Bruce had oversimplified everything.
He thought that if the two students who excelled at the Psychoanalysis Method chose to compromise and stopped causing trouble in class, the classroom atmosphere would quiet down, and he would regain control.
But in reality, collective conflicts were not so easily resolved, especially when the conflict had arisen and escalated to the point of personal attacks; trying to address the root issue at this juncture was too late, as the resulting problems had become new root issues that were not easily resolved.
Controlling emotions was a highly advanced skill, not something everyone possessed, and it was even rarer among young people; ultimately, this world was full of arrogance and prejudice.
Some people initially just disliked Jenna's statements. They were proponents of behavior analysis and quite talented in this field, clearly seeing through Jenna's nonsensical talk.
However, as time passed, their dislike of the theory turned into personal disdain.
The next day in class, Bruce felt the atmosphere was somewhat strange. Even before class began, there were whispered conversations. Once class started, Bruce noticed that no one was sitting next to Jenna.
These top students always competed for the front seats, and Jenna's seat was in the second row—it should have been full, as it had been in recent days, but today Jenna sat alone on the left side of the second row, leaving the entire left side empty.
Bruce frowned deeply, realizing he had perhaps underestimated the situation, which had deteriorated more than he had imagined.
Luckily, following Batman's habit, he had installed listening devices between the seats, which had recording capabilities. In the few seconds before the class officially began, Bruce heard some whispers.
Some were accusing Jenna of cheating.
Worse still, Bruce truly bore significant responsibility for this.
Previously, seeing the potential in Jenna's talent, Bruce had summoned her to his office, later calling her two more times.
If it were just that, it wouldn't have mattered much. But Bruce had also done something else—he had only assigned homework to two classes, neglecting the other two.
Putting these two actions together, wasn't this Bruce making exceptions for Jenna?
Their relationship was so close that perhaps Jenna had seen Bruce's lesson plans in his office, thereby learning the answers in advance, and to satisfy her vanity, she derived the processes in class to showcase her brilliance.
Truthfully, this reasoning had some merit; such people were not rare in this world, and coupled with Bruce's questionable actions, it was not hard for the students, already harboring some resentments against him, to think along these lines when faced with Jenna's peculiar performance.
Fundamentally, some people simply could not imagine how magical the Psychoanalysis Method could be. Bruce couldn't blame them since he had once been the same, stubbornly disbelieving despite repeated setbacks.
Now, if Bruce announced Jenna as his assistant, he would surely exacerbate the conflict.
He fully believed these youths dared to confront him in class, demanding he explain clearly, which would only make things more complicated.
Because he really had no clear reasons for why he wanted Jenna as his assistant; it was essentially a deal to stop Jenna from misguiding others with her erroneous deductive theories.
So why couldn't Bruce disprove her theories?
Because Jenna really was talented; her conclusions were always accurate, rendering her arguments particularly persuasive.
And why were her results always correct?
At this point, Bruce was at a loss for words, because Jenna possessed a natural gift for the Psychoanalysis Method, a skill equivalent to what many study tirelessly for years to barely achieve.
Bruce thought handling Jenna would smooth things over, but in reality, he had missed the only opportunity to solve the problem.
Bruce knew that there must have been a reason for Shiller's initial targeting of him upon his arrival, but Bruce did not anticipate that this critical moment was indeed the only opportunity, and having missed it, there was no second chance.
Once that moment was lost, everything inevitably slid toward an unavoidable abyss.
Bruce should have captivated Jenna's full attention from their very first meeting, forming emotional control, extracting their relationship from just a simple teacher-student dynamic, and ensuring that the sharp blade of behavior analysis wouldn't harm ordinary students.
Now, Bruce finally understood that Shiller's actions were not just for his sake but also for the sake of other students at Gotham University; otherwise, things were bound to escalate to the situation seen today.
Because his talent in behavior analysis was even more renowned than Jenna's in psychoanalysis, capable of causing greater disturbances. If Shiller couldn't find a way to control him, the classroom situation at Gotham University would likely be even worse than today.
But that moment was truly fleeting, hard to grasp, like a quickly vanishing wave, a flash of light gone in an instant.
Even now, Bruce didn't know how Shiller had managed to seize this fleeting butterfly within a few seconds of their first meeting.
This was his deepest understanding of the power of the Psychoanalysis Method.
But what was missed was missed, and Batman was not the kind of person who would dwell on the past; he now needed to find a way to solve the difficult problem before him.
However, as things had developed to this point, explanations were essentially useless, as the prejudices in people's hearts were like a huge mountain, one that could even crush Batman's Man of Steel physique.
Because Bruce was smart enough, he knew he had no right to ask these students to remain as objective and calm as a God, which was anti-human and impossible.
So, to remove this huge mountain, force wasn't an option. Authority wasn't a fist but a nuclear weapon. Once launched, its deterrence was greatly compromised. Throwing it around without credible evidence could not only fail to save Jenna but might even drag him down to become the Joker himself.
Evidence had to be irrefutable, as solid as a rock.
At that moment, Jenna also realized her surroundings.
Usually, she was a very calm girl. Facing such terrifying pressure among a group of vampires, she had executed her plan precisely, forcing Green Lantern to reveal his weaknesses. If it weren't for The Flash's overbearing abilities, she would have won.
Yet, she could also be considered to have defeated a god with a mere human body.
But perhaps because Jenna in this universe was younger, she still panicked for a moment when she realized her situation and instinctively looked at Bruce.
What made Bruce sad was that Jenna also realized that now was not the time for Bruce to announce her as his assistant; she knew this was the most rational approach.
But when people are vulnerable and helpless, they need emotional support, not rational analysis. At times they know some things are wrong, unhelpful, but still hope that someone will bravely speak up for them under such circumstances. Only such embodied reassurance can make those suddenly stuck feel secure.
Humans would pay everything for that moment of safety.
But Jenna gave Bruce a "no worries" look.
Bruce felt like his neck was being choked, his breath stuck in his throat.
After a long while, he slowly exhaled, lowered his eyelids as if making a significant decision.
Outside the window, the sun's mysterious patterns continued to bloom, the filtered soft sunlight fell on half of Bruce's face, showing an expression, half like devout prayer and half like solemn mourning.
When the school bell rang, Bruce picked up his lesson plan and said, "Students, as I mentioned yesterday in the group, today's lesson is on criminal psychology, and we have three fresh cases to explore..."
Only his voice echoed in the classroom, while the audience below was silent, as if everyone was waiting for a bomb's fuse to burn out.
"Unfortunately..." Bruce suddenly changed his tone, "I don't have the physical prowess of the other professors, and my teaching duties have been too heavy recently. I feel tired, my immunity has seriously weakened, and the school doctor says I need rest."
Whispering finally erupted from below, but when Bruce spoke again, they returned to silence.
"Please study on your own for about ten minutes, and then a new substitute teacher will come to give you a lecture."
It wasn't until Bruce left the classroom that lively discussions burst forth, and Jenna looked bewildered.
With her excellent talent for mental analysis, she knew Bruce wasn't the type to make such a decision; the word 'retreat' didn't exist in Batman's dictionary—any temporary concession was just to perform better later.
In her view, his plan would have been to not mention the previous arrangement, first to teach the lesson well, and then find a way to plot gradually after class.
So what was he doing now?
Ten minutes later, a figure appeared on time at the door. A tall, thin figure walked up to the platform, and someone called his name— "Professor Rodriguez."
Why him?
For the first time, Jenna used her talent on Shiller— the next second, Shiller looked over, his golden vertical pupils staring straight at her.
Jenna's heart pounded violently.
She started panting like a madwoman, like an asthma patient about to pass out.
In her mental landscape, the scantily sketched figure was not a person but rather... a monster.
A terrifying monster.