A few days later, New York Midtown School.
With the holiday over, the once-deserted campus began to bustle with activity that morning.
"Hey, Peter."
"Wow, I haven't seen you in one vacation, and you've gotten so much taller."
"Maybe I'm just hitting a growth spurt..."
As he walked through the familiar campus, only a few classmates he knew greeted him, but they were soon astonished that Peter had grown so much taller over a single vacation.
Weaving around the crowded students, he also passed several couples who had not seen each other all vacation and immediately started making out the moment they met.
Peter finally arrived at his locker.
"Heh, another boring prank."
Opening his locker and seeing the two dead rats inside, Peter felt absolutely nothing.
The next moment, he used the locker door to conceal the red glow rising in his eyes.
"Huh? Why didn't that coward react?"
Not far away, the two culprits behind the prank were watching Peter's reaction.
However, the scene they had expected—Peter screaming in fright and stumbling backward—never happened.
Judging by his calm expression, it seemed he had not even noticed their handiwork.
"Hey, did you actually put that thing in there?"
"I did, boss."
"Then why didn't he react?"
"How should I know? Maybe he's been scared so many times that he's grown some guts."
"Come on, let's take a look."
Watching Peter leave calmly, the two walked over, unwilling to believe it.
"Fuck, didn't you just say you put it in there? Look for yourself. Where is it?"
They secretly opened Peter's locker, only to find no trace of their prank inside besides some personal belongings.
"But I clearly put them on the bottom shelf. How did they disappear?"
The underling being scolded also felt baffled and wronged.
To prove his innocence, he could not help reaching into the locker to feel around.
"Ahhh... so hot!"
The next moment, his sudden scream instantly drew the attention of every student.
The hand he had stuck into the locker snapped back as if he had touched a live wire, but even so, it had already been burned badly enough to blister.
"Serves you right."
Hearing the screams behind him and the laughter of the other students, Peter silently sighed and walked into the classroom.
After entering the classroom, Peter found his seat from memory and sat down.
"What a pity. This seat doesn't seem to get any sunlight."
But as soon as he sat down, Peter stood back up.
His seat was in the innermost corner against the wall, where he could not enjoy any sunlight at all.
How could Peter possibly accept that? After all, he still had a buff on him.
"Hmm, that seat looks good. It's directly across from the window."
After looking around the classroom, Peter quickly found a suitable spot.
It was right in the middle of the windows, where it could receive sunlight both in the morning and afternoon.
Peter immediately walked over without hesitation, even though someone was already sitting there.
"Hey, Flash, we need to talk."
Looking at Flash Thompson, who was sitting there chatting about football games with other students, Peter spoke slowly.
Whenever he thought of that name, Peter could not help thinking of a certain man who called himself the fastest man on Earth.
"Well, if it isn't Peter Parker. School just started, and you're already eager to go home and recover?"
As the school bully, Flash turned around and saw that the person interrupting his conversation was the formerly timid Peter.
Anger instantly flared inside him, and he shot to his feet.
"I get it. You got taller over vacation, so that's why you're confident enough to interrupt me."
However, once he stood up, he realized that after only one vacation, the once-scrawny and cowardly Peter was now a head taller than him.
And Peter did not seem intimidated by him in the slightest.
"Sorry, I just came to switch seats with you."
"Hmph, don't think growing a tiny bit taller means you can provoke me. I'm the absolute star of the school football team."
Seeing that he had failed to scare off the cowardly Peter, with his underlings watching from nearby, Flash felt his status being challenged and threw a vicious punch straight at Peter's chest without hesitation.
Thud! Crack!
"Ah! It's broken..."
A dull impact rang out, followed by the crisp sound of bone breaking.
Flash instantly clutched his fist and cried out in pain.
"Take him to the nurse's office."
Looking at Flash, who was in so much pain that he was nearly in tears, Peter slowly spoke to the stunned underlings around him.
"R-Right, we'll take him to the nurse's office."
At that moment, the underlings were completely dumbfounded. Since when had Peter Parker, who was always bullied, become this fierce?
Peter could only think to himself, My Man of Steel can withstand bullets without even breaking the skin. How could a punch possibly hurt me?
As several underlings carried the suffering Flash to the nurse's office, Peter sat down in Flash's former seat without hesitation.
Basking in the sunlight, his body and mind instantly felt incomparably comfortable.
"Parker, you seem to have changed a lot over vacation."
The Asian girl with black-rimmed glasses seated behind Peter looked at him with disbelief in her eyes.
Ring, ring, ring...
As the class bell rang, most of the students took their seats.
"Students, it seems you all had a wonderful vacation."
The teacher for the first class entered the room and slowly addressed the students, nearly all of whom were smiling.
"However, the new semester has begun, and this semester is very important for all of you."
"Those of you who do not have enough credits should make sure to earn them during this final semester. Otherwise, you may not be able to get into college successfully."
"All right, enough talk. Let's begin class..."
"Wait, teacher!"
Just as the teacher was about to begin, a female student's voice came from the doorway.
"Being late on the first day of school isn't a good look, Stacy."
"I'm sorry, teacher. It won't happen again."
"Just this once. Go back to your seat."
As Gwen hurried into the classroom and headed for her seat, she complained wildly in her heart, If a bus driver hadn't gotten absentminded so early in the morning on my way to school, how could I possibly have been late?
"Huh? Peter Parker? Why is he sitting there?"
Seeing Peter sitting in the seat behind her that had originally belonged to the classmate she hated, Flash, Gwen was greatly surprised.
"Morning, Stacy."
"Good morning, Parker..."
Gwen returned Peter's greeting with some uncertainty, then sat in the seat in front of him, feeling strangely unsettled.
By then, Peter had already closed his eyes again, enjoying the sensation of sunlight filling his entire body.
Listen to class? Screw that! How could class be more important than soaking up the sun?
"General, the Air Force and Army units have assembled. Should we launch the attack immediately?"
"Good. Prepare to attack. This time, we must completely eliminate that green monster!"
As the lesson reached its midpoint, Peter, who was enjoying the sunlight with his eyes closed, heard something through his vastly enhanced Super Hearing that immediately caught his interest.
Before you continue