Harley looked up towards the stage where the Dean and professors were seated. She didn't see Bruce Wayne, but on the way here, she heard from Kane that the Dean of Wayne College had taken a long leave, apparently dealing with some matters, and would not be returning to college anytime soon.
Peculiar, she thought. The resemblance between the dark-haired boy below and Bruce Wayne was beyond uncanny; according to Harley's speculation, it's highly likely that this boy is Bruce Wayne, perhaps from an alternate universe, she thought.
Having visited other universes, Harley understood that there were infinite ones, each at different time points. Not every universe's Batman was as young and fashionable as he was in her universe, so having a younger Batman didn't feel odd.
But the question was, why was he here, and why did he come here?
Shiller, sitting on the stage and staring at young Bruce's face, was considering this too. Clearly, he hadn't brought this young Bruce here.
Shiller recalled the flash of gold light he had seen outside the auditorium door, guessing it might be the handiwork of a Flash from some universe. The most suspicious one was Barry Allen from the Prime Universe, but it couldn't be ruled out that a Flash from this young Bruce's universe had teleported him here for some reason.
And then was the key question - which universe's Bruce was this?
This was hard to discern, because even when excluding universes where Batman wasn't human, there were still thousands, even millions of Batmen who looked the same, even in their youth.
However, judging from the current expression on this young Bruce, he seemed to be the younger version of a bitter Batman from a newer universe, rather than a joyous character from old comics.
But the behaviour of this young Bruce completely defied everyone's expectations of Batman.
"Oh, sorry." Barry stumbled slightly, apologizing as he raised his head to look at the person beside him. "They bumped into me, it was unintentional…"
When he saw this person's face, Barry froze completely, both because of this person's appearance and the look on his face. Like the adult Bruce Wayne, the young Bruce also possessed a god-given facial appeal. What really stunned Barry was the undisguised disgust in Bruce's eyes.
"Apologize. Then move away." said young Bruce, indifferently.
Barry, somewhat shocked, widened his eyes. Even though he recalled that he was indeed the one that bumped into someone first, he still said: "I am really sorry. I shouldn't have bumped into you."
Young Bruce did not even spare him a glance, only maintained his forward-looking posture, slightly nodding, then continued standing expressionlessly.
Feeling curious about Bruce's appearance, Barry remembered seeing Bruce Wayne on television. He had even avidly followed the episode of "Millionaire" where Bruce had participated.
"Sorry, but may I know your name?"
Little Bruce paused for a good ten seconds before shifting his gaze, barely glancing at Barry. Then he said, "Why can't you understand what I'm saying? Stay away from me; you smell extremely stupid."
"Ah?? No... You... You, how can you vilely insult people like this?"
"I'm merely stating a fact." Little Bruce's head remained motionless, his voice contained a hint of impatience. "You want to choose Rodriguez College but are uncertain, you want to hear others' opinions. My opinion is-you better not choose it."
"Why?"
"Because I plan to choose this college, and I don't want to take classes with a coarse and rude bumpkin."
"You..." Barry opened his mouth wide, utterly clueless about what to say. He had never been insulted so rudely. He could only retort somewhat wrongfully, "I have already said I didn't intentionally bump into you, someone pushed me from that side."
"Alright then, I don't want to take classes with a weakling who cannot withstand even a breeze."
"I…"
Sitting on the stage, Zatanna and Constantine stared wide-eyed before simultaneously turning their heads towards Shiller. Shiller, however, was listening to the conversation below with great interest, even wearing a faint smile on his face.
Young Bruce slightly turned his head, taking a glance at his surroundings; he sighed unnoticed and his facial expression appeared to be akin to "how can one study well with these insects and beetles?".
"The rude one is you." Barry grumbled under his breath, then said, "Any courteous and educated person would not insult others during their first meeting."
"Yes, indeed I do lack manners, but I do have money." The young Bruce slanted his eyes to glance at Barry and said, "I am the wealthiest person in this world, so you better shut up and listen, or else your parents will lose their jobs and you'll starve to death, pauper."
Barry took a deep breath, his face turning beet red. Meanwhile, Zatanna, who was sitting on the stage, couldn't bear it any longer. She lightly tapped her finger on the table and said, "Alright, everyone, please take your seats soon, the welcome ceremony is about to begin."
The freshmen seated themselves in the first row. Master of the Dark Night, Jim, wasn't present due to some matters, so this time it was Shiller who gave the welcome speech. He gently straightened his tie and sat upright before starting to speak.
"Welcome to Gotham. In representation of all teachers and students, I would like to extend our gratitude for choosing to join Gotham Magic Academy after receiving your acceptance letters. You will enjoy a fulfilling learning journey here."
"Shortly, you will be able to choose the college you want to join. You will have a month to experience your chosen college, and if you are dissatisfied with your current college, you can switch it anytime…"
While Shiller was saying this, a voice from below interrupted.
"Are you the dean of Rodriguez College?"
Shiller cast his gaze downwards to see young Bruce standing up. Bearing the astonished stare from the people around, he only focused on Shiller and asked.
"Yes, I am. Do you have any questions?"
"No questions. I intend to choose Rodriguez College, and I have no plans to change it. Can I leave now?"
"I still have many instructions to…"
"I don't need any instructions. Those are things that only these imbeciles and paupers have to do."
"Alright, Sir. You may head to the dormitory. Harley, please guide him to the dormitory and community activity room of the college."
Shiller gave Harley a nod, then watched as young Bruce turned and left, a smirk of interest appearing on his face.