Chapter Summaries

Ririko navigated the Falcone family’s election plans and Carmine’s advances while Oswald ordered her watched. After Dick told her Bruce was staying home, Victor appeared outside the café, and Ririko decided to teach him a lesson.

• Carmine assigned Sofia and Alberto to help Oswald’s mayoral campaign, and Sofia told Ririko she wanted her brothers to turn against each other.
• Sofia paid Ririko, while Carmine invited her to a family dinner and told her she could call him by his first name.
• Oswald ordered Butch to monitor Ririko and investigate her connection to Carmine, worrying that Carmine might take advantage of her.
• Dick told Ririko that Bruce would be away from campus for two weeks, and Ririko postponed meeting him until the following week.
• Victor watched Ririko and Dick through the café window, and Ririko decided to give him a lesson.

Ririko uncovered how Victor’s fascination with her depended on other people’s desire, then offered to let him experience her own desire in exchange for his obedience. The next day at the Falcones’ Oak Paddock, Victor’s presence sent Alberto’s horse running, so Ririko suggested a walk instead.

• Ririko confronted Victor in her bedroom and explained that he felt drawn to her through other people’s infatuation with her.
• Ririko offered Victor a deal: he would obey her, and she would let him experience what it felt like when she wanted to possess someone.
• Victor watched Ririko for half an hour and accepted the deal, then asked who she had been thinking about; she told him to pretend it was him.
• Ririko went with Victor to the Falcones’ Oak Paddock, where Alberto offered to help her mount his horse, Storm.
• Storm reared and bolted as Alberto touched Ririko’s waist, and Ririko suspected Victor had frightened the horse with his murderous aura.
• Ririko smiled at Alberto and suggested they walk in the garden instead.

Ririko encouraged Alberto to leave the Falcone family with her, and Carmine discovered them together. Carmine confronted Alberto over his betrayal and refused to let him take Ririko, while she learned Alberto had secretly allied with Maroni against his family.

• Ririko told Alberto she feared Carmine might force him to stay, and Alberto vowed to leave the family with her and build power of his own.
• Carmine arrived at the estate with Sofia and other Falcone relatives, then went upstairs after learning Ririko was in a guest room.
• Carmine entered the room and slapped Alberto after spotting red marks on Ririko's neck.
• Alberto declared that Ririko was his girlfriend and challenged Carmine's authority to hit him.
• Ririko confirmed that she and Alberto were together and said he planned to leave the family with her.
• Carmine accused Alberto of secretly colluding with Maroni and told him he could leave but could not take Ririko.

After Alberto betrayed Carmine and was driven from the room, Ririko demanded the rest of Sofia’s promised payment and decided to escape the Estate. Carmine’s men caught her near the rear gate, and Carmine asked what she was doing there.

• Carmine disowned Alberto for colluding with Maroni's people, and Victor blocked Alberto from taking Ririko away.
• Carmine ordered Victor to have Alberto watched and to deal with him if he contacted Maroni's people again.
• Sofia paid Ririko four million and withheld the remaining five million, saying she would pay it after securing her position as heir.
• Ririko agreed to wait, then climbed out a window after dark and tried to leave through the rear gate.
• Storm alerted the guards, who surrounded Ririko with guns until Carmine ordered them to stand down and asked what she was doing.

Ririko tried to escape Carmine Falcone’s control as his infatuation with her grew, and she unlocked a skill that could compel him to obey. Just as she prepared to use it, Victor held a knife to Carmine’s throat and called his intervention a resignation.

• Ririko pretended to be frightened, and Carmine comforted her before taking her riding around the estate and telling her about his past.
• Carmine brought Ririko to his master bedroom, where she messaged Victor for help and considered killing Carmine when he did not reply.
• Ririko unlocked Word-Curse Control, which could compel a Core Character with an Infatuation Value above 60 to obey one short command.
• As Carmine’s infatuation reached 60, Ririko prepared to command him but felt an urge to curse him instead.
• Victor approached Carmine from behind with a knife at his throat and said he was resigning, not betraying him.

Ririko escaped Carmine Falcone’s estate with Victor, but Butch and his armed men ambushed them on the road. After fleeing through the woods, she saw Jerome near the railway tracks and then encountered Bruce Wayne.

• Ririko silenced Carmine, and Victor tied him to the window bars and taped his mouth shut.
• Victor carried Ririko away on horseback, and the Falcone Family’s enforcers let them pass.
• Butch confronted Victor with armed men and a machine gun, demanding that he hand over Ririko.
• Victor sent Ririko riding toward the woods as Butch’s men opened fire.
• Ririko saw Jerome across the railway tracks, but he disappeared when a train passed.
• A middle-aged man checked on Ririko as Bruce Wayne approached, triggering a system notice that he had entered effective range.

Bruce reunited with Ririko, believed her explanation for faking her death, and brought her to Wayne Manor. After she learned about Bruce's investigation into monster drugs, Ririko hesitated when he offered her the guest room next to his.

• Bruce recognized Ririko beside the railroad, and she told him that Sofia had helped her fake her death to escape Jerome's revenge.
• Bruce ignored Alfred's silent warnings and invited Ririko to stay at Wayne Manor, while she checked that Jerome was not following them.
• During the drive, Bruce told Ririko that the Dark Web had traced the monster drugs to Sal Maroni and that he planned to investigate Maroni's dealings with William Earn.
• Ririko praised Bruce, raising her infatuation value to 12, and they arrived at Wayne Manor.
• Bruce offered Ririko the guest room next to his, but she hesitated because she wanted to keep their interactions at a safe distance.

Ririko stayed at Wayne Manor, then went to campus and confronted Sofia, who warned her that the Falcone Family was hunting her. Ririko refused to flee and insisted Sofia pay the five million she owed, leaving Sofia flustered and storming out.

• Bruce arranged for Ririko to stay in a guest room at Wayne Manor, while Alfred suspected her arrival was no accident and Bruce worried about his cologne.
• Ririko messaged Victor to ask if he was alive and whether anyone from Cobblepot's side remained, but Victor only replied that he was not dead yet.
• The next morning, Ririko dressed in clothes prepared by the maids and rode a Wayne family car to campus, where Dick said Bruce wanted to meet her after classes.
• Sofia confronted Ririko in an empty classroom and revealed that her father had ordered his men to hunt Ririko through Gotham.
• Ririko threatened to expose Sofia's role in forcing Alberto out and said Victor was on her side, then refused to leave until Sofia paid her five million.
• Ririko flirted with Sofia and suggested she might change targets if Sofia married her, prompting Sofia to leave with her face flushed.

Ririko stood up to Professor Jervis Tetch in class and later followed Dick to a high-tech room at Wayne University, where she met Barbara Gordon and Harvey Dent. The chapter ended as Bruce was expected to arrive with a friend of his own.

• Ririko dismissed Sofia Falcone's visit and told Dick that Sofia had only missed her.
• Ririko mocked Professor Jervis Tetch's outdated clothes, posted his threat to deny her course credit on the Campus Forum, and watched him storm out.
• Dick took Ririko to a restricted room in the Wayne building using his Black Card.
• Ririko met Barbara Gordon, who was startled that Dick had brought a girl, and Harvey Dent, who was studying for the bar exam.
• Harvey told Dick that Bruce had said he was bringing a friend upstairs, and Dick welcomed the coincidence.

Ririko joined Bruce, Dick, Barbara, and Harvey as they investigated strange suicides and a possible assassination plot in Gotham. Bruce invited her into the Night Bat organization, but she criticized its name as sounding like a brand of extra-long overnight pads.

• Dick answered Bruce’s call to Ririko and told him they were already at the base, then Bruce arrived with coffee and cake.
• Bruce and Dick both offered Ririko coffee, but she chose hot chocolate instead.
• Barbara reported several suspicious suicides among men connected to Falcone, and Ririko suggested someone might have controlled their minds.
• Harvey identified Rupert Thorne as Penguin’s rival in the mayoral race and warned that Maroni might target him at Gotham University.
• Bruce described the Night Bat team’s roles and asked whether Ririko would join, but she mocked the organization’s name.

Ririko agreed to attend Mayor Thorne’s Friday rally after learning Professor Jervis Tetch was on his advisory team, while Bruce and Dick both offered to accompany her. On the way to Wayne Manor, Alfred encountered a hypnotized gang leader, leaving Bruce and Ririko suspecting the rally’s mind-control threat was already active.

• Ririko volunteered to attend Friday’s rally, and Barbara revealed that Professor Jervis Tetch was advising Mayor Thorne’s campaign.
• Dick and Bruce walked Ririko to campus, each trying to keep their connection to her secret from the other.
• In Alfred’s car, Ririko noticed Bruce’s new cologne and teased him about being jealous of Dick’s physique.
• Alfred stopped the car when a man stumbled into the road, struck him to break his hypnotic stupor, and identified him as hypnotized.
• Ririko recognized the man as a gang leader from the Falcone Family meeting, and Alfred drove on while reminding Bruce to let go of Ririko.

Ririko warned Oswald that someone planned to hypnotize and kill him, and his excitement over hearing from her renewed his resolve to win the mayoral election. Oswald prepared Butch for Friday and planned to bring Ririko back to Gotham in triumph.

• Bruce arrived at Wayne Manor with Ririko, then left to meet with the others while she went to her room.
• Ririko messaged Oswald that someone wanted to use hypnosis to kill him.
• Oswald anxiously sent Ririko a string of messages, then smiled when she replied with a sticker of a black cat bullying a penguin.
• Oswald summoned Butch, who removed his bandages to reveal a mechanical left hand fitted after his fight with Victor.
• Oswald told Butch to be ready on Friday and resolved to defeat Maroni's side in the mayoral election before bringing Ririko back to Gotham.

Ririko discovered a hidden appointment at the Man in the Mirror Bar and prepared with Dick for the mayoral candidates’ speeches. After taking the bar tickets for herself, she messaged Victor about meeting there and received his blunt offer.

• Ririko found a date, time, and address hidden inside the custom Clown Doll’s head, pointing to the Man in the Mirror Bar.
• Ririko stayed at Wayne Manor while Bruce trained with Alfred and resumed his busy work routine.
• Ririko and Dick reviewed security arrangements for the mayoral candidates’ speeches and received passes to enter the event.
• Dick offered Ririko two complimentary tickets to the Man in the Mirror Bar, and she took them after recognizing its address.
• Ririko messaged Victor about meeting Sunday at ten p.m., and Victor replied with his prices for a date, a night, and extra services.

Bruce and Ririko went to Oswald's campaign event, where Ririko publicly defended Oswald against Thorne and then took him into a changing room. She pulled a credit card from Oswald's wallet, leaving him anxious about what she planned to do.

• Bruce and Ririko drove to school, and Bruce told her to contact him if trouble arose at the event.
• Oswald waited backstage for someone while Butch and Thorne confronted him about his campaign and mocked his disability and background.
• Ririko arrived, posed as Oswald's personal assistant, and traded insults with Thorne while linking arms with Oswald.
• Ririko led Oswald into a changing room and locked the door as Butch guarded outside.
• Ririko searched Oswald's jacket, took his wallet, and removed a black, gold-plated credit card despite his warning not to act recklessly.

Ririko linked Oswald’s credit card to her banking app before joining him at a Gotham mayoral campaign rally. Just as Oswald prepared to expose Thorne, he began acting like a penguin onstage, handing the reporters a headline-making spectacle.

• Ririko added Oswald’s credit card to her banking app, and Oswald let her use it despite feeling treated like an ATM.
• Ririko teased Oswald in the dressing room, and the staff outside overheard their suggestive conversation.
• Thorne delivered his campaign speech to a mixed response, then Oswald spoke to louder applause about fighting crime and protecting businesses.
• Clark Kent, an intern reporter for the Gotham Sun, asked Oswald whether he would work more closely with the police.
• Oswald raised an envelope of documents about Thorne, then began hiccupping and stiffly imitating a penguin onstage as the crowd laughed and reporters snapped photos.

Ririko stopped Oswald from shooting himself after spotting Tetch hypnotize him, then helped the team identify Tetch as a suspect connected to a history of suicide. On Sunday night, she met Victor on Owlman Street and took him to a bar, while his infatuation with her had reached 22/100.

• Ririko warned Dick that Oswald had been hypnotized, and Dick and Butch subdued him before he could shoot himself.
• Ririko noticed Tetch whispering to his pocket watch, and Barbara found that he was a literature professor whose dissertation focused on hypnotism and whose sister had died by suicide.
• Bruce, Dick, Barbara, and Harvey discussed their weekend plans, and Bruce arranged to work out with Dick after Ririko said she was meeting family.
• Ririko met Victor on Owlman Street on Sunday night, teased him about offering special services, and invited him to come to the bar with her.

Ririko waited at the Man in the Mirror bar for the person behind the Clown Doll’s message, drinking and dancing with Victor to draw him out. She spotted a red-haired man but lost him when he turned away into the shadows.

• Ririko and Victor entered the Man in the Mirror bar and ordered Midnight Nightmare cocktails while waiting for someone to appear.
• Ririko and Victor competed to drink, then shared a cocktail through a heart-shaped straw at Ririko’s suggestion.
• Ririko pulled Victor onto the dance floor and danced closely with him while watching for the person she suspected was observing them.
• Ririko spotted a red-haired man in a purple suit at the edge of the dance floor, but he turned away before Victor could confront him.
• Ririko released Victor and hurried after the red-haired man as he disappeared into the shadows.

Ririko met Jeremiah Valeska, who claimed to be Jerome’s brother and gave her identification codes for seven samples extracted by the Tomie Organization. After she left with Victor, Jeremiah went deeper into the hideout and encountered Harley Quinn.

• Ririko and Victor followed the moving dolls through a mirror-filled room and entered a chamber where Red-Haired Dog was waiting.
• The system identified the man as Jeremiah Valeska, and he told Ririko that Jerome had died, though she did not believe him.
• Jeremiah gave Ririko a card containing identification codes for seven samples extracted by the Tomie Organization.
• Ririko left with Victor, who teased her about holding hands and mocked Jeremiah’s attempt to pick her up.
• Jeremiah returned to a room of electronic equipment, where Harley Quinn said she had helped him switch back to his normal personality, and he called her mad.

Harley tried to recruit Jeremiah into a plan to take over Gotham’s Court of Owls, while Ririko explained the Tomie Organization to Victor and later met Alfred in private. Alfred revealed that he wanted Ririko to stay by Bruce’s side because he considered her motives the purest and safest.

• Harley proposed that Jeremiah team up with her to rule Gotham, but he rejected her as his anger over Ririko and Victor’s intimacy grew.
• Ririko told Victor that Arkham’s Tomie Organization turned people into monsters, then kissed him to keep a police officer from intervening.
• Ririko asked Victor to take her to Wayne Manor, but Alfred arrived in a Rolls-Royce and requested a private conversation.
• Alfred drove Ririko to the mountains outside North Gate and confronted her about her unknown identity and her connection to Bruce.
• Ririko said she worked only for herself and refused to leave Bruce, but Alfred told her he hoped she would stay because her motives were pure and safe.

Alfred offered Ririko a monthly salary in exchange for guiding Bruce’s training and respecting his relationships and Alfred’s distance. After Ririko hired Victor to train Bruce, she and Bruce discovered that hypnotized protesters were besieging the Iceberg Lounge, leaving Oswald in danger.

• Alfred told Ririko he wanted her to encourage Bruce to train, avoid driving a wedge between Bruce and Dick, and keep her distance from him, offering her five hundred thousand a month.
• Ririko agreed to Alfred’s terms and said she would find Bruce a trainer who would make him feel his life was on the line.
• Ririko messaged Victor and ordered him to report to Wayne Manor at eight the next morning to start work.
• Ririko returned to Wayne Manor with Alfred, where Bruce hurried to tell her that Penguin was in trouble.
• Bruce showed Ririko footage of protesters surrounding the Iceberg Lounge, and Ririko realized they had all been hypnotized.