I, a Tired Office Worker, Start Living Together with a Beautiful Highschool Girl whom I Met Again After 7 Years Volume 5 Afterword

 Afterword

Hello, this is the author, Natsuki Uemura.

Thank you so much for reading Kuta Sara Volume 5.  

This afterword is… a whopping five pages! That’s quite a lot!  

So, I thought I’d share some behind-the-scenes tidbits about the afterword itself. I can already hear readers saying, “Talk about the main story already!” (What’s that? Telepathic feedback? Creepy!) But don’t worry, we’ll get to that soon.  

My editor actually gave me a choice: “Please write either a five-page or seven-page afterword.” What a generous, customizable plan—like choosing the spice level at a curry restaurant! It was such a kind suggestion for a writer like me.  

But seven pages? Seven pages? I mean, when in life do you get the chance to write an afterword that long? It sounded like a rare opportunity, so I boldly decided to tackle the seven-page challenge… only to be utterly defeated by the sheer volume. Thank goodness there was a five-page option!  

Honestly, I started out all fired up, thinking, “I can do this!”  

But when I actually sat down to write, the pages filled up with rambling nonsense… I mean, what can you do? Writers, you see, love reading other people’s afterwords but are terrible at writing their own! Right, fellow writers? (Please, someone, back me up here!)  

Alright, enough stalling. Let’s dive into the main story.  

Warning: If you haven’t finished reading the main story yet, beware of spoilers. Proceed with caution.  

I’ll leave some space here before we dive into the story discussion.  

For those who’ve finished the main story, you’ll know that Kuta Sara concludes with Volume 5.  

This volume covers Aoi’s university entrance exams, her graduation, the photo wedding, and the progression of their relationship—a true culmination of everything. I believe this volume is the definitive finale of the series.  

In the final chapter, I depicted a “happily-ever-after Tenji family, ten years later” through Yuya’s dream. While I couldn’t fully illustrate the journey of their relationship leading up to marriage, I hope I was able to share my vision of their joyful future with all of you.  

Volume 1 was published in February 2023, and over the course of two years and five months, I had the privilege of writing this story. As the series reaches its finale, I feel like Yuya and Aoi, now grown, have left the nest. With a mix of joy and bittersweetness, I want to say to them, “Congratulations. Be happy!”  

Honestly, it’s really lonely. The moment I saw the illustration of Aoi in her wedding dress, I teared up. I’m the kind of old guy who cries watching young people give their all, so I was like, “Sob! I’m so glad you made it to this day!” I hope you, the readers, feel the same way.  

By the way, if the first volume came out two years and five months ago, that means I started planning this story even earlier—probably over three years ago.  

Curious about the initial concept, I dug up the old proposal from my computer’s folders.  

Looking back at it… wow, it’s quite different from what we ended up with.  

In the original draft, Yuya was a worn-out high school senior, and Aoi was only two years younger, attending the same school. Yup, it was a full-on school rom-com! I completely forgot about that and went around saying, “I want to spread the charm of an age-gap romance! I want to deliver healing to exhausted working adults!” Sorry for misleading you all this time, dear readers.  

The shift to the current working adult × high school girl rom-com was thanks to my editor’s guidance. Writing a perceptive, mature male lead who gently supports a younger heroine was a new challenge for me, and I was honestly nervous. In fact, the first draft of Volume 1 got torn apart. When my editor pointed out, “Yuya feels a bit immature for a working adult,” I panicked, thinking, “Uh-oh, this might be bad.”  

But thanks to the support of you, the readers, I was able to see this story through to the end. My editor’s advice and your love for the characters made it possible. Thank you so much.  

While the novel has concluded, the manga adaptation is still ongoing, serialized in Comic Dengeki Daioh. The Aoi and Rumi drawn by Bafako-sensei are absolutely adorable, so please check it out!  

And now, this dreamlike journey comes to an end.  

Though it’s hard to say goodbye, I’d like to close with some words of gratitude.  

To my editor: Thank you for everything. Your precise advice has been a lifesaver. When you said, “You did great making it to Volume 5,” it gave me a huge confidence boost. I’ll keep striving to be a “great” writer.  

To Parum-sensei, the illustrator: Thank you for your stunning artwork. Your illustrations breathed life into Aoi and the others, making this story truly captivating. The covers for every volume are so emotional and absolutely my favorite. Thank you for supporting this work over these two years and five months.  

To Bafako-sensei, the manga artist: Every time I see your storyboards, I’m like, “This panel is so good!” I send you my thoughts each time, though they’re probably more from a fan’s perspective than an author’s. I sometimes worry, “Am I creeping them out?” but I hope you’ll kindly tolerate my enthusiastic feedback moving forward (yes, I’ll keep sending it!).  

To the proofreaders, designers, and everyone else involved in this project: Thank you so much.  

And to all the readers who’ve supported Kuta Sara until the very end:  

Thank you for sticking with us!

——.

ToC

Short Story