Sorry, it’s my bad that I forgot to mention in the author’s note that the character who is on the front cover of The Virtual Mass Murder is Chiyo Shibasaki.

I must be out of my mind to assume that people already know that it’s Chiyo Shibasaki who is on the front cover, not a new character in the story.

It’s not that hard to know that it’s Touka who is on the front cover of The Mind Control Assassins. It’s the first book from the series, anyway. So, there’s no doubt that the main character must be the one who is on the cover.

And then we have Yuuto who is on the front cover of the Trigger Locked prequel, A Triggered Past. It’s not that hard to know it’s him since he’s holding a sniper rifle.

Same goes with Hayato as well. It’s not that hard to know that it’s him either since he’s the only character with silver hair and uses a tactical pen as a weapon.

But that’s not the case at all for Chiyo Shibasaki. There’s no distinctive characteristic about her other than her being the analyst for the Kimizuki squad.

So yes, it’s my mistake for not making it clear that it’s Chiyo Shibasaki who is on the front cover.

Of course, there will be new characters in The Virtual Mass Murder, with one of them having a huge impact on Touka the most.

But as always, I’m going to save this character for another cover feature.

That’s the most hint I can give to you. So, give the third book from the series a try if you’re curious.

The inspiration behind the character design for Chiyo Shibasaki

Some of you may find that Chiyo’s hairstyle looks familiar to you.

And yes, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. The person who has that exact hairstyle is none other than Akira Mado from Tokyo Ghoul.

The only difference is Chiyo’s hair is darker than Akira Mado’s. And not to mention the fact that she’s holding a gun, not a quinque.

Here’s a picture of Akira Mado for those who didn’t read the manga or watch Tokyo Ghoul anime.

Feel free to imagine Chiyo having the same expression as her since you rarely see Chiyo talking random stuff to the team.

Just like Hayato, she also has a dark past which she finally opened up to Touka and Yuuto in the later chapter in A Silent Killer.

What kind of past she has? Well, you need to read the book to find out.

Wait, she can use a gun?

Some of you may find it strange that an analyst like Chiyo is holding a gun on the book cover.

When you think of a character who is an analyst, you probably think that this character can only analyze the data that can pinpoint the team to the culprit.

They don’t even do the groundwork to search for clues or evidence. So, they don’t need to know how to handle a gun.

In that sense, then yes, you’re not wrong about that.

But in Chiyo’s case, she still needs to know how to use a gun even if she doesn’t do the fieldwork herself.

Remember that she’s one of the members of the Special Activities Division in PSIA.

And there’s no doubt that most of the missions that they tend to get involved in are dangerous. So, it makes sense for her to know how to use the gun to protect herself.

Think of Chiyo like Sebastian Lund from NCIS: New Orleans.

Just like Chiyo, Sebastian is also trained to use a gun.

Sure, you can argue here that he has to since he’s working in the field with Dwayne and everyone else.

But he also helps Patton with the analysis once in a while. You can even spot him doing the analysis at Dr. Wade’s lab as well if it can help the team to find more clues from the victims.

Chiyo is the same in that sense. But unlike Sebastian, she prefers to do the analysis more rather than being on the field, though.

And with her past, she’s better off not to be in public that much.

The type of gun that Chiyo is holding

How can I not be talking about guns when it’s already apparent that Chiyo has a gun in her hand, right?

That’s the basis of the Trigger Locked series. Everyone has their own preference when it comes to guns.

And yes, that includes someone like Chiyo who barely uses a gun in her work. SIG Sauer P229 seems to be her preferred choice.

Well, what’s not to like about the gun?

For one, the gun is just as lethal as the other model, P226. And the shot is very accurate too despite its shorter barrel length and smaller magazine capacity than the P226.

What’s more, the gun is easy to handle and only has a few parts due to its compact size. It only takes a few minutes to clean too, which makes it a preferred choice for someone like Chiyo who is occupied with the analysis work most of the time.

Here’s the picture of the gun for those who are curious how the gun looks like in real life. Picture courtesy of SIG Sauer website.

The art style looks different this time

Unlike the last two books, the book cover illustration for the third book from the Trigger Locked series looks different this time.

Okay, make it three if you include the prequel as well.

It’s not unusual for the same illustrator to change his or her art style over the years. You’ll see that a lot in many manga series where the mangaka’s art style becomes so much better within months after the serialization.

But that’s not the case at all for the cover illustration for The Virtual Mass Murder, though.

I wish that I can work together with my previous illustrator, Color-LES, again.

In case you’re wondering, she was the one who did the cover illustrations for the three books in the Trigger Locked series and also Twisted Destiny.

It was too bad that she no longer did client work anymore when The Virtual Mass Murder was finally completed.

That left me no choice but to hire someone else to do the cover illustration for the book.

Fortunately, I finally found a new illustrator, J. Cirineo, after a long search.

It’s hard to know what the future will hold for both of us. But you can expect to see her doing the cover illustration for future releases from now onward.

The book is out now

After such a long time, I’m happy to say that the book is finally out now in digital and also in print.

If you’re interested in getting the book, you can get it at any major retailer. Here’s a list of where you can buy my book online:

Where to buy Trigger Locked Book 3: The Virtual Mass Murder

Just to let you know that you can also buy the digital version of the book directly from me through Payhip.

You can buy the book right here:

Buy Trigger Locked Book 3: The Virtual Mass Murder at my online store

Don’t forget to use the coupon code SEKINAMAYUBLOG during checkout to receive 25% off on your total order.