Chapter 113: Amazing Friends - Part 2

"Did you not hear me? Your name, what is it?"

Standing before me is a blazing… no, literally blazing, human torch.
The Human Torch himself.

As I take a slight step back, the Torch snaps his fingers as if realizing something.

"So, was it hot for you? My bad, then."

The flames disperse, revealing a handsome young man with golden hair.
When he brushes his hair back, I catch a faint, fierce impression from him.

He’s dressed in a hero costume I know well:
a blue-and-black heat-resistant suit with the number "4" emblazoned on his chest.

"Guess I should introduce myself first… though, there’s no way you don’t know me. I’m the Human Torch, Johnny Storm."

Of course I know Johnny Storm.
Before I lost my memories, he used to tease me a lot.
Enough to be downright infuriating.

Still, he was a friend.
At least, to me… and probably to you too.

But now, we’re strangers.

Imagine some random guy coming up to you and saying, "We used to be friends! Everyone in the world just forgot!" Would you believe that?
You’d think he’s nuts, right?

I’d probably think the same.

That’s why I don’t plan on talking about the past.
Nobody would believe me anyway… well, except one person──

But that was only an exception.

"What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue? No, that can’t be. You were just talking a moment ago, weren’t you?"

Right, enough dodging. Time to face Johnny.

"My name is Spider-Man."

"I see. Spider, huh? Not exactly the coolest name… you could’ve gone with something classier."

I frowned in spite of myself.
Though, yeah… this is just the kind of guy he is.

"I was bitten by a spider and awakened superpowers. Nothing else really fit."

"That so? Then by that logic, I should be Cosmic Man. Eh, whatever──"

Johnny grins savagely.

"So? What’s your real name?"

"I can’t say."

"And why’s that?"

"Because it would put people in danger."

"Really? I don’t get it."

He strokes his chin, clearly unconvinced.

The Fantastic Four all reveal their names and faces openly when they work as heroes.
So, he can’t understand the mindset of a masked man who hides his identity.

"Whatever. I’ve got something to talk about anyway. Come with me to my place."

"Your place…?"

By "his place," he must mean that giant skyscraper with the big ‘4’ plastered on it, right?

"Yeah. We’re having a party."

"A party?"

"Yeah. Loads of cute girls will be there. Though, can’t say if a spider-hero is gonna be popular or not."

"Ah…"

Johnny loves parties.
And cute girls.
He’s the ultimate extrovert.

Would I be curious about the party? Well, sure, a little.
And if I could deepen my connection with Johnny again, maybe even become friends anew… I’d like that.

But──

"Sorry. Someone’s waiting for me. So I can’t go."

Michelle’s waiting.
That alone is more than enough reason to refuse.

I’m not about to blow off a date to go to some party full of girls.

But Johnny doesn’t like my answer. He grabs my shoulder.

"Hey, don’t be like that."

"I said I’m not going."

"Not even a little?"

"Not even a little."

He’s being pushy.

But… something about this pushiness feels off.
A sharp tingling runs across the back of my neck.

…Hostility.

I can sense Johnny’s hostility directed at me.

I can’t help but speak up.

"Hey… did I do something to piss you off?"

"Nope. Just──"

Johnny’s eyes sharpen.

"I don’t know who you are. Not your name, not your background."

"…Because this is our first meeting."

"From the current situation, I can tell you’re a hero like us. But you’re an unregistered vigilante, aren’t you?"

That hit the mark.
I don’t have a single official backing right now.

"…Yeah. So what?"

"In that case, if I let you go now and someone gets hurt, that’s no good. That’d be lame."

Johnny raises a finger.

"So I need to know what kind of person you are. Come with me."

I get his reasoning.
But it still feels incredibly selfish.

"No thanks."

"No thanks, huh?"

"I’ve got a girl waiting for me."

"Not funny, man."

"…………"

"…………"

The tingling on my neck grows stronger.
My Spider-Sense is picking up hostility in the tense air.

The Torch furrows his brows, veins bulging across his forehead.

"Don’t cry to me if you get burned."

"Don’t cry to me if you get hurt."

"You said it?"

"Yeah, I did. Got a problem with that?"

Words traded, sparks lit.

The moment I stepped back a few paces──

"Flame on!"

Flames roared up around him.
Engulfed in fire, Johnny—no, the Human Torch—took flight.
He spewed fire from his entire body, turning it into propulsion to soar through the air.

A vortex of flames swirled around him, shaping into a humanoid figure of fire.

"If you don’t wanna get hurt, I recommend surrendering now! Do it quick and I’ll even throw in a lime soda!"

"Sorry, but I already had a drink earlier!"

"That so?! Then I’ll dry you up instead!"

The Torch flew through the air, thrusting forward a flaming fist—

My Spider-Sense flared.

"Tch…!"

In an instant, I kicked off the ground, firing a webline up to a rooftop and swinging myself upward.
The very next moment, a fireball exploded where I’d been standing.

"That’s dangerous! If that hit me, I’d be dead!"

"Nah, you wouldn’t die! I’m holding back!"

Flames spun violently, bursting out like a tornado.

The webs I had strung across the air melted under the heat.

…Yeah, this might be bad.

Switching cartridges, I kept my eyes fixed on my burning ex-friend.

---

"Pe-pe-pe… Peter isn’t a bad person…!"

Flustered, stammering, I rushed to defend him.

But Gwen and Harry, sitting across from me, only wore grim expressions.

With that severe look still on her face, Gwen spoke.

"So where did you even meet this Peter guy?"

A natural enough question.

I hesitated.

To me, I first met him a few months ago—just after I’d lost my memory.
But in reality, though I don’t remember it, we first met a year ago when I moved to Queens.

…So I──

"When I moved to Queens, Peter was living in the apartment next door."

I chose to repeat what I’d heard from Peter.
If I said something like, "We only met a few months ago! Love at first sight!" it’d make things even worse.

At my reply, Gwen frowned.

"…Funny, I’ve never heard that before."

"Didn’t I… mention it?"

"You didn’t."

Her eyes narrowed with suspicion, dissatisfied.
But it wasn’t a lie.
I just didn’t remember.

"Since he lived next door, we often went out to eat together… and that’s how we got close."

"…Hmph?"

Gwen’s mouth curved into a sharp little line, her expression screaming, I’m not convinced at all.

Harry, meanwhile, wasn’t angry exactly.
His face looked more… vacant, like something had slipped away.

Then, cautiously, Harry spoke.

"…What is it about him—about Peter—that you like?"

That one, I answered without hesitation.

"…The way he’s kind to everyone."

The words came smoothly.

Yes.
Why did I fall for Peter—fall for Spider-Man?
Why did I admire him?

Because of his goodness.
His willpower, never hesitating to sacrifice himself for others.

Power to beat up villains doesn’t make a hero.
Saving people does.

To me, Spider-Man is my hero of admiration.

…Though, these days, I love him in a slightly different sense too.

At my answer, Harry frowned.

"If kindness is all it takes, then… well… never mind. Forget it."

He pressed a hand to his head, his expression full of shame.
I had no idea what he was about to say.
But I knew better than to press him.

Gwen, however, still frowned as she spoke.

"Michelle, you’re absolutely being tricked."

"…That’s not true."

From her perspective, that conclusion was natural.
She cared about me—that’s why she wanted to pull me away from him.

"But still, what about the violence…? He’s hurt you before, hasn’t he?"

"T-that’s not how it was."

"That’s a lie. Even from here, I can hear your heartbeat. I can tell when you’re lying."

…The symbiote. Gwenom.
Her enhanced hearing had picked up my shaken heartbeat.

Even so, I shook my head.

"Even then, it was my fault—"

"No matter what you did, any guy who lays a hand on a girl is the lowest of the low!"

She slammed her hand against the desk.
The sound was louder than she expected, and she quietly sat back down.

Gwen saw Peter as an enemy.
And because of that, I──

"Michelle, that Peter guy’s trash. You might be too confused to realize it, but he’s not kind at all. That’s abuse. Domestic violence, plain and simple."

"…Gwen."

And I felt such an intense──

"All he wants is to control you and use you. That’s not love. That’s not how a partner loves. It’s more like how someone loves a trophy—and a guy like that is the absolute worst—"

"Gwen, don’t… don’t say any more."

A crushing sadness welled up inside me.

We used to be close friends.
Peter, Gwen, Harry.

And yet… because of me, everyone forgot Peter existed.
Because of me, the people who used to be his friends now hate him.

It’s all my fault.

Because of me, Peter is—

Harry spoke up.

"Gwen… calm down a little."

"But, I—"

"There’s no need to rush to conclusions. I… need to calm down too."

"……"

Gwen didn’t look convinced, but reluctantly nodded.

I rubbed at my eyes with my hand.
They were a little wet.

Pathetic, huh?
Lately… my tear ducts have been far too weak.

Harry must have told Gwen to calm down because he saw me crying.
…But how could I possibly explain?

That Peter is Spider-Man? That’s not my place to reveal.
As for my memory—absolutely out of the question.
Just a few months ago Ned had been brainwashed, so if I told them that, they’d only think I’m the one being controlled.

No way out.

I let out a deep sigh… and glanced up at the TV hanging from the café ceiling.

…In front of a bank, the Human Torch was chasing Peter down.

"…Eh?"

Why…?

I stared in dumb shock.
Harry looked at me with a suspicious expression.

---

A fireball tore past my back.

"You little pest!"

The Human Torch shouted, firing off rapid, finger-sized bursts of flame.

I swung on a webline, arcing through the air.

My Spider-Sense could detect his attacks.

But unless I shook him off, he’d just keep chasing me forever.
I couldn’t run from this.

"Hey, can we stop this already!? I don’t even want to fight!"

"I don’t want to either! But if you just surrender quietly, we won’t have to!"

…Not good.

Torch was mad.
Since I’d turned him down and run, there was no way he’d just let me go.

He hated losing.

"…Guess I’ve got no choice."

I had to fight.
The good news: he was angry, but he didn’t mean to kill me.
He wasn’t going all out.

That meant he had openings.

I reached for my cartridge—

And then a sudden boom echoed from far away.

"…What the?"

Swinging on my webline, I clung to the glass side of a building.
Torch, clearly caught off guard as well, hovered in the air, looking toward the source.

Smoke was rising from a skyscraper.
Glass had shattered, raining down.

In an instant, I dashed along the wall and fired a webline.
Whatever this was—terrorism, an accident, whatever—this wasn’t the time for a game of tag.

Torch had the same thought, blasting jets of flame from his palms to rocket toward it.

He shouted.

"What happened!?"

"I don’t know either!"

"Tch, I’m going in first!"

He flared like a shooting star, streaking ahead.
…Fast.

I scrambled to follow, but it still took me about a minute to catch up.

Looking up, I saw the damage: one of the high floors of a business tower, blown apart.

On the ground, I spotted someone pressing a towel to their head.
I ran over.

"What happened up there!?"

"I—I don’t know… there was this huge bang, and then—"

Smoke from the upper floors darkened, black.
The color of burning organic compounds.

That sound, the blast…

No way. A bomb—

Boom!

A huge sound rang out, shaking the air. Another window shattered and rained glass down toward the street.

…Below, evacuees and gawkers crowded the area!

"This is bad—"

"Leave it to me!"

Torch leapt into the sky and blasted flames at the falling glass. The superheated fire melted the shards, reducing them to dust.

"Th-thank you! Torch!"

I blurted out my gratitude—

"I don’t need your thanks, and I sure as hell don’t need you calling me by some nickname! What matters is fixing this situa—"

Before he could finish, another blast ripped through the building. The entire structure lurched violently… not good! At this rate, it could collapse!

I turned to the man standing right in front of me, one of the evacuees.

"Mister! Are there still people left inside!?"

"I-I don’t know… but probably, yes."

"OK! Got it!"

Without wasting a second, I shot my web-line upward.

"Torch, you handle the falling debris! I’ll rescue the ones still trapped!"

"You—don’t order me around… tch! You think you can pull it off!?"

"Of course!"

"Then I’m counting on you!"

I gave Torch a thumbs-up, then took off running. On the way, I glanced at the injured man again.

"Mister, sorry to ask when you’re hurt, but can you tell everyone else to keep evacuating!?"

"Y-yeah… I got it!"

"Thanks!"

I sprinted ahead, swinging upward in a wide arc like a pendulum. Using the collapsing glass wall as a foothold, I began scaling the vertical face of the building.

Luckily, this building is only about ten stories tall. By New York standards, that’s practically small.

I quickly reached the upper floors—

Smashing through a pane of glass, I launched myself higher. A second later, the floor I had been using for footing blew apart.

My Spider-Sense had flared, giving me just enough time to react.

The shards scattered outward, but Torch blasted them from the air, preventing them from raining down on the people below. On that front, he could be trusted. He’d see it through.

…And thanks to my enhanced hearing, I confirmed that the people on this floor had already evacuated. I let out a breath of relief.

But irritation quickly bubbled up.

"This was supposed to be a fun date…"

Michelle and I had planned to watch a movie—a film by that director infamous for his over-the-top explosions. This was one coincidence I could have done without.

I righted myself midair, fired a web-line, then pulled hard, kicking off a wall and darting upward through falling debris.

Crashing through another pane, I landed inside the building.

It was Sunday, in the middle of the business district. Luckily, the offices were fairly empty.

I moved carefully but quickly, checking every corner to make sure no one was left behind as I climbed toward the higher floors. The first explosion had been above this level—meaning those people might not have made it out.

Which meant—

"Kyaa!"

"Help us…!"

There were still plenty trapped above.

I found only two here, but there would be more upstairs. Definitely not just one or two. Worst case, dozens still stuck.

But if I ferried them down one by one, it would take too long. They could suffocate from smoke inhalation, or worse—the building could collapse after another blast.

The only way to save everyone quickly—

I widened my eyes, glancing out the shattered wall. Just ahead, a short distance away, stood two tall buildings.

The gap between them… maybe ten meters.

I pulled out four cartridges and pressed the button.

"Alright—time to splurge."

I launched myself outward like a long jumper, hurling the cartridges into the gap. Securing them with webs two by two, left and right.

The cartridges burst open—white strands expanding until a massive spiderweb stretched between the buildings. An instant, oversized hammock.

Satisfied with the result, I flipped backward in midair, fired a web-line, and swung back to my original perch.

The evacuees here—two of them.

"Both of you! Careful not to bite your tongues!"

"Huh?"

"Eh?"

No time to explain. I grabbed them both, and with my enhanced strength, hurled them out the broken wall.

Their screams trailed as they fell—then landed safely in the web hammock, the impact absorbed without serious injury.

Still… from this height, several dozen meters up, it must have been terrifying.

"I’ll come back for you soon! Just hang in there!"

I shouted down, not waiting for an answer, before charging upward again.

One, two, three… seven people.

Smashing through the glass wall, I hurled the trapped survivors out through the windows. They were all terrified—of course they were. I hadn’t had time to explain, and I felt guilty about it… but time was running out.

Another explosion thundered through the building.

Even in my panic, I kept throwing people out. By the end, I’d flung nearly twenty to safety.

…Whew. Good thing I didn’t hold back on my web cartridges. That thick web-hammock could handle dozens of people at once without breaking.

Up I climbed. Rescue, then climb again. Rescue, then climb again.

And then—

—I reached the rooftop.

"I shouldn’t have missed anyone…"

I glanced at the giant hammock stretched across the neighboring buildings. Everyone in it was looking up, watching this skyscraper that was about to collapse—

And right then, the building shuddered.

"This… might be bad!"

It was collapsing.

The supporting pillars must have finally snapped. This building was going down.

But maybe luck was with us. Judging from the way it shifted under my feet, it wouldn’t topple sideways.

No, this building was going to fall straight down.

I kicked off the trembling rooftop and launched myself into the air.

"Torch!!"

I shouted at the top of my lungs as I clung to the wall of the neighboring building.

"I know already!"

Most of the people on the ground had escaped, but this was New York City. Traffic control hadn’t been set up in time. Cars were still jammed in the streets.

There might have even been accidents.

That’s why Torch—

"Haaah!"

—had to burn away every last piece of falling rubble.

Torch’s flames flared—not just burning, but blazing, searing. It was heat so intense it barely counted as fire anymore.

Like a miniature sun.

The skyscraper collapsed. It crumbled inward, falling straight down, but fragments of the outer walls still blasted outward in all directions.

If they struck anyone—
Even if they only hit cars—

The secondary damage would be devastating.

But there was no need to worry.

"Burn to ashes!"

The fireballs he hurled—before, they had looked like juggling props when aimed at me. Now, they were enormous spheres of searing destruction, launched without restraint.

They spun into the air, forming a vortex that sucked in the rubble, incinerating it.

For the larger debris, he countered with fireballs. For the smaller fragments, he unleashed beams of heat, each shot pulverizing them midair.

It only took a few minutes.

But by the time the skyscraper had completely collapsed—

Torch had intercepted every last piece of debris.

"Haaah… huff… h-how’s that!?"

He turned toward me, proud, though clearly exhausted.

"That’s the Human Torch I know!"

"Hah… ha ha… yeah, that’s right, isn’t it?"

His concentration and control had been incredible. Truly.

But as the effort caught up to him, his body sagged, and he fell onto the roof of a smaller building. I swung down to land beside him.

"……"

The flames cloaking his body extinguished, revealing a blond man drenched in sweat.

"Thanks, Torch. You saved us."

I told him, and the Human Torch—Johnny Storm—ran a hand through his damp bangs.

"…That’s my line too. Well, not that I couldn’t have saved everyone even without you."

A boast, sure. But still—the Human Torch was a hero. No question. He reacted fast, shouldered a crushing burden, and delivered.

Johnny gave me a weary grin, the fatigue plain on his face.

"But hey, I get what kind of guy you are now."

"Huh?"

"You’re a softie."

He let out a long breath and rolled his shoulders.

"I’m a softie?"

"Of course. Back when the building exploded—you had the perfect chance to run from me. But you didn’t. You stayed, and you fought alongside me."

"Ah… I see. I honestly didn’t even think about that."

Running away while people might still be in danger right in front of me? Turning a blind eye? I could never do that.

Because I’m your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

If there’s something I can do, and I don’t—if someone suffers because of it—then I’d never be able to forgive myself.

"Hmph. Didn’t even think about it, huh? Then maybe you’re not a softie—you’re just an idiot."

"Wha—an idiot—"

"A likable idiot."

"Uh, but… don’t you think that’s kind of a mean way to put it?"

"It’s the truth. You’ve got a scatterbrained side. The kind of recklessness that makes me think you’ll screw up right when it matters most. Am I wrong?"

"I—I don’t think so, but—"

I winced. He wasn’t completely off the mark. My hero work had been one mistake after another.

…Better not dwell on that. It’ll only drag me down.

Johnny sat down heavily.

"…You’ve got a girl waiting, don’t you?"

He looked straight at me.

"Ah… yeah, I do."

"Then what are you still doing here? Go."

"Eh? But—"

He’d been dragging me toward a party not long ago, practically by force.

"The point was to see whether or not you were a threat. Now I’ve got my answer… so that’s done."

"…Ah, but—"

I glanced toward the massive white web-hammock. All those people still needed to be lowered safely. That was my responsibility too—

"If you keep her waiting too long, she’ll dump you."

"Ugh."

"I only snuck out of a party. That’s no big deal. But you? You were on a date, weren’t you?"

"…Y-yeah."

"For real? Man, you’re the worst. I’ll handle the cleanup—just get going and apologize."

Johnny stood, brushing the dust off his costume. His face was calm now.

…We’d lost our memories of each other, but maybe—someday—we could call each other friends again. Maybe it was okay to hope for that.

"Thanks, Torch."

"…Don’t mention it, Spider-Man."

He still didn’t call me “Spidey.” But that was fine.

If I kept on being the friendly neighborhood hero in New York, we’d cross paths again.

And maybe then… I’d finally get to meet the rest of the Fantastic Four, too.

That thought lingered as I left the rooftop behind.