The Dark Knight of Chiba 2: Knightfall

by BlackPsych

Sequel to 502nickster's "The Dark Knight of Chiba". After toppling the city's most vicious crime family, Hachiman's internal drive and means of greater power sets his alter-ego, the Huntsman, on a questionable path. Timing couldn't be worse as he resolves to ease his guilt over a certain Yukinoshita and beyond, all while the remaining evils of Chiba surround the young vigilante.

2. The Alliance and Liliths

It's only the second chapter and I already had to retcon one detail in the last chapter. Don't worry about it. A reread isn't really necessary, unless you forgot about this story entirely after such a long wait heh. Hope you enjoy.

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Chapter 2: The Alliance and Liliths

In the end, Huntsman only managed to capture three more criminals before he was interrupted by the rising sun of dawn. The nightly patrol had taken its toll on the young dark knight and a bleeding wound put him over the edge. He made sure to report each incapacitated thug's locations to Captain Yin, though she had yet to respond to any of his messages. It didn't matter much to him, so long as they were all stuck into a cell. However, it did cross his mind as to which of them would make the first move to actually call the other. He figured the ball was in her park, for the most part.

The time was 6:00 AM. Just like the criminals he took down, the vigilante retreated from the daylight to a much darker, secluded location known only by a select few. His shirtless form sat on a stool in the center of a modestly sized room, treating his injuries while chewing on the last bits of a banana.

The last scumbag struck him with a knife jab on his left shoulder joint—one of the few susceptible points that his armor couldn't reach. The injury itself was shallow, but he certainly felt it could have been avoided altogether.

Running low on ointment for the bruises too… I'll have to just bear with a cold pack at home.

After cleaning and wrapping his wound with a bit of gauze, Hachiman placed the medkit back in a designated medical storage cabinet. He walked off towards a much larger room, carefully stretching his limbs, over to a table where his shirt and armor laid. Once there, he observed a slick, glowing biometric lock beside the table, one meant for a handprint to press on.

After thinking it over for a good moment, Hachiman firmly pressed on the device with his right hand and continued dressing as a flurry of beeps and whirring sounds followed soon after. This one action activated a number of power systems and generators, quickly lighting up various monitors and LED bulbs that were previously dormant. He placed his armor over his shirt as multiple fitted compartments and niches were revealed in the now, fully lit room.

Each niche contained different tools, weapons, and other miscellaneous supplies. Near the entrance was a makeshift kitchen area, filled with a sparse amount of nutritional foods and snacks. The scent of a freshly scrambled egg still lingered in the air, coming from a cheap portable grill.

There were also many corrugated boxes of different sizes strewn around all four rooms of the compound; a glaring sign of work left unfinished. Besides the mess, the compound itself had signs that it was probably abandoned mid-construction. Its walls were unevenly lined with natural stone, concrete, and bare drywall. Thankfully, there was a moderate amount of insulation, though Hachiman had a gut feeling that it wouldn't be enough to keep him warm as winter progressed. He eliminated countless layers of dust that had rested within the compound for years, at the cost of a couple of brooms. Underneath, however, the floors were discovered to have been either lined with tacky, scuffed tiles or moldy, cracked hardwood. After three mops and eight liters each of detergent and bleach, Hachiman was still only halfway through fully disinfecting the disgusting mess.

I guess this is what they call the homeowner's dilemma, nothing but constant maintenance after settling within a property. I haven't had to clean this much since Komachi took over the reigns at home. Hmph… felt good though.

Despite all the shortcomings, Hachiman was satisfied at what he managed to accomplish within a week's time. Had to miss a few days worth of school playing "sick" but he reassured himself it was for the greater good.

The boy left his mask and cowl off, opting to recharge its internal systems at a nearby dock. The entire room was filled with light electrical hums that he found to be somewhat of a nuisance. It was easily dealt with—he turned on a modestly sized television, flicking it over to a news channel. He let it rest there and carefully shuffled over to the desk containing the largest monitor in the room. This screen was connected to possibly one of the strongest supercomputer systems present in all of Japan. A Batcomputer. And Hachiman, of all people, lazily input his login details as he sat down on a comfy desk chair. In a few moments, he was granted limited access to its database and points of oversight all across Chiba.

These were all "gifts" bestowed upon Hachiman by Bruce Wayne. The former had been more than overwhelmed by such generosity, actually creeping out a smile for once. Bruce didn't have the heart to admit that the resources he had given the teen were just redundancies and far outclassed by his own personal quantum supercomputer and armory. Even someone like Batman couldn't avoid tedious spring-cleaning every once in a while. He was just lucky enough this year to have a new, young colleague who could put the technology to good use. Really, the billionaire thought it was a far better solution than just throwing everything into the Bat-Incinerator.

"Alfred, understand this. One man's trash is another man's foundation for his personal citywide overwatch and vigilante headquarters."

-Bruce Wayne, about a week ago.

And so, the Batwing had been discreetly sent over Chiba to drop loads of midnight deliveries throughout the past week. It was sheer, dumb luck that no one had noticed the young vigilante carry every package to the abandoned sewers by the canal—the location of his Den. At least Huntsman believed that was the case, since his new cameras and sensors have yet to catch anybody poking around this remote location.

Installation had been a massive bitch, the young man having had to rely on pre-recorded instructions and no cell service due to being underground. It had been a grueling first two days, resulting in Hachiman swallowing his pride after painstakingly reactivating a complex leaky coax system for access to the Internet. Covertly connecting the far off place to an external base station was nigh impossible, but he reluctantly persevered. Even then, it was admittedly a sloppy job done and he'd have to perform further maintenance whenever he had time before the network completely faltered.

The first laggy video call he made from the depths of the Hunter's Den was to no one else other than Alfred Pennyworth. A gracious, sympathetic man who was more than happy to ease the poor boy's suffering with much clearer instructions on installing the other systems that Master Bruce had provided. Well, most of them were just a matter of plugging cables in to certain ports and managing generator power levels, but that was all beyond the scope of the young man's knowledge at the time.

"Saize on me the next time you drop by Japan, Alfred-sama…" Hachiman whispered to himself in jest.

He was currently recording brief profiles of the various goons he had confronted that night, cross-examining their records with others arrested that week alone. What Captain Yin had mentioned turned out to be true. Save for a few outliers, the majority of thugs he had beaten down were underlings once financially connected to Yukinoshita Yukari, directly or otherwise. The only silver lining Hachiman found was that all of these gangs were now disjointed beyond relief. Each gang struggled for money and power, neither one ever getting the upper hand due to the incompetence of their respective faction leaders. Hachiman had each of them figured for nothing more than jumped up cutthroats and petty thugs. None of them were a mastermind or strategos in the making, unlike their previous benefactors.

They say if you cut off the head of a hydra, two more would rise up in its place. But let's say you've cut off all the 'capable' heads at once. Specifically the ones with the sharpest, venom-laced fangs. What happens then to the beast? Multiple baby heads, all vying for a cut of the pie?

Hachiman believed he would find out the answer to his thought, sooner rather than later. The new heads of the 'hydra' were smaller but most certainly a threat, as indicated by the small hole in his shoulder. He was in for a messy, bloody fight in the next few weeks to come.

At the very least, it appeared Chiba's former terrible trio were getting quite reamed by the public and relevant institutions. Some of the specifics were lost to the young man while he worked on the Den, but he caught the main points for sure. It relieved him how all three were quickly trimmed away like fat. Hayama Hanzo had been disbarred following his arrest at the airport, his law firm raided and now defunct. Yukinoshita Daishi was experiencing a rather disgraceful fall from politics, and his wife? The lovely lady who called the shots?

Yukinoshita Yukari lost control of her company, not before liquidating a ton of financial assets before getting cut off. All for the purpose of fighting the legal charges that the Prosecutor's Office have placed against her and the other two conspirators. Damage control was impossible to formulate once the evidence had spread beyond the grasp of the police department. Their entire empire was crumbling quick and would become a shameful footnote in Chiba's history. The Matriarch and her cohorts couldn't possibly overturn the sense of honor and duty still somehow prevalent in Japanese society.

But if you really understood them, you'd know they absolutely hated losing the respect and sight of their children more than anything else. Well, that doesn't ring true in Yukinoshita Haruno's case anymore, for some reason still unknown to me…

"The nightly crime spree in the Chiba Prefecture continues to hold strong—"

Hachiman's train of thought derailed upon hearing the voice of an old fart. He quickly swerved himself from the monitor to the news report playing on the television, feeling a sharp sting in his shoulder as a result. Although it was a daunting first line, he needed to hear exactly what was said about the nightly fallout of Chiba.

"A total of ninety alleged criminals have been arrested across all the wards of the Chiba capital last night alone. Twenty-seven of which, an inside source has told us, were halted by the vigilante known as the Huntsman—"

"—Ninety total this time. I knew last night was going to be a hellish prime time for these crooks to strike, but that's just nauseating. And, according to the Captain Yin, about... seventy of them will turn out to be former Matriarch lackeys," he surmised.

Hachiman went back to connecting whatever dots he could. Occasionally successful, he accessed a backdoor installed to the Chiba Prefecture Police Department's updated database. Knowing about the other sixty-three criminals arrested by the police force could prove helpful.

Ignore the fact that this 'virus' resource is something I was also... given.

The news report continued to play in the background and Hachiman listened as intently as he could while surfing away.

"In response to the rise of burglary, assault, and gang violence, many political officials and the police have urged the citizens of Chiba to remain aware of their surroundings and follow a recommended curfew time of 8:00 PM every night if possible—"

"—Tch. What a joke." The young man scoffed.

"—But their unified statements seem to have fallen on deaf ears.

Following Yukinoshita Daishi's recent resignation from his seat on the National Diet, a survey has found that people have exponentially lost overall faith in their elected representatives. A growing sect of the population has called for an extensive investigation pertaining to the finances of other National Diet members. Particularly in those who have worked at least once in conjunction with the Yukinoshita family.

Prime Minister Eba took a defensive position in yesterday's press conference, assuring the public that there are ongoing internal inquiries and there is no tolerance for such criminality across all parties. Any specific details remain undisclosed, with recent conducted polling reflecting people's growing ire and transfer of trust. It appears people of all ages have taken to appraise the illegal vigilante activities of a masked man, again, known only as the Huntsman. The vigilante's favorability has skyrocketed since his apparent clash with an unidentified beast ravaging downtown Chiba.

There was a majority consensus amongst random passerby whom Chiba-based JNN field reporters asked questions on their opinions on the Huntsman and the growing situation in Chiba.

'The line between common street rats and people like the Yukinoshitas has been blurred. What's wrong with putting my faith into some freak handling justice like the police?'

'His red eyes are, like, gross. But… I dunno. I'd totally feel bad if he just left us, especially now. My sisters and I feel safer with him around, I guess? Still—gross.'

'Real life Revengers! Haha! Huntsman should really think of a name change though. He's too much like Batman-sama. The one from Gotham City of course, hehe. Maybe he could be a badass like Ronin! W-Without the killing part… '"

"Fat chance, ya damn chunni…" Hachiman deadpanned.

"Japan Network News coverage of Chiba, more after the break—"

Hachiman flicked the television off with a nearby remote, having heard more than enough of its chatter. Unfortunately, it appeared he jumped the gun as the Chiba Police department had yet to update its database. He assumed the sheer volume of criminals arrested that night delayed processing; later would be a better time to check things out. Still opting for a digital approach, the teen clicked over to a local news aggregator website on a separate monitor.

Any and all irrelevant news gathered by the website were skipped over. Puff pieces, opinion editorials, tech news, international news, and rehashed material were largely ignored. Despite the abundance, it didn't take him long to wade through all the "bullshit" and find stuff concerning the crime in Chiba. One piece in particular drew his attention in with its headline alone. Reading beyond that greatly upset him.

"Mom and Pop coffee shop in the Wakaba Ward robbed of 500,000 yen left in a cabinet safe. Duo burglars caught on CCTV currently on the loose…"

Hachiman resisted sinking into his chair, tightly gripping the soft leather arm instead. Sighing, he flicked his sight back over to the main monitor, determined to analyze the available CCTV tape footage as best he could.

Two lucky bastards got away last night. I spent too much time just… talking.

He sighed once again, this time at the crap quality of the given video footage. This was a side case that would take time and honestly? Mulling over it felt just like assessing the fate of a wet napkin in a water park on a rainy day. Hachiman figured he could try his hardest, but knew justice would never come to fruition for this small business. It was unfair.

Just like everything else in life.

"Be less like Batman, huh? What the hell makes any of them think I'm even at that level?" he griped.

For sure, a part of him was glad to have heard the restrained appreciation that the public had in regards to his work. But whatever enthusiasm they graciously conveyed only resurfaced feelings of self-doubt within him. As if that wasn't bad enough, being aware of his own insecurities also stressed the young man out even further. It was a vicious cycle. Even that small bout of annoyance was enough to flare up Hachiman's injuries all at once. He clutched his bruised, wounded body, taking deep breaths so as to not agitate himself even further. Settling into the thick comfort of his chair and breathing slowly somehow did the trick.

Still, it did absolutely nothing to quell Hachiman's self-perceived shortcomings. His feet dangled from the desk chair, making him feel like a small child. The limitations of his average physical stature troubled him. He also didn't forget how he forced Captain Yin to become his partner, rather than being able to convince her. It was now very clear that his words alone weren't good enough. Both body and speech weren't up to the standards that he desired.

"The intellect. That... charisma that Wayne has, can't be taught overnight. And me having passed seventeen almost certainly means this is as far as my body will grow," he said to himself, slightly stretching both legs.

*rumble* *rumble*

Hachiman paused at the sudden noise and looked to his stomach in sheer disbelief.

"...I just had an egg and a banana. What more could you want, fatty—"

"New Message Received."

A female computer voice spoke and Hachiman turned his hands away from his non-existent love handles to the Batcomputer. As expected, he had received a notification from none other than the system's creator and administrator. The Batman.

It had been a few days since they last spoke and, even then, it was for only a few minutes around the time Hachiman began his usual rounds. Either something important must have come up or the man had just sought to check in with the younger hero. There was also reason to doubt either possibility, however.

Six in the morning here makes it five in the afternoon in Gotham. His night won't start off for another few hours, so it might be Alfred.

He peered over to the message itself. It read: 'Accept the call coming within a minute.'

"Huh," he muttered.

Shortly after, Hachiman did indeed receive a call that passed all the necessary secure checkpoints. Confident that it came from the BatCave that his compatriots once mentioned, he clicked to accept. The application buffered and the teen fervently crossed his fingers, hoping his internet hadn't crapped out. Within a few moments however, a sharp video display appeared in place of the usual audio-only interface. Unexpectedly, Hachiman found himself staring into what was possibly the sternest pair of blue eyes he'd ever seen in his life.

The man whom they belonged to was sitting in an identical desk chair, the side of his face resting on his closed right palm. In contrast with the armored Huntsman, he was clad in a short-sleeved, black button-down shirt and slacks, no sign of facial grease, nor a jet-black hair out of place.

It was the first time they'd come face to face without either of them having a mask or cowl on. Something within Huntsman almost drove him over to the charging dock to retrieve his red and black mask, but he refrained himself from the action. He opted to meet Bruce Wayne's gaze head on.

Damn. I would have preferred a heads up or if this had been on my own terms... What's done is done. No use complaining about it when there are other important topics in mind.

Bruce Wayne smirked at Huntsman's refusal to look away. The latter felt a sense of pride wash over him immediately after. But was it really pride or something more akin to stubbornness? It was something Huntsman wouldn't get the chance to discern as Gotham City's Dark Knight finally began this unexpected exchange.

"Morning, Huntsman."

"Wayne, good afternoon."

Bruce eyed the tired mess before him. "Long night, I presume?"

Huntsman couldn't help but sigh. "That's one way of putting it but nothing I couldn't handle. I wish I had more time to sort things through. My apologies for the present mess here, I guess."

Huntsman gestured to the vast amount of boxes lying behind him. There was no doubt in his mind that Bruce was able to see the unorganized chaos. A chaos of the Batman's own doing, Bruce himself had to admit.

"Trust me, the sight of clutter is less painful than being in its presence must feel. You'll get to it eventually. Alfred's informed me of the steady progress you've made within just a few days."

Gah, I've been found. Spare me any lectures about playing hooky, yeah?

Huntsman gave the man a pointed look. "Y'know, when I told you the location of this place and even accepted your offer to help, I didn't expect… all of this. I'm grateful, not sure how to express that greatly without at least saying 'thank you'—"

Bruce held up a hand. "Unnecessary. Recall last week when I told you to thank me by protecting Chiba, which I'm certain you've taken steps to do so while performing the installations."

"Yes, that's for sure," Huntsman answered. He ducked down to the desk for a second, unlocking a compartment containing relevant notes and evidence he procured. There were some other stuff that he left digitized, requiring him to open an encrypted folder visible on a smaller monitor to his right. "I also followed through with what was discussed last time."

"Oh? You're going to have to be more specific," said Bruce, sporting a curious look.

"I made a handoff with the BatWave Commlink to none other than Captain Yin herself," Huntsman steadily revealed.

There was a moment of silence between them both, before the older man motioned for the other to continue. "And?"

"...I believe she's in for it, again. She seemed rightly attuned to the device. The only problem I have is she hasn't responded to my messages at least once." Huntsman hesitated but bent the truth about how he got the female officer on board. This attempt, however, was in vain and met with a fervent scowl by Bruce.

"..."

Huntsman met the scowl, albeit a little confused at the motion. "What? You disapprove? Captain Yin appeared to be the only viable candidate last we spoke. Not for nothing, but I get the feeling the cultural difference of opinion between a Japanese native and a "Yankee" on vigilantism is probably far too great. The former would probably drop me the second I littered or if there was a promotion involved. It was only logical for her to be the first—"

"—Flawless logic. But you shouldn't be surprised to find sticklers and opportunists beyond those in Japan. Although she is definitely an exception, Captain Yin's circumstances prior to her leave from Gotham would have made her think twice before taking up this type of partnership once again. She has a good, hard head on her shoulders, I know this much and more first-hand. So am I to assume that this decision wasn't entirely of her free will?" Bruce asked, gesturing at the younger man with a raise of his palm.

Huntsman did not wholly appreciate the action. He felt like a child caught doing something mischievous.

Saw through that right away. I guess it was hard to believe someone like me has the persuasion skills of an incubus…

He let the moment pass and gathered his bearings, trying to come up with some form of a response. "I did ask you what happened. If I were given certain information then perhaps I wouldn't have made an attempt."

"Absurd as it may sound, your consideration and insight should supplement for what you lack in intel. In Captain Yin's case, I've deliberately made it her choice whether or not to hash out the details," Bruce explained.

"That goes for a lot of your associates, partners or otherwise," said Huntsman.

"Yes and I'm keeping it that way for the time being. Be prepared to think situations through before taking an action, even on tasks I recommend to you. But you were right to inform me of bringing Captain Yin back into the fold, something that I don't wholly disapprove of."

"So you commend my results, but not my methods? That's…" Huntsman broke off, a feeling of déjà vu washing over him.

"That's just my opinion. Nothing more," Bruce finished, staring right at the young vigilante with expectant eyes, anticipating his next response. For the moment, Huntsman gathered his thoughts again before speaking.

So even you. You're not the first... nor will you be the last to tell me that. I guess this is the part where two parties agree to disagree. I can't and won't take this back. Got myself a partner in the force and there's other people to talk about.

"Well, that's all I have to say about her, for now," said Huntsman, crossing his arms..

Huntsman looked into Bruce's eyes once again, vying for some form of reaction. The former figured his tone was perhaps a bit too lax for the current situation and he'd have to clear up this misunderstanding. However, Bruce only nodded evenly at him before turning his sight to another monitor and typed away.

"Hmm. Glad you didn't ask me if the next course of action was to take back that commlink and detract your new partnership. No need to discuss why that would be a terrible move. Moving on, are there any new developments on your Most Wanted list—"

Bruce was suddenly interrupted by a faint voice behind him.

"—Ah, I was wondering why you were being more talkative than usual, Master Wayne. I'm quite relieved to see you conversing with a colleague rather being on another one of your incoherent monologues," a familiar face remarked, finally having stepped into frame right beside the playboy billionaire.

Alfred Pennyworth, as immaculately dressed as ever and sporting a very well-rested expression on his face—one that neither of the two younger men could ever hope to achieve nowadays. His hands held a white tray containing a bottle of pills, medicinal syrup, a glass of water, and a shiny silver spoon.

Someone's not as healthy as they appear. Huntsman thought as he glanced at Bruce.

Alfred turned to the young vigilante, appearing very happy to see the latter doing just well. As 'well' as a teenager fighting large thugs could be, at the very least. Huntsman endured the pain of his aching bones as he sat up to greet the old butler through the monitor.

"Good morning, Hikigaya-san."

"Yo. Nice to see you, Alfred," Hachiman responded.

"The feeling is mutual—you have my deepest apologies for the sudden intrusion. However, it is crucial that Master Bruce finish his prescribed medicine, lest that horrid fever claws its way back in full force. Unfortunate that only one of us understands the need to follow proper medical instructions. Here you are, sir," Alfred finished, placing the tray beside his 'liege'.

"...Thank you, Alfred," Bruce muttered, reaching for a bottle. It might have been for just a split second, but Hachiman could have sworn he saw a rare tinge of discomposure come from the almighty Wayne. It was unexpectedly amusing to witness the butler's sway over him.

"Yes, just remember to conserve your energy for tonight. Honestly, it's good to see our friend from the East but do consider his need for adequate rest as well, sir. Time is finicky for young students," explained Alfred, a bit scoldingly.

Once again, Alfred turned to the younger man still clad in his armor. Unlike how it was with Bruce Wayne, Hachiman ultimately appreciated the butler's expectant, concerned look. Not wanting to be on the receiving end of his ire, however, the young man moved to quickly reassure his elder.

"I'll be alright, thanks. School's off today, I've eaten, and there's more than enough time to join my household for some slumber later."

"Your studies?"

"Going as well as expected. But I've been catching up."

Hachiman was referring to his completion of the homework that a classmate dropped earlier in the week. He didn't mention the part of his recent truancy, however.

You've got my deepest apologies, Alfred. There's no way I'm spilling the beans about my prolonged absence from Sobu to you…

The butler was clearly skeptical of Hachiman's practiced poker-face. Nonetheless, he decided to let go of the issue in pursuit of another task that required his attention.

"Very well, please continue and don't strain yourself any longer than necessary. I'll be over there if you need me, Master Bruce." Alfred rolled up his sleeves and nodded at both of the younger men before stepping aside to another part of the Batcave.

As Bruce fiddled with a bottle, Huntsman opened up his reports and side notes of three major subjects on his Most Wanted list. Once Bruce appeared to be done and waiting, the younger vigilante started off with the new intel he acquired concerning a certain feline-lady. The one who disappeared since he last sat her down.

"Nekonee-chan. Woman-cat hybrid whose mutation was supposedly induced at Chiba University. As of Monday, I was able to confirm that much and more.

Her real name is Kanai Ai. Age 20. Enrolled into Chiba University two years ago with a concentration in the Sciences, obviously. A member of an advanced, genetic engineering research group led under Dr. Achilles Milo, previously known as the Man-Owl. Like him, the mutation garnered Kanai enhanced agility, strength, and endurance whilst transformed. Her reflexes and dexterity were also inhuman—those cat-like features aren't just for show."

"Impressive summary. I assume you've only made the Milo connection after realizing who else had once studied under him?" Bruce asked.

"Yes. As I've mentioned before, Yukinoshita Haruno was also Kanai's colleague and friend. I recovered her student records and schedule, leading me to video footage of Kanai swiping material right under Achilles' nose. Separate footage also confirms she reconfigured those chemicals by herself for many nights, before performing self-injections. Her transformation was no accident and she appears able to mutate at will, perhaps with a better degree of control than Milo.

Since our last encounter, Kanai—Nekonee has taken a leave of absence from her studies. I retrieved her apartment address on file from the university and found it to be abandoned. No signs that anyone's been there for at least a week.

All that said, she remains my lowest priority," Huntsman finally finished, taking a breath.

"Is it possible this woman left the Chiba Prefecture and the double life altogether?" Bruce asked, looking away with a bit of disinterest.

"I can't say. Well, perhaps not, since she was quite fond of Yukinoshita Haruno. Not sure Nekonee would leave her alone at a time like this…" Huntsman offered.

"A cure was synthesized for Man-Owl. It's more than likely one can be made for Kanai Ai's specific mutation, using a DNA sample. Capture and extract on sight, not necessarily in that order. As for Yukinoshita Haruno… more on her later." Bruce finished with a tone that Huntsman couldn't identify.

News on Yukinoshita Haruno? Shit…

Huntsman squinted his eyes, wondering what Bruce meant by that cryptic line. There was nothing in his notes detailing any significant developments involving Yukinoshita Haruno, other than a hidden recording of his own doing and whatever else that was available to the public. Which wasn't much since she took to giving all stalking news reporters nothing other than a staunch poker-face and 'no comment' comments. She had done her part backing the evidence he found and was complying with the police and prosecutors.

There was some surprise in seeing Haruno keep her end of the bargain; Huntsman respected that by keeping his own word in the end. He had more or less refrained himself from perturbing either of the Yukinoshita daughters since the night of the Bishamonten incident, only remotely checking in a couple of nights ago. Perhaps that was a mistake on his part but, for now, Huntsman would patiently wait to hear whatever news Bruce held about the Yukinoshita heiress.

There was no use in wishing her and the younger one to be spared if there was any wrongdoing on their part. Unknowingly, even to himself, he hoped it wouldn't have to come to that. At the moment, there was another unfortunate girl that Huntsman wanted to talk about.

"Next is Lady Comedy, whose real name is Isshiki Iroha. Age 15, turning 16 this April. She's a first year at Sobu High—my kohai. But you know that much already. A missing person's report was filed a couple of weeks ago with the police by the Sobu High administration in place of her mother, Isshiki Chiaki.

Where else to begin with this girl? Her father was Isshiki Isamu. Archived news reports show he was gunned down at his home by two unidentified thugs, right in front of his daughter. She… remained beside her father's bleeding corpse for close to an hour before an officer retrieved her." Huntsman finished with a grim tone.

"The mother?" Bruce asked.

"Sobu's records gave me an address and I paid their shabby apartment a subtle visit. The death of of Isshiki Isamu seems to have deteriorated Isshiki Chiaki into a drunken, jobless mess, living mostly off of government aid. After seeing this woman's living state, I suspect child abuse. Like she told me before."

"Hmph. 'She' as in Isshiki Iroha herself? Refresh me where and when this conversation took place again. In any case, you'd have to take the word of a mentally ill person with a grain of salt. Certain psychopaths have a keen ability to mix in lies with a bit of truth. Are you positive that the mother's inebriated state wasn't a coincidence? Just the obvious result of a widow losing sight of her only child?" Bruce pressed.

"Yes, I'm sure. Again, the missing person's report was filed by Sobu High—not by Isshiki Chiaki. There were no signs that Isshiki Iroha has been home for weeks now. Her bedroom was littered with old broken glass bottles and flipped furniture, most likely out of rage from the mother. It's safe to say there was no love here.

Going through Isshiki's belongings gave me locations where she conducted operations as Lady Comedy. This includes the abandoned Maid Café that she brought me to… from that time she abducted me as 'Hachiman'." Huntsman reminded him, albeit reluctantly. He felt a lecture coming from Bruce a mile away, even before looking back up from his report.

"Right. Yes, it's still difficult to believe this 'Isshiki' didn't look into your bag and find your mask at the time. Any reason to think otherwise? There are many steps to be taken if you've been compromised by someone with an unstable mindset. I also take it you've made sure to only bring the subtle essentials with you during the day, since the first time we went over this." Bruce remarked with a frustrated tone, similar to that of a scolding upperclassmen.

"Yeah yeah, I only get myself ready when I'm down here now. I can't be completely certain if she's connected the dots until the next time I see her. Though I have a feeling she would have done something to garner my attention any night I've been out in armor. But Isshiki has only ever reached out to me during the day, at school. The last time being that newspaper clippings letter from a week ago." Huntsman offered, bringing up a scanned copy of said letter to the shared screen.

"From what you've told me, Isshiki Iroha has you marked for a connection of some sort. People as afflicted as her tend to keep the things they covet contained and under scrutiny." Bruce said in turn, his eyes narrowed at the cryptic letter.

"...And Sobu is the cage that she could peek into at any time," Huntsman recognized.

"Exactly. Don't let her find you scurrying off to your Den, for obvious reasons. Find any leads as to what she might be doing at the moment? I recall you saying, as with everything else, her father's tragic end would be the focal point," Bruce asked, not knowing this question would lead to the Huntsman's silence.

"..." The armored teen refused to look up from his pages. He couldn't tell if this was out exhaustion or a rebellious reluctance.

"...Huntsman." Bruce finally called out, both of their eyes meeting through their respective screens. Despite this, Huntsman decided against cutting to the chase in favor of reviewing why Lady Comedy came about in someone like Isshiki Iroha. He had a feeling sharing this context would be useful in the long run.

"...Before that, I want it noted that I dug through the Isshiki family's medical history and found no record of psychotic, depressive behaviors from members of either her father's or mother's side. Isshiki Iroha was put into psychiatric hold on the evening of her father's death, after an attempted suicide with a nurse's pen at Inoue Memorial Hospital.

Isshiki was released two weeks later with the condition that she attend therapy... which only lasted for two months after her appointed therapist declared her mentally sane and sound," Huntsman finished sarcastically.

"You suspect she performed something… degrading to achieve that declaration? Unfortunately, doing such acts to escape surveillance isn't an uncommon occurrence." Bruce clasped his hands together, looking off to the side.

Huntsman in turn, shot up in his seat and shook his head fervently at the implications. He rushed to deny them fully.

"No. God no. The therapist was female, modestly accredited, and seemed sincere in her written files. It's more likely that Isshiki Iroha adapted her psyche to the situation and had everyone fooled. She managed to escape a proper diagnosis, graduated from an above average middle school to Sobu High, and kept her mental illness under wraps for quite a while. Actually, the public still sees her as a missing student and not at all as Lady Comedy."

Revealing this caused Bruce to shut his eyes from the younger man, as if thinking what to say next. It was quite rare to see this man not speak out an immediate solution for a case of this nature. From this, Huntsman could only assume his colleague already knew what the next course of action should be and that he only paused to consider telling the former in the gentlest way possible. He would advise Hunts—Hachiman to make a difficult decision, regardless of Isshiki Iroha's reputation and future.

In truth, Hachiman already had a semblance of a clear, logical route, but he stubbornly buried it in the back of his head. It resembled too similarly to the actions he took when 'betraying' one of his few acquaintances just a week ago. In that case, her entire life had been terrorized at his discretion. He didn't rejoice at the sight of her wretched state when he attempted to enter the clubroom at the beginning of the week. Coincidentally enough, the young man got "sick" and began staying home from school the very next day.

Isshiki Iroha should be nothing to Hikigaya Hachiman or the Huntsman in comparison and yet, the few options he had left for this particular girl made his stomach churn. To this day, Hachiman still couldn't tell if the last time he saw Isshiki Iroha's look of fear and confusion was genuine, a trick of the light, or just wishful thinking on his part. He had to remind himself that she was also pointing a gun to his head at that moment. There was no time to focus beyond dodging her crazed shots.

It hardly mattered, as his selfish empathy won in the end. A sharp bout of pain ran through Huntman's shoulders as he observed Bruce finally opening his eyes, looking ready to give his opinion.

"Do you plan on keeping it that way for much longer? I've mentioned it once offhand but, if she truly doesn't know about your identity, there's absolutely nothing holding you back from revealing Isshiki Iroha as Lady Comedy to the police of Chiba. The pros of doing so are obvious. Captain Yin could help you facilitate this fact to her department if you hand over the evidence." Bruce said calmly.

It was just as Huntsman had expected and he was ready to give a hasty rebuttal. "It's not that simple. Lad—Isshiki may be a psychotic criminal, but she's also a... victim of circumstance. I want to avoid agitating her further into the deep end, especially since a semblance of her humanity is still intact. Informing the entire department would be helpful, but it also could cause me to lose her altogether. As far as I know, the only one who she's exposed her double life to is 'Hachiman'. Telling that to the police would put myself and the people around me in danger—"

"—You and everyone else are already in danger. Hasn't she attacked your school twice already, for the sake of another boy?" Bruce pressed on.

"She has no reason to do so anymore since I've already been deemed 'worthy' of her obsession. I'm not going to invite any unneeded police surveillance over myself either." Huntsman replied calmly.

"You last point's taken, but everything before that was disturbing to hear. Will you be able to handle this burden when she inevitably goes after you—alone and without armor? You may have reached something in this girl as yourself last time but, even then, you were shot at. Don't allow this to become personal," said Bruce, putting emphasis on his last point.

Huntsman wondered for a moment if Bruce had been speaking out of experience, but figured this wasn't the time to ask about it. He didn't think the experienced vigilante would deign to share such examples anyway. There was no need for the older man to do; Huntsman knew he was definitely on the losing end of this argument.

Still, he chose to persevere. There was an admittedly dirty tactic that the fish-eyed hero had up his sleeve. He had yet to share a certain crucial point with Gotham's playboy. The time was now.

"Certain people of Gotham have already made things personal before I even came about. Sticking their noses in Chiba for... whatever the hell tickles their fancy. No regard for people like me and Isshiki. I'm talking about wretched people beyond Black Mask." Huntsman stated, looking pointedly at the other man.

"...What is it that you've found?" Bruce asked after a moment.

Huntsman didn't immediately oblige him, there was much more to state and he'd lose his voice and coherence were he to just cut to the chase.

"Trust me when I say I abhor describing criminals as 'victims of circumstances'. I think it's no different from the sort of copout explanation that people use on monsters, ranging from sociopathic youths to adult criminals. Calling them 'misunderstood' and other crud like that.

But when it comes to Isshiki Iroha's case? With everything I learned about her and her parents, I can't help but apply that label upon her—"

"—What happened to Isshiki Iroha was not her fault, yes. It was... her father's responsibility and the people he became involved with, but everything that came afterward was her doing," Bruce interrupted.

"Yeah, I can't fully deny that last part. You're also more than right about her ability to mix lies with the truth. As it stands, however, everything she told me that night was just the truth and I plan to exploit whatever sentiment she's associated with me for the purpose of bringing her in. As for Isshiki Isamu? He only wanted to perform what a father is expected to do. To provide for his family, not become part of some smuggling operation. I'll never know the man, but he certainly took a level of responsibility working menial labor jobs for his family," Huntsman argued.

Bruce scowled at the contrasting arguments that Huntsman provided for his stance on the two Isshikis. "This burden you foolishly plan on taking aside, I meant no disrespect to the innocent citizen who needlessly died years ago. I still won't backtrack on what I said, but I will add his responsibility ends right after taking that job. Ultimately, we know that the tragedies that befell upon this marlboro man and his family came from Sionis Roman's previous operations and Yukinoshita Yukari allowing them to take place for a cut. With this, you and Isshiki Iroha are their unintended consequences. Theirs' alone, if I'm not mistaken?"

You are. We both were.

"That's the thing. Initially, I too blamed Yukinoshita Constructions for opening Chiba to the underworld market, resulting in cases such as mine and Isshiki's. The Matriarch and Black Mask are definitely paying for their crimes at the moment. No doubt they share that responsibility. I'm close to reaching my justice, but the same can't be said for Isshiki Iroha and many others," Huntsman spoke gravely.

"...Don't keep me in suspense. What is it that you've found?" Bruce asked again, appearing skeptical. Despite this, he chose to hear the younger man out and Huntsman made sure to meet that respect with every detail he had left.

"Isshiki Isamu. Only lived to the age of 35. Never went to college and, again, only worked as a blue-collar laborer since high school. Racked up a sheer amount of debt from his youthful days of gambling. He also ensured his daughter became more academically inclined than she would have been if left alone. Found payments for tutors, cram school, and the whole nine yards.

There was nothing but a few mementos and documents left by Isshiki Isamu at the time of his death. One of which was a bounced check by what I assume was the last company he worked for—'Chimera Chems'. While that turned out to be a crapshoot, shell company, it was still titled as a subsidiary of a much larger one. And, like a diligent working man, he wore its uniform everyday including his last.

These are photos I recovered of it from the police's evidence storage. Stained with old blood and riddled with bullet holes… but the English is still legible enough to read." Huntsman finished quietly, transferring a stored photo file over their call.

It only took a second for the gravity of the situation to set within Bruce Wayne, Huntsman observed. Seeing the older man's eyes bulge for once, chilled his bones.

"Ace Chemicals…" Bruce trailed off, anguish reeling in the inflection of his voice.

Huntsman continued. "Yes. And my limited access to your database led me to a dead end when searching for more intel. All I could do was identify its last official owner as someone named 'Napier Jack'."

"You did what?" said Bruce, swiftly turning his head at the teen.

"—Napier Jack, a person with no records other than being the last male Gothamite to own Ace Chemicals before the company went under. Strangely enough, he's also listed as an alias of some rogue, again, in your database—"

Huntsman was interrupted by a sudden jerk on the other end of the line. Shockingly, Bruce had thumped his palms on the table as he shot up from his own seat. The younger lad curiously shuffled around, observing the older man shake his bowed head before letting out an indignant sigh.

"What else have you found on this individual?"

Taken aback, Huntsman blinked. "Hah? I don't—"

"—Any suspicion and I mean even the smallest sign that this person, or Ace Chemicals, still has ongoing operations over in Japan?" Batman interrupted once more, his voice pitched lower than ever and his eyes narrowed into a penetrating glare. A look clearly meant to discourage liars.

"Hmm. Nothing but a shoddy, abandoned 'Chimera Chems' warehouse that's been closed off to the public for years. I've yet to visit that place," Huntsman calmly answered.

"You're sure you haven't? Don't lie to me on this, Huntsman," the Gothamite nearly growled, his blood coming to a boil.

Seems this news brought out the 'Bat' in Wayne. I really didn't think this far ahead.

Sitting straight, Huntsman rebutted. "I'm not lying. The last thing I wanted to do was to step into a strange place like this without any knowledge of its previous activities. That includes details about its owner, Napier, whom I have limited access towards."

"That's—yes. That's what it'll have to be, for now," Batman trailed off.

"What? I have good reason to—"

"—No. Listen closely, anything else that comes up about this 'Napier Jack', forward it to me as soon as possible." Batman interrupted again, seemingly having calmed himself with admirable, quick restraint. Any tension that was building up between the two had lessened from his side.

Except Huntsman couldn't help but clench a fist after being given such an odd, explicit demand. No explanation was given, just a task he had to follow like a good errand boy. As if he was nothing more than a whelp after all was said and done. Huntsman's aim for bringing up this 'Napier' character was to achieve answers in the first place. He couldn't let this gambit of his end that way. He wouldn't. In spite of his self-doubts from earlier, Huntsman decided on going to bat for himself.

"...Y'know, giving me direct access to this guy's file could have its advantages. For one, I'd actually know who to look for and anything else they did to Chiba. What good will my 'consideration and insight' do if I just so happen to find this person down the street, eating some peanuts and having a laugh? None. A chance is all I need."

The boy wouldn't understand for a long time that his proposal was no different than asking for a fate possibly worse than death. Bruce Wayne held no delusions that his younger peer was completely clueless in regards to the adversaries of the Batman. In fact, he expected Huntsman to research everything he could, especially after Talia's assault on the Yukinoshitas and Chiba. Not conducting any research would have been irresponsible on his part and Batman couldn't fault him for that.

However, Bruce still refused to flippantly reveal anything about Batman's rogues gallery to just anyone—especially one as green as the Huntsman. Despite being the savior of a city, it was still only his first year… and the last thing Bruce wanted was for the boy to get involved with a true psychotic, criminal mastermind. A force of nature that even the Batman struggled to take down on a daily basis.

Huntsman had a feeling the answer would be a resounding 'no' after the brooding man hadn't shifted from his position in the slightest. Once again, his personal appeal failed to move another person's decision towards his favor. Given the dark, gruff expression held by Bruce, Huntsman realized all he managed to do was touch the wrong nerve. He wasn't totally terrified. In fact, he felt even more anxious to know about who exactly would cause such alarm and stress on the Batman. Unfortunately, for his curiosity, Huntsman would have to wait for another time.

"No. This is the last person I'll ever take chances on. Let me be even more clear on this. Don't actively search for 'Napier Jack' anymore. If you just happen to come across any relevant intel, you will forward it all to me and me alone. Got it?"

Batman had made his point and would remain immovable in regards to the issue. Huntsman chose to meet that stubbornness head on with his own.

"That's not possible. That warehouse is the only lead I have on Isshiki Iroha and it's important that I at least scout the area before going in. Leaving it untouched and forgotten would be stupid," Huntsman mouthed off, leaning back in his chair.

They both sat still, refusing to look away from each other and risk blinking even once, as if they were a couple of boxers during a weigh-in.

Truthfully, the older of the two knew this was an unproductive stance for either of them to take and cooler heads should prevail. There were only a few people in the world that the Batman would refuse to compromise on. The revelation that 'Napier Jack' once had operations in Chiba disturbed Bruce to no end. Bruce himself had been in Japan for more than a few times and this had slipped under his radar until now. Only he would cause Bruce to foolishly lock horns with a rebellious teenager.

At some point, both males couldn't keep their watery eyes from blinking, so they just chose to look away at the same time and angst in silence.

Their furious, Japanese-spoken argument hadn't gone unnoticed by the other person in the BatCave. Luckily for the two brooding vigilantes, there was one level-headed mediator available nearby in the form of a well-dressed, aging butler. Alfred had paused from his maintenance of the Batmobile to investigate the sudden commotion—not failing to first wipe his dirty, oily hands, of course!

The butler only heard a sliver of their spat from across the room and didn't fully understand the seriousness of the situation. But that wasn't the root of the problem, really. Alfred intuitively knew It was likely that the young Hikigaya felt his autonomy challenged by the overtly domineering Wayne heir. It was a bad habit that 'Master Bruce' had faced since making his first batch of friends as a schoolboy. Either things went his way during playtime or, sadly enough, he felt better off going his own way. Only a few special people could successfully call out the Dark Knight's moments of bullheadedness, to counteract any negative energy triggered by psychotic beings.

Alfred Pennyworth was, by far, the best man for the job. He offered no words to the last Wayne of the world, only a knowing look to the man's cerulean orbs. The kind that sons received from caring, disciplined fathers.

In turn, Bruce's stubborn look had softened just ever so slightly, until he finally sighed and nodded in understanding. Between him and Huntsman, Bruce was the first to look back at the latter through the screen. He quickly scolded himself for getting riled up with the younger, angst-driven teenager. The boy hadn't done anything wrong besides keeping him in suspense about one crucial detail. Bruce knew that encroaching on his colleague's territory wasn't the best way to keep a connection afloat. This was a person who Batman felt partially responsible for, recalling how Huntsman referred to Bruce as 'aniki' at least once...

He could at least deign to meet the younger man in the middle on another part of this issue. Ultimately, for the good of the mission.

"Huntsman, I won't stop you from pursuing a lead in regards to Isshiki Iroha. You certainly don't need my permission to scout ahead. It's your jurisdiction, after all. However, I advise you to refrain from infiltrating this supposed warehouse for a few days to a week from now. I've had something in the works that just so happens to coincide with this revelation," explained Bruce.

"...You're not going to make another visit to Chiba over this, right? Is a joint, covert operation really needed for this?" Huntsman replied, still maintaining a scowl.

"Ideally, it would be. I consider anything involving my 'Most Wanted' in need of a thorough investigation," said Bruce, busily typing away at another screen. "At the moment, my hands are tied with a guaranteed lead concerning the... other entities. Leaving Gotham now isn't an option for me."

"I don't understand. So it will all fall on me, then?"

"Not entirely. In my place, I will send over a few specific gadgets that may aid you with the actual infiltration. One of these will provide you with the ability to give us live updates while inside—give us 24 hours prior notice and Alfred will be in immediate contact on the day of. All we require is your patience. How does that sound?"

It sounded reasonably amazing to the younger man. Huntsman's ears had especially perked the moment Bruce almost revealed details of his Batman-related cases. But the older man had set a boundary, along with a compromise that would end with the infiltration of the 'Chimera Chems' warehouse in Chiba. There was probably a hidden catch to all this, Huntsman surmised. For the moment, he couldn't confirm his suspicions but decided to accept it altogether.

There were a couple of things he just had to voice out, however.

"...I'm more than okay with this arrangement and I'll report anything I find on 'Napier', no more questions asked. But will I have to retrieve this next supply drop from all over the rooftops of Chiba again? Because lemme tell you, lugging 30-plus kilograms worth of tech across the city was difficult. Doing multiple trips from different points was hell—"

"—Yet you managed and are better off from the experience," replied Bruce.

Huntsman deadpanned. "...So you admit to doing that on purpose. What kind of makeshift 'strength-training' was that?"

The older man waved his palm. "I have my reasons. Rest easy, this next one will contain delicate items that I'm not risking any form of hard-dropping via the Batwing. You'll have to personally retrieve them from Site B. I'll give you notice when to enter. Of course, I expect you to practice using these items as much as possible before the actual infiltration," said Bruce with a pointed look.

Site B? Oh right, the Wayne Enterprises building in the city. With that one room that's a whole lot cleaner than this bunker I'm in.

"Will do, thank you again. Gotta say though, the Batwing's one thing but smuggling something into Chiba within a matter of a few days? Makes me kind of uneasy how nothing really escapes your reach," Huntsman pointed out.

"Well, I admit my resources come in handy and I do have international connections that have proven invaluable many times over. Perhaps you'll prove to be one as well, sometime in the near future." Bruce replied in jest.

Huntsman crossed his arms. "Funny. Honestly, I meant to segue into learning exactly what it is you have on Yukinoshita Haruno that I don't and how you obtained it."

"You misunderstand. I didn't actively search for this bit of intel on Yukinoshita Haruno. It was brought to my attention in a meeting last night."

"B-Business-related? I'm not blaming you, just saying it's not good if I stay out of the loop, right? Especially since they're my, uh, responsibility," Huntsman said that last bit with hesitation not gone unnoticed by Bruce. The latter's eyes had narrowed ever so slightly and Huntsman felt scrutinized for what felt like the hundredth time since they began speaking.

"That they are. First, give me your own run-down on their cases and the company. Last we spoke, you should recall my own purchase of Yukinoshita Constructions." Bruce spoke matter of factly.

You mean when you casually mentioned shelling out millions for a ruined company? Yeah, you show-off. I definitely remember that kind gesture. What about it though?

Huntsman hastily dug past his other reports for a recent newspaper clipping and an audio file on his monitor. Bruce was clearly unimpressed with the torn out article but Huntsman tried to not let that bother him and powered through, reading as audibly as he could.

"'The Prosecutor's Office has levied multiple counts of domestic and international bribery, voter fraud, embezzlement, obstruction of justice, tax evasion, extortion, conspiracy to traffic abusive substances, conspiracy to traffic humans, weapons smuggling'—you get the picture. They're all looking at hard time.

Yukinoshita Yukari and Yukinoshita Daishi voluntarily left their corporate and political positions respectively. Hayama Hanzo has been disbarred from practicing law ever again. All placed under house arrest and their passports were immediately revoked. Every one of their legitimate businesses have been raided, so I guess you've already been given info about the raids on Yukinoshita Constructions?" Huntsman asked.

"...Sure. Just go on," Bruce replied.

Huntsman complied. "Hayama Saya appears to have been completely uninvolved in the illicit activities of her husband and hasn't been charged with anything as of yet.

Same goes for Yukinoshita Haruno, though I know she was fully aware of everything but didn't actively comply with her parents' corrupt acts. To the public, the former's just a housewife while the latter's just a university student."

"Hmph," Bruce let out with a smirk.

"...Please don't keep me in suspense now," Huntsman responded, tossing the clipping on the desk.

Bruce, however, wouldn't oblige just yet. "Do you believe they'll actually spend time in a cell? Even with unmatched political and civilian pressure, and Japan's 'admirable' conviction rate—it seems hard to believe such prominent people will be fully or mostly convicted of their charges."

A bit displeased, Huntsman turned himself sideways away from the older man's gaze. This was definitely something he had mulled over the second other Yukinoshita-linked officials were ousted from lawful institutions. Everything outside of the Hunter's Den was moving too quickly for the young man to react, whilst he spent much of his time unpacking and installing. A quick glance at the room reminded him that the base was still far from being finished and he would be going back to school the next day.

Staying 'home' was a beautiful lie but he couldn't keep it up forever. It was impossible for anyone to bury their heads in the sand as different kinds of villains were entrenched all over Chiba, all cornered but ready to lash out.

"Well, you have a point. The Yukinoshitas being exposed have caused some sort of domino effect. One wherein every official and organization they've been linked to have come under scrutiny. Nevermind just the petty thugs, we haven't passed a day without multiple white collar crimes being brought to light. Their reach was just so deeply rooted in various systems of Japan," said Huntsman.

"Not deeply enough from what you've just told me. Their rapid downfall almost appears artificial, your thoughts?" Batman asked.

"The only reason they're even being charged is because of public pressure, political and business adversaries smelling blood in the water, social media, and my involvement. I guess there's also the fact that nothing as criminally historic has ever happened in Chiba. The past few months have been very different from the norm and, as with every human, everyone is so eager to "cancel" a cruel power. Even their precious news networks have betrayed them, vilifying their actions and the government for once. Well, that's until they begin receiving funds and orders from a new cash cow in the future, I believe.

They've been exposed on every level and there's a hefty opposition against them all in just a matter of days and yet… " Huntsman wavered, pausing to take a breath.

"Go on," Bruce pressed.

"Their assets were frozen, but not before they liquidated enough to fund a formidable defense team and beyond. I also have documents implying they have millions of Swiss cheese abroad available, so those three won't be running out of cash anytime soon. Not enough to fund all the lowly thugs once under their control, but enough to make me worried. It almost feels like they've evened the odds. Perhaps sixty to seventy percent chance they'll be convicted for some of these charges," Huntsman finished sardonically.

"Not exactly what I'd call 'evening the odds'. A good start for their end, but they'll surely have other valuable pieces in play. There's also the idea that Yukinoshita Haruno might hinder what you ultimately seek from this case. From that look in your eye, you're not taking it well," Bruce commented, giving him a visual once over.

"Well, there's nothing wrong with me wanting their full conviction. Who knows how many people there are left in the justice system whose loyalty they've bought? Even with the Batcomputer, I've only been able to connect and expose five other officials since their arrest. I'm not omniscient and have probably missed paper and digital trails here and there. So hearing that you have something on Yukinoshita Haruno, even if you just learned it recently, is discouraging. Mostly because you're thousands of kilometers away and I'm right underneath the city. Just… what is it that you've found?" Huntsman asked, a whiskey smooth edge to his voice.

Bruce clucked his tongue instead. "Describe her for me, in your own words."

Huntsman blinked in confusion, shrugging his arms. "...Yukinoshita Haruno? Tch, I haven't had the privilege of meeting her enough times to give a detailed report. Perhaps I can say she's manipulative, charismatic, shrewd, not above using her attractive looks—"

Bruce interrupted him. "Yes. I can only imagine how far she's used these gifts and skills in order to fulfill her desires. A resourceful woman, I have to add. Having put herself in a favorable position amongst the officials of Yukinoshita Constructions, reacquiring the assets that have been seized from her parents under her full control, and maintaining relations beyond her business circle—somehow all under the radar?

Quite the shark for a mere 'university student'."

Bruce left that last line hang on for a few moments, giving Huntsman another moment to think. The younger man initially cringed as the thought of Wayne falling for Yukinoshita Haruno's charms crossed his mind. Especially after the playboy billionaire had complimented her 'gifts' and 'resourcefulness'. It took a few seconds for the rest to process through Huntsman's tired mind but, eventually, the revelation hit him like a thousand volts.

"What?! You're telling me that… she actually..."

Bruce gave the younger man a small, tired smile before sighing with resignation.

"She's a tricky one, yes. When you assumed I purchased Yukinoshita Constructions last week, I had actually only given an undisclosed offer that should have been finalized as of yesterday evening. Instead, I've come to learn that one of its established shareholders, Yukinoshita Haruno, has pulled off and cashed in many favors with Yukinoshita Yukari's colleagues, starting even before the latter was ousted.

An insider of mine, let's call him Jin-san, revealed that many financial concessions and backroom partnerships were brokered. Certain contracts were either rescinded or updated with new clauses, most of which would benefit the lesser cronies of the company and beyond. Essentially, she changed a chunk of the company's framework which realigned key network components in her favor, all under the guise of her mother's authority. Her new attorneys are well-funded and everyone else's hands were tied in the end. Enough work was accomplished by this Haruno alone so that she became the majority shareholder and CEO of Yukinoshita Constructions as of two days ago."

"As of two days ago?! So then your offer…" Huntsman choked out.

Bruce offered him a nod. "Yes. As such, my purchase offer was soundly rejected and, for the past few hours, I've been on the receiving end of scrutiny from Gotham's own press. They've 'uncovered' my attempt to purchase a foreign company, formerly led by two corrupt individuals facing trial. The details were in a memo, forcibly leaked by my own insider before he was promptly fired—her way of telling me to 'back off' I assume," Bruce finally finished with a scoff.

For the first time in years, Huntsman's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

Holy crap.

Huntsman's throat tightened as he racked his brain for some form of explanation as to why this happened under his nose. But nothing substantial came in the end, he had no valid excuse for the Batman.

"...Shit. I should have seen this coming—I apologize for not anticipating this... move," Huntsman weakly offered, still clearly taken aback by the news.

Bruce hadn't immediately turned back to look at the younger vigilante, but he definitely heard the sincerity in the latter's voice. Truthfully, there was not a shred of anger in the older man's veins against anyone else involved other than himself. More for possibly limiting his insider's future career path than anything else. Though he was admittedly ticked off that this woman he's never met, from thousands of miles away, managed to dent his public playboy facade in such a shrewd manner.

But these issues weren't beyond his repair. Bruce would be contacting his head corporate liaison of the Chiba branch to fix 'Jin-san' with a well-paid position for his trouble. The next day, he would present a sufficient explanation for this attempted purchase to the Wayne Enterprises board of directors and any prying reporters.

Luckily enough, the rest of the week had been pre-scheduled with philanthropic activities involving the stray dogs and cats of Gotham. Perfect potential puff pieces for bleeding hearts like Vicki Vale to write up in her column, hopefully taking the heat off this mini-scandal.

As for Yukinoshita Constructions and its new owner? It was Bruce's decision to leave Yukinoshita Haruno the 'victor' in this small bout over her family's company. His purchase offer was foolishly made on a whim and so, he did not seek revenge against this woman. To do anything more, without reasonable prompting, would be overstepping many boundaries. As such, he also decided to leave the overall fate of Yukinoshita Haruno and Yukinoshita Constructions in the hands of the Huntsman.

Huntsman. The same young vigilante who heavy-handedly destroyed her family's reputation for the next few generations to come. Bruce figured it was only fair that Hikigaya Hachiman, of all people, had the last say on the matter. Still, memories of Carmine Falcone's son surged through Bruce's mind when going over the possibilities of Yukinoshita Haruno's next move. The mess that Mario Falcone had created to avenge his father was a terrible footnote in Gotham's history...

Do-overs were impossible and Batman would have to live with the consequences of giving certain people the benefit of the doubt. But if Huntsman could avoid a tragedy with similar circumstances, with just a push in the right direction, Bruce was willing to offer such a nudge whenever possible. With his head raised and the posture of an emperor, he finally addressed the expectant teen.

"Don't waste time wondering what could have been. Follow my lead and take this development as a lesson. Time and time again will show us not to underestimate or dismiss anyone's ability to rise from a low point. However, it seems your personal description of Yukinoshita Haruno indicates this probably should have been foreseen. Now she wields a valuable resource that her mother, Chiba's 'Matriarch', once held and fully exploited only a week ago... I know you understand where I'm going with this. "

Huntsman's head ducked down after hearing such a leading accusation from the Batman. He couldn't immediately repudiate anything after hearing that Yukinoshita Haruno practically slighted his billionaire sponsor. Even a newbie like himself would come to such a logical conclusion, the teen surmised.

Yeah. Anyone would have good reason to think that the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree. Yukinoshita Haruno felt cornered and acted accordingly, preserving what she could for her and her sister's survival. Despite her upbringing from Yukinoshita Yukari, the eldest still has a heart and a much more agreeable conscience. But is she foolish enough to restore the empire? To extend a hand towards the mother she—

Finally something else had come to mind the instant that Huntsman recalled Haruno's role in betraying her parents to him and him alone. Weeks before and on the night of the infamous party, Haruno was cooperative every step of the way. That hasn't changed since then and he even held new evidence to support this stance.

His argument for Isshiki's case had been iffy at best, having to agitate his older colleague into a compromise. That wasn't his best moment and he'd try not to do such a thing again in the future… for the most part. In this case, however, he didn't need to use suspense or dirty tactics to defend Haruno.

He couldn't argue against Bruce's or his own belief that Haruno was a gifted, demon superwoman. That side of her will never go away, always rearing its ugly head at her disposal, always perfectly disguised by her gorgeous looks and facade. She was, by far, the perfect candidate to succeed the Matriarch and turn into a dangerous villain.

It was dumb, ironic luck for Haruno that all her lines were discreetly wiretapped by Huntsman on a whim. He wouldn't succumb to any paranoia involving Haruno's possible descent into crime because of this action. Actually, he thanked the gods that the last thing he'd ever expect to come from the eldest Yukinoshita daughter was a misguided lust for revenge.

Out of anxiousness, Huntsman rapped his hands on the desk before quietly speaking up.

"...Hold on. I do know where you were getting at, but I have one more relevant bit of intel to report. A recording of a call made to one of Yukinoshita Haruno's private lines. One that, with this context you've given me, makes all the more sense."

Not to mention, quite relieving.

"Oh? How so?" Bruce asked, his words like ice.

"The people on the other end were her father and mother. Yukinoshita Daishi and Yukinoshita Yukari. I have the audio file uploaded with the following transcript, please take a listen," replied Huntsman, his hands still trembling with adrenaline at the entire revelation he was about to share.

Through a screen-sharing application within the video call, Huntsman set it up so that they would listen to the file in sync. Besides a few stutters, the call still had yet to involuntarily drop due to a network failure. The teen hoped using this feature wouldn't be him pushing his luck. His older colleague had a different concern in mind, however.

"Huntsman, are you sure about this? Sharing this much with me… isn't an obligation," Bruce asked, only a click away from playing the recording.

… Heh. I violated a woman's right to privacy and your main concern is me sharing the intel I gathered? Some very twisted priorities going on here, from us both.

Hachiman truly found it strange that Bruce asked him such a question. They had already discussed everything under the sun about the two other femme fatales in the former's roster.

Why keep it to myself? What difference would sharing this audio file make? Especially when two of the speakers involved ran Chiba's underground with an iron fist, until recently.

He wondered if Bruce was just trying to be respectful of 'Huntsman's' autonomy over Chiba, because of the spat they had. Any consideration Bruce had for the Yukinoshitas had been thrown out the window after the heiress slapped him with bad PR. Hachiman also considered the idea that Bruce held little to no confidence in him.

It was a classic case of a teenager's paradoxical state of mind. Wallowing in an endless sea of self-doubt while also being completely certain of other's low opinion of him. There was no doubt in Hachiman's mind that he must have appeared more than troubled on the Yukinoshita case. In retrospect, he really should have done more than just clip a newspaper article and gather a single audio file. Although it was a good thing he didn't miss this specific bit of evidence, he still felt like such an idiot for half-assing the case during its most crucial week.

By not performing as well, Huntsman showed weakness to the Batman. Hachiman reached that next conclusion by himself, again without any explicit confirmation from the older man. He wouldn't even try to ask for one. For whatever reason, he felt it would be much better to swallow his unease than to bring it out into the open. His anxiousness to get this moment over with won out in the end. Hachiman's dead fish eyes blinked once before he played the audio file himself and left Bruce's question unanswered.

---

The following is a transcript of the mp3 audio file entitled 'HYD_Dec4'.

Date - 4 December 2020.

Time of call - 17:09:25 to 17:15:45.

All callers identified: Yukinoshita Haruno, Yukinoshita Daishi, and Yukinoshita Yukari.

Yukinoshita Haruno location: Yukinoshita Constructions Building, reason unknown. Tapped line labeled 'Heiress'. Corresponding line number - [REDACTED]. Refer to primary record.

Yukinoshita Daishi & Yukinoshita Yukari location: Yukinoshita Manor, complying with court-ordered house arrest. Prepaid mobile phone detected.

—Audio Start—

00:00

…

Yukinoshita Haruno: 'Hello? I don't recognize this caller, state your business or I'll be hanging up.'

(...)

Yukinoshita Haruno: '...Yukino-chan? Only you should have this number, don't tell me you're calling from a payphone—'

Yukinoshita Daishi: '—Don't be alarmed, Haru-chan. It's us, father and mother.'

Yukinoshita Haruno: 'O-Otou-san? How?!'

Yukinoshita Daishi: 'Nevermind how, Haru-chan. We've made more than a few attempts to reach you for some time now. I must say, I didn't expect it to be such a difficult task just to speak with my own daughter.'

Yukinoshita Haruno: 'Not for a lack of trying, I'll give you two that much.'

Yukinoshita Daishi: 'Ah. So you have been purposely avoiding our messages. I'm sorry that your mother was proven right in this regard. There's no need for such a vindictive tone, mind you. Have you no shame? After everything we've provided to you, our first child… I thought you'd mature with a bit more appreciation than that.'

Yukinoshita Haruno: 'Appreciation? I see… so Okaa-san has everything already figured out again and now you want—'

Yukinoshita Daishi: '—What we'd like is to meet with you both for a nice brunch at home. Our home. Or perhaps a dinner would fit better with your new schedule? Surely you can grant Yuki-chan a rest from cooking and an evening with her parents—'

Yukinoshita Haruno: '—Don't bring her into this. My answer is no, Otou-san, and it'll remain that way for a long while. Feel free to chat with my legal team whenever, though! I'll be informing them of this call shortly after hanging up.'

Yukinoshita Daishi: '...Ridiculous. You'd cower behind a group of suits from your own father? Like I'm some sort of two-bit thug instead of the man who's been watching over you your entire life? Don't you even think about cutting me off when I've done nothing but love my family.'

Yukinoshita Haruno: 'Already with this sort of appeal? Don't even bother—'

Yukinoshita Daishi: '—I was there in the hospital when you breathed through your mother's body, the day when you took your first steps, the night you embraced me with such excitement over the loss of your first tooth—'

Yukinoshita Haruno: '—Stop it. I'd like you to stop right there. Don't you dare use what fond memories I have left against my own judgement, Otou-san. It's pointless to do so, I haven't forgotten that you were always the more manipulative one. Don't sully anymore for me.'

Yukinoshita Daishi: 'Manipulation? As if you're above such acts. That light shade of morality doesn't suit you in the least, Haru-chan. You've clearly learned more than what you'd like to admit from us both. Like hell we were going to let you venture out into this depraved world without learning the fundamentals of survival. Sugarcoating everything would have killed you and Yuki-chan.

She was meant to shadow me next year while I continued working in the political sphere, did you know that? Now that setup for her future is gone, you stupid girl. Blinded by societal morality, as if there's something to gain from that. Why? Those lessons your mother taught you proved useful, haven't they?!'

Yukinoshita Haruno: 'Funny. From where I'm standing, it seems all your methods have become utterly useless in doing away with the pain and damage they brought in the first place. ...No, now I know that I've made the right choice and it's too bad that it'd probably go over your head. You can't know how this feels, Otou-san. You're too delusional to even make an attempt.'

Yukinoshita Daishi: 'I told you to mind your tongue when speaking to me and spare me any damn emotional excuses.'

Yukinoshita Haruno: 'That's rich coming from a loving father, whining about his daughter's lack of appreciation. I shouldn't have to remind you who wanted this awful conversation to take place, right? Anything I have left to say sums up just about what I'm willing to spare, Otou-san, so take it or leave it.'

Yukinoshita Daishi: 'How dare you. Accusing me of being deluded when your recent actions have gone against everything you've been taught. Rather than remaining loyal to your own family, you're placing your faith in the system and its law enforcement?!'

Yukinoshita Haruno: 'Family loyalty? I don't want to hear that from you, not after what you just revealed. Maybe I am stupid, for thinking that your soft spot for my little sister—your princess, would have kept her blissfully ignorant of it all for the rest of her life. That she would have been free while I took on that foul burden that you two thought of as an empire.'

Yukinoshita Daishi: '...What an illusion. There's nothing to gain from freedom and wasted potential. Based on her idolization of you, her older sister, Yuki-chan would have adapted well to—'

*thump*

Yukinoshita Haruno: '—You were Yukino's hero, you stupid old man! My sister crawled right behind me and you haven't the first clue why she decided to. Nothing I've been taught has given me the faintest clue on how to ease her pained, fragile heart. It would be a lie to say that I didn't have any doubts, but now I know she should never see you two again. To think that you intended to take Yukino-chan's dream and corrupt it—corrupt her into another crooked demagogue… and she would have succeeded... *sob* *sob*

(...)

Yukinoshita Daishi: 'Stop that ...I didn't call to make you cry, Haru-chan. I-I just want you to remember what miracles your mother and I have performed beyond ensuring financial security. Please come home, you can't keep Yuki-chan away from us either. I-I wish to see you both—What? There's no need… no, I don't think that's… as you wish, dear.'

Yukinoshita Haruno: '...Otou-san, I-I have to go. Please don't call—"

Yukinoshita Yukari: 'Haruno.'

Yukinoshita Haruno: 'O-Okaa-san. I'm sorry, I—'

Yukinoshita Yukari: '—Yes, yes, you've chosen to abandon us entirely. What a shame.'

Yukinoshita Haruno: '...That's not fair, I have my reasons—'

Yukinoshita Yukari: 'Oh? As if I hadn't heard your inane blubber for the past few minutes? Believe me, I'm fully aware of them now and will act accordingly. We'll part from here on out, as you wish, with no chance of reconciliation from our side as well.

However, as we separate from our roles as parents and child, it only seems appropriate that I scold you for one last time, as the doting mother that your father failed to remind you of. I've lost all patience with you, so I'll keep this as short as I can manage.

You haven't the faintest idea what it means to have nothing. You clearly don't value what your father and I have accomplished in the span of two decades, beyond the yen that the company brings. What we managed to cultivate in a lesser city, with no foreseeable prospects, as one as Chiba... was nothing short of a so-called miracle. We—I have had to topple imbeciles with greater resources my entire life. And you? You were blessed with all that I had to offer since birth. A baby with unconditional access to everything ranging from my wealth and power to the warmth of my teat.

And what have you done with my blessings? Let me remind you that the position you've just garnered was always meant to be yours from the beginning. Just a mere fraction of the entire future we envisioned for you and Yukino. A future that you aided destroying in a single night. Don't expect any less from us in turn, Yukinoshita Haruno.'

Yukinoshita Haruno: 'Okaa-san… No, shove your threats up your ass. Everyone can see that the Prosecutor's Office has you cornered. You're done. Stay away from me and Yukino—'

*click*

06:20

—Audio End—

---

A/N:

Basically two guys in basements talking about fixing society. A weary world such as their own, deserves such an imperfect alliance.

Anyways, anyone here ready to see JOKER? Released today, October 4th! I solemnly swear I didn't hold this chapter off to be released today, just a (happy?) coincidence.

OG author 502Nickster, a good guy and who helped much again, has already seen it and believes a lot can be learned from the movie. I believe that very much and can't wait to see it myself.

March on the streets and take back society, fellow clowns.