Afterword

​1. You Shall Receive My Gratitude 🫡

​First and foremost, thank you for reading. If you've made it this far, it must mean you enjoyed the story, and I'd like to thank you from the bottom of my heart.

​It's over. Lol, that makes me sound like I'm dumping someone. Okay, time to be serious. Oubaitori has come to an end; I really had fun writing this story—for the most part, anyway. To think that this is the first story I've ever finished makes me feel so happy.

​Of course, the journey here was kinda crazy, for real. I had to juggle school, chores, homework, and rest while writing. For the past week, I've only been sleeping for three hours. I'm so exhausted, but it was worth it because I've made it this far.

​2. I Changed Genres 😅

​Now, I know you probably noticed that this story wasn't your typical rom-com from the start. Even though I leaned into rom-com tropes in the beginning, I still incorporated a little bit of drama.

​Drama is by far the genre that's best suited for me because I really—and painfully—can't write comedy. I tried and failed. Which is why this story turned out to be a psychological romance drama with a little bit of supernatural here and there.

​Now, I know that since I diverged from the prompt, I'm probably not gonna be in the top 10, but that doesn't really matter to me anymore. I mean, I'm not gonna lie, I came into this competition because I wanted to win—not the money, but publication.

​The problem is I was attacked by the good old Reading Comprehension Devil, albeit a curse. I didn't notice that the winners would be included in the Novelous app; I thought Shogakukan was gonna publish the winners. I'm such an idiot.

​3. Characters 🎀

​Here are my top 5 favorite characters:

​5. Enji Sato 😎

[If you don't know why he's in the top 5, then you weren't paying attention. Who doesn't love a fun dad? (Seeing as my own father is a genuine piece of trash.)]

​4. Naoki Sato 🥱

[Previously Naoki Nakanishi before she got married. I really liked writing her because at first, I wanted her to be your typical rom-com mom, but when I was writing the second half, I said "screw it." She's getting in-depth whether she likes it or not. And yeah, hahaha…]

​3. Chiyoko Dilara Watanabe 🎀

[She's basically the type of girl I'd want to be friends with. I'd support her relationship with my boy Hiroshi while I try to find my own soulmate. Being single is lonely, lol.]

​2. Hiroshi Sato 💍

[My son. Of course he's top 2. This is his story, after all. When writing him, I just sprinkled a little bit of Chris (me) in to make him relatable and cringe. It looks like it worked out! I'm really satisfied with his journey.]

​1. Miyu Sato 👑 

[My masterpiece. In my opinion, she's the most well-written character I've ever created. She's the one character who feels human, yet so beautiful and smart that she feels unreal. Basically, she's everything I want in a girl. I'm almost sure no one in existence is like her... JK, it's possible. Guess what? She's getting her own story.]

​4. It's A Wrap, Clear The Set 🎬

​Once again, thank you for being with me on this journey. All of your support was inspiring, and I'll always appreciate it.

​Here's an Easter Egg for you 🐣:

Remember Hiroshi mentioning the kiss tasting like Apricot? If so, you'll be glad to know that it symbolizes him.

​Here's another one 🐣:

Oubaitori means: Bloom at your own pace. Be true to your own journey. Self-acceptance/Self-growth. Non-comparison. It is symbolized by The Four Trees.

​The term combines characters for:

​Cherry (桜 - Ou): Chiyoko Watanabe

​Plum (梅 - Bai): Naoki Sato

​Peach (桃 - Tou): Miyu Sato

​Apricot (李 - Ri): Hiroshi Sato

​As to why? Well, I'll leave it to your imagination. Now I'll leave you with these announcements: 

1. ​I'll be taking a one-and-a-half-year hiatus for personal reasons, but I might tap in from time to time.

​2. The sequel is coming soon. There'll be two: a side story and a main sequel.

​Side Story/Sequel: Oubaitori: MiyuMonogatari 

Main Sequel: Oubaitori: The Lost Lambs

​“This journey is far from over, mortals—not while I, the Goddess of Heaven, Kitsune the All-Powerful, has not been given a satisfactory conclusion. This is only the beginning.”

​And with that, I bid you farewell, lol.

​— [Chris Zee / Crimson Ace]