Afterword

Afterword

 

IF YOU’RE READING THIS MESSAGE, then thank you so very much for taking a chance on this book and following through to the very end. My name is Matsuri Akai, and I am the author of this story (which I still can’t quite believe has been picked up for a proper publication). I hope my faithful readers who’ve been following Akira’s journey since its inception as a web novel will enjoy this book just as much as those who are reading it for the first time. I’ve made quite a few changes and corrections for this new print version. Some of these changes to the in-universe lore—as well as to various explanations and backstories—may come as a surprise to some fans, but I feel they make the story less convoluted and more approachable than its previous incarnation. So to any of you rebellious troublemakers who decided to read this Afterword before the actual novel, I’m pleased to say you have plenty to look forward to in that regard.

I’ve been reading the afterwords to many of the novels I have lying around in the hopes they might give me some inspiration as to what to write for this section, and I’m amazed at how effortlessly hilarious the authors of all my favorite books can be when scribbling down their most candid thoughts. It’s made me realize I’m nowhere near as funny as them, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon, so please don’t get your hopes up in that regard.

In fact, I’ve already run out of things to say, so I suppose I’ll just move on to thanking the individuals who played an instrumental role in getting this book published and out into the world. First and foremost, I’d like to thank Y-sama, who picked out my story from amidst the bottomless sea of web novels and gave me a chance to publish it professionally, and who has been so considerate in planning around my schedule as a student, as well as S-sama, who so kindly came out to meet me and sort out the initial paperwork. They, along with everyone else at Overlap, have been nothing but supportive throughout the entire publishing process.

I must also express my deepest gratitude to Tozai-sama, whose beautiful illustrations have really helped bring this book and its characters to life. Your willingness to adapt to my extremely fussy demands has resulted in some truly astounding character designs that look almost exactly the way I always envisioned them in my head. I can’t thank you enough for your contributions.

I would also like to thank all of the many readers who’ve picked up this book and taken part in this journey along with me.

Finally, although I feel I’m still a bit young to get so embarrassingly sentimental, I would like to express how truly grateful I am to my family, who have always had my back in this endeavor and supported me in pursuing my dreams, both mentally and financially. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I hope that you will all look forward to seeing where Akira’s travels lead him next, both in the web novel and in these new-and-improved print versions.