October 29th, at dusk.
After experiencing a string of high difficulty missions, including Natsumi's escape, satellites falling from the sky, and Devil's attack, Shido and Mikoto's lives returned to peace.
"Sorry to trouble you, Shido."
At this mont, Mikoto and Shido were cleaning the shrine. Because of the satellite fragnts, although Mikoto's shrine had not been directly hit, it still could not avoid being bathed in the dust that had been kicked up.
"No, it's nothing. Thanks to Yakumo-senpai, we were able to seal Natsumi successfully. This little thing doesn't count as anything at all."
Shido smiled and cleaned even harder. After all, Mikoto had revealed the secret she least wanted anyone to know in order to help him.
"Right, right. Congratulations, Your Majesty, on adding another mber to your harem."
Thinking that another little loli had joined Shido's harem, Mikoto rolled her eyes sourly.
"This humble consort only hopes that Your Majesty will not favor the new and forget the old, and forget this humble consort in the future."
She said in the tone of a historical drama.
"I-I would never forget Yakumo-senpai!"
Realizing that Mikoto was jealous, Shido hurriedly said that.
"Hehe, I'm joking."
The girl giggled and stuck out her tongue.
"But... if I had to say it, I do feel a little sad."
After the joke, Mikoto said in a slightly lonely voice.
"Sad?"
Shido did not understand.
"Because that used to be a secret that belonged only to and Shido."
Mikoto gave a helpless smile.
"Ah..."
Then Shido understood. The girl was talking about Natsumi learning the secret of her genderbend.
"If we need a secret, we can just make a new one, can't we?"
Noticing Mikoto looked a little down, Shido walked over and held her hand. Feeling the warmth of the boy's palm, Mikoto's face turned red.
"A new secret... Ah... Right! Co with , Shido!"
Mikoto took Shido's hand and the two ran to the front of the shrine hall.
"Didn't Shido say before that cleaning the shrine hall every day must be hard?"
Mikoto said.
"Now that you ntion it, I did say that..."
Shido rembered. That was back when Natsumi had turned Mikoto into a little girl. He had indeed comnted that a shrine maiden having to clean the shrine day after day must be hard.
At that ti, Mikoto seed to want to say sothing, but she had stopped halfway.
"Actually, I really like cleaning the shrine around this ti."
Mikoto smiled and ran into the open space of the shrine, lightly spinning around. The girl's innocent and cheerful appearance left Shido staring in a daze.
At this mont, the entire shrine was dyed madder red.
Beyond the elevated bridge that stretched like a horizon line, the setting sun was slowly sinking. Looking out, it was a sunset that was not the least bit inferior to the beauty of the coast or the mountains. Standing here, one could truly feel that the noisy city, after a long day, was gradually returning to peace, and that the colorful night was quietly approaching.
Without a doubt, this beautiful scene of the shrine beneath the evening sun was what Mikoto had wanted to show Shido before. It was just that, back then, the sun had already set, and Shido had missed the best mont.
"Although many people like going to high platform place to watch the sunset... I can promise you that the view from the shrine is absolutely not worse than there."
Mikoto smiled happily.
Almost nobody ca to worship at this ti, when it was close to dinner, and Tamako-obaa-chan was the type to clean the shrine early in the morning. Because of that, this little beautiful view had always belonged only to Mikoto, who usually only had ti to clean the shrine after school.
"Although it's only a small secret, please be sure to share it with , Shido."
The girl held Shido's hand and smiled sweetly.
"Mm."
Shido nodded.
The two stopped cleaning and sat close together on the shrine hall's veranda, quietly enjoying the beauty of the mont before sunset. (TL:yeah, beside the main story stuff, this author is good at describing Mikoto in such a charming way, and how he build up interaction and sweet mont~ it's good for the heart~)
______________
After all sorts of things ca to an end, Shido, who had rested properly for an entire day, was called to the shrine by Mikoto again the next day.
Shido: "Is sothing wrong, senpai?"
Mikoto: "Mm. Actually, this morning we received letters from the readers. It seems they got the address wrong and sent them to the shrine."
Shido: "Eh? So the plot suddenly jumped from the main story into the afterword again?"
Mikoto: "Ahaha... Looks like it."
Shido: "Nothing we can do, then. Let's begin today's 'Letter from Fraxinus' segnt."
Mikoto: "The first keyword is..."
—Kotori's Flas—
Mikoto: "Now that you ntion it, in the first chapter of this volu, Shido's injury wasn't healed."
Shido: "Uh, it seems Kotori's flas only heal more serious injuries. They don't activate for small scratches or minor illnesses."
Mikoto: "Uwaa, what a sneaky setting. It's almost like it doesn't activate on purpose so the girls can give Shido fanservice."
Shido: "No, that's..."
Mikoto: "It was the sa in the original. Because the small wound on his face didn't heal, Kurumi licked his cheek. Because it wouldn't heal mumps, Kotori had a chance to take care of her onii-chan."
Shido: "Ugh..."
Mikoto: "So, this setting really was made for fanservice, wasn't it?"
Shido: "I-it wasn't..."
Mikoto: "Then, the next keyword."
Shido: "Let explain!"
—Why Didn't They Change Back?—
Mikoto: "This refers to how, during the fight with Ellen and Origami, everyone didn't change back from their little girl forms."
Shido: "Now that you ntion it, it seems it was like that in the original too. Even though Ellen's transformation was undone when Natsumi got hurt, the Spirits still stayed in child form."
Mikoto: "Yes. The exact reason is unknown. Maybe it was because Natsumi hated Shido, so she used more spirit power when transforming everyone."
Mikoto: "Or because the author (Tachibana) wanted to write a battle between little girl Spirits and Ellen."
Shido: "In any case, Tsukiha used the sa setting. Yakumo-senpai and the others only broke free of the transformation after the battle ended."
Mikoto: "Maybe it's because Tsukiha's author also wanted to write loli too that they used that setting."
Shido: "Well, their eldest daughter and second daughter are both loli. But is it really okay to guess at the author's intentions like that, senpai?"
Mikoto: "Ahaha... Then, let's look at the next keyword."
Shido: "Ah, you changed the subject."
—Tobiichi Angel—
Shido: "The new keyword is the title of the next volu."
Mikoto: "About the Tobiichi Angel volu, since Tsukiha is based on the second tiline, it was originally supposed to be skipped."
Shido: "Right. In the second tiline worldline, the plot of that volu shouldn't happen."
Mikoto: "But to help readers who haven't read the novel, it should be briefly covered in two or three chapters, explaining what first tiline Shido did and what exactly changed in the second tiline."
Shido: "Tiline changes and such sound really ssy."
Mikoto: "That's true. Hopefully it can be explained clearly."
Shido: "Then, the next keyword."
—Chiba Chihiro's Sword Art Story—
Shido: "That title... It's the book recomndation segnt."
Mikoto: "It's a book by Gensou-chan. It tells the story of twin sisters in the SAO world!"
Shido: "Apparently the author really likes it. It has the sweet and sour emotional line between the twins, poor Kirito getting teased and toyed with in all kinds of ways, and the word count has also passed the 100,000 mark, so it's a work that can be enjoyed right away. In any case, readers who like Sword Art Online should definitely go take a look."
Mikoto: "Then, today's 'Letter from Fraxinus' ends here. Thank you all for watching!"
(TL:finally we getting so spicy stuff~ I'm really hoping that the author can cook with the new tiline Shido and first tiline Shido drama and improve the writing on the main story stuff)
(TL2:though next will be another encore volu)
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