“Don’t worry. I can handle it.”
May gently patted Mary Jane on the shoulder, reassuring her that she would be fine.
Watching the resilient old woman slowly make her way back into the house, Mary Jane found herself unable to utter the words of comfort she wanted to say.
She could only gaze deeply at Aunt May’s front door.
In the end, she walked up to it, leaned close, and said through the door,
“If anything happens, I hope you’ll call me. We’re still family, aren’t we?”
There was no response from inside.
But Mary Jane believed Aunt May had heard every word.
“I’ll come back to see you, Aunt May.”
Leaving those words behind, Mary Jane turned and walked away, her shoulders heavy with disappointment.
As for whether May had heard her— of course she had.
What truly surprised her, however, were the figures now standing before her.
“Oh my goodness…”
May covered her mouth, doing her best not to cry out in shock.
“I’m terribly sorry for coming in without your permission.”
One of the figures, dressed entirely in black and white, removed his hat and gave her a polite bow.
“Sumimasen!”
A girl who looked incredibly adorable apologized somewhat nervously.
As she spoke, the robot-like companion standing behind her made an unmistakably human expression of guilt.
“I don’t know whether it’s normal for animals to talk in this world, but… it’s still a pleasure to meet you.”
If that voice hadn’t spoken up, May might never have noticed the tiny figure sitting on her coffee table.
“Wait… wait a moment.”
The situation had genuinely overwhelmed her.
She had known for a long time that her nephew was Spider-Man.
But he had never mentioned having so many companions.
At most, he’d talked about Captain America and the others.
Earlier that day, at the memorial service, May had also seen those world-famous superheroes.
It was obvious they had all come to mourn Spider-Man.
“…You’re not my nephew’s friends, are you?”
May did her best to calm herself.
She had experienced far too many shocking things today.
Her nephew had died in what was supposedly an earthquake of unknown origin.
But May believed otherwise.
Peter… had died at the hands of some villain.
There was no way an ordinary earthquake could have taken Spider-Man’s life.
The black-and-white figure spoke cautiously, choosing each word carefully.
“This isn’t our universe. We somehow crossed dimensions and ended up here because of an accident.”
“And I think the reason we were brought into this universe…”
Although she looked no older than a young teenager, the little girl was the first to piece everything together.
“…is connected to whatever caused the Spider-Man of this universe to die.”
“It looks like they’ve already explained everything.”
The moment the tiny doll-sized figure finished speaking, everyone immediately became alert.
Their Spider-Sense was warning them— someone had just arrived outside the house.
Ding dong.
The doorbell rang.
They instantly assumed combat-ready positions.
Without hesitation, May picked up a baseball bat from nearby and slowly approached the front door.
“You all hide. I’ll handle this.”
It really wasn’t appropriate to let a white-haired elderly woman face an unknown danger.
But May’s suggestion was, in fact, the best course of action.
For now, none of them should reveal themselves.
The moment they had arrived at May’s house, they had already sensed several people outside watching the place with ill intent.
Avoiding their surveillance had been easy.
But if they appeared out in the open now, there was no telling what consequences might follow.
As quickly as possible, they concealed themselves.
When May opened the front door, she relaxed and lowered the baseball bat.
It was only a few children carrying Spider-Man memorabilia.
Several adults had accompanied them.
“I’m very sorry… but may I leave this here?”
A little girl held out the Spider-Man doll in her hands.
A small card hung from it.
The childish handwriting made it obvious that everything written on the card was what she wanted to say to Spider-Man.
“Of course, sweetheart.”
May knelt down and gently stroked the girl’s hair.
“He was a good man.”
Watching the scene unfold outside, the various Spider-People hidden inside the house all came to the same conclusion about the Spider-Man they had never met.
He had been… a good person.
A bat was observing the scene as well, from the attic of his own home.
Wayne wasn’t at all surprised that fans had come here to leave gifts.
Spider-Man’s place in this universe was much like the Flash’s in another.
To the people of their respective worlds, they represented the moral conscience— the final line that should never be crossed.
Setting aside those bizarre alternate universes that left everyone speechless, in most normal realities, they served as the team’s last moral safeguard.
But through the Bat’s eyes, those adults who appeared to be accompanying the children were anything but ordinary.
The way they stood.
The vigilance in their movements.
Every detail revealed professional training.
People like that were either government operatives or battle-hardened mercenaries.
Judging by everything he saw, the latter seemed far more likely.
If they were government personnel, there would be no need to remain so constantly on guard while visiting the home of a fallen superhero’s family.
If these people weren’t hiding something,
Wayne would gladly cut off his own head and use it as a football.
“They’re certainly taking this place seriously.”
Wayne could tell that at least five people nearby had been stationed here solely to keep the house under surveillance.
Their caution bordered on obsession.
Even after Spider-Man had already died at his hands, they still feared someone might come here.
No wonder Kingpin had managed to rise to his current position in this universe.
That level of caution made it almost impossible for him to fall victim to arrogance.
Even though his opponent had been Spider-Man.
Still,
Kingpin had always possessed his own obsession.
In the main universe, once Kingpin realized Vanessa was his greatest weakness, he had decisively dealt with her himself, eliminating his own vulnerability.
Only then could he face every possible challenge in what he believed was a flawless state.
In this universe, however,
Vanessa had become the nightmare haunting his dreams— the obsession he could never escape.
Wayne stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Although he finally had a place to settle down, he was still far from being the true Batman.
Perhaps… what was about to happen next would become the opportunity he needed to truly transform himself into the real Bat.
“Kingpin…”
Wayne carefully examined the razor-sharp edge of the Batarang in his hand.
(End of Chapter)