Afterword
Hello everyone, it has been a while. I am Hiryuu Satsuki.
I hope you enjoyed the second volume of When I Rescued the Ice Princess from Another School, We Started as Friends. If you did, nothing could make me happier.
Yes, volume two! We were finally able to release the second volume. Dengeki Bunko announced the sequel fairly early on, but that was all thanks to you, the readers. Thank you all so very much.
Now then, I'd like to touch a little on the contents of volume two... but before that, allow me to add a quick note. I never mentioned how the "◆◆◆" symbols in the story are used, so I'll explain their distinctions here.
Simply put, "◆◆◆" indicates a scene transition without a change in point of view. "◆◇◆" marks both a perspective change and a scene transition. These are mainly used when alternating between Souta-kun and Nagi-chan's viewpoints. Lastly, "◆◇◆◇◆" is used for other perspectives. In volume one, this was used for Minamikawa-san's introductory scene and Souichirou-san's narration; in volume two, the dream sequences were transitioned using this symbol as well. I apologize for not explaining this at all before and having to add it here in the afterword...
Now, let's switch gears and talk about the main story. For those who have read the web novel version, you might have noticed several major differences. The first is that Souta-kun's parents paid a surprise visit, and the second is that his final exam scores and class ranking dropped. On a more minor note, there were also more depictions of Nagi-chan's nightmares.
In the web version, Souta-kun's mother wasn't supposed to appear until around the first half of chapter two, but she arrived here instead. I added this under the assumption that if the two of them realized something had happened to Souta-kun, they would definitely rush over to check on him. Thanks to that, Souta-kun's father made an earlier appearance as well, and it created an opportunity for Souta-kun's parents to meet Nagi-chan's parents. I hope both pairs of parents continue to get along well with each other.
Furthermore, the core of this volume's story was Nagi-chan's lingering regret. Although everything was resolved in volume one, Nagi-chan still carried immense emotional guilt. As she mentioned in the story, the fact that she hurt the person she loves most remains unchanged... This was a story about how a slightly dependent Nagi-chan works to overcome her past. Setting that aside, however, now that they are officially a couple, there were many more sweet moments between them than in volume one. There are many stories that can only be told once characters become lovers, so being able to write them in book form made me incredibly happy. While I love the delicate distance when two people are on the verge of dating, I also truly adore this stage where their self-restraint is starting to crumble just a bit.
Since this is an afterword, allow me to talk just a little about the illustrations.
Misumi-sensei's illustrations are all astonishingly cute and beautiful, and I truly cannot thank them enough. I couldn't write in detail in the previous volume due to space constraints, but Nagi-chan is just so cute and gorgeous... In particular, her eyes are breathtakingly beautiful and wonderful. Of course, not just Nagi-chan, but Souta-kun and the others look fantastic too. Especially Souta-kun—it's so lovely how his gentle nature shines through his expressions. There's a charming cuteness within his coolness, and my heart skipped a beat when I first saw him.
Also, regarding the color insert for volume two: the moment I saw cat-eared Nagi-chan and Souta-kun, I was squirming with delight all by myself. What is with those two? They are way too cute. I could stare at them forever.
Naturally, all the other illustrations are truly wonderful as well, and every time I look at them, I can't help but grin from ear to ear. Thank you so very much.
Changing the subject a bit from volume two, a manga adaptation of this work is currently being serialized on Alive+ and Niconico Manga. The way Kuro Wanda-sensei illustrates Nagi-chan and the others is also incredibly cute and beautiful, so please be sure to check it out! Not only Souta-kun and Nagi-chan, but Eiji-kun, Kirika-chan, and Hikaru-chan are all drawn with immense charm, so don't miss it!
Lastly, I would like to offer my acknowledgments.
Once again, to Misumi-sensei, who provided the illustrations for this work. To my editor, who brainstormed ideas and offered continuous advice to make volume two even better. To Kuro Wanda-sensei, who is handling the manga adaptation. To all the readers who picked up volume one. To everyone who shared their thoughts on social media and elsewhere. To all the people involved in the production of volume two. And to all the readers who picked up this second volume.
Thank you all very, very much.
I would love nothing more than to keep continuing this series, so please continue to support it if you'd like.
With that, I hope to see you all again somewhere down the road.