Nice to meet you. My name is Shimesaba.
I used to spend my time modestly writing stories on the Web. Before I knew it, it was decided that the fourth volume of this story would be published, and I’m starting to think I should stop being shocked as I write these afterwords. I’m still shocked, though.
I wrote about the summer of 2018 at the end of Volume 3, and once again, this volume is being released in the summer. Two years have passed since then.
In the meantime, I moved out of my parents’ house and am now renting a two-bedroom apartment.
There are three rooms including the living room, and one of the rooms has just the right placement, so I made it into my computer room, or rather, my office.
I moved in the winter of 2019. It was chilly, but in my area of Japan, the cold wasn’t so bad, so I was able to make do by just turning on a fan heater when warm clothes weren’t cutting it.
All this meant I was able to move without noticing a certain fact about my new home. I was simply enjoying myself, thinking, This is so great! for six whole months.
This “fact,” as you’ve probably guessed, is that…my computer room, once again, has no air-conditioning.
It seems I learned nothing.
Once again, I’m barreling into the summer of 2020 with no AC.
Back at my parents’ house, I simply hadn’t bought an AC unit. I could have installed it if I had one.
But my current computer room doesn’t even have a hole in the wall to run the heat vent through. It has a power plug in the ceiling for an AC unit, though… What were they thinking? Anyway, if I want to install one, I’ll have to contact the rental agency and get permission to drill a hole in the wall…so I keep putting it off.
For now, I open the window by my desk at night to alleviate the heat. I bet once the nights start growing muggy, things will get a lot worse.
As I write this, it’s still the early-summer rainy season. By the time you’re holding this book in your hands, maybe I’ll have air-conditioning…
I hope so.
Changing the subject, COVID-19 really flipped the world on its head.
Relatives and celebrities passed away, the economy was paralyzed, favorite shops went out of business…
It seems like the news is always sad, and self-quarantine is suffocating. I feel gloomy, just like everyone else.
But now that we’re all getting used to staying at home, I’m starting to see people reconsider how much time they spend working, or finding new hobbies at home, among other positive takes.
You never know how many times in your life society will be upended.
It might happen again and again, or perhaps this will be the last time.
So I hope each of you will think about what you can do right now…what you’d like to do… Have fun, and find a way to spend your time that you feel is worthwhile.
If you’re able to find just one thing you treasure, when you look back on this difficult time, you’ll have a priceless memory to last a lifetime. Or at least, that’s what I think.
I was planning to avoid talking about current affairs in the afterword, but I wanted to record how I feel right now along with my writing, so I’ve taken the liberty of including it here.
If my words resonate with someone, and they’re able to remember them along with this book one day, that would make me very happy.
And now for the acknowledgments.
First, I’d like to thank the two editors who helped me this time around. Editor S and Editor K, thank you very much.
Editor S’s smile is lovely but also frightening, both of which helped me keep going. I hope we get the chance to work together again.
Editor K was a constant source of positivity and kindly supported me even when I was mentally on my last legs. Thank you. I look forward to working with you again in the future.
Next, a huge thanks to Imaru Adachi, who was able to provide the cover and interior illustrations on such short notice. I don’t know how she was able to find time despite being so busy with the manga, but I’m extremely grateful. I did a little dance of joy when I saw her illustration of Ms. Gotou as a high schooler.
As always, thanks to booota for the character designs. So many people were able to see Yoshida, Sayu, and the rest because you breathed life into them. Whatever happens, I will always see them as the characters you drew…
And a heartfelt thanks to the proofreader, who I’m sure read this book more closely than I did, and to everyone else involved in publishing it. Thank you so much.
Finally, to the readers holding this fourth volume in your hands: My deepest apologies for the long wait. I’ll keep doing my best to bring you enjoyable stories, so please keep following Yoshida and Sayu’s adventure. We’re almost at the finish line.
I’ll end the afterword here, wishing that chance will bring my work to you again in the future.
Shimesaba