Chapter 97
[128]
“What do you think? Too casual?” Ren asked as he posed in front of the mirror in his room. His current attire was a white dress shirt and black sports coat with a loose red tie, jeans, complemented by the same old red sneakers he’d gotten from the second-hand shop.
“Mrow.” Came Maurice’s response as he briefly looked up from licking himself.
“You’re right. It’s Ann, she won’t expect anything formal. This is just a laid back date between two friends.” He said that, but his pounding heart begged to differ.
When it came down to it, this was actually his first real date. Which was odd considering that he’d slept with two different women since coming to Tokyo, yet had been on zero dates. And now, apparently he’d been wrapped up in some kind of love...square? Did it still count as a square if all three other participants were into him?
“What has my life become?” Ren sighed. Right after, the bell at the front door jingled, indicating that Ann had arrived. “Oh! She’s here!” He gave himself one last onceover. “Does my hair look alright?” He turned back to his cat.
In response, the feline began choking before spitting up a hairball.
“Thanks Maurice, you always know just what to say.” He smiled before heading down the steps.
When he reached the bottom of the stairs, his confidence in his appearance immediately shattered upon seeing Ann. On a normal day, the girl was a beauty, drawing the eye of many an interested guy or jealous girl, however tonight, Ann was drop dead gorgeous. Her hair, which was usually in pigtails, had been allowed to flow freely, sending golden waves down her shoulders and back. Her dress, which was a soft red color, flowed down her sides but still highlighted her curves nicely.
As Ren stared at the girl in awe, his mouth agape, Ann let out a playful giggle. “Face it tiger, you just hit the jackpot.” She said with a wink.
“I...I...uh.”
Looking him up and down, Ann smiled and wrapped her arm around his. “You look great! Let’s go, I’ve got the perfect place in mind.”
With that, the two of them exited the cafe and began their night out on the town, unaware that there was a third party observing them from the rooftops.
“Really Makoto?” Futaba’s voice came over the earpiece the brunette was wearing. “You just ‘happened’ to want to do a test run of your equipment tonight?”
“I told you Futaba, I have to get the hang of this stuff quickly if I’m going to be of any help Ren out in the field.” Makoto argued, swinging to the next nearest building.
The Shujin student council president was currently dressed in her prototype spider-suit, which was really just a white hoodie, black sweatpants, tennis shoes, and a surgical mask over her face. If it weren’t for the webshooters on her wrists, she would look like she was out for a late night jog.
“Uh huh.” Futaba replied skeptically, slurping instant noodles from behind her computer. “And I’m sure this has nothing to do with the fact that Ren and Ann are out on their date right now, or the fact that you’ve been tailing them for the past 4 blocks.”
“I’m-I’m not tailing them!” She denied. “We just happen to be going in the same direction is all!”
If it were up to Makoto, Futaba wouldn’t have any knowledge of this little ‘outing’ of her’s. Unfortunately, she needed to borrow the webshooters for this mission (she was pretty bad at tailing people on the ground) and since she didn’t own them herself, she came up with the excuse of an equipment test in order to follow Ren and Ann on their date.
It wasn’t that she was clingy! She just...wanted to know what she was up against. Know your enemy and all that. Not that Ann was her enemy just...ugh.
‘Why do things have to be so complicated?’
As she watched them go down into the subway tunnels, Makoto cursed silently, unable to follow.
“Hey uh, Makoto?” Futaba’s voice got her attention. “There might actually be something for you to do. There’s some chatter on police radio about Inokashira Park.”
“A villain?” Makoto perked up, ready for action.
“Uhh.”
“I’m on my way.” She stated, shooting out a webline to a nearby building.
Back on the ground, Ren and Ann had just boarded the subway to Shinjuku where Ann had made dinner reservations for the two of them at a fancy restaurant. Apparently being a model gave her connections with upper-class establishments like that.
“So, um...About dinner-” Ren began.
“Don’t even think of paying mister!” Ann interrupted. “I know you aren’t doing great financially and the last thing I want is for you to have more money problems because of me.”
“Ann, you don’t need to-”
“Nope. I won’t hear it.” She shook her head. “Tonight is my treat to you. You deserve it.”
“I don’t know about that.” Ren replied, but was cut-off before he could finish.
“Hey sweet cheeks. I like the dress.” An older man in a suit approached Ann from behind. “But I think I’d like you even better without it.”
“Hey! Why don’t you back off-” Ren began but was shushed by Ann as she turned to the man.
“Let me handle this.” She said with a smile.
“Here that? Looks like blondie’s lookin’ for a real-AGH!” The man cried out in pain as his wrist was twisted at an angle, forcing him to drop to one knee. When he got onto the ground Ann turned the man around and forced him away with her heel.
“Learned that one the other week.” Ann said proudly.
“Wow, you’re really taking to this self-defense stuff.” Ren commented, impressed by the display. “Did Makoto teach you that?”
“No!” Ann’s eyebrows furrowed, clearly angered. “I learned it myself. I’ve been studying judo and some aikido too.”
“Well, I know I’m safe tonight.”
“Damn right you are.” She gave a wink before the train came to a stop. “Oh, we’re here. C’mon, our reservations are for 8 o’clock, so we should hurry.” She grabbed Ren by the wrist and pulled him along.
With Makoto, she’d just arrived at Inokashira Park and was currently surveying the area for any sign of the villain. This was her first solo mission so she had to be careful, be aware of her surroundings, and most importantly be ready for a fight. She was searching the nearby bushes when the sound of a twig snapping came from behind her.
Leaping away quickly, she assumed a defensive stance, crouching with her webshooters aimed at whatever came out of the treeline. It was dark out, so visibility was poor, but as the sound of rustling leaves became louder, she was able to make out a large silhouette coming closer.
“RAWWR! *hicc* Fear me! For I am! *hicc* The Grizzly!” A large man in a brown, bear themed suit came stumbling out of the bushes with an empty liquor bottle clutched in one of his hands.
“The...Grizzly?” Makoto stood up, raising an eyebrow at the man.
“Who the *hicc* hell are you supposed to be?” The Grizzly drunkenly pointed a beefy finger at Makoto. “You aren’t Spider-Man!”
“Um, sir are you alright? Do you need help getting home?” She walked toward him.
“Huh? No, I don’t need help!” He threw the bottle at Makoto who easily sidestepped, the glass shattering behind her. “I’m Tokyo’s newest villain! And I’m gonna *hicc* kill Spider-Man!”
“Ok sir, why don’t I get you some water and-” She was cut off as the man swiped at her with his claws, Makoto quickly backed away dodging each attempt.
“Don’t make fun of me! *hicc* I’ll kill you bastard!”
Ren and Ann had just been seated at the restaurant which, to Ren’s surprise, served high-class French cuisine. Normally, he could never even dream of eating at such a luxurious establishment, but apparently Ann’s connections afforded her some fairly nice perks. Still, he felt guilty that he wasn’t the one paying for this, and he couldn’t help but wonder how much his date was spending just for him.
Looking around the restaurant’s other patrons, he couldn’t help but compare their attire to his own. Needless to say, he didn’t exactly fit in. Their outfits easily cost hundreds of thousands of yen and were made from expensive fabrics, and while Ann blended right into the crowd with ease, judging by the looks he was getting, Ren was an unwelcome addition to the restaurant’s atmosphere.
“Ignore them.” Ann reached over the table and grabbed his hand. “Tonight is about the two of us.”
Touched by the affectionate display, Ren smiled at his date. “Thanks.”
“Bonjour.” The waiter greeted them. “Welcome to Shino’s Tokyo branch. What can I get for the two of you tonight?”
“Oh…” Ren was surprised they were ordering already. He picked up his menu and began to look it over, not recognizing any of the names on it. Sweating profusely, he began to panic when he saw the waiter staring intently at him. “Uhhh…”
Once again, Ann came to his rescue, grabbing her own menu before speaking to the waiter in perfect French. Nodding as he jotted down their order, Ren was relieved when the man walked away. Thankfully, it seemed Ann had ordered for the both of them.
“You speak French?” Ren asked quietly.
“Yeah, a little.” Ann shrugged. “It’s part of my training as a model. If I’m going to be traveling the world, I should learn different languages. Don’t you think?”
“Definitely.” Ren replied. “I can’t say I ever thought of that. Modelling must be a lot harder than I imagined.”
“Oh? You thought all I had to do was put on different clothes and makeup and look pretty?” Ann raised an eyebrow.
“N-No! Of course not, I mean-”
Seeing him flustered made Ann laugh. “Calm down, I’m kidding! It’s fine, that’s still like 90 percent of the job.” She scooted closer to Ren before resting her elbow on the table. “I’m surprised, usually you’re so calm and collected. I’ve gotta say, I expected you to be more suave.”
Ren let out a sigh of relief, glad he didn’t actually anger the girl. “Yeah, sorry. I’m uh…” He looked around at the fancy restaurant. “I’m a little out of my element.”
“Don’t be.” She reassured him. “It’s actually a relief to see you like this. Sometimes you seem...I dunno, unreachable I guess. Like you’re way out of my league.”
“You really think that?” Ren was shocked, he’d never heard Ann talk like this.
“Sometimes...yeah.” She looked away sheepishly. Ren couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Hey! What’s so funny?”
“Well it’s just, I felt the same about you.” He smiled. “I’m a nobody from out in the country, and you’re a supermodel! The idea that you might be into me was pretty far fetched up until recently.”
With that the two of them both couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of the situation. Had they just been honest with each other, they might have gotten together even sooner.
While the two of them were enjoying a lovely dinner together, Makoto was sitting on a park bench with her head in her hands, listening to the would-be villain bawl his eyes out while dangling upside down from a tree.
“A-And my my wife *sniff* sh-she never believed in my dreams! I just wanted to be a professional wrestler! But noooo! *sniff* Now my kids think their dad is a loser!”
“Mhmm.” She replied, annoyed that he’d been at this for nearly 10 minutes. When the hell were the police getting here?
“So I thought, *sniff* that maybe, I could make a name for myself, *sniff* by killing Spider-Man. Bu-But I couldn’t even beat a girl!” He began weeping once more.
Makoto decided to ignore that last bit, chalking it up to him being drunk. ‘Ugh. I bet Ren’s never had to deal with this.’ She thought, tapping her foot impatiently.
“Well, I guess my wife was right. I am just a-”
“Would you SHUT UP!?” Makoto stood up, finally losing her patience with the man. “Everybody’s got problems! That doesn’t give you the right to take it out on other people! So could you please, shut the hell up!?”
For a moment, the Grizzly didn’t make a sound. Instead just staring at her in fear as he gently swayed back and forth in his web bindings.
Grateful for the silence, Makoto sat back on the bench, rubbing her temples to relieve her now aching head.
“...”
“...”
“So what’s your problem?” He asked.
“Excuse me?” She turned to him angrily.
“You said everyone’s got problems. What has you in such a bad mood? I doubt it’s just me.”
“It’s none of your business!” Makoto chided him. “Besides, I thought you were drunk!”
“Hanging here for so long, all the blood rushed to my head. I think it sobered me up.” He explained. “Also, I need to vomit.”
“Wha-” Before she could even finish her question, the Grizzly began projectile vomiting onto the sidewalk beneath him.
Back with Ren and Ann, the two had finished their dinner and were currently walking through the city streets while enjoying some ice cream Ren had bought for them.
“Man, that was good. Sojiro’s curry is great and all, but it’s nice to eat something new every now and then.” Ren commented.
“I know right? I’ve been wanting to try that place forever! And ice cream is the perfect way to finish it off.” Ann smiled, taking another lick of hers.
“The city really is beautiful at night.”
“Hmm?” Ann turned to Ren who was looking out over the bright city lights. Intrigued, she decided to take a look for herself. It was something she’d seen a million times in her life, so she didn’t really think of it as special anymore. But here, now with Ren, that magic from when she was young was brought back a little.
“I usually see it while I’m out swinging.” Ren explained. “But then I’m always busy trying to stop a villain or a robbery or a helicopter crash. This is the first time I’ve really gotten to stop and appreciate it. No bad guys, no worries. I think I finally get what he meant.”
Ann turned to him and raised an eyebrow, taking a bite out of her cone.
“My uncle, The Prowler, while he was dying he told me to live in the world I was trying to save. I didn’t exactly get what he meant at the time, and I asked some others about it, but now...I think I’m starting to understand.”
“Whoa.” Ann said simply. That was a lot of information to take in. Before they knew it, they’d come to a stop in front of a large apartment complex. “Well, this is my place.” She stated, shifting her weight back and forth while avoiding eye contact, clearly nervous.
“Well, I guess I’ll let you go for the night.” Ren smiled at her. “I had a really great time.”
“Me too.” Ann replied, brushing her hair back, her cheeks blushing.
As Ren moved to let go of her, he felt Ann’s grip on his hand tighten, not wanting to let him go.
“Ann?” Ren turned to her and gave her a puzzled look.
“Doooo you maybe want to come up? We could have some coffee?”
“...”
“...”
“...I do like coffee.”
Back with Makoto and the Grizzly, the former had just finished a long winded explanation of her current situation that had her pissed. She had, of course, omitted their names from the story. She might be emotionally frustrated right now, but she wasn’t an idiot.
“It sounds to me like you and your friends are in a catch 22 situation. The way things are going between all of you, I don’t think there’s a way no one gets hurt.” The bear-themed villain stated, still dangling from his web.
Makoto let out an exasperated sigh. “I know, but what else can we do? We all like him, and while I’m friends with the others, I don’t want to back down just for their sake. Don’t I deserve some happiness too? Or...am I just being selfish?”
“We’re all trying to find happiness in our lives, aren’t we?” Grizzly asked rhetorically. “How do you think I ended up drunk in the park in a bear costume? If 15 years of marriage has taught me anything, it’s that happiness is fleeting, even more so than life itself. If you find something or someone that truly makes you happy in this world, pursue it by all means and don’t give up.”
“You’re saying that I should find a way to stick with him, no matter what? To keep searching until I find some way that all of this works out?” Makoto put her hand to her chin, deep in thought.
“If that would make you happy.” Grizzly attempted to shrug.
“You know, you’re surprisingly insightful when you’re sober.” She commented.
“I think it’s because I’ve been hanging here for so long. Not gonna lie, it's pretty zen. You should try it sometime.” As he said that, the sound of a squad car pulling up could be heard nearby. “Well, sounds like my ride's here.” Grizzly commented. “Guess it’s Ryker’s for me huh?”
“I doubt it.” Makoto replied. “Public intoxication, disturbing the peace, you’ll probably just get a reasonable fine and a slap on the wrist. I wouldn’t worry about it.”
“Wha-?” Grizzly’s eyes widened. “But, earlier...I could’ve killed you!”
“Trust me, you couldn’t.” Makoto reassured the man, pulling him down from the tree while making sure to avoid his vomit puddle. “Thanks for the talk. I...I really think I needed that.”
“Any time.” The man grinned. “Hey, who should I say caught me? Spider-Girl? Spider-Woman?”
Makoto thought for a moment before coming to an answer. “Ghost-Spider. Call me Ghost-Spider.”
“Nice.”
Back at Ann’s apartment, things were getting...intense.
“Holy shit! Holy shit! Oh fuck! OH FUUUUCK!” Ann cried out as she gripped her bed sheets as she climaxed. Ren, who was kissing her neck, grinned as he watched the girl writhe in ecstasy.
When she finally came down from the high, she turned to her lover, panting heavily. “Holy shit.” She managed to get out. “You really are spectacular.”
Ren let out a chuckle as he played with Ann’s golden hair. “Well you were amazing.” The two lied there in her bed for a moment, silently basking in the afterglow while they stared into each other’s eyes.
“Better than Makoto?”
At that, Ren’s smile was replaced by a look of confusion. “What?”
“...Nothing.” Ann rolled over, facing away from him.
“No, hold on.” He persisted. “Why are you asking?”
“I just...wanted to know how I stack up.” She said, pouting.
“Ann, I would never compare the two of you! You’re two incredibly different girls. And I...I could never choose between you two.”
“Hmmph!” Ann turned away from him, not pleased with his response.
“Did...Did I say something wrong?” Ren asked, sitting up.
“...”
“Okay um...I’ll just...I’ll go.” He got out of the bed and picked up his clothes off the ground.
And thus, Tokyo’s greatest hero had his first walk of shame.