"Hmm?"
"Hm? W-what?"
Wha… wait a second—did he just invite me to join, just like that??
Kagura had originally planned to talk things over with Spider-Man after helping him take down the group of would-be bank robbers.
But to her surprise, Peter Parker just outright asked her to join the "Friendly Neighborhood Hero Squad."
Her eyes widened with surprise. "W-what is this about?"
"Ack—no, no, that was rude! Let me try that again!" Seeing her confused expression, Peter suddenly panicked.
Embarrassment and awkwardness crashed into him at once as he flailed his arms around in a frenzy, completely unsure what to do.
His face was practically glowing red.
"H-Hold on! I didn't mean to jump the gun like that," he said, waving both hands frantically. "Let's start with introductions! I'm Spider-Man. I guess you could say I have a few... uh, special abilities. So, yeah, I'm kind of a superhero who protects Queens!"
It seemed Peter realized just how sketchy his sudden invite must've sounded.
He was probably worried Hitomi would mistake him for some shady human trafficker or something.
And he definitely didn't want to be kicked across New York by her super-accelerated magical foot.
"Ah! I'm Neko Hitomi! A magical girl devoted to protecting the world and spreading love and peace, nya! Nya-hahahaha!"
With hands on her hips and a proud nod, Hitomi declared, "That was a close one, Spider-Man! If I hadn't stepped in, you'd be sizzling on a skewer like a delicious roast spider right now!"
"Ugh…" Peter rubbed his temples. "I mean… you're not wrong. Thanks for the save, Neko Hitomi."
As he spoke, Spider-Man took a closer look at her.
Pale skin, an adorable face, white thigh-highs and a short skirt, topped off with long silver hair that shimmered like moonlight.
An angel.
A! N! G! E! L!
"Ahaha I'll graciously accept your thanks then, Spider guy!" she replied smugly. "So, what was that thing you mentioned earlier—something about a 'Friendly Neighborhood' what?"
"Oh, that…" Peter scratched his head. "Yeah, I kinda got a little excited and blurted it out. The Friendly Neighborhood Hero Squad is this superhero team me and a few friends started. We work together to keep Queens and the nearby areas safe."
"Ohh? A superhero team? Like the Avengers?" Hitomi gasped in mock amazement.
"Sounds impressive! Have you guys fought giant killer robots? Or helped out when some creepy black hole opened up in the sky?"
"Wha—no, no, no! We're nothing like the Avengers," Peter said quickly, waving his hands. "If anything, the Avengers are our role models."
"Oho~ is that so?"
Hitomi leaned forward, hands behind her back, inching closer to Peter's masked face. Her golden eyes sparkled with curiosity. "So, what exactly does this 'Friendly Neighborhood Hero Squad' do?"
"U-uh…"
Having a ridiculously cute little girl lean that close threw Peter completely off balance.
He instinctively took two steps back before continuing, "W-We mostly handle smaller stuff—like stopping robbers, helping old ladies cross the street, or catching purse snatchers… y-you know, that kind of thing."
"Hmm, I see?" Hitomi tilted her head and leaned in again, staring straight at Spider-Man's eye lenses, her tone slightly suspicious.
"Sounds more like a community volunteer group than a superhero team."
"W-Well… you're not wrong…" Peter chuckled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head again.
"We're not on the Avengers' level or anything. Like I said, it's mostly small stuff. Besides, thanks to Rhodes Island Industries' city defense system, New York's actually pretty safe these days. We're more like… cleanup crew for the dark corners."
"AA! Now that I like to hear!" Hitomi beamed. "Say more nice things about Rhodes Island Indus—ahem—I mean, I see!"
"Right, right!"
Relieved she had finally stopped pressing him, Spider-Man nodded vigorously. "So, Hitomi, would you be interested in joining our Friendly Neighborhood Hero Squad?"
"We could help each other out as we keep the city safe! What do you think? Wanna give it a try?"
"Nyaa~ Since you've asked so sincerely, I, the great Catgirl, shall generously accept!"
Hitomi grinned and gave a polite nod. "Looking forward to working with you!"
"Y-You're joining?! Awesome!!"
Peter jumped in excitement. "We've got a new team member! Yes! This is amazing! Oh—by the way, Neko… that's an alias, right?"
"Of course!" Hitomi nodded matter-of-factly. "It's totally normal for superheroes to use code names, right? Magical girls do the same thing!"
"Magical… girl?" Peter tilted his head, confused. "So, what's your power, exactly?"
"My power? Fufufu…"
Hitomi crossed her arms proudly, letting out a smug laugh. "Obviously, my magical girl powers are… magic!"
"…Huh? Magic?" Peter blinked. "You mean, like, superpowers?"
"Yes!" She nodded. "That's one way to think about it. I can do a lot of things—like moving super fast, shooting electricity, turning invisible… mind control, stuff like that."
"M-Mind control?! W-Whoa… that sounds insanely strong!"
Peter shivered a little. "Looks like I really lucked out here. Welcome to the team, Neko! From now on, you're officially part of the Friendly Neighborhood Hero Squad!"
"Thank you, Spider guy!" Hitomi gave him a bright, dazzling smile, then leaned in again with a mysterious tone. "By the way, since this is a superhero group, do you guys have, like… a secret base or anything?"
"Yep! If you want, I can take you to meet the others in a bit!"
"Ooh! Sounds fun! I've got nothing else going on right now anyway!"
Hitomi nodded happily. "First things first—let's tie up these four robbers and wait for the cops!"
And just like that, the small-version of Kagura successfully infiltrated Peter Parker's superhero team.
But she wasn't joining just to play around—there were still many mysteries she needed to unravel.
Did Spider-Man really attack that Rhodes Island transport?
Who were the other members of this young heroes' team?
And those alien weapons the robbers had… where exactly did they come from?
Looks like there's still a lot of investigating to do…
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