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—104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7znosvhJD
Was it a mission? Emergency backup?104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrQwYUf1c2d
A covert operation arranged by Batman?104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1PRsoE7HRe
But none of these scenarios had anything to do with… a casual dinner date.
Claire didn’t bother checking his expression,104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGpAmgkrBkh
nor did she turn to confirm if he was still following along.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk8prV3SmgQ
She simply raised her right hand, forming a circle with her thumb and index finger,104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgmH0bH7tNf
then brought it to her lips—
FWEEEEEEEET—!
A loud, piercing whistle cut through the quiet evening.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoUst4Jh7LM
Fortunately, there weren’t many people around.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLXo5nvE4HH
The few passersby only glanced over before quickly averting their eyes.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4bW33oG1uX
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.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6oNAMslxH
He turned immediately.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93Xn7hLvB0
From where the whistle came, he spotted a familiar silhouette standing next to a woman he didn’t recognize.
He didn’t hesitate.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2yrNjOgnW
His grappling line shot out again.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWuBHxlLYmQ
He twisted mid-air, soared across the gap, and landed with precision—104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa0QfARWM7i
as if he’d practiced that exact landing a hundred times.
And when he landed in front of Claire and Dick—104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtMK81qnuiK
there was a pause.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt3Qm84jQpV
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.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsD7gSKLT1H
Robin didn’t know what to say first either.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrlHa6F35BB
Claire simply stood there watching the two of them, curious to see if either would break the silence.
This wasn’t some random encounter.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD7v3okLG62
This was Claire’s doing.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6OhgTcFD4F
She wanted to see exactly what kind of relationship this “informant” had with the Bat family.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKkhtBWhP9g
She needed a controlled experiment.
The three of them looked at one another—eye contact full of signals,104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJrXwAqlFol
but still not a single word.
Dick’s gaze shifted first.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrn24Fy2KpU
He quickly flashed a look at Robin, trying to convey:104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vAqqhwUA5
“Why the hell are you here?”
Then he immediately followed up with a second, more urgent expression:104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkBDXdgSyOe
“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.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdrrUctGyXS
The girl was clearly dressed up.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIHUJyPhsGi
The guy looked relaxed but well put-together.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9uADRIIwvy
They were walking together down the street—
Wait… is this a date?104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQEoZqbMgL
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,104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpAjzakv16X
and then shrugged—like she’d already seen through everything,104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWH6XG6u54d
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.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhyo7ORTUnr
So fake it was almost insulting.
Claire raised an eyebrow, giving them a subtle “you expect me to believe that?” smile.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5JpTk2nz4X
But her tone remained utterly composed:
“Is that so?”
Without waiting for their answer,104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXDNtlPMJNd
she calmly lifted her hand and pointed to Dick:104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk2mRFAVCpK
“This is Officer Dick Grayson.”
Then she pointed at Robin:104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIGfozmavhG
“This is Robin.”
Finally, she pointed at herself:104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdjXBRxaCc
“I’m Claire.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7uAwegJwjP
Nice to meet you both.”
Her tone was pleasant, her smile faint,104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZtKsT5cm1v
as if she were hosting the most polite and bizarre matchmaking event in Blüdhaven history.
104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡynqRuLs5Mr
Three people—familiar yet unfamiliar—stood together on the streets of Blüdhaven.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQYLXDTV8oR
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,104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkTrBHzouw
“Alright, let’s go eat.”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ17NY3Ksj55
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.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGfOGCdTlWl
Seriously.
Even if this woman was suspicious,104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJQr9CXNBNI
even if she somehow knew his name,104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3olhY3QVdj
he could’ve come up with a hundred reasons to walk away.
But the problem was—he had too many questions.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCHLqKUhuRs
And the source of those questions was standing right in front of him.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDnUIrXXnAm
His name: Dick Grayson.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8ax8jBZTk
Current status: “normal police officer,”104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFrhalsNgp0
currently on a date with this mysterious woman.
Now he had to pretend not to know Dick…104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUboFxwQnT2
and join Dick’s date.
What the hell kind of scenario is this?
He glanced sideways at Dick, his expression crystal clear:104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjx5oJc0ouS
“Bro. What are you doing?”
Dick was already looking at him—his face pale as chalk.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmfgZaTju7X
“I don’t know. I really don’t know.”
Walking beside Claire, Dick had completely lost his grasp on logic.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEbz8PZ9iAP
His brain felt like it had been stuffed with bagels—twelve of them—104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDQyG1OIhYu
jammed in all at once, and not a single one swallowed.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡju1ennbEMt
Too many questions, too many contradictions, too many puzzle pieces with no edges.
And now he had to pretend he didn’t know Robin.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTtaoQLNAu
And the three of them were going to dinner.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCohfoJAjCF
Together.
What kind of bizarre combination is this?
If Batman found out, he might just blow up the kitchen in the Batcave.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4YPDNElq3i
Was this a leak in their intel network… or some kind of multiverse misalignment?
So—did Robin know Claire?104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoMCqcsf3g6
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,104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9MRE1IYxGB
then subtly pointed a finger at Claire, silently asking,104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLsCErXzCbe
“Do you know her?”
Robin shook his head.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9lIaX1Ucg8
Clean, crisp, and absolute.
Dick let out a small breath of relief.
Great. He doesn’t know her.
Which meant—now the questions became:104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡodYOS03Fib
How did she contact Robin?104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbyecotq2Br
Why did she invite him to dinner?104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXLpivu2zDX
And why drag Dick into it too?
Even more absurd—104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRiNrDSrOMa
two out of the three people here knew each other,104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGGQTTQhGS1
but had to pretend they didn’t,104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5gljx8Mv4
all while being herded together by the third person…104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaEyRPw2MZB
for dinner.
The two brothers silently watched the woman walking steadily ahead of them—Claire.
One thought passed between them:104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQGclWlZJO
This dinner... there are going to be questions.
104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUY3S0mstNt
and then Add to home screen.