Chapter 114: Amazing Friends - Part 3

It had been about two hours since I slipped away from the date.
I figured she would’ve left the café by now, but there had been no messages on my phone.

Which meant… she was still there?
It was still before noon, so the café probably wasn’t too crowded yet.

When I arrived near the café, I ducked into a back alley, shed the suit, changed clothes… and then rushed inside.

…There she was.
Michelle, sitting in a booth.

With a gloomy face, she was quietly eating what looked like a vanilla ice cream she’d ordered afterward.

The sight made my chest tighten. I hurried over—

"Sorry, Michelle! I kept you waiting—"

…Huh?

She wasn’t alone.

No, I recognized them, but… these two shouldn’t even be here.

"…Ah."

Gwen and Harry.

It hit me then.
Michelle wasn’t depressed because I’d left her.

No—the reason was this awkward air hanging over the table.

Gwen turned her gaze toward me.
She was glaring.

That pure hostility made me instinctively take half a step back.

Then Gwen opened her mouth.

"…Michelle, this is Peter, right?"

That’s right.
Both she and Harry… had forgotten me.
To them, this was our first meeting.

Michelle looked at me apologetically.
…What exactly was going on here?

Instead of Michelle, I answered.

"Uh, yeah. I’m Peter Parker."

I spoke a little more politely than usual.
Because right now, she wasn’t a friend—she was a stranger.

…Yeah. A stranger.
But why was she treating me with such hostility?

"…Hmmm?"

Gwen’s suspicious eyes ran over me, scanning me up and down as if appraising me.
It was unsettling, to say the least.

Then she let out a deep sigh.

"…Yeah, you really don’t stand out much."

Don’t stand out.

I averted my eyes and forced a wry smile.
But wait—"don’t stand out much," again?

…Ah. So it was them, the two who had been tailing our date.

Harry aside, Gwen’s hostility toward me was obvious. But of course—she was a symbiote host.

That explained why my Spider-Sense hadn’t reacted.

…Hostility.
Hostility coming from a friend who was supposed to have been close to me.

"Anyway, don’t just stand there—sit down."

Prompted by Gwen, I slid into the booth next to Michelle.

As I sat, Michelle looked up at me with another apologetic glance.

"Sorry, Peter."

She muttered it in a tiny whisper.
I didn’t know what exactly she was apologizing for, but it was probably for the situation itself.

"It’s fine, Michelle."

I whispered back, trying to reassure her, giving her shoulder a small pat before sitting down beside her.

Watching us, Gwen… wore a strange expression.
As if she couldn’t make sense of what she was seeing.

"…I don’t really get this, but—"

Gwen finally spoke again.

"Is it true you hit Michelle?"

…What?

"Huh?"

I blurted out a dumb sound, completely lost.

Thinking I was dodging, Gwen’s eyes sharpened.

"Don’t play dumb. Michelle said you were violent with her—"

Gwen gave Michelle a sharp glance.
I followed her gaze.

Michelle, spoon in her mouth, looked at me apologetically again.

…Hit her?
Violence?

There was no way I’d ever—

"Ah."

Something clicked.

Back when she was still called Redcap… I had fought her.
That must be what Gwen had twisted around into this mess.

"See? That’s what I’m talking about. Michelle, you should break up with this abusive guy."

Triumphantly, Gwen made her “suggestion.”

…I had to object.

"G-Gwen, it’s not like that! That was—"

"Huh? How do you know my name?"

Ah, damn.
Now it was getting even messier.

Michelle raised a hand slightly and spoke.

"I told Peter your name…"

"Y-Yeah, I heard it from Michelle…!"

"…Hmm."

Gwen folded her arms and glanced toward Harry.

…but Harry still hadn’t spoken once.
He was covering his mouth with his hand, clearly deep in thought.

Gwen sighed and looked back at me.

"So? What was your reason for hitting her? Not that I’ll forgive you either way."

…Reason?
That tied directly to Spider-Man.

…Should I tell them?

But no… I didn’t need to talk about erased memories.
I could just say I’d been doing hero work for a long time, and that’s why I fought her.

But even so…

Spider-Man had many enemies.
Well—had.

But there would be more again.
I’d once more become the kind of person who drew hatred from countless villains.

And a hero without backing always pays the price.
Yet if I joined the government, I’d lose the freedom to act like a “friendly neighborhood” hero.

…Yeah. I knew.

This was my selfishness.
The reason I didn’t want people to know I was Spider-Man… was because I still wanted to separate my daily life from being a hero.

I…

I…

"I help people."

Time to throw that selfishness away.
Besides, she had once known already.

"…Help people? What are you talking about?"

Gwen asked, suspicion dripping from her voice.

"Helping people is helping people. That’s why I ended up fighting her."

I glanced toward Michelle as I said it.

Gwen frowned at my vague words, looked troubled, but eventually gave a small nod—though her frown remained.

"I don’t really get it, but—"

Scratching her head, Gwen glanced around the café.
…Everyone was lost in their own conversations; no one was listening.

She lowered her voice and asked me directly.

"So, are you one of those… heroes?"

"…Yeah, maybe. Not famous or anything. I can’t do anything amazing."

When I said that modestly, Michelle stared at my face.
Her gaze was heavy.

Almost like she wanted to say, that’s not true.

…Uh, well.
Michelle was a Spider-Man fan, after all.

Probably just looking at me through rose-colored glasses.

"But I—"

"Spider-Man, right?"

Suddenly, Harry spoke the name.

I froze, staring at him in shock.

Gwen whispered, "Who?" under her breath, but this was no time to worry about that.

"…How do you know—"

They weren’t supposed to remember.
No one was supposed to.

As the thought swirled through me, Harry continued.

"There was a report on the news just now. About that terrorist attack."

Terrorist attack… ah.
So the building explosion had been the work of terrorists.

I’d left the aftermath to Torch, so I hadn’t known.

Gwen turned her eyes toward Harry.

"…So what?"

"Two heroes were carrying out the rescue. The Human Torch… and Spider-Man."

Harry reached toward me and tugged on my shirt collar.

…Ah, soot.

"This soot came from the fire earlier, didn’t it? The Human Torch has already revealed his name and face. That means the other one… is you."

…Instinctively, I looked at Michelle.
She looked just as surprised.

But really, this conclusion was inevitable.
Not because I’d just admitted to being a hero.

No—Harry had probably figured it out long before I said a word.
And once he was certain, he brought it up.

The look in his eyes as he stared at me… I couldn’t read it.
What was he thinking right now?

I clenched my damp, sweaty hands together.

"…Yeah. That’s right."

I admitted it.

Harry didn’t look away.
His eyes locked onto mine, unwavering—

And under the table, a small, delicate hand took hold of mine.

…Michelle.

She was trying to steady me. To give me courage.

I opened my mouth again.

"I’m… Spider-Man."

As I declared it, I thought I saw Harry’s expression twist just slightly.

---

Spider-Man, huh.

I stared at the man sitting in front of me—Peter Parker.
Trying to see through to his nature, his essence.

I knew of Spider-Man, of course.
The government-unapproved hero… no, vigilante… who had appeared a few months ago.

Whenever news about him came on, Michelle always watched with interest.
So naturally, I knew of him too.

Now it made sense.
Of course she was interested—it was her boyfriend’s deeds.

Yes. Thinking of it that way, it all clicked.

…But still.

"I have something I want to ask you."

Perhaps it wasn’t something I should say.
But even so—I had to.

"You know about her past, don’t you?"

Her past.
Back when she was Redcap.

At my words, Peter nodded.

"I do."

"What do you think of it?"

It was a blunt, but complicated question.

She had been a villain.
That much was undeniable.

I had accepted that, and still chose to remain her friend.

And Peter’s answer—

"I think she needs to atone."

"…!"

I sucked in a breath.

Was he… rejecting her?

"But that’s why… I want to be with her, to help her find a way to make amends."

"…What?"

The words caught me off guard.

"The sins she committed won’t disappear. And ignoring them… isn’t something Michelle can do."

Unconsciously, I glanced at her.
She nodded.

…But still, I argued back.

"Wait. Her crimes haven’t been proven. By law, in this country, she’s innocent."

"Even so, Michelle feels guilty. And you know as well as I do—just because the law won’t punish her doesn’t mean she can shrug it off."

"…Even if that’s true—"

I faltered.

It was true.
Michelle wasn’t the type to run from guilt.

No matter what people said, she’d carry it herself.

…And this Peter—

"That’s why I want to atone with her. The only thing I can do is help people… but even so, if it can—"

He understood.

"I’ll do my best to make sure she can live happily."

More than I ever could… he understood her.

"…I see."

He really did understand.

Whether or not people have different “sizes” of character, I didn’t know.
But even so, I felt it.

I looked at the man across from me again.

When I was tailing them earlier, and even just now when he walked in, I thought he was unreliable.

But now… no.

There was no doubt.
He was a hero.

He really was someone worthy of Michelle’s feelings.

I lowered my eyes… and exhaled deeply.

"…Harry?"

Peter spoke to me.

For a moment, I wondered how he knew my name… but of course, Michelle must have told him.

That thought made me feel a little glad—
But even stronger was the hollow ache in my chest.

A gaping hole in my heart.

The girl I loved… was with someone stronger than me.

…Ah, I should bless their happiness.

And yet, I couldn’t help it.
I was bitter.

I clenched my teeth inside my closed mouth, and forced my head up.

Michelle was looking at me, worry written on her face.

No.
That wasn’t the kind of expression I ever wanted to make her wear.

Summoning what little pride I had left, I forced the words out.

"I’ll admit it, Peter."

"…Eh? Admit what?"

"You’re the one worthy of her. This was never something I had the right to interfere in."

I averted my gaze again.

I didn’t want to sound pathetic.
I wanted to look cool.

After all… it was in front of the woman I loved.

So I pressed a lid down on the storm inside me, and kept my expression calm.

Gwen, watching me, looked slightly uncertain—
And then she stood up.

She turned her eyes toward Peter and Michelle.

"…It makes me sick, but fine. I’ll give you a little credit."

Her voice was scornful, as if judging him from above—

"Sorry for crashing your date. Come on, Harry… we’re leaving."

She tugged my arm, pulling me to my feet.

Peter looked confused for a moment… then his face hardened as he spoke.

"Gwen, you can rest easy. I’ll protect her."

"Of course you will. That’s a boyfriend’s job, isn’t it? But if you hurt her… I’ll never forgive you."

With that, Gwen pulled me away.
We left our seats, slowly distancing ourselves from them.

"G-Gwen…"

"Come on. Let’s go. Looks like we’re just in the way."

As she spoke, Gwen furrowed her brows.

We left the café and walked through the streets of New York.

"This pisses me off."

"…Gwen."

"When they care about each other that much… there’s no room to cut in."

And then, she said something weak.

A rare kind of weakness, for her.
It left me unsettled—

"Sorry, Harry."

"No, you haven’t bothered me at all. And besides—"

I shook my head.

And continued.

"Actually… I feel a little relieved. He can surely make her… happier… than I ever could."

My breath wavered.
My eyes burned.

"…Harry."

Her hand clasped mine.

I blinked at the firmness of it—the distinct strength of a woman’s hand.

The space between us shrank.
And she spoke.

"If it hurts… you can cry, you know."

"…No, I—"

"You don’t have to put up a front with me."

"But—"

"Ugh, you’re so stubborn!"

Gwen pinched my cheek.
With a grip like a vise, she tugged.

"O-ow, ow, ow—!"

I didn’t know if it was my cheek that hurt, or my heart… but the tears spilled over.

No doubt… it was the latter.
The pain of heartbreak.

When she saw me cry, Gwen laughed.

"See? When it hurts, you’re supposed to cry."

"…Still, did you really have to pull my cheek to make me do it?"

"Of course. You cried properly, didn’t you?"

"…I suppose that’s true."

As I rubbed my cheek, she stretched and turned back toward me.

"So… how does it feel? Your first taste of heartbreak?"

"…It’s the worst feeling ever."

"Figures. Well… you’ll have to get back on your feet."

She waved me forward, and I followed behind.

Then Gwen flashed me a grin.

"Since it’s still morning, how about we hold a ‘Cheer Harry Up After Heartbreak’ party?"

"…What even is that?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. We’ll eat something good, and you’ll cheer up a little. Besides… honestly, I’m kind of shocked myself."

She gave a small, wry smile.

…Of course.

I’d lost someone I loved, yes—
But to her, it must have felt like losing her best friend to a man.

I wasn’t the only one hurting.

Thinking that, I realized moping wasn’t the right thing to do.

"…Alright. Gwen, where do you want to go?"

"That Italian place we went before. Oh—and obviously, you’re paying."

"Wait, wasn’t this supposed to be about cheering me up?"

"That and this are two separate things."

"…Well, fine then."

"Yes!"

Gwen beamed, her smile radiant as she walked at my side.

Seeing that smile… stirred something complicated within me.

She was one of my father’s victims.
I’ve sworn to spend my whole life making it up to her.

So then… wasn’t it wrong for me to harbor feelings like this?

Besides, I’d just gone through heartbreak, and already—

No.

That would make me look like some fickle, shallow man.
As if, when one girl didn’t work out, I immediately turned to another…
Shameless.

Self-disgust gnawed at me as I followed behind her.

Until the day this feeling earns its name…
I’ll stay by her side, and support her.

That’s what I resolved.

---

"…They left."

"…Yeah."

Michelle and I watched the two of them storm out of the café like a hurricane.

Gwen and Harry.
I’d like to think… maybe they acknowledged us, even just a little.

"…That was good, Peter."

"Yeah."

I’d like to think our relationship has taken a step forward too. From strangers to… well, at least the boyfriend of a close friend.

Even so… Michelle smiled, as if she were truly happy for me.

"This time it was by chance, but next time, do you want to meet Ned too?"

Honestly, I’d been scared.
Scared that people I should have known—people who used to be my friends—might dislike me, or doubt me.

And yet—

"Yeah, could you set that up?"

If I don’t take a step forward, I’ll never be able to grow closer again. That much is obvious.

Instead of living in fear of the bonds I lost, I should be building new ones.
That courage—Michelle, Harry, and Gwen have given it to me.

I can only feel grateful.

We paid the bill and left the café.

Gwen and Harry were already gone. Wondering where they might have gone wouldn’t get me anywhere.

Hand in hand, Michelle and I walked through the streets of New York.

"The morning showings are already over."

Michelle said that.

"Ah—sorry about that."

"It’s fine, really. There’s always the afternoon showings—"

Michelle fiddled with her phone, frowning.

"That movie isn’t playing anymore today."

"Eh? That’s a shame…"

"Mhm… Let’s just watch it on our next date?"

Her brows drooped, her expression dimming.

"Do you want to see something else instead?"

"Something else… Afternoon movies are—"

Her finger slid across the screen.

"Ah."

With a slightly surprised voice, Michelle held her phone out to me.
On the display—

"Michelle… this is the sequel to that movie we saw before, isn’t it?"

It was the continuation of that romance film we’d watched nearly a year ago.

That… ridiculously boring romance film.
No highs, no lows, just a man and a woman falling in love—nothing more.

"Do you want to see it, Peter?"

"…Hmm?"

I touched my chin, thinking.

All I really remembered from that movie was how boring it had been. But then I recalled something else—Michelle crying in the theater.

I hadn’t understood why at the time.
But now I do.

…She must have envied the happiness she couldn’t have herself. Because it was a romance film without any fantasy, steeped in realism… her feelings must have been all the stronger.

…But now, she’ll be okay.

"Do you want to see it, Michelle?"

"…A little."

"Then let’s go."

"…Mhm."

At the very least, she must be happy now.

Hand in hand, we walked with light hearts.

…I’m blessed with wonderful friends.
And with a wonderful partner.

Even if I still mourn what I lost, I don’t regret anything.

Because I’m happy now too.

And I have no intention of letting this happiness slip away.
I don’t want to let it go.

…Our fingers twined tighter together.
To keep from letting go, to keep from being let go…

Grasping each other firmly—

.

.

.

.

.

Michelle turned her head to glance behind her.

"Michelle?"

"…I felt like someone was watching us again."

"Wasn’t that just Gwen and Harry?"

"…Maybe it was just my imagination."

Michelle tilted her head. That small gesture struck me as cute, even as I followed her gaze.

There wasn’t anyone suspicious.

Just the usual New York chaos, the mingling flow of the crowd.

---

"Sharp senses, aren’t they…"

I muttered to myself as I looked down upon the girl.

"…So it really is the power of the ‘Eye,’ then? Though I didn’t see any signs she’d mastered it."

My reflection shone faintly in the window glass. A deep, dark green-black bird—a magpie—stared back at me.

"In any case, pressing the pursuit further would be risky. The boy didn’t notice, but if things turned into a direct confrontation, that would be troublesome."

With a beat of wings, I lifted off from the rooftop.

"That said, I doubt I’d lose if it came to a fight. The only one who could stain me would be… my elder brother, perhaps."

Black feathers scattered as I distanced myself from the girl.

"‘The Watcher’s Eye’… I want it. If I had that, then even I—"

I flew freely through the air,
like some kind of Trickster Magician.

"—could finally be released from this bound fate."

A laugh, half-mocking, half-sardonic, echoed into the dry sky.

---

"Well then, Michelle… good night."

"…Mhm, good night."

We lay side by side in the same bed.
On nights after our dates, she often came to stay at my place.

I’d even gone and bought a slightly bigger bed just for that reason.

…Michelle’s hand reached from behind, wrapping around me in an embrace. My heart thumped wildly in my chest.

Lately, her advances had been pretty bold.

But still, I didn’t make a move.
Even if she wanted me to…

I insisted on keeping things wholesome.

Besides, I’m unemployed right now. And Michelle’s in a complicated situation herself.

So I refused to cross that line.

With muddled feelings, I closed my eyes.

…Falling asleep, while being held by the girl I love.
There can’t be anything happier than that.

…Still, maybe she could ease up just a little. Please, my self-control.
Hold out. Hold strong.

I am a young man, after all. T-this is… unbearable, ugh.

But I had to endure it—for her sake, so I wouldn’t hurt her.

Even as my reason threatened to snap, I struggled desperately to hold on, and tried to fall asleep.

"…I love you, Peter."

…Ah, come on, seriously.

"I love you too, Michelle."

I tried deliberately not to think about anything, tried to let go of consciousness.

…But of course, I couldn’t sleep.

Whenever Michelle stayed over, the next day always came with a bit of sleep deprivation.

No matter how many times, I never seemed to get used to it.

That, at least, was a secret I kept from her.