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—27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVYkFaBH1rc
Was it a mission? Emergency backup?27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbMN2MEDwxm
A covert operation arranged by Batman?27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF09stt89IT
But none of these scenarios had anything to do with… a casual dinner date.
Claire didn’t bother checking his expression,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ928nUOSEzw
nor did she turn to confirm if he was still following along.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDHS8RFKNbe
She simply raised her right hand, forming a circle with her thumb and index finger,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYtmZ8enbg
then brought it to her lips—
FWEEEEEEEET—!
A loud, piercing whistle cut through the quiet evening.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmWQLsC1yk5
Fortunately, there weren’t many people around.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2xkl9Nb9p
The few passersby only glanced over before quickly averting their eyes.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6lxvbRLz1b
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42608Yt1jD
He turned immediately.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIl6VVAm7eM
From where the whistle came, he spotted a familiar silhouette standing next to a woman he didn’t recognize.
He didn’t hesitate.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWb9bb0GMG
His grappling line shot out again.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4GH4jDdfHF
He twisted mid-air, soared across the gap, and landed with precision—27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfJ4XNUjG3C
as if he’d practiced that exact landing a hundred times.
And when he landed in front of Claire and Dick—27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQibZctxBBQ
there was a pause.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQmabKP8qsS
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6uAPhDw3qD
Robin didn’t know what to say first either.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSRWZhd1iH
Claire simply stood there watching the two of them, curious to see if either would break the silence.
This wasn’t some random encounter.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5xQaXuYBZ
This was Claire’s doing.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5RG5W4aJp
She wanted to see exactly what kind of relationship this “informant” had with the Bat family.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfnKmzHZPNV
She needed a controlled experiment.
The three of them looked at one another—eye contact full of signals,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPOSWw6tqt
but still not a single word.
Dick’s gaze shifted first.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrkPCG9cj8s
He quickly flashed a look at Robin, trying to convey:27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMb1kE7XrZc
“Why the hell are you here?”
Then he immediately followed up with a second, more urgent expression:27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2iPMSL7vzv
“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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfR2zCrclmi
The girl was clearly dressed up.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlE9YRKEH3x
The guy looked relaxed but well put-together.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNl8f0m6iRe
They were walking together down the street—
Wait… is this a date?27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9ATArjR2C
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,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBUOTqCxf8s
and then shrugged—like she’d already seen through everything,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4kn79hkCYL
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaBwl2BaM8r
So fake it was almost insulting.
Claire raised an eyebrow, giving them a subtle “you expect me to believe that?” smile.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHKZGnQh24R
But her tone remained utterly composed:
“Is that so?”
Without waiting for their answer,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmpbRJaiR7k
she calmly lifted her hand and pointed to Dick:27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz3uFJ2n2LZ
“This is Officer Dick Grayson.”
Then she pointed at Robin:27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2G6OJhqrW
“This is Robin.”
Finally, she pointed at herself:27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxVoHuIu9mW
“I’m Claire.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡclwRMtp03n
Nice to meet you both.”
Her tone was pleasant, her smile faint,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeqfbnYeSwH
as if she were hosting the most polite and bizarre matchmaking event in Blüdhaven history.
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡknWU7F5uNS
Three people—familiar yet unfamiliar—stood together on the streets of Blüdhaven.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNfwWv76DJl
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,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcOirh2pJxA
“Alright, let’s go eat.”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkWwi1YiMpS
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.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡihnBzX9wmT
Seriously.
Even if this woman was suspicious,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPyx9UK5Hq
even if she somehow knew his name,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOjv6UO7DXt
he could’ve come up with a hundred reasons to walk away.
But the problem was—he had too many questions.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxoovqcdURB
And the source of those questions was standing right in front of him.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGkHpwley3a
His name: Dick Grayson.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhd5X3l8THC
Current status: “normal police officer,”27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3OU2EjeqK
currently on a date with this mysterious woman.
Now he had to pretend not to know Dick…27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNngbC6BLsw
and join Dick’s date.
What the hell kind of scenario is this?
He glanced sideways at Dick, his expression crystal clear:27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTm44QDBb42
“Bro. What are you doing?”
Dick was already looking at him—his face pale as chalk.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxynlP444bx
“I don’t know. I really don’t know.”
Walking beside Claire, Dick had completely lost his grasp on logic.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbD0b4Q74Rp
His brain felt like it had been stuffed with bagels—twelve of them—27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYkmrPPyKo
jammed in all at once, and not a single one swallowed.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLexbJcOFG2
Too many questions, too many contradictions, too many puzzle pieces with no edges.
And now he had to pretend he didn’t know Robin.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4orcbjckMZ
And the three of them were going to dinner.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDpEYRqm37
Together.
What kind of bizarre combination is this?
If Batman found out, he might just blow up the kitchen in the Batcave.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxg04mI5xsr
Was this a leak in their intel network… or some kind of multiverse misalignment?
So—did Robin know Claire?27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnWESAI9klU
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,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2U91xxQPHc
then subtly pointed a finger at Claire, silently asking,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkF2n6mDpK6
“Do you know her?”
Robin shook his head.27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkNpZq3L6G8
Clean, crisp, and absolute.
Dick let out a small breath of relief.
Great. He doesn’t know her.
Which meant—now the questions became:27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjo8JEUlEr
How did she contact Robin?27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM52zt7dZVp
Why did she invite him to dinner?27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPmGN5tdUIA
And why drag Dick into it too?
Even more absurd—27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC6CKzIXSwp
two out of the three people here knew each other,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCNcknuVPC0
but had to pretend they didn’t,27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6XpqgLJten
all while being herded together by the third person…27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6DWAp7Etl
for dinner.
The two brothers silently watched the woman walking steadily ahead of them—Claire.
One thought passed between them:27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡquSZns0AEt
This dinner... there are going to be questions.
27Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26Row2l3Pj
