The first night

Bruce kept his expression cold, but his mind was already racing through ways to soothe the girl if she started to fuss.

It was just that he had very little confidence in his ability to comfort anyone...

This was probably the greatest weakness hidden beneath all the strengths of Batman, the man who planned for every contingency.

Bruce opened his mouth.

"Sorry..."

It was Miaomiao who spoke.

The young Little Merfolk held her scalded fingertips, tears brimming in her eyes, looking so fragile and pitiful.

"It was my fault. I've never eaten hot food before, so I didn't know it would be so... um, scalding?"

Recalling the word she had just learned, Miaomiao obediently admitted her mistake and looked up at the man with pleading eyes.

"I'm sorry, Bruce. I made you worry. I'll be careful from now on, so please don't be angry, okay?"

Pew-

The girl's gaze was like a little arrow, striking the cold, merciless Batman straight in the heart. He could no longer maintain his stern expression.

Bruce was used to the Bat Brats at home always getting worked up and arguing with him. Even Barbara and the other girls all had minds of their own. This was the first time he had encountered such unreserved trust and attachment.

After all, everyone knew that bats were the most awkward fliers among mammals, incapable of communicating-until they opened their mouths and randomly infuriated someone to death.

And now, a gentle, obedient, slightly clever little fish had unexpectedly drawn close.

No arguments, no self-assured stubbornness, no pretending to comply while secretly doing otherwise... the little fish flicked her beautiful tail and blew rainbow bubbles, meekly admitting her mistakes and following every instruction.

For an excessively obsessive control freak, this hit every one of his buttons with uncanny precision!

"As long as you understand what you did wrong," Bruce said stiffly.

"Mm-hmm, I'll remember."

Looking at the girl, Bruce turned his head and gave a light cough to cover his reaction, then produced two large, fresh, clean leaves as if by magic. He set the grilled fish on one and quickly picked off the flesh, piling it onto the other.

Once he had finished most of it, he handed the fish to the girl, leaf and all.

"Eat. Watch out for bones."

"Got it."

Miaomiao blinked her big, bright eyes, her face full of eagerness. But following Bruce's instructions, she moved slowly and carefully, picking up a piece of tender white fish and placing it in her mouth.

"Wow!"

The moment the fish entered her mouth, Miaomiao's eyes lit up.

The cooked fish had a completely different texture from raw fish, with an added warmth and an aroma she couldn't quite describe. Miaomiao didn't know how to put it into words. Anyway, it was delicious!

Miaomiao took bite after bite, unable to stop. Watching her, Bruce felt a swirl of conflicting emotions.

A girl already in her teens had never eaten hot or cooked food. One ordinary grilled fish without any seasoning was enough to make her look as though she were tasting the finest delicacy in the world. That said everything about the life she had led before.

Those people hadn't treated Miaomiao as a real "person" at all!

Miaomiao had no idea that, because of her lack of common knowledge, her new friend now saw her as a pitiable child born in a cold laboratory, with no love, no freedom, no dignity, and no sense of self, yet still innocent and kind at heart.

Right now, she was simply savoring the lingering taste of grilled fish, a different kind of deliciousness from those soft, sweet little cakes. If Miaomiao had to give her verdict, it would be-

I. Want. Both!

After a while, Miaomiao looked up and saw Bruce quietly adding wood to the campfire. Only then did she realize that of the two fish she had caught, one had been burned beyond eating when Bruce used it as a "teaching aid," while the other, properly grilled fish had ended up entirely in her stomach.

Bruce hadn't eaten a single bite!

That really wasn't right. The Merfolk had never had a tradition of keeping all the food to themselves and leaving their people or friends hungry.

Miaomiao was terribly upset with herself. "Sorry, Bruce. I was only thinking about myself and forgot you hadn't eaten anything."

"It's all right. I'm not hungry."

Bruce was telling the truth.

While traveling the world to train, he had gone almost everywhere and experienced almost everything. To understand the criminal mindset, Bruce had even deliberately committed a minor offense and gone to prison to "experience life." Going hungry was merely one of the most common, most insignificant parts of his daily experience.

With no food at all and only a little water, he could remain combat-ready for at least three days. Missing a single meal had no effect whatsoever.

But Miaomiao didn't see it that way.

For Miaomiao, who had a natural fondness for food, eating wasn't merely a necessity for survival, but one of life's wonderful experiences. After tasting all kinds of seafood, she had set her sights on the various foods humans ate on land. She had even resorted to wheedling, acting cute, and shameless flattery to win over the elder who occasionally went ashore to trade with humans, all so they would bring her back a little food from land.

Even though time and distance severely limited the quantity and variety of food they could bring back, and it was always cold, Miaomiao treasured it and ate every bite.

As the humans where she came from had a saying, "Food is the people's heaven."

Nothing, no matter how important, mattered more than eating. How could anyone go without food?

"Bruce, wait for me a little while. Just a little while!"

With that, Miaomiao flipped over and leaped into the dark sea.

On shore, Bruce withdrew his half-outstretched hand and decided that once Miaomiao returned, he would begin her second lesson in basic social knowledge-

Always wait until someone has finished speaking before leaving.

Beneath a sky full of stars, Bruce spread a thick layer of dry grass near the campfire to serve as his luxurious bed. Miaomiao lay on a flat reef not far from shore, her dreamlike blue-purple tail trailing in the water and swaying gently with the waves.

"Good night, Miaomiao."

"Good night, Bruce."

And so their first night on the deserted island passed peacefully and warmly.

At Wayne Manor in Gotham, however, it was a very different scene.

"Still haven't found him?"

"The rescue teams have searched that entire stretch of sea from top to bottom... nothing."

"Nothing... why did Superman have to be off Earth right now?"

Timothy Drake, the young head of Wayne Enterprises, leaned back in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaustion plain on his face. Before him were more than a dozen linked screens, filled with detailed analyses of the possible locations of Batman-or rather, his adoptive father, Bruce Wayne.

"Master Tim, please take a break." Alfred, the elderly butler, approached and set tea and cookies on the nearby table. "You haven't slept in two days. Have something to eat first. We all know Batman wouldn't be defeated so easily."

"Yes, I know. But... this is the first time..."

Tim looked at what the rescue teams had recovered from the seabed using the location signal, his voice growing increasingly strained-

It had been torn into more than a dozen pieces, as though some enormous beast had ripped it apart with its claws...

The Batsuit.