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—15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZeaiGVjD9j
Was it a mission? Emergency backup?15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnkF1OU5X8V
A covert operation arranged by Batman?15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy8rZneQG5G
But none of these scenarios had anything to do with… a casual dinner date.
Claire didn’t bother checking his expression,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjEzjPSXzpx
nor did she turn to confirm if he was still following along.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeKSplLSnz9
She simply raised her right hand, forming a circle with her thumb and index finger,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9WVuHiCt3Z
then brought it to her lips—
FWEEEEEEEET—!
A loud, piercing whistle cut through the quiet evening.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ1KFmGBfEP
Fortunately, there weren’t many people around.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHqOyLCVQA
The few passersby only glanced over before quickly averting their eyes.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdofpYUNKRO
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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBSeKRTxRFr
He turned immediately.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxKCmwRoy1x
From where the whistle came, he spotted a familiar silhouette standing next to a woman he didn’t recognize.
He didn’t hesitate.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjSwV2m6ya
His grappling line shot out again.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhBDytkx4p6
He twisted mid-air, soared across the gap, and landed with precision—15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9h1PIW6YyQ
as if he’d practiced that exact landing a hundred times.
And when he landed in front of Claire and Dick—15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExIyFZJK7e
there was a pause.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSN7SyCYRnN
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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjUubUt5Wns
Robin didn’t know what to say first either.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4jZ8yTvJTL
Claire simply stood there watching the two of them, curious to see if either would break the silence.
This wasn’t some random encounter.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvzPJdNilPr
This was Claire’s doing.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTqhQOF7qZK
She wanted to see exactly what kind of relationship this “informant” had with the Bat family.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBdBBVhTvB
She needed a controlled experiment.
The three of them looked at one another—eye contact full of signals,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75lWBSkHSy
but still not a single word.
Dick’s gaze shifted first.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBrlEgeF6E
He quickly flashed a look at Robin, trying to convey:15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡot4grsfOMT
“Why the hell are you here?”
Then he immediately followed up with a second, more urgent expression:15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡleU5f2IgSh
“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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXt3L6P69Qf
The girl was clearly dressed up.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuEf1Kfn0E1
The guy looked relaxed but well put-together.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYzdDmPDh0
They were walking together down the street—
Wait… is this a date?15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDLR22LQVKp
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,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRaKPJthCYP
and then shrugged—like she’d already seen through everything,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBU7REO8EG3
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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡknD1xmrMNo
So fake it was almost insulting.
Claire raised an eyebrow, giving them a subtle “you expect me to believe that?” smile.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLq6sSkg9o
But her tone remained utterly composed:
“Is that so?”
Without waiting for their answer,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3LaQEMtEe
she calmly lifted her hand and pointed to Dick:15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUqX2wHycJ
“This is Officer Dick Grayson.”
Then she pointed at Robin:15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMa9e6JgjKJ
“This is Robin.”
Finally, she pointed at herself:15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6X5P1CTjXu
“I’m Claire.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCrkvKKaJjR
Nice to meet you both.”
Her tone was pleasant, her smile faint,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ087jZdVf5L
as if she were hosting the most polite and bizarre matchmaking event in Blüdhaven history.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJmsuUXrEcZ
Three people—familiar yet unfamiliar—stood together on the streets of Blüdhaven.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD3x29VfMSM
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,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtAe8MM8a3s
“Alright, let’s go eat.”15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIkOUsuapxV
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.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqChaDgTxPD
Seriously.
Even if this woman was suspicious,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDGBRVmbawq
even if she somehow knew his name,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJtSpjKcsTc
he could’ve come up with a hundred reasons to walk away.
But the problem was—he had too many questions.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDyDo93UE9T
And the source of those questions was standing right in front of him.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIK3S8bBjtc
His name: Dick Grayson.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCaYdqFLo44
Current status: “normal police officer,”15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsJFh4ebbOh
currently on a date with this mysterious woman.
Now he had to pretend not to know Dick…15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5Ts9ZkTMH
and join Dick’s date.
What the hell kind of scenario is this?
He glanced sideways at Dick, his expression crystal clear:15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWnADGApC6J
“Bro. What are you doing?”
Dick was already looking at him—his face pale as chalk.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYE1eFLWqed
“I don’t know. I really don’t know.”
Walking beside Claire, Dick had completely lost his grasp on logic.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr2eZH5xa39
His brain felt like it had been stuffed with bagels—twelve of them—15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYyfziKeS6g
jammed in all at once, and not a single one swallowed.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOf7MgPfvZE
Too many questions, too many contradictions, too many puzzle pieces with no edges.
And now he had to pretend he didn’t know Robin.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPIuqpMQyVQ
And the three of them were going to dinner.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbaRPEskyzy
Together.
What kind of bizarre combination is this?
If Batman found out, he might just blow up the kitchen in the Batcave.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwv0UokoYNA
Was this a leak in their intel network… or some kind of multiverse misalignment?
So—did Robin know Claire?15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVkJhl7S85F
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,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡovzNx3Jpbe
then subtly pointed a finger at Claire, silently asking,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9nWy7rszk
“Do you know her?”
Robin shook his head.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3KGNaPLJze
Clean, crisp, and absolute.
Dick let out a small breath of relief.
Great. He doesn’t know her.
Which meant—now the questions became:15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡze6JT4Pp0R
How did she contact Robin?15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2I0395auMN
Why did she invite him to dinner?15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3ub7p25Iv
And why drag Dick into it too?
Even more absurd—15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1DORwQ7gzT
two out of the three people here knew each other,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBhTlKltPnk
but had to pretend they didn’t,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡifkTp1BcOi
all while being herded together by the third person…15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQLgTd3EjcG
for dinner.
The two brothers silently watched the woman walking steadily ahead of them—Claire.
One thought passed between them:15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4MEOnmzHd
This dinner... there are going to be questions.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKBd2oOrcdU
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