Bruce arrived in a hurry, and he left in a hurry.
As it turns out, even if Batman wished to lead a less serious life, various troubles would keep him on his toes.
Now, he had to return home and delve into a multitude of psychology textbooks to trace the origins of these innate psychopaths.
Ignoring Shiller's bewildered expression as he left, Bruce hurried back to Wayne Manor and entered the library, riffling through books that might hold clues.
Bruce, once fixated on an objective, displays exponential efficiency. He moved briskly between the bookshelves, sometimes tracing his fingers over the books and checking their titles, sometimes climbing the ladder to reach the topmost books, and occasionally would half-kneel on the ground to gather his selected books.
Between the tall bookshelves, a stack of books, teetering as if they would topple any moment, was floating in the air. If it wasn't for the two hands visible at the bottom of the pile, one might think the library was haunted.
Having minded more books than he could handle, Bruce was forced to wobble back and forth to maintain balance. As he took a step to the side to stabilize the tower of books from collapsing, he caught his breath and instinctively shouted, "Dick!"
As the name slipped from his lips, Bruce's expression stiffened for a moment, and he pursed his lips into a thin line. Ignoring the teetering stack of books, he looked at the books scattered across the ground and let out a soft sigh.
As Bruce squatted down to pick up the books, a clatter of footsteps echoed from the staircase. Carrying Aisha in his arms, Jason rushed up the stairs. Alarmed by the sight of books strewn all over the floor, he promptly set Aisha down and hurried over to help Bruce.
"Mr. Wayne, what happened? Did the bookshelf collapse? Did it hit you? Are you okay?" Asked Jason with hurried concerns.
Bruce's hand, reaching for a book, paused for a moment. He turned to look at Jason, who must have run all the way here, his cheeks flushed, and his hair still exuding warmth.
Jason Todd was always so energetic and quick, brimming with vitality, as if he would never tire. He was like the embodiment of all the children in Gotham, swift as a hare, intelligent and sharp, with a hint of wildness unique to him.
Then he thought of Dick, who was not a native of Gotham. Born in Brude Haven, he was more like a country boy, quieter than Jason, even melancholic at times.
But Bruce knew why. A dark cloud always hung over the Grayson family. The death of Dick's grandfather brought the Grayson Family Circus down from the world's pinnacle. Dick has always strived to uncover the injustices done to his grandfather and restore the Grayson family's glory.
Of course, Bruce had considered using the influence of Wayne Enterprises to aid him in investigation. But, in this regard, Dick displayed an unparalleled stubbornness. He refused to accept Bruce's help and strongly resented anyone interfering with the matter to the extent that he now forbade mentioning or asking about it.
Just two days before, Jason and Dick had quarrelled. When Jason learnt about the injustice done to Dick's family, he immediately offered to help in the investigation. But when Dick discovered his actions, he was enraged, accusing Jason of prying and doubting his abilities.
However, Jason was once the reigning king of street children in Gotham. Loyalty is a paramount virtue among the Children's Gang. If you help me, I am obliged to go all out to help you when you're in trouble, otherwise, I would be an ingrate.
Jason took Dick's reaction as an affront, resulting in a bitter quarrel with exchanged misgivings, which heated up till their faces were red and their necks swelled. It wasn't until Aisha started crying and alerted Alfred that they stopped short of exchanging blows.
Reflecting on that, Bruce sat cross-legged on the floor, leaving the books scattered around, and began to read a book he had picked up at random. Then, seemingly nonchalantly, he asked Jason, "Are you still angry with Dick?"
Jason snorted indifferently, waving his hand dismissively, "I couldn't be bothered to fuss over him, he's not a local, that's how outsiders are."
Bruce watched Jason's every movement, finding them intriguing. Actually, among all children Bruce knew, Jason was the best learner, or rather, the best in humanities.
He could effortlessly memorize even the most obscure texts, often offering profound insights, demonstrating a rich literary imagination.
Yet his background endowed him with a wilderness that contradicted his scholarly temperament, which could sometimes even border on barbarity. His speech and wordings were anything but literary.
This striking contrast brimmed Jason, even at his young age, with personal charisma, unconsciously drawing attention to him, and inciting curiosity about the secret behind this contradicting temperament.
"If you ask me, he's a bit weird, but, maybe I'm the weird one." Jason sat down, picked up a book, one hand flipping through the pages and the other resting on his knee.
"Gotham City is a city of freaks, right? Outsiders who come here, they all seem out of place. All the people here, even the rich, never show weakness to others. Dick is, undoubtedly, the most gentle person I've ever met."
At this point, Jason seemed to recall something interesting. He chuckled and said, "When we fight, he doesn't even curse. In fact, he seems shocked when I curse at him."
After finishing, he looked up at Bruce and said, "The professor told me to speak in a roundabout way when talking to elders. I've done that now. Can I just tell the plain truth now?"
Bruce rubbed his head helplessly, and Jason scratched his, saying, "It seems to me that Dick has never really fit in with Gotham. His life oscillates between home and school. Besides the folks at Wayne Manor, the only people he knows are the rich kids from his posh private school."
"But I can't let him just waltz into Gotham like that." Bruce sighed softly and said, "He's different from you; he's not at all prepared to face these dark realities."
After saying that, he looked straight into Jason's eyes, "For those of us already living in hell, there's no need to drag another innocent in. Once he learns everything he needs to, he'll eventually leave here, return home to his beautiful, peaceful little town, and live the life a normal person should."
Jason paused for a moment, before nodding and saying, "You're right. If he's just here for school, there's indeed no need for him to interact with the dark side."
"Gotham itself is not normal. Whatever societal rules he learns here won't apply once he leaves. They might even leave lasting emotional scars, so it really wouldn't matter if he didn't learn them."
Bruce picked up Aisha to prevent her from gnawing at the book. As he gently stroked her head, he said, "Dick has a complete family. That's his fortune. Therefore, there is no need for him to live a life like the less fortunate".
"But, he seems not to understand that." Jason rubbed his temple and said, "But I can't explain it to him. It seems to make him feel like an outsider when he's obviously not. I'm the outsider here."
"Haven't you told him about your life?" Bruce asked.
Jason let out a deep sigh and said, "He seems to envy me. Oh God! Couldn't the life I led, scrounging daily in the trash for food, deter his passion for this city?!"
"I've told Dick many stories about our struggle for survival, but, he seems only interested in exhilarating gun battles, outsmarting criminals, or stealing tires from other people's cars, all these criminal activities."
"He doesn't care about the times when we were so hungry that we felt dizzy or so cold that we were shaking, or when we were injured and nearly died. Perhaps he hasn't experienced these things, so he doesn't think they are a big deal."
At this point, Bruce fell silent. Dick was practically retracing his steps.
A wealthy young man, even if interested in underprivileged life, only yearns for the violence and excitements that he has not encountered. As for starvation and freezing, they have no idea how agonizing these are if they have never experienced them.
Though not as wealthy as Bruce Wayne, Dick had been raised in the famous Grayson Family Circus when he was young. Wherever they went, there was praise and applause. Moreover, he was raised by his grandfather, and old people tend to spoil their grandchildren. Compared to the kids from Gotham, Dick might as well have been raised in a honey pot.
It seems that Bruce had faced a problem common to many parents around the world. He wanted Dick to see reality, but he was also afraid that reality would hurt him.
Upon this realization, Bruce reminded himself to be patient. This wasn't something that could be resolved in a day or two. Luckily, Dick was still young. There was plenty of time before he finished all his courses. This should be enough time for him to grow up.
However, Bruce realized another issue. If he were to fight against these naturally born killers, he needed an assistant, at least now, he needed someone to help him sort books and documents.
This job used to be Dick's, but recently, Dick would rather stay at school than come home. So Bruce turned his attention to Jason, thinking, and then said, "I think, we are similar. We were both raised in Gotham. Now, a group of extremely vicious criminals is targeting me. I hope to get help. Jason, would you like to help me sort out the information?"
Jason's eyes widened, he leaned backward and looked Bruce up and down, with an expression like he didn't recognize him. Then, he exclaimed with great surprise, "Oh my God! Are you really Batman? You can actually communicate like a normal person!"
Bruce's eyes fell on the book, his face complicated. After a while, he looked up at Jason's eyes and said.
"I forgot to mention earlier, what makes us most alike is... having the same professor."