Strike the Blood - Volume 8 - Chapter Aft

Afterword 

As I write this manuscript, it is currently the end of May. Since I’m working right on the heels of the last volume (the seventh), at some point, Japan leaped from the middle of winter through spring and all the way to summer’s eve, right before the beginning of the rainy season. (Or, maybe I could explain it as me just pretending not to really notice.) Goodness, cherry blossom viewing season and Golden Week ended without my even noticing. Three months ago, I was like, my winter coat, scarf, and space heater sure won’t be much use in all this crappy heat—and that’s where my memory pretty much stops. 

What I’m trying to say in a roundabout way is that human memory is a vague thing. You might not be able to remember a single thing happening over the course of months, but you keep remembering that one momentary screwup you made years ago that you always regretted. That’s the sort of thing Kojou and Asagi experienced, I think. Well, I get the feeling he’d probably snap at me to the effect of, Don’t compare the two, dammit. 

And so, Strike the Blood, Vol. 8 has arrived. 

This volume constitutes a break with the past. This is a story with its ultimate destination determined at the start; at any rate, I took care that it would not simply be one tragedy after another. I’d be happy if you thought of it as a tale that, once you’ve read it, has a silver lining. 

Anyway, this time, the length constituted most of my agony. I listed scene after scene that I wanted to write, but, as these would be about five books’ worth of material, I tearfully cut out numerous parts. In particular, I wanted to give Avrora and her kind more happiness. 

Such are my regrets, but since it’s been some time since I thought about even my own characters this way, I had a lot of fun writing what I did. If I make up for what I didn’t get to write in some other way in the future, that’ll be fine. 

From the next volume onward, I expect to return things to a normal time flow, making it feel like a restart. I’ll be happy just from the joy of continuing this. 

Now then, I’m very sorry for all the trouble I caused for everyone because I was seriously behind schedule. Allow me to borrow this space to apologize. 

Manyako, the illustrator—truly, thank you again. 

To TATE-sensei, congratulations on safely getting Volume 2 of the comic version of Strike the Blood to bookshelves. 

In addition, from the bottom of my heart, I thank all of you who have read this book. 

I hope to see you again next volume. 

Gakuto Mikumo