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—8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0tES3DAKIR
Was it a mission? Emergency backup?8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYN9PE4NhW
A covert operation arranged by Batman?8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwHBkHeEXkZ
But none of these scenarios had anything to do with… a casual dinner date.
Claire didn’t bother checking his expression,8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmMSQ18pTt
nor did she turn to confirm if he was still following along.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQNMzD0UPen
She simply raised her right hand, forming a circle with her thumb and index finger,8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPzsamK3di
then brought it to her lips—
FWEEEEEEEET—!
A loud, piercing whistle cut through the quiet evening.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSeRl6FaNm
Fortunately, there weren’t many people around.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCbK6bmNgnz
The few passersby only glanced over before quickly averting their eyes.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡseBvNjx4GP
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.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Qhx5jot7N
He turned immediately.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTCeVTMWcTp
From where the whistle came, he spotted a familiar silhouette standing next to a woman he didn’t recognize.
He didn’t hesitate.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDzd9QDcN9
His grappling line shot out again.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ18r7Ad07ah
He twisted mid-air, soared across the gap, and landed with precision—8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUsVH8mNpjd
as if he’d practiced that exact landing a hundred times.
And when he landed in front of Claire and Dick—8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhqCdzrMjvX
there was a pause.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD2BRfNWxLc
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.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOF1gIGxFFU
Robin didn’t know what to say first either.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBthVqIoaoG
Claire simply stood there watching the two of them, curious to see if either would break the silence.
This wasn’t some random encounter.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlDMbb8C7yl
This was Claire’s doing.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOJhx06dMY
She wanted to see exactly what kind of relationship this “informant” had with the Bat family.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSxSIDNEOBh
She needed a controlled experiment.
The three of them looked at one another—eye contact full of signals,8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7QJy6Kgxc
but still not a single word.
Dick’s gaze shifted first.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXrH0XkdMX
He quickly flashed a look at Robin, trying to convey:8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQoNLkH73p0
“Why the hell are you here?”
Then he immediately followed up with a second, more urgent expression:8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn8AZOeSAWA
“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.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjbYZ3w12R
The girl was clearly dressed up.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfp8s13trgp
The guy looked relaxed but well put-together.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvlqMYyfV4W
They were walking together down the street—
Wait… is this a date?8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfsKWr0WJac
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,8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJXrfFLFu5
and then shrugged—like she’d already seen through everything,8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBTJ0uiKU04
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.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTgv53gttN0
So fake it was almost insulting.
Claire raised an eyebrow, giving them a subtle “you expect me to believe that?” smile.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDzqyXfQtw
But her tone remained utterly composed:
“Is that so?”
Without waiting for their answer,8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoWrWDQ3GsE
she calmly lifted her hand and pointed to Dick:8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWb21K0ATrA
“This is Officer Dick Grayson.”
Then she pointed at Robin:8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVVaYuCcKtt
“This is Robin.”
Finally, she pointed at herself:8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtg6udzcmSW
“I’m Claire.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3TxH15zOm9
Nice to meet you both.”
Her tone was pleasant, her smile faint,8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu5FozsvT7U
as if she were hosting the most polite and bizarre matchmaking event in Blüdhaven history.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwCSZuM2yPp
Three people—familiar yet unfamiliar—stood together on the streets of Blüdhaven.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDRxWafFIK
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,8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3y9r27FlQC
“Alright, let’s go eat.”8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo3wXrFLTTN
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.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgI29qjbA1U
Seriously.
Even if this woman was suspicious,8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOSkoYyuojy
even if she somehow knew his name,8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ17up8vbEKP
he could’ve come up with a hundred reasons to walk away.
But the problem was—he had too many questions.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOcJRhOn4P4
And the source of those questions was standing right in front of him.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAb65PlILc
His name: Dick Grayson.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjVA79LZyru
Current status: “normal police officer,”8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTyoFJiJXQx
currently on a date with this mysterious woman.
Now he had to pretend not to know Dick…8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzY3G4n1k6d
and join Dick’s date.
What the hell kind of scenario is this?
He glanced sideways at Dick, his expression crystal clear:8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7gRHsd53o
“Bro. What are you doing?”
Dick was already looking at him—his face pale as chalk.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGrM0ej1pJ8
“I don’t know. I really don’t know.”
Walking beside Claire, Dick had completely lost his grasp on logic.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecZMxvYEDj
His brain felt like it had been stuffed with bagels—twelve of them—8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSIAYFZmCs
jammed in all at once, and not a single one swallowed.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKZiOrXHJp6
Too many questions, too many contradictions, too many puzzle pieces with no edges.
And now he had to pretend he didn’t know Robin.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXPHU6Uoxp
And the three of them were going to dinner.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDYj1Fyy5P
Together.
What kind of bizarre combination is this?
If Batman found out, he might just blow up the kitchen in the Batcave.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrbmRx7OaR
Was this a leak in their intel network… or some kind of multiverse misalignment?
So—did Robin know Claire?8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeOSt12Njz5
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,8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU2M0yZDcqI
then subtly pointed a finger at Claire, silently asking,8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLx68AMxPpI
“Do you know her?”
Robin shook his head.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUNazVJPqBT
Clean, crisp, and absolute.
Dick let out a small breath of relief.
Great. He doesn’t know her.
Which meant—now the questions became:8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JioQHRu7r
How did she contact Robin?8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUIEtqPmfs
Why did she invite him to dinner?8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8LCQMDdtvB
And why drag Dick into it too?
Even more absurd—8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSw2FwHdetO
two out of the three people here knew each other,8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡta83hBN7X6
but had to pretend they didn’t,8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHY5rqKGll
all while being herded together by the third person…8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFpy0rONldp
for dinner.
The two brothers silently watched the woman walking steadily ahead of them—Claire.
One thought passed between them:8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCIrGe3AMQr
This dinner... there are going to be questions.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoAC5nlBpNB
and then Add to home screen.