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Chapter 33: Tim's Invitation, A Harmonious Dinner
"Hello everyone, this is the Gotham Gazette. Recently, the kidnapping of a young girl by the Riddler shocked the city and sparked widespread panic among citizens. Fortunately, the hostage was rescued last night, and the instigator, the Riddler, was successfully captured and is now under strict police control."
"However, the person who saved the hostage was neither the GCPD nor the legendary Batman, but a criminal—Phantom Thief Kid!"
"We cannot help but ask: Why did Phantom Thief Kid accept the Riddler's challenge to save a girl he had no connection with? Was it because precious conscience still remains in his heart, or is there an inside story we do not know?"
"This morning, a reporter from the Gotham Gazette had the privilege of interviewing the kidnapped girl. Let's see how the party involved answered these questions."
The live broadcast cut to Janice appearing before the camera. There was no sign of the grief or fear one would expect from a kidnapping victim; her spirits were far higher than the reporter interviewing her, who sported dark circles under his eyes.
"Phantom Thief Kid is absolutely a great person! I've never met anyone as elegant and gentlemanly as him. I really want to be held by him and fly in the sky again... By the way, Phantom Thief Kid's chest is super warm—"
The screen cut back rapidly.
"In short, through the statement of the involved party, we have gained a new understanding of Phantom Thief Kid today. He does not steal for greed or wealth, and he lends a hand to others in danger."
"Perhaps, as the recent saying goes, rather than a thief who makes a living stealing money, Phantom Thief Kid should be called the Arsène Lupin of the new century."
The video on the phone ended. Darren took off his headphones and walked into the school gates, feeling secretly delighted.
Overnight, Phantom Thief Kid's reputation in Gotham had improved tenfold. Many had even begun forming offline fan clubs.
Previously, people liked Kid mostly for his flashy appearance and magical tricks. They would see a close-up photo and simply exclaim, "Wow, so handsome," with no deeper emotion.
But now, people suddenly realized Kid wasn't just superficially good; he was a hero who would stand up for others!
Yes, some had already started to consider Phantom Thief Kid a hero, just like the other masked vigilantes. Regarding Kid's habit of stealing things and then discarding them, that was just his way of executing justice—different from other heroes, that was all.
Whenever he saw such solemn declarations, Darren felt incredibly refreshed.
Although he currently had no such intentions, having people actively speak up for him felt undeniably good.
Walking into the classroom, Darren saw Tim waving at him from the next seat over.
He walked over, preparing to say hello as usual, but Tim looked at him with great solemnity.
"Darren, thank you for saving me yesterday."
Darren's heart skipped a beat.
Tim knows I saved him?
Was my identity discovered?
But how did Tim figure out I'm Kid?
Darren thought hard. Yesterday at Miller Harbor, he shouldn't have exposed any flaws.
Don't panic. Stay calm. Poker face. Poker face...
"Huh? What do you mean?" Darren decided to play dumb.
"I mean the matter of you covering for me with the school leave yesterday. Sorry, I used going to your house as an excuse without telling you." Tim said it as if it were obvious.
"Oh, that. Small matter. It's not the first time I've covered for you."
Hearing Tim's words, Darren relaxed considerably. So it was that kind of "saving." He thought it was the real saving.
"Speaking of which, what exactly did you do yesterday? You were gone all day. Usually, when you ask me to cover, it's at night. Skipping school like this... it's rare for a model student like you."
To avoid saying too much and blowing his cover, Darren immediately changed the subject.
"Uh... well, nothing much to say really. Just that... secret training class from Wayne Enterprises I mentioned before."
This time, it was Tim's turn to feel awkward inside.
This training class you speak of, is it called the Batcave? Darren knew perfectly well.
But on the surface, he scrutinized Tim with eyes full of disbelief.
"Last time I heard you mention this training class, it was just after elementary school graduation. All these years, and you're still taking classes there?"
"They have content ranging from elementary to university level."
"But you skipped an entire day of school. Shouldn't the training schedule avoid school hours?"
"That's because... an accident happened, so they had to change the time temporarily. It'll go back to normal later."
"Why doesn't your dad know about this training class?"
"I told you it's a secret training class, so of course it can't be disclosed casually. I was only admitted as a special exception by Wayne Enterprises CEO Lucius Fox after winning a big award in elementary school. I told you that back then."
"Since it's so mysterious, why did you tell me?"
"..."
After just a few questions, Tim's back was soaked in cold sweat. He felt he couldn't keep spinning the yarn much longer.
"That's because... I initially thought there was a chance you might be recruited by the class too, so I told you."
"Really?" Darren asked suspiciously.
"Really." Tim nodded.
"So, in the end, your training class didn't look favorably on me, which is why I wasn't admitted? What exactly are you guys training for?"
"Oh, why do you have to ask so clearly? It's confidential. Stop asking; I can't tell you." Tim said helplessly.
"Fine. Look at you, all troubled. You make it look like I'm interrogating you. I won't ask if you won't tell." Darren waved his hand.
"Darren, do you have time this weekend?" Tim suddenly asked.
The topic jump was a bit too wide; Darren didn't react immediately.
"...What for?" Darren asked back.
"Just say if you're free or not."
"You tell me what we're doing first, then I'll decide if I have time."
Tim looked at Darren speechlessly.
"I want to thank you for covering for me yesterday and treat you to a meal. My dad also said I'm always running to your house to play but rarely see you at mine. He keeps asking when I'm going to invite you over."
"It's that simple."
"If that's the case, then I do have time. Thinking about it, it has been a while since I've seen Uncle Jack. I should pay a visit." Darren nodded in understanding.
Tim's father, Jack, had helped Darren a lot when he was younger. Jack handled all the matters a minor couldn't deal with independently; he was practically Darren's semi-guardian.
"Then it's settled."
Just then, Tim remembered something.
"By the way, I might have a few friends coming over that day. Do you mind if they join the dinner?"
This unintentional remark fell into Darren's ears and instantly stirred ripples in his heart.
Tim's friends.
Friends close enough to have dinner at his home.
Aside from me, his childhood friend, are there any?
Given Tim's fulfilling life of spending every spare moment either honing skills in the Batcave or fighting crime, where would he find the time to make friends?
Yet he said other friends were coming.
Who could these friends be? It was hard to guess. Unless Tim paid people to act as friends to prove to his parents he wasn't antisocial, but that probability was too low.
Hss—Is this a Trap Banquet? A trap? Bringing up friends only after I agreed... Tim, you guy, are you setting me up?
Darren sucked in a breath of cold air.
Although he was certain he hadn't revealed any flaws and Tim had no reason to suspect him, thinking of the Bat-Family's traditional virtues, he felt it wasn't impossible.
At this point, backing out would only increase suspicion. Creating trouble for himself when there was none would be stupid.
"Whatever happens, I won't leave any evidence on me. Even if they plan to lure me away and search my house while I'm at the dinner, they won't find any traces of Phantom Thief Kid. Because my house doesn't have any to begin with."
Darren made up his mind.
Soldiers come, block with generals; water comes, block with earth.
No matter how you test me, my response will be impeccable!
While Darren spiraled into a frantic mental storm, Tim's heart was quite calm beside him. He had no special thoughts.
Yes, he had never suspected Darren of being Phantom Thief Kid.
Including Nightwing and Oracle.
Honestly, they hadn't even considered that Kid's true identity was a high school student, let alone Darren.
The only commonality between Darren and Kid was that both knew magic tricks. But the world was full of magicians. Even limiting it to Gotham, there was the famous Zatara family.
Furthermore, most of the time, the magic tricks Kid displayed were indistinguishable from actual magic. Looking at Darren's past magic performances, the gap in skill was visible to the naked eye.
Under these circumstances, anyone who could suspect Darren would have deduction skills rivaling Kogoro Mouri.
The reason Darren was so nervous was simply due to his past life's stereotypical impression of the Bat-Family, unconsciously overestimating his opponents' investigative capabilities.
He often forgot that even the always-victorious Batman was frequently played by villains in various events; he was absolutely not an omniscient god.
Thus, amidst Darren's preparation for a formidable enemy, the weekend finally arrived.
"Long time no see, Darren. Let me introduce you to some new friends."
In the Drake mansion, Jack happily patted Darren on the shoulder.
Three people were waiting in the living room. One was Tim. The other two were a handsome young man and a woman in a wheelchair.
"This young lady is Barbara Gordon. Her father is GCPD Commissioner Jim Gordon. I originally wanted to invite Commissioner Gordon too, but due to the Riddler incident recently, he's quite busy and couldn't make time."
"It is an honor to meet you, Miss Gordon. I have always admired your father. In Gotham, just remaining uncorrupted as a police officer is difficult enough. Yet he not only held his ground but gradually changed the GCPD. That isn't something an ordinary person can do."
Darren extended his hand to Barbara.
"I am honored as well, Mr. Green. If my father heard those words, he would certainly be happy that his efforts weren't in vain. And please, call me Barbara," she said, shaking Darren's hand.
"You know me?" Darren raised an eyebrow.
"Hehe, you must be joking. Everyone in this room knows you. Gotham's most prestigious genius magician. I've seen your live performances before. Tickets were hard to get; I ended up paying a scalper several times the price." Barbara chuckled lightly.
"Really? Next time you want to see a show, just let me know beforehand. I'll comp your ticket."
"Then I'll say thank you in advance."
After exchanging a few words, Jack introduced the young man on the sofa.
"This is Dick Grayson, the adopted son of the Wayne family. He's currently working as a police officer out of town. Speaking of which, he has some history with you."
"History?" Darren asked, surprised.
He had a history with Nightwing? That was news to him.
Jack glanced at Dick and didn't answer Darren's question, seeming to have reservations.
"Nothing to worry about, Mr. Drake. It's been so many years; I've long since moved on."
Dick interjected at that moment.
"Darren, my biological parents and your biological father once worked together."
It turned out that before Darren's father, Phil Green, became famous, he had first learned magic in Haly's Circus.
Dick's biological parents also worked at Haly's Circus. At the time, they were much more popular than Phil, as the circus mostly used entry-level magic props with little variety. Comparatively, the Olympic-level acrobatic performance of "The Flying Graysons" was obviously superior.
However, their relationship was very good; no unpleasantness arose from the disparity in popularity.
Later, Phil decided he wouldn't develop well in the circus, so he resigned and transitioned, eventually becoming a generation's escape artist king.
After achieving fame, Phil maintained a good relationship with the Graysons. He would occasionally return to Haly's Circus as a special guest to attract crowds for the declining show.
Until over a decade ago, when the Graysons were murdered. Dick became an orphan and was adopted by Bruce Wayne. A few years later, Phil also died in a performance accident, and the connection was broken.
Darren was only a few years old at the time, so he naturally knew nothing of this relationship.
"I didn't expect such a layer of connection... Wait, so not only am I childhood friends with the third Robin, but I'm also the descendant of a close friend to the first Robin—Nightwing's—biological father!"
Hss, isn't the composition of my background a little too tied to the Bats?
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