Chapter 81

AFTERWORD It’s been a while. I’m Hiromu. Sorry for making you wait so long this time. There was a…how can I say it, an unforeseen situation… Yes, in Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! [This Light Novel Is Amazing!] 2021, Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle won first place!!!!!! Both myself and Iwaasa, the editor in charge, were really caught off guard, and between the time I got the call and the announcement, I was running around every day doing interviews and creating new PVs and merchandise, and I just didn’t have much time to work on my manuscript… Forgive me. I talked about my feelings when I heard the results, and about my thoughts on my work in an interview for Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi!, so I won’t include that here. Please buy it and read it! I cried a little when I saw a pile of Chiramune books in my nearby bookstore, where there was once only a single volume on the shelf on the initial release day (lol). And we have a special edition out for the first time in the series! I have a sort of ulterior motive here, hoping that maybe those who didn’t know about it might go and buy it specially, but let me explain a little about it first. The special edition comes with a 130-page short story booklet, and the cover is an illustration of Yuzuki and Haru by raemz. This booklet was written as a bonus for those who purchased in-store at places such as Animate and Toranoana when the new book was released. Each story is short, but they include scenes I wasn’t able to touch on in the main series. For example, in Volume 3, Yuzuki is actually waiting for Saku, who has returned from Tokyo with Asuka, and so on. In addition, there’s also a newly written story about Yuzuki and Haru in year one included, too! And now, in order not to spoil the lingering impression of the main story, I’ll stop teasing new stuff and move on to the acknowledgments. Raemz, when I saw the cover, I was blown away. The illustration for Melonbooks’ bonus tapestry did the same. I was especially blown away by the special version’s Haru and Yuzuki illustration, but there was also the Yua one… Forget alcoholism, I’m suffering from raemzism. I will do my best to make it so you can draw new Chiramune illustrations as soon as possible. Iwaasa said he learned at the special exhibition of the picture book Frog and Toad that good editors motivate authors by telling them what they love, and apparently, he put it into practice right away. I think next time it would be better if he included in the afterword something like, “It’s just a joke, so don’t get too upset by it,” the next time he covers everything with heartless red pen. In addition, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the people involved in Chiramune, in areas such as advertising and proofreading, and above all, to all the readers who voted for that number one Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! spot. If I keep them waiting for a long time with the continuation after this fifth volume, I think there might be a riot, so I’ll try to release the next one a little sooner… I hope? HIROMU