"Fifth, after you beat up the bad guys, make sure to leave quickly. Otherwise, people will expect you to clean up the scene."
"Sixth, wash your suit often. Don't let people smell anything weird on it, or they'll make fun of you."
"Seventh, put on some talcum powder before wearing your suit, especially around the joints. You don't want to get a rash, do you?"
Amazing Spider-Man-B spoke with growing enthusiasm, but the more Peter listened, the more something felt off.
The earlier points had at least been somewhat understandable.
But what the hell were these later ones?
Wash his suit often?
Put on talcum powder?
Uh... thinking about it, that actually made some sense. Sometimes his skin did feel prickly. Maybe it really was because he had not used talcum powder.
But what the hell did that have to do with being a good Spider-Man?
"The last one, and also the most important one," Amazing Spider-Man-B said, looking at Peter with unprecedented seriousness.
Apparently, after fooling around, he was getting serious again.
Peter's expression unconsciously became serious as well.
"Don't become Spider-Man," Amazing Spider-Man-B said, enunciating every word.
Peter frowned deeply.
This was not the first time he had heard Amazing Spider-Man-B say that.
When Amazing Spider-Man-B and Miles had dug him out, he had asked Amazing Spider-Man-B for some Spider-Man advice. Back then, he had said exactly the same thing.
At the time, Peter had thought Amazing Spider-Man-B was merely joking.
But now, his expression, his tone—everything told Peter that he was not joking.
He was genuinely warning Peter not to become Spider-Man!
Seeing Peter's expression, Amazing Spider-Man-B sighed and patted his shoulder. In a heavy voice, he said, "Spider-Man is a curse. It doesn't just affect us; it affects the people around us too. Because of it,