Date A Live Encore - Volume 9 - Chapter Aft

Afterword

 Long time, no see! This is Tachibana Koushi making a return. “Date A Live Encore Volume 9” is now in everyone’s hands. What do you think of it? If you liked it, it would be my great honor. 

 The short story “Encore” collection has reached its ninth volume. It will soon be in double-digits. Appearing on this cover this time is the popular manga artist and visionary in the world of Spirits: Honjou Nia-san. Take a look at this high-level illustration. Also take note of the luxurious work and the change in covers. This is how far we’ve come. 

 This time, as always, I’ll be explaining each short story. Because these will contain spoilers, please be careful for anyone who hasn’t read the stories themselves first. 

Itsuka Parents 

 This is a story about the parents of the Itsuka family who usually work abroad. In fact, this short story was actually published much earlier in the May 2015 issue of Dragon Magazine. That was four years ago. Wow. Because it was recently re-published in DM, because of the timing, it was decided to be included in this “Encore”. 

 “Encore 9” is so much thicker as a result of this story. 

 Because this story was originally published 4 years ago, there’s no mention of either Nia or Mukuro. Actually, this time, I considered writing a new version of Itsuka Parents that included Nia and Mukuro when Haruko and Tatsuo met the Spirits but it was already too long so I had to scrap it. However, if I ever get an opportunity to do so, I definitely want to write about it. 

Nia House 

 This was a story of Nia, who is not just a drunkard by the way, searching for her ideal home. Such a thing is pretty rare in real life after all. After discussing with the animation department, I decided to describe it visually rather than orally. 

 Rather than say that Nia is difficult to write, it’s more accurate to say that she speaks in a way that is used by other characters to entertain everyone. Shido’s attitude was also used by others who want to help push people forward and is more subtle in being able to make everyone feel more comfortable. Although it’s a shame, she would unexpectedly get along well with Shido. Is that alright? Should they get married? 

 Just like Aoki-san of Tengu Real Estate said, she gradually becomes a more prominent character. Although this wasn’t intentional, there are a lot of supporting roles in this short story aside from the other Spirits. 

Natsumi Challenge 

 It turns out that Natsumi trying to hide away from going to school can somehow bear fruit. I personally like this story. I wish I had Natsumi’s talent. 

 At the time of publication in the DM magazine, the first page illustration was “Natsumi” when she was submitting her manuscript. This is the adult version of Natsumi, an illustration that was set in the publishing house. Amazing. In short, it’s great. 

 The characters who were Yoshino and Natsumi’s friends: Kanon and Noriko who’d appeared once before. Their first appearance was in <Yoshino Experience> from Encore 7. I also liked this story very much. Would it be better to say that I like short stories that feature Natsumi? 

Origami Training 

 What’s the backstory for Origami to go to bridal practice? This is a story that came from a simple premise. Why is this the case? I remember that my original plan was to have Origami participate in a normal bridal practice session but it unconsciously turned into a bridal challenge. I honestly can’t figure out how this happened. 

 Because there’s no need for explanations because of Origami, Yuzuru and Tamae participated as peers. The ins and outs of the story of Tamae and her “Desired Partner” are still in the works and I don’t know if I’ll get a chance to write it. If I do get the chance, I definitely want to write about it. 

 This next bit is completely unrelated but the name of the “Bride” Misako actually appeared in the first volume of <Date A Live> 

Miku Scandal 

 A scandal involving Izayoi Miku is very alluring! This is the story of two entertainment reporters stalking Miku. I really like stories that feature outside characters unaware of the existence of the protagonists. By the way, a wizard from DEM’s first executive department has also shown up. It seems that Ellen has been shunned by other members of the company. 

 The original plan was to have the two reporters witness supernatural phenomena caused by the Spirits and report about that. The editor-in-chief simply patted them on the shoulders with a smile while dismissing their stories. The two then changed jobs to work for a magazine that specializes in supernatural phenomena and they became known as urban legend hunters but that’s a story for another time. 

Spirit Cruising 

 Literally, this is a story about the Spirits spending time on a luxury cruise ship. After mentioning to the editor about spending time on a ship myself a few days prior having enjoyed life’s finer pleasures. The other party then said, “Oh do you want to write a story about it?” And so finally, it was decided to write this as a new short story. By the way, the ship I took was made in Japan so even if there was a Casino, it’s not like I would be able to make money. Naturally, nothing happened. 

 In the first draft, I actually used ordinary terrorists but I had to change it because their role wasn’t strong enough. It was also cool to have them dressed in gothic lolita costumes but the problem there was that they wouldn’t look good in pictures which led to the current idea being adopted. 

 By the way, the second case “Date A Cruise 2nd Day” featured the second day after the attack on the ship and was a reference to this short story hence the title. 

 In the third case, Maria was also reluctantly involved in the war but because of Maria’s precious swimsuit outfit, this is a small problem. Because these colored cases were first published in this Encore series, I hope that there will be more colored cases that haven’t normally appeared. Mukuro’s swimsuit is very cute too. 

 By the way, the third case featured a few selected characters dressed in swimsuits. Although Kurumi has had bathing suit scenes before, Tsunako-sensei unexpectedly included one for her as well. 

 In the end, I would like to thank everyone who has done their best for the publication of this book: 

 Tsuanko-sensei, thank you for drawing such great illustrations every time. Editor-in-Chief, designer Kusano-sensei, editors, publishers, distributors, sales, and everyone who has bought this book now, you have my sincerest thanks. 

 When I first started writing this short series, I thought, “If I wrote about all of the Spirits in the “Encore”, ten volumes would be enough” but I didn’t expect it to actually come true. 

 Then let’s foretell that the cover of “Encore 10” will feature Mukuro. What kind of costume will she wear? I’m looking forward to it. 

 Well, I’ll see you in the next volume. 

 Koushi Tachibana 

 June 2019 

Translator's Notes

 [1] Ni-Chome (AKA Shinjuku Ni-Chome or Nicho) is an LGBT area in the Shinjuku District of the Dinjuku Special Ward of Tokyo, Japan. 

 [2] Onigiri are a Japanese food made from white rice formed into a triangular or cylindrical shape and often wrapped in seaweed. 

 [3] Kitarou refers to a manga series created in the 1960s by Shigeru Mizuki. It’s best known for its popularization of folklore creatures known as yokai. 

 [4] Catnip, also known as actinidia polygama, is a non-toxic plant that can induce an euphoric response in cats. 

 [5] Salon de Miku initially debuted in Volume 9. 

 [6] According to Japanese law, in order to get married under the age of 20, they require their guardian’s consent for it to be legal. 

 [7] The currencies referenced here are used in Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, and One Piece. 

 [8] Fukuzawa Yukichi is the samurai present on the 10,000 yen note. 

 [9] Low Temperature Cooking is a cooking technique using temperatures in the range of about 45 to 85 °C (113 to 185 °F) for a prolonged time to cook food. Low-temperature cooking methods include sous vide cooking, slow cooking using a slow cooker, cooking in a normal oven which has a minimal setting of about 70 °C (158 °F), and using a combi steamer providing exact temperature control. The traditional cooking pit also cooks food at low temperature. 

 [10] Gold is the currency that appears in the RPG Legend Series; Perica is the currency used in gambling manga called “Kaiji” written by Nobuyuki Fukumoto. Gavas is the counting unit in Famitsu from NHK puppet program “Hulu Ushijima”. All of these currencies are fictional. 

 [11] Magellanic Clouds are major neighboring galaxies next to the Milky Way. 

 [12] The hectare is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-meter sides, or 10,000 m², and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometer. An acre is about 0.405 hectare and one hectare contains about 2.47 acres. 

 [13] Literally 'へ' 'た' 'く' 'そ' or ‘he’ ‘ta’ ‘ku’ ‘so’ translates to ‘shit’ or ‘unskilled’ in an explicitly derogatory way. 

 [14] Summer’s pronunciation in Japanese is the same as ‘7P.’ 

 [15] Momotaro is a character from Japanese folklore; his name translates to “Peach Boy” as he was apparently born from a peach. He was given this name as the couple that adopted him noted that he’d been born from a peach. 

 [16] Maca is mainly found in the Andes of South America and is said to be rich in high-unit nutrients and strengthen the human body. People who eat it will feel energetic and energetic without fatigue. 

 [17] Bon dancing is a dance associated with the Bon Festival, which is a Japanese-Buddhist festival honoring the spirits of one’s ancestors. 

Disclaimer: Date A Live is owned by Kadokawa and Koushi Tachibana. This is a non-profit fan translation; please support the official release. 

 Author: Tachibana Koushi 

 Illustrator: Tsunako 

 Translator: Lightning Farron 

 Editors: Ene, OfficeCasual 

 Epub: OfficeCasual 

 This is not your work. Please do not redistribute it, with credit or otherwise. Thanks.