An awkward atmosphere hung over Wayne Manor.
For the sixteenth time, Batman lowered the hand reaching for his phone—Dick Grayson was not coming back.
What if Alfred had been here? He might have smilingly poured the Pale Rider a cup of tea, perhaps even taken his coat away to press it, then persuaded him through the door to sincerely welcome every guest who came here.
Alfred had always liked liveliness. As though managing such a vast manor alone was not enough, he wanted more people to come and cause him trouble. He had been devastated when Jason left without saying goodbye, while Dick's arrival had brought him joy.
But Batman had never been good at making friends, and Bruce Wayne would not hold those lively parties here either. Every night Batman was gone, Alfred had guarded the empty manor alone, hoping something different would happen tomorrow.
Even if the Joker had come today, as long as he was willing to sit down for a cup of tea, Alfred would have chatted with him for a while. While Alfred was alive, Batman would certainly have found that absurd, but now that he was gone, Batman wanted to see that ridiculous scene with his own eyes.
The Pale Rider had not brought many personal belongings, but he had brought a great deal of paperwork. These were all matters he needed to handle recently, especially the chemical pollution issue in District X15. He had many documents awaiting approval.
Not wanting to disturb Batman too much, the Pale Rider stayed in the reception area at the back right of the living room, while Batman watched the news on television up front.
He heard the news anchor describing several anti-pollution policies proposed by the Mayor.
At first, Batman had only been watching casually. He had