N-A-A Chapter 38 Theme Day
Chapter 38 Theme Day
Chapter 38 Theme Day (3)
The air conditioner in the comic book store hummed, but it couldn't dispel the gazes fixed on Peter Parker. Those gazes were like thick syrup, a mixture of envy and bitterness. After all, a lucky person who could bring a beautiful girl like Gwen to buy a cosplay outfit was truly rare in this store filled with otaku and potato chips.
However, he neither read comics nor chatted with anyone else; he simply waited for Gwen to change her clothes while scrolling through his phone, checking the latest crime map of New York that Jarvis had provided.
The good news is that New York has been quite peaceful lately, so peaceful that Spider-Man has absolutely no use for him.
The bad news is that this is probably because someone else is doing the work for him.
Numerous new Spider-Man videos battling various thugs and villains have resurfaced, all in his style and with similar moves. If Chameleon hadn't already been arrested, he would have suspected that Chameleon was behind it all.
Or perhaps it was Chameleon's doing; he either escaped or was released. After Herman ran away, he shouldn't have had any expectations of the NYPD's security; they were practically nonexistent, like the breakfast George made for Gwen.
Are you sure this suits me?
Peter looked up and saw Gwen coming out of the fitting room. Gwen was wearing a classic Supergirl comic book outfit. After turning around, she asked Peter uncertainly, to which Peter responded with an encouraging smile.
"Of course, it suits you perfectly."
"I was worried about the length of the skirt when I first got it, but thankfully, even my dad probably won't say anything about this length."
"If Uncle George is worried, you can always wear trousers underneath."
Gwen looked puzzled. "Are you sure? Superheroes wear trousers or something under their costumes?"
"We're just attending a school-wide themed day event, Gwen. It's not like we're going to San Diego Comic-Con, so no one's going to say anything even if it's not right. Besides, you've already seen Sherlock Holmes and Pikachu costumes at school."
"Okay, wait a minute, I'll go change my clothes back."
After Gwen went into the fitting room, Peter continued scrolling through his phone, sending Jarvis a request to investigate the fake Spider-Man appearing in town. This fake Spider-Man wasn't just a simple cosplay; it still featured complete web-swinging scenes and superhuman fighting style. Even without the chameleon, the yet-to-appear Mysterio was still causing trouble in the shadows.
Peter, however, was still unsure why Mysterio hadn't yet revealed himself and was instead staying behind the scenes. Was it because his device wasn't perfect enough? Could it only rely on a projector to set a fixed image, unable to create illusions on its own or deceive thermal imaging, so it chose to hide?
Peter frowned, unsure of the other person's thoughts. He still had Mysterio's little ball; he could go to Avengers Tower that evening to analyze it properly.
"Is there anything else?"
Having bought the cosplay outfit, Gwen asked Peter, who, somewhat surprised, asked in return, "What?"
"Hmm...you know, I've told you before, I haven't been able to catch you since I started high school. You get up very early every day, and we don't walk home together after school anymore, so I was wondering if you were very busy and always out."
After hearing this, Peter was at a loss for words. He shook his head, holding his phone which showed no unexpected messages, and said, "No, really, it's nothing like club activities or evening runs."
"real?"
"Really? Nothing's wrong, shall we go home together?"
Gwen looked at Peter with some suspicion, but didn't say anything more.
"Then, let's go together."
Peter breathed a sigh of relief, gripped his phone, and hoped that nothing on the road would require Spider-Man's help.
Not everyone has a similar good mood. For example, when Peter Parker caught him rummaging through his closet today, for some reason, he felt very scared, as if he was worried that Peter Parker would turn into that freak dressed as Spider-Man and rush up to break his legs.
The thought that Peter Parker might be Spider-Man terrified Carl. He thought about how he had bullied Peter Parker and others since childhood, and how, thanks to his superior physique, he had never felt any problem bullying anyone.
But the thought of bullying someone capable of lifting a car and smashing it against someone filled Culkin with dread. Beyond that, the thought of that skinny Peter causing him such anxiety only fueled Culkin's anger.
How could I be afraid of that little guy?!
Angry and frightened, Carl returned home. There was no one else at home except his mother. Mrs. Kim asked her son nervously.
"Are you alright, Carl? You don't seem to be in a good mood..."
"If you can tell, then stop talking nonsense! Is dinner ready?!"
Without any politeness, Carl threw his backpack on the table, then turned on the TV and started watching the live broadcast of the ball game.
Carl stared at the family photo on the fireplace mantel; his father's arm around his shoulder wore a Rolex Submariner—that watch should now be moldy in prison with its owner. There was no way the old man could share his burdens; otherwise, he would have handed him a gun and told him in that whiskey-scented voice he remembered.
"Hey, since you're scared, just follow him and shoot him dead. A dead man will never be afraid again."
"I miss you so much, Dad," Carl muttered to himself as he picked up a can of beer from the coffee table, opened it, and started chugging it down. Then, thinking about Peter Parker, he gritted his teeth and crushed the can.
"Oh my God, Carl, you're bleeding."
Mrs. Kim brought over dinner and noticed that Carl had cut his hand on a soda can. She quickly found some alcohol and gauze in the house, but Carl pushed her hand away and took the gauze herself to disinfect it.
"This little bit of food, who's going to eat it all?!"
"There's more, there's more."
After sending his mother away, Carl disinfected his hands and returned to his room after dinner.
He couldn't stop thinking about the filamentous things he'd found in the chemistry lab, and the similar spider silk he'd found on the day of the horror movie. He'd planned to check the next day to see if it was the same thing, but the next day it had completely disappeared.
Damn Peter Parker.
Lying in bed, Culkin picked up his phone and started searching for Spider-Man. Some of the Spider-Man heroic scenes clearly happened when Peter Parker was still in school, but for some reason, he just felt something was off.
He took the brightly colored spider out of his bag—the Osborn Industries spider. He placed this spider on Parker's neck; it was his prized possession, a gift to Parker for his rebellion during his three years of junior high.
That's why he made the spider into a specimen to scare others.
"Even if Parker really did become Spider-Man because of this spider, it doesn't matter anymore... all the flesh inside has been ripped out, leaving only an empty shell."
Just as Kalkin was about to put the spider down, a bold idea popped into his head—why not try eating it?
It was made with alcohol, not formaldehyde, anyway, and several months have passed, so even if you ate it, you won't die. At worst, you'll feel nauseous for a few days? If the shell really still works…
Calkin hesitated, put the spider on the table, and then lay down on the bed.
He closed his eyes, and before he knew it, a scene flashed before his eyes: Spider-Man fighting the Horror and smashing a huge GG card onto the Horror.
Calkin was so frightened that he immediately sat up, looked at the spider specimen on the table, grabbed it, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed the entire specimen into pieces, and then swallowed it.
He didn't know why he did it, but perhaps after gaining some sense of security, Kalkin finally fell asleep peacefully.
(End of this chapter)