Lucas Kane left the old gym and headed toward the school parking lot.
He had no idea what was happening behind him in the locker room. Even if he did, it wouldn't have changed anything.
Peter Parker might eventually become Spider-Man, one of the most famous heroes in the world—but right now he was just another student Lucas barely knew.
They happened to be in the same grade. That was the extent of their connection.
By the time Lucas reached the parking lot, the last orange school bus was already waiting with its doors open.
The driver, a broad-shouldered man with a thick beard, leaned over the steering wheel while fiddling with a small portable radio.
"Afternoon, Mr. Hall," Lucas said as he stepped onto the bus. "Anything interesting in the news today?"
Mr. Hall looked up.
Despite his rough appearance, he was a friendly man.
"Same story they've been running all day," he replied. "That building collapse in Quantico. They're saying it might've been a terrorist attack."
He glanced at his wristwatch.
"Lucas, you're two minutes later than yesterday."
Lucas shrugged lightly.
"Sorry. Shower took longer than usual."
"Well, good thing I know you always catch this bus," Mr. Hall said with a grin. "Otherwise I'd already be heading to the front gate."
"Appreciate it."
Lucas nodded politely and walked toward the back of the bus.
Mr. Hall started the engine and reached for the door controls.
Just as the doors began to close—
A figure sprinted across the parking lot.
Peter Parker practically threw himself through the narrowing gap and stumbled onto the bus.
Mr. Hall jumped slightly.
"Holy—"
He stopped himself before finishing the sentence.
Peter leaned forward, breathing heavily as he grabbed the nearest seat for balance.
Outside the bus, Flash Thompson and his three friends ran into view.
They stopped a few steps from the door, glaring at Peter.
Mr. Hall looked from Peter to the group outside.
"You guys getting on?" he asked flatly.
Flash glanced at the driver.
Then he turned away without answering, motioning for his friends to leave.
Bullying a student was one thing.
Doing it in front of a school employee was another.
Flash might be a jerk, but he wasn't stupid.
Peter waited until the bus doors closed before speaking.
"Uh… thanks, Mr. Hall."
The driver gave him a brief glance but said nothing.
He knew what had just happened, but as long as it didn't occur on his bus, it wasn't his responsibility.
Peter nodded awkwardly and turned to find a seat.
That was when he noticed Lucas sitting in the very back by the window.
After a moment's hesitation, Peter walked over.
"Thanks," he said quietly.
Lucas had been staring out the window, lost in thought. He turned his head slightly.
"I didn't do anything," Lucas said calmly. "You don't need to thank me."
Then he returned his gaze to the passing scenery.
He didn't know whether Peter had already been bitten by the spider that would change his life.
Probably not.
But even if Peter had already begun that transformation, Lucas had no interest in getting involved.
In fact, he preferred to avoid superheroes entirely.
People liked to talk about them like symbols of hope.
In reality, wherever superheroes appeared, disaster usually followed.
Before the system appeared, Lucas had already decided to stay as far away from that world as possible. He simply wanted to live a long life—something he hadn't managed in his previous one.
Study hard. Build a stable future. Live comfortably.
That had been the plan.
The arrival of the Cosmo Awakening System hadn't changed that goal.
If anything, it had simply expanded it.
Now Lucas wanted to live longer.
And better.
The method remained the same.
Stay away from superhero business.
So when he learned that Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy attended Midtown High, he never made any effort to approach them.
Gwen was a different matter in one respect.
As the student assistant for the junior class, she interacted with nearly everyone.
But dating Gwen Stacy—arguably the most admired girl in school—was never something Lucas had considered.
At least not now.
Right now he had more important priorities.
Peter lingered for a moment after Lucas spoke, clearly unsure whether to continue the conversation.
Eventually he simply nodded and took a seat across the aisle.
The bus reached the front gate a few minutes later. Mr. Hall opened the doors, and the remaining students waiting for the last free bus climbed aboard.
The quiet atmosphere quickly filled with chatter and laughter.
An hour later, the bus pulled into Jackson Heights.
Lucas was already standing near the door.
"See you tomorrow, Lucas," Mr. Hall said.
"See you tomorrow, Mr. Hall."
Lucas stepped off the bus and headed toward a five-story apartment building nearby. Its faded orange exterior showed decades of wear.
The building belonged to the city housing authority.
Lucas's apartment was on the fifth floor.
It wasn't large, but it had one advantage—an exterior fire escape that led directly to the roof.
After getting home, Lucas placed his backpack on the table and pulled out the plastic bag containing his freshly washed clothes. Grabbing two hangers, he opened the window and climbed out onto the fire escape.
Moments later he reached the rooftop.
He hung the clothes along a metal railing to dry.
Then he rested his hands on the edge of the building and looked up.
Planes occasionally crossed the sky, heading toward LaGuardia Airport or climbing away from it.
Lucas watched them pass while the evening breeze cooled the city.
Counting airplanes had always been one of his few ways to relax.
Recently, though, he had picked up another habit.
Watching the stars.
Night slowly settled over New York.
Lucas sat on the rooftop floor beside the building's ventilation shaft, letting the summer wind wash over him while he looked up at the sky.
The stars gradually emerged.
Endless. Silent.
And strangely familiar.
Over the past six months, Lucas had begun to notice something unusual.
The more consistently he completed his daily training, the more he felt a faint connection to the night sky above him.
Tonight that feeling was stronger than ever.
Constellations that once appeared faint and distant now seemed startlingly clear.
Pegasus.
Draco.
Cygnus.
Andromeda.
Phoenix.
…Lacerta.
One by one, the constellations revealed themselves.
Forty-eight in total.
The same forty-eight constellations associated with the legendary Bronze Saints.
As Lucas stared upward, the stars shimmered with quiet intensity.
It almost felt as though—
Tonight—
The entire universe was shining for him.