As Peter Parker left the infirmary, Eugene's expression softened.
For some reason, his chest felt lighter—relieved, almost free.
The two classmates sharing the ward with him exchanged uneasy looks.
Eugene's reaction was... far too strange.
After all, how had he treated Peter before?
Sure, he hadn't gone as far as he did with Gordon—never anything too cruel.
Peter had always been calm and rational, never really clashing with Eugene,
so Eugene hadn't gone out of his way to torment him either.
At most, it had been things like pelting him with a basketball,
or teasing him in front of others just to show off.
But the moment Peter stood up to him in public,
Eugene's pride couldn't take it—he'd snapped, and that's when the fight happened.
Even so, Eugene had never treated Peter kindly.
Yet now…
He'd not only apologized to him—he'd thanked him.
That alone stunned his two friends.
Moments ago, they hadn't planned to give Peter any money at all.
Then Eugene suddenly offered to pay him.
Had it been anyone else, they would've kept their cash.
But Eugene had changed.
A lot.
Could Superman have knocked something loose in his head?
The thought passed silently between the two as they watched him.
Eugene caught their glances immediately, his eyes narrowing.
『Eugene』: What's with those faces? Got something to say?
One of the boys hesitated, then blurted out,
『Boy A』: Flash, why'd we even give Peter money?
I mean, he offered to buy us food—shouldn't he be paying for it?
『Boy B』: Yeah, exactly.
And really, this whole mess today—wasn't it his fault?
If not for him, Superman wouldn't have shown up and broken our legs!
How am I supposed to explain that to my dad?
"Hey, I got my leg smashed by Superman." What a joke.
『Boy A』: That big brown monster couldn't even stand up to Superman!
And somehow we're still alive after he hit us?
Maybe that means we're tougher than that thing, huh?
He gave a humorless snort.
『Boy A』: Guess Superman's got way too much free time—he's even handling school fights now…
『Eugene』: Enough!
Eugene's sharp voice cut him off. His expression turned dark.
『Eugene』: You saw what that brown monster was like. You know how powerful Superman is.
You think he couldn't kill us if he wanted to?
He just chose not to.
Though Superman had beaten him senseless,
Eugene felt no resentment—only awe.
He admired heroes like that.
And after Peter had helped him today,
he'd started to reflect on himself too.
Hearing his friends mock Superman and Peter… it made his blood boil.
The other two boys shrank back.
They were used to swaggering around behind Eugene, bullying others.
But among the trio, Eugene had always been the leader
the stronger one, the fighter, the one people feared.
Seeing the fury in his eyes now, they both fell silent.
Eugene took a deep breath, steadying himself.
『Eugene』: I… went too far before.
Bullying others—it's childish.
Apologizing to Peter was the least I could do.
From now on, let's stop doing crap like that.
The two exchanged a startled glance.
Was this really Eugene talking?
They didn't dare argue—just nodded mutely.
After a moment, one of them muttered,
『Boy B』: Still, Superman went too far.
He broke our legs! The doctor said it might take months to heal.
What are we supposed to do till then?
Eugene paused, then sighed.
『Eugene』: Then take it as punishment.
We've bullied enough people—it's about time someone taught us a lesson.
『Boy A』: Punishment? This is too much!
And besides, it was your idea to start the fight!
Eugene frowned.
Before, he would've thrown a punch for that comment.
But now… it just felt petty. Pointless.
Superman himself had shown up to teach him a lesson
that was enough.
『Eugene』: If you're so unhappy Superman hit you,
then go tell him yourself.
His identity's public—he's a shareholder at Stark Industries.
You can find him there anytime you want.
Both boys fell dead silent.
Complain? Sure.
But confront Superman?
That was suicide.
They'd seen what happened to that brown monster—killed in seconds.
They weren't about to follow it to the grave.
The air grew awkwardly quiet.
A few minutes later, the door opened.
『Peter Parker』: Hey, here's your food.
Peter stepped in, passing out burgers and pizza to each of them,
along with cans of cola.
『Eugene』: Thanks.
『Peter Parker』: No problem. Here's your change.
He handed back their bills and sat down in a chair beside Eugene's bed.
Maybe it was his imagination, but Peter thought Eugene seemed…
friendlier.
He took out a burger for himself, unwrapped it, and bit in.
『Peter Parker』: Mmm, not bad.
Eugene smiled faintly and took a bite of his own.
Then, as if remembering something, he looked up.
『Eugene』: Oh right—Peter, are you free this Friday?
Peter froze mid-bite.
Wait… that question—he'd heard it before.
Was Eugene about to ask him to take photos for his girlfriend's car again?
No… that couldn't be right.
Eugene was a guy.
End of chapter...
WORLDWIDE SUPERMAN STRENGTH
🔹 Dimension Walker – 15 chapters ahead
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