[Vol 2] A Romantic Comedy About Flirting and Getting Married to a Popular Voice Actress Afterword

Afterword

 

Everyone, it’s been a while. This is the author, Asaoka Akira.

Thank you very much for picking up 『Ninki Seiyuu to Icha Icha shite Kekkon suru Love Comedy 2』.

Thanks to all of you, I was somehow able to bring Volume 2 into the world! Being able to continue writing about an affectionate, lovey-dovey life with a voice actor has brought me more happiness than I can possibly express.

As I mentioned in the previous afterword, I personally hold a strong admiration for voice actors, so working on this volume was an incredibly enjoyable experience for me.

On top of that, I truly respect the incredible level of acting skill that voice actors possess.

The reason for that is actually because I myself have a tiny bit of acting experience. It’s not that I ever aspired to become a voice actor, but back in high school, I was part of the drama club and stood on stage as a performer. Because of that, there are many things I can relate to.

That said, it’s not like I was good at acting. In fact, I was such a weak and inexperienced stage actor that I couldn’t even properly master essential skills like 『abdominal breathing.』 I was never good at standing in front of people or acting in the first place, so maybe it couldn’t be helped.

By the way, as for why someone like me joined the drama club in the first place—put simply, it was a trap.

Back when I was a first-year high school student, my homeroom teacher, Teacher A, was a rough-looking, big-built, boisterous middle-aged man who openly declared to everyone that he loved women. One day, not long after I’d enrolled, he asked me a question.

“Hey, Asaoka. Have you decided which club you’re joining?”

Faced with that gravelly voice, I—who had already begun recklessly aiming to become a writer even back then—answered while trembling.

“Y-Yes! I was thinking of joining the literature club……”

“What, a literature club? In that case, I’ll show you to the clubroom after school.”

To my surprise, Teacher A said he’d actually take time out of his day just to guide me there. In that moment, my impression of him did a complete one-eighty.

This guy looks scary, but what an amazing teacher, I thought. Deep down, he must be a kind-hearted giant who really loves his students.

And then, after school, I followed him toward the clubroom.

Yes. It was the drama club.

I’d been completely tricked, damn it.

After that, I was introduced as a prospective member in front of the senior club members and other new students. The pitiful me couldn’t bring myself to back out at that point, and I ended up joining the club before I even knew it.

It was a long time ago, so there might be some parts that aren’t exactly accurate, but I can say for sure that I was forced into the drama club in roughly this way.

Despite hating being in front of people, I ended up standing on stage as an actor due to a lack of manpower, completely forgot my lines during a full rehearsal and made a total fool of myself, and gained many truly valuable experiences through theater.

All of that was thanks to Teacher A, who was my homeroom teacher at the time. I can’t thank him enough. I will never forget this grudge—no, this debt of gratitude.

Incidentally, a few years later, that same teacher was transferred to an all-boys technical high school and ended up crying about it. That meal was extremely delicious. (Teacher A, if by any chance you’re reading this, I’m sorry.)

Well, that ended up being a bit long…… but it’s precisely because I know, even a little, how difficult acting can be through experiences like those that I hold such deep respect for the acting skills of voice actors.

Being able to write about an affectionate daily life with such voice actors truly makes me very happy.

 

And with that, I’ll move on to my acknowledgments.

To my editor, K-sama. Thank you once again for all your support, continuing on from Volume 1. Your clear and precise feedback at the plotting stage saved me many times. I look forward to working with you again.

To the illustrator, Bekotarou-sama. Thank you very much for all the wonderfully adorable illustrations this time as well. The cover illustration in particular was so beautiful that I was left speechless when I saw it for the first time.

To the proofreaders, designers, and everyone else involved in the publication process. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. To live up to all of your efforts, I will continue to work even harder on my writing!

And lastly, to all the readers. I would like to express my deepest gratitude here. Thank you—truly, truly—for picking up this book once again after Volume 1. If this book was able to meet even a little of your expectations, I would be very happy.

Until then, I hope we meet again someday.

 

December, 2021

Asaoka Akira