Life is a Mess Ever Since My Mother Won an Ero-Novel Grand Prize - Chapter 1.6

Chapter 1 part 6

And before I knew it, the day of the award ceremony had arrived.

“Haru-kun, are you sure you didn’t forget anything?”

“Well, they didn’t specify what to bring. At most, I have a business card, that’s in my pocket, see. I’ll be fine.”

“… But I am still worried about you. Maybe I should go with you as a guardian. And also I would like to greet the editorial staff and thank them for taking care of my son.”

“Okay, fine… As if I’d say that! It’s embarrassing for me, especially since my mother has a few screws loose, she might slip up. I don’t think you should come.”

“But, your mother with a few screws loose has written the best novel ever!”

“That’s what I’m talking about!”

I exclaimed and started to walk in big steps.

He was wearing a cheap suit, but still it’s different from the school blazer, and he was well aware that he had to wear it.

Because Mirei did the tailoring with her hands. As a mother, she was eager to show off her sewing skills, so he had no choice but to wear this suit. Well as expected, her fingers were pricked with needles many times.

While waving with her hands covered in bandages, she saw me off heading for the nearest station.

Forty minutes later.

I knew that the all-genre bunko was one of the biggest…

The venue for the award ceremony seemed to be a room in a magnificent building.

I took the elevator to the “Phoenix Room” on the fifth floor and followed the information board that said the award ceremony would be held here.

As I turned the corner, a woman I knew caught my eye.

She was my editor, Kamome Hanagaki. Normally, she is dressed in a shabby lab coat with disheveled hair, but today she was dressed up as expected. Her makeup was thicker than usual which was to hide the dark circles under her eyes. When I looked at her again, I had to admit she was quite beautiful.

“Thank you for your help, Hanagaki-san.”

“Yes, it has been a pleasure. I’ll show you around right away. The entire staff of the editorial department and the other prize winner is also in the room.

The other prize winner, Karin-sensei, I think was her name.

“What kind of person is she?”

I had a feeling that a rookie romance author would be a man in his mid-twenties to early thirties, since I didn’t know much about Karin-sensei except that she was an active high school student.

But Hanagaki was puzzled.

“You mean you never met her before?”

“Ha? How could I have?”

I don’t even know who she is.

“Hmm? Is that so?”

Hanagaki tilted her head in surprise.

“It’s okay. Let’s go inside. First, put on this nametag.”

The nameplate read “Mating Press”.

A boy, wearing it on his chest in disgust (Please not me, not me, not me…), followed his editor into the hall.

Hanagaki opens the massive looking door and steps forward.

“Mating Press-Sensei has arrived!”

She shouted loudly.

Yamero! I’ll die of embarrassment, I was about to trip on my face. But the overwhelming response from the audience kept me moving

“Oh! So he’s the Mating Press!”

“An up-and-coming pervert who won the Ero-Novel Award and also an active high school student!”

“I heard he broke a new boundary in incest stories!”

“Hats off to the editorial department, they say he’s a genius who has elevated the humiliating genre to the realm of art!”

“Behold the next-generation flag bearer of the erotic romance world! Mating Press!”

“The fact that he looks so average is actually quite intimidating!”

“Mating!” “Mating!”

This is just too much… I held my head as I walked.

In the hall, which was similar to a press conference hall, there were loud cheers of “Mating!” Camera flashes were shooting and photos were being taken. I was desperately trying to keep my face down to avoid the cameras. But…

“What’s the matter? Raise your face. Stick out your chest. What do you have to be embarrassed about? Have confidence in yourself. Come on, show them, show them that you’re the Mating press!”

“I’m sorry, but could you please shut up!”

Oh my god, this sucks… Why am I the Mating press, that’s my mother, and even it’s hard to accept that’s my mother’s pen name. Damn it.

I finally ushered to my seat, but the tag on the table also had “Mating Press” written on it.

Damn, is this some kind of a Mating Press Conference…?

I let out a huge sigh and sat down in my seat. I was tempted to just lie down and go to sleep, but then I felt the presence of a person to my left.

Yes, there was a fellow award winner. Karin-sensei. She is both my rival and a fellow high school student. I had to greet her properly…

I took my business card out of my pocket with an unaccustomed motion and turned to the side.

“Um, excuse me, I’m also a high school student, and…”

I was so nervous that I couldn’t say it properly, but when I saw the person next to me, I was speechless.

It’s her…

The same school uniform…

What’s more, that adorable face staring at me…

“… Why are you here?”

“I would like to ask the same….”

Rinka Takigami, you’re Karin-sensei? You were the other winner?

Both of us were so surprised that we couldn’t utter a single word.

End of Chapter 01