No Game No Life - Volume 2 - Chapter Aft

AFTERWORD 

Hello, nice to see you again, it’s the author and illustrator, Yuu Kamiya. 
—I-it looks as if somehow we’ve made it all right to the second volume being published, and for that I could not be more grateful. I mean, I have already had some experience with my manga and books with my illustrations going on store shelves. But, you know, I’m still totally a novice when it comes to writing light novels. I wrote it all and sent it in, and then much later I hear now it’s going on store shelves and I finally realize it’s for real. And then my stomach starts hurting from the stress, so before I know it I’ve fled to Skyr*m and I’m casting mad buffs on my weapons and venturing into ruins and collecting books and enjoying my alternate life in a literal other world with my hobby of gaming! And then my editor calls me and pulls me back to reality and it’s already been released! Thanks to this, I have succeeded spectacularly in bypassing the pressure! 
“Ahem… Perhaps you could say that you were escaping from reality into your second manuscript; you really don’t have to tell the truth about this.” 
Oh! If it isn’t Editor S! Editor S for Sadist, who told me, 
Wait, did I not tell you about the deadline for the promo materials? 
or something like that, all of a sudden before the deadline? Well, by the second volume, you’ve become a regular tradition, haven’t you! Yeah, I was just wondering what the hell you were going to do to— 
“Well, you see? Considering you hadn’t finished the manuscript , I thought it might be too much to order the art at this point.” 
…I’m sorry. 
“Actually, Mr. Kamiya, in the first place, could you please not finish a whole manuscript for a second volume and then say you’re scrapping it?” 
…I’m sorry… 
“Also, I understand that going back and forth between Brazil and Japan causes you to philosophize seriously about borders and trade, but if you could please refrain from then saying, ‘Ah, whatever,’ and blithely restructuring the manuscript you supposedly had finished by then…” 
…I’m sorry I was born… 
Uh, uhh, let’s start over! Okay, the content of this volume was actually supposed to be in the first volume originally. The content of the first volume was supposed to be chapter 1, this volume was chapter 2, and the third volume was chapter 3—see. I do in fact have my early outline where I wrote some mysterious babbling like that, right here! 
“…Were you planning to submit a nine-hundred-page book?” 
W-well… I guess I didn’t know how much text goes in one novel volume, or the distribution… A-a-anyway, with the next volume, Sora and Shiro will collect the “minimum hand” they need to conquer the world. Since, as of this volume, they’ve already got a “checkmate,” as Sora says. Those of you who are reading the afterword first, as well as those of you who have already read the volume, why not try to anticipate Sora’s thoughts—Wait, if you get it right, I think I’ll be depressed, so maybe don’t…please…uh. 
…Well. There’s still more space in this volume, so welcome to Outtake Zone. Here, they’re playing Materialization Shiritori, so. 
“…Whatever. Then I’ll pick something safe—‘meat.’” 
And Sora’s word was materialized. 
…But…uh? 
“Excuse me—why does meat make a buxom blond girl appear?!” 
In contrast to the sparkling smile of Jibril, the cold eyes of Shiro. 
“Brother, your image…” 
“O-ohh…sorry, it looks like it got influenced by the image in my head?” 
—Yeah, there was a passage like that… 
“Ehh… That seems somewhat inappropriate…” 
Yes, I know. If you could materialize fictional entities, then you could say “chrono-quake bomb” and then the universe would be in rather bad shape, so I tearfully scrapped it. Oh, but that ends in “n” (against normal shiritori rules).* 
“No, that’s not exactly what I meant.” 
And if that means Sora thinks of this every time he eats meat—well, I guess that’s okay? 
“I wouldn’t say that? ( sunny smile )” 
By the way, I wrote over half of this volume in Brazil. In connection with the disease I mentioned in the previous volume, it was decided that I’d be going back to Brazil seriously, for a few years. So, to judge whether I could keep writing as I have been while living in Brazil, how much my life would be impacted, etc., I tried staying at a month-to-month apartment instead of with my relatives. 
—Conclusion: No. Cannot work in Brazil. 
“…Eh? Isn’t it your native country? Is there some problem—” 
Yes, there is! Every time there’s a soccer match, the whole town shakes , you know?! 
“……You’re not talking about an earthquake?” 
There are cheers and fireworks; every time there’s a goal, everyone in the building goes crazy! 
“…Well, that does sound like something you’d imagine happening in Brazil…” 
I mean, I like soccer, too, but! To have that ruckus going on day after day, night after night, I can’t concentrate, I can’t sleep, and, most important!! Pops! I’m telling you I’ve got a deadline; stop grabbing my hand every time they make a goal and dancing a— 
“By the way, Mr. Kamiya, it’s about time for those pages.” 
…What? No, uh, the illustrations still aren’t— 
“I’m sure you can make it work somehow!” 

H-h-how does th-th-that look? 
“…? Why are you acting so tense?” 
Uh, uhh, well, I just couldn’t make enough time, so…you see. The one who drew this ? isn’t me . 
“ ? Pardon?” 
U-um, I just made the storyboard, and the one who actually drew it was, uh…my…wife? 
“………” 
I-I know you’re going to say I’m too free and easy! B-b-but you were the one who tacitly pressured me into putting manga in the afterword, right? And my wife is in the same industry, you know…she’s an illustrator by the name of Mashiro Hiiragi. S-so can you please somehow overlook—hey. Editor, why are you staring at my manuscript like that? 
“Mr. Kamiya, why don’t we get started on the comic version. As a husband-wife joint project. ? ” 
You monster!! 
I-I mean, to begin with, didn’t I say I was taking a break from manga because of my health?! 
“Well, sure, it might be difficult for you by yourself, but—” 
No, look, I’m just going to lay this out here, but I started writing these light novels because I thought it would be easier on my health than manga, but now that I look at it there’s the illustrations and revisions and in the end it’s just— 
“But you come through in the end, don’t you? ( sunny smile )” 
Oh, it’s time for my flight, I’d better run away—I mean, I have to run! 
“Oh, Mr. Kamiya, just where are you intending to go?” 
But was blocked in front! 
U-umm, everyone who’s read this far, please pick up the next volume, too! I hope you’ve found something to enjoy in this second volume, accelerated by rush! So, I hope to meet you again, and, with that, I run! 
“Mr. Kamiyaaa, we know where you live and your telephone number and face, hee-hee-hee-hee-hee …” 

 TRANSLATION NOTES 
Shiritori is a Japanese word game in which players take turns saying words. Each word must begin with the syllable ( kana ) on which the previous word ended. Playing a word ending with the syllable “n” results in a loss, since no Japanese word begins with the syllabic “n,” as the author references in his afterword. 
The shiritori game that played out in the second chapter of this volume of No Game No Life represented a particular challenge, given that it involved the rather constricting rules cited above. In the first printing of the English-language edition, the game retained the Japanese words that each side played, but for the second printing, the editorial team undertook the challenge of translating the action, modifying the rules to match first and last letters of the words employed, rather than syllables. 
For the readers’ reference, romanizations of the original terms utilized for each turn are listed below, along with the literal translation of the term from the original Japanese edition. Their matching syllables have been italicized. 
• Suiba ku [H-bomb] 
• Kú Li An se 
• Se irei Kairo u [Spirit Corridors] 
• U?ma [Horse] 
• Ma * ko [P*ssy] 
• Break in game play 
• Bi i chi [Beach] 
• Chi ku bi [Nipples] 
• Bi ki ni [Bikini] 
• Ni mo tsu [Baggage] 
• Tsu mu ji [Dust Devil] 
• Jo seifu ku [Ladies’ Wear] 
• Ku rooba a [Clover] 
• Break in game play 
• Ma nto ru [Mantle] 
• Ru iaa ga 
• Ga ika ku [Outer Core] 
• Ku rok ku [Clock] 
• Ku riicha a [Creature] 
• A ka ri [Lamp] 
• Ri sosufi a [Lithosphere] 
• A?sa [Morning] 
• Sa n so [Oxygen] 
• So na ta [Sonata] 
• Tane -ue [Seed Planter] 
• E?a [Air] 
• A tomosufe a [Atmosphere] 
• A nja ku [Feebleminded] 
• Ku uronryo ku [Coulomb Force] 
Author Afterword Shiritori 
• Niku [Meat] 
• Jukkushin-Bakudan [Chrono-Quake Bomb]