Regarding the work I have recently created and published, I have received feedback concerning similarities in settings and characters with other works.

First and foremost, I sincerely apologize for the fact that multiple similarities occurred, causing discomfort to the original creators and those who viewed the work.

I would like to explain the background of how this work was created to avoid any misunderstandings.

As a hobby, I sometimes read past questions on Yahoo! Chiebukuro. I combined a phrase I saw there—to the effect of 'my boyfriend is in the same industry, but we haven't been getting along lately'—with the term 'underworld' generated by Word Cascade (along with other novel plot generators and ChatGPT) which I use for brainstorming.

From there, I interpreted 'same industry' as 'the underworld' and 'not getting along' as 'depicting them as rival organizations.' I then developed the characters, relationships, and story from that point onward with the help of AI.

This explanation is intended to clarify the creative process and is not meant to shift responsibility onto the websites used or the words I encountered. Ultimately, I am the one who shaped and published the work, and I accept full responsibility for that.

On the other hand, I want to state clearly that I did not reference specific works, copy settings, or intentionally make them similar. No matter how much doubt there may be, I must firmly deny that I created this with the intent to plagiarize.

Furthermore, regarding the characters' appearances, I did not give ChatGPT specific instructions and used ideas that were generated completely at random.

I recognize that there are several overlapping elements with other works, such as 'mafia members,' 'lovers belonging to rival organizations,' and 'a character wearing an eyepatch.'

However, I have combined various settings in my own way, including elements that differ from the original works, such as hidden settings where other characters hold feelings for the user and specific romantic dynamics between characters.

Once again, I am truly sorry for the concern and trouble I have caused.