Afterword
This collection of short stories contains articles from Sword Oratoria Volumes 1–12, Familia Chronicle 1 and 2, as well as those spanning other media as of 2022. The only exceptions are the stories “And So the Girl Sets Off Running Once More,” which was an unpublished work from Sword Oratoria Volume 10, and this last piece, “Four Paths of a Half Year,” which was newly written for this volume.
This is my second collection of short stories, focusing on Loki Familia and the girls of the Benevolent Mistress.
It’s a bit late to point this out, perhaps, but man, there are a lot of characters in this series. I mean, that’s why there are all these spin-offs but still. There are so many that often, when I’m tasked with a short story, I find it difficult to pin down who to write about!
You might think, well, at least I’ll never run out of ideas, but in fact, having so many choices makes it so much harder to write. Which characters should I include this time and how should they interact? With the only limit being my imagination, it just means I spend all that time wrestling with indecision instead. Maybe that’s why there are so many short stories this time around.
As much as I’d like to include everyone, as soon as I try to put, say, four characters in a story designed for two to three pages of a paperback book, I end up with no space for anything to actually happen. I envisaged putting a small number of characters on a tiny boat together and watching as that boat either sailed off into the sunset or sprung a leak and capsized (in the case of a joke skit). I’m sure I’m only going to end up adding even more characters (sigh), so it’s time to start thinking about who will ride that boat in the future.
With that out of the way, it’s on to the acknowledgments.
I extend my deepest thanks to my editor and benevolent master Usami for putting up with all my whining at the last minute. I thank the artist nilitsu for all their beautiful illustrations. I especially love the cover image this time around, and I look forward to working with you again on the next volume, as imminent as it may be. A final thank-you goes out to everyone who worked on this book and everyone who picked it up. I express my deepest gratitude from the bottom of my heart.
It is currently May 2023, and next month will see the publication of Orario Stories, a collection of short stories included in the anime Blu-rays. I apologize for the pressure this places on everyone’s wallets! Of course, you are free to engage with my work to whatever extent you desire, but if you can pick it up, I would very much appreciate it.
Thank you for reading this far, and until next time.
Fujino Omori
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