In front of the small house.
Mary Jane had already left, accompanying Kingpin to discuss the details of the charity gala scheduled for a few days later.
That left Aunt May alone, surrounded by the mess left behind.
Peter initially planned to go straight down, but Shadow Spider stopped him.
He gestured toward a corner in the distance. "Hold up. There's a 'little eye' over there, probably left behind by Kingpin."
"Kingpin!" Peter froze, alarmed, immediately halting his steps.
He curiously looked in the direction Shadow Spider indicated but couldn't see anything unusual.
Still, he trusted that Shadow Spider wouldn't be mistaken.
Changing their approach, the two crept through the shadows to Aunt May's backyard instead.
The backyard was small but well-maintained, featuring a tiny lawn. One corner held a lawnmower, while another had a shed, likely used for storing tools and miscellaneous items. Peter couldn't help but wonder why the lawnmower wasn't stored in the shed.
Seeing the locked backyard gate, Peter couldn't shake the image of Aunt May's grief-stricken face from his mind.
He nudged Shadow Spider lightly. "Hey, buddy, why don't you knock on the door?"
"You do it. It's not really my thing."
"What? Since when is knocking on a door a matter of skill?"
"Of course it is! You know I'm a private detective. I usually don't go through doors; I prefer to... improvise," Shadow Spider said with a shrug, pointing upward toward a second-floor window.
Peter: He makes a good point. I've got nothing to counter that.
"But you share the same name as this world's Spider-Man—Peter Parker—and you even look almost identical to him. You're the better choice," Peter reasoned earnestly.
The truth was, Peter wasn't sure how to face a grieving elderly woman. He didn't know how to console her and wanted Shadow Spider to handle it.
"But you're Peter too, pal," Shadow Spider retorted, seemingly reluctant to go himself for the same reason.
"No, no, no. I'm Peter Bide. Bide is my surname, and Peter is my given name."
"Oh, fascinating! A marvel of linguistic naming conventions!" Shadow Spider exclaimed theatrically. "But that still doesn't change the fact that we're both Spider-Men!"
"That's true. You're a spider, I'm a spider, we're all spiders. You're me, I'm you. So there's no problem if you're the one knocking, right?" Peter fired off a string of rapid words, leaving Shadow Spider momentarily dazed.
"Fine, you win." Shadow Spider sighed, walking toward the door. As he turned back, he added, "But honestly, I agree with your last point. With your gift for rambling, you feel oddly familiar."
Peter: (Annoyed) I do NOT ramble!
Knock, knock, knock.
The house remained silent.
After a long pause, light footsteps approached the door.
The steps were quiet, clearly intended to be muffled.
But with their enhanced hearing, Peter and Shadow Spider easily picked up on them.
"Who is it? It's late. If it's for an interview, come back tomorrow," Aunt May's voice came through the door.
Shadow Spider cleared his throat. "Aunt May, it's me, Peter. But... I'm Peter from another world."
"Peter?!" Aunt May's voice rose in surprise before she quickly lowered it again. Her steps, however, quickened. "What proof do you have?"
"Uh..." Shadow Spider turned to Peter with a pleading look, clearly at a loss.
Peter stepped forward, removed Shadow Spider's mask, and pressed his face directly against the peephole so Aunt May could see him clearly.
"Hey—" The man under the mask forced a smile, one that looked more awkward than cheerful, as if smiling wasn't something he did often.
Shadow Spider appeared to be around 27 or 28 years old, but his demeanor and life experiences gave him an older appearance, easily passing for someone in their 30s.
In the Spider-Man world, he was undoubtedly one of the "senior warriors."
By comparison, they'd previously seen the unmasked face of this world's Spider-Man, who seemed about 25 or 26, noticeably younger than Shadow Spider.
However, unless someone was completely oblivious, the striking resemblance between the two was impossible to miss.
Clang!
Rumble...
The sound of metal hitting the floor rang out.
The door swung open abruptly, and a baseball bat rolled out, clattering down one step before Peter bent down to catch it.
At the same time, Aunt May flung her arms around Shadow Spider in a tight embrace.
"Peter~~" Her voice trembled with emotion as she spoke, clearly overwhelmed.
Shadow Spider stiffened at first, but soon, as though sensing the warmth reminiscent of his own Aunt May, he gently returned the hug.
Just then, Aunt May's body went limp.
Shadow Spider quickly caught her, carrying her into the living room and laying her gently on the sofa.
"What happened to her?" Peter placed the baseball bat aside, concerned.
Shadow Spider raised a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture and said softly, "She's emotionally drained from grief and joy. Let her rest for a while."
Peter nodded in understanding.
The two found seats nearby and decided to take a moment to rest as well.
Since arriving in this unfamiliar world, their nerves had been constantly on edge. Now, in the relative safety of Aunt May's home, the tension eased, and exhaustion crept in.
As they sat down, both drifted off into a much-needed sleep.
Click!
In the middle of the night, a sudden sound broke the silence.
Peter's eyes snapped open.
With his enhanced vision, he quickly focused on the source—a large, burly figure looming nearby.
"Could it be Kingpin?!" Peter's heart raced as his body instinctively reacted, leaping and clinging upside down to the ceiling.
On the other side, Shadow Spider awoke as well, immediately moving to protect Aunt May on the sofa.
"Who are you?!" A crisp, high-pitched voice rang out as the bulky figure raised its hands in a fighting stance.
Peter quickly realized the figure wasn't Kingpin at all.
In fact, it wasn't even human. It was a red-and-blue spherical robot with arms and legs, standing upright like a person.
The familiar color scheme instantly reminded Peter of Spider-Man's suit.
But a Spider-Man robot?
And with a high-pitched voice?
How strange!
The robot spoke again. "Huh, you can stick to walls like a spider? Are you also Spider-Man? Does this world have two Spider-Men?"
"Are you here for Spider-Man? Or... are you also Spider-Man?" Peter asked, voicing his suspicion.
Deep down, though, he had already begun to believe it. The sensation that had woken him felt remarkably similar to the spider-sense he'd experienced when first encountering Shadow Spider. He hadn't fully registered it at the time because he was half-asleep.
Click!
The robot's hatch opened, and a girl in a short JK-style school uniform jumped out.
"Ah, my apologies! I'm Peni Parker, and this is my partner, SP//dr. Pleased to meet you." The girl bowed politely, her demeanor cheerful and respectful.
(End of Chapter)
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