VIP Shoutout: Massive thanks to Jordan Gray & Armin for joining the Inner Circle!
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While Daren was lost in a frantic brainstorm, Tim's heart was surprisingly calm, with no special thoughts popping up at all.
Indeed, he had never once suspected that Daren could be Kaitou Kid.
That went not only for him, but for Nightwing and Oracle as well.
To be honest, none of them had even seriously considered the possibility that Kaitou Kid's true identity might be a high school student. Let alone someone like Daren, who spent most of his days either performing magic on stage or quietly attending classes like any ordinary teenager.
The only thing Daren and Kaitou Kid had in common was that they both knew magic. But that alone meant nothing. There were plenty of magicians in the world.
Even if the scope was narrowed down to Gotham, there was still the famous Zatara family, whose reputation in the field of magic far surpassed that of most performers.
Furthermore, most of the time, the "magic" skills displayed by Kaitou Kid were hardly different from real sorcery.
Smoke manipulation, instant displacement, illusions that bent perception itself… compared to that, Daren's public magic performances looked like something from a completely different category.
Looking at them side by side, the gap in strength between the two was obvious even to an outsider.
Under such circumstances, if someone could still suspect Daren, their reasoning skills would truly be on par with Kogoro Mouri.
The reason Daren was so nervous, in truth, had little to do with reality.
It was simply the stereotype of the Bat-family from his previous life at work. In his mind, they were always hyper-vigilant, always three steps ahead, always capable of sniffing out secrets no one else could detect. Without realizing it, he had unconsciously overestimated their investigative abilities.
Many times he forgot that even Batman, the man who always seemed to win in the end, was often played like a puppet by villains in various incidents. He was not some omniscient god who could see through everything at a glance.
And so, amidst Daren's preparations as if facing a great enemy, the weekend finally arrived.
...
The day came quietly, without any dramatic foreshadowing or ominous signs.
"Long time no see, Daren. You've gotten tall, my boy."
In the Drake mansion, Jack, Tim's father, happily patted Daren on the shoulder, his tone warm and relaxed.
"Haha, and you've gotten younger, Mr. Drake. Don't tell me.. did you find a cure for aging?"
"Hahaha! Quirky as always. Well, let me introduce you to a few new people."
Three people were already waiting in the living room. One of them was Tim.
The other two were a handsome young man standing by the window and a woman sitting in a wheelchair beside the sofa.
"This lady is Barbara Gordon. Her father is the Commissioner of the GCPD, Jim Gordon. I originally wanted to invite Commissioner Gordon as well, but because of the recent Riddler incident, he's been quite busy and couldn't make time."
"It's an honor to meet you, Miss Gordon. I've always admired your father."
Daren stepped forward naturally, his voice sincere.
"In Gotham, it's not easy for a police officer just to maintain themselves without being corrupted. And he has not only held his ground, but also gradually changed the GCPD. That's not something an ordinary person can do."
Daren reached out his hand to Barbara.
"I'm honored as well, Mr. Greer. If my father heard those words, he would be very happy to know his efforts haven't been in vain. Also, please just call me Barbara."
Barbara shook hands with Daren, her smile gentle but confident.
"You know me?" Daren raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
"Haha, you're joking, right? Everyone in this house knows you. Gotham's most famous genius magician. I've even seen your live performances before."
She leaned back slightly, recalling it with amusement.
"Those tickets were so hard to get. I ended up spending several times the price on a scalped ticket."
"Really? Then next time you want to see a show, remember to let me know in advance. I'll give you a free pass."
"Then I'll say thank you in advance."
After the two exchanged a few words, Jack turned and introduced the young man standing nearby.
"This is Dick Grayson, the Wayne family's foster son. He's currently a police officer in another city. Speaking of which, he actually has some history with you from the past."
"History?"
Daren asked in surprise.
He had history with Nightwing?
This was truly the first time he'd heard of it.
Jack glanced at Dick but didn't immediately answer, seeming hesitant, as if weighing whether this was the right moment to bring it up.
"There's nothing to worry about, Mr. Drake. It's been so many years. I moved on long ago." At this point, Dick spoke up. "Daren, my biological parents, and your biological father used to work together."
The words immediately caught Daren's attention.
It turned out that before Daren's father, Phil Green, became famous, he had initially learned magic in the Harley Circus.
Dick's biological parents also worked there at the time. Back then, their popularity was much higher than Phil's. After all, the magic props used in the circus were basic, with very few variations.
By comparison, the Flying Graysons, with their Olympic-level gymnastics performance, were obviously far more eye-catching.
Yet despite the gap in popularity, their relationship had always been good. No unpleasantness ever arose because of it.
Later, Phil felt that there wouldn't be much room for development in the circus, so he resigned and transitioned, eventually becoming a generation's King of Escapology.
After becoming famous, Phil's relationship with the Graysons remained close. He would occasionally return to the Harley Circus as a special guest, helping draw crowds to the increasingly declining venue.
Until over a decade ago.
The Graysons were murdered.
Dick became an orphan and was adopted by Bruce Wayne.
And a few years after that, Phil also died in a performance accident.
Just like that, the thread connecting the two families was severed.
Daren was only a few years old at the time. Naturally, he had known nothing about this past.
I didn't expect there to be such a layer of connection…
Daren paused, then suddenly realized something and widened his eyes slightly.
Wait, so now, not only am I the childhood friend of the third Robin, but I'm also the descendant of a good friend of the original Robin and Nightwing's biological father!
He couldn't help but suck in a breath.
Umm… isn't the composition of my background a bit too 'Batty'?
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