"Borrowed Trouble at the Library."

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Shadow-Spidey had been taking books from the library without checking them out, and that made the manager think the staff weren't doing their job. So a few employees got fired.

Shadow-Spidey noticed what happened. Jasper had told her not to cause trouble for others, so from that day on, she decided she'd only borrow books properly and never take them again without checking them out. She didn't want to cause any more problems.

When Jasper found out about this, he felt a bit touched—and also kinda guilty. But what was done was done. All he could do now was hope those who lost their jobs would find better luck ahead.

After changing his clothes, Jasper headed out with Shadow-Spidey. She was wearing a long dress and had a beautiful face—no matter where they went, she was always the center of attention. Definitely more eye-catching than Jasper.

But Shadow-Spidey didn't even notice the looks people were giving her. Right now, she only wanted to get to the library as fast as possible.

Jasper had a feeling she was going to do great things in science.

Before long, they arrived at the library.

Shadow-Spidey went straight in and started reading. Jasper flipped through some comic books for a bit, but then left. He felt a little out of place being the only one reading comics in there.

So… what now?

Jasper unknowingly wandered into a small alley, and suddenly a group of guys surrounded him.

The leader stepped forward. "Hand over your money!"

Jasper looked them over—three Black guys and two white guys. Judging by how sickly and strung-out they looked, he figured they probably needed money to buy drugs.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" one of them reached out like he was gonna hit Jasper.

Jasper dodged the swing easily, and in a few quick moves, he took them all down.

Then he grabbed their phones, called the cops, and reported a fight.

The five guys, lying on the ground, stared blankly at Jasper like they couldn't believe what just happened. They never imagined the guy who beat them up would be the one to call the cops!

Jasper quickly disappeared from the scene.

The gang tried to sneak off too, but they didn't get far before the cops showed up and stopped them. One look at their unhealthy appearance and the cops frowned, deciding to haul them in for questioning.

Jasper watched the police car drive away before heading off himself. He'd been hiding nearby just to make sure the junkies actually got caught.

Suddenly—"Aaaahhhhhh—!"A scream rang out from above.

Jasper looked up and saw a man falling from a building.

He got ready to shoot a web and catch him—he just had to fire it from the shadow at his feet and it'd all be fine. Everyone's eyes were on the falling man anyway, so nobody would notice him.

Just as Jasper was about to act, Spider-Man swung in and caught the guy mid-air.

Spidey safely put the man down on the ground, then quickly left.

Before disappearing, Spider-Man glanced at Jasper.

Jasper thought for a moment, then quietly slipped into a deserted alley.

He stepped into the shadows——and the next second, he was behind Spider-Man.

Looking at him, Jasper said, "Nice save."

Spider-Man turned around and couldn't help replying, "Earlier… a little girl died in front of me."

Jasper froze for a second, then patted Peter Parker on the shoulder. "That wasn't your fault."

Peter nodded, then told Jasper what had happened.

He'd been trying to stop a robbery, and during the chaos, one of the robbers accidentally shot and killed a little girl.

Peter blamed himself. If he hadn't been there, maybe the robbers would've just taken the money and left, and the girl would still be alive. Deep down, he felt like he was the one who got her killed.

It made him question everything.Would there be less crime without him?

And to make things worse, people online were posting comments blaming Spider-Man for the girl's death.

Peter stared blankly at Jasper. "I'm sorry… I think I need to take a break."

Jasper didn't say anything.

He didn't know how to comfort Peter.

But he knew Peter hadn't done anything wrong.

Jasper looked up the guy who'd posted that nasty comment and had his suit's AI track down their address.

The AI quickly found it, and Jasper used his shadow-travel ability to teleport straight to the person's home.

Turned out to be some fat, greasy slob.

Jasper let out a breath, put on his mask, and beat the crap out of him. He hated people like this—folks who knew Spidey wasn't to blame but still spread hate, just to make themselves feel important.

Afterwards, Jasper left calmly and quietly.

The next day, Spider-Man didn't show up.

Online, people started gloating.They were saying Spider-Man had been defeated.

Jasper was furious. He traced their IP addresses and went to beat them up too.

Day Three: Still no sign of Spider-Man.

More and more people online started bragging about how they'd "beaten Spider-Man."

Though, to be fair, some people did speak up in Spidey's defense.

Day Four: Spider-Man still hadn't returned.

Now the internet was wondering if he was dead.

Some people were saying Spidey had given up—that he was tired of saving ungrateful people who just turned around and blamed him. It was getting to him.

The comments section became a battleground.Some defended Spider-Man, others kept attacking.

Day Five:Without Spider-Man, the crime rate started rising—and fast. Things were on the verge of spiraling out of control.

One girl commented:"Will Spider-Man ever come back? I hope he does. With him around, we feel so much safer."

Instantly, the trolls piled on:

"Go die!""What are you, Spidey's little btch?""Shut up, you whre!"

The girl was furious. She bit her lip and started arguing back.

Spider-Man had saved her once. Now it was her turn to stand up for him.She knew he was feeling lost right now.

Day Six: A bank got robbed.

Spider-Man still didn't show up.

Day Seven:A man was holding a woman hostage at gunpoint—completely brazen and out in the open.

Suddenly, a little boy wearing glasses and a Spider-Man-like costume stepped in front of him.

The man looked down and sneered, "Well, well, Spider-Man's back!"

He laughed mockingly at the boy.

But the boy didn't back down.

The man raised his gun. "C'mon then, 'Spider-Man'!"

"Hey!"A voice called out from behind.

The man spun around to find Spider-Man right behind him.

Before the assailant could react, Spider-Man knocked him unconscious.

He turned to the little boy and said,"Thanks, Spider-Man."

The boy burst out laughing with joy.

"....."