"School?"
The next morning, Bruce brought it up at the breakfast table.
Miaomiao sat at the table with her cake fork between her teeth, tilting her head in confusion.
"School... like Tim and Damian?"
"Yes."
Bruce gently wiped his mouth with his napkin and set it aside, indicating that he had finished eating. His steel-blue eyes rested on Miaomiao, and his voice was unusually gentle.
"Young humans all have to go to school. You've become quite skilled at controlling your powers now. Dick told me that during your trip to Blüdhaven, you went several days without a proper soak, but your fish tail never appeared. Even in the vampires' underground palace, where you used a great deal of spiritual power, the tests afterward showed nothing unusual."
At that, Damian snorted with laughter. "Was Little Fish avoiding a soak? That lousy apartment couldn't even fit a bathtub. She couldn't exactly squat in the sink to maintain her form."
Dick immediately flushed and protested, "My apartment has a bathtub... it's just a little small..."
Tim set down his coffee cup and chimed in. "Objectively speaking, the bathroom facilities in that apartment are pretty primitive. For a merfolk, those qualify as harsh living conditions."
Dick had no comeback. He silently poked at the pasta on his plate.
Miaomiao's cheeks were stuffed full. She finally managed to swallow her cake and licked her lips. "It wasn't that bad. Dick's apartment was a little small, but the air there was very humid. There was often thick fog and plenty of moisture, so my skin didn't dry out as easily."
"Sweet Miaomiao, I knew you wouldn't turn your nose up at your big brother!"
Dick was practically in tears. Ever since everyone had learned that he might become that future "Ghost King Nightwing," almost everyone who