Stranded on a deserted island

A massive explosion erupted across the sea.

I miscalculated...

That was Bruce's thought in the final moment before he sank into the depths.

Alfred and the others must be worried, right? At least I'd already bundled up the evidence and sent it to Red Robin. The evil aboard the cruise ship had gone up in flames in the explosion, and the passengers had been evacuated by the rescue team I'd contacted in advance.

Moving the plan forward had made things a little rushed, but fortunately, their final attempt to take me down with them had still been within controllable limits. There hadn't been widespread casualties. The mission could be considered a complete success...

Except for me.

Blood kept seeping from his wounds, drawing several sharks that eyed him hungrily. Batman had anticipated this situation long ago. The small canister of shark repellent in his Utility Belt bought him a little time.

The Battle Armor's tracker was still working. They would find me.

The most lethal threat right now was suffocation.

He had given his oxygen tank to a child who had fallen overboard. The Batsuit that was supposed to protect its wearer now weighed on him like a deadly stone, dragging him ever deeper. The light from the surface grew fainter, and a fierce pain began to build in his chest from the lack of oxygen.

Was Gotham's Batman going to die not in the chaos of Gotham's nights, but in the depths of the sea?

What a morbid joke.

Perhaps it was just as well. I could finally lay everything down and rest for a long, long time.

As for Gotham...

My children would keep her safe...

In the final moment before his consciousness faded, Bruce saw a blue-violet glow rushing toward him...

Oh no, oh no! What happened?! I'd only gone to find a present for my new friend. How had his big ship exploded and sent him into the water in such a short time?!

This was bad! Humans couldn't breathe underwater! Was the first friend I'd made in this world really going to die just like that?!

At that thought, Miaomiao worked her tail even harder, wishing she could swim faster.

Found him!

Miaomiao reached out to support Bruce as he continued to sink and patted his face-he was still alive! But his consciousness was already fading.

It was all right, it was all right. As long as he was still breathing, I could save him.

Miaomiao enclosed her new friend's head in a transparent bubble that kept the water out, then pulled him upward, only to be startled by the weight in her hands.

What on earth was my new friend wearing? Not only was it pitch-black, it was ridiculously heavy. So ugly. It didn't suit our tastes at all.

Extending her little pointed claws, Miaomiao stripped the black shell off her new friend in a few quick movements, then sped toward the surface.

She remembered passing a small island earlier. She could take him there to rest.

With a flick of her tail, the two of them shot like a torpedo toward the island in Miaomiao's memory. Almost the instant they left, a search-and-rescue helicopter bearing the words "Wayne Enterprises" arrived over that stretch of sea.

"We've reached the target area. No visual on the target yet."

"Beginning horizontal position fix... Tracker located fifty meters below sea level..."

"Recovery unsuccessful. Requesting support..."

Blue skies, white clouds, a sandy beach, and the sea.

Miaomiao brought Bruce to the island she remembered, then stared helplessly at her unconscious friend.

What was I supposed to do when a human nearly drowned...?

Merfolk were born in the ocean and grew up in the ocean. It was their most comfortable home, their safest cradle. Even raging storms, lightning, and thunder above the surface could not disturb the creatures that had lived in the deep sea for generations.

Besides, the Merfolk had always kept to themselves. This was Miaomiao's first encounter with drowning.

Oh well. Might as well try whatever I could.

Miaomiao tentatively channeled a little of her spiritual energy into her friend. When she sensed his vitality recovering and his heartbeat steadying, she was greatly encouraged. Estimating how much his new friend's body could withstand, she gave him some more.

By the time Bruce slowly woke to the sound of ethereal singing, dusk had fallen. Sensing the changes in his body, he snapped fully awake, his gaze sharp.

But in the blink of an eye, Bruce concealed every trace of that alertness and sat up groggily, just like any ordinary person who had nearly drowned.

The singing grew clearer. It was a melody Bruce had never heard before, and he could not understand a single word of the lyrics.

Bruce stared, entranced, at the girl sitting on a rock, flicking her tail as she sang.

The sea, the sunset, a fish-tailed girl singing on a rock...

The scene looked so much like a bedtime story a mother might tell her child.

Although Bruce's reputation as an "empty-headed playboy" was firmly established in Gotham, he had actually taken his university studies seriously and even earned several degrees. When he left Gotham to travel the world and learn, he had also mastered more than a dozen languages and writing systems.

Bruce was certain this was not any language he knew. Yes, it was definitely not meaningless humming. It was a language.

Simply listening to her song made Bruce's perpetually taut nerves slowly relax, as though gentle hands were soothing them.

"Bruce, you're awake!"

Noticing movement on the beach, Miaomiao finished the passage she was singing, then turned happily toward her new friend.

Though she had no legs, her tail was even more nimble and powerful. Two flicks brought her to the water's edge, where she held out both hands to Bruce, proudly offering a blue pearl the size of a pigeon's egg.

"Bruce, look! This is my present for you. This one is the closest to the color of your eyes. It took me ages to find!"

Usually, it was the playboy Bruce Wayne who gave pearls and diamonds to beautiful girls. This was the first time Bruce had received a pearl from a girl. He paused in surprise, then accepted it with a smile.

"It's beautiful. You must have put a lot of effort into finding it."

"It wasn't too bad."

Only finding a pearl the same color as Bruce's eyes had been difficult. The rest had been easy. After all, Bruce had secretly given her so many delicious things to eat over the past few days!

"You were the one who saved me, weren't you? I should be thanking you."

"You're the first friend I've made here. How could I just watch you drown?"

"By the way, Miaomiao," Bruce asked with studied casualness, "I think I was wearing an outfit when I fell into the water. Do you know where it went?"

Bruce did not explicitly identify that "outfit" as his Batsuit. Sure enough, the innocent girl fell straight into Batman's little verbal trap.

"You mean that black, hard shell?" Miaomiao wrinkled her little nose. "It was too heavy. I was afraid something would happen to you if I took too long, so I tore it apart and threw it away."

At that point, something suddenly occurred to Miaomiao.

Oh no. I'd forgotten humans weren't like us Merfolk, who were all skilled at weaving silk gauze. They had to pay for their clothes. Though Bruce's outfit had been black, heavy, and ugly, it had been very hard and offered humans quite good protection, a little like the armor military officers wore.

Even Miaomiao, who had hardly ever ventured away from home, knew that a suit of high-quality armor was far from cheap on land.

Miaomiao looked at Bruce a little nervously. "Was that outfit... very expensive?"