Toradora! - Volume 9 - Chapter Aft

Afterword

Whooooooa, it’s already fall! I can’t believe that summer’s already over!

I can’t believe the one and only 30th summer of my life passed by so casually, without anything happening at all… Well, it’s not worth regretting, but when the seasons complete their cycle, and summer comes again, I’ll have aged even more. Thinking about it just makes me feel dejected. Maybe the only way to find value for my existence in this world is by trying to live a wise life. Like the little old lady on the Potapota Yaki crackers…

Though I’m in this state, I’ve successfully been able to bring you Toradora! 9 without too much time passing since the last volume. Everyone who has followed along so far, thank you so very much for picking up this book, too! Now that the series has entered its tenth volume, I feel my debt of gratitude toward all my readers piling up. I can’t tell you how grateful I am. My readers all feel so close, so familiar, and so powerful to me. I think that getting these books to you is my one sole, certain bond with you all. That’s why I’m going to keep on writing more and more! I hope that you’ll continue to follow along with me in the future as well!

Now then…I’ve used up my entire summer this year just taking round trips between my house, the café nearby where I write my manuscripts, and the supermarket. What if I was unknowingly drawing a demon summoning formation by going between these three spots this entire time? What if an unyielding, beautiful demon girl with long, silver, curled twin tails tied up in black satin ribbon were to appear in front of my eyes and say, “You performed the secret summoning ceremony, didn’t you?!” What if she had flickering blue eyes, ladylike limbs, a black bustier dress with black lace, and knee-socks that went up to her thighs? “You were the one who summoned me, so I’m going to make you take the responsibility for that! Hmph, what a miserable room! Having to both eat and sleep in this room is so wretched!” 

…Anyway, I’d slap her around, make her change into a tracksuit, and then have her clean the room. I’m not going easy on you! First, you vacuum! Next, you get all the water marks all over the window glass! Then stack all the complimentary copies from Dengeki Daioh together! Right, and now do that for the Sylph comics, too! Don’t you dare forget the bath and kitchen drains! Basically, my house is dirty to the MAX. I’ve broken my own record for dirtiness. It’s so bad, it makes me want to run away. I’m writing this afterword in the café, and that’s my (only) choice…

Well, thank you so much for reading all the way to the end! The anime is starting soon, too! Whoa! I need to get ready for the broadcast by at least cleaning up around the TV!

—Yuyuko Takemiya