In Dick’s mind, only one sentence was now echoing in absolute chaos:
Robin is actually in Blüdhaven?! Why?!
He tried to stay calm, racking his brain for any reasonable explanation—12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9u4BSKv4n
Was it a mission? Emergency backup?12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAPvxM8n9Pa
A covert operation arranged by Batman?12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtW0natz9du
But none of these scenarios had anything to do with… a casual dinner date.
Claire didn’t bother checking his expression,12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjeKEoRUXIg
nor did she turn to confirm if he was still following along.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV3zrFLXx1Z
She simply raised her right hand, forming a circle with her thumb and index finger,12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3hyAq8ViJX
then brought it to her lips—
FWEEEEEEEET—!
A loud, piercing whistle cut through the quiet evening.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5bYRszXSdF
Fortunately, there weren’t many people around.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPl0TAskW5E
The few passersby only glanced over before quickly averting their eyes.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi6LjA7FUBN
This was Blüdhaven—minding your own business was the only way to survive.
But—Robin heard it.
He was just swinging across the rooftop on the opposite side of the street when the sound reached him.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLxNleVHF84
He turned immediately.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvcCFya15Rw
From where the whistle came, he spotted a familiar silhouette standing next to a woman he didn’t recognize.
He didn’t hesitate.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUYnaxtXf6
His grappling line shot out again.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ65JoBs5JYl
He twisted mid-air, soared across the gap, and landed with precision—12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlyMlPtpHt9
as if he’d practiced that exact landing a hundred times.
And when he landed in front of Claire and Dick—12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JqM4ZlT0x
there was a pause.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAtKog8GoTp
The three of them stood there, wrapped in a silence so heavy, it felt like someone had hit the pause button on reality.
Dick didn’t know what to say first.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkiyVvHsOph
Robin didn’t know what to say first either.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4ucF5BiFU
Claire simply stood there watching the two of them, curious to see if either would break the silence.
This wasn’t some random encounter.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡieX560VJip
This was Claire’s doing.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGmfnZPkgxg
She wanted to see exactly what kind of relationship this “informant” had with the Bat family.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIK2mNMJcQ
She needed a controlled experiment.
The three of them looked at one another—eye contact full of signals,12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8kpTOIxOq
but still not a single word.
Dick’s gaze shifted first.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi217IUuaKj
He quickly flashed a look at Robin, trying to convey:12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTTPzipjLHz
“Why the hell are you here?”
Then he immediately followed up with a second, more urgent expression:12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSE4bNmc3eU
“I’m just plain ol’ Dick Grayson right now. Don’t blow my cover.”
Robin, on the other hand, eyed the pair with mild suspicion.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOTZvDDj5a8
The girl was clearly dressed up.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtvdidKo7D
The guy looked relaxed but well put-together.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC657VAICKR
They were walking together down the street—
Wait… is this a date?12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlP8sRXoOvh
Did I just interrupt a date?
But if it’s a date, why did the girl call him here?
Claire watched them continue their silent exchange,12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ZRVCzSXxP
and then shrugged—like she’d already seen through everything,12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0W2PQbMJJ0
and had no intention of letting this awkward silence drag on.
She stepped forward, her voice clear and calm, instantly snapping both men’s attention back to her.
“Do you two know each other?”
Both of them shook their heads at the same time.
Identical motions.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDu8SHF5vDe
So fake it was almost insulting.
Claire raised an eyebrow, giving them a subtle “you expect me to believe that?” smile.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUpoIC925E
But her tone remained utterly composed:
“Is that so?”
Without waiting for their answer,12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBeZCclNzZD
she calmly lifted her hand and pointed to Dick:12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBlpzhLOGtY
“This is Officer Dick Grayson.”
Then she pointed at Robin:12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVLWy9OewKc
“This is Robin.”
Finally, she pointed at herself:12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV4dRQgAyNT
“I’m Claire.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvZuQDArzSm
Nice to meet you both.”
Her tone was pleasant, her smile faint,12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5vfq1Doocv
as if she were hosting the most polite and bizarre matchmaking event in Blüdhaven history.
12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHG6FrQgq1W
Three people—familiar yet unfamiliar—stood together on the streets of Blüdhaven.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrlrxYUH6YX
A cold wind blew past, lifting the corner of a newspaper by a trash can, sending it fluttering briefly before it dropped back down in the dark.
Claire’s introductions had ended like a sterile handoff in a lab—cold, but undeniably effective.
After introducing herself, she promptly announced,12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBIiaC4B9Ps
“Alright, let’s go eat.”12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6CaNqmCbl
Then she turned around as if this gathering was nothing more than a dinner reservation she'd made in advance.
If Dick hadn’t been here—Robin swore—he definitely would’ve declined.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBI3OfYwKG
Seriously.
Even if this woman was suspicious,12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5VNZCck6ka
even if she somehow knew his name,12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjcHrmvqNJs
he could’ve come up with a hundred reasons to walk away.
But the problem was—he had too many questions.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDqw78xweje
And the source of those questions was standing right in front of him.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZvgU5tYfk
His name: Dick Grayson.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHkfwaJcHW
Current status: “normal police officer,”12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡykW83js8m8
currently on a date with this mysterious woman.
Now he had to pretend not to know Dick…12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgNj10RRK9i
and join Dick’s date.
What the hell kind of scenario is this?
He glanced sideways at Dick, his expression crystal clear:12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuTAnrv3CIN
“Bro. What are you doing?”
Dick was already looking at him—his face pale as chalk.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgABqNQuSnl
“I don’t know. I really don’t know.”
Walking beside Claire, Dick had completely lost his grasp on logic.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3l32mbO82
His brain felt like it had been stuffed with bagels—twelve of them—12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbs5LyHLzQ
jammed in all at once, and not a single one swallowed.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBB5AmlVkR5
Too many questions, too many contradictions, too many puzzle pieces with no edges.
And now he had to pretend he didn’t know Robin.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7kK6RXQnb
And the three of them were going to dinner.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7gNLu5MW4Y
Together.
What kind of bizarre combination is this?
If Batman found out, he might just blow up the kitchen in the Batcave.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRWMbmFXciE
Was this a leak in their intel network… or some kind of multiverse misalignment?
So—did Robin know Claire?12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLTK4NZeqj
The thought suddenly popped into Dick’s head.
He deliberately let his arm fall to his side, slowed his pace slightly to trail behind a step,12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaMgjb8U11E
then subtly pointed a finger at Claire, silently asking,12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4GTRy8okCC
“Do you know her?”
Robin shook his head.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUMpsL6GAL
Clean, crisp, and absolute.
Dick let out a small breath of relief.
Great. He doesn’t know her.
Which meant—now the questions became:12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDRfFUW4PQ
How did she contact Robin?12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0NgLIipByB
Why did she invite him to dinner?12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtIsBALtxe
And why drag Dick into it too?
Even more absurd—12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOQPBkG5pCO
two out of the three people here knew each other,12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpDpVhSmNoJ
but had to pretend they didn’t,12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXKG3kV0Kn
all while being herded together by the third person…12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwvUYqQtGi8
for dinner.
The two brothers silently watched the woman walking steadily ahead of them—Claire.
One thought passed between them:12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwI3WMpCtMS
This dinner... there are going to be questions.
12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrFADmdDpy9
