Kurusu-san Who Does Not Speak, is Full of Love in Her Heart Volume 2 Afterword

Afterword

Thank you for reading this far. This is Murasaki Yu.

Lately, it seems dual wielding is in fashion, so I, too, have been juggling writing and work… No, let’s be honest, it was more of a death march, but I somehow managed to get this out.

Starting from a completely blank page, I think I did pretty well, and I’d like to give myself some credit.

(Disclaimer: No rewards necessary. Seriously, this is not a hint!!)

Now, setting that aside—how was this chapter for you?

Spring is a season of big changes, after all.

That’s why the theme this time was "change."

The first half focused on the changes in Kurusu and Kaburagi’s relationship after becoming friends. The second half centered on Kirisaki’s inner conflict and resolution—emotional change, in a way.

As I mentioned in the afterword of Volume 1, the original title was The Girl Who Doesn’t Speak and I Who Can Hear Her Heart’s Voice’.. The current title features "Kurusu-san," but "Girl Doesn’t Speak" doesn’t refer only to Kurusu.

The meaning of "Doesn’t Speak" here isn’t just about not speaking—it’s about not expressing emotions.

In other words, it’s about not showing one’s true feelings.

Each character carries something within them, and little by little, those things are coming to the surface. This time, Kirisaki represented that idea through her unspoken desires. That’s the same thought process behind the current title, Kurusu-san Who Does Not Speak, is Full of Love in Her Heart

The "Suki" in Volume 1 and the "Suki" in Volume 2 have different meanings.

…That might be a bit hard to convey, though…

But if I was able to express even a little of Kirisaki’s "gap" and Kaburagi’s "gap," then I’d be happy with that.

Kirisaki’s heart isn’t heard clearly because she doesn’t voice her emotions internally—she cuts them off before they can even form. But that doesn’t mean she has no inner voice at all. If Kaburagi were to focus entirely on her, staying close, he might hear it like a faint whisper.

On the other hand, Hinamori, who is always scheming, has a much stronger presence, so her thoughts reach Kaburagi loud and clear (lol).

So, rather than saying Kaburagi hears inner voices, it might be easier to think of it as him being highly sensitive to emotional shifts.

Going forward, I plan to gradually explore more of Kurusu-san’s and Kaburagi-kun’s pasts. Their backstories were actually the very first things I wrote, so I’d love to share them eventually!

That said, it’ll probably have to wait until after Hinamori’s arc is complete.

I really hope I get the chance to continue writing… but, well, that’s out of my hands.

As mentioned earlier, if I do get to write the next part, I’d like to focus on a story centered around Hinamori. I also want to delve deeper into her character and explore more of her interactions with Kurusu and the others.

Volume 3 will be full of emotional outbursts and clashing feelings… or at least, that’s the idea. I haven’t written a single word yet, but I do have the framework in mind!

Lastly, a huge thank you to Tadano Yukiko-sensei for once again drawing such wonderful illustrations.

Every time I see the artwork, I can’t help but grin to myself.

And to Editor K, thank you once again for everything!

With that, I’ll wrap up this afterword here… If I do get to release Volume 3, I’ll do my best to survive another death march with work and writing!

Enjoying everything—no matter how busy—is what matters most. That’s what I keep telling myself…

So, until we meet again—bye!

Murasaki Yu