Rest In Peace

A Tale That Never Ends

When you hear that phrase, the first thing that might come to mind is how corporations keep milking a series until the end of time. But there's another kind of immortality in the world of literature.

That is, by being unfinished. In other words, a story that, for various reasons, never gets completed or receives a proper ending.

Among those reasons, there's one that's especially bitter to accept. That is, when the author simply passes away.

The passing of Oda Hiro (NOT Eiichiro Oda) happened almost exactly two years ago (24/6/2024). Oda Hiro is the author of one of the early shoujo series I started reading a few years ago. A series that I read during the early days of the "villainess" and "reincarnated into an otome game" boom, before the niche became completely saturated.

The story I'm referring to is Yowaki MAX Reijou nanoni, Ratsuwan Konyakusha-sama no Kake ni Notte Shimatta.

Even Though I'm a Super Timid Noble Girl, I Accepted the Bet from My Cunning Fiancé. 

The story itself is nothing particularly special. Just read the summary below. 

Reincarnated as a mob villainess! But isn't there something off about this situation?!
I was reincarnated into an otome game as a count's villainous daughter, Pia. But fearing my fate of banishment from the kingdom, I became extremely timid. After deciding to break off my engagement and become a curator, the Prime Minister's son steps forward, and I'm thrown into an unexpected plot twist...!? 

She was reborn as the villainous daughter in a reverse harem otome game. After suffering a high fever at the age of ten, Pia Rockwell suddenly remembers her past life as a university student in Japan. But instead of embracing the role of a villainess, this super timid girl only wants to use the knowledge she gained while studying for her doctorate in paleontology. Her ultimate goal is to become a commoner, excavate fossils, build a museum, and become its curator. 

To escape the villainess route and avoid being publicly cast aside by her fiancé during the graduation ball, Pia decides to spare herself the inevitable heartbreak and asks to break off her engagement to Rufus, the Prime Minister's son.
But will her cunning fiancé let her go that easily?

You can probably guess the entire plot just from those summaries alone.

Even so, not being able to see the ending is still a loss. And while I personally wasn't too invested in it, there were plenty of people who genuinely loved the series. On top of that, Oda Hiro also wrote several other series, all of which will now never receive any further continuation.

One had only just begun. Another was finally starting to pick up momentum. And another felt like it was approaching its conclusion.

If there's any bright spot in this situation, it's that some of those stories had already been completed in their web novel form. That means their manga and anime adaptations can continue to be worked on, even though the original author is no longer with us.

Rest in peace, Oda Hiro.