Penguin Oswald glanced at the photos on the desk, then looked up at the applicant.
Sure enough, he was a young man wearing a black sweater with a messenger bag slung over one shoulder.
His expression was worried and uneasy.
He looked rather pitiful, especially with his sweat-soaked hair plastered to his forehead. Had he run all the way here?
"Want a drink? I have whiskey and sparkling water."
Oswald gestured toward the drinks on the table. He had always believed that a little alcohol could bolster one's courage.
Besides, this kid named Peter Parker had made a decent first impression. He looked exactly like the sort of child who came from a poor family.
The kind who lived from hand to mouth.
"I don't drink."
Peter Parker hurriedly shook his head. As he looked at the Penguin before him, his heart grew even more anxious.
God, if he couldn't find a job...
Aunt May and he would end up on the streets, and they were in an unfamiliar city, an unfamiliar world. This was too hard...
After learning that reality, Peter Parker had sat on a toilet in the restroom and thought for a full hour.
Only then had he run out into the streets to try his luck.
"Cigarettes? Cigars?" Oswald continued.
Peter Parker quickly shook his head again, and that piqued Oswald's interest. He wanted to tease the young man a little.
"I have lollipops. How about that?"
Oswald opened a drawer, took out a rainbow lollipop, waved it in his hand, and grinned.
Peter Parker smiled too. At least some of his nervousness had eased.
"Good thing this is something I can hand out."
Oswald tossed the lollipop to Peter Parker, stubbed out his own cigar, and picked up a lollipop to eat.
"All right, these