Afterword

Thank you so much for picking up Takashi-kun, Back from the Battlefield: Just Wanting a Normal High School Life. To those who went the extra mile and bought it, thank you even more!

The fact that you’d spend money on my work… I’m so overjoyed I can barely handle it… (My vocabulary’s failing me here.)

This happiness seeping into my very core—that’s what this must be. I could live off this feeling for the next decade.

Truly, thank you. I don’t have any other words.

Now, with gratitude aside for a moment, let me talk a bit about Takashi-kun, Back from the Battlefield: Just Wanting a Normal High School Life.

No spoilers here, so if you’re starting with the afterword, you’re safe to keep reading.

When I got the offer to publish this, I told my close circle I was writing a novel. Naturally, they asked for the title. When I said, Takashi-kun, Back from the Battlefield, they were like, “What’s with that name? It doesn’t tell me anything about the story.”

I was shocked.

I thought I’d nailed the perfect title, but it wasn’t clicking at all.

This won’t do. Even readers starting with the afterword might not get it.

So, let me lay out the key features of this story, nice and concise.

This work is “a romantic comedy depicting the daily life after defeating the final boss in a battle manga”!

I’ve devoured tons of shonen and seinen manga, especially battle manga—my absolute favorite.

As a battle manga fanatic, I created a story focused on the “aftermath.”

It’s about soldiers returning from war, getting caught up in small troubles while living a carefree daily life.

That’s the kind of story this is.

I hope everyone who picks it up finds even a little bit of joy in it.

Lastly, a brief word of thanks. To everyone who supported me on Shousetsuka ni Narou, thank you so much. Your encouragement led to this publication. To the illustrator, Minori Chigusa-sama, my editor, and everyone involved, thank you. This amazing final product is all thanks to you.

Truly, thank you.

That’s it for the afterword. Until next time.

May 2024, Anai Gei