I was Yuusaku Sakaishi. I wanted to express my sincere gratitude to you for picking up this book.
I wondered what I should do, as I had already run out of things to write.
I was never very good at writing afterwords, so I agonized over them quite a bit every single time. My reality was essentially empty and boring. Whenever I sat down to write one, I felt as though someone had suddenly put me on the spot and demanded, "Tell us something interesting!" I just wanted them to stop... that kind of pressure was far too effective against me.
That being said, this wasn't the first or even the second time I had struggled with the content of an afterword. Therefore, I decided to look at various books written by my seniors to see how they handled theirs.
Personally, I thought it was a wonderful idea to go out and do something while thinking about the work itself. For instance, an author writing a military history might visit a war museum and then share their impressions in the afterword.
So, following their example, I decided to take some "extravagant" action while reflecting on this work, The Gifted Girl's Care.
I went to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant!!
It was delicious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Speaking of conveyor belt sushi, isn't that a staple of the "Young Lady" genre? It was that classic trope where a Young Lady who knew nothing of commoner life visited a revolving sushi joint for the first time and had an exaggerated reaction, like, "Oh my!! The plates are actually moving!" I thought I might actually write that into the main story someday.
When I looked at it that way, perhaps conveyor belt sushi was a precious experience that a Young Lady wouldn't usually get to enjoy. As I ate my sushi, I couldn't help but think, "Hinako, Tennoji-san, and Narika don't even know this taste..." which somehow made the meal feel even more delicious.
Incidentally, since I loved sushi, I did occasionally find myself visiting expensive sushi restaurants as well.
When I started craving fresh sea urchin or large-grained salmon roe, I simply couldn't resist going to those kinds of places. At the high-end establishments, I found the fatty tuna a bit too greasy for my liking, so I usually preferred the medium fatty tuna. The blackthroat seaperch at the place I visited recently was also exquisite. I had it lightly seared and seasoned with salt.
I believed that price didn't necessarily dictate quality; rather, it was important to choose a place based on one's mood. One of the things I looked for in a restaurant was "ease of repeat visits," which was why I still thought conveyor belt sushi was the best. I felt the same way about neighborhood Chinese joints. I once lived in Kamata, and that place was truly a paradise for local Chinese food.
Perhaps the Young Ladies in my story also frequented various shops depending on their moods.
Hinako seemed like she would really get into B-grade gourmet. I imagined that once she found a favorite shop, she would have Itsuki secretly take her there... Tennoji-san was quite the studious type, so I felt she would be willing to try any kind of restaurant. However, because she also valued her own elegant conduct, I didn't think she would frequently revisit places that felt too "common." She seemed more like the type to discover a specific favorite dish and then search for it at various different establishments. As for Narika, she would likely find everything delicious.
I hoped to properly write about Hinako and the others' dinner parties at some point.
[Acknowledgments]
In the process of writing this work, I was greatly indebted to the editorial department, the proofreaders, and everyone else involved. I offered my deepest thanks for everything, from the wealth of advice regarding the content to the management of my schedule. To Sakura Miwabe-sensei, thank you for once again providing such wonderful illustrations. From the elegant Tennoji-san and the slightly dejected Tennoji-san to the high-spirited Tennoji-san and the disguised version with her hair down—thank you for depicting a single character so charmingly from so many different angles.
Finally, I wished to offer my greatest thanks to all the readers who picked up this book.