Afterword

Good evening, this is work. Whoops, my bad! I made a mistake, there! Work has been so brutal for me, the characters for “Wataru Watari” looked like work. Hello and good evening, this is Wataru Watari.

Lately, I’ve been so occupied with business, I don’t meet people outside work. I hardly answer the e-mails, phone calls, or invitations to drinking parties that I occasionally receive. Well, the excuse I’m busy with work is pretty convenient for avoiding anything annoying, so I find myself using it a lot, though. When I actually want to go, I will drop work to do it after all!

Everyone tells this lie—to others and to themselves. Well though, you know, me being busy isn’t at all a lie—it’s just reality.

But sometimes when I promise something with sincerity, it will ultimately end up becoming a lie. I’ll go and say, Tomorrow? I’ve got plenty of time, gwa-ha-ha! and then later calmly say, …Can you make it next week? Even if it’s not my intention, and even if I don’t say it out loud, sometimes it will end up becoming a lie.

That’s why everyone—and of course I include myself, the author—lies. Or maybe it becomes a lie when someone determines your words are false.

Therefore, you shouldn’t readily declare, I’ll finish writing it early next time for sure, fwa-ha-ha! Keep your mouth shut and don’t talk. Some things can only be communicated that way. The judgment of whether what you communicated was a lie or the truth will be yielded to the receiving end, though.

And so this has been My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected, Volume 8. Well then, let’s meet again in Volume 9! Buuut that might be a lie, huh? Kidding! Tee-hee!

And below, the acknowledgments.

Th-this part isn’t a lie, okay?!

Ponkan: Thank you so much for doing this work alongside the illustration collection! It’s great! It really feels like, This is the heroine! Wonderful as always! Thank you very much!

My editor, Hoshino: I know I’ve caused a lot of trouble for you with my hellish progress. It’s like, you know, don’t get the wrong idea. It was late because, like…i-it’s not my fault! Society is at fault. Thank you very much!

Everyone who contributed to the illustration collection: I’m so very glad you’ve drawn this new side of the world and characters of Oregairu. All the illustrations are amazing and have brought happiness to my eyes and heart. They’ve healed my blue light–induced eyestrain. Thank you so much.

And to all my readers: I’m very sorry for the long wait since Volume 7. Thanks to your encouragement, I’ve been able to keep writing the series. Thank you very much. The off-course wanderings of this teen romantic comedy will continue on a little longer. I hope very much you will stick with me to the end.

Now then, I’ve about hit my max page count here, so I will lay down my pen.

On a certain day in October, blown around in the cold night wind, while sipping hooot MAX Coffee,

Wataru Watari