I'm working on Marvel's Spider-Man in American comics.

Chapter 7 New Friends on the First Day of School
"Nice to meet you, too. And thank you for all you did." Amadeus shook Peter's hand and his eyes fell on the defibrillator on his wrist. "This looks very ingenious. If you don't mind... could you lend it to me?"

"Of course, no problem. Here." Peter calmly observed his new classmate as he removed the device. He began to wonder if the namesake was a coincidence. If this Amadeus Zhao was truly the seventh-ranked genius in the Marvel Universe, why would he be content to attend high school? Someone like him should be pursuing a doctorate at an Ivy League school by the time he was fifteen.

He had a vague feeling that his high school life would be filled with "superhero"-style drama.

"The internal structure is simpler than I thought. Maybe I should make a self-defense device." Amadeus looked at the device carefully and smiled sheepishly.

So, Amadeus was at least smart enough to replicate his own stun gun? Great, a little more evidence for my theory.

"Based on my experience in junior high, these kinds of things will only make them fight more fiercely." Peter took the stun gun, secretly regretting that he couldn't modify it to work with a web-shooter—at least not with the battery specifications he could get. "The best thing is to exercise more and become strong enough that they won't dare to bully you. Like me, I was also a bullied kid in junior high, but I practiced fighting with my uncle, and the beatings became less and less every year."

"All right, guys," Gwen's voice interrupted, nodding towards the students who were still gathering around her. "You guys planning on talking here until dark? I don't like being watched like a monkey in a zoo."

"I see. Oh, this is Gwen, my childhood friend, neighbor, middle school classmate, and guardian angel—the kind who chases away bullies or takes me to the infirmary."

"Hi, nice to meet you." Gwen interrupted their desire to talk on the spot. "We really can't leave if we keep talking like this, Peter."

"Oh, yeah." Peter quickly changed the subject, gesturing with his hands unconsciously. "We were just discussing club recruitment. Do you want to go check it out together?"

"Okay, we're all freshmen anyway."

As the four of them walked toward the square, various clubs were actively recruiting. The booths of the sports and social clubs were crowded, but the three boys ignored the familiar solicitations and tacitly avoided the mainstream club areas, heading for clubs more suited to nerds.

"There actually is a board game club." Peter looked at the deserted booth, a stark contrast to the bustling rest of the campus. "And... it seems like there aren't many people here. I thought everyone loved Dungeons & Dragons?"

"Running a game is suitable for entertainment during gatherings, but as a regular club activity..." Harry shook his head and walked away, obviously not interested in indulging in role-playing for a long time.

Peter looked at Harry thoughtfully. He'd been shocked by Amadeus's name before, but now he realized why it was Harry Lyman and not Harry Osborn who appeared next to Peter Parker. Reflecting carefully on the white man's appearance, he had a preconceived notion that the two did bear a resemblance.

Could Harry be the hidden Master Osborn?
It's truly captivating—a world-renowned genius disguised as a regular student, an Osborn heir hiding his true identity. While unconfirmed, Peter has automatically accepted these assumptions; after all, he's Spider-Man. Even without considering their personal circumstances, the potential storylines these two classmates might spark are compelling enough.

"I'm extremely excited about how exciting the next four years of high school life will be," he muttered to himself.

"What?" Gwen, who knew Peter well, raised an eyebrow, realizing he wasn't really looking forward to high school. "Because there's no Lego club? Or maybe because you're short of nerdy friends and feel like you'll be on the sidelines for another four years?"

“I don’t feel like I was isolated in junior high school…”

"Wait, Peter, you like Lego?" Harry's eyes lit up and interrupted Peter: "Really?"

“Uh, yeah? That’s weird.”

"I've always wanted to find someone to build the Millennium Falcon! I bought it a long time ago, but no one wants to build it with me. It's too big, and I can't build it by myself!"

"Wait a minute," Amadeus interjected. "Is it the newest one?"

“No, it’s the Ultimate Collector’s Series, UCS10179!”

"Oh my God! You actually have that one!" Amadeus exclaimed, and Peter was also shocked - that set of Lego priced at $500 was completely beyond his financial ability, and there was no way he would ask Uncle Ben for it.

Ironically, the cost of his two spare Spider-Man costumes, plus all the gear, wasn't as much as one set of Lego for Harry.

"Wow..." Gwen looked at the two people who suddenly became warm and turned to Peter, "Looks like I should leave - rock bands are more my style. I won't interrupt your Lego meeting. I don't understand it anyway."

"Okay, see you later, Gwen. Oh... no, I have something to do after school today, so I might not be able to go home with you. I guess we'll have to see each other tomorrow."

"Hmm?" Gwen said, half-smiled. "Why use a question?"

"That's it? Call me if you need anything," Peter added. "Um, just make some good friends, you know, new school and stuff, that's it."

"Don't worry, smart boy, I'm definitely more popular than you."

After watching Gwen wave goodbye and leave, Peter turned around to meet Harry and Amadeus's mischievous gazes and malicious smiles.

"What are you looking at?"

"Are you sure they're just neighbors?" Harry winked. "Of course they are! And very good friends!" Peter quickly interrupted him. Harry ignored him and turned to look at Amadeus: "What do you think?"

"He was such a coward around Gwen."

"I'm not a coward."

"So that girl named Gwen is too controlling?"

"Okay, I'm just a wimp." Peter decisively avoided the topic. "Weren't you guys just talking about Lego? How's it going?"

"Hmph, that's what I was going to say," Harry interrupted. "My house is a little... inconvenient. Amadeus lives with a host family. So we don't have anywhere to build Lego. Can we go to your house, Peter? Your family won't mind, will they?"

"No problem, just make an appointment." Peter answered affirmatively: "Aunt Mei will be very happy that I can bring my friends home to play together."

As the three of them chatted, they passed by one club recruitment site after another. Undoubtedly, the three of them lingered in front of the anime club for a while before leaving together, none of them daring to openly sign up.

Harry was attracted to the tennis club, while Peter and Amadeus chatted with the seniors from the astronomy and geology clubs, but in the end, both of them chose to reject these clubs because they were short of money.

"Astronomy requires expensive equipment, and geology is not a science at all." Peter finally sighed.

"I quite agree. Geology is pure metaphysics," echoed Amadeus.

Harry, who was looked down upon by the tennis club, looked at them speechlessly and asked tentatively, "I'm still very interested in science. Is geology so bad?"

"Yes!"

After the two little geniuses spoke in unison, Peter seemed to realize something: "Wait, is that girl... cosplaying Sherlock Holmes?"

In front of a deserted stall not far away, a beautiful Latina girl wearing a classic dark Ulster coat and a standard deerstalker hat, the same style Gwen had given Peter, waved the club seal in her hand. "The detective agency is hiring! Interested? You can join as long as you can answer the questions. Are there any interested?"

"What do detective agencies usually do? Do they take on commissions from schools?"

Peter asked with a hint of interest, but the senior student seemed rather discouraged by Peter's words. "No, almost no one in school commissions the detective agency to do any serious mystery work. All we have to do is find time to hold a book club together and design mystery puzzles..."

"I'll join," Amadeus replied immediately upon arriving at the booth, explaining to his companions' shocked gazes, "Isn't that great? We don't have to do anything at all, just read a few books and answer a few questions to get credits."

"I'm sorry, I don't want to disappoint you, but!" After hearing Amadeus' explanation, the senior student undoubtedly expressed dissatisfaction: "You have to pass an entry test. For example: a wealthy man who likes password games died unexpectedly. His will is locked in a five-digit safe, but no one knows the combination. There is only a calendar on the safe with March 15th circled..."

"31415." Peter and Amadeus said in unison.

"March 15th. Oh, Pi Day!" Harry only thought for a second before he suddenly realized it and looked at Peter and Amadeus: "You guys reacted really quickly."

Yes, if it were across the Pacific Ocean it might be 12315, but this is America, so it can only be Pi Day.

"Okay, I think you three should be able to join the detective agency. Here's our club's report card. Fill it out and go to the club room and tell them Jessica found you. I'm the club president."

The three of them nodded silently and then moved away for a distance before starting the discussion.

"The president is personally recruiting people?" Harry muttered, "Is this club reliable?"

Peter did know a detective named Jessica Jones, but unfortunately, she was probably no longer a high school student.

The three of them continued walking, and Peter suddenly stopped at a large screen and looked at what was projected on it. It showed various part-time jobs at Midtown High School, and one of them was a part-time job maintaining the website for the Daily Bugle that interested him very much.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

“Nothing.” Peter looked away. “Just saw something interesting.”

PS: In the 616 main universe, Jessica Jones and Peter Parker are indeed high school classmates, but this is not the case in the universe of this book.

(End of this chapter)