Hello, Eiji Mikage here.

I have delivered to you the sixth volume of The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria. The events of the final stages of this story are things I have envisioned in my head for quite some time now, so it is all the more moving to be able to put them to paper.

This may seem a bit out of the blue, but my motto is “A pro cannot be human.”

It comes from a statement spoken on TV by Oh, a coach of the Hawks at the time whom I admired. My memory of them may be a little off, but here is the gist of what he said:

“All humans make mistakes. But an athlete who thinks they can’t do anything about their mistakes because they are human will make the same errors again. Thus, a pro cannot be human.”

I remember being deeply impressed, thinking that having such a strong sense of what it is to be a professional must be what enabled him to hammer out the record he did.

Regardless of whether you’re a pro baseball player or not, I feel that a high level of awareness that verges on going beyond what is human is necessary in adhering to a singular will. I’m nowhere near that level yet, but I’m working hard to try to get there someday.

Now for my acknowledgements.

To my editor, Miki: Thank you very much for keeping things going smoothly amid your exceedingly busy schedule.

To my illustrator, Tetsuo: Thank you for the wonderful art as always. I look forward to seeing your illustrations every time and consider it to be a part of why I’m writing this story.

Welp, there is only one more installment left in the tale. When I think about it, this has been an undertaking that has proved so difficult, it almost makes me cry uncle each time I turn in another volume. I’ve made it here at last. I swear that I will write out the story to the end, so I hope you’ll come along for the ride.

I will also be unveiling a new project come springtime. I have the feeling that readers of this story will enjoy it, too, so I hope you will give it a look.

I’m pouring my heart into both of them, so please don’t go saying Hurry up and get the last book out! okay?

Have faith that we’ll see each other again.

Eiji Mikage