Today marked Claire’s 156th repetition.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2qxnVcbsEj
She sat behind the counter, resting her face in her hands, staring at the empty street outside. The air felt frozen, and even the ticking clock sounded obnoxiously loud. On the 156th time, she started to wonder if this still counted as being alive.
She had been in an especially bad mood lately, ever since Batman added combat training. Every day, she got knocked to the ground by Robin. Actually, “knocked down” was an understatement—it was more like getting beaten unconscious, worn out until she blacked out, hurting until she passed out.
Every time she woke up, the world felt like it had twisted a little. No bruises on her body, no more sore bones—but that wasn’t healing. That was because it all “reset.”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTxmKNLQ9L
She once tried to play dead, hoping to skip the training, but Batman wasn’t fooled for a second. Robin showed no mercy either—she even suspected that kid might be secretly holding a grudge.
Even though the resets restored everything, the pain in the moment was still very real. And thanks to the reset mechanic, she could only improve her technique—never her physical strength.
From day one, she knew this rule set was designed with malice. Like a fighting game where you can never upgrade your HP bar. She could only rely on muscle memory to learn how not to die, but every time she got sent flying, she felt like something inside her cracked. Maybe her bones, maybe her pride.
She knew Batman meant well, but that didn’t make it any less exhausting—mentally or physically.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1MERAf3bM
Bruce’s “You have potential” now sounded more like a curse. She even started dreaming about being trapped in a gym forever, and waking up feeling like the dream was real.
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At 10 a.m., that blue-eyed officer arrived.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8UNBwP6o55
He stepped in with a spring in his step, uniform crisp, hands in his pockets, shoulders slightly leaned forward—clearly prepared. Claire glanced at him. Her mood was still awful.
Claire stared at him as he said, “Hello! You must be Claire! Kyle said the bagels are coming out late today, so he sent me to pick up everyone’s order.” She listened to his order, nodded, and took the money.
His tone was polite, the kind of well-trained courtesy used with all strangers. Claire rolled her eyes internally: How official.
A plant, huh.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqcyGQIZFPg
She used to think he was just a convenient way to call out Nightwing and Robin, so she’d gone easy on him, didn’t mess with him much.
She always thought of him as a tool—a walking doorbell. If she weren’t already so busy every day, she might’ve thrown some strange questions at him just to see how he’d react.
Claire held the paper bag and started packing the bagels.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5W7sbcNvgf
She thought about how she and this blue-eyed officer were both technically under Batman’s command. So really… they were coworkers.
She paused. That thought was ridiculous.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRyrqOfxSR
She picked up a bagel, wrapped it up, and couldn’t help but think in big, bold letters: Coworkers?30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFdOeKy7Bcl
Her? And this perfectly groomed, 100-point-smile police officer?
Her brain began spinning a little drama in her head:30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgcHPsGC4mI
How did he end up working for Batman? Was he a double agent? Supporting the police while also working with Batman? Wasn’t that dangerous?
In her head, she already had the opening of a full-blown spy thriller playing. She even imagined him removing his police cap in the rain in slow motion—with that kind of soundtrack.
That idea passed through her mind—and then she realized she should interact with him.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMA7xEmjiiV
It didn’t matter if he forgot. At least Claire remembered.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5pUcrcsLVU
A strong wave of curiosity hit her.
She thought, Just one day without class, without getting beaten up by Robin… should be fine. I can come back tomorrow.
She gave herself a rare day off—just to see who this man really was.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPTpZXONyU
It didn’t feel like she was interrogating a plant—it felt more like uncovering a conversation left unfinished.
Claire finished packing the bagels and was about to hand them to the blue-eyed officer.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpkRdeaCk12
He was looking at a newspaper photo of Nightwing again.
She noticed him flipping through the paper, eyes on a shot of Nightwing mid-action—looking way too handsome.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2drAROnmd
She raised an eyebrow: Why does this guy always look at Nightwing’s photo when he’s here?
He reached out to take the bag.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkjq9TePz6b
Claire pulled it back.
Blue-eyed officer: “?????”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBnU1d229xZ
His hand froze mid-air, like a claw machine stuck halfway. His eyes were filled with disbelief.
Officer: “Uh… excuse me…?”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNGHimmxs7
Claire hugged the bagels to her chest and stared at him.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVKmPsdaA0y
“Are you free at 7:30 tonight?” she asked.
Her tone was flat, but her eyes carried a kind of calm challenge that seemed to say, Say no and see what happens.
The officer still looked confused, but after a moment of thought, he nodded.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8Wi2C1okt
He seemed like someone who had just run an internal risk scan and found no red flags—so he pressed the “YES” button.
Claire watched him nod and smiled with satisfaction.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7bkboIYWb
“Great,” she said. “Then it’s a date. 7:30. Right here.”
Her voice remained natural, like she was just saying, “Nice weather today,” without a hint of hesitation.
The blue-eyed officer’s eyes widened, staring at this woman who showed neither shyness nor flirtation.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLkdkLrK7w
They were practically strangers—didn’t even know each other’s names—and she was asking him out?
He felt like his system was crashing. He’d just come to buy bagels—and now he had evening plans.
She shoved the whole bag into his arms, then turned and walked into the kitchen.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7LFjVTRVbz
Her complete lack of explanation was… stunning.
He didn’t even get to say whether he agreed or not.
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At seven o’clock sharp, Claire closed up the shop.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx6R2gLhFlp
She flipped the “Open” sign to “Closed,” locked the door in one fluid motion, and dashed upstairs without hesitation.
She slipped into a simple dress, put on some lipstick, and pinned up her hair.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeeR1uYTfGQ
It was an off-white cotton dress, knee-length, clean and crisp, with no fancy embellishments. She chose a reddish-brown lipstick with a slightly mature tone. Her hand trembled a little as she applied it, and even she found that a bit funny. As for her hair, it took two tries to get it right, finally secured with a wooden hair stick.
Claire stared at herself in the mirror.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCtrsaGJEtn
She leaned in slightly, gazing at the long lashes, the hollow eyes, and the lips now tinted with color. It was still her face—but it was like some kind of “proof of life” had returned to it.
She realized it had been a long time since she last put on makeup.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8dKoaTB8j
After living through more than 150 repeated days in this world, makeup felt foreign again—like performing some ancient ritual.
Everything felt unfamiliar.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBSehNpB2D
It was as if a Claire from a different timeline had borrowed her body, dressed it up, and was now heading out to meet someone she was never meant to meet.
When Claire came downstairs, the blue-eyed officer was already there.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1K52eUbIJ
He stood at the shop’s front door, hands in his pockets, eyes lowered to the few fallen leaves on the ground. The setting sun stretched his shadow long behind him, making him seem quieter than the somewhat chatty officer from this morning.
Oh, he actually showed up.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqcaXBJi4Fh
Claire wasn’t entirely sure he would.
After all, her invitation hadn’t been all that sincere—it felt more like a whim, a test to see how much absurdity a stranger could tolerate.
She opened the door. He’d changed clothes—now in a collared polo shirt and jeans.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpuGgc9kMy
He looked different from earlier, but his smile was still sunshine.
It wasn’t an imposing smile, not prying, not pitying, and definitely not the fake friendly type police officers sometimes gave to the public. It was just a smile. That smile was his language.
The blue-eyed officer rubbed the back of his head and said, “Uh… I’m Dick Grayson.”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtjUcCUNbZ
Then he held out his hand. “You can call me Dick.”
Claire froze.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfvqJzY18Mm
She suddenly remembered—it had been several rounds ago when he last introduced himself. She already knew his name—but after the reset, he didn’t know she knew.
A small headache pulsed at her temple. Ah, so this is what they call an “information gap.”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2oKOnugMV7
She took his hand and thought: You really are something… agreeing to a date with someone whose name you don’t even know.
Claire smiled and reached out. “I’m Claire.”30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy2MnqOc8f2
Her voice was soft, and her hand warm. In that moment, time seemed to realign.30Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu1mV6iepF2
