Afterword #2

It's Crash5020 again and welcome to another afterword segment. To be honest, I didn't want to do another one so soon, but I figured why not do another one in order to celebrate 1 whole year of writing this story. I honestly can't believe that it's been a year since I started writing this story and I have to admit that it has been an enjoyable experience. Anyway, where to start with this Afterword? I guess I'll start with some more behind the scenes.

Behind the scenes

Chapters 20-30: Kitsune Spa Resort Arc. Quite a few things happened in this arc. I think I'll start with the creation of Lady Hisa. She was actually conceptualized after I finished Chapter 16. My thought back then was, "Hey, what if Shujinkou had a connection to this resort? This way I can set up a story for the upcoming arc." It's actually another reason why he insisted that he or Natsuki not look up any images of the resort online, as he was already familiar with the location.

After I finished Chapter 17, I got to work on her character. I wanted her to be a "cool grandma" that Shujinkou was very close to. She would be a laidback individual who was also very professional when she needed to be and would have the same scratching of the right cheek tic that Shujinkou has. After developing a personality, I decided that she would have a very youthful appearance. So youthful in fact that people would have a hard time believing she was a grandmother. I also want to point out that her silver hair is natural and not a result of old age.

For Chapter 22, I decided to have Monika address her school idol status and her feelings towards it to Shujinkou. A nice bonding moment, but I also realized when looking over it that I have once again avoided any kind of situation that would have resulted in her feeding him food. Regarding the next chapter; it was originally going to be from Shujinkou's viewpoint, but I decided to change to Yuri and use the chapter to add in a bit of backstory.

Now after finishing 23 chapters… I had hit my first writers block regarding the story. As Chapter 31 shows, I had a few ideas of where to go next, but I didn't know which one to go with. After a long time of wondering what I could do, I remembered that I had a story to tell regarding Shujinkou's dad and decided to use it right away. All I had to do was work on his character.

Shujinkou has a complex relationship with Jomei. He wants his father's love but at the same time, he slightly resents him for his past actions. He's also under the belief that his father doesn't really like him and that he himself was the reason he left. Suffice to say, Jomei has left a few emotional scars on Shujinkou. It's because of this that he does not have a good standing with Sayori and Hisa. Since Hisa is a professional, she makes it clear that she won't let any negative feelings pop up unless he hurts her grandson again while Sayori does not refer to him in an affectionate way like she does with Shujinkou's grandparents. In fact, the only reason she insisted that Shujinkou spend time with his father was so he could find some form of closure, even after realizing the possibility of him getting hurt again was possible.

After purposely being ignored by his father in an attempt to talk to him, Shujinkou retreats into a cardboard box in an attempt to hide from everyone leading to the events of Chapter 25. In that chapter, I decided that it was a good opportunity to show that while Fuyu has an icy side, she does care for her fellow students and doesn't mind getting in awkward situations in an attempt to help them.

Events suddenly take a turn as it was finally time to explore the relationship Shujinkou had with his father directly. In chapters 28-30, I wanted to showcase a father and son with a very strained and distant relationship, while also showing that just because Shujinkou wants to have a better relationship with his father, he isn't desperate for it.

I originally planned for the day they had to be longer, but I felt anything more would have been unnecessary filler. I decided to have Shujinkou confront his father about his leaving when he was younger and end the arc showing how much his father has emotionally scarred him. I also consider his sudden appearance to be an example of how something fun can be ruined by an unforeseeable variable.

Chapter 32: A Sudden Meeting. In this chapter, Shujinkou meets to Kiyoko in a rather painful way. Not much to say about this chapter since the sole focus was to introduce a new character. Kiyoko is a very athletic person who enjoys moments where she can just relax, which can sometimes lead her to sleeping in class whenever she can as seen in the next chapter.

Chapters 33-34: Make a Date and Study Date. These two chapters exist because I wanted to put Shujinkou in a study date scenario that I've prepared with his poorly marked paper from Chapter 2. His grades were slipping and Shujinkou realized that he needed some help. Fortunately for him, he was acquainted with Honor Student Monika. Not much to say in regards to what happened, just a boy and girl studying and hanging out. I did originally plan to add the scientist scene Monika spoke of, but I decided against it at the last moment.

Regarding the kiss they shared, I had to devise a scenario where it wouldn't be seen as a romantic advance from Shujinkou's viewpoint. With that in mind, I made them play a game where they both had something at stake and that a tie was possible.

Chapter 35: An Uncomfortable Encounter. This chapter I could have done better. As the chapter 's title indicates, I wanted there to be an uncomfortable encounter between Shujinkou and Akuma, but I could have done more with it.

Chapters 36-38: Cognitive Representation, Grimm Fun and A Considerate Fellow. So by Chapter 36, I decided to try my hand at the fake relationship plot. For a plot like this, I only had two characters I could use, but since Monika was just involved in a study date story, I had to pick Yuri. Nothing much to say for Chapter 36, other than the fact that originally, the angel/devil scene wasn't part of the chapter.

After I finished it, I was just rereading over the finished product and wanted to make it a bit longer. To do that, I decided to expand on Shujinkou's moral debate over the situation and show it in a more comedic light. In fact, it was because I wanted it shown in a more comedic light and because it would fit his imaginative daydreams, that the angel and devil would take the form of Mickey Mouse. But I didn't stop there. Given the context of the situation, I realized that this would actually be a time that the angel and devil would agree. The angel would of course insist on helping others and the devil would insist on the lying part. If Shujinkou didn't agree to lie, then the devil would be happy that he didn't argree to helping someone without any compensation. In the end, it was a win-win scenario for the devil.

For the next chapter, it was time to introduce Yuki. I designed her to be a bright young girl that was interested in all kinds of fairy tales whether they were lighthearted or very dark. Her stuffed bear, Grimm, is a reference to the Brothers Grimm and it's stitched up look is to reflect another interest of hers. As for Yumi's character, she's the calm, gentle motherly type.

Now originally, I planned for Chapter 37 to be what the previous chapter was leading up to, but I couldn't get it to work for story purposes. So I had to add the trip to the amusement park and an extra chapter to fix; the exact reason being that both Yuki and Yumi were surprised by Shujinkou's appearance. But instead of calling him out, they decided to try and get a feel for his character, which is what drives their actions. Yumi, in particular, pays close attention to the interactions Yuri and Shujinkou have together. So while Yuki could get a feel of what kind of person Shujinkou is from just their short interaction from Chapter 37 alone, Yumi would need a bit more to go one. You could actually say that the sudden trip to the amusement park was a secret test of character for Shujinkou.

I will not lie; I did not feel comfortable about the idea of creating relatives for any of the girls. It felt like I had standards to meet and it made me wonder if I was making a mistake. But I had an idea and I decided to stick to my guns.

Chapters 39-40: Given Tasks and Self-Given Task. When I originally got to Chapter 39, I had no idea what to write. I planned and I planned and all I can say is that the only similarity between the original plot and the final one is that Sayori sprains her ankle. Anyway, Chapter 39 is the debut of silent student Rei. Her conception was brought about my sudden desire to write a silent protagonist and how the main cast would interact with her.

Another fact I would like to share is that the chapter was originally shorter, but since the section in the student council office was shorter than I intended, I expanded it into it is now.

Chapter 40 I decided to dedicate to Shujinkou and Sayori's friendship because I felt like I haven't focused on it for awhile. Nothing major, just a chapter long conversation between childhood friends.

Chapter 41: Morning Coffee. This chapter was a little tough due to Rei's silence. Can't get much of a conversation out of her so instead of just focusing on introducing her to the Literature Club, I took the mindset of progressing the story further along than I intended. Also, the opening conversation between Shujinkou and his mother and the event that the chapter was named after was added at the last second.

Chapter 42: Blind Trust. Not really much to say regarding this chapter since I wrote it one shot. All I can say was that I was waiting for the right moment to display this origin tale.

Chapters 43-44: A bit too formal and Doki Doki Slumber Party. Not much to say about Chapter 43 either. Its overall purpose was to serve as a prelude to Chapter 43 and I had to force myself to keep Rei from doing anything more than she did. Chapter 44's plot came about when I decided that I wanted to do a chapter that mostly focused on the girls in a scenario outside of school. Also when I was writing this story, I realized that it's been a year since I started writing the story, so I kind of wrote it with the words "anniversary special" in mind.

Now regarding the opening section, I originally intended for it to end at the moment when Shujinkou started to experience a "weird" feeling, but because I was writing it around the anniversary date, I expanded it into what it is now. Hiro meeting the girls and trying her hardest not to be an embarrassing mother figure, Hisa's cameo and the girls reflecting on previous events was all because of my anniversary mindset.

Besides that, I had real issues writing this chapter since I had no idea what the girls could do and even after doing some research, I still had no idea what I could do to make things interesting. I eventually decided that I was putting too much pressure on myself and decided to let things come naturally. It's because of that that I wrote this story out of order. In order:

1. Opening

2. Scary Story

3. Expanded Opening

4. Board Games-Scary Story

5. Pillow Fight

In the end, I found it easier to write this chapter by focusing on the interactions more than the events themselves.

Concluding Statements

If I was to be asked if I would still be writing this story 1 year later… I probably would have believed it. I knew deep down that the story wouldn't have been that short, especially with the ideas in my head. To end things, I would like to express my gratitude towards those reading the story. I know I make mistakes (Like grammar issues I have to correct) and I may sometimes waste good plots (or do I? Yeah, I probably do), but thanks for sticking with this tale.