One week later, in the morning, Wos was sneaking around outside a small bookstore on Fifth Avenue, peeking at the inside through the glass window.
“Still nobody’s buying it.” Wos sighed in disappointment.
Two hours had passed since the shop opened, and the copy of *Reborn in World War II, I Became Captain America’s Comrade* just lay quietly in the new releases section, without anyone even picking it up.
Tom crouched at Wos’s feet and patted his calf with a paw, signaling him not to be too anxious.
“I know, a new book needs time after release,” Wos comforted himself.
“Osk said so too, sales have to build up slowly.”
Jerry poked his little head out of Wos’s pocket and pointed toward the inside of the bookstore, asking whether they should go in and take a look.
“No, that would be too obvious,” Wos said, shaking his head.
“What if the shop owner recognizes me?”
Aqua was bored beside them, kicking small pebbles on the ground.
“What is there to worry about? This goddess thinks nobody would recognize a new author like you.”
“…(lll￢ω￢) Aqua, if you don’t say anything, nobody will think you’re mute.” Wos rolled his eyes.
Aqua’s words really did hurt.
“This goddess is not mute!” Aqua proudly puffed out her chest.
Just then, a high schooler with a backpack headed toward the bookstore.
He looked about sixteen or seventeen, wore glasses, and was a bit skinny, the typical bookworm type.
“Someone’s coming!” Wos perked up instantly.
“Maybe he’ll buy my book!”
The high schooler pushed open the door, and a bell rang crisply inside the shop.
“Peter, you’re here!”
The bookstore owner, Jack Jameson, put down the newspaper in his hand and greeted him warmly.
He was a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, wearing reading glasses, and looked very kind.
Wos’s eyes went wide.
Peter?
Could it be…
“Uncle Jack, any good books to recommend today?” Peter Parker walked up to the counter and habitually adjusted his glasses.
“Of course!” Uncle Jack stood up and headed for the new releases section.
“A very interesting novel just hit the shelves today.”
Wos’s palms were sweating with nerves.
Peter Parker, the future Spider-Man!
Although he hadn’t been bitten by the spider yet and was just an ordinary high schooler, he would later become a superhero of the Marvel world!
“What genre is it?” Peter followed behind Uncle Jack.
“Transmigration, set in World War II.” Uncle Jack picked up the book.
“*Reborn in World War II, I Became Captain America’s Comrade*, by an author with the pen name Cat and Mouse Man.”
“Captain America?” Peter’s eyes lit up.
“He’s my favorite!”
Spider-Man liked Captain America!
This was simply the perfect reader base!
“I knew you’d be interested.” Uncle Jack smiled and handed the book to Peter.
“The setup of this book is quite fresh. The protagonist transmigrates to 1942 and becomes Steve Rogers’s comrade.”
Peter took the book and opened the first page to start reading.
“My name is John Smith, an ordinary military enthusiast. If someone had told me that I would transmigrate to America in 1942, become a mutant, and become comrades with Captain America, I would have been sure they were insane…”
With just those first few sentences, Peter was hooked.
“Uncle Jack, can I read here for a while?” Peter asked.
“Of course, you know the drill, read as much as you like.” Uncle Jack went back behind the counter and continued with his newspaper.
Peter found a quiet corner, sat down, and began reading with complete concentration.
Outside the door, Wos was itching to rush in and ask Peter how he felt about it.
“He’s reading really seriously.” Aqua pressed against the glass to observe.
“And his expression looks so focused.”
Tom nodded.
He had noticed that Peter was completely immersed in the book, not even hearing the car horns outside.
Time ticked by, and Peter’s page-turning grew faster and faster.
He was totally drawn in by the plot, and John Smith’s experiences resonated with him deeply.
An ordinary person suddenly arriving in a strange world and facing unknown challenges, Peter understood that feeling well.
Although he hadn’t gained any superpowers yet, as a bookworm who was often bullied by classmates, he often fantasized about having the strength to protect others.
“Steve was still that frail little guy, but there was an unshakable sense of justice in his eyes. I knew this man was destined to become a legend…”
Reading this, Peter couldn’t help smiling knowingly.
The author’s portrayal of Captain America was spot on, keeping Steve Rogers’s classic image while adding a new perspective.
“John, do you believe in fate?” Steve asked.
“I believe in choices, Steve,” John answered.
“Fate gives us opportunities, but the choice is in our own hands.”
This exchange struck a deep chord in Peter.
He often thought about the direction of his life, and about what real responsibility and courage were.
Outside the door, Aqua was growing impatient.
“Does he like it or not? Why does his expression keep changing?”
“He looks very absorbed,” Wos said, watching Peter’s subtle expressions.
“That should be a good thing.”
Jerry jumped onto Wos’s shoulder and pointed at the book in Peter’s hands.
The pages had already been turned past the halfway mark, showing he really was reading seriously.
Inside the shop, Peter was completely immersed in the story.
The friendship between the protagonist, John, and Steve moved him deeply, two young men from different eras coming together because of a shared ideal.
Especially John’s inner struggle, knowing the course of history but being unable to intervene directly, was written so realistically. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“If it were me, what would I choose?” Peter asked himself.
In the book, John chose to quietly support Steve, helping him grow in his own way instead of stealing his spotlight.
That quality made Peter admire him.
Before he knew it, Peter had finished the whole book.
He closed it and let out a long breath.
“How was it?” Uncle Jack noticed his movement.
“Was it good?”
“It was amazing!” Peter said excitedly.
“It’s the best transmigration novel I’ve ever read! The author’s understanding of Captain America is very deep, and the protagonist’s setup is really interesting too.”
Hearing this outside the door, Wos was so thrilled he almost bounced.
Spider-Man said his book was good!
“Would you like to buy a copy, then?” Uncle Jack asked.
Peter patted his pocket, looking troubled.
“But I… I don’t have enough money right now.”
As a kid from an ordinary family, Peter’s allowance was very limited, and Uncle Ben and Aunt May were already working hard to put him through school.
Although kind-hearted Peter really wanted to buy the book, eighteen dollars was truly not a small sum for him.
“It’s fine, you can take it first and pay later,” Uncle Jack said kindly.
“I know you’ll pay me back.”
“Really, I can?” Peter asked in delighted surprise.
“Of course, you’re a regular here,” Uncle Jack said with a smile, waving his hand.
“Thank you, Uncle Jack!” Peter hugged the book gratefully.
“I’ll definitely pay you back as soon as I can!”
Peter left the bookstore in high spirits, a satisfied smile on his face.
Watching Peter’s retreating figure, Wos felt a mix of emotions.
On one hand, he was happy that a reader liked his work, and on the other, he ached for this future superhero’s present hardship.
“My first reader is Peter Parker,” Wos said with feeling.
“I guess that’s a good omen.”
“That boy looked very kind,” Aqua commented.
“And very polite.”
Tom and Jerry nodded in agreement.
They could sense that pure, kind-hearted quality in Peter.
“Let’s go, it’s time for us to head home too,” Wos said, taking one last look at the bookstore.
“At least I know someone will like my book, and that’s enough.”
The group of four left the bookstore in good spirits.
Although only one copy had been sold, that one copy meant something extraordinary.
The future Spider-Man had become Wos’s first reader, and this beginning seemed to foreshadow something.