Hataraku Maou-sama! - Volume 21 - Chapter Aft

THE AUTHOR, THE AFTERWORD, AND YOU!

When families, friends, lovers, and acquaintances communicate with each other, it’s common for them to talk about what they did, where, and when. The udon I had for lunch yesterday was good. I obtained a rare item in this new game I’m playing. I learned a few new recipes. I went out with my school friends. I bought a new game. At work, I ran into this guy, and he opened me up to this new world. I spent time with my family and friends this or that way.

Meeting each other and catching up like this lets you know how your companions have been spending their time while you haven’t seen each other. And while your family, friends, lovers, and acquaintances can tell you what they were up to, they sadly can’t share those times with you themselves. However, the next time you meet them, those family members, friends, lovers, and acquaintances will have had all kinds of new experiences and felt all kinds of feelings, and they’ll bring them all over to you.

Think of it that way, and the people you cherish are, essentially, just a small part of your life. And, oddly enough, the more time that passes—and the older you get—the less time you’ll have to see those cherished friends. Still, though, there’s no doubting the fact that those family members, friends, lovers, and acquaintances are using their valuable time to live out their own lives, building those experiences over time, and always advancing forward.

The characters that appear in The Devil Is a Part-Timer! are just the same. And thanks to all the readers beside them, they’ve been truly blessed by the time they’ve spent with each other. If the readers ever cherished any of the people in The Devil Is a Part-Timer!, then even after the story ends, they’ll still exist somewhere out of sight, living their lives, passing the time—and today, as well, they’re sharing that time together.

This story I signed a deal with the Devil King to write, one that has taken up a lot of readers’ time as well, is the tale of a bunch of people who struggle every day to make their lives as fun as possible. Perhaps that one person in your neighborhood is a visitor from another world. And if you ever happen to see that gang living out their lives somewhere, please say hello to them. I’m sure they’ll wave and smile back at you.