AFTERWORD

Hello for the first time since last month. Mamare Touno here.

Thank you very much for buying Log Horizon, Vol. 4: Game’s End, Part 2. This is the direct sequel to Log Horizon, Vol. 3: Game’s End, Part 1, which went on sale last month. Catch the punch line for everything that happened last month in this volume! As with the previous volume, there’s a ton of content in this one, too.

In the average Log Horizon afterword, starting about here, the point is for me to run on and on about my little sister (the truth is out!), but this time it’s going to be a bit more like a report.

As a matter of fact, I got outed to my relatives.

For the eight months since Maoyuu, I’d lived as though I hadn’t had a book published, but now my entire family is wise to it.

“Hm. Did you get it released through Iwanami or one of those places?” said my uncle, and I just about keeled over. No, sir, I did not. I mean, it isn’t academic or a thesis or anything. It’s a much lighter book. Light, raito. And I don’t mean it illuminates things, or that it’s correct. And no, it cannot fly. And anyway, we’re brother and sister, not two brothers.

I mean, really, it’s light, and when I say light, consider that lite. It’s not butter, it’s margarine. The low-calorie, plant-based stuff.

I’d be grateful if you’d just let the content pass without remark. Not that it’s anything embarrassing… I say, completely on the defensive.

Anyway, it all began with a direct comment straight out of left field from my middle-schooler nephew at our family meeting. Busted by Twitter, apparently. I guess it’s only natural, after I blabbed all that local information, but still. As an alumnus of Saint Francis Preschool, I did consider administering education on becoming silent, but the fact that he’s also a valued reader put me in a bit of a bind.

As I was dealing with that, the entire coalition of relatives stormed me with a public interview session.

“What sort of books are you writing?”

“Is it something they sell in bookstores?”

“You sure they’re not pulling your leg?”

“I wonder if we should hand them out to the neighbors…”

“Go buy me some ice cream.”

What awful abuse to inflict on a social recluse.

It wasn’t as if I’d done anything wrong, so why was I meekly listening to sermons from relatives? Because I’d kept it a secret. Only it wasn’t like I was actively trying to hide it…Th-th-they just didn’t ask me, all right?! …I say, giving pointlessly tsundere responses, completely flustered.

The one who really surprised me was Sister Touno.

Get this: My sister stuck her tongue out and said, “I knew.”

Why, little sister? Tell me these things, little sister.

I did ask, and apparently she had caught on when the complimentary copies were delivered. I just assumed she hadn’t noticed.

And then, Sister Touno…

“The main character is a virgin, and it’s about him making out with a lady with big boobs.”

…laid down some covering fire for me, and I was terribly grateful. Thanks to that, the family meeting underwent a miraculous transformation from public Q&A to public execution. The skillful remodel moved me to tears.

Personally, the line I really can’t forget is my uncle’s “Don’t tell me you still haven’t…” Do they think I’m a magician? This is going to end in tears, you know.

Sister Touno’s surprise attack landed me at death’s door.

And so, after the family meeting ended, the two of us had words on our way home.

She really ripped me a new one: “You’re stupid, stupid brother, and you have lousy taste in shoes” and “Hermit” and “Go buy a new refrigerator.”

This even though Sister Touno loves red pickled ginger so much that she started eating it and—“Big brother! Big brother! This is really, really good!”—ate her way through the entire bag (a business-use pack we bought at Okachimachi Niki Sweets). Even though, up until just a little bit ago, she thought psychology meant “not very popular at all, to the point where you’re really and truly alone.” Even though she sings Doraemon songs in the bathroom.

But the cat was out of the bag anyway, so I asked her if she wanted a copy of Log Horizon. And she gave this great big sneer and said, “I already bought one, so I don’t need it.” So I’ll forgive her.

Even though she’s a seriously annoying little sister.

All right: Touno family meeting aside, this is Log Horizon, Vol. 4.

In this volume, I cover the battle against the goblins and sahuagins that are invading the Zantleaf Peninsula. Minori and Touya and the rest of the newbie party worked really hard in the last volume, and they’re still at it! Master Shiroe was messing around dancing at balls with beautiful women, but he’s active in this one, too.

The world is overflowing with “best-laid plans” that don’t work out, but for that very reason, when you’ve made up your mind to do something, if you believe it’s the right thing to do, then it’s okay to go all out. That’s what this volume is about. Even going all-out may not pay off in the end, but precisely because that’s the case, the freedom to decide to give it everything you’ve got and take action belongs to you. In other words, it’s all right to lay those plans. Both the newbies and the Akibans are giving it all they’ve got.

This has been Volume 4, during which I thought, I’m going to have to give it everything I’ve got, too, or else.

The items listed on the character status screens at the beginning of each chapter in this volume were collected on Twitter in July and August 2011. I used items from bad_blade, ebius1, ginnoougi, gontan_, hige_mg, hpsuke, iron007dd22, kuroyagi6, makotoTRPG, nekoanagi, roki_a, sawame_ja, sin_217, tepan00 and vaiso. Thank you very much!! I can’t list all your names here, but I’m grateful to everyone who submitted entries. Log Horizon is created through your support.

Those of you who became Log Horizon fans through the printed editions, stop by the website, too! Visit http://mamare.net. You’ll find the latest information there, including news about the series. Information on the comic adaptation is there as well. I’ll also have a big announcement to make soon!

…And finally. Shoji Masuda, who produced this volume, too; Kazuhiro Hara, who poured his heart and soul into drawing that Krusty and Princess cover; Mochichi Hashimoto, who designed the monsters again; Tsubakiya Design, who handled the design work (lots of fiddly little jobs here!); and little Fta of the editorial department! I’m sorry to have caused you trouble! And Oha, who always plays straight man to my idiot prose! Thank you very much!

Now all that’s left is for you to savor this book. Bon appétit!

Mamare “I hate to admit it, but, if nothing else, the stewed dishes at the main house are top-notch” Touno

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

AUTHOR: MAMARE TOUNO

A STRANGE LIFE-FORM THAT INHABITS THE TOKYO BOKUTOU SHITAMACHI AREA. IT’S BEEN TOSSING HALF-BAKED TEXT INTO A CORNER OF THE INTERNET SINCE THE YEAR 2000 OR SO. IT’S A FULLY AUTOMATIC, TEXT-LOVING MACRO THAT EATS AND DISCHARGES TEXT. IT DEBUTED AT THE END OF 2010 WITH MAOYUU: MAOU YUUSHA (MAOYUU: DEMON KING AND HERO). LOG HORIZON IS A RESTRUCTURED VERSION OF A NOVEL THAT RAN ON THE WEBSITE SHOUSETSUKA NI NAROU (SO YOU WANT TO BE A NOVELIST).

WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.MAMARE.NET

SUPERVISION: SHOJI MASUDA

AS A GAME DESIGNER, HE’S WORKED ON RINDA KYUUBU (RINDA CUBE) AND ORE NO SHIKABANE WO KOETE YUKE (STEP OVER MY DEAD BODY), AMONG OTHERS. ALSO ACTIVE AS A NOVELIST, HE’S RELEASED THE ONIGIRI NUEKO (ONI KILLER NUEKO) SERIES, THE HARUKA SERIES, JOHN & MARY: FUTARI HA SHOUKIN KASEGI (JOHN & MARY: BOUNTY HUNTERS), KIZUDARAKE NO BIINA (BEENA, COVERED IN WOUNDS), AND MORE. HIS LATEST EFFORT IS HIS FIRST CHILDREN’S BOOK, TOUMEI NO NEKO TO TOSHI UE NO IMOUTO (THE TRANSPARENT CAT AND THE OLDER LITTLE SISTER). HE HAS ALSO WRITTEN GEEMU DEZAIN NOU MASUDA SHINJI NO HASSOU TO WAZA (GAME DESIGN BRAIN: SHINJI MASUDA’S IDEAS AND TECHNIQUES).

TWITTER ACCOUNT: SHOJIMASUDA

ILLUSTRATION: KAZUHIRO HARA

AN ILLUSTRATOR WHO LIVES IN ZUSHI. ORIGINALLY A HOME GAME DEVELOPER. IN ADDITION TO ILLUSTRATING BOOKS, HE’S ALSO ACTIVE IN MANGA AND DESIGN. LATELY, HE’S BEEN HAVING FUN FLYING A BIOKITE WHEN HE GOES ON WALKS.

WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.NINEFIVE95.COM/IG/