Chapter 73: Stay With Me – Part 3

I look in the mirror.

Hair… looks fine.
Bedhead… I take out some wax and fix it.

Clothes… probably fine too.
Jeans with a red dress shirt.
A blue hoodie over it.

…This was the outfit Gwen approved for me, but honestly, I still don’t get it.
Fashion is hard.

I tried it on once yesterday too, but… yeah, still don’t get it.

Dating means meeting up.
Well, in this case, I don’t think Michelle even sees this as a “date.”
She’s probably thinking it’s just hanging out like usual—with Ned included.

Still… I’m calling it a date.
Yeah, this has to be a date.
I mean, if a guy and a girl hang out alone together, that counts as a date.
At least… that’s what someone told me once.

…Was it the Human Torch?
I remember because I can clearly picture that really irritating grin on his face.

He’s part of the superhero team Fantastic Four.
His superpower lets him ignite flames from his body.
He can use it to fly and all that.
Total extrovert, always teasing me.

We’re not exactly close, but we’ve known each other long enough that it’s hard to shake him off.
Guess you could call us superhero colleagues.

…Also, ridiculously popular.
Probably because he’s one of those heroes who’s fine with showing his face.
Good-looking, rich, dependable…
Basically, my complete opposite.

Anyway—back to the meeting part.
Our apartments are right next to each other, so… I open my door five minutes before the time we agreed on, and—right on cue—the door next to mine opens too.

…Yep, Michelle.

Same flawless white skin, pale blond hair as always.
Her clothes… oh—she’s wearing a skirt today.
She never wears one to school, so… does that mean she dressed up for today?
…Or am I just overthinking this?
I mean, I think she’s worn skirts before when Ned was around too.

Anyway—

“Morning, Michelle.”

Though… it’s almost 10 AM now.
Maybe “morning” is a little late.

I start wondering if I messed up, but then Michelle smiles.

“Yeah. Morning, Peter.”

Distracted by every little movement of hers, we head out of the apartment.

Maybe because it’s Saturday, there’s a bit more foot traffic than usual.
We take a slight detour to avoid the crowds.

Michelle’s a little shorter than me.
I match her pace as we walk toward the theater.

…Silence feels awkward, so I start talking.

“What about lunch?”

“…Didn’t really think about it.”

I nearly pump my fist in victory.
Time for my pre-prepared line.

“Then, how about we grab something after the movie? There’s this café near the theater that serves a great lunch.”

That info came from Gwen.
Apparently, she went there with Harry.
I guess they hang out outside of work too, since we’re all in the same… “organization.”

“Mm. Okay.”

Her agreement makes me quietly breathe a sigh of relief.
I keep the conversation going.

“Anywhere you want to go after that?”

“Somewhere I want to go…? Not really.”

Uh—well, in that case… wh-what should I do?
All the plans I stayed up thinking about start running through my head again—

“I’ll just follow wherever you want to go, Peter.”

“…Huh?”

That was the last answer I expected, and my brain short-circuits.

“Think you can… escort me around today?”

“E-Escort…?”

My body stiffens instantly.
Wh-Wh-Wh-What do I do now?!

Like… maybe the zoo?
Wait—does Michelle even like animals?

Amusement park?
In the afternoon?
Wouldn’t we be too tired after the movie?

Then… a science museum?
No, that’s even worse!
That’d just be me pushing my own interests.
Sure, she’s good at science too, but liking it is a whole different thing.

She might think it’s too nerdy…
Though she already knows I’m a nerd, but—uh—

While I’m panicking, Michelle gives a small laugh.

“Peter? …You don’t have to try so hard, you know?”

“H-ha ha…”

I force a weird laugh and look back at her.

…She still seems a little less energetic than usual.
But even so, she’s worrying about me.

That’s not the kind of face I wanted her to have when I asked her out.

I want her to relax, so I smile and tell her—

“I’ll make sure to escort you properly, so leave it to me.”

…Though maybe “I’ll make sure” made it sound like I was trying too hard.
I should’ve gone for more of a confident, grown-up tone… but yeah, that’s not me.

I can’t exactly take her hand and lead her like in some movie scene…

But I do know one thing—
I just want to see her smile from the bottom of her heart.

In front of the theater, I check what’s playing.

…This is the first time I’ve come here without deciding on a movie beforehand.

Maybe I should’ve at least checked the schedule first.

The lineup is… a gory slasher film and a romantic love story.

I feel my face go pale.
I’d kind of assumed there’d be at least one action flick or maybe a human drama, but… guess my timing couldn’t be worse.

What sane guy takes a girl he likes to watch a slasher movie?
…And as for the romance film… well, that feels like a pretty high hurdle to clear.

I glance over at Michelle—and, huh?
She’s staring blankly at the movie list.
She’s looking, but… her eyes aren’t moving.
Like her mind’s somewhere else entirely.

“Uh… Michelle?”

“…Hm? What is it, Peter?”

She turns to me.
The expression she’s wearing now is different from that distant one earlier—it’s her usual faint, easy smile.

“Looks like the only things playing right now are a gory slasher and a romantic love story…”

“…I’m not really good with blood.”

And just like that, there was only one option left.

Steeling myself, I hand over my free coupon at the counter and exchange it for tickets to the romance movie.

…There. I’ve done it.

Wh-Wh-What was I thinking—going to see a romance movie with a girl I like? Isn’t that… way too much?
But it’s too late to back out now.

I skip the popcorn and just get drinks.
I get a soda… she gets milk tea.

…Still has a major sweet tooth.
Since the syrup dispenser was unlimited, she poured in enough to make me worry.

Inside the theater, the seats are divided in pairs.
Guess it’s meant for couples?
…Now I get why Gwen recommended this place.

The lights dim… and the movie starts.

To be honest—it’s a boring romance.
A regular guy meets a regular girl… and in the middle of their ordinary days, they slowly grow closer.

No big conflicts. They become a couple midway through, and from then on it’s just date after date.

…Why am I watching someone else’s date while I’m on a date with the girl I like?

Now that I think about it, the theater was pretty empty… lots of seats left open.
Yeah… maybe this was a mistake.

The movie ends without a single high point, and I barely manage to stay awake.

The credits roll, the lights come on—

I glance at Michelle—

…She’s crying.

I inhale sharply.

It’s not the kind of crying where you want to cry.
She’s quickly wiping at her eyes, turning her face away from me.

Was there even a sad scene in this movie?
It was just… an ordinary romance between two ordinary people.
A day-to-day love story.

I can’t figure out why she’s crying—

And yet… no.
I can’t just leave it.

I reach out and gently pat her shoulder. Careful not to hurt her.

She flinches just a little.

“You okay, Michelle?”

…No.
Of course she’s not okay.

I have to ask why she’s crying.

She looks at me, still rubbing at her eyes…
Her tearful gaze glitters like a gemstone.

“…Sorry, Peter. I’ll stop crying… in a second.”

Her voice trembles as she says it.
She looks like she feels bad, but I don’t feel bothered at all.

By now, all the other moviegoers have already left.
It’s just the two of us here.

“…Why are you crying?”

I ask it.
Michelle meets my eyes.

“…I don’t know.”

…That was probably a lie.

She does know why.
But she doesn’t want to tell me.

Maybe because I’m unreliable.
Or maybe… because she’s embarrassed.

I tell myself it would be wrong to push her, and swallow the words I was about to say.

…I take Michelle’s hand.
It’s warm.

I don’t say anything—just hold it.

Because honestly… I have no idea what else to do.

“…Peter?”

“…Ah.”

She’s looking at me with a puzzled expression.

And just like that, the feel of her hand pulls me back to reality.

Wh—wait—ahhh!?
Soft…! N-no, that’s not the point! What the hell am I doing!?

I hurriedly let go.

“S-sorry. I just… um… sorry.”

“…You’re weird.”

Michelle laughs.
Her eyes are dry now.
…But even so, I’m still worried about her.

Maybe she’s sick. Maybe she has a slight fever and that’s why she’s feeling emotional.

Should I suggest we just head home?

“Um… Michelle? If you’re not feeling well… maybe we could just go back for today?”

I make the suggestion.
I’m sure Gwen would scold me for it later.

But more than that, I don’t want to force Michelle to push herself.
Without thinking, I take the easy way out.

Even though I should be the one cheering her up.

I open my mouth to take it back—

“Peter.”

“Y-yeah?”

Michelle speaks first.

“Could we… stay together just a little longer?”

She takes my hand this time.

“Just… a little longer is fine.”

…Today, I’m the one escorting her.
I squeeze her hand back.

“Of course… I’ll stay as long as you want, Michelle.”

Holding her hand—or having mine held—doesn’t embarrass me anymore.
In the first place, what was so embarrassing about it?

If it’s the girl I like, then holding her hand… even if it makes me happy, it’s nothing to avoid.

And if it makes Michelle feel better—if it makes her enjoy herself—then I’ll do anything I can.

Her eyes meet mine.
I don’t look away.
I don’t fidget.

“Let’s have lunch together. You know… that place you said was good this morning.”

“…Okay.”

“And after that… we can find somewhere else you want to go, and go together.”

“…Okay.”

“Not just today. Tomorrow… or next week, too.”

“Okay.”

Hand in hand, careful not to let go… we leave the theater.

I think to myself that no matter what happens, I want to protect the warmth in my hand.

“Thank you, Peter.”

Her voice drifts faintly from behind me.

“She’s broken.”

“Uh…?”

Tinkerer’s sudden words made me tilt my head in confusion.

“Where?” I asked.

“That’s obvious — it’s her mind.
Her body can heal with the healing factor, but the mind… that’s another story.”

As he fiddled with his machines, the Tinkerer answered.

Meeting this guy two days in a row was honestly draining.
But since he said he was making me a new suit, I was curious enough to drag myself through the dark, long underground passage to his lab.

And what I learned was:
This guy is a genuine genius.

I’m confident I know a thing or two about sound and shockwaves, but he’s a specialist in mechanical engineering too.
Not just broad and shallow knowledge — deep, wide-ranging expertise.
He might even be smarter than his old man.

Well… except his social skills are garbage.
It’s not that he can’t talk, it’s that he constantly says things that get under your skin.

“Are you serious?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m serious. I trust you, you know? When it comes to her, I won’t lie.”

He said this without even looking at me, while connecting cables to his devices.

I don’t know much about him.
But the fact that he’s building the Red Cap suit tells me he’s close enough.

How does he even get along with a guy like that?

I stroked my chin and thought back to that guy.

“He was trying to kill someone outside of work.”

“Exactly. That’s the point. Normal people can’t kill someone — unless a few screws come loose.”

The Tinkerer finally looked my way.
Purple light shone through the black mask covering his face.
I couldn’t read his expression or tone.

“Well, then everyone under Fisk must be crazy.
Even I… have killed.”

“There are different ways for screws to come loose.
Hers… hasn’t completely fallen off. But it’s warped.”

He tapped a bolt with his wrench.
The bolt got scratched and bent.

He forced it into a scrap metal nut and tightened it.

“If it warps like this… you can’t put it back or take it out.”

“…”

“That’s the worst part.”

“You talk like you know what you’re saying.”

“I do.”

He threw the scrap into the shredder, grinding the bolt and metal into powder.

“It’s what they call PTSD — Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Painful memories, terrifying experiences that stay in your heart forever.
Out of nowhere, they resurface and eat away at you.”

“So, trauma.”

“She’s been boosted with the super-serum to enhance her memory.
Which makes it even harder to forget.
No, it’s impossible.”

I clenched my teeth.
If you work this job, you’re going to see people go crazy.
Every villain is at least a little crazy.

Maybe I’m messed up too.
I just don’t realize it.

“Why are you telling me this? She’s just a colleague.”

“Maybe. But she’s important to you, isn’t she?”

I went quiet.
Of course I don’t want her to suffer.
We’ve saved each other, helped each other, time and again.

Even in this short time…
She’s reminded me of the kindness I used to know, back when I had a little sister.

I want to protect her.

As I thought this, the Tinkerer spoke again.

“So… I have one favor to ask of you.”

“What is it?”

I frowned.
His tendency to drag things out like this really pisses me off.
If only he’d fix that…
No, actually there are a bunch of things about him that bug me.
Probably hopeless.

“Don’t die before she does.”

“Huh…?”

“If the next person close to her dies… I don’t know what’ll happen.
Her heart is balanced on dangerously thin ice.”

“Tch. Well, even if you didn’t tell me, I’m not planning to die anytime soon.”

At that, Tinkerer laughed.
A mechanical voice, but still… genuinely happy, somehow.

I threw a question at him that popped into my head.

“Hey. Why do you care about her so much?”

“…Why do you think?”

He fired the question back at me like he didn’t want to answer.

…Well, I don’t really care about that.

“Let’s see… could it be—”

I voiced the one theory I had.

“You’re her brother or something?”

There was a pause.
Tinkerer stopped working.

Only the hum of the fan echoed in the lab.

“Heh, no way…”

“Yeah, thought so.”

He answered with a laugh in his voice.
But I could tell he was gripping a metal part hard.
It was bent out of shape.

But it felt more like anger than worry.

What the hell was he angry about?

I was suspicious, but then he spoke again.

“I saw my sister killed right before my eyes.”

“Whoa, that’s harsh. Sorry for bringing it up.”

“It’s fine. Doesn’t matter if you didn’t know.”

Tinkerer resumed his work.
In the quiet workshop, the scrape of metal on metal filled the air.

…A topic he didn’t want to touch, but I asked anyway.

“Who killed her?”

“…Don’t you get called insensitive sometimes?”

“Yeah, but not as much as you.”

“Me?”

“Throwing around vague hints then shutting up isn’t cool.”

“Hmph…”

Tinkerer fell silent at that.
I wondered what kind of expression was beneath his mask.

No matter how closely I stared… all I saw was purple light.

Tinkerer sighed.
Though output as mechanical noise, even I could tell it was a sigh.

“The one who killed my sister was…”

He placed the metal piece he’d been holding on the desk and sat down.
His gaze turned to me.

…Not half-hearted anymore—this felt like he truly wanted to talk.

“A ‘magician.’”

“Huh? A magician?”

“A ‘magician.’
Fools who believe in unreliable occult nonsense… they’re the people I hate most.”

Tinkerer put his hand to his mask.
It was trembling.

I felt sure his expression beneath was twisted with anger.

“I remember the scene vividly even now…
He told me his name, right before killing my sister.
He called himself—”

Tinkerer looked me square in the eyes.

“The ‘Ancient One.’”