Afterword

We’re happy to announce a major bump in the cash prize for the 11th Annual GA Bunko Awards! First-place winners will win 1,000,000 yen, and grand-prize winners will be awarded a whopping 3,000,000 yen!

Rewind to a certain day in April—a whole year before the end of the Heisei era. I was searching for a place to submit my finished manuscript when I saw the news.

“Whew… Three million yen, huh?” I thought to myself. “Guess GA Bunko never plans on awarding anyone the grand prize ever again.”

I didn’t stop there.

“If they’re giving the old cash prize to the first-place winner, I guess they’re trying to say it’s the basically the new grand prize. I get it. I mean, there’s never going to be another Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?”

Even when the winners for the first round were announced, I remember having the following conversation with a friend.

“I placed in the first round of the GA Bunko Awards! I haven’t checked the details, but… What? Oh, the grand prize? Yeah, I can’t imagine anyone winning that.”

Who would have thought this very person would be congratulated on winning the grand prize in mid-April at the start of the Reiwa era?

I would like to issue a formal apology for my unfounded assumptions. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined the tables turning on me. I promise to not read too deeply into things anymore. I’m going to live my life with a little more optimism.

Now that that’s out of the way, hello!

I’m Mato Sato, the grand-prize winner of the 11th Annual GA Bunko Awards.

The concept of this story was “a grimdark, chic, spy-action fantasy with female protagonists.” That’s right. It’s just everything I personally enjoy. While I was writing, I kept saying to myself, “Not grimdark enough…! I’ve got to make it even cooler!” I pushed the limits of my imagination. Break, my synapses!

This mash-up of my interests ended up winning the grand prize. I guess you can never know what’s going to happen in life.

I’d like to fill the rest of the pages with my words of gratitude.

To my editor, Null:

Every meeting over coffee brought the initial manuscript closer to completion. I love to randomly sprinkle in characters who add absolutely nothing to the plot, so I can’t wait to see you suffer even more. By the way, was it a coincidence you tightened the deadlines as soon as I won the grand prize…?

To Fujino Omori, who kindly provided the blurb on the bellyband.

Thank you. As a megafan of Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? I was moved that you took time out of your busy schedule to write this. Your blurb practically gleams across the golden bellyband!

To nilitsu:

Thank you for the beautiful illustrations.

I saw how Null dropped extra work on you as soon as we knew this won the grand prize. I thought our editor was damn coldblooded, but I couldn’t put a stop to it…because I was pumped to see more of your illustrations. I’m sorry for sucking… It makes no sense how we’re somehow expected to meet the same deadlines after we’re assigned more work…

To everyone involved in the creation of this book.

Not just the editorial department, but sales, publicity, and everyone who works at the bookstores. I could absolutely feel all of you helping to push this title on all fronts. Thank you. Your enthusiasm was scary—I mean, just wonderful. I can understand why people say things like “terribly grateful.” I want to formally extend my gratitude to you.

And to the readers who picked up this book:

I hope I lived up to the expectations and hype as the first grand-prize winner in seven years.

I’m positive everyone will have a different opinion about this book. Just as a story is one in a million, so, too, is your experience taking it in. If you’d like to share your thoughts on Twitter or other social media, I have a sneaking suspicion the author might see them. Please feel free to write letters, too. We love to read them. I’ve heard they can top us off with creative fuel.

Nothing would make me happier than knowing this book brings joy to those involved in this series.