What really mattered was favorability. Right now, Mary Jane's favorability toward Peter Parker was probably just fifty out of a hundred. The fact that she even said hi to Parker already felt like a blessing from the goddess herself.
In theory, it was easy. All he had to do was find the right moment to let Mary Jane know he was Spider-Man. Daydreaming girls love heroes, and Spider-Man was New York's hero, so of course that'd attract her. But using that trick felt a bit dirty.
The ideal scenario would be one where Spider-Man faced a deadly crisis, left behind a few cryptic words, and let Mary figure it out on her own—that Parker was actually Spider-Man. Then, after defeating a powerful enemy, Spider-Man returns in glory, and the girl falls into his arms. But realistically, Spider-Man probably wouldn't be willing to stage that kind of drama.
"You're still a student, right?" Liu A'dou said. "Why are you in such a hurry to fall in love? You should be focusing on your studies, aiming high." In the end, Liu A'dou decided to shut down this idea of early romance. Honestly, it just seemed too difficult anyway.
"Pfft! Liu?!" Spider-Man laughed.
"Alright, I'm just messing with you," Liu A'dou said. "You're Spider-Man. In New York, everyone loves Spider-Man."
"That's different. I'm not always Spider-Man," he replied. "What I want is to face her as myself, without the mask."
That was the burden of a superhero. Not everyone was like Iron Man, filthy rich and immune to threats or revenge.
If Spider-Man ever took off his mask in public, he'd be doxxed within minutes. His enemies would be on his doorstep in no time, and his family would be the ones to pay. But Iron Man didn't have to worry about that. He lived in a fortress, rolled around in bulletproof luxury cars, and his company had top-level security. He didn't even have any close family to be used against him. He could do whatever he wanted. That's why, during the superhero civil war, Spider-Man got screwed over by Iron Man—though that's a story for another time.
"So tell me—what kind of person are you in your daily life?" Liu A'dou asked, even though he already knew. But he had to play it cool.
Spider-Man thought for a moment. "Just a regular high school student. The kind that blends into the background."
"And the girl you like?"
"She's like the sun. Always glowing, always the center of attention. Everyone at school adores her. Even though we've been neighbors for years, we're nothing alike."
"You've got a tough one," Liu A'dou said.
"What, even you can't give me any advice?"
"And why do you assume I can give advice? Do I seem just as unremarkable as you? You think I don't deserve my wife either? Just like you feel unworthy of your crush?"
"Uh..." Yeah, Spider-Man did think that. To him, Ada Wong was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. He didn't yet understand how messy things actually were inside S.H.I.E.L.D. In his eyes, anyone recruited by them had to be amazing. And Liu A'dou? He looked just like an ordinary guy—skinny, plain, not unlike how Spider-Man used to be.
Ugh. Liu A'dou sighed. What was up with Spider-Man's judgment? So what if he didn't look tall and handsome on the outside? Couldn't he tell he was actually full of depth on the inside?
But high school girls didn't care about depth. They only liked boys who were good-looking and confident. That's why getting Mary to fall for Peter without ever revealing he was Spider-Man was basically nightmare difficulty.
"Actually, I've prepared a gift," Spider-Man said. "I know she's a huge fan of Kaitou Kid, so I went out of my way to get one of his masks to give her. Do you think I should confess while giving her the gift?"
"Absolutely not," Liu A'dou said quickly. "Do you even know if she has a boyfriend? What if she rejects you on the spot?"
"So it's true? She does have a boyfriend. And he's kind of a school celebrity," Spider-Man muttered with a sigh.
"Don't get discouraged," Liu A'dou said. "There may not be a chance now, but that doesn't mean there won't be one later. You're a talkative guy—just talk to her more. You already know she likes Kaitou Kid, right? So play to her interests."
"You mean I should talk to her about Kid?" Spider-Man felt weird just thinking about it.
"Of course. The hardest part is getting a good start. Once that's done, you'll have a chance to show her more of your strengths—like your sense of humor…" Liu A'dou paused, realizing it was hard to list any strong points for Peter Parker's civilian identity. "Your humor, yeah… and your cleverness, your brains."
"You think that'll work?"
"Worth a shot." Liu A'dou hadn't been in many relationships himself, so this was about as far as he could go in helping Spider-Man. "Back when I worked as a reporter in Gotham City, I gathered a lot of first-hand intel on Kaitou Kid. I've still got it. If you need it, I can give it to you."
"Really?" Spider-Man perked up. He felt tempted. Maybe he should give it a shot.
"Of course." Ah, the impulsiveness of youth. Liu A'dou remembered when he was chasing Ada Wong—it was all or nothing. He hadn't even had time to overthink it like this. He'd just gone for it, consequences be damned.
Honestly, even if Spider-Man didn't win over the girl now, he'd have other chances in the future. After all, when a superhero's around, the girls in their lives always end up getting targeted by bad guys. Then comes the classic save-the-damsel moment. Just look at Superman and Lois. Every time she got herself into trouble or got kidnapped, Superman would show up in the nick of time to rack up those favorability points.
Same would happen with Spider-Man. The moment Mary Jane found herself in danger, he'd feel it and come to the rescue. That's how you build feelings. Then, when the time's right, he could reveal his identity, and it would all fall into place.
But if he wanted to win her over without relying on Spider-Man, Peter would have to completely reinvent himself—and that would mess with his disguise.
Being a superhero, especially one who wears a mask, often led to identity crises. They started to lose balance between who they were as a hero and who they were as a person. The public only cared about the superhero, while the real person behind the mask stayed in the shadows, unrecognized. That kind of rejection hurt—especially since superheroes usually had higher moral standards than regular folks. The internal conflict between the two identities was brutal.
Superman went through the same thing. As Clark Kent, he was just a stronger-than-average journalist, constantly scolded by his editor. Hiding who he was made him miserable. But Clark was the name his Earth parents gave him. He couldn't give that up. He wanted to prove he could be just as amazing without powers. Sadly, Lois was head-over-heels for Superman and had zero interest in Clark. That crushed him. He almost revealed his identity more than once.
Spider-Man's situation wasn't much different. Mary Jane liked Spider-Man but barely even knew Peter. And with Kaitou Kid, it was more like idol worship—she was into the flair and flash.
"Just start by talking to her. Let her see what's great about you. Build that connection slowly. If your feelings are real, she'll feel it one day too. Keep at it, Spider-Man." Basically, what Liu A'dou meant was: go ahead and be the backup guy. One day the goddess might notice the good guy standing beside her. But he only gave that advice because Peter was Spider-Man. If you're a regular person, don't try this at home.
"Thanks." This Liu guy really felt like family. Spider-Man was an only child. His parents died when he was young, and he was raised by his aunt and uncle. Then his uncle died too. He didn't have anyone to turn to, no one to give him bad advice or a shoulder to cry on. But now he had Liu A'dou. Even if it didn't work out, at least he had someone to talk to.