Nighttime.
Inside the spacious tatami room, Motoya Komori scooted over to Akashi Asuka, curiously watching as he wrapped both arms tightly in white bandages.
"Akashi-kun, what are you doing? Are you getting ready to box or something?"
"Secret–" Akashi replied succinctly.
"Ehh? Come on, tell me! Tell me!" Komori began hopping around in excitement. For a moment, Akashi couldn't help but feel like he was staring at another Hinata Shoyo.
Was this guy always this energetic?
"Geez, you're so noisy! Motoya, be quiet, you're distracting me from reading."
A calm but irritated voice cut through the air, Sakusa Kiyoomi.
Immediately, Komori turned his attention toward Sakusa and leaned in enthusiastically.
"You're still reading novels, Sakusa? We hardly ever get to do a training camp this big, why don't we play a pillow fight or something?"
"Not interested–" Sakusa replied, shaking his head. "Also… aren't you a little too hyped today?"
"Well, of course! This is a combined camp with Aoba Johsai, Shiratorizawa, and Itachiyama, three powerhouse schools! Isn't it exciting to have so many people sleeping in one place?"
Sakusa tugged slightly on his face mask. "Not really. Having this many people packed in just increases the risk of spreading bacteria."
"…Right–" Komori replied, at a loss.
Then, with a weird look, Komori added, "Sakusa, I know this might sound rude, but… don't you think you've been a bit too cautious lately?"
Sakusa raised his head and replied earnestly, "What's wrong with being cautious? In the novel I'm reading right now, even the Demon Lord's soldiers know how to hide their true power. If the hero isn't cautious, he'd be dead already."
Komori almost lost it. "But that's fiction!"
Sakusa shook his head. "No. I'm sure the author and I are kindred spirits. Someone who can write such a brilliant novel must, "
"Huh? Sakusa, you like reading Akashi's novel too?"
"Of course, wait, what?"
As soon as he heard someone mention his name, Sakusa instinctively started to respond. But halfway through his sentence, he suddenly froze.
"…What did you just say?"
His voice came out dry, his face stiffening. "Who wrote this book?"
"You didn't know?" said Kindaichi, who happened to be walking by. He scratched his chin and added, "That novel was written by Akashi. Word is, it's getting really popular at school too."
The moment Kindaichi said this, not just Sakusa, but all the players from Itachiyama and Shiratorizawa suddenly fell silent.
An eerie stillness settled over the dorm.
Then,
WHAM!
The entire room erupted as players from Shiratorizawa and Itachiyama surged toward Akashi.
"Holy crap, was Kindaichi serious just now?!"
"Akashi-kun, you're really the author of Cautious Hero, Asuka-sensei?! I always thought you two just shared the same name!"
"Are you kidding me? How can a volleyball player also be this talented with words?!"
Surrounded by the crowd, Akashi froze for a moment, caught completely off guard.
The Aoba Johsai players were stunned as well. Kindaichi scratched his head awkwardly and asked, "Uhh… wait. You all know about Akashi's novel?"
"Of course!" said Nakagawa Seishu, turning excitedly. "It's one of the most popular light novels this month! Akashi-kun, no, Asuka-sensei, could I ask for a favor?"
Akashi inched back cautiously. "What kind of favor?"
"Could you sign this for me?" Seishu pulled out a Volume 1 copy of Cautious Hero and a pen from who-knows-where.
"If you don't mind my messy handwriting, I guess it's fine."
Caught off guard by the attention, Akashi nervously signed the front page of the book.
Seishu accepted it like a treasured relic. "Yes! Thank you so much!"
"I want a signature too!"
"Me too! Me too!"
Seeing Seishu get an autograph, the others immediately pulled out their own copies of the novel from their bags.
Only then did everyone realize, between Shiratorizawa, Itachiyama, and Aoba Johsai, there were at least seven or eight players reading Cautious Hero.
In the blink of an eye...
The dorm had turned into a mini celebrity fan event.
Komori could only watch this unfold in stunned silence. Scratching his head, he turned to Sakusa and asked,
"Aren't you gonna get his autograph? I thought you really liked that book."
Sakusa tugged at his mask and mumbled,
"No need. I like the book, not the signature."
Komori gave him a suspicious look. "Ohhh? Is that really it?"
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"Man, this guy isn't just good at volleyball?" A few players who didn't normally read novels were blown away by the scene unfolding in front of them.
Hearing that, the Aoba Johsai players looked like someone had finally understood their daily struggles, and immediately began venting.
"That monster knows way more than he lets on, bro! You guys have no idea how tough our lives are!"
"Oh? Do tell."
"No joke, man. Akashi doesn't just dominate on the court, his grades are insane too. During the last finals, the dude ranked 27th in the entire prefecture! Do you know what that means?"
"I think I do… the dreaded 'model student from another family.' I feel your pain, bro."
"And that's not all. The guy writes a novel, and just casually makes millions of yen from it. So yeah, even though Ushiwaka, Wakatsu, and Sakusa are top volleyball players, when it comes to being the number one high schooler in the country, it's gotta be our guy from Aoba Johsai."
"Like, sure, they might beat Akashi on the court… but could they beat him in exams? Or out-earn him as an author?"
"…Are you humble-bragging right now?"
"You know what he said when I asked what his future plans were?"
"What?"
"I thought, with his talent, he'd definitely go pro after high school. But you know what he told me? He said he doesn't know yet, he's torn between going pro, enrolling at Tokyo University, or becoming a travel writer and backpacking across the world."
"Like… are those even real options for a normal person?!"
"Yeah… that's definitely not how regular people talk."
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After the impromptu fan frenzy died down, and following plenty more chatter and noise, everyone finally settled down for bed.
That night, the moonlight spread like silver across the beach, and the players in the massive dorm slept soundly.
But just then, beneath the soft glow of moonlight…
A shadowy figure quietly got up and tiptoed to Akashi Asuka's bedside…
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria