To all of you who are just picking up this story for the first time with this print
version, it's nice to meet you, I'm Tappei Nagatsuki.
For those of you have been following the story in its web version for some
time, Hello, it's Nezumi-iro Neko ("Mouse-Colored Cat").
Whichever of those groups you may fall under, first of all I would like to thank
you very much for deciding to pick up this book.
For those of you who may be confused, I'll go ahead and explain. This work,
Re: Life in a Different World from Zero, was first serialized on a website called
Let's Become Novelists! and has been edited for its publication in print.
Fundamentally, the print version follows the web version, but it has been
made easier to read, with more events added, and the heroine has been made
cuter, and the protagonist has been bullied a bit more.
I imagine that those from both the web version, as well as those new to the
series, have looked at the cover illustration and beautiful insert illustrations
with a chorus of "oohs" and "aahs," but I will tell you right now that the one
making the most "oohs" and the most "aahs" is none other than me, the author
himself. Silver-haired heroines are the best.
The one who drew our bullied protagonist and our cute heroine is the artist
Shinichirou Otsuka. When Mr. Otsuka used his overflowing design powers to
illustrate characters that I did not have a clear image of in my mind, it was then
that those characters truly came to life.
In other words, I am the mother and Mr. Otsuka is the father. The characters
are a collaborative work.
I ask for your cooperation so that this first collaborative work of mine can
continue.
By the way, if you happen to be just standing and reading this at the
bookstore, please buy it, and the next volume in the series as well. (Ha-ha…)
Anyway, with that clear sales promotion out of the way, I'd like to go over
some of the aspects of the plot.
This is a work of otherworld fantasy fiction. One of those so-called
"otherworld trip" types, which is a large genre that has given rise to several hit
works.
I think that a fantasy world of swords and magic is one that everyone, if
you're a boy, or at least some percentage of the population if you're a girl, has
dreamed about. This work's protagonist is an ordinary Japanese boy who too
has shared that dream.
He can't use a sword. He can't use magic. He does not have the wit or the
physical strength to win in a fight. So this is a story about someone who, when
pressed on all sides, uses only his inability to give up as a weapon. So it is a story
about not giving up.
If he were going to use his inability to give up as a weapon, then how would
you depict that? Here is one answer.
You have that protagonist struggle and struggle and not give up. Now by
doing all of that, what does he gain in the end? For that answer I invite
everyone to follow along and see for yourselves. I would also invite everyone to
yell, "Silver-haired heroines are awesome!" at the top of your lungs as well.
As it looks like I'm starting to let my personal preferences slip out all over this
afterword, I'll go ahead and get to the part where I thank everyone.
First of all I would like to thank my supervisor, Mr. Ikemoto, for inviting me to
bring this story from the World Wide Web to print, with a "Why don't we give
this a shot and show everyone what you're made of." Really, I can't thank Mr.
Ikemoto enough.
Despite us both being adults, we would go into a fried pork joint and while
pouring each other sauce over our cabbage argue over points such as whether
to add "-tan" to the heroine's name and other, at the time, meaningless
seeming talk, but it was because all of that that my story became a book, and in
the joy of that result I can now look back on those times as good memories.
Thank you very much.
I also need to thank Mr. Otsuka who, despite having such a busy schedule,
was able to complete illustrations for the book at an incredibly fast pace. After
each and every illustration was completed I would squirm with such excitement
that I would give myself charley horses as my legs cramped up.
As the number of characters will be increasing from here on out, I absolutely
cannot wait to see more. Thank you very much.
I would also like to thank everyone in the editing department, my
proofreaders, people in the industry, and everyone who contributed to this
work.
This work appearing in print form was the result of the efforts of very many
people. I couldn't have done it without you.
I intend to work hard so that we may continue working together for a long
time.
Now, finally, I would like to thank everyone that picked up this book, and
everyone who continued to support this work on Let's Become Novelists!
May we meet again, in the next volume, Re: Life in a Different World from
Zero 2!
February 2013
Tappei Nagatsuki