Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu‎

Volume 3, Author's Notes

Thank you for picking up this book. I am the author in charge of writing this book, Inoue Kenji.

To be honest, I have never expected this foolish story to be written all the way to the 3rd volume. It is thanks to everyone's support and the courage the editing department gave me that this author is grateful for.

This time, I decided to switch things around and bring my thanks over to the front.

Haga-sensei, who's in charge of the illustration, the cover for the third volume is already my computer's desktop background! I am really sorry to bother you many times. KAGAYA-sama who is in charge of design and the new editor N-sama, I bothered you two quite a lot this time, and I am really sorry about it. And to the sempais who gave me advice and cared about me, I will remember you all in my heart; especially to Kaimatsu-sensei and Nomura-sensei, thank you for taking part in this novel.

And to all the readers, I am really grateful for you for your support and encouragement. I have read through the letters and postcards everyone sent me, and there were even readers who helped me create this character called Kinoshia Ieyasu! Every time I finish reading a reader's letter, I will be motivated. I will continue to work hard in the future!

Next, let me continue on with what happened after the events I spoke about in volume 2.

It was after I received the package that my mother sent me (pillowcase) while I was living alone.

Mom: "Hello, Kenji?"

Me:"Hm? Mom, what?"

Mom: "I want to send some documents to you, so I was thinking of sending some other stuff as well."

Me: "Ah, I see, thanks. If you want to, please send something edible."

Mom: "Really, you~ no matter how much you grow up, you really can't get away from your mother!"

Me: "Yeah, sorry to bother you."

After talking happily for a while, I hung up the phone.

I thought, so she's going to send another package over. If she's going to send bedsheets and toilet sheets, I may have to hold a family conference with my mother.

—After a few days, the package arrived.

Once I opened up the corrugated paper box, the first thing that appeared in front of me what the coffee-coloured envelope. These are the documents that mom mentioned, right? Opening it—so they are insurance related documents. Will send them over after I signed them!

And then, what appeared below—is the food I waited for so long.

Great, finally, something that I can eat! There is no problem with keeping the food, and there are no strange things about it. Also, mum did consider that I am a man who is living alone, so she sent over quite a lot of food.

All right, enough talk. What she sent this time are—

'Potatoes, 20kg'

Mom: "Hello?"

Me: "Ah, hello? Is it mum?"

Mom: "Yes, did you receive the package?"

Me: "I received this. At least it's something edible this, time. Thank you."

Mom: "No need no need to be so formal with me. Is it too much?"

Me: "Yeah, by 19kg."

Mom: "Ah, there's some packets of thin noodles packed inside. You must eat it."

Me: "So there's noodles inside. I haven't checked through the entire box since it was too big. Thank you, we'll talk next time."

Mom: "Okay okay, bye bye."

Because of that, I rummaged through the cardboard box and dug out other food. As expected, I found the noodles and other normal foodstuff like cans, pancakes and even oolong tea. It just so happened that I ran out of beverages, so it is great that she sent oolong tea over. I will gladly accept it!

I open the cover of the bottle—eh, strange? This oolong tea was opened? It feels weird…but I didn't think too much and took one huge gulp. What spread around my tongue—a super salty taste!

As I cleared up the fluid that inadvertently flowed out of my mouth, I checked the bottle of oolong tea. Looking closely, I found that mum wrote some black words on the bottle with a marker.

'Noodle sauce'

Mm~mum's so careful to even send sauce together with the noodles. To even notice this minor detail for me, that made me happy.

It is true that the place I am living at doesn't have any sauce, but the container used for this, isn't it inappropriate? If she was so careful to even send me sauce, shouldn't she have sent it over with a container that no one will make a mistake out of it?

The above is my summer memories of shedding tears due to my mother's love.

And next, a preview.

I was thinking about writing a short story the next time. Maybe there are some readers who are mindful about the story development, but I still want to put the short story as priority. Why is that so? The answer is—I actually wanted to write something involving swimsuits! On a side note, the publication date should be in winter (at the time of publication in Japan). Sense of seasons? What is that? Can it fill my stomach?

—That is the situation. What kind of swimsuits will those guys wear? Let us look forward to it!