Afterword

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Afterword

Tsukumodo Antique Shop has made it to its fifth volume. How about that?

I’ve temporarily moved to Nagoya where this manuscript was born. I’d never been here before.

My source of energy has been hitsumabushi, miso katsu, miso nikomi udon, ankake spaghetti, and finally, Nagoya style chicken wings. Having fulfilling meals is a good thing I’d say. Even though all I did was eat out.

I plan on keeping up the hard work fueled by Nagoya cuisine.

Next I’d like to talk a little about the chapters in this volume.

Luck

Tokiya and the others find a lucky bangle Relic on a blog site that apparently brings good luck to its user. There are various types of lucky bangles with varying effects, and Tokiya searches for the owner to find out what specific power it has.

The misfortunes that appeared the story (how the train leaves the station right in front of you, or traffic lights turning red as soon as you arrive) are all things that I always find myself thinking about. In reality that sort of thing doesn’t happen often, but I still end up feeling like it’s bad luck. Have you had thoughts like that as well?

Hope

A Calamity Jar for which the lid must never be opened. A Relic that Tokwako purchased has a hidden secret.

It’s a story made with a certain motif in mind. Tsukumodo’s take on it was inspired by the circumstances that led to myths and folktales, as well as the stories behind proverbs and sayings. The rest was simply my imagination.

That’s all I’ll have to say about it.

Words

Tokiya and Saki find themselves in a place they’ve never seen before when they open their eyes. Inside the story that unfolds before the two lies yet another hidden secret about the Calamity Jar. It’s a rare moment for Tsukumodo where a story stretches over two chapters.

If there are people that read chapters out of order, I’d suggest reading chapter two before chapter three. (That should be obvious, right?)

True Thoughts

Due to Towako’s plot (idea?), Tokiya and Saki go out to buy clothes for each other, which then leads to awkward situations. Tokiya puts on airs for Saki, but she is suspicious of him because of it.

This is our usual story of misunderstandings, but it made me remember something from when I was writing the first volume. I wasn’t sure it would be a good idea to include a fourth chapter that had a completely different atmosphere from the first three, but at the same time I also wanted to have a story that emphasized Saki’s good points. Now that the pattern has been firmly established, I feel like I made the right choice.

I have to praise my past self for the solid decision back then.

And like that, the fifth volume is finally over; I hope you found it enjoyable.

Finally, I’d like to take a moment to show my appreciation.

To my editor Takabayashi-san who’s always looking out for me. To Takeshima Satoshi for the hard work I kept putting him through. To all the people who made this book possible, and last but not least, my readers for buying this book.

Thank you very much. The questionnaires and fan letters I’ve received have made me happy indeed.

With that, let’s meet again in the next volume.

-Akihiko Odou

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