Rich Girl Caretaker Vol. 3 Afterword

Afterword

I am Yusaku Sakaishi. Thank you very much for purchasing this book. I hope you enjoyed the third volume of Rich Girl Caretaker. Following Hinako and Tennouji, this volume was Narika's story. ...Okay, that's all for content related to the main story. From here on out is just me rambling to fill the afterword pages.

I recently figured out why I'm so bad at writing afterwords. It stems from the thought, "Will showing the readers 'behind the scenes' spoil the mood for them?" I am, for better or worse, a writer, and when I write, I have thoughts like "I want to write about this theme," or "I hope the readers feel this way." However, if I deliberately put those into words and tell everyone, it feels like I'm forcing my own personal values as a mere author onto you, which makes me a bit resistant.

For example, when you're watching a movie and you notice, "Ah, that scene must have this meaning behind it," you might smile to yourself. But then later, you see an interview online where the director explicitly says, "That scene has this meaning," and it feels like you're being forced to look at the "correct answer." The author's own explanation of the meaning is undoubtedly the correct answer, but because it is the correct answer, it means no other interpretations can co-exist. I don't really like that restricted feeling.

A long time ago, I don't remember which show it was (probably Jounetsu Tairiku), they were closely following a young, famous painter. One day, a cameraman asked the painter, "What's the theme of this painting?" The painter replied, "Think about it yourself. Don't be lazy." That was such a sharp response it shocked me, but perhaps that painter's way of thinking is close to mine... or rather, maybe this value is quite common, and other authors feel the same way. But I've never discussed such a trivial topic with anyone, so I don't really know.

At least, I'm the type who wants readers to experience the story's meaning for themselves as much as possible. I like the vague beauty of not knowing if it's the right answer... I don't know if I'm communicating this clearly, but I enjoy the feeling of mulling over what the correct answer might be. That state is what sparks the imagination the most, so I love it, and it makes discussions with others more exciting.

Getting back on topic, it's because of my fussy personality that I find it so hard to write afterwords. If I write this, it might ruin the reader's mood; if I write that, it might force the "correct answer" on them... As I think this, I end up spending ten times longer on the afterword than on the main text for the same character count. In fact, just writing this afterword took me five hours. And so, I've finally realized that I'm probably not suited for writing afterwords with the feeling of "This is the passion I poured into my work—!" From now on, I'm just going to write my afterwords freely and as I please. ...Is what I thought, but looking back at my past afterwords, I realized I was already writing whatever I wanted in the Volume 2 afterword. I see, so that's the route I should take... I'm reflecting on this now, but I don't want to rewrite this one, so I'm going with it. It's my bad habit to always want to start things seriously, when I really just want to be silly from the get-go.

In writing this book, I received immense help from the editorial department, the proofreaders, and all related parties. To my editor, thank you for helping me brainstorm the theme for Volume 3. To Miwabe Sakura-sensei, thank you for drawing all the heroines so adorably again. Gyaru Narika was so cute, she completely surpassed my own imagination. Finally, to all the readers who picked up this book, I offer my deepest gratitude.

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