10.1 — The Dream That Sparked It
It started with a dream.
Minato stood beneath a sky filled with stars, on a world that wasn't Earth. Metal towers rose around him. The ground hummed with power. Across from him stood a girl—tall, radiant, silver-eyed.
> "You promised you'd reach me, Minato," she whispered.
He blinked.
> "I… did?"
Her eyes softened. "Even if you forget, your heart never lies."
And just like that, she vanished—fading into a stream of stardust.
---
He woke up in his bed the next morning, heart pounding.
He didn't remember the girl's name. Didn't know the world she came from. But one thing stuck in his mind:
> A glowing pod.
Like the one from the sci-fi manga he'd borrowed last week.
A VR chamber that linked reality to dreams.
He sat up with a gasp.
> "I'm gonna build that."
---
10.2 — The Declaration
The moment he walked into class, Minato slammed his hands on his desk and announced:
> "I'm gonna study like crazy and become a super genius inventor!"
The class blinked.
Chiharu looked up from her planner, unimpressed. "You failed your last kanji test."
> "That was before I saw the vision."
> "...Vision?"
> "Of the future! Where I build a full-immersion VR pod that links dreams and memories!"
He raised a fist toward the ceiling like a hero about to defeat a demon lord.
Chiharu: "…You're serious."
> "Yup. Starting today, I'm unlocking 100% of my brain."
> "You've been watching sci-fi anime before bed again, haven't you?"
> "No! I mean yes! But also no—this time it's destiny!"
---
10.3 — The Study Arc Begins
Minato's transformation shocked the entire school.
He:
Checked out science and engineering books from the library (with pictures).
Watched educational videos instead of cat fails.
Begged Chiharu to quiz him on math equations.
Asked the teacher if he could pre-learn next year's physics.
The other kids watched him like he'd grown a second head.
> "Did he hit his head?"
"Minato-kun solving fractions?!"
"Is he… glowing?!"
Chiharu, meanwhile, played the reluctant mentor.
> "No, Minato, if you mess up this formula again, you'll make a toaster, not a VR pod."
> "But… what if it's a toaster that can download dreams?"
> "NO."
---
10.4 — POV: Chiharu Aizawa
Chiharu watched Minato change—slowly, but sincerely.
He was still dense. Still silly. Still occasionally called her "cool like a smart boss lady in a cyberpunk manga."
But his motivation was real. The spark in his eyes when he talked about the VR pod, his nightly dreams, and "reaching something beyond Earth" made her heart twist.
> He's dreaming big again… like the person he used to be.
Sometimes, she caught him sketching diagrams during lunch.
And once, just once, she saw him look up at the sky and whisper:
> "I feel like someone's waiting for me. Somewhere beyond."
It made her chest ache.
> That's me, dummy… it's always been me.
But she didn't say it.
Not yet.
---
10.5 — The First Step Toward the Future
By the end of the semester, Minato had improved in every subject.
He placed 5th in the grade rankings.
The teachers praised him. The principal gave him a certificate. Even the boys who once teased him called him "VR-kun" now.
Minato accepted it all with a grin.
> "This is just the start. One day, I'll build that pod. And find the place I saw in my dream."
> "You're serious about this," Chiharu said quietly as they walked home.
He looked at her.
> "If I don't try, I might never find her."
She stiffened.
> "Who's… her?"
> "I don't know yet." He smiled, softer this time. "But something tells me… she's really important."
Chiharu's grip on her bag tightened.
> You already found her… you just forgot.
---
10.6 — Back Home (POV: Minato's Parents)
Aki and Ryo Tachibana watched from the living room window as their son darted inside, dropping his bag and heading straight for his sketchbook.
> "More diagrams?" Ryo asked.
> "Yeah. He says he's designing 'dream-connective nodes.' Whatever those are," Aki replied, chuckling.
They sat together in silence for a moment, watching their son's focus.
> "He's growing up," Aki whispered.
> "Too fast."
> "But… toward something beautiful."
They smiled.
> Their boy, chasing the stars… to find someone his heart never forgot.