It was late at night. For once, Gotham had no rain, but the fog remained thick and clinging.
The headmaster's office occupied the top floor of the administration building.
Yang Ming reclined in the spacious Ergonomic Chair, his crossed legs propped on the edge of the mahogany desk.
The overhead lights were off. Only the cold glow of the computer screen fell across his Gold-Rimmed Glasses, tinting them a faint blue.
Beside him sat a steaming cup of Black Tea, brewed by Retsu Unohana, its temperature just right.
He held the mouse, rolling the wheel with his index finger as it gave off soft clicks.
The opening ceremony was tomorrow. As the "dictatorial headmaster" of East End First Boarding School, he had to get some actual work done.
Every one of these Gotham brats was a troublemaker who had crawled out of the gutter, picking locks at twelve and carrying knives at fourteen. Unless he got to the bottom of their backgrounds, they would tear this school apart sooner or later.
He scrolled to the first file.
Jason Todd, fourteen years old, no surviving parents, former leader of the East End's Kids' Gang.
Yang Ming glanced at the photograph of the buzz-cut boy with eyes like a wolf cub's and chuckled.
The kid had already spent a year training at the school. Much of his rebellious streak had worn away, and he now barely qualified as a competent Disciplinarian.
He kept scrolling.
A new photograph popped up. Black hair, blue eyes. His clear gaze held a lively intelligence that Gotham had yet to thoroughly corrupt.
Name: Dick Grayson. Age: Fourteen. Admission method: Special recruitment for acrobatic talent.
Yang Ming's hand paused as he lifted his teacup. His mind flashed back to that night a year ago in Robinson