar doesn't affect everyone but those it does effect would in turn affect others. As for SAO I don't think enough time was given before it was taken down. Thus that cannot be included. Hidan no Aria: well I won't say anything on those guys. They'd probably take offense. But at least they didn't reject the template so they must have either found it useful or didn't care. Come to think about it if you don't care either way then there isn't any problem is there? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 16:32, 30 December 2011 (CST)

I was wondering why Zero2001 is arguing so hard, now I know. From the look of Teh Ping's SAO talk page, you are a big fan, haha. [[User:Xplorer30|Xplorer30]] - [[User_talk:Xplorer30|Talk]] 20:05, 31 December 2011 (CST)

:Yes. Yes. Yes. I am a <big>'''BIG'''</big> fan. But I can't translate (although I can be an editor/proofreader, but I don't think it's enough). So I did what I could and made a nav template with advanced features. I wanted to help in any way I could. And what happened? A few days later all the changes I made were removed just because it looked slightly different from before. Look, with progress comes change. You can't help it. If you can't adapt then we'll just stay stuck in the same place forever. If you google it you'll find thousands of articles by famous website developers saying one thing. The lesser the number of page loadings required to get to a goal the better, aka "less clicks the better". Why do you think the sidebar with links to all projects exist? Why do you think that the chapters are transcluded into one volume page after said volume is completed? Answer: people want to reach their goal quickly and with less page loading. Please, I humbly request that I be allowed to apply SAO Nav. It will speed up page navigation for sure, thus it is '''''beneficial''''' '''(not detrimental)''' to the SAO Project. I only want to help with what I can. Please let me. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 20:44, 31 December 2011 (CST)

Think I have an idea about the resistance, your version is nice but it's a lot of work to update. I think they want a standardized version that's easy to use, even for people with not a lot of wiki knowledge. Or do you promise to make them forever? [[User:Xplorer30|Xplorer30]] - [[User_talk:Xplorer30|Talk]] 23:04, 31 December 2011 (CST)

:I can promise to make and update them for a long time. And I promise that before I leave I will train a successor that can do it as good as or even better than me. I can't say forever since life doesn't have any guarantees. Plus actually the templates are understandable by anyone who just sits down and looks at the code properly. That's how I learned, at least (ie: By looking at others work and understanding how it is done). Furthermore I think there are candidates for my successor here already. Vaelis who designed [[Template:Nav]] for instance, there's also larethian. And what do you mean it is a lot of work to update? For a new volume, all you have to do is copy the code for the previous row, make the necessary changes (ie: change the volume number and chapter links) and viola! It isn't tough at all. The people at other projects have already learned how to update them. Just a few days ago [[Template:Hidan no Aria Nav]] was updated with a full volume and not by me. I'm always ready to help and teach, you just need to ask. Don't be shy, come on by. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 23:17, 31 December 2011 (CST)

I took a look at your code and made my own, it needs some fixes but should work, here [[Template:AW Nav|Accel World Nav Template]]. [[User:Xplorer30|Xplorer30]] - [[User_talk:Xplorer30|Talk]] 04:53, 3 January 2012 (CST)

:Accel World got promoted from Teaser to Full Project? Whohoo! If you want I can design one of my templates for you. It'll only take less than 2 hrs. Feel free to ask. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 05:38, 3 January 2012 (CST)

But lets get back to the subject at hand. The SAO Nav is ready to roll for months now. Shall we? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 05:40, 3 January 2012 (CST)

It's not like something bad will happen if it is applied. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 05:51, 3 January 2012 (CST)

I just updated Wikipedia's SAO page and it was really problematic that I had to go to go through the chapters the way it is now, in order to gather the facts. chapter a -> main page -> chapter b -> main page -> chapter c -> main page -> ... I'm telling you SAO Nav would have been faster. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 06:03, 3 January 2012 (CST)

Look, the system isn't detrimental to the project, in fact it's ''beneficial''. And its already ready for implementation. So I would like to humbly request that I be allowed to implement it. Since there are no real minus points. There won't be any loss, so why not? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 22:15, 19 January 2012 (CST)

Have you ever heard of the term "silent assent"? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 08:42, 27 January 2012 (CST)

I made a few adjustments thus reducing the height of the expanded template. Though the width seems to have increased as a result but that's acceptable since this will be on a separate line anyways (plus a small width template occupying a full line seems weird, at least to me). I'd like some feedback at least. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 14:21, 21 April 2012 (CDT)

Hey, Vaelis. Could you do me a favor and take a look at it once more. I made a few adjustments and added the recent links. It's up-to-date now and I'd appreciate it if you would consider it once more. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 15:09, 27 July 2012 (CDT)

== No chapter 17 in Volume 6 ==

I had bought Volume 6 recently and I would like to inform everyone that there is no Chapter 17 in Volume 6. Chapter 16 instead is the last chapter of this volume. Thank you.

[[User:Tomtkp|Tomtkp]]

That's how it was until someone changed it... I've put it back correctly and removed chapter 17.

[[User:Vaelis|Vaelis]] 02:27, 20 December 2011 (CST)

Ah, that was me, my bad.--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] 02:47, 20 December 2011 (CST)

== About Volume 6 Chapter 13 ==

Excerpted from a dialogue from Vol. 6 Chapter 13:

Kikuoka: "...That was really shocking. I thought that this little thing was the ALO support system «Navagiation Pixie»... but to gather so much information and make conclusions at such a short time. Little girl...are you interested in '''pu'''...no, do you want to work for the «Virtual Division»?"

I think it should be "la" or "ra" instead of "pu". The "ra" part is actually a foreshadowing to the next main arc, Alicization.

I didn't really understand what he meant to say so I left it as the translator had it. I think the "pu" might be part of "public"? What do you think the "ra" means? Anyway this should be in ch 13 Discussion. [[User:Xplorer30|Xplorer30]] - [[User_talk:Xplorer30|Talk]] 18:06, 29 December 2011 (CST)

Ok, I will follow your advice and post it under Ch. 13 discussion.

== Sword Art Online Vietnamese Translation ==

Hello, I'm Gingi from vnsharing. Would you mind if I translate Sword Art Online into Vietnamese based on your translation? Thank you for such a great novel and look forward to your reply.

wow...great, I don't think that there will be any problem but still wait for the reply from the project administrator/supervisor/translator(s). Better if you post this in the SAO BT forum for speedy reply. --[[User:Chancs|Chancs]] 04:41, 30 December 2011 (CST)

== volume 8 chapter 2 name ==

shouldn't it be called "Calibur" instead of "Caliber"?

just asking.              ..::[[User:Gradient|Gradient]]::.. 09:29, 4 January 2012 (CST)

That probably makes more sense, but "Caliber" seems to be an intentional English spelling. It is probably meant to be a pun. [[User:Thinklife|ThinkLife]] 10:53, 4 January 2012 (CST)

I originally had it as Calibur for the sword name we are familiar with, but I happen to glance at the last chapter while counting parts, and sigh. The author went and explained the name of the sword when Sinon asked about it. That's how it ended up as Caliber. [[User:Xplorer30|Xplorer30]] - [[User_talk:Xplorer30|Talk]] 18:40, 4 January 2012 (CST)

kind of like how Excalibur is spelled with a ur instead of er.--[[User:Zer0light|Zer0light]] 00:42, 5 January 2012 (CST)

== Asuna's Avatar - a mystery ==

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't it say that Asuna did NOT buy the NervGear she uses when playing SAO? If so, why is her avatar a perfect image of herself? Didn't the sellers only scan the people who actually BOUGHT the NervGear? Since Asuna just used the NervGear which wasn't hers... wouldn't that make her avatar look like someone else? @___@

Nah, you remember how Cline said when you start up you have to calibrate it to yourself? So when she put it on, she had to go through the calibration, thus it looks like her. [[User:Syaoran|Syaoran]] 01:14, 17 January 2012 (CST)

I doubt that NervGear has the scanning functionality. As a specialized gear, it wouldn't need scanning functionality for normal game play. Another manga with a similar virtual reality background [http://www.batoto.net/comic/_/comics/yureka-r101 Yureka] has a similar avatar system and has a separate body scanning step as well. -[[User:Milki|milki]]

Well, my evidence was these lines:
"There are high density signal sensors in the NERvGear covering our whole head. So it can tell not only how our brains look, but our faces too..."
And
Calibration was where the NERvGear measured «how much you had to move your hand to reach your body». This was done to reproduce the sense of feel accurately within the game. So to say, it was almost as if the NERvGear had data about our exact figures saved inside itself. [[User:Syaoran|Syaoran]] 02:04, 17 January 2012 (CST)

I suspect that, while the NERvGear would be able to scan the face to reproduce facial expressions to an extent, it does not do the same for the rest of the body. Calibration could probably be done by just measuring nerve signals - move your hand up towards you until you touch your body, and it would just recognize your hand/arm movement until you touch your body. -[[User:Milki|milki]]

Actually, currently there is a machine that can calculate your body muscle and fat composition by running electricity though your body and it is just as big as a regular scale. Moreover it is easy to obtain your height and leg length through the calibration process. By applying this data, it is pretty easy to build a body that is similar to your current body.

Another theories is to use ultrasonic (or supersonic) sound wave to obtain your body image. NERvGear can emit microwave strong enough to melt your brain so it is not entirely impossible.

My concern is how the did it obtain the character hair style since the NERvGear is like a bike helmet ^^!

This is only my speculation, anybody whom actually an expert in this field please feel free to correct--[[User:Hayate-sama|Hayate-sama]] 13:11, 17 January 2012 (CST)

The NERvGear is an mini MRI/NMR (for scanning, and pulsed magnetic stimulation for feedback) so it can scan the head and face. No idea how it gets eye and hair color though. It might be able to find out the lenght of the hair and how curly/strait it is by the hight percition scanning. To even work the NERvGear needs submilimeter acuracy so scanning the hair will be easy. (Anon)

For the hair style: I think hair style is something the players can change by themselves, like how one can pick up movable objects, I think combing would be allowed at least. The only difference is hair color which, from what I know from Aria in the Starless Night (SAO SS), is customizable via a monster drop item. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 22:57, 17 January 2012 (CST)

For the body, currently it is possible to take multiple photographs from different angles and compile them to make holograms, thus it should be possible to do the same here (especially since the tech is way advanced here). All one would need to make sure is that the height is given which could be used as a scale for the 3d photo. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 22:57, 17 January 2012 (CST)

The skin tone, eye color etc could also be derived from photos, no mystery at all. You can be assured since I am a Computer Science graduate. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 22:59, 17 January 2012 (CST)

Wasn't there a part where they said her bro bought the NGear and the game, but could not play it as he was overseas, so she was the first to play it? In other words, Asuna would be the first user of the game, and it would be calibrated to her. This assumes that the brother is not a beater, but even then, beta accounts were deleted or reset at the commence of the full game.

If we are discussing about how the body type, height, weight, sex etc was captured, well, they did say they had to key in certain particulars, and run their hands around their bodies. About the Hair styles and color, perhaps its more of what NG reads the mind as being the most comfortable with, through reading of the brainwaves of users in the first hour. Afterall, its not like all the characters in SAO have black hair, but multicolored, which I'm sure would not be true IRL... then again, this is aniverse after all... --[[User:Gabgrave|Gabgrave]] 23:23, 17 January 2012 (CST)

@Zero Yeah, you can use pictures to create a 3D object but the problem is how to take them ^^! unless you have a mirror as big as you, otherwise, it impossible to take those pictures yourself.--[[User:Hayate-sama|Hayate-sama]] 01:13, 18 January 2012 (CST)

Please note that SAO occurs in a more advanced world. Furthermore I said that height would be given (ie: entered as a perimeter) so that it can be used as a scale. Thus resizing the image would be possible. Nowadays there are graphic plugins for GIMP and Photoshop that allow resizing (blowing up of pictures, or more simply, making them bigger) without loss of quality. In an advanced world it would be a better process and more commonly used (ie: common knowledge). The main point here is that what we consider specialized knowledge would be common in the setting of SAO. After all, ''virtual reality has become real'' in the setting. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 03:09, 18 January 2012 (CST)

Yeah all these question can be answered that "they can do it in the future" then it all solved, no need for discussion O_O .--[[User:Hayate-sama|Hayate-sama]] 04:10, 18 January 2012 (CST)

A famous quote from Arthur C. Clarke: '''"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic"'''. You shouldn't think so deeply on it. Also it's a fact that as time will pass, what is considered advanced now will be considered common in the future. A general purpose computer, at the beginning, was a machine that was superbly expensive so much so that the normal person could not own it. Nowadays it's in every home. Well that's over the span of 60 years. But with things like [http://www.howstuffworks.com/invisibility-cloak.htm invisibility cloaks] being developed, you really can't say that what I'm saying is wrong. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 11:15, 18 January 2012 (CST)

Guys, this debate getting too long. I think this talk page should be more for translation related purposes. Please move this to the forums if you wish to continue. Please delete this text list once that has been done.--[[User:Gabgrave|Gabgrave]] 19:00, 18 January 2012 (CST)

Just discuss it in the forum ;) --[[User:Darklor|Darklor]] 01:11, 23 February 2012 (CST)

== Volume 5 news ==

any news on when it will be finished? or if anyone is working on it? kind of been waiting for a while now. --[[User:Zer0light|Zer0light]] 23:16, 2 December 2011 (CST)

According to BCOFM, it will be release within a week (or month) around now. Dunno if it's true though as their TL drop dead midway

KR is still translating it. I just finished my editing portion on it to the current page he is at. The chapter is 98 pages long and he has 21 more pages to go [[User:Lp113|Lp113]] 22:56, 6 December 2011 (CST)

98 pages? Seriously? No wonder it take longer than usual to translate. I'll wait for it to be released, because it feels weird to skip over it and read the volume 6. Good luck~ I'm sure a lot of reader are rooting for you (me included) ;) - [[User:RasteShelphyd|RasteShelphyd]] 15:15, 9 December 2011 (CST)

Is chapter 6 the final one or is it chapter 7? Volume 6 starts from chapter 7, so is it just posted twice in volume 5 and 6?

There is chapter 6 and 7 in volume 5. There is also a chapter 7 in volume 6, that I wanted to make into prologue, but our admin Vaelis changed it back to like the book when he fixed the above mistake. PS: Volume 5 chapter 6 will be a while unless you all beg Teh Ping to help with it. [[User:Xplorer30|Xplorer30]] - [[User_talk:Xplorer30|Talk]] 23:33, 28 December 2011 (CST)

Aaaaah I see. Thank you for clarifying and keep up the good work, it's a lot more fun to read the properly translated versions over the machine translation.

'''PLEASE TRANSLATE VOL. 5 CHAPTER 6 :D (or upload what's done of it); It feels very awkward to simply skip 2/3 of a chapter.
'''

I don't mean to sound rude or anything but could the translators focus on finishing chapters 6 and 7 of Volume 5 , I do wanna read read aria in the starless night but even more than that I wanna finish reading Phantom bullet and there is just 2 untranslated chapters preventing me from reading an entire volume. Again I'm sorry if I'm acting rude, and I know that its not easy to translate. [[Username:Leonzell (not registered here) 1:44 AM GMT+10

Given the previous banter from certain users about this topic in the recent past, this does come off as a little rude. One of the translators, [[User:Teh_Ping|Teh Ping]] has already addressed this issue and has asked for additional help to translate. Otherwise, you can look at his user page for a timeline. -[[User:Milki|milki]] 09:54, 19 January 2012 (CST)

If you cannot wait, the first chapter of book 6 does cover the events that happen in those missing chapters in summary. You do not really need to worry if you will miss anything important, the main plot is covered. Just come back to read the details when it is done and posted up. --[[User:Gabgrave|Gabgrave]] 19:56, 19 January 2012 (CST)

Actually, I still patiently waiting for chapter 6 to be fully translated, even though I have an urge to just skip it and read the volume 6.
But....how should I say it.... It feels 'incomplete' if I just skip it (I'm a bit perfectionist, sorry). So I beg you, if you have free time (which must be hard to find since you also have real life), please, would you consider to fully translate the chapter 6? X) - [[User:RasteShelphyd|RasteShelphyd]] 13:25, 27 January 2012 (CST)

Well. I'm sure that's nice to know. The translators have their own timeline and life as well though. If you want to help, try recruiting some more translators to help [[User:Teh_Ping|Teh Ping]]. - [[User:Milki|milki]] 16:34, 27 January 2012 (CST)

2 month and still waiting.... - [[User:RasteShelphyd|RasteShelphyd]] 01:04, 7 February 2012 (CST)

Well, I'm not sure about chapter 6, but chapter 7 will be dome translating and put into the hands of the editors sometime within 24 hours, depending on my schedule.--[[User:Desodus|Desodus]] 16:00, 21 February 2012 (CST)

Niiiice♪. But can you help Teh Ping out in releasing Chapter 6 too? I'm sure he'd agree since his schedule is full. Rather he's been asking for help as long as I know. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 20:06, 21 February 2012 (CST)

Don't know for sure, but I would need to check out how far the other translator got into the chapter. I got only a couple pages left of chapter 7 anyway, I sure could help out. Since your an editor, do you have the link for the google docs where the chapters are? If not, give me your email and I'll send you a link.--[[User:Desodus|Desodus]] 14:26, 22 February 2012 (CST)

Put it on my Talk page. As for how far chapter 6 has gotten: The point where Kirito purchases the Kouken (Light Saber). BTW, why isn't the chapter here on it's respective chapter page? All I see is 100% in editing, I don't get it. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 16:36, 22 February 2012 (CST)

That's because all editing done by the BCotFM are done through google docs. But sadly, the group has been kinda falling apart as members have to answer to LIFE or got other projects. Personally, I was just procrastinating and going through some issues myself.--[[User:Desodus|Desodus]] 21:16, 22 February 2012 (CST)

Woohoo! Awesome Translation. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 10:17, 5 March 2012 (CST)

== Quote consistency ==

There are a lot of different quotes used. Which one's should be used?

contractions - ' or ’

terms - «» or <nowiki>'' (two single quotes)</nowiki> (understand that «» is for SAO terms,
but if <nowiki>''</nowiki> is used, I don't know if its intentional or should be «»)

quotes - "" or “” or ''''

- [[User:Milki|milki]] 17:03, 18 February 2012 (CST)

Well, while writing on a piece of paper with a pen “” and ’ are used
however "" are known as typewriter quotes and are also completely acceptable
But "" or ' takes up less space so it is preferred for use in Media wiki based websites like this one.
as for <nowiki>''</nowiki> These are used to ''italicize'' the text. Please ignore them.

In other words it doesn't really matter unless you want to optimize space usage since they both look the same no matter which one you use. So please ignore it. Though the standard on all mediawiki based sites has '''always''' been "" and '. (See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style#Quotation_marks)]) - [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 22:17, 18 February 2012 (CST)

== '''Bullet of Bullets''' or '''Ballet of Bullets'''? ==

I'm a little confused. In the GGO arc... Is it '''Bullet''' of Bullets or '''Ballet''' of Bullets? Considering how Battle Tournaments are normally be named, '''Bullet''' of Bullets makes less sense than '''Ballet''' of Bullets (which actually fits more as far as tournament names go). Reason: fighting and dancing have often been interlinked. In medieval times strong noble warriors were also known for being good dancers since the movements used in battle are often similar to dance movements. See: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capoeira Capoeira], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calinda Calinda]. Oh I'm getting off track. Anyways, since fighting and dancing are similar it's more likely the tournament is named '''Ballet of Bullets''' (even if guns are now used, it has historical meaning). So can someone please check and see. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 04:10, 5 March 2012 (CST)

Answered already here http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Talk:Sword_Art_Online:Volume_6_Chapter_7 --[[User:Ff7 freak|Ff7 freak]] 04:46, 5 March 2012 (CST)

== Is there any official released of the novel in english? ==

i plan to buy it if it got released in english version

This is not yet licensed in any English-speaking country yet as far as I know. Wikipedia says so and wiki is always right. --[[User:Milki|milki]] 10:23, 14 March 2012 (CDT)

It's only recently but.....yeah, it has been announced by Yen Press. More details on these links:
http://www.taptaptaptaptap.net/yen-press-license/#more-1423
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-08-23/yen-press-adds-sword-art-online-accel-world-light-novels-more-madoka-magica-manga
--[[User:albertrojas|albertrojas]] 2:46PM, 25 August 2013 (+8GMT)

== Another SAO SS? ==

Greetings. When I visited the author old site I saw several items that might be SAO SS.(well some are already being translated.) 
Like [Aria in the Starless Sky], [Absolute Solitude], [Fortune Star], [Resettable Saver], SS5-[A Murder Case in the Area], SS7-[Cradle of the Moon], and [Waterworks] (not sure about some of the title since I'm using Google translate.) 
Aria in the Starless Sky&A Murder Case in the Area are already on translation. If it isn't too troublesome,may I ask if the other will also be put into translation somewhere in the near future? Thanks before.

I'm very intersting in those you mentioned as I have never run into them before, could you check if there're actual text inside? Of all those, I only have Cradle of the Moon, which is SS based on the Alizication arc, which is still untranslated so it has low priority for now. -- [[User:BeginnerXP|BeginnerXP]] 19:34, 15 April 2012 (CDT)

Greetings.Yes,I've checked them.There're texts inside.But since I still haven't learned Japanese yet,I can only save it to MS Word/pdf format.Would you like me to send it to your e-mail address?Ah,I haven't ask your e-mail address yet.(I sincerely hope that they're SAO SS and can be of use to everyone.)[[User:User753|User753]]

I just realized those you mentioned, it's his main site not old site and those aren't part of SAO series, I'm searching for more SAO SS author wrote in many occasions, but so far, no luck yet -- [[User:BeginnerXP|BeginnerXP]] 01:21, 16 April 2012 (CDT)

Ah,that's too bad.So,it's a miss.Thank you.Sorry for the trouble.[[User:User753|User753]]

Ok so now i am confused, so is "volume 9 - Alicization Beginning" not part of SAO or its is just the "web version - Alicization Arc" thats is not part of SAO?--[[User:Kyo171|Kyo171]] 00:55, 18 April 2012 (CDT)

Volume 9 is the version that is published, the web version is the version that was online. --[[User:Pryun|Pryun]] 01:12, 18 April 2012 (CDT)

Ok.. so is the web version not part of the SAO universe with the kirito and asuna that we know? or its a separate story all together? [[User:Kyo171|Kyo171]] 01:19, 18 April 2012 (CDT)

The web version is similar to the published version, but not exactly the same. Any more information I can give is a spoiler, but if you don't mind spoilers you can go look at the images of volume 9. --[[User:Pryun|Pryun]] 01:23, 18 April 2012 (CDT)

Hmm... roger that, coz i was confused looking at the images in vol 9 i see kirito and asuna that we are all familiar with, but in the web version there's a disclaimer saying that the kirito is not the kirito that we know of. I am talking about the roughly translated "Alicization Arc (Web Version)" in the mainpage btw. [[User:Kyo171|Kyo171]] 01:30, 18 April 2012 (CDT)

Alicization web version chapter 1 on the wiki is practically the same as the Prologue I of vol 9, author did a lot of minor changes including rewriting in a few places, but the overall summary is still the same. The reason readers felt it wasn't related to Kirito we know will be explained in the later chapters, but he's certainly the same Kirito. Alicization is currently the largest arc of SAO series (and I assume it'd be the final main arc of the series too) and would need 5-6 volumes to cover its entire arc -- [[User:BeginnerXP|BeginnerXP]] 09:19, 18 April 2012 (CDT)

ahhh.. thanks for the clarification, i have one more question, when would be the most optimum time to read the side story "versus", the accel world crossover side story? I am currently on vol 5. --[[User:Kyo171|Kyo171]] 09:42, 18 April 2012 (CDT)

I'm not sure about Accel World side, but for SAO, there's no reference to anything significant after Fairy Dance, so I think it's fine to read it right after vol.4, but the story actually took place just slightly before Alicization arc, so author actually wants readers to read it after vol.8 (Accel World vol.10 released after SAO vol.8) -- [[User:BeginnerXP|BeginnerXP]] 10:27, 18 April 2012 (CDT)

== It's weird ==

Aria in the Starless Night Side Story is when Kirito and Asuna meet for the first time in SAO. But do both or just Asuna forget about the other? In the other volumes it seems that Asuna got interested in Kirito after she saw him living (lazing around on the field) the game just as he would in reality (ie: the events in Vol8 Ch1, this is mentioned in other volumes too). Did Asuna forget about the events in Aria or what? Or did the author make a slight miss? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 13:35, 21 April 2012 (CDT)

It might be best to think of it like they simply met at a coffee shop, sure, they were fighting alongside each other, but that wasn't enough to get them past a formal acquaintanceship. [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] 14:24, 21 April 2012 (CDT)

Heeh~ Sure ''and the whole bath thing just went over everybody's head~. Yup~ I'm sure that was something easy to forget~.'' Like that'd ever happen. That's why I'm confused. He was the guy who introduced her to how food could taste better, he was the guy who taught her that there were better living conditions than INNs, he was the guy who taught her not to overkill and how to choose better weapons. I can get them being at the level of formal acquaintances till that point. What I'm confused about is that in the other volumes there is no mention of her meeting him before the lazing around incident. Like they never even met before that. Weird isn't it? Well maybe it will be mentioned in vol8 chap1. I can't wait for the translation. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 16:39, 21 April 2012 (CDT)

I think there was though, although it was a little subtle, back in the first volume, when it talked about Asuna going around and recruiting the boss assault team. [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] 17:32, 21 April 2012 (CDT)

I dunno, Asuna might have blocked off some of that since it wasn't an all pleasant experience for her. Plus she still did keep that I want to clear this as fast as possible attitude til she met him in the upper floors again, so maybe she just forgot about it while trying to clear? I will agree with you, it is a pretty bad plot hole since you gotta think about it a lot to find a reason. [[User:Syaoran|Syaoran]] 18:10, 21 April 2012 (CDT)

I don't think that it is really a plot hole, as aria is a side story, but then again, recently I have been feeling like Kawahara has been giving them too much time together in side stories, if they were in a group of seven in aria, it would have been much better I believe. [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] 18:13, 21 April 2012 (CDT)

It was pretty weird that Asuna and Kirito don't remember this some minor details have also been left out while in volumes but this meeting is just too big of an event so that they could forget but well seeing it is just a side story I guess it should be just fine as just seeing it in a way like you have said before Asuna after not seeing him again just started going crazy wanting to clear the game and Kirito being a Kirito just kinda forgot since the next time they saw each other took place about 1 year and 5 months later??[[User:Lelouch545|Lelouch545]]3:54, 11 Jule (PCT)

It's possible that the author hadn't thought of any of these events when he wrote Volume 1. There are plenty of other inconsistencies throughout the side-stories, too. Since the side-stories are added after the main arc is over, it's best not to delve in too deep --[[Special:Contributions/92.239.153.44|92.239.153.44]] 06:21, 11 June 2012 (CDT)

Well seems they made a drastic fix in the anime. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 16:31, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

Thinking of it , they never said once that Asuna falled in love with Kirito at the first meeting right ? They said she loved him when she had seen him "living" the game , but being clearers , it was obvious that they had met each other a while before , for Bosses figths , while mapping or other game contents, so the two of them meeting after one month of game isn't weird right ? For the memories, do you recall all the things you've done with your acquaintances ? I can't of course , and in SAO I think there's a lot more of memories than in our real life, so memories about an other player they met and isn't that important for them isn't really worthy of being talked about in the main plot. [[User:Eldivah|Eldivah]] 16:49, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

== Material Editions ==

Material Editions? Is this the name of a new volume? Or a web volume? Or what? I need to know so that I can properly sort the info on the wikipedia page. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 17:07, 29 April 2012 (CDT)

Material Edition (ME) series is a series of '''doujinshis''' created by Kawahara Reki himself using the pen name "Kunori Fumio" (he used that pen name when he was writing the web novel of SAO). Most but not all of the volumes of the ME series are side stories. He sells the ME series at the Comitia market (not Comic Market) and also some doujinshi shops.
Below are the list of Material Edition volumes:

* ME1 - The Progressor (a short manga chapter drawn by Kawahara himself)
* ME2 - Early Characters
* ME3 - Ceramic Heart
* ME4 - Cold Hand, Warm Heart
* ME5 - Salvia
* ME6 - Algade Showdown
* ME7 - Continuation. Aria of the Starless Night
* ME8 - First Chapter of Rondo (second floor side story)
* ME9 - Monochrome Concerto

ME9 - Monochrome Concerto. yes, third floor, I'd do it if I can find raws.--[[User:Pryun|Pryun]] - [[User_talk:Pryun|Talk]] 21:17, 29 April 2012 (CDT)

I'll add them in the timeline I need to complete, if I have some informations about their dates (I saw "September" in ME4 for example). -[[User:Misogi|Misogi]] 18:45, 30 April 2012 (GMT+1)

Okay So if there are any more please update on the list on the SAO Project Page at once. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 15:49, 30 April 2012 (CDT)

Regarding Pryun-san question about Sword Art Online: Material Editions 1.In my opinion,if it's allowed,please include the ME1.As it's a gaiden that's made by the same author supplementing the canon storyline.It'll be a sad thing if it's not posted and no manga reader site have posted it on theirs.--[[User:User753|User753]]-[[User talk:User753|Talk]]- 00:41, 1 May 2012 (CDT)

If it's a manga version (picture, comics whatever, basically like the color pages in the first section of the talk page). Then if someone can translate it I can photoshop it into the pics. Badabing Badaboom! [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 22:43, 1 May 2012 (CDT)

I got my hands on ME1 manga, its in chinese, i could translate it into English and photoshop it into the manga. Unless Zero2001 wants to do the photoshopping... I am an amateur photoshopper though --[[User:Kyo171|Kyo171]] 04:34, 4 May 2012 (CDT)

i think so long as the words can be seen in the bubbles and the original are removed, it should be fine.[[User:Fallen3dge|Fallen3dge]] 04:36, 5 May 2012 (CDT)

Upload the RAWs, add the translations, create a gallery, And leave the photoshopping to me. I'll do it. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 21:29, 6 May 2012 (CDT)

Oi... [http://www.batoto.net/comic/_/comics/sword-art-online-material-edition-soushuuhen-doujinshi-r4781 tap-trans has already done ME 1 and 3]. How much longer before we do it??? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 17:30, 2 June 2012 (CDT)

And then there's ME7... I wanna read ME7~ Waaah~. ''Sob Sob''. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 17:34, 2 June 2012 (CDT)

Should we just post links to batoto on the main page at ME 1 and 3? It seems a waste to do the same work twice. --[[User:Saganatsu|Saganatsu]] 17:42, 2 June 2012 (CDT)

I'm all for that idea. But will it be accepted? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 03:24, 3 June 2012 (CDT)

Based on what I have seen so far I believe that ME1: The Progressors should be named "The Clearers" instead since that is what the title is talking about in regards to the story and all the translations so far have used the term "Clearer" instead of "Progressor" --[[User:Arctosa|Arctosa]] 10:43, 10 June 2012 (CDT)

English text on every page of it says "The Progressors". We know it's weird.--[[User:Saganatsu|Saganatsu]] 12:54, 10 June 2012 (CDT)

Wouldn't it be better to rename the chapter pages to include ME#. Example: '''Sword Art Online:ME9:Monochrome Concerto''' I mean now that Rondo has continued, so will Monochrome Concerto. It will avoid clashing in the future since you're probably gonna insert the same include tags as you have in First Chapter of Rondo and then the page name conflict with the side story, y'know. Plus it will become easier to categorize the ME chapters and compile them in the Material Editions volume page when they're all done. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 16:02, 6 July 2012 (CDT)

So... no objections? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 13:50, 11 July 2012 (CDT)

I will do it later after deciding how to rename them. [[User:Vaelis|Vaelis]] 16:02, 11 July 2012 (CDT)

I have heard similar sentences an uncountable number of times from my parents, only to be disappointed. Haven't you? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 16:53, 11 July 2012 (CDT)

GJ. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 13:04, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

== PDFs ==

So I've been a long time visitor of Baka-Tsuki, but never bothered making an account. I've been browsing a bit and was quite impressed with the To Aru Majutsu no Index PDFs. So, feeling obligated to do something, I took it upon myself to turn volume 1 of SAO into a PDF and put it onto MF. I hope that this is alright.

[http://www.mediafire.com/?4gaf7px2qewd23a Sword Art Online - 01 PDF]

You can download the PDF I made and see if it's acceptable.

:If this is okay with the translators and editors, I'll try and turn all the completely translated volumes into PDFs and put em on MF. - [[User:Zetsubo666|Zetsubo666]]

::The thread for the PDF is [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=4704#p122072 here]. There is a link to it on the main page of the project. [[User:Vaelis|Vaelis]] 13:55, 31 May 2012 (CDT)

=== Aincrad stories chronological compilation ===

Hi everyone.
With the onset of the anime, I thought it would be nice to have all the Aincrad stories in chronological order, so I took the time to make one, please get the PDFs and EPUBs here

http://www.mediafire.com/myfiles.php#dxowqtn177i1o

1. '''Sword Art Online Aincrad chronicles (allage)''' has all the completed stories '''without''' chapter 16.5.

:Thank you very much for all those who have translated this awesome series! Please enjoy the Aincard arc from the beginning to the end, until the Author comes up with his official one!
--[[User:Gabgrave|Gabgrave]] ([[User talk:Gabgrave|talk]]) 03:13, 9 September 2012 (CDT)

== Congrats ==

Just wanted to thank all you guys for working hard and translating the SAO series.
Now that nearly everything is translated I wanted to ask, how far along is the novel in Japan? Cause when I try to look it up I cant read the pages cause they're all in Japanese D:
And is the "cradle of the moon" chapter going to be translated or not, cause from what I read it's included in the Alicization arc.
If it is I think it should be removed from the page, as everything else is 100% and this is the only non-translated part so it sorta ruins it when you scroll down and see everything.
Thanks again to all the translators and editors! --[[User:Mufarasu|Mufarasu]] 13:31, 16 June 2012 (CDT)

If it's removed. It could be more easily forgotten or shelved indefinitely. And besides, the next volume is coming out within a month, and there are other side stories you still haven't seen translated. Patience is a virtue. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 15:48, 16 June 2012 (CDT)

Alright, I'll try my best lol. --[[User:Mufarasu|Mufarasu]] 18:37, 17 June 2012 (CDT)

Spoken like a true fan. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 23:34, 17 June 2012 (CDT)

== Anime ==

The anime ep1 was... AWESOME! They really stuck to the story, and now, since I saw the ending of ep 1 I can say for sure that the anime will encompass Vol 1, 2 and Aria at the very least. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 15:09, 7 July 2012 (CDT)

The music is done by Yuki Kajiura. YUKI KAJIURA man! Her works are EPIC. You could practically feel the fear and desperation in the air as well as Kirito's determination to live. AWESOME! [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - --[[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 15:13, 7 July 2012 (CDT)

Truly amazing indeed, I have watched it 5 times already, it just leaves you speechless, it's so good. [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] - [[User_talk:Draeke|Talk]] - 15:23, 7 July 2012 (CDT)

Yeah. It really is. I can't wait for the next one. It was so excruciatingly painful the last few hours before it came online. And yet, it was worth the wait. Now I have to bear the pain of waiting a whole week. Nugaaah! Waku waku, waku waku. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 17:43, 7 July 2012 (CDT)

Doraemon-sama, please lend me your time machine.--[[User:Zmunjali|Zmunjali]] 18:16, 7 July 2012 (CDT)

Hold on, the anime will be going for about 26 episodes, with one episode per week, holy crap that's half a year, we need to wait half a year to see the end! [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] - [[User_talk:Draeke|Talk]] - 02:16, 13 July 2012 (CDT)

Better than having the story butchered or cut short in the middle. I've always thought 12-13 eps was too little. Besides, the wait will make it all the more worthwhile. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 12:59, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

Very true, I feel that if they released them all at once, I would die before I got to watch any. Although, I am actually quite worried, mainly about the few disconnects in the story, sure they have a chance to correct them, but I want things to progress along with the novels, such as Asuna, I have this bad feeling that they are going to try to get them together right away, which I believe would make things worse. Also the others, if they try to make a harem ending, or some kind of ending where it is unclear who Kazuto ends up with, that will piss me off. Waiting avidly for the new episode. [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] - [[User_talk:Draeke|Talk]] - 13:08, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

Oh hey, there is the raw. [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] - [[User_talk:Draeke|Talk]] - 13:09, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

Urgh. Well, ep 2 is okay, I guess. But I don't like the fact that they removed so much. It's like the depth of the story has been filled in till the plot becomes shallow (kinda like how one fills in a perfectly good water well). [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 14:20, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

Wait, is it subbed? [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] - [[User_talk:Draeke|Talk]] - 14:22, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

I'm proficient enough in '''verbal''' japanese. Plus it helps to read the novel. Damn it's like they summarized the whole side story. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 14:28, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

Really? Dang, I had thought they would spend at least three to four episodes on Aria, but you seem to be implying that they end it in one, maybe two. [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] - [[User_talk:Draeke|Talk]] - 14:32, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

Sorry to burst your bubble... but they ended Aria in one ep. And they cut out a lot of stuff. This is why I hate story butchering. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 14:38, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

Wow, well, based off of this pace, they may very well include volumes 3 and 4, well, I'll watch it no matter what, but I hope they keep to the story. [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] - [[User_talk:Draeke|Talk]] - 14:46, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

There's no point if the anime is a mere summarization of the LN! It's like draining the juice out of an orange and forcing others to eat just the soft inner-skin. Well... it was okay for those who haven't read the LN especially Kirito's really cool part, but I don't like it that they cut all the rest of the plot (don't worry I'm not gonna spoil it). If you squeeze the plot too much it ruins it. Sigh, and they stuck to the plot with Accel World so I was looking forward and hoping... Well lets hope they do better next ep. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 14:57, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

I have not seen the episode yet, so I can not say too much, but remember that Accel World had some things that were missing as well, not so much the plot, but things that helped pull things together. [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] - [[User_talk:Draeke|Talk]] - 15:02, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

And there is a point, and the point is the orange, it is the taste of the orange, the feel of the orange, the experience of eating the orange, whether it be juice, fruit, or some viscous substance consisting of orange, orange is orange, and it tastes like orange. [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] - [[User_talk:Draeke|Talk]] - 15:07, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

True for the first. False for the second. The inner skin of an orange itself doesn't taste like orange you know. I'm talking about that thin white skin you see after you peel off the thick outer orange colored skin. You know, the one that holds the inner juiciness together. Besides, I'm saying it's okay. It's just that I don't like the fact that they removed all that good stuff. You'll know what I'm talking about when the subs are out. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 15:14, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

Alright, I was just trying to get my point across, I will be sure to watch it, and I may be disappointed, but I also might not, who knows? And for that second one, the white stuff does taste like orange, at least a little bit. [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] - [[User_talk:Draeke|Talk]] - 15:20, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

Like drops from a full bottle, true. And don't worry, I understand. Soon, you'll understand what I'm talking about as well. I'll explain in detail once the subs are out. That way you won't get spoiled and can look forward to it. The ep 2 is good, but it could have been much better. That's my stance. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 15:37, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

Personnaly , I think Aria was made in the anime and cut in that way just to help the new comers with SAO to understand more about Kirito and not to give the whole SS scenario. [[User:Eldivah|Eldivah]] 16:05, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

Hmm. Come to think of it. That might be it. I mean there was a slight conflict between the stories of the Aria SS and the main story aka volume 1. See a few sections above if you want to know/be spoiled. I'll explain after the sub is out, but if you take into account what was needed to be done to fix that discrepancy then. Yes, I see. If it's that reason then it's alright somewhat, I guess. But there are a few parts that didn't need to be removed even if that were the case. Still, I'm warming up to the ep 2 now. I suppose time heals all wounds isn't an exaggeration after all. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 16:27, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

I will agree to that as well, and a question, did they include Argo as well in episode 2? Because she is one of my favorite characters. [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] - [[User_talk:Draeke|Talk]] - 16:29, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

Do you want to be spoiled? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 16:41, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

Do I? Probably not, I suppose if I did want to know right away I would have just watched the raw to see if her name came up anywhere, so don't say anything, and when are the subs coming? [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] - [[User_talk:Draeke|Talk]] - 16:45, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

Dunno. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 16:47, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

I know you don't, I was just complaining about something I have no control over, we all do it occasionally. [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] - [[User_talk:Draeke|Talk]] - 16:50, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

Haha. Too true. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 16:53, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

SUBBED! [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] - [[User_talk:Draeke|Talk]] - 17:11, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

I'll wait an hour before spoiling. Starting from your last post. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 17:17, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

In a sense , for all of us , it's not really spoils :) Really waiting for Ep3 ! [[User:Eldivah|Eldivah]] 17:19, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

Wow, that was something else, yes, content was thrown out, Diabel was not as bad as he was in the novel, and Kirito was awesome, but mainly when he was berating the other beta testers, that laugh, wonderful, that was awesome, Egil is cool, I could very easily see the foundation that they put for the future, and finally, holy crap, they are jumping straight to Red-Nosed Reindeer? That is a massive jump. And poor Argo, completely cast aside. [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] - [[User_talk:Draeke|Talk]] - 17:38, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

See. And besides, Red nosed reindeer was next chronologically. I mean Rondo and Crescendo aren't completely published yet. Well there's not much in Reindeer so let's hope they don't cut things out this time. At least cutting down Kirito and Asuna's time in Aria serves to address the problem I mentioned in [[Talk:Sword_Art_Online#It's weird]]. But why'd they cut down the whole plot Diabel cooked up along with Argo's scenes? I wanted to see Kiriemon at least. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 17:51, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

I agree completely, but I also thoroughly enjoyed that episode. Aria did have a really deep story, and they just brushed over it. Oh well, still good, lets hope that they don't just kill everyone off in the Black Cats of the Full Moon immediately, and keep them around for at least one episode before they die. [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] - [[User_talk:Draeke|Talk]] - 18:03, 14 July 2012 (CDT) (That sounds pretty awful, I know, but no other real way to say it)

I think that's pretty simple , letting the plot of Diabel and Argo must introduce a friend character to the main one , but never use him again , that's a big problem for the public, next , the plot of Diabel about the Anneal Blade will just drag a lot of questions if they don't add the whole story about the quest to obtain it , explain the whole thing about the Beta-Test , why Diabel knows of Kirito etc , and then that will be 5 episodes of things unrelated to the main plot or to Kirito's mental state and settings [[User:Eldivah|Eldivah]] 17:59, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

At about 3.5 minutes in, How does her rapier fit? [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] - [[User_talk:Draeke|Talk]] - 18:07, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

That might be pretty hard to handle a perspective drawing with a cloak ,how to put it , if she was just wearing a normal outfit or if the rapier was outside the cloak , we won't have this strange feeling , but , they had to draw it like the rapier comming across the cloak and this ended by having the impression of the rapier being stabbed into Asuna instead. [[User:Eldivah|Eldivah]] 18:22, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

"Red-Nosed Reindeer" will get only 1 ep and after thatcomes "The Black Swordsman" with one ep, too. [[User:BlackP|BlackP]] 19:09, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

Umm, okay, where did you learn about this? And if so, then how the heck do they compress Red-Nosed Reindeer into one episode, I could see that stretch three or four episodes. [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] - [[User_talk:Draeke|Talk]] - 19:16, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

I couldn't, if they did ALL of Aria (granted they took some stuff out) in one episode then doing the Red-Nosed Reindeer is more than doable in one episode. I wonder tho if they will do the Black Cats portion and the revival portion separate or together, since they could do it as a current event or as a flashback. That said since it seems they are going with one episode for everything like the Murder Case in episode 5 and Sicilia story in episode 4, then its likely they are gonna use the second half for ALO, which all things considering isn't that bad. I wouldn't want a full series for ALO (considering its the worst arc imo) and the ending is more conclusive then the end of the Aincard arc. [[User:BlackSwordsman|BlackSwordsman]] 00:37, 15 July 2012

Umm, sure, but where are you getting your information, and tag your name, please. [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] - [[User_talk:Draeke|Talk]] - 19:40, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

Oh, should we update the timeline to include the episodes that were featured in the anime? [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] - [[User_talk:Draeke|Talk]] - 20:26, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

Tag my name? In any case i got my information from episode titles, i was told this from a friend but i have no reason to doubt it as i knew the episode 3 title was Red-Nosed Reindeer since before episode 1, episode 4 is supposedly Black Swordsman and such and such. As for the timeline, the anime is simply going chronologically based of the novels events, since after all considering the way volume 1 and 2 are its best to do it chronologically, i'm just curious as to how they are going to use flashbacks as they could see animate "First Day" but as a flashback. [[User:BlackSwordsman|BlackSwordsman]] 01:48, 15 July 2012

Yes, tag your name, place four tilde, '~' in a row after your sentence. [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] - [[User_talk:Draeke|Talk]] - 20:51, 14 July 2012 (CDT)

I copied his user data as well as the post time/date from history and added it. And duh, there is a high chance of volume 2 stories' episode conversions being named after their chapters. But it's not foolproof, Aria being renamed Beater is proof of that. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 00:50, 15 July 2012 (CDT)

Man, they had to change so much in the second episode. I think it would have been much better if they used the actual ending of Aria, and actually show Kirito in the second floor during the sunset and all that.[[User:Jasou|Jasou]] 12:10, 15 July 2012 (CDT)

Please continue your discussions on the forums, not the wiki. Thank you.(http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=4595&start=105) --[[User:Hiro Hayase|Hiro Hayase]] 15:47, 15 July 2012 (CDT)

== Question about Frequency of releases ==

I'm just wondering, what's the general frequency of the releases?

:I um... watched the first episode of SAO anime, and then I suddenly flung myself to read all the translated LN for SAO... and just finished reading everything except for volume 10 (untranslated), some of the lower sidestories, and material editions...

::that said, I'm just wondering...

:::Given that the releases have been in the order of - April, August, December (for 2 2/3 years) and then switched suddenly to february, July...

:::am I correct in deducing the approximate date of Volume 11 is around December(2012)-February (2013) then?

::::Personally, I think it will be closer to February of 2013, but hey, who knows, it is kind of tough to project a solid timeline, so I really can't say when I think it will be. [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] - [[User_talk:Draeke|Talk]] - 18:02, 12 July 2012 (CDT)

== Adding Reference? ==

While I was translating SAO into Vietnamese version, I happened to find out that the name of Klein's guild has a meaning behind it (it actually refers to a way of commanding army of Takeda Shingen), so I wanna add a specific reference for it (I get this info from a book, and haven't found any website mention it, so I guess I'll just write it down). But do I need a permission to do that? And if I do, where can I get it? I have also checked the RAW to make sure Kanjis are correct anw. Sorry if this question doesn't make sense, I don't really know much abt how a project here work. [[User:Sozuoka|Sozuoka]] - [[User_talk:Sozuoka|Talk]]

:Translator has total control over the work he/she is working on, you can decide whether to put a reference note not present in English version on your own without having to ask for permission. There is 0 reference in original JP version and English translators added them in at the places they felt the need anyway. -- [[User:BeginnerXP|BeginnerXP]] - [[User_talk:BeginnerXP|Talk]] 08:58, 24 July 2012 (CDT)

== Volume 9 gone? ==

What happened to Volume 9?--[[User:Saganatsu|Saganatsu]] 13:18, 2 August 2012 (CDT)

:See [[Teh_Ping_Talk:Miscellaneous#About_Indowebster]]. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 13:50, 2 August 2012 (CDT)

== Volume 10 + Registration page ==

hmm, so um why is volume 10 not listed on the registration page? (Oh no, I'm not a translator... well for written japanese - I know spoken/verbal japanese, but not written as well... cause I can't read kanji too well yet... tt)..
just wondering~ [[Special:Contributions/76.103.103.224|76.103.103.224]] 22:03, 17 July 2012 (CDT)

:Because all translators in this project already knew who is going to do volume 10. So the registration for volume 10 could be made after first chapter is done by the person. But you can create empty entries of volume 10 chapters now if you want. -- [[User:BeginnerXP|BeginnerXP]] - [[User_talk:BeginnerXP|Talk]] 00:44, 18 July 2012 (CDT)

::Since it looks like Teh_Ping has removed SAO volume 10 from his timeline due to August coming around soon, who is the translator for volume 10? -- MeltyBagel

:Is anyone translating Volume 10?? If not I'll stop checking everyday... --[[Special:Contributions/218.72.133.155|218.72.133.155]] 23:20, 26 July 2012 (CDT)

::Nobody as far as I know of. ／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼ I don't even have the book shipped into my bookstore yet. --[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] 23:29, 26 July 2012 (CDT)

:::TT...will you translate it when it is? I'm really looking forward to reading it! --[[Special:Contributions/218.72.133.155|218.72.133.155]] 23:34, 26 July 2012 (CDT)

::::I think it will be unlikely of me to translate volume 10...without the book when the store only stocks up like 40 copies. BeginnerXP will definitely not be translating this, nobody has stated that they will be doing volume 10 except for me back then, and I do have school starting from August 1st. I do have Baka Test 9.5 to finish. We'll see what happens after that.--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] 23:49, 26 July 2012 (CDT)

:::::Nooooooooooooooooo~. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 01:29, 27 July 2012 (CDT)

I'm the person who made this "topic" (76.103.103.224) although my router was reset and I bothered to make an account hehe (TT) T___T nobody's translating this? /me sad. On another note, I see Vol10 on Amazon ([http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%82%BD%E3%83%BC%E3%83%89%E3%82%A2%E3%83%BC%E3%83%88%E3%83%BB%E3%82%AA%E3%83%B3%E3%83%A9%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3%E3%80%8810%E3%80%89%E3%82%A2%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B7%E3%82%BC%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A7%E3%83%B3%E3%83%BB%E3%83%A9%E3%83%B3%E3%83%8B%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B0-%E9%9B%BB%E6%92%83%E6%96%87%E5%BA%AB-%E5%B7%9D%E5%8E%9F-%E7%A4%AB/dp/4048866974/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1343412322&sr=8-2 1]) so technically one can buy through there (I don't have much money to spare atm)... well I guess I should actually start learning written japanese so I can actually translate in my free time if able... idk :| kinda hard when I need to focus on other things.. /sad --[[User:Zhurai|Zhurai]] 13:08, 27 July 2012 (CDT)

:I tried to order volume 10 when it just released, not to read but to say thank you to author (I prefer to read from scanned raw on my tablet), but when amazon wants 2200 yen for shipping while the book is 600 yen, I had to reconsider... Going to order all 10 volumes from cdjapan instead but I still need some time to save more money.

::Also, when I joined here at the end of last year, we only had volume 1/3/4 completed, just a little over half a year and we now have almost everything translated, it is like a miracle compared to other projects, so please be patient, translators here have life, too. -- [[User:BeginnerXP|BeginnerXP]] - [[User_talk:BeginnerXP|Talk]] 13:25, 27 July 2012 (CDT)

:::It'll take some time but They'll come through for us as they always have. Teh Ping, BeginnerXP, Tap, Pyrun, Sharramon, Black Cats of the Full Moon, BakaSama, KuroiHikari, Thinklife, Aiko and others. Without them we wouldn't be here at this point. There have been so many good people helping out. And I'm sure many of them will continue to help out. So be patient... it'll be up in a few '''months'''. XD. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 15:02, 27 July 2012 (CDT)

::::On a side note, i've been reading volume 10 from chinese to english, and i have a really really reaaally rough copy (its so hard to understand what the sentence in english is supposed to look like when the dictionary has like twenty different meanings for a single symbol). Should I post a really rough draft of it in english onto baka-tsuki? I can try and make the sentences make more sense, but otherwise i'll leave it alone; or should i just wait until someone does it from korean to english? - [[User:MeltyBagel|MeltyBagel]] - [[User_talk:MeltyBagel|Talk]] - 11:28, 28 July 2012 (EST)

:::@BeginnerXP, I know, all I was doing was asking about it :D @_@ I should really start learning kanji myself... atm I just look via radicals (like when I translated anime)... but that isn't really too helpful when I want to translate from a media that's primarily...text....with a bunch of them D: I guess time to reread the whole SAO translated portion again (haha) .__. --[[User:Zhurai|Zhurai]] 14:40, 28 July 2012 (CDT)

About 10 days ago on the web i readed that the chap 4 was on translation, is it true? IF so, how much will we be waiting?

:Until the translator gets done. This isn't the only thing he's doing, he's editing other projects, and busy in RL, but his timeline says he should be done by the [[Teh_Ping_Talk:Projected_Translations%27_Timeline|22nd]] --[[User:Saganatsu|Saganatsu]] ([[User talk:Saganatsu|talk]]) 18:36, 7 September 2012 (CDT)

== Volume 11+ ==

first I should say interestingly the author actually replies in some English on Twitter (@kirito0404)

:Asked him on there what the date it would be released, he answered: @zhurai 10月ですよ It is October

::as for the subject of how many volumes there probably is gonna be... well...

:@kirito0404 also is alicization/アリシゼーション the last arc? or is there more arcs after this (seemingly large) arc? (dont how to say in jp)
:@zhurai アシリゼーション is the last, but follows to around 15 volumes

:--[[User:Zhurai|Zhurai]] ([[User talk:Zhurai|talk]]) 00:43, 27 August 2012 (CDT)

::I doubt that you got the identity of the author right. The author's Twitter account name is actually '''kunori'''. And when I checked his Twitter page, I did not see any of his answers and replies regarding number of volumes for Alicization. It is still a mystery for now. Although from the web version, the web readers can predict Alicization will go a long way to Volume 16. --'''Tomtkp'''

Can someone confirm that volume 12 came out?
In the authors notes he says that he will release a volume every other month, so I'm just wondering if he's on schedule, cause I can't really find anything. And if it did I'm wondering how long it'll take to upload.
Thanks--[[User:Mufarasu|Mufarasu]] ([[User talk:Mufarasu|talk]]) 10:38, 2 October 2012 (CDT)

:Volume 11 hasn't been released yet, so how can volume 12 be out. Look at SAO front page (at the very bottom) to find out when each volume will be released. --[[User:Breeze|Breeze]] ([[User talk:Breeze|talk]]) 10:43, 2 October 2012 (CDT)

::Lol whoops, I meant vol 11, thanks for clarifying though--[[User:Mufarasu|Mufarasu]] ([[User talk:Mufarasu|talk]]) 10:48, 2 October 2012 (CDT)

:::in wikipedia i am seeing volume 11 release date as december any idea if it is true? --[[User:wllz|wllz]] ([[User talk:wllz|talk]]) 7:50, 21 October 2012 (CDT)

Does anyone have the link to the web novel versions? [[User:Zeru|Zeru]] ([[User talk:Zeru|talk]]) 21:31, 18 April 2013 (CDT)

== Progressive Series ==

Are you guys planning on adding the Progressive volume(s)?
And could you explain a little more about them?
From what I`ve read it`s gonna a retelling of several SAO stories but is that it? And thanks, I appreciate all the work you put into translating it.--[[User:Mufarasu|Mufarasu]] ([[User talk:Mufarasu|talk]]) 00:20, 13 October 2012 (CDT)

:SAO Progressive... From what I know it's a reboot of the Aincrad Arc of the series. Starting from Floor 1 and onwards. Featuring Kirito and Asuna so far.

:*Floor 1 = [[Sword_Art_Online:Aria_in_the_Starless_Night|Aria in the Starless Night]]
:*Floor 2 = [[Sword Art Online:Rondo of the Transient Sword|Rondo of the Transient Sword]]
:*Floor 3 = Monochrome Concerto [[Sword Art Online:ME9|(Only first chapter TLed so far)]]

:[[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 05:55, 13 October 2012 (CDT)

::K, thanks--[[User:Mufarasu|Mufarasu]] ([[User talk:Mufarasu|talk]]) 14:24, 17 October 2012 (CDT)

Is anyone here planning to work on Progressive Vol 1? I recently got my ordered copy, and as expected it covers from Aria to Rondo, so I understand if there's a lack of incentive to translate it considering that the Aria SS has already been translated here and Pryun is still translating Rondo. However, while the Progressive chapters seem to stick pretty close to the original web versions, there are still clear differences, as evidenced by how Aria in Progressive is divided into 15 parts instead of the 20 in web version and Rondo has 14 instead of 40. (Rondo is still about 300 pages long though, so I'm not sure if the author just reorganized it or not.) I was just wondering how the issue was going to be dealt with.

:Also, if there are plans to eventually work on Progressive, could I add a sub-section for it on the main page and upload the illustrations I scanned from vol 1? (Admittedly, they're not the best quality, but I think they're more than good enough until someone is able to provide a better version.) --[[User:Eternal Dreamer|Eternal Dreamer]] ([[User talk:Eternal Dreamer|talk]]) 21:39, 19 October 2012 (CDT)

::I'm sure at least 2 translators in SAO project are waiting for the raw of Progressive volume 1 to show up so they can start working on it. But there's no raw available yet after ten days, when Index NT5, which released on the same day as SAOP1 had its raw available 3 days after the release. At this point, I think the chance to see the proper raw of SAOP1 is pretty slim.

:::I personally avoided checking illustration page of the volume I haven't read, as it tends to be spoilery, but you're free to create and upload the images if the quality is good enough. Thank you very much for the contributions. -- [[User:BeginnerXP|BeginnerXP]] ([[User_talk:BeginnerXP|Talk]]) 23:10, 19 October 2012 (CDT)

== Name Pronunciation ==

Can you guys add a page for character name's pronunciation ? It's hard to talk to others while each got his/her own way of speaking names :P

P.S: by the way, please make a wider range of question for page-editing. There's always 1 question whenever I look at it. -Anon

:Well there is the: [[Sword Art Online:Names and Terminology Guideline]]. I suppose we could add ogg files for pronunciation like wikipedia does. I'll work on it. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 13:50, 18 June 2012 (CDT)

::You can do it the IPA way, like this: London /ˈlʌndən/ -Anon

:::That won't be completely accurate. English and Japanese have different ways to pronouncing certain sounds like T, D, etc. Furthermore, few people know the phonetic alphabet in it's entirety and certainly not those with English as second alphabet. Better to sound it out for them. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 08:03, 19 June 2012 (CDT)

:::So anyone who is great at speaking japanese and a good voice, please volunteer to be the pronouncer. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 08:07, 19 June 2012 (CDT)

Most names should be straightforward in pronunciation, I assume the names with issues are Lyfa and Sinon? In that case:
* Lyfa - Ree-fa in JP version, but English changed R to L so Lee-fa is acceptable, just not Lai-fa.
* Sinon - Shi-non, just like her real name Shino.
* Eugeo - Yoo-gee-o.
-- [[User:BeginnerXP|BeginnerXP]] - [[User_talk:BeginnerXP|Talk]] 01:38, 20 June 2012 (CDT)

:Alternately, for whatever name you have no idea how to pronounce, go to the terminology page, copy the jp name you see, put it into google, then ask it to sound it out for you(somewhere at the bottom right corner). That's the least complicated way, since JP pronunciation is quite simple/fixed. --[[User:Pryun|Pryun]] - [[User_talk:Pryun|Talk]] 05:13, 20 June 2012 (CDT)

::Yu-Gi-Oh!! Was what I first thought of.--[[User:Mufarasu|Mufarasu]]

=== Argas or Agas? ===

I'm rereading Volume 1 (while proofreading) and it seems that the spelling keeps switching back and forth. For the sake of consistency, is there an agreed upon spelling? --[[User:Aozf05|Aozf05]] 00:48, 27 June 2012 (CDT)

:Good question. Take it to the forums for proofers to check(you can post even if you don't have an account there, I think). --[[User:Pryun|Pryun]] - [[User_talk:Pryun|Talk]] 06:24, 27 June 2012 (CDT)

===Cline or Klein===

So is it Cline or Klein? Because someone will need to go around changing it in all of the novels, or a group of people.

:When ou see «Sterben» in the GGO arc, you tend to think german's name were an inspiration. So I'd opt for Klein (little/small). Jul the happy reader.
PS go job to all the translators.

::Greetings.Finally am able to watch it as well.Regarding name change,can I volunteer to do the name change when it's decided?Although I can't do all in one go.-/-[[User:User753|User753]]-[[User talk:User753|Talk]]- 02:24, 8 July 2012 (CDT)

:::I '''can''' make the change in one go. I also volunteer myself for this. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 04:36, 8 July 2012 (CDT)

Vaelis actually gave green light to change all the names to ME2 version a while back in forums, I also did change all the names in the works translated by me. So please feel free to change the names in the rests of the volumes/SS. -- [[User:BeginnerXP|BeginnerXP]] - [[User_talk:BeginnerXP|Talk]] 04:43, 8 July 2012 (CDT)

:Oh good, it is solved, because I had gone back through and noticed it had switched back and forth. [[User:Draeke|Draeke]] - [[User_talk:Draeke|Talk]] - 22:03, 8 July 2012 (CDT)

::Hmm though ME2 is official, can't help but feel some dissonance whenever I see "Klein", something like "Who's Klein?" haha. --[[User:EverDistantUtopia|EverDistantUtopia]] 08:31, 24 July 2012 (CDT)

=== Liz or Lis ? ===

Since "Lizbeth" was changed to "Lisbeth", shouldn't "Liz" (as Asuna always call her) also change to "Lis" ?[[Special:Contributions/123.16.110.69|123.16.110.69]] 07:50, 3 August 2012 (CDT)

:Sounds the same to me... real life names like Elisa/Elisabeth are also shortened to Liz. --[[User:Pryun|Pryun]] - [[User_talk:Pryun|Talk]] 07:56, 3 August 2012 (CDT)

::I haven't even heard of that before @@ English sure is strange to me... -- [[Special:Contributions/113.190.225.179|113.190.225.179]] 09:30, 3 August 2012 (CDT)

:::Pyrun is correct. Real life names like Elisa/Elisabeth that have an "s" in the middle are indeed shortened to nicknames like Liz, with a "z" replacing the "s". So it's fine. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 01:25, 6 August 2012 (CDT)

=== Changing Lyfa references to Leafa? ===

With the release of Episode 17, does anyone with as much OCD as myself feel the need to update Lyfa's name to "[http://puu.sh/1jmK6 Leafa]?" As much as the "Chaged to Immortal Object" almost caused me to break my nose while my face met desk, I'll trust Aniplex enough to at least get everybody's name spelled correctly.

:Thank you for pointing out with that screenshot, so her in-game name really comes from her real name, after all (a kanji in Suguha means Leaf). -- [[User:BeginnerXP|BeginnerXP]] ([[User_talk:BeginnerXP|Talk]]) 01:02, 28 October 2012 (CDT)

==Phantom Bullet: Chapter 7==

I'm going to point this out here and hopefully the Admin, Supervisor or one of the translators can clear up my confusion. Volume 4's story ends with "Chapter 7" and Volume 5's story begins with "Chapter 7". Is this officially on purpose, as in the way it's printed? Or is this just a "oops" from whomever posted the Volumes? I've never noticed a split story sharing Chapter numbers before, that's why I'm asking. -- [[User:Fallton13|Fallton13]] 00:41, 05 November 2012 (EDST)

:It's officially on purpose as far as I was told. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 00:09, 5 November 2012 (CST)

::Volume 5 Chapter 7 ended with "(To Be Continued)"... hence the chapter did not end so is intended by the author (or whoever is the one that plans this things in the original work)...

:::Perhaps rename them to Chapter 7 part 1 and Chapter 7 part 2 to avoid confusion in the future? [[User:Norren|Norren]] ([[User talk:Norren|talk]]) 14:25, 25 March 2013 (CDT)

== "Versus" deleted? ==

Any reason ? [[Special:Contributions/113.190.163.171|113.190.163.171]] 11:12, 2 December 2012 (CST)

:The first part of Alicization is missing chapters too, along with the some of the SAO Material Edition chapters. --[[User:Mufarasu|Mufarasu]] ([[User talk:Mufarasu|talk]]) 14:41, 2 December 2012 (CST)

::From what was written, it looks like they translator requested them to be taken down. Read his page to see the reason.--[[User:Datenshi|Datenshi]] ([[User talk:Datenshi|talk]]) 17:33, 2 December 2012 (CST)

:::Seems like he did take them down, only to replace with links to another blog. Doesn't matter much for me, just curious why he has done that [[Special:Contributions/123.16.239.124|123.16.239.124]] 11:06, 3 December 2012 (CST)

::From what I read it seems people kept changing his translations and criticizing his work so he decided to just take down the chapters he worked on. While I get where hes coming from, I still think it was a dick move.--[[User:Mufarasu|Mufarasu]] ([[User talk:Mufarasu|talk]]) 20:19, 3 December 2012 (CST)

=== Volume 11? ===

Well, that's his translations, he has the right to take them down and now I can understand why, too. Probably a bold action, but I worry more about the progression of volume 11 translation since he was the one to do it. Hopefully someone will fill in the job, and if has free time, re-translate the missing volumes too. I mean, downloading the "full text" versions sure is easier -- [[Special:Contributions/113.190.166.36|113.190.166.36]] 21:04, 3 December 2012 (CST)

:Your information is outdated by one month. See [http://dreadfuldecoding.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/regarding-sao-volume-11.html this]. [[Special:Contributions/67.208.113.125|67.208.113.125]] 21:35, 3 December 2012 (CST)

Someone have started translation of Volume 11 > http://unlimitednovelfailures.blogspot.de/p/sword-art-online.html -- [[User:LiTTleDRAgo|LiTTleDRAgo]] ([[User_talk:LiTTleDRAgo|Talk]]) 20:50, 14 December 2012 (CST)

:Unfortunately it looks like they quit translating SAO because they were being swamped with hate mail. *sigh* --Thomas

Can anybody point me to the page of translator who toke it down? [[User:Aleaccipiter|Aleaccipiter]] ([[User talk:Aleaccipiter|talk]]) 17:08, 17 December 2012 (CST)

http://taptaptaptaptap.wordpress.com/2013/01/05/seal-of-the-right-eye/#cont 88% done --[[Special:Contributions/95.88.108.75|95.88.108.75]] 07:39, 11 January 2013 (CST)

:seems the above link has been killed. maybe due to hate mail also

::Ran into the same thing myself, but relatively sure that's only because Tap creates new indexes to where he left off from the last update (see the #cont at the end?) and deletes the last one. Just go to the main page and you should be able to find what you're looking for from there. -[[User:AKAAkira|Akira]] ([[User talk:AKAAkira|talk]]) 20:49, 23 February 2013 (CST)

== Thank You Reki Kawahara ==

Your light novel called SAO is amazing. I felt that you should know how much the readers enjoy your work and I look forward to more volumes and hopefully more seasons of your SAO anime too. You are completly brilliant. Take care of yourself Reki. I didn't know how to contact you so I tried this XD. I hope you recieve my thanks somehow :).

== ME7 ==

Umm... Just a question.. Why does the link for ME7 go to Algade Showdown which is ME6? I just wanted to know.. Thanks a lot!

By the way, I have been following this page on BT ever since early 2010, and I never expected this series to turn out so good. The name caught my attention right away, and I never regretted waiting a long time. Congrats on having a very successful page, and thank you to all that spent time and effort (and money too) so that all the readers could enjoy this great LN. I wish you good luck on everything!

SkyZenith
:It was a typo. The page creator probably copy and pasted the formatting from ME6's header, and forgot to rename it.. I noticed some time ago, but I was dissuaded from changing it for some reason (forgot why XD) and never went around to it.. seems someone else did it anyways.. [[User:Rage|Rage]] ([[User talk:Rage|talk]]) 12:46, 7 January 2013 (CST)

== Web Novel? ==

Hmmm, what's the difference between the web novel versions and the light novel ones? :O
:The "light novel" ones are the published versions. The author changes some small parts here and there to make the novel more consistent before publishing, but the overall storyline is still the same. - [[Special:Contributions/113.190.231.53|113.190.231.53]] 11:14, 28 March 2013 (CDT)

Anyone have the links to them?[[User:Zeru|Zeru]] ([[User talk:Zeru|talk]]) 21:33, 18 April 2013 (CDT)

== Notes on {Alfheim Online} Norse Mythology References ==
Hey,As most of you have probably figured out, "Alfheim online" is basically one big reference to Norse Mythology. Therefore, I will put in a few definitions/explanations. Note that the Norse viking raiders used a completely different runic system (that's the proper term for "alphabet"), so spellings are rough. I have also changed the spellings of some words used to be closer to what I think is proper.

1. "Alfheim"
"Alf" is a shortened version of "Alfar", which is the Norse version of elves. Norse elves have characteristics that are very similar to fairies from other mythologies/folktales, therefore "alfar" can be interpreted as either elf or fairy. "heim" or "heimr" means world or realm.

2. "Yģģdrasil"
In Norse mythology, the "Yģģdrasil" (meaning "Odin's Horse", 'Yģģu' being another name for Odin. pronounce 'ģ' with a rasping sound) was a friggin' huge tree at the center of the earth, the roots of which held the whole place together. Curled around the roots of the world tree was this friggin' huge dragon called the "niddhoģ". The Niddhoģ gnawed at the base of the tree and once it succeded, "Ragnarök" would occur (see below).

3. "Ragnarök"
Basically, end of the world. World is encased in fire and ice, blah blah blah (wouldn't the fire just melt the ice then get put out by the resulting water, causing nothing to happen?). After the world is encased in fire and ice, Odin blows the crap out of it. Then he makes a new world tree and a new Earth, and the whole lot happens again.

4. "Aesir" or "Æsir
Basically, the norse gods. Means "elevated ones".

5. "Odin" or "Óòin"
King of the Æsir. Presumably, went to some well to drink, then was told that if he drank from the well, he would lose an eye but gain infinite wisdom. And he did. His job description is basically "Implement Ragnarök and beat the crap out of giants. Repeat."

6. "Thor" or "Þòrr"
Lightning Æsir. Enjoys blowing up giants. Has a big ol' friggin' hammer called Mjölnir.

7. "Thyrm" or "Þyrm"
King of the giants. Likes killing stuff, especialy the æsir. He fails at it. Dies a lot and comes back later. Mostly the Norse myths have to do with Odin or Thor beating the tar out of him, again and again and again. This is the kind of stuff Vikings like to hear, I guess.

8. "Freyja" or "Freyyá"
Goddess of love, sex, and killing/death (So in other words, the Viking's favorite mythological character). Also Odin's wife (Man that sucks, Klein! Better luck next time). Creator and leader of the Valykries (Really pretty women that sweep up dead vikings and take them to Valhalla, a place with infinite food and access to Jötunheimr, so they can pretty much eat, kill, and hang out with pretty women for eternity. Vikings like these people a lot too.)

9. "Jötunheimr"
Land of the giants, literally. Þyrm and his minions are found here. The æsir and all dead vikings go here to kill giants forever. One of the Vikings' favorite places.

I think that sums it up. If there's anything I forgot that was mentioned somewhere in Alfheim Online, please look it up and edit it in or leave an edit asking for definitions.
Also sorry for messed up editing causing this post to appear twice. Gomen!

== Notes on {Alfheim Online} Norse Mythology References ==
Hey,
As most of you have probably figured out, "Alfheim online" is basically one big reference to Norse Mythology. Therefore, I will put in a few definitions/explanations. Note that the Norse viking raiders used a completely different runic system (that's the proper term for "alphabet"), so spellings are rough. I have also changed the spellings of some words used to be closer to what I think is proper.

1. "Alfheim"
"Alf" is a shortened version of "Alfar", which is the Norse version of elves. Norse elves have characteristics that are very similar to fairies from other mythologies/folktales, therefore "alfar" can be interpreted as either elf or fairy.

2. "Yģģdrasil"
In Norse mythology, the "Yģģdrasil" (meaning "Odin's Horse", 'Yģģu' being another name for Odin. pronounce 'ģ' with a rasping sound) was a friggin' huge tree at the center of the earth, the roots of which held the whole place together. Curled around the roots of the world tree was this friggin' huge dragon called the "niddhoģ". The Niddhoģ gnawed at the base of the tree and once it succeded, "Ragnarök" would occur (see below).

3. "Ragnarök"
Basically, end of the world. World is encased in fire and ice, blah blah blah (wouldn't the fire just melt the ice then get put out by the resulting water, causing nothing to happen?). After the world is encased in fire and ice, Odin blows the crap out of it. Then he makes a new world tree and a new Earth, and the whole lot happens again.

4. "Aesir" or "Æsir"
Basically, the norse gods. Means "elevated ones".

5. "Odin" or "Óòin"
King of the Æsir. Presumably, went to some well to drink, then was told that if he drank from the well, he would lose an eye but gain infinite wisdom. And he did. His job description is basically "Implement Ragnarök and beat the crap out of giants. Repeat."

6. "Thor" or "Þòrr"
Lightning Æsir. Enjoys blowing up giants. Has a big ol' friggin' hammer called Mjölnir.

7. "Thyrm" or "Þyrm"
King of the giants. Likes killing stuff, especialy the æsir. He fails at it. Dies a lot and comes back later. Mostly the Norse myths have to do with Odin or Thor beating the tar out of him, again and again and again. This is the kind of stuff Vikings like to hear, I guess.

8. "Freyja" or "Freyyá"
Goddess of love, sex, and killing/death (So in other words, the Viking's favorite mythological character). Also Odin's wife (Man that sucks, Klein! Better luck next time). Creator and leader of the Valykries (Really pretty women that sweep up dead vikings and take them to Valhalla, a place with infinite food and access to Jötunheimr, so they can pretty much eat, kill, and hang out with pretty women for eternity. Vikings like these people a lot too.)

9. "Jötunheimr"
Land of the giants, literally. Þyrm and his minions are found here. The æsir and all dead vikings go here to kill giants forever. One of the Vikings' favorite places.

I think that sums it up. If there's anything I forgot that was mentioned somewhere in Alfheim Online, please look it up and edit it in or leave an edit asking for definitions.
Also apologies for messed up editing causing this post to appear twice. Gomen!
:Two minor notes: 1. The Norse Mythology References section seems to be doubled above/below itself. 2. Most sections look accurate, but regarding 'After the world is encased in fire and ice, Odin blows the crap out of it. Then he makes a new world tree and a new Earth, and the whole lot happens again.' (from section 3, about Ragnarök): isn't Odin killed by Fenrir in Ragnarök? (Before being avenged by his son.) And wasn't the Earth made by the frost giants Bergelmir and his wife, out of Ymir's body? I unfortunately don't see where the ideas of cycling Ragnaröks or Odin as an eternal god of creation come from. -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 17:27, 14 April 2013 (CDT)

== About the alicization character names........ ==

I prefer the earlier ones(Ronie, Tizei, Solterina, etc.) than the new ones(Ronye, Tiezé, Soltiliena,etc.) since the former looks more natural, especially of Ronie's.

-Anonymous User-

:Well, the current spellings are apparently more accurate in terms of pronunciation. I'll be honest, when I first read "Ronie", in my head I heard "Ronny". As for the "look" of the names, that's only a side-affect of having read one first, and then looking at the other. That's pretty subjective. [[User:Rage|Rage]] ([[User talk:Rage|talk]]) 12:33, 29 April 2013 (CDT)

:I see....so that's how it is.......I think I'll get used to it after some time. I was just surprised at the changes that is.
-Anonymous User-

::I believe Tap said something about the names being found on illustrations drawn by Reki, so the names are considered canon/offical. Same thing could be said about Lyfa to Leafa change when the anime came out. [[User:Drowzycow|Drowzycow]] ([[User talk:Drowzycow|talk]]) 10:55, 30 April 2013 (CDT)

== Regarding the Web Version section ==

I have a question... Isn't most of what's within the "Side Stories" section part of the Web version?
 Specificly, [[Sword Art Online:Aria in the Starless Night|Aria in the Starless Night]], [[Sword Art Online:Rondo of the Transient Sword|Rondo of the Transient Sword]], [[Sword Art Online:Sound of Water, Sound of Hammer|Sound of Water, Sound of Hammer]], [[Sword Art Online:Caliber SS|Caliber SS]], [[Sword Art Online:A Spot of Sunshine in the Winter|A Spot of Sunshine in the Winter]], [[Sword Art Online:Cradle of the Moon Chapter 1|Cradle of the Moon]], [[Sword Art Online:There is but one ultimate way|There is but one ultimate way]]

So shouldn't these be included as being part of the "Web Version" section?
 also, I'm wondering if anyone is actually going to go about translating the web version xD There are a number of exerpts here and there, but not really much... If the problem is getting that actual text, I remember downloading some files of the Alicization arc, even though i understand 0% japanese xD... [[User:Rage|Rage]] ([[User talk:Rage|talk]]) 12:48, 29 April 2013 (CDT)

== Covers ==

I see that most of the covers left untranslated/edited. Just wondering why is that? I think they are part of the novel too, especially the author's words, they look interesting. [[User:Kuno|Kuno]] ([[User talk:Kuno|talk]]) 09:14, 30 April 2013 (CDT)

:I wonder about that too..... [[User:Albertrojas]] ([[Usertalk:Albert|talk]]) 11:59pm, 30 April 2013(+8GMT)

:If you wish to know the translations, just look here on the talk page... Translations are available for all illustrations (minus 1 or two), but the images have just yet to actually be edited with those translations, mostly so that accurate translations can be agreed upon, that will actually fit.... [[Talk:Sword Art Online#Volume 12]] for example... [[User:Rage|Rage]] ([[User talk:Rage|talk]]) 05:27, 1 May 2013 (CDT)

:No, I'm talking about the covers, not color illustrations. And for editing I mean image editing (cleaning, typesetting). --[[User:Kuno|Kuno]] - [[User talk:Kuno|Talk]] 06:38, 1 May 2013 (CDT)

:I don't see why you'd care about the covers being translated... Unless you mean to ask for translations of the text to the side of what's uploaded... [[:File:Sword Art Online Vol 12 - 000a.jpg]] such as what's to the left of this picture... Other than that, I don't see why you would translate and edit the covers... If that is what you mean, then that would admitedly be something interesting to read... [[User:Rage|Rage]] ([[User talk:Rage|talk]]) 12:00, 1 May 2013 (CDT)

:Yeah, just the text on left and right side of the cover should be translated. Like this [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/images/f/fb/Index_v01_000.jpg one].
:Little translation of the author's words in volume 1 cover (not too accurate, I didn't translate it from Japanese and my English is really crappy):

::Kawahara Reki : Lv1
:Born in Sosaria, live in Azeroth. A whole-life solo player. Although I always pretend that I don't need any parties, but recently the number of hard quests suddenly increases. I can't do karaoke alone, but hope that someday I would get to the level where I can eat yakiniku by myself.

:Anyone interested in his level up process? --[[User:Kuno|Kuno]] - [[User talk:Kuno|Talk]] 23:33, 1 May 2013 (CDT)

I don't know how in the world the whole page disappeared, so I've removed the last answer that provoked that. Sorry for it. -[[User:Misogi|Misogi]] 23:25, 1 May 2013 (GMT+1)

== Bullet Lines ==

I'm an editor for the English SAO wiki and recently published 2 new articles for both Bullet Circles and Bullet Lines. However, I had a couple of questions to ask. 1.The terms "Bullet Circle" and "bullet Line" were separate in volume 5, but are more or less merged in volume 6. Is this the case in the original or was this caused by different translators working on the 2 volumes? 2. We've had a little dispute over how the sniper advantage actually works. Some of us interpret it as "The Bullet Line does not appear at all for the sniper's first shot", while others interpret it as "Players can't see a sniper's first Bullet Line because they need to know where to look for it first". Could you please confirm which of these is true? Thank you --[[User:Gsimenas|Gsimenas]] ([[User talk:Gsimenas|talk]]) 05:42, 19 May 2013 (CDT)

:I'm not the original translators, but for the first point, I took a look at the source and, yes, there were a few parts where "Bullet Lines" were supposed to have been "Bullet Circles". I think I've corrected all instances, but if you spot more, by all means please post again.

:For the second point, I don't think even they would be able to sort that out for you - it doesn't seem like the kind of thing you can clarify by retranslating, if you get what I mean. Personally, I think it's "The system doesn't show the target the sniper's first Bullet Line ''at all''" rather than "Players can't see a sniper's first Bullet Line because they need to know where to look for it first", and I waved Death Gun's dodge off as either already knowing where she was because he saw her while using his invisibility cloak, or that "Hypersense" skill (Kirito dodged Death Gun's own first shot, remember?). Though, this doesn't really explain Sinon's own comment about checking through the system, unless it was just a "mind scrambling for answers" thing... -[[User:AKAAkira|Akira]] ([[User talk:AKAAkira|talk]]) 22:44, 23 May 2013 (CDT)

::Thank you for clearing that inconsistency out :) . And guess we'll just have to stick with an assumption on how that system works. Unless the anime gets another sequel and we can get visual proof on whether they can see the Bullet Line or not :D (though even in this case it's not a 100% guarantee that they will depict the concept in an unambiguous way)--[[User:Gsimenas|Gsimenas]] ([[User talk:Gsimenas|talk]]) 14:57, 29 May 2013 (CDT)

== Alicization ==

How many volumes will the Alicization arc have (goind at a rate of 2 chapters per volume)? It'¡s by far the longest arc. --[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 14:22, 26 May 2013 (CDT)

As far as I've heard, it will be around 3 more volumes (15 total, 7 Alicization). --[[User:Gsimenas|Gsimenas]] ([[User talk:Gsimenas|talk]]) 06:59, 27 May 2013 (CDT)

== Chapter 4 inconsistencies ==

As far as I understand, the chapter begins on the 6th of March/3rd Month, however, the graduation contest that is supposed to take place just 2 days later at the end of the chapter it is said to take place "At the end of March—". Also "Eugeo and I would be taking part in the advancement exams for elite swordsmen next month."; "That's because we were the top 12 students during the promotion exam at the end of the month, and our future roles as elite swordsmen trainees were confirmed." - are these exams supposed to be separate, because I can't understand how they can say that their positions as elite swordsmen are already guaranteed when the exam is only going to take place later that month? --[[User:Gsimenas|Gsimenas]] ([[User talk:Gsimenas|talk]]) 14:50, 29 May 2013 (CDT)

:Passed the message on, Tap answered [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=3128&start=3570#p186633 here]. -[[User:AKAAkira|Akira]] ([[User talk:AKAAkira|talk]]) 18:19, 31 May 2013 (CDT)

== Something strange on the Android App ==

Not 100% sure this is the right place for this, but...

There is something strange going on with this LN series in the Android app. The 'Cradle of the Moon' Side Story chapter(s) is listed a total of 6 times under three separate headings of 'Side Stories'.

Similarly, I have two header listings for 'Sword Art Online: Material Editions', 3 for 'Volume 1' (two of which seem to be Progressive, the other just has a chapter called 'Enlarge' which doesn't seem to contain any data) and a total of 5 'Side Stories' headers. The 12 main headers (LNs 1-12) seem to be fine, as do all of the other LNs I have marked as Favourites in the app.

Anyone got any ideas/fixes?

It's what happens when people play around with how the sections are listed. The old listing persist because the App downloads and stores the information in a cache, but the 'new' listing also pop up showing as duplicates. The easiest fix is to purge the volume cache (touch and hold) then refresh the volume. You could even do this to the entire LN listing from your watch list and run an update check to pick up how things are listed now. Oh...also don't forget to sign your posts. Helps track who is having these problems in case someone on the dev team wants to talk about it. [[User:Unknownadd|Unknownadd]] ([[User talk:Unknownadd|talk]]) 21:35, 15 June 2013 (CDT)

:Sorry about not signing, but since I'm not registered here yet I wasn't sure it would help anyway. ;)
:Is there somewhere that I can make suggestions for the app? I've just used the Options version of 'clear novel cache', since doing it on a volume-by-volume basis didn't seem to work, and it wiped out EVERYTHING - My favourites, 'read' chapters, everything, so now I have to try and remember what I have read and what I haven't, what I was planning to read, etc... seems a little excessive. ~AerosAtar

== Volume 12 Translation? ==

I don't want to sound impatient, but has volume 12 been put on hiatus? I remember volume 10 and 11 being translated at a fast and steady pace, but 12 hasn't even had a word translated for 2 months.

Tap is translating vol 12, You can check it out on his blog.
Blog's link is on his profile. He will upload it to baka-tsuki once translation and major editing is completed.

Exactly. now, let's drop with the 'how's TL status doing?' questions please..

It's almost done. Tap sure has awesome speed and quality. -[[User:Kuno|Kuno]] - [[User talk:Kuno|Talk]] 19:16, 19 June 2013 (CDT)

== Raious Antinous ==

I doubt anyone will argue with the conjecture that the eldest son of a 3rd class noble family, Raious Antinous, is a huge dick.
I'd like to point out the significance of his second name, Antinous.

For those of you who've read the Oddysey, by Homer (being the sequel to the Iliad), you will understand immediately what I'm talking about.

In the Odyssey, Antinous is a character who is attempting to secure Odysseus' bride, Penelope, for himself. Odysseus is assumed to be dead at this time. Antinous is the son of a high-ranking noble who is attempting to marry Penelope, and it is insinuated that, given the chance, he would attempt to rape her. He gets duly killed by Odysseus, who is understandably angry. Actually Odysseus kills him along with several HUNDRED other suitors (BADASS ALERT). ANNNNYways...

Anyone else notice the similarity? Cause i do.

== Number of volumes ==

I've noticed over the past week that updaters can't agree on how many volumes: Some people update it to 13 and then someone comes in behind them and reverses the update... I've seen this happen at least three times this month so far. I don't want to start an update war or anything, but I think there ARE 13 volumes now in the main series (not even counting the SAO Progressive): there are certainly 13 volumes listed in section 5... or are we not counting volume 13 since it's release date is next month? [[User:Zehd|Zehd]] ([[User talk:Zehd|talk]]) 23:48, 11 July 2013 (CDT)

I think number of currently published volumes must be present, and it will be updated after release date. Looking at this number any user can estimate length of the series and translation progress, other numbers can be misleading. [[User:Xaliuss|Xaliuss]] ([[User talk:Xaliuss|talk]]) 02:24, 12 July 2013 (CDT)

== Licensing ==

Does the project abandonement by the release of first volume cover web-only content too?--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 16:39, 8 September 2013 (CDT)

(Does abandonment mean we might never get to read the (arc-concluding?) 13th volume? O.O) -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 23:47, 10 September 2013 (CDT)

Owari no Chronicle:Volume2 Chapter 29

2013-09-07T06:03:34Z

Multipartite: /* Chapter 29: The Dragon’s Contract */ 'To move/And to ask' -> 'Move/To ask'. See Discussion. Please change back if incorrect.

==Chapter 29: The Dragon’s Contract==
[[Image:OnC_v02_0399.png|thumb]]
''Move

''To ask

''Is to oppose those who will not give an answer

Izumo crossed swords with Fafner in the forest.

“Honestly, why do I have to waste my time fighting you?”

He swung his large light-emitting sword toward Fafner.

Just before the blade of light struck, the black half-dragon dissolved into the shadows of the trees and disappeared.

Immediately afterwards, Izumo felt a disturbance in the air behind him and he leaped.

He leaped forward.

With a single footstep in the grass, he jumped about four meters forward. The instant his foot landed, he sent a strike toward the shadow behind him as if turning around.

Before the sword arrived, the giant black form disappeared into the shadows once more.

“Damn,” muttered Izumo.

He ran, hoping to find somewhere without shadows, but he was in the forest. No matter where he went, there were shadows at arm’s length.

To the right, he heard someone treading on a stone.

“!”

Izumo swung V-Sw to the right.

At the same moment, writing appeared on V-Sw’s console.

“Wrong.”

Izumo looked and saw nothing to the right.

Then what had that footstep been?

V-Sw sliced through empty air and the light leaking from its blade illuminated the area. That bluish-white light showed a fist-sized stone on the ground.

Fafner had rolled it here. He had most likely done it as a decoy just before sinking into the shadows.

Izumo clenched his teeth.

He had already attacked and missed. It was now his opponent’s turn.

He had to evade. Right, left, front, and back. Izumo had several options and he chose one:

Down.

He threw himself to the ground as if letting V-Sw’s swing pull him down.

The instant his jaw struck the grassy ground, a mass of high pressure swept by overhead. It was Fafner’s Cowling Sword.

That spherical power struck the trees to the left and they exploded. A total of twelve trees were destroyed all at once. A pit was created in the forest and the fibrous sound of the trees snapping rang out.

Izumo got up.

However, a kick struck his gut. The blow had skimmed the ground and shot up at the last second.

By the time he felt the pain, his body was already flying through the air.

“…!”

As he flew to the side, Izumo stuck a foot against the ground and gained control. He took two long strides and stopped his momentum by pressing his back against a thick tree.

Before he could catch his breath, he heard a roaring of air behind him.

“Oh!” he cried as he jumped to the left.

He turned around and saw Fafner swinging his Cowling Sword horizontally from the shadows behind the tree trunk Izumo had been leaning up against. The shimmering surrounding the sword sliced through the trunk at Izumo’s waist level and blasted the air upwards.

The tree fell.

Scattered leaves flew about below the moonlight with a sound like a receding wave.

As the leaves fell like snow, Izumo moved back. He faced Fafner.

They were four paces part. Izumo would need to take a step before his attack would reach. Also, the bottom half of the sliced tree trunk remained between them. It was an obstacle for Izumo, but it meant nothing to the half-dragon who could travel through shadows.

Izumo let out a breath and Fafner lowered the tip of his Cowling Sword.

“Are you giving up, descendent of 10th-Gear and Low-Gear?”

“Oh? I’m surprised you know that.”

“Knowing one’s enemy is only natural. …But why do you fight for Low-Gear? From what I have heard, you should be fighting for 10th-Gear.”

“Why would you think that? Tell me what it is you’ve heard.”

Fafner paused for a beat before answering.

“Supposedly, your defensive divine protection was given to you when your mother died. It is your divine protection as a descendent of the gods of 10th-Gear.”

“You’re well informed. But I think there’s one thing you don’t know.”

“What?”

“You don’t know why people are given that divine protection.” He smiled bitterly. “Divine protection is not passed down with the bloodline or anything. …It’s meant to let you leave that family.”

As he spoke, Izumo pointed the tip of V-Sw toward Fafner. With a smile on his lips, he looked toward the destroyed trees in the surrounding area.

“I will swing this Cowling Sword once. …And then I will win.”

Fafner took a defensive stance.

And at the same time, a voice rang out. That distant voice came from the grassy plain beyond the forest.

As that voice filled the wind, travelled a great distance, and soared through the sky, they heard it.

Izumo knew who it belonged to.

It was Sayama.

Sayama’s voice sounded strongly throughout the concept space which had become a battlefield.

“Everyone!”

He began by addressing the people there. And Izumo heard his words continue.

Sayama spoke the words only he could.

“Let me say it here. …The surname Sayama indicates a villain!”

Boldman and the other members of UCAT who had begun a firefight within the forest heard a voice cutting through the trees. Sayama’s voice also came from the communicators on their necks.

“After sixty years, the true negotiations will take place here.”

As she wrote healing charms in the shadow of a tree, Ooki raised her head to listen.

“Listen, everyone! Prepare yourself for battle! Fill your magazines and blades with questions of condemnation and fill your armor with voices of protest. Expressing your thoughts with those is how we will negotiate tonight. …Listen up, everyone!”

As she performed maintenance on an overheated rifle, Sibyl listened the sound coming from her communicator.

“Ahead, ahead, go ahead! These people are trying to return to the past! Grab them by the collar and drag them here!”

As she flew just under the upper wall of the concept space, Kazami heard a voice rising up toward her.

“I, Sayama Mikoto, use my authority as the representative of Team Leviathan to make this announcement. The Leviathan Road begins here. We will not give in to any power. We are right and we are wrong. And…we will see this through to the very end!” He took a breath. “This is my first order: all members are to bring them here even if you have knock them out to do so. Bring them to a world where these words will get through to them. Kick those reclusive writers out of the darkness where they are bound by writing!”

Kazami looked down at the winged soldiers moving toward her.

Standing on the grassy plain were a white mechanical dragon surrounded by shimmering heat and a boy and girl wearing white armored uniforms.

The boy held up a sword, took a breath, and asked a question.

“Where is your answer?”

Kazami opened her mouth.

She gave a single answer.

The ends of her eyebrows rose and she smiled.

“Testament!”

As Sayama faced Fafnir Custom on that grassy field, he heard the responses to his will.

Testament.

In the forest, in the wind, and in the sky, dozens of voices replied with that holy word.

Tes. Tes. Tes. We bind a contract here.

As those numerous contracts washed over him, Sayama walked forward.

He stared at the white mechanical dragon before him, sped up his pace, and accelerated. The girl lined up next to him.

They ran forward.

Fafnir Custom also ran.

The color white approached. The ground rumbled and a great roar was heard. And with that before him, Sayama turned to Shinjou. She nodded with a powerful expression while holding her Cowling Staff in hand. She was saying, “Let’s go.”

In lieu of saying Testament, Sayama nodded back. He looked at Gram in his left hand. A green light ran through the metal plate added to the surface of the blade. Writing appeared there.

He could not read that writing, but he understood what it meant. It said power.

Sayama poured his true strength into his left arm. He felt pain, but that proved this was real. Sayama swung up Gram, placed his right hand on the hilt, and swung it down.

The mechanical dragon had already arrived close enough.

It struck.

With a sound like shattering glass, a white armor plate flew into the night sky.

The mechanical dragon’s body slid to the side and the air moved.

The battle truly began.

As Izumo listened to the distant sounds of battle, he muttered as if to himself.

“V-Sw, don’t go to your third form. Let’s go like this.”

“Are you ready to go?”

“Of course,” replied Izumo as he held V-Sw up at stomach height.

He held the blade horizontally and leaned forward. The light from V-Sw’s rear thruster grew stronger.

But Fafner did not move from his position directly in front of Izumo. He lowered his hips a bit, but did not take a defensive stance.

“What is it, half-dragon?”

“So you plan to use the acceleration of that sword’s thruster to attack before I can pass through the shadows?”

Izumo frowned.

Fafner filled the silence with his voice.

“I am a fighter, too. You announced your attack just now, so I will announce mine as well. I will avoid your initial strike and take your head from behind.” Fafner nodded. “The victory you predicted will not come.”

“Is that so?”

Izumo prepared himself by lowering his hips and taking a breath.

And then he moved.

“!”

[[Image:OnC_v02_0409.png|thumb]]

It was just a single strike.

Izumo threw his body forward and swung V-Sw horizontally. He swung it toward Fafner.

There was an explosion.

White light shot from the back of the blade. It accelerated at the same moment.

The afterimage of the light drew a giant arc and the sword picked up more speed.

It moved at high speed, swept up the wind, sliced through the air, and flew as the light grew even stronger.

“Go!”

That low horizontal strike was meant to reach Fafner even in the final moments of trying to escape below.

As it approached, Fafner sank down.

Izumo was impressed.

…''This idiot really intends to do this seriously.

He twisted his body while giving a small whistle. The follow-through motion of his body accelerated further and Izumo pressed the trigger on the grip.

An additional light was produced. And this time it came from the blade side. This white light far surpassed the quantity and quality of the accelerating light coming from the back of the blade. This light blasted forward.

This was a giant blade of light. The giant sword extended more than ten meters.

The acceleration from the back of V-Sw’s second form was not meant to drive the blade into an opponent. It was meant to counteract the recoil of this strike. Nevertheless, all the strength in Izumo’s body was necessary to swing the blade now.

Izumo twisted his entire body and shouted while swinging the sword forward.

“Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!”

But in the forest which could be clearly seen in black and white due to V-Sw’s blade, he saw Fafner’s wings swing up and then down.

He heard a roar.

The half-dragon accelerated downwards into the shadow of the torn tree trunk.

In that instant, V-Sw’s blade of light sliced through Fafner.

However, it was too late. Only a portion of the half-dragon was sliced off: his wings.

Those black wings were severed at the base and flew through the air. His body of shadow disappeared down below.

He had escaped into the darkness.

“…!”

Izumo continued swinging V-Sw as if trying to slice through the air.

Fafner felt pain stabbing into his back, but he knew he had won.

He quickly ascended in the darkness. It felt similar to swimming.

He could not see outside from the darkness. Inside, there was nothing but darkness. To leave was to give his body physical form once more.

But he had a certain level of freedom such as in the distance he travelled.

Fafner recalled the promise he had made. He had promised to appear behind his enemy.

That enemy would be swinging his large Cowling Sword and working to control his stance.

After swinging that heavy weapon, he could not immediately stop it.

Fafner had won. This boy born between 10th-Gear and Low-Gear had brought 6th-Gear under Low-Gear’s control two years prior and he held that Gear’s Concept Core. Fafner felt the loss of his wings was a small price to pay for defeating a foe such as that.

Fafner ascended. He was targeting that enemy’s back. He would appear from the shadows of the trees. This forest was puny compared to 1st-Gear’s forests, but it would serve as a stage to defeat this enemy.

He exited.

Fafner jumped from the shadow and to the surface.

He heard silence. While surrounded by the remains of the shadow, he rose into the air and looked forward.

And he found nothing at all.

The forest had disappeared. The forest that created his precious darkness was gone.

Fafner gasped.

“!?”

The forest was gone. The back of his enemy was not before his eyes.

''This isn’t right,'' thought Fafner as the moonlight washed over his back. ''What happened?

He looked around and saw what was so wrong. That area had definitely been a forest.

However, all of the trees within ten meters had been felled at the height of Fafner’s waist. The cut was sharp, but the trees above the cut had been blown into the distance where they had struck the surrounding trees.

The area was now a clearing.

And Fafner saw something in one corner of the clearing.

A giant Cowling Sword lay on the ground. This was the enemy’s sword which was labeled V-Sw on the side. It had lost all light and the cowling had closed. At the base of the sword, words appeared on a console.

“This is fun.”

Once he read those words of enjoyment, Fafner realized something.

He realized that he had his back to the moonlight.

He looked at his feet. There was a shadow there.

In the middle of that supposedly empty clearing was someone’s shadow. The moonlight to his back had created that shadow.

Who was casting that shadow?

It would be the person who had swung the Cowling Sword and cut down all the surrounding trees Fafner could use to escape.

It would be the person who had cast aside the Cowling Sword he could not stop in time and who had turned his back to the moon.

Fafner heard a voice from behind him.

“Turn around.”

Fafner gnashed his teeth and…

“Oh…!!”

He spun his body with his Cowling Sword in hand. He attacked behind him at high speed while ignoring the pain in his back.

A single young man stood there.

Before Fafner’s sword could reach him, his right fist slammed into the half-dragon. The blow struck the tip of his angular jaw. That was the best place to send vibrations through to rattle his brain.

Before he could speak, breathe, or even feel the impact, everything turned black.

Brunhild heard the sound of different attacks.

From nearby, she heard repeated noises of metal clashing.

From far away, she heard continuing gunfire and clashing swords.

It had all started and accelerated with Sayama’s words.

…''The current situation is…

She did not know. She had her hands full pursuing her opponent.

Siegfried would occasionally attack. He targeted the ground at her feet and trees along her path to slow her down or stall her.

''How cowardly,'' thought Brunhild. ''Why won’t he fight me seriously?

She felt as if he were evading her questions.

…''He is trying to buy time until the other battles are over.

From the point of view of the Leviathan Road, they could ignore their connection and treat this as just one of many battles. Whichever side won, all of the battles would need to be stopped.

Brunhild clenched her teeth and wondered if he could not tell how seriously she was taking this.

“Is this also part of your atonement?”

He did not want to hurt her.

Brunhild looked forward as she ran.

Approximately ten meters ahead of her, the forest came to an end and a grassy field opened up.

She decided to end this there.

She stopped attacking and began her preparations.

She gathered strength in the hand holding Requiem Sense.

As she ran between the trees and created loud footsteps, Brunhild rested the scythe on her shoulder.

She pointed the tip of the blade toward the sky. And she made up her mind. She was only ten meters and a few paces away from the field. She used that distance, speed, and hesitation to open the entire underworld.

She ran through the forest and passed by Siegfried.

She made it ahead of him for the first time. As Siegfried looked outside the forest, he shouted something at her.

But she could not hear it.

Brunhild hung her head down and charged out into the field.

“————”

The moonlight felt bright.

She treaded on the grass and heard a damp footstep. But what she heard even more clearly was the sound of Requiem Sense slicing through the wind by her ear.

Brunhild took action. As if bending her body over, she swung the blade forward and down from her shoulder.

“Open, gate of the abyss! Open wide here where one can look up into the heavens!” she shouted while the blade stabbed down into the ground.

At the same moment, light appeared behind her shoulders and above his head. The light took the form of a rift.

As she followed a portion of the light with her eyes, Brunhild continued to speak.

“Come forth, wielder of the scythe!!”

By the time she turned around, it had already appeared.

A grim reaper about a dozen meters tall was wrapped in a cloak of bluish-white light and wore an undecorated mask. It was impossible to tell if the face behind that blank mask belonged to a man or a woman or if they were elderly or young. Death was impartial to all.

This was the crystallization of the power contained within 1st-Gear’s underworld. This grim reaper of enmity held a giant scythe in its hands and swung it down.

The blade flew toward Siegfried.

As he ran out of the forest, he prepared to receive the blade as if being struck by a counter. This attack had much more mass than the previous ones. He could not receive it so easily.

And so Brunhild assumed Siegfried had to be surprised.

But what she actually saw was different.

Siegfried’s eyebrows rose and he shouted toward her.

“Nein!”

Brunhild raised her head at his scolding tone and looked up.

And she realized something: she was not being lit by the moonlight.

“…!”

She turned around and found a giant mass of white.

It was Fafnir Custom.

As the mechanical dragon fought, he had ended up moving toward her.

The auxiliary vision devices installed on his body noticed her and glowed red.

A roar rang out so loud it sounded like the earth’s crust being smashed.

At the same time, the mechanical dragon’s entire body worked to brake.

But the impact travelling through the ground and the wind blowing through the air both assaulted Brunhild. Her footing grew unsteady, her body was scooped up, and she flew through the air. She was thrown toward the forest and toward Siegfried.

Just as she realized she had been blown through the air, she noticed the grim reaper floating in the night sky.

The blade it swung down was going to strike her as she flew by.

It came. That almost 10 meter blade swung down to cut through everything in its path. She would be sliced in two.

“!”

Just as she thought she would die, someone suddenly grabbed her waist from the side.

…''Eh?

Before she could wonder what had happened, her vision rotated around. Her body was flung to the side with great strength.

She flew through the air.

And then her right shoulder struck the grass.

She felt pain and was confused as to what had happened, but she asked another question first.

“Why!?”

Brunhild placed her arms in the grass and got up.

She forcefully raised her head and looked forward. A tall figure wearing black stood in the path of the grim reaper’s rotating scythe.

It was Siegfried.

He stood facing the hand that had swung down toward him.

And she saw his face.

A clear smile could be seen in his sharp eyes and the connected corners of his mouth.

The tip of the scythe reached his left hand.

Brunhild watched the point of the attack she had sent and watched his smile. She opened her mouth but the word “why” would no longer come. The word that came directly from her heart was…

“No!” she cried. “No!!!”

And as she shouted, Brunhild saw it.

She saw the answer to her words.

After exchanging attacks with Fafnir Custom, Shinjou saw it.

Just before the grim reaper’s scythe brought death to Siegfried, it stopped in midair.

“…Ah.”

That tall man in black stood in the field. The giant bluish-white blade had stopped one meter to his right. It had been stopped by a woman standing between him and the blade.

That woman was tall enough to reach Siegfried’s shoulders.

She had her back to Shinjou and she was the same slightly transparent bluish-white as the grim reaper.

This woman had come from the underworld. Shinjou knew her name.

The giant dragon facing her spoke that name quietly.

“…Princess Gutrune.”

She turned toward them. She let go of the blade and turned her entire body toward them.

The grim reaper and its blade disappeared above her head. After seeing that, Gutrune looked toward them. Below her soft-looking hair, her eyes bent and a smile appeared on her lips.

With that soft smile, a royal of a ruined world quietly looked at them all.

She looked at the soldiers in the forest, the winged races in the sky, and the white mechanical dragon in the field.

After looking around at all of them, she made an action as a member of the royal family.

She gave a quiet bow.

Shinjou could only stand there dumbfounded, but she heard a single voice. It came from the main in black standing next to Gutrune. That old man lowered his arms, clenched his fists, and trembled as he spoke.

“Why…?” He took a breath. “Why did you save me again!?”

Gutrune did not turn toward him. She merely lowered the ends of her eyebrows and nodded while still smiling.

And then it ended.

The princess’s body scattered into bits of light and dissolved into the scythe blade stabbing into the ground.

No one moved.

The wind washed over the field and the shadows of the grass shook in the moonlight.

But a single quiet and high-pitched noise could be heard.

It was the chirping of a bird.

Brunhild looked over. She looked over at Siegfried’s pocket as he hung his head down.

A small bird’s head poked out.

“————”

The bird looked up at the moonlight and tilted its head.

It chirped quietly, moved from the pocket, and stood up on Siegfried’s collar.

And it looked at her. It spread its wings, flapped them, and flew toward her.

It was an unskilled flight that was more a glide than anything and it only lasted a few meters.

However, the bird arrived at her shoulder almost instantly and landed on the black cloth there. It hopped up, changed direction, and peered at her wide-open eyes below the three-cornered heat.

“Ah…”

A small voice escaped Brunhild’s mouth and a small black shadow stood before her.

It was the black cat.

His yellow eyes looked up at her face and the small bird on her shoulder. Finally, he opened his mouth.

“Brunhild… What do you want right now?”

Brunhild was unable to answer.

She hung her head down, placed her hands on her face, opened her mouth wide, and let out a voice.

She cried out with a loud, loud voice.

She cried and continued to cry.

Hagen nodded within Fafnir Custom.

He did not know the truth of 1st-Gear’s destruction.

But Gutrune had bowed when she appeared via Requiem Sense.

That was all that mattered.

He was surrounded only by the sound of wind. Everyone had stopped moving.

''Is it over?'' wondered Hagen.

The discomfort within him had grown stronger and more distinct.

Was it going to end here?

''No,'' denied Hagen within Fafnir Custom.

Like this, it would all return to how it was.

…''I cannot let this have such an uncertain ending.

There was something he needed to gain. This was something he could only gain by facing his enemy and settling this.

This was something they had lost when 1st-Gear was destroyed and that they had been unable to pass on to Fafner and the others.

Without that, it would all end up the same as before.

But this battlefield was done for and his body was reaching its end.

Was it hopeless?

Hagen lowered his primary vision devices slightly and looked forward.

A single boy stood there. The holy sword Gram hung down from his left hand. He was the one in charge of the Leviathan Road.

He looked up at Hagen.

His eyebrows were raised and his lips were held closed. He held Gram tightly and would not let go. His feet were spread wider than his shoulders, his hips were lowered, and he waited. He waited for Hagen to act.

He was waiting.

“…”

Hagen definitely saw him and he asked a question to the boy.

“A conclusion reached through emotions can be overturned when one forgets one’s emotions. Is that what you think?

“Yes,” said the boy with a nod.

Hagen nodded using Fafnir Custom’s body.

“Boy, if you win, you will change this world. In a way, that will mean destroying this world. Are you prepared to do that?”

Before the boy could respond, Hagen spat out further words.

“Think carefully before answering. An insincere answer and an insincere contract are not worthy of destroying the world. What is needed is trust worthy of destroying the world. Do you understand? That is what it means to be sincere.”

“I do understand. The word sincerity is a heart like the sun formed from words.<ref>The Japanese word for sincerity (誠意) can be broken down into the kanji used here to mean words (言), formed (成), from (立), sun (日), and heart (心).</ref> …And I will show you that here.”

A stir ran through everyone there. The girl standing next to the boy gave a look of surprise. She spoke a question to the boy and Hagen knew why.

...''Girl, that is because you are right.

And…

…''I want to win.

While continuing to look toward Hagen, the boy spoke to the girl.

“Please come with me, Shinjou-kun.”

And then he turned his straightforward words toward Hagen.

“I saw the past, I will fight in the present, and I am sure the future is with us. In that case, we should be thinking the same thing.”

“Then let me say one thing: Make sure not to alter what you gain here or go against that promise. Youth who takes on the role of the villain, can you promise me you will resolve everything here?”

“Testament!”

As the boy shouted out that word, Fafnir Custom began to move.

<noinclude>
===Notes===
<references/>
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| Back to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume2_Chapter_28|Chapter 28]]
| Return to [[Owari_no_Chronicle|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume2_Chapter_30|Chapter 30]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Talk:Owari no Chronicle:Volume2 Chapter 29

2013-09-07T06:02:49Z

Multipartite: Implementing suggested change; please change back if incorrect.

Suggestion: 'To move/And to ask/Is to oppose[...]' -> 'Move./To ask/Is to oppose[...]'. I could be incorrect, but the line (in the picture) 'Ugoke' appears to be in the imperative, with the following two lines acting as an explanation for the imperative. That is 'To ask is to oppose those who will not give an answer, so move'. I checked the picture because it struck me as odd that moving would come before asking ('Act first and ask questions later'?) in 'To move and to ask'. (If there is no response to this, I may make the edit directly. In any case, thank you very very much for these wonderful chapter translations!) -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 03:58, 6 September 2013 (CDT)
:Edit--'Move/To ask/Is to oppose[...]' might be best to preserve the lack of a '.' in any of the lines. -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 03:59, 6 September 2013 (CDT)
::Second edit--Going ahead and changing that. Please change back if incorrect. -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 01:02, 7 September 2013 (CDT)

Owari no Chronicle:Volume2 Afterword

2013-09-07T05:51:54Z

Multipartite: 'so please stay with me' -> 'please bear with me' due to sounding more natural; please change back if incorrect.

==Afterword==

Here is the second half. Referring to a novel as “1-B” feels completely unprecedented, but I just wanted to write more and more no matter how much I wrote. I think I will continue like this, so please bear with me.

Now for a bit of information about the novel.

The derivations of the hymn Silent Night based on the original German that number in the triple digits. People sing translations in dozens of languages. This book used one of those derivations and the translation was made from there as well, so do not treat it as the real one. The history behind all this is interesting, so you might want to look into all that.

When you think about it, sixty years goes by really fast. I was born thirty years after the war and my father personally experienced it, but a lot the readers of this book are from a generation that never knew the war. Now that I think about it, a lot of you were probably born after the Gulf War… That’s right. When I think about it even further, students these days (2004) were born during the age of the Mega Drive. …You’re the Mega Drive Generation. (Not really.)

Anyway, let’s get to my chat with a friend.

“Okay, give me your commentary on the second half.”

“You can’t just lick it, you know?”

“Bzz. Too bad. There was no licking involved. It was only grabbed and pulled!”

“Kwah! Dammit. So you found out I haven’t read it!! And what was with that suspicious last sentence?”

“Come back after actually reading it. I’ll be nice, so listen carefully: Get lost, you idiot.”

“You’re being forceful today. At any rate, I skimmed through it and read the important parts.”

“What parts did you read?”

“The afterword.”

“Hey! Someone implant something in this liar’s head!”

“Give me an X-ray vision chip if you can. Man, talking about implants really takes me back. When I was in high school, the guy sitting behind me collapsed and stabbed me in the neck with his mechanical pencil. I had the lead implanted in me.”

“It’s going to reach your brain the day after tomorrow and you’ll start convulsing.”

“No, it won’t. But that isn’t all. In elementary school, this one guy stabbed pencil lead in his arm to make a tattoo of Doraem*n. Once he grew up, Doraem*n’s face got really long and horse like. Doraem*n’s design has a lot of space below the nose.”

“That isn’t something you would want people to know.”

“No. He didn’t swim in the pool during high school.”

“This chat has veered away from the novel and toward painful stories from the past.”

“What’s wrong with that? The people reading this will be in that stage of their lives. I’m sure there will be one person bearing a tattoo that keeps growing. Talking about the mistakes of our younger days is a good thing.”

I’m not sure it’s quite that good a thing.

Come to think of it, I set up a website. Here’s the URL:

http://www.din.or.jp/~arm/

Satoyasu who I have draw for me also has a site. Here’s the URL:

http://www.din.or.jp/~fnitt/

And finally, there’s the site for Tenky, the company I work for. Here’s the URL:

http://tenky.co.jp/

I just finished proofreading while listening to Zabadak’s Michishio no Yoru which I used as my background music while writing this second half of the novel.

[[Image:OnC_v02_0451.png|thumb]]

“Who exactly began it?”

I believe I will think about that sort of thing once more.

Now, I want to hurry on to the next one.

March 2003. A morning of delicious ice cream.

-Kawakami Minoru

<noinclude>
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|-
| Back to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume2_Chapter_31|Final Chapter]]
| Return to [[Owari_no_Chronicle|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Talk:Toaru Majutsu no Index:NT Volume8 Chapter1

2013-09-07T05:25:40Z

Multipartite: /* 'Ventura' question. */ new section

== 'Ventura' question. ==

After coincidentally seeing the 'Ventura Ventura' line appear in the ninth episode of 'Maji de Otaku na English! - The TV', I investigated somewhat and found this ( http://urani.me/genre/findAnime/315 ). Should a note at the bottom explaining the relevance be added? (Though it's unclear what motivates Mikoto to choose that to say... maybe because the outcome is the reverse of the original context?) -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 00:25, 7 September 2013 (CDT)

Talk:Owari no Chronicle:Volume2 Chapter 29

2013-09-06T08:59:57Z

Multipartite: Rethought suggested '.' .

Talk:Owari no Chronicle:Volume2 Chapter 29

2013-09-06T08:58:40Z

Multipartite: 'Ugoke/Tou koto to ha[...]' confirmation question/suggestion.

Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 1 Epilogue

2013-09-05T00:08:13Z

Multipartite: Minor changes--by the way, was 'pensándolo bien' in the original text?

==Epilogue - After this and that==

The duty of an student is not battling a mysterious organization. Of course, studies come first.

After that. Two days have passed since that incident.

As Seiran Academy started its lessons once again, little by little we retrieved our original lifestyle. I can only say this now, but it's not bad to occasionally receive boring lessons.

Is this enjoying a peaceful lifestyle? After being put through such a dramatic experience, I feel it made me start to understand what the really important things are.

Now, the school building was half destroyed when Zonmi and Kyouko ran amok, but surprisingly they wasn't any retaliation for it after that.

Probably the IMA — or rather Luka-san, arranged something in secret.

If it's like that, it seems I have something to object to about the quality of Seiran Academy regarding its pupils.

Seems like there's no one who would demand the expulsion of two pretty girls. Since if there was someone, the ratio of male students would end up being excessive.

After school.

I visited the office of the International Monster Association.

"Sorry I called you all of a sudden. I wanted to talk to you tête-à-tête asap."

"No problem. I also wanted to talk to you."

"Oh, my. Could this be mutual love?"

"Won't you soon start talking seriously!?"

"Eh... But my heart isn't ready yet..."

Today marks the Nth time that Luka-san makes one of her incomprehensible jokes.

As usual, this person is being elusive and aloof.

"Let's put the jokes away. Even so, it's amazing~, you alone caught alone one of those <nowiki>'Black Tamer'</nowiki>'s guys~"

"That was not my power, but the power of those three."

"Fufu~n."

Am I over-thinking it? It seemed like, for a moment, Luka-san's expression was clouded by a tinge of sorrow.

"Say, would you believe me if I told you something?"

"... What is it?"

"Actually, that those three monsters gathered around you~, it wasn't an accident~ it was all planned by me~. This capable Lika, noticing your talent beforehand, felt that it was a waste that those superior monsters were left over, so she had the sudden impulse of calling them together all at once~."

"... Is that true?"

"Of course it's a lie. LI-E."

"..."

I was deceived.

The moment I go along with her, I end up taking it as true.

"Well, they are ready, the documents."

"Thank you very much."

What Luka-san handed me were the documents needed to become an official monster tamer — I had contacted her beforehand and asked her to get them ready.

This... is what draws the line.

From now on, I'll hold onto those three girls... That's the embodiment of my resolution.

"At any rate, you've grown; I don't recognize you, Chiharu-kun."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. Frankly, when I fist met you I thought you were but a good-for-nothing. Because... You know? The you that time was still hesitant about becoming a tamer."

"Ha, ha... It was like that."

"In fact, what has gotten into you? To willingly become a tamer~"

"It's easy. I want to protect and bring happiness to those girls I met."

"Fu, fu, is it Zonmi-chan? Is it Kyouko-chan? Or Iris-chan?"

"... Everyone. Zonmi, and Kyouko and Iris, I want all of the people involved in this incident to become happy... And, while I'm at it, Manami too."

Wavering for a moment on saying it, I finally added the existence of my little sister.

I was unwilling, but... If it weren't for her, right now maybe I'd still be trapped at Iris's den.

"Oh! Here comes the harem proclamation. You did it! Undress☆useless main character!"

"What kind of main character am I!?"

Sometimes it was difficult to tell the true meaning behind Luka-san's words.

"Hey, hey, By-the-way~, won't you include my name there~?"

"You are able to defend yourself by yourself!"

"Buu, buu. That's discrimination..."

I don't know if she was acting or what, but Luka-san looked like she was pouting.

Practical question, a little something I learned with my experience as a tamer.

This person... For reaaal!

That is, she's called first in the list to become the next Maou.

I don't know if she hides some sort of magic power... If I continue as a tamer, will the day come that I'll surpass her?

<center>× × ×</center>

Once I returned, when I opened my home's door,

<nowiki>*</nowiki>PAN! PAN! PAN!*

All of a sudden, the loud sound of poppers resounded.

"Onii-chan♪ Congratulations on getting a job~♪"

"Uo!?"

In no time, my sister jumped at my chest.

"... Hey, your breasts are touching me... Move aside."

"They aren't touching you, I'm pressing them."

I've somehow or other heard a line taken from a manga.

"... You guys, are you really blood-related siblings? In spite of that, isn't this somehow indecent?"

"No problem, since the indecent one is only Manami! rather, whoa?..."

The me who has returned home was greeted by an unexpectedly unbelievable scene.

... Perhaps, maybe this is the first time I met all of them at the same time.

The ones that greeted me poppers in hand were the ones at the center of this series of incidents, the monster girls. Zonmi, Kyouko and Iris.

As the three rivals thus gave signs of spending their days peacefully, that would be a touching scene worthy of seeing...

The one who spoiled everything was that fool of my sister.

"I-luv-u Hold!"

"Hey! Stop clinging to me by entwining your legs around my body!"

"...Ng—" "...Ng—"

"Don't look! You guys... Don't look at me with those eyes!"

Iris and Zonmi, to us siblings that were so unashamedly clingy, sent scornful gazes.

"Humph. As expected, humans are foolish beings. To think I had started to get a better opinion of them."

"... How unusual, agreeing with a red dragon. Getting seduced by women's bodies, becoming the Maou is but a pipe dream."

"..."

My value seems to have crashed to the level of Greece's national debt.

"... Fu, fu. I won't hand over my onii-chan to some newcomers."

My sister clung firmly to my body like a koala climbing a tree and let out an evil smile that could only mean 'Just like I planned...!'.

Could this girl possibly... Have done this on purpose?...

"... Well, why are all of you in my house?"

Somehow freeing myself from my sister's restriction, I finally could speak out that doubt.

As Kyouko heard it she wonderfully stuck out her chest,

"This is Haru's becoming a monster tamer commemoration & ghoul's contract celebration"

"... Ah—"

I see, in other words, this is a surprise party?

And, there's still something that doesn't make sense.

"Then, who was the one who suggested it?"

"..." "..." "..."

From the way those three looked each other without even a word, I could naturally deduce the answer.

"... A-as for me I don't mind who was, but, you see, I think it would be unnatural not to since this is of course a custom of the Netherworld."

"... Re-really?"

I see. It seems it was Zonmi's suggestion, who was more fired up than normal and looked like she was wearing make-up. What's more, she was wearing an excessively gaudy dress bought who-knows-where...

Thinking a bit (pensándolo bien), we were both wearing matching contract rings.

Somehow or other, this looked like a wedding... It was a little embarrassing.

"Come on, come in quickly. Since we even have expressly ordered a cake for you two."

"... Ou."

Kicking off my shoes, I strode though the entryway's threshold.

My gait felt somewhat lighter than usual, could it be my imagination?

I think I'll talk about what will happen hereafter.

As a newbie tamer, right now I only have one ring assigned, but it seems that when I'm recognized for achievements, if I request to the IMA, from now on I can increase the number.

I seems that in no time, Zonmi, Kyouko, Iris — the day I can contract all three monsters at the same time is not far off.

By the way, additionally.

Luka-san's declaration of going on vacation was utter bullshit, it was instead an excuse for me to go here and there with Zonmi and Kyouko. Could all that unexpectedly be simply a plot of Luka-san whose natural gift was being chaotic?

Good grief, I'm really no match for that person.

"Eeh, why I'm made to do this host impersonation?... I'm sincerely reluctant, but... People, let's all have a toast. Ah, Manami-chan stop nonchalantly adding something weird to your brother's glass."

"Tch. That's Kyouko-oneechan for you."

"What are you coming up with this time, you!?"

"Well then, for the plans for my contract with Haru—" "For my marriage with onii-chan—" "For the day my vengeance comes true—"

"""Cheers"""

"Aren't you doing too much as you please, you lot!?"

The person in question, Zonmi, seems like she still hasn't poured her drink.

Of course, as fellow monsters (though Manami is not a monster...), could it be that she's thinking about us all making a contract soon?

However.

Saying this is embarrassing, but... somehow I don't hate this kind of atmosphere of freedom.

Because—

All of them are laughing.

There wasn't even a speck that remained of their former battling from day to day.

All of them were energetically doing as they pleased.

And I... That I wanted to protect those smiles of them forever, that was what I wished from my heart.

"I-it's my once-in-a-lifetime big moment..."

"Ha, ha..."

That one, seems like she has taken quite the shock...

From now on, if I keep being a monster tamer, it seems I'll keep facing big hurdles. Maybe I'll experience unexpected frustration.

But. Even so.

For these girls, I feel I can overcome no matter...

[[File:Maou_na_Ore_to_Fushihime_no_Yubiwa_p249.png|thumb]]

"Hyau!?"

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Fshhhhhhhhhhh*

Together with a sound like escaping air, Zonmi gave a little shriek.

"Wh-who was it!? The one who shook this PET bottle!? Uuu, for this day... The dress I prepared expressly for this day..."

"Eeeh—, who was indeed—. Manami doesn't kno—w♪ Or, how should I say it, since you planned to seduce onii-chan by wearing those erotic clothes despite being a zombie... Isn't that divine punishment?"

"... Fu, fu, fu. Little sister, today of all days, I won't let it pass. How about I push you before a stray dog stark naked and in tortoise-shell bondage?"

"Kyaah—, I'm scared—. Save me, onii-chan—, the zombie is bullying me—"

"..."

I feel I can overcome any difficulties, but it may be only my imagination.

<noinclude>

==References and Translation Notes==
<references />

{{SimpleNav|e=6}}
</noinclude>

User talk:Kemm

2013-09-05T00:06:54Z

Multipartite: /* Maou na Ore to Ghoul no Yubiwa */ Minor notes and a question.

> I don't know if you know, but Aria's vol. 10 chapter 1 is right now open to translation (or so says Carinderyeah).

Noted. I would have had to read the entire volume for consistency anyways. I'd like a JP translation check; any idea where I might come by that? [[User:LB Kasen|LB_Kasen]] ([[User talk:LB Kasen|talk]]) 05:56, 3 August 2013 (CDT)

== Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi (Dragner) ==
Thx. In the novel it did use this language and I don't know about it. Err, I don't speak Spanish... sorry even when I know more than ten languages. Please change it and '''Please''' edit it for me and I'll take it as a reference. Cause the release for the coming week will be also about the chapter.

This is the chinese's: 头盔、护颈……胸甲、背甲、腰甲、臀甲……裙甲、护肩、肩甲……上臂甲、护肘……前臂甲……铁手套……大腿护甲、护膝……胫甲……铁靴…………马刺
This is japanese written in katakana: アルメーて, ゴルハール, ペート, エスパルダール, ブラフオネーラ, フアルダーへ, エスカルセーラ, ブフェータ, オンブレーラ, ブラサール,
コダル, マノーボラ, キホーテ, ゲアルダ, ゲレーパ, エスカルペ, エスポラーソ.
Because it don't understand these katakanas, so i use the translate through the kanji, and i'll get kabuto for armet.
thx for reminding me.--[[User:TJYYEO|TJYYEO]] ([[User talk:TJYYEO|talk]]) 00:01, 30 June 2013 (CDT)

Yeah sure! But I'm uploading it once the entire section is finished unless it gets stalled due to other things I have to do.[[User:Skullheart|Skullheart]] ([[User talk:Skullheart|talk]])

posting the whole chapter on that date.--[[User:RikiNutcase|RikiNutcase]] ([[User talk:RikiNutcase|talk]]) 07:31, 8 July 2013 (CDT)

==Oreimo==

---Well, to tell you the truth, I was also not sure at first since the chapter seemed a bit short, but I checked it on other sources , including a quick Chinese>English translation, and this is indeed the full chapter. So enjoy, and stay tuned for the last few chapters of this great series, Oreimo. --[[User:Rohan123|Rohan123]] ([[User talk:Rohan123|talk]]) 14:40, 12 July 2013 (CDT)

---Yes, I noticed that too and even read your post in the forum thread for "Oreimo" regarding this issue. But, the problem is that I have never seen Chaos(The current translator for Oreimo) on the forum. So, our best bet is to try leaving a message on his talk page or email him about this. You know what, I'm gonna leave this message on his talk page right now and email him too. If you see him somewhere, raise this concern of yours.--[[User:Rohan123|Rohan123]] ([[User talk:Rohan123|talk]]) 14:50, 13 July 2013 (CDT)
:The problem has been resolved by Chaos. The missing lines have been added by him and then have been edited by me. Please read it and get closure. --[[User:Rohan123|Rohan123]] ([[User talk:Rohan123|talk]]) 04:30, 14 July 2013 (CDT)
::Thanks tothe both of you.--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm#top|talk]]) 05:14, 14 July 2013 (CDT)

== Maou na Ore to Ghoul no Yubiwa ==

Thank you, both for the Great novel and the SPEED (blazing) at which you TLed it!"[[User:黒曜石ペガサス|黒曜石ペガサス]] ([[User talk:黒曜石ペガサス|talk]]) 22:56, 2 September 2013 (CDT)"

Interested in doing this lol since I see you add some description XD? (and I am not that active/fast/whatever anyways) - [[User:Par74583|Par74583]] ([[User_talk:Par74583|talk]])

Oh, it's fine and if you want to you can start on ch.3. My language department isn't that good too (I do CE BTW), and I already got a lot of things on hand plus the fact that I put the least efforts in this series so I concur there are a lot of errors. [[User:Par74583|Par74583]] ([[User_talk:Par74583|talk]])

Should I list you as one of the translator? ([[User_talk:Par74583|talk]])

Haha, guess I need to whip my arse to work too seeing you doing a lot already. [[User:Par74583|Par74583]] ([[User_talk:Par74583|talk]])

I removed the character intro texts from here [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Maou_na_Ore_to_Fushihime_no_Yubiwa:Volume_4_Illustrations Charcter Introduction Volume 4] and put those on the discussion page for their respective Image files [where people wont see them] ,Since its very much spoiler-ish,and the tl's just barely started so spoilers would be bad...like Chihiro's contracts and Lukas [real identity] etcetc.though if u think those are an absolutely necessity then feel free to put them back in. --[[User:Ways|TheCatWalk]]

Sry, for this but could you take on ch.2 since I don't have another project on hand and don't have the leisure to do it any more (I need to get into a university) :( very sry [[User:Par74583|Par74583]] ([[User_talk:Par74583|talk]])

This was mentioned in the editing history once or twice, but writing it here so that it's sure to be read: 'escape' is not 'scape' (which is not a word), and 'heart' is not 'hearth' (which is the thing around a fireplace). Those are two chronic misspellings which have been seen repeatedly. While writing this, was 'pensándolo bien' in the original text (of the first volume Epilogue)? (And of course, thank you very much for the continued translations! *great amusement at the sister's behaviour*) -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 19:06, 4 September 2013 (CDT)

Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 1 Epilogue

2013-09-04T07:54:35Z

Multipartite: Minor changes.

Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 1 Epilogue

2013-09-03T11:17:06Z

Multipartite: Minor changes.

Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 1 Chapter 6

2013-09-01T17:07:22Z

Multipartite: Minor changes. (Particularly, 'escape' is not 'scape', and 'heart' is not 'hearth'.)

==Chapter 6 - The time of the final battle==

After thirty minutes of flight, we managed to ascertain Iris's whereabouts.

As aerial transportation had the advantage of not being caught up in hindrances such as traffic lights or congestions, our actual velocity went up.

"This is Yokohama's harbor..."

In the harbor's scenery seen from the sky, there weren't any signs of life among the rows of large warehouses.

I see, this is the most suitable place to hide somebody.

"Chiharu, where does the thread connect to?"

"Mm, there!"

The thread seemed to be connected to one of the biggest of the warehouses.

"Well then, we're landing!"

Kyouko slowly lost altitude. I realized that her flying skills have improved remarkably in this short time. Frankly, we almost died at the start.

Immediately after Kyouko's feet reached the ground Zonmi and I jumped from her back.

"Fiuuu, like I thought, the ground is the best."

The trip through the sky was good, but also too thrilling. I didn't feel safe.

"Isn't it!? Isn't it!?"

"Why do you look so happy?" retorted Kyouko in shock to Zonmi, who was smiling from ear to ear.

"Good, then, shall we go?"

"Be careful, please. There are signs of monsters in the vicinity."

"... Understood."

I braced myself once again.

I'll reiterate, our opponents are the atrocious tamers that exterminated Iris's clan. From here on, a little mistake could cost us our lives.

"Wa-wait! Don't go yet. I'm putting on my clothes!"

Looking back in confusion, Kyouko was in the middle of changing. She had changed shapes from Nephilim to human.

"Eh, why have you changed back?"

"... Don't look here."

"So-sorry..."

Though I was already tired from seeing Kyouko's panties.

"At your limit, already?... You couldn't keep your transformation more than that."

"Is that it?..."

This could be a little bad.

If Kyouko couldn't participate in the battle, Zonmi was our last ray of hope. Though we didn't know the extent of the true power of our enemy, won't it be quite the unforgiving battle?...

"Chiharu, let's go... Don't worry, since I won't lose."

As if reading my thoughts, Zonmi muttered reassuringly.

So it's like that. That's what I have to do when I grow weak-hearted.

After reaching this point, we can only fight at full power!...

'''<nowiki>*</nowiki>SPLAAAAAASH!*'''

"Chiharu! Behind you!"

"Good grief. Speak of the devil!"

A geyser of water sprayed with vigor.

Turning around in a rush, what appeared from the sea — was a giant squid monster.

The threatening squid monster was emitting a jet-black aura.

"Wha? I mean, haven't I see this guy somewhere..."

I had an intense recollection of this monster.

"It's a kraken of the sea beast tribe... I dare say it's the same individual we saw some time ago on television."

So it was that. It's the guy broadcast on the TV news the day I met Zonmi.

I see. I remember that the place they showed then was Yokohama.

But wait a minute, wasn't the squid monster from back then killed by a monster that came around? What is this guy doing in this place?

"Look, the black magic power that wraps this child... It's under 'Enforce'!"

"Wait, what's 'Enforce'?"

"By means of an item illegally manufactured by people with ill will — the 'Enforce Ring', they bring the monster to an state of forced submission."

"There's such an item...!?"

"Yeah. Different from the normal 'Contract Ring'<ref>BTW I've been translating all this time 契約 as "contract", since it's the direct translation, but anytime a forced reading appears, including this one, it says "contact"; I don't know if this is intended or a mistake by the author, but if you think this is intended, feel free to change all "contract"s to "contact"s.</ref>, this is the most illegal of illegal things. Put under one-sided command, the monster loses its freedom."

I think I understand.

While on a normal contract the monster stands as an equal, under 'Enforce' it's treated as nothing more than a slave.

And, the next instant.

"Uoh!?"

The squid tentacles that bent like whips grasped us three tightly.

"Uoooooh!?"

Looking closely, the squid's overall length reached twenty meters — huge to a bizarre level. It's beyond comparison to the greatest of the monsters I've met till now.

Or, how should I put it, this situation... is quite bad.

Is it OK that we were so easily caught!?

And in contrast to my panicking, those two's facial expressions were still composed.

A premonition rose through my mind like a cork submerged in water... Could these two have been caught on purpose?

Instantly.

"Taaaa!"

"Hah!"

With movements too fast for my eyes to follow, those two tore the squid's tentacles to pieces.

"... Good grief, what reliable fellows."

If I tried to do the same thing, I'd have been powerless before the squid's slippery tentacles.

"Until when will you remain carelessly caught!?"

Zonmi's umbrella cut up the air.

Slash. The tentacle that restrained me was splendidly cut in two.

"Chiharu, please get down!"

"...Uoh!"

Once my feet reached ground, keeping my distance, I watched over those two's appearances...

Let's cool our heads. Right in front of me there are those two's enticing legs. A glimpse of that is the very best.

And in these circumstances, it seems this squid rascal is no match against Zonmi and Kyouko.

But.

It seems like my thoughts were too naive.

The enemy was not that weak. It had an astounding restoration ability. The torn up tentacles regrew immediately, and that in merely seconds. Its restoration ability is of a very high level.

"... What should I say to this!?"

To the panicking me, Zonmi said with indifference.

"This is no more than an hypothesis, but... I dare say the tentacles are but a decoy. Any time you cut them, they are regrown with magical power. And, in fact, you can't get close to the real body without facing the tentacles before."

"That's... In that case, what the heck do we do?"

Anyhow, the squid has ten tentacles.

We number three — no matter how I think of it, I don't feel we can get next to the main body.

"It can't be helped. Leave this to me."

"!?"

The one who said that was Kyouko.

"What the heck will you do?"

"If I throw all the surroundings at it, even this guy will eventually be exhausted. Luckily, there's no lack of things to throw inside these warehouses. Perhaps, my defeating this guy will we worthless."

"But, Nephilim, will you be OK? Isn't your magic power almost depleted?"

"Don't worry. Rather than that, to the me right now, I think this guy alone will be no match... Even though it's vexing, I'll take care of this guy here that's releasing this awfully unpleasant magic power... Ghoul. I leave it to you."

"If I come back and you're collapsed after exhausting all your magic power... Please spare me that outcome. Since we haven't yet settled our dispute."

"Ha, ha, that's my line!"

Contrasting with the cynicism mixed into their conversation, they did a high five with refreshing expressions.

By some kind of female bonding, it seems they have awakened to a strange camaraderie.

"Let's go, Chiharu, our foe is very near."

"Aye!"

Feeling gratitude towards Kyouko, we left behind that place.

<center>× × ×</center>

There was more darkness than expected inside the warehouse, it doesn't seem like there are many people.

There were containers loaded with miscellaneous cargo lined up. They were probably varied articles scheduled to be exported overseas.

When I looked from the sky, the thread surely reached inside here.

There's no mistake... Iris should be very close to here.

We should proceed to the interior with caution.

"Ahaha. How unusual to have guests here."

As we thought we heard a man's voice, suddenly the lighting installed on the ceiling illuminated a nearby position.

We unintentionally squinted our eyes. Who the heck is the one who did this... And.

"Iris!"

Hands and feet bound by thick ropes, Iris tied to a pillar entered our field of vision.

Dishevelled golden hair. Bare skin covered with injuries.

Her face, lacking the ambition of before, looked pale.

"Foolish one... Why art thou here..."

Judging from her hoarse tone of voice, she seemed to be quite weakened.

"How weird~. As the Kraken should have been standing watch, how can you people be here?"

It was an unpleasant voice.

Standing right beside Iris was a man with long hair.

Clad in a black suit from head to toe.

The arrangement of his features was uncanny, but his very long bangs gave the feeling of an annoying narcissist. His age, maybe in his early twenties? Saying it straightforwardly, he was an extremely disgusting man.

"I've been wondering for some time... Why do you do these mean things? Do you understand how grave a crime is a contract that disregards the free will of the monster? If it gets leaked to the IMA, it won't end well."

As Zonmi spoke with an emphatic tone, the man showed a composed smile.

"What a problem~. Since I don't feel like letting you escape from under my nose. That aside, I want to have a chat with that tamer there."

"..."

Shaken by the sudden change of topic, I was left without words.

"You should be a 7th generation rookie. You got to choose a red dragon. Amazing, the best! I now understand what the boss said! What outstanding talent do you have!?"

"Wait, what the heck are you saying?"

""Don't you know? ... I'm honestly praising you. When a monster tamer gets selected, the three initial monsters to choose from are assigned according to their individual aptitude. For a monster of the red dragon class, an apt person doesn't appear even once in a generation."

"... I don't care, I'm not glad to be praised by you! What do you want to say?"

"Fu, fu, such cold words. You — will also become a tamer of this side."

"..."

What did this guy blurt out of nowhere.

"Ha, ha, I'm astonished. Me becoming the colleague of a criminal?"

"Aah, in that case, you can do me a favor and sell me the blood of this chick. To make my monsters even more powerful. Unfortunately, the battle before against the damned dragon was consuming, but I still have more stock of 'Enforce' arranged. How do you think, is it a bad offer?"

"Don't mess with me! I won't consent to what you say, you fool!"

It's obvious that doing that won't benefit me in the least.

Thereupon, the man's face distorted,

"From my point of view, you are hopeless fools...

Being a tamer from the 6th generation, among my peers I'm the one with the fastest success in life — and saying that, it won't hurt you to what your senior says.

Believe it or not, like you lot now, I too was once a foolish tamer that performed his duty diligently. So, until you know the inevitability of destiny..."

"... What the heck do you mean by that?"

"You, have you thought about the end of the world?"

The man switched to a serious tone,

"As we are now, humanity will meet its unavoidable destruction. By the hands of the large number of monsters that inundate us from the Netherworld."

"... Heh."

This guy... What's he saying...

When I looked at Zonmi, for some reason she was chewing her lip and her body was trembling.

"She doesn't look like she knows nothing. Monsters have longer lifespans than humans and are more fertile. Because of that, their numbers suffer an explosive increment each year.

If it's like that, they end up having not enough food supplies nor land. If we restricted the traffic on the Gate that connects the Underworld with the human world, there will be an incessant increase of revolts. The cause would be a chronic deficiency of food supply.

Because of the current laws on coming to the human world from the Netherworld, a strict check from the Government is a must. However, that system approaches failure.

Once that happens, humanity will be slaughtered by swarms of monsters."

"..."

"And yet, the current IMA doesn't care abut it. Who will mediate between monsters and humans?

... Hah, that was something from the past. To kill or to be killed — '''we'''[humanity] can do nothing more!

Right now we are a minority, but those like us that hold dissatisfaction with the current system are steadily increasing.

That's why, by suppressing the monsters, we will build a new order to put them under humanity's total control!

And once we change the laws, we will be in the right!"

"... Is what this guy is saying true?"

With her lips tightly pused, Zonmi,

"Yeah, surely what he said is something I can't deny... I won't say anything. What's what Chiharu ought to do? — that, decide it by yourself."

"..."

I wonder what should I do.

What do I want to do.

I came here wanting to save Iris from her trouble.

These evil tamers that slaughtered Iris's clan were unforgivable.

Surely, right now I can't make the proper judgement.

These guys, following their ideas murdered Iris's clan.

Different means, same objective — monster tamers are allies of humanity.

Killing monsters is bad... Have I, who eats meat of cows and pigs, the qualification to say that?

I don't understand, just about anything.

How much the development of an advanced civilization equals the start of a war, isn't that an eternal question rooted in personal values?

No matter how long you think about it, I feel the answer will still be out of reach.

"Chiharu."

Zonmi's dignified voice.

"I won't blame you no matter what you choose. Since from the beginning I came here entrusting my life to you... However, that's not the same as putting my life in the hands of that man. In the case you take that man's side, please pierce my heart right here."

Pointing her umbrella at me, Zonmi said.

I felt as if those eyes pierced me. Zonmi was really serious.

I seems she seriously prefers being killed by me than by this guy.

"Don't mess with me! As if I could do that!..."

As if...

I see, so it's like that. What an easy thing. Since I can't...

I won't kill. I couldn't kill neither Zonmi, Kyouko or Iris.

In that case, I've decided.

From the start I couldn't show hostility towards monsters...

Coexistence.

It may be possibly only lip service. Maybe it's a dream that cannot be realized.

But, why do I have to think about such difficult things?

In the end, that's the only objective I should aim for!

"Sorry about your invaluable suggestion, senpai. I can't agree with your ideas. Monsters... these girls are, to me, precious companions. If I can't understand, convince me until I can... After all, isn't that our job as Monster tamers?"

"Chiharu..."

Astonished by my overly optimistic words, Zonmi revealed admiration in her voice.

"A~ah, even though I troubled myself trying to spare your life. You are a shocking idiot... In that case, as you wish, I'll beat you to death!"

"Senpai, I'm aware it will sound impolite... How slow, you hadn't noticed it before, you idiot!?"

"Keh, what shitty lines you spit!"

The man moved his ring to his mouth and shouted.

"SUMMON — MINOTAUROS."

And, the next instant.

A human-shaped ox-headed giant monster appeared.

This one too... It seems it's the same I saw before on the news.

Its height was at least on the order of ten meters<ref>Around 32' 9.7".</ref>, and it clearly gushed out aura. This one is stronger than the squid from before. The axe it held in its hand glittered under the lighting.

"Zonmi... Will you fight it?"

"Of course, I'll protect you even at the cost of my life."

Zonmi strongly nodded.

Aah, in the end, I keep being helped by her. Someday I will repay her with interest.

As if unable to keep watching us, the man's face distorted.

"Ha~ha~ha. What beautiful friendship... It makes me puke. You, don't you realize you've misplaced your priorities? What you should be protecting aren't monsters, but people, don't you understand something like that..."

"... Enough with the chattering. Come at me."

"Hah, I'd have done it even if you didn't say anything!"

The moment the man raised his voice, both of us kicked the ground.

In the vanguard, Zonmi. Without catching attention, Zonmi quickly jumped upon a container and like that flew through the air. She slashed at the Minotauros with ferocious speed.

Zonmi was strong.

That's something I understand better than others.

I dare say, battling on the ground no one can defeat her.

That's — what I thought.

"GROAAAAAAR"

Letting out a weird sound, it swung its axe downwards.

Something astonishing occurred. Though the slash wasn't a direct hit, with only the wind pressure, Zonmi's body was sent flying.

"... Kyah!"

After being sent flying high, Zonmi crashed into the ground and coughed blood. Her beautiful silver hair was scattered on the ground.

The man showed a fearless smile.

"I didn't know you were so conceited, expecting to defeat a contracted monster with a stray monster. Are you dumb?"

"..."

That was something I was vaguely aware of.

The other monster was receiving a supply of magic power from his tamer. And we didn't have that. That's to say, a 2 vs. 1 situation. It wasn't a problem of real strength. Even an elementary schooler would realize that it was a clearly overwhelming disadvantage.

"... Please, don't make that face. I haven't lost yet."

Feeling my anxiety, muttered Zonmi as if admonishing me.

"So it's like that. As expected, to win while in this form was really asking for too much."

"Eh..."

What the heck is she saying?

Zonmi, after showing a composed smile — turned into a monster.

A pale face. Murky eyes.

Hanging from its belly, something hard to describe that should not have been on a pretty girl.

Standing there was the transformed into a monster — Zonmi in ghoul form.

"Zonmi, that form..."

"I wanted to defeat him in human form if possible, though... It makes me nervous to show my bowels to a man..."

"..."

As usual, it's something I believe I don't understand well.

Hearing Zonmi's words, the man laughed loudly.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha! That was certainly unexpected. You were a ghoul!? Uwaaaaa, what a shock... Even though it looks like this, for a moment I thought you were a fine woman.

Ghouls are the most unpopular clan amongst monsters. Quite the selection he has made...

No, aren't you uncontracted since you weren't chosen? Gyah, ha, ha, ha, it makes me laugh."

"... Did you only want to say that? Girls don't like men that talk too much.

The man clasped his tongue,

"Sorry, but I'm very popular. Don't lump me with that virgin there!"

The footsteps of the Minotauros echoed along with the jeers of its master.

In contrast with its gigantic frame, its movements were absurdly agile.

Closing the distance with Zonmi in an instant, like a bull in a china shop — as if suiting that idiom<ref>The original idiom was 猪突猛進, that means some by the likes "proceeding like a boar's fierce charge" or "acting recklessly"; it gets even more suitable in english since, well, he IS a bull.</ref>, it rushed on putting its all into a tackle.

Zonmi reacted by blocking it with the umbrella — but, from the start, their physiques were too different.

Zonmi couldn't help but be slowly dragged down as her shoes wore away.

"Chiharu is... surely a perverted serial adulterer indecisive quick to run away useless man. But he didn't call me "disgusting". On the contrary, on our first meeting he lent me clothes... They were tattered, but I was happy. Since our clan has been persecuted a long time due to our looks."

Zonmi was recounting in detail as if reaffirming her decision.

"Hah, what was that!? A self-appointed death flag<ref>As in the typical "Today is my last day, I'm retiring tomorrow" said by an old policeman as he shows photos of his kids/grandkids.</ref>."

"Chiharu is a thousand times cooler than you!"

Following through with the umbrella by putting all her strength into both hands, Zonmi finally repelled the Minotauros's big frame.

"Tche, shit!"

<nowiki>*</nowiki>THUMP*, stopping once more the axe that was swung down, after that the other party couldn't pull off the same level of offense and defense.

They were on par... No, we were a little better.

Despite the axe's greater offensive power, Zonmi was unscathed, and her strikes were solid hits to her opponent. The transformed Zonmi's increased agility was more skillful than before. The decisive slashes aimed at the center of its legs and loins little by little dulled the Minotauros's speed.

"Amazing..."

I couldn't help but let out a word of admiration. Our relationship wasn't superficial. Even if we weren't contracted, the Zonmi that treated me as an equal was strong, and above all beautiful.

As if flustered by the unexpectedly hard battle, the man's features were shrouded in unrest.

"Haaaah!"

Drawing a beautiful arc in midair by making half a turn, Zonmi thrust like that her umbrella into the eye of the Minotauros.

A satisfactory hit. "Groaaaar", letting out a shriek that seemed to shake the earth, the Minotauros rolled on the ground.

"... Hah. You are useless, having so much trouble against a stray. I'll cull you later."

"Next is your turn, even if I'm fighting a human, I won't hold back."

The man, being pointed at with the umbrella, scratched his head,

"A~ah, I didn't want to use it on this guy if possible, but... 'BOOST'!"

The instant he chanted that, the man's body emitted a pale light that flowed into the body of the Minotauros.

Thereupon, something unbelievable happened. The injured body healed in the blink of an eye, swelling — from the muscle covered Minotauros, white smoke was raising.

Even an amateur like me could understand what had happened — the man had bestowed magic power onto the Minotauros.

"GROAAAAAR"

The blow the Minotauros tossed after standing up in a flash, contained a power incomparable to before receiving magic power.

"Kyau"

She blocked the attack with the umbrella, but Zonmi's body was forcibly sent flying.

Crashing into a container, the lemons inside fell out.

"Look! This is the difference between having a contract or not! An overwhelming advantage impossible to overturn!"

"Zonmi!"

I rushed with full speed to Zonmi's side.

... But.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>THUD, THUD, THUD!*

Earth-shaking crazy sounds. They were the Minotauros's footsteps.

The Minotauros rushed in pursuit before I could arrive.

"Hya, ha, ha, ha, ha! Good, end her♪"

"GROAAAAAR"

At Zonmi who was defenseless right after taking that damage, slashing with that huge lump of iron,

Zonmi's body was turned into a pulp and scattered around.

The surrounding lemons were painted red with the splattered blood.

"It's..."

"Not yet! I you give them a rest, ghouls are a clan that excel in regeneration. Keep at it until its magic power runs out!"

Twice, thrice, four times, the giant axe kept falling intermittently without rest. Due to the next attack coming before managing to regenerate her body, recovery was impossible. Each time an attack came, Zonmi's death agony was heard.

"... Escape... Chiharu."

Zonmi frailly leaked those words.

"Moron! I can't do something like that!"

What's this fellow saying now that we've reached this point...

She wanted to harshly preach to me about resolution... And at the crucial moment she sacrificed herself. Is it to save me? What a damned fool!

"What are you doing... Hurry... Escape..."

"Stop joking! I definitely won't allow that!"

Putting my thoughts into words, Zonmi showed a faint smile.

"With that... Do you intend to shame me?... If I let my master die, what the heck will I do?... *Cough*"

As the axe was ruthlessly swung downwards, it resounded with a shriek like that of a smashed frog.

"Gya, ha, ha, ha, ha! Did you think I'd read the mood like in a manga, stupid!? An so ends a make-believe unbeatable friendship. Die without leaving behind any last words, you bastard!"

"Ku..."

Instantly, I turned around and ran with all my might.

"... I see, that's fine."

"He, he, Seeeerves you right! The man leaves you behind and escapes! After all, your bonds only reached that extent! And you, don't think you can escape. Since I'll soon chase and kill you!"

Ignoring the man's words that hurt my ears, I dashed with all my might.

Of course, I wasn't abandoning Zonmi, hurt before my eyes, and escaping.

Just a slim possibility — I was betting everything on that.

While hidden by the shadow of containers, my goal was the place were Iris was held. Since luckily there was no one near Iris, I could manage to reach her without the man noticing.

"Hey, Iris! You all right!"

When she heard, Iris made a surprised face.

"Foolish one... Why hast thou come here? Thou shouldst be helping that ghoul woman."

"About that, we're in a pinch! Cooperate, Iris, we need your strength."

"... That I cannot do."

"Why!?"

Iris feebly laughed,

"Canst not thou understand by seeing my state? Deplorably, I am not in a state to lend you my strength; I cannot even move one step from here. It seems that this annoying rope has the effect of absorbing magic power. Escaping is impossible."

"Heh, this thing..."

I bit into the ropes with vigor.

It seems that in order to bite off a thick thread the size of an ehoumaki<ref>http://japanesefooddictionary.blogspot.com.es/2012/02/ehomaki.html</ref> will take quite a while.

"Say, art thou a fool?... As if this rope is a good that could be broken by something like a human..."

"Like this, it will come loose."

"I do not understand. How canst thou be so sure?"

"... It's due to family circumstances. My specialty is getting out of bindings. Don't underestimate my teeth, recently I even bit through the chain of a pair of handcuffs."

Good grief, I don't understand what's with this world. I didn't think the day would come that this skill was useful outside my house.

"... Incomprehensible. If thou runnest away now thou canst save thy life, why art thou not doing so? Don't tell me... Tho-thou hast become enamoured with that girl?"

"Idiot. It's not like that!"

"Hyau!"

Iris let out a cute yell when I poked her forehead.

"... I can't escape. If I flee now, both Zonmi and Iris will die. I can't allow that."

Iris raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Why hast thou included my name there... I forcibly made a contract with thee disregarding thy volition. And not only that, I injured and restrained thee. Thou dost not have any obligation to save me."

"Like I care. Since I want to save you, I'll save you — simply that."

"I do not understand thy reasoning. Why dost thou not explain it better to me so that I understand!?"

Iris told me by raising her voice.

"You, didn't you feel lonely in that room?"

"... Haah? Art, art thou slandering me!?"

Now I understand — Iris said that both her parents were killed by monster tamers.

The gentleness she sometimes shows, most likely stems from her solitude.

Iris... with that smal body, without having any family around her... That, it was no different from unreasonable isolation. Though she behaved as if she were stout-hearted, she had a gap inside her heart... It seems it's in my nature that I can't abandon people like that.

"Look, it's undone."

Steadily chewing at the ropes while talking, I finally succeeded in releasing her from her bindings. I mean, what's this rope made from? As expected, my jaw was tired... I can't use it for a while.

"..."

Iris was speechless.

Strange. I thought she'd be happier.

"This that I am going to say will sound unrefined, but... Right now, I don't think I will be of any assistance in the fray. As thou knowest, these ropes are able to absorb magic power. The me right now, sincerely speaking, can only barely remain standing... That is why, harborest not many hopes."

What, it's that? Then I don't have to worry.

"No, being like this at this time, perhaps our victory is settled."

"What dost thou mean?"

Nearing my ring to my mouth,

"BOOST!"

I chanted with a loud voice.

That instant, I fell into a state that felt as though all the energy of my body had left me.

A feeling of accomplishment as if scattered pieces suddenly fit together to a T.

With this... it's our complete victory!

"This is..."

The red light that covered her whole body was healing Iris's injuries.

And in my case, I was subjected to a tiredness as if I had swum in a pool for a day.

I understood the reason why that man hesitated to employ this power. This was horribly painful, I was already wobbling on my feet. As if I has used all my MP in a Magic Burst<ref>Recurring spell on Dragon Quest that converts all remaining MP into damage.</ref>.

"I'm astonished. To think thou hast this plentifulness of magic power dwelling inside thy body... I finally comprehend the reason why thou wast fit to elect me."

"He, he, thanks a lot."

Of course I was glad to be praised by a girl...

"I give thee my thanks, tamer. And I swear to thee. I will accomplish without fail the duty thou hast entrusted to me."

The voice of Iris, who had turned into a dragon, had recovered her usual self-confidence. Spreading her steel-like wings, Iris promptly took flight towards the man.

Giving a whipping to my exhausted body, I too followed there.

Please, let us make it in time...

Once I arrived near the man, I became speechless.

"Uwaaaaaaaaa, don't comeeeeeee!"

Minotauros's whole body scorched, only the man's scream resounded on the room.

"Is that the only thing thou wishest to say? I am desolated, but also cannot read the mood; I will quickly bring this to an end."

"Kuh, Stooooop!"

His expression distorted by despair and anguish, the man lowered his head and pleaded for his life.

"Please! I beg you! At least spare my life! It's as you see!"

Iris, sending a fleeting glance of awareness my way,

"... In that case, start by freeing all monsters thou hast put under 'Enforce'."

"Un-understood! I'll free them!"

The man removed a black ring from his hand while he crawled on the ground, and threw it away with an anguished face.

While grinding her teeth out of vexation, Iris gazed at the man's profile seemingly silent,

"... Disappear from my sight!"

She spat out those unexpected words.

As soon as he heard that, the man turned around and scampered at full throttle.

That was — a really quick curtain close.

Since this red dragon girl alone, confronting the seemingly strong foes of the Minotauros and its tamer, totally kicked their butts.

Nevertheless...

"Are you OK with that? That he escaped in the end?"

Iris laughed fearlessly,

"... Humph. I thought that it would be all right if this time I limited it to a warning and let him go free. Since had I killed that bloke, my purpose would have remained unfulfilled. At best, hereafter, I can use him as a valuable source of information."

"..."

Despite Iris having said that. I couldn't help but feel that she had some other reason.

Perhaps this is no more than mere speculation.

It may be that Iris didn't want to burden me with the crime of murder.

Even if indirectly, if she had taken the life of a person, from tomorrow on I'd have to live with the burden of that crime.

To a mere high school student like me, that's undoubtedly an unreasonably difficult thing.

"Thank you. Iris."

"... Come, now, I know not what thou meanest... Thou hast better hasten to that girl's side. I hold no doubt that even now she is surely waiting for thine arrival."

"... Aah."

Anyhow, each second is precious.

Being told by Iris, I started to run without minding my surroundings.

However. At the point I ran to awaited a despair that made me want to cover my eyes.

What was there was a lump of flesh smashed to a pulp.

A thing that barely retained human form, vestiges of Zonmi that it had been were nowhere to be found. The torn up mincemeat-like face of Zonmi showed an unsightly involuntary smile, and not even a bit of regeneration could be felt.

...

...

Why?

Why, oh, why?...

"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

In that pool of blood, I fell to my knees.

Zonmi's head was split in two agape, a jelly-like substance overflowing from the inside.

I tried to pick up the lump of flesh that was once Zonmi. The thick dripping blood stubbornly coiled around.

Flesh.

This is merely flesh.

No different in the least from that lined up at the supermarket, a mass of protein.

There were many things that I wanted to say to her.

Thanks for always protecting me... Sorry for being a bother... There were many things I wanted to say to you...

Zonmi.

Now I can say it.

I'll become a monster tamer.

Till now — I was spending my days without aim, however, I feel I've finally found what I want to do myself.

So that both humans and monsters can laugh and get along, I want to make a world like that.

That's why, for that reason, I want to be always at your side.

Until that dream is granted, I want you to lend me your strength.

You too — weren't you wishing for that?

And yet, why...

"Human, get out of the way."

"... I couldn't protect her. I didn't make it in time..."

Completely exhausted, I hung my head heartbroken, I don't feel like moving even one inch from here.

"What art thou saying, thou hast accomplished everything. That lass is still alive."

"... What do you mean, Zonmi shouldn't be like this! Shouldn't she be reverting to how she was!?"

"I do not like to jest — the soul of that lass is still here... But then, her current condition should not last long."

Next instant, I noticed some discomfort in my own fingertips.

If I had to liken it to something, it would be close to the feeling you get when you remove the training weights that you had been wearing. She smoothly removed the ring she was so devoted to and fixated on.

"I return thee this!"

What she handed to me was the ring she wore on her finger.

"The ring... Why now..."

"I'm not so uncouth to remain in this place. So, pardon me."

"..."

What the heck... does she means by that?...

To furthen my dumbfoundedness, Iris showed me a 'don't worry' smile.

"Whaat, thou wilst understand soon. Good grief... Thy resilience is astounding. It seems that nearly half the magic power thou spent earlier has been returned by now. Being like that, there's no need to bestow onto thee the magic power contained in my blood."

"That's why, what do you mean..."

"Let me tell thee one last thing, I am grateful from the bottom of my heart for having met thee... If thou still carriest the will to be a monster tamer, the day may come that we will meet again.

Come the time... If thou choosest to allow it... I wish that we will once again restore our contract.

And this time not by force, I want us to be partners that understand each other by heart. Like with this lass here... Farewell, tamer."

Iris changed to dragon shape and flew away by flapping her wings.

I couldn't discern Iris's dragon-changed silhouette, but the words she left behind in the end were still fresh in my mind.

I wonder what she wanted, after all.

... And.

The ring I received from Iris, I felt it was casting a pale light in Zonmi's direction.

"!?"

Like running electricity, an idea crossed my mind.

I gently approached the ring to Zonmi's hand.

I wonder what will happen — surprisingly, aren't Zonmi's injuries little by little, little by little, healing themselves?

I see... I'm granting her my internal magic power...

Recovering in an eye-blink a healthy rosy color, Zonmi opened her eyelids as if waking up from a thousand years of slumber.

"Mmm, eh... Chiharu..."

Hearing the voice I yearned for, the corners of my eyes involuntarily heated up.

"What the heck... Was I..."

Surveying restlessly her surroundings with half-asleep eyes, it seems Zonmi couldn't still get a grasp of what was happening.

"Welcome back, Zonmi."

Softly raising Zonmi's body, which had become so unbearably dear to me...

"Wha-wha-wha-what are you doing!?"

"It's fine, be quiet for a bit."

I tightly embraced her closely

[[File:Maou_na_Ore_to_Fushihime_no_Yubiwa_p237.png|thumb]]

<noinclude>==References and Translation Notes==
<references />

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| Back to [[Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 1 Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
| Return to [[Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 1 Chapter 6

2013-09-01T03:45:34Z

Multipartite: (After sleeping, released a preferred structure for a sentence gone over before. Minor changes for the new section later.)

==Chapter 6 - The time of the final battle==

After thirty minutes of flight, we managed to ascertain Iris's whereabouts.

As aerial transportation had the advantage of not being caught up in hindrances such as traffic lights or congestions, our actual velocity went up.

"This is Yokohama's harbor..."

In the harbor's scenery seen from the sky, there weren't any signs of life among the rows of large warehouses.

I see, this is the most suitable place to hide somebody.

"Chiharu, where does the thread connect to?"

"Mm, there!"

The thread seemed to be connected to one of the biggest of the warehouses.

"Well then, we're landing!"

Kyouko slowly lost altitude. I realized that her flying skills have improved remarkably in this short time. Frankly, we almost died at the start.

Immediately after Kyouko's feet reached the ground Zonmi and I jumped from her back.

"Fiuuu, like I thought, the ground is the best."

The trip through the sky was good, but also too thrilling. I didn't feel safe.

"Isn't it!? Isn't it!?"

"Why do you look so happy?" retorted Kyouko in shock to Zonmi, who was smiling from ear to ear.

"Good, then, shall we go?"

"Be careful, please. There are signs of monsters in the vicinity."

"... Understood."

I braced myself once again.

I'll reiterate, our opponents are the atrocious tamers that exterminated Iris's clan. From here on, a little mistake could cost us our lives.

"Wa-wait! Don't go yet. I'm putting on my clothes!"

Looking back in confusion, Kyouko was in the middle of changing. She had changed shapes from Nephilim to human.

"Eh, why have you changed back?"

"... Don't look here."

"So-sorry..."

Though I was already tired from seeing Kyouko's panties.

"At your limit, already?... You couldn't keep your transformation more than that."

"Is that it?..."

This could be a little bad.

If Kyouko couldn't participate in the battle, Zonmi was our last ray of hope. Though we didn't know the extent of the true power of our enemy, won't it be quite the unforgiving battle?...

"Chiharu, let's go... Don't worry, since I won't lose."

As if reading my thoughts, Zonmi muttered reassuringly.

So it's like that. That's what I have to do when I grow weak-hearted.

After reaching this point, we can only fight at full power!...

'''<nowiki>*</nowiki>SPLAAAAAASH!*'''

"Chiharu! Behind you!"

"Good grief. Speak of the devil!"

A geyser of water sprayed with vigor.

Turning around in a rush, what appeared from the sea — was a giant squid monster.

The threatening squid monster was emitting a jet-black aura.

"Wha? I mean, haven't I see this guy somewhere..."

I had an intense recollection of this monster.

"It's a kraken of the sea beast tribe... I dare say it's the same individual we saw some time ago on television."

So it was that. It's the guy broadcast on the TV news the day I met Zonmi.

I see. I remember that the place they showed then was Yokohama.

But wait a minute, wasn't the squid monster from back then killed by a monster that came around? What is this guy doing in this place?

"Look, the black magic power that wraps this child... It's under 'Enforce'!"

"Wait, what's 'Enforce'?"

"By means of an item illegally manufactured by people with ill will — the 'Enforce Ring', they bring the monster to an state of forced submission."

"There's such an item...!?"

"Yeah. Different from the normal 'Contract Ring'<ref>BTW I've been translating all this time 契約 as "contract", since it's the direct translation, but anytime a forced reading appears, including this one, it says "contact"; I don't know if this is intended or a mistake by the author, but if you think this is intended, feel free to change all "contract"s to "contact"s.</ref>, this is the most illegal of illegal things. Put under one-sided command, the monster loses its freedom."

I think I understand.

While on a normal contract the monster stands as an equal, under 'Enforce' it's treated as nothing more than a slave.

And, the next instant.

"Uoh!?"

The squid tentacles that bent like whips grasped us three tightly.

"Uoooooh!?"

Looking closely, the squid's overall length reached twenty meters — huge to a bizarre level. It's beyond comparison to the greatest of the monsters I've met till now.

Or, how should I put it, this situation... is quite bad.

Is it OK that we were so easily caught!?

And in contrast to my panicking, those two's facial expressions were still composed.

A premonition rose through my mind like a cork submerged in water... Could these two have been caught on purpose?

Instantly.

"Taaaa!"

"Hah!"

With movements too fast for my eyes to follow, those two tore the squid's tentacles to pieces.

"... Good grief, what reliable fellows."

If I tried to do the same thing, I'd have been powerless before the squid's slippery tentacles.

"Until when will you remain carelessly caught!?"

Zonmi's umbrella cut up the air.

Slash. The tentacle that restrained me was splendidly cut in two.

"Chiharu, please get down!"

"...Uoh!"

Once my feet reached ground, keeping my distance, I watched over those two's appearances...

Let's cool our heads. Right in front of me there are those two's enticing legs. A glimpse of that is the very best.

And in these circumstances, it seems this squid rascal is no match against Zonmi and Kyouko.

But.

It seems like my thoughts were too naive.

The enemy was not that weak. It had an astounding restoration ability. The torn up tentacles regrew immediately, and that in merely seconds. Its restoration ability is of a very high level.

"... What should I say to this!?"

To the panicking me, Zonmi said with indifference.

"This is no more than an hypothesis, but... I dare say the tentacles are but a decoy. Any time you cut them, they are regrown with magical power. And, in fact, you can't get close to the real body without facing the tentacles before."

"That's... In that case, what the heck do we do?"

Anyhow, the squid has ten tentacles.

We number three — no matter how I think of it, I don't feel we can get next to the main body.

"It can't be helped. Leave this to me."

"!?"

The one who said that was Kyouko.

"What the heck will you do?"

"If I throw all the surroundings at it, even this guy will eventually be exhausted. Luckily, there's no lack of things to throw inside these warehouses. Perhaps, my defeating this guy will we worthless."

"But, Nephilim, will you be OK? Isn't your magic power almost depleted?"

"Don't worry. Rather than that, to the me right now, I think this guy alone will be no match... Even though it's vexing, I'll take care of this guy here that's releasing this awfully unpleasant magic power... Ghoul. I leave it to you."

"If I come back and you're collapsed after exhausting all your magic power... Please spare me that outcome. Since we haven't yet settled our dispute."

"Ha, ha, that's my line!"

Contrasting with the cynicism mixed into their conversation, they did a high five with refreshing expressions.

By some kind of female bonding, it seems they have awakened to a strange camaraderie.

"Let's go, Chiharu, our foe is very near."

"Aye!"

Feeling gratitude towards Kyouko, we left behind that place.

<center>× × ×</center>

There was more darkness than expected inside the warehouse, it doesn't seem like there are many people.

There were containers loaded with miscellaneous cargo lined up. They were probably varied articles scheduled to be exported overseas.

When I looked from the sky, the thread surely reached inside here.

There's no mistake... Iris should be very close to here.

We should proceed to the interior with caution.

"Ahaha. How unusual to have guests here."

As we thought we heard a man's voice, suddenly the lighting installed on the ceiling illuminated a nearby position.

We unintentionally squinted our eyes. Who the heck is the one who did this... And.

"Iris!"

Hands and feet bound by thick ropes, Iris tied to a pillar entered our field of vision.

Dishevelled golden hair. Bare skin covered with injuries.

Her face, lacking the ambition of before, looked pale.

"Foolish one... Why art thou here..."

Judging from her hoarse tone of voice, she seemed to be quite weakened.

"How weird~. As the Kraken should have been standing watch, how can you people be here?"

It was an unpleasant voice.

Standing right beside Iris was a man with long hair.

Clad in a black suit from head to toe.

The arrangement of his features was uncanny, but his very long bangs gave the feeling of an annoying narcissist. His age, maybe in his early twenties? Saying it straightforwardly, he was an extremely disgusting man.

"I've been wondering for some time... Why do you do these mean things? Do you understand how grave a crime is a contract that disregards the free will of the monster? If it gets leaked to the IMA, it won't end well."

As Zonmi spoke with an emphatic tone, the man showed a composed smile.

"What a problem~. Since I don't feel like letting you escape from under my nose. That aside, I want to have a chat with that tamer there."

"..."

Shaken by the sudden change of topic, I was left without words.

"You should be a 7th generation rookie. You got to choose a red dragon. Amazing, the best! I now understand what the boss said! What outstanding talent do you have!?"

"Wait, what the heck are you saying?"

""Don't you know? ... I'm honestly praising you. When a monster tamer gets selected, the three initial monsters to choose from are assigned according to their individual aptitude. For a monster of the red dragon class, an apt person doesn't appear even once in a generation."

"... I don't care, I'm not glad to be praised by you! What do you want to say?"

"Fu, fu, such cold words. You — will also become a tamer of this side."

"..."

What did this guy blurt out of nowhere.

"Ha, ha, I'm astonished. Me becoming the colleague of a criminal?"

"Aah, in that case, you can do me a favor and sell me the blood of this chick. To make my monsters even more powerful. Unfortunately, the battle before against the damned dragon was consuming, but I still have more stock of 'Enforce' arranged. How do you think, is it a bad offer?"

"Don't mess with me! I won't consent to what you say, you fool!"

It's obvious that doing that won't benefit me in the least.

Thereupon, the man's face distorted,

"From my point of view, you are hopeless fools...

Being a tamer from the 6th generation, among my peers I'm the one with the fastest success in life — and saying that, it won't hurt you to what your senior says.

Believe it or not, like you lot now, I too was once a foolish tamer that performed his duty diligently. So, until you know the inevitability of destiny..."

"... What the heck do you mean by that?"

"You, have you thought about the end of the world?"

The man switched to a serious tone,

"As we are now, humanity will meet its unavoidable destruction. By the hands of the large number of monsters that inundate us from the Netherworld."

"... Heh."

This guy... What's he saying...

When I looked at Zonmi, for some reason she was chewing her lip and her body was trembling.

"She doesn't look like she knows nothing. Monsters have longer lifespans than humans and are more fertile. Because of that, their numbers suffer an explosive increment each year.

If it's like that, they end up having not enough food supplies nor land. If we restricted the traffic on the Gate that connects the Underworld with the human world, there will be an incessant increase of revolts. The cause would be a chronic deficiency of food supply.

Because of the current laws on coming to the human world from the Netherworld, a strict check from the Government is a must. However, that system approaches failure.

Once that happens, humanity will be slaughtered by swarms of monsters."

"..."

"And yet, the current IMA doesn't care abut it. Who will mediate between monsters and humans?

... Hah, that was something from the past. To kill or to be killed — '''we'''[humanity] can do nothing more!

Right now we are a minority, but those like us that hold dissatisfaction with the current system are steadily increasing.

That's why, by suppressing the monsters, we will build a new order to put them under humanity's total control!

And once we change the laws, we will be in the right!"

"... Is what this guy is saying true?"

With her lips tightly pused, Zonmi,

"Yeah, surely what he said is something I can't deny... I won't say anything. What's what Chiharu ought to do? — that, decide it by yourself."

"..."

I wonder what should I do.

What do I want to do.

I came here wanting to save Iris from her trouble.

These evil tamers that slaughtered Iris's clan were unforgivable.

Surely, right now I can't make the proper judgement.

These guys, following their ideas murdered Iris's clan.

Different means, same objective — monster tamers are allies of humanity.

Killing monsters is bad... Have I, who eats meat of cows and pigs, the qualification to say that?

I don't understand, just about anything.

How much the development of an advanced civilization equals the start of a war, isn't that an eternal question rooted in personal values?

No matter how long you think about it, I feel the answer will still be out of reach.

"Chiharu."

Zonmi's dignified voice.

"I won't blame you no matter what you choose. Since from the beginning I came here entrusting my life to you... However, that's not the same as putting my life in the hands of that man. In the case you take that man's side, please pierce my heart right here."

Pointing her umbrella at me, Zonmi said.

I felt as if those eyes pierced me. Zonmi was really serious.

I seems she seriously prefers being killed by me than by this guy.

"Don't mess with me! As if I could do that!..."

As if...

I see, so it's like that. What an easy thing. Since I can't...

I won't kill. I couldn't kill neither Zonmi, Kyouko or Iris.

In that case, I've decided.

From the start I couldn't show hostility towards monsters...

Coexistence.

It may be possibly only lip service. Maybe it's a dream that cannot be realized.

But, why do I have to think about such difficult things?

In the end, that's the only objective I should aim for!

"Sorry about your invaluable suggestion, senpai. I can't agree with your ideas. Monsters... these girls are, to me, precious companions. If I can't understand, convince me until I can... After all, isn't that our job as Monster tamers?"

"Chiharu..."

Astonished by my overly optimistic words, Zonmi revealed admiration in her voice.

"A~ah, even though I troubled myself trying to spare your life. You are a shocking idiot... In that case, as you wish, I'll beat you to death!"

"Senpai, I'm aware it will sound impolite... How slow, you hadn't noticed it before, you idiot!?"

"Keh, what shitty lines you spit!"

The man moved his ring to his mouth and shouted.

"SUMMON — MINOTAUROS."

And, the next instant.

A human-shaped ox-headed giant monster appeared.

This one too... It seems it's the same I saw before on the news.

Its height was at least on the order of ten meters<ref>Around 32' 9.7".</ref>, and it clearly gushed out aura. This one is stronger than the squid from before. The axe it held in its hand glittered under the lighting.

"Zonmi... Will you fight it?"

"Of course, I'll protect you even at the cost of my life."

Zonmi strongly nodded.

Aah, in the end, I keep being helped by her. Someday I will repay her with interest.

As if unable to keep watching us, the man's face distorted.

"Ha~ha~ha. What beautiful friendship... It makes me puke. You, don't you realize you've misplaced your priorities? What you should be protecting aren't monsters, but people, don't you understand something like that..."

"... Enough with the chattering. Come at me."

"Hah, I'd have done it even if you didn't say anything!"

The moment the man raised his voice, both of us kicked the ground.

In the vanguard, Zonmi. Without catching attention, Zonmi quickly jumped upon a container and like that flew through the air. She slashed at the Minotauros with ferocious speed.

Zonmi was strong.

That's something I understand better than others.

I dare say, battling on the ground no one can defeat her.

That's — what I thought.

"GROAAAAAAR"

Letting out a weird sound, it swung its axe downwards.

Something astonishing occurred. Though the slash wasn't a direct hit, with only the wind pressure, Zonmi's body was sent flying.

"... Kyah!"

After being sent flying high, Zonmi crashed into the ground and coughed blood. Her beautiful silver hair was scattered on the ground.

The man showed a fearless smile.

"I didn't know you were so conceited, expecting to defeat a contracted monster with a stray monster. Are you dumb?"

"..."

That was something I was vaguely aware of.

The other monster was receiving a supply of magic power from his tamer. And we didn't have that. That's to say, a 2 vs. 1 situation. It wasn't a problem of real strength. Even an elementary schooler would realize that it was a clearly overwhelming disadvantage.

"... Please, don't make that face. I haven't lost yet."

Feeling my anxiety, muttered Zonmi as if admonishing me.

"So it's like that. As expected, to win while in this form was really asking for too much."

"Eh..."

What the heck is she saying?

Zonmi, after showing a composed smile — turned into a monster.

A pale face. Murky eyes.

Hanging from its belly, something hard to describe that should not have been on a pretty girl.

Standing there was the transformed into a monster — Zonmi in ghoul form.

"Zonmi, that form..."

"I wanted to defeat him in human form if possible, though... It makes me nervous to show my bowels to a man..."

"..."

As usual, it's something I believe I don't understand well.

Hearing Zonmi's words, the man laughed loudly.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha! That was certainly unexpected. You were a ghoul!? Uwaaaaa, what a shock... Even though it looks like this, for a moment I thought you were a fine woman.

Ghouls are the most unpopular clan amongst monsters. Quite the selection he has made...

No, aren't you uncontracted since you weren't chosen? Gyah, ha, ha, ha, it makes me laugh."

"... Did you only want to say that? Girls don't like men that talk too much.

The man clasped his tongue,

"Sorry, but I'm very popular. Don't lump me with that virgin there!"

The footsteps of the Minotauros echoed along with the jeers of its master.

In contrast with its gigantic frame, its movements were absurdly agile.

Closing the distance with Zonmi in an instant, like a bull in a china shop — as if suiting that idiom<ref>The original idiom was 猪突猛進, that means some by the likes "proceeding like a boar's fierce charge" or "acting recklessly"; it gets even more suitable in english since, well, he IS a bull.</ref>, it rushed on putting its all into a tackle.

Zonmi reacted by blocking it with the umbrella — but, from the start, their physiques were too different.

Zonmi couldn't help but be slowly dragged down as her shoes wore away.

"Chiharu is... surely a perverted serial adulterer indecisive quick to run away useless man. But he didn't call me "disgusting". On the contrary, on our first meeting he lent me clothes... They were tattered, but I was happy. Since our clan has been persecuted a long time due to our looks."

Zonmi was recounting in detail as if reaffirming her decision.

"Hah, what was that!? A self-appointed death flag<ref>As in the typical "Today is my last day, I'm retiring tomorrow" said by an old policeman as he shows photos of his kids/grandkids.</ref>."

"Chiharu is a thousand times cooler than you!"

Following through with the umbrella by putting all her strength into both hands, Zonmi finally repelled the Minotauros's big frame.

"Tche, shit!"

<nowiki>*</nowiki>THUMP*, stopping once more the axe that was swung down, after that the other party couldn't pull off the same level of offense and defense.

They were on par... No, we were a little better.

Despite the axe's greater offensive power, Zonmi was unscathed, and her strikes were solid hits to her opponent. The transformed Zonmi's increased agility was more skillful than before. The decisive slashes aimed at the center of its legs and loins little by little dulled the Minotauros's speed.

"Amazing..."

I couldn't help but let out a word of admiration. Our relationship wasn't superficial. Even if we weren't contracted, the Zonmi that treated me as an equal was strong, and above all beautiful.

As if flustered by the unexpectedly hard battle, the man's features were shrouded in unrest.

"Haaaah!"

Drawing a beautiful arc in midair by making half a turn, Zonmi thrust like that her umbrella into the eye of the Minotauros.

A satisfactory hit. "Groaaaar", letting out a shriek that seemed to shake the earth, the Minotauros rolled on the ground.

"... Hah. You are useless, having so much trouble against a stray. I'll cull you later."

"Next is your turn, even if I'm fighting a human, I won't hold back."

The man, being pointed at with the umbrella, scratched his head,

"A~ah, I didn't want to use it on this guy if possible, but... 'BOOST'!"

The instant he chanted that, the man's body emitted a pale light that flowed into the body of the Minotauros.

Thereupon, something unbelievable happened. The injured body healed in the blink of an eye, swelling — from the muscle covered Minotauros, white smoke was raising.

Even an amateur like me could understand what had happened — the man had bestowed magic power onto the Minotauros.

"GROAAAAAR"

The blow the Minotauros tossed after standing up in a flash, contained a power incomparable to before receiving magic power.

"Kyau"

She blocked the attack with the umbrella, but Zonmi's body was forcibly sent flying.

Crashing into a container, the lemons inside fell out.

"Look! This is the difference between having a contract or not! An overwhelming advantage impossible to overturn!"

"Zonmi!"

I rushed with full speed to Zonmi's side.

... But.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>THUD, THUD, THUD!*

Earth-shaking crazy sounds. They were the Minotauros's footsteps.

The Minotauros rushed in pursuit before I could arrive.

"Hya, ha, ha, ha, ha! Good, end her♪"

"GROAAAAAR"

At Zonmi who was defenseless right after taking that damage, slashing with that huge lump of iron,

Zonmi's body was turned into a pulp and scattered around.

The surrounding lemons were painted red with the splattered blood.

"It's..."

"Not yet! I you give them a rest, ghouls are a clan that excel in regeneration. Keep at it until its magic power runs out!"

Twice, thrice, four times, the giant axe kept falling intermittently without rest. Due to the next attack coming before managing to regenerate her body, recovery was impossible. Each time an attack came, Zonmi's death agony was heard.

"... Escape... Chiharu."

Zonmi frailly leaked those words.

"Moron! I can't do something like that!"

What's this fellow saying now that we've reached this point...

She wanted to harshly preach to me about resolution... And at the crucial moment she sacrificed herself. Is it to save me? What a damned fool!

"What are you doing... Hurry... Escape..."

"Stop joking! I definitely won't allow that!"

Putting my thoughts into words, Zonmi showed a faint smile.

"With that... Do you intend to shame me?... If I let my master die, what the heck will I do?... *Cough*"

As the axe was ruthlessly swung downwards, it resounded with a shriek like that of a smashed frog.

"Gya, ha, ha, ha, ha! Did you think I'd read the mood like in a manga, stupid!? An so ends a make-believe unbeatable friendship. Die without leaving behind any last words, you bastard!"

"Ku..."

Instantly, I turned around and ran with all my might.

"... I see, that's fine."

"He, he, Seeeerves you right! The man leaves you behind and escapes! After all, your bonds only reached that extent! And you, don't think you can escape. Since I'll soon chase and kill you!"

Ignoring the man's words that hurt my ears, I dashed with all my might.

Of course, I wasn't abandoning Zonmi, hurt before my eyes, and escaping.

Just a slim possibility — I was betting everything on that.

While hidden by the shadow of containers, my goal was the place were Iris was held. Since luckily there was no one near Iris, I could manage to reach her without the man noticing.

"Hey, Iris! You all right!"

When she heard, Iris made a surprised face.

"Foolish one... Why hast thou come here? Thou shouldst be helping that ghoul woman."

"About that, we're in a pinch! Cooperate, Iris, we need your strength."

"... That I cannot do."

"Why!?"

Iris feebly laughed,

"Canst not thou understand by seeing my state? Deplorably, I am not in a state to lend you my strength; I cannot even move one step from here. It seems that this annoying rope has the effect of absorbing magic power. Escaping is impossible."

"Heh, this thing..."

I bit into the ropes with vigor.

It seems that in order to bite off a thick thread the size of an ehoumaki<ref>http://japanesefooddictionary.blogspot.com.es/2012/02/ehomaki.html</ref> will take quite a while.

"Say, art thou a fool?... As if this rope is a good that could be broken by something like a human..."

"Like this, it will come loose."

"I do not understand. How canst thou be so sure?"

"... It's due to family circumstances. My specialty is getting out of bindings. Don't underestimate my teeth, recently I even bit through the chain of a pair of handcuffs."

Good grief, I don't understand what's with this world. I didn't think the day would come that this skill was useful outside my house.

"... Incomprehensible. If thou runnest away now thou canst save thy life, why art thou not doing so? Don't tell me... Tho-thou hast become enamoured with that girl?"

"Idiot. It's not like that!"

"Hyau!"

Iris let out a cute yell when I poked her forehead.

"... I can't escape. If I flee now, both Zonmi and Iris will die. I can't allow that."

Iris raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Why hast thou included my name there... I forcibly made a contract with thee disregarding thy volition. And not only that, I injured and restrained thee. Thou dost not have any obligation to save me."

"Like I care. Since I want to save you, I'll save you — simply that."

"I do not understand thy reasoning. Why dost thou not explain it better to me so that I understand!?"

Iris told me by raising her voice.

"You, didn't you feel lonely in that room?"

"... Haah? Art, art thou slandering me!?"

Now I understand — Iris said that both her parents were killed by monster tamers.

The gentleness she sometimes shows, most likely stems from her solitude.

Iris... with that smal body, without having any family around her... That, it was no different from unreasonable isolation. Though she behaved as if she were stout-hearted, she had a gap inside her heart... It seems it's in my nature that I can't abandon people like that.

"Look, it's undone."

Steadily chewing at the ropes while talking, I finally succeeded in releasing her from her bindings. I mean, what's this rope made from? As expected, my jaw was tired... I can't use it for a while.

"..."

Iris was speechless.

Strange. I thought she'd be happier.

"This that I am going to say will sound unrefined, but... Right now, I don't think I will be of any assistance in the fray. As thou knowest, these ropes are able to absorb magic power. The me right now, sincerely speaking, can only barely remain standing... That is why, harborest not many hopes."

What, it's that? Then I don't have to worry.

"No, being like this at this time, perhaps our victory is settled."

"What dost thou mean?"

Nearing my ring to my mouth,

"BOOST!"

I chanted with a loud voice.

That instant, I fell into a state that felt as though all the energy of my body had left me.

A feeling of accomplishment as if the scattered pieces suddenly fit together to a T.

With this... is our complete victory!

"This is..."

The red light that covered her whole body was helaing Iris's injuries.

And in my case, I was subjected to a tiredness as if I had swam in a pool for a day.

I understood the reason why that man hesitated to employ this power. This was horribly painful, I was already wobbling on my feet. As if I has used all my MP in a Magic Burst<ref>Recurring spell on Dragon Quest that converts all remaining MP into damage.</ref>.

"I'm astonished. To think thou hast this plentiness of magic power dwelling inside thy body... I finally comprehend the reason why thou wast fit to elect me."

"He, he, thanks a lot."

Of course I was glad to be praised by a girl...

"I give you my thanks, tamer. And I swear to you. I'll accomplish without fail the duty thous hast entrusted to me."

The voice of Iris, who had turned into a dragon, had recovered her usual self-confidence. Spreading its steel-like wings, Iris promptly took flight towards the man.

Giving a whipping to my exhausted body, I too followed there.

Please, let us make it on time...

Once I arrived near the man, I became speechles.

"Uwaaaaaaaaa, don't comeeeeeee!"

Minotauros's whole body scorched, only the man's scream resounded on the room.

"Is that the only thing thou willed to say? I'm desolated, but I also cannot read the mood, I'll quickly bring this to an end."

"Kuh, Stooooop!"

His expression distorted by despair and angish, the man lowered his head and pleaded for his life.

"Please! A beg you! At least spare my life! It's as you see!"

Iris, sending a fleeting glance of awareness my way,

"... In that case, start by freeing all monsters thou hast put under 'Enforce'."

"Un-understood! I'll free them!"

The man removed a black ring from his hand while he crawled on the ground, and threw it away with an angished face.

While grinding its teeth out of vexation, Iris gazed at the man's profile seemingly silent,

"... Dissapear from my sight!"

She spat out those unexpected words.

As soon as he heard that, the man turned around and scampered at full throttle.

That was — a really quick curtain close.

Since this red dragon girl alone, confronting the seemingly strong foes of the Minotauros and its tamer, tottally kicked their butts.

Nevertheless...

"Are you OK with that? That he scaped in the end?"

Iris laughed fearlessly,

"... Humph. I thought that it would be right if this time I limited it to a warning and let him go free. Since had I killed that bloke, my purpose would have remained unfulfilled. At best, hereafter, I can use him as a valuabble source on information."

"..."

Despite Iris having said that. I couldn't help but feel that she had some other reason.

Perhaps this is no more than mere speculation.

It may be that Iris didn't want to burden me with the crime of murdering.

Although indirectly, if she had taken the life of a person, from tomorrow on I'd had to live with the burden of that crime.

To a mere highschool student like me, that's undoubtedly an unreasonably difficult thing.

"Thank you. Iris."

"... Come, now, I don't know what thou meanst... Thou better hastest to that girl's side. I've no doubt that even now she's surely waiting for thy arrival."

"... Aah."

Anyhow, each second is precious.

Being told by Iris, I started to run without minding my surroundings.

However. At the point I run to awaited a despair that made me want to cover my eyes.

What was there was a lump of flesh smashed to a pulp.

A thing that barely retained human form, vestiges of what once was Zonmi were nowhere to be found. The torn up like minced meat face of Zonmi showed an unsightly involuntary smile, not even a bit of regeneration could be felt.

...

...

Why?

Why, oh, why?...

"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Inside that pool of blood, I fell to my knees.

Zonmi's head was split in two agape, a jelly-like substance was overflowing from the inside.

I tried to pick up the lump of flesh that was once Zonmi. The thick dripping blood stubbornly coiled around.

Flesh.

This is merely flesh.

No different in the least from the one lined up at the supermarket, a mass of proteins.

There were many things that I wanted to say to her.

Thanks for always protecting me... Sorry for being a bother... There were many things I wanted to say to you...

Zonmi.

Now I can say it.

I'll become a monster tamer.

Till now — I was spending my days without aim, however, I feel I've finally found what I want to do myself.

So that both humans and monsters can laugh and get along, I want to make a world like that.

That's why, for that reason, I want to be always at your side.

Until that dream is granted, I want you to lend me your strenght.

You too — weren't you wishing for that?

And yet, why...

"Human, get out of the way."

"... I couldn't protect her. I didn't make it on time..."

Completely exhausted, I hung my head heartbroken, I don't feel like moving even one inch from here.

<noinclude>==References and Translation Notes==
<references />

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|-
| Back to [[Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 1 Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
| Return to [[Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Talk:Gakusen Toshi Asterisk

2013-08-31T14:36:01Z

Multipartite: /* Possessive apostrophe usage for Julis: */ new section

== Editior For Gakusen Toshi Asterisk ==

Do I just add myself since there is no project supervisor? [[User:LT|LT]] [[User talk:LT|(Talk)]]

No.--[[User:Hayashi s|Hayashi s]] ([[User talk:Hayashi s|talk]]) 18:59, 15 August 2013 (CDT)

Thanks for answering, but how would I get approval? [[User:LT|LT]] [[User talk:LT|(Talk)]]

Thanks for offering, but I think I have things under control. [[User:Hiyono|Hiyono]]

Ok! Well, if you ever need help just tell me on my talk. [[User:LT|LT]] [[User talk:LT|(Talk)]]

== Possessive apostrophe usage for Julis: ==

If I understand correctly, the official rule for personal names ending with 's' is 'With personal names that end in -s: add an apostrophe plus s when you would naturally pronounce an extra s if you said the word out loud', such as in 「Charles's army」　or 「Dickens's novels」. If you leave off the ending s, it gives the impression of a plural possessive, rather than a singular possessive. I am tempted to directly convert all cases of Julis' to Julis's (and request that the latter be used), but as it would be a widespread change wish to ask for feedback first. (Thank you for your time, and above all thank you for the translations!) -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 09:36, 31 August 2013 (CDT)

Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 1 Chapter 6

2013-08-31T10:31:29Z

Multipartite: Minor changes. (By the way, 'Escape' is not 'Scape'. Ah, and 'Heart' is not 'Hearth'.)

==Chapter 6 - The time of the final battle==

After thirty minutes of flight, we managed to ascertain Iris's whereabouts.

As aerial transportation had the advantage of not being caught up in hindrances such as traffic lights or congestions, our actual velocity went up.

"This is Yokohama's harbor..."

In the harbor's scenery seen from the sky, there weren't any signs of life among the rows of large warehouses.

I see, this is the most suitable place to hide somebody.

"Chiharu, where does the thread connect to?"

"Mm, there!"

The thread seemed to be connected to one of the biggest of the warehouses.

"Well then, we're landing!"

Kyouko slowly lost altitude. I realized that her flying skills have improved remarkably in this short time. Frankly, we almost died at the start.

Immediately after Kyouko's feet reached the ground Zonmi and I jumped from her back.

"Fiuuu, like I thought, the ground is the best."

The trip through the sky was good, but also too thrilling. I didn't feel safe.

"Isn't it!? Isn't it!?"

"Why do you look so happy?" retorted Kyouko in shock to Zonmi, who was smiling from ear to ear.

"Good, then, shall we go?"

"Be careful, please. There are signs of monsters in the vicinity."

"... Understood."

I braced myself once again.

I'll reiterate, our opponents are the atrocious tamers that exterminated Iris's clan. From here on, a little mistake could cost us our lives.

"Wa-wait! Don't go yet. I'm putting on my clothes!"

Looking back in confusion, Kyouko was in the middle of changing. She had changed shapes from Nephilim to human.

"Eh, why have you changed back?"

"... Don't look here."

"So-sorry..."

Though I was already tired from seeing Kyouko's panties.

"At your limit, already?... You couldn't keep your transformation more than that."

"Is that it?..."

This could be a little bad.

If Kyouko couldn't participate in the battle, Zonmi was our last ray of hope. Though we didn't know the extent of the true power of our enemy, won't it be quite the unforgiving battle?...

"Chiharu, let's go... Don't worry, since I won't lose."

As if reading my thoughts, Zonmi muttered reassuringly.

So it's like that. That's what I have to do when I grow weak-hearted.

After reaching this point, we can only fight at full power!...

'''<nowiki>*</nowiki>SPLAAAAAASH!*'''

"Chiharu! Behind you!"

"Good grief. Speak of the devil!"

A geyser of water sprayed with vigor.

Turning around in a rush, what appeared from the sea — was a giant squid monster.

The threatening squid monster was emitting a jet-black aura.

"Wha? I mean, haven't I see this guy somewhere..."

I had an intense recollection of this monster.

"It's a kraken of the sea beast tribe... I dare say it's the same individual we saw some time ago on television."

So it was that. It's the guy broadcast on the TV news the day I met Zonmi.

I see. I remember that the place they showed then was Yokohama.

But wait a minute, wasn't the squid monster from back then killed by a monster that came around? What is this guy doing in this place?

"Look, the black magic power that wraps this child... It's under 'Enforce'!"

"Wait, what's 'Enforce'?"

"By means of an item illegally manufactured by people with ill will — the 'Enforce Ring', they bring the monster to an state of forced submission."

"There's such an item...!?"

"Yeah. Different from the normal 'Contract Ring'<ref>BTW I've been translating all this time 契約 as "contract", since it's the direct translation, but anytime a forced reading appears, including this one, it says "contact"; I don't know if this is intended or a mistake by the author, but if you think this is intended, feel free to change all "contract"s to "contact"s.</ref>, this is the most illegal of illegal things. Put under one-sided command, the monster loses its freedom."

I think I understand.

While on a normal contract the monster stands as an equal, under 'Enforce' it's treated as nothing more than a slave.

And, the next instant.

"Uoh!?"

The squid tentacles that bent like whips grasped us three tightly.

"Uoooooh!?"

Looking closely, the squid's overall length reached twenty meters — huge to a bizarre level. It's beyond comparison to the greatest of the monsters I've met till now.

Or, how should I put it, this situation... is quite bad.

Is it OK that we were so easily caught!?

And in contrast to my panicking, those two's facial expressions were still composed.

A premonition rose through my mind like a cork submerged in water... Could these two have been caught on purpose?

Instantly.

"Taaaa!"

"Hah!"

With movements too fast for my eyes to follow, those two tore the squid's tentacles to pieces.

"... Good grief, what reliable fellows."

If I tried to do the same thing, I'd have been powerless before the squid's slippery tentacles.

"Until when will you remain carelessly caught!?"

Zonmi's umbrella cut up the air.

Slash. The tentacle that restrained me was splendidly cut in two.

"Chiharu, please get down!"

"...Uoh!"

Once my feet reached ground, keeping my distance, I watched over those two's appearances...

Let's cool our heads. Right in front of me there are those two's enticing legs. A glimpse of that is the very best.

And in these circumstances, it seems this squid rascal is no match against Zonmi and Kyouko.

But.

It seems like my thoughts were too naive.

The enemy was not that weak. It had an astounding restoration ability. The torn up tentacles regrew immediately, and that in merely seconds. Its restoration ability is of a very high level.

"... What should I say to this!?"

To the panicking me, Zonmi said with indifference.

"This is no more than an hypothesis, but... I dare say the tentacles are but a decoy. Any time you cut them, they are regrown with magical power. And, in fact, you can't get close to the real body without facing the tentacles before."

"That's... In that case, what the heck do we do?"

Anyhow, the squid has ten tentacles.

We number three — no matter how I think of it, I don't feel we can get next to the main body.

"It can't be helped. Leave this to me."

"!?"

The one who said that was Kyouko.

"What the heck will you do?"

"If I throw all the surroundings at it, even this guy will eventually be exhausted. Luckily, there's no lack of things to throw inside these warehouses. Perhaps, my defeating this guy will we worthless."

"But, Nephilim, will you be OK? Isn't your magic power almost depleted?"

"Don't worry. Rather than that, to the me right now, I think this guy alone will be no match... Even though it's vexing, I'll take care of this guy here that's releasing this awfully unpleasant magic power... Ghoul. I leave it to you."

"If I come back and you're collapsed after exhausting all your magic power... Please spare me that outcome. Since we haven't yet settled our dispute."

"Ha, ha, that's my line!"

Contrasting with the cynicism mixed into their conversation, they did a high five with refreshing expressions.

By some kind of female bonding, it seems they have awakened to a strange camaraderie.

"Let's go, Chiharu, our foe is very near."

"Aye!"

Feeling gratitude towards Kyouko, we left behind that place.

<center>× × ×</center>

There was more darkness than expected inside the warehouse, it doesn't seem like there are many people.

There were containers loaded with miscellaneous cargo lined up. They were probably varied articles scheduled to be exported overseas.

When I looked from the sky, the thread surely reached inside here.

There's no mistake... Iris should be very close to here.

We should proceed to the interior with caution.

"Ahaha. How unusual to have guests here."

As we thought we heard a man's voice, suddenly the lighting installed on the ceiling illuminated a nearby position.

We unintentionally squinted our eyes. Who the heck is the one who did this... And.

"Iris!"

Hands and feet bound by thick ropes, Iris tied to a pillar entered our field of vision.

Dishevelled golden hair. Bare skin covered with injuries.

Her face, lacking the ambition of before, looked pale.

"Foolish one... Why art thou here..."

Judging from her hoarse tone of voice, she seemed to be quite weakened.

"How weird~. As the Kraken should have been standing watch, how can you people be here?"

It was an unpleasant voice.

Standing right beside Iris was a man with long hair.

Wearing a black suit from head to toe.

The arrangement of his features was uncanny, but his very long bangs gave the feeling of an annoying narcissist. His age, maybe in his early twenties? Saying it straightforwardly, he was an extremely disgusting man.

"I've been wondering for some time... Why do you do these mean things? Do you understand how grave a crime is a contract that disregards the free will of the monster? If it gets leaked to the IMA, it won't end well."

As Zonmi spoke with an emphatic tone, the man showed a composed smile.

"What a problem~. Since I don't feel like letting you escape from under my nose. That aside, I want to have a chat with that tamer there."

"..."

Shaken by the sudden change of topic, I was left without words.

"You should be a 7th generation rookie. You got to choose a red dragon. Amazing, the best! I now understand what the boss said! What outstanding talent do you have!?"

"Wait, what the heck are you saying?"

""Don't you know? ... I'm honestly praising you. When a monster tamer gets selected, the three initial monsters to choose from are assigned according to their individual aptitude. For a monster of the red dragon class, an apt person doesn't appear even once in a generation."

"... I don't care, I'm not glad to be praised by you! What do you want to say?"

"Fu, fu, such cold words. You — will also become a tamer of this side."

"..."

What did this guy blurt out of nowhere.

"Ha, ha, I'm astonished. Me becoming the colleague of a criminal?"

"Aah, in that case, you can do me a favor and sell me the blood of this chick. To make my monsters even more powerful. Unfortunately, the battle before against the damned dragon was consuming, but I still have more stock of 'Enforce' arranged. How do you think, is it a bad offer?"

"Don't mess with me! I won't consent to what you say, you fool!"

It's obvious that doing that won't benefit me in the least.

Thereupon, the man's face distorted,

"From my point of view, you are hopeless fools...

Being a tamer from the 6th generation, among my peers I'm the one with the fastest success in life — and saying that, it won't hurt you to what your senior says.

Believe it or not, like you lot now, I too was once a foolish tamer that performed his duty diligently. So, until you know the inevitability of destiny..."

"... What the heck do you mean by that?"

"You, have you thought about the end of the world?"

The man switched to a serious tone,

"As we are now, humanity will meet its unavoidable destruction. By the hands of the large number of monsters that inundate us from the Netherworld."

"... Heh."

This guy... What's he saying...

When I looked at Zonmi, for some reason she was chewing her lip and her body was trembling.

"She doesn't look like she knows nothing. Monsters have longer lifespans than humans and are more fertile. Because of that, their numbers suffer an explosive increment each year.

If it's like that, they end up having not enough food supplies nor land. If we restricted the traffic on the Gate that connects the Underworld with the human world, there will be an incessant increase of revolts. The cause would be a chronic deficiency of food supply.

Because of the current laws on coming to the human world from the Netherworld, a strict check from the Government is a must. However, that system approaches failure.

Once that happens, humanity will be slaughtered by swarms of monsters."

"..."

"And yet, the current IMA doesn't care abut it. Who will mediate between monsters and humans?

... Hah, that was something from the past. To kill or to be killed — '''we'''[humanity] can do nothing more!

Right now we are a minority, but those like us that hold dissatisfaction with the current system are steadily increasing.

That's why, by suppressing the monsters, we will build a new order to put them under humanity's total control!

And once we change the laws, we will be in the right!"

"... Is what this guy is saying true?"

With her lips tightly pused, Zonmi,

"Yeah, surely what he said is something I can't deny... I won't say anything. What's what Chiharu ought to do? — that, decide it by yourself."

"..."

I wonder what should I do.

What do I want to do.

I came here wanting to save Iris from her trouble.

These evil tamers that slaughtered Iris's clan were unforgivable.

Surely, right now I can't make the proper judgement.

These guys, following their ideas murdered Iris's clan.

Different means, same objective — monster tamers are allies of humanity.

Killing monsters is bad... Have I, who eats meat of cows and pigs, the qualification to say that?

I don't understand, just about anything.

How much the development of an advanced civilization equals the start of a war, isn't that an eternal question rooted in personal values?

No matter how long you think about it, I feel the answer will still be out of reach.

"Chiharu."

Zonmi's dignified voice.

"I won't blame you no matter what you choose. Since from the beginning I came here entrusting my life to you... However, that's not the same as putting my life in the hands of that man. In the case you take that man's side, please pierce my heart right here."

Pointing her umbrella at me, Zonmi said.

I felt as if those eyes pierced me. Zonmi was really serious.

I seems she seriously prefers being killed by me than by this guy.

"Don't mess with me! As if I could do that!..."

As if...

I see, so it's like that. What an easy thing. Since I can't...

I won't kill. I couldn't kill neither Zonmi, Kyouko or Iris.

In that case, I've decided.

From the start I couldn't show hostility towards monsters...

Coexistence.

It may be possibly only lip service. Maybe it's a dream that cannot be realized.

But, why do I have to think about such difficult things?

In the end, that's the only objective I should aim for!

"Sorry about your invaluable suggestion, senpai. I can't agree with your ideas. Monsters... these girls are, to me, precious companions. If I can't understand, convince me until I can... After all, isn't that our job as Monster tamers?"

"Chiharu..."

Astonished by my overly optimistic words, Zonmi revealed admiration in her voice.

"A~ah, even though I troubled myself trying to spare your life. You are a shocking idiot... In that case, as you wish, I'll beat you to death!"

"Senpai, I'm aware it will sound impolite... How slow, you hadn't noticed it before, you idiot!?"

"Keh, what shitty lines you spit!"

The man moved his ring to his mouth and shouted.

"SUMMON — MINOTAUROS."

And, the next instant.

A human-shaped ox-headed giant monster appeared.

This one too... It seems it's the same I saw before on the news.

Its height was at least on the order of ten meters<ref>Around 32' 9.7".</ref>, and it clearly gushed out aura. This one is stronger than the squid from before. The axe it held in its hand glittered under the lighting.

"Zonmi... Will you fight it?"

"Of course, I'll protect you even at the cost of my life."

Zonmi strongly nodded.

Aah, in the end, I keep being helped by her. Someday I will repay her with interest.

As if unable to keep watching us, the man's face distorted.

"Ha~ha~ha. What beautiful friendship... It makes me puke. You, don't you realize you've misplaced your priorities? What you should be protecting aren't monsters, but people, don't you understand something like that..."

"... Enough with the chattering. Come at me."

"Hah, I'd have done it even if you didn't say anything!"

The moment the man raised his voice, both of us kicked the ground.

In the vanguard, Zonmi. Without catching attention, Zonmi quickly jumped upon a container and like that flew through the air. She slashed at the Minotauros with ferocious speed.

Zonmi was strong.

That's something I understand better than others.

I dare say, battling on the ground no one can defeat her.

That's — what I thought.

"GROAAAAAAR"

Letting out a weird sound, it swung its axe downwards.

Something astonishing occurred. Though the slash wasn't a direct hit, with only the wind pressure, Zonmi's body was sent flying.

"... Kyah!"

After being sent flying high, Zonmi crashed into the ground and coughed blood. Her beautiful silver hair was scattered on the ground.

The man showed a fearless smile.

"I didn't know you were so conceited, expecting to defeat a contracted monster with a stray monster. Are you dumb?"

"..."

That was something I was vaguely aware of.

The other monster was receiving a supply of magic power from his tamer. And we didn't have that. That's to say, a 2 vs. 1 situation. It wasn't a problem of real strength. Even an elementary schooler would realize that it was a clearly overwhelming disadvantage.

"... Please, don't make that face. I haven't lost yet."

Feeling my anxiety, muttered Zonmi as if admonishing me.

"So it's like that. As expected, to win while in this form was really asking for too much."

"Eh..."

What the heck is she saying?

Zonmi, after showing a composed smile — turned into a monster.

A pale face. Murky eyes.

Hanging from its belly, something hard to describe that should not have been on a pretty girl.

Standing there was the transformed into a monster — Zonmi in ghoul form.

"Zonmi, that form..."

"I wanted to defeat him in human form if possible, though... It makes me nervous to show my bowels to a man..."

"..."

As usual, it's something I believe I don't understand well.

Hearing Zonmi's words, the man laughed loudly.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha! That was certainly unexpected. You were a ghoul!? Uwaaaaa, what a shock... Even though it looks like this, for a moment I thought you were a fine woman.

Ghouls are the most unpopular clan amongst monsters. Quite the selection he has made...

No, aren't you uncontracted since you weren't chosen? Gyah, ha, ha, ha, it makes me laugh."

"... Did you only want to say that? Girls don't like men that talk too much.

The man clasped his tongue,

"Sorry, but I'm very popular. Don't lump me with that virgin there!"

The footsteps of the Minotauros echoed along with the jeers of its master.

In contrast with its gigantic frame, its movements were absurdly agile.

Closing the distance with Zonmi in an instant, like a bull in a china shop — as if suiting that idiom<ref>The original idiom was 猪突猛進, that means some by the likes "proceeding like a boar's fierce charge" or "acting recklessly"; it gets even more suitable in english since, well, he IS a bull.</ref>, it rushed on putting its all into a tackle.

Zonmi reacted by blocking it with the umbrella — but, from the start, their physiques were too different.

Zonmi couldn't help but be slowly dragged down as her shoes wore away.

"Chiharu is... surely a perverted serial adulterer indecisive quick to run away useless man. But he didn't call me "disgusting". On the contrary, on our first meeting he lent me clothes... They were tattered, but I was happy. Since our clan has been persecuted a long time due to our looks."

Zonmi was recounting in detail as if reaffirming her decision.

"Hah, what was that!? A self-appointed death flag<ref>As in the typical "Today is my last day, I'm retiring tomorrow" said by an old policeman as he shows photos of his kids/grandkids.</ref>."

"Chiharu is a thousand times cooler than you!"

Following through with the umbrella by putting all her strength into both hands, Zonmi finally repelled the Minotauros's big frame.

"Tche, shit!"

<nowiki>*</nowiki>THUMP*, stopping once more the axe that was swung down, after that the other party couldn't pull off the same level of offense and defense.

They were on par... No, we were a little better.

Despite the axe's greater offensive power, Zonmi was unscathed, and her strikes were solid hits to her opponent. The transformed Zonmi's increased agility was more skillful than before. The decisive slashes aimed at the center of its legs and loins little by little dulled the Minotauros's speed.

"Amazing..."

I couldn't help but let out a word of admiration. Our relationship wasn't superficial. Even if we weren't contracted, the Zonmi that treated me as an equal was strong, and above all beautiful.

As if flustered by the unexpectedly hard battle, the man's features were shrouded in unrest.

"Haaaah!"

Drawing a beautiful arc in midair by making half a turn, Zonmi thrust like that her umbrella into the eye of the Minotauros.

A satisfactory hit. "Groaaaar", letting out a shriek that seemed to shake the earth, the Minotauros rolled on the ground.

"... Hah. You are useless, having so much trouble against a stray. I'll cull you later."

"Next is your turn, even if I'm fighting a human, I won't hold back."

The man, being pointed at with the umbrella, scratched his head,

"A~ah, I didn't want to use it on this guy if possible, but... 'BOOST'!"

The instant he chanted that, the man's body emitted a pale light that flowed into the body of the Minotauros.

Thereupon, something unbelievable happened. The injured body healed in the blink of an eye, swelling — from the muscle covered Minotauros, white smoke was raising.

Even an amateur like me could understand what had happened — the man had bestowed magic power onto the Minotauros.

"GROAAAAAR"

The blow the Minotauros tossed after standing up in a flash, contained a power incomparable to before receiving magic power.

"Kyau"

She blocked the attack with the umbrella, but Zonmi's body was forcibly sent flying.

Crashing into a container, the lemons inside fell out.

"Look! This is the difference between having a contract or not! An overwhelming advantage impossible to overturn!"

"Zonmi!"

I rushed with full speed to Zonmi's side.

... But.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>THUD, THUD, THUD!*

Earth-shaking crazy sounds. They were the Minotauros's footsteps.

The Minotauros rushed in pursuit before I could arrive.

"Hya, ha, ha, ha, ha! Good, end her♪"

"GROAAAAAR"

At Zonmi who was defenseless right after taking that damage, slashing with that huge lump of iron,

Zonmi's body was turned into a pulp and scattered around.

The surrounding lemons were painted red with the splattered blood.

"It's..."

"Not yet! I you give them a rest, ghouls are a clan that excel in regeneration. Keep at it until its magic power runs out!"

Twice, thrice, four times, the giant axe kept falling intermittently without rest. Due to the next attack coming before managing to regenerate her body, recovery was impossible. Each time an attack came, Zonmi's death agony was heard.

"... Escape... Chiharu."

Zonmi frailly leaked those words.

"Moron! I can't do something like that!"

What's this fellow saying now that we've reached this point...

She wanted to harshly preach to me about resolution... And at the crucial moment she sacrificed herself. Is it to save me? What a damned fool!

"What are you doing... Hurry... Escape..."

"Stop joking! I definitely won't allow that!"

Putting my thoughts into words, Zonmi showed a faint smile.

"With that... Do you intend to shame me?... If I let my master die, what the heck will I do?... *Cough*"

As the axe was ruthlessly swung downwards, it resounded with a shriek like that of a smashed frog.

"Gya, ha, ha, ha, ha! Did you think I'd read the mood like in a manga, stupid!? An so ends a make-believe unbeatable friendship. Die without leaving behind any last words, you bastard!"

"Ku..."

Instantly, I turned around and ran with all my might.

"... I see, that's fine."

"He, he, Seeeerves you right! The man leaves you behind and escapes! After all, your bonds only reached that extent! And you, don't think you can escape. Since I'll soon chase and kill you!"

Ignoring the man's words that hurt my ears, I dashed with all my might.

Of course, I wasn't abandoning Zonmi, hurt before my eyes, and escaping.

Just a slim possibility — I was betting everything on that.

While hidden by the shadow of containers, my goal was the place were Iris was held. Since luckily there was no one near Iris, I could manage to reach her without the man noticing.

"Hey, Iris! You all right!"

When she heard, Iris made a surprised face.

"Foolish one... Why hast thou come here? Thou shouldst be helping that ghoul woman."

"About that, we're in a pinch! Cooperate, Iris, we need your strength."

"... That I cannot do."

"Why!?"

Iris feebly laughed,

"Canst not thou understand by seeing my state? Deplorably, I am not in a state to lend you my strength; I cannot even move one step from here. It seems that this annoying rope has the effect of absorbing magic power. Escaping is impossible."

"Heh, this thing..."

I bit into the ropes with vigor.

It seems that in order to bite off a thick thread the size of an ehoumaki<ref>http://japanesefooddictionary.blogspot.com.es/2012/02/ehomaki.html</ref> will take quite a while.

"Say, art thou a fool?... As if this rope is a good that could be broken by something like a human..."

"Like this, it will come loose."

"I do not understand. How canst thou be so sure?"

"... It's due to family circumstances. My specialty is getting out of bindings. Don't underestimate my teeth, recently I even bit through the chain of a pair of handcuffs."

Good grief, I don't understand what's with this world. I didn't think the day would come that this skill was useful outside my house.

"... Incomprehensible. If thou runnest away now thou canst save thy life, why art thou not doing so? Don't tell me... Tho-thou hast become enamoured with that girl?"

"Idiot. It's not like that!"

"Hyau!"

Iris let out a cute yell when I poked her forehead.

"... I can't escape. If I flee now, both Zonmi and Iris will die. I can't allow that."

Iris raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Why hast thou included my name there... I forcibly made a contract with thee disregarding thy volition. And not only that, I injured and restrained thee. Thou dost not have any obligation to save me."

"Like I care. Since I want to save you, I'll save you — simply that."

"I do not understand thy reasoning. Why dost thou not explain it better to me so that I understand!?"

Iris told me by raising her voice.

"You, didn't you feel lonely in that room?"

"... Haah? Art, art thou slandering me!?"

Now I understand — Iris said that both her parents were killed by monster tamers.

The gentleness she sometimes shows, most likely stems from her solitude.

Iris... with that smal body, without having any family around her... That, it was no different from unreasonable isolation. Though she behaved as if she were stout-hearted, she had a gap inside her heart... It seems it's in my nature that I can't abandon people like that.

"Look, it's undone."

Steadily chewing at the ropes while talking, I finally succeeded in releasing her from her bindings. I mean, what's this rope made from? As expected, my jaw was tired... I can't use it for a while.

"..."

Iris was speechless.

Strange. I thought she'd be happier.

"This that I am going to say will sound unrefined, but... Right now, I don't think I will be of any assistance in the fray. As thou knowest, these ropes are able to absorb magic power. The me right now, sincerely speaking, can only barely remain standing... That is why, harborest not many hopes."

What, it's that? Then I don't have to worry.

"No, being like this at this time, perhaps our victory is settled."

"What dost thou mean?"

Nearing my ring to my mouth,

"BOOST!"

I chanted with a loud voice.

That instant, I fell into a state that felt as though all the energy of my body had left me.

<noinclude>==References and Translation Notes==
<references />

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| Back to [[Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 1 Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
| Return to [[Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 1 Chapter 5

2013-08-25T02:24:54Z

Multipartite: Minor changes.

==Chapter 5 - That resolution==

"Chiharu, are you OK!?"

Five seconds before my bladder was seriously about to explode, Zonmi, Manami and Kyouko entered the room by smashing the door open.

Right now I don't care how they knew about this place.

Good. What nice timing! I'm saved!

"You girls... Have you come to save me?..."

"Naturally. I have no excuse for suffering such an embarrassing defeat against that dragon earlier. But now that's all right."

"Good grief. When I heard that Haru had been taken captive, I doubted my ears."

"Even Kyouko... What the heck happened?"

"I brought her along. If we are going to confront a dragon, isn't it better to have even a bit more battle power?"

Manami laughed with innocence.

My little sister Manami and my childhood friend Kyouko — the relationship between the two of them seemed surprisingly good, it looks like Kyouko was personally teaching Manami at some place I didn't know of.

Even though I was curious about how Manami knew about Kyouko, right now, more than that...

"Quickly unbind these ropes! I'm in trouble! It's a state of emergency!"

"""!?"""

The instant I yelled that, they entered in panic.

"The dragon! If you have returned, show yourself!"

"Step back, little sister. This is our duty."

Umbrella and halberd. Zonmi and Kyouko held those weapons in preparation to battle.

"Fu, fu. Draw back, newcomers. 'Cos the one that will protect brother is me. I will finely chop that dragon!"

Manami dual-wielded huge kitchen knives as though taken from Sawatari∙senchi<ref>刃渡り四数センチ (blade length 4 cm); I don't know what kind of reference is this, but google refers to a music video crossed with the term ロストワンの号哭 (Lost one's cry?), that seems to be some kind of Vocaloid-ish group. [http://www5.atwiki.jp/hmiku/m/pages/24683.html Here is] the letter of the song.</ref>.

Eh, how come even you nonchalantly make a cool pose?

Or rather, where did you purchase those things!? Isn't that a flagrant infringement of the Swords and Firearms Control Law!?

"No, it's not that..."

The danger... is the pressure of liquid in my bladder...

Shit, this situation... It's extraordinarily difficult to tell them...

"What do you mean it's not that... Chiharu!? What's with that ring!?"

"It's a long story, but I... was forced into a contract with that red dragon against my will..."

"Fufu~n, a ring on your left ring finger~♪ Oniichan, you've gotten engaged without Manami knowing! ... Well, who's the girl?"

"Forget that! Hurry up and unbind me. If not, I'll..."

"What's with that!? Chiharu doesn't learn! Is there something more important for us monsters? Irresponsible..."

As Zonmi raised the umbrella in her hand — at that instant.

In the end my bladder surpassed its limits.

Making a nice *whoosh*, I stained my trousers yellow.

Nooooo, don't looooook!

I peed, I peed myself! Stoooooooop!

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

I screamed inside my heart.

Aaah~, why did I have to wear white trousers today... Stupid, stupid, stupid.

""...""

The monster girl combo glared at me as if they had seen something filthy.

No, but isn't that actually filthy?

I don't know why, but my sister's bloodshot-eyed stare gave me an 'as I expected, that's my sister~' strangely deeply moving feeling.

<center>× × ×</center>

"Isn't it better not caring about it? That is, I don't like uncareful people, but... Since I used to have the same problem... Was it 15 years ago?"

"What a surprise. This development is more screwed up than I predicted... Lucky I had already crossed my fingers<ref>In Japan, kids cross fingers (engacho) to ward off from filth, and grown ups also cross their fingers, like in the West, to ward off bad luck. I suppose the name comes from the portuguese ''engancho'', meaning "hook" or "hooking".</ref> that Chiharu didn't become a monster tamer."

"Mufufu, Onii-chan's pee-pee..."

Facing my foolishness, those three's reactions were varied.

There aren't many spots to play the straight man...

I mean, today's was such a disgrace that could eternally revoke my position as the straight man.

I wanna die.

If there were a hole, I'd continue digging it until I reached Brazil.

For now, I'll rinse my trousers and pants and then dry them at the fireplace.

It's good that there's a fireplace... I wouldn't want to return home with my trousers dripping wet.

Incidentally, since I came across a cloth of a correct size right in the middle of the room, I tied it around my lower body like a pareo. It seems I have to endure it for about an hour.

"... Hey, is it true that I can't remove this ring?"

"The answer is both 'yes' and 'no'. At least, the tamer cannot one-sidedly cancel the contract."

"... If it's the opposite, it could be?"

"Yeah, the monster is granted that legitimate right. If it feels the master is not an appropiate one, it can void the contract at any time."

"..."

Well, if it wasn't like that, there wouldn't be any benefits for the monster when forcibly making a contract. Isn't that only natural?

"Then, what do we do after this, ghoul?"

"... For the moment, let's try to consulte with Luka. If we try to conceal this matter, the IMA could misunderstand it. If that's the case, providing rings for us two — maybe they could approve an exception."

"I think it will be difficult, though. It doesn't seem those straight-laced people will acknowledge an exception."

"Hey. Were both Zonmi and Kyouko acquainted with the IMA since before?"

"Shut up, Manneken Pis<ref>A statue of an urinating kid on a fountain at Brussels.</ref>!"

"...OK."

Since I didn't had a rebuttal, I shrugged.

"In the first place, according to the laws approved by the IMA, in order to travel between both worlds, you need their authorization. That means there are no monsters that don't know them."

What's that... They have a Constitution?

Did those kinds of questionable laws exist with me being unaware?

"But, hey, in any case I too agree with raising this with the IMA. Though it seems unlikely, we can't give up before trying something."

"Then, once again, let's return home and ask for another ring. Here it stinks of piss."

"..."

Aren't all of them becoming more and more mean?

... But, I have lost. I'll have to overcome many times this kind of adversity.

"Hold your horses!"

I said raising my voice a bit.

No matter what, I couldn't ignore something she said when she left from my head.

"The dragon that kidnapped me... That kid called Iris, I'm... worried about her. She may fall into unforeseen problems. That's why, I'm thinking on going to see how she's doing."

"You'd like to go see?"

Zonmi threw me a glance as cold as ice.

Gueeh.

As I thought, did I end up being hated?...

That's right, after all I'm the Manneken Pis. I can look the 1,000 yen note's Noguchi Hideyo<ref>Japanese neuropathologist that discovered the neurosyphilis pathogen and is shown on the 1,000 yen bills.</ref> in the eyes... Ha, ha, ha.

"... Why are you feeling down? You can summon her... Since you have already made a contract."

Grumbled Zonmi while sulking a bit.

Summon.

I think Zonmi said something like that before.

I didn't realize — Monster tamers can invoke their contracted monsters any time they like.

"Weeell... How do I do that?"

"Bring the ring to your lips and chant 'Summon'."

"Fine, understood... Summon!"

Nothing happened even though I chanted... A blunder?

"Summon! Summon! Summon! Summon!"

"... How weird. In a contract it's normally possible..."

"Mmm~, could she be outside the summoning range? Or maybe Haru's magic power's dimmed?"

"... Both possibilities seem low. Since to get outside of the summoning range, you should at least go overseas, and it looks that Chiharu's magic power is full throttle — no, it seems to have increased instead since the last time we were together."

"Certainly strange... As far as I can think, the only possibility..."

"A 'Catch Net'?"

A term I didn't recall to have heard suddenly appeared.

"... What's that 'Catch Net'?"

"It's a man-made tool — an illegal item that traps the catched monster and prevents its invocation by means of summoning... But that possibility is also low. The use of 'Catch Nets' has been forbidden amongst monster tamers. Since there were some tamers that employed them with evil intentions."

"!?"

The next instant, a chill ran down my spine.

It could be. If Iris were chasing tamers that participated on that 'dragon hunting'...

"Say, is there other way to look for Iris's whereabouts?"

"It's possible for fellow contractees to discern each other's location any time."

"And how do I do that?"

"Narrow you eyes while thinking about your contract partner."

"OK."

I narrowed my eyes as I said that.

Then, something like a faint line of light appeared.

"As that magic power thread connects both rings, I suppose that if you follow it, you'll meet. But be careful, since if the line is thin and brittle, the magic power of the partner will decrease."

"..."

What's with this.

The thread that comes from the ring was so thing that looked like it could snap any moment.

"Hey, I have to tell you something..."

I told the girls all that happened until Iris departed.

"I see, the ringleader behind the 'dragon hunting' five years ago — if it's him, there's a possibility he could be using 'Catch Nets' without permission. If we assume the worst case scenario..."

"Iris could have been captured."

"Most probably, it's like that."

Shit, that Iris... It was rash to go alone.

"I think we should go help her."

The moment I said that, the two monsters showed surprise.

"You, could you explain what do you mean by that? If our reasoning was spot on, our opponent is a very strong evil tamer with a career of at least five years... To march into enemy camp without thinking is suicide!"

"... Acknowledged. Even so, I can't let her die without doing anything."

That chick... Iris, how could I have fun while she's left without blood or tears by an evil tamer. Reality isn't like that. It was only for a short time, but I could experience Iris's kindness. I can't agree to see her die without doing anything.

"First, I want to confirm something."

Zonmi said with a serious tone.

"Chiharu... Is your resolution the real thing? This battle will be different from anything until now. In the battles for the contract 'till this moment, your life was barely assured... However, this time is different. The decision that you won't regret it even if you lose your life — does Chiharu have that?"

"..."

That's right, it's as Zonmi says. Surely, this battle is different from those until now.

A small error of judgement could become a big crisis. Our lives would literally depend on it<ref>"Big crisis" is written in japanese as "life's crisis"</ref>...

However, we have to do it!

My reticence has long since gone far away.

It's too late to hesitate.

"...Aah!!"

After thinking for a bit, I raised my head.

Those two showed shocked smiles.

"Haah... Things like getting himself killed when going to rescue his partner... What a naive guy... But, well, Haru's softheartedness isn't something new."

"On that, I also agree... I still have some debt to repay<ref>i.e. take her revenge.</ref> to the red dragon. I'd regret it if she died like that."

"... Is that OK, even though it's totally my selfishness?"

"Don't look down on us. We already knew about our master-to-be Chiharu's character."

"Well, we're about to board that boat~<ref>Idiom meaning all of them will soon be on the same side, suffering the same things.</ref>"

"Girls... Thanks..."

I have good companions.

Anyhow, I had already made a contract with Iris. That resolution overcame any thought of giving up. It seems that I didn't have to worry about these girls. Wait, hey?. Ain't I forgetting about something important?

...

...

I noticed the source of the uneasy feeling.

"Come to think of it, I wonder where Manami has gone."

I tried to survey my surroundings, but my little sister's shape was nowhere to be found.

"... How weird, she was next to me a while ago."

"Hey, which reminds me, haven't Chiharu's pants disappeared?..."

"..."

What the heck. I have a nonsensically bad premonition...

Over the fireplace... A farewell letter? I tried reading the written contents.

''Sorry. I was so horny I couldn't help but steal them. Don't look for me.
Manami''

"Guhaaaaaaaaaa!"

"Danger! Haru has broken!?"

Overcome with anger, I promptly tore the letter in little pieces.

"Why has my little sister acted so idiotically right when we were in a serious mood!?"

"I don't know. I'd be troubled if you asked me..."

Zonmi made a face of utterly disgust.

"Though I don't want to tell her how serious the moment is."

Kyouko's statement was painfully too spot-on.

"... I have been wondering since long ago, but Chiharu's sister is really weird. She's abnormal."

"... Well, that's because at Haru's place there are a lot of complicated family circumstances."

"Aaaaaaaaaah."

Shit, because the situation was like this I let my guard down<ref>状況が状況だったから油断していた</ref>.

I couldn't let my home's laundry (especially underwear) remain long inside the washing machine. Because my sister is like a crow looking for garbage.

"Well, since anyway we couldn't follow little sister, it's all right."

"Since were she here, we absolutely couldn't ask her to come with us. If your dirty pants have saved Manami-chan's life, that's cheap."

"..."

Manami-chan's life and my dirty pants have the same value?...

How can that be? What a pitiful fellow, my sister.

<center>× × ×</center>

Going outside, the first thing that came into my field of vision were luxuriant and abundant trees.

Since one could see the ground gently sloping, it seems like this is the top of a mountain.

There were no traces of humans living nearby. As the leaves obstructed the light, it was overall a gloomy and unpleasantly humid place.

"A beautiful place, as always; though I can't stomach red dragons, their sense for choosing a place for their den deserves praise."

"Is, is that so?"

It seems this is a comfortable place for ghouls.

"Which reminds me, how could you locate this place?"

I asked the question that was bugging me.

Since a place this remote cannot be found by searching at random.

"That's because Chiharu's sister... No, lets better stop with that."

"Eh. What's with that disturbing way of talking!?"

"Haru, don't you think that in this world there are things you'd be happier not knowing about?"

"..."

Kyouko admonished me.

Since imagining it was terrifying... I stopped thinking about it.

"Eeerrr, then, let's get out of here."

We knew our destination.

We only had to follow the red string that stretched from the ring. Why don't we take a taxi once we climb down this mountain?

Nightfall was slowly approaching... We don't have time to rest.

"What a difficult problem. As the quickest mean of transportation depends on the destination, we can't decide immediately."

"But, well, in any case we need to descend the mountain... Do we climb down?"

"Wait!"

The one who stopped us on going down the slope was Kyouko.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"... What's the matter, Nephilim... Eh, wai... Wha-wha-wha-what!?"

Zonmi's bewilderment was not unreasonable.

As if she had thought something, suddenly — Kyoko took off her clothes.

"I misjudged you, Nephilim... Even you were a pervert..."

"... Saying it like that, anyone who hears you will think I'm a pervert."

"Doesn't saying it with no pants on take away your credibility?"

She hit where it hurt.

As I'm now suffering from the disgrace of having my pants stolen by my little sister, I'm currently in the highly-praised "going commando" state. To me, it takes away all the solemnity that should have been present before a decisive battle. If I go out without wearing pants, of course I can't calm down.

No, it would be a problem if I could calm down.

"It's only this much, lets be calm. Si-since Haru has seen me many times, I'm accustomed!"

"..."

Why do you say it in a way that can lead to misunderstandings...

Like throwing daggers from her eyes, Zonmi glared at me with her dead fish-like eyes, grinding her teeth and without saying anything.

"Heh. Humph, was it like that, so? Well, I don't mind it in the least. I already knew about the improper relationship between you two."

"If you don't mind it, put a more normal face! And then, we don't have any improper relationship!"

I've said it many times.

We're only normal childhood friends.

"But, am I not still embarrassed?... Showing everything, it's the first time."

As she ended up in her undies, Kyouko's body was wriggling.

Hey, wait. Could this fellow... Be undressing completely...

"Stop, wait! As I expected, going further... You absolutely can't! If I undressed like that, I wouldn't be able to keep living!... Bu-but I don't have anything to show."

No... I certainly saw Zonmi's nude figure, but since she was in ghoul form, does she think it doesn't count?

Then, the next instant.

Kyouko's body became black and gigantic.

I see, Kyouko intended to do that from the start...

A giant with wings growing from its back — a body length of maybe around 8 meters<ref>Around 26' 3".</ref>?

Peeking out from within its robot-like mask there were sharp eye glints. A jet black coat as if clad with shadows. Its hair that had changed to peach pink and seemingly long enough to reach the waist was of a charming color.

That appearance, rather than a giant, was more fitting to be described as that of a devil or fallen angel.

... This is a Nephilim. Kyouko's true form?

"Ho-how is it? Revolting, as I thought?"

Said Kyouko transformed into a Nephilim.

"Absolutely not, I think it's absurdly cool."

It was not a lie.

[[File:Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa p193.png|thumb]]

It sure is eerie, but this dark feeling appeals to my chuuni<ref>From "chuunibyou" (eigth grader syndrome), name given to a certain personality disorder that appears mainly among junior high schoolers, characterized by a strong rejection of reality; the sufferers are usually convinced that the have powers and/or that there's some kind of large-scale plot that only they are aware of.</ref> soul.

"... Thank you. If you ride on my back, I think I can transport us to our destination... But it's the first time I've tried this."

"Eeh, how amazing."

"A giant that soars through the sky — Nephilim. It's my first time seeing one, but you sure have been hiding a lot of magical power..."

Zonmi muttered in admiration.

A flying giant? It's certainly very unusual.

And in addition to that, superhuman strength enough to lift a truck with a single hand. Thinking like this, isn't Kyouko a considerably strong monster?

"The ghoul has picked up my clothes, right?, since I wouldn't like if Haru had picked them up."

"Oh, now that you mention it, where have you put Kyouko's panties? Perhaps they got ripped in the earlier mix-up..."

Taking a peek just to be sure, I couldn't find anything like that on Zonmi's hands.

"When Chiharu opens his mouth, it's only 'panties'. Isn't there anything other than panties in your head?"

"It-it's not like that!"

Having said that, it surely feels that recently I've been repeating 'panties, panties' with an abnormal frequency.

If I'm not careful — Won't I be treated as a pervert?

"Since I assumed from the start that today I'd be involved in many ruckuses, I put on underwear made from 'Magical Silk'."

"Mm, What's that?"

"'Magical Silk' — It's a specially made cloth that won't be torn even when changing from human to monster. It's very popular among female monsters in the Netherworld."

"Eeh, there's something like that?"

"Then, hurry up and get onto me. Since I can't go very far with this form."

Following the instructions, we rode on Kyouko's back.

The lack of seatbelts was worrisome. While praying that we didn't get thrown off, I clung to Kyouko's shoulder.

"... Hey, but isn't it weird? Usually, isn't keeping human form what consumes magic power?"

Suddenly, I remembered what Zonmi said to me before.

"That depends on what the base form you live in is. I my case, since I usually keep human shape a lot, this one is more tiresome."

"Eeh, looks like there are many kinds of monsters."

And, at last, Kyouko flapped her wings and began to fly.

"Well, here we go. Hold on tightly."

Our bodies were pushed up by an intense buoyancy.

Uoh... We're flying for real...

Gaining altitude quickly, before long we could take in the whole area.

"Ha, ha... This is fantastic! I'm... impressed. Kyouko, you are truly amazing!"

"... For that, thanks. I'm glad to be employing the power of a monster for the sake of others..."

"Humph, how come you say things like that after growing wings?..."

Zonmi seemed somehow displeased as she pouted.

<noinclude>==References and Translation Notes==
<references />

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 1 Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
| Return to [[Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 1 Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 1 Chapter 5

2013-08-22T20:40:14Z

Multipartite: /* Chapter 5 - That resolution */ (Minor change for consistency with earlier change.)

Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 1 Chapter 5

2013-08-22T20:31:48Z

Multipartite: /* Chapter 5 - That resolution */ Minor changes.

Talk:Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 1 Chapter 5

2013-08-22T20:26:10Z

Multipartite: 'assured' idea.

It sounds like for "Your life was barely warranted" they want to mean either: "your life was not in danger" or "Your life was not targeted". This makes sense because in a real fight they are implying that killing the tamer is a valid way of ending the fight. Whereas when the girls were fighting over contracts killing the tamer would've been counterproductive in having the tamer contract with them.
[[User:Unknownadd|Unknownadd]] ([[User talk:Unknownadd|talk]]) 15:09, 21 August 2013 (CDT)

It means "though you have face life-threatening situations, they could not kill you beacuse it would have defeated the purpose, but you could have beeen very badly hurt to the point of near death". I don't know if it's proper english, but I think that if I had changed "warranted" for "guaranteed" (the other translation of the only word I could think of) it would have strayed off hte proper meaning.--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 16:13, 21 August 2013 (CDT)

Hmm. For reference, 'warranted' is used to mean 'deserved, necessary' from the etymology 'authorised with a warrant'. For instance, 'that level of force was unwarranted' or 'your concern is not warranted'. His life was not guaranteed, so 'guaranteed' indeed also doesn't quite fit... how about 'your life was just barely valued' in that his life had value to both monsters, though they were prepared to kill him to stop him from being taken by the other? (In contrast with the new enemy who presumably won't value his life at all, and so will not even hesitate to go full force trying to kill him.) -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 17:09, 21 August 2013 (CDT)

Then, does "you were barely guaranteed to [end up/make it out] alive" of something or the sort make sense?--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 18:16, 21 August 2013 (CDT)

Maybe not quite; 'guaranteed' would indicate that losing his life was impossible, which didn't seem to be the case. In the first place, 'guaranteed' is a binary state, like 'unique', in that you generally can't have degrees of guaranteedness or uniqueness. Though perhaps reliability of a guarantor could have degrees. That said, if the original term happens to be '保証', it might be necessary to accept it as the author's intention after all... ah, or no, looking at the dictionary description 'barely assured' might fit best of all! (Assuming '保証'.) A guarantee is in theory rock-solid, but assurance sounds less certain. To dispel the mental niggling feeling, I'm going ahead and changing 'warranted' to 'assured' in the text for the moment (even if future changes are possible). I admit I'm starting to feel the effects of ゲシュタルト崩壊/Gestaltzerfall (the effect that a word or concept thought about for a long time starts to lose its meaning?) regarding what works and what doesn't, though. -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 15:26, 22 August 2013 (CDT)

Talk:Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter5

2013-08-22T20:15:32Z

Multipartite: /* Anti-gravity ships confusion: */ Gratitude for the explanation!

== Part 1 ==
I'll start out by opening two things for discussion. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]] ([[User talk:Dohma|talk]]) 07:32, 23 July 2013 (CDT)

'''Orba, not losing out in being irritated...''' (オルバも負けず苛立っていたのは) 
I can’t find a good English equivalent. What it means is that Orba didn’t lose from Fedom in being irritated. Is there a better way to put this?

'''“Theresia, how old did you become?”''' (テレジアは、いくつになったのだったか？) 
I first thought it was to be supposed Theresia's birthday or something, but it's a more polite way of saying 'how old are you?'. Basically 'how old have you become (over the years)'. If someone has a better way of saying it like this, please tell me.

:For the first, I would suggest "Orba, no less irritated"; also, as an incidental note, that would be 'didn't lose to Fedom in being irritated' rather than 'didn't lose from Fedom in being irritated'. For the second, I suspect "How old are you now?" is slightly better than 'How old are you?', as it preserves the 'acknowledgement of the other having been a different age at a previous meeting', whereas 'How old are you?' is more appropriate when meeting someone for the first time. -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 08:04, 23 July 2013 (CDT)

Those are great suggestions Multipartite.[[User:Tasear|Tasear]] ([[User talk:Tasear|talk]]))

* I agree, thanks. I edited the text by your suggestions. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]] ([[User talk:Dohma|talk]]) 09:18, 29 July 2013 (CDT)

I guess I should post the responses to your inlines here from now on. And what better way to take a break from translating than to edit! Well, Chapter 2 is......slowly coming along. --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]] ([[User talk:Detalz|talk]]) 20:43, 30 July 2013 (CDT) 
'''Thinking it was surely important for people to look at oneself, something seemed to trouble her heart.''' Raw: 振り返ればあれは確かに本人たちにとっては大事だったのだと思える悩みに胸を焦がす、美しい少女の姿。
*振り返る is a conjugated verb meaning 'to turn around, to turn one's head'. Here's a rough translation from my part, "It was apparent to anyone who so much as turned around that she was worriedly longed for something precious to her; it was the form of a beautiful girl." (Note: You might have moved 'beautiful girl' part to the previous sentence.)
:* Yeah, I split the sentence in two and moved the 'beautiful girl' part up front because that was what the beginning of the sentence refers to. I combined the sentences again and used your suggestion. Thanks. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

''“Well… when you reach the latter half of your forties, you eventually stop counting. Then it’s natural to look forward to continue on at that age forever.”''
*There's nothing wrong here, but consider using 'normal' in place of 'natural' for certain instances of 当然. It might be me, but the author overuses it more than necessary.
:* No you're right, the author uses other terms a lot too (I actually just think it's the difference between Japanese and English) that will sound strained if you keep translating them 'correctly'. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

'''“As for tomorrow, you’ll do anything I say even if it’s a depressing play. Don’t let me receive a scolding because of you before the first battle – after that you can get carried away and do whatever you want. So, I’m going! You’ll be occupied, don’t you think?”'''
*Pretty sure it's Orba, and not Fedom speaking. That's why you're so confused. I recommend "Scoot scoot. You're a busy man, right?" for the last two sentences.
:* I was actually unsure whether it was Orba or Fedom saying this sentence. The second sentence puzzled me, so I opted for Fedom. However, Orba being the one speaking makes more sense and I somehow made it work. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

Sorry to bother everyone. "But when his eyes made contact with flagship’s captain" This is what the original reads. I believe that it should read "But when his eyes made contact with the flagship’s captain" because the word "flagship" isn't the name of the ship it needs the definite article "the". Please correct me if I'm wrong. - [[User:shirofune|shirofune]]
*Don't worry about bothering us. Discussions of revisions are welcome, and you're free to post them here is you're unsure. You were right, and it was probably just a typo on Dohma's part. Thanks for fixing it. --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]] ([[User talk:Detalz|talk]]) 19:33, 31 July 2013 (CDT)

== Part 2 ==

There's some expressions in this chapter which I could use a little help on suggestions. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]] ([[User talk:Dohma|talk]]) 15:25, 2 August 2013 (CDT)

*「ああ、'''あいわかり申した'''」 'Ahh, I understand'
:It's actually much more polite, like 'duly understood'. But the latter feels a bit strange in this context, because Fedom is higher in rank than the one he speaks to. Leaving it like this could also just be fine. It's just that Fedom speaks rather politely when talking with certain people, and rather impolitely when talking to others - especially Orba.
:*"Ahh, your words have been received," is the only other possible phrase I can think of. It is a litte indirect, but can be considered more polite. My guess for his being polite, is because Oubary carries a message from the emperor, and to be rude to a messenger is to insult the person who sent it. --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]]

:*About the "Ahh, I understand" bit, I believe it is natural that Fedom is polite because Oubary is also in the same room within earshot. It would arouse suspicion if Fedom were impolite because at that time Orba was still pretending to be the prince. Please correct me if I'm wrong because I don't know a word of Japanese. ~[[user:shirofune|shirofune]]

::* Looked it up some more, but Fedom is not being overly polite after all, he's just being formal - which isn't strange considering the circumstances. あいわかり (相分かる) is just a more formal way of saying I understand but with the explicit meaning that you comprehend something. 申した is a formal way of saying "I do". So he says something like 'I do understand', and he's saying it this way to indicate that he understands they can't go to the banquet because the Emperor's letter is of more importance here. I like "your words have been received" but I think it strays too far from the original meaning, so I simply made a minor change to "Ah yes, I understand." The subtle formality will be a bit lost in the translation, but that's probably how people would react in English as well. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

*「'''頼む'''」 'Leave it to me'
:It's a rather free translation. It could mean 'leave it to me', 'count on me', 'rely on me' or anything in this regard. I'm assuming it's Oubary saying this, but it could also be Orba I suppose (then it would be 'I'll rely on you'). However, in that case I suspect it would have been よろしく instead, and it wouldn't have been on a separate line.
:*I think Orba is one who says it. The reason for the different line is probably because of a pause between "Yeah..." and "I'll leave it to you." Also, Orba speaks this way because he knows he has to act the role of the prince just as Fedom wants to, in the presence of others. If it were Oubary speaking, 任せる would have been much more appropriate. I can't actually imagine a person of lower rank saying 頼む to one of higher rank. --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]]
::* Yeah, Orba saying this fits better. And 頼む sort of comes off as a way of saying 'thanks' which would be strange in Orba's regard. Changed it. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

*'''勝ち残り''' 'taking the leftover fights'
:Also see the reference note. It’s a term for someone who wins by laying low and then take the finishing blow when necessary, like a kill-stealer. Suggestions for a nice English idiom or expression are welcome.
:*I actually like it the way it is. The only idioms I can think of remotely close to this are "taking the easy way out" and "reaping other's rewards". --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]]
::* I'll keep it like this then, and leave the reference note for those interested. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

*'''へそを曲げられて'''も、のちのち厄介だ 'It’ll be troublesome in the future, if I get him angry.'
:Literally 'to bend someone’s bellybutton', which means ‘to make someone angry/irritated’. Does anyone have a nice English idiom for this? Because just leaving it like this doesn't really give much credit to the original in my opinion. I considered 'ruffle one's feathers' but that seems a little too mild in this case.
:*You could consider "get on his bad side" or "get under his skin." --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]]
::* "get under his skin" was what I was looking for, thanks! --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

'''Oubary was having cold sweat under his clothes''' 服の下にじっとりと冷たい汗を搔いていた
It says this literally (Oubary had damp cold sweat running under his clothes), but 'under his clothes' sounds a bit strange in my opinion. [[User:Dohma|Dohma]]
*Yea, it definitely sounds weird worded like that. I would go with something like "He secretly broke off into a cold sweat." --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]] ([[User talk:Detalz|talk]]) 20:54, 13 August 2013 (CDT)
:* Then I'll go with that. But, just to make sure, isn't it "break out in a cold sweat"? --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]] ([[User talk:Dohma|talk]]) 07:43, 14 August 2013 (CDT)
::*Yep, that's the original phrase. I like to use "broke off" for past tense, since it usually implies it was triggered by some event. "He was secretly breaking out into a ocld sweat" or the one above, because the idiom can also be used to describe perspiration while ill or with related sleep troubles. So I like to make that minor indication by changing 'out' to 'off'. Either one works. --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]] ([[User talk:Detalz|talk]]) 12:12, 14 August 2013 (CDT)
<hr>

Hello, reader here/wandering editor. In this sentence: “It might be an idea to send an envoy during the march, in the crown prince’s name.” I think the context implies that an adverb is used before '''idea'''. I am not sure which exact adverb it is but it should be ''better'' or ''safe''. So it will look like “It might be a '''better''' idea to send an envoy during the march, in the crown prince’s name.” or “It might be a '''safer''' idea to send an envoy during the march, in the crown prince’s name.” I just noticed this and is totally up to you guys to change it or leave it. Thanks for translating this interesting Light Novel.[[User:Stratos|Stratos]] ([[User talk:Stratos|talk]]) 07:42, 18 August 2013 (CDT)

* The raw literally says 'sending an envoy in the crown prince's name may (also) be one of our hands' (皇太子の御名で使者を送るのも手のひとつでしょう), but it is sort of said as a suggestion and there's no English equivalent for this usage of 'hand', which is why I translated it as 'it might be an idea'. But looking back on it now, "One option might be... etc." probably fits the situation better. Thanks for the comment. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]] ([[User talk:Dohma|talk]]) 05:26, 19 August 2013 (CDT)

== Part 3 ==

non-commissioned officer (下士官)
* In Edo-Japan this was a term for one who was enlisted as an officer, but not of noble birth. I believe it’s also the highest rank a commoner could get. I’m not sure if it’s the same, or if he’s just one rank lower than an officer in Mephian terms. Non-commissioned officer sounds a bit strange I think (but it's what my dictionary says, next to 'petty officer' and 'enlisted officer'), but I wonder if there's a better English equivalent. Suggestions anyone?

He wasn’t able to make a move with the situation unclear on '''whoever bound his hands and feet, and whoever was pulling the strings'''.
'''誰がいつ自分の手足になってくれるのか、誰がいつ自分の手足を逆に引っぱるのか'''、それもはっきりしない状態では動きようがなかった。
* I actually translated this very freely because I didn't really understand the above expression in bold, this sounded best in my opinion considering the context.
::"He wasn’t able to make a move with the situation unclear on who would become his hands and feet, and who would instead tie them up."; a more free translation might be "He wasn’t able to make a move with the situation unclear on who would become his limbs, and who would instead pull his legs out from under him.". To become someone's 手足 is like becoming their eyes--namely, to act according to their will and so doing aid them. The '逆に' is 'by contrast', and to (strongly) pull on one's limbs is like ashimatoi, namely (metaphorically) hindering one's free movement. He doesn't know who he can and can't rely on. -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 17:16, 21 August 2013 (CDT)
*I'm getting a similar translation, though I would recommend "those who dragged down his feet" or "those who weighed him down" if you want literal, or 'slow him down' for liberal. --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]] ([[User talk:Detalz|talk]]) 18:55, 21 August 2013 (CDT)

== Anti-gravity ships confusion: ==

Given that gravity is weaker the further you get from the planet, and ether flows from the sun, why does the text say 'Of course[...]the more it rises in altitude, the more the power to repel gravity loses its strength.'? This doesn't seem to follow. An explanation would be welcome. *puzzlement* -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 18:09, 21 August 2013 (CDT)
*The ether isn't created from sunlight alone, but formed upon a reaction once it hits and gets absorbed into the waters. You can think of it as mining for oil, where you first mine crude oil, and purify it to a point where it's usable and sell it. The sunlight here is the 'raw material' that can't be used until it hits the waters. Therefore, natural 'ether' emanates from the waters, which the higher the ship flys, the further it gets away from its source. But that is to say, I doubt they have a 'ether generator' that collects surrounding ether, just as they don't have solar panels on the ships to collect energy from the sun. It's more of, ether works more efficiently closer to the conditions it was created....probably :P. It might be better if the sentence was reworded a bit though, "He discovered that the mechanism involved a substance that poured down from the sun and vaporized into the sea, had an entirely different nature." --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]] ([[User talk:Detalz|talk]]) 18:55, 21 August 2013 (CDT)
::Ahh, I see! Thank you very much for the explanation! I saw the part about vaporisation, but though it meant losing its properties. Plausibly there's a lot of vaporised ether in the lower atmosphere (down to the ground) like clouds/mist, and like an airplane flying above the clouds trouble occurs if one climbs to less dense strata... For the last sentence, perhaps "He discovered that the mechanism involved a substance that poured down from the sun and took an an entirely different nature when vaporized by the sea."? -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 15:15, 22 August 2013 (CDT)

Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 1 Chapter 4

2013-08-22T20:06:02Z

Multipartite: ('Backtrack' modifications.)

==Chapter 4 - Dragon Blood==

Next day. We were visiting the shopping mall in front of the station.

We aimed at the famous underwear shop that carried from striped panties to string panties, "Jewelry Lingerie"... I sincerely wondered what was with that naming sense.

This large-scale shopping mall that opened recently in front of the station has become the main dating spot of the area among the young people.

On holidays, the building gets crowded with tons of people but, as expected, on weekdays business gets slow. Since our school was just destroyed, we could come at this kind of hours.

A flower in each hand<ref>Dating two girls at once.</ref>.

For my current appearance, weren't those the most appropriate words to describe it.

Walking on my right, my little sister, Manami.

With a camisole that emphasized the bustline and denim shorts. With her legs covered with black stockings tucked inside thick boots, even if she's my sister, that was some refined fashion.

Walking on my left, Zonmi the ghoul.

It seems she borrowed some clothes and underwear from Manami. A miniskirt shortened to the limit and a sleeveless shirt that exposed her shoulders. Wearing heels, that was quite the modernistic fashion. Even though it wasn't raining, she carried her umbrella as usual.

So, since I frankly mustn't enjoy this harem-like situation, I put on a virtuous front to remind myself that they were my sister and a ghoul... I couldn't stand that front.

The people walking down the road openly looked at us with stares filled with jealousy. I couldn't calm down because I was not uses to those stares that pierced my back.

"Buu... I hate walking..."

Zonmi sighed.

That's unexpected. Is that because you are not used to heels?

"What? Since I went with the trouble of choosing it for you, at least be grateful."

"... I had enough with the clothes I got from Chiharu."

"No, like I said that's a bit..."

Despite those being my words, I felt so guilty that I ended coming along.

Since they were so ragged that they were one step short of becoming a dust cloth.

"... I'm not suited for flashy clothes. Don't they say "the right person in the right place"?

"Is that so? I think they'd suit you."

I don't know much about girl clothes, but I think they should suit her at least a little.

"Wha-wha-wha, You won't get nowhere with flattery!"

<nowiki>*Flush*</nowiki>, her cheeks colored, Zonmi's voice sounded nervous.

I wasn't trying to flatter you, though...

"But that's well~♪ I haven't gone pick underwear in a year. Zonmi-san should feel grateful that my bra from middle school second grade fits her~"

Manami said with quite a harsh tone.

Manami is in her third year of middle school, by the way. She was studying extra-hard in order to take the entrance exam for Seiran Academy next year.

It may be an indiscretion as her relative, but I do nothing but to wish 'Please, let her fail'.

"Is that true, Zonmi?"

"It's only that you sister has them big, since it's not like... Mine... Are small or something."

The volume of Zonmi's response lowered gradually towards the end.

"That is, if I have to compare..."

How pitiful.

As her brother, I don't think I should be saying this, but Manami's chest is bigger than you'd expect from a middle schooler. Her style could shame a gravure idol.

Though Zonmi isn't really that small, if you try comparing both of them it can't be helped that it'd be unfavourable.

"Fu, fu~, how is it? Today I tried to choose clothes a little bold to please onii-chan."

"What are you saying..."

Honestly, I was stumped about the emphasis my little sister put in her cleavage.

"If I felt something by looking at my sister's chest, it would be bad... Ethically."

"<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>Gh!"

[[File:Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa p135.png|thumb]]

"Hurts, it huuuurts!"

I got both cheeks pinched. In this I can't feel a little bit of consideration for a big brother.

"Humph~, oniichan has no tact! Act as a boy once in a while!"

If I act wrongly like that, it'll mean my death in society.

I was hurriedly dragged into the underwear shop we wanted to go.

Although I was accompanied by girls, entering this kind of place is of course embarrassing.

A place to buy underwear... I frequently had the chance to see it for afar, but this was my first time actually entering it. It was unknown territory for boys. The utopia yearned by everyone...

"Onii-chan, what are you doing standing up there!? Come in."

"Eh, Wait a minute! I have to enter too?"

I goes without saying that I was interested by what was inside, but even though there wasn't displayed any kind of prohibition, it wouldn't be socially right to go in as a boy.

"But of course♪ It's meaningless if oniichan doesn't come."

"Hah?"

"For what reason do you think I came? In order to research what kind of underwear onii-chan likes!"

"... Is that so?"

I worry I'm quite helpless.

I'm always wondering, but how can this one here be my blood-related sister?

While feeling dejected, I stepped into the inside of the shop.

So radiant and sparkling jewels suddenly appeared into my field of vision.

Anyway, I must've made a mistake... I shouldn't have ridiculed the naming sense.

I knelt in apology inside my heart.

Jewelry Lingerie... The sign wasn't lying...?

How can this be women's underwear, this... Could made my heartstrings loudly snap.

They are only clothes. Even so, clothes. How can a single piece of cloth have such a sexual charm... Are humans such profound beings able to make such things?

After this experience, I was one step closer to the truth of eros.

"Come on, onii-chan! Tell me! What underwear arouses you more!?"

"Hey, isn't that an unusual purpose!?"

As I chased away my sister who approached while panting rowdily,

"Zonmi, choose what you like. It's my treat."

"Is-is that right?"

"Aye. Is the least I can do after you helped me."

I took a 5,000 yen note from my wallet and put it on Zonmi's hand.

Though I'll have to endure without porn magazines this month, I don't regret it. Since I could see this unique superb view. I wonder if that made up for it.

"Well, Zonmi, what underwear will you buy?"

"Is that so. I don't mind mech about design. If I think about the upcoming battles, of course it should be a spots-type one, but... What kind of things do you ask taking advantage of this confusion!?"

"... Is it bad?"

"Don't look at me with cute puppy eyes! Get out of here right now!"

Hmm, disappointing.

Nevertheless, Zonmi was earnest, or perhaps I should say she was sound. The first thing when choosing underwear is to express your real nature.

"Onii-chaan♪ Don't you think that this underwear with a gap on the crucial spot are also practicaaal?"

"..."

It really shows your true nature...

I don't want to think exactly how do you find it practical, though.

Leaving Zonmi aside, since, on the other hand, I didn't want to get near Manami, I reluctantly wandered around the store.

The moment I resolutely walked into the shop, once I did it once, from then on I won't feel reluctance.

As I can legally look for women's underwear, isn't this Heaven?

Oh, this is... Heh, draweeers...? So there are those too.

Like that, I fully enjoyed my first visit to a lingerie store.

"Wait, how can it be I can't try them on!?"

All of a sudden, an out-of-place male voice resounded trough the store.

Hey, hey, what the heck has just happened...

Looking there, there was my close buddy — Youhei.

"That's why, this shops forbids male customers into the changing room..."

"That's weird! Isn't that sexual discrimination? This is an age where you can wear a bra even if you are a man. And yet the clerk doesn't know those things? Even though I don't want to say such things, even I would file a complaint for that inappropriate attitude."

What is this guy doing on a weekday...

After all, I wonder if he has awoken to a weird fetish that gets him aroused when wearing female underwear?

"Even if you say that..."

"It's impossible to talk with you. Call your manageeer!"

... As his buddy, maybe I have to be kind enough to put up with his eccentricities.

But I can't allow it. I can't mentally endure it, as his acquaintance, I have to make him mind his surroundings since he seems to not have shame.

In the end, I observed what Youhei was doing from the shadow of a pillar.

"... Understood. So, it's seems that this time we have to take special measures... Please, keep it a secret."

"Humm, so you have started to understand what I'm saying? Well then, how about going in after that cute girl there finishes choosing a brassiere to change into?... *Slurp*"

"!?"

I see, so that was Youhei's aim!?

Kuh, you have thought it, Youhei...

Somehow or other, it seems he hasn't awoken to any weird fetish. What a relief. It seems he's as healthy as usual.

And following Youhei line of sight...

There was Manami.

"With what kind of eyes do you look at other people's little sisters, bastard!"

"It hurts! Eh... Chiharu?"

I gave him a chop without holding back for looking at my sister with lewd eyes.

"Look, you are troubling the clerk. Scram."

"Eh? Why are you in this kind of place?... Rather, uwaaaah, ouch, ouch. Why, Chiharu, release meeeeee!"

While pulling Youhei's ear, I took him outside the store.

... Goodbye, Jewelry Lingerie.

As a result of a conversation with Youhei, we agreed on a non-aggression treaty called 'Mutual today's events didn't happen'. It goes without saying it meant Youhei's eccentricities, but I also want to hide the truth about the fact that 'I went shopping for underwear with my little sister'.

Thus, prioritizing mutual benefit, we parted ways.

Being befuddled, I sat on a bench before the store.

Embarrassed for some reason, I didn't feel like I could enter the shop again. I'll wait here until Zonmi and Manami get out, then.

"Hum. Beholding it presently, 'tis conspicuously less crowded than usual."

Standing right before me, for some reason there was a girl mumbling under her breath.

What was surprising was that her clothes didn't seem like clothes. She was totally wrapped in what seemed like robes of a dull red color.

From inside her hood, you could catch glimpses of a facial expression full of self-confidence. Eyes concealing a strong will that fascinated the observer. Is she one of those guys that wear color contacts that I've heard of?... Those eyes were as crimson as if they were on fire.

I tried to break the ice, though she looked like she was covered by a rather dignified aura... The surprising thing was that she was extraordinarily short, I'd say around only 140 centimeters.

Charming, isn't it? Is she cosplaying as something?

"What's wrong, have you strayed from your mom?"

I don't think a child this small would've come alone to the shopping mall.

Let me see, where's the Lost Children Center...

"Ku, ku, ku. That utterance, I shall take as a declaration of war. Monster tamer..."

"!?"

I promptly fled from the bench, in preparation for the battle.

Could this fellow be... a Monster!?

[[File:Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa p145.png|thumb]]

"Frightened? I will not deceive thee, since thou art an important human sacrifice, I cannot be cruel."

"You, what are you saying..."

"Make a contract with me, Monster tamer."

"..."

That was a threat I couldn't accept or deny.

I don't know what will happen if I don't comply... Her speech gave the impression of being filled with a strong power.

"Come on, I don't understand what you mean at all..."

As I played dumb, the look of the girl turned sharper than ever.

"Humm. It doth not matter if thou feignest ignorance. Do not fear, I know about the little insects that surround thee. If thou feelest guilty, do not be concerned if I kill them all."

"!"

Somehow I have the premonition that this situation... is a terrible emergency.

It seems this girl intends to unhesitatingly try the same contract by force that Kyouko did before.

"Don't... think Zonmi and Kyouko cannot defeat you."

"Do not look down on me, human. My name is Iris Scarlet Lindblum. The strongest bloodline's... red dragon's descendant! There is no monster above me... Dost thou not think that to be a very good reason?"

I recalled my conversation with Luka-san.

Red dragon... Isn't that the third monster following ghoul and Nephilim?

Shit. According to that, this fellow should also be one of those I had to choose from.

"What if... I refuse?"

"Of course, I will seal the pact by force."

As she laughed boldly, she pushed the palm of her little hand against my breast.

"... Gh!"

With the unbelievable power she hid, she sent my body flying in a straight line.

How can this be... I'm flying?

I took a while before I realized my own body was floating through the air.

"Guwah!"

The crash felt as if the sound of the wind had broken my eardrums.

Breaking though the shop's show window, it was smashed to glass fragments.

I felt as though all my bones were broken. I felt so tired I couldn't open my eyes. Totally exhausted, I felt I couldn't even move an inch. Warm blood gushed forth, making me feel like I were taking a bath.

"Ki-Kyaaaah!"

As women started to scream around me, I was welcomed by a bizarre situation.

As expected.

... Since this kind of monster, isn't it something you could only meet in the game world?

Totally covered in jewel-like scales. Sprouting from its body, a pair of big fat wings. Shaped from head to tail like a lizard, glimpses could be caught of incisors characteristic of carnivores from the inside of its big open mouth.

A beautiful crimson dragon entered my blurred field of vision.

This chap, it's a red dragon...

Strong. She just called herself the strongest bloodline... Just by facing it, you couldn't feel safe because of the powerful aura that gushed out. Its size on the order of a small bus, its intimidating air was more of a blue whale-class.

"Hence, thou art invited to my den."

The dragon picked me up with a limb that was small in proportion to its body.

No good... I was about to lose consciousness from the pain...

Like that, the dragon spread its wings and took flight — at that moment.

"Guuuuuuuuuu!"

A scream that seemed to shake the earth — the shriek of the red dragon echoed.

Freed from my binding, I rolled down the ground.

"Be careful. That one there is my partner."

It was Zonmi's voice.

The umbrella on Zonmi's hand pierced the dragon's scales that were as hard as steel.

Again... I've been saved by this guy...?

"Humm. A lowly one of the ghouls..."

Its face distorted in anger, the dragon once again began to float by flapping its wings.

Maybe, if it takes some distance it'll be the end — Zonmi can't fly. An aerial battle would be unfavourable.

Nevertheless, before it came to that, Zonmi leapt. Zonmi's reflexes were as nimble as those of a stray cat. That way she rode on the dragon's back, and then pierced a wing with the weapon she carried.

"Don't escape. You are invited to my territory."

"Guuh", making that dull scream, the dragon was pulled down to ground.

I see, Zonmi planned to make it into a ground battle.

"You certainly may be strong... But, can you display the same power here on the ground?"

"Begone!"

The dragon's big frame received a rush of umbrella strikes.

Even though it wasn't the sky, but the ground, the dragon was quick.

But it was the same for Zonmi.

Zonmi easily parried by rolling away while smiling with composure. It seems like Zonmi has the advantage in a ground battle.

"Tche."

Turning its face, the dragon licked the severe strike on the base of its neck.

"... Oh, my, was that shallow? You have great strength, right?"

When it heard Zonmi's words, the dragon snorted loudly.

"Ku, ku, ku. Thou mayest have dealt a heavy blow... But 'twill have no effect on me."

"But you can say... that this is the end."

<nowiki>*Tattata*.</nowiki> After judging what the best step was, Zonmi's body danced in high air. A strike like slashing wind coming from the sky.

Like that, the umbrella in her hand pierced the dragon's forehead, or that's what was expected...

The dragon showed a bold grin.

"I have caught thee, little girl."

Horror took place. The dragon was waiting for this chance — Zonmi couldn't freely move her body while in the air...

After opening its big mouth, the dragon spat out scorching hot flames.

"!?"

Zonmi instantly guarded by opening her umbrella.

But, opposing the flames that noisily continued to surge, it seems the umbrella wasn't suited to cover the whole body.

The compatibility was the worst, to begin with. Though ghouls boast resistance against physical strikes close to half invulnerability, as she personally said before, they were weak against heat.

Zonmi's lower half was scorched, and finally her legs snapped off.

"Humph. That was not even an appetizer."

The dragon shifted its gaze to me.

"Chi... Ha... Ru."

Inside my faint consciousness, there was only Zonmi's voice as though clinging to my ears.

<center>× × ×</center>

When I recovered my consciousness, all my body was restricted, attached to a cross.

Is it my imagination? But it seems that recently this kind of pattern has been awfully common...

But first, there was something I was curious about... I don't recognize this place.

I tried once again to survey my surroundings.

It was a capsule where no other living beings could be seen. Thick books were piled up. An anachronistic old-style fireplace.

If he had to liken it to something, 'a witch's room' would strike close.

What bad taste... And yet it was an eerie room.

"Hast thou woken up, human?"

From the door entered a girl I recognized.

Honey-colored twintails. Short stature beffitting of an elementary schooler. Sharp crimson eyes that could pierce you. Wrapped in those hood-attached red robes.

The red dragon.

Unmistakeable — the one here is the monster girl that abducted me.

"I get up to find this situation... That's the worst awakening ever..."

"I apologize for that. Still, it prevents thee from fleeing before mine eyes."

"You too... Need the contract that much?"

"'Tis so."

The girl shortly murmured.

"By the way, since it hath come to this, please refrain from calling me 'you'. Mine esteemed name is Iris."

"..."

I let out a big sigh.

It seems this guy wants the contract as desperately as Zonmi and Kyouko...

Still...

"What a pity, I'm still waiting for the ring. I'm not lying. It currently hasn't been delivered. Though kidnapping seems convenient, isn't it true that you can't seal the pact if you don't have the ring?"

The girl slowly tampered with her bosom.

"By the way, by ring couldst thou be referring to this thing here?"

Showing a bold smile, she took out a silver ring that glowed with a bluish-white light.

Don't tell me this guy...

I had a bad premonition. I couldn't be sure without looking at the real thing, but taking it out with this timing...

"How is that possible?"

When I asked that, Iris started to talk with a expression full of self-confidence.

"Whaat, it's very simple... The monsters around thee be foolish. No matter how many Tamers be around, with no ring, no contract can be made. My fault, I kept watching thy house. I borrowed this thing from the stupid courier."

"..."

I was cheated.

So the early arriving of the ring was delayed because of that...?

"Then, let's make the contract. Wilt thou struggle? Although I might say, don't even think about moving from there..."

"Tsk..."

My limbs were tightly bound, so I couldn't put resistance.

Iris's little body approached me little by little.

Something cold ran against my fingertip. She had put the ring on my left hand's ring finger...

"... Let me take the opportunity to teach thee something. This ring symbolizeth that master and Monster, both be one. It doth not matter which party wears it first."

Iris continued with a composed smile.

"And after equipping it... Removal is impossible."

On Iris's finger, just when she put the ring on me.

A second ring just emitted a dazzling flash.

I see... That's the proof of a contract... What?

Feeling a rattling electric current passing through my body, I was tormented by a mysterious sensation as if the ring had become one with my body. A short while later, the ring tightly dug into my flesh, and ended up fixed there as if it were sewn.

Indeed. This... seems to be totally impossible to remove.

"Rejoice, Tamer! The contract hath been completed, from now on I and thee be one in body and soul — we'll be eternally together!"

"..."

I was vexed by my powerlessness.

Power.

Strength.

If I was stronger, I could successfully...

I bit my lips with force — my mouth was filled with the taste of iron.

I roared in anger; feeling I had nowhere to go, I could only prowl inside my heart.

"... Do not be riotous, are thou not still in convalescence?"

"..."

"Dost thou worry? I had thee take a secret concoction to make magical power course through thy body. The pain should subside soon... I ask forgiveness for what happened earlier... That... Violent behaviour of mine."

"..."

"Oh, aye, dost thou be hungry? I have made arrangements for dinner."

"Don't wanna."

"'T-'tis so?... Thou be still in convalescence..."

"..."

Seeing Iris suddenly going meek, my obstinacy seemed a bit stupid.

¡Heey! About the contract, it couldn't be helped.

Couldn't I let it slide?...

"Of course I'll eat."

"... Humph."

Iris, looking like she had killed her emotions,

"'Twould have been best if thou hast said that from the start. This is why the beings known as humans... All right, since today is special, let's make dishes with plenty of the legendary cowry... Hu, hu, hu."

While murmuring for some reason, she exited the room.

Fiuu... Let's think positively.

Because now I believe that this red dragon girl... Despite seeming peerlessly cruel, she couldn't be totally heartless.

If I make use of that, I'll surely have a chance to escape... I hope.

With renewed determination, I clasped my hand into a fist.

A short time later, Iris once again entered the room.

She was carrying in her hands for some reason a mysterious-looking pot.

Inside the room drifted a wonderful scent that aroused my appetite.

This scent... What is it? It seemed a mix between tonkotsu and seafood, difficult to describe, and yet very rich... It was a scent that didn't resemble anything I had tasted before.

"Although I think today I was skillful in its making... We-well, I guess something like a human cannot possibly understand the taste of my cuisine."

Iris looked at me with sparkling and somewhat uneasy eyes.

I've just noticed, but I'm surprisingly hungry.

Iris held the dish and started to scoop soup with a ladle.

"'Tis time to feed thee. Be grateful... Hot!"

Could it be because her hands trembled a bit when she served it? It seems she splashed soup on her face.

It was such a funny sight that I unintentionally ended up letting out a laugh.

"Thou, dost thou laugh!? Making fun of me, what recklessness.."

"... Stop the tedious chatter. Feed me quickly."

"... Humph. As I thought, humans are impertinent beings."

... It seems that somehow or other my chance will arrive soon.

Could it be? While clinging to this situation, I honestly ate with difficulty. If I somewhat managed to untie one of my bindings, a chance to escape will arrive...

"Even if thou didst not ask, I would have fed thee immediately."

Iris walked a step, dish and spoon in had, and was still one step away from me.

"Then, open thy mouth quickly."

"... What?"

"I told thee to open thy mouth. Dost thou not want to take thy nourishment?"

Errrrr...

Could this situation by some chance... be that?

That which couples often do on the park? That which, reflexively, makes me want to shoot a rocket launcher at them?

Does this little kid intend to personally feed me?...

Ho-how humiliating! It's Canossa's humiliation<ref>Italian comune where Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV stood three days bare-headed in the snow in 1077 as penance in order to reverse his excommunication.</ref>.

... Damn. Be as it may, my person's restricted position — since we've reached this point, I can't oppose.

I reluctantly opened my mouth.

"Mm... ¡Tch!"

It seems Iris has made a big mistake.

Since she's so short, as I'm hanging, she couldn't feed the soup to me no matter how she tried.

As Iris couldn't reach even standing on her tiptoes, she made a sour face.

As if sighing in relief... As if saying 'what a pity'...

"... Wait an instant."

With an awkward expression, after temporarily leaving the room, she brought a small stepladder and placed it before me.

"This will serve."

"..."

Hey, wait. This guy will go that far to feed me?...

"Try to open thy mouth once again."

Doing as I was told, I opened my mouth.

The soup was scooped with a faint dripping sound. Iris, standing on a stepladder, brought the spoon to my mouth.

... And then, my mouth was filled with a soup of a rich, mellow, flawless, never tasted before perfect flavor.

"How's that? Dost thou like the flavor?"

"..."

I was speechless.

It was frankly the tastiest soup... no, food I'd ever had.

It was an unknown flavor not sweet or spicy that brought joy to my tongue.

That is, why couldn't I say 'don't feed me this, it tastes horrible'.

As I put a rather puzzled face from the shock,

"Humph, as I thought, doth it not suit the palate of humans?... Well, from the start I did not think that thou couldst understand the taste of this refined cuisine of mine. I, I knew it from the beginning."

"..."

Iris was making a terribly sad face.

"... Nevertheless, this soup will succeed in recovering from this dishonor... I will do my best to not bring harm to Master. Si-since thou hast made a contract with me, take responsibility. So, consume it without leaving anything out."

[[File:Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa p163.png|thumb]]

Iris's face, for some reason, looks like she's about to cry.

"Enough of your boring chatter, feed me asap. This is absolutely delicious."

"..."

When I said that, Iris showed a bright smile like a blooming flower,

"I-Is that so?! Humph, it would seem that even while you are a hopelessly foolish human, your palate is the only finely developed thing?!"

She kept saying things I didn't understand.

As for me, since this soup had a taste that made me want to bring it back home,

"Please, teach me the recipe later."

I simply said that.

<center>× × ×</center>

It seems that Iris had somehow mistaken me for a pet or something.

After that, once every thirty minutes, she kept bringing different dishes.

The reason is, each time it was something absurdly delicious without fail, telling her that from the heart she'd say "'T-tis so?" while showing a big smile that spread through her whole face, then she'd exit the room → Once again, the loop of bringing a meal would occur.

Of course I was annoyed by being bound, but I ended up starting to think that this this lifestyle wasn't that bad.

Concerned about my injuries, though I was told from the start that I was recovering with the magic power inserted inside my body, that 'secret mixture' thing that Iris said seemed to be effective, I felt even healthier than before. However, a chance to escape didn't come at all. Worried about that, Iris stubbornly guarded me to a ridiculous extent.

"I have brought thee the dessert course."

Iris came in. This time there was a jelly-like thing on the dish.

Now, I wonder how this next will taste.

Though, it's a shame. I can't seriously think about how to escape.

Iris stepped on the ladder and scooped the jelly with a spoon.

"Quickly, open thy mouth."

"... Say, can I ask you something?"

Know your enemy, know yourself, and you need not fear the result of a hundred battles<ref>Sun Tzu, '''The Art of War''' - Chapter 3.</ref> — I tried to break the ice with resolution.

"Iris, why did you want to make the contract that much?"

Zonmi and Kyouko said they needed the contract to protect their honor.

However, for some reason, I couldn't help feeling that Iris must have a different motive.

"... 'Tis but a simple purpose. I need strength. For that now I wish for even a little more magic power."

"Why do you fuss that much about power?"

"For requital."

I was shocked by the unusually serious circumstances Iris muttered.

"I-I see..."

"Don't pry more on that. Thou dost not want to get scalded."

"... Understood."

She has some secret circumstances.

It would be tactless to interfere with her privacy, let's stop here.

"..."

"... In any case, sooner or later 'twill be exposed... Dost thou want I specially tell thee?"

"You'll tell me after all!?"

"'Twas around... Five years before now..."

"Such a languorous story start!?"

"THOU ART NOISY THOU ART DISTRACTING ME BE SILENT."

Let's reflect a bit.

"Yes."

"Dragon hunting — At the Netherworld, the 'Dragon Blood' with the effect of drastically increasing magic power fetched extraordinary high prices — Among them, the blood of us, red dragons, was exceptionally rare.

And at the center of it, abominable tamers — The 'Black Tamers' company... Yonne lads set up a trap for my clan with vulgar methods, then exterminated them all — I was but a child at the time, but I barely managed to keep my life.

Even now people have not ceased to pursue my blood. Therefore, I must gather strength. Strength to protect my person together with strength to destroy my foes..."

Eh.

Wait a moment, I don't understand what you mean.

"Are you bloody joking? Isn't the job of the Tamers mediating between humans and monsters!?"

"Because there are a variety of tribes of monsters — it's the same for humans. If there are those who love justice, there're also those who perpetrate crimes."

"..."

I didn't know.

I thought beyond doubt that as Monster tamers, they were only allies of justice that protected humans.

But the reality is different. There are also those truly evil people...

"Sorry for those... Wossname."

"... What mistake hast thou made?"

"What, you say... Weren't us humans those who killed all of your clan?"

"... Pff."

Iris boldly laughed.

"'Twould have been rather allaying if all humans were like thee... With more fools like thee, mine outlet for anger'd be in peril. Those words are enough for now, Tamer... Still, forgettest not those feelings. I only hope thy heart will not be dyed black."

"Hey, where are you going!?"

As her footsteps faded, I tried to stop Iris.

For some reason, I felt she shouldn't leave.

"The contract is complete... My destination has been decided. From here on, let's begin my requital. Thou must continue to bestow magical power on me from here."

Her golden hair fluttering, Iris left this place.

In those eyes, along with hatred, there was only a little tinge of sadness mixed in.

I was confused by my own feelings.

I want to become part of Iris's strength — am I softhearted for thinking like that?

However, I couldn't let her go. I felt that if she went, she would rapidly become unable to return.

Also, I really needed to go to the toilet.

If it keeps up like this, I'll also pass a point of no return.

Somebody help me, please...

"So. It seems that boy has finally made contact with the red dragon... Yes, understood. If something more happens, please contact us."

At the time, Ruka got in touch with a subordinate as she sat on the rear seat of a car.

The black car she was riding in ran at high speed as if splitting the darkness apart.

"... Surprisingly, you seem glad."

Promptly seeing through his master's mood, the male driver in butler clothes murmured.

"Oh, is that how I look?"

"Yes. It seems the time has come for the young lady to scheme something bad."

"Something bad... is it? Perhaps, to him maybe it'll be an unprecedented catastrophe."

"Young lady. I'll state my concerns. From now on, it would be best if you cut ties with that boy."

"And why is that?"

"... He may ruin everything."

"Ruin everything... you say?"

As she kept ruminating the meaning of those words,

"Would you protect me if it comes to that?"

"... Yes, of course. Even in exchange for my life."

The man's voice as he stated that without a tinge of hesitation, gave de feeling of bottomless resolution.

... Then, whatever happens.

Kusumi Chiharu. To us, will his existence become the light of hope or the prelude of despair?

That's something only God knows.

Because of that, now matter how far back you look, there won't be any precedents.

While being human, a chimera that carried the blood of monsters, he became a Monster tamer...

If this fake-sounding information ends up being true, his potential ability would be inestimable.

The currently arranged series of riots seems not to be planned to measure him, but as a test case.

"Maou's kid, the king of the Tamers, aims to be a Maou... does he?"

Could there be something better than this? She didn't hold back a broad smile.

"... Even mastering the second rank isn't a dream."

Originally an impossible forbidden combination. 'Double Meaning'.

While gently stroking her nearby snake familiar, Luka celebrated in her heart the yet unseen future.

<noinclude>==References and Translation Notes==
<references />

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
| Return to [[Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 1 Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

User talk:Multipartite

2013-08-22T20:04:19Z

Multipartite: /* Request */ Conviction!

Welcome! Please enjoy your stay. Our system is semi-functional and utterly disjunctional but it somehow works. Throw enough resources at anything and it somehow works. Glad to have you on board~ [[User:Seitsuki|Seit]] ([[User talk:Seitsuki|talk]]) 16:41, 16 March 2013 (CDT)

I saw you do some edits:
" . m Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Tome 3 Chapitre 1‎; 10:41 . . (0)‎ . . ‎Multipartite (Talk | contribs)‎ (ninjitsu -> ninjutsu ) "

but the real spelling is really "ninjitsu".
"ninjutsu " has become embedded to us incorrectly because the way we speech - I'm sure of it- since I had to do about it project-I mean about this word
:Arere? I saw some spellings of 'ninjitsu' in the English (and one in the French) volumes, but it's 'ninjutsu' in the first (English--ah, and also French) volume; also, the word according to WWWJDIC is '忍術【にんじゅつ】 (n) {MA} ninjutsu (fighting art of the ninja); ninja skills in secrecy, stealth and combat techniques'. That's 'jutsu', '術', 'art; technique; skill; means; trick; resources; magic'. The same 'jutsu' as in 'bijutsu', 'kenjutsu', 'gijutsu'. In modern Japanese, the word is definitely represented as じゅつ, not じつ, and the translation project is of volumes written in modern Japanese. If it was originally 'jitsu', I would be glad to learn about the details of your project and the history of the word, but the hiragana presently used are not affected. As I do not usually look at the non-English translations (and am not familiar with any differing translation approaches used there) I can likely overlook differences in the French volumes as long as they are consistent across all French volumes.

==Thanks==
Hey, wanted to say thanks for correcting my errors on the NGNL talk page. It's nice to actually get some real criticism on my translations rather than someone with even less knowledge on the subject than myself for a change. Helps me learn and improves the readability/accuracy all-around. Should also check out the terminology page if you get bored, aha. —[[User:EnigmaticRepose|EnigmaticRepose]] ([[User talk:EnigmaticRepose|talk]]) 02:56, 4 August 2013 (CDT)
:You're very welcome! *happiness* (*curiously goes to look at the mentioned terminology page*) -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite#top|talk]]) 12:29, 4 August 2013 (CDT)

==NGNL==
Oh right. On the forum, we were discussing what the term リザ would mean in the prologue by Sora. Mind clarifying that? —[[User:EnigmaticRepose|EnigmaticRepose]] ([[User talk:EnigmaticRepose|talk]]) 22:26, 4 August 2013 (CDT)
:(*looks*) Ah, page 15. If I had to guess without checking I'd go for 'resurrect', but game-slang confirmation is needed. [Edit--My doubt was because by default I would have guessed that 'resurrect' should begin with レ, but as found below it seems that barrier doesn't exist.] 
:| 
:The context of this looks close, but the usage doesn't seem to fit. http://www18.atwiki.jp/live2ch/pages/35.html#id_cf16d76b 
:| 
:(*checks the text again*) That 'Shubaaaa...Kyurin!' definitely sounds like a resurrection cast(/action) time and success sound effect. (Plus matching that the character died, and the understanding that the same four characters are used throughout the battle.) --Ah! Circumstantial evidence found! The katakana for 'Resurrection' (in game titles such as http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B009VUPZGY et cetera) is 'リザレクション'! Whether or not リザ is an easily-found widely-used shorthand, it is entirely plausible that it could be made, and given the context this is probably the most likely explanation for what Sora is saying. *joy*
:｜ 
:（*investigates a little more*）　Ahh. Both 'レザレクション' and 'リザレクション' are valid katakana versions of the word (according to this page), with 'リザ' here presumably a shortening of the second. http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/レザレクション 
: -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite#top|talk]]) 02:39, 6 August 2013 (CDT)

:Edit: As as suggestion for the translated Prologue, particularly to fit with English game slang, I would probably suggest 'Rez', with a note at the bottom explaining the Resurrect shortening. https://support.perfectworld.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1729/~/rez---resurrect 
: -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite#top|talk]]) 02:42, 6 August 2013 (CDT)
:*Ah, thanks. The only term I could relating to リザ was a technical term for [http://www18.atwiki.jp/live2ch/pages/23.html#id_cf16d76b　streaming] using Windows Media Encoder, as unhelpful as that is. The sad part is I could see them doing the streaming bit though so they could could share views, seeing as they have like 10 monitors. I even tried looking for shortened term of 復活 to see if there was anything like that, but looking up Japanese terminology is a hell of a lot harder than it is for English for some reason (we have sites dedicated to explaining our nonsense, though). It probably also didn't help I was set on Resurrection being spelled レザレクション, once again forgetting Japan doesn't tend to have one set spelling for loan words. Learning this language is a headache. Gonna go ahead and change it in the volume 1 translations then, since I was the main cause it wasn't. —[[User:EnigmaticRepose|EnigmaticRepose]] ([[User talk:EnigmaticRepose|talk]]) 03:37, 6 August 2013 (CDT)
:::An understandable red herring. Counterevidence for it would be the lack of any other mentioning of showing to others, the lack of relevance to one's character dying (especially no reason to want to stream when one's /own/ character dies), and the 'urban legend' status which is consistent with many people encountering Kuuhaku, but less consistent with them operating a media portal or similar showing off their exploits (in the first place, they're hardly that social). 'Fukkatsu' probably can't be shortened much, and would presumably have different syllables if it were. As noted above, I was caught out by the predicted-romanization matter as well, and only caught it when casting a wide net for anything relevant (based on predicted context). I'm glad to have been of help! -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite#top|talk]]) 04:50, 7 August 2013 (CDT)

== Request ==

Since you seem interested in the project "Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa", I'd like to ask you if, from chapter 4 onwards, you could go changing all of the new character's (Iris) dialogues to old-sounding english. Thanks anyway.--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 12:55, 13 August 2013 (CDT)
:Uu. I'm happy for the degree you're prepared to rely on me, but the limit of my concentration and daily free time are knee-jerk reactions to things which prominently strike me as discordant/askew. I also know nearly nothing about that type of English, other than that 'you' is more respectful than 'thou' and that 'wherefore' means 'why' (no comma in 'Wherefore art thou Romeo?'). Though the quality of your translations is more or less consistent, the amount that you translate without abandoning it is applaudable: Please write her lines in ways that sound right to you, and as with other parts leave corrections to specific-correctors and any dedicated thorough editors. (Ideally, if each reader corrects to the point that they can read without discomfort, all readers will read with pleasure.) -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite#top|talk]]) 14:13, 13 August 2013 (CDT)

:Edit: For the above reasons I cannot give any indication of action in response to the request, but I will remember it. That is, keeping the request in mind I may find myself changing her sentences (though surely with mistakes due to my own lack of knowledge about oldish English) in the way described out of momentary impulse, rather than out of a sense of obligation. In any case, I greatly suggest that any further translated lines of hers be done in that format from the start, as I do not think I could sustain doing so indefinitely (whether or not I do so at all). In any case, I wish you good luck! (Or successful efforts, whichever is more appropriate. 幸運か健闘を祈る。) -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite#top|talk]]) 14:22, 13 August 2013 (CDT)
:(Hmm, 'dost' is apparently second-person and 'doth' third-person... 'I do', 'Thou dost', 'It doth'... though that source might be mistaken. Will probably treat it thus until indicated otherwise, though. -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite#top|talk]]) 16:03, 13 August 2013 (CDT))
:(...an 'st'/'est' ending isn't used with imperatives... hmm. Wikipedia is helpful. -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite#top|talk]]) 16:29, 13 August 2013 (CDT))
:('Art' for second-person only... Ah, this is belated, but I might as well mention that 'Thou' is as a subject (が) and 'Thee' as an object (を). 'Thou noddest to me, I nod to thee'. -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite#top|talk]]) 16:42, 13 August 2013 (CDT))
:('Wert' and 'Wast' are second-person only, and 'wert' is for non-real (subjunctive) things only... hmm.)
:('My/Thy' for words beginning with consonants, 'Mine/Thine' for words beginning with vowels... 'thine eyes art beautiful', 'mine eyes do not deceive me', 'I have thy word', 'This is my den'...)

By the way, I just saw the note about the four ~s. I indeed misunderstood the cause, and am also grateful to learn about the nowiki tag. Thank you! -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite#top|talk]]) 16:10, 13 August 2013 (CDT)

The underlying cause for "when 'desperately' is seen spelled as 'desesperatedly'" is, in fact, three:
*I'm not a native speaker, so I sometimes make mistakes by likening words with the same meaning and origin to those of my mother language.
*I'm not very typographically-efficient, so I'm prone to errors like omitting letters, adding extra letters, mistaking letters and duplicating parts of a word.
*I'm using the notepad to write the translation before posting it, since I find it more convenient to the task... Except for the fact it doesn't have an in-built dictionary to check my mistakes.
This means I will continue to have many errors, even though I try to correct them as much as possible.--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 14:42, 14 August 2013 (CDT)
:Ahh. Thank you for explaining. -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite#top|talk]]) 17:22, 14 August 2013 (CDT)
How weird. I totally didn't see the "your". The quote, as it was given in the dictionary (yes, it was in the dictionary) was "Know your enemy, know thyself, and you shall not fear a hundred battles". I changed the "you" by a "thou" because japanese always quote this like they were in the Middle Ages (they use, among others, a very obsolete form of "you").--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 19:44, 17 August 2013 (CDT)
:Ahh. Curious. I wonder why... My current knowledge suggests that it should either be 'Know thine enemy' and 'Know thyself' or 'Know your enemy' and 'Know yourself', but it's not inconceivable that there are other rules of which I as yet know not. Alternatively the person who supply the quote for that dictionary may have made a mistake; happily, there are many versions of the same quote to choose from. Another approach might be to do a direct translation of whatever it is the protagonist says--but, as with katakana, it's usually best to reverse such a translation cleanly rather than introduce noise in the form of a double translation. --If you still want to use 'thou', I would perhaps suggest 'Know thine enemy, know thyself, and thou shalt not fear a hundred battles'. (If I understand correctly, you->thou changes shall->shalt.) -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite#top|talk]]) 11:03, 18 August 2013 (CDT)
The fact that "Manneken Pis" was spelled at that dictionery as "Mannekin Pis" suggest it was a mistake of the person who added the translation. BTW the "I can look the 1,000 yen note's Noguchi Hideyo in the eyes" is intended. I don't know if the sentence is different in english, but he's deluding himself by saying that now that he's a famous work of art (the Manneken Pis) he's on the level of historical figures like Mr. Noguchi.--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 13:55, 21 August 2013 (CDT)
:Ahh. (By the way, in Volume 1 Chapter 4, what is the Japanese translated as 'backtrack'? I can't currently guess what the correct English would be, but I'm fairly certain 'backtrack' can't be used as a transitive verb.) -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite#top|talk]]) 14:53, 21 August 2013 (CDT)
後戻り (atomodori). It didn't sound all too well to me, but I didn't find any other translation in any of the dictionaries I consulted.--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 16:15, 21 August 2013 (CDT)
:Hmm. In the line 'if I let her go, I quickly would end up not being able to backtrack her', is it 'atomodori saseru', or something different? (Thank you for the information!) Perhaps 'if I let her go, I quickly would end up not being able to bring her back', and for 'I won't even be able to backtrack myself' -> 'I'll also pass a point of no return' (which is presumably referring to the impending incontinence)... -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite#top|talk]]) 16:59, 21 August 2013 (CDT)

::The first occurrence is: "Hanatteoitara aitsu wa dondon atomodori dekinakunatteshimau ki ga suru." (with hana=放); the second: "Kono mama de wa, ore mo atomodori dekinai tokoro ni icchimau." Since another dictionary I tried suggests ''後戻り【あともどり】 (n,vs) retrogression; going backward; backtracking; doubling back; (P); ED'', then maybe "there won't be coming back"?--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 18:27, 21 August 2013 (CDT)

:::Ahh! For the first one, the protagonist is not the subject, so the (simplified) sentence 'I would not be able to backtrack her' is inaccurate and should be 'She would not be able to backtrack'. "I felt that if she went, she would rapidly become unable to backtrack." Ah, but in this situation, "[...]unable to return" would make an even clearer parallel with the 'point of no return' suggestion above. Changing/Discussion is still possible, but just to make sure it's not forgotten I'll change them to that for the moment. *happiness* 
:::| 
:::Incidentally, 'there won't be coming back' sounds slightly wrong as a phrase. 'she won't be coming back' or 'there won't be a happy return' perhaps... somehow 'there won't be a return' alone sounds wrong, though. In any case, it feels as though 'come back' or 'coming back' can only be used as a verb phrase, rather than a noun phrase; 'there won't be' by contrast requires a noun phrase. -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite#top|talk]]) 15:04, 22 August 2013 (CDT)

Talk:Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter5

2013-08-21T23:09:33Z

Multipartite: /* Anti-gravity ships confusion: */ new section

== Part 1 ==
I'll start out by opening two things for discussion. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]] ([[User talk:Dohma|talk]]) 07:32, 23 July 2013 (CDT)

'''Orba, not losing out in being irritated...''' (オルバも負けず苛立っていたのは) 
I can’t find a good English equivalent. What it means is that Orba didn’t lose from Fedom in being irritated. Is there a better way to put this?

'''“Theresia, how old did you become?”''' (テレジアは、いくつになったのだったか？) 
I first thought it was to be supposed Theresia's birthday or something, but it's a more polite way of saying 'how old are you?'. Basically 'how old have you become (over the years)'. If someone has a better way of saying it like this, please tell me.

:For the first, I would suggest "Orba, no less irritated"; also, as an incidental note, that would be 'didn't lose to Fedom in being irritated' rather than 'didn't lose from Fedom in being irritated'. For the second, I suspect "How old are you now?" is slightly better than 'How old are you?', as it preserves the 'acknowledgement of the other having been a different age at a previous meeting', whereas 'How old are you?' is more appropriate when meeting someone for the first time. -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 08:04, 23 July 2013 (CDT)

Those are great suggestions Multipartite.[[User:Tasear|Tasear]] ([[User talk:Tasear|talk]]))

* I agree, thanks. I edited the text by your suggestions. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]] ([[User talk:Dohma|talk]]) 09:18, 29 July 2013 (CDT)

I guess I should post the responses to your inlines here from now on. And what better way to take a break from translating than to edit! Well, Chapter 2 is......slowly coming along. --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]] ([[User talk:Detalz|talk]]) 20:43, 30 July 2013 (CDT) 
'''Thinking it was surely important for people to look at oneself, something seemed to trouble her heart.''' Raw: 振り返ればあれは確かに本人たちにとっては大事だったのだと思える悩みに胸を焦がす、美しい少女の姿。
*振り返る is a conjugated verb meaning 'to turn around, to turn one's head'. Here's a rough translation from my part, "It was apparent to anyone who so much as turned around that she was worriedly longed for something precious to her; it was the form of a beautiful girl." (Note: You might have moved 'beautiful girl' part to the previous sentence.)
:* Yeah, I split the sentence in two and moved the 'beautiful girl' part up front because that was what the beginning of the sentence refers to. I combined the sentences again and used your suggestion. Thanks. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

''“Well… when you reach the latter half of your forties, you eventually stop counting. Then it’s natural to look forward to continue on at that age forever.”''
*There's nothing wrong here, but consider using 'normal' in place of 'natural' for certain instances of 当然. It might be me, but the author overuses it more than necessary.
:* No you're right, the author uses other terms a lot too (I actually just think it's the difference between Japanese and English) that will sound strained if you keep translating them 'correctly'. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

'''“As for tomorrow, you’ll do anything I say even if it’s a depressing play. Don’t let me receive a scolding because of you before the first battle – after that you can get carried away and do whatever you want. So, I’m going! You’ll be occupied, don’t you think?”'''
*Pretty sure it's Orba, and not Fedom speaking. That's why you're so confused. I recommend "Scoot scoot. You're a busy man, right?" for the last two sentences.
:* I was actually unsure whether it was Orba or Fedom saying this sentence. The second sentence puzzled me, so I opted for Fedom. However, Orba being the one speaking makes more sense and I somehow made it work. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

Sorry to bother everyone. "But when his eyes made contact with flagship’s captain" This is what the original reads. I believe that it should read "But when his eyes made contact with the flagship’s captain" because the word "flagship" isn't the name of the ship it needs the definite article "the". Please correct me if I'm wrong. - [[User:shirofune|shirofune]]
*Don't worry about bothering us. Discussions of revisions are welcome, and you're free to post them here is you're unsure. You were right, and it was probably just a typo on Dohma's part. Thanks for fixing it. --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]] ([[User talk:Detalz|talk]]) 19:33, 31 July 2013 (CDT)

== Part 2 ==

There's some expressions in this chapter which I could use a little help on suggestions. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]] ([[User talk:Dohma|talk]]) 15:25, 2 August 2013 (CDT)

*「ああ、'''あいわかり申した'''」 'Ahh, I understand'
:It's actually much more polite, like 'duly understood'. But the latter feels a bit strange in this context, because Fedom is higher in rank than the one he speaks to. Leaving it like this could also just be fine. It's just that Fedom speaks rather politely when talking with certain people, and rather impolitely when talking to others - especially Orba.
:*"Ahh, your words have been received," is the only other possible phrase I can think of. It is a litte indirect, but can be considered more polite. My guess for his being polite, is because Oubary carries a message from the emperor, and to be rude to a messenger is to insult the person who sent it. --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]]

:*About the "Ahh, I understand" bit, I believe it is natural that Fedom is polite because Oubary is also in the same room within earshot. It would arouse suspicion if Fedom were impolite because at that time Orba was still pretending to be the prince. Please correct me if I'm wrong because I don't know a word of Japanese. ~[[user:shirofune|shirofune]]

::* Looked it up some more, but Fedom is not being overly polite after all, he's just being formal - which isn't strange considering the circumstances. あいわかり (相分かる) is just a more formal way of saying I understand but with the explicit meaning that you comprehend something. 申した is a formal way of saying "I do". So he says something like 'I do understand', and he's saying it this way to indicate that he understands they can't go to the banquet because the Emperor's letter is of more importance here. I like "your words have been received" but I think it strays too far from the original meaning, so I simply made a minor change to "Ah yes, I understand." The subtle formality will be a bit lost in the translation, but that's probably how people would react in English as well. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

*「'''頼む'''」 'Leave it to me'
:It's a rather free translation. It could mean 'leave it to me', 'count on me', 'rely on me' or anything in this regard. I'm assuming it's Oubary saying this, but it could also be Orba I suppose (then it would be 'I'll rely on you'). However, in that case I suspect it would have been よろしく instead, and it wouldn't have been on a separate line.
:*I think Orba is one who says it. The reason for the different line is probably because of a pause between "Yeah..." and "I'll leave it to you." Also, Orba speaks this way because he knows he has to act the role of the prince just as Fedom wants to, in the presence of others. If it were Oubary speaking, 任せる would have been much more appropriate. I can't actually imagine a person of lower rank saying 頼む to one of higher rank. --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]]
::* Yeah, Orba saying this fits better. And 頼む sort of comes off as a way of saying 'thanks' which would be strange in Orba's regard. Changed it. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

*'''勝ち残り''' 'taking the leftover fights'
:Also see the reference note. It’s a term for someone who wins by laying low and then take the finishing blow when necessary, like a kill-stealer. Suggestions for a nice English idiom or expression are welcome.
:*I actually like it the way it is. The only idioms I can think of remotely close to this are "taking the easy way out" and "reaping other's rewards". --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]]
::* I'll keep it like this then, and leave the reference note for those interested. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

*'''へそを曲げられて'''も、のちのち厄介だ 'It’ll be troublesome in the future, if I get him angry.'
:Literally 'to bend someone’s bellybutton', which means ‘to make someone angry/irritated’. Does anyone have a nice English idiom for this? Because just leaving it like this doesn't really give much credit to the original in my opinion. I considered 'ruffle one's feathers' but that seems a little too mild in this case.
:*You could consider "get on his bad side" or "get under his skin." --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]]
::* "get under his skin" was what I was looking for, thanks! --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

'''Oubary was having cold sweat under his clothes''' 服の下にじっとりと冷たい汗を搔いていた
It says this literally (Oubary had damp cold sweat running under his clothes), but 'under his clothes' sounds a bit strange in my opinion. [[User:Dohma|Dohma]]
*Yea, it definitely sounds weird worded like that. I would go with something like "He secretly broke off into a cold sweat." --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]] ([[User talk:Detalz|talk]]) 20:54, 13 August 2013 (CDT)
:* Then I'll go with that. But, just to make sure, isn't it "break out in a cold sweat"? --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]] ([[User talk:Dohma|talk]]) 07:43, 14 August 2013 (CDT)
::*Yep, that's the original phrase. I like to use "broke off" for past tense, since it usually implies it was triggered by some event. "He was secretly breaking out into a ocld sweat" or the one above, because the idiom can also be used to describe perspiration while ill or with related sleep troubles. So I like to make that minor indication by changing 'out' to 'off'. Either one works. --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]] ([[User talk:Detalz|talk]]) 12:12, 14 August 2013 (CDT)
<hr>

Hello, reader here/wandering editor. In this sentence: “It might be an idea to send an envoy during the march, in the crown prince’s name.” I think the context implies that an adverb is used before '''idea'''. I am not sure which exact adverb it is but it should be ''better'' or ''safe''. So it will look like “It might be a '''better''' idea to send an envoy during the march, in the crown prince’s name.” or “It might be a '''safer''' idea to send an envoy during the march, in the crown prince’s name.” I just noticed this and is totally up to you guys to change it or leave it. Thanks for translating this interesting Light Novel.[[User:Stratos|Stratos]] ([[User talk:Stratos|talk]]) 07:42, 18 August 2013 (CDT)

* The raw literally says 'sending an envoy in the crown prince's name may (also) be one of our hands' (皇太子の御名で使者を送るのも手のひとつでしょう), but it is sort of said as a suggestion and there's no English equivalent for this usage of 'hand', which is why I translated it as 'it might be an idea'. But looking back on it now, "One option might be... etc." probably fits the situation better. Thanks for the comment. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]] ([[User talk:Dohma|talk]]) 05:26, 19 August 2013 (CDT)

== Part 3 ==

non-commissioned officer (下士官)
* In Edo-Japan this was a term for one who was enlisted as an officer, but not of noble birth. I believe it’s also the highest rank a commoner could get. I’m not sure if it’s the same, or if he’s just one rank lower than an officer in Mephian terms. Non-commissioned officer sounds a bit strange I think (but it's what my dictionary says, next to 'petty officer' and 'enlisted officer'), but I wonder if there's a better English equivalent. Suggestions anyone?

He wasn’t able to make a move with the situation unclear on '''whoever bound his hands and feet, and whoever was pulling the strings'''.
'''誰がいつ自分の手足になってくれるのか、誰がいつ自分の手足を逆に引っぱるのか'''、それもはっきりしない状態では動きようがなかった。
* I actually translated this very freely because I didn't really understand the above expression in bold, this sounded best in my opinion considering the context.
::"He wasn’t able to make a move with the situation unclear on who would become his hands and feet, and who would instead tie them up."; a more free translation might be "He wasn’t able to make a move with the situation unclear on who would become his limbs, and who would instead pull his legs out from under him.". To become someone's 手足 is like becoming their eyes--namely, to act according to their will and so doing aid them. The '逆に' is 'by contrast', and to (strongly) pull on one's limbs is like ashimatoi, namely (metaphorically) hindering one's free movement. He doesn't know who he can and can't rely on. -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 17:16, 21 August 2013 (CDT)

== Anti-gravity ships confusion: ==

Given that gravity is weaker the further you get from the planet, and ether flows from the sun, why does the text say 'Of course[...]the more it rises in altitude, the more the power to repel gravity loses its strength.'? This doesn't seem to follow. An explanation would be welcome. *puzzlement* -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 18:09, 21 August 2013 (CDT)

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter5

2013-08-21T23:07:26Z

Multipartite: /* Part 3 */ Minor changes.

==Chapter 5: Princess Vileena==
=== Part 1 ===

Zaim was known for being an impregnable fortress. To the north, steep cliffs touched the border of Ende, and to the south an unobstructed view of plains was spread out. If Mephius actually wanted to cross the border and invade, Zaim Fortress was considered to be its biggest hurdle.

Ryucown had made it surrender in the blink of an eye and turned it into his own stronghold. It could be he had the help of traitors, but it could also be that the people at Zaim Fortress never intended to turn their blades toward Ryucown, because he was a Garberan to begin with.

And besides…

''Maybe he secretly got assistance from the Principality of Ende.''

This assumption was shared by both Mephius and Garbera. If not, he wouldn’t last on any supplies like food, water, and ammunition. And for Ende, right now, they’d conveniently split the Garberan territory in two. In that way, it was good that Ryucown’s tactics hadn’t forcibly placed neighbouring villages under his control, or he would’ve received the enmity of its people.

“Our current Garbera has lost sight of adhering to pride above all!” Ryucown shouted with a loud voice. “Even if we bear the shame of a traitor for the moment, we inherit Garbera’s true pride. Disloyalty shames a knight, but we cannot stay devoted to obeying any senseless ruler. We must consider once again for what cause we should spill our blue blood. Do not mind bearing shame. We will open this fort’s gates and welcome all true knights that dedicate their bodies only for true loyalty.”

Ryucown cut off the heads of all the messengers, not even depending on the counsel from his own home country Garbera. And not only that. He also conducted a surprise attack with his airship on an advance party marching to recapture the fort, before taking flight again.

Within the Garberan royal court, it was the firm opinion that they should quickly send in a whole army to make Zaim surrender in order to protect the royal family’s dignity. But what they feared most of all was that Ende would participate in the war.

At the moment they were still keeping quiet, but if the Principality of Ende publicly admitted to having a collaborative relationship with Ryucown, it was feared Zaim Fortress would become a stronghold for Ende when they challenged Garbera. And with Garbera throwing aside an alliance with them, Ende also had a just cause to do so.

Hence, Garbera had no qualms against Mephius’s request.

Namely, they allowed the Mephian army to cross the Garbera’s national border, making it possible for them to line up formations and attack Zaim Fortress from the west .

It was about a week after the surprise attack at Seirin Valley.

As time went flying by, the situation was also littered with various apprehensions. The Mephian group led by Prince Gil immediately started heading for Idoro. It lay closest to the borders of Ende and Garbera, and was a fortress city that had often been at the forefront during the war with Garbera.

A group of sword slaves from the Tarkas Group was also forced to travel along the journey. Their weapons and dragons confiscated, and moving at a distance while being surrounded by military guards, they were no doubt suffering from stress regarding the dispiriting anxiety for their future. However, thanks to Gowen’s skilfulness, they quietly obeyed for the time being.

Although it might have been the same day-to-day feeling for those living under Tarkas, the situation was more complicated than that because of the Garberran party. In any case, because the ceremony had been interrupted, the marriage between Prince Gil and Princess Vileena had not been concluded. However, wilfully going back home at this point would be a disgrace for the both of them.

“I will go to Idoro as well,” Vileena had told her own country’s delegation, and had gone travelling along to Idoro with Theresia.
For the Mephian side it also gave them the impression they were keeping her as a hostage, but, naturally, Vileena herself had already taken that all into account.

The army moved while the goods were carried by dragon carts. The cavalry, and the dragonriders atop the small-sized dragons guarded all directions, while in the centre, surrounded by the soldiers on foot, the imperial and royal family members moved in coaches.

“I suppose this will be Prince Gil’s first battle,” Orba said, with Fedom siting opposite him inside the coach.

“But am I not the one behind the scenes? Aren’t you being much too overprotective, no matter how you look at it?”

“Shut it,” Fedom called back, irritated. “There’s no need for someone like you to learn the imperial family’s methods of raising a good emperor. You should just do as you’re told.”

“So I’m to command when I’m told, order friends to die when I’m told, and kill the enemy when I’m told?”

“That would be splendid.”

Orba, no less irritated, still felt the traces from his quarrel with Vileena.

“Now stop talking. We don’t know who could be listening.”

And that was the ulterior motive Fedom had. Originally, the written letters had urged him to return to his homeland, Birac. Simon alone had been assigned to be the prince’s support. However, Simon knew the prince’s nature very well. So, because he suspected there were concerns about the prince being a fake at the current campaign, other ‘support’ was necessary.

''At most…''

If the prince did do an outstanding job here, this time nobles would turn up believing the prince held unifying qualities. If Fedom was able to gather up those people and have them back the prince, it might be possible to create a completely new political power in the next era.
Besides, the Prince Gil in question was the same as a puppet that did anything Fedom told him to. On behalf of the corrupted imperial family, he himself could advocate supremacy in these current troubles times – just thinking of it, made Fedom’s heart pound with boyish excitement as blood rushed to his head.

Meanwhile,

“Prince.”

Simon Rodloom, who called from outside of the coach, naturally had his misgivings.

“What is it?” Fedom’s face appeared instead.

Simon, who had gone to the battlefield himself in his younger days, was, to be expected, skilful with handling his horse. Matching the coach’s speed, he tried to peek inside. The prince was resting his cheek against the window on the opposite side.

“These past few days, I’ve hardly seen your face. Although I do hope you’re not doing that to bear the shock received from what happened at Seirin Valley. It might also place a gap on the tale of your first battle. So—”

“The prince is in good health,” Fedom said smiling. “Even now, we were exchanging several views and opinions concerning the capture of Zaim Fortress. Later on, we’d also like to listen to your views on the matter, Master Simon. Oh… Your Highness, is it a little too bright? Please forgive me.”

Fedom acted as if the prince had talked to him and quickly closed the carriage’s curtains.

''That is strange.''

Spurring on his horse, Simon rubbed his chin. Fedom’s sudden intimacy and the prince’s change of heart in these last few days… It wouldn’t be such a miracle if the prince he knew so well, experiencing such an uproar during the ceremony, had lost himself amongst the public. However, from what he’d heard, it seemed the prince had given orders to the knights, and held the enemy at bay before they could kidnap Vileena. Although, as a substitute guardian, he was supposed to be pleased with the prince’s growth, this was far from being human, and he couldn’t simply accept it.

''Be that as it may, I haven’t seen the boy for three days.''

And, at a distance of fifty metres behind, Vileena and Thersia were rocking about in a similarly heavily escorted coach.

The whole time, Vileena had been silent. She was lost in thought, as she looked out at the scenery flying by outside the window. Theresia had her eyes fixed on the side of her mistress’ face.

At a glance, she was the image of a beautiful girl in her puberty and whatnot, even if she was now grown up, but it was apparent to anyone who so much as turned around that she was worriedly longing for something precious to her. The eyelashes covering her eyes were dark, and the bridge of her nose was a thin line. Her petal-like lips were slightly wet, and her skin nearly crystalline white.

In case an honest boy around the same age saw the girl staring off into the distance from her carriage’s window, on his way home from work on the farm, he’d be inexplicably bound only with a single glance. But looking at himself, after having gone through some hundred nights passionately yearning for her despite the issue of social differences, he would eventually marry some village girl and get children. But even if he’d be reading a book by the fireplace surrounded by grandchildren, undoubtedly, he would never be able to forget that one pubertal afterimage of only a single glance until the day he died…

Theresia, quite touched by her own fabrications, gently wiped away a tear with her hand. This was youth. And, when a voice called out “Theresia”, she looked up as if nothing had happened.

“Yes, what is it, your highness?”

“Theresia, how old are you now?”

“Well… when you reach the latter half of your forties, you eventually stop counting. Then it’s normal to look forward to continue on at that age forever.”

“I see,” Vileena said, as she rested her chin in her hand. “That’s quite convenient.”

“Of course, in the meantime, there were various encounters and farewells. Also many men. Speaking about love, there have also been several marriage proposals.”

“I would love to hear about that someday,” Vileena said with a little smile.

“Don’t say someday, but right now. It’s obvious your highness can use this little as a reference.”

“I didn’t say I wanted to hear such things. Cease your suspicious behaviour.”

With an angry frown, Vileena turned away.

''Oh my…''

Although Theresia thought she was cute, that naturally didn’t come out of her mouth. But it was worth teasing her. So, because she would otherwise be bored daydreaming again, her slightly mischievous side came to surface.

“This Prince Gil has one utterly curious side to him, doesn’t he?” Theresia said, feigning ignorance. She didn’t seem to notice Vileena glaring her way, either.

“I really haven’t decided what to think of him,” she continued. “Strangely enough, he has the attitude of someone who knows the world, but unbecoming of royal family he – how to say this correctly – sometimes still seems to speak like a child. Oddly, it’s something I worry about. Whether or not he will become a good husband, I’m certain he’s not the type that would fit into the Garberan court, right?”

“I guess he’s just a fool. Judging from all the rumours I’ve heard, it’s not such a big surprise,” Vileena said curtly. “As an enemy, he’s manageable. But it’s true I have to know a lot more details. They say that, in a battle, intelligence is everything, or so grandfather told me.”

“A battle?”

“Yes, a battle so that no more blood will be shed.”

In the days after their arrival at Idoro, Orba did not change for the better. There was hardly anything he could do until the reinforcements arrived from the capital. With his own country still negotiating with the Garberan side, no more than coming to conclude matters, there was nothing he could decide on without permission.

The fortress of Idoro was known to be strong, although it was a little less daunting than Zaim. The ramparts surrounding the urban areas around the fort were laid out in several layers, making it look like a maze. Walking around there in a sightseeing mood, Orba currently had to bring a lot of people along with him.

With his head thinking about the campaign, he was reminded of the skirmishes between the groups he experienced during his childhood, and that he had no more than the knowledge gained from things like hero stories. In any case, even though Orba had to continue being a body double, not for Mephius’ or the crown prince’s sake, but for his own sake, the state of both his head and feet were truly unsteady.

There were also other worries.

One evening, when he walked through the city, he saw that a crowd had formed. On the other side, sword-slaves were being made to walk, hauled off by around ten guardsmen. Their destination was Idoro’s detention facilities.

Despite Ryucown’s treason having come to the surface, and having cleared away the doubts that they were directly involved in the event, this was no excuse for Tarkas having been used for the prince’s assassination, and it seemed to have taken form in having the ownership of his slaves taken away. To make matters worse, the lord of Idoro was known to be the possessor of an extremely cruel disposition toward slaves.

“Lately there’s been rumours that, in order to raise the troop’s morale, all slaves are going to have their heads cut off in front of the soldiers,” Dinn further explained, shuddering.

The gladiators weren’t close friends. On the contrary, even though they’d shared their meals, they also had the kind of relationship that there would be no doubt or hesitation if they were instructed to kill each other on the next day.

But foremost, Orba’s anger was at the nobles who controlled lives and destinies as they wished, so that they truly were not treated the same as the people surrounding them.

“Personal guards under direct command?”

Orba had heard about it at the morning of their third day stay. Dinn had carelessly slipped his tongue while he was helping out with breakfast.

The imperial family, who were authorized to command the army, were able to directly choose their personal guard. The possibility to be chosen as part of the imperial guard was popular among the sons of nobles, with the exception of the eldest sons who would have lose their right of inheritance, but it was also possible to choose people not from such a status, and even give them the position of officer. Prince Gil was given that authority at the age of fifteen, but Dinn said he had not specially employed it.

That evening, Orba left for the detention camp, passing many staircases, for the multiplexed structural arrangement of this fortress was made so to keep the whole of public eye at a distance. A hundred gladiators were tucked away in a cramped room. They looked left and right in confusion at the prince’s sudden appearance, which he thought wouldn’t be so strange if Kain hadn’t been working on an escape plan for the night, and laughed inwardly. Even now, he was cunningly working with dexterous fingers, attempting to escape.

“What!? Are you serious, Orba!?”

Gowen unintentionally raised his voice, before Shique blocked his mouth.

“Yeah, I’m serious.”

“What made you think of something so brash?” Shique, as expected of him, spoke in a hushed voice, but his face looked shocked. “If this is true, don’t you think the people around you will be more suspicious of your true identity.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve been collecting information about the prince. He’s just a huge idiot, and doesn’t even listen to other people’s advice. Actually, this is just the kind of thing such a dim-witted prince would do. I’m thrilled you want to save yourselves, but I’d like to make the gladiators my own personal guards.”

Because the investigation was still going on, Tarkas himself was left in the building, but all of the remaining gladiators were made into Gil Mephius’ personal guards. The company-employed blacksmith who carried out the armour’s repairs, and the girl entrusted in taking care of the dragons, Hou Ran, were also granted the status of Imperial Guard.

One official paper, marked with a sign in the prince’s handwriting, as he was taught by Dinn in these past few days, fully sufficed.
When Fedom found out afterwards, he was obviously in a fit of anger. However, Orba made a face as if to say ‘is something the matter?’.

“Well, now I’ve already done it. When the real prince replaces me in the future, he can undo it or expel them if he wants to. Until then – let’s see – we’re okay on horses and dragons, but could you prepare weapons and armour for them? The ones from the company are all just second-hands. I also want several guns exclusive to the Imperial Guard.”

“Bastard! Mind you – I will remember all of this! Don’t do any more unnecessary things. You can’t even breathe freely without having my direct permission. Don’t forget that your life fully rests on how I feel about you.”

“That feeling’s mutual.”

“What did you say!?”

Despite Dinn anxiously fidgeting around between the two of them, Orba gave Fedom a sharp look.

“You should’ve understood that, right? But fine… I also don’t want to drive myself into a corner any more than necessary. I’ll leave my selfishness up to this extent. Instead, I’ll ask you for the equipment.”

“You mongrel…”

Fedom’s anger, seemingly about to faint anytime soon, also directing his glare at Dinn, and Orba was about to dismiss the grand noble from his room.

“For tomorrow, I’ll do anything you say even if it’s a depressing play. If I truly get carried away and do whatever I want before the first battle, you can give me any scolding you want. So, scoot, scoot! You’re a busy man, aren’t you?”

''Interesting…''

After driving Fedom out, with now Dinn’s scolding going in one ear and out the other, Orba had this thought for the first time since coming into this situation.

In any case, he was the crown prince. While there were many inconveniences, as a commoner he could act as he pleased and do what he liked. Placing gladiators directly under his control as soldiers for instance, although looking back, he couldn’t honestly say that he’d saved from the nobles. But there was also his intention in wanting to know how much was he able to do, and for how long his self-proclaimed owner, Fedom, would permit this pet dog’s ‘biting habits’.

''Even if I find out, I suppose I should be a little bit more careful.''

If Fedom directly saw Orba as a dangerous person, he would probably lose all of this small freedom he currently had. Perhaps even his life. And if that was over, there would’ve been no use to playing those antics.

Two days later, the expeditionary forces arrived from the capital. It had been decided Prince Gil would lead the troops.

Two dragonstone air carriers, 50 dragoons, 150 horsemen, and 500 foot soldiers – a considerable amount to be entrusted to a supreme commander on his first campaign.

The populace packed together at the main street as the troops came striding in, and Orba was looking down at them from the castle balcony. As the airships flew in the sky, the clattering of armour sounded, and a forest of spears and rifles formed in a line, it felt exactly like a scene from the historical novels or heroic tales he’d feasted on during his childhood.

Entranced by that gallant display, Orba’s eyes were gleaming like that of a boy. If seen by his companions from his time as a gladiator, he was certain that they wouldn’t be able to believe he was the same person, and not just because he no longer had a mask.

After that, doing as Fedom told him to, Orba went out to meet them at the castle square. But when his eyes made contact with the flagship’s captain, who had become a great general of long service, at the centre of his troops, the joy and excitement from his childhood vanished at once.

=== Part 2 ===

This was all too unexpected.

Beyond unexpected, he was late in noticing this was the scene that he’d been waiting for all this time.

Clad in simple black armour, standing with his heels together in front of the ‘prince’, the man bowing before him had a characteristic kind of smile that could be taken as arrogance.

That majestic air he had still remained the same as before. Back then, he’d ordered to ‘set fire to the lot’ from horseback.

''Oubary…''

With all his nerves on edge, a wave of heat ran through his body. His throat was dry, and he felt dizzy.

At the same time, all kinds of future possibilities came to mind. Immediately leap at this man and strangle his neck with his bare hands, stab him with his sword, shoot a bullet through his head, or interrogate him about Alice’s, his mother’s, or his brother’s whereabouts – every temptation was twirling through his mind with the same intensity, stirring up, and Orba was thrown away by all of its strength.

But now… as Prince Gil Mephius, instead of choosing such a direct approach without regard to his future, it should be possible to create other options. A crueller, more striking, and more tragic way of chasing down this man.

Orba, standing upright, hardly heard the other person’s greetings. Fedom accepted the greetings on his behalf. When he was informed that there was a party being arranged to feed their courage in the castle hall, Oubary adjutant replied.

“Well, wouldn’t it be as easy to stretch the soldiers’ feathers even when we’re not there? I would like you to immediately hear us out in a war council. There is also a message from His Majesty, Emperor Guhl.”

“Ahh yes, I understand.”

Next to him, cheerfully smiling, Oubary gave the ‘prince’ his greetings.

“It has been a long time, Your Highness. And it is finally the prince’s first campaign. The unworthy me, Oubary, has the privilege to be of your assistance. If nothing more, I will make sure to decorate your first battle with victory.”

For a short while, Orba didn’t say a thing and stared at Oubary’s spread purple lips.

“Yeah…” he said, nodding. “I’ll leave it to you.”

Oubary Bilan, aged 44, was a strong general who had rushed out into the battlefield against Garbera many times over. He had once assumed responsibility of guarding Apta Fortress, but when the Garberran army cut through his forces and started besieging the fortress, he’d immediately pulled back his troops by his own country’s demands. They wanted to cut the Garberan armies in two – namely, get rid of Apta in the early stages, and cross over the border in one sweep where they raided a Garberran strike force prepared to attack Idoro.

This decoy strategy became a similar retaliation strike for Garbera, and Mephius lost part of its southern territory, but it had brought a lot of damage on Garbera in return.

After that, he’d continued at the frontlines, and this time he’d been ordered to accompany the prince on his first campaign.

“So now I have to become this kid’s babysitter?”

Oubary had sullenly spoken those words over his shoulder when he’d received his orders. Although he bragged about being better in fights than anyone else in Mephius, in reality he’d mostly survived by taking the leftover fights.<ref>Actually: 勝ち残り- it’s a term for someone who wins by laying low and then take the finishing blow when necessary, like a kill-stealer.</ref>

Above that, he was also heavily opposed to the peace with Garbera. He was not the kind of man with the guts to openly speak against the emperor, but, for someone who’d been standing on the battlefield since the beginning of this ten-year-war, his irritation for putting an end to it with such halfway measures was all the worse.

He was as much as a reverse rebel.

“It should’ve been left as it was. No, cooperating with these rebels instead and plunging Garbera into a long period of mayhem would’ve been even better. If that was the case, we could’ve increased our military strength and taken over the Garberan capital.”

Although he spoke about such fabrications with resourceful families, as he soon learned of the incident at Seirin Valley, it had gradually changed Oubary’s way of thinking. The scale of the fight was never all that big, but this would no doubt define the positions between the three countries for future relationships.

''Even I’m not a man who can choose his future by himself.''

He had his own ambitions. After the peace talks, a letter directed to him personally had arrived from none other than of the biggest peace opposition in Garbera. Could it have been proof that they were afraid of his name and strength? He could make even more a name of himself, if he would broaden his future course.

On top of that, Oubary also knew the crown prince Gil Mephius’ personality well. He would be headed for a glorious first campaign – after all, that prince wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything by himself. He planned to take away his full authority.

“Ahh, but…” he joked, drinking wine together with his subordinates before leaving the capital. “I will have to make it look like it’s all the prince’s doing. It’ll be troublesome in the future, if I get under his skin.”

That night, a war council was held, and it was proceeding at Oubary’s pace, just as he had intended.

At first, his adjutant announced the results of the conference with Garbera, which he’d brought from the capital. It was decided that they attack the fortress on both sides, where Mephius would advance from the west, and Garbera from the right.

“Does it say anything about sending scouts to Ende?” Simon remarked on Mephius’ marching route along the border of Ende.

If it turned out that Rycown and Ende were having a cooperative relationship, there was the danger that the Mephian army would be the first to receive a surprise attack.

“Although we more than stand out, Ende will not likely rally that easily. But even if that happens they can be expecting a pincer attack in turn.”

“In this case, we can’t expect to rely on even the diplomatic skills our country,” Fedom said, looking out over a map of the surrounding area spread on the desk. “One option might be to send an envoy during the march, in the crown prince’s name.”

“Yes, just to be sure. We can also help by pulling out Idoro’s defence force and have them ensure the line of supplies,” the Lord of Idoro, Julius, agreed to Simon’s appeal.

While the unit’s organization and the talks of deployment started, Oubary fleetingly looked over at the prince. Ever since the war council commenced, he hadn’t spoken a word, but simply had his arms folded, staring ahead of him.

It was obvious from that start that there wasn’t anything he could do, and Oubary secretly smiled inside.

“Do you agree with this, your highness?”

He tried to force him to join the talk. The prince instantly looked his way, but immediately averted his gaze and replied,

“Yeah.”

After that, he continued to say nothing more. All of the commanding officers present at the war council exchanged glances.

''Keep up that attitude, your imperial highness…''

Crossing both arms, which were not covered by his leather undershirt, Oubary was barely able to suppress the smile that almost came to the surface.

''You should just leave everything to Oubary after this. Well, although at most, getting a ‘fair achievement for the prince’ will rattle my brains a little. I think it will be a difficult battle not to lose a single soldier.''

While Prince Gil was being exposed to the older man’s gaze, he – Orba – was digging his nails into his arms.

A little while ago, it had taken him full concentration, and great effort not to look at Oubary. He had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to stay calm if he looked at his face right now. He had almost lost his self-control just by hearing his voice. Above all, this small room was the worst. Even if he averted his eyes, the murmurs and every breath Oubary took reached Orba’s ears.

His heart had been jumping around so much that it hurt, and his blood seemed to be rushing to every corner of his body, more than it should be able to. They were preparing for a confrontation. His entire body was giving him the sign to go. His arms, legs, and every fibre of his muscles that he’d been training for a period of two years were telling him to kill this bastard right now.

The colour of flames, the acrid smoke, Alice being taken away, and the charred bodies of the villagers were recurring in his head. And his brother Roan, who smiled whenever he called out his name.

Oubary had ditched his brother, who shouldn’t have had to pick up a sword and gone into battle for his family’s sake in the first place. And the careless survivor, Orba, was now near him. The survivor of that smoking village back then, who hadn’t for one in a thousand thoughts imagined to have him this close within reach!

Was there really a reason to show this guy any sympathy?

Was there any reason for showing him mercy and having him live longer for even one second?

''Kill him.''

There was a whispering voice in the back of his mind. It quickly turned into a shout, and before long it became a chorus of voices with a thunderous tempo and rhythm.

''Kill him.''

''You can kill him now – you can kill him!''

''Now! Kill him!!''

That instant, Orba stood up from his seat.

The discussion stopped, and everyone fixed their eyes on him.

Then, there was a knock on the door.

“…What?” Orba asked in response.

He had just been about to leave the room. If he would stay hear any longer, he feared he would no longer be able to restrain himself. However, when he heard a voice telling him Princess Vileena was in the next room, again in response, he was forced to stand his ground.

“Oh, what business does a Garberan princess have in a war council?” Oubary said, deliberately sounding denigrating. Then he jokingly added, “Could it be she’s gotten worried that we might be bullying her husband? Well, my image isn’t very good. I haven’t even once left a good first impression on any woman I’ve met.”

A few people laughed in response.

“Let her go back,” Fedom said.

“No,” Simon pitched in. “She’s a key ally. We can’t ignore her. Let her in. Do you mind, prince?”

Orba didn’t have a reason or the willpower to refuse. So, he nodded and sat back down.

Before long, Vileena came in by herself. At a place for men, and a place to speak of war, there was a strange feeling of discomfort about a princess’s interference. Whether or not she was aware of it, Vileena’s innocent, beautiful features were radiating the colour of determination, like that one day.

“People of Mephius. First of all, please forgive a woman’s impertinent words at the place of a war council. Such a thing is exceptional in Garbera as well. With this, I – Vileena Owell – bare shame upon myself.”

Several minutes after, despite their glaring eyes, the military officers were all insincerely putting her at ease and commenting about how her enthusiastic attitude received praise.

The Princess of Garbera, wanting to avoid a solution by military means, insisted on letting her persuade Ryucown by herself. If it came to a head-on collision, no matter which camp had the advantage, Garberan lands would burn and its people die. However, Ryucown was a patriotic knight who was concerned about Garbera’s future. That belief had gone too far this time and had caused such an act of folly. Thus, the young princess wielded in her fervent speech that they should turn him back to his righteous self.

“Of course, the crime of aiming for the life of the Gracious Heir to the Mephius Empire’s throne is severe. I am willing to seek the Mephius’ support on how to deal with the ringleaders, starting with Ryucown. I am definitely aware this is not matter for Garbera alone. Therefore…”

“Right now, that is for talks after the war,” the winged dragon officer, Rogue Saian, cut in.

Although the others sent reproachful looks his way as he stood up, it was obvious they were all cheering him on in their hearts.

“This is our retaliation for the attack on our imperial family. It’s been clear from the beginning that this was never a matter for Garbera alone!”

As the most established among Mephius’ twelve generals, even Oubary sometimes came to him for instructions or to ask for advice. It wasn’t clear if he was older or younger than Gowen – even at a war council, he was fully clad in the heavyset armour of his ancestors. It looked like he had the spirit of a true warrior at heart.

Vileena, facing him, hardly knew a thing about war, and no matter how much her young zeal burned, she would be highly judged for being a princess of her age. Her mouth was already filled with words to bring forth an immediate rebuttal.

But the other generals, stirred up by the veteran’s spirit, spoke up instead.

“Garbera may see the Mephian army marching into their lands to quell Ryucown’s rebellion as quite worrying, but we’re not brigands. We’re not like thieves that take advantage of a fire and lay waste to Garberan lands.”

“Apart from that, Garbera itself has given our advance their consent. It’s best if we don’t hinder the organisation between countries just from a single princess’ ideas.”

“T-That’s,” Vileena said, bending forward. “At least let me have the privilege of accompanying this campaign. I also don’t think I can do this alone. However, it’s impossible for me to stand by and keep quiet in a quarrel between my own kinsmen.”

The soldiers and senior statesmen again exchanged glances.

Oh dear – this princess was proving to be most troublesome.

“There’s no reason to stand by and keep quiet, Princess Vileena, as your father has requested our cooperation.”

“Besides,” Oubary said, smoothing things over. “For our country, the princess still holds the importance of being in preparation for marrying the prince. We can’t very well do something like taking you along to the battlefield.”

Vileena lowered her head. Orba remembered that expression where she tightly bit her lip. For a woman as smart as her, she ought to be heavily aware of how her appearance and intervention at a war council was considered a nuisance. And yet, she couldn’t keep quiet. She still wasn’t held back.

''Her royal duties…''

The words Vileena had spoken were brought back in his mind. Something unwavering and unshakable – not for him, but rather for Vileena – seemed to be hidden in those words. And at the same time, for each and every human, to know what kind of person you really are was too difficult a question for only one person to hold. Not knowing what to do with those feelings in his heart, he thought back on that time when he looked up at the night sky with his brother Roan.

''Very well, then. Your beliefs – let me test them out.''

“So, you can leave.”

“Please wait and have trust in your father, and your future husband.”

“Wait. Everyone, please—” Vileena brought herself forward even more.

It was as if she still hadn’t realised the indifferent, fed-up mood that hung in the air, when,

“Let’s have the princess accompany us,” he said.
[[Image:Rakuin no Monshou v01 229.jpg|thumb]]

Everyone turned to stare at the prince looking as if they’d just suddenly been struck by an arrow. Some of them looked amazed, wondering whether they should be the ones to first open their mouths.

“Your Highness,” Oubary said after some time, showing quite a controlling presence, and a slightly chiding smile. “I’m sure that, if she’s at your side, you will have the ferocity of a lion on the battlefield. But, although you may win the princess’s heart, the battlefield has its ironbound rules. I beg of you, do not act rashly. How about choosing a more suitable place for your honeymoon later?”

His words invited some unintentional smiles from the senior statesmen.

“Let’s have Princess Vileena as our standard-bearer.”

They once again looked the prince’s way. He had his arms crossed and was staring ahead, just like before.

“Many Garberan soldiers are probably as anxious as the princess about the coming battle. I don’t believe it’s good if they’re having doubts. There are also uncertainties on our side on whether or not this cooperation will work out.”

“……”

“If we have Princess Vileena as our standard-bearer among them, it will carry the same meaning for both the armies of Mephius and Garbera. Ryucown himself might agree on a assembly with Princess Vileena, but if he doesn’t comply it means he’s nothing more than a mere rebel. Thus, it will also clear away all doubts the Garberan army may have about this battle if we eventually force Ryucown to surrender his forces in a righteous way.”

Including Vileena, nobody was able to utter a sound.

Oubary stared fixedly at the prince’s face from the side, and the prince fleetingly glanced his way. Instantly, the prince looked away again, but Oubary was startled to see the hostility in his eyes. He could’ve been mistaken. However, Oubary secretly broke out in a cold sweat.

As the silence continued, from far away, the noise of the party and sound of flutes at the castle’s reception hall, was riding in with the evening breeze.

=== Part 3 ===

Five days later, the campaign force had finished its preparations and started out from the fortress. A line of defence stretched out from Idoro fortress, standing ready for any surprise attacks from Ende while they crossed the Garberan border.

Prince Gil was on the bridge of the flagship Dhum. Although Orba had watched ships go up into the sky several times, this was, of course, the first time he had ever boarded one.

Dhum was a large dragonstone ship that could house up to two hundred soldiers. The ship was currently gliding close over the ground, but its top speed was at 90 kilometres an hour<ref>56 mph</ref>, and it could rise two kilometres above ground. Considering it was a ship this large, it was most likely a top performer amongst its class.

Dhum and the single-seated airships, which were all called dragonstone ships, were the result of ‘magic’. The science that mankind had back when it crossed the ocean of space, had already declined.

This is the history of more than hundreds, thousands of years ago, that was passed on…

Seeking an environment to emigrate to, mankind had started on a journey from Earth into space, and in the end, they finally arrived at this planet.

It would’ve only be natural for everyone to try and re-establish the same scientific culture here, but the frequent raids of a subhuman race – the Ryuujin tribe – claiming to be descendants of the dragon gods, soon depleted the weapons and energy that were piled up in their spaceship. Also, because the properties of the resources they mined on this planet greatly differed from those on Earth, it was getting close to impossible to restore the civilization from the Earth Era.

At that time, while they held back a fifth consecutive invasion from the Ryuujin tribe, there was a sage named Zodias, later to be known as the King of Magic.

Zodias was originally a researcher on the historic ruins scattered across the planet. He was trying to unravel the secrets of the civilization in which the dragon gods had once prospered. The uncovered artifacts, of uncertain usage, greatly differed from Earth’s science and he was convinced they held some sort of power.

He discovered that the mechanism, a substance poured down with the sun and vaporizing in the sea, had an entirely different nature. It couldn’t be detected even with the science and technology of Earth, but Zodias, furthering his investigation on the artifacts, named that substance ‘ether’.

In response to the artifacts, ether caused various physical reactions. Fire, explosions, water purification, repulsion to geomagnetism, and a rise or fall in temperature… Based on various experimental results, Zodias successfully created new objects that were similar in nature to the artifacts, and was able to wield ‘magic’ in causing the phenomena he wanted.

With the use of this magic, Zodias managed to send the Ryuujin Tribe back to the ends of the earth and reigned as a new king that unified almost all of the lands on the planet. That prosperity and what would ultimately cause the downfall of the Zodias era, however, is yet another story.

Anyhow, the vehicles that have the ability to suspend above ground and go through the sky on this planet, like the airships and air frigates, aren’t science, but an inheritance from the magic that Zodias gave birth to.

In order to acquire floating ability, a power to repel the gravitational force is created with the use of ether, and when it flies, ether is radiated and scattered about. Of course, when the ether runs dry it will lose its ability to float, and the more it rises in altitude, the more the power to repel gravity loses its strength.

These ships are generally called ‘dragonstone ships’ because the skeletal frame of these ships is made of the so-called weightless metal that’s being refined from the dragonbone fossils excavated from the ancient layers of the earth.

These days, good dragonstone was a valuable resource, all the more because of the occurrence of ether depleting worldwide, which also caused the magic civilization to decline. And, even though it couldn’t be mass produced, it was certainly a indispensable military power to have on hand.

Orba would show up on the bridge, for about several hours a day, before heading back to his room to rest. This was also what Fedom had suggested, after all, as he’d put it, ‘you can’t make mistakes when you don’t show your face’.

Orba found it convenient. Having all eyes upon him just for sitting still and staring ahead of him went against his nature and, moreover, he had been deep in thought these last few days.

Mephius, Ende, Garbera, and Ryucown.

He wanted to know their strengths and characteristics. Because he was unsure of his own knowledge of them, he had Dinn, who had received a much higher education than he, and Gown and Shique, who said they’d lived in other lands before serving under the Tarkas Group, supplement him.

First of all, from Garbera’s point of view, they obviously couldn’t ignore Ryucown’s rebellion. However, as only one country, they would be at an overwhelming disadvantage if Ende participated in the war. In the likely event that Ende ''did'' have ties with Ryucown, they might also take the opportunity to take the next step and advance on the capital.

But what Garbera feared above all was internal discord. There were many vigorous, energetic youths within the country that had gathered under Ryucown and believed they ought to attack Mephius. It might even be possible that they’d abandon the royal family at the capital, and form a new royal family by exploiting Vileena’s and Ryucown’s marriage.

“Concerning Mephius,” Gowen analysed. “They hope to strengthen their alliance when the marriage is concluded as it is after defeating Ryucown here as a team. They will also be prepared to face off against Ende, and they have the opportunity to place Garbera indebted to them with the current campaign.”

On the other hand, if the wedding didn’t hold, the territory of Garbera would be split in two, between the royal family and Ryucown, which wasn’t so bad either. If it so happened that the alliance got annulled, Mephius might possibly be approached by Ende instead, setting their sights on collaborating with Mephius instead if it could make a change to their own country’s advantage.

But in that case, there was another risk.

“In contrast to what you just said, should Ryucown obtain Princess Vileena, they could unify the whole country with the cooperation of Ende.”
What they thought and how they moved – many routes were open before them, and they also had to consider the actions among each of these movements.

“Gowen, isn’t Iver originally from Garbera?” Orba suddenly said, mentioning a gladiator’s name.

“Ahh. He did work as a mercenary, but he said it didn’t fill his plate, so he became a bandit.”

“Seriously, you're thinking of slipping him over to Ryucown’s side? But they’re a hard-knit bunch of guys, he’ll be noticed right away.”

“Not if it’s in the midst of a chaotic battle, don’t you think?”

Orba immediately summoned Iver, and gave him some instructions. Of course, he did all of this as a ‘prince’. The only sword-slave who knew about his real identity was Shique.

Half a day after they crossed the border, the Mephian army was lined up on a hill that overlooked Zaim Fortress. They had their artillery ready for the siege.

The allied forces of Garbera were south of the fortress, and it took them about three hours to set up their battle formations on the plains next to it. Mephius had sent an envoy to Ryucown. This was to tell them that Princess Vileena was aboard their flagship, and to endorse them to surrender.

The envoy came back in less than an hour. But, although they’d headed off with three people, only one of them had been allowed to return. The face of the man who’d arrived on his knees at the bridge was pale.

“Rescuing Princess Vileena from the dastardly Mephians that hold her hostage is our most pressing concern. Although the princess will receive a hearty welcome if she wishes to take the trouble to come over, we will never allow any Mephian to set foot within this fortress.”

Along with the envoy’s message, Orba was handed a set of binoculars from one of the non-commissioned officers<ref>JP: 下士官 Lit. 'low officer'. In Edo-Japan this was a term for one who was enlisted as an officer, but not of noble birth.</ref>. When he looked through, he saw two spears raised on top of the fort. There were freshly severed heads hoisted at the tips. It was Ryucown’s reply.

“Now this man’s a rebel to his lord – isn’t he, prince?” Oubary said as he peered through a similar pair of binoculars. He hadn’t believed from the beginning that a ‘just cause’ like this would have the Garberan side working together with them on this.

“Our military force is greater,” he continued. “All right. Let’s start attacking them on from both sides immediately. If we waste any more time, Ende could send reinforcements over to Ryucown’s aid.”

Thinking that the prince’s excessive ‘meddling’ had ended with this, Oubary immediately gave the order to advance. With this, the prince’s abundant meddling (speaking voice) came to an end, it looked like he immediately gave Oubary the order to march. However, Orba interrupted him, saying,

“Wait.”

Everyone on the bridge, including the generals, looked at him with puzzled looks.

“First, let’s make sure that the Garberan side is ready as well.”

The opening of the battle commenced just before sunset. The Garberan troops went for the attack from the south, while the Mephian army held back to provide covering fire. However, some of it, as the Mephius’ encampment was further from the fortress, had little effect.

The dragoons clashed with each other on the middle of the plains. There was a clash of weapons scattering, as spearheads ran through the enemies’ heads, making them flutter through the air.

There was an iron solidarity and teamwork among Ryucown’s forces. Arrows shot out from the fortress as the Garberan forces tried to advance, and there were bursts of gunfire here and there on the plains – scattering about the flesh of dragons, horses, and humans.

Furthermore, while the aerial forces was mainly on standby up in the air, sometimes they would swoop in to attack at the right time. Additionally, Ryucown’s soldiers who had set up small bases around the fort, performed back-up by gunfire. It was an exquisite arrangement. The Garberan troops were at a standstill, and the aerial forces on Garbera’s side were also the victim of gunfire. They had fallen to a state where they couldn’t receive their ally’s support either.

“What the hell’s Mephius doing!?”

“Gahh, we’re at our limits! Fall back, fall back!!”

“Lift the dragonstone ships – withdraw under the cover of their cannons! Tell them not to go in too deep!!”

In the end, most of the Garberan army couldn’t advance, and two hours passed before they were back at their main camps. They had personally confirmed the robustness of the fortress that they’d built themselves.

It grew silent again around Zaim Fortress. Here and there, the torches inside the fort were extinguished, but one could easily perceive that they were diligently standing on guard.

Several hours after the evening battle, a Garberan messenger had headed for Dhum’s direction. He came to complain and to reconfirm their strategy. Orba had left everything up to Fedom, while he himself examined the map at the bridge.

There were also several captains gathered at the war council, but Orba hardly spoke a word. Even so, at the end, he didn’t give them the final permission to advance. Despite the confusion and doubt, most of them had feelings of anger.

“Is this supposed to be Prince Gil’s first campaign?” Oubary murmured almost to himself. A sneer was stuck to the edge of his lips. “I wonder whether him being unreasonable is a form of caution. And we are supposed to tell this to all of the soldiers and hope that, at the most, our caution isn’t taken cowardice.”

After the war council,

“What are you scheming?”Fedom said, having appeared at the ship’s room that was assigned to the prince. “Have you lost your nerves? If nothing else, I’m not telling you to do a bloody suicide attack. Just leave it to me. If you do any more of these selfish actions, I’m really going to have your head!”

His cheeks were quivering in anger as he spoke, but in the end, this was a battlefield. The real prince wasn’t even in the area. Orba didn’t think Fedom could do anything to him in the current situation.

After Fedom left, Gowen posed a question.

“We also don’t know what on earth you’re thinking. To whom do you actually feel the need to show mercy?”

“It has nothing to do with showing mercy. I’m sorry, but I’m in a position where I can’t tell friend from foe.”

“Friend, foe? Are you talking about Garbera?”

“Them too.”

It wasn’t only Orba who didn’t have confidence in the Garberan forces. Actually, the long-serving general Rogue Saian was watching signs among the Garberan camp, aside from the enemy’s movements. Although the amount of people who would contemplate betrayal was probably no more than a tenth, if they turned coat in the middle of the battle, they could very well suffer a great deal of harm. The emotional unrest could be huge. And if Ryucown pulled out his forces at that very moment, they might cut through to them in no time.

“However, you don’t plan on taking your time and keep besieging them, do you?” Shique said. “If they ''do'' receive supplies from Ende, this will drag on and on, and the morale on Garbera’s side will plummet. If Ryucown remains, more civil wars will break out over the place, and it might even escalate to a war that splits up their entire country.”

“It won’t just end with those who consider changing sides raiding our camp at night. They’d want to take Prince Gil’s head, rescue Princess Vileena – things like that.”

When he heard Gowen’s words, Orba grinned. If an opponent had seen him like this during his time as a gladiator, and Orba hadn’t been wearing a mask, he would surely fly into a rage. After all, it was the type of smile that seemed to terribly belittle the opponent.

“It’s ''still'' fine. Because I was ''still'' waiting for exactly ''this'' moment to arrive.”

Gowen let out a groan – Shique also wondered whether this was some sort of joke – and got a mixed look on his face.

“Orba, you can’t be! Is this why you brought the princess along?”

“Who knows.”

Not knowing friend from foe didn’t only apply to Garbera. He was still not able to grasp the full picture of what happened at Seirin Valley, and Orba – or rather Prince Gil – couldn’t put much trust in the Mephian army from the beginning. He wasn’t able to make a move with the situation unclear on whoever bound his hands and feet, and whoever was pulling the strings.

Rather than explaining how many tricks he still had up his sleeves, Orba said,

“These soldiers, who are ‘accustomed’ to fighting without knowing anything, are different. I don’t have nerves that thick.”

This was actually his only true motive. For he had fully realized what it was had been lost to him before.

Strengthen your own position, know your friends and your enemies, and collect various information, large and small – if he could pile up all that information into a stronghold, even bold actions would have their effect. Without any of that, he wasn’t any different than an fool going in for a suicide attack.

''Be discreet before you start a fight. If will be thorough and fast. You don’t have time for thoughts when you’re at that point, do you? So the only time you have to think, is now.''

Orba thought, staring fixedly out of a window that was furnished in his room.

<noinclude>

===References and Translation Notes===
<references/>

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| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
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</noinclude>

Talk:Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter5

2013-08-21T23:01:22Z

Multipartite: /* Part 3 */ (Added another indentation for clearer reading.)

Talk:Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter5

2013-08-21T22:16:12Z

Multipartite: /* Part 3 */ '手足' phrases.

== Part 1 ==
I'll start out by opening two things for discussion. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]] ([[User talk:Dohma|talk]]) 07:32, 23 July 2013 (CDT)

'''Orba, not losing out in being irritated...''' (オルバも負けず苛立っていたのは) 
I can’t find a good English equivalent. What it means is that Orba didn’t lose from Fedom in being irritated. Is there a better way to put this?

'''“Theresia, how old did you become?”''' (テレジアは、いくつになったのだったか？) 
I first thought it was to be supposed Theresia's birthday or something, but it's a more polite way of saying 'how old are you?'. Basically 'how old have you become (over the years)'. If someone has a better way of saying it like this, please tell me.

:For the first, I would suggest "Orba, no less irritated"; also, as an incidental note, that would be 'didn't lose to Fedom in being irritated' rather than 'didn't lose from Fedom in being irritated'. For the second, I suspect "How old are you now?" is slightly better than 'How old are you?', as it preserves the 'acknowledgement of the other having been a different age at a previous meeting', whereas 'How old are you?' is more appropriate when meeting someone for the first time. -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 08:04, 23 July 2013 (CDT)

Those are great suggestions Multipartite.[[User:Tasear|Tasear]] ([[User talk:Tasear|talk]]))

* I agree, thanks. I edited the text by your suggestions. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]] ([[User talk:Dohma|talk]]) 09:18, 29 July 2013 (CDT)

I guess I should post the responses to your inlines here from now on. And what better way to take a break from translating than to edit! Well, Chapter 2 is......slowly coming along. --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]] ([[User talk:Detalz|talk]]) 20:43, 30 July 2013 (CDT) 
'''Thinking it was surely important for people to look at oneself, something seemed to trouble her heart.''' Raw: 振り返ればあれは確かに本人たちにとっては大事だったのだと思える悩みに胸を焦がす、美しい少女の姿。
*振り返る is a conjugated verb meaning 'to turn around, to turn one's head'. Here's a rough translation from my part, "It was apparent to anyone who so much as turned around that she was worriedly longed for something precious to her; it was the form of a beautiful girl." (Note: You might have moved 'beautiful girl' part to the previous sentence.)
:* Yeah, I split the sentence in two and moved the 'beautiful girl' part up front because that was what the beginning of the sentence refers to. I combined the sentences again and used your suggestion. Thanks. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

''“Well… when you reach the latter half of your forties, you eventually stop counting. Then it’s natural to look forward to continue on at that age forever.”''
*There's nothing wrong here, but consider using 'normal' in place of 'natural' for certain instances of 当然. It might be me, but the author overuses it more than necessary.
:* No you're right, the author uses other terms a lot too (I actually just think it's the difference between Japanese and English) that will sound strained if you keep translating them 'correctly'. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

'''“As for tomorrow, you’ll do anything I say even if it’s a depressing play. Don’t let me receive a scolding because of you before the first battle – after that you can get carried away and do whatever you want. So, I’m going! You’ll be occupied, don’t you think?”'''
*Pretty sure it's Orba, and not Fedom speaking. That's why you're so confused. I recommend "Scoot scoot. You're a busy man, right?" for the last two sentences.
:* I was actually unsure whether it was Orba or Fedom saying this sentence. The second sentence puzzled me, so I opted for Fedom. However, Orba being the one speaking makes more sense and I somehow made it work. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

Sorry to bother everyone. "But when his eyes made contact with flagship’s captain" This is what the original reads. I believe that it should read "But when his eyes made contact with the flagship’s captain" because the word "flagship" isn't the name of the ship it needs the definite article "the". Please correct me if I'm wrong. - [[User:shirofune|shirofune]]
*Don't worry about bothering us. Discussions of revisions are welcome, and you're free to post them here is you're unsure. You were right, and it was probably just a typo on Dohma's part. Thanks for fixing it. --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]] ([[User talk:Detalz|talk]]) 19:33, 31 July 2013 (CDT)

== Part 2 ==

There's some expressions in this chapter which I could use a little help on suggestions. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]] ([[User talk:Dohma|talk]]) 15:25, 2 August 2013 (CDT)

*「ああ、'''あいわかり申した'''」 'Ahh, I understand'
:It's actually much more polite, like 'duly understood'. But the latter feels a bit strange in this context, because Fedom is higher in rank than the one he speaks to. Leaving it like this could also just be fine. It's just that Fedom speaks rather politely when talking with certain people, and rather impolitely when talking to others - especially Orba.
:*"Ahh, your words have been received," is the only other possible phrase I can think of. It is a litte indirect, but can be considered more polite. My guess for his being polite, is because Oubary carries a message from the emperor, and to be rude to a messenger is to insult the person who sent it. --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]]

:*About the "Ahh, I understand" bit, I believe it is natural that Fedom is polite because Oubary is also in the same room within earshot. It would arouse suspicion if Fedom were impolite because at that time Orba was still pretending to be the prince. Please correct me if I'm wrong because I don't know a word of Japanese. ~[[user:shirofune|shirofune]]

::* Looked it up some more, but Fedom is not being overly polite after all, he's just being formal - which isn't strange considering the circumstances. あいわかり (相分かる) is just a more formal way of saying I understand but with the explicit meaning that you comprehend something. 申した is a formal way of saying "I do". So he says something like 'I do understand', and he's saying it this way to indicate that he understands they can't go to the banquet because the Emperor's letter is of more importance here. I like "your words have been received" but I think it strays too far from the original meaning, so I simply made a minor change to "Ah yes, I understand." The subtle formality will be a bit lost in the translation, but that's probably how people would react in English as well. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

*「'''頼む'''」 'Leave it to me'
:It's a rather free translation. It could mean 'leave it to me', 'count on me', 'rely on me' or anything in this regard. I'm assuming it's Oubary saying this, but it could also be Orba I suppose (then it would be 'I'll rely on you'). However, in that case I suspect it would have been よろしく instead, and it wouldn't have been on a separate line.
:*I think Orba is one who says it. The reason for the different line is probably because of a pause between "Yeah..." and "I'll leave it to you." Also, Orba speaks this way because he knows he has to act the role of the prince just as Fedom wants to, in the presence of others. If it were Oubary speaking, 任せる would have been much more appropriate. I can't actually imagine a person of lower rank saying 頼む to one of higher rank. --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]]
::* Yeah, Orba saying this fits better. And 頼む sort of comes off as a way of saying 'thanks' which would be strange in Orba's regard. Changed it. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

*'''勝ち残り''' 'taking the leftover fights'
:Also see the reference note. It’s a term for someone who wins by laying low and then take the finishing blow when necessary, like a kill-stealer. Suggestions for a nice English idiom or expression are welcome.
:*I actually like it the way it is. The only idioms I can think of remotely close to this are "taking the easy way out" and "reaping other's rewards". --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]]
::* I'll keep it like this then, and leave the reference note for those interested. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

*'''へそを曲げられて'''も、のちのち厄介だ 'It’ll be troublesome in the future, if I get him angry.'
:Literally 'to bend someone’s bellybutton', which means ‘to make someone angry/irritated’. Does anyone have a nice English idiom for this? Because just leaving it like this doesn't really give much credit to the original in my opinion. I considered 'ruffle one's feathers' but that seems a little too mild in this case.
:*You could consider "get on his bad side" or "get under his skin." --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]]
::* "get under his skin" was what I was looking for, thanks! --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

'''Oubary was having cold sweat under his clothes''' 服の下にじっとりと冷たい汗を搔いていた
It says this literally (Oubary had damp cold sweat running under his clothes), but 'under his clothes' sounds a bit strange in my opinion. [[User:Dohma|Dohma]]
*Yea, it definitely sounds weird worded like that. I would go with something like "He secretly broke off into a cold sweat." --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]] ([[User talk:Detalz|talk]]) 20:54, 13 August 2013 (CDT)
:* Then I'll go with that. But, just to make sure, isn't it "break out in a cold sweat"? --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]] ([[User talk:Dohma|talk]]) 07:43, 14 August 2013 (CDT)
::*Yep, that's the original phrase. I like to use "broke off" for past tense, since it usually implies it was triggered by some event. "He was secretly breaking out into a ocld sweat" or the one above, because the idiom can also be used to describe perspiration while ill or with related sleep troubles. So I like to make that minor indication by changing 'out' to 'off'. Either one works. --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]] ([[User talk:Detalz|talk]]) 12:12, 14 August 2013 (CDT)
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Hello, reader here/wandering editor. In this sentence: “It might be an idea to send an envoy during the march, in the crown prince’s name.” I think the context implies that an adverb is used before '''idea'''. I am not sure which exact adverb it is but it should be ''better'' or ''safe''. So it will look like “It might be a '''better''' idea to send an envoy during the march, in the crown prince’s name.” or “It might be a '''safer''' idea to send an envoy during the march, in the crown prince’s name.” I just noticed this and is totally up to you guys to change it or leave it. Thanks for translating this interesting Light Novel.[[User:Stratos|Stratos]] ([[User talk:Stratos|talk]]) 07:42, 18 August 2013 (CDT)

* The raw literally says 'sending an envoy in the crown prince's name may (also) be one of our hands' (皇太子の御名で使者を送るのも手のひとつでしょう), but it is sort of said as a suggestion and there's no English equivalent for this usage of 'hand', which is why I translated it as 'it might be an idea'. But looking back on it now, "One option might be... etc." probably fits the situation better. Thanks for the comment. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]] ([[User talk:Dohma|talk]]) 05:26, 19 August 2013 (CDT)

== Part 3 ==

non-commissioned officer (下士官)
* In Edo-Japan this was a term for one who was enlisted as an officer, but not of noble birth. I believe it’s also the highest rank a commoner could get. I’m not sure if it’s the same, or if he’s just one rank lower than an officer in Mephian terms. Non-commissioned officer sounds a bit strange I think (but it's what my dictionary says, next to 'petty officer' and 'enlisted officer'), but I wonder if there's a better English equivalent. Suggestions anyone?

He wasn’t able to make a move with the situation unclear on '''whoever bound his hands and feet, and whoever was pulling the strings'''.
'''誰がいつ自分の手足になってくれるのか、誰がいつ自分の手足を逆に引っぱるのか'''、それもはっきりしない状態では動きようがなかった。
* I actually translated this very freely because I didn't really understand the above expression in bold, this sounded best in my opinion considering the context.
:"He wasn’t able to make a move with the situation unclear on who would become his hands and feet, and who would instead tie them up."; a more free translation might be "He wasn’t able to make a move with the situation unclear on who would become his limbs, and who would instead pull his legs out from under him.". To become someone's 手足 is like becoming their eyes--namely, to act according to their will and so doing aid them. The '逆に' is 'by contrast', and to (strongly) pull on one's limbs is like ashimatoi, namely (metaphorically) hindering one's free movement. He doesn't know who he can and can't rely on. -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 17:16, 21 August 2013 (CDT)

Talk:Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 1 Chapter 5

2013-08-21T22:09:17Z

Multipartite: 'just barely valued'?

User talk:Multipartite

2013-08-21T21:59:27Z

Multipartite: /* Request */ 'atomodori' thoughts.