Studying hard

Everyone was speechless at the matter-of-fact look on the girl's face.

Damian was close to losing his mind. "Then why didn't you say so before? I even put a huge aquarium in the media room just for you! Do you know how weird it is to have an aquarium that big right in the middle of the media room?"

Miaomiao felt perfectly justified. "You never asked me. Besides, these legs don't even have scales. They're not pretty at all, and they're all soft and weak. They're nowhere near as useful as my tail! Look for yourselves."

As she spoke, Miaomiao yanked off her cape and tried to lift her skirt to show everyone her ugly, useless legs. The old butler reacted instantly, pinning her hands down and wrapping her back up in the cape-

This time, her head was included.

Everyone present let out a long breath, as though they had just fought another round against the villains. They could practically feel sweat breaking out on their backs.

The great Butler Batman put on a perfectly proper smile, his tone gentle but brooking no argument. "Master Bruce, young masters, I believe we should conclude today's family meeting here. As a newly fledged human, Miss Miaomiao may have a greater need for some preschool lessons first."

And so, the family meeting on "educating and disciplining Little Merfolk for acting without permission, and the sustainability of her legs" was temporarily postponed, amid the standardized smile of Butler Batman, the true power behind the scenes, and Little Merfolk Miaomiao's utter bewilderment.

Even Batman, who always put missions and operations first, kept his mouth shut for once and said nothing.

After all, Little Merfolk's sudden attempt to lift her skirt had genuinely frightened these veteran Vigilantes, who could normally face even the greatest crisis without batting an eye.

No, now that she could take on a fully human form, they had better let Alfred teach the sheltered Little Merfolk what she needed to watch out for as a human first. Otherwise, their hearts really wouldn't be able to take it.

Butler Batman Alfred certainly lived up to his reputation as a seasoned caregiver who had single-handedly raised Bruce Wayne, then several young masters in succession. Though he had never dealt with a girl like Miaomiao before, whose appearance and mental age were at odds, along with her Merfolk and human understanding, he still put together a tailor-made educational plan for her in record time.

After the night passed, Damian got up and practiced a sword routine in the yard as usual-by now, he had learned not to take his blade to the ornamental plants Alfred so carefully tended and pruned. Once he finished warming up, Damian went to the dining room for breakfast and saw a familiar yet unfamiliar figure seated inside.

She wore a pale purple silk dress, with ribbons in matching shades tied into her long black hair. Her skin was fairer than snow, and she looked delicate and elegant.

At that moment, she sat straight-backed at the dining table, her expression solemn, as though facing some formidable enemy. When she heard him and looked up, there was a distinctly aggrieved look on her face.

In front of her sat a pan-fried steak.

"Damian..."

Miaomiao looked pitifully at her good friend, who had watched a movie with her, desperate for a little help. For Miaomiao, who had always adored good food, this was the first time she had ever faced such wonderfully fragrant meat and learned firsthand what it meant to "look but not eat." ꒦ິ^꒦ິ

Damian clicked his tongue in disdain, but his body honestly moved to help her. He had barely taken two steps when he spotted Butler Batman approaching with a plate of pasta. The prickly young master who feared nothing and no one gave a light cough, automatically changed course halfway over, and sat down in his own seat.

"Miss Miaomiao, please do try to use your knife and fork yourself. Although your fingernails are beautiful and convenient, using them in that manner is most ungraceful for a lady."

Alfred set the pasta down beside Miaomiao. Looking at Little Merfolk's pout and tear-filled eyes, he sighed softly, stroked her hair, and lowered his expectations. "At the very least, let's learn to eat pasta with a fork today, shall we?"

Miaomiao's eyes lit up, and she nodded eagerly.

"Alfred is the best! I love Alfred most!"

Wayne Manor rarely saw such a sweet child express her affection so openly. Alfred's heart softened, and he offered Little Merfolk a small reward to encourage her. "If Miss Miaomiao can finish an entire serving of pasta with meat sauce using her fork today, I will bake her a batch of cookies. Blueberry ones, exclusively for her."

"Okay!"

Miaomiao's eyes shone brighter and brighter. She immediately held back the tears that had been on the verge of falling and picked up her fork, brimming with determination as she reached toward her plate.

Having witnessed the scene, Tim gained a new appreciation for the all-powerful Butler Batman's skill at coaxing children. He secretly gave Alfred a thumbs-up, then yawned as he sat down in his seat.

Compared with Little Merfolk Miaomiao, who needed meat with every meal, the two young masters had lighter fare before them. Fragrant pancakes, drizzled with sweet maple syrup while still hot, were paired with ham and eggs, along with that indispensable drink at a Western breakfast-

Milk.

In truth, none of the Waynes were particularly fond of milk. But their butler insisted that their nighttime "little side jobs" had already turned their days and nights upside down and thrown their schedules into chaos, doing quite enough damage to their health. Since he could no longer stop the bats' "habit" of going out at night, their diets, at least, had to be nutritionally balanced, wholesome, and healthy. One glass of milk in the morning and another at night was Butler Batman's dietary bottom line.

With Butler Batman in full control of the kitchen, the bats, who were culinary disasters, could only comply for the sake of their meals.

Except for Damian, who was obsessed with his height.

Damian actually hated drinking milk more than anyone else. He always felt it had an indescribable rank taste, and every glass was like drinking poison. But as the youngest member of the family, Damian, who had taken up the Robin uniform at just eleven, stood only 137 centimeters tall.

Although neither of his parents was short-his father, Bruce Wayne, stood 188 centimeters tall, and his mother, Talia al Ghul, stood 173 centimeters tall-and Damian firmly believed he would grow tall too, the people around him made for harsh comparisons. The old butler Alfred was 183 centimeters tall. Jason, who operated outside under the name Red Hood and shared a mutual dislike with Damian, was also 183 centimeters tall. Even Tim Drake, who was still a teenager, stayed up late every night, and drank coffee like water, stood 178 centimeters tall!

And so Damian, now officially the shortest person in the family, naturally developed an obsession with his mere 137 centimeters of height.

Even though milk was the food he hated most, the strong-willed Robin could still force himself to close his eyes and gulp down at least one large glass every day!

He had originally thought that once Little Merfolk from the ocean arrived at Wayne Manor, he might have a chance to shed his title as the shortest in the family. Who could have imagined that, with her fish tail, Little Merfolk's enormous tail brought her height close to two meters? Even after her tail turned into legs, she still looked like a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old human girl and stood just over a meter and a half tall.

The proud little Robin remained the shortest person in the family. (๑❛ᴗ❛๑)