With a thud, "Peter" closed the door and greeted the woman who seemed to be cooking in the house.
"A-Aunt May, I'm home."
"So early? Didn't you say you were eating at a friend's house today? I didn't make your portion."
"It's okay, Aunt May. I already ate. I'll just head back to my room if there's nothing else."
"Peter" looked nervous, and before the woman could poke her head out of the kitchen, he had retreated to his room.
After locking the door, "Peter" exhaled and slumped to the floor.
(So useless.)
Saiki Kusuo's voice echoed in his mind. The ridiculed "Peter" waved his hands in exasperation.
"Kusuo, you're one to talk! If it weren't for you petrifying Peter, I wouldn't have had to resort to this. I should be eating Mom's cooking right now, not impersonating someone else's nephew in a stranger's house."
The current "Peter" was actually Saiki Kusuo's father, Saiki Kuniharu, in disguise.
Twenty minutes ago, Saiki Kusuo had asked him to impersonate "Peter" to get through the night at the Parker residence. As for why he agreed to such an unreasonable request, it all started 20 minutes earlier.
20 minutes earlier.
Saiki Kuniharu, having just returned home and changed his shoes, received a call from his son in his room.
"Dad, come to my room for a moment."
"What is it, Kusuo? It's rare for you to call for me. I heard from Mom that Peter came over again today. Are you having trouble figuring out how to interact with your friend, so you're asking for Dad's help? How cute. Well then, let the all-knowing Dad tell you how to get along with your friends… Ahhhhh!! What happened to Peter?!"
Saiki Kuniharu, pushing open the door, instantly froze his smug expression upon seeing the situation in the room. He then pointed at the petrified Peter and let out a terrified scream.
"Shut up, it's too loud," The piercing sound was unbearable, and Saiki Kusuo stopped him.
However, in the next second, he was met with harsh criticism from his father.
"Why did you petrify Peter? Weren't your glasses properly on your eyes? Peter might not have known, but shouldn't you have?"
Knowing he was in the wrong, Saiki Kusuo didn't dare to argue, nor did he think of making excuses or shifting blame.
Seeing his son obediently accepting the scolding, Saiki Kuniharu took a deep breath to calm down. "Now what? Have you thought of a solution?"
Saiki Kusuo nodded and explained his plan to Saiki Kuniharu, who immediately protested strongly.
"Are you kidding? You want me to pretend to be Peter and spend the night alone with a single woman? Are you trying to make me betray your mother?"
"It's just until late at night. Once I'm sure Peter's aunt is asleep, I'll bring you back."
Saiki Kuniharu was unmoved. "Then why don't you pretend to be him? You caused this mess, so take responsibility."
"Of course, I'll take responsibility, but there's a mandatory field trip tomorrow, and I can't get out of it. If we don't both show up, it'll cause trouble. Tomorrow is your day off, right? Please, Dad."
Saiki Kusuo rarely asked for help because he disliked owing people favors. Although it would be satisfying to have the all-powerful psychic owe him a favor, thinking about how he wouldn't be able to spend his day off happily with his wife, Saiki Kuniharu flatly refused.
"No way. In any case, I won't pretend to be Peter. Kusuo, you can ask for time off from school and then you can pretend to be Peter. I'll handle the school. That's it. I'm going to eat dinner now, and you should come out too."
Saiki Kuniharu finished speaking and turned to leave without waiting for Saiki Kusuo's response. As he passed Peter's statue, he couldn't help but look up at this young-looking hero who was already protecting New York. The previous times the other had come to dinner, he had coincidentally been absent.
However, an accident occurred.
As Saiki Kuniharu leaned in, he accidentally performed a classic Japanese manga-style "flat-ground trip."
With a thud, Saiki Kuniharu knocked Peter's statue to the ground.
Another crack was heard, and Peter's statue's neck broke from his body.
Saiki Kusuo: "…"
Saiki Kuniharu: "…"
Panicked, Saiki Kuniharu covered his face with his hands in a dramatic pose. "Oh no, Master Kusuo! Peter's head fell off!"
Hearing this, Saiki Kusuo sighed deeply.
Afterward, to avoid the disastrous situation of Peter being "killed" by him and having to go to jail, Saiki Kuniharu was forced to agree to Saiki Kusuo's request to impersonate Peter.
Uncomfortable in the unfamiliar environment, Saiki Kuniharu paced around the room with a grimace.
Knock knock.
"Peter, are you there? I have something to tell you."
Peter's Aunt May's voice came from outside the door. Saiki Kuniharu panicked. He wanted to find an excuse to get rid of her, but Saiki Kusuo stopped him.
"She just wants to tell you something small. It'll only take a few minutes. Don't be nervous. Go open the door now, Dad. She'll get suspicious if you wait too long."
"It's easy for you to say. I'm the one pretending to be Peter!"
Saiki Kuniharu reluctantly opened the door. A sexy and beautiful woman stood before him.
Unlike the innocence of a young girl, the woman possessed a certain mature charm.
Saiki Kusuo hadn't expected Peter's aunt to be so young and beautiful, on par with his own mother. Saiki Kuniharu blushed while silently warning himself not to betray his wife. At the same time, he complained to Saiki Kusuo in his mind.
"Ahhhh, Kusuo, think of something! If my dear finds out, she'll kill me!"
After a few seconds of silence, Saiki Kusuo gave up on having Saiki Kuniharu impersonate Peter. Joking aside, if his mother found out that he had let his father be alone with a beautiful woman, he would be the one getting killed.
So he had Saiki Kuniharu make an excuse.
"Sorry, Aunt May, give me two minutes. I need to use the restroom. I really can't hold it anymore."
After running into the restroom, Saiki Kusuo switched places with his father.
Saiki Kuniharu happily spent a wonderful day with Saiki Kurumi, while Saiki Kusuo, thinking about tomorrow's field trip, began to worry.
However, he didn't realize that something even more troublesome was yet to come.
The next day, transformed into Peter, Saiki Kusuo arrived at Stark Industries with his classmates. A chubby boy approached him and looked behind him. "Where's that weird new transfer student? Why isn't he with you?"
Saiki Kusuo looked down at him. His emotionless gaze made the chubby boy shiver.
"He supposedly ate something bad yesterday and took the day off, Ned," Saiki Kusuo said, using the excuse he had agreed upon with his family.
"What? That's great."
The chubby boy, called Ned, cheered. In the next second, he realized that his gloating was impolite and quickly explained to "Peter."
"Sorry, I know you two are friends now, and I don't have anything against him. It's just that I don't know him well, and I find him a bit strange. Having him join our group would make me a little uncomfortable."
Saiki Kusuo understood Ned's feelings. If he had to interact with Ned, he would also feel uncomfortable.
The tour was scheduled for three hours, after which they would have free time in the afternoon.
Although he disliked interacting with strangers, Ned was a good companion. He wasn't talkative and didn't do anything to draw attention to himself.
Halfway through the tour, Stark Industries' chairman, Tony Stark, arrived late.
Normally, small figures like them wouldn't have the chance to interact with a billionaire like him. But perhaps it was a whim of the great man, or perhaps their school had caught his eye. In any case, the chairman's arrival excited many students who aspired to work at Stark Industries.
Probably because he was facing students, Tony Stark reined in his usual carelessness and the slight willfulness he displayed with his subordinates. He answered the students' questions rigorously.
However, as time went on, the endless stream of questions began to test the genius's patience.
[A bunch of troublesome brats.]
[How much longer until this is over?!]
[Why hasn't Happy come to pick me up yet?!]
[I wonder if Ms. Potts has dealt with that clingy woman. Honestly, I'll never go bar-hopping to pick up a new flavor again. They're all so unappealing.]
He's an arrogant man, Saiki Kusuo judged, having received his inner thoughts. But he does have the capital to be arrogant.
The hour-long discussion ended quickly. Tony Stark left amidst the students' reluctant gazes.
There were still thirty minutes left of the tour. Saiki Kusuo had just breathed a sigh of relief when Ned put his arm around his neck. The sudden close proximity of a stranger almost made him lose control of his psychic powers and blow up the entire factory.
Ned looked at the unusually silent "Peter" with confusion. "What's wrong with you today, Peter? Weren't you always a big fan of Mr. Stark? It's rare to meet such a big shot. Normally, you wouldn't miss the opportunity to interact with him and leave a good impression. Why were you so quiet today?"
Saiki Kusuo: "…"
(In this situation, how should the street flower respond…)
"Oh, I get it," Ned suddenly said with an enlightened expression. "Were you too nervous to speak because you met Mr. Stark? Dude, you choked."
(Good, as expected of the street flower's friend. His imagination is top-notch.)
"By the way, don't mess up like this at the party this afternoon. It took me a lot of effort to get this opportunity."
Saiki Kusuo, who had just relaxed, stiffened. "What did you say?"
"The party, dude. Don't tell me you forgot."
(What the hell? Is this never-ending?)
"It was originally planned for a bar, but one of the girls is a goody-two-shoes and refused to go, so we booked a nice dessert shop instead."
(I'm not going. No way. Wait…)
"Dessert shop?" Saiki Kusuo's tone was uncertain.
Thinking the other was questioning the location of the party, Ned explained, "You heard right, dude. Although the place is a bit strange, Ann said the girls coming are all pretty, and that dessert shop's desserts are good, so…"
"I'll go."
Saiki Kusuo interrupted Ned. The psychic, who loved sweets, was unusually bright-eyed, his usually emotionless voice carrying a hint of urgency.
(Forget the party. I'll eat the desserts first!)