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"Why?"
Just as Kaitou Kid was about to vanish into the shadows, Robin's voice rasped out behind him — weak, but stubborn.
The phantom thief paused mid-step. Robin struggled to rise, but the lingering toxin allowed only a painful turn of his head. His cowl lenses flickered faintly in the dim container light as he stared up at the white-caped figure.
"Kaitou Kid… why did you save me? You must know that taking me away from the Riddler will expose you. Right now, revealing yourself would be disastrous for both you and the hostage."
Kaitou Kid tilted his head slightly, the brim of his top hat casting a sharp shadow across his monocle.
"Mhm, you're right. Once the Riddler realizes it was me who rescued you, he'll decide I broke my own announcement. Who knows what he'll do next — move the hostage, accelerate the deadline, or worse."
He nodded in calm agreement, as if discussing the weather.
"Then why did you save me? By all logic, we're enemies, aren't we?"
Robin's voice carried genuine confusion, edged with exhaustion.
"Huh? What kind of question is that?"
Kaitou Kid looked genuinely puzzled for a moment, then let out a soft, amused chuckle.
"Saving someone doesn't need a reason. I felt like it, so I did."
Robin was left speechless.
It was true that saving people didn't require justification. Heroes lived by that principle every night. But those words shouldn't have come so easily from the mouth of a thief — a phantom who danced through heists with a grin and a ...flock of doves.
Kaitou Kid… what kind of person are you, really?
The question lingered unspoken in Robin's mind, heavy and unanswerable.
He forced himself to shift topics, voice rough.
"…I searched this place thoroughly. The hostage isn't here. We were both wrong. The answer isn't Miller Port, Cargo Zone 35. You need to hurry and find where the hostage really is…"
"Hold on. Let me correct you." Kaitou Kid cut in smoothly. "What do you mean 'we' were wrong?"
Robin blinked.
"You were the only one who was wrong. I knew from the start that Zone 35 was a trap."
In that instant, a bolt of lightning seemed to strike Robin's mind. His eyes widened beneath the mask.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean I already know where the Riddler hid the hostage."
Kaitou Kid said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, casual as mentioning the time.
"Then why did you come here? Why didn't you go rescue her directly?"
Robin frowned, demanding an explanation despite the fog still clouding his thoughts.
"Because the place the Riddler chose is very special. Until a certain time, we can't reach it, so I can't extract the hostage early."
What Kaitou Kid said was cryptic, almost maddening.
Only reachable at a certain time?
Did that mean the location appeared only during a specific window? Had the Riddler somehow borrowed Constantine's House of Mystery — or something equally impossible?
"Still confused, little birdy?" Kaitou Kid's tone turned lightly teasing. "Use your head. You came to the port, which means you already linked the answer to the play Death of a Salesman. So why not dig deeper? Salvation lies within~"
He quoted the famous movie line with dramatic flair, gloved hand gesturing like a stage magician.
"Dig deeper? Other than connecting the playwright's name to Miller Port, what other clue does it give?"
Robin fell into thought, forcing his sluggish brain to turn over the riddle again.
"As for why I came here, isn't the reason obvious?"
Kaitou Kid glanced down at him, expression softening just a fraction behind the confident smile.
"After I saw the trap hidden in the Riddler's riddle, I figured someone might rush in headfirst out of desperation to save the hostage. One hostage turning into two would be a disaster."
Robin froze again.
"So… you came here specifically to save me?"
He murmured the words to himself, barely audible.
He had assumed Kaitou Kid just happened to stumble onto the scene while searching for the real location and intervened on a whim. Now it seemed the phantom thief had come to Miller Port for his sake alone — had predicted Robin would fall into the trap, had seen right through his determination and haste.
Robin felt shaken to his core.
"Still, even though it's a fixed time, after what just happened the Riddler might move it forward. I'd better get going. Will you be okay here by yourself?"
Kaitou Kid asked with a gentle smile, already turning to leave.
"Hmph. As if I want to see you. Get lost."
Robin snorted, waving a weak hand in dismissal despite the tremor in his arm.
"Next time we meet, try not to be in such a pathetic state."
With that parting shot, Kaitou Kid turned fully away.
"Kaitou Kid."
After only a few steps, Robin called out again from behind.
The phantom thief paused without turning.
"Don't think saving me once means I'll go easy on you. Next time, I'll arrest you myself."
"Heeh~ Feel free to try. A phantom thief is never caught."
Without looking back, Kaitou Kid answered provocatively.
With those final words, his white silhouette blurred, cape fluttering like wings, and vanished completely from Robin's sight — leaving only the faint scent of smoke and playing cards in the air.
"…I'm counting on you for that girl, Kaitou Kid. Don't lose to the Riddler…"
Watching the empty spot where the thief had stood, Robin whispered so softly that only he could hear.
Just then, the residual drug in his system surged again. Overwhelming drowsiness crashed over him like a wave.
"Damn it… I can't keep my eyes open."
With his last bit of strength, Robin fumbled for his communicator and pressed the emergency call button. The faint beep echoed in the empty container as his head finally dropped to the cold floor.
♦♦♦
In a dark, oppressive space far from the port, Janice Lawson slowly regained consciousness.
She blinked against the blackness, disoriented. All she could see was inky darkness pressing in from every side. The air smelled of salt and rust — old metal, seawater, something faintly mechanical.
The moment she tried to stand, she realized she was tied to a chair. Thick ropes bit into her wrists and ankles; a gag muffled her mouth. Any attempt to speak came out as pitiful, muffled whimpers.
"Good evening, sweetheart."
At that moment, a screen dropped down in front of her with a mechanical whir. The face staring back was none other than the Riddler — green suit immaculate, question-mark cane resting across his lap, that signature smug smile twisting his lips.
The instant she saw him, the haze in Janice's mind cleared. Fear flooded her eyes, wide and glassy.
Today — or maybe yesterday, or even longer ago — at dusk, she had been wearing the new gift from her father: a delicate necklace that caught the light just right.
She'd been heading out to meet her friends for shopping, excited despite the recent news about a stolen jewel.
The necklace looked a lot like the one mentioned in the headlines, but her father had sworn it was only similar — a coincidence. She had dismissed the thought.
After all, the thief who stole that necklace was the dashing Kaitou Kid. How could it possibly end up in her father's hands?
Who was Kaitou Kid? He was currently Gotham's number one choice for "Who I'd most like to sleep with this month." Even Bruce Wayne had to settle for second place.
The idea that Kaitou Kid's true identity might be her own father was too absurd, too terrifying to even consider.
What she did not know was that this very necklace had led to her current situation.
That evening, on her way to meet her friends, the Riddler had suddenly appeared — stepping out of the shadows like a nightmare made flesh. He had abducted her without a word. After that, everything went black.
Only now had she awakened.
"Mmmph mmmph mmmph. (What do you want? Why did you take me?)"
Janice tried to ask in terror, straining against the gag.
But only muffled, desperate sounds escaped.
"Hey, hey. Relax, miss. Talking like that, even the greatest mind in the world couldn't understand you."
The Riddler smiled, almost kindly.
"Actually, you don't need to speak at all. Just listen carefully."
"In about twenty minutes, you will die and be lost to the sea."
"Mmmph mmmph mmmph mmmph."
Hearing the Riddler pronounce her death sentence so casually, Janice panicked. She thrashed against the ropes, trying to scream, to beg, but only muffled cries broke through.
"Shut up. Didn't I say you don't need to speak?"
The Riddler suddenly snapped, voice sharp as a blade.
Janice immediately fell silent, trembling in fear, tears welling behind the gag.
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I took the Saturday off, SORRY!
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