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—48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSzdwMT5tGZ
Was it a mission? Emergency backup?48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rhxNylcC1
A covert operation arranged by Batman?48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5fzdRu7RR8
But none of these scenarios had anything to do with… a casual dinner date.
Claire didn’t bother checking his expression,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEpRmBNWJoU
nor did she turn to confirm if he was still following along.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwuY4Z4ST1k
She simply raised her right hand, forming a circle with her thumb and index finger,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9o6OE7nbx
then brought it to her lips—
FWEEEEEEEET—!
A loud, piercing whistle cut through the quiet evening.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdBhJu7ak1
Fortunately, there weren’t many people around.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2MiLUmMB7i
The few passersby only glanced over before quickly averting their eyes.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJjnelL7Jdj
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.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwu29ow8m0V
He turned immediately.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs309eEPm87
From where the whistle came, he spotted a familiar silhouette standing next to a woman he didn’t recognize.
He didn’t hesitate.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0b12x3MH1
His grappling line shot out again.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtb1ycFMBm9
He twisted mid-air, soared across the gap, and landed with precision—48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmD51KvgNqA
as if he’d practiced that exact landing a hundred times.
And when he landed in front of Claire and Dick—48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWs9kSav8w
there was a pause.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ1aQWs7ufI
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.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡes0CsGAV0L
Robin didn’t know what to say first either.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEASBveZu0i
Claire simply stood there watching the two of them, curious to see if either would break the silence.
This wasn’t some random encounter.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ672z8poBHP
This was Claire’s doing.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJ14ijkUn9
She wanted to see exactly what kind of relationship this “informant” had with the Bat family.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxOYK1eimpN
She needed a controlled experiment.
The three of them looked at one another—eye contact full of signals,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFzqOxm5iW
but still not a single word.
Dick’s gaze shifted first.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgLjrH0Fr0o
He quickly flashed a look at Robin, trying to convey:48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMLf6cm2vZo
“Why the hell are you here?”
Then he immediately followed up with a second, more urgent expression:48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRAeLMi9Zxy
“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.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8rhzzuAX5b
The girl was clearly dressed up.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4riFXBYC9U
The guy looked relaxed but well put-together.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2QRHPpzDt
They were walking together down the street—
Wait… is this a date?48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjpEBF6UutH
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,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJE4kcOBG8e
and then shrugged—like she’d already seen through everything,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaG8JrRbhw3
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.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTgXswOIEXn
So fake it was almost insulting.
Claire raised an eyebrow, giving them a subtle “you expect me to believe that?” smile.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUCfXRSOHk
But her tone remained utterly composed:
“Is that so?”
Without waiting for their answer,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG5CUZ508Rz
she calmly lifted her hand and pointed to Dick:48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1KNq7v7Jp3
“This is Officer Dick Grayson.”
Then she pointed at Robin:48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6R7O0x2sns
“This is Robin.”
Finally, she pointed at herself:48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAjNf5Y18Rn
“I’m Claire.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPOTYVN4NGL
Nice to meet you both.”
Her tone was pleasant, her smile faint,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7spRZbeE3
as if she were hosting the most polite and bizarre matchmaking event in Blüdhaven history.
48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02KXpR1Car
Three people—familiar yet unfamiliar—stood together on the streets of Blüdhaven.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiLm4DFzHZd
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,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMFADORGMVp
“Alright, let’s go eat.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Tzoimftsn
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.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ23i1S8Xdkv
Seriously.
Even if this woman was suspicious,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUoAsDngfB
even if she somehow knew his name,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP7tNp6jfVD
he could’ve come up with a hundred reasons to walk away.
But the problem was—he had too many questions.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIQHq22u82w
And the source of those questions was standing right in front of him.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRI1mmgDh73
His name: Dick Grayson.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSAy7yTAV1e
Current status: “normal police officer,”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3r4vTySMJo
currently on a date with this mysterious woman.
Now he had to pretend not to know Dick…48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb9ZVcEGqpZ
and join Dick’s date.
What the hell kind of scenario is this?
He glanced sideways at Dick, his expression crystal clear:48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTrLuTJ8F7l
“Bro. What are you doing?”
Dick was already looking at him—his face pale as chalk.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7YDsk1Zke
“I don’t know. I really don’t know.”
Walking beside Claire, Dick had completely lost his grasp on logic.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6KuaAWlg6
His brain felt like it had been stuffed with bagels—twelve of them—48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyKavtAcIY6
jammed in all at once, and not a single one swallowed.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIx6MV5rjk
Too many questions, too many contradictions, too many puzzle pieces with no edges.
And now he had to pretend he didn’t know Robin.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡohg9y5dVKQ
And the three of them were going to dinner.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2nvaX0WBkR
Together.
What kind of bizarre combination is this?
If Batman found out, he might just blow up the kitchen in the Batcave.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXGRJ86HMZD
Was this a leak in their intel network… or some kind of multiverse misalignment?
So—did Robin know Claire?48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvvToGcUMGg
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,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGX1SjhN077
then subtly pointed a finger at Claire, silently asking,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUzf6NqqlZY
“Do you know her?”
Robin shook his head.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFftgvy2VB
Clean, crisp, and absolute.
Dick let out a small breath of relief.
Great. He doesn’t know her.
Which meant—now the questions became:48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrxwuaaDP9
How did she contact Robin?48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa8tHygGCMb
Why did she invite him to dinner?48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2OuqoTO0O8
And why drag Dick into it too?
Even more absurd—48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHbglz6lKoY
two out of the three people here knew each other,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0K7sejf3Bq
but had to pretend they didn’t,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs7MKiM5F4c
all while being herded together by the third person…48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2cbafhS71s
for dinner.
The two brothers silently watched the woman walking steadily ahead of them—Claire.
One thought passed between them:48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgMGqBtGhlO
This dinner... there are going to be questions.
48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTc0LXkCrE
