The first time I attended an offline meet-up, I showed up empty-handed and felt absolutely terrible about it. It’s a big deal. Everyone else brought gifts, and I was just there taking them. Talk about guilt. Of course, nobody expected anything in return or complained that I came empty-handed. But even if the other person doesn’t mind, you still can’t help but feel awkward about it. So listen up! If you’re new to meeting up with people you talk to online, always bring a small gift with you when you meet face-to-face for the first time! Make it something compact, not a hassle to carry around, and that won’t get ruined if you’re holding it for hours. Bonus points if it’s a local specialty they can’t get where they live. This advice comes from a veteran who’s already messed up once!
Oh, and for aspiring novelists out there: when you create your autograph, make sure it’s mostly curved lines! Never rely too much on straight lines because even the tiniest distortion is obvious and hard to cover up. This warning comes from a veteran who can’t undo past mistakes! Anyway…what was I talking about again? Oh, right. The editor is a saint and Momoco is a god. I’m truly grateful to both, and I hope to keep working with them. Seriously, thank you so much. Please don’t abandon me. Really.
…I started writing whatever came to mind, and before I knew it, I only have three pages left. I still hadn’t even gotten to the stories about the Thailand event and the anime’s after-recording party yet. Tsk. My lack of planning strikes again. I guess I have no choice but to speed things up. First, in April, there was that event in Thailand…that I think was book-related? It was a huge event, and I got to hold an autograph session there. Just like in Singapore before, I ended up sharing the stage with Sumire Uesaka again.
This time we traveled separately, so we only saw each other on the day of the event itself, but she was beautiful and friendly as always. The fans in Thailand were super passionate, too. Since it was all in Thai, I needed a translator, but everyone tried so hard to talk to me during the autograph signings. After the session, I went to check out the KADOKAWA booth, and guess what? Sumire Uesaka bought a 3D Alya breast-shaped mouse pad—out of her own pocket.
I was surprised to say the least. I was like, “Are you seriously going to buy that?! I’m totally writing about that in the afterword after I finish Volume 9!” And she replied, “Sure, go ahead,” so here I am writing about it. When I say I’ll do something, I do it. That’s the kind of man I am. For those who don’t know what a breast-shaped mouse pad is, I don’t have time to explain it right now, but it’s something that only proper gentlemen and gentlewomen use. Please look it up yourself online later when you have time.
After that, we went to a Thai restaurant for the after party where I tried pu pad pong curry, and it was incredibly delicious. When I mentioned I was going to Thailand, a friend from college recommended pu pad pong curry, so I just had to order it. It was unlike anything I’d ever tasted before. If you ask me to explain what kind of dish it is…well, I really wouldn’t even know how. I guess you could say that it was a curry made with crab meat and eggs? I’m not quite sure. It wasn’t particularly spicy, nor did it really taste like typical curry… but one thing’s for sure: I’m neither especially fond of nor averse to crab, yet that dish was incredibly delicious. If you ever visit Thailand, please be sure to try it. Okay, that’s the end of the Thailand story!
Next, let’s talk about the after party following the anime’s recording sessions. After finishing the dubbing for all twelve episodes, we had a celebration with the anime production team and the cast. Aside from Sumire Uesaka, I’d hardly spoken with the other cast members before (maybe I talked a little with Amano during the first recording), but everyone was very friendly and kind. What warmed my heart most was hearing how everyone unanimously agreed that the recording sessions for Feelings in Russian were fun and how close everyone became. Including the production staff, I truly feel Feelings in Russian was blessed with wonderful people, and I’m deeply grateful for that.
With that, I’d like to move on to expressing my thanks to everyone involved. As always, I am truly grateful for Editor Miyagawa, who has always supported me despite how much trouble I cause. Thank you so much. Next, I would like to thank Momoco, who once again created such wonderful illustrations for the artbook. I requested quite a few unusual expressions this time: serious looks, flustered faces, and yet, her quality was as outstanding as always. I was genuinely moved.
Next, a big thank-you to Tenamachi, who continues to deliver one captivating manga adaptation. Now that Ayano has appeared, the student council cast is finally complete, and I’m excited to see what kind of interactions will unfold! Lastly, my deepest thanks go to Suzuki, the editor in charge of the manga adaptation; Iwata, the editor for the artbook; Katou, the supervisor handling merchandise projects; Arai, the anime producer; the entire publicity team, the staff at Doga Kobo, the cast, everyone involved in the making of Feelings in Russian, and of course, every single reader who has supported the series. I send you my gratitude, which is so immense even a grim reaper couldn’t harvest it all. Thank you so much! I’ll see you again in the afterword of the next volume!