Didn't I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?! Volume 1
Page 25
Because I’m still an amateur, when it came time for publishing, there were a lot of typos, grammatical errors, and other mistakes, so everyone on the Shousetsuka ni Narou site was an enormous help to me. I especially want to thank Mirumiru-san, who was so professional that I still wonder whether they proofread for a living, for their exceptional guidance.
I first began serialization of this story about two months after I began posting on Shousetsuka ni Narou. It is my third posted work.
I worked on my first two serials simultaneously, so the process for those basically consisted of me more or less hastily spilling out ideas I’d had for a long time onto the page via the keyboard. This story I wrote at more of a leisurely pace, taking my time to relax, enjoy the process, and draw a bit more on my strengths.
The main character, in her previous life, was the sort of person who was good at studying but had hardly any acquaintances and knew nothing of the world. Therefore, she was a good girl who was bad at reading people.
Thus, this is the story of a quick-thinking main character who hopes that, once she’s reincarnated, that she’ll be able to live life to the fullest. She wants to make friends and do whatever she pleases, so that she can die without regrets. Because she has no knowledge of her new world, and never knew much about how to deal with people or the world in general in her previous life, she thinks that as long as she can be an unremarkable, completely normal, average girl—passing her days peacefully and happily while saving up for her eventual retirement—then things should turn out fine.
So that she can live her new life in indulgent, blissful ignorance, even now she strives to be the sort of person who is still a completely normal, average C-rank hunter. This, despite being berated with insults like “I can’t believe you were ever intelligent in your previous life,” or “Is your intellect the average of a flea’s back in that world?” Volume 1 marks the end of the Academy—Hunters’ Prep School Arc, so from here on out, our protagonist will begin her new life as a rookie hunter. As plainly and ordinarily as possible.
Yes, she’ll be trying her very best not to become an S-rank hunter.
I’ve been a bit lost as to what sort of title I should give myself from here on out—like “writer,” or “storyteller”—but when I really think about it, I’ve realized that there’s no reason to be so lost. I’ve been able to write because of everyone on the Let’s Be Novelists site, so it only makes sense to call myself a “novelist,” doesn’t it…?
Still, even if I call myself a novelist, the future is hard to see. Will other volumes come out? Or will my career end with this single release? Whenever I wonder, “How far will I make it from here on out?” I remember a quote from the protagonist of a manga that I like:
“I wonder how far I’ll make it from here on out.”
“Where will you go?”
“Anywhere. As far as I can reach!”
Finally, to the editor, who reached out to me after finding my work among the hundreds of thousands of stories posted on Shousetsuka ni Narou; to Akata Itsuki, the illustrator; to Yamakami Yoichi, the cover designer; to everyone involved in the proofreading, editing, printing, binding, distribution, and selling of this book; to all the reviewers on Shousetsuka ni Narou who gave me their impressions, guidance, suggestions, and advice; and most of all, to everyone who’s read my stories, both in print and online—I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
Thank you for everything up till now and from here on out.
— FUNA
FUNA
Pleased to meet you! My name is FUNA. The publication of this volume marks the story’s commercial debut, as well as my debut as an author. Follow along as a young girl tries her best to live in a fantastical world—the sort of world only these things called “books” can give us a glimpse into!
Itsuki Akata
It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten to illustrate a fantasy work. All of these characters are absolutely adorable, though, so I had a lot of fun! I really hope you enjoy the drawings, too!