Spice and Wolf - Volume 4 - Chapter Aft

AFTERWORD

Hello! It has been quite a while. I am Isuna Hasekura, and this is the fourth volume.

What’s more, this makes it a full year since Spice and Wolf debuted. Time certainly does fly.

It seems like just the other day I was going to the Twelfth Dengeki Novel Prize party, dressed in a suit and desperately nervous— and just recently I attended the Thirteenth.

Time has moved so fast, in fact, that I didn’t have time to get my suit cleaned and wound up going in my civvies. That’s the reason why there in the sea of suits and ties was me, wandering around in my dingy jeans. The roast beef was excellent.

Speaking of which, the year-end party for Dengeki Publishing is coming up in a couple of weeks, and I cannot wait to see what delicious things they’ll serve. I really want to bring along some Tupperware to take leftovers home with me, but it’s been only a year since my debut, and I’m thinking that’s the kind of thing I shouldn’t do until I’m a more established veteran.

It’s so beautiful in my mind: I’ll grow a beard, smoke a pipe, and wave my cane around as I swagger into the hall, making for the sushi table and taking it home with me. Part of me says that my idea of a veteran author is a little off, but I’ve decided not to worry about it. Oh yeah—I can’t forget to bring some pickled ginger back with the sushi. I’d be a failure as a gentleman otherwise.

Now that I’ve filled some space, some thanks are due.

To Jyuu Ayakura-sensei, whose illustrations have once again turned out just as I have imagined them, my sincere thanks. When I was looking at the roughs, there would be a single character who would look too much like I imagined him, and I would have to laugh.

My deep thanks likewise go to my esteemed editor, Koetsu-sama, for carefully checking my shaky manuscripts. If they made me do that job myself, I’d probably give up halfway through. Thank you so much.

And to all of you who now hold this book in your hands, my deepest thanks. I hope that you also enjoy the next volume.

I shall see you then.

Isuna Hasekura