Capítulo 3335: Chapter 2477: The Ancient and Strange Bat Family (20)
Batwoman's rented apartment was located northeast of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, just a few hundred meters away. This area was a cultural and artistic district, where many companies related to culture and art had gathered, including some newspapers and publishing houses.
The apartment was in great condition, and the rent wasn't cheap. However, the building Batwoman lived in was newly constructed with fresh facilities, so the moment she couldn't push the door open, she knew it definitely wasn't broken—the protective film from the factory hadn't even been peeled off yet.
Pushing the door again with more force, there was a "thud," followed by a painful cry from outside. Through the gap of the now open door, Batwoman saw Clark holding his forehead.
"What are you doing?"
"I was trying to see if anyone was inside through the peephole."
Batwoman squeezed out through the crack of the door and saw the peephole smashed to pieces and a dent in the door created by Clark's forehead, and her hand gripping the doorknob tightened.
"Is there something you need?"
Batwoman swore she infused at least a ton of intimidation into that question, combining sentiments like "you'd better have something" and "you'd better not have something and then scram."
"Uh, it's like this, our newspaper has a new branch here, and I've been transferred over..."
"Transferred?"
"Alright, I applied for it, but also because the housing here is much nicer than the old and rundown ones downtown, and rent is cheaper, so I just..."
"What does this have to do with me?"
"I just remembered that you live here..."
"Just remembered?"
Clark looked at her and said nothing.
Suddenly, two dog barks came from downstairs. Both of them turned their heads toward the stairwell—at the same time, the apartment manager's scolding could be heard.
"Pets aren't allowed in the apartment!"
"Little Kryptonite! Little Kryptonite!"
A nimble-looking big dog burst out from the stairwell and leapt into Clark's arms, who hugged the dog and squeezed through the door without a word.
Batwoman, who had just stepped out of her apartment, of course, got pushed back in. She tried to resist, but apparently, she couldn't out-muscle Superman, so she got squished back inside like excess jelly oozing from a sandwich.
Batwoman, watching Clark holding the dog, noticed that neither of them was calling out or speaking, but her brain started buzzing already.
Just then, Batwoman's phone rang. She saw Diana's name on the screen and remembered she was supposed to go downstairs to meet Diana, who was dropping by for a visit.
So she quickly put on her coat, ready to head downstairs. Clark asked several times where Batwoman was going, but she really didn't want to deal with him and just walked out on her own, leaving Clark with no choice but to follow.
Diana was waiting in a shady corner of the street, waving at Batwoman, who quickly walked over, revealing Clark, who was behind her.
Diana's eyes widened immediately—take note, Superman isn't a superhero with a publicly known identity. Although the setup of him being unrecognizable just by taking off his glasses sounds a bit far-fetched, the actual premise is that Superman uses his superpowers to blur his appearance in the eyes of others, enabling him to hide his identity.
This could fool ordinary people but not Diana, who of course knew Superman was Clark, though she wasn't quite sure whether Batwoman knew or if Clark wanted Batwoman to know.
As a demigod who had lived for so many years, could Diana not see what the young Clark was up to? Her attitude, however, was not optimistic; chasing after Batwoman was a bit too bold even for Superman.
Diana exchanged a few pleasantries with Batwoman, patted Little Kryptonite's head in Clark's arms, and the three of them took the elevator up to Batwoman's apartment.
Batwoman also worked at the Metropolitan Museum, so Diana shared many work-related tips with her. Clark stared at Batwoman the entire time until Diana paused, giving his gaze a chance to drift.
Diana rolled her eyes ever so imperceptibly, mocking Clark's fickleness, but still advised before leaving, "Maintaining good relations with the surrounding newspapers is a good practice. Some exhibitions require media publicity, and it saves a lot of trouble if one is dealing with familiar faces."
Clark immediately nodded vigorously to the point of a blur. Batwoman glanced at him but said nothing.
The corners of Clark's mouth instantly drooped, and even Little Kryptonite's ears sagged.
After Diana had left, Batwoman turned to look at Clark, who hesitated before deciding to step away.
"There are surveillance cameras downstairs. If you walk out holding the dog, I will soon be kicked out of this apartment," Batwoman spoke up.
Clark paused in his steps, then with the dog in his arms, he headed to the balcony. Batwoman stood by the door watching his movements. Clark smiled at her and took off into the air with Little Kryptonite.
Clark, soaring into the sky, saw Batwoman emerge from the balcony, but instead of watching him, she gazed at the Metropolis skyline bathed in the twilight.
Clark, though leaving, didn't immediately return to his own place. Despite having a pile of stuff to sort through from his move, his mind was so full of thoughts that he wanted to share them with someone, and who better to confide in than Batman?
Clark flew to Gotham and started searching for Batman's figure in the skies above Gotham, eventually finding him in the Batcave's laboratory.
But Batman wasn't conducting experiments. He was merely reading a stack of papers, and upon noticing him being free, Clark unceremoniously sat down on the chair next to him.
"You don't have to act so much like a lost puppy," Batman initiated the conversation.
"Oh!" Clark let out a sigh, sinking into the chair and rubbing his face vigorously. "I'm just a bit down, you know? Do you know what it feels like to be constantly overlooked?"
"I don't think you or I often have that experience," Batman said, turning to look at Clark.
"But I feel like we often have that experience between the two of us," Clark murmured softly.
Batman remained silent for a long time, and Clark had no choice but to say, "Can't you ask what's bothering me?"
Batman moved his eyes away and then back again, saying, "Who?"
"You."
Batman stared at him.
"The other you." Clark touched his forehead and said, "I just wanted to make friends with her, but she's so distant, and it seems like she always fails to notice me."
"Tell me more."
Clark recounted every single detail of his encounters with Batwoman from the moment he met her. At first, Batman was silent but clearly listening intently. As the story went on, however, Batman shook his head and sighed more and more.
"Don't just sigh!" Clark said. "What's wrong? Is there something I'm not getting right?"
"She told you that if you went downstairs with the dog, you'd be detected by the surveillance, so you flew off with the dog?"
Clark nodded.
"Why didn't you leave the dog behind?"
"Huh?"
"You could have just stuffed the dog into her arms, asking her to take care for a bit, then gone back to get a pet bag and come back. It would have dragged into dinner time perfectly. On the way back, just so happen to spot a decent restaurant and, as a token of gratitude for her taking care of the pet, invite her to dinner."
"...?" Clark frowned in thought and then said, "But... but taking care of a pet can be quite troublesome. What if she's allergic to dog fur, what if the dog runs away..."
"Is Little Kryptonite an ordinary dog?"
"Um..."
Clark took a deep breath, shifted his chair closer to Batman with effort, leaned in next to Batman, and staring down at him from above his eyes said, "So what should I do next?"
"Recently, there's a rather professional psychologist staying at my manor..."
"I don't have to see a psychologist, right?!"
"I mean..." Batman said, somewhat helplessly, "Bryce just went through a psychological assessment with him..."
"You want me to find out the results of the psychological assessment? But that's highly unethical, that would be invading personal privacy..."
Batman was silent, but in the end, he spoke up, "Do you not trust the doctor's ethical standards, or do you not trust mine?"
"Uh..." Clark thought about it and realized that Batman wouldn't really suggest something so unethical; there must be more to it.
But it was already late that day, so Clark stayed overnight at Wayne Manor. Early the next morning, he knocked on Shiller's door.
When Shiller opened the door, dressed in suit and tie, he gave Clark quite a start. He said, "Ah, Professor... Did you not sleep last night? What's wrong?"
"It all starts with a hymn of praise in the mailbox... Come in."
Clark observed Shiller's expression carefully, assured that there was no serious matter, then walked into the room and explained the purpose of his visit.
Shiller sighed, only able to say that Batman was very good at keeping everyone around him busy, perhaps a trait inherited from Martha and Thomas.
Shiller and Clark hadn't sat for long when someone knocked on the room's door again. Shiller went to open it and found God of War Batman standing outside.
"Good morning, Professor. It's like this, I... Oh, do you have a visitor? Then I'll come back later..."
"Maybe we can set a precise time. I think ten o'clock is good, don't you?"
After sending God of War Batman away, Shiller walked to the table to make tea, just as he picked up the cup, the door was knocked again.
"Hello, Professor. I have some questions I'd like to consult with you about. Do you have time now... You have a visitor? I apologize for not making an appointment, I'll come back later."
Charles at the door glared fiercely at Erik behind him, then turned to leave.
"Wait, Charles. I think you can come here at one o'clock this afternoon; I'll be free then," Shiller called out to him.
"Really, Professor?" Erik asked dryly.
"If it weren't for the fact that both of your faces spelled out 'if we can't solve our problems today, we plan to end the cosmos with a big fight,' I would schedule you for tomorrow. See you this afternoon."
After sending Charles and Erik away, Shiller just took out the tea leaves when he heard a noise outside the window.
Whoosh, the leaves outside the balcony were parted, and a large head peered in. "Hey, Professor, sorry, do you have a moment now? Cull Obsidian and I, we thought..."
"Sorry, I have a visitor right now. Maybe I'll be free by four o'clock this afternoon?"
"Thank you so much, then we'll..."
"Professor! Professor! It's Alfred. Sorry to disturb you, but..."
Shiller completely stuffed the tea leaves back into the drawer, realizing, how could Batman possibly just be inviting him over for a vacation?
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