At least for now, Peter didn't know what to say, feeling a bit of regret that he wasn't the social type.
By the way, Peter, I have something I want to show you." It just so happened that Finn was a social butterfly; he casually picked up his tablet and openly opened the social media account he used specifically for drawing. "It's a new meme I drew of Harry. Take a look.
Finn didn't even bother calling the character "Mr. Suit" anymore; after all, the prototype was Harry Osborn, he believed Peter would be able to tell at a glance.
A cold face, a side-parted hairstyle, a cold and arrogant expression, the signature suit and tie..
It's so incredibly similar!" Peter was amused by the overly vivid chibi version; on the screen, the chubby-faced chibi Harry was wearing a tiny suit and "pew-pew"-ing light rays to knock everyone down, perfectly capturing Harry's cold demeanor and his gap moe. "You actually know how to draw?
At the same time, the sharp-eyed Spider-Man naturally remembered Finn's drawing account as well.
It was just that.. why was Finn's account name "A Person With Seven Major Problems"?
"I can help you draw it too. Do you have any ideas?" Finn asked, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Peter.
Looking at Finn's current expression, which was both boastful and expectant, Peter suddenly thought of the personality test Finn had taken during the meeting.
—As expected, that "people-pleasing personality" was coming out.
Peter also knew that the reason Finn was so enthusiastic toward him was likely because he had discovered his identity as Spider-Man, but that didn't stop Peter from feeling happy that others loved Spider-Man. Furthermore, he hadn't expected that Finn would actually be a fan of Spider-Man as well.
"I don't have any particular ideas." For a moment, Peter didn't think there was anything particularly interesting to draw about his current image, having shed his Spider-Man suit.
"Wait a moment." Finn stared at Peter, then began to draw seriously on his tablet.
Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of the meeting room and fell upon Finn's face, as if coating him in a layer of soft, fuzzy light, making even that vibrant vitality feel exceptionally warm and dazzling.
After a moment, a chibi version of Peter Parker leaped onto the screen.
It's just a simple rough draft; I'll optimize it later," Finn said with a smile, holding up the tablet toward Peter. It was still that cute, round face with curly hair, wearing today's light blue plaid shirt. "You can give your character a name. I'm called Sleepless Summer.
"Why is it called [Sleepless Summer]?" Peter asked curiously.
It's just a name; you can call it anything," Finn replied. "It just happened to come to mind.
For example, I have a guitarist friend who plays rock music, he came up with a name called Vegetarian Hunter," Finn said, providing a few more examples to give Peter some inspiration. "I also have a friend who specializes in fashion design, he came up with a name called Trendy Scarecrow.
Peter: ".." He felt it was completely illogical, yet it also seemed as though there wasn't absolutely no connection.
But in the end, he had discovered a pattern: a character name required an adjective plus a noun.
Perhaps—Flying Spider-Man?
Although Peter already knew from hearing Finn's thoughts that Finn knew his secret that he was Spider-Man, Peter had to pretend that Finn still didn't know his secret because he couldn't reveal the secret of being able to hear thoughts, so he had to continue keeping the secret that he was Spider-Man.
"Can an adjective be 'Flying'?" Peter said hesitantly.
"Sure, then let's call it Flying Pillow," Finn said with a thoughtful expression, his eyes slightly lowered as he pondered.
".. Pillow?" Peter's expression turned to one of surprise.
Exactly. Pillow. Both your name and it start with P. It's a little clever, quite symbolic." Finn nodded, feeling more and more that this was a good idea. "Besides, Flying Pillow sounds quite reasonable.
—Is that even reasonable?
Peter Parker Pillow.. Peter once again nodded along as if he had been convinced.
"It does sound reasonable." Although Peter felt it was somewhat groundless, since the creator was Finn, he naturally nodded in agreement with a smile.
"I'll send it to you once I've finished drawing it." Finn had many more new ideas for this new character.
Peter looked at Finn's shining green eyes.
He suddenly felt that if Harry Osborn could truly get to know his younger brother properly.
He would certainly love having such a vibrant and pure family like this.
"But why is Harry the only one called [MR. SUIT]?" Peter asked curiously.
"How about calling him the Cold Mr. Suit?" Finn thought it made sense, but it felt like it was missing an adjective.
".. Then let's just go with Mr. Suit," Peter said, shaking his head, seeing no need to bring "Cold" into the open.
As the two were chatting animatedly, Finn suddenly leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. His slightly long hair still held a hint of warmth from the sun, the young man's green eyes gazed fixedly at Peter, his eyes full of anticipation. "We're friends now, right?"
"Of course." Peter said immediately and affirmatively. After spending time together, he already felt that being friends with Finn was clearly a very comfortable thing.
I see.." Finn tore open the wrapper of a milk candy and popped it into his mouth, a soft smile spreading across the young man's fair cheeks, appearing as sweet as the candy itself. "That's wonderful, then.
【Then it seems I have a candidate for a friendship route.】
[I'll have to think carefully about how to betray my friend and become a lifelong nemesis.]
Peter: "??"
Chapter 7: Pleasing Personality
By the time it was time to head to the party in the evening, Finn felt as though his cold was almost gone.
Perhaps Vitamin C really works, or perhaps it's just that his own constitution was strong to begin with.
Except for his chronic stomach issues, the anemia that made him see stars when it flared up, the hemophobia that made his legs go weak at the sight of blood, the hypoglycemia that made his heart race when he was hungry, the occasional eccentricity of sleepwalking in the middle of the night, the mental health issues that left him in a good state most of the time, the claustrophobia that made him feel uncomfortable in small spaces..
Everything else was quite fine.
A low hum from an engine interrupted his thoughts as a flashy purple new sports car, like a flowing galaxy in the night, came to a steady halt in front of him.
The car window slowly rolled down, Noah, with his head dyed the same shade of purple, flashed a bright smile at him. "Get in! I've already saved the passenger seat for you."
Finn didn't rush to open the car door, instead circling this two-and-a-half-million-dollar supercar three times with his green eyes shining. The look of amazement in the young man's eyes was exactly the same as when Andrew and his group looked at his car last night. Finn even excitedly took out his phone and snapped several photos.
"It's truly incredibly cool!" Finn thought seriously. A $2.75 million supercar—he could afford it in just eleven months if he didn't eat, drink, buy clothes, or throw parties. No, now that he had a job at the Osborn Group, he could afford it in ten months.
However, Finn felt that with a mere 100 Misery Value, he shouldn't be stuck on this world's mission.. for that long, right?
Finn got into the car and was not surprised to find Elias Davis and Anthony Reed sitting in the back seat; the two of them usually hung out together.
Elias is the guitarist for the famous rock band "OVERSTEP," and he also always wears clothes from the "METAL" brand designed by Noah. As for Anthony, he is a You Tuber who specializes in filming series about hamsters navigating obstacle courses; for this party, he wore a hoodie featuring a cartoon hamster printed on it, along with his own You Tube channel name. That cartoon hamster was also drawn by Finn, Anthony was so satisfied with it that he even wanted Finn to turn it into a series.
As for the driver, it was the founder of the "METAL" streetwear brand and his personal OOTD designer, Noah Hart.
Having experienced a hundred hosts, Finn had already seen through it: these friends were nothing more than his "fair-weather friends."
With the will already settled, with it being obvious that he had no skills other than indulging in food, drink, play, these friends were relentlessly egging him on to fight Harry Osborn for control of the Osborn Group. According to the plotline, once he had lost everything in the struggle for the family inheritance, these "close friends" would certainly distance themselves from him, either to watch him become a laughingstock or to take the opportunity to kick him while he was down.
"Why on earth would you think of picking up a stray dog in the middle of the night?" Noah asked, looking at Finn with confusion as he got into the car.
I just happened to see it while scrolling through my phone," Finn said with a sigh. "I thought I'd try my luck, but who would have thought my phone would run out of battery.
So you snuck out behind the Wilsons' backs again, didn't you?" Noah Hart said with a sigh. "You certainly have a lot of energy.
"A person who calls me out for a joyride in the middle of the night doesn't need to forcefully praise others for having energy," Finn thought they were two of a kind.
I'm just excited because I just got a new car, what about you?" Noah bragged. "You have no idea how hard this car was to get!
Finn: ".." I'm excited because my Misery Value has been stuck at a progress of 5.
"So? How did the talk with your brother go?" Anthony asked after Noah started driving.
Naturally, Finn also told his good friends about his plan to "argue his case" face-to-face with his brother, Harry Osborn.
"What else could happen? They'll say I'm overestimating myself, that I have no real talent, then I'll just get caught and scolded for it," Finn reported.
He is your brother! How can he say such things about you?" Noah Hart immediately spoke up in defense. "Even Harry Osborn doesn't know just how capable you are.
Finn: ".." What ability? The ability to throw parties?
But when I went to the Osborn Building today, Harry even placed me in the Brand Promotion Department and gave me a job with a monthly salary of fifty thousand dollars," Finn continued, feeling that his brother was actually quite a good guy. "He doesn't even require me to do much.
“.. No way? You're wavering because of this?” Noah captured the softening in his tone with precision. His voice rose sharply as he yanked the steering wheel, swerving the car into a temporary parking spot by the roadside. Noah turned toward Finn, glaring at him with eyes full of shock and frustration at his lack of ambition. "Fifty thousand dollars a month, Finn, wake up! What is fifty thousand dollars a month even worth? Harry is the CEO in control of Osborn now, you? You're nothing more than an insignificant little employee under him!"
Finn looked at Noah hesitantly. Hadn't the will already been settled?
Harry Osborn was not being stingy; giving him an extra fifty thousand in monthly salary was a gesture of brotherly affection.
Finn, you are both sons of Norman Osborn. Why should the Osborn Group belong to Harry Osborn? I'm telling you, there's definitely something fishy going on here.
Noah said with absolute certainty that he believed it was impossible for Norman Osborn to be this biased, actually leaving the entire Osborn Group to Harry. A shrewd and cold businessman like Harry Osborn must have already pulled some strings and made arrangements to maximize his interests before Norman Osborn passed away. Only someone as naive as Finn would be foolish enough to believe that so-called will.
A fifty-thousand-dollar job sounds good, but do you realize how much money the Osborn Group makes?" Noah feared that Finn would fall into Harry Osborn's trap so easily. "A single injection of their cancer treatment costs two hundred thousand dollars. Do you understand the concept? To put it bluntly, if you fall ill, the money you receive from your trust fund for a whole month would only be enough for a single injection from the Osborn Group!
Finn: ".." You humans really have poisonous tongues.
Finn finally understood. Those former cannon fodder characters who were always at odds with his Host.. the reason they persistently went against his Host was that experts like Noah, who were so skilled at instigating conflict from behind the scenes, were truly to blame.
Of course I haven't." Since he had already made up his mind to take the path of misery, Finn naturally stated with conviction, "I am prepared for a long-term battle with Harry. Now that I have a position at Osborn Group, it will be even easier to keep track of Harry Osborn's movements.
Exactly, that's the way to think about it," Noah encouraged immediately. "We will all help you.
Finn, you need to be more strategic, don't you?" Elias, who had been listening until now, seemed to let out a weary sigh, while the young man's tone sounded much calmer. "For example, first figure out exactly how much money you want and which assets you want.
I can introduce some lawyers who specialize in these kinds of lawsuits to you," Anthony also spoke, "I have also looked into some cases in this regard lately; working with professionals will make the thinking much clearer.
"There's no rush for this kind of thing." Finn hadn't yet come up with a plan on how to decisively fight for the inheritance.
"Not in a hurry? You've done nothing but play all month." Looking at Finn's indifferent expression, Noah began to feel frustrated by his lack of ambition once again.
"As if any party was missing you." Finn was playing, but wasn't it also because he loved to play that he was able to meet them?
Finn even felt a bit wronged.
He felt that a true friend should have made him face reality long ago.
He happily took his "allowance" of 250,000 US dollars a month and lived a life of pure leisure.
Instead of making a scene like Noah and the others, who just point at him and Harry Osborn and watch them fight? Can he even win a fight? Honestly!
System PP: [.. Is it possible that these friends are actually sincere toward you?]
"You're still far too naive!" Finn had something to say.
In Finn's past system experiences, it was—
There are always those troublemakers hanging around a good-for-nothing, making your self-esteem swell! Making you have unrealistic ideas! Making you lose touch with reality! And then, you become a clown performing for attention, jumping out just to seek a beating. Even when you know you can't win, you insist on crashing headfirst until you're bleeding. In the end, these so-called friends will even instigate you to seek revenge, until you've completely destroyed yourself.
Finn suddenly felt a bit emo.
—At least I bought so many sets of clothes from you! How can you be so unwilling to see me do well!
Finn was usually a very expressive person, Noah could tell that the young man was feeling a little unhappy.
There, there." Noah pinched Finn's fair cheek to comfort him. "I'll pay for your party next month.
Finn immediately wore a look of astonishment.