Thank you so much for reading this far.
This is the author's second book, and it's customary to write an afterword when a book goes on sale.
It's been a long time since I chatted with you all, so let me talk a little about my journey as a writer.
Classroom of the Elite was one of the light novels I started reading in high school, and it's still one of my favorites. For a long time, I'd follow each new volume as soon as it came out and discuss it with my classmates. Those are happy memories from my youth.
Some time ago, when I decided to write a new book with this premise,
I reread the original and found the characters wonderfully crafted. I also talked about it with friends who knew the series well, and realized the logic behind the interactions between the story and its characters was actually very clear. The early and middle parts were truly excellent.
But personally, I felt that the school's role wasn't really brought out. The classrooms didn't teach the students anything, and the school as a whole had no [progression] or sufficient [room to grow]. That also had a lot to do with how I felt after spending so many years in school.
Strength? What is strength?
Talent, background, or connections?
None of those are really the most important thing.
What matters most is the process of growing and gaining experience on your own—in other words, what you go through.
And that's how I came up with the idea for this book.
Before settling on this idea,
I did consider following the original's approach at first, writing in a lighthearted style and keeping the pace brisk. That wouldn't have been difficult.
With the experience from my first book, I probably could have kept up a fast pace without falling apart for a million words,
but I couldn't guarantee how things would go after that.
I thought about it for a long time, and in the end, I chose this book.
Because if I was going to write a book,
this time,
I wanted to finish one from beginning to end. I wanted to write a story that could bring you a different kind of enjoyment, and that would only get better as it went on.
That's why I finished the first volume, spent a week revising it, and completed the outlines for all three semesters of the first year, along with the relevant settings for the second and third years, before I started posting.
The major arcs for the three semesters will be long. Their themes are as follows.
First semester: [The Ocean and Trade]
Second semester: [The Sports Festival, Gladiatorial Combat, and the Empire]
Third semester: [Mystery and God]
As for how well the book does,
I had expectations before I started writing it. I knew it would do much worse than my last book, but success wasn't the goal this time.
I write to bring you some enjoyment. That's why, during the free-reading period, I usually updated six or seven thousand words a day, and even reached nine thousand once. Since the pace was slow, I figured I should post more to make the experience of following the story a little better for everyone.
It was the same with my last book. I updated fairly quickly during the free-reading period, and even exceeded the promised number of bonus chapters after it went on sale.
But after saying all that, I can't guarantee that I'll never drop the book, or that I'll definitely finish all three years.
All I can promise is that I'll complete the story for the three semesters of the first year. The outline calls for fourteen volumes and two million words, and I will write that story in full.
As for what comes after that, it'll depend on how this book is doing at the time.
Haha, I actually believe I can gradually build an audience,
but I'll leave it to you to judge.
Lastly, thank you again for reading this far.
Whether or not our paths cross again,
I wish you all the best in finding your own happiness.
The book goes on sale tomorrow. I'll update five chapters over the next two days. I hope you'll support it.
I hope this story can bring us both joy for a little while longer.