Volume 3 Afterwords

 Thank you for picking up Volume 3 of The Story of Buying a Classmate Once a Week. This work is a novelized version of the web-serialized story, featuring revisions and additional content. We’re thrilled to announce that Volume 3 is now out, featuring Miyagi and Sendai, beautifully illustrated by U35-sensei.

Before you dive into Volume 3, I have some exciting news to share.

This Light Novel is Amazing! 2024 (published by Takarajimasha) ranked The Story of Buying a Classmate Once a Week as follows:

Bunkobon Category: 9th Place!

New Work Category: 7th Place!

A huge thank you to everyone who supported us! Your encouragement made this ranking possible.

I am deeply grateful to U35-sensei for the stunning illustrations, to my editor, and to everyone involved in this project. I never imagined we would rank in the top ten, so I was genuinely shocked. Overwhelmed with joy, I indulged in some delicious food, boosting my “fat savings,” but thanks to Weekly Classmate, this year has been full of happiness.

Another source of joy: alongside the release of Volume 2, a PV was released, bringing voices to Miyagi and Sendai. This was both a thrilling and surprising moment. I had hoped they would someday be voiced, but I never expected it to happen so soon. The team listened carefully to many of my requests regarding the script, doubling my happiness!

I never imagined that Lynn-san would voice Miyagi or Ichinose Kana-san would voice Sendai. For Miyagi, I suggested several voice actors, including Lynn-san, to my editor and waited anxiously for the decision. Lynn-san brought Miyagi to life perfectly. For Sendai, I shared a few hopes but hadn’t solidified her voice in my mind. Ichinose-san’s performance captured Sendai exactly, and I couldn’t be more thrilled.

Thank you, Lynn-san and Ichinose-san. Your voices matched Miyagi and Sendai so perfectly that my ears were delighted. They were so spot-on that I hope to hear them again someday.

Several events took place before the release of Volume 3, but let’s touch on the new interludes and side story (skip this if you haven’t read them yet to avoid spoilers).

The side story, “It Doesn’t Suit Sendai-san”, focuses on Miyagi buying the necklace—something I had long wanted to write about. It reveals how the necklace came to be, highlighting Miyagi’s complicated nature. The interlude, “The Room with Miyagi”, is told from Sendai’s perspective in Chapter 5, “Sendai-san’s Selfish Side”. It offers a glimpse into Sendai’s family environment, which wasn’t deeply explored in the web version.

As I write this, the afterword has grown to a satisfying length.

Once again, my deepest thanks go to everyone who read Volume 3, supported the web version, to U35-sensei, my editor, and all who contributed to this work in any way. And to my friend N, thank you for always being there to help me!

I hope to meet you again in the afterword for Volume 4.

-Usa Haneda