Strike the Blood - Volume 6 - Chapter Aft

Afterword 

I’m the sort of person who hates riding in vehicles I’m not driving, but for some reason, ships are the sole exception, and sometimes I really want to sail on one. I particularly like long-range ferries. For some reason, idly watching the ocean without a care in the world and heading to a distant land while doing nothing but lazily soaking in a hot bath—these are special pleasures. The shaking and the engine sounds are a bit of a bother, but they make you really feel like you’re inside a gigantic machine. Oh, and I’ve heard you can cure seasickness by pouring cold water between your legs, but unfortunately, I have not tried this myself. Even if seasickness can be cured by such a method, I somehow felt like I’d lose something precious to me as a human being… 

So Strike the Blood Vol. 6 has finally arrived. 

Compared to the Harrowing Festival arc that ended last volume, I wanted an episode with a lot of slice-of-life elements, but I’m not sure I quite pulled it off. Personally, I had lots of fun with the middle school student stuff you wouldn’t normally see in print. Also, ah, sorry for putting Asagi through the wringer, even more than usual. That said, if you had even a little fun with it, I’ll be happy. 

This was an alchemist story. I wrote in a previous volume that the abbey Kanon lived at had a Caduceus staff emblem on it, but I was like, boy, I need to explain what that was all about, and somehow the timing just…slipped for a while. There’s a number of other dangling plotlines that I haven’t resolved. Please be patient, I plan on writing those, too, bit by bit. 

Also, I mentioned the comic version of Strike the Blood in the last volume, but luckily, the first tankobon is now on sale. Great work, Tate-sensei, and thank you very much. The reproduction remained faithful to the original while being even more evocative in its visual details. In particular, the girls were drawn extremely cute. The serialization in Monthly Comic Dengeki Daioh will continue, so please show that some love, too. 

In addition, our illustrator, Manyako, did truly outstanding work for us once again. In spite of my requests being even less defined than ever (an amorphous ooze, so to speak), the new character designs are just as I imagined. And starting with the editor Yuzawa, I thank everyone involved in the production and distribution of this book from the bottom of my heart. 

Of course, I also give most hearty thanks to all of you who have read this book. 

I hope to see you again next volume. 

Gakuto Mikumo