Actually...
Locke hadn't wanted to stay.
But such hospitality was hard to refuse.
However, once Locke sat down at the dining table and saw Captain George Stacy sitting opposite him with a stern, unsmiling face, he felt a twinge of regret.
Didn't Gwen say George was very busy today?
"Locke, here you go."
"Thank you, ma'am."
Locke took the plate handed to him by a smiling Helen and offered his thanks.
Under normal circumstances, Locke was extremely polite.
Even though he was an orphan in this life, he hadn't been one in his previous life, and that upbringing remained with him.
"You're very welcome," Helen said. "And please, don't call me ma'am. Just call me Auntie Helen. You're the first male classmate Gwen has ever brought home."
Sitting across from her two younger brothers, Gwen looked a bit speechless. "Mom."
She was only acting out of kindness.
Helen chuckled and spoke to Locke. "I hope it's to your taste."
Locke looked at the sea bass on his plate.
This...
Must be the legendary Lemon Sea Bass.
Good grief.
He'd only been in New York for two days and he was already eating this?
Even the Little Spider probably didn't get this kind of treatment.
"Ahem!"
George, sitting opposite him, let out a clearly dissatisfied cough. "So, Locke, where are you from?"
Gwen frowned. "Dad."
Locke was an orphan; asking that was like poking at a wound, wasn't it?
Locke gave Gwen a small smile and turned to George. "Texas."
In any case, that was where he had opened his eyes in this world. He counted as a member of the Lone Star State.
George took a bite of the lemon sea bass. "Then do you know the Sin Hunter?"
"Dad..."
"I do." Locke sliced into the sea bass and smiled. "I doubt there's a Texan alive who hasn't heard of him."
Of course he knew who the Sin Hunter was.
Regardless, no one would ever associate a sixteen-year-old like him with the famous Sin Hunter. After all, the FBI's criminal profile described the Sin Hunter as a middle-aged man between twenty-five and thirty-five.
He was only sixteen. An age of pure innocence.
George had only asked casually to find a topic of conversation. After all, he couldn't just sit there and watch this kid waltz into his home and uproot his precious little cabbage, could he?
Not a chance.
George asked again, "And what do you think of the Sin Hunter?"
Without the slightest hesitation, Locke shrugged. "A murderer."
George's eyes lit up as he looked at Locke.
Mm.
His moral compass wasn't skewed!
Locke continued, "Although many people call him a dark judge, murder is murder. That fact cannot be changed, even if those he kills are evil men."
George nodded. For some reason, he suddenly didn't dislike Locke quite so much.
Locke genuinely felt that way.
But...
Thinking it was one thing; it didn't stop him from letting the hammer fall when the time came.
Because he also agreed with another saying.
When the law fails to provide justice for the victim, from that moment on, vigilante justice becomes both righteous and honorable.
However, Locke didn't say that out loud.
He was here as Gwen's guest for dinner, not to start a debate.
Locke wasn't that stupid.
Going against George would only make Gwen feel awkward for inviting him, and it would make George and Helen think Gwen had poor taste in friends who lacked basic manners.
Disagreements could be discussed in private.
But never at the dinner table.
Mm.
While this lemon sea bass looked somewhat comparable to "Stargazy Pie" in appearance, the taste was actually delicious.
During the meal.
George asked a few more questions, and Locke answered them all quite openly.
His responses were well-structured.
At the very least, judging by Helen's expression and George's gradually softening demeanor, it was clear that while Locke might have made a poor initial impression on George, that first impression had been overturned during the course of the meal.
This was especially true after Gwen told George and Helen about Locke's exam results from the day before.
In Gwen's room.
After Locke and Gwen finished calculating the final set of data together, Locke prepared to take his leave.
The daily quest was settled; time to go farm the night's missions.
I'm going to clear two tonight.
"Thank you."
Locke packed his backpack and spoke to Gwen. "Thank you, Gwen."
"..."
Gwen felt a bit helpless. "You've said thank you way too many times."
In just two short days, Gwen could swear that the number of times Locke had said "thank you" to her was more than all the thanks she'd heard in the entire previous semester combined.
He must have had a very rough childhood.
Gwen strongly suspected this; otherwise, there was no explaining why Locke was so fond of saying thank you.
Locke smiled. "One can never have too many manners, right?"
Gwen raised an eyebrow and looked at Locke. "So, the politeness you show is just a performance, and it's not actually who you are?"
Locke looked back at her.
How smart.
Gwen thought back to what happened at the dinner table and looked at Locke. "I actually think the Sin Hunter is quite alright."
Locke arched an eyebrow.
Is this a trap?
"I've read the reports about the Texas Sin Hunter as well. If it weren't for him, so many evil people would never have received the punishment they deserved."
"Is that so?"
"Isn't it?" Gwen crossed her arms. "Do you really think the Sin Hunter is a murderer?"
Locke's answer was the same as it had been at the table, just with a few extra words. "From a legal standpoint, he is a murderer."
"And from a non-legal standpoint?"
"..."
Locke thought for a moment. "Then he wouldn't exactly qualify as a good person either."
Mm.
He definitely wasn't a good person.
Locke knew himself, but he had no intention of being a "good guy." In this Marvel universe, being a good guy only had one outcome: dying without even knowing how it happened.
Just like the Stacy family, who were dragged down until their home was destroyed because of the Spider-Man.
George Stacy died because of him.
Gwen died because of him.
That was the price of being a "good guy" in the Marvel universe.
Anyway, whoever wants to be a hero can go right ahead; Locke had no such plans.
"I'll be going now."
Locke gave Gwen a slight smile, picked up his backpack, and left the room.
Gwen snapped out of it. "I'll walk you out."
A polite gesture.
In the living room.
Locke spoke to George and Helen, who were watching TV. "Mr. Stacy, Mrs. Stacy, thank you for the invitation. The lemon sea bass was delicious. Thank you. I'll be going now."
Gwen said to George and Helen, "Mom, I'm going down to see him off."
Downstairs.
Locke took out his car key and pressed it. Across the street, the car chirped twice.
Gwen walked to the car with him. "See you tomorrow."
Locke opened the car door, preparing to get in. "See you tomorrow."
Just then.
Locke's ears twitched slightly. His eyebrow shot up as he looked up at the dark sky.
Gwen asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
The next second.
Locke's expression changed instantly. He grabbed Gwen and ran straight toward the other side of the road.
Behind them.
Boom!