Good afternoon. Long time no see, my readers who have been following The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria. Eiji Mikage here.

When I checked, the previous volume, Volume 6, was released in January 2013. That means two years and five months passed before this final volume came out. That alone would have been fine, but there was also about two years between Volumes 4 and 5, so all I can do is apologize to the fans who have been waiting so patiently. I truly am sorry… Or what I should say is that you really can’t publish things if you leave a gap like that twice. The fact that this book came out without a hitch is undeniably thanks to the fans who supported me.

However, I am a bit worried the people might not notice that the final book has come out after all this time. Tell everyone around you! I don’t care if you loan it out!

The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria has been a crucial work in supporting me as an author. If you asked me whether I wanted to stick with it, my answer is that I’ve written everything I wanted to write, so I have no regrets in the slightest. I think I’ve given it all I have now. Farewell, Kazuki, Maria!

I also believe that wrapping up this series is a good opportunity to step away from light novels for the time being. (Apologies to fans of my other series.)

I haven’t come to dislike writing light novels, not by any means; it’s a decision made with thoughts toward living as an author from here on out. I’d like to return to Dengeki Bunko after leveling up, but at present, I’m not sure if my time away will be two years, ten, or even if I’ll come back at all. Still, I am sure I will continue to be under the care of Kadokawa ASCII Media Works.

Some say that writing styles change greatly depending on where the writing is done, but I don’t think that’s the case. Though I follow the rules of the medium, I write only what I want to write, or perhaps what I think I should write. I have no intention of penning anything I don’t agree with. If someone does think my style has changed, that will be only because the things I want to do in that project differ from my previous work and not because of any change in the medium. I want to keep penning works with conviction, paying no mind to writing as a business.

If you happen to spot the name Eiji Mikage somewhere in the near future, I would be grateful for your patronage. All my announcements are made on Twitter first, so find me there and check it out if you feel like it.

Now for the acknowledgements.

To Miki, my current editor: Thank you very much. You came on board partway through this series, and I think it had many difficult parts. Nevertheless, you provided me with an environment that made it easy to work and allowed me to focus on writing without any stress. Thank you.

To my previous editor, Kawamoto: This series would never have come about without you. Your stern guidance to me when I was immature as both an author and a person eventually became my confidence and support. I’m here doing what I do now thanks to you.

To Tetsuo, the illustrator: I truly thank you for handling the art for such a long time, especially with many gaps, up until the very end. I wouldn’t have been surprised if you gave up on me, given that you didn’t know when the books would come out. I’m truly happy to have met you. The joy when I saw Maria for the first time is a feeling I still wouldn’t trade for anything else.

This story also exists due to the support of many other people. It is not an exaggeration to say I owe its completion to you readers holding this book in your hands now. Frankly, without your words of encouragement, I would have tried to run after Volume 4. You have my sincerest gratitude for seizing my hands and holding them to the keyboard before they could get away.

I have also been writing songs in a group named Replica Letter. Around the time this book hits the shelves, there should be songs for The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria up on Nico Nico Douga and YouTube, so look up words that sound likely and give them a listen!

At any rate, I would like to bid my farewells with a promise to continue writing novels. Thank you very much for sticking with me until the end.