114 - Afterword and the Future
The final chapter has also been posted today. For those who arrived here first, please head over to that one.
"Three Idiots" concludes here.
Yes, it is a cancellation conclusion.
Since the release of the book version last year, some of you may have been wondering, "I wonder when the continuation will come?" but in truth, I had received word that the series would end at a fairly early stage.
To be honest, I was incredibly frustrated.
I had a feeling in my own way that "it would get even more interesting from here," and I was certain that if we could reach the War Arc, it would absolutely be a hit.
However, as long as it is a commercial venture, it is also a fact that initial sales are everything.
Since I couldn't produce results, I had no choice but to accept it.
That said, I naturally dragged it out for a while. Specifically, until around October of last year.
When things end, they really end with a surprising amount of silence.
I think there might have been a way to end it a bit more properly, or at least they could have given me some "notice."
But the hardest part, more than the cancellation itself, was that I couldn't just say, "Then I'll stop everything right here."
After all, the stage where the cancellation was declared... to be blunt, it was right after the Marianne arc began.
With readers waiting, I didn't want to just leave the Marianne arc hanging in the middle.
So, I wrote while sobbing, thinking that at the very least, I would do this chapter until it reached a breaking point.
It was half stubbornness. Half obsession.
Before I knew it, this Marianne arc alone had become quite a volume. A whopping 280,000 characters. That is two books' worth. I really wrote it.
While writing, there were days I thought, "What am I even doing..." and honestly, there were periods where it was quite tough mentally.
I couldn't consult anyone about the cancellation.
Still, the reason I was able to write it through to the end was thanks to those who gave me feedback, those who supported me, and those who read it.
Thank you very much.
I did some ego-searching, and there were more people than I imagined who said they liked the content itself, which was a real salvation.
That is precisely why I also think, "I needed more power to make it reach more people."
I learned the difficulty of selling and the difficulty of continuing to a sickening degree this time.
But at the same time, I reaffirmed, "I guess I really do love writing things like this."
In the end, I just end up stuffing in everything I love with all my might.
Therefore, I have no intention of giving up my pen.
Rather, the feeling of "Next time, I'll hit them with something even bigger" is stronger.
Currently, I am working on a horror work that I couldn't enter into the Kakuyomu Con due to the mental breakdown from last year's cancellation and the completion of the Marianne arc, as well as preparing a sci-fi work.
Especially for the sci-fi one, if people say "robots don't sell in light novels," then I think I'll go with the feeling of, "Well then, let's do the opposite."
If I'm going to do it, I want to write something that only I can write. Don't underestimate the spirit of an old otaku.
If you read Three Idiots and thought, "I like this atmosphere and world-view," you will probably enjoy the next one too. Because the author is a setting-geek.
So if you would be so kind, I would be happy if you could join me again for the next work.
Thank you truly for everything up to this point.
Well then, see you in the next work!