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Afterword
Are you in a good mood? This is Takabayashi.
Finally, my paperback book has made it's miraculous debut. When I loitered
at the corner new book display, I could only sigh. Though I haven't won
a prize or name, nevertheless it's a novel with fantasy (I'm super weak
at that), first person (intensely weak) and almost all beautiful people
except for the main character (tearfully weak). It's making is a considerable
miracle. That makes my heart throb. This book is about a senior high school
student who gets flushed to another world by petty chance; it's a fast story
that's a fantasy anyway you look at it. But, it's a joke.
Casually, in the middle of some idle talk, "Come to think of it, there's
many stories like this. Furthermore, the main character is certainly the
hero of legend, coming back to the world to save it. If the main character
was bleep, at another world bleep, what would happen if he did bleep? Ah,
this isn't an H story." When we chatted about such things, sitting with
T-sensei and A-sensei, GEG (not geeg, but 'great editor Goto-chin') was
strangely favorable.
Then I said, "talk to you again", and the main character was completed en
route to the Tokyo line, on the way back home. Even though it was idle chat.
In addition there were a lot of jokes. Even though I decided, "This time
I'll become a serious author for sure"...
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When I started putting in all the details, I was inexperienced in fantasy
in any way, and it was very difficult to come up with one name. I wanted
to avoid overly exaggerated fantasy-ish (?) names, but would "Hi, John!"
fit in a world of swords and magic? Well, I think John is a wonderful name.
John Malkovich, John Cusack and John Manjiro are the best. But it's fantasy
so, I didn't think it would be easy for a girl to relate easily to naming
them... the result is a painful problem, I'll tell you.
Even though I wrote down various things, such coined words don't exist in
modern day Japan, a little bit feudal, and yet an equal part strange. There
are a lot of strange parts when I read it again. On top of that, I can't
easily say it'll be concluded. Because it's a gag! Because calling such
a slapstick novel a comedy is presumptuous! Please skim it with an open
mind. I aimed for Sam Raimi's direction in 1"Captain Supermarket"!
Whaaat, I made a gag and survived.
Nonetheless, Matsumoto Temari-san, who was in charge of the illustrations,
was different than those other foolish guys and wanted to draw more beautiful
characters that were sure to make the heart tremble. Excuse me, Temari-san,
I made you do gag pictures. But I think many people picked up this book
because of your seductive cover (girl at the sea). It would be nice if everyone
all over took it to their rooms. And GEG (thats means Great Editor...),
sorry I was always half asleep on the phone. I couldn't grasp most conversations
for the first five minutes...
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And thus everytime I was contacted with, "It's important!", somehow it became
Asaka-san trying to guess right, well, I should say 'sensei'. I'm finally
able to register in the same league as Asaka-sensei. There's still a difference
in our game stats; it feels like a difference in the tens, where I can't
even see the back of my senior, like a mop-up ace in a throwaway match,
aiming at the triple crown winner, running at full speed!
I expected to make a more victorious "afterword", but it's unexpectedly
quiet and collected. I wonder if it's fine for the novel's postscript to
be low-key. Would young ladies check the postscript, see this and put it
back on the shelf... But if you like it just a little (or feel so inclined),
thank you for buying and reading it. Truly, from the bottom of my heart,
thanks. When you close it, if there's even a little something left in your
chest, please tell me by all means.
Your words are necessary to create the "Takabayashi Tomo" of the 21rst century.
Takabayashi Tomo
1 "Captain Supermarket" is the Japanese title for "Army of Darkness".