Afterword

Nice to meet you, I’m Muku Shirai. I’m engaged in writing activities in Koka City, Shiga Prefecture.

This work is a novelization of a manga video scripted by me for the YouTube channel Kanon’s RomCom Manga. As an unknown rookie writer, I never imagined I’d receive an offer to publish a book like this, and I’m incredibly honored and delighted.

In writing this novel, I realized that just as video works have their own appeal, novels have their unique enjoyment. So, I started writing from a different angle than the manga video, focusing particularly on delving deeper into each character’s personality, conflicts, and relationships.

At the same time, for me, it was also a challenge to see if “the prose could surpass the manga video.”

I put a lot of effort into crafting Akira’s humanity, in particular.

She’s lively and approachable like a younger brother, yet also cute, earnest, unguarded, and possesses a girly essence—creating Akira’s character with all these facets took a lot of trial and error. Thanks to my editor, Takebayashi-sama, we went through countless revisions, and I believe we finally arrived at something satisfying.

Or perhaps we’re still halfway there? I hope to depict an even cuter Akira going forward, so I’d be thrilled if you’d introduce this work to your friends and acquaintances.

You may have noticed, but Akira uses “boku” in everyday conversation and “watashi” in her diary entries (and, by the way, she uses “oré” in the YouTube version).

Accordingly, I tried to express the candid contents of her diary, where she chronicles her daily life with Ryouta, as well as her true feelings, in a cute way. I hope you enjoy both her interactions with Ryouta and the shifts in her emotions.

Whether you’ve watched the manga video or not, I hope you find this novel enjoyable.

This work came into being thanks to the support of many people.

To my editor, Takebayashi-sama: Thank you so much for taking the time for numerous long meetings despite your busy schedule. Thanks to you, I was able to approach this work with enthusiasm and dedication. I also extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone at Fujimi Fantasia Bunko’s editorial department and the publishing industry.

To the illustrator, Chigusa Minori-sama: You brought out Akira’s charm in ways my clumsy words couldn’t fully capture. I’m deeply grateful as an author for how you perfectly portrayed both cool Akira and cute Akira. I hope we can continue working together in the future.

To Hisaho-sama, who drew the manga for the YouTube version: I’m endlessly grateful for turning my rough script into such a wonderful manga.

To Yuuki Canon-sama: Everything began with our encounter. Thank you for always offering warm words of encouragement—I’m truly grateful. I look forward to our continued collaboration.

To my family, who supported my writing: I am who I am today because of you all. I’m always thankful for the warm meals, baths, laundry, and your thoughtful care. Thank you, and please continue to support me.

And to all the readers who picked up this book: My heartfelt thanks. Whether you’ve seen Kanon’s RomCom Manga or not, I’d be delighted if you’d become friends with Yuuki Kanon-sama going forward.

I wish happiness to everyone involved with this work.

With love from Koka City, Shiga Prefecture.

Shirai Muku