Afterword
Thank you very much for reading up to this point. This is Yu Murasaki.
After getting through an even rougher death march than last time, I somehow managed to release this volume.
Apologies for the massive delays with the manuscript…!
These past few months, I’ve basically been working every single day, so I’m understandably exhausted.
The company is technically a white company, you know? It’s just that the workload is unevenly distributed among certain people…
Yeah. Time to change jobs!
Anyway, I’ve gone way off topic, but… the theme this time was “Suki”.
The title itself is pretty much the theme.
While the main focus is on Hinamori-san, this volume also delves into the pasts of Kurusu-san and Kaburagi-kun.
If you’re interested in those backstories, I hope you’ll read this volume.
Hinamori-san has been around since volume one—she appears perfect, but in truth, she operates entirely by calculated moves.
By always acting the way others expect her to, she’s learned to read their reactions, giving her a somewhat twisted vibe. Still, since the protagonist sees right through all her schemes, her plans often fall flat (lol).
But at her core, she’s a kind girl. She cares about those around her, works hard to live up to the expectations placed on her, and puts in a lot of unseen effort. Though she never shows that effort outright, you can imagine her carefully preparing all the little setups behind the scenes for the protagonist. The direction of her efforts may be a bit off, but that might just be part of her charm.
The reason she loves romance talk, as explained in the story, is because she “doesn’t understand what love feels like.” That’s actually why I included her wanting to talk about love from the very first volume.
Since she’s been hiding her true self, no matter how much affection is directed at her, it doesn’t feel real to her—it’s not the “real her” receiving it. And because things always go her way, she’s never experienced being genuinely absorbed in someone else. So this story was about Hinamori-san coming to recognize what “suki” means to her.
This time, the “Suki” in the title simply meant “love.”
Did your predictions turn out to be correct??
And lastly, to Tadano Yukiko-sensei—thank you once again for the wonderful illustrations. I’m so sorry for the delays in providing content.
I’m truly moved by how much you were able to draw from such a vague outline. Getting those illustrations gave me the strength to keep going!
To Editor K—thank you again for all your support!
Next time, I’ll try to pace things better so I can work with a bit more breathing room!!
That wraps up the afterword… but if I may, a small announcement.
This month, I actually have a new work coming out as well.
The title is: “When I Told My Love Advisor Best Friend (♀) That I Got Confessed To” — a romcom that begins when a girl who usually gives love advice to everyone ends up receiving a love consultation from the very person she likes. Love advisors in romcoms often end up sidelined, but not this time… or so the story goes.
When I write, I always aim for stories with kindness at their core!
I’d be thrilled if you gave it a read~!
Until we meet again—bye~!
Yu Murasaki
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