Afterword

Long time no see. I’m Wataru Watari. And nice to meet you. I’m Wataru Watari.

This may sound sudden, but the youth you generally hear society describe is all wrong. It’s all total lies. Going on a date to a big mall like Lalaport in your school uniform with your cute girlfriend or getting introduced to a girl from another school through your friend and going out to eat and stuff…none of that ever happens. It’s fiction.

In a teen rom-com, they add this line at the end, right? This is a work of fiction and has no connection to any real incidents, persons, or groups. In other words. any teen rom-com like that is a pack of lies. Everyone is being deceived.

Real youth is when two guys stop by a fast-food joint like Saizeriya after school and loiter around until evening, surviving only on fountain drinks and focaccia, desperately bad-mouthing people and complaining about school to kill time. Stuff like that. That is the real teen experience. I’ve gone through it myself, so it’s absolutely true.

But that kind of experience wasn’t so bad.

Mixing melon soda and orange juice and calling it melonge and getting excited about it, going on field trips and playing mah-jongg in a brutal atmosphere with three other guys, seeing the girl I had a crush on with her boyfriend and me suddenly going quiet… Now I consider those good memories.

Sorry, that’s a lie. I hated it. I wanted to go on a date with a high school girl in uniform, too. No, I still want to now. I wrote those feelings into this. I hope you enjoyed it.

Now, my acknowledgments.

To my manager, Hoshino-sama: If I were to write all my feelings here, I’d write a whole book, so I’ll abridge it. You helped me with everything, big and small. Thank you very much.

To Ponkan⑧-sama: Your extremely cute and wonderful illustrations gave me strength every time I felt as if I would falter. I’m sincerely glad that I asked you to illustrate the book. Thank you very much.

Though she didn’t know me at all, Yomi Hirasaka-sama wrote a blurb for me. When I felt as if I would be crushed by anxiety and worry, Hirasaka’s comments gave the courage. Thank you very much.

_ To my friends: My friends! You only ever talk about money when I see you! I’m disappointed in you! Talk about your life and stuff!

To ail my readers: The author Wataru Watari couldn’t exist without you. Every single word you send me gives me energy. Thank you SO much!

And finally, to myself in high school: This work was born precisely because you were so bitter in those days, always saying stuff like This is so boring; this is so stupid. Please be proud. Your youth was all wrong, but I’m sure it was totally right. Thanks.

Now, the story. Whether it continues or not is up to certain factors, but I trust I will see you all again. While I polish the next plot, I think I’ll end it right about here.

On a certain day in February,

In a certain place in Chiba,

Feeling nostalgic for how I was so long ago,

While sipping on sweet, sweet coffee.

Wataru Watari.