"And that's why Captain Arachnid is the coolest superhero ever! But if I had powers, I wouldn't just swing around saving people—I'd be the greatest hero in the universe!"

Hoshino Ren slammed his sketchbook onto the teacher's desk, his eyes practically glowing with excitement. The classroom was filled with the usual restless energy of kids waiting for the school day to be over, but for Ren, this moment was everything. His heart pounded as he spread out his latest creation, a full-color comic he had been working on for weeks.

The cover was bold—a caped figure with glowing hands, standing atop a ruined city, facing down a monstrous enemy twice his size. Beneath it, the title read in jagged, stylized letters: "Super Star!"

Ren grinned and turned to face the class, standing tall like a real hero about to deliver his grand speech.

"My hero, Astral Knight, isn't just strong! He's fast, he's got super reflexes, and his Stellar Gauntlets let him create anything he can imagine—shields, weapons, even whole planets if he gets strong enough! He fights bad guys, protects the weak, and never—ever—gives up! Just like me! When I grow up, I'm gonna be a hero too! Not just any hero—the best one ever!"

Silence.

Then, a stifled laugh.

A few kids in the back snickered, whispering to each other. Someone muttered, "This guy's lost it."

Another voice, sharper this time: "Dude, superheroes aren't real."

The teacher, an older man with tired eyes, sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Hoshino, while I admire your passion, this was a presentation on career aspirations. Something realistic."

Ren blinked. "This is realistic!" he argued, jabbing his finger at his comic. "People thought flying was impossible, but now we have planes! They thought you couldn't breathe underwater, but we have diving gear! Just because superheroes don't exist now doesn't mean they never will!"

More laughter. Someone muttered, "He's actually mental."

Ren clenched his fists but didn't let his smile falter.

"Alright, that's enough," the teacher said, cutting off the growing whispers. "Thank you, Hoshino. Please take your seat."

Ren did as he was told, keeping his head high even as more murmurs followed him. His comic stayed on the desk, untouched, like it didn't belong there.

By lunch, the whispers had turned into full-on rumors.

"Did you hear Hoshino's speech? He seriously thinks he can be a superhero."

"Yeah, like some kind of anime protagonist. What an idiot."

"He's probably got brain damage or something."

Ren walked through the halls with his usual bounce, but his ears caught every word.

It doesn't matter.

He had been hearing this since he was a kid. Too loud. Too weird. Too obsessed with make-believe. It wasn't the first time people called him crazy, and it wouldn't be the last.

He turned the corner, heading toward his sanctuary—the art room. The only place in this entire school where he didn't feel like he was from another planet.

The door creaked open, and there she was.

Kagami Aoi sat at one of the long wooden tables, a sketchbook in front of her, carefully inking the details of a cityscape. Unlike Ren, who splashed colors wildly across the page, Aoi's work was crisp, methodical. Every line was intentional, every shadow placed with purpose.

She glanced up as he entered, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't take long for you to get yourself in trouble again."

Ren flopped onto the stool beside her, letting out a dramatic sigh. "It's not trouble. I was just explaining my future hero career to the world!"

Aoi smirked, her blue eyes full of dry amusement. "And let me guess… they laughed at you again?"

Ren leaned back, resting his hands behind his head. "Obviously."

Aoi set her pen down and crossed her arms. "You know, you could just not draw attention to yourself. Maybe say you want to be a manga artist instead of… whatever that was."

"But that would be lying."

"Not really," she said, tilting her head. "You do love drawing, don't you?"

"Yeah, but I don't wanna just draw heroes—I wanna be one!" He sat up and leaned forward, eyes shining. "Think about it! What if I had superpowers? What if I could actually make my drawings come to life? That would be the coolest thing ever!"

Aoi's expression softened. She had known Ren long enough to understand that his dreams weren't just silly fantasies to him. They were real—real in a way most people couldn't comprehend.

She sighed and reached for her lunchbox. "So, what's the plan now? Keep proving everyone wrong?"

Ren grinned, stealing a fry from her tray before she could stop him. "Of course! Heroes never back down!"

Aoi rolled her eyes but didn't argue.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, the hum of the art room filling the space between them. Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting golden streaks across their sketches.

Then, softly, Ren spoke again.

"…Hey, Aoi?"

"Hm?"

"Do you ever feel like… you don't belong here?"

She paused mid-bite, glancing at him. His usual grin had faded, just slightly.

Ren looked down at his sketchbook, fingers tapping against the edges. "Like… you're meant for something more? Like you were born in the wrong world?"

Aoi frowned. She could tell this wasn't just some passing thought—this was something that had been sitting inside him for a long time.

She set her food down and rested her chin on her hand. "Sometimes," she admitted. "But that's just life, isn't it? You don't get to choose where you're born."

"Yeah, but…" Ren flipped to a blank page in his sketchbook and picked up his brush pen. With a few quick strokes, he sketched a portal—a swirling gateway leading into the unknown. "What if one day… you could?"

Aoi watched him, her expression unreadable.

A moment later, she smirked. "If that ever happens, just don't get yourself killed first."

Ren grinned, feeling lighter again. "You kidding? I'd be unstoppable!"

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

As they packed up their things, neither of them knew that Ren's words weren't just wild dreams.

That soon—very soon—his sketchbook would become more real than he ever imagined.