"You look like shit," MJ said bluntly, leaning in and kissing Peter lightly on the cheek. "Who is the inspiration for the new look?"
Peter let out a weak laugh as he pulled open his locker door, the hinges groaning. His shoulders still ached from the brutal beating he took the night before, a rough reminder of how hard Deadlock had thrown him across the New York skyline. "Long night and expecting a longer morning."
"Uh, that," MJ replied in understanding.
"Guys, news!" Ned shouted, weaving his way through the sea of students. After passing through all the students and reaching us, he took a second to catch his breath before looking up with excitement. "I just landed on some news. We are having new students. From Japan."
"Really?" MJ blinked.
"God no!" Peter blurted out.
Both MJ and Ned turned to him with confusion. "Why aren't you excited?"
Peter looked at them, debating whether to tell them. He already knew exactly who those new transfers were, having fought alongside them on the battlefield against Thanos and dealing with the chaotic mess from Deadlock just hours ago. "Just my spidey-sense," he muttered.
Ned's reaction was instant. He lowered his head and started to scan the crowd with narrowed eyes.
"What are you doing?" MJ asked in a condemnatory voice.
"I am looking for an attack," Ned responded in a quiet voice, still looking around.
Peter sighed, closing his locker. "That's not what I meant; let's just get this over with."
Ned and MJ exchanged a confused glance before shrugging it off and heading to class.
The morning warning bell rang, and the room filled with the usual loud hum of shifting chairs and rustling notebooks. Hiro and Nozomi simply blended into the crowd, entering the classroom alongside the rest of the students without any big announcement. They took two empty seats toward the back, moving with a calm, easy confidence. They looked like exceptionally attractive, normal teenagers—hiding their plush fox ears and multiple black, glossy tails from public view.
A moment later, the teacher walked into the room, setting his briefcase onto the desk with a thud. He glanced over at the two unfamiliar faces in the back row.
"Looks like we have some new faces today," the teacher said, gesturing for them to stand. "Could you please tell the class your names?"
Hiro stood up first, his hands loosely tucked into his pockets, his dark hair tied back in a low ponytail. "I am Kirigaya Hiro," he said, his voice completely calm and relaxed.
Beside him, Nozomi rose with total grace, her golden eyes scanning the room. "And I am Kirigaya Nozomi. Good to meet you guys."
The teacher nodded. "Welcome to Midtown High. Alright, let's open up our books." With that, the lesson continued like normal, and everyone got back to taking notes.
When the bell finally rang for recess, the whole room shifted. Within seconds, a bunch of curious students crowded around the twins' desks, dying to talk to the new kids from Japan.
"Hey, Hiro, dude!" Flash Thompson called out, leaning against a desk to look cool. "Where exactly in Japan are you guys from? Do you live near the big city districts?"
"We are from Musutafu," Hiro answered casually, flashing a small, relaxed smirk.
A couple of other guys quickly crowded closer, their eyes wide. "Dude, is it true that the anime culture back there is entirely different? Have you ever visited the major animation studios or the high-tech districts?"
Hiro offered a chuckle, running a hand through his hair. "We've dabbled in advanced mechanics and gear back home, so we know the tech scene pretty well. The standards are definitely high."
On the other side of the desk, Nozomi was surrounded by a group of girls asking rapid-fire questions about fashion, skincare, and moving to America.
"Your hair is absolutely stunning, Nozomi," one girl gushed, leaning closer. "What kind of styling products do you even use? Is the high school fashion in Japan as cool as it looks online?"
"Thank you," Nozomi replied smoothly, her voice carrying a melodic tone that kept the entire group completely listening. "We generally prefer a more traditional, comfortable style, but the city trends are pretty vibrant if you know where to look." She handled the rush of people easily, weaving harmless answers while sharing a private laugh with her brother through their mental link.
Peter watched the entire display from across the room, leaning back in his chair with a heavy, exhausted sigh. 'At least I won't have to worry about the city's safety on my own,' he thought, trying to maintain a sliver of genuine optimism. Knowing that a pair of reality-altering, multi-tailed entities were sitting in his classes made the terrifying global baseline feel a little more stable.
The day progressed, moving through the standard high school schedule until the final period of afternoon science. The laboratory classroom smelled heavily of cleaner and old textbooks.
The teacher clapped her hands together to cut through the chatter. "Alright, settle down. For the upcoming lab module, we will be working in assigned pairs to analyze high-density molecular structures. I've already mapped out the lab stations."
Peter pulled his notebook out, waiting for his name to be called.
"Kirigaya Hiro, you'll be working with Michelle Jones at station three," the teacher announced, gesturing to the middle row.
Hiro offered a brief nod, picking up his notebook and walking over to MJ's station with a calm, steady stride. MJ merely eyed him with her typical analytical, unimpressed expression, pulling her stool out without a word.
"And Peter Parker," the teacher continued, looking over her clipboard. "You will be pairing up with Kirigaya Nozomi at station five."
Peter froze, his hand locking up around his pen.
Across the room, Nozomi smoothly gathered her books. She turned her head toward him, her golden eyes locking directly onto his slouched posture. A slow, mischievous smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth, her expression radiating pure, playful amusement as she walked toward his desk with an incredibly deliberate, teasing pace.
Peter stared at the approaching goddess, a cold sweat breaking out across the back of his neck as his shoulders tensed up in absolute dread.
"Oh no," Peter muttered under his breath.
X X X
Sorry for the long wait.
It's been a while.
I have decided during my time away. I am going to write about 1k words per chapter, but I will release daily. But that is for now. I am also making a poll for it. There are two options.
1k words & daily release
or
5k words and weekly release.
I will start applying this next week today.
Thx.
Peace out!
Oh, don't forget to check my new book.
It's called "Dragon Spy".