Chapter 127: Creeping Shadow - part 3

A man in a business suit wearing a mask—a member of "Demon"—was walking.

In his right hand… a black, misty sword.

Standing at the entrance of the large room used as a warehouse, he seemed to notice a noise coming from deeper inside.

He tightened his guard and proceeded further in.
His grip on the sword grew firmer.

And then, when he reached the source of the noise… he found some collapsed cardboard boxes.

『…Seriously, stacking them so carelessly.』

There were also other boxes piled around in a messy manner.
With not a shred of tidiness, it was no surprise that they had collapsed from some small trigger.

He lowered his guard—

The very next moment, I dropped down from above him… and slapped webs onto both of his shoulders.

『Wha—』

Twisting my wrists, I lifted him up while tightening the webbing around his neck.
Yanked up until he was brushing the ceiling, his mask was ripped away—he flailed his eyes in confusion, clearly not understanding what was happening.

『Spa—』

Careful not to suffocate him, I tore off his mask and plastered webs across his face.
With his mouth and eyes sealed, I stuck him to the ceiling as he was.

"This makes five…"

I glanced around. Sure enough, the ceiling was already dotted with guys plastered up just like him.
…Any more and this place is bound to get noticed. I should move.

Still clinging to the ceiling, I fiddled with the earpiece in my ear.
Clearing my throat, I pitched my voice lower.

"Hello, this is Spidey Spy. Do you copy?"

『…I’m not here to play pretend with you.』

"Sorry."

When I’m acting as Spider-Man, the quips just come out.
It’s how I deal with fear, nerves, all that kind of stuff.

At my core, I’ve always been a coward.

『From there: two on the left, one fifty meters straight ahead. But the one in front is hidden behind cover—if they stay down, they won’t be a problem.』

"Got it. I’ll take care of the ones on the left first."

I whispered back.

Through the night vision and infrared functions built into the suit, Michelle was tracking the enemies’ positions and feeding them to me for support.

Crawling along the ceiling, I slipped outside the warehouse… Sure enough, two targets to the left.

I let down a thin, nearly invisible thread of web.
My aim: the one walking behind.

"Express trip to the ceiling, coming right up."

The web stuck—

『Huh? What the—』

I slammed him into the ceiling.
A quick jolt from an electric web knocked him out cold, and I dropped to the floor.

The instant my presence was felt, the other one spun around—

『You—!』

"Hey there."

Planting my hands on the ground, I flipped up like a handstand and kicked him square in the face, knocking him out.

I wrapped him tightly in webbing, grabbed him with both hands, and hurled him upward.
Pinned him to the ceiling. Perfect.

With this section’s Demons dealt with, I rummaged through the containers inside.
Assault rifles, bronze swords, spear-like weapons… but not what I was looking for.

I reactivated the earpiece.

"Looks like 'Smelly Breath—Devil’s Breath' isn’t here. Any leads on your end?"

『Devil’s Breath is sealed in a large capsule, about a meter long. There’s only one other place big enough to store something like that.』

"And that would be…?"

『Near Mister Negative.』

Still perched cross-legged on the ceiling, I rubbed the back of my neck.
Mister Negative, huh. Creepy guy. Not exactly someone I want to get close to.

"Alright, I’ll go check it out."

『…If you sense danger, pull out immediately.』

"Yeah, yeah. Understood."

When it’s your girlfriend worrying, it really hits home.
She’s the only one who cares about me anyway.

Okay, time to check my web cartridges.
Remaining… 7%!

Uh oh.

Should’ve topped them off this morning instead of being stingy.
Hero work is rough on a broke student.

Not that I’m quitting.

Crawling along the ceiling… Alright, I made it without Mister Negative noticing.
But seriously, he’s creepy.

Like a living negative photo in black and white, he pried open a large wooden crate.

…A white, oversized capsule.
Through the glass window at its center, I could see the red liquid inside.

Found it. That’s Devil’s Breath.
How do I know? Because my Spider-Sense is buzzing like crazy.

I slipped into the ducts of the tangled ceiling.
Below, Mister Negative was speaking to his subordinates.

『The time has come to repay our debts. We will show Maggia the wrath of our anger.』

…So he’s the speech-giving type.
Weird place for it, though, standing right in front of Devil’s Breath.

If I could just sneak it up and out… nah, I’d definitely get caught.

『This is punishment. The righteous fury of the oppressed shall—』

Suddenly, the room’s lights turned red.
At the same time, alarms blared.

『…An intruder?』

Wh-what the—?

While I hesitated, Michelle’s voice came through.

『Spider-Man, someone triggered the emergency alarm inside the factory ruins. Evacuate immediately.』

"E-evacuate? Easier said than done…"

There’s no skylight here.
The only exit is through the entrance.

…Or maybe through the windows lined with Demons—

"…Ah."

Outside the window, a black shadow darted past.
…Felicia.

She must’ve stolen something she was after, then got spotted by the Demons?
No… Felicia doesn’t make mistakes like that.
And if she was really escaping from an alert, there’d be pursuers behind her—but there aren’t.

…Wait. Did Felicia press the emergency button herself?

It clicked.

She’s dumping the Demons onto us so she can make a clean getaway!
She pulled the same stunt last year and I still fell for it… guess I haven’t learned a thing.

As I covered my face with my hand, Mister Negative tilted his head below.

『An uninvited guest… or perhaps—』

He rubbed his wrist, eyes lifting upward.

『A spider?』

Our eyes met.

…Ah, yeah, no way I’m getting out of this one, huh?

I waved at the Demons below, who were already squaring up for a fight.

"Good evening—uh, I mean, good night. Just doing some plumbing maintenance, don’t mind me, carry on."

Each of them drew their weapons.
Swords, spears, whips… all of them shrouded in that black mist.

…Yeah, those wouldn’t just hurt if they hit.

『Finish him. Go, corpse fiends.』

The crack of a whip split the air, snapping toward me.

"Whoa—!"

I kicked off the ceiling, barely dodging.
The overhead duct split clean in two—I sucked in a breath.

Landing on the floor, I turned my eyes toward the Demons.
Two of them grabbed hold of the capsule containing Devil’s Breath.

『We could win this fight, but we won’t risk it. Farewell, Spider-Man.』

Mister Negative gave the order.
He was planning to pull out, taking the capsule and those two with him.

"H-hey, wait! How about a nice cup of tea to get acquainted—"

A sword slashed down.
I backflipped away and planted my feet on the wall.

"Ow!? I wasn’t finished talking!"

I dodged a spear. Then a whip.
I made it look easy, but the truth was, every dodge was by a hair’s breadth.

One hit could mean death—that’s how dangerous these strikes were.
I was relying on my Spider-Sense just to keep slipping away… but at this rate, Mister Negative was going to escape!

The alarms blared, painting the world around me blood red as I fought.

『Shaaaa!』

With a roar, a Demon slashed his sword downward.
I stepped back half a pace, dodging, and countered with a punch—

But a spear came flying.
I stepped back several more paces to avoid it.

…By the time I realized it, I’d been driven further away from them.
And Mister Negative was nowhere to be seen.

This was bad.

"Look, if you don’t wanna get hurt, just let me through, alright?"

I tried threatening them, but instead—

『Vanish!』
『Die, you spider freak!』
『Filthy M$%#$F%#$r!』

…Yeah, that’s a no.

"Wow, everyone’s got such great manners tonight!"

Shouting, the Demons rushed me.

I wanted to counterattack, but no matter how much I dodged, their attacks just kept coming.

The Demons’ relentless assault pressed on.
…Oh, now one of them’s got nunchaku!
And there’s a scimitar, and even chakrams!

"What is this, a weapons convention? You guys should rename yourselves the Demon Circus Act!"

『Shut your mouth!』

A sword closed in.
A spear closed in.
And multiple other weapons all at once.

My Spider-Sense screamed from every direction at once.

At this rate, I’d be worn down.
I’d have to risk taking some hits and start knocking them out by force—

Crash!

A window shattered.

What came in was clad in black armored costume…

"Ni—Nightcap!"

It was Michelle.
She must have sensed I was in trouble and came running to help.

『A new foe!』

One of the nearby Demons reacted instantly, raising his axe—

Michelle grabbed his wrist.
The axe, the arm—didn’t budge an inch.

『Out of my way.』

As she said that, Michelle swept her leg.
Not just any sweep—

A low kick powered by her super-soldier serum–enhanced physique.
It carried the impact of a truck collision.

And of course, a human body couldn’t possibly endure that kind of force.

『Gyaaahhh!』

Screaming in agony, the Demon spun three full rotations in the air, pivoting around the wrist Michelle held.
His limbs flailed, not touching the ground once, before his body slammed into the wall.

…I once saw a superhuman get hit by a compact car.
It looked about the same.

『「『…………』」』

For a moment, silence fell.

Even the Demons in front of us gasped at what they’d just witnessed.
A few seconds passed—

『Kill her!』

Coming back to their senses, the Demons swung their swords at Michelle.

I quickly shot a webline to one attacker’s leg from behind.
Yanking hard, he stumbled forward—and Michelle drove her knee up into his falling face.

His head snapped back from the impact, and he dropped, unconscious.

I moved to Michelle’s side, standing shoulder to shoulder with her.

"Nice teamwork"

『……I didn’t need the backup.』

"I know, but it just came out instinctively, so I couldn’t help it."

The 'Demons' were struggling against me alone. And now, there were two of us.

The balance broke, and one by one, they were taken down.

"Where’s Mister Negative!?"

I struck a 'Demon' wielding a chakram, sending him flying.

『He’s fleeing. He’s already gone from here.』

Michelle grabbed a 'Demon’s' arm and slammed him into the wall.

"Then we’ve gotta finish this quickly… and chase after him!"

I kicked a 'Demon'. As he staggered—

『……No, this is as far as it goes.』

Michelle slammed the back of her hand into the 'Demon’s' face.

"Huh?"

By the time I let out that dumb sound, every last 'Demon' had already been knocked to the ground. All of them unconscious.

I brushed the dust off my feet and turned my gaze to Michelle.

『Even if we chased now, it would just be a blind search. In this darkness, finding them would be nearly impossible… meaningless.』

"But, but—"

There’s no way I can just sit around and do nothing. If we try hard enough, maybe we can catch up… and besides—

"What if they use 'Devil’s Breath'—"

『In two days, there will be a birthday celebration for one of the Maggia executives. They value family bonds greatly… meaning many members will gather.』

Michelle raised a finger.

『Because of the capsule’s structure, 'Devil’s Breath' can only be used once. They’re not idiots… they’ll choose their moment carefully. We still have time.』

"Even so… I can’t just do nothing…!"

I pulled away from Michelle and moved to head outside. If she wasn’t going to chase them, then I would. I’d just do it on my own.

『Wait.』

"…!"

The moment I tried to leave, she grabbed my arm.

"C-could you let go…?"

『You’re completely exhausted, and you’ve barely got any web fluid left. I don’t think you’d lose, but if you go after them now, it won’t end well.』

She was right. They probably wouldn’t put their plan into motion until the day after tomorrow. My body was worn out… and I’d surely run out of web fluid soon.

Maybe it really was better to rest and resupply.

Even so—

"Even if I get hurt, if there’s even the slightest chance someone else could get hurt, then I have to stop it. That’s why—"

『…………』

She pulled on my arm and threw me down to the ground.

『That self-sacrificial spirit is a virtue. But it’s also a bad habit. Cool your head.』

She sure has learned to say things like that. She used to be worse than me when it came to disregarding herself… I should be glad she’s changed, but right now, I really wished she’d let it slide.

With my hand on the ground, I lifted my face toward Michelle, who was looking down at me.

"…Move."

『No.』

I raised my arm—

My fist—

There’s no way I could hit her. I knew that.

Her words were rational, and I knew it was because she was worried about me. I couldn’t hurt someone like that.

Michelle exhaled deeply.

『And if you recklessly chase them, they might use 'Devil’s Breath' like a cornered rat. In the middle of the city, where no one’s been evacuated. The casualties would be massive.』

"…I… see."

Her reason was solid. I lowered my arm, because she was undeniably right.

"Then, what should I do…?"

『…Go home and sleep. Cool your head.』

"…What about you?"

『I still have to handle the handover to S.H.I.E.L.D. I need to stay at the scene.』

"…I see, got it. I’ll—"

『Go home first. If you stick around, you’ll only cause trouble.』

…Yeah.

『From S.H.I.E.L.D.’s perspective, I’m just some unidentified superhuman… so of course I’ll be treated as a potential threat.』

I’m useless. Just being there makes me a burden.

Feeling down, I placed my foot on the window frame.

"…Well then, um… I’ll head home first, okay?"

『Yeah. Do that.』

Michelle didn’t even turn her face toward me, her arms still crossed. I averted my gaze from her. It was unbearably awkward.

I understood what she said, and I knew she was right. But deep down, maybe part of me wanted to argue back. I’m not even sure myself.

Maybe she understood that feeling of mine too, because she didn’t press the matter.

We both had things we couldn’t compromise on, and that’s exactly why we needed to find common ground. Yet, I couldn’t bend my stance.

Was that the right thing to do, or the wrong thing? I couldn’t say. The only thing I did know was that I’d made her uncomfortable.

Turning my back on her, I shot a web upward. I climbed the wall and sat down on the rooftop.

After making sure no one was around, I buried my head in my hands.

"…Haa. Michelle was mad at me, wasn’t she…"

The night breeze made the feeling of self-loathing rise inside me.

"I really screwed up…"

The urgency I’d felt had already dissipated… leaving only regret. Michelle’s words had been like scolding a stubborn child.

…I stood up and fired another web. With lingering reluctance tugging at me, I turned my back on the old drug factory.

A few swings later, I landed on the roof of a small apartment building. I sat on the edge, legs dangling.

I just wanted a bit of calm in the night air.

"…………"

In silence, I clasped my hands together.

I’ve been helping people ever since I was young, pushing myself to the limit. My body and heart worn down, I just kept saving people with reckless abandon.

Because I believed it was the right thing to do.

But… Michelle knew. No, not just Michelle. Doctor Strange—Stephen—had told me too.

That I didn’t know how to make myself happy. That I carried a twisted sense of self-punishment, sacrificing myself to help others.

He was right.

Balancing caring for myself with protecting others—

"…It’s hard."

I let out a deep sigh.

"What is?"

A voice came from behind. I weakly turned my face toward it.

"…Felicia."

Clad in a black rider suit stood the Black Cat—Felicia Hardy.

I frowned slightly and tilted my head, remembering the scene from earlier… the blaring emergency alerts.

"You… you’re the one who set off the facility’s alarm, right?"

"Oh, forgive me. I needed it as a distraction to make my escape."

That irritated me a little. But I kept my cool, exhaling heated breath.

Even if she hadn’t triggered the alarm, whether we could’ve secured the 'Devil’s Breath' is questionable. There were too many 'Demons' there.

I pushed the thought away and spoke to her.

"So? What do you want? I thought you’d already run off."

"…Is it so bad to stay and chat for a little while?"

She slipped her hand into the neckline of her suit. Reflexively, I averted my eyes… when I looked back, she was holding a small ampoule filled with light blue liquid.

I narrowed my eyes.

"…That is?"

"When someone uses a powerful poison, they always prepare an antidote, don’t they? To make sure they’re not caught in the crossfire."

Which means—

"An antidote to 'Devil’s Breath'…?"

My eyes locked onto the ampoule.

"Strictly speaking, it works in the opposite way to 'Devil’s Breath.' With just this one, you could save about three hundred contaminated patients… or so I hear."

"A-amazing…! That’s a huge find, Felicia!"

I instinctively moved to rush over to her—only for her to step back.

"…Felicia?"

"I’m not handing this to you. Not yet."

My eyes went wide.

"Why—"

"I told you my goal is 'money,' didn’t I? I’m selling this to the Maggia."

"…Wait. But what about all the people who’ll get caught in the middle—!"

"Do I look that heartless? I’m not selling all of it to the Maggia. Whatever’s left over, I’ll give to you."

Beneath my mask, I frowned.

"Why not give it to me now…?"

"Because if I did, you’d just turn it over to S.H.I.E.L.D., wouldn’t you? Then they’d copy it however they please… and the value would plummet."

She was right on the mark.

To reduce the risk of someone else being put in danger—of course I’d do it.

Selling it to the mob? That thought would never even cross my mind.

"Felicia… I’m telling you, hand that over. Nothing good will come from this."

"Spider, I’m telling you too—be patient until I sell it."

Our gazes locked, and slowly we began circling each other, like predators sizing each other up. Felicia gave a faint smile.

"Was it a mistake, I wonder? I told you out of kindness, hoping to put you at ease."

"…Sorry for repaying kindness with hostility. But you knew this is how I’d react."

"…Heh, true enough. But still—"

Felicia suddenly tossed something my way. I caught it in my hand.

…A small, disc-shaped object.

This is—

"I’m very confident in my getaway skills."

BZZT!

A jolt of electricity shot through me. My vision flashed white, my knees buckling beneath me.

"Well then, let’s meet again, Spider."

"Wa… wait, Felicia…!"

"No. Cats are fickle."

Through the flashing whiteness of my vision, Felicia dashed away. She leapt off the edge—damn it!

I ripped the disc-shaped stun device off my hand and flung it aside.

"Kh…ghhh…!"

My body was still numb.

But I had to chase her!

I forced myself into motion, sprinted, and leapt off the rooftop.

Then, fired my web—

Thwip.

—Fired my web—

Thwip.

………Huh?

I glanced at my web-shooter. The cartridge showed 0% remaining.

In other words, I was out of ammo.

"Ah."

For a second I hallucinated Michelle, arms crossed, glaring at me. Her voice rang in my ears: "Refill your web-fluid properly, don’t cut corners."

And just like that, I plummeted straight down—

"Uwaaaah!?"

—into a large dumpster container attached to the apartment building.

With a crash like a thunderclap, I sank into the garbage. Trash bags burst, scattering everywhere.

"Owww…"

The sensation was disgusting. The fall was cushioned enough that I wasn’t injured, but my whole body throbbed dully.

…And the stench hit me.

I peeled a banana peel off my head and threw it aside.

Hauling my upper body up, I crawled out of the dumpster. I rolled onto the ground and looked toward the direction Felicia had fled.

…Great.

No idea how far she’d gotten by now.

Even if I gave chase, finding her would be next to impossible.

"…Haa."

I winced at the smell of rotting garbage as I staggered to my feet, leaning against a wall.

"If I’d known it’d turn out like this, I should’ve just gone straight home…"

Honestly, a complete disaster.

The villain got away. Things got awkward with Michelle. And Felicia slipped through my fingers.

Today’s luck must be the absolute worst.

Or maybe it’s all just my own screw-ups.

…If I’d been stronger, Mister Negative wouldn’t have escaped. If I’d realized Michelle’s intentions sooner and compromised, she wouldn’t be mad at me. If I’d listened to Felicia first instead of flatly denying her, maybe I could have persuaded her.

"…Some hero work this is."

For what felt like the hundredth time today, I sighed and pushed myself upright. Ugh, the smell.

I’d have to wash the suit too…

Dragging my feet, I walked off toward home—very differently from how I’d left it.

---

I leapt from rooftop to rooftop parkour-style, eventually reaching the roof of my apartment.

Sliding down the wall into the gap between buildings, I made my way toward my window.

My head was foggy, like a thick mist had settled inside it.
Yes, Mister Negative is troubling, but that’s not the weight pressing down on me.
This isn’t Spider-Man’s problem.
It’s Peter Parker’s.

It’s about my girlfriend, Michelle Jane.
She’s kind, patient—she’ll forgive me for what happened today.
She probably already has.
But that doesn’t erase the fact that I made her feel bad.

Gwen once told me something: little misunderstandings, left unresolved, are what ruin relationships.
Even if Michelle doesn’t dwell on it, the truth is I dragged her into a negative mood.
And if I’ve done that, then it’s on me to counterbalance it with something positive.

In other words—
I need to make it up to her.

But with what?

Clinging to the wall, I thought.

Michelle likes sweets.
I could buy her dessert, bribe her with sugar… ugh. Too predictable. I’ve done that before.
Take her on a date? Same deal. Routine.
Maybe a gift? Jewelry?
Take her somewhere she’s been wanting to go?

Or maybe—

…No. My thoughts just wouldn’t come together.

I slid the window open from the outside and slipped in.

Pulling off my mask, I exhaled deeply.
…ugh, I stink.

The suit’s going to need a wash.
And I’ve gotta restock my web fluid, too.

I sank down where I was and—

"Haah…"

A sigh escaped me.
People say sighing makes happiness run away.
But right now, happiness had already packed its bags.

…Someone’s here.

I froze. The presence was coming from the living room.

Slowly, warily, I crept forward and peeked inside.

At the big, cheap table in the middle of the room, a woman was sitting.

She turned as if she’d felt my gaze.

"…You’re late. Took a detour, Peter?"

There she was.
The very person who’d been haunting my thoughts—
my girlfriend, Michelle.
While I’d been stuck talking to Felicia, or trudging across half of New York, she must have come straight here.

But—

"…Michelle? How did you…?"

How did she get into my apartment? That answer was obvious.
She has a spare key.

So what I really meant was—why.

She narrowed her eyes at me.

"…Want a late-night snack?"

Ignoring my question, she picked up the box on the table.
Mac and cheese. Instant, ready-to-heat.

"Eh? Ah… sure, I’ll have some."

"Mm."

Her reply was short, clipped. She stood, spooning macaroni into a plate—

"Peter… about earlier. I’m sorry."

An apology.

For a second, I didn’t even process it.
But then I understood. She meant our argument.
I shook my head.

"W-why are you apologizing?"

"…Neither of us was exactly wrong. But my tone was… a little harsh."

Michelle slid the plate into the microwave, then turned to face me again.

"…Peter? I just don’t want you to hate me. That’s why I wanted to say sorry."

Her eyes darted away, her face showing just a hint of vulnerability—
and I couldn’t stop myself from rushing over.

"There’s no way I could ever hate you! Earlier—it was my fault, really, I—"

The words stuck in my throat as realization hit me.
She must’ve been wrestling with the exact same doubts I was.

Her self-esteem issues. My own blind spots.
We’re alike, in all the messy ways.

And suddenly, I felt ridiculous.
All that fog in my head? Just smoke from a fire that wasn’t even there.
I let out a helpless laugh.

"Peter?"

"No, it’s nothing. Just… I was thinking the same thing you were."

"…I’d never hate you, Peter."

She said it softly, and then she smiled. The same way I had just echoed her words, she was echoing mine.

The fog lifted.
My chest felt light, clear.
Her smile was back to normal, too—warm, steady, familiar.

"…I should take a shower before anything else. I kinda… fell into a dumpster earlier."

"…A dumpster? Why?"

"I’ll explain later. Don’t worry, I’m not hiding anything."

Because she’s my partner.
As Spider-Man.
As Peter Parker.

Honestly, I could smack myself for doubting that for even a second.
I’m not unlucky. I’m not cursed.
I’ve got her.
I’m happy.

And from now on, I won’t waste another sigh.