Mid-August.
The month-long hellish training camp had finally come to an end.
The volleyball club members were officially on break, free at last to enjoy their high school summer vacation.
"Chirp~ Chirp~"
Under the blazing sun, the hot wind mingled with the sound of cicadas. Akashi Asuka sat quietly in the wooden corridor of Sangou apartment, leisurely reading a copy of Japan Sinks.
Beside him, on one side was a plate of watermelon; on the other, a heap of chips and cola. Sprawled out messily on the floor between the snacks, phone in hand and giggling mindlessly, was Akashi Kana.
They were siblings, yet the contrast between them couldn't be more striking.
Who knows how much time passed?
As the scorching sun began to turn into a soft evening glow, Akashi Kana, deep in binge-watching her drama, reached out toward the chips.
She fumbled around for a while... but came up empty.
Startled, Kana snapped out of her drama trance, and looked around with wide eyes, only to realize the mountain of snacks she'd bought had completely vanished. Not a single crumb was left.
Crunch.
It was like a thunderclap in her mind.
Impossible. Absolutely impossible. There's no way a beautiful girl like me could've eaten that much junk food!
"Damn it! Asuka! Confess, did you sneak some of my snacks?!"
Kana grabbed Asuka by the collar and shouted angrily.
But Asuka didn't say a word. He just stared at her silently, his eyes practically saying: Accept reality. Even if you blame me, the fat's not going to end up on my body.
Kana: No! I swore I was going to lose weight before school started, so why the hell did I eat that much?!
"This is all your fault, you jerk! If you hadn't given me so much allowance money, I wouldn't have bought all those snacks in the first place! I swear, every new ounce of fat I gain this summer, you're responsible!"
"…Then I guess I'll stop giving you allowance money from now on."
"Absolutely not!!"
Asuka rolled his eyes, turned away, and decided she wasn't worth dealing with right now.
But Kana wasn't done fuming. She kept ranting on, "It's not fair! Not fair at all! You eat way more than me, yet you never gain a pound!"
"Don't you realize we're siblings? You acting like some perfect anime protagonist just makes me look like a total failure in comparison!"
Asuka glanced back at her in surprise, then gave her a once-over, especially the noticeably expanded waistline compared to before summer break, his expression saying loud and clear:
You really think you need my help to look like a failure?
"Hey! What's with that look?!"
Kana snapped, her temper flaring the moment she caught his gaze.
"Kana-chan, please don't interrupt Sensei while he's working!"
Just then, a slim figure walked toward them from the other end of the corridor, it was Akashi Asuka's editor, Wakayama Kika.
She was now living at Sangou apartment as well, though not because Asuka invited her. She'd been introduced to the landlady by her college friend and fellow tenant, Koyanagi Mizuki, another white-collar worker living here.
Asuka had been pretty surprised when he first learned about their connection. It turned out the two women used to be roommates back in college.
"Mind your own business. This is a family matter–" Kana shot back bluntly.
It was no secret, out of all the tenants at Sangou apartment, Kana clearly disliked Wakayama Kika the most.
Why? Simple. She always felt like this woman had certain feelings toward her little brother.
And not just her.
Ever since her brother's identity as a novelist had been revealed, the way all the female tenants, Kika, Koyanagi Mizuki, and Eguchi Tomoko, looked at him had started to shift.
During group dinners, Kana often noticed the green glow of envy in their eyes whenever they talked about Asuka.
Wakayama Kika, however, didn't seem bothered by Kana's cold attitude.
Since moving into the Sangou apartment, Kika's life had gotten noticeably easier. Thanks to Asuka's success, her own career had been going remarkably well too. Naturally, she'd been in good spirits.
The same couldn't be said for her college roommate, Koyanagi Mizuki, who was always busy with overtime.
"Hi, Sensei. Here's the royalty report from last month, along with some fan letters. I hope you'll have time to look through them–" Kika said, handing over a document envelope after chatting with Kana for a bit.
"Got it. Thanks–" Asuka replied politely as he accepted it.
"Oh, not at all, this is my job after all…" Kika brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, sounding just a little flustered and avoiding direct eye contact with Asuka.
A textbook case of guilty conscience.
Kana's intuition wasn't wrong. At first, things were fine, but ever since they started living under the same roof, Wakayama Kika had begun to develop some rather… inappropriate thoughts.
So far, though, she'd kept her feelings in check.
After all, while it's not unheard of for an editor to date an author, there were two problems: first, the age gap between them was pretty significant. And more importantly, Kika wasn't ready to give up her career, not yet. If something went wrong between them, the fallout could be serious.
So, for now, Kika was treading carefully.
But the other two women at Sangou apartment? They had no such concerns.
Kana was still just a high schooler, so she couldn't fully grasp how much someone like Akashi Asuka was valued in society.
He was good-looking.
Young.
Talented.
And, most importantly, filthy rich.
Honestly, if Asuka weren't straight, he could probably attract a horde of men too.
"Oooh~ Was the royalty check big this time? Is the novel selling that well?"
"Ah, yes, Sensei–" Kika said, quickly snapping out of her daze. "Because of your fast update schedule and strong reader loyalty, plus the recent controversy online that reignited interest, Cautious Hero saw a major boost in popularity. The publisher had to do multiple reprints just last month."
"Wait, how much did you make last month?!" Kana suddenly leaned in, curiosity piqued.
Then she caught a glimpse of the number on the royalty statement.
It started with an 8… followed by a long string of zeros.
Kana's eyes nearly popped out of her head.
"Holy crap, over eight million yen?!"
=============
Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria