Afterword
DEAR READERS,
Thank you for purchasing Volume 5 of The Too-Perfect Saint.
I can hardly believe we’re on the fifth volume! Honestly speaking, I didn’t think we’d make it this far. When I heard that we’d be able to release a fifth volume, I was completely taken aback—and a little flustered at the same time.
Philia’s search for happiness came to a close in Volume 4, so this will effectively be the second act of the story. It’s hard to know how to proceed.
I decided that from Volume 5, the story should focus on Philia bringing happiness to the people around her. After coming to that conclusion, I went back and revisited all the scenarios, characters, and world-building elements that have featured in the story so far, to prepare to write further.
One key change is that this volume is packed full of plot points that link to future developments. I’d been holding back on revealing certain things about this world because I wasn’t sure if I’d get the chance to divulge them, so springing them on the readers has been a lot of fun.
In this volume, the spotlight was on Himari, but I plan to delve deeper into the other characters in the future.
Speaking of the characters, Masami has once again created some fantastic illustrations for this volume, which were a pleasure to see. Mago Ayakita’s manga adaptation of The Too-Perfect Saint always impresses me, too. Once again, I feel compelled to portray my characters as wonderfully as they do.
I couldn’t be more grateful for all the advice my editors have given me. As always, I want to express my thanks to everyone who gave me this opportunity.
To all my readers, I hope you’ll continue to join me on this journey.
On that note, I’ll bring this volume to a close. I really hope that we’ll meet again.
—FUYUTSUKI KOKI