"One day, you're going to look around and you're going to realize that everybody loves you, but nobody likes you. And that is the loneliest feeling in the world."
—BoJack Horseman (BoJack Horseman)
...
"What?"
On the top of the Wayne Tower, Robin looked at the huge banner that suddenly unfolded, covering almost half of the rooftop, and his face turned extremely gloomy.
Yes, it was April Fool's Day, and playing pranks and fooling people was a tradition on this day.
But Robin never expected the Phantom Thief to use this prank on his notice letter.
'Wait, if the notice letter was just an illusion to fool us from beginning to end, then is Phantom Thief not going to steal the diamond or... not come to Wayne Tower?'
Thinking about this, Robin immediately turned around and looked toward the Orpheus Jewelry Exhibition Center, several kilometers away.
'If Phantom Thief intended to get everyone's attention to Wayne Tower and then use the opportunity to steal the 'Hope Diamond'...'
Oh no!
Robin anxiously contacted Dean.
"Are you on the rooftop or still in the exhibition hall?"
Inside a bathroom in the exhibition hall, Dean received Dick's call.
"I haven't gone to the rooftop yet. So, did you see Phantom Thief?"
"No, the Phantom Thief didn't show up. The notice letter was a complete trick; he fooled all of us."
When talking to Dean, Robin didn't have his voice changed as usual. He used his original voice.
"The banner that says 'Happy April Fool's Day' is incredibly huge. I can see it clearly from the ground."
"It seems that this thief really enjoys playing pranks. He actually pulled off such a prank show."
Dean chuckled in amazement.
"It may not be that simple. I suspect that the Phantom Thief might be planning to steal the diamond while most people are distracted. Have you noticed anyone suspicious in the exhibition hall?"
"No, everything seems normal here for now."
Dean naturally replied, although he wasn't in the exhibition hall at the moment.
"That's good. He probably hasn't started his move yet. Don't act recklessly, Dean. If you see anyone suspicious, immediately tell me... or inform Commissioner Gordon or Detective Bullock. In any case, don't do anything dangerous on your own!"
"Don't worry, I'll take care of myself."
After hanging up the phone, Dean showed a faint smile on his face.
...
"Ladies and gentlemen, The Phantom Thief has not appeared. The white glider only carried a huge banner saying 'Happy April Fools' Day.' Could it be that his earlier notice letter was just a prank for everyone in Gotham?"
In the sky above Wayne Tower, Vicki Vale pointed at the banner while speaking in front of the camera.
On the ground, most people had smiles on their faces. In Gotham, it was quite terrifying when criminals played pranks on people.
The more serious the prank, the more people would end up hurt.
But everyone knew that the Phantom Thief had never taken a life since his show. His jokes were obviously just simple jokes.
And he literally tricked people into believing that Phantom Thief would really appear on top of Wayne Tower, which was a very successful April Fool's joke.
However, there were a few people whose way of thinking was different from others.
They didn't think that Phantom Thief was just playing an April Fool's prank.
"What April Fool's prank? I think Phantom Thief is afraid that the 'Hope Diamond' curse will come true."
"Probably! I heard that since that exhibition started, many people have had accidents because of that diamond, and some even died!"
"Is that true? Can a diamond be that magical? That would explain why Phantom Thief pulled off this whole stunt today."
The people nearby who liked Phantom Thief overheard their conversation and became unhappy.
"What nonsense are you talking about? The Phantom Thief is not a coward!"
"Back then, even with hundreds of GCPD police officers and Robin and Batgirl, they couldn't defeat Phantom Thief. How can a mere diamond from an unknown legend scare him? Is it so hard to admit someone else is talented?"
"We were talking about Phantom Thief, not you. What's your rush? It's not like Phantom Thief is your father!"
"Just a petty little thief who knows some magic tricks, and there are people who support even this kind of criminal. Gotham's future is really dark."
On top of Wayne Tower, Robin was unaware of the argument among the citizens on the ground.
After ending his communication with Dean, he was in a hurry to return to the Exhibition Center.
However, just as he was about to jump directly down from the tower, he suddenly noticed something weird about the banner in front of him.
Looking closer, he saw that there was something like a balloon connected to the banner and the huge white glider hovering in mid-air, and there seemed to be something painted on it.
Since the balloon was on the back of the banner, only Robin could see it.
Robin pressed a switch on the side of his eye mask to turn on the telescope mode. This made the image instantly get bigger.
There was indeed a quite large balloon with a diameter of about half a meter and a cartoon image of the Phantom Thief's smirking face painted on it.
On top of the cartoon face, there was a noticeable red "X", as if telling Robin to "hit here."
Robin stared at the balloon in silence for a moment. He then looked at the distance between the tower and the ground, as well as the distance to the helicopter above.
If the balloon contained an instant explosive bomb, it would hurt only him at most.
And he also believed that the Phantom Thief wouldn't use a bomb.
So, Robin stepped back more than ten meters and threw a Birdarang quickly and accurately hit the red "X" on the balloon with a swift throw.
Bang!
The sharp Birdarang cut right through the balloon, which made a loud noise.
After that, a lot of white cards flew out of the inside balloon and went in all directions due to the updraft created by the helicopters.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Robin was quick on his feet, and he ran over quickly to grab a card in the air above Wayne Tower.
As he looked at the card, Robin's pupils suddenly shrank.
It turned out to be another notice from Phantom Thief!
And it wasn't a riddle this time; it was a very straightforward crime notice.
"Today, I just played a small joke on everyone. I hope you don't take it to heart.
On the day of the Savior's resurrection, I will take away the 'Hope Diamond' that brings misfortune.
Yours sincerely, Phantom Thief."
The day of the Savior's resurrection—isn't that referring to Easter?
This year's Easter is on April 3rd, which means that Phantom Thief's real move date wasn't not April 1st but Easter!
The cards from Phantom Thief scattered in the wind and were picked up by people on the ground.
When fans of Phantom Thief saw what was on the card, they were overjoyed by the content.
"Look! The Phantom Thief said he would steal the diamond on Easter!"
"I knew it! Phantom Thief isn't afraid of any diamond. He was just following the tradition of April Fools' Day. There were some people who thought he was scared. They have no idea what they're talking about!"
...
A/N: If we reach 1, 700 power stones today, I will release an additional chapter tomorrow.
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