I was Yuusaku Sakaishi.
Thank you very much for picking up this book.
How did you enjoy the third volume of Gifted Girl's Caretaking?
After focusing on Hinako and Tennoji-san, this installment centered on Narika.
…And with that, the discussion regarding the main story was over.
What followed was nothing more than trivial chatter meant to fill the remaining space in the afterword.
I recently realized that the reason I struggled with these sections was the fear that showing the audience what happened behind the scenes would cause them to lose interest.
Even someone like me was technically an author, so whenever I wrote a work, I had certain things in mind, such as what themes I wanted to explore or how I wanted my readers to feel. However, I felt a sense of resistance toward putting those things into words and conveying them to everyone, as if I were imposing my personal values as an author on them.
For instance, when I watched a movie, I occasionally noticed a scene and thought, Ah, the director must have intended for it to be like this, and I would smile to myself. But if I later read an interview online where the director clearly stated that they had a specific intention for that scene, I felt as though a definitive “correct answer” had been thrust upon me.
An explanation provided by the author themselves was an absolute truth. Because it was the correct answer, no other interpretations could coexist with it. I was never very fond of that feeling of restricted freedom.
This happened quite a long time ago and I couldn't remember what program it was (it was likely Jonetsu ○ Riku), but a famous young painter was being followed for a documentary.
One day, a cameraman asked the painter what the theme of a certain painting was. The painter replied, “Think about that yourself. Don't be so lazy.”
It was a very harsh response that surprised me, but I wondered if that painter shared a similar perspective… Or perhaps this was a common viewpoint and other authors felt the same way. I never spoke about such a minor topic in public, so I didn't know for sure.
At the very least, I was the type who preferred to notice an author’s intentions on my own, and I enjoyed the ambiguous state of not knowing whether I was “correct” or not. I wasn't sure if I was expressing this well, but I enjoyed the sensation of being curious about the right answer. That state stirred my imagination more than anything else, and I loved how it sparked lively discussions with others.
To get back to the point, my troublesome personality made it difficult for me to write afterwords. I worried that if I said one thing, the readers would lose interest, or if I wrote another, I would be imposing a “correct answer” on them. I got so caught up in those thoughts that I ended up spending ten times longer on these afterwords than I did on the main story for an equivalent amount of text. In fact, it already took me about five hours just to write this one.
Thanks to that, I finally came to a realization. It seemed that writing an afterword with the mindset of “this was the emotion I poured into my work!” simply didn't suit me. From now on, I decided to write them more loosely and freely.
…With that in mind, I looked back at my previous work and noticed that the afterword for Volume 2 was actually quite free-spirited.
I see, I should have just stuck with that style… I reflected on that, but since I didn't want to rewrite this anymore, I decided to let it stand. It was a bad habit of mine to try and approach everything with such seriousness. I wanted to learn how to let loose from the very first step.
[Acknowledgments]
During the process of writing this work, I was greatly indebted to the editorial department, the proofreaders, and everyone else involved. To my editor, thank you for helping me brainstorm the themes for Volume 3 and for your ongoing support. Sakura Miwabe-sensei, thank you for once again providing such cute illustrations for the heroines. Gyaru Narika was incredibly adorable; she completely exceeded my initial vision for her.
Finally, to all the readers who picked up this book, you have my deepest gratitude.