It’s been getting pretty cold lately, hasn’t it? I hope you’ve all been holding up well!
Thank you very much for purchasing the second volume of The Sidekick Never Gets the Girl, Let Alone the Protag’s Sister! This is the author who can never seem to remember their own titles, Toshizo, speaking.
This second volume opens with an aside regarding what happened to our protagonist (as in the protagonist of the actual book, not in the meta sense) Kunugi Kou in the other world. Our world’s absolutely overflowing with stories about folks getting reincarnated or dragged into other worlds these days, isn’t it? The ones that dig into how the protagonist uses modern knowledge and tools to enact sweeping reforms are particularly interesting, in my book.
But really, if you were actually thrown into an uncivilized world or a world that’s developed using some totally different form of technology—say, by using magic instead of using the science we rely on in the real world—there’s no guarantee that you’d actually be able to successfully play the hero like all those protagonists do. At the very least, I don’t think I’d stand a chance. Sadly, I just don’t have the right sort of brain for it.
I’m afraid to say that the same was probably true for young Kunugi Kou. Even after getting granted all sorts of special powers, I’m sure he screwed up, ran away, and suffered time and time again. Being a Hero who’s fated to save the world would be way too heavy a burden for a child like him to bear on his own—no, actually, I think it’d be too much even for an adult.
The moment of recollection I wrote for him in this volume portrays a brief period of peace in his life, as well as the beginning of the seemingly eternal cycle of suffering he’d be wrapped up in from then onward. After returning to the modern world, the powers and experience that he attained in the other world are both akin to a curse and yet also the one thing that he knows for sure he can rely on.
As for why I made the backstory so darn dark... Well, I’m sure there are plenty of people out there who think, “Why not have him succeed in the other world, then go back to the real world and use his powers to succeed there too?!” and honestly, same. Like, don’t I feel sorry for poor Kunugi-kun?! Not to mention Hikari-chan, who went through all sorts of awful stuff too, thanks to all that nonsense! (Witness me, the self-flagellating author.)
But I’m afraid to say that this train’s already running wild, and there’s no stopping it now. I believe that the things you gain by overcoming hardship are all the more precious because of the tough times you went through to get to them. As one of this story’s writers, I’d like to keep guiding it in that direction. Not that this story has more than one writer to begin with! Hah!
Once again, I’d like to extend my sincerest thanks to the many parties who helped make this novel a reality. In particular to U35, who was in charge of the illustrations. Personally speaking, the drawings of the other world’s characters were so incredible I seriously couldn’t deal with it. This was true of volume one as well, but putting illustrations in a book really takes it to the next level in an instant. Really makes me think, “Holy crap, books are incredible!” I’d also like to thank all the kind individuals at the publishing house and my editor as well. The oranges you sent to help me through the summer were super tasty.
Finally, more than anyone else, I’d like to thank all the readers who’ve been following my work since I first posted it on Shosetsuka ni Naro. I truly can’t thank you enough for continuing to buy my novels. It’s thanks to you that Sidekick was born as a published work, and it’s thanks to you that I was born as an author. I intend to do my absolute best to not let down everyone who’s cheered me on for all this time.
Once again, to all of you who purchased this book, thank you very much! I hope you’ll keep enjoying Sidekick in the future!
—Toshizo (November 2019)