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—64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrASeIIfV4L
Was it a mission? Emergency backup?64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Wq32j8iCg
A covert operation arranged by Batman?64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7UAKHHeU7d
But none of these scenarios had anything to do with… a casual dinner date.
Claire didn’t bother checking his expression,64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVbtQpWIoIW
nor did she turn to confirm if he was still following along.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiW41KVyQhL
She simply raised her right hand, forming a circle with her thumb and index finger,64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEK0UBXiCJk
then brought it to her lips—
FWEEEEEEEET—!
A loud, piercing whistle cut through the quiet evening.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK2lEQrEHVW
Fortunately, there weren’t many people around.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfFyhZuuqWy
The few passersby only glanced over before quickly averting their eyes.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsCCuM1sXM1
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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEP6rKntqE2
He turned immediately.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0R5JV5mkIg
From where the whistle came, he spotted a familiar silhouette standing next to a woman he didn’t recognize.
He didn’t hesitate.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO0CjcM1xwt
His grappling line shot out again.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXygPer9S0H
He twisted mid-air, soared across the gap, and landed with precision—64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpGN05MzzDs
as if he’d practiced that exact landing a hundred times.
And when he landed in front of Claire and Dick—64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhpL7ZqyJGT
there was a pause.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZoyTDcDORW
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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFxKpnoaAa
Robin didn’t know what to say first either.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzx5vaaHnmd
Claire simply stood there watching the two of them, curious to see if either would break the silence.
This wasn’t some random encounter.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzlkU63htK8
This was Claire’s doing.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSOQrfBxh3V
She wanted to see exactly what kind of relationship this “informant” had with the Bat family.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrVvZtLpieG
She needed a controlled experiment.
The three of them looked at one another—eye contact full of signals,64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhODpYoGFvQ
but still not a single word.
Dick’s gaze shifted first.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQnCnZzZLzp
He quickly flashed a look at Robin, trying to convey:64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtTKfLRPSoT
“Why the hell are you here?”
Then he immediately followed up with a second, more urgent expression:64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKOqb1AKXkG
“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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDyPoDFNotK
The girl was clearly dressed up.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMhxEQQglE2
The guy looked relaxed but well put-together.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUd4fqQ8Rqi
They were walking together down the street—
Wait… is this a date?64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTkjJCrK7Y2
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,64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLQ9mUFhMkY
and then shrugged—like she’d already seen through everything,64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOEEBXy3TaI
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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpT1lpRLeIM
So fake it was almost insulting.
Claire raised an eyebrow, giving them a subtle “you expect me to believe that?” smile.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxXUoFMSkeZ
But her tone remained utterly composed:
“Is that so?”
Without waiting for their answer,64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiwVKooePLD
she calmly lifted her hand and pointed to Dick:64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaEE3HG4Gff
“This is Officer Dick Grayson.”
Then she pointed at Robin:64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKkMQ11eS8
“This is Robin.”
Finally, she pointed at herself:64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT6yHeuYQ3Q
“I’m Claire.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoy7nFVDA2g
Nice to meet you both.”
Her tone was pleasant, her smile faint,64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfto6RtEze
as if she were hosting the most polite and bizarre matchmaking event in Blüdhaven history.
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMP0fAG55Y
Three people—familiar yet unfamiliar—stood together on the streets of Blüdhaven.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFS6a0PshXg
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,64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBX3hFdIzVR
“Alright, let’s go eat.”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8DLqBw2Du
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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpAAAMKnsr
Seriously.
Even if this woman was suspicious,64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0cvBwT9smY
even if she somehow knew his name,64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGVU3ODJWHr
he could’ve come up with a hundred reasons to walk away.
But the problem was—he had too many questions.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq0BxdwDEhH
And the source of those questions was standing right in front of him.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgp0zprRc3
His name: Dick Grayson.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGGYGBAqWjS
Current status: “normal police officer,”64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhbIObhkye
currently on a date with this mysterious woman.
Now he had to pretend not to know Dick…64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ux9FiEona
and join Dick’s date.
What the hell kind of scenario is this?
He glanced sideways at Dick, his expression crystal clear:64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy20xq3gsBy
“Bro. What are you doing?”
Dick was already looking at him—his face pale as chalk.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ts6MGctYu
“I don’t know. I really don’t know.”
Walking beside Claire, Dick had completely lost his grasp on logic.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIqIwE6rxgY
His brain felt like it had been stuffed with bagels—twelve of them—64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmvtkJosdm
jammed in all at once, and not a single one swallowed.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWeOwF08hH7
Too many questions, too many contradictions, too many puzzle pieces with no edges.
And now he had to pretend he didn’t know Robin.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJdmctMZKo
And the three of them were going to dinner.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn8828yYRbZ
Together.
What kind of bizarre combination is this?
If Batman found out, he might just blow up the kitchen in the Batcave.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfFAKUBi2ni
Was this a leak in their intel network… or some kind of multiverse misalignment?
So—did Robin know Claire?64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCAq2Ompjdu
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,64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiIWQgw7iiK
then subtly pointed a finger at Claire, silently asking,64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXbjMes7Si
“Do you know her?”
Robin shook his head.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Mt1O19HpA
Clean, crisp, and absolute.
Dick let out a small breath of relief.
Great. He doesn’t know her.
Which meant—now the questions became:64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1QJeJo15nb
How did she contact Robin?64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWYdKzGE7s
Why did she invite him to dinner?64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxPePBDtTR2
And why drag Dick into it too?
Even more absurd—64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWIcKO8P8Uy
two out of the three people here knew each other,64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLWgNM6X6xI
but had to pretend they didn’t,64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsjTLiL1Y9I
all while being herded together by the third person…64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJMpbtuLURI
for dinner.
The two brothers silently watched the woman walking steadily ahead of them—Claire.
One thought passed between them:64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxDcCP55sIS
This dinner... there are going to be questions.
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf9gsdfx2Or
