In the Old Gymnasium.
Although Hawk's Cosmo had awakened, the habit of throwing ten thousand punches every day for a thousand consecutive days was not something he could simply abandon.
So over the past few days, he had continued his Daily Ten Thousand Punches.
It was not like he had anything better to do.
Besides, with his daily training these past few days, Hawk could feel another star in his Cosmo faintly beginning to glow.
Though it had not yet lit up, he estimated that if he kept it up for a month, it really would be illuminated.
Clearly, fighting was not the only way to light up the stars.
At the very least, battle was not the sole option. It was simply the only shortcut compared to spending a month throwing ten thousand punches a day to light up a star.
But that was unimportant.
Hawk did not care.
First, he did not think of himself as some violent maniac, much less the kind of person who, after gaining extraordinary power, turned into someone shouting, "I don't eat beef," the very next day.
A thousand consecutive days of ten thousand punches a day had tempered more than just his strength. More than anything, it had tempered his character.
He controlled his power; his power did not control him.
Second, he had not even gathered all the materials needed to forge his Cloth yet, so there was even less reason to rush into lighting up his own constellation.
As everyone knew.
A Saint Seiya without a Cloth and a Saint Seiya wearing a Cloth were two different species.
Uh...
At least, most of them were.
After a while.
After taking a shower and changing into a fresh T-shirt and pants, Hawk slung his shoulder bag over one shoulder, left the Old Gymnasium, and headed toward the school gate.
The Independent Hearing he had requested was scheduled for three thirty that afternoon.
If he took the bus from the school gate and transferred twice, he should be able to reach the courthouse around three o'clock.
Sitting at the bus stop outside the school gate, Hawk bit into a sandwich as he waited for the bus.
As he watched the various vehicles coming and going through the school gate, Hawk began wondering whether he ought to buy himself a car.
Of course, before that, he should get his driver's license.
Yes.
Unlike nearly everyone else in his grade, he did not have one.
After all, Hawk had never considered buying a car before.
But now, he had the idea.
Before his Cosmo awakened, he had not wanted one because he had to think about his future. Once he became an adult, federal assistance would stop, and he would have to cover his own rent. In the future, he might even have to take on student loans for college.
The foreseeable pressure of life had nearly left him unable to breathe, and he was supposed to play around with cars?
Did he deserve that?
He did not. Hell, even if he bought a car, he might not be able to afford the insurance.
But things were different now.
If one had to name Hawk's greatest feeling after awakening his Cosmo, it was that he had let out a heavy sigh of relief deep inside.
He had completely cast off the pressure of an unknown future.
After all...
After awakening his Cosmo, barring any surprises, his future had only two possible choices.
Live comfortably, or live even more comfortably.
In fact, if he were a little darker at heart, then after forging his Cloth, he could rely on his awakened Cosmo to live like an emperor, making those who obeyed him prosper and those who defied him perish.
Power was strength.
Strength was the fist.
Unfortunately.
His fist was already capable of reaching the speed of sound, and in the future, it would surpass the speed of light.
But he did not have such thoughts, much less any desire to become someone who shouted, "I don't eat beef."
At least, not yet.
Still, now that he had shed the pressure weighing on his future, Hawk felt that he ought to improve his quality of life a little.
Not to mention, he still had five Chitauri alien weapons hidden away, waiting for a chance to be sold.
Even if he sold each alien weapon cheaply for twenty thousand dollars, the five together would still bring in one hundred thousand dollars.
So...
Buying a car and improving his life did not seem impossible.
As Hawk pondered this and began to wonder why the bus had still not arrived after so long, a yellow Toyota Corolla with the personalized license plate "GW521" pulled up in front of him.
The window rolled down.
Gwen appeared in Hawk's view, her blonde hair casually tied back, her delicate face framed by a pair of blue eyes that seemed capable of seeing straight into people's hearts.
"Get in."
"..."
Hawk looked at Gwen, who was waving him over, and fell silent for a moment. "No need. I'll just wait for the bus. Thanks."
Gwen smiled.
"Are you sure you don't want to get in? The buses stopped running today."
"They stopped?"
Hawk froze at once.
"When? Why?"
"At noon."
Gwen smiled as she said, "The New York Drivers Union went on strike today. Didn't you notice there's no one else at the bus stop?"
Hawk instinctively looked around.
Sure enough, he was the only person sitting alone at the entire bus stop.
Damn!
Hawk took a deep breath and looked at Gwen, who sat in the car smiling at him. After thinking it over, he rose from the bench, picked up the bag beside him, walked to the car, opened the passenger door, and got in.
"Sorry to trouble you. Thank you."
"You're welcome."
After Hawk got in, Gwen stepped on the gas and shot forward, taking him toward Queens County Court.
"Oh, right."
As she drove, Gwen remembered something. She glanced at Hawk in the passenger seat. "The judge handling your Independent Hearing has been changed to Judge Brose, and the time has been moved up to three o'clock."
"?"
A question mark slowly seemed to rise over Hawk's head as he looked at Gwen.
Gwen smiled faintly. "The contact number you left was the school's. Your counselor couldn't find you. I saw you heading to the Old Gymnasium at noon, so I guessed you might be waiting for a bus over here."
Only then did Hawk understand. He nodded.
After a while.
He came to his senses, looked at Gwen as she drove, and thanked her again.
"Thank you."
"Again, you're welcome."
Gwen answered with a smile and looked at Hawk. "I'm the Grade Student Assistant. Helping students is what I'm supposed to do."
That was the truth.
At Midtown High School, Gwen, the eleventh-grade student assistant, had always been recognized as beautiful and kind-hearted.
Whenever students came to ask her about something they did not understand, Gwen patiently explained it to them.
Jessica, for example.
Even when Flash Thompson occasionally came to her with questions, she patiently answered him.
Whenever Gwen saw a student being bullied, she also stepped forward.
Peter, for example.
Even when she saw Maria being bullied by the cheerleading captain, she stepped forward to protect Maria and scold the cheerleading captain.
Most importantly.
Gwen was also an excellent student.
So...
Beautiful.
Kind-hearted.
Top of the class.
That was Gwen Stacy!
Before you continue