Amadeus played a card, summarizing the parts of what Peter had told them that were actually allowed to be shared.
"So, that was actually a bio-robotic android, meant to act as a cover while you went off to perform a secret mission."
Since both Spider-Man and Peter Parker had appeared at the same time, Peter had no choice but to explain what had happened to Harry and Amadeus in his room. The three of them were playing UNO, chatting as they played.
"Yeah, secrecy was the priority. Sorry."
"No worries, man. It actually helps you deal with a lot of problems. For instance, Flash definitely won't think Spider-Man is Peter Parker anymore." Harry laughed, then suddenly thought of something and asked back, "Wait, did you not tell anyone at all?"
"No, I told Gwen."
Amadeus paused, then asked, "Why? Shouldn't it have been kept secret?"
"Uh, because..."
"Because he didn't want Gwen going on a date with his android. What's so hard to understand about that? UNO!"
Harry, having played his card, laughed and teased Amadeus, "If you had a girlfriend, Amadeus, you'd understand."
Amadeus confusedly played a Draw Four. Peter followed up with another Draw Four. Harry's smile froze as he silently drew eight cards, while Peter let out a sigh.
He realized Harry was right. The real reason Peter had told Gwen was that he was worried she might not notice the difference and end up on a date with an LMD. Of course, he kept reassuring himself that Gwen would surely be able to tell him apart from an android, so telling her beforehand shouldn't have mattered much anyway.
Amadeus continued to play cards, feeling a bit lost, but then he remembered that the android Peter had gone on a date with Cindy yesterday... Wait...
"Was that classmate Cindy yesterday an android too?"
"Yeah, they were both SHIELD LMDs. Why?" Peter replied casually. "Cindy and I went on a mission together, so they arranged LMDs for both of us. Is there a problem?"
"...No?"
Amadeus felt like something was strange. You go on a mission with one girl, but you're worried about your android replacement dating the other girl, so you tell her it's a fake.
Well, maybe it wasn't that strange after all.
"So, are you guys still, uh, triple-dating?" Amadeus wasn't sure how to describe this bizarre atmosphere, so he made up a term. Fortunately, Harry cleared things up. "No, a triple date would be Peter alone dating two girls at once. Actually, right now it's more like dating them on alternating days."
"Guys, can we change the subject?"
"If you want to avoid the topic, man, you'd better find a solution. For example, choose one girl to just be your friend, or, for example, trick them both into being your girlfriends at the same time... I'm just saying."
After making the suggestion, Harry shrugged. "Of course, if you think you can manage to coax two girls into accepting that they share the same boyfriend, I've got no problem with it. I'm just worried you won't be able to get past your own conscience."
Peter sighed helplessly, played a card, and called UNO.
Harry grumbled a bit about the game, and then Amadeus threw down another Draw Four.
Both Peter and Harry stared at Amadeus.
"I just happened to have these cards in my hand, okay?"
"...No, it's nothing."
Peter sighed and shrugged. "There shouldn't be any large-scale attacks for the next few days. I got some good news—the Elementals won't be actively attacking us anymore. Instead, we'll probably have to wait for clues and take the initiative ourselves, but that's a matter for later."
"So... that means..." Harry thought for a moment. "We'll be safe for the next five days in Rome?"
"Whoa, wait. We're staying in Rome for five days?"
Peter only just realized it. "That long?"
"Yeah. One day in Lisbon, three days in Madrid, two days each in Naples and Venice, and five days in Rome. The trip is about half over, and roughly half a month has passed."
Peter rubbed his head helplessly, waiting for the next morning when everyone would take the train directly from Naples to Rome.
On the train, Gwen gave Harry a very pleasant look that signaled him to go sit with his girlfriend, Liz. She then took the seat next to Peter Parker. Peter was looking at his laptop, and when he saw Gwen sit down beside him, he let out a soft "oh" and closed the computer.
He looked at the scenery rushing past the window and tried to find a topic of conversation.
"Speaking of which, Mount Vesuvius is right between Naples and Rome. Maybe we'll see it from the train. It's a magnificent sight..."
"Mhm."
"It's a shame our itinerary didn't include Vesuvius. It's right near Naples, but it wasn't on the way."
"Mhm."
Peter took a deep breath, then sighed. "Okay, look, I think I know why you're angry. So... let me explain?"
This time, Gwen didn't even give him an "mhm."
"Because I went on a date with Cindy..."
"That wasn't you, and it's not like you two haven't dated before."
"But everyone thinks we dated."
Actually, this was where Gwen felt both angry and helpless. After all, the ones who had really dated were two androids just following a set program. If the real Peter had dated Cindy, Gwen wouldn't even be angry; she would just arrange another date herself.
The problem was this feeling of having lost out even though she hadn't technically lost anything, which made Gwen a bit moody.
Peter also knew how to solve this problem. The good news was that they would be in Rome for about five days, and during this time, the Elementals were unlikely to cause trouble.
The bad news was that he also had to get through those five days.
"Alright, as compensation, how about we go on a date in Rome for a day?"
"Then what about Cindy?" Gwen asked suddenly, which actually stumped Peter. "You two didn't actually date. If we go on a date, are you going to have to date her for a day too?"
Wouldn't that trap the problem in an endless loop?
Leaving aside whether the problem was a loop or not, Peter's brain was definitely starting to loop. After thinking for quite a while, they both decided to stop thinking about it for now.
"Whatever happens, let's just enjoy ourselves in Rome for two days first, okay?"
"I have no objections to that. Sounds good."