I Can't Write Romance Novels. / Lesson 2: "The Hangover After the Reception Suddenly Wears Off"

Time goes back a few hours.
Yosuke was sleeping alone in a suite on the top floor of a hotel touted as one of the most luxurious in Tokyo. Illuminated by the light streaming in from outside, he finally opened his eyes.

"I need water..."

Muttering to himself, Yosuke got up sluggishly, straightened his open robe, and opened the refrigerator. He took out a bottle of mineral water, and as for the cap—ah, right, I remember that the plastic from these bottle caps is donated for vaccines lately—he left the cap on and drank it all in one go.

"That really hits the spot... Did I really overdo it that much?"

Yosuke wasn't originally that good with alcohol. However, he couldn't refuse the drinks at the reception party, so he drank as he was encouraged to. He lacked the alcohol-dehydrogenase enzyme. Even now, a headache and nausea were attacking him. Yosuke had attended the reception party as the 'representative for Noboru Ida'.

"Tch, this is a pain."

Looking at the clock, it was already past 12:00 PM. The publisher's representative who booked this room for him must have been considerate enough not to wake him.
Yosuke had one meeting with a major publisher scheduled for today. Although he had taken a bath, the suit from yesterday, even for a representative, was honestly just for 'show'. Even if he threw a coat over it, it was obvious he would stand out at the editorial department. Thinking he should head home, Yosuke headed to the bathroom to fix his bedhead, took hair styling products from the neatly arranged amenities, and returned to his 'usual hairstyle'.

For now, he checked out of the hotel and returned home.
Yosuke's home, not to brag, is a designer apartment in a luxurious location not far from this hotel. It feels too big for a 29-year-old single man to live in, but considering his meetings with various publishers, this was the best place, so he bought it with the resolve of someone jumping off the stage at Kiyomizu Temple.
Out of the 5LDK, one room is a study. One room is a workspace. He isn't a manga artist, so he doesn't have live-in assistants, but he has one room for editorial work. And he separates that from his private room. The remaining room is empty.

"Is this dark green suit okay? What about the shirt..."

Dressed in his own 'style of fashion', he headed to the major publisher. Since the publisher was within walking distance from his home, he made it in time for his appointment. Yosuke thought to himself that buying this apartment was indeed the right choice.

"Mr. Sugawara!"
"Oh, Ms. Takami. Good work."
Yosuke avoids having his identity revealed. It is a fact that the 'mysterious up-and-coming author' successfully stirred up purchasing desire. That's why he asked the editorial department to call him by his real name. The woman he called Takami is the editor in charge of his bi-weekly column in the information magazine published by this company. Of course, she knows that Noboru Ida is Yosuke Sugawara.
"Are you okay? You were quite drunk yesterday..."
"It's nothing major."
Everything inside his body is a major issue, though... I'll need stomach medicine later, Yosuke grumbled to himself.
"Mr. Sugawara, you're always so stylish. The color of your suit is rare, but it's not garish."
"Do you know about personal color? In my case, this is my color."
"I see. Maybe I should have my personal color checked too. Oh, I'll go call the editor-in-chief now, so please wait on the sofa in the second reception room!"
After knocking and entering the second reception room, he sat on the well-worn leather sofa and took a breath.
A while later, a smiling gentleman with graying hair entered the second reception room.
"Sugawara-kun, are you alright?"
"Mr. Kinoshita, thank you for your help last night."
The gentleman who raised Yosuke—Kinoshita—urged Yosuke, who had stood up, to sit on the sofa. At that moment, a female employee brought in coffee that smelled wonderful.
"I'm sorry, I really have a low tolerance for alcohol."
"We've known each other a long time, so I'm well aware of that."
Kinoshita spoke to Yosuke with a good-natured smile.
"Once again, congratulations on winning the Aoki Prize for 'The Lost Morning'."
"Thank you very much. Honestly, there's a part of me that still feels like I'm dreaming. The truth is, it hasn't really sunk in yet, and I think I'll only understand it based on the results of my next work..."

Kinoshita jumped on those words. Kinoshita is the editor-in-chief of a literary magazine with a long history even within this publisher, and he was also Yosuke's original editor.

"Sugawara-kun, I have a proposal for you."
"What is it?"
"Your works, Sugawara-kun, have mostly dealt with the delicate inner workings of humans. I'd like to see you use that delicacy of yours for a romance novel."

...Huh? What did you just say?
Yosuke's hand holding the coffee cup stopped.

"I'd like to proceed with your next work as your first romance novel."
"M-me... no, I, a romance novel!?"

Yosuke's voice was louder than he intended, and it cracked, and Kinoshita in front of him stared at Yosuke with his mouth open.

Click here for Lesson 3 ↓

Click here for Lesson 1 ↓