Afterword

Picking up from the end of Volume 4, I had decided to talk about Miyako’s part-time job at the editorial department in this volume, but when I asked my editor about what kind of work that would involve in real life, I was struck by all the things that (it turned out) never occurred to me. Editors sure have it tough, huh? (Glad I don’t have anything to do with it.) Thus, this volume doesn’t have much partying in it—it’s a long workday, start to finish. Guess I can’t talk about my editor Iwaasa’s dick getting ripped off any longer…

By the way, I’ve often received reader feedback along the lines of “This series inspired me to try becoming a writer” or “I tried playing board game X or role-playing game Y” or “I’ve started to drink imported beer.” If my work has provided the spark for positive changes in its readers’ lives, I suppose there’s no greater honor a writer could bask in. But if anyone reads this book and wants to become an editor afterward………then I’m sure it will be very rewarding—good luck with it; someone rip Iwaasa’s dick off.

This volume also features a large number of new characters—editors besides Kenjiro Toki, an anime director, a screenwriter, a veteran writer—who are much older than Itsuki and his friends. All those years in the industry have certainly worn down their innocence, but just like Itsuki, Haruto, and the rest, they’re all potential heroes driven by a deep-seated passion. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed reading about them. It’s weird how, even if you turn into some middle-aged lump of a man, your youth never really goes away.

See you in Volume 6.

Yomi Hirasaka

Ravishing Silver-Haired Nude Female Novelist

Late June 2016

* Now I’ll answer a few questions I’ve received.

Q How much detail have you gone into in conceiving Chevaliers of the New World, All About My Little Sister, and the other original books in the story?

A What you see in the text is pretty much everything. We may be talking a basic synopsis and setting, but I actually spend a lot of time working these things out. I had six to invent for the New Writers Contest in this volume, too… The idea is to have them seem like they’d fit right alongside actual series you’d find on the shelves, and hopefully they’re convincing enough.

Q I understand that many of the characters’ last names are taken from real-life place names in Gifu Prefecture. Do you have any criteria for your selections?

A Basically just how they sound. A name starting with “Ha” sounds kind of protagonist-y; that kind of thing. I think I’m gonna run out of material with place names alone before long, so I borrowed a few names of rail stations for this volume.

* Finally, some advertising. In addition to the manga version of this series running in Sunday GX right now, a new spin-off A Sister’s All You Need. manga is going to debut in GanGan JOKER. It’s an original slice-of-life comedy with the primary focus on Nayuta Kani, and it’s created by Kobashiko, author of Hazuki Kanon wa Amakunai and Kabe ni Mary.com. I can’t wait to see how their extreme comedic sensibilities work out with my characters. Stay tuned for more info!

Afterword

Thanks for reading up to the end. This is Kantoku, the series illustrator.

This volume certainly brought the heat, didn’t it? I can’t guess how it’s gonna turn out! I love all the characters so much; hopefully they can all wind up happy!

 

Miyako has descended into the editorial world like an archangel from heaven, but in this volume, I played with her hair a little. She had no set hairstyle in the initial concept, so I decided she’s the type of girl who likes rearranging her look regularly, although personally, I think she’s pretty cute in braids. It really works for a big-sister type, you could say. If she has the right hair type, I bet she could give pigtails a shot, too.