Chapter 376: Misty's Genius Deduction!
"The bedroom?!"
Silas's heart skipped a beat. Why did Misty want to go to the bedroom? Had he been found out? As they say, a guilty conscience needs no accuser—he was feeling incredibly paranoid.
"Yeah, my dad is being too annoying," Misty whispered into Silas's ear with a giggle.
"I see." Silas breathed a sigh of relief. He was overthinking it.
"Hmm?" Misty suddenly sniffed the air, looking puzzled. "Silas, did you put on perfume? Why do you have a fragrance on you, especially right here on your neck?"
"Do I?" Silas instinctively pulled back slightly. How were women's noses so sensitive to these things?
Misty tilted her head. "Definitely. It smells like a lady's perfume. Probably the Hilla Padra: Rose Lover edition."
"So smart, Misty." Silas immediately regained his composure. He knew he had to stay calm and not let any flaws show. As for the situation with Felicia and the others... he would explain that to Misty eventually, just not today.
"Of course, I'm a genius." Misty tapped her temple before looking at him suspiciously. "But why do you have women's perfume on you?"
"Sigh~ Here's the thing. I was going to buy a men's cologne, but I didn't pay attention to the brand and accidentally bought the women's version. I figured perfume is perfume, right? So I just used it." Silas explained as he led Misty upstairs.
Silas's Room
In an instant, dozens of Shadow Ninjas emerged. They began rapidly tidying the messy bed. Every strand of Felicia's long white hair was picked up and tucked into a trash bag. Other ninjas reached into the Shadow Kingdom and pulled out the exact perfume Misty had just mentioned, placing it neatly on the nightstand. To make it look authentic, they even provided a bottle that was already half-empty.
After triple-checking the room to ensure no trace of Felicia remained, the ninjas vanished.
Click!
Silas pushed the door open. Seeing the pristine room, he thought: Shadow Ninjas, you are my lifesavers.
"I didn't expect a guy to keep his room so clean," Misty joked. Her eyes immediately landed on the half-empty bottle of perfume on the nightstand.
"It really is this one." Misty picked up the bottle and smelled it happily. "I love this scent! Since it's a lady's perfume anyway, can I have it?"
"Sure, take it." Silas didn't mind. The ninjas had probably swiped it from some random girl's room; he'd just have them deliver a new set to the original owner later.
"Thanks!" Misty shook the bottle playfully and hugged Silas's arm. "Silas~ what do you think of Empire State University?"
"I think it's pretty good. The students are easy to get along with." Silas began telling Misty about the interesting things that had happened recently. Misty sat beside him, listening intently with stars in her eyes.
"Silas~" Misty's voice was soft and sweet, like a clear spring refreshing his heart. She wrapped her arms around his neck, closed her eyes, and kissed him passionately.
"Mmm..." Silas was caught off guard by her suddenness, but he quickly responded.
Click!
The door swung open. Hugh stood there, teeth clenched as he watched the two of them glued together. "Misty, it's time to go," he said, his voice stiff.
"Okay, Dad." Misty hurriedly let go of Silas, smoothed her skirt, and stood up to join her father. Hugh narrowed his eyes at Silas, took Misty's hand, and walked away without looking back.
"Aren't you staying for dinner?!" Silas called out.
"No!" Hugh snapped. Stay for dinner? If they stayed, his daughter might be "eaten" too. Soon, Lydia finished her chat with Aunt May and the family departed.
"I'm exhausted~" Aunt May collapsed onto the sofa. It was her nephew's mess, so why was she the one feeling so stressed? Silas decided to stay upstairs to avoid her lectures.
Later That Evening
Not long after Misty's family left, Peter and Ben Parker returned home.
"You're finally back, Ben." May hugged Ben tightly, feeling like she finally had someone to lean on.
"What's wrong?" Ben stroked her hair.
"It's a long story." May decided to tell Ben about Silas so they could figure out what to do. After hearing the whole ordeal, Ben chuckled and shook his head. "That boy... just like his father. He's always been a hit with the ladies."
"I didn't tell you so you could joke about it!" May rolled her eyes.
"It's no big deal, May. Let Silas handle it himself. Don't forget, he's much more mature than you think." Ben stood up, unfazed, to go to the bathroom. If this were Peter, Ben would have been worried. But since it was Silas, he wasn't concerned. Silas had always been independent and mature for his age; even Ben often asked him for advice.
Upstairs
"Silas! It was so cool!" Peter was excitedly recounting his date, especially the part where he kissed Gwen. To Peter, Silas was the brother he could tell anything to.
"How did it feel?" Silas asked with a grin.
"It was amazing!" Peter beamed. Tomorrow was the last day of vacation, and he vowed not to be late for their next date.
"Really?" Silas was genuinely happy for him. The little boy had finally grown up.
"By the way, Silas, you have more experience. What kind of gifts do girls like?" Peter wanted to get Gwen a "sorry I was late" present.
"Gifts?" Silas shook his head. "I'm not sure. I usually just use Black Light to check their shopping carts on Global-Buy."
"Global-Buy?! That's genius!" Peter realized Silas had an AI. "Silas, check Gwen's cart for me!"
"Alright, alright~" Silas opened his laptop. "Black Light, you heard him."
"Understood, Master."
"Ares God of War boxing gloves... heavy sandbag... combat training gear..." Peter's voice got smaller and smaller as he read. Silas's lip twitched. Gwen was apparently much "harder core" than she looked.
At Misty's House
"Okay, thank you." Misty hung up the phone, a calculated look in her eyes. She pulled out the perfume Silas had given her.
"Hilla Padra: Rose Lover... but the scent on him was the nearly identical Golden Rose Lover version."
When she had smelled Silas earlier, she had intentionally named a slightly different version of the scent. Silas had played along and even produced the bottle she named from his nightstand. Suspecting a trap, she had hugged him to get a fresh sniff of the lingering scent on his neck.
After getting home, she compared the scents and confirmed they were different. She had just finished a call with the perfumer of that specific brand to confirm her theory.
"The seniors at school were right," Misty muttered, crossing her legs and swinging her foot playfully. "You have to keep a close eye on men."
She looked at the bottle in her hand, thinking back to the advice a senior student had given her about staying close to her boyfriend to prevent "wandering eyes."
"Don't let me find you at school..." Misty whispered with a playful, yet dangerous, smile.
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