"Don't worry," Ryuuto said, brushing the dust from Gwen's hair. "I beat them all."
Gwen groaned softly, holding her head. "Ugh… feels like my brain's been used as a punching bag. What happened?"
"They attacked you," Ryuuto replied casually. "You blacked out for a bit. If you're up for it, we can head back to the tech fair."
Gwen smiled weakly. "No need. Nobody there cared about my project anyway. Might as well show you around instead. You're new here, right?"
Ryuuto nodded. "Yeah. I'd appreciate the tour."
Oxford University wasn't a campus — it was a self-contained city of intellect and arrogance. Buildings stretched like a skyline of polished ivory, laboratories buzzed with quiet genius, and even the air smelled of caffeine and ambition. Artificial lakes mirrored steel towers, and holographic trees swayed under programmed sunlight.
Compared to his old high school back in Japan, this place felt like a sci-fi utopia.
Under Gwen's lead, Ryuuto wandered the grounds like a curious tourist. She talked easily — not just about the tech and the professors, but about little things: how she fed the swans by the lake every morning, how she once broke a centrifuge by accident and blamed "quantum interference."
For someone living in a world full of chaos and powered beings, she was painfully normal.
And… that normalcy made her glow.
After nearly an hour, Ryuuto found himself lowering his guard — just walking, just talking. Gwen was the type of girl you could share silence with and it wouldn't feel awkward.
But something gnawed at him.
He remembered the movie. The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Gwen Stacy, brilliant and bright… and gone too soon.
He glanced at her and asked quietly, "Do you know Peter Parker?"
"Huh? Yeah. We went to the same high school. Why?"
"Aren't you two, uh… dating?"
Gwen blinked, confused. "What? No! I barely even talked to him. You're weird, you know that? You claim to be a transfer student from Japan, but you know some random guy from my high school? Are you sure you're not a stalker?"
Ryuuto forced a laugh. "Haha… yeah, just curious."
But his mind was already racing.
So in this world, Peter and Gwen aren't together?
That single detail said everything — this wasn't the movie timeline. It was his world now. A parallel strand where destinies could change, where tragedies might not repeat.
Maybe fate had rearranged things because he'd arrived. Maybe their meeting wasn't coincidence.
He looked at Gwen again as two swans drifted by on the lake. "Beautiful, aren't they?"
"Definitely." She smiled softly. "You know, swans mate for life. When one dies, the other never takes a new partner. Kind of romantic, right? Shame people aren't like that anymore. These days, everyone just… gives up. Break up, rebound, repeat. Love's become disposable."
Ryuuto chuckled. "Sounds like you've already lost faith in romance."
Gwen shrugged. "Not really lost faith. Just… not interested right now." She winked playfully. "Come on, I'll show you the rockery forest next!"
But before they could move—
BEEP—BEEP—
The school's emergency broadcast blared through the speakers.
"All students, return to your classrooms immediately! Faculty, report for attendance check!"
Gwen sighed. "Great timing. Sorry, Red Mir—uh, I mean, Ryuuto-san. Let's go back first. We can continue later."
When they returned, the atmosphere was heavy. Everyone's eyes turned toward Ryuuto.
Foreign, black-haired, out of place — he stood out like a drop of ink in milk.
Since Gwen's back seat was empty, he took it, resisting the urge to grin. Sitting behind Gwen Stacy... yeah, definitely not complaining.
Half an hour later, a bespectacled man walked in — their homeroom teacher. His face was grim.
"A serious incident occurred on campus earlier," he began, then paused, noticing Ryuuto. "Before I continue, let's welcome our new student. He's an international transfer from Japan. Please introduce yourself."
Ryuuto stood up with practiced calm. "Name's Ryuuto. Nice to meet you all."
Short, polite, boring. Exactly how he wanted it.
But being the only Asian in a room full of Brits and Americans meant he was instantly the center of attention anyway.
"Welcome, Ryuuto!" the teacher said, prompting a round of polite applause.
Then, the man's voice hardened. "Now, onto the matter at hand."
The room fell silent.
"Half an hour ago, five people were found dead at the dance theater. Four men, one woman. Four of them were cut clean in half. The woman—" He hesitated. "—was impaled through the heart. The police have identified her as a mutant."
The class erupted in gasps and murmurs.
Gwen froze.
Five people… one woman?
Those were the same attackers who'd gone after her and Ryuuto. She didn't remember what happened after she fainted — but Ryuuto had walked away without a scratch.
She didn't want to believe it, but… the math lined up.
Meanwhile, the teacher continued, "Because a mutant infiltrated campus, security will be conducting re-scans of every student. If anyone here is a mutant, please step forward voluntarily. I'd rather not see any of you dragged away."
Silence again.
Uneasy.
Cold.
And Ryuuto — the so-called Red Mirage, the one who'd just slaughtered five people and erased the evidence like smoke — simply leaned back in his chair, expression unreadable.
Parallel world or not, he thought, some things never change. Fear, judgment… and hypocrisy.