COLD THE FINAL: Afterword
Afterword
Thank you very much for picking up COLD
THE FINAL. This book is a compilation of side stories from the entire COLD
series, which includes the earlier trilogy (COLD SLEEP, COLD LIGHT,
COLD FEVER) and the later duology (COLD HEART in TOKYO and COLD
HEART in NEWYORK). The focus is the continuation of Akizawa and Kusuda’s relationship from COLD HEART, originally published in doujinshi
form. It also includes a short story about the original main couple from the
earlier books, Tohru Takahisa and Keishi Fujishima. I gathered everything I
could remember—from booklet extras, fair-exclusive mini booklets, and privately
distributed flyers—added new material, rewrote portions, and arranged it all in
rough chronological order.
After Akizawa and Kusuda get back
together, the narrative expands to include Tohru and Keishi, weaving the four
characters’ stories together. I’ve also included newly written material at the
end. Honestly, I just told myself “It’s fiction, so I can do whatever I
want, right?!” and had a blast seeing it through to the end.
As for Tohru and Keishi, they’ve
become such a normal, happy couple that it’s almost hard to believe how things
ended in COLD FEVER. Tohru used to be quite the intense character, but
then along came Akizawa—who was an even more outrageous kind of awful—so in
comparison, Tohru now comes off as downright reasonable.
Akizawa and Kusuda also overcame a
lot and became lovers once again. Akizawa, once a mad dog, is now more like a
loud and clingy loyal dog. From here on, he’ll probably continue being clingy
and clueless about social cues, but he’ll always treasure his “master” and live
happily by his side.
So much time has passed since COLD
SLEEP was first serialized in a magazine, it’s honestly terrifying to think
about. I originally intended the series to end with the first three books, but
when the opportunity for a manga adaptation came up, I found myself wanting to
write COLD HEART. I’m truly grateful that the manga project gave me the
push to continue this series. Thanks to it, the original trilogy was also
successfully adapted into manga form by Mitsuaki Asou-sensei.
The manga approaches the story from
a different angle, with a lyrical, beautifully poignant interpretation that
differs from the novels. If you have a chance, I hope you’ll pick it up as
well. I’m incredibly thankful to Asou-sensei, who handled both the manga and
illustrations for the novels with deep affection for the characters. I’m so
glad these stories were brought to life by Asou-sensei. Thank you for all your
hard work over the years. You’ve earned a rest.
To my editor, who’s been with me
since COLD HEART—I’m so grateful you let me do this compilation when we
started talking about the hardcover edition. I know I caused a lot of delays
and headaches along the way, but thank you for sticking with me so patiently.
And to you, the reader who picked up
this book—this marks the end of the COLD series. I hope this
collection becomes a memorable capstone for those who have supported these
stories through the years, and that it brings you enjoyment until the very last
page. Thank you for walking with me through this series for so long. I am deeply
grateful.
—Konohara
I already shared some thoughts about this novel on Novel Updates, but even weeks after finishing it, what continues to stick with me is how Konohara handled Kusuda’s trauma. She didn’t gloss over it—she really delved into it with sensitivity and weight, and reading it was genuinely heartbreaking because it felt so real. I also appreciated that Akizawa wasn’t let off the hook easily—he had to work to earn Kusuda’s trust back, and that made the story more satisfying in the end.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much to everyone who read along, left comments, or purchased the EPUBs—it means a lot to me and really keeps me motivated to continue sharing more stories 💕