[Spider-Man continued his heartfelt praise: "I genuinely love that you're so naturally sociable and good with people!"]
["Oh, I absolutely love working with people! I love it so incredibly much!"]
["You also enjoy sports and staying active!"]
["I honestly think the New York Mets can keep their winning streak going this entire year!"]
["Really? You actually believe that?" Spider-Man expressed obvious skepticism about this optimistic sports prediction.]
[At that moment, MJ seemed to hear some unusual noise in the background, and she frowned with curiosity, "What's that sound I'm hearing?"]
[Spider-Man turned his head to look toward the side of the room, then moved his laptop camera over to reveal Happy lying uncomfortably on a reclining chair while breathing supplemental oxygen, "Oh! That's... that's just Happy! Look at him! He gave his bedroom to Aunt May, so he can only sleep out here in the living room!"]
[MJ turned over in her bed and asked with genuine curiosity, "I want to ask you something that might sound strange! Um... did you feel even the slightest bit of relief after your secret identity was finally exposed to the world?"]
[Spider-Man pursed his lips thoughtfully for a long moment before responding, "Ever since I was bitten by that radioactive spider... I only had one completely normal week of life! And even that week wasn't entirely normal!"]
["And... that week was when you first discovered I was Spider-Man, because by then, all the people I actually wanted to know my secret identity already knew the truth! That feeling was absolutely amazing!"]
["But now that literally everyone knows... I've become the most famous person in the entire world! But I still have a completely empty wallet!" Spider-Man said with a self-deprecating smile and shrug.]
[MJ on the other side of the video call also laughed at the same time. She closed her eyes contentedly and said, "I... am so excited! I can't wait to see you tomorrow at school!"]
[Spider-Man nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah! Me too! I've really missed seeing you in person!"]
[Happy, who was lying on the uncomfortable chair nearby, suddenly interrupted without warning, "Hang up the phone now!"]
[Spider-Man was so startled by his sudden interjection that he nearly dropped his laptop.]
[Happy continued his complaint with obvious exhaustion: "We all know perfectly well that you two are deeply in love with each other! Just hang up already! There's no new romantic progress happening! Okay? I desperately need to get my full eight hours of sleep!"]
[Spider-Man looked surprised that Happy wasn't actually asleep, "Have you been listening to our entire conversation this whole time?"]
[MJ waved cheerfully at Happy through the phone screen, "Hi there! Happy!"]
[Happy responded with tired resignation: "I don't want to eavesdrop either!" Then he politely acknowledged MJ, "Hello to you too!"]
Pepper Potts observed the sophisticated workbench visible in Happy's residence, then turned to look directly at him with curiosity, "Happy! When exactly did you acquire that expensive equipment for your home?"
Happy appeared genuinely confused because he didn't currently possess such advanced machinery at his residence, "NO! I honestly don't know anything about it!"
"Really? You're certain about that?" Pepper expressed slight skepticism about his claim.
"Absolutely! I'm telling the complete truth!" Happy felt somewhat panicked for reasons he couldn't explain, but there definitely wasn't any such equipment in his current home.
"Okay! I believe you completely!" Pepper nodded and decided not to pursue the matter further. Perhaps it would be given to him by Tony at some point in the future timeline. She didn't think Happy would engage in such activities behind Tony's back. She had complete faith in Happy's loyalty.
Tony stroked his chin thoughtfully while taking a bite of the delicious sandwich that Scott had purchased. Like Pepper, he wasn't particularly concerned about the workbench situation. While Pepper had at least asked about it, Tony was too preoccupied with other matters to even inquire.
Instead, he was more interested in Spider-Man's desire to apply to the same university as his friends. However, he hadn't expected that Spider-Man would still need to go through normal application channels. It seemed that Spider-Man hadn't followed the advice he had given him earlier about alternative pathways.
Of course, there was another distinct possibility: before he'd had the opportunity to personally recommend Spider-Man to MIT, the war with Thanos had broken out and Spider-Man had been dusted. Naturally, he would have had no way to recommend someone who had been erased from existence.
When Spider-Man was eventually resurrected, Tony had sacrificed himself to defeat Thanos, so there had been no one left to provide the recommendation, which meant Spider-Man had to apply through standard procedures.
Considering this possibility, Tony immediately decided to contact MIT and request that they expedite Spider-Man's application and provide him with every possible advantage.
Regardless of what the future timeline might hold, Tony always planned ahead meticulously and took care of everything he could possibly anticipate.
[Outside Midtown High School, an enormous crowd of reporters and curious civilians had completely surrounded the main entrance.]
["Reporting live as we follow Peter Parker, undoubtedly the most famous student at Midtown High School! We're covering his life on the first day of his senior year! Go find him for us! Little Tiger! Or should we say: Spider-Man?"]
[Betty Brant stood confidently in front of the massive crowd with a professional microphone while speaking directly to the camera.]
["Throughout the entire morning, more and more people have been gathering in front of the Midtown School of Science and Technology!"]
["Spider-Man's passionate supporters and vocal opponents appear to be almost evenly divided!"]
[Spider-Man and MJ walked together in tense silence, holding hands tightly for mutual support, while Ned followed protectively behind them.]
[When an enthusiastic Black man in the crowd spotted them approaching, he dramatically pulled open his shirt to reveal a printed image of MJ underneath and shouted with manic devotion: "MJ! MJ! We love you! MJ! Will you have Spider-Man's babies for him?"]
[The massive crowd forced local police officers to intervene and attempt to maintain public order, "Back off! Everyone back off immediately!"]
["MJ! You know he's a cold-blooded murderer, right?"]
["Hey Peter! Take a TikTok video with me!"]
["Long live Mysterio!!!"]
["Justice for Mysterio!!!"]
["Give each other a romantic kiss!"]
[The three friends pushed through the dense, hostile crowd while people shouted various demands and accusations.]
[Spider-Man and MJ tried their best to ignore the harassment, but Ned couldn't tolerate them being tormented, "Go away!!! Leave them alone!!!"]
[A curious girl heard his outburst and asked him with interest, "Who exactly are you supposed to be?"]
[Ned pointed at himself with obvious pride and declared, "I'm Ned Leeds! I'm Spider-Man's best friend!"]
[Flash Thompson, who was passing by behind him, immediately approached and interjected, "Peter Parker's best friend! If you want to mess with my brother, you'll have to get past me, Flash Thompson!"]
["To learn more about our amazing friendship and exclusive insider stories, be sure to read my upcoming book 'Flash Point: One Spider, Two Hearts!' Filled with countless crazy memories and behind-the-scenes details, so remember to buy it when it's released!"]
[Ned looked at Flash's shameless self-promotion with complete helplessness, glanced at the book manuscript in his hand, shook his head in disgust, and walked away in silence.]
[When they finally reached the school entrance, several security guards thoroughly scanned Spider-Man with metal detectors and urgently encouraged him to enter the building quickly.]
[Spider-Man initially wanted to wait for MJ to go through security, but the guards immediately rushed over and physically dragged the person responsible for causing the massive crowds at the school entrance inside.]
[He had no choice but to look back at MJ apologetically and say, "I'll see you inside the building! Okay?"]
[MJ nodded silently with understanding.]
The assembled Avengers observed the chaotic crowd at the school entrance and shook their heads with collective helplessness.
"That situation looks absolutely insane!"
"After all, it's an incredibly rare opportunity to see a genuine superhero up close, and many people don't want to miss their chance!"
"I really feel sorry for those school security guards. Who knows what they're cursing under their breath right now?"
"These people are unbelievably outspoken and rude! Aren't they afraid that Peter might actually get angry and retaliate?"