『Gwen Stacy』: Peter, aren't you going to class?
『Peter Parker』: Oh—uh, of course… yeah.
Peter stood up awkwardly. In truth, he'd been planning to wait until Gwen left before sneaking off on his own. Now that she'd said it out loud, he had no excuse but to follow.
They left together, walking through the quiet campus—Gwen slightly ahead, Peter half a step behind. The distance was small enough that her light perfume lingered in the air, making his heart skip a beat.
But then, a thought struck him—Gwen and Eugene seemed… close. Friendly, but not too close. Were they… a couple?
Just as he was wrestling with the thought, Gwen suddenly turned to him.
『Gwen Stacy』: So, what were you doing in the infirmary?
『Peter Parker』: Oh, I went to visit Eugene.
Gwen blinked.
Of course she knew Peter had gone to visit him—that wasn't the point. What confused her was why. Eugene had literally punched Peter not long ago.
『Gwen Stacy』: He beat you up, didn't he? Why would you go see him?
『Peter Parker』: Ah… well, he already apologized.
『Gwen Stacy』: He apologized?
Gwen's eyes widened slightly. In all the years she'd known Eugene, she couldn't remember a single time he'd apologized to anyone. Then again, thinking back to his attitude earlier in the infirmary, maybe this had something to do with Superman.
『Gwen Stacy』: Huh. I see.
They kept walking. Gwen didn't press further.
After a few quiet steps, Peter gathered his courage.
『Peter Parker』: So, um… you and Eugene seem pretty close?
『Gwen Stacy』: Yeah. Our houses are right next to each other.
『Peter Parker』: Oh, I see…
He wanted to ask if Eugene was her boyfriend, but the words caught in his throat. This was the first real conversation he'd ever had with Gwen Stacy. Asking something like that outright felt… too obvious.
Still, not asking only made him more restless. The way they acted around each other—familiar but not romantic—left him stuck in limbo.
Even when they finally stepped into the classroom, Peter was still thinking about it. Only when he sat down did he let out a quiet sigh of relief.
『Harry Osborn』: Hey, nice work, Peter!
Harry, the tall, blond guy sitting behind him, grinned and nudged his shoulder.
『Peter Parker』: Huh? Nice work for what?
『Harry Osborn』: Don't play dumb. I saw you walking in with Gwen Stacy!
Peter froze. He'd never told Harry about his crush on Gwen, but as one of his few close friends, Harry had obviously noticed.
『Peter Parker』: Ah… we just happened to run into each other.
『Harry Osborn』: Sure, sure. Keep it up, man—you've got this!
Peter gave a helpless smile, but before he could say anything else, the teacher entered, and class began.
Meanwhile, at the infirmary.
Not long after Peter and Gwen left, Eugene called his father to explain his situation. The man sounded worried, but Eugene reassured him that the surgery had gone well and there was no need to panic.
About half an hour later, a middle-aged man in a business suit rushed into the room.
『Eugene's Father』: What happened? Are you all right? Does it still hurt?
『Eugene』: I'm fine. The doctor said the operation went well—it'll just take a few months to heal.
『Eugene's Father』: How could you be so careless? What happened?
『Eugene』: I, uh… slipped while playing basketball.
『Eugene's Father』: Be more careful next time.
『Eugene』: Got it.
After chatting a bit more, Eugene's father helped him out of the infirmary.
The moment they were gone, the two boys sharing the room exchanged a look.
『Boy A』: Eugene's gone. Should we head home too?
『Boy B』: I guess… but what do I tell my dad? If I say Superman broke my leg, he'll never believe me.
『Boy A』: Then just say what Eugene said—you fell playing basketball.
『Boy B』: He'll still yell at me for being careless.
『Boy A』: You can't stay here forever. You've gotta go home sometime.
『Boy B』: Yeah, yeah… fine. I'll call him.
He pulled out his phone and started dialing. The other followed his lead.
Not long after, their parents arrived one by one.
A stern-looking man marched up to his son's bed.
『Father A』: What the hell happened?
『Boy A』: Basketball…
『Father A』: Idiot! How do you even manage to get hurt playing basketball? Let's go.
The boy kept his head down and followed him out.
Ten minutes later, the second student's mother came—calmer, more caring. After checking on him and making sure he could walk, she took him home as well.
By 3:00 p.m., Midtown High was dismissed for the day.
Like most American high schools, they finished early—so when Peter got home, the sun was still bright.
He tossed his backpack onto the bed, sat down, and began scrolling through the internet.
A headline instantly caught his eye.
"Superhero or Supervillain? Superman Injures Hundreds of High School Students."
A chill ran down his spine. That bad feeling in his gut returned, stronger than ever. He clicked the article.
According to eyewitness accounts from Midtown High students,
Superman—real name Carl Smith—appeared on campus this morning.
He then proceeded to injure over one hundred students in a violent confrontation.
Three students were seriously hurt, suffering broken legs and undergoing surgery.
One parent has come forward, demanding an apology and financial compensation from Superman.
Many are now questioning: is Superman truly a protector of humanity, or has he become a threat?
Our reporters are attempting to contact Superman for comment. Stay tuned for updates.
Peter stared at the screen in disbelief.
His chest tightened as that same ominous feeling deepened
something was wrong. Terribly wrong.
End of chapter...
WORLDWIDE SUPERMAN STRENGTH
🔹 Dimension Walker – 15 chapters ahead
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