By the time Peter managed to carry Gwen to her front door, he felt as though he'd just completed an endurance march with a full military pack.
The Horse Talisman could eliminate physical pain, but it couldn't directly increase his stamina. Nor could it remove ordinary biological needs such as fatigue, hunger, or thirst.
Consequently, despite the talisman's protection, carrying Gwen those few hundred meters had left him utterly exhausted.
Ding-dong!
Peter finally managed to free one hand and press the Stacy family's doorbell.
A short while later, the door opened, revealing an elderly woman with a full head of white hair.
It was Gwen's grandmother, Pauline Stacy.
Gwen's mother had passed away when she was young, leaving her father and grandmother to raise her together.
The moment Pauline saw her granddaughter unconscious on Peter's back, her expression changed drastically.
"Oh, my goodness! What happened to Gwen?!"
Panic filled her voice as she hurried forward to examine her granddaughter.
"Grandma Pauline, please don't worry."
Still breathing heavily, Peter struggled to explain.
"Gwen's just... really tired. She fell asleep on the bus ride home."
"Tired?"
Pauline gave him a suspicious look before reaching out to feel Gwen's forehead.
Her temperature was normal. Her breathing was slow and steady, and her fair face wore an expression of peaceful sleep.
Once Pauline confirmed that nothing appeared to be wrong, she finally released a relieved breath.
Her initial panic faded, but another feeling quickly took its place.
Curiosity.
She knew her granddaughter's physical condition better than anyone.
As the daughter of New York City's police commissioner, Gwen had undergone regular physical training with her father since childhood. George had wanted to make sure his daughter could protect herself from bullies when she grew older.
Gwen might not have the abilities of an elite competitive athlete, but she was certainly one of the more athletic students at her school. Usually, she had more energy than a little rabbit.
How could a simple educational tour have exhausted her to the point of unconsciousness?
'Unless...'
Pauline's gaze traveled between Peter and Gwen, becoming increasingly thoughtful.
Her granddaughter was resting against Peter's back in an unusually intimate, natural position.
And Peter...
Although the poor boy looked ready to collapse from exhaustion, there was unmistakable tenderness in his eyes.
A rather bold theory suddenly occurred to the old woman.
'Could Gwen be pretending to sleep so she can get closer to that dense little fool?'
The thought brought a delighted smile to Pauline's lips.
'That's my granddaughter!'
She helped Peter carry Gwen into her bedroom and settle her on the soft mattress, all the while examining him with the unmistakable interest of a grandmother evaluating a prospective grandson-in-law.
"You've worked so hard, dear."
"Would you like to stay for some hot cocoa? I'm baking an apple pie, and it should be ready any minute."
Faced with the elderly woman's excessive enthusiasm, Peter became a little flustered.
"No, thank you, Grandma Pauline. I... I should probably head home. I don't want to disturb you and Gwen."
His mind was currently occupied with finding a way to improve his miserable physique. Afternoon tea was the last thing he wanted.
"Oh, I see..." Pauline replied, allowing just the right amount of disappointment into her expression. "Well, all right. Be careful on your way home."
After seeing Peter out, she stood at the doorway watching his exhausted figure disappear down the street.
The knowing smile on her face grew even wider.
Peter's family wasn't particularly wealthy, and the boy was admittedly rather skinny.
But he was exceptionally intelligent, gentle, kindhearted, and possessed a strong sense of justice.
With those qualities, he might eventually get into an excellent university, land a position at a major corporation, and transform his family's circumstances.
If Gwen ended up dating Peter, Pauline would have very little to worry about.
He was certainly a much better prospect than some dubious, good-for-nothing troublemaker!
Still contemplating her granddaughter's romantic future, Pauline slowly made her way back to Gwen's bedroom.
Looking at the peacefully sleeping girl, she decided to test her theory.
"Gwen?"
"Sweetheart, you can stop pretending now. Peter's gone."
But the girl on the bed didn't respond.
Her breathing remained perfectly even, and her sleeping expression was as sweet as before.
This time, Pauline was the one left staring in disbelief.
'Wait... she's actually asleep?'
With a helpless smile, the old woman shook her head and gently tucked the blanket around her granddaughter.
'Well, isn't that something?'
'She only went on a tour of Oscorp. How on earth did she get this exhausted?'
...
Gwen felt as though she'd been dreaming for a very, very long time.
In her dream, she was floating in a warm spring. Countless tiny bubbles surrounded her body, and every cell seemed to be rejoicing.
Peter's figure appeared intermittently through the mist, while his gentle yet reassuring voice effortlessly soothed every trace of anxiety in her heart.
"Gwen, don't be afraid."
"I'm here. I've got you."
The feeling was so comforting, so wonderfully peaceful, that she wanted to lose herself in it forever.
"Gwen! Dinner's ready!"
Only when her father's familiar voice sounded from outside the bedroom did Gwen reluctantly open her sleepy eyes, like a kitten being disturbed from a pleasant nap.
The streetlights were already shining outside her window.
When she glanced at the clock on the wall, she discovered that it was seven in the evening!
'I've been asleep all afternoon?!'
Gwen rubbed her eyes and instinctively tried to sit up.
But the moment she moved, she noticed something was wrong.
'My blanket... it's trapping me!'
This wasn't just the usual reluctance to get out of a warm, comfortable bed.
The thin blanket was sticking tightly to her arms and body as though someone had glued it to her skin with superglue!
"Huh?"
Gwen made a puzzled sound and instinctively exerted a little more strength, trying to kick the blanket away.
Riiip!
Crash!
The sharp sound of tearing fabric was accompanied by the miserable crack of wooden furniture breaking under excessive force.
The soft, comfortable blanket tore apart beneath her feet like a sheet of flimsy paper, leaving an enormous hole that released a cloud of cotton stuffing.
Even more absurdly, one of the sturdy wooden bed legs snapped under the force of her struggling!
Having finally freed herself, Gwen stared at the damage in complete bewilderment.
'What... what just happened?'
Startled by the sight, she instinctively recoiled.
But that tiny movement sent her body springing upward with the force of a compressed coil.
In an instant, she flew straight toward the ceiling!
"Ah!"
A short scream escaped Gwen's lips, but the terrible pain she'd expected from slamming her head against the ceiling never arrived.
Instead, she experienced an incredibly strange sensation of weightlessness combined with an odd, sticky pressure.
She cautiously opened her eyes.
Then she caught sight of herself in the full-length mirror and stared in astonishment.
She was clinging to the bedroom ceiling!
Her body was positioned awkwardly on all fours, attached firmly to the surface like some kind of human gecko!
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Gwen? Are you okay? What's all that noise?"
Her father George's concerned voice came from outside, accompanied by several knocks on the door.
"N-nothing, Dad! I'm fine!"
Gwen nearly jumped out of her skin.
She hurried to respond, but her voice came out noticeably higher than usual.
"I just... had a nightmare! I accidentally fell out of bed!"
While desperately trying to reassure her father through the door, Gwen began frantically recalling everything that had happened before she'd fallen asleep.
Oscorp Tower.
The incredible technological exhibits.
And...
That tiny, brightly colored spider that had bitten her!
A ridiculous possibility flashed through her mind like lightning.
'Could it be...'
'Did I somehow get a spider's powers?!'