Afterword

Afterword

 

HELLO, this is Shinobumaru.

What did you think of The Haunted Bookstore—The Black Cat’s Old Friend and Gemstone Tears?

Personally, I’m very happy to have finally touched on Kaori’s past. Having written three volumes, I’ve reaffirmed to myself how important mothers are.

Right now, I’m writing while bringing up a four-year-old, so when I think about something happening like it does in the story…my chest starts to hurt. At the same time, as I think about how I want to continue raising my child with care, I feel unending gratitude toward my mother for bringing me up until now.

When I think about my own mother, I imagine her with her face wrinkled and her mouth wide open in a great burst of laughter. Her laugh is like sunshine, so I’ve always had the impression that, just by being there, she makes the house bright. The fact that she likes pickled food. The fact that her fingers are surprisingly dexterous. The fact that she loves alcohol and can drink a lot of it. I could give endless examples of my favorite things about my mother, but perhaps my strongest impression of her is her lively spirit.

But I also find myself thinking of how small she’s become since she became ill.

I thought that, while my father was ill, I’d already reflected to an unpleasant extent on the fact that one’s parents won’t necessarily stay healthy. But my strange assumption that my mother would always be healthy keeps getting in the way. A child will always be overly reliant on their mother.

At the same time, even as I’m thinking that I want to be as healthy a mom as I can be, I’ve definitely inherited my own mother’s love of alcohol… Yeah, maybe I should stop drinking. (That seems a bit difficult.)

Although my resolve to abstain from alcohol is already wavering, I’m going to move on to the acknowledgments.

To Munashichi, who was responsible for the cover art, thank you for your work on all three volumes! Double-coated cats! Shooting stars! Rustic hot springs! Giant-sized Nyaa-san! Every time I received your illustrations, I gaze upon them, spellbound. Thank you so, so much! To my editor, Sato—it was hard bringing these three volumes into the world. Thank you for telling me it was all right to let my middle-aged male characters squeal like schoolgirls. I never thought I’d be able to. Middle-aged guys are a gift, aren’t they? They really are… In addition, I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who has been involved with this book up to its completion, to my adored husband and child, to my mother back in my hometown, and to all my readers.

Finally! Comic ELMO has started turning this series into a comic! The pictures will be drawn by Medamayaki-sensei, who brought my Isekai Omotenashi Gohan to life as a manga. Please give it a look, everyone.

 

Written in the season when the plum trees bear fruit,

Shinobumaru