by Shouji Gatou
“I had a little work to finish,” she told him. “I was about to go.” It wasn’t a lie. Of course, it was homework for school and not her park work...
Seiya began walking towards the bike rack, and Isuzu followed after him. The girls’ dorm was in the same direction, so it was natural enough.
“That’s right,” he observed, “you live in the dorms?”
“Yes,” she answered, “It’s just a three minute walk away.”
“Hmm... convenient. Maybe I’ll get an apartment of my own...” Seiya said, grumbling a bit. He often worked overtime and stayed overnight; he probably hated wasting time on the commute.
“I would recommend against it,” Isuzu told him. “The boys’ dorm is falling apart and a series of expansions has turned it into a maze.”
“Oh, really?”
“...Besides, won’t your aunt be worried if you start living in a dorm?”
Seiya laughed with a wince. “I doubt it. She’s barely ever home, thanks to her editing job. To be honest, I haven’t even seen her this week. The only way I know she’s even coming home to get changed is the fact that there’s more laundry in the basket.”
“I see.” She knew that Seiya’s family situation was a bit complicated. His parents were alive, but divorced, and he wasn’t in regular contact with either of them. “...Not to pass judgment on your lifestyle, but it’s not exactly commendable. You subsist on convenience store lunches and packaged meals, don’t you? You should eat more healthily.”
“What can I do?” he shrugged. “I don’t have the time.”
“Nothing, I suppose, but...” Once she got back, maybe she’d search the Internet for cooking sites. Would he find it strange if she brought him a homemade lunch? Well, she was his secretary, after all. But then, it might come off as being overly meddling...
They arrived at the bicycle lot. Seiya’s bicycle was a worn-out city bike, rusted here and there. He tossed his bag in the basket and swiftly removed the combination lock. It was just there to hold the chain on, so he didn’t even have to turn the dial; that was very much like him.
“By the way,” he asked, “what’s going on with the Mogute Clan?”
“They seem to have blended in quickly,” Isuzu told him. “I haven’t heard of any problems.”
The Mogutes’ claims that they were master carpenters had turned out to be true. In just a few days, they’d already dug another underground complex at the edge of the first park and built their own dorm there. They’d reused the building materials from their old den, so there was almost no budget required.
“They seem useful,” he commented.
“Yes,” she agreed. “I think they can contribute to the park’s renovation.”
Construction speed like theirs would be a huge help. Of course, renewing the structures would require money, but they had a little financial leeway for now. The weather was going to warm up soon—now was the time to go on the offensive.
“We have to bring in a lot of guests,” she remarked.
“Yes. A lot of... a lot of guests.” Seiya’s voice turned dark.
During the sale of the second park, one thing had come up that Seiya hadn’t accounted for. Contrary to expectations, Amagi Development had strongly opposed the sale. He’d fought tenaciously, but in the end, he’d been forced into a contract revision with one extremely harsh condition: a massive increase in the yearly attendance requirement.
In previous years, they had only needed to draw in 600,000 people per year. But starting this year, that would change.
“Three million people...” he mused. “Will we really be able to get them all?”
Afterword
I finished volume two of Amagi Brilliant Park six months after volume one. I’d hoped to make it more like four, but I just couldn’t pick up the pace. Hmm, too bad. Next time! Next time!
This time around, we had two main stories. For the first story, I just crammed in multiple elements, and I sort of worked it out as I went along without organizing the plot too much. I think it works fairly well as it is, but it was quite difficult, so I think I want to put a bit more planning into the story in the future. I’ve reached that conclusion as of today.
They’ve made it into the new year, but the park still has all kinds of problems. If they wanted any time for day-to-day shenanigans, first they had to work out the money and other problems... so of course, Seiya-kun’s life is as hard as ever. In the third volume they can take a breather with a little more silliness, I think.
There are other areas besides Sorcerer’s Hill where Moffle and the others work, and I have a lot of other odd characters to play with there. I haven’t had time to introduce them yet, but I plan to start rolling them out soon.
There’s just so much I want to do, I don’t know where to start!
By the way, this February, as part of the first volume’s marketing campaign, I had signing events in Kobe and Hiroshima. The Hiroshima event was in a bookstore in a certain shopping mall... and wow! That mall was big! It looked just like that famous zombie game.
It was around that time that I was thinking about what to do with AmaBri’s second park (the empty land), so that signing venue gave me a hint about how to resolve that. Thank you to everyone involved!
The okonomiyaki in Hiroshima is really good, too. I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve only ever had “Hiroshima-style” okonomiyaki in Tokyo, so it really did shock me.
Thanks to you all, AmaBri volume one had huge sales. I think it had more to do with my PR director’s hard work and Nakajima Yuka-san’s popularity more so than my own skills, but anyway, I’m really, really happy, and I can’t thank everyone enough. I was also encouraged to see us pull in readers who hadn’t read my past works. Thank you very much. I’ll continue to work as hard as I can.
Um, I think I still have two pages left to fill (the standard complaint).
What about things I’ve been up to?
Hmm. Lately my addiction to Gunpla has spiked, and I even set up a coloring table so I could use a sprayer and an airbrush. I’m pretty awful at it, though... I try using masking tape to make the colors really clean, but when I drink while I’m coloring, it always ends up in tragedy. Sorry, I’m sure no one cares.
In terms of games, I’ve been playing The Last of Us. I love zombie road movies. I’ve always wanted to write a zombie novel myself.
Oh, and the Full Metal Panic! anime Blu-ray box is coming out, so I need to start scripting a drama CD extra. But it’s been so long that I’ve forgotten the voices for Sosuke and Kaname, which is a problem. Well, I’ll figure it out, I’m sure. Go, me! Go!
I also participated in a replay of the TRPG Granquest, put out by Fujimi Shobo. I think it’s been seventeen or eighteen years since I did a game replay. Mizuno Ryo-sensei’s novel will be released at the same time as this second volume, so please buy that, too.
A lot of different people’s efforts went into making this book happen. Thanks to my illustrator Nakajima Yuka-sama and everyone else.
I want to work hard on the third volume and get it out soon. Let’s beat the heat and keep going! ...Anyway, I should wrap up. See you later!
Shouji Gatou
July 2013
Bonus Food Glossary
Volume 2 of Amagi Brilliant Park introduces us to the horrors of the park cafeteria, and sees Seiya rewarded for his dubious ladder-climbing with a treat from a company president. Below, we’ll talk a little bit about the origins of some of these dishes and give you some simple ways to make them at home. Hopefully you’ll have a better time than Isuzu did, at least...
Gyudon Recipe
Gyudon, also called “beef bowl,” is a popular Japanese comfort food. It dates back to the Meiji Era of the late 1800s, when beef grew in popularity as part of the country’s renewed interest in Western things. The dish became so popular that today, there are entire fast food chains devoted to it.
Each bowl has 3 layers: the first is rice, the second is beef and vegetables (usually onio
n), and the third is an optional egg with sliced scallions. Keep some pickled ginger on the side to lighten up the thick, rich experience!
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup broth made from hondashi
1/4 cup dry sake
2 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBSP mirin
1 TSP sugar
1/2 lb thinly shaved beef steak
1 TSP fresh ginger
2 cups cooked rice
2 poached eggs
diced scallions
Directions
Combine the first six ingredients in a medium saucepan, bringing to a simmer over medium heat. Cook 5 minutes, stirring regularly, or until onion is softened.
Add beef and cook, stirring regularly for 5 minutes, or until beef is cooked through and the broth has reduced. Stir in ginger, and cook for 1 more minute. Season with salt and sugar to taste.
Divide rice between two bowls, and top with beef mixture. Finish with 1 egg per bowl, and a handful of diced scallions.
Ginger Pork Recipe
Despite the title ingredients sounding more like Chinese food, ginger pork (shogayaki) is a home-grown Japanese favorite. It came about in the early 20th century, after the Great Kanto Earthquake devastated Tokyo and the people turned to pork as a cheaper source of meat that families could even raise themselves.
This ginger pork is cooked as a quick sauté, and served in bite size pieces. It pairs well with a side of vegetables and rice, but the same treatment can be used to prepare whole pork chops and chicken for grilling.
1 TBSP fresh grated ginger
2 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP sake
2 TBSP mirin
1 lb thinly sliced pork loin
3 TBSP vegetable oil
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the first 4 ingredients and mix thoroughly. Add the pork and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate, leaving pork to marinate for 1 hour.
Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the pork, and fry quickly using high heat until the meat is brown and crispy. Discard the leftover marinade.
Spaghetti Napolitan
(serves 4)
First created by Chef Shigetada Irie in Yokohama, Japan, shortly after WWII, Spaghetti Napolitan was inspired by the foods being eaten by the U.S. troops. Today it’s a common “light meal,” often served in cafes and family restaurants.
Spaghetti Napolitan consists of ham or sausage that are then sautéed with onion and bell pepper, before adding noodles and ketchup. Like many Japanese takes on Western food, the ingredients create a sweeter flavor profile than is typical for American takes on the dish. It’s best seasoned with salt and pepper, but feel free to add tabasco sauce at the end if you like a little spice!
400 g dry spaghetti (about 1/4 of a package)
1 smoked sausage, sliced into bite size pieces
1 onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 TBSP oil
1/4 cup ketchup
salt
parsley
parmesan cheese
optional garnish: tabasco sauce
Directions
Cook spaghetti according to package instructions and set aside to drain.
Heat a frying pan on medium high heat. Add sausage, onion, and green bell pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onion is translucent and fragrant.
Add cooked spaghetti, and stir fry for 1 minute. Take off of heat and add ketchup.
Divide pasta between 4 bowls. Garnish with salt, parsley, and parmesan cheese according to taste.
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Copyright
Amagi Brilliant Park: Volume 2
by Shouji Gatou
Translated by Elizabeth Ellis
Edited by Dana Allen
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © Shouji Gatou, Yuka Nakajima 2013
Illustrations by Yuka Nakajima
First published in Japan in 2013 by KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo
English translation rights arranged with KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property.
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The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
Ebook edition 1.0: November 2018