Afterword: Volume One, a retrospective.

Hello. My name is Yumizuru. Hizu, hizu! (That’s how I greet people.)

So, that was the first volume. Hm. Yes... Where to start? When I was 22, I quit my previous job because I got very sick. It was getting worse, and I had to spend a lot of time in the hospital. Afterward, I worked freelance, but that didn’t work out very well due to illnesses still. This went on, and my health got worse for some time. It got so bad I had to get anesthetic injected straight into the epidural space of my spine, and this caused an infection, and I just barely avoided being paralyzed below the waist. One time I was sleeping with a 40-degree fever, and my last clients dissolved their contracts with me. That was when I kind of wanted to die or just disappear, but I lived on.

That was when I figured I might write a light novel, and I pitched what would become IS. Writing made me feel better, like I was actually doing something... I guess. Also, and I’m still their patient, but praise the Tokyo U hospital. By the way, something about my name, Yumizuru Izuru. I took the Yumizuru from my father, a shamisen player, and Izuru from my mother, who teaches ikebana. My brother is the reason I decided to be a novelist. I don’t think he remembers, but when he was in university, we were talking in a Saizeriya restaurant in Kanazawa. I told him I wanted to be a novelist, but that I probably couldn’t do it. He said I just had to try and it would work out. I really appreciated that. I’m grateful to my family.

While we’re on the topic of thanking people, I’m grateful to my wife. That sounds a bit distant, doesn’t it? But she always supported me, even when it was tough, and I couldn’t thank her enough. I will love her forever.

Oh. Originally I meant to cover Cecilia a lot more in the first volume, but everyone got really mad and said I couldn’t do that, so I dragged Rin here from the second volume. Originally Rin would have been in Class A and stuff. Anyway, there’ll be surprises, so don’t worry.

Bye! Byzu, byzu! (Following my style.)