Chapter 35

AFTERWORD What’s coming in the next volume? The Kotonami siblings have started a rather fishy-sounding business, and they’ve hired Celty for something, even dragging Yahiro and Himeka into it, too! On top of that, who is this mysterious pair who comes to call on their services, and why do they only speak in references to anime and manga…? Hi again. It’s me, Narita. Who are they, you ask? They’re obviously Yumasaki and Karisawa from the original series. But they aren’t the only ones who will show up. There will be lots of characters, like always, so if you’re not a fan of Yumasaki and Karisawa, look forward to the others! …And now we can set aside the matter of the next volume… By the way, have you ever taken a close look at the spines of the volumes in the original Japanese release from Dengeki Bunko? If you were to consult the spine for the Japanese edition of this book, for example, there is a code that reads “NA-9-50.” That means that this book is by the ninth author whose name starts with Na who has debuted under Dengeki Bunko, and it is that author’s fiftieth book overall. Yes, my fiftieth book. It’s been ten years since I debuted with Dengeki Bunko. This is the fiftieth book I have published through Dengeki Bunko under the name Ryohgo Narita! When I started, I had no idea if I would even get a second book, but I’ve been very fortunate to continue. Somehow I’ve reached a grand total of fifty. This is all thanks to everyone at the editorial office who has helped me, and even more than that, all you readers who have supported me. Thank you so much! I’m going to take care of myself and continue on my way to the next big milestone! Now, as for my auspicious fiftieth published book, Durarara!! SH, Vol. 2, this marks the end of the first story arc. Some of the characters who were only briefly introduced, like Libei Ying, should become major players in the next book. Look forward to it! Now that the Kotonami siblings and Celty are going to embark on some fishy business, my intention is to do stand-alone stories starting with the third volume. I don’t have any plans for lengthy five-volume story arcs like the ones around Mikado in the original Durarara!! series…for now. I’m keeping my options open. As for the Durarara!! anime, there were lots of announcements at the Dengeki Bunko Fall Festival 2014 event just before this book came out. The cast is fantastic. Not only the actors from the first season returning to their roles, but also the incredible new people we have stepping in to fill the new roles. I’ve been flabbergasted ever since I heard the news. I can’t wait to see how they handle the original Durarara!! series up through Volume 13. I’m going to do my best with this new series to keep the train rolling! If possible, I’m hoping to put out some other books in the meantime…but the problem is, I have a lot of intensive work squashed into my schedule, which makes it hard to find time for new books… But I can say that my collaboration with TYPE-MOON titled Fate/strange Fake is still ongoing. As long as I don’t get sick, I should be delivering one of those this winter. You can always check out the precise street dates in Dengeki Bunko Magazine, the Dengeki Bunko website and e-mail list, and my Twitter account. If you happen to see any of those, check up on those dates! And the anime isn’t the only cross-media adaptation in the works. There are preparations underway for a new video game, and multiple serialized manga are currently ongoing! Speaking of manga, I can only write words and am unable to draw storyboards at all. In the last ten years, though, I’ve been blessed to see many artists turn my writing into manga, as well as animators put my stories into motion. I’m full of admiration for the way that artists can create a sense of space of their own. I hope I can improve my own writing to be able to create that same sense of image and motion inside your head as you read… These adaptations have always had the benefit of expanding the world of my stories, so if I’m fortunate, that relationship will continue. I pray that there will be many more experiences (hopefully good ones) in the next ten years, as I roll onward toward a hundred volumes. Nothing would make me happier than for you to come along on the journey. Lastly, my acknowledgments. To my editor, Papio, and everyone at ASCII Media Works and the printers, I’m sorry for submitting this manuscript even later than last time… To the excellent folks who are bringing Durarara!! to life in different forms of media, between our new anime project, three different manga series, and even a new game. To the family, friends, authors, and illustrators who support me. To Suzuhito Yasuda, who squeezed the time out of his busy schedule to do such wonderful pieces of artwork. Congratulations on finishing the Durarara!! collaboration manga packed in with each disc release of the Yozakura Quartet anime! I loved every last one of them! But most of all, to you all for picking up the continuation of Durarara!! SH. Thank you, thank you all! I hope that we meet again soon! September 2014—Ryohgo Narita