Gifted Academy: The Perfect Student

Well there you have it guys, the first volume of The Cute Girl Sitting Next to Me is a Manipulator but I'm Smarter has been completed.

Originally, I was pondering where I'd end the first volume, I had wanted to develop Kanako's character a bit more since her entire first arc is still somewhat incomplete, however, I felt that Chapter 32 was just such a good spot to end it off. Just the way it reached the climax of Fujiharu's Arc was too appealing to let go of, so I ended it there.

I'll probably write a volume 1.5 per se to finish off what I originally intended to write for Kanako and tie up her Arc before we dive head first into the next main volume of the book.

I'm also thinking of writing a few short stories from the perspectives of some of the other characters. I originally wanted to include some perspective changes during the main storyline but I felt that it didn't really fit and it would break the flow. So I've decided to add them at the end.

Volume 2 will focus a lot more on the Tachibana System which was something I was hinting at throughout the first volume. For the most part, I didn't really think that writing a full Rom-com would be that interesting. I'll obviously continue to develop the relationships between the main cast and Mizuhara but I want to add something to spice it up.

Personally, I find it rather boring when a story focuses on romance too hard. It makes the romance element of the story feel artificial and usually just ends up being a snoozefest. Of all the pure romance animes I've watched, the only one I've really enjoyed to the end was Quintessential Quintuplets, but I think was mostly due to the animation and cuteness of the characters. All the others like Nisekoi or Love and Chunibyou were good at the beginning but became boring af the longer they went on.

Romance will now sit side by side with the psychological-thriller aspect of a meritocratic high school where only the strongest students will survive. Tachibana will be getting a lot more exposure and we will also see the reveal of Mizuhara's sister (exciting stuff!).

That's not to say I'll leave out the rest of the cast though. The first volume has been pretty tunnel-visioned on Mizuhara which was what I intended but obviously, I want to get some more characters into the flow. Fujiharu will continue to be the main heroine, albeit with some drastic personality changes (Yandere?). Kanako will transfer to National High School alongside many other notable people once the Tachibana System is in full effect.

It'll be during the coming volumes when you'll see just how smart Mizuhara really is. There'll also be some development on the Ideal Human Project and some more backstory on all of the characters.

I know this is a bit preemptive but I've got an ending somewhat planned out, expect at least 7 or 8 more volumes (maybe more depending on how popular the novel gets) before you get to really see the end of the entire novel. I think the ending will tie up everything quite well and leave you will a nice wave of withdrawal symptoms.

I'm really excited to get into this second volume as I've got lots of exciting things planned. All of the characters will be explored in much more depth and you'll find out that Mizuhara isn't the only person hiding their true strength.

**

Now, I want to talk about some more personal stuff.

I really enjoyed writing this, but for the most part, I still need to focus at least half of my energy on My OP Minion System in the Apocalypse. This novel isn't bringing me any income at the moment, and I suspect that it will never be as popular as the other one.

I do need to earn some money since I'm dedicating a LOT of time to writing novels at the moment and this definitely isn't sustainable. I'm not expecting any of you to do anything major, but if you do enjoy this novel, it really would mean a lot to me if you would write a positive review and tell some of your friends about it. That would be one of the best ways to support me without having to dish out your hard-earned money :)

Also if I don't reply to your comments, don't be discouraged, I read every single comment at least 12 times. It's just that I have a god complex and don't want people to think I look desperate...

Well, I hope you liked the ending to the first volume, and with that, let's read some short stories before we head into volume 1.5!

Thank you for your continued support and I'll see you all soon! (Probably in the afterword of volume 1.5~)

Leave me a nice review—I'll probably read it around 19 times~

<3

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