OVERFLARE

VOLUME 1 - CHAPTER 1

Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Bzzzt!

The alarm clock screamed like it had a personal grudge against me.

I groaned and smacked it until the buzzing finally died. I lay sprawled across my bed like a defeated warrior-braid hair sticking out in every direction, eyes barely open. Morning light leaked through the blinds, washing over my dark skin and forcing me to squint.

"...Ugh..."

My gaze drifted to the poster above my desk.

A figure frozen mid-fight-one arm extended toward an unseen opponent, a crescent of wind slicing across a painted skyline.

STORM. Hero Rank #15.

"Morning already..."

I staggered into the bathroom, splashed water on my face, then yanked my uniform shirt on crooked. By the time I stumbled downstairs, my older sister was already seated at the kitchen table-perfect posture, perfect uniform, hair tied neatly as always.

"Morning, Naomi..." I mumbled, flopping into the chair across from her.

"Barely," Naomi replied without looking up from her tablet.

"Did Dad already leave...?"

"Yeah. Said he'll be back late again." She didn't glance up.

I reached for the toast. "I see... By the way, why are you dressed like you're meeting the mayor?"

"Because I don't want to look like a disaster. Unlike you, Ellie."

I took an obnoxiously loud bite, chewing with exaggerated satisfaction. "Mmm. Disaster tastes like victory."

Naomi sighed. "You sound like a child."

"At least this child is enjoying her youth. Meanwhile, you're acting like you're fifty."

Naomi set her tablet down with a sharp clack. "Or maybe I'm the only one who realizes the world doesn't wait for people who oversleep every morning."

I snorted. "Spoken like a true robot."

Naomi's lips twitched. "And yet this robot will get into college while you're still daydreaming about your typical wind hero."

I slammed my toast onto my plate. "She's not typical."

Naomi raised an eyebrow.

"Her name's STORM," I declared, fire in my eyes. "The most underrated hero in this entire stupid ranking system."

Naomi leaned back, unimpressed. "She's A-Rank. Do you even know what that means? She's basically a glorified patrol officer."

I shot to my feet, pointing dramatically toward the poster hanging on the kitchen wall. "No, she's not. She's a real hero. She saves people because it's the right thing to do-not because it makes her famous. She doesn't care about rankings, sponsors, or money. She's-she's-"

My voice cracked.

"-she's the reason people like me believe in heroes at all."

The kitchen went silent.

Naomi blinked, then slowly picked up her tablet again. "...You're so annoying, you know that."

I flopped back into my chair with a grin. "And you love me for it."

She muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "Unfortunately."

But I caught the faintest smile tugging at her lips.

And that was enough.

We ate in silence for a while-me with messy, reckless bites. Naomi with quiet, surgical precision. The only sounds were clinking silverware and the low hum of the fridge.

After a minute, I broke the silence again.

"Did you see the news last night? Storm stopped five villains from the White Tiger group..... They were holding thirteen people hostage during a bank robbery in Midtown......!"

Naomi sighed. "Yes, Ellie.... The entire city saw it."

"She's amazing," I whispered, eyes shining. "Everyone else panicked, but she stayed calm. She even cracked a joke while the guy had a bomb strapped to him."

"You've watched it ten times already."

"...And I plan to watch it ten more."

Naomi shook her head, but she wasn't annoyed anymore. "You're such a fangirl."

I pressed my palms together dramatically. "STORM, marry me!"

Naomi choked on her juice. "Please never say that again."

I smirked. "Too late. It's canon now. I'm a married woman."

The clock on the wall beeped.

Naomi stood, brushing crumbs neatly off her skirt. "Come on. We'll miss the tram."

I groaned, stuffing the rest of my toast into my mouth. "Fine, fine."

"And fix your collar. You look like you got dressed in the dark."

"I did," I admitted proudly.

Naomi pinched the bridge of her nose. "Why do I even try?"

I slung my bag over my shoulder, bouncing on my heels. "Because deep down, you know I'm the main character."

She rolled her eyes so hard I was surprised they didn't get stuck.

I saw the tiniest curve of her lips.

My sister is the only person who doesn't ignore me for being annoying....

I wish we could stay like this forever......

The tram hummed as it glided along elevated rails. Students packed inside, chattering as they pressed against the windows to gawk at Nova Yorka's skyline-skyscrapers stacked like blades, neon billboards flickering even in daylight, heroes darting between rooftops in flashes of color and cape.

"Look! That's Silver Fang!" a boy shouted as a white blur leapt across rooftops below.

Gasps rippled through the tram.

I smashed my face against the glass. "No way! Naomi, did you see-"

She yanked me back by the collar before I could topple into the doors. "Try not to drool."

"I wasn't drooling! I was appreciating."

"You act like you've never seen a hero before."

"Not in person! That's different."

A boy from my class leaned over the seat in front of us. "Hey, Ellie. Don't you only care about STORM? Thought you had posters of her in your bathroom."

I gasped. "Lies!.... Who told you that?"

He grinned. "Everyone in class knows you're her number-one fangirl."

I puffed my cheeks. "So what if I am? At least I support someone who doesn't care about rank. Unlike you sheep, worshipping whatever S-Rank shows up on TV."

A girl nearby snorted. "Wow, coming from the girl who cried when STORM trended at #25 last year."

Naomi covered her face. "Ah... I remember that day."

"Naomi!" I whined.

The whole tram burst into laughter.

I laughed with them.

I sank into my seat, pretending to sulk. "One day you'll see. When she saves this city again, you'll all regret mocking me."

"Yeah, sure," the boy smirked. "Maybe she'll swim by and autograph your diary."

I perked up. "...You think she would?"

Naomi groaned.

By the time we reached Arclight High, I had mostly recovered from the teasing.

The school buzzed the moment we walked in.

"Did you hear?" someone whispered. "We're going to Helios Dynamics!"