"He's just a kid, after all. He's not careful enough," Tony sighed. "If he had hidden his backpack somewhere more secure, this wouldn't have happened!"
Rhodey nodded in agreement. "I guess he thought no one would go into that alley, but he ignored the fact that there are always exceptions. Now that he's with you, Tony, you have to take responsibility!"
"Yeah, that's true," Tony admitted, tilting his head as he considered how to train young Peter Parker.
Although Peter's identity had now been completely exposed, removing that particular worry, there were plenty of other issues that needed addressing. Tony didn't want Peter making the same mistakes he had in the past—especially not ones that could have been avoided.
Maybe, besides sending him to school, Tony should also teach him more advanced knowledge and provide him with better support. After all, Howard had never stopped him from tinkering with machines as a kid.
Even though their father-son relationship wasn't great, Howard had never discouraged Tony's passions. Instead, he had high expectations for him.
Now, Tony found himself extending that same mindset toward Peter. If there was anyone who could inherit his legacy, Peter Parker seemed like a worthy candidate.
[At the restaurant, Aunt May watched as Peter picked at his food, barely eating. Concerned, she asked, "What's wrong? I thought you loved minced meat salad rice!"]
[Aunt May had no idea what was bothering Peter. She assumed the restaurant wasn't to his liking and tried to joke with him to lighten the mood.]
[Peter twirled his chopsticks and sighed, "I'm just really stressed out lately. The internship is exhausting. I've got so much to do."]
[Aunt May nodded knowingly. "The Stark Industries internship... I have to say, I'm not a fan of Tony Stark."]
["You're always distracted, and your head is constantly filled with him!" Aunt May frowned, believing Peter cared too much about Tony Stark.]
[At that moment, a news report on the nearby TV screen caught Peter's attention. "Breaking news: the highly praised Delmar's Deli in Queens was destroyed in an explosion earlier tonight!"]
["What is he making you do? Remember, you have to trust your instincts!" Aunt May continued, unaware of the TV broadcast behind her.]
[Peter's focus remained glued to the screen as the anchor continued, "Before the explosion, Queens' brightly colored crime fighter, Spider-Man, had just stopped an ATM robbery!"]
[Aunt May noticed Peter's odd reaction and turned to look behind her. "What?"]
["While Spider-Man was stopping the robbery, a powerful blast swept through the shops across the street!" The news played surveillance footage from the bank.]
["Fortunately, no one was injured in the accident!"]
[Aunt May turned back to Peter, her expression serious. "If you ever see something like that happening, turn around and run!"]
[Having seen too much danger in her lifetime, Aunt May didn't want her nephew taking risks. In her eyes, Peter was just a normal teenager—not someone who should be involved in such incidents.]
[Peter forced a nod, repeating quickly, "Yeah, yeah, yeah! Definitely!"]
[Aunt May sighed, glancing at the screen again. "That was only six blocks away from us!"]
"In a way, she's right. Ordinary people should stay as far away from danger as possible," Aunt May II said while doing laundry.
"But someone has to do something," Uncle Ben II countered. "Like Peter said, if you have the power to stop something bad from happening, and you don't, then whatever happens next is on you!"
Aunt May put down the half-washed clothing in her hands and glanced at Uncle Ben. "Then why not leave it to the professionals? You're just an ordinary man. You step in, and then what? You die and leave me behind..."
Uncle Ben fell silent. What she said was true—he had tried to intervene once before in the screen, and it had cost him his life.
He didn't want to continue this conversation. There would always be people in the world too afraid to act, and that was understandable. But if everyone thought like that, then the world would truly be hopeless.
It was an age-old debate between self-preservation and selflessness. There was no single right answer—what you believed depended on your perspective.
Aunt May's words also sparked heated debates online. People had always argued over whether heroes should step in or if it was best to leave things to the authorities. This was exactly why true heroes were so precious—they acted when others hesitated.
[Peter didn't want to continue discussing whether he should be a hero, so he changed the subject. "I need a new backpack."]
[Aunt May frowned and cupped a hand around her ear. "What?"]
["I need a new backpack!" Peter repeated louder.]
["That's the fifth one!" Aunt May shook her head as a waiter arrived, placing a dish in front of them. "Glutinous rice pudding!"]
[Aunt May looked at him in surprise. "We didn't order this."]
["It's on the house!" The waiter smiled at her politely.]
["Oh! Well, thank you! That's very kind," Aunt May replied with a grateful smile. After the waiter left, she turned back to Peter.]
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