"Paimon, are you okay?"
Spider-Man, clinging outside the floor-to-ceiling window, startled the little one. Peter hurriedly pulled off his mask to show Paimon his face.
"Phew, it's you, Peter. Why are you dressed like that? I thought you were that Rotten Walnut guy!"
Paimon patted her chest, the corners of her eyes still damp.
She opened the window and let the boy climb in.
"I'm here for intensive training."
Peter leaped through the window. Once his feet touched the floor, he explained, "Rotten Walnut... oh, I get it. You mean Wade."
Just mentioning Deadpool made Peter's head ache.
He had never expected to meet such an oddball of an overgrown child at Scout summer camp, though Wade kept insisting he had only just~ turned~ eighteen~~
But as far as Peter could tell, he and his friends had probably been duped.
Before they had gotten to know each other, he and Wade had once competed on the street to help an old lady cross the road, so Peter knew he wasn't a bad person. But Wade's habit of steering every conversation into a full gallop through the land of dirty jokes was more than Peter could handle.
In just those few days, the strange things he had learned as a minor had come pouring in like the runs the day after eating Wanmin Restaurant's signature extra-spicy stir-fried rice noodles.
"As for why I'm dressed like this..."
Peter tugged at his spider suit, looking a little embarrassed. "I'm an Avenger now! Okay, an intern Avenger."
"Ahem, uh, a prospective Avenger."
Correcting himself, Peter scratched his head. "Anyway, I'll soon be able to protect everyone like the Avengers do."
"Protect..."
Something came to mind, and Paimon's spirits sank. She blinked and lowered her eyes.
Seeing her like this, Peter understood immediately. He, too,