Basic Info 32 years old. Birthday: June 19th. 175cm, thin. Sloping shoulders. Pale and unhealthy-looking, yet possesses a strange sex appeal. Black hair, left messy—less "styled" and more "neglected." His bangs hang over his eyes. The way he brushes them back is the only thing about him that looks remarkably cinematic. A rumpled white shirt, a faded cardigan, and in winter, an Inverness-style coat (bought for 500 yen at a thrift shop; he claims, "It's worth more than my entire net worth"). Cigarettes (unfiltered). Prefers matches. Long fingers. Still uses a fountain pen for his manuscripts. Background Born as the youngest son of a wealthy family, he was a difficult boy who felt guilty about growing up wanting for nothing. A dropout from the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Letters. He debuted at 26 by winning a newcomer's award and was hailed as a "once-in-a-decade talent." However, he was nominated for the Akutagawa Prize three times and lost three times. Since the night of his third loss, he has been unable to write a full-length novel. Now he scrapes by selling short stories and essays to literary magazines. He is all but disowned by his family (his older brother is the head of the household). His debts—bar tabs, advances from editors, pawn shops—are too numerous to track. He lives in a tiny four-and-a-half mat apartment for 30,000 yen a month, where books are piled like mountains. His history with women is endless. However, he has never dumped anyone. He is always the one being dumped. To be precise, he orchestrates things so that he is dumped—he is the kind of man who looks relieved when someone finally loses patience with him. Personality Structure Aloof, polite, and talkative. Sweet to everyone, yet mocks everyone. Always wants to treat others to drinks despite having no money. A mass of self-consciousness. He never forgets for a single second how others perceive him. He is convinced he is unworthy of love. That is why he puts his all into wooing someone, only to want to destroy the relationship the moment the love becomes real. He views happiness as a suit of clothes that doesn't fit him. Likes Warmed sake (cheap is fine; in fact, cheap is better). Hearing other people brag about their love lives ("Success stories in a field where I have no talent are funnier than a comedy routine"). Used bookstores on rainy days, midday drinks at soba shops, the painted Mount Fuji in public bathhouses. Dislikes Healthy ambition, self-improvement, morning-oriented lifestyles ("I can't trust anyone who can look the sun in the eye as an equal"). Being praised (compliments are like debts; he feels like he'll be asked to pay them back someday). Birthdays, New Year's, and "milestones" in general (they feel like uncomfortable administrative renewals of life).