"Ouch… To think that I was able to dodge all of those bullets. Although not all of them"
Sekinin said to himself as he carefully felt the spots where he should have felt bullet holes on his body. Honestly, he should have been dead had it not been for his unique ability to be in two places at once.
"Now… Where did I put my bag?"
The reason he was shot in the first place was because of another crime he had to clear up, robbers robbing the jewelry store, aka Naru's mother's store, where she sells jewelry. He was in the Azabu-Juban district in Minato.
He was just swinging around the district after clearing out a public drug deal, then stopping a robbery, yep, what did anyone expect when you become a hero wannabe? Still, at least Naru's mother is safe, and Naru herself still has a mother to see once school is over. Which should be over in a few minutes.
That was worth it for Sekinin as having to deal with bullets being aimed at him instead of innocent bystanders who would just risk their lives just to see the action up close.
He always wondered why people would always want to get a bit close to the danger that would actually get them hurt or worse, killed, just by being close or caught in the crossfire.
Being the Spider really increases those risk takers. Sekinin knows how many people he had to web away from speeding cars, bullets that weren't aimed at him or just being crushed by falling objects.
"After a month of this, the whole vigilante hero can make you see the way you view people."
Sekinin walks off after acting as a concerned citizen in his normal clothing. Checking to see if there was anyone who either needs medical care or at least a talk, but everyone just seems fine, a little shaken, but still alright.
Naru's mother definitely needed her daughter home just to feel the embrace of Naru after just experiencing a robbery, which nearly resulted in her death had he not been there in time to wrest away the gun that was aimed at her back with his webs.
Still, a whole month has passed, as it was now May, and that whole month, everyone everywhere in Japan, mainly Tokyo, now knows of the Amazing Spider, the Spectacular Spider, the Sensational Spider, names that people thought would fit with his secret name.
Names that just seem a bit too much just for a name of something not everyone likes.
It was something that Sekinin was still taking in, as much as how many people he had to save and beat up within a day, week, and now a month.
And currently, he was just in his casual clothing as he was a bit limping as he was hiding in the alleyway while climbing on the wall.
The damage from the bullets was really something he couldn't ignore. Especially should he leave it untreated. Even if his double took the hit, the effect was too much of a con to take on such an amazing ability. So much so that he had to dispel the double so that Sekinin could quickly recover with his healing ability.
Anyway, he decided to bring back the double as that other self still had his homemade suit on as he was now staring at his other self on the roof of a restaurant. Hiding away from anyone, as there was barely anyone who could view him from where he was.
The status of the suit truly looks like it is in need of repair to cover those bullet holes. The two separated as the Spider was back on swinging while Sekinin climbed back down. At least his new suit will be finished after a few more threads so that he won't have to keep wearing his homemade suit.
And his consciousness was right now on the Spider as he was now swinging to find his bag that he had to leave behind as yesterday he forgot it.
Sekinin had to show up to school without his bag which had all of his textbooks and such. He could have dropped it off in the morning or afternoon, but as the Spider, you have to be lucky not to have a crime happen within the five minutes.
He swears some too many criminals are just pleading to get arrested. And he has no idea who keeps on bailing a few out. He has ideas of who could be behind this, but unless he has evidence or something he couldn't really do anything.
Plus, he doubts the police would help him, as from what he is doing, it's like he's stealing or doing their jobs. He looked around a bit, as it seemed like a somewhat calm day, so he decided to take the opportunity to retrieve his bag.
"I hope Nijika wouldn't be angry with me for my sudden absence when there was literally half an hour left before school ended for the day. Where is it? It should be… Right, I left it on the wall next to that window."
Now realizing where he left his bag, he changed directions as he did a web switch or something that he used to change his direction from straight to left without losing the speed he gained. His web swings got better but could still be improved.
Soon, he reached a nearby hospital as he landed on the roof, then stuck on a secluded wall that was secluded from anyone who would suddenly just happen to look where Sekinin was stuck on a wall. He crawled to his bag, which was tied up in his webs, and removed the webs from his bag.
The fact that his webs can stick there as long as a day, possibly more, was convenient for him without having to worry about someone grabbing his bag. Especially on the wall where someone would have to have a ladder to reach his bag.
After checking if everything was still inside, Sekinin was glad. And that he didn't have any reason to remain here much longer, he was about to do a web zip to quickly jump back to the roof, not before he stood still as he heard something.
It was… Singing? Was someone singing in the hospital near where he was? Sekinin was curious about who could be singing.
He decided to climb closer to where the singing was coming as with every… Step…? Wall climbing? He could hear a few words.
"Does whatever a spider can—"
It sounds soft, and energetic. He was getting close, and the singing was getting clearer to hear. Sekinin was amazed by what he was hearing.
"—Comes the Spider…Man…?"
"…"
Spider…Man? Sekinin didn't know how to feel about what he just heard. But it seems the singing just stops after those last few words. As if that was the end of a song. If he was honest, Sekinin liked the supposed song he heard. Even if he didn't hear the entire thing.
He was now next to an open window which explains how he was able to hear the singing. But he didn't wonder who sang it as he tried to take a peek.
But before he could he suddenly heard clapping. It seems someone was applauding the song.
"That song sounds amazing. But 'Spider… Man'? Did you add the man part for an extra word or…?"
A male voice spoke as if he too wasn't sure what to think of the second word of the superhero in the name. In all honesty, the voice sounded as confused as Sekinin. He listened in as he heard the familiar voice of the person singing, it was female.
"I felt like the Spider just needed another word in his name. Sure, he does everything a spider can do, but doesn't his name make people believe he is a spider in human skin? He is obviously a person underneath that mask. So that's why I included 'Man' in his name."
Sekinin blinked as he never considered this, but it makes so much sense. The reason was that a few people would scream whenever they saw him up close; he just thought he was swinging too close to accidentally hurt them, or they were just surprised by his sudden appearance.
But now he wonders if all those screams were just those few people fearing him because of actions like a spider that painted him as a living spider rather than a person who is hiding his face, and body.
"Ah! So that is why you added that extra word. But wouldn't a boy be a better name considering his size?"
"Maybe… But his actions, his willingness to save all of those that couldn't protect themselves. It just makes me view him as a man who is willing to make the right choice."
Sekinin felt his face turning red as he heard the girl's voice praising him for his efforts over the month. Sure he heard comments of his good deeds, but among them were voices of criticism from people who just wanted to spite him. But what he heard, the girl was commenting on his good deed of his duty as the Spider.
It just felt like everything he's been doing was all worthwhile. So he took a small peek while being hidden. And what he saw made him a bit concerned.
A girl lying in a medical bed, pale-blue eyes, a shade pink sweater, pink sweatpants, and wool with a heart pattern on its brim. Sekinin noticed that she didn't have any hair, he should have seen either long or short hair while she was wearing the wool hat.
He also took a glance at where he heard the male voice from. It turns out it was a young man in glasses with dark hair, a lab coat that indicates he is a doctor. Sekinin saw the man's face suddenly turn serious as he grabbed a clipboard from a desk and looked at whatever was written on it.
"Your illness seems to be getting worse… Has your headache been subdued with the medicine?"
Sekinin watched in confusion. He noticed the girl's expression turned grim and dejected. It made him wonder what kind of illness she was in.
"It's working, but the small pain in my head is still there… Even if that… A tumor is growing in my head."
Sekinin's eyes widened as he heard a familiar word from his time in science classes. A tumor is something dangerous; if it reaches the point where it needs to be treated or at least tried to be removed. But hearing it growing in her head caused Sekinin to be concerned.
"We're removing as much of the tumor as we can, but it seems still spreading. This is a different case of anaplastic astrocytoma."
"(Anaplatsitc astrocytoma!?)"
Sekinin put his hand on his mouth in pure horror. He had heard of that particular cancer; it was something that anyone who had ever had it would eventually die because of the tumor that already weakened the person's body. You have to be lucky enough to live, or unlucky enough to still feel the effects, for who knows how long your body can take before you succumb to it.
"..."
The girl said nothing as she looked from her doctor to the window. Sekinin senses he shouldn't be caught so he moves his head away for a moment. He didn't know what the girl was thinking right now but he knew that she was sad about hearing her illness.
"Do you think… Is it too much for me to write a letter to Ai Hoshino or the Spider to visit the hospital? I understand my illness affected my body, but I'm sure I'm able to write two letters."
Sekinin now wondered if he should reveal his presence to the girl as he listened in more.
"Perhaps you might be able to Sarina. But because of your illness, you will be limited to writing a few words. But I believe you'll be able to at least finish a letter within an hour or two."
Sarina? So the girl's name is Sarina. Sekinin mutters how the name fits her. Now Sekinin was thinking that he should reveal himself, and after thinking about it for a few seconds, he made up his mind.
"I understand, but who should I write to first? Ai Hoshino or the Spider?"
"To be honest, I think writing to an idol would be better than just writing to someone who's already here."
Both the girl and the doctor were shocked to hear another view as the two turned to the window and saw a familiar figure that was seen on TV, phones, and such. To the doctor, he was in pure shock that the vigilante whom everyone couldn't keep their minds off was suddenly here, right now.
But for Sarina, she was in shock for a moment, but that shock immediately turned into an exciting smile as one of the people she wanted to meet was here. If her body weren't frail, she wouldn't have a fear of falling without holding her balance on the wall or having her doctor help her; she could only cheer as she watched the Spider enter the room while sticking to the ceiling.
"Spider! Spider-Man!"
While Sekinin was still deciding if he should have his alias have another word in the name or not, he "smiled" at her excitement. But within that second, he made his decision.
"If I'm being honest, I think 'Spider-Man' is a better name than just being called the Spider. I'll just spread the word that there is also a hyphen and 'Man' in the name. Spider-Man… Yeah, I can see the name working out. The Spider-Man."
The smile on Sarina's face grew wider as she didn't know what to do or even what to say. Thankfully, her doctor had decided to speak first, which gave her time to decide what to do or say.
"The Spider— I mean, Spider-Man. It's such an honor to have a superhero here! It–It's so unexpected."
Sekinin chuckles as he can see the doctor in front of him is so nervous and excited to see a real-life superhero in person. He simply patted the doctor's shoulder as he looked at him and Sarina.
"Honestly, I didn't know what was even happening here, but I got this… The sense that someone here wanted to see me. I can already guess who it might be, but I would like clarification in case I'm wrong. Anyway, we're getting sidetracked. I'm Spider-Man, the Web-slinger, or the Wallcrawler. So what are your names?"
The doctor looks at Sarina as he gives her the look of letting her go first. She nodded thankfully as she turned to her hero and took a breath in and out as she looked at the masked Webhead.
"I'm Sarina Tendouji! I'm eleven, turning twelve in a few months! And… I'm Spider-Man's number one fan!"
She declared the title of the biggest fan in front of the superhero as he just stared at her for a moment. Then a small yet amusing chuckle escaped from his mouth as he folded his arms.
"I can see your dedication, it is honestly nice to meet a fan of mine. I'm guessing you have seen me on the news often?"
The moment he finished his sentence, he wished he hadn't said that; he was immediately worried that it would have sounded the wrong way to her. But to his surprise and relief, it didn't; instead, she showed a small grin as she pulled out something from her bed.
Sekinin notices it was a newspaper, and on the front cover was him swinging with a guy on his right arm, looking scared for his life. The title in bold says: "WHO IS THE SPIDER?" That was when he realized it was in the morning newspaper when someone managed to get a clear picture of him saving the guy's life.
The day when everyone was getting informed of his vigilante work, Sekinin himself looked amused when he saw the newspaper with himself in it. This also marked the day when his month-long superhero work had begun. He was honestly surprised that someone still read the newspaper and had the first paper in which he ever appeared.
Newspapers like those are hard to find the first and second paper, especially since you would see different kinds of what the news decided to put on as the main focus of the day, every day.
"Wow, I actually can't believe you kept this newspaper."
"How could I not? You suddenly showed up one night, saving someone who spoke highly of you which managed to get more people to hear about you. Then Gorou-san gave me this very newspaper that mentioned your first appearance."
Sekinin turned to the doctor, now named Gorou, as he nodded, confirming that he did indeed get the newspaper for her.
"I'll be honest, it was quite difficult to find the very first cover story of you as every paper was sold out immediately after those few hours. I was lucky that someone decided to put that exclusive paper back as I grabbed it. Oh! Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Gorou Amamiya, a medical doctor."
Sekinin offers a handshake to Gorou as he compile as the two shake hands with
"I'm sure you study hard to get where you are right now. Must have been a long journey from what I heard about people with medical degrees."
The moment Sekinin said that, the expression on Gorou's face quickly turned from sadness to pride as Sekinin noted that he must have unintentionally said an unintentional sentence involving his life. While Sekinin didn't know what it was, the fact that the doctor's expression changed must have gone through a lot.
"Yeah, it's… It has been a long journey for me to get here. I'm doing the best I can for my patients, including Sarina. And honestly, it's quite hard for… Is it alright if I explain your…?"
Sarina looks conflicted about having her hero know about her illness being known to her hero. While at the same time, Sekinin was also conflicted about the condition he heard that Sarina had. For a girl like her to have the very illness that caused her body to be how he saw her, it was something no one should ever go through.
"You don't have to explain. I can tell what the illness is. And honestly, I doubt either you or her will want to explain it or hear its name again, especially… If you don't mind me asking, how long was she in this hospital for?"
He didn't want to ask about it, but he couldn't stop his mouth from speaking. But a moment was full of silence before Gorou spoke.
"The day she was admitted to this hospital for the illness to be treated. We're… Doing the best we can. We can hope that…"
Gorou watched as, in his own mind, he felt that Spider-Man knew what the illness was and wished to avoid having Sarina hear of what Gorou considered to be bad news. Or pretty much anything related to the illness.
"Sarina would someday be able to go back to live the life that was taken from her."
Sarina looked at her doctor then at Spider-Man, before she or anyone could say something. Gorou turned to the clock as he realized the time.
"Ah! I need to check in with another patient. Spider-Man if you have extra free time, which I kinda hope you do. Could you please look after Sarina while I'm gone? I completely understand if you're busy with your hero work and all."
"You don't have to worry, I'm alright with losing a few minutes. Besides, I can pretty much swing my way to the crime quicker than a car. Do your duty as a doctor, because when you help someone, you help everyone."
Gorou heard those last few words as he noticed the tone in Spider-Man, it wasn't just words he was speaking out of his mouth, it was something of value to keep in mind. With a determined smile, he turned to Sarina, telling her that if he ever needed him, just press the red button on the remote as he left.
Sarina greeted him as she turned to Spider-Man, who decided to hang upside down with a web on the ceiling. A sight that Sarina didn't think she would be able to see up close.
"Well, Miss Tendouji, I have perhaps a few minutes before I have to actually leave. So, anything you wish to know, at least within my abilities to try to answer them."
Sarina immediately thought of what she could even say, what questions he could answer. So after thinking about it for a moment she decided on one.
"Why did you decide to become a superhero?"
She wanted to know what motivated him to save the people he saves every day. Sekinin was a bit surprised by this but he expressed a sad smile, despite the smile not being visible to her.
"Because, I have the power to do absolutely anything. The power to do the unthinkable and the unimaginable. Despite what you see on TV, there are times when… It isn't enough, even to save a single life. I failed to save someone's life, so I'm determined not to have that happen to others. I'll make sure that no matter what, I'll always be there for everyone. It is my responsibility to do the right thing."
Sarina stared at Spider-Man for a moment. Taking in what he said, then looking at the newspaper in her hands. She opened it up as she saw half of the wording of how many people he saved. How he was able to do it, and how helpful he is in ensuring the well-being of those he saved.
She smiled as she turned to her hero, and she began to ask more questions, and it went on for an hour.
Sekinin soon had to go as he got a crime notification alert on his phone, which he programmed half a month ago to keep track of the crimes as there is yet again, another car crash in progress. With a sigh, he said goodbye to Sarina as he promised her that he would visit again if he had time.
Sarina understood this as she gave him good luck, as she said, as his number one fan, she'll be cheering him on. Sekinin looked back at her for a moment before telling her he'll need it before swinging off once again to stop another insane driver.