Manga World: Extracting Superman's Power

When Azuma Shoyo opened his eyes again, he was back in his home in the multiverse anime world.

"It feels like I didn't even sleep."

Azuma got out of bed with a strange expression. Physically and mentally, he felt as refreshed as if he'd slept a full eight hours. But the memory of falling asleep one second and waking up the next made him feel like he hadn't slept at all.

And…

"Does this mean I'm done with dreaming for good?" he wondered aloud as he headed to the bathroom to freshen up.

It was Saturday—no school today.

Yesterday, he'd promised Sonoko he'd go watch Ran's karate match with them.

The match was in the afternoon, so there was still plenty of time.

Azuma took his time heading downstairs. He pulled a bag of frozen dumplings from the fridge, planning to cook himself a simple meal.

After eating, it was almost 9:00 AM.

Grabbing his keys, Azuma decided to step out for a bit—maybe do some shopping. He was running low on daily essentials like tissues.

He spent the whole morning wandering around. He stopped by a department store to pick up a few things, dropped them off at home, then headed to a nearby noodle shop for lunch.

By the time he finished eating, it was about time to go.

He hailed a cab and went straight to the match venue.

1:30 PM.

Azuma arrived at the entrance a few minutes ahead of the agreed time.

From a distance, he spotted Sonoko—out of her school uniform—standing by the entrance, engrossed in her phone.

He walked over.

"Suzuki-san."

Sonoko, who'd been texting Ran to cheer her on, looked up at the sound of his voice and smiled.

"Azuma-kun! I was starting to think you'd ditch us!"

"No way. I said I'd come, so here I am," Azuma replied with a grin. "Should we head in, or are we waiting for the others?"

"No need to wait—they'll catch up. Let's go inside," Sonoko said with a smile.

As they walked, she asked, "So, Azuma-kun, what do you like to do in your free time?"

"Hobbies? Uh… sleeping, I guess."

"Huh?"

"Haha, kidding! I usually watch movies or play video games."

They chatted as they walked. It was the first time Sonoko had been alone with Azuma like this. Glancing at his profile, she suddenly felt her cheeks heat up.

"What about you, Suzuki-san? Being from a big family, do you have to learn a lot of stuff?" Azuma asked casually.

"Not really," Sonoko shook her head. "My parents focus on training my older sister, so I get a lot of free time to myself. I love shopping and traveling—seeing new places, taking in different sights."

She glanced at Azuma and added, "Oh, and I play games sometimes too, but I'm terrible at them."

"Sounds like your life's pretty full, Suzuki-san," Azuma said with a smile.

Soon…

They reached their seats inside the venue, right where the tickets indicated.

"Front row, huh," Azuma noted as he sat down.

Sonoko's seat was right next to his.

"VIP seats! I pulled some family strings to get them," she said with a grin.

"Impressive!" Azuma gave her a thumbs-up.

Sonoko giggled.

The match hadn't started yet—the competitors weren't even in the ring, and more than half the seats in the audience were still empty.

But in a few minutes, the place would probably be packed.

A few minutes later…

Ran's parents arrived.

They came separately, though. First was Ran's mom, Eri Kisaki.

Azuma was pretty intrigued by this legal powerhouse.

"Auntie Eri, over here!" Sonoko waved at Eri, who was scanning the crowd for her seat.

Spotting them, Eri walked over.

She wore glasses, her features striking and vibrant, her fair skin flawless. She didn't look like the mother of a 17-year-old—more like someone in her early thirties. Today, Eri sported light blue jeans, a white T-shirt, and a jacket, giving off a youthful, energetic vibe.

At work, she'd never dress like this. In her professional suits, she exuded an intimidating, commanding aura. In daily life, she toned it down a bit, but there was still a sense of distance that made her hard to approach.

"Sonoko, who's this?" Eri greeted Sonoko, then turned to Azuma with a curious look.

She'd never seen him before. If he were a friend of her daughter's, she'd remember.

"This is Azuma, our classmate," Sonoko introduced.

"Hi, Auntie," Azuma said politely.

"Hello, Azuma-kun," Eri replied with a nod, taking the seat next to Sonoko.

No sooner had Eri arrived than Kogoro Mouri showed up—with Shinichi Kudo in tow.

"Uncle Mouri, how'd you end up with Kudo?" Sonoko asked, puzzled, but waved them over anyway.

"Tch, ran into this brat on the way. He insisted on tagging along," Kogoro grumbled, shooting Shinichi a look of disdain. He'd never liked this kid who had his eye on his precious daughter.

Worse, they were both detectives, yet Shinichi was famous nationwide while Kogoro's agency barely registered on its own street. The gap gnawed at him.

And Shinichi loved stealing the spotlight, never giving Kogoro—the elder—any respect.

Brats like that were the worst!

"Old man, you're the one who couldn't find the place and followed me. Have some shame," Shinichi shot back with an eye roll.

"Alright, enough! Sit down already—the match is about to start!" Sonoko cut in, urging them to take their seats.

"I'm an adult; I won't stoop to arguing with a kid," Kogoro muttered as he plopped down.

Eri cast him a cold glance from the side, her demeanor icy.

Not that Kogoro was much better.

"Azuma, when'd you get here?" Shinichi asked, sliding into the seat next to him.

"Just a few minutes ago," Azuma replied with a smile. Knowing this was the last day he'd see Shinichi Kudo as himself, his gaze turned a little odd.

"What's with you? Thinking something rude?" Shinichi narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Nah, you're overthinking it," Azuma laughed. "Match is starting—let's watch."

Shinichi stared at him for a moment before turning to the ring.

On the stage, Ran faced her opponent—a woman at least half a head taller and far more muscular.

"Ran, you've got this!"

Sonoko whipped out a small megaphone from who-knows-where, blew into it, then stood up to cheer loudly.

Ran noticed her family and friends in the crowd and waved with a smile.