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Chapter 32: Returning to School
After spending several days in Brooklyn, at the beginning of the semester, Gwen, Norton, and Rosa, who was standing on Norton's shoulders and shrunk using shrinking technology, arrived at the gate of Brooklyn Vision Academy. Norton couldn't help but sigh with emotion. "I didn't expect that I would come to school again after graduation," he said.
"Come on, how long have you been married, and I haven't called you for anything?" Gwen replied, addressing him as "Norton," and walked ahead. The two instantly attracted the attention of almost all the students along the way.
"Look, look, that Asian boy is so handsome."
"Yes, yes, and he's so tall, mighty, and charming."
Many girls couldn't help turning their heads to look at Norton. Maybe because he had been a black spider for a long time, he waved at them habitually. The girls blushed a little, quickly turned their heads, and only dared to peek at them secretly, while the bolder ones even waved back.
"We're running out of time," Gwen admonished, unable to stand it anymore. She went directly to Norton's side, pulled his ear, and dragged him forward.
"Ah! It hurts, I obviously didn't do anything!" Norton immediately protested.
"I'm only responsible for myself in another universe."
"That's right, Mom was right, and Dad was too bad," Rosa supported Gwen unconditionally.
Gwen looked at Rosa sitting on Norton's shoulder with satisfaction and thought to herself, she is indeed my daughter. The people they passed looked at them with strange eyes, wondering if they were a couple of transfer students.
"Okay, okay, I surrender," Norton said, escaping under Gwen's fingers. He straightened his clothes and pretended to be serious: "From today onwards, I, Norton, will be a man who loves truly, never touching any flowers or flirting."
Gwen looked at him with half-closed eyes, her expression clearly asking if he believed what he was saying.
"Father, even I don't believe what you just said," Rosa whispered in his ear.
Norton coughed lightly and said to Rosa, "My daughter, do you know what is the most important thing for a man?"
"What?"
"It's face."
"Psst~" Gwen couldn't help laughing. Seeing the father and daughter looking at her, she immediately adjusted her expression: "Sorry, I can't help it."
It was a happy, albeit short, campus time. Norton and the others were sitting in a dark classroom, watching a projection screen showing the female Doctor Octopus of this world, Olivia Octavius, also known as Liv.
"This... she's the female version of Doctor Octopus you mentioned?" Gwen whispered in Norton's ear at their desk.
"Yes, she is the one who built the particle collider, and we all have to rely on her when we go back."
"Ahem, whispering is forbidden during class time," the teacher behind them coughed softly and reminded them. Norton and Gwen sat up straight after hearing this, staring at the screen in front of them.
Not long after, a black boy walked into the classroom. He sneaked into his seat, but he couldn't escape the teacher's eyes. "Mr. Morales, you are late again," the teacher said, folding his arms and looking at Miles with half-closed eyes.
"Einstein said that time is relative. Maybe it's not that I'm late, but that you are early."
"Well, it makes sense," Norton suddenly interjected. Seeing the teacher's look, he added flatteringly, "I'm joking."
"Psst!" Gwen couldn't help laughing, then thumped his arm. "Do you want to stand like this, or sit down?" The teacher asked.
Hearing this, Miles lowered his head so that his face was half-covered by the book in his hand and walked to his seat, which was right next to Norton. "I've never heard such a reasonable joke; it's very fresh," Norton admitted, though if he were in his previous school, he would likely be criticized for it.
"Really? Do you think it's good?" Miles' eyes lit up at the prospect of making some new friends.
"Bang bang!"
"Ahh!" They exclaimed in unison as the female teacher patted each of them on the head without holding back. The two sat up straight and stopped whispering.
At dusk, Norton remarked, "Ah, these subjects are really simple." Having graduated as a college student, he regarded this knowledge like a high-achieving student reading elementary school questions. He thought about it, knowing that Miles would be bitten by a radioactive spider tonight and become the new Spider-man.
"Xiao Wen and I are going to the Children's Paradise," Gwen said, taking Rosa's hand. She turned to Norton and asked, "Do you want to go together?"
"No, I'm going to take a stroll."
"Okay, don't go shopping for too long. Remember to go back and cook," Gwen warned, narrowing her eyes and pointing at Norton's nose. "Don't get too close to girls. You're not even from this universe, after all."
"I obey, ma'am!" Norton pretended to be serious, stood up straight, and saluted. Gwen seemed to find this amusing and nodded. "Well, this is more like it. I have to be responsible for another me."