Chapter 235: Girlfriend or Enemy

The ninja woman had slipped her arm through his, clinging to him like they were lovers.

“He’s not causing you any trouble, is he?” she asked Oswald.

A dozen conclusions hit him all at once. The first was the obvious one: this was a setup. Somehow she had tracked him even after he’d scrubbed off the mark, and now he was standing in the middle of a trap, surrounded by Bastion soldiers.

His instinct screamed to move, to bolt. Standing still meant catching an arrow in the back.

“No, everything’s fine,” Oswald replied with the salesman’s smile of a used-car dealer.

“What’s he doing buying things from you?” she snapped.

Oswald gave a polite little cough, ready to answer, but the ninja woman grabbed his bow tie before he could.

“Weapons?!” Her glare flicked to the stalls. “He’s here again with those insane ideas?”

She turned on him.

“First it’s your eye, then what? Your life? Don’t you value it? What about me? What about what we’re trying to build together?”

Her hand whipped across his face before he could react. The slap cracked loud enough to turn heads, and he froze, not from pain, but from the sheer humiliation.

She stormed off, sobbing dramatically, and for one surreal moment the world stopped. Every stare burned into him, sharp with judgment. He didn’t need to look around to know who they’d cast as the villain of the scene.

“S-sir, it’s not right to let a woman walk away in tears,” Oswald offered sympathetically.

“Clearly she loves you. Don’t put her through this,” added a guard who had stepped closer. “No need to risk your neck in the Wild Zone.”

“You’re right,” he muttered, forcing some mock sincerity into his voice before rushing off. “I’m sorry for the trouble.”

“It’s quite all right,” Oswald assured him with that same smile.

He slipped into the crowd, walking fast, weaving through strangers while his senses stayed sharp. If an archer had him in their sights, he needed cover.

What the hell just happened?

The thought gnawed at him as he moved between stalls, watching for the slightest hint of a trap.

“Oh, darling. I’m so glad you came after me.”

Her voice again. She reappeared at his side as if she’d never left, clinging to his arm, face bright with a smile and not a trace of tears. His eyes swept the crowd instantly, one hand ready for any sudden move from her.

She flicked open a folding fan, hiding her lips, and whispered, “You’d better come with me… what’s your name again?”

“Bruce Wayne,” he answered dryly, walking beside her.

She snapped the fan shut and gave him a look. “Hmm… funny, I thought my boyfriend’s name was Luke.” Her voice dropped as she leaned closer, lips hovering far too near his.

He pulled back, but she kept her grip locked on his arm. He opened his refined perception field, scanning for hostile intent in the press of the crowd. She knew exactly who he was.

“I’m not with Bartholomew,” she murmured, hiding her mouth again behind the fan.

They moved together through the marketplace, her hold like iron. He tugged at his arm, but she was deceptively strong. If he tried to wrench free with force, it would draw unwanted eyes instantly.

“Who are you,” he whispered back, “and what do you want?”

She pointed toward a stall.

“Look, darling, how about buying me a piece of fruit?” Her fan tipped playfully in the vendor’s direction.

“There are plenty of fruits in the Wild Zone you could pick yourself, sweetheart,” he answered with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“Oh, love, but I want this one so badly. You really should spoil your girlfriend. What do you think, mister vendor?”

“You ought to listen to the lady,” the man replied, grinning.

“He’s terrible at dates,” she added, pouting like some theater diva.

He forced a smile. The only thing he wanted to sink his teeth into was her jugular.

“Sweetheart, why don’t you let go of my arm? I’ll grab something from my pack to trade. That way I can buy you as many fruits as you want.”

She snapped open her fan and flashed a sly smile. “Oh, my dear. Don’t worry, I already took something from your pack for you.”

She handed the vendor a glass bottle.

That thieving bitch!

“A glass bottle! Worth far more than a few pieces of fruit,” the vendor said, surprised, accepting it eagerly.

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“But my love is feeling generous today. We’ll just take one fruit.” She sank her teeth into a crisp apple, then turned and held it toward him. “Want a bite, darling?”

“No, sweetheart,” he replied, lips stretching into another fake smile.

“He’s so shy,” she told the vendor, giggling.

“Have a fine day, you two,” the man said, tipping his hat.

They moved on through the marketplace, she happily chewing her apple as though this were some carefree stroll. His mind raced. Every instinct told him she was leading him into a trap.

“I think our little date’s been long enough, darling,” he muttered through a smile. “And if this is an ambush, don’t think you’ll walk away unscathed.”

She only smiled, crunching into her apple.

“How deep did you go into that fortress?” she asked under her breath. “Did you make it to the end of the… second mechanism?”

She leaned closer. “I want out of this tutorial too,” she whispered. “And I’m not with Bartholomew.”

Releasing his arm, she walked a few steps ahead, then turned back with a smile.

“So, my dear, will you abandon me now, or shall we continue our date and reach an arrangement that benefits us both?”

He froze, weighing her words. She clearly knew the secrets of the tutorial. She had to know Bastion was hiding one of the mechanisms, and that he had already activated it. She wasn’t remotely trustworthy, but she might be useful.