I Want to Help Your Godfather

"I get the feeling Ivy..."

"Doesn't like you?"

"Yeah."

As they walked down an Upper West Side street, Harley wasn't surprised by what Li Ang said.

She said, "Ivy and I are best friends, and we were in love once."

Harley said it openly.

Li Ang found it hard to take, but at the same time, it seemed perfectly normal.

That was America.

Besides men and women, there were over a hundred genders here.

No wonder Poison Ivy Pamela cared so much about Harley. She'd not only enhanced Harley's body, but had practically given her whatever she wanted.

Harley didn't let Li Ang dwell on it. "That's all in the past. You're the only one I love now, darling!"

"Let's hurry home. We only have half a day."

The Joker and Harley's relationship was twisted, and there was no real affection between them—only the Joker using her.

Even trying to kill her.

The Joker had tried to kill Harley countless times, but she was tough as nails.

Now, at last, she'd decided to stop loving him for good.

All it took was falling for someone else.

With only half a day left, the two of them got home and didn't even leave the bedroom. The whole shabby old building seemed to shake with every tremor.

They were both metahumans, so neither of them got tired or hungry.

It wasn't until it was time for school to let out that Li Ang thought about making dinner.

"Kara will be home soon. I need to make dinner."

Li Ang struggled to get up.

At the mention of Kara, Harley didn't try to stop him. Otherwise, she knew she'd just end up dragging him back again.

She was like a machine that never stopped. Li Ang was starting to get scared.

Was this what working in a factory felt like?

In the kitchen, Li Ang tried his hand at stir-fried pork.

Since Chinatown was right nearby, green peppers and the like were easy to find.

It was a bit of a challenge for Li Ang. He'd never made the dish before, and Harley kept distracting him.

Harley wore only his white shirt, with nothing on underneath. Her long, flawless legs were bare, and her fishnets had long since vanished.

Now and then, she'd hug him from behind and say, "Wow, darling, you can really cook Chinese food?"

At other times, she'd offer to get him some seasonings, but since she couldn't tell them apart—soy sauce, for example—she only made things harder.

By the time Kara got home, all she saw was a heap of blackened peppers and pork.

At least the rice had turned out fine.

Kara looked at them. "Godfather, what is this...?"

"Harley wanted to try making Chinese food," Li Ang said quickly. He had to maintain his image in Kara's eyes.

Harley thought the same way, so she said, "I just helped your godfather a little."

"Trust me, I'm good at lots of things. Next time, I'll make you a steak."

Kara understood.

Those two were hopeless.

Harley was wearing Li Ang's clothes, which made Kara especially unhappy.

Even so, the well-behaved Kara ate the food.

Aside from its appearance, it actually tasted pretty good.

That was Chinese cooking for you. As long as you followed the steps, it was hard to make something truly bad.

You just had to avoid using too much seasoning or making it too strong.

And at Kara's age, she naturally preferred bolder flavors anyway.

"Don't worry, there's more in the oven."

Li Ang brought out the roasted pork chops.

Luckily, those had turned out fine. All he'd had to do was spread the sauce evenly and put them in the oven.

And so the family of three sat down to eat.

This wasn't Harley's first time having Chinese food. These days, every city had a Chinatown, so it wasn't anything special.

But it was her first time eating authentic Chinese food rather than an adapted version.

She'd expected it to taste awful, but after one bite, she realized—

"Pork is this delicious?"

She'd always thought pork tasted bad.

That was why so many people were vegetarians.

Was it because they didn't like meat?

No. It was because meat didn't taste good.

But Chinese food didn't have that problem.

Li Ang ignored her and asked Kara, "How was your day?"

"Pretty good," Kara replied.

"That girl... Rachel? How are you getting along with her?"

Kara thought about it.

Rachel was very quiet, even a little withdrawn. She seemed to have spoken only to Kara all day.

After a moment, Kara answered, "It's okay."

Li Ang was pleased. "You're friends. Remember to protect her."

As she ate her pork chop, Kara nodded. "I will."

Harley listened to the father and daughter talking, her eyes flickering as she pondered something.

After dinner, Li Ang was about to head out.

But he couldn't help worrying.

Harley would be staying here. What if she led Kara astray?

So he said, "I'm heading out. Don't go wandering off."

"Don't worry, darling. You know how well-behaved I am."

Harley knew he meant her, so she immediately promised.

Li Ang couldn't say how much of that promise was true.

But he had no choice but to trust her.

After locking the door, Li Ang headed to the Iceberg Lounge.

He hadn't said so, but Harley could surely guess where he was going.

Frank's suit and tie made it obvious.

In all of Gotham, only the Penguin would insist that his men dress like that.

At the Iceberg Lounge, Li Ang went straight to see the Penguin and told him about the alcohol.

"The Street Demon Gang?"

The Penguin narrowed his eyes. "What do you think we should do?"

Li Ang didn't offer an opinion.

"It's up to Mr. Cobblepot."

The Penguin let out a mocking laugh.

He could tell Li Ang was a good man who didn't want to get caught up in all this.

But in Gotham, people didn't get to choose.

Li Ang would understand eventually.

"Then you can go."

Li Ang nodded and returned to the club. Surrounded by all those alluring women, he felt no interest.

Compared to Harley, ordinary women seemed like little more than vulgar ornaments.

He didn't like pretty faces with nothing behind them. He liked a "special" woman like Harley.

Harley brought danger and excitement into his life, making his adrenaline surge.

At home, Harley was doing something that would definitely make his adrenaline spike.

She'd already changed into the clothes she'd bought that day, taking care not to let the reckless Li Ang ruin them.

After admiring herself in the mirror, she went to Kara's door and knocked.

"Kara, darling, it's a long night. How about I take you out for some fun?"

She stood at the door, trying to tempt her.

"No!"

Kara replied at once.

She was obedient. Her godfather had told her not to go out, so she wouldn't wander off.

Even though she really wanted to test her abilities.

"Really? I want to help your godfather."