"The ground beneath you is shifting, and either you get sucked in by holding on to old ways, or you take a giant step forward by taking some risks and seeing what happens." – Bonnie Hammer

"...Alright, my lovely students, I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today."

Peter was relieved to hear the teacher announce class was over. He couldn't help but lean back in his chair, rub his exhausted eyes, and let a sigh escape from his lips. God, Peter's beginning to understand why people he knew back at Midtown High said learning Japanese was no walk in the park. After the past few weeks, Peter would rather sometimes spend his time trying to crack open the security system placed on the remaining nanomachines used on his suit.

'Just bear with it.' He knew there was going to be a light at the end of the tunnel. The class may be difficult, which was to be expected, but sometimes it just takes a little bit of patience before a reward comes along to justify the effort. 'Although I can't believe this is what it's going to take for me to become Spider-Man again.'

Learning a whole new language was far from the worst thing in the world. For starters, he actually had a pretty good professor who was easy to understand, really nice and didn't judge him too much for being a foreigner. That was probably one of his main concerns, especially being from America. On the other hand, he didn't have much to say about the people attending the class. They've had a few group-oriented projects and assignments that required a partner, but nothing came out of those situations.

Not that he expected to make a ton of friends. After all, the only real friends he had back home were Ned and MJ.

While the former vigilante was stuck in his thoughts about his experience in the class, he didn't realize his language professor moved away from the podium at the front of the classroom. The sound of her heels clicking against the floor manage to bring Peter back to reality. It wasn't long until he noticed someone standing by his desk did he come back to the land of the living.

"Mr. Parker?"

"Y-Yes?"

Peter has been around beautiful women since putting on the mask. But he felt like things were starting to get out of control the more time he spends in this brand-new universe. His language professor – a woman named Ms. Himejima – was the latest addition to the list, and the worst part is knowing he has to see her every single day for class. Her long black hair was tied into a ponytail with an orange ribbon, wore a very form-fitting professional outfit, and possessed a pair of violet eyes.

Now, all throughout his days at Midtown High, the former vigilante was used to dealing with teachers like Mr. Harrington and Mr. Dell. But his experience with those two couldn't have prepared him for what his language professor could bring to the table.

"Are you alright?" She asked him, concern in her violet eyes. "I said class was over already."

He quickly scanned the room and, shockingly, saw just about everyone had picked up their stuff and left the classroom. Peter turned back to face her with an embarrassed look on his face, "Sorry, I was just thinking about something."

"I do hope whatever you were thinking about was appropriate, Mr. Parker."

"W-Wait, I wasn't thinking about..." Peter cut his words short as he noticed the amused look in his professor's eyes. "That's really messed up," He complained, noticing the smirk on the woman's face. "I didn't...or wasn't thinking about...that."

"But you make it far too easy for someone such as myself to tease you about those kinds of thoughts," His professor retorted while giggling. "Besides, I can see those little study sessions with Ms. Todoroki seem to be paying off. On the other hand, I am going to miss hearing you accidentally slip up and make a comment about my appearance."

Peter threw his head back and covered his face, feeling the heat rising to his cheeks.

"Can we please not talk about that day?" He pleaded, desperation in his voice. "I think half the class, especially the girls, think I'm some kind of pervert after that day."

"Oh, stop. It was a harmless mistake."

The one thing he's come to learn about his professor was her constant teasing of him in the classroom. Almost no one else in the class got anywhere close to the amount of attention he received on a weekly basis. But she was a really good teacher at the end of the day. So Peter couldn't exactly complain if he was able to speak Japanese and got something of a handle on the writing system here.

It's why he was able to have this conversation with Ms. Himejima in Japanese. She pretty much forbid him from speaking English in her classroom, which led to some awkward moments in the early days when he could barely say a sentence without butchering most of the words and getting looks from just about everyone.

"So...how are your study sessions with Ms. Todoroki going?"

"Helpful. Like really helpful so far." In the beginning, he used to find it odd for his professor to bring Fuyumi whenever they spoke to each other after class until he learned about Fuyumi being a former student of hers at one point in time. "Why?"

His teacher shook her head with a smile, "No reason. I just wanted to know if you feel like you're prepared to take the final exam. We're two weeks away from the term coming to an end. I thought it would only be right to check in with my favorite little American student and see how he's feeling."

"I...I feel good about my chances of passing."

"That's wonderful to hear," Ms. Himejima said cheerfully. "It's almost relieving to hear you sound confident about passing the exam."

"Well, I have some really good teachers."

Relying on other people was something that still made Peter nervous from time to time. Deep down, he knew there was a big difference between asking for help when it came to studying versus asking for help as Spider-Man.

He managed to do a lot of things without others, especially during his early days. One such incident was facing off against the Vulture. No matter how much he was told by Mr. Stark to not get involved and let the authorities handle the problem, Peter couldn't sit on the sidelines and watch if he knew he could make a real difference. It may have resulted in a very tough fight thousands of feet in the air, but Peter would do it all over again without any hesitation as it was the right thing to do.

"Aw, aren't you a sweet boy?" Peter tried his best to remain calm in the face of his professor's teasing. God, why the hell did he become her main target? "While I would love to continue embarrassing you seven ways to Sunday, I do have somewhere to be right now, Mr. Parker."

He mentally thanked whatever alien gods were out there for saving his ass.

"I...also have somewhere to be," He said, glancing at the clock on the wall. Today is supposed to be another study session with Fuyumi. Apparently, she wants to make sure he's absolutely ready for the final exam and said they're going to be meeting up a few more times prior to the exam.

"You're meeting up with Ms. Todoroki, aren't you?"

"What if I am?" Peter was not liking the smirk on her face.

"Oh, nothing." Ms. Himejima shrugged her shoulders. For a moment, Peter caught what looked like a smile on the woman's face, "I think I finally understand your preference now."

Peter's eyes widened in surprise, "W-What?"

"No need to be worried." His professor moved away from his desk and started heading back to collect her things. She looked over her shoulder one last time, a very different expression he was used to seeing appear on her face. A more somber formed, but what was more troubling was the words to follow. "But I do hope you keep an eye on Ms. Todoroki. You may not know this but you're the first boy I've seen her befriend in the years I've come to know that girl."

Peter was extremely confused. He wanted to ask what she meant by those words. Unfortunately, Ms. Himejima already stepped out of the classroom before he could get a chance to say a word.

"Great," He muttered, knowing this would be hanging over his head over the weekend.

There was no point in keeping the others waiting and started gathering his belongings. Upon stepping into the hallway, Peter was met with relative silence. He saw a few students hanging around and talking to each other. Some of them even took a quick glance at him before going back to their conversations. It's nothing strange for Peter. After all, he's gotten used to the looks people give him on a number of occasions.

There was a vibration in his pocket, forcing Peter to reach inside and take out the source of it. He turned on the screen and saw a notification for a text message from someone familiar, 'Speak of the Devil.'

Fuyumi: Hey, Marina and I got to the library. Are you on your way?

He thought about the words from his professor. It was followed by him shaking his head and deciding to worry about the implications of what she said later. Peter typed back his response.

I'm on my way.

(X)

"God, he really needs to learn how to treat a woman properly," Nemuri couldn't help but shake her head in disbelief. The dark-haired woman was hoping to get some work done before the end of lunch. She let out her frustration slip for a second, "Some of us have more than three students to teach."

She may view Shouta as a younger brother after everything they've been through since meeting back in high school, but it didn't mean he failed to piss her off on numerous occasions. Today was yet another example of why her haggard-looking friend will probably never have a woman. After she finished up her final morning class, Nemuri received a text from Shouta.

All he sent her was some random direction and a message attached to it.

Shouta: Come to this address for lunch. Update time.

There were days when she wondered if Shouta would realize his abrasiveness is what made quite a few people avoid him. More than a few of their coworkers made scathing remarks about him. Nemuri tried her best to convince people otherwise, but it was impossible to deny there was some truth to them. Still, she made the decision to be his friend all those years ago.

Besides, she knew exactly what he meant by those words.

'It is fair for him to want constant updates on Peter's progress,' Nemuri thought, unable to hide a proud smile on her face as she thought about her ward. The last few months have been interesting, to say the least as she was starting to realize if this is what it's like to have a younger sibling who just became an adult. 'I really do have to thank Tensei for all the advice he's given me.'

She decided to plan out the speedster's thank you later. After all, she had to worry about this upcoming meeting with Shouta and Hizashi about Peter.

"But he couldn't have picked a better day than this one." Nemuri briefly shivered after feeling a gust of wind hit her. While she may enjoy the winter, the dark-haired woman couldn't say she was a fan of the cold weather and the difficulties snow brought to peoples' lives. But it didn't ruin the fun times she had growing up as a kid.

What added to the scenery was witnessing everyone walking around town.

Parents taking their children outside to have fun in the snow. Couples walking right past store windows and pointing at items of interest. Most store owners were in the middle of putting up decorations for the holidays. On any other day, she might have taken the chance to enjoy the scene on her lunch break or find the time to meet up with Tensei.

Christmas, after all, was less than two weeks away.

While she would love to reminisce about spending time in this wonderful environment, Nemuri needed to worry about finding some random little cafe hidden away. She knew it wasn't going to be easy when Shouta was allowed to pick the location. The man was very paranoid and tended to be thorough about just about anything.

That's why the next few minutes were spent walking around town as she followed the directions Shouta sent her. She constantly walked through the small alleys between buildings, which were used by some businesses to set up shop. So it's possible to imagine her surprise when the Google map voice said she arrived at her destination.

Nemuri looked over to her left and saw a tiny sign on a glass door with a simple name on it.

"Le Chat Noir?" She raised a brow at the name. "Huh, who would've guessed him to pick a place like this one? I just hope these people serve some decent coffee. I definitely could use some after walking around in this cold."

In spite of wearing winter gear and a version of her costume better suited for the winter, Nemuri could still feel the cold seeping into her bones. She let a shiver escape her lips as she walked over and opened the door to the cafe. Upon entering the establishment, she glanced around and took note of the place. It was far bigger than she expected.

There were leather booth seats occupied by only a few individuals. A bar with some stools for people to sit on. Heck, the kitchen was completely visible for everyone to see. There appeared to be two workers in the place. A young man, probably sixteen or seventeen, with messy black hair and a pair of gray eyes hidden behind some glasses working alongside a much older man.

'It is a really nice place for being so out of the way,' Nemuri thought, almost shocked to see Shouta had picked out this location for their meeting. 'Speaking of my friend, where the hell is he?'

Out of the corner of her eye, the dark-haired woman noticed a familiar head of blonde hair way towards the back of the cafe. Sitting across from the person was her haggard-looking friend. They appeared to be in the middle of some kind of discussion with the way Hizashi was waving his hands and the look of annoyance on Shouta's face.

She walked over to their booth while ignoring the occasional staring from people in the cafe. Nemuri was never one to wear her red mask whenever she was on break. The last thing she needed was people following her around in public.

"My, do you boys need an adult to set you straight?" Nemuri placed a hand on top of the booth while smirking at her friends. "I certainly don't mind doing the job~"

Shouta was the first to respond to her words as he let out a sigh, "...Was that necessary?"

"Oh, sweetie, you should know how I roll by now."

"I know that's why I haven't asked the owner to kick you out for indecent behavior," Shouta replied sharply. He gestured towards the empty space next to their blonde friend, "Now, sit down so you can give me an update on the kid. I need to know if he's keeping true to his word."

Nemuri rolled her eyes at his usual abrasiveness before ultimately sitting down in the booth. It wasn't a moment later when the young man came by their booth with a menu in one hand.

"Welcome to Le Chat Noir," The young man said, looking directly at her with a warm smile on his face. He placed the menu in front of her, "My name is Akito. I was informed an extra person would be arriving a bit late."

"Yes, I...had some trouble finding this place," Nemuri admitted with a sheepish smile. It was followed up by a wink, "I hope you don't mind if I take a few minutes to look over the menu."

The young man appeared to be somewhat flustered by her action and walked away from their table. She turned back to face her friends and saw their blank expressions.

"What?"

"Never mind." Shouta shook his head at her confusion. Afterward, her haggard-looking friend reached into his pocket and took out his cell phone, "All I want is an update on the situation with Parker."

Nemuri leaned forward and placed her arms on the table, "It's not going to be any different from last time. He's doing his best to learn Japanese and keeping his nose out of trouble."

The haggard-looking man looked over to Hizashi sitting next to her. He gave their blonde friend a look, which was more than enough to make the morning radio host stop drinking his coffee.

"Uh, I only came here for the coffee."

"What has your wife told you?"

Hizashi shrugged his shoulders and spoke honestly, "Her friend has only said good things about him. I think she even mentioned his Japanese is getting pretty good. Plus, he hasn't caused any trouble with anyone on campus. I get you want to be certain about Peter, but we've been telling you the same thing over the past few weeks. Your paranoia might be a little much at this point."

"...Fine, we can skip that part of the meeting."

She was relieved to hear Shouta finally easing back on his questions regarding Peter. Looking back on some of the first meetings, Nemuri could remember how thorough her friend used to be whenever they talked about her ward. Asking if he was studying, learning to adjust to their culture, and making sure he wasn't sneaking out to be some kind of vigilante.

The last line of questioning was always a mixed bag for her, especially after witnessing his attempt to be a hero all those months ago when he first arrived. Although, Nemuri never did inform her friends of the incident. She wanted to earn Peter's trust, which led to her making a promise she won't mention a word of what happened during their first shopping trip.

"So how are things on your end?" She asked, continuing to look through the menu. "Aren't you close to getting Peter a spot within that hero combine happening late in the summer?"

"I am."

Nemuri waited for him to say something more. She wasn't alone as Hizashi seemed very confused by his silence as well.

"Is that it?"

"What?" Shouta raised a brow at them. "Did you expect me to wave some wand around and magically say Parker is going to be able to take part in the combine taking place next year? If you did, I suggest you stop reading Lord of the Rings and come back to reality."

"...But is he going to be able to take part in it?" Nemuri asked.

Shouta shook his head, "Things aren't so simple. My contacts at the Hero Public Safety Commission said they're working on the paperwork to approve Parker's participation in the exam. It's just some of them brought up the concerns about trying to get a foreigner with no real history in any hero program allowed in a combine originally made with the intention of giving Japanese students a second chance to obtain their license can raise eyebrows."

His explanation made a lot of sense, Nemuri thought, as she actually started looking into the post-high school exams for those who fail to earn a license by the end of their third year. While, on average, most students get their licenses, there were a number of students who never do. 'God, I can't imagine what it must feel like to finish your hero course and not receive your license.'

The thought of failing so late into the course was actually pretty scary if she had to be honest.

"...Have your contacts themselves questioned you about why you're doing this?"

"No," Shouta said, answering their blonde friend's question. "They owe me a number of favors. There isn't any concern with the people I know."

There it is.

Nemuri frowned at him, "Do you think some people within the Hero Public Safety Commission might say something if they find out about Peter?"

"I genuinely have no idea. I only know what my contacts know, and none of them have run into major obstacles," Shouta explained, seemingly unconcerned by his own words. "As long as Parker does what he's doing and doesn't get into any trouble with local authorities, he'll be fine to take the combine next year."

"Doesn't that bring up a question regarding Peter's preparation for the exam," Hizashi said, voicing his concerns. "Shouldn't we look into finding a way for him to stretch his legs?"

"I already made the logical decision to talk to Nezu."

Nemuri was caught off guard by his admission, "You what?"

"Relax," He retorted. "I wasn't idiotic enough to real information regarding Parker, but you know lying to the principal is pointless because he'll find out somehow. In the end, I made the decision to ask Nezu to give me the benefit of the doubt, and also allow him to watch the kid's training from afar."

"Is that a good idea?"

Shouta shrugged his shoulders, "I doubt he has any malicious intents so I'm not going to ask questions unless he proves otherwise."

"Does that mean you're going to be in charge when it comes to his training?" Nemuri asked, curious as to her friend's sudden desire to watch over Peter. "I imagined you would've asked one of us."

"I wouldn't call this training," Shouta said. "Parker may have more experience than most pro-heroes in their early days, but I doubt the kid can just walk into the test without getting reps under his belt. Not all of us are natural-born heroes like the blonde idiot we call the Symbol of Peace."

"Does that mean we can't participate in watching over him?" Nemuri was Peter's temporary guardian until he was able to get back on his feet. She felt somewhat obligated to watch over his training just as much if not more than even Shouta. "I don't mind teaching Peter whatever he needs to know."

The haggard-looking man stared at her with an uncaring expression, "I don't care. I never specifically said it was only going to be me."

"Oh?" A smile appeared on her face as she heard those words. "I would've never expected you to be so considerate of us."

She wasn't entirely surprised by his answer. Throughout the years, Shouta has always been an abrasive asshole who could push people away. It's just he had the capacity to think of others from time to time, and Nemuri was happy to hear she would get a chance to see Peter in action with her own two eyes. It was an exciting thought.

"Just understand we won't be able to hide from Nezu forever," Shouta warned. "I may have kept some information from him, but it doesn't mean he won't start probing and prodding Parker's past if the kid manages to catch his attention."

"Or if others grow curious about him." Nemuri frowned at their blonde friend's concerns. She thought about their words and knew they were right to bring them up.

It was definitely something for them to think about moving forward, especially if Peter does succeed in receiving his hero license. A foreign hero with his skill set and experience is going to stick out like a sore thumb if he does anything flashy. If she's come to learn anything about her ward in the past couple of months, Peter would hardly give these potential problems a second thought.

Being a hero is the young man's top priority.

(X)

Fuyumi, from a young age, always found the concept of teaching to be enjoyable. There's nothing more satisfying than being able to see the glowing smile on her student's faces after they've finally managed to understand a topic or lesson they struggled with. It's why she was proud to have helped Marina study throughout high school and, currently, college.

An unexpected lesson Fuyumi learned recently was not all students went at the same pace, and it seems Peter was turning out to be the complete opposite of her best friend in more ways than one.

"You know," Fuyumi started as she observed her latest student focusing on his penmanship. "It's really strange to see you being able to write a sentence without needing to ask for help every five minutes."

"Well, it helps when I have a good teacher."

The young woman blushed at the compliment from Peter. It was made all the worse seeing the smile on his face as he said those words. She immediately tried to deny the claim, "Stop it. I didn't do that much. You were already doing a great job underneath Ms. Himejima's tutelage."

"Come on, that's not true."

Fuyumi knew he was being nice about her part in helping him learn Japanese, but she appreciated what he was trying to say. It was something she's come to learn about him through their many study sessions since agreeing to help him.

"Oh? Are you saying I'm a better teacher than Ms. Himejima?" She asked, wanting to see if Peter was being serious. "I don't know what she would think if she caught you saying that."

Her experience with Peter's language professor was interesting, especially since she was one of the few faculty members even aware of the more surface-level problems at home. However, Fuyumi learned a lot from that woman after spending two semesters with her.

"I'm being serious," Peter replied back, a grin threatening to break out on his face.

Whatever the white-haired student was about to say was cut off as Marina, who was sitting across from them, decided to add her two cents to the conversation, "You two are totally adorable together. I can see why people around school think you're dating."

"Marina!"

"What?"

Fuyumi felt a warm flush rise up her neck after hearing the apparent rumor going around about her and Peter. "There is…" She tried to respond calmly. The key word is 'tried' in the sentence, "Absolutely no...no reason to bring such talk into the library."

Her best friend didn't seem to take a hint as the smirk on the blonde's face made Fuyumi realize it was utterly pointless to stop her.

"I'm only informing you guys about what people throughout the school have told me," She said before turning towards the only guy at the table. "What about you, Peter? What do you think?"

Their American friend stopped practicing his writing and looked up from his work. He tilted his head at the two of them and spoke back to them in Japanese, "What?"

For a moment, everything was silent at the table. Fuyumi, internally, sighed in relief as Peter may have zoned out for some of the conversations and didn't know what they were talking about, or maybe he was unable to understand everything. He was, after all, still learning the local language.

The same can not be said for Marina.

"Are you serious?" The blonde cosplayer narrowed her eyes and pointed a finger at Peter. "I know you know what I asked, Parker. Don't you dare use the 'not knowing the language' excuse?"

"Excuse?" Peter looked very confused at what she said. "I'm serious. I have no clue what you asked."

Marina shook her head, "Ugh, whatever."

"Did I miss something important?" Peter furrowed his brows and looked around the table.

Fuyumi was forced to cover her mouth in a desperate attempt to prevent her giggling from being heard in the library. Whether Peter was being serious or not, Fuyumi found it hilarious. It was getting to the point where she might need to walk away or she was going to cause a ruckus, which was the last thing she wanted to do.

Pissing off other students or grabbing the attention of the woman in charge of the library was the last thing she wants to do.

"And what about you?"

Fuyumi stopped laughing after hearing the question from Marina, who narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms.

Rumors, no matter if they're started at school or work, never really went away. In fact, they sometimes got worse from what Fuyumi saw over the years from high school to now.

"W-What about me?"

"You don't have the same kind of excuse as him," Marina said, shooting a partially annoyed glance at Peter. "So what do you think about all these little rumors? I mean, I have to agree with them. You and Peter would make a cute couple."

"They're rumors. Just rumors, Marina."

Her best friend didn't seem convinced. No, she looked like she didn't believe a single word that came out of her mouth. Suddenly, Marina got up from her chair and walked over to their side of the table.

She smiled at Peter, "Excuse me, I need Fuyumi to help me find a book I need for my class. We'll be right back, dude."

Fuyumi wanted to make a retort when she saw the expression on her friend's face. She immediately let go of whatever she was about to say at the moment.

"Alrighty, let's go."

Marina grabbed her hand and led her away from the table. They walked around the library for a couple of minutes until they reached a rather secluded part of the library. Bookshelves covered them on both sides, making it difficult for anyone to hear them. A tiny part of Fuyumi was nervous about the chance of someone listening in on their conversations unless they were extra loud or something.

"You lied, didn't you?"

"Yup."

The lack of shame on her best friend's face was actually astonishing to Fuyumi.

"...Why?"

"You're gonna ask me that. Are you being serious?" Marina raised a brow. "Look, girl, I know those rumors are probably something you don't want to deal with but...as your friend...I can't exactly say they're not wrong about you and Parker."

Her and Peter?

"We're just friends."

"For now."

Fuyumi frowned at Marina, "You already know I'm not interested in dating while I'm still in college."

"I know that," Marina replied calmly before a smirk appeared on her face and gestured towards Peter, who could be seen through one of the slips on the bookshelf. "Then our American friend shows up and things start to change."

"Change?" Fuyumi furrowed her brows in confusion. "What are you talking about?

"Oh no, you're not playing dumb on me." Marina shook her head. "Parker can get away with using that excuse but you can't."

"I seriously don't know what you're talking about, Marina."

Her blonde friend crossed her arms, "Let me ask you a question; do you remember how you reacted to any guy who showed you attention?"

Fuyumi didn't know what to say. So she shrugged her shoulders with uncertainty written on her face.

"Girl, you hardly responded to any of the guys who tried to ask you out. Then, all of a sudden, Parker comes along and you start to act differently." Fuyumi was starting to feel a little nervous the more her best friend kept talking about her behavior around Peter. Her friend didn't seem content to stop there and continued speaking. "Ain't nothing wrong with liking a guy like Parker. He seems like one of the good ones too."

"I already told you. I don't like him like that."

Fuyumi had too much on her plate to worry about right now. Adding a boyfriend is the last thing she wants to do, especially if her father ever found out. She almost shuddered at the idea of her father finding out she was dating someone while at college.

"...And you're completely certain about that?"

The question caught Fuyumi by surprise.

"Y-Yes."

Marina stared at her for what seemed like an eternity before shrugging her shoulders.

"If you say so..."

"Thank you."

"...I guess that means you won't be too bothered by the idea of inviting him with us to the convention next weekend."

Whatever Fuyumi wanted to say next died in her throat as her eyes widened.

"Huh?"

There was an enormous grin on Marina's face, "Don't pretend you didn't hear me. If you really view him as a friend, it shouldn't be too much of a problem if we invite him to come with us."

"What about the others?" Fuyumi asked. "I doubt Sajuna is going to appreciate you bringing along someone she doesn't know, especially a guy."

"Oh? Is that what you think?"

Fuyumi saw the mischievous smile on her friend's face and came to the realization Marina had planned on Peter coming with them in advance.

"You...You already told them."

"Guilty as charged," Marina said. "I hope it isn't a problem."

Fuyumi pursed her lips, "I mean, I have no problem with Peter coming with us. It's just did you ask him already?"

"Peter, huh?"

Sometimes, Fuyumi hated it whenever her best friend caught her little slip-ups. There was hardly any point in denying it. Marina wouldn't let it go until she knew every last detail.

"Calling someone by their first name isn't a big deal in the west," Fuyumi explained, trying her best to downplay the use of his name. Although there was a slight bit of pink on her cheeks. "It doesn't really mean anything."

"I'm sure it doesn't." The mischievous smile never left Marina's face. "Now that you're aware of Peter coming with us. You can do the honors of convincing him to come with us."

Fuyumi stared at her friend in disbelief...

"What?"

(X)

Usually, whenever Peter took the train late back to Ms. Kayama's apartment, he didn't have to deal with a crowded interior. The other aspect of taking the trains was being able to talk to Fuyumi since they took the same train back home. It wasn't a regular occurrence because of their schedules, but he did appreciate the opportunities when they did pop up.

"Do you feel like you're prepared to take the final exam next week?" Fuyumi asked.

Peter, in the beginning, struggled to grasp Japanese since sometimes it sounded all the same to him. Thankfully, his lessons inside and outside the classroom helped him a lot.

Yes, including Ms. Kayama's method of sending him out to do errands for her like grocery shopping. It all helped in preparing him for the final exam for this semester.

"I think I'll be fine...hopefully."

There was always a possibility of failing, but Peter knew he couldn't let the people in his life down. A big one was turning out to be Fuyumi, who went out of her way to help tutor him from the very start.

"You'll be fine," She said. "Besides, you're the smartest guy I know."

"I think learning a whole new language is a little different from science or math." Peter couldn't resist cracking a smile at her. "I'll happily do calculus or physics over trying to remember Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji."

"I can't exactly say the same," Fuyumi said, letting herself laugh a little at his joke. "I'm not too great at math. It's why I didn't sign up to teach it."

"But you signed up to teach English?"

Fuyumi playfully glared at him, "Not all of us are natural-born mathematicians."

"Hey, I'm just saying." Peter put his hands up. "English can be hard. Take it from a guy who lived in New York City."

"Duly noted."

Peter looked over his shoulder to see the sun, barely visible with all the gray clouds, nearly past the horizon. Another day was coming to a close, and Peter sometimes wondered how things were going back home. It's strange to know he's never going to learn whether or not Stephen managed to defeat his doppelganger.

"By the way..." Peter's attention was grabbed by Fuyumi, who suddenly spoke up. "...I wanted to ask you something."

"What's up?"

She looked nervous for some reason, and Peter's mind, for a moment, recalled the conversation earlier in the library. The one about the rumors. Immediately, Peter started to wonder if there was a reason why the girls left the table so suddenly after Fuyumi said those rumors were just rumors. Nothing more to them, right?

'I still feel bad for lying but I had no idea what to say.' The worst kind was whenever it involved people being a thing. It always made Peter the most nervous. He was no stranger to hearing about Liz and all the guys who tried asking her out. The same couldn't be said for MJ, which in hindsight was a relief for Peter. 'But is she going to ask me out?'

The thought of going out with Fuyumi was...not an unpleasant one. Over the four and a half months they've gotten to know each other, Peter could definitely say she's a very likable person.

However, in his mind, Peter questioned if he was prepared to go out with another girl.

"Um, are you free next weekend?"

"Yeah..."

Peter thought it was getting a little warm with the jacket he was wearing inside the train.

"Marina wanted me to ask you if you wanted to come with us and a few other people to this convention in Tokyo," Fuyumi said, preferring to look down at her lap over his face. "Obviously you don't have to go if you don't want."

"It's fine. I don't really have anything to do." Peter was torn inside because he felt relieved to know she wasn't asking him out, but he couldn't deny there was a tiny part of him disappointed. It was strange if he had to be honest. "I'm assuming Kitagawa is doing some kind of cosplay."

Fuyumi nodded.

"Sounds fun. I'm down."

"That's great. I'll let Marina know later."

The thought of hanging out with people was something Peter never really imagined happening. He's been pretty focused on learning Japanese as fast as possible and getting back in the saddle as Spider-Man. Fun wasn't at the top of his list these days, but maybe it wouldn't hurt to be around a few people his age. Ms. Kayama was bound to be happy if she learns he has plans for once.

He did still have to worry about getting his costume fixed. That's something he's been putting off for weeks.

Maybe he can ask Marina's boyfriend for a few tips on sowing. After all, the guy was responsible for creating those outfits. He's pretty good at it too from a few of the pictures he's seen.

"So are you...into that?"

Fuyumi seemed embarrassed for some reason and let out an awkward laugh, "No, I'm not...I'm not brave enough to put on an outfit like the ones Marina wears at cons and stuff. You?"

"Me?" Peter pointed to himself while letting out a chuckle. Technically, he did wear a costume on a regular basis but she didn't need to know about that part. "I visited a few conventions back in the states. As for doing cosplay and stuff, not really my kind of thing."

"I'm sure you could pull something off..."

Less than a second later, Peter saw Fuyumi cover her mouth with her cheeks bright red.

"Uh, thanks." Peter was a little used to those comments whenever Ms. Kayama took him out on a shopping run or went with him. But this was a little different as these words were coming from a cute girl like Fuyumi.

She didn't immediately reply, which was understandable. Peter doubted he would be in any better shape. He can still remember how awkward he was with Liz prior to her moving away and, eventually, MJ.

"Sorry..."

Peter shook his head, "Nah, don't worry about it."

"Are...Are you sure?"

"No harm, no foul."

The moment of awkwardness was cleared up between them. It wasn't long before the train arrived at Fuyumi's stop. After they said their goodbyes, Peter was left alone on the train with his thoughts but one thing did come to mind.

'Do I...like Fuyumi?'

(X)

For the rest of his train ride, Peter began to question the possibility of dating a girl like Fuyumi if the opportunity ever presented itself. He's hardly given a single thought since arriving in this universe all those months ago. It wasn't until he heard a woman's voice announce the train's upcoming stop did he return to the real world.

"Next stop is Lessu."

Peter really wondered if the universe took pleasure in messing around with him, and whoever created this place had to be the biggest nerd in the cosmos. He soon got up from his seat and walked over to a set of doors nearby. When the train arrived at the station, he walked out as soon as the doors opened.

The way to Ms. Kayama's apartment wasn't too difficult to remember. In fact, he knew he was close to her place after seeing a familiar giant glass building at the top of a nearby hill. A building shaped like a giant 'H'.

U.A High was the name of the place, and it was the school Ms. Kayama worked at.

From what he's learned over the past four and a half months, the conversation about who produces the best young heroes comes down to a handful of candidates, and U.A High is almost always at the top of the list. Peter stopped walking to look at the building, 'I still can't believe high schools are places for a kid to learn how to be a hero. A school to train heroes...man, this is so weird to know I'm a short train ride from this school.'

It took a few more minutes but Peter finally arrived at the apartment building. He got used to the rather miserable sight inside with walls in a crappy state and cracked tiled floors. After climbing the stairs, he got to his guardian's apartment and used the key she gave him to enter.

Usually, the first thing Peter would see is Ms. Kayama sitting at the kitchen table as she's grading papers.

What he didn't expect to walk into was his guardian sitting on the couch across from Mr. Aizawa. They appeared to have been in the middle of some conversation, which was probably centered on the vanilla folder held in the latter's hand. Although whatever was being said was put on hold after they noticed his presence in the apartment and turned to look at him.

"Uh, hey guys?" Peter awkwardly waved at them. He looked at the underground hero, "I wasn't expecting to see you, Mr. Aizawa."

The man's bloodshot eyes stared at him for a few uncomfortable moments before he let out a sigh of irritation. He turned back to face Ms. Kayama.

"We'll talk about this later." That caught the attention of Peter but he chose to remain quiet. Interrupting the man is nothing short of courting death. "Parker, we need to talk."

Uh-oh.

Peter did not like to hear those words. The last time he heard them was his little talk with Nick Fury in Venice. That involved him having to work with the man to ensure the interdimensional monsters (who were just illusions by Mysterio) from destroying the planet.

He walked over to the couch and took a seat next to his guardian. She tried to seem like her usual cheerful self but something was very wrong.

"What's going on? Am I in trouble?"

"Nothing is wrong, Parker. If that's what you mean," Mr. Aizawa said. "I only came by to inform you that my contacts at the Hero Public Safety Commission got back to me."

Peter's eyes widened at the information.

"Wait, they did?!" The excitement in his voice didn't go unnoticed by the two adults in the room. "Does that mean...?"

Mr. Aizawa sighed before slightly nodding his head, "Yes, they managed to squeeze you into the combine next August."

"Yes!"

Peter shot up from the couch, completely ignoring the reactions from Mr. Aizawa and Ms. Kayama.

"Calm down," Mr. Aizawa said, his irritated tone bringing Peter back to reality. "Just because you're eligible for the combine does not ensure a license or any agency picking you up to be a sidekick or intern with them."

"Oh...right."

The young hero sat back down on the couch after seeing the look on the man's face. Sometimes it's easy to forget even good news isn't enough to get a smile out of Mr. Aizawa.

"First, you will need to take an exam to prove you are aware of our laws and how we do things here. Your lack of history as a student attending a hero course proved to be...difficult." Peter frowned at learning that little piece of information. He saw the look of annoyance on the man's face. "It means you'll have to bring some evidence to prove you're aware of our laws and how things are done here. Nemuri and Hizashi agreed to take turns getting you up to speed."

Okay, he could deal with a little studying. It can't be harder to learn some laws and stuff associated with heroes than to learn Japanese. That does beg another question.

"Is that all?"

Mr. Aizawa shook his head.

"You're also going to have to provide some footage of your skillset and quirk."

"So...like tape?" Peter, a resident of New York City, was not unfamiliar with the way professional sports teams scout players from either college or high school. "That makes sense but how can I do that? I thought regular people aren't allowed to use their quirks in public."

It wasn't Mr. Aizawa who answered him. No, it was the woman sitting next to him on the couch.

"Well, that's where you would be correct," Ms. Kayama replied with a friendly smile. "However, it's your lucky day. Shouta was able to convince our boss with a little help from his friends, to let you use some of the world-class training facilities at U.A High."

"Wait, seriously?"

Ms. Kayama nodded, "Yup."

"That's..."

"Amazing, right?" His guardian seemed to let her excitement slip through her words. "You finally get a chance to stretch your legs and do your thing."

The opportunity to use his abilities to help make his case to whoever runs the combine is something he doesn't want to pass up on. However, there was just part of this arrangement that was bugging him and it has to do with the location.

"Wouldn't that be...I don't know...risky?" Peter rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, what exactly did you tell the principal?"

"Nothing that would compromise you, Parker."

Over the past couple of months, the young hero got to learn a number of things about the underground hero sitting across from him. Among them is being able to keep information to himself. Peter doubted Mr. Aizawa would spill anything important.

"So how would it work?"

"First, you will have access to our school's training facilities while under supervision," He explained to him. "It doesn't matter if it's myself, Nemuri, or Hizashi. The other important aspect of the agreement I made with the principal is making sure you come after school. We don't want to risk the possibility of a student catching sight of you on campus. That would lead to far too many problems for us to deal with if it does happen."

"Is that all?"

Mr. Aizawa shook his head, "No, there is one more thing. You will have to provide footage of yourself taking part in a number of exercises while using your ability. Again, you're an unknown, and not many people like an unknown, especially a foreigner."

"I can deal with those requirements."

The thought of being able to stretch his legs and move around like Spider-Man again was way too good to pass up.

"As for when you start going to school, I hope you start immediately." The serious expression on the man's face was enough to make Peter realize his answer had to be nothing short of perfect. "I don't care if you're experienced. I put in a lot of favors for you and I don't want to see them go to waste."

"Right, uh, how does...tomorrow work?" Peter felt awkward under the man's intense stare. "Would I be able to bring my costume or do I...just leave that for later?"

"I don't care, Parker. It doesn't matter to me. Nemuri will explain the rest to you." The exhausted hero stood up from the chair and started heading for her front door. At the last second, he looked over in the direction of Ms. Kayama, "You, on the other hand, are not off the hook. Do not think our conversation from earlier is over."

Peter raised a brow at the mention of some conversation between them. He was curious about whatever they were talking about prior to his arrival.

When he left the apartment, Ms. Kayama placed her feet on the coffee table (Peter still felt guilty about breaking her old) before rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"God, he can be a pain in the ass."

"So...what was that about?"

His guardian snorted at the question, "Sorry, Peter, you're not privy to that particular conversation. But enough about me and my problems. What about you? How was your day?"

"Uh...it was pretty good."

"You still handing out compliments to your teacher?"

He rolled his eyes at her sly comment, "It was one time. I didn't mean to say it and you know it."

"I'm not saying you did anything wrong," Ms. Kayama said, a grin on her face. "She's good-looking. I imagine a lot of guys and a few girls drool at the sight of her on campus."

"...I have no response to you sometimes."

There were days when Peter wondered what it was like to have an older sibling. He's starting to realize how it feels after living with Ms. Kayama for the past couple of months.

"Come on, I'm not that bad."

"That's not what Tensei told me." He cracked a smirk at the dark-haired woman. She whipped her head in his direction with a shocked look on her face. Peter raised his hand in a placating gesture, "Then talk to your boyfriend the next time you see him."

"Oh, I will definitely have a stern talk with that man."

Peter winced slightly, realizing he might've thrown Ms. Kayama's boyfriend under the bus in an attempt to try and lighten the mood after whatever went down between her and Mr. Aizawa.

"Ty not to kill him. He's actually a cool dude."

It was his guardian's turn to roll her eyes at him, "Please, that's the last thing I would ever do. But I am certainly going to get back at him." There was an almost predatory smirk on the woman's face. Peter did not want to know what she had in mind for the speedster. "Other than not complimenting your hot language professor, anything else happen at school?"

He still contemplated whether he should tell Ms. Kayama about going with Fuyumi and her friends to a convention next weekend after finals are concluded. The chance to have some fun was hard to resist.

"Well...something did happen."

"Did you finally decide to ask out that cute tutor of yours?"

Peter's eyes widened in surprise, "W-What?"

"I know you heard me."

"N-No, I didn't ask her out." Peter denied it as he didn't want to give this woman ammunition. She was a merciless tease. "She invited me to go somewhere next weekend with some of her friends. That's all."

He saw the smile growing on her face.

"Sounds fun. It's nice to see you finally getting out of the house." She wasn't wrong to point that out to him. Ever since arriving here all those months ago, Peter hasn't exactly gone out with people. "But I do hope you ask out that tutor of yours. What was her name again?"

"Fuyumi, and no, I don't plan on asking her out."

"Why not?"

Peter frowned at the question, "I don't know. I'm just not...I'm going to be busy with preparing for the combine next year."

"Do you wanna something?"

"What?"

He felt her place a hand on his shoulder, "No matter what anyone tells you; Peter Parker matters more than Spider-Man. You're allowed to have a life, kid. You're allowed to...I don't know...do what makes you happy. We may be heroes but we're not machines. You remember that conversation we had in the restaurant when you first arrived here."

Peter nodded.

"You don't need to rush. That's all." Ms. Kayama got up from the couch and headed in the direction of her bedroom. She looked at him one final time. "Just because your opportunity to become Spider-Man is available...doesn't mean Peter Parker has to take a backseat. If you like this girl, I doubt the world is going to end because of your decision to pursue a relationship. Keep that in mind, Peter."

With those final departing words, the young hero was left alone in the living room as he thought about them.

Could he really have a relationship again?

It was a question he honestly couldn't answer immediately. He took out his cell phone and unlocked the screen. Peter was met with the wallpaper of him hanging out with MJ and Ned. It was taken during that brief one week when he felt normal. Maybe it is time to try and create a life for himself.

'But, first, I have to pass a test week.'

I'm back from the dead!

...And that's all I have to say, ladies and gentlemen. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and, hopefully, I'll have the next one out much earlier!