Joker-Man

Inside the duty room, Duke straddled Joker, his raised fist frozen in midair. Quizzle stood to one side with the expression of a victim, while Joker lifted his stubborn head and gazed at Batman with deep affection. His watery eyes brimmed with hope, as if he had seen a savior descend.

Batman: "..."

The scene was too beautiful. He did not dare look.

Batman had suspected Joker was a fake, but the database linked to his helmet confirmed that Joker was genuine—the real thing without question.

"So it's Mr. Wayne... no, at night, I should call you Mr. Batman." Duke stood up, unfolded a folding stool, and sat on it with imposing ease. He took the tissue Quizzle handed him, wiped his hands, and tossed it onto the floor.

Batman was startled. "How did you know..."

Batman did not wear a mask merely to hide his identity, but to protect those around him from harm. Gotham's criminals were far too brazen, and he did not want to see tragedy unfold. To conceal his identity, Batman had gone to great lengths. In the comics, he had even hired someone to impersonate him, creating proof that Batman and Bruce Wayne had appeared at the same time.

Batman believed he had hidden his identity quite successfully, yet Duke had exposed his disguise the first time they met. How could that not surprise him? But there was more to come. He watched, dumbfounded, as Joker picked up the tissue Duke had casually thrown onto the floor, walked over to the trash can, and gently placed it inside.

Damn it, who was this model citizen with Joker's face?

"Don't worry about me exposing your identity. Joker won't tell anyone either." Duke knew what Batman was worried about. In his view, Batman was worrying for nothing.