Manga World: Extracting Superman's Power

On the other side of things, Clark Kent—the one Azuma Shoyo couldn't stop thinking about—had just arrived at a diner to apply for a job. To his luck, he successfully landed a position as a waiter, earning a daily wage of $35.

The job wasn't easy, but Clark found it fulfilling.

Unfortunately, though…

It was as if some curse clung to him. No matter where he went, he could never stay long. Trouble found him on his very first day.

"What are you staring at? Wanna fight? Come on, hit me!"

The man in front of him didn't even reach Clark's shoulders, yet he brimmed with confidence, taunting Clark relentlessly. He even went so far as to dump a glass of water over Clark's head.

Clark was furious. He wanted nothing more than to teach this arrogant little man a lesson.

But a coworker nearby urged him to stay calm.

Taking a deep breath, Clark began to wonder if this place was even right for him.

Just then, while carrying a tray earlier, he'd overheard some soldiers chatting at a table. They mentioned a place called Ellesmere Island—apparently, the American military had discovered something there. Helicopters had been circling the area for days now.

His instincts told him that whatever was there might be exactly what he'd been searching for all along.

Maybe… it was time to leave.

Clark glanced at the man still provoking him, untied his apron, and walked away without a word.

"F*ck! What a spineless piece of trash! Get lost!"

A soda can sailed through the air, smacking Clark's back before bouncing off.

Clark paused mid-step, his fists clenching involuntarily.

Memories of his childhood flooded back. Back then, it was the same—school bullies picking on him just like this. His father always told him to endure it, that the world wasn't ready to accept someone like him.

But… it was so frustrating!

Anger burned in Clark's chest, but he didn't turn back. Instead, he kept walking, leaving the diner behind.

As he stepped outside, Clark glanced over his shoulder. His sharp hearing picked up the mocking laughter still echoing inside—especially from that short guy.

His eyes scanned the area and quickly landed on the truck the man had arrived in. It was loaded with a stack of timber.

A faint smile tugged at Clark's lips as he strode toward it.

Half an hour later…

The short man emerged from the diner, full and satisfied, a smug grin plastered on his face.

But when he saw his truck, the grin vanished instantly.

"What the hell?!"

The truck looked like it had been ravaged by a tornado. It was completely totaled. The logs that had been loaded on it were now impaled through the vehicle like spears, suspending it halfway off the ground.

The man looked around frantically. Everything else nearby was fine—even the other trucks parked just a few meters away were untouched. Only his…

"Goddamn it! What happened?!"

He dropped to his knees, despair washing over him.

That truck wasn't even his—it belonged to the company. Now, in this state, he'd have to pay for it. Not only was he out of a job, but he'd also owe the company a fortune. For the foreseeable future—maybe ten, twenty years—he'd be stuck working to pay off that debt.

He couldn't fathom how bleak his life was about to become.

He was finished.

Meanwhile, Clark Kent—the one responsible for all this—had already set off on his journey to Ellesmere Island.

Multiverse Anime World

When Azuma Shoyo opened his eyes again, the sky outside was already bright.

On the desk beside his bed, an alarm clock displayed 6:00 AM.

"It really felt like I just took a nap," Azuma chuckled to himself.

Though his trip to the superhero world hadn't yielded the answers he sought, he was close. Before returning, he'd checked into a motel in Smallville and prepaid for five days.

"Clark probably won't be back that soon. He'll likely be tied up over there for a few days," Azuma mused. A few days' wait didn't bother him—he could afford that much.

No big deal!

He got out of bed, brushed his teeth, and washed his face.

After finishing breakfast, it was just about time to head to school.

Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, Azuma grabbed his keys and stepped out the door.

Living alone meant handling everything himself.

It was Friday, which meant tomorrow was a day off.

Along the way, Azuma ran into a few classmates from Teitan High School. He exchanged greetings with the ones he knew and soon arrived at the school.

In the classroom of Class B, Year 2…

As soon as Azuma sat down, a figure plopped into the seat in front of him.

"Good morning, Azuma-kun!"

Sonoko Suzuki grinned at him cheerfully.

"Morning, Suzuki-san," Azuma replied with a smile, returning her greeting.

"You look like you slept well last night, Azuma-kun. You seem totally different from yesterday!"

Sonoko studied him closely, sensing something off. Today's Azuma felt… different from usual. More confident, maybe?

"Yeah, no insomnia last night. Slept straight through till morning," Azuma said with a laugh.

Finally activating his "golden finger" (his special ability) had lifted a weight off his shoulders. Naturally, his whole demeanor had shifted.

Sonoko's observation was pretty sharp, though.

"That's more like it!" Sonoko said with a grin, pulling out a ticket and handing it to him. "Here, this is a ticket to tomorrow's karate tournament finals. It's for you!"

"For me?" Azuma took it, puzzled. "Mind if I ask why?"

"Of course it's to cheer Ran on!" Sonoko giggled. "You've got to come, Azuma-kun. See you there!"

"Huh?"

Before he could say more, Sonoko was already gone. Azuma glanced down at the ticket in his hand.

"National Karate Tournament?"

He racked his brain for a moment before it clicked.

Wait—this was the plotline from before Kudo Shinichi turned into Conan!

Ran wins the championship, and they plan to celebrate at Tropical Land. But Shinichi, driven by his curiosity, follows Gin and Vodka, gets caught, and is forced to swallow APTX4869—shrinking him into a kid.

And just like that, Kudo Shinichi goes offline, and Edogawa Conan comes online!