Afterword

Thank you for picking up Volume 14 of the novel Days with My Step Sister. This is Ghost Mikawa, the author of both the original work and the novel.

With university entrance exams passed and high school graduation behind them, I’m sure readers feel a certain “ending” has come. However, for Yuuta and Saki, their life together doesn’t end there. For many, graduation is the start of a new life, and for Yuuta and Saki, it’s merely one event that colors their journey.

In this Volume 14, I’ve depicted both an ending and a beginning.

The graduation trip episode is the culmination of the relationships between Yuuta and Saki, as well as Maru and Maaya, while also being a story of “setting out.” It’s not about where they go or what they do, but who they’re with—that’s what matters. I’d be thrilled if you could witness this slice of youth.

From the lively discussions about choosing a destination, to sightseeing in Osaka, and then the start of university life—though the stage changes, there’s “something unchanging” between them, with just a hint of new air mixing in. I wrote this hoping to carefully capture those subtle shifts.

As their daily life with a stepsister begins to shift from the stage of high school, how will their relationships change, and what will stay the same? I’d be delighted if you’d continue to follow their story.

By the way, by the time Volume 14 is released, it may already have been announced, but I’m excited to share that I’ll be publishing a new work, Sister Mercenaries, with MF Bunko J. I’d like to take a moment to share the background and my feelings about this project with all of you who’ve been reading Days with My Step Sister.

First, Sister Mercenaries was written as a standalone novel, not intended for serialization. For Days with My Step Sister, my personal theme was to “deeply engage with the subject and characters, vividly portraying Yuuta, Saki, and others living in modern Japan with high resolution.” I chose to weave their lives over a long series, writing 14 volumes so far and committing to continue.

Sister Mercenaries is, in spirit, close to Days with My Step Sister, yet it’s the opposite in many ways. It shares the theme of “deeply engaging with the subject and characters, portraying them vividly,” but their world isn’t modern Japan—it’s a modern battlefield. It depicts the daily lives of mercenaries in that setting. Their world might be the same as Yuuta and Saki’s, or it might not. Even if it is, it feels like a distant reality we can only grasp from afar. That’s the kind of story I’m telling. Unlike Yuuta and Saki’s tale, this one pours everything into a single volume, crafted to let you feel it all in one book. If Days with My Step Sister is a diary spanning many volumes, Sister Mercenaries is a single memoir or a documentary. Rest assured, this work won’t affect the serialization pace of Days with My Step Sister. As a new step in my writing journey, I sincerely hope fans of Days with My Step Sister will give it a read.

Now, as always, my acknowledgments. My heartfelt thanks go to Hiten-san for the wonderful illustrations, to Nakashima Yuki-san, Amasaki Kōhei-san, Suzuki Ayu-san, Hamano Daiki-san, and Suzuki Minori-san for breathing life into the YouTube version, and to director Ochiai Yūsuke-san and the entire video production staff. To Kanade Yumika-san for the manga version, my editor O-san, director Ueno-san and everyone involved in the TV anime production, and all the performers—thank you from the bottom of my heart.

And above all, to the readers who’ve picked up and read this book: it’s because of you that this story has reached this point. Please, continue to follow the journey of these two.

That’s all from Ghost Mikawa.