Hello, everyone. I am the author, MIZUNA.
I know I’m jumping right into things, but I would like to thank you for reading The Petty Villain Plays by the Rules: Rewriting This Otome Game with Honest Work! I am truly grateful.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank the various people who were involved in the novelization of this story. Thank you to TO Books, who awarded this story the Novel Prize during the Tenth Web Novel Contest; H, who managed this project; Ruki, who provided the wonderful illustrations for this book; and all of the lovely people who supported this novel online. I’m truly grateful to you all. It was thanks to all of you that I was able to come so far, and I am overwhelmed with gratitude.
I believe I started writing this story around February 23, 2022. I thought about entering the contest, and though I couldn’t tell left from right when it came to writing, I churned out the story I’d been building up in my head. I am truly shocked not only that my story was awarded the Novel Prize, but that it’s now become a proper novel.
I’ve always loved coming up with stories, but I’d never actually put my ideas onto a page before. I purchased a book filled with various quotes at a convenience store, which included the following quote from Richard Bach: “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” For some reason, that quote really stuck with me. I also realized that if I just kept writing, even I could succeed.
I should note that Richard Bach is also an author, but I must confess that I haven’t read any of his writing. I’d love to read his writing someday.
Moving on, this is my first time writing an afterword, and to be honest, I have no idea what to say. I’ve settled on talking a bit about the characters in this story.
Our protagonist, Reid, is an adorable little boy who could easily be mistaken for a girl. How Ruki drew him is exactly what I imagined. The bonus illustrations included in the digital edition are pretty much exactly what I pictured, so I hope you get the chance to look at them.
I’ve expanded a bit on this in the process of putting together this novel, but Reid was originally supposed to fall to the dark side. That was partially a result of how earnest he originally was. That very earnestness would have led him to curse his inability to do anything, and as a result, he summoned up his memories of a previous life.
Reid has plenty of struggles lying ahead, but his positive outlook, sincerity, mischievousness, and possible nefariousness will surely help him overcome any obstacles. I have a blast writing while picturing a troubled look on his face. That’s why putting Reid through misfortune and pain is one way I have fun.
Also, we are now diligently working on preparing a second volume of this series. There are plenty of charming new characters in volume 2, so please look forward to it.
I’ve come up with lots of fun ideas for future stories as well, so I hope you’ll look forward to those too.
Finally, this is only the beginning of Reid’s tale. I’m going to do my best to make sure you all enjoy reading, so I hope you’ll continue to support me.