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—7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5YtFHPe3Um
Was it a mission? Emergency backup?7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVuyWRJK3n0
A covert operation arranged by Batman?7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1D7ZFRuCrK
But none of these scenarios had anything to do with… a casual dinner date.
Claire didn’t bother checking his expression,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVAPDjarq61
nor did she turn to confirm if he was still following along.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJRQG1eBmRQ
She simply raised her right hand, forming a circle with her thumb and index finger,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnXFHsgRNaE
then brought it to her lips—
FWEEEEEEEET—!
A loud, piercing whistle cut through the quiet evening.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ44kFGDEFRU
Fortunately, there weren’t many people around.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHX88nIXBV
The few passersby only glanced over before quickly averting their eyes.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDdCaIAYZNO
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeY6yWNGt0P
He turned immediately.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV32g7OIhtU
From where the whistle came, he spotted a familiar silhouette standing next to a woman he didn’t recognize.
He didn’t hesitate.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrT1RHG29p
His grappling line shot out again.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ibitoCiXc
He twisted mid-air, soared across the gap, and landed with precision—7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpcm4BKhkQJ
as if he’d practiced that exact landing a hundred times.
And when he landed in front of Claire and Dick—7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdTsmz31OH
there was a pause.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBkWGOQMots
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpvp33MP551
Robin didn’t know what to say first either.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSGq6Se9ng9
Claire simply stood there watching the two of them, curious to see if either would break the silence.
This wasn’t some random encounter.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsfMhjg6UxF
This was Claire’s doing.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfadRLOeElT
She wanted to see exactly what kind of relationship this “informant” had with the Bat family.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNgNrZ1ZuQ1
She needed a controlled experiment.
The three of them looked at one another—eye contact full of signals,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjGgEABA4G
but still not a single word.
Dick’s gaze shifted first.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKltOGk75y
He quickly flashed a look at Robin, trying to convey:7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡegattrOzCo
“Why the hell are you here?”
Then he immediately followed up with a second, more urgent expression:7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsB57Hpxfzi
“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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGN7z75ltsO
The girl was clearly dressed up.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4FiJsmjSg
The guy looked relaxed but well put-together.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD68RDR0BL5
They were walking together down the street—
Wait… is this a date?7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjrGFguzZyA
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,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIVHj8vtRD6
and then shrugged—like she’d already seen through everything,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkmaVCWDGQC
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQXLjgm6ZZ
So fake it was almost insulting.
Claire raised an eyebrow, giving them a subtle “you expect me to believe that?” smile.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfLji2l5kPM
But her tone remained utterly composed:
“Is that so?”
Without waiting for their answer,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzzeyWSbPd
she calmly lifted her hand and pointed to Dick:7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU80TLLGaQ3
“This is Officer Dick Grayson.”
Then she pointed at Robin:7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqE40UiJoYH
“This is Robin.”
Finally, she pointed at herself:7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUWRxA5LXsm
“I’m Claire.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUfcVa26Qyq
Nice to meet you both.”
Her tone was pleasant, her smile faint,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDl7QZDKMt6
as if she were hosting the most polite and bizarre matchmaking event in Blüdhaven history.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFK5eiS94L
Three people—familiar yet unfamiliar—stood together on the streets of Blüdhaven.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzorbFyMnaV
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,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiAR0nJP4GR
“Alright, let’s go eat.”7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3kpS9FLp7x
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQlmzoLO3r
Seriously.
Even if this woman was suspicious,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz0QXzwwoIA
even if she somehow knew his name,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZBc41sq97i
he could’ve come up with a hundred reasons to walk away.
But the problem was—he had too many questions.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkYsidbDDEP
And the source of those questions was standing right in front of him.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8NF1i7SMX
His name: Dick Grayson.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEydqfUAa54
Current status: “normal police officer,”7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlTcxJOqJPR
currently on a date with this mysterious woman.
Now he had to pretend not to know Dick…7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjcPbRZsvfL
and join Dick’s date.
What the hell kind of scenario is this?
He glanced sideways at Dick, his expression crystal clear:7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJBAkg3brld
“Bro. What are you doing?”
Dick was already looking at him—his face pale as chalk.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOg1XUisAT
“I don’t know. I really don’t know.”
Walking beside Claire, Dick had completely lost his grasp on logic.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVQqFpecAHw
His brain felt like it had been stuffed with bagels—twelve of them—7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG7C8SGHIEr
jammed in all at once, and not a single one swallowed.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVBnWMMhmDJ
Too many questions, too many contradictions, too many puzzle pieces with no edges.
And now he had to pretend he didn’t know Robin.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS2AUBp4yvl
And the three of them were going to dinner.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtfFSAC0AX2
Together.
What kind of bizarre combination is this?
If Batman found out, he might just blow up the kitchen in the Batcave.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1keNXu69YV
Was this a leak in their intel network… or some kind of multiverse misalignment?
So—did Robin know Claire?7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy08vTVycjo
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,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdizXFjqmm4
then subtly pointed a finger at Claire, silently asking,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMtlPji1hwv
“Do you know her?”
Robin shook his head.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJEojUEaTyf
Clean, crisp, and absolute.
Dick let out a small breath of relief.
Great. He doesn’t know her.
Which meant—now the questions became:7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGElWtsmavp
How did she contact Robin?7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxHZUsPZIov
Why did she invite him to dinner?7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNAnSDzcptx
And why drag Dick into it too?
Even more absurd—7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu6vMYQVONF
two out of the three people here knew each other,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqrukHGiSCy
but had to pretend they didn’t,7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhrPL91NzE3
all while being herded together by the third person…7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhCfIfAddui
for dinner.
The two brothers silently watched the woman walking steadily ahead of them—Claire.
One thought passed between them:7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLMCCR18D4v
This dinner... there are going to be questions.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMcw94joqa4
