"Li, was that the Justice Kid who's been all over the news lately?"
Max, sitting in the passenger seat, looked surprised. He'd been busy rebuilding the Transformer these past few days and hadn't paid much attention to the news. He'd barely even heard Spider-Man's new nickname—Li Si had only mentioned it once.
"Yeah!"
Li Si's attention was completely focused on the system notification that had just appeared. He merely nodded in response to Max's question.
[Notification: You have completed a hidden achievement: [Soul Mentor]. You have gained 1 Achievement Point. Current Achievement Points: 1]
[Notification: Achievement Points can be used to redeem items in the Achievement Shop. The Achievement Shop is not yet open. Stay tuned!]
"So there really is one? I thought I'd have to defeat Lizard to get an Achievement Point. Didn't expect to get one for free already."
Seeing the system notifications, Li Si's spirits lifted at last.
He'd only set Peter Parker straight because they were classmates. The Achievement Point was an unexpected bonus.
"Hopefully, finding purpose in fighting crime will make Spider-Man feel a little better!"
Thinking back to Peter Parker's behavior earlier, Li Si sighed again.
Honestly, he didn't feel that strongly about Peter Parker. He'd mostly approached him for his own reasons. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stood by and let Ben Parker die. Since he already knew how the story went, he could easily have saved him.
Still, people had hearts. If he hadn't run into Spider-Man acting so unhinged, he might have simply pretended nothing had happened. But after seeing him like that, he couldn't help being a little affected.
That was all, though. He certainly didn't regret failing to save Ben Parker or anything like that.
If it had been a character he'd liked in a previous life, he might have stepped in to make up for a regret. But he really didn't care for this version of Ben Parker. He didn't have even the slightest fondness for him.
The Amazing Spider-Man version of Ben Parker hadn't uttered the old version's classic line before he died. But he was even more sanctimonious and long-winded than the old version.
Being sanctimonious was one thing. He didn't want to be that way himself, but he could still respect people who were.
This version of Ben Parker, however, was always trying to force his own beliefs and will on others. He was constantly lecturing them from on high, as if he wanted the whole world to be just as sanctimonious as he was. He was practically a sanctimonious bastard.
Come to think of it, Peter Parker was pretty unfortunate to have grown up in such a weird family. If Li Si had been stuck in a family like that, he would've gone crazy.
...A helpless scene break...
The next morning, Li Si had to drag himself out of bed early. His three days of leave were over.
He'd wandered around outside until late the night before, then grabbed a midnight snack with Max. By the time he went to bed, it was already past three in the morning. He'd also had quite a bit to drink, so getting up this early for school felt like it was killing him.
Fortunately, Bumblebee was finished, so he could enjoy the life of a man with a car. At least he didn't have to cram onto a bus or put up with the body odor of a talkative Black driver.
"Whoa, what a flashy sports car! Who's inside?"
"I know all the cars at school. Did some rich kid transfer here?"
"I'm so jealous. Damn, my parents said I can't get a car until I graduate, and it'll definitely be secondhand!"
"What make is that? I've never seen one like it. Still, it looks awesome. I'm getting one like that someday!"
Flashy sports cars were every boy's dream. When Bumblebee drove into Midtown School of Science and Technology, he caused quite a stir among the students. The envy and jealousy on their faces said it all.
Cars weren't especially expensive in America, but teenagers usually had to wait until they graduated high school to get a low-end car of their own. Some had to wait until college, and those from less well-off families had it even worse.
Everything was relative. Most people could only gaze longingly at cars, so seeing someone arrive in one—especially an unbelievably cool sports car—was bound to make them feel some type of way.
"Want to buy Bumblebee? Go buy one in your dreams, kid."
It felt good to show off for once. Listening to people chatter as he drove, Li Si was in high spirits. He found a parking spot and parked Bumblebee. The moment he got out, he caused another commotion.
He might not even have realized it himself, but he'd become a celebrity at Midtown School of Science and Technology.
Two days earlier, he'd taken on three people at once and shown off what people called legendary Chinese kung fu. That had added an air of mystery to his usual honor-student reputation. The buzz had died down after he went off the radar for three days, but now he'd shown up at school in a sports car, drawing attention all over again.
Everyone who recognized him gasped. Some were already guessing that he was the heir to some huge Chinese conglomerate.
Others went even further, confidently claiming he was a disciple of some legendary Chinese martial arts family. God knew what manga or novels they'd gotten that from. Listening to them gave Li Si a headache.
"Mm-hmm, keep going!"
As soon as he got out of the car, a crowd surrounded him. They wouldn't let him squeeze through, so Li Si simply decided not to leave yet. He stood in the middle while the students pointed and stared.
They were saying nothing but flattering and amazed things. Who didn't like hearing praise? He certainly did. Since he couldn't leave and enjoyed listening, he might as well stay a little longer.
An ordinary high school student might have blushed under everyone's intense scrutiny. But Li Si had lived nearly three lifetimes. What hadn't he seen? His skin was already thick enough to resist anything.
He wasn't embarrassed at all. In fact, he was grinning from ear to ear, nodding along in agreement now and then, and even gesturing for them to say more.
That made the students in the crowd run out of things to say. They were too embarrassed to keep going, and one after another, they quietly slipped away.
"Hey, hey, don't go! Keep praising me for a while. I won't mind!"
As the crowd thinned, Li Si, still wanting more, actually reached out to stop them.
The others were stunned by his shamelessness. Even those with the thickest skin admitted defeat and walked away. The crowd that had gathered around Bumblebee soon vanished completely.
"Tch. You thought you could beat me? You're still too young."
Li Si glanced at the onlookers scattering faster than rabbits and cheerfully headed toward the school building.
Well, he'd shown off, enjoyed the crowd's praise, and solved a little problem. That was definitely worth it.
Before you continue