Author's Notes:

lol we ended up seeing GTA 6 before this

On a serious note, heyoooooo! I'm back, and I'm bringing YOU GUYS back to the world of The Amazing Mangaka, also known as (for those of you who forgot, I don't blame ya) Earth-04112021. Wow, almost a year since I promised those three chapters. I'm sure you guys would like an explanation.

This year was NOT my year for writing or anything creative in general. I promised 2023 would be the year for Spider-Naoto, but I guess the universe had other plans for me. School related bullsh*t, jobs, personal matters, trouble making the transition into uni, writing blocks popping up again and again and again, on top of losing those chapters from the promised HEROES AND VILLAINS special (album's still a banger a year later) a couple months ago, I just couldn't bring myself to write. I couldn't. I took up drawing some time ago and even made some pieces for this fic, but even that came to an end recently.

I know all that sounds like excuses. All my supporters and readers have every right to feel angry for not only delaying so long but also not even communicating what was happening on my end. Hell, this is only ONE chapter out of the three I promised. A lot of people were super invested in this story, but I unfortunately wasn't invested in YOU GUYS, and I'm so, so sorry for that. I don't expect any forgiveness.

But, I will try this time. Harder. Come 2024, that will be the year for Naoto. This year was already a good year for him and Spider-Man, with season 3 of the anime, Spider-Man 2, Across the Spider-Verse, and the manga that's really kicking up, so let's keep that going next year.

Time management and discipline were both always something that plagued me, but I'll do my best to do MY PART for you guys, because y'all are a big part of the story. You helped make it, and I'm forever appreciative of that.

We'll be kicking the story back off with a long one. Almost 9k words, in fact, so get ready. Reread the story if you have to, take some breaks, celebrate with the family, cherish them, tell them you love 'em, all that good stuff. It is Christnas, after all.

I hope you enjoy. Cheers. :)

Oh, and Edew! I'm stealing how you format your author's notes in CBP! Sorry! x)


Nothing could have prepared Naoto for what was about to happen to him. No amount of training or brain-tickling from his Spider-Sense could protect him from the unfortunate, inevitable and impending doom that was coming.

"How did this happen?"

"How did I get here?"

"What did I do to deserve this fate?!"

Those three sentences, along with a bajillion other thoughts of similar context, were what the poor lad was screaming over and over in his head

Why was having a mental panic attack?

Because of the predicament he was in.

Naoto was strong enough to swing across Yokahama like the city was nothing but a playground to him. He was fast enough to run up a 90 degree angle on a skyscraper without slipping. He was brave enough to take a leap of faith off the top of the Landmark Tower, which stood only 30 feet shy from 1000, to make his way home..

..but yet..

..he was so utterly and hopelessly powerless against Nagatoro, his cute little kohai, from pinning him down to the floor during their first ever sparring match.

"Aaaaaand now, you're pinned!" The smaller yet much mightier warrior playfully laughed in her Senpai's face as she laid on top of him, one arm around his neck and the other gripping on to his sleeve, effectively keeping the Spider in the room glued to the mats with no hope for escape.

"Ach- AGH!" Naoto squirmed, desperate to break free but finding no such success.

It all happened so fast. Just moments ago, the two were staring each other off as they prepared to spar, only for him to freeze up with nervousness from the mere thought of getting physical with his kohai. It was a mistake that ultimately caused him his downfall, because Nagatoro didn't hold back at all. She swooped in to take advantage of the boy's hesitation and threw him down on to his back.

Now he was within the tanned fighter's grasp, like a fly caught within a spider's web, in an ironic twist where he, Hayama's One-and-Only Spider-Man, was the fly, and Nagatoro, a mere civilian, was the spider.

Naoto squealed. There was a very prominent and deep shade of red on his face, both from the rush of adrenaline that came with his futile attempts to break free from the girl's entrapment, and how unbelievably close he was to her. Never in his life did he ever think so many touch barriers could've been broken in such a short amount of time. The two skipped the usual hand-holding and hugging and web-zipped straight to laying on top of each other.

With her chest seemingly forever cemented on to his, Nagatoro wasn't going anywhere, and neither was he.

It was like there was an anvil on him.

"Y- Y- You- Y- You could've given me a h- heads-up!" He babbled. "A- Ach!"

"Well that's what happens when you space out!" Nagatoro laughed. She too was blushing all the while, perhaps even more so than he was, but she was nonetheless doing a much better job at keeping herself together. She was winning, after all.

"Did you get scared or somethin'~?"

Naoto could only look away from his kohai bashfully. He shook his head no a million times per second. "..I- I wasn't scared!"

"Ya' suure~? 'Cause you froze up like a Popsicle, Senpai!"

"I- I'm sure! N- Now just let- me-"

"Not so fast!" Nagatoro cut him off before he had any chance to finish that sentence. She pressed herself closer, applying more pressure to keep the Spider pinned. "We're not done. You gotta try to escape~!"

"But I'm already- Ach! N- Nagatoro!"

Naoto already knew what being pinned to something felt like thanks to Nobuko and her webs, but somehow, this was different. He found that Nagatoro was giving him just as much as a struggle as she did despite having nowhere near her monstrous levels of strength. Either his kohai was much, much stronger than she looked, or he was just too flustered to retaliate. Naoto figured it was a mix of both.

"You gotta try harder than that, Senpai!" Her cocky, triumphant smirk widened. "In twenty seconds, it'll be my win."

His heart came to a stop once he heard that. He had to endure twenty seconds of this torture?! No way!

"A- Ach, T- Twenty seconds? N- agh- Nagatoro!"

Nagatoro's grievous gloated grin grew larger hearing him struggle. "Fifteen seconds," she announced quite vocally, beginning the countdown to her seemingly guaranteed win. "Come on, I've seen little kids in junior divisions do better than you!"

Naoto didn't know what to do. Too distressed to think and too embarrassed to move lest he somehow shatter the touch barriers even more than they already have been, he tried his best to run through his options.

He'd either surrender to his enemy and beg her to get off, which Nagatoro would never let him hear the end of, or he'd rise up and push her off with his strength..

...

..which would, unfortunately, run the risk of severely hurting her.

And even if she was being an absolute menace to him in that moment, Naoto would never even consider doing that in a million years.

So he chose option A.

"ACH- O- O- Okay!" He yapped. "N- Nagatoro, you win! Just get- off me, please!"

Of course, he should've known that option A had a zero percent chance of actually working. Nagatoro blatantly ignored his pleas, and only pressed herself closer to him; punishment for trying to take the easy way out.

"Nope, no way, Senpai!" I wanna see why Gamo-chan calls you the Amazing Paisen, because right now, you're lookin' like the Unamazing Paisen!"

Naoto clenched his teeth. "P- Please!"

"Ten seconds!"

Realizing that there was no way Nagatoro would ever relent, Naoto had no choice but to roll with option B. He took a big deep breath to prepare himself, wanting to make sure that if he was really going to force her off, he was going to do so very, very gently.

"Alright Naoto," the voice in his head said to himself. "You can do this.."

"…"
"..just don't hurt her.."

He started trying to wriggle and pull his arm free from Nagatoro's grasp, an action she immediately took notice of.

"There ya' go, Senpai!" She teasingly applauded him. "Keep it up!"

Her grip was strong, but Naoto could swear that he was just a smidge bit away from freedom. Still, Nagatoro had him on the ropes.

"Five seconds! Don't you give up on me now!"

"Don't hurt her, don't hurt her.."

"That all you've got?" She mocked with an innocent giggle. "Or am I too strong for ya'?"

"No!" Naoto defied with another shake of his head. "It's just- You're-"

Nagatoro cut him off. She leaned in, her face looming ever so closer to his as her already happy lips curled wider.

"I'm what, Senpai? Tell me!"

Naoto tensed up. "You're- .."

"Yoooooou'reeee~?" She eagerly wanted to know what he was going to say.

"Y- You're-"

"You're heavier than I thought but-"

"..."

..It was a statement that had just slipped out of his mouth. He didn't exactly realize what he said in the heat of the moment, but when he did, Naoto heard the loudest imaginary record scratch and boom-from-a-defunct-social-media-app in his head as he locked eyes with Nagatoro's shocked, jaw-dropped stare.

"..."

"..."

"..I- I AM SO SORRY I DIDN'T MEAN TO CALL YOU-"

Unfortunately, the damage had been done. There was no going back now. Nagatoro, gritting her teeth and growling wrathfully out of pure anger and frustration, let go of his arm and grabbed a very firm hold of his shirt's collar, pulling him in to berate her Senpai as her stunned gaze warped into one of fury.

"DID YOU JUST CALL ME FAT, SENPAI?!"

"N- NO! I- I- I MEANT-"

Nagatoro clenched him harder, literally yanking him in closer to her to show him the red hot flames of bloodlust in her eyes.

"I PINNED YOU DOWN BECAUSE OF MY SKILL, NOT BECAUSE OF MY WEIGHT! IF YOU KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT JUDO, YOU'D KNOW THAT EVEN A GIRL MY SIZE CAN TAKE DOWN SOMEONE LIKE YOU BY USING PROPER TECHNIQUE, NOT BY BEING FAT!"

"I- I WASN'T CALLING YOU F- FAT-"

Nagatoro slammed him back down on to the mats, looking as if she was fighting the urge to just strangle him right there and then. "WHY YOU.."

Unfortunately, her impulsive act of rage caused her to forget that his arms were free, and she failed to notice him grabbing on to her shoulders.

"ACH- Nagatoro, I- I'm sorry but please get OFF-"

Closing his eyes, he finally executed his plan and tossed her over to the side, rolling his body with her as he went along with the momentum.

Things were silent right after. Naoto did nothing and stayed perfectly still. He was on his knees, bent forward holding himself upright with his hands, both of which remained fixed on to the rubber flooring.

Then, he opened his eyelids, initially planning on getting up and properly apologizing to Nagatoro who he thought was also in the process of recovering from being thrown next to him..

...

..that is, until he discovered where she was.

Nagatoro wasn't besides him. No, instead, she was on her back underneath him, arms up above her head staring blankly at her Senpai who, from her point of view, was dangling right above her in what was one of the most suggestive positions imaginable.

Naoto didn't throw her aside, he flipped themselves over. His hands, mere inches from her red-flushed face, kept the girl trapped in place, her eyes locked on to his as she struggled to even comprehend what was happening.

It didn't take him even a milisecond to start blushing, and when he did, he blushed hard.

"I- I- ..."

A desperate attempt to explain and apologize was made, but Nagatoro stripped him of that chance. Turning just as red as he was, she clenched her teeth again, clasped on to his judogi, and used all of her might to Y E E T him away.

He screamed like a girl.

...

...

...

...

...

Naoto, after having been flung away by his extremely flustered kohai, found him and said kohai next to each other against the wall, a good amount of space between them. The two young and dumb teenagers took the time to just process what just transpired earlier at their own pace. Nagatoro was awkwardly sipping on an ice-cold bottle of water while Naoto himself sat still like a garden gnome, being as tense, embarrassed, and jittery as all hell.

Twiddling his thumbs, he began to feel the gaze of Nagatoro's dreaded Toro-Eyes periodically zero in on him without even needing to rely on his Spider-Senses, an act that did nothing except make the situation even more awkward than it already was.

"..nice.. throw?" Naoto spoke with a tone softer than the ghostliest whisper. He didn't even know why he broke the silence.

"Yeah, super glad I did that." Nagatoro's voice absolutely reeked of sarcasm.

Nothing else was said. Naoto wanted to strangle himself with his own webs for that stupid attempt to make conversation.

"..."

"..."

"..."

For what felt like the longest seconds of his life, Nagatoro finally rose to her feet. He looked up at her apprehensively, partly expecting a hardy kick to his face. "..."

"..."

"..I'm gonna see if Gamo-chan came back," she said, not even bothering to look back at the boy who was still on the floor. "..."

"..."

"..later, Senpai."

Watching her make her way to the door made him realize something: She was most definitely owed an apology for that nastiness.. that lewd.. he put them in.

So, he was quick to stop her. Shooting up as well, he extended a hand towards her.

"N- Nagatoro! Wait a second!"

With a pause, the girl did exactly as he had hoped and turned around. Naoto felt the hairs on his body perk up when she looked back at him, yet despite being riddled with goosebumps, he still spoke nonetheless.

"..I'm sorry for doing that. I.."

He struggled to finish that thought. He tried to explain why/how he ended up on top of her, as silly as it was, but he couldn't find the words for it.

Fortunately for him, however, Nagatoro.. dismissed it. By the grace of God, she dismissed it. Nagatoro closed her eyes, sighed, and shook her head.

"..It's fine, Senpai," she exhaled. "It wasn't your fault."

What she said next surprised the Spider in front of her. "..."

"..."

"..It's mine. It was my fault for being so rough with you. I should've remembered that you're a beginner.."

"No no-" Naoto wanted to protest that. He was the one on top of her, after all!

But, she seemed pretty adamant on that, so for their sake, he chose not to fight it.

"..it's.."

"..."

"..."

"..."

A sigh. "..."

"..let's just try and forget it ever happened, okay?"

Nagatoro wasn't against that idea one bit. She nodded with that suggestion almost immediately. "Yeah.."

Another wave of awkward silence filled the room again. Both high schoolers didn't know what to say after that, until Nagatoro finally spoke up.

"..Senpai."

"Hm?" Naoto gave her his full attention.

"..why are you really here? It's gotta be more than just wanting to look good for the summer, right?"

Naoto almost gulped at that question. "..Well.."

He went quiet, as he didn't really having a good enough answer to give her. Part of him had to wonder.. if now was the time to be honest with her.

Gamo-chan's words she said to him still echoed through his head.

"She cares about you, Paisen. You shouldn't hide this from her for too long."

"I'm here because I'm Spider-Man and there's another monster spider on the loose that almost killed Gamo-chan, so I want to train as hard as I possibly I can to protect you guys and our home."

That long sentence was what he wanted to say.

However, he gave it more thought..

..and realized that he couldn't. He couldn't say that. He didn't have the guts to tell her the truth.

..So, he said something else instead:

"..because.."

"..."

"..because I want to improve myself." It sounded ridiculous, and he quite literally pulled it out of his ass, but he tried his best to build something off of it. "Gamo-chan said she'd help me become the best version of myself I can be, so she told me about her family's gym and.. well, here I am.."

Nagatoro's eyes went wide in surprise, as that was the last thing she would've imagined her Senpai saying. "Better yourself..?"

He nodded. "Mhm.. I know it might sound surprising but.. Honestly? I gotta hand it to her.. She was a lot nicer than I expected, and she really did guide me through this whole thing really well.."

There was a brief pause for a moment. "..."

"..."

"..plus, even though it was a bit nerve-wracking at first, practicing boxing with her was actually kinda fun.."

Nagatoro was stunned, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. To her, martial arts and her Senpai from the art club weren't synonymous at all. In fact, a small part of her that was hidden very, very deep within her soul was amazed by his words.

As if she couldn't have been hit with a freight train like that harder, he went on to say something else that really blew her mind apart.

"..I know our training session wasn't exactly, well.. fun, but.." Naoto stuttered, his eyes no longer connecting with hers and his face flooding with red again.

He shocked himself for somehow finding a way to make this bullcrap make sense.

"..I'm sure it would be if we took it slow.."

Nagatoro's world had stopped. "Senpai," was the only thing she could mutter. "..."

"..."

"..take it slow?"

A nod. "I don't expect you to agree with this," he continued. "..amd I'm probably not even making any sense right now.."

"..."

"..but I guess what I'm trying to say is that I wouldn't mind doing judo again with you, Nagatoro, so.."

"..."

"..."

"..if you're okay with it, then can you teach me a bit more like Gamo-chan did?"

He ended his ramble with a question. Naoto zipped his mouth shut and waited for Nagatoro to respond, fearing he in fact probably didn't even make any sense.

Miraculously, he did make sense to her, but there were still so many things going on in her head. A million different words could describe what she was feeling in that moment. Mystified, stunned, perplexed, baffled.. you name it. Even after that.. accident, he was still willing to give sparring with her another shot.

She looked her Senpai dead in the eye, face red as ever, and didn't say a single word for a minute. Her continued silence put him in an ever-growing state of distress.

"..I knew I should've just been honest," a voice in his head scolded. She probably would've reacted better if he did..

Then, as if God or the Almighty Spider-Deity Herself was watching over him, he was saved from the tension when she finally moved her lips to speak.

"..Senpai."

Gulping, Naoto responded. "..Nagatoro?"

She took a moment to continue. "..."

"..are you being serious?"

No way, she might be believing it!

His heart almost skipped a beat. Naoto didn't know whether or not that answer was good or bad. Either way, he didn't waste a second to nod at that question.

"Yeah, I am.."

He was almost stumbling over his own words. Nagatoro ended up doing the same.

"W- Well.. If that's the case, then.." She really did believe it!

As her face began to blush, she moved one hand to her hip, and used the other to anxiously twirl a few strands of her silky smooth hair. Nagatoro was looking over at nothing instead of him.

"..."

"..I- I guess I wouldn't mind teaching you for a bit.."

Naoto felt a huge wave of relief hit him like a tsunami. "Yo- ..you mean it?"

She nodded, and the lost little Spider struggled to contain himself with joy. His lips curled into a tiny grin.

"T- Thank you!"

"Just-" Nagatoro stopped him abrutply. "..."

"..."

"..just try not to have another accident again.."

He gave his kohai a firm nod, nonverbally swearing to honor her request to the best of his ability.

"I promise."

There were still hints of uncertainty and reluctance in her eyes, but she nonetheless acknowledged his pledge to her with another nod of her own. She ultimately had faith that her Senpai would keep his promise.

She'd also make an effort to not be too extreme with him.

All worries aside, it seemed like he was able to live to lie another day.

...

...

...

...

...

Thump, THUMP! Nagatoro fell to the floor, rolling a full 360 degrees and ending her fall by slapping the mats with her hand and foot.

Naoto followed suit, performing the same motion with obviously less grace.

"Not bad," she congratulated. "You know how to do an ukemi?"

"A little bit," he replied. "I've seen this stuff before, but I never really knew what they were for.."

"It's a falling technique. It's supposed to help prevent getting hurt too badly. In judo, where everyone's getting thrown around a lot, it's important to try and minimize injuries as much as possible."

He nodded, taking in that crucial bit of information. "That makes sense. This could help me a lot, actually.."

That wasn't far from the truth, considering he's fallen from great heights and thrown into solid walls with a force of a monster.

"We'll work on that later," she said. "For now, I wanna try something else. Stand up."

Without question, Naoto did as he was told and rose back to his feet. Then, to his surprise, he found Nagatoro inching closer to him before grabbing his collar and sleeve.

"Woahwoah- Are we sparring already?"

"Not quite," she clarified. "I'm gonna teach you a few basics. Don't worry, I'm not gonna throw you."

"Oh.. Okay." Naoto let out a very faint sigh of relief as he did the same and slowly moved his hands up to grab her uniform as well.

As they both stood there holding each other's judogis, Nagatoro took this moment to commence with her lesson.

"Senpai, do you remember what I said earlier?"

He shook his head. A lot of things were said by her, so she needed to be more specific.

"..Not really..?"

"How even a girl my size can take down someone like you with proper technique?"

"Oh.. Right. Yeah, I remember.."

"Good, because I'm gonna show you how true that is."

He raised an eyebrow. "..wait, what do you- wHA-

Out of nowhere, Nagatoro suddenly closed the gap between them and pressed herself against him, leading the poor boy to let out a funny-sounding, panic-induced cry of shock. Then, he felt the girl wrap her right leg around his left one, which kept it locked in place and unable to escape. Her maneuver caused him to stagger and almost fumble from being thrown out of balance, his remaining leg beginning to cave in on its knee, and she began pushing further into him.

Her unexpected attack went completely undetected by his Spider-Sense. In one moment, Naoto was standing there answering his kohai's question, and the next he was sent plummeting back-first to the floor. The poor spider closed his eyes and braced for the impact, wondering helplessly why she was being rough with him again.

He thought they were taking things slow!

However, despite all hope in a gently-paced sparring match seemingly being tossed out the window, Naoto's back never touched the ground. He opened his eyes and blinked curiously, and quickly found that he was kept suspended in the air at an angle, being held on to in place by Nagatoro.

"Don't worry, Senpai," she reassured him, her face hovering over his. "I've got ya'."

He blinked again, twice. "O- Oh.. Well uh.. T- Thanks.."

Nagatoro gently pulled him back up on to his feet. The whole thing was like the end of a romantic partner dance, where a man would hold a woman in a lovely pose at the end of a duet. Only in this case, Nagatoro was the man and he was the woman.

That extremely gross thought made him blush, and he tried to shake his head away from it. Nagatoro had the same exact idea too, but she was doing a much better job at handling herself.

"What.. what was that about?" He had to ask.

"In judo, being able to control your opponent's center of gravity is key to ensuring a successful takedown." Nagatoro spoke like a professional, as fully expected from someone who frequents the sport. "So, even though I'm smaller than you.."

In the middle of her sentence, she wrapped her leg around his again, lowering him down to an angle above the floor a second time. "I'm still able to bring you down just as easily as I would if I was your size by knocking you off balance. Get it?"

Naoto's face was still cherry-red as he nodded in a somewhat uneasy manner. "A bit, yeah.."

She straightened him back up again, and allowed him a few seconds to understand what she was saying before going on to demonstrate a second takedown method. This time, the judo-goer shifted to his side to pin his right leg instead, virtually achieving the same result and earning a soft, muffled "woah" from him.

"See what I mean?" She made sure to hold on to him tightly. "Weight does play a tiny part in it, but proper technique is what's important. There's way more to judo than just brute strength."

"I- I see.." Naoto couldn't deny that this was all incredibly useful information to him.

"Now, why don't you try it, Senpai?" Nagatoro positioned him upright once more. Her suggestion made his cherry-flushed cheeks return, as if they hadn't left already.

"..You want me to..?" His voice tensed, knowing full-well what she wanted him to do. He didn't need to finish that thought.

Was she really asking him to be on top of her again?!

"Pin me," she confirmed his suspicion. "Take me down just like I showed you, and don't worry about being gentle."

Blink. "..wait but I thought we-"

She cut him off. "I can take it, Senpai. Just don't go too crazy."

Another blink, and then a finally nod seconds later. "..well.. okay."

Naoto took a very deep breath to mentally prepare himself, and he did his best to carry out her request as best as he could.

Verrryyy slowly and carefully did he begin performing the takedown on her, very much lacking the grace and confidence Nagatoro displayed. She may have had the skill, but he still had the size, mass, and undisputed strength over her. Gentle was an understatement. He needed to do this with caution.

His chest lightly brushed against hers, his mouth floated over her neck in such close proximity that he instinctively held the air in his lungs so she couldn't feel his shaky breath on her skin, then his jittering foot hugged hers. Naoto held a meek grip on her gi and reluctantly lowered her at a snail's pace, making sure to keep her as steady as ever while also deliberately going against her command to not be gentle. Ultimately, he never went all the way, and he stopped her at an angle just like she did.

His lips were starting to quiver, and a bajillion thoughts flooded his mind.

He was the man in this duet now.

"Keep goin'," she ordered. The ponytail her hair was in drooped and swayed, and she wasn't plannin' on having him stop until her head was touching the mats.

"O- Okay.." Continuing on, Naoto lowered her further, further, and further. 45 degrees, 30 degrees, 25.. until she at long last made mat-fall. He even almost wanted to give himself a pat on the back for doing it.

Instead, his own thoughts congratulated him. "Phew.. I did it.."

But, the action ended with him on top of her once again. It brought back unpleasant memories of a moment that had happened mere minutes ago.

Thank God Gamo-chan hadn't come back yet. Naoto was quick to get off of her. Nagatoro did the same, but she looked a little less than pleased with his performance.

"Let's try that again," she said, not agreeing with how.. merciful he was. "You got the first part down, but do it like you mean it, Senpai."

He frowned. "Sorry, it's just.. You know what happened.."

Get it together, Naoto! You're Spider-Man! You need this training!

"I know. It's okay, Senpai." Nagatoro didn't like seeing her Senpai hold himself with unpleasantries and insecurities he had a knack of clinging on to. It wasn't a good look on him. "I want you to do this."

"I know.."

Dammit, Naoto! Web yourself a spine!

"Senpai, you can do this."

As sad as it was, he fully expected her to share his thoughts and scold him.

"Step it up, Senpai! Come on," was what he imagined her saying.

Instead, what she actually said.. melted him.

Warmly.

"I know you can."

I know you can.

Four words.

Four simple words that no one had ever said to him before.

Hearing that, coming from the lips of the girl before him, the girl with a Goddess of a face he'd never have the balls to compliment her on, was enough to finally instill within him the strength to endure.

"..Right.. Okay." With a flushed face, he went to perform the pin a second time.

And pin her he did, this time with much more fervor like she asked but still the same amount of care to not hurt her. A loud "THUD" echoed through the air as Nagatoro fell to the ground, to which her muscle memory, almost in an instinctive fashion, performed an ukemi to gracefully break her fall.

"Good. You're still bein' a little gross, but you're gettin' there." Nagatoro, now happy with the spectacle, went back to her old teasing ways, and it somehow did wonders to help him. She gave him a playful wink, proud that he was slowly but surely pushing past his barriers, and he replied with his own teeny-tiny grin.

It was kind of nice seeing his kohai like that..

"Y- Yeah.."

"Now, stay like this for a moment. I'm gonna show you somethin'." Nagatoro lowered her eyes to his hands as she lightly clasped his wrists, earning her a soft "uh" from her Senpai. "See how your hold on me's kinda weak?"

"..Mhm, do you want me to..?" He went to apply more pressure, thinking that's what she was getting at, but the girl stopped him.

"No no no no no, keep 'em like that. Check this out."

He felt one of her hands pull away and slither over and around his back, seizing a handful of his gi from behind. Confused, Naoto did his best to try and turn his head to see what the tanned fighter was planning, until he suddenly found himself in a hug with Nagatoro when her other arm followed suit. It fired up his nerves once again, though the hug he was ensnared in was less of an affectionate embrace and more of a bear-hug of sorts.

Then, Nagatoro, with her Senpai unable to escape her noodle-armed prison, did something that flipped his world upside down.

Literally.

In one swift motion, she used her entire body to roll him to his side, using the both of her arms along with her hips and legs to move him with such ease. It was like he was a mere pillow to her. A stuffed animal, more like.

It all happened so fast that Naoto blinked in a daze, and the Spider could do nothing but freeze up once again, now well-within the grasp of his kohai who had him in complete control from behind.

The position they were in was painfully gross too.

"How did you-" Disorientated and vermillion-faced Naoto couldn't even get words out, which brought out a giggle from her.

"A common mistake a lot of beginners make is relying too much on brute strength to keep someone pinned, just like you were about to do, right Senpai?"

He nodded only once, and she continued, peeking over his shoulder.

"Well, when you do that instead of using proper technique, someone could easily do.."

"..."

"…"

"..this!"

Naoto let out a silly shriek of terror when Nagatoro abruptly threw him over in the other direction. "WA-"

"See?" Nagatoro laughed again, finding the funny sound he made very humorous. "It doesn't matter how much bigger you are compared to me, I have a gazillion ways to break out of a hold like yours. I can easily throw you around like a ragdoll anytime I want!"

"Y- You don't say.."

With a big grin, Nagatoro promptly released him from her hold. She was the first to stand to offer him a hand to get back up, and he took it with no second thought.

"Now you know there's more to judo than just being fat," she joked, not wanting to miss a chance at teasing him about his prior comment earlier.

"I didn't call you fat!" Naoto tried to fight back. "I meant.."

"..."

Though of course, he gave up on that. "..nevermind."

"So you were calling me fat!" She pointed a finger at him. He shook his head no feverishly.

"Wha- No! What are you-"

"It's fine! Now I know my Senpai's a creepy stalker and a body shamer."

"I am not a-"

"I should let Gamo-chan know when she gets back."

"Nagatoro!"

Naoto's riled up, agitated face was enough to make the girl burst out laughing. She spent the next few seconds getting her kicks out, much to her poor Senpai's chagrin, and decided to finally move on before he exploded.

"Alright alright, I'm done." Nagatoro exhaled, wiping one last little tear from her eye. "Sorry Senpai."

"..uh-huh," he pouted, his arms now folded across his chest. "Sure.."

"Oh, don't be like that. Now c'mon, let's practice it one more time."

...

...

...

...

...

The two teens went about practicing the motions over and over again. Each time she had him perform the maneuver did Naoto begin to find himself being much more graceful with the takedowns. She even taught him a few other common judo tricks.

And with each passing lesson, there were more falls, grunts, thuds, blushes, and teasing. Naoto grew accustomed to all but the last two. There was nothing he could do, even with his powers, to fight against The Way of the Toro.

Still, his confidence began to increase. Each successful performance and praise from Nagatoro helped build his psyche. He could just feel himself already becoming a better Spider-Man.

And it was all thanks to his dear kohai. A kohai he just needed to lie to.

The culmination of the brief teachings with the Toro all came down to one final request from her: another spar. Admittedly, he was still a bit uneasy about the prospect of a full-on sparring session with her, but his newly taught tips and tricks and the kind, reassuring words (obviously mixed in with some playful teasing, as per her usual antics) was enough for him to take on the challenge.

Naoto and Nagatoro stared each other off once again from opposing sides of the mat, preparing to begin their second battle.

"Ready?" She asked.

A nod. "Ready."

Both parties shared a bow, and they approached each other. He grabbed her gi, and she grabbed his. No moves were made by either participants.

It was like that for the first initial moments of the exchange. It was as if they were both reading each other to a tee, anticipating who would be the first to go for a play.

Nagatoro, a smug, almost tauntingly smirk on her face, wanted him to go first, and Naoto was trying to decide if he really should.

A very subtle aura of suspense surrounded him, but the choice was soon made for him.

His kohai drew her first card.

She pushed inward, and threw him down to his side, mirroring what had happened earlier. He almost failed to perform an ukemi, not that he really needed to.

"You froze up again, Senpai." She giggled, but deep down was she secretly disappointed. "What did I just teach you?"

"I know, I know.. Sorry." He got right back up and prepared for another round. She still couldn't resist the urge to throw a playful jab at him.

"That's a point for me, by the way."

"I know, just give me a second."

They went about it again. This time, he drew the first card, but the move he made.. was sloppy.

He tried to go in to snag her foot with his, but he took so long and seemed so.. hesitant that she just had to take advantage of that again.

"Come on, Senpai." Nagatoro was beginning to think he had somehow forgotten all about her teachings. All that confidence he seemingly displayed, all gone once an actual spar had begun.

"Hold on.." he said.

But he couldn't hold on. He wouldn't. It was time for him to lock it in.

For real.

No more freezing up. No more being indecisive. Naoto had to be proactive.

Don't wait, don't think. Just act. Like a spider..

Naoto wasn't sure where he got that last part from, but it helped him get serious.

They grabbed each other again, and the third round started. Naoto executed first once again and went in to ensnare her left leg with his right.

A stagger from his kohai, but she still had the skills, and she anticipated this. She knew the protocol. Quickly stepping back, Nagatoro managed to successfully prevent herself from being thrown off-balance and freed her leg.

Then, while he struggled to perform a follow-up, she closed the distance, pressing the side of her body against the front of his torso. Pulling his arm upward and wrapping her own around the back of his neck, she was now in a very good position for a devastating blow.

In a spectacular show, judo-pro Nagatoro threw him over her shoulder. Naoto landed flat on to his back.

"Another point for me, Senpai." Nagatoro led him in points and she looked down, putting on a smirk but deep down wanting.. knowing her Senpai was capable of more.

Naoto got back up. He was trying his best to lock it in, but her expertise and proficiency prevented him from fully utilizing her teachings.

It was an impossible battle. Yet.. he refused to back down.

"One more round." Nagatoro grabbed his gi again and he did the same. "Focus, Senpai. You got this."

"Remember what I taught you."

He gave her a low "mhm," her words still finding their way to warm his heart.

The way she could effortlessly switch from childishly teases to comforting support was so lovely.

If they were in an actual ring, the iconic bell sound would've rung to commence their final round. Naoto was going to go all in on this one.

He didn't know if it was because he was motivated by her or if he (and she too) was enjoying their little game together. It didn't matter.

What he did know, was that he made the first move again. In a repeat of what occurred before, he went in to snag her leg, and she backed up when he did.

Except before she was able to repeat her own move, he too pounced back, preventing another defeat from happening.

He almost missed the proud grin on her face when she saw that.

Not wasting any time to swoop in for another attack, he tried doing the same move a second time: catch her left leg. She easily countered it.

She tried to catch his after, and he, with some difficulty, did the same.

Both challengers were at a stand-still. Stepping and stepping, senpai and kohai trotting and stomping all over the entire mat, feet prints appearing and disappearing from its foamy material, both trying to find an opening in one another for an advantage.

It was like they were dancing.

Nagatoro was going easy. She very easily could've ended the whole fight a while ago, but did she want to? No. It pleased her to see her Senpai break out of his comfort shell.

And he was all too pleased with himself for the same reasons.

Then, he saw it. An opportunity, a door to victory. His kohai in a good position for him to take down, her right leg wide out in the open.

So, he took it. No hesitation. He caught it, and pushed forward.

Naoto performed the same takedown technique Nagatoro had first taught him, and it worked. Down went the Toro, and there the Spider laid on top. Like a spider with its prey underneath it.. except she was decidedly NOT his prey.

He almost wanted to expel all of the air in his lungs.

Nagatoro's long hair was nestled out in all directions. Her entire body laid flat, and she looked up at her victor with the happiest goddman grin known to all humanity.

She wasn't wallowing in sorrow or shame upon meeting defeat. No, she looked delighted.

"..Senpai.." She said with heavy breaths.

Her senpai looked right into her eyes, breathing in the same manner. "..y- yeah..?"

The Spider's heart went to skip a thousand beats after what she did after.

To his utter surprise, she raised her two hands. Her soft, soothing hands, and she made to connect their palms with his cheeks. Cupping his face, she exclaimed with utmost glee.

"You did it!"

Becoming entirely still like the buildings he swung on, his jaw went agape, and his skin become redder than red could ever possibly be.

And he couldn't, for some reason, look away.

"..y- yeah.."

His lips began to curve.

"..."

Upwards.

"..y- yeah, I did!"

Countless emotions were flooding the Spider's body. He couldn't pick out exactly which one he was feeling, no matter how hard he tried.

...

...

...

...

...

"So, how was that for a first-time judo session, Senpai?"

Naoto and Nagatoro spent a few more hours at the GAMOU Fighting Gym, biding their time together by sparring a third, fourth, and fifth time. Eventually, the girl whose last name the facility took from returned from her abrupt lunch break, and to the two goofball teenagers' joy, Gamo-chan had brought them both a share of her chow.

Ramen bowls for each of them, no chopsticks being forgotten. The Spider and the Judo-goer were both ever so appreciative of the gesture. Of course, not as appreciative of the teases from the fiery-haired boxer, however.

Now, they were both walking home together alone once more, having since changed into normal clothes. Goodbyes were shared with their friend, and they went on their way.

The sun had already set, and the Moon took over its spot in the sky. It was also a half-hour past nine, the time he promised his mom he'd return home on, so he was already anticipating a stern-talking to.

But the Spider would wait 'till he crossed that bridge.

"It was good," he said. "It was a little out of my comfort zone, but I enjoyed it.."

"You could say that again." Nagatoro giggled at the floof-haired boy. "I'm still surprised someone like you even thought about going to the gym."

"Hey, I still went, didn't I?"

Another giggle. "Yeah, for now. Then later down the line, I'm gonna text you to train again, and then you're gonna be all-"

Nagatoro put on a very silly impression of his voice, obviously not entirely accurate at all. "But I don't wanna I'm sooooooreeee~"

He let out a chuckle. Indeed was he slowly beginning to grow accustomed to her antics. "Nah, I'm gonna try and stick to this from now on. It's.. actually kind of cool."

It was cool, but the bigger reason was that he needed to.

"Oooh." Nagatoro pretended to be dumbfounded, deep down loving to see her Senpai wish to improve himself. "Look at you wanting to change. Who' you' trying to impress?"

"Impress? Haha, that's not what this is about.."

"Uh-huh, suure. Don't let this get to your head, creeper."

"I'm not a creeper, Nagatoro."

"I know you aren't. Creeper."

They kept walking for another while, reaching about the half-way point into their trek. Eventually, they'd get to a point where they'd have to split, their homes being nowhere near each other.

But until then, he had a question for her.

"Nagatoro."

"Yeah?" She looked up at him.

"I.. knew you were in the judo club. You told me when we met, but I didn't know that you did other types of martial arts."

She nodded matter-of-factly. Nagatoro was always proud of her sporty-proficiency. "Oh yeah, I always come down here to train with Gamo-chan."

A laugh. "What, did you think I was some kind of weak little girl?

"No, not at all!" Naoto instantly denied that. "It's just that I was a bit surprised to see you how well you did against her when you first arrived."

He couldn't lie about how cool and badass she looked with all of her boxing gear on, hands up and ready to throw down with the Gamo.

Nagatoro's face crimsoned. It sounded like he was praising her. "..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..it is because I'm short, isn't it?"

That was a very clear joke. One needed to be alarmingly dense to not know that considering she had a frisky little smirk underneath her nose. Naoto just shook his head, stiffing out yet another fidgety laughter.

"No- Eh, Nagatoro.."

A full-fledged cackle that came from her lasted for a minute, and she finally calmed down to be straight with him.

"But seriously, I really do train with her. It's been that way for years since my brother introduced me to her."

That surprised him. "He introduced her to you?"

"Yeah! Wayyy back when we were kids."

"Oh, so.. I'm guessing he was the one who trained you then?" These were some good questions to get to know her.

"Him and my sister," she corrected. "She trained him, and then they both trained me!"

The order she gave him was interesting. "..So that means you're.."

She shot up. "The youngest! She's the oldest, he's the middle, and I'm the baby." lets goooo k sorry lets keep him in 2020 back to the story

"..Huh.." Naoto did find that interesting indeed.

Nagatoro being the youngest.. He had to wonder what her two older siblings were like.

"..you know, I actually saw your brother when I got here. I didn't say hi, but Gamo-chan pointed him out."

Suddenly, she gasped, and cupped her hands over her mouth to mimic a surprised damsel in distress.

"So you were stalking me!"

Of course, he was left flabbergasted. "Wha-"

Her joke and the taken-aback gesture he gave her resulted in the little judo gremlin bursting into laughter. It was her hardest one yet. Nagatoro even had to wipe some tears away from her eyes mid chortle.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm kiddin'." She genuinely was. "Go on."

The only thing he did was pinch the bridge of his nose. She just didn't seem to have an end to her energy. Still, he did break a tiny grin.

"..I saw him with Gamo-chan," continued the Spider. "You two really look alike.."

"He looks like me," she joked again. "He took my looks."

The fun-sounding, cheerful tone in her voice when she said that seemed to have indicated that the two Toro siblings had shared a good relationship. At least that's what he took from it.

"..I'm not sure if that's how that works, but I guess.. It's cool that you had the both of your siblings to train you, though."

She nodded affirmatively again. "Wouldn't be me without them, Senpai."

"Yeah.."

Another question arose, this time from her. "What about you, Senpai?"

"Hm?"

"You're a pretty good artist. Did'ja have anyone teach you too?"

A pretty good artist.. That warmed his heart, as much as he didn't like to admit it. Involuntarily scratching the back of his head, he answered her question truthfully.

He did have a teacher.

"..well, I did, actually. A long time ago."

"Oh reallyyy~?" She leaned in, seemingly interested. "Were they a creeper like you too?"

"Nagatoro."

A wink. "Sorry."

He knew that "sorry" was genuine, so all he did was smile. "..she wasn't a creeper, but she was definitely interesting."

That wasn't far from the truth at all.

The pronoun he used sparked more of her interest. "She".. Nagatoro didn't say anything this time. Meanwhile, as Naoto began to think about the supposed mystery teacher, he began to hear her voice again in his head for the first time in a long while. He'd never forget it.

...

...

Last year, back in the art club, before Nagatoro or Gamo-chan's time, when he was a first-year.

"Your color's are getting muddy over there," she told him. "Watch your blending."

"Right," he said.

She directed him towards another side of the piece they and other members were working on. The members that existed in the art club, before they all left.

"Let that side dry before you fix it. Work on something else."

He said again, "Right."

"Stay focused. Don't start getting lazy."

"R- Right!"

Prep for that year's culture festival was being completed. Pieces and portraits were being displayed for their exhibit, but one in particular caught her bad eye.

"Someone didn't hang that right." It was crooked. "Fix it."

He did so without hesitation. "Right."

And it went well. The festival was a success. Their showcase attracted a lot of visitors, and each piece earned the praises of many. All thanks to the woman in charge that day, the woman he looked up to. Figuratively, and literally in that moment.

The art club's old president, Sana Sunomiya. She was an amazing person in his eyes.

Amazing enough for him to fancy her at the time.

"A lot of people came by," he pointed out.

A simple nod. "Yeah. Well done, Hachioji. I can see where my cousin gets her skills from now."

He blushed. "T- Thanks, President.."

Then, to his dismay, Sana brought to him less than pleasant news. Placing a hand on to his shoulder, which effectively earned him a shiver, she spoke in her usual monotone, authoritative voice.

"I need to ask you a favor, Hachioji."

"..huh?" Confused little Naoto pointed his head up to her like he was looking at a Goddess.

It was a simple, yet broad request. "Can you take care of my club for me?"

"..take.. care..?" He didn't know what he was hearing.

"I'm going to be focusing on my studies from here on out. Once this school year ends, I'll be a third year, and I'm going to be occupied with cram school. I won't be showing up to the club for a while."

"..you aren't?"

She shook her head. "No. Same goes for the other second years."

"..oh.."

There was a pause. Naoto needed a minute to think, and she allowed him so.

Taking up the responsibility of the art club.. It was a huge task for him.

But Sana had faith in him, more than he had in himself, and she trusted her gut that he was able to tackle that burden. So, he finally made his decision.

"..I'd.. I'd be honored."

He made her smile. Still having her hand on his shoulder, she began to slowly, yet affectionately caress it.

"Thank you, Hachioji. I'm counting on you."

...

...

...

"..Senpai?"

Nagatoro's voice brought him back from wonderland. Naoto was very clearly reminiscing about that day, his mind having been lost in nostalgia. The day where his teacher, his old crush, chose to pass the torch down on to him him. Doing so, while embracing him.

Back when the club didn't solely consist of just him. When various other members were each pumping out various pieces of art, sometimes together. Those were good times..

His "gross-ness" made the new girl in his life raise an eyebrow. "..Senpai."

"..sorry, what?" He shook his head, returning to Planet Earth.

"You were being weird." Nagatoro's lips zipped to their side. "Like, weirder than normal."

He staggered, clearing his throat and apologizing right away.

"..oh, sorry. I was just thinking, that's all."

"Thinking about that teacher of yours?"

He nodded. "Mhm.."

Subtlety was never Nagatoro's strong suit. Jealousy was very clearing souring through her after hearing that.

"..really, huh? Well, she must've been pretty neat, then.."

The girl said that with blatant sarcasm, and Naoto could easily tell that her statement was fueled by envy. Envy for a girl she'd never even met.

So, he went to calm her down and explain the whole thing.

"I wasn't thinking about her like that, Nagatoro. She left a lasting effect on me."

His kohai looked towards him, wanting to know what he meant by that. Naoto continued further.

"..She was definitely neat, and she was an interesting person.."

There were.. quirks of the Prez that he knew about, and he'd absolutely not tell her any of them. "..."

"..."

"..but she was also pretty amazing. Not just as a person, but as an artist too."

She was listening completely. "..really?"

"Yeah.. You know how you said you wouldn't be who you were if it wasn't for your brother and sister?"

She nodded. "..yeah?"

"Well, it's the same with me and her. She taught me pretty much everything I know about art. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be as good as an artist I am today."

"..."

"..well, I'm not the best, but.. you know what I'm saying."

And she did. "..I get ya', Senpai."

If only Sana could see him now.

"There's nothing gross about it, Nagatoro. She's an inspiration to me, and.. I owe a lot to her."

Nagatoro went quiet for a minute. Hearing her Senpai openly express his appreciation to someone who was so crystally-clearly a big influence on him.. made her feel some type of way.

The type of way that made her realize that it was wrong for her to be jealous of such a thing. A lot of mental hurdles had to be overcome, but she made those nasty feelings inside her go away. For both their sakes.

"..."

She nudged his chest.

"..That's pretty gross, Senpai."

At first it seemed as though the first part of his sentence had completely swung over her head, but he was able to tell that that wasn't the case. Her shy, almost tiny grin, slightly hunched back and the reddening of her cheeks were all tell-tale indicators that she was only responding in the only way she knew how in "gross" situations:

Jokes.

So, he returned the favor. "..."

"..."

"..maybe just a bit, h- hehe.."

Each of their smiles broadened. Nagatoro straightened up and held her hands behind her head, flaring her tanned elbows in both sides.

"It sounds like she was pretty great, Senpai. Was she strict?"

Oh, most assuredly. Sana was all business during her reign over the art club.

"Oh yeah," he nodded wholeheartedly. "She was the very serious type.."

A little laugh. "Hah, so she must've been pretty hard on ya'."

"Sometimes," he chuckled back. "It wasn't that bad though."

Then, it was as if that was the perfect que/set up, because her trademark "Toro-Smirk" returned.

"..Well, just wait until ya' start training with me for real!" Nagatoro announced with all might in her voice. "You've got no clue what 'pretty hard' is.."

"..."

"..I'm gonna put you through the wringer harder than she ever did! Are you ready, Senpai? Because you better be!"

She stopped walking, and excitedly reached one arm out to point a finger, while she curled the other into a fist and fixated it on to her hip. Nagatoro's goofy gesture prompted him to chuckle again, as he found it most amusing.

And he had one thing to say. With some new confidence, the Spider said:

"I am. I'm ready."


End notes:

Aaaaand, that's that! End notes, time!

If the title wasn't obvious already, it's named after Jaden Smith's song, "I'm Ready," which was featured in Insomniac's Miles Morales. Good ahhh game. Jaden controls a good portion of my Spotify playlists too.

Sorry if this chapter seemed.. rough. Especially the judo parts. I know next to NOTHING about the sport. I watched videos upon videos to try and get an idea on how to write how it'd play out, but still, I'm pretty sure my lack of knowledge made itself known. Next chapters will be written better.

Sorry if this was also pretty f**kin' long too!

Speaking of next chapters.. THREE chapters, 15, 16, and 17 will all be out on Sunday, December 31, to end this year off with some Spider-Naoto. And I promise, they'll actually come out, haha.

Merry Christmas to you all. I hope each and every one of you got some good gifts, good food, and a good ass time with the familia! May 2024 be a wonderous year, from me to you!

Cheers. :)