Afterword
NICE to meet you. My name is Saki Ichibu. Thank you so much for reading this work.
This story received a special award during the 2020 Mahō no i-Land book contest. I was obsessed with everything Mahō no i-Land put out when I was a teenager! I never imagined the day would come when I would receive an award in their contest. One never knows what will happen in life, do they…? In any case, I was extremely happy and honored!
“I want to write a love story where it’s obvious the leads adore each other without the need for words!” And that’s how this story was born. I like heroes who express their love verbally, but…I really wanted to write about a different kind of male lead. One who was quite taciturn and aloof… Except his actions clearly convey his overflowing affection for the heroine. One who goes so above and beyond he makes any reader swoon.
Hard-working Emma and Glen, supporting her in secret. I admit that the pace at which their story develops can be a bit frustrating, even though I was the one who wrote it. “Glen, you really love Emma, don’t you…? Then why won’t you just tell her, you idiot! Just tell her already! If you don’t, she’ll never know, and your love will never be reciprocated!” I had those thoughts, too. So you can imagine the sigh of relief I breathed when we finally arrived at their happy ending.
On that note, don’t you think Cocosuke-sensei did an incredible job of illustrating Glen as such a super stud?! This story wouldn’t have been complete without our handsome Glen! I want all the readers to enjoy Sensei’s beautiful illustrations while they join Emma on her heart-pounding adventure.
By the way, quite a few of the story elements are incorporated into the cover art. I recommend you look at it again after you finish reading. I have a feeling you’ll spot the little details and enjoy their world all over again.
I think it’s about time for me to wrap this up, so let me end with acknowledgments. I’m so grateful to everyone who was involved in the publication of this book. To all the readers who read the story while it was being serialized online; to my editors who helped me completely overhaul the plot; to Cocosuke-sensei for the incredible illustrations; and to everyone else who supported me—thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I always dreamed of being published by Kadokawa Beans Bunko. Every day has been filled with so much fun and joy in the few months since I won the award. So this story has become truly special to me.
I’d be delighted if we met again someday.
July 2021
Saki Ichibu