"Nice to meet you too, and thanks for earlier." Amadeus finished shaking hands, his gaze falling on the taser on Peter's wrist. "This looks very cleverly designed. If you don't mind... could I take a look?"
"Of course, here." As Peter detached the device, he subtly scrutinized his new classmate. He began to suspect that this shared name was no coincidence—if this Amadeus Cho was truly the seventh smartest person in the Marvel Universe, why would he content himself with attending high school? A person of his caliber at fifteen should already be pursuing a doctorate at an Ivy League university.
He vaguely sensed that his high school life was probably going to be filled with "superhero"-style drama.
"The internal structure is simpler than I thought; maybe I should make one for self-defense too," Amadeus meticulously examined the device, a slightly embarrassed smile on his face.
So, Amadeus was at least smart enough to replicate his taser? Good, that added a bit more evidence to his hypothesis.
"In my middle school experience, these kinds of things only make them hit harder," Peter took back the taser, secretly regretting that he couldn't modify it for his web-shooters—at least not with the battery specifications he could get his hands on. "The best way is to train more, get strong enough that they don't dare bully you, like me. I was also a bullied kid in middle school, but I trained fighting with my uncle, and I got hit less and less each year."
"Alright, guys," Gwen's voice interjected at the opportune moment. She gestured around them; the onlookers still hadn't dispersed. "Are you planning to chat here until dark? I don't like being stared at like a monkey in a zoo."
"Got it. Oh, this is Gwen, my childhood friend, neighbor, middle school classmate, and guardian angel—the kind who chases off bullies or takes me to the nurse's office."
"Hi, nice to meet you all." Gwen succinctly cut short their desire to converse right there. "If we keep talking like this, we'll never leave, Peter."
"Oh, right." Peter quickly changed the subject, his hands unconsciously gesturing. "We were just discussing club recruitment. Want to check it out together?"
"Sure, we're all freshmen anyway."
As the four walked towards the plaza, various clubs were enthusiastically recruiting. Sports and social clubs had bustling booths, but the three boys paid no mind to the familiar lures, tacitly bypassing the mainstream club areas. Instead, they headed towards the clubs more suited for nerds.
"There's actually a board game club." Peter looked at the sparsely populated booth, a stark contrast to the lively atmosphere elsewhere on campus. "And... it seems pretty empty. I thought everyone liked Dungeons & Dragons?"
"Tabletop role-playing is good for parties, but as a regular club activity..." Harry shook his head and walked away, clearly unenthusiastic about long-term immersion in role-playing games.
Peter looked thoughtfully at Harry. Having been stunned by Amadeus's name earlier, he now realized: why was Harry Lyman by Peter Parker's side instead of Harry Osborn? Recalling the appearance of the white Osborn, under the initial impression, the two indeed bore some resemblance.
Could Harry actually be the Osborn heir in disguise?
This was too exciting—the world's seventh smartest genius disguised as an ordinary student, and an Osborn heir living under an assumed name. Though unconfirmed, Peter had automatically accepted these premises, given that he himself was Spider-Man. Even without considering his personal experiences, the potential storylines these two classmates could bring were fascinating enough.
"I'm already beyond excited for the 'excitement level' of the next four years of high school," he muttered to himself.
"What's wrong?" Gwen, familiar with Peter, raised an eyebrow, knowing Peter didn't actually mean he was excited about high school life. "Because there's no Lego club at school? Or are you feeling like an outcast for another four years because there aren't enough nerdy comrades?"
"I don't think I was isolated in middle school..."
"Wait, Peter, you like Lego?" Harry's eyes lit up, interrupting Peter. "Really?"
"Uh, yeah? Is that weird?"
"I've always wanted someone to build the Millennium Falcon with! I bought it ages ago, but no one wants to build it with me. That thing is huge; I can't do it alone!"
"Wait," Amadeus interjected. "Is it the latest model?"
"No, it's the Ultimate Collector Series, the UCS 10179!"
"Oh my god! You actually have that one!" Amadeus exclaimed, and Peter was startled as well—that set, priced at $500, was completely beyond his financial means, and he couldn't possibly ask Uncle Ben for it.
Ironically, the cost of his two spare Spider-Man suits plus all his gear didn't even amount to Harry's one Lego set.
"Wow..." Gwen looked at the two who had instantly warmed up, then turned to Peter, "Looks like I should bail—rock band is more my style. I won't interrupt your Lego meeting, anyway, I wouldn't understand."
"Okay, see you later, Gwen. Oh... no, I have something after school today, so I might not be able to walk back together? Probably see you tomorrow."
"Uh-huh?" Gwen said with a half-smile. "Why the question mark?"
"That's it? Call me if anything comes up," Peter added. "Uh, make some good friends, you know, new school and all, that's how it is."
"Don't worry, smarty pants, I'm definitely more popular than you."
Watching Gwen wave and leave, Peter turned to face Harry and Amadeus's mischievous gazes and knowing smiles.
"What's with those expressions?"
"Just neighbors, huh?" Harry winked.
"Of course! And... very good friends!" Peter quickly cut him off. Harry ignored him, turning to Amadeus: "What do you think?"
"He's too much of a wimp around Gwen."
"I am not a wimp."
"Then is that girl named Gwen too controlling?"
"Alright, I'm a wimp." Peter decisively chose to avoid the topic. "Weren't you guys just talking about Lego? How's that going?"
"Snap, I was just about to say that," Harry chimed in. "My place is a bit... inconvenient, and Amadeus lives in a foster home. So we don't have anywhere to build Lego. Can we come to your place, Peter? Your folks won't mind, will they?"
"No problem, just set a time." Peter gave a definite answer: "Actually, Aunt May would be really happy. I can bring friends home to play."
The three chatted as they walked past one club recruitment booth after another. Unsurprisingly, the three lingered for a short while in front of the Anime Club before leaving together, none daring to openly sign up.
Harry was attracted to the Tennis Club, while Peter and Amadeus chatted with seniors at the Astronomy and Geology clubs, but in the end, the two, short on cash, declined both clubs.
"Astronomy needs expensive equipment, and geology isn't even a science," Peter finally sighed.
"Totally agree, geology is practically pseudoscience," Amadeus echoed.
Harry, who had been snubbed by the Tennis Club, looked at them speechlessly, then tentatively asked, "I'm still pretty interested in science and all. Is geology really that bad?"
"Yes!"
After the two young geniuses spoke in unison, Peter seemed to notice something: "Wait, is that girl... cosplaying Sherlock Holmes?"
At a sparsely attended booth nearby, a beautiful Latina girl wore a classic dark Ulster coat and a standard deerstalker hat, identical to the one Gwen had given Peter, shaking a club poster in her hand: "Detective Club recruiting! Interested? You can join if you can answer the entry question! Interested, gentlemen?"
"What do detective clubs usually do? Handle school assignments?"
Peter asked with some interest, but the senior seemed rather deflated by his words: "No, almost no one at school gives the Detective Club serious mystery-solving work. All we do is schedule reading sessions together, design mystery puzzles, and so on..."
"I'm in," Amadeus immediately replied, standing in front of the booth, explaining amidst his companions' shocked gazes, "Isn't it good? We don't have to do anything at all, just read a few books and answer a few questions to get credits."
"Sorry, I don't want to disappoint you, but!" The senior, having heard Amadeus's explanation, undeniably expressed her dissatisfaction: "You have to pass an entrance test, for example: a wealthy man who loved cipher games unexpectedly passed away, his will locked in a five-digit safe, but no one knew the password. Only a calendar was placed on top of the safe, with March 15th circled..."
"31415," Peter and Amadeus said in unison.
"March 15th... Oh, Pi Day!" Harry instantly realized after only a second of thought, looking at Peter and Amadeus, "You guys are really quick."
Yes, if it were across the Pacific, it might be 12315, but this was America, so it could only be Pi Day.
"Alright, I guess you three can join the Detective Club. Here's our club's roster. After you fill it out, just say you're looking for Jessica when you get to the club room. I'm the president."
The three nodded silently, then walked a short distance away before discussing.
"The president recruits people herself?" Harry muttered quietly. "Is this club reliable?"
Peter knew a detective named Jessica Jones, but unfortunately, she shouldn't be a high school student anymore.
The three continued walking, and Peter suddenly stopped in front of a large screen, looking at the information projected on it. It showed various part-time jobs at Midtown High, and among them, a website maintenance job for the Daily Bugle caught his interest.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked.
"Nothing." Peter looked away. "Just saw something interesting."