Maidens of Cygnus - Volume 3 - Chapter Aft

Afterword

Thank you for staying with me up until now. Did you enjoy the third volume of ‘Cygnus Maidens’?

This series has now also reached its third volume, and as usual, it is in a fumbling state, and as usual it feels it’s veering off course. By the time I finished writing the previous volume I intended to give it more of a spy comic-like flavor, but once it was completed the spy components were chased to the corner of the story.

I also thought to try to incorporate the love element more strongly, but it was rejected with the advice that it would be better to stop, as it didn’t fit the concept. The climax of Marika vs Akane too, I thought to make Marika suffer an overwhelming defeat, but it ended up completely different.

In this series, rather than the protagonist duo not moving in the ways I want, it is the secondary characters that move unexpectedly and they seem to have a tendency to drag the main duo into a slightly different direction than the original plan. Next, each character will have plenty of screen time in the Nine Schools Competition, so there could be a possibility that the story will go astray if I don’t correct the trajectory. If I’m not careful.

I am writing this afterword while watching ‘Dengeki Bunko Winter Festival Online 2021’.

Did you watch the New Year’s TV special of the ‘Reminiscence Arc’ of the previous series?

The newly announced APPENDIX is a compilation of limited-edition BD/DVD bonus short stories and cinema short stories. There are stories that have no relation at all to the previous series, as well as stories that complement it. I believe you will enjoy it.

And by the time this book is released for sale, I wonder if there is any additional information about the Mahouka series? It would be good if I had more information. I say this pretending to know nothing about it.

As for the fourth volume, at this stage, I’m lost on whether I should abruptly enter the Nine Schools Competition, or if I should depict the preparations for it. 

I’m thinking to consider it carefully after writing the fourth volume of ‘Magian Company’, which is planned to be delivered next. — If I have enough time to do it ‘carefully’, that is.

Well then, this is where this volume stands. I hope to see you in the next volume.

(Satou Tsutomu)

Translation Notes

[1] A tradition with Buddhist roots where people abstain from consuming meat, fish or alcohol from the time the person died until the farewell feast, a large banquet that takes place at the funeral ceremony where the person’s relatives play a centre role. This banquet is typically 1 or 2 hours long. Nowadays this banquet is usually held after returning from the crematorium, but historically it would take place several weeks after the person’s death, depending on the exact Buddhist traditions, to celebrate their rebirth.

[2] A modern Japanese martial art based on Shaolin kung fu.

[3] An alternate reading for the kanji in Mamoru’s name.

[4] In martial arts 5-on-5 competitions, each of the competitors has a ‘rank’ based on which match they appear in. In this translation the terms are, from first to fifth bout: vanguard, second vanguard, captain, lieutenant general, general.

[5] 含み足 (fukumi ashi) – Pretty much as described by the author.

[6] 箭疾歩 (senshippo) – A charging attack involving a quick thrust of a fist as you jump forward.

[7] 延髄切り- literally ‘medulla slash’. A kick to the back of the head, where the medulla oblongata is located.