I don't own Spider-Man or Sword Art Online

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"Stupid jet lag." I grumbled after what was quite possibly the hundredth yawn of the day. If it was an option, I would've stayed home until the jet lag wore off. Unfortunately, it wasn't even worth discussing. If it wasn't for my high grades and the fact that Anna Watson, one of Aunt May's friends, had some connections to the school, I probably would've been stuck with homeschooling. Heck, between constantly falling asleep and the repeated tardiness, even homeschooling would be a shot in the dark. Not that we were rolling in money by this point. The sole reason I haven't been kicked out of school was that teachers were showing me a lot leeway. A preemptive shake if my head kept the thoughts from surfacing, though only barely.

While I've never exactly been Mr. Popularity, I had become admittedly withdrawn after It happened. It didn't help that the students treated me like I was a specimen under a microscope. So when lunch time came, I snuck away from all the people who were incessantly asking me questions about life in New York. Taking out the map the principal gave me with my class schedule, I started to head out towards my destination. In my mind, I already had my plan laid out: I would go in, clear my mind with a little work, maybe eat the food Aunt May made, and then go to the next class with all my classmates none the wiser.

The only problem was that I neglected to open the pamphlet ahead of time. Seeing the piece of paper was written in Japanese, a language I only barely understood, I felt a wave of dread creep inside me.

With a groan, I slid to the ground. Placing an arm over my eyes, I thought to myself, 'what a failure' as my eyes began to sting.

"Na-nani tetsudaimashou ka?" A feminine voice called out.

I pulled my arm away to see who was talking. With my vision restored, I saw a girl around my age wearing the school uniform. She had short, dark hair with white ribbons framing her bangs and half-rimmed glasses balanced on her nose. The moment the girl refused to meet me in the eyes was when I realized I had started crying even before she announced her presence.

"Eigo ka?" I asked, wiping my eyes.

"I-I asked if you needed help." She said.

"You wouldn't happen to know where the chemistry lab is, would you?" The girl nodded and pointed down the hallway.

"Go down this hallway then turn left. It'll be the first room on the right."

"Thanks. You're a life saver." I said to her as I rushed towards the direction of the laboratory to finish the compound before my lunch period ended. It wasn't until the laboratory was within my line-of-sight that I realized I didn't get the girl's name.

'I'll ask her if I run into her again.' I reminded myself.

Being back in my element, I started moving with a fluidity that would've made an onlooker believe I had grown up in this building. It didn't take long for me to finish what I set out to do and leave, though I did have to make sure to hide proof of my presence, since I wasn't exactly supposed to be here.

I was so engrossed in the movement that I barely got everything put up when the bell for the next class rang. Fortunately, there were more students around that I can get information from, though it took several tries before I found anyone who could speak enough English. Nothing much happened after that and the school day passed in a blur.

While leaving campus, a horrible realization revealed itself. The rush I was in this morning to not be tardy had caused me to leave all my recently converted money at the apartment. I walked away from the crowded area around the front gates to check my phone's GPS for the quickest way home. My search was halted at seeing something…unexpected. The alley was already filled with four girls. Even fresh from a different country, I was able to recognize a shakedown when I saw it. It was this knowledge that had me digging through my bag for my phone while Larry and Curly were standing on either side of a girl. Damsel in Distress was trapped between the three stooges. Unlike Damsel and the two stooges, I could see Moe's face. The remaining girl had narrow eyes and a pointed chin. Damsel in Distress was holding her bag tight in her hand, she turned to reveal Damsel was actually Ribbons, the girl who helped me earlier. My search was renewed at this, but I soon concluded that my phone was most likely with my wallet.

Ribbons was about to leave, only to be stopped by Moe. The girl slowly uncurled her fist to the shape of a gun. I almost face vaulted at seeing the Moe's stinginess. I would've chocked it up as some weird Japanese culture thing and just start walking away. That was if Ribbons didn't go ramrod straight, with the only visible movement being her quaking legs. My experience from New York was telling me it would be best to stay a nobody, but every cell in my body was urging me to help Ribbons. I was about to listen to the latter, when my mind provided a way to do both.

"Help!" I called out. "A girl's being mugged!"

Just as expected, the three ran out of the alley way. Once they were gone, I entered the alley. The girl was gasping for breath. Her shaky arms were the only thing stopping her from hitting the ground. My first instinct was to rush to the girl's aid, but I remembered the rules when dealing with people going through a panic attack. There were more things I could do, but most of them would only make things worse if someone she didn't know tried it. So I took a stance just outside her personal space and as softly as I could, I said, "You're safe. No one can hurt you now." It didn't take long before her breathing started to slow. "Is there anything you need?"

"I'm fine. Thanks." She said, her eyes averted. Ribbons dipped to pick up her back and started to rush off.

"I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Peter Parker." I said before she could.

It looked like the girl was still about to rush off, but instead she said, "Shino Asada."

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