Afterword

In the summer of my first year of elementary school, I suffered from otitis media right at the start of swimming classes.

That summer, I couldn't participate in classes at all and fell significantly behind my classmates in swimming learning.

The despair I tasted in the pool the following summer after returning is something I still can't forget.

"Everyone is a water strider…… I'm a caterpillar! Gobo-gabo……"

Because of that, I still have a sense of inadequacy regarding the "world inside water," but precisely because of that, I also harbor strong admiration and interest.

Whether it's a pool, the sea, or a pond, it goes without saying that underwater is mysterious and beautiful, but I can't help feeling that some tremendous "fear" and "sadness" are also dissolved in there—this mysterious sensation has been inside me ever since that elementary school summer.

So, perhaps it is only natural that I prefer "Closed Circle on an Island" mystery novels surrounded by "water."

Now, please watch over this "Closed Circle on an Island" story that unfolded across volumes until the end.