Stuffed

Compared to Damian, who drank his milk as though marching to his death, Miaomiao looked positively delighted.

Compared to steak, which required a knife and fork to cut into small pieces, or the long, slippery strands of spaghetti with meat sauce, a drink like milk that she could simply hold in both hands and pour into her mouth was so convenient!

Miaomiao drank with satisfaction written all over her face, while the old butler watched with a look of warm approval.

If only Master Bruce and the young masters could be as unfussy about their food as Miss Miaomiao.

After countless rounds of "five more minutes," Bruce finally got up in his dressing gown at the old butler's urging.

Yesterday, he had sent Gotham's most dangerous villains back to Arkham, settling them into their very own "luxury suites." Gotham could enjoy a few quiet days without any major incidents. For once, Bruce allowed himself to relax, leaving his room with slightly tousled black hair and sleepy eyes.

This was a rare side of Bruce, with neither the cold brutality of Batman, the Dark Knight, nor the frivolous restlessness of sweetheart Bruce as he mingled with wealthy businessmen and beautiful women. He was like a big black cat strolling at ease through his own territory, exuding a distinctive languor and an innate nobility and grace.

Even in nothing but a dressing gown, he somehow made it look like runway couture.

Then again, in the Wayne Family, this "ordinary" dressing gown really was a bespoke creation.

By the time Bruce sat down at the dining table, everyone else had finished eating. Even Miaomiao, the little merfolk, had eaten until her little belly was round with the two brothers' help, while Alfred, Butler Batman, indulgently turned a blind eye. She was now curled up on a small sofa, letting her food settle.

Alfred brewed some sweet tea to aid digestion and placed it on the small side table within the girl's reach. His tone was resigned. "Miss Miaomiao, I am very pleased that you enjoy my cooking, but overeating is not good for your health. Besides, if you fill up too much at mealtimes, you won't have any appetite left for refreshments between meals."

Miaomiao rubbed her round belly, feeling uncomfortably stuffed herself. Cradling her digestive tea, she obediently agreed. "Okay, Alfred. Thank you. I'll remember."

Bruce looked at the ankles showing beneath Miaomiao's skirt. Before yesterday, there had been a blue-violet fish tail there. Now, those smooth, slender legs and feet looked no different from an ordinary teenage girl's.

If there was any difference, it was that the little merfolk's skin was fairer and more delicate than an ordinary girl's, as tender as a baby's that had never been exposed to wind or sun.

Who would have thought that this seemingly harmless, even "frail" girl could scale the dozens of stories of the Gotham Television Station building with her bare hands, then effortlessly demolish a ceiling and ventilation ducts with a single punch?

That building was certainly no shoddy construction!

Granted, she was not the only one capable of scaling the exterior wall of a building dozens of stories high barehanded-that young, up-and-coming hero in New York, the boy who called himself "Spider-Man," could do it too.

But based on the information Batman had gathered, Spider-Man had accidentally acquired spider-like superpowers. When he touched an object, he could produce some kind of bioelectric current, or form tiny barbs on his skin similar to the hairs on a spider's legs, generating powerful adhesion. Spider-Man used that adhesion to climb smooth surfaces.

As for Miaomiao, the little merfolk...

The department at Wayne Enterprises specifically responsible for assessing damage caused by superheroes and supervillains had just sent him some of its findings.

In the photographs, the marks on the outside of the Gotham Television Station building clearly showed that the girl had climbed by driving her fingertips straight into the walls. Using the strength in her fingertips to "hook" onto the building and "hang" herself from it, she had climbed up one step at a time.

Even someone as strong-willed as Batman could not help feeling a sympathetic ache in his fingers at the thought.

People with superpowers really did defy all reason. Sometimes, he truly felt just a little envious.

But that thought lasted only a moment.

It was not as though Batman had never had the chance to acquire superpowers.

Even setting aside Gotham City, where all manner of monsters routinely ran rampant and superpowered criminals kept cropping up, acquiring superpowers was as easy as eating or drinking. After meeting Superman, Green Lantern, and the others, he had had even more opportunities to obtain superpowers directly.

Many times, those opportunities had been right in front of Batman, within easy reach. Some had even chased after him repeatedly, practically begging him to accept them.

Without exception, Batman himself had firmly refused them all.

Overwhelming power could sometimes make people lose their way.

Batman never trusted human nature.

Inside the supercomputer in the underground Batcave, beneath layer upon layer of encryption, lay countless contingency plans. They were plans for capturing, or even killing, every member of the superhero organization he had personally founded-the Justice League-should they ever fall.

Yes, every teammate he trusted to watch his back...

Including...

Himself.

A bat monster who did not even trust himself was destined to walk alone through Gotham's dark nights...

"Burp~"

The sudden belch interrupted Bruce's rare moment of melancholy. He looked up and met the eyes of the little merfolk, who was hastily clapping her hands over her mouth.

"Mmph..."

Miaomiao felt utterly embarrassed. She had actually eaten so much that she had let out such a loud burp. Bruce was even looking at her-he had obviously heard it.

The little merfolk covered her mouth, her cheeks burning, and desperately wanted to jump into the water to cool off.

Bruce had to suppress a smile. If he laughed now, the easily embarrassed little girl would surely flee on the spot.

Bruce cleared his throat and pretended nothing had happened as he asked her, "Miaomiao, does turning your fish tail into legs have any harmful effects on you?"

Miaomiao stole a glance at Bruce. His expression was perfectly serious, without the slightest hint of mockery. Slowly relaxing, she answered, "No. Changing between a fish tail and legs is an innate ability of the Merfolk. It doesn't have any harmful effects. It's just that little merfolk who haven't reached adulthood can't fully master the flow of spiritual power yet, so they can't keep their legs for very long. It's also hard for them to control the transformation at will."

Bruce narrowed his eyes. "You mean underage merfolk could turn back into their fish-tailed form at any moment?"

"More or less. The more spiritual power we have, the longer we can keep our legs. The better our control over spiritual power, the more easily we can switch between the two forms."

At this point, Miaomiao remembered a story the Elders of her tribe had told to scare the little merfolk who were always trying to run off.

"They say that a long time ago, a little merfolk who hadn't reached adulthood made friends with a child on the shore. The child invited her to visit their village, and the silly girl changed her tail into legs, ran ashore, and went along. But she had so much fun that she lost track of time. Right there in the village, in front of everyone, her big tail suddenly popped back out, and she lay on the ground flopping around. She scared all the villagers senseless. They thought she was a monster."