Gotham Singularity (20): The Professor's Good Deeds...
Bruce's facial muscles twitched for a moment, but he quickly suppressed this out-of-control emotion. He revealed the dark and sharp gaze unique to Batman, and suddenly glanced at Red Hood.
There was also a tremor that he himself was unaware of.
The Red Hood, whose name had been called out, had no time to worry about the reality of his real name being exposed; his attention was entirely focused on the second half of Atalanta's sentence.
Nostalgia? Jason's brain went blank; a perfectly ordinary word caused his thoughts to stop completely.
Ha, what's there to be nostalgic about?
He wanted to laugh, to laugh at the woman's sentimental thoughts. Damn it, how could he possibly want to stay here? He was only on Chaldea's side because he wanted a peaceful Gotham!
"Sir, are you admitting it?" the bartender suddenly asked. Fujimaru Ritsuka stared at him in surprise; this kind of adding fuel to the fire made her think, "It's Professor I himself has arrived."
But it was too late to stop him from speaking now. Jason's fingertips clenched tightly into his palm, his pale knuckles a reflection of his inner turmoil.
He couldn't help but take a step forward.
The blue light of the barrier flickered wildly.
"Hey, you idiot, stay away!!" Xu Fu roared. The spell in front of her was crudely set up in just a few minutes, shockingly rudimentary. The fact that it could trap a mythical figure was already a result of this guy being weakened countless times!
Once any magic node is moved—
But it was too late.
One flash, two flashes, the blue light struggled and flickered for the last time before going out completely. Atalanta took one last look at the living Batman, and quickly left Wayne Manor before the next spell could be cast.
"...Can I go after her?" Fujimaru Ritsuka lowered her half-raised hand; she already knew the answer to the question.
"Phew, too late, the tracking talisman wasn't affixed." Xu Fu replied in frustration, glaring at Jason.
Jason gritted his teeth, staring silently in the direction Atalanta had left. After a long while, he bowed his head and apologized to Fujimaru Ritsuka. His impulsiveness had completely ruined her and Xu Fu's efforts.
“It wasn’t you,” Fujimaru Ritsuka said. She glanced at the silent bartender and sighed softly. “As expected of someone taught by the professor. What did you do to the Red Hood?”
The barrier broke too quickly. Xu Fu's Taoist magic could have bought him at least another second. Jason's movement of the magic nodes alone wouldn't have caused this.
The bartender remained silent, his innocent, fox-like eyes staring blankly at Ritsuka. It was as if he were asking her how someone bound like this could possibly tamper with someone fully armed in red hoods.
"Do I need to be blunt? What did the professor give you?"
Jason suddenly turned to look at Holmes.
Holmes twirled his pipe, quite amused. "Heh heh, such a familiar way of manipulating people's hearts."
As expected of that professor's backup plan, it achieved such a good effect even without him present.
But what was Moriarty's purpose in doing this?
He anticipated that Ritsuka and Red Hood would cooperate, and that Ritsuka would provide crucial information that would allow the enemy Servant to escape. In other words, what did he need the enemy Servant to do afterward?
"Don't you find it strange?" Fujimaru Ritsuka saw Jason's bewildered expression and explained seriously, "Atalanta doesn't have the ability to see through or deduce true names, so how does she know your name?"
Of course, it was the professor's doing, exactly the same thing Daoman did in the last singularity! She knew it; the professor wouldn't give up on causing trouble so easily!
The young man couldn't help but laugh, revealing both his elation and melancholy in his eyes without reservation. "I really admire you."
Thank you.
The bartender couldn't help but chuckle when he heard her calm reply. He stared at Fujimaru Ritsuka with a predatory gaze, but she looked back at him with unwavering confidence.
Finally, the bartender took a step back.
"What a pity. Perhaps if you had come sooner, you could have prevented everything from happening." At least Mary wouldn't have believed him. But it was too late now; the fire was already burning.
"You don't actually think we can't find where you're hiding, do you?" Holmes asked in a strange tone. "If you ask me, you're way less capable than that guy."
Jason took a deep breath, suddenly remembering that they had come to Wayne Manor to find Ritsuka and go to the true address of the person who possessed the Holy Grail. This distraction had made him forget their original purpose.
After all, the two of them alone might not be able to defeat the enemy servants. Surely they couldn't rely on Holmes's Barton spell? He thought inappropriately.
Before the bartender could speak, Jason suddenly stopped. He swiftly grabbed Fujimaru Ritsuka's wrist and pulled her forward, the batarang grazing Ritsuka's shoulder.
Jason flicked his wrist, and another projectile met the dart with a clang before falling straight to the ground.
"Are you alright?" he asked Ritsuka anxiously. The girl shook her head and turned her gaze towards the direction from which the batarang had come.
"Who are you?" Bruce Wayne, or rather Batman, asked hoarsely as the batarang was skillfully deflected.
Jason raised his head and finally looked at his former adoptive father.
It seems that time has been too kind to Bruce; years have passed and he is still handsome, with sharp and keen deep blue eyes that seem to see straight into people's hearts.
But he is now far removed from the young Robin he once was.
“Ha,” Jason laughed sarcastically, as if amused by the absurd question, “Who am I? Do you think you’d believe me if I told you?”
Before he could utter his harsh words, he was interrupted by a pale, lifeless face that suddenly appeared in his mind.
The face was exactly the same as the man's, resembling the person who had collapsed in the rain some time ago.
All the barbed words suddenly stuck in my throat; yesterday's pain, frustration, and regret slammed into my throat, drawing blood.
Jason abruptly turned his head, forced to admit that the death, though no longer existing, had still permanently changed something. His tone softened slightly, "Never mind, at least who I am has nothing to do with who you are now."
"Ritsuka, let's go."
To hell with this mess, they need to find Atalanta and the Holy Grail. He needs to restore Gotham to normal before he can settle accounts with Batman.
Bruce watched as the red-hooded girl pulled the orange-haired girl away quickly. The girl lowered her head and confirmed something with the boy in the strange taekwondo uniform next to her, then she suddenly turned around.
Just as Bruce was about to try to force the group to stay, his hands, which were gripping his weapon, were grabbed tightly by his left and right arms. The two people, who were so familiar with each other, were desperately trying to stop him with a do-or-die mentality.
"Bruce, please! Let them stay, please!"
"B, wait! We can explain!"
The two vigilantes, who had just escaped Xu Fu's clutches, unfortunately missed most of the exciting content. They didn't hear Jason Todd's name, but only saw the enraged old bat preparing to interrogate their partner, while the girl gestured for them to run.
My conscience is bothering me.
Then, Tim and Dick exchanged a glance from either side of Bruce's arms. Dick let go of Bruce's arms and pulled him from behind, while Tim took the opportunity to hide all the weapons of mass destruction on Bruce's body into his own sleeve.
This includes rare items that only Batman possesses, things he's not normally allowed to touch.
Only after they had finished did they belatedly realize that Batman hadn't offered any resistance. A bad feeling ran through Tim's heart, and he looked at Bruce.
The black-haired, blue-eyed man was already laughing in anger; even the ripples that had just stirred in his heart because of Jason's name had been calmed down by Tim and Dick's actions.
He had never felt that any day could be more absurd than today.
Bruce glanced at Ritsuka and the others who had stopped because of the farce, then turned his gaze to his adopted sons who were siding with outsiders.
"Nightwing, Robin."
"arrive!"
The two spoke in unison, trembling with fear.
“Explain yourself,” Bruce sneered. “You knew all along that Red Hood’s real name was Jason Todd?”
Dick: "...?"
Tim: "...!"
Upon hearing this familiar yet unfamiliar name, the two of them simultaneously turned to look at Fujimaru Ritsuka, like sunflowers chasing the sun.
What could Ritsuka say? She could only cover her eyes and offer an awkward yet polite smile. She swore she hadn't expected Jason's identity to be exposed so quickly.
"Wow..." With Ritsuka's almost tacit approval, Dick coughed and slowly released his hands from around Bruce's waist.
He managed to remain calm, saying, "This is a bit of a time rewind." But even so, he subconsciously gave Jason a friendly smile, "Oh, by the way, Jason, welcome home."
"Yes." Tim's brain also successfully shut down and restarted, and he asked in a daze, "How far back is this? Are there any other cases?"
Bruce crossed his arms and stared at the two Robins who seemed to be spouting nonsense. He seriously suspected that Fujimaru Ritsuka and his group had done something to the children's intelligence, making them both stupid.
They've started spouting nonsense about time going backwards...
"I'm sorry, but the Holy Grail really hasn't rewound that much time this time." Fujimaru Ritsuka, hearing their conversation, knew they had completely misunderstood. She emphasized, "Wait, time only rewinds to October 16th. The Holy Grail doesn't govern anything before that!"
"……This year?"
"This year!"
"Then, then, what about Jason?"
“…Resurrection.” Batman’s cold and hoarse voice took over the conversation, but no one knew whether he believed that the Red Hood in front of him was Jason who had been resurrected.
The muscles in his arms remained taut without relaxing at all.
A long silence fell over everyone. The sun beat down on the earth, and the sweltering heat rose around everyone, making it unbearable.
"Gentlemen," Holmes finally broke the silence, "I would like to wait for you to settle your family matters, but time waits for no one."
"If we still want to resolve Gotham's problems, shall we put aside our differences and cooperate for the time being?"
—
Unfamiliar guests arrived in the hall of Wayne Manor.
The moment so many people appeared at Wayne Manor, it meant that Batman's hidden secret had been exposed to strangers. Therefore, Bruce did not stop the group from using the hall as a temporary meeting room.
Tim and Dick sat down on the single sofas on either side of him, one telling the story and the other supplementing it to explain what had happened in the past.
The only sound in the quiet room was their soft conversation.
The Chaldeans and Jason sat opposite them, Ritsuka sat next to Xu Fu as usual, Holmes sat upright with his pipe upright, and a bartender with a look of amusement was imprisoned beside him.
Jason had his right foot crossed over his left leg, his elbow resting on the side of his right knee, looking both impatient and resigned to his fate.
He is waiting.
Three, two, one.
A chilling tone, suppressing anger, boomed like thunder in the hall: "Even because of my death, you shouldn't be associating with people of unknown origin who pose a threat!"
Bruce was incredulous; he couldn't understand how the two previously cautious men had suddenly become so adventurous. What if it was a trap?
What if the person behind them wants them dead?
He couldn't save them at that time!
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