Chapter 129: Great Responsibility - part 2

Someone kicked off the wall, soared through the air on a wire, and landed gracefully on the rooftop like a cat.

The woman in the black rider suit with silver hair… Black Cat, Felicia Hardy.

Felicia brushed back her hair and turned her gaze toward me.

"Nice night, Spider."

"…Is it?"

I looked up at the sky. The moon was hidden behind the clouds.
New York was pitch dark. Only the lights of the skyscrapers illuminated us.

Felicia laughed at my doubt.

"For someone like me, it’s a nice night."

…Because she’s a thief, huh.
The darkness would naturally be her ally.

Under my mask, I let out a wry smile before speaking.

"You’re not going to ask how I got here first?"

"Of course not. A good woman never panics."

For a moment, the image of Michelle spilling cereal everywhere and panicking popped into my head.

I shook it away. Now wasn’t the time for that.

We were standing on one of the Maggia’s hideouts… on its rooftop.
By using Mr. Stark’s trace-back app, I had predicted her destination and managed to get here ahead of her.

She must have been planning to make a deal with the Maggia here.

I steeled myself and spoke up.

"Felicia, could you give me the antidote you have?"

"After the deal with the Maggia. If there’s any left."

"That won’t work."

We locked eyes.

Her words sounded, at first glance, like an answer that would leave no one unhappy.
But considering the Maggia’s scale… there’s no way the antidote for Devil’s Breath, in that quantity, would be enough.

It was hard to imagine any surplus remaining.

Sure, if her plan succeeded, no one would get hurt.
But that was if it succeeded.

To be absolutely safe, I needed to secure the antidote now and hand it over to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s research facility.

She looked at my hands… and gave me a sly, mischievous smile.

"If you buy it from me, I won’t mind."

"…Uh, how much?"

If money could solve it, then that was fine by me.
I thought about my entire savings, about my college scholarship—

"How about ten thousand dollars?"

My thoughts froze.

Ten… thousand?
The sheer number made my head spin.

"…Huh? Are you serious?"

"Dead serious. Can’t you pay?"

"A-ah, no… well…"

I was just a broke student.
My tuition was covered by the non-repayable September Grant Scholarship.
Food and living expenses came out of my part-time jobs, barely scraping by.

Michelle even insisted on paying for me whenever she could.

At the very least, I had nowhere near that kind of cash.

"…Hmmm?"

Seeing me fluster, Felicia curved her black-rouged lips into a smile.

"If you can’t pay, I’ll take something else."

"Something… else?"

"Yes. I’m generous, so I’ll give you another option."

Felicia stepped closer and ran her hand over my chest.

"Spider, if you—"

And then, with a sultry smile:

"If you became mine, I might consider it."

She pressed her body against me, emphasizing her chest.
Her expression carried just a faint trace of vulnerability… enough to make my chest ache.

The overwhelming allure, the tempting scent of perfume.
A gesture that could topple almost any man.

But—

"Sorry… that’s not possible."

I shook my head.

"…And why not?"

"I already have a girlfriend."

"So what? What does that matter?"

Huh?
I blinked in confusion. Normally, that would be enough to make someone back off… right?

"Wait, I mean… I do have a girlfriend."

"Then just dump her and come to me instead. I’ll never bore you."

My cheek twitched.
…Right. She’s a thief.

The kind of person who wouldn’t give up just because what she wanted belonged to someone else.

But more than that—

"N-no, no, that wouldn’t be right."

"Wouldn’t it? The order’s just off, that’s all. I just happened to come late."

The back of my neck prickled.
My spider-sense was tingling.

Not from Felicia.
Then was it the Maggia?
No… something else.

Breaking into a cold sweat, I pushed Felicia away.

"N-no means no!"

"…How boring."

I cleared my throat.

"Anyway… to prevent casualties, I need that antidote."

"I see. Well, that has nothing to do with me."

She said it without a hint of remorse.
The gesture made me frown.

"I just don’t believe you’re the kind of person who’d let others get hurt."

"You’re giving me too much credit. It’s true, I don’t like hurting people for no reason."

Felicia furrowed her brows just a little, and gave a resigned, bitter smile.

"But I’m not some bleeding heart like you, either."

…Her reply made me suspicious.

"Why do you need money so badly? If it’s something I could help with—"

"You can’t. It’s impossible. You can barely handle your own life."

"That… might be true, but still—"

"The only thing you can do is ‘let me go.’ Nothing else."

I clenched my hands.
The sharp creak echoed, like the sound of my heart straining.

"You’ve got incredible talent. I want you to use it to help people… And I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of you. I—"

"I love you, Spider. Well then, until next time—"

She started to walk past me.

Past me.

And then… memories flashed in my head.

The time a robber passed me by, when I let him go.
The time that very robber killed Uncle Ben.

If I did nothing, I’d regret it again.

Before I realized it—

"…Persistent, aren’t you."

I was gripping her arm.

"Felicia… I can’t just let you—"

Suddenly, my vision spun.
She yanked me hard, flipping me, and before I knew it, I hit the ground, rolling across it.
That’s when I understood—she had thrown me so cleanly, so skillfully.

"Persistent men aren’t very popular, you know."

"S-still──"

I pushed myself up from the ground, bracing on one hand—

"Negotiations have broken down."

Footsteps echoed.
Felicia frowned and turned her gaze toward the sound.

"…So, you’re his stalker, then?"

"No. I’m not."

It was Nightcap—Michelle—standing there.

…She had originally intended to take the antidote from Black Cat by force.

But I had opposed that.
I wanted to convince her.
I believed we could understand each other.

…But I failed to convince her.
So Michelle showed herself.

"Besides, the stalker is you. You even put a tracker on him."

"…Hmph. So you were the one who orchestrated this little farce."

"This isn’t a farce. He’s only trying to stop you from making a mistake."

"Unneeded meddling. I don’t want to be measured by your rulers of ‘right’ or ‘foolish.’"

The air grew heavier.
Michelle took a step forward, closing in on Felicia.

"Felicia Hardy. Hand over the antidote."

"…No."

"You seem mistaken. You don’t have the right to refuse."

Pressed by Michelle’s intensity, Felicia took a step back.

"You rejected a painless deal. So now you’ll have to endure some pain."

"You always resort to violence."

"Unfortunately, that’s what I’m good at."

"Pathetic."

"I’m well aware."

The atmosphere grew heavier still.
Felicia’s frown was plain to see, and Michelle continued to needle her with provocations.

Michelle never provokes without reason.
She must be doing it to keep Felicia from escaping.

Not exactly the kind of thing I like… but she was doing what I couldn’t.

So—

In an instant, Michelle closed the distance between them.
Her sudden change in stride caught Felicia off guard.

"…!"

She seized Felicia’s arm, trapping it with her knee—

And slammed her down to the ground.
The two of them rolled, bodies entangled.

"Ow, damn it!"

"I meant for it to hurt."

"…Tch. You’re infuriating."

Felicia planted her hand on the ground, bent her leg, and hooked Michelle’s arm with it.
Twisting her body, she began to lock the arm.

"You’re awfully flexible."

"…Tch!"

She must have realized it was useless.
Michelle’s vibranium suit made her nearly impervious.
Ordinary strength couldn’t even scratch it.

"Hand over the antidote. Then I won’t need to hurt you further."

"…This is mine."

Felicia tried to slip away, her body moving like a cat’s, twisting to escape Michelle’s grasp.

But Michelle’s sheer strength clamped down. Her effort was meaningless.

"Then I’ll just take an arm instead."

"…!"

I heard the creak of bones under strain.

This wasn’t a bluff.
She truly meant to break it.

…That wasn’t like her.

And before I knew it, I—

"W-wait!"

I stopped Michelle.

Felicia wasn’t an evil person.
She only prioritized her goals above all else.
But to go as far as injuring her…

It felt like Michelle was desperate for something.

…I didn’t know what, but still.

"If her spirit won’t break, then her body should. That’s all I thought."

"Even so, you can’t. That’s wrong…!"

Michelle turned her eyes on me.

"……"

"We can still understand each other. Hurting one another, shouting at each other… I don’t want that. Not ever."

"…Spider."

Felicia lowered her gaze.

"She isn’t a villain. You know that too. Hurting someone just to force your will when things don’t go your way… That’s wrong."

Michelle held my gaze without looking away… then let out a small breath.

"…I’m sorry."

I quietly apologized… and released Felicia from her restraints.

"…………"

Felicia looked back and forth between me and Michelle as if she couldn’t believe it… then sat down.

"…Are you alright, Felicia?"

"Y-Yes… it hurts a little, though."

I noticed her holding her shoulder. …I turned my eyes toward Michelle.

"…………"

Michelle folded her arms and looked away from me. That gesture made me, without thinking… tug on her hand.

"Sorry, I might’ve been too harsh."

"…No, it’s fine. I was at fault… I was impatient."

Impatient? About what… was she impatient?

While my doubt lingered, Michelle slowly lowered her gaze toward Felicia.
"…My apologies."

Then, she bowed her head. The sudden change from earlier made Felicia tilt her head slightly.

"What are you? He tells you to stop and you actually stop… You’re like his lapdog. A slave? Or maybe a dog?"

Felicia muttered the insult under her breath. Even hearing it, Michelle’s posture didn’t waver.

"…I’m his partner."

"Partner?"

Michelle’s vague words made Felicia frown.
The word "partner" was too broad. Without any specifics, it sounded evasive.

Felicia shifted her gaze to me instead.

"…Spider, what is he to you? Why do you trust him so much?"

Still rubbing her shoulder, she stepped closer to me.

…Ah, I see. I think I finally understood why Felicia treated Michelle so coldly.

It must be because… Felicia trusts me. No—she’s trying to trust me.

And yet, I trust someone she doesn’t know, someone else… more than I trust her.

…That I’d put my faith in someone over her. That’s what casts a shadow over her heart.

"Felicia."

She’s always wary of men. That stems from her past.

That "man," Nightcap—an untrustworthy defector from the underworld.
For me to trust him unconditionally must really rub her the wrong way.

"She’s… my girlfriend."

But she was mistaken. It’s not "he," it’s "she."

…Felicia’s shoulder twitched.

"…Are you trying to dodge the question?"

"No, it’s the truth. She’s my girlfriend."

Felicia narrowed her eyes and glanced at Michelle. Michelle, still with her arms crossed, looked away from us.

"I see. I’d like to think I know you well enough to know you don’t lie about things like this."

"…Thank you."

"Don’t thank me. I didn’t say it to flatter you."

With a sigh of exasperation, Felicia walked past me and sat on top of the vent. …Michelle, who had been looking away, turned her gaze toward Felicia.

"Felicia Hardy. If you’re in need of money, I can—"

"No. You annoy me."

"I see."

Felicia slipped her hand into her chest pocket… and pulled out an ampoule containing the antidote. My body stiffened as I wondered what she planned to do.

"Spider."

"…Y-Yeah?"

"Are you really not going to be mine?"

I stole a glance at Michelle. She was leaning back against the brick wall, arms crossed… eyes cast down.

…It looked like what I said earlier, when I scolded her, had shaken her a little.

I pulled my gaze away from her and turned back to Felicia.

"…Sorry, Felicia. I don’t intend to break up with my girlfriend."

"Why? You and she… don’t seem to share the same values."

Michelle’s shoulder twitched. I shook my head.

"Different values aren’t a reason to stop loving someone."

"Is that so?"

"It is. She and I are different people. There’s no such thing as two people with identical values."

"…I wonder if that’s true."

"It’s because we’re different that we can lean on each other. We can fill in for the things the other can’t do. That kind of relationship… that’s the kind I believe in."

I clenched my hand tightly and stepped back a few paces. Both Michelle and Felicia came into my view.

These weren’t words meant "only" for Felicia.
I wanted Michelle to hear them too.

"Things you can’t do alone, you can do together if you have a partner… That’s what it means to be partners. That’s why, even if she does something that goes against my values, I could never hate her."

"…………"

Felicia tapped her arm with her finger, wearing an unreadable smile as she turned her gaze to Michelle. Slowly, she opened her mouth.

"Spider, she’s hiding something. She’s lying to you."

"…………"

Michelle did not deny it.
Her silence was an affirmation.

It was true. There was a trace of urgency in her actions.
Something unlike her usual self.

But—

"I know that."

"…Even though she’s betraying your trust, why can you still trust her?"

Michelle glanced at me.
Perhaps out of guilt, she couldn’t meet my eyes directly.

"She would never hurt me. No matter what happens, I know that won’t ever change."

Felicia’s expression twisted bitterly at my words.

"…That’s quite the blind faith."

"No. It’s the truth."

My answer made Felicia frown, and she let out a sigh.

"I didn’t know. Your view on love is awfully childish."

"…R-really?"

"Yes. The world isn’t made up of pretty ideals. You should know that."

Saying that, Felicia tossed me the ampoule containing the antidote.

I caught it in my hand.
Perhaps because of her body heat, it felt faintly warm.

"Felicia…"

"This is compensation. A thank-you for stopping her… It doesn’t mean I was swayed."

"Even so, thank you."

"…You really are a stubborn, soft-hearted spider."

She gave a sharp sniff and dropped down from the vent.
Then Felicia pointed her finger at Michelle.

"If you ever fight with her, come to me. I’ll comfort you."

"Ah—no, that probably… won’t happen. Sorry."

"…I see. A shame."

She stepped back a few paces and placed her foot on the edge of the building.

"Farewell, Spider."

"Ah—"

Without waiting for my reply, she leapt into the air, soaring down.

I turned my gaze to Michelle.

She stood with her arms crossed.
Not saying anything. Not moving.
Just standing there.

"…Michelle."

Deliberately, I called her name.

Her black mask turned toward me.
Reflected in it was the red mask I wore.

"…………"
"…………"

She was hiding something.
There was something she hadn’t told me.

And she was anxious about that “something.”

She probably felt guilty about it too.

Silence flowed between us.

Wanting to break this stifling air, I spoke.

"…Let’s go home, Michelle."

"…But—"

"It’s fine. Let’s go back and talk."

"…You’re right."

I reached out and took her hand.
The hand clad in vibranium armor.

And I knew—
that beneath this armor was a hand that looked delicate, fragile.

Beneath her strength, she hid her sensitivity.
Not just physically.
But in her heart as well.

Beneath the strength of being a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, she hid the weakness of a girl her age.

I squeezed her hand and pulled her closer.
I embraced her—and fired a webline into the air.

"It’s alright, Michelle."

"…I’m sorry."

"It’s okay. Because I know—you’ll do the things I can’t."

And like that, I pulled her along, running across the New York skyline.

We slipped through the gaps between skyscrapers, flying through the night.

The night wind cooled the heat that still lingered in my body.

---

When we returned to my room… Michelle released the joints of her armored suit and stripped it off.

Beneath it, she revealed herself in the black, bulletproof, knife-resistant bodysuit she always wore.

Her face looked… terribly pained.
As if she were filled with regret.

I removed my mask too, facing her directly.

"Michelle… are you hiding something fr—"

"About earlier… I’m sorry."

Her apology cut off my words.

It felt like she was dodging the question, but even so, I nodded.

"…No, I should be the one apologizing. You’re only pushing yourself for the sake of your mission, and yet… I haven’t done anything. Still, I lectured you."

"It’s fine. I’m glad you stopped me… At that moment, I’d lost my composure."

"Michelle…"

She lowered her brows and turned her face toward me.

"Peter… if I ever become a burden to you… you can abandon me anytime."

The words came out one by one, each dripping with self-loathing.

I shook my head.

"No. I’ve never thought of you as a burden."

"That’s until now… but—"

"Not just until now. Never. I’ll never think of you that way. I want to be with you, always… so don’t say something so sad."

"Peter…"

Michelle took a few steps closer to me, reached out her hand—then pulled it back. With her other hand, she covered it, turning her gaze away.

"There’s something… I haven’t told you."

"…Yeah, I know."

I held her hand.

Michelle’s eyes widened slightly, looking at me. They were wet with tears.

"Michelle…"

I felt pathetic.

Since when…?
Since when had she been keeping secrets from me?
Why hadn’t I noticed?

I pulled her hand gently and sat her down on the bed. Then I sat beside her.

"…………"
"…………"

Slowly, she leaned against me.
Softly, lightly, she let her weight rest on me.

For a while, we simply stayed like that.
Silent. Quiet.

A peaceful time passed.
Our hands still joined, warmth flowing between us.

…Then, after neither too long nor too short a time, she finally spoke.

"Peter, you know… I had a dream."

"A dream?"

"Mm… I’ve never had a dream before, not once."

Now that she mentioned it… she had said that before.
That she never dreamed.

And yet, now she had.

"It was a terrible dream. A dream where something precious to me was destroyed."

"Is that… what’s been making you so anxious?"

"No… yes, but that’s not all."

Michelle was trembling.
I could feel it through her hand in mine.

"Peter… have you ever had a dream?"

"Huh? …Yeah, of course."

"Dreams are possibilities. What you see in your dreams are said to be memories of yourself from a distant parallel world… from the multiverse."

"…Yeah."

Doctor Strange—Stephen—had told me the same thing once.
That dreams are the memories of myself existing in parallel worlds of the multiverse.

So it was easy to accept.

"But I can’t dream. Because… this is the only world where I exist."

"…What?"

"The ‘Watcher’s Eye’ inside me… I think that irregularity is the only reason I’m alive at all."

She placed her hand against her chest.

"The dream I saw… wasn’t my own memory from another world. Through the Watcher’s Eye, I must have read someone else’s memories…"

Michelle’s eyes shimmered.
Her breathing grew ragged.

"What I saw… was a world much like this one. A world almost identical to here…"

"Michelle…"

"I knew. I knew it all along…! And yet I looked away, ran from it…!"

"Michelle…!"

Before I realized it, I was gripping her hand tightly.
I stroked her back, trying to steady her breathing.

"What did you see?"

I asked gently, wanting to ease her fears.

"…I saw someone die."

Michelle bit down on her lip.

"I saw someone precious to me die."

"That must have been… painful, but—"

"…I saw you die, Peter."

"…What?"

My grip slackened. Michelle turned her face toward me.

"Spider-Man isn’t invincible. His life is always in danger… I knew that. I knew it, and yet I convinced myself you’d never die."

Her trembling voice wove the words together.

"I’m scared. I’m terrified of you dying, Peter…!"

"Michelle…"

"That’s why, that’s why… I don’t want you to throw yourself into danger. I’ll handle everything myself…"

Her trembling voice dissolved into sobs, spilling out as if she were vomiting pain, anxiety, and fear all at once.

…She’d been suffering like this, all along.
And I hadn’t noticed.

But even so—

"I’m your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man."

"…I know."

"So if someone nearby is about to get hurt, I have to help them."

"…I know that too."

Michelle understood.
She knew that no matter what she said, I would never quit being Spider-Man.

That’s why she stayed silent, trying instead to push me away from danger.
To erase the risks.
That’s why she’d been so desperate.

"Michelle…"

"…You can be disappointed in me."

Michelle’s words slipped out like self-loathing.

"In the end, I can’t save everyone. To save one person… I end up choosing priorities, cutting others away."

Her confession was a whispered penance.

"For someone like me to even think of being a hero… it’s arrogant. Shameless."

Tears trailed down her cheeks, soaking into the bedsheet.

"That’s why I—"

"You’re my partner."

I couldn’t let her demean herself any further.
So I cut her words short.

"Peter…"

"I don’t care about the definition of a hero. For me, if you can help people, that’s enough."

I poured my feelings into her.

"There are people who are alive today because of what you’ve done. Isn’t that enough?"

"…………"

Michelle gave a small, truly small nod.
She hadn’t fully accepted it, but she agreed with my reasoning.

"And besides… I won’t stop being Spider-Man."

"…Peter."

"So I need you to support me."

"…H-huh?"

Michelle blinked, caught off guard.

"If I’m about to die, I need you to save me. If you do that… then we’ll be fine."

"…Th-that’s…"

"Because in that world where I died… Michelle wasn’t there, right?"

Michelle’s eyes widened, realizing what I meant.

"That’s why it’s okay. I have a reliable partner. I won’t die."

"…Peter…"

I wiped away my partner—my lover’s—tears with my finger.

"Peter… I’m sorry."

"It’s fine. I don’t mind."

Michelle reached out to me… and embraced me.

"…Just let me stay like this. For a while."

"For a while? No… for as long as you want."

Holding her trembling body, I lay back with her on the bed.

I wanted her to pour out all her fears and anxieties onto me.

Because I love her.
Because I truly love her.

So I wanted to take it all in. Every last bit of it.

The shoulders I held were so small.