Hataraku Maou-sama! - Volume 12 - Chapter Aft

THE AUTHOR, THE AFTERWORD, AND YOU! 
I have given serious thought in the past to why driver’s license photos—and any ID photo, really—always turn out the way they do. 
I, Wagahara, was already wearing glasses by the time I was old enough to need a picture ID. It’s meant nothing but torment. Not only do I have to worry about my expression; if my frames are the slightest bit off-balance, then I’ve just wasted my money. Such a drag. 
In the many years from my first student ID, through all the pics I’ve had taken for driver’s licenses and résumés and such, I have never had a single one I could even describe as “not bad.” Every time, there’s always something that makes me audibly groan. 

Back when I was involved in stage drama, my mentor told me that nobody’s a worse actor than someone who literally thinks “Okay, let’s do a good job acting this out.” Dramatic expression begins to affect the viewer only when it retains the complex movements of the mind we all see in everyday life. There’s nothing charming about someone who’s only thinking about how to make themselves look as cool as possible. Looking back at my ID photos, that’s the whole problem right there. All I want to do is look good, and the results are never gonna be convincing enough for me. 
There’s no way you can shoot one of those with a natural expression anyway. The face you make in them is a formality, a kind of ceremonious version of yourself you show to people. I’ve never seen anyone in real life make the allegedly “natural” expressions you see in photo IDs. So I thought, hey, if it’s gotta be formal, I ought to at least put some enthusiasm in making it look as formal as possible. As a result, I’m still not too happy with my most recent license renewal, but at least I’m no longer agonizing about my facial expression. 
With the new license holder in this volume, though, I’m sure he put entirely too much enthusiasm into his photo. It’s a very lively pic, no doubt, one that just barely meets all the required standards. Sure hope it gets drawn for me. 
Volume 12 of The Devil Is a Part-Timer! is the tale of some people who have something inside them that makes them constantly think about what it means to stand up and do something for someone, even as they scramble to keep food on the table. I sometimes have my concerns over whether I’m really giving back everything I receive from all my readers, but as long as I’m able to, I’m sure I’ll manage to keep writing this story. Until we meet in the next volume, I’ll do my best to give back everything I got. 
See you then!