Thank you, but no thanks." Finn shook his head hesitantly, "I already have a candidate for the other hamster.
The attentive eavesdropping Spider-Man: “..” Could the other hamster be me??
Immediately after, Peter heard Finn's inner thoughts—
[I want Andrew to play it.]
Peter: "?"
This name was somewhat unfamiliar to Peter, but he seemed to remember Finn mentioning a spectacular magic performance at a recent party he had missed, the name of one of the young magicians, who was also a high school student, was Andrew.
System PP was also somewhat confused: [Why make Andrew dress up as a hamster?]
I have to find a way to boss Andrew around," Finn said as if it were perfectly natural, while wiping away the sweat from his dance practice. Of course, this was all for the sake of the [VS Andrew's Dignity Confrontation Track: Rich Second Generation Total Defeat Plan]. "When I had Andrew perform magic before, I indeed underestimated his abilities. I need to make him do things he is even worse at.
Finn had even specifically researched it; there was a high probability that Andrew had an INFP (Mediator) personality.
And for an INFP personality, the most intolerable behaviors are the trampling of one's personality and dignity, as well as the deprivation of freedom and will.
[A person with an introverted temperament like Andrew would certainly loathe this kind of behavior of acting like a doll; performing in public would erode his self-esteem. I must continue to pour money into this, forcefully pressure him to dress up as a hamster with me, making him feel resistant yet forced to make time to learn dancing with me, even having to cooperate with my actions to play the hamster. In essence, it is the involuntary restriction of his freedom of action and thought, the continuous oppression of him to do things he dislikes.]
"Now this is what I call a precision strike." Finn felt more and more like a master strategist.
Peter understood one thing upon hearing this: Finn's "Life-long Nemesis" in his plan probably included more than just him.
Spider-Man: ".." I thought you considered me your only life-long nemesis.
—So I'm just a side character!?
—And also, have you specifically researched what kind of personality I have?
After Finn finished his dance class, he discovered that Peter seemed to be in a strangely low mood for some reason.
What's wrong?" Finn asked, feeling a bit strange. "Are you homesick?
Spider-Man: ".." No, I want to pry your skull open to see just how many more life-long nemesis side quests there are.
Since Peter was still at home, taking advantage of having a teammate readily available, Finn dragged Peter into his room to play mobile games together until the early hours of the morning.
When Peter returned to his room and lay in bed that night, perhaps because he had played games for too long, he was still wide awake and tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
Spider-Man also didn't know if Finn would sleepwalk over like he did last time.
After thinking for a moment, he quietly turned on a nightlight, the warm yellow light dispersing most of the darkness in the room.
After hesitating for another moment, he stood up and gently opened the door, leaving a gap wide enough for Finn to enter.
After an unknown amount of time, while in a state of half-sleep, Peter's hearing, enhanced by the Spider-Sense, suddenly caught a faint sound of footsteps.
Peter was still wondering whether Finn would sleepwalk to this place tonight when he heard the dull thud of a heavy object rolling.
Thud—thud!
Immediately following that were continuous, muffled thuds, clearly coming from the bottom of the stairs, sounding exceptionally terrifying in the silent villa!!
Peter, who had been startled awake, felt his heart tighten. He practically bounced up at once and rushed out of the room—
Finn!!
Peter didn't even have time to run down the stairs; he flipped himself directly over the second-floor railing and landed steadily on the first-floor. Peter rushed forward and carefully helped up Finn, who was curled up on the ground, his movements very gentle. The villa's stairs had built-in motion-sensor lights, which cast a pale glow over the young man's face as he was still sleepwalking; he seemed dazed from the fall, not yet truly awake, as if even the pain had been blocked out.
Catherine and Butler Joseph also heard the noise and rushed out of their rooms in a panic.
Finn? Are you okay?" Peter was worried sick and didn't even dare to touch Finn too hard. "Does it hurt anywhere?
[Misery Value detected rising, Misery Value +1%.]
[Misery Value reached 4.5/100]
Only after the reminder from the Misery Value did Finn's consciousness slowly surface from the deep sea, his eyes still clouded with a lingering sense of confusion as he slowly scanned Peter, Catherine, Butler Joseph, who all looked anxious before him.
Immediately after, a sharp pain shot up from his ankle through his nerves, causing Finn to frown, his voice raspy, "It feels like.. I've sprained my ankle."
He didn't fracture his ankle, did he?" Catherine was terrified, grabbing Butler Joseph's arm with a face full of worry. "Go get the car, quickly! We need to take Finn to the hospital for an examination.
Butler Joseph immediately went to the garage to get the car and contact the hospital.
Finn was not anxious either. He had System PP check his body, there were no fractures or cracks, just a simple sprain.
“It's fine, it's just a sprain, going to the hospital is too much trouble.” Finn was somewhat surprised that a fall like that of his could actually yield 1% Misery Value.
How can you call this a small matter?" Catherine insisted with unusual persistence, her eyes filled with seriousness. "You must have a doctor examine you thoroughly. Whether it's a sprain or a fracture, it needs to be treated properly. You're supposed to dance, too—don't you want to get better quickly?
These words struck right at the core of Finn's thoughts.
The young man paused, looked into Catherine's worried eyes, ultimately gave a gentle nod.
"Besides your foot, you aren't hurt anywhere else, right?" Peter crouched in front of Finn, his gaze carefully sweeping over his knees and elbows, terrified of missing any hidden wounds.
Finn felt around again and shook his head, replying in a low voice, "No, just my foot hurts."
After receiving such an answer, Peter finally breathed a small sigh of relief.
Spider-Man bent his knees to stabilize his center of gravity, sliding one hand under Finn's knees and the other around his waist, lifting him in a bridal carry in the most stable position possible.
Finn instinctively reached out both hands to wrap them around Peter's neck.
"Don't put any weight on your foot," Peter reminded him carefully, while moving as steadily as possible to help Finn into the back seat of the car.
After the commotion of going to the hospital, two hours had passed, this was already the highest level of treatment for Young Master Finn Osborn. Fortunately, it was only a sprain, but a large bump quickly swelled up on Finn's ankle, the skin turned an abnormal bluish-purple. The doctor used a joint splint to immobilize Finn's ankle. To make it easier for Finn to move, Butler Joseph also bought a four-wheeled single-leg mobility walker.
"Has Finn ever fallen from upstairs before?" Peter couldn't help but ask. If he falls from a building while sleepwalking, that would be far too dangerous.
"No." Catherine shook her head. What happened tonight had terrified her, she was still shaken by the aftermath.
When Catherine and Butler Joseph first arrived as the butler and maid, they had also worried about Finn's sleepwalking, but this young master had lived here alone before, it seemed he had never experienced anything like falling down the stairs; they even absurdly thought that Finn possessed a special talent for "automatic obstacle avoidance while sleepwalking."
Now it seems—
This is simply a matter of probability.
After returning home in the middle of the night, it was not yet dawn.
Having barely slept, Finn was already excitedly "racing" with great agility in the vast and spacious living room on the first floor of the villa using his mobility walker.
It was just like having a brand-new toy.
".." Butler Joseph and Catherine watched silently, their expressions complicated.
As the butler, they found it difficult to say much, so they both turned their heads to look at Peter, who was their guest.
“Finn, time for bed.” Peter also felt an extraordinary sense of responsibility at this moment. Stepping forward, he accurately intercepted the walker. Without even asking, Peter pulled Finn off the walker and effortlessly carried the young man up to the second floor and back to his room.
—So light.
Peter couldn't help but think that he had already felt Finn was on the thin side yesterday. He found it somewhat strange that despite Butler Joseph's cooking being so delicious, Finn was still so thin.
"After all that commotion, I've lost all my sleepiness." Finn had always had difficulty falling asleep, let alone being completely wide awake now, especially with his ankles being fixed in place.
You still need to ensure you get enough sleep," Peter said soothingly. "It's only four in the morning; what are you going to do if you don't sleep?
"It's only four o'clock anyway, so let's just go watch the sunrise." Finn immediately had an idea.
Spider-Man: "When your leg is healed." It wasn't that he was unwilling to accompany Finn to watch the sunrise, but he was unwilling to accompany Finn, who had fallen off a building only two hours ago, to watch the sunrise.
"Are you sleepy?" Finn asked in return.
No Sleepiness · Peter: ".." He was scared awake by you.
"Let's cultivate some sleepiness first." No matter what, Peter was not going to let Finn keep tossing and turning, so he specially propped up Finn's injured leg with a pillow.
Then.. we can at least chat for a while, right?" Seeing that Peter was truly adamant, Finn had no choice but to settle for the next best thing. "Tell me about your past, okay?
After thinking for a moment, Peter said, "Okay."
The dim nightlight cast a soft, warm glow, Peter's voice was kept very low, like warm water soaked in the cool night, slowly flowing through the silent room.
He spoke of stories from his memories of Aunt May and Uncle Ben, stories that had nothing to do with "Spider-Man," nothing to do with the views above New York, no grand heroic plots—just fragmented, warm snippets of daily life, yet they were the most precious treasures in Peter's memory.
“That's wonderful,” Finn said, gradually growing quiet.
The young man thought of nothing at all in his mind; he seemed to enjoy listening to these warm little stories, simply listening intently.
White cheeks pressed against the soft pillow, long eyelashes casting delicate shadows beneath the eyelids, misty green eyes revealing a hint of fatigue, the corners of the lips still carrying a tranquil smile.
Finn," Peter stared at his quiet profile, hesitating for a moment before asking softly, "Can you tell me about your past?
Finn curled the corners of his mouth, a hint of casual amusement in his voice. "You can tell just by looking at my social media accounts."
Finn Osborn's life was the most intuitive model of perfection on social media—a wealthy family background and a smooth life, as if he had never known a single shadow.
But what Peter wanted to know was the answer in Finn's heart, then he heard it—
I have no story.
I grew up listening to other people's stories.
Finn's eyelids grew heavy, he slowly closed his eyes, unable to hold them open any longer, his breathing becoming long and steady.
He did not see Peter's stunned expression under the dim light, nor did he hear the new notification ringing in his mind:
[Misery Value detected rising, Misery Value +1%]
[Misery Value has reached 5.5/100.]
Chapter 19: Harshness and Difficulties
The morning light filtered through the curtains, casting soft and warm spots of light onto the carpet.
The young man's hair was soft and messy, still sunken into the fluffy pillow, his voice laced with the lethargy of someone who hadn't yet woken up, as he mumbled to the other young man, "Just a little longer.."
Finn never had a habit of sleeping in, but after all the tossing and turning last night, combined with the throbbing pain in his ankle and the grogginess from sleepwalking, he found it truly impossible to wake up this morning. He opened his eyes dizzily, only to see Peter already dressed and sitting in the single armchair in the bedroom, holding a book in his hands. He blinked in confusion. "Didn't you sleep a bit longer?"
After Peter waited for Finn to fall asleep last night, he couldn't stop worrying about his foot injury, so he spent the night makeshift in the armchair in Finn's bedroom.
That sofa was unexpectedly comfortable; it didn't feel cramped at all and was quite suitable for sleeping. Peter didn't doubt that this set of sofas was certainly expensive enough.
After waking up in the morning, Peter was reading a book; after all, it was school reading homework, he had a quiz on Monday.
I'm not sleepy." As Spider-Man, Peter was always full of energy, he said gently, "It's only nine o'clock; you can sleep a little longer.
In the early morning, Catherine went upstairs specifically to check on Finn's condition. Seeing that Peter had already woken up, she had Butler Joseph prepare breakfast for him in advance and also properly handed over the day's OOTD prepared for Finn to Peter. After all, with Finn's sprained ankle, someone needed to lend a hand with dressing and washing.
Peter naturally agreed readily, but seeing the young man's sleepy appearance, Peter certainly showed no sign of rushing him.