AFTERWORD
Hello! Always so good to have you here. This is Tappei Nagatsuki. Or, if you find it easier to imagine, a gray cat who goes by that name.
Er, if that reference went over your head, just ignore it. Sorry.
This volume of Re:ZERO is a side story to the main plot. In the past, I’ve done short-story collections that get away from the events of the main series, but this time, rather than do another batch of vignettes, I decided to call this Ex.
I had actually intended to do this volume more or less in the vein of the other short-story collections, but during the planning stage, I found I had a lot of stories about how Crusch got her start, and then the suggestion was made that the whole volume could be devoted to that topic. So we found ourselves with the book you’re currently holding.
None of the main characters from the regular series appear here; we’re digging into the background of some of the rest of the cast. Some of the material is rather challenging, but I hope those of you who have read this far will see what Crusch and her friends have gone through and understand where her resolve comes from. I hope you’ve come to like them even just a little bit more, and that it will give you even greater pleasure in finding out what they get up to in the main story.
Having read the book, maybe you’re wondering what’s going on with the author. Well, I’m pretty obsessed with tabletop RPGs (I know I’m a little late to the party).
I knew TRPGs existed, but it seemed like there was a pretty high bar of entry for complete novices like me, and I could never quite bring myself to try them. But with some help from the people around me, I finally gave one a shot…and it’s really something. They are super, super interesting.
People had told me that creative types tend to get caught up in TRPGs, and now I see what they mean: This is a kind of experience you don’t really get with other games. You get to let your imagination run wild in somebody else’s world. What author wouldn’t love that?
There are all sorts of fun to be had here. I get to solve problems using only my wits, plumb mysteries with the guidance of my GM, drive my character nuts with my little mistakes, and lots more.
Publishing books like this has helped me make new friends and given me glimpses into worlds I had never known about before, where I’ve discovered other ideas and ways of thinking. Those are important experiences to have in life. I hope all my readers will challenge themselves—not just to try TRPGs but to do all kinds of new things.
For starters, you could recommend this series to people who don’t know about it. Broaden your friends’ horizons! I, personally, would certainly be happy if you did that. It’s a way of bringing more happiness into the world, one person at a time. Try it!
I’m going to run up against my page count pretty soon here, so it’s time for the acknowledgments.
I’m indebted as ever to my editor, I-sama. I’m grateful for your suggestion to delve into the backgrounds of some of these characters, including some who haven’t shown up in the main series yet. Sorry for always making such ridiculous demands of you!
To my illustrator, Otsuka-sensei, as always, thank you so much for producing such wonderful illustrations in such a short time. I know I always ask for oodles of character designs, and I’m always impressed by how quickly you come up with them. For this volume, I think you especially captured Fourier’s slightly ridiculous side. Fantastic work.
To Kusano-sensei, my designer, thank you so much for all your work. This time the title was even longer than usual—in my head, I sort of thought of it as a challenge. Even Kusano-sensei won’t be able to fit all this in! But it’s a bet I would have lost. And I hope I’ll keep losing those bets.
To everyone else in the editing and sales divisions, to all the proofreaders and the owners of all the bookstores, this book couldn’t have taken shape without the cooperation of so many people. Thank you all.
And more than anything, my thanks go out to my readers, who picked up this book and came along with me on this story. I hope you’ll stick around for the next one, too.
Okay, then. I’ll see you for Volume 7 of the main series. Later!
May 2015
Tappei Nagatsuki
(Feeling deathly afraid of summer this year, if the May heat is any indication.)
“Right, right, riiight! It’s Ferri and Crusch, handling today’s Message Corner! Now we can let everyone know just how great Lady Crusch is!”
“Don’t get too excited, Ferris. I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but first we must fulfill the duty we’ve been assigned. You can only hold your head up high once you’ve met the obligations of your office. You understand?”
“Aww, Lady Crusch, you’re starting out so cool, Ferri can barely handle it…!”
“What’s wrong? Your face is red. Do you have a cold? If you’re feeling ill, I can handle this…”
“Nope! Uh-uh! Not at all! Gosh, Lady Crusch, how cruel of you! Okay then, now Ferri’s gonna dispel any concerns about my health by delivering the news with unbridled enthusiasm! First up, they’re at it again! The beloved collaboration between Ministop and Re:ZERO is back! We’ve got some really lovely stuff in store for you this time.”
“In light of summer bearing down on us, I gather there will be some wall scrolls showing Emilia and her friends in bathrobes, as well as key chains packaged with your favorite Ministop sweets. They are quite cute. You can use the Loppi terminal at any Ministop to preorder. It’s a rather convenient device.”
“It sure is. Oh, and, and! We have an announcement about the MF Bunko J Summer School Festival! The school festival is packed every year, and this year the events will include an autograph session with Tappei Nagatsuki, the author of Re:ZERO! Yahoooo, that’s awesome! But is it going to go all right?”
“I’m sure the plans were made after due consideration. I have high hopes for that autograph session. Apparently there will also be announcements about merchandising and more at the summer festival. Details about the festival and the Ministop collaboration can be found on the Re:ZERO home page or MF Bunko J’s home page.”
“You’re so thoughtful, Lady Crusch! You’re wonderful! And on that note! One thing we definitely shouldn’t forget is Re:ZERO, Volume 7! It should go on sale in September. Ta-da!”
“Subaru Natsuki has had his heart broken, but he starts off once again. With Rem’s help, he opens negotiations with us—and then the biggest battle his new world has ever seen begins.”
“If ol’ Subaru’s willing to help you achieve the kingship, Lady Crusch, I might actually have to admit he’s got some good points. What a tragedy!”
“We can’t be sure that’s what’s really going on. If we make the wrong judgment, we could find the carpet pulled out from under us. We’ll have to be careful.”
“A toe-to-toe fight with that dumb-dumb? …Ooh, Ferri just falls harder and harder for you!”
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