I Can't Write Romance Novels. / Lesson 4: "Is Romance Know-How Found in Women's Magazines?"

When Yosuke woke up, the smartphone by his pillow displayed "7:00 AM." Looking around, he realized he was in the Shinozuka family's Japanese-style room. Yosuke jumped up in a panic. Without even worrying about his bedhead, he slid open the fusuma and ran to the living room.

“I’m so sorry, ma’am! I……”
“Oh, good morning, Yosuke-chan.”
“Morning, you lightweight!”
Kayono, who had already finished preparing breakfast, and Ayano, who was dressed for work in an off-white knit sweater that screamed 'office lady' and a gray knee-length pleated skirt with natural makeup, were sitting at the dining table.
“I didn't want your suit to get wrinkled, so I changed you into my father's jersey. Sorry for changing your clothes without asking.”
“Whoa!? I’m so sorry, really……”
At Kayono’s words, Yosuke looked at his jersey-clad self in surprise. Ayano giggled as she watched him.
“Oh, that’s right, Yosuke. Here.”
Ayano handed him a blue file with her perfectly manicured hands.
“I clipped these from women’s magazines for you last night.”
“What is this?”
“Well, it’s basically the romantic perspectives of women in their 20s to early 30s. Please use it as reference material.”
As expected of an office lady at a trading company, the amount of neatly organized clipped articles was substantial.
“Oh, thank you!! I appreciate it!”
“In return, you’ll have to treat me to dinner sometime, okay?”
“Got it, got it!”
Watching Yosuke press his hands together in gratitude, saying, “Oh God, oh Buddha, oh Ayano-sama!”, Kayono laughed and offered him breakfast, saying, “Yosuke-chan, would you like some breakfast? I can prepare my husband’s portion later.”
A Japanese-style breakfast that could be called the definition of a Japanese dining table was set before him. Ayano had always been a fan of Western-style breakfasts, so she was munching on toast she had made herself.
Yosuke’s stomach growled loudly, and everyone present laughed. That was the answer.
“I’ll dig in! Your cooking is delicious, ma’am, so it’s a real treat for a man living alone.”
“You’re like a child.”
“Shut up!”

Ayano finished her preparations efficiently and left for work, shouting, “I want Italian for dinner!” Her father also took his turn eating breakfast before heading off to his workplace, which wasn't too far away. Yosuke borrowed the washroom to splash water on his face and wet his hair slightly to fix his bedhead.

“Um, ma’am… is it okay for me to stay here?”
“It’s fine. Oh, but what about work?”
“I don’t have anything in particular today. There’s no contact on my phone, so I’ll respond if anything comes up. Also, I’m thinking of bringing back some materials from my parents' house.”
Since he was at it, Yosuke thought he would bring back things like his student-era anthologies from his parents' house to face his past while writing a romance novel. Although, coming from an all-boys school, he knew what he would find in those anthologies, he figured things from his elementary school days might be useful.

Kayono asked Yosuke with her usual 'reassuring smile'.
“Has the alcohol worn off?”
“Yes, after a good night’s sleep… It wasn't great after the reception, but I suppose a comfortable place is better than a luxurious room.”
“I agree, I think so too.”
Then, Yosuke and Kayono slowly ate breakfast together. The conversation was about “novels and literature” and “reminiscing.”
Since Kayono was a literature major, she was a rewarding person to talk to. Kayono had studied classical Japanese literature, while Yosuke had majored in modern literature, so even though they studied different eras, it was quite stimulating. Yosuke preferred reading authors from the Shirakaba school, mainly researching Saneatsu Mushanokoji and Naoya Shiga. He also liked Sakutaro Hagiwara.
Whenever Yosuke published a new work, he would gift a copy to Kayono. And Kayono would always send him her thoughts in a handwritten letter. Like Ayano, she sometimes had harsh feedback, but it wasn't as sharp-tongued as Ayano’s; she gave feedback based on having truly read it thoroughly, so Yosuke couldn't help but respect her for that as well.

After finishing breakfast and having tea, Yosuke switched into 'work mode'.
“Um, I’d like to look through the materials Ayano filed for me, so may I borrow the Japanese-style room?”
“Of course. What would you like for lunch?”
“Oh, are you sure?”
He hadn't intended to overstay his welcome, but Kayono had already figured out that, given his personality, he wouldn't move once he started reading the materials.
“Yosuke-chan, you didn't eat much yesterday, did you? It’s just leftovers, though.”
“No, no, that’s more than enough.”
“Take your time. Think about your new work carefully in a comfortable place.”
Kayono said to Yosuke in a gentle tone, “like a son.”

◆

Yosuke entered the kotatsu prepared for him in the Japanese-style room, took out his notepad and writing utensils from his bag, and arranged his things just as he did at home so he could create a plot at any time. It was winter, but it was relatively warm today, so the kotatsu was turned off.
Then, dressed in the jersey, he began to read through the women's magazine feature articles that Ayano had compiled for him.

“What is this……”
The headlines were a parade of 'marriage' this and 'marriage' that, such as “Marriage Circumstances for Women in Their 20s!” and “Is It Okay to Get Married in Your 30s?”. Yosuke couldn't help but hold his head in his hands. Marriage before romance? That’s why I told you I’ve never been in a relationship, Ayano! As Yosuke clicked his tongue and flipped through the clipped articles, he found clippings from magazines aimed at a younger age group as well.
“I want to fall in love! A survey of 100 girls' true feelings!”
“Ayano… isn't this clearly a magazine for college students?”
He couldn't help but mutter to himself. However, for Yosuke, who hadn't even had his first love, the women who answered the survey in this article were surely much more experienced than him.
The content was printed in two colors and was really light, with questions like “Do you have someone you like?”, “Do you have a boyfriend?”, “How did you meet?”, and “Who confessed first?”
As he read on, he took notes on whether to make the protagonist male or female, what age group to choose, and so on. In the process, he noticed that an outrageous article had also been clipped.

“His Sexual Habits”
There was an article written in a manga format based on survey responses that described—in a way different from erotic novels—the intimate details leading up to such acts. Yosuke blushed involuntarily.
Truth be told, Yosuke had never once read a magazine for men over 18. Even back in his all-boys school days, such topics would come up, but since he was always the listener, he honestly wanted to look away. The expressions were so explicit that he felt like he was going to get dizzy.
However, considering Ayano’s feelings in filing this massive amount of material, he felt he had no choice but to read it. He was that lacking in knowledge. He finally understood the reason he was slapped at the 'date hotel' yesterday from that article. He was at least able to learn that women's magazines contain a lot of romance know-how; that alone was a harvest.

“It’s not like I’m writing an erotic novel, so I should just write a pure romance novel……”

Making excuses to himself, Yosuke proceeded with his work.

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