Vivi pinned the yellow rose to her chest.

The tiny figure hidden among the layers of petals remained unseen, but his voice echoed in Vivi’s ear—thanks to Robin’s tech. He said, “If I were Crane, I wouldn’t just want to control Gotham. I’d want to destroy myself—destroy the Batman who has defeated me so many times.”

“Whether by exposing my true identity to the public or attacking those I’ve sworn to protect,” Batman continued, his voice calm, “Crane is a master of fear, but he can’t overcome his own. He has to admit it—he’s terrified of me. If I were him, I’d choose to destroy the East End.”

Vivi squatted in Crime Alley, trying to strike a cool pose, her cloak billowing dramatically. “Why?”

“Because the East End gives me hope for change. I think that’s one of the reasons Crane chose to ally with Harvey Dent,” Batman said, his tone steady.

Vivi: “?” She abandoned her attempts to pose with her black cloak and decided to sit down and listen to the big bat’s past.

“Harvey,” Batman paused for a moment, “was once a great man. He was called Gotham’s White Knight, the best district attorney the city ever had, and he was running for mayor.”

Vivi, the current mayor: “…”

“But then he had one bad day, just like the Joker says—‘a bad day.’ His fragile mental state began to unravel, making him irritable and unstable. Half his face remained normal, while the other half became more monstrous than a devil’s. That’s when he truly became a demon,” Batman’s voice dropped lower. “He turned into the infamous Gotham criminal, Two-Face. Every time, I throw him into Arkham, but Arkham hasn’t been able to cure him.”

“Arkham hasn’t cured the Joker either,” Vivi mused, “but I can heal him—thanks to you.”

[Congratulations, Player! You have received “Mad Gotham” Rose x1 (7-day duration) and “Sun Knight” Rose x1 (5-day duration) from the last harvest.]

Batman had harvested them for her, leading Vivi to wonder if there was some kind of strange superstition about getting better loot through manual harvesting rather than the system’s auto-collect feature…

Batman paused. “Even if physical wounds can heal, the pain in his heart cannot be undone—”

“No,” Vivi opened the panel that Batman couldn’t see, and a vibrant blood-red rose filled one of the small slots. “He can choose to go back to a time when nothing had happened. Then, he’ll have the chance to reflect on everything he’s done. If he were still the White Knight, what would he do?”

“Batman,” Vivi cut off her communication with Robin and the others. “You and I both know I can help you escape this state. But hey, it’s my home that’s been invaded… So here’s the deal: I bailed you out, and you’ve been training me. That’s a fair exchange. But managing my rose fields? That’s extra work you’ve volunteered to do—so, I can offer you a rose.”

“Turn Harvey back into the White Knight, or throw him back into Arkham?” Vivi spread her hands. “I don’t care. In my eyes, no matter what’s in his heart, he’ll always be a criminal. But you can have the choice.”

The tiny figure in the rose went silent.

The sun dipped below the horizon, and golden light washed over Vivi’s arm. As night fell, people would once again begin to lose themselves in the distractions of the evening.

After discovering Batman trapped in the flower, they reached a compromise. Batman would continue to train Vivi by speaking, and she would carry the flower with her instead of leaving it at the manor.

Who knew what Robin and the others thought? Did they imagine Batman as some fragile, sensitive princess like the one in The Princess and the Pea?

“This isn’t about my choice,” Batman’s voice returned. “It’s about Harvey’s. But before that, I need to test what this rose can actually do, and what its side effects are.”

From his limited view beneath the layers of petals, all Batman could see was a small patch of sky, like the view from the bottom of a well. When Vivi spoke, he could only hear her voice, unable to see her expression.

But he imagined her face was probably calm—or perhaps with an amused arch of her brow?

Vivi White—or rather, just Vivi—was no ordinary human.

They once speculated that she might be a street orphan, a child saved by Mr. C who now followed him loyally. But in the days he spent with her, Batman gradually realized that Vivi was indifferent to everything except one thing: transforming Gotham, and making the city better.

—Making it truly better.

She didn’t want to conquer it, nor did she wish to destroy it. She just wanted to help it.

But her life seemed to revolve around that single command. She didn’t care about her past, and never thought about the future… she didn’t eat, drink, sleep, or have hobbies—no personal life. She was like an artificial being, more intricate than any robot.

“Andrew wanted to become human,” Bruce recalled the story his mother, Martha, had read to him when he was a child, sitting at his bedside. “He was treated like a human, learning how to learn, and eventually, he learned how to love. He made himself more complete by acquiring emotions. Bruce… emotions are what distinguishes us from machines, and ultimately, they make us whole.”

In that brief moment of conversation, when he couldn’t see the other person’s face, Bruce Wayne, for a fleeting instant, thought it was “Mr. C” talking to him. The same indifference towards humanity, yet with a subtle difference. Mr. C was an all-powerful player, watching from above, while Vivi existed within this world, but didn’t truly believe it was real—so all she cared about was completing tasks… never once considering living.

Perhaps the day she completed all her tasks would be the day she returned to being a puppet, locked away in Mr. C’s collection.

…But this child didn’t seem to care.

“Side effects?” Vivi muttered, “What side effects? It’s nothing to me.”

This made Bruce even more wary of the rose. He probed cautiously, “If even Penguin can be of some use, Harvey’s value far surpasses his.”

“Because he can change from a villain back to a good man, back into the White Knight?” Vivi smiled. “But isn’t it true that… any villain can turn good again, Bruce? Even the Joker.”

Bruce’s heart skipped a beat.

Vivi leaped from the rooftop, darting through Crime Alley, her cloak billowing as she ran toward the cathedral. She’d arranged with Millie earlier that evening to help with the decoration for the gratitude banquet—the roses from her estate were abundant, more than enough to flood the entire cathedral.

She had been wearing her yellow rose ever since finishing her training earlier, but after playing with some floral arrangements, she’d grown bored and snuck off to have some fun running around the streets and rooftops in the sunset. Now it was time to head back.

Her alt character, “Anna Alek,” the mayor, had arrived.

The alt stepped out of the car, with flowing golden hair draped over her shoulders, giving her a much more approachable appearance. Under Vivi’s control, she gave Millie a warm hug before heading upstairs, surrounded by others.

The second floor was a bit more spacious than the first.

The invitations for this gratitude banquet had been hand-drawn by the children themselves. The drinks were either donated or inexpensive, and most of the food was provided by local businesses, with a small portion paid for by charity funds. Robin and Nightwing had already mentioned they’d be leaving early, Barbara had returned home, and Catwoman—who rarely got to use her human form in the evening—stood alone with a plate in hand, though no one dared approach her for drinks.

Catwoman leaned casually against the wall, a playful smile on her face, holding a glass of cola in one hand. When she spotted the woman being escorted by the crowd, she watched as the mayor took the other glass from her plate and blinked. “Too bad I didn’t wear earrings tonight.”

The last time they’d met, Catwoman had stolen her blue earrings in retaliation, and the earrings had mysteriously disappeared.

Vindictive woman, Selina thought privately. Just like me.

Vivi soon arrived on the second floor as well, carrying a bouquet of roses. She wore her “Nightwatch” outfit, which covered half her face, her attire in shades of black and dark green. The only splash of color on her was the bright yellow rose pinned to her chest.

By now, half the guests had arrived on the second floor—

The mayor; GCPD Commissioner Gordon; Wayne Enterprises’ young CEO Timothy Drake, along with his brother Richard Grayson; Director Hogg from City Hall’s security department, who had driven the mayor and now stood guard near her; Shelk, who had some rare free time; and Violin, standing with his arms crossed in a corner, observing everyone. There were also students from Gotham Academy, some of whom had volunteered here before. Vivi even spotted someone who had once seen her dead body…

At a glance, at least half the guests were people Vivi knew.

The children themselves were helping with the reception. This banquet was a genuine thank-you event, not a commercial social gathering. The kids who had helped Vivi arrange flowers shyly kept their heads down, while others occasionally peeked out from the door, giggling and running off.

Millie sighed in exasperation. “They were supposed to go to bed after their evening lessons, but tonight is an exception. They’re way too excited to sleep.”

Violin came over, standing behind Vivi. He covered his nose and sneezed lightly. “Seems like there are too many roses…”

Vivi responded, “The roses are all mine.”

“…” He quickly clasped his hands behind his back. “They smell wonderful, very fragrant.”

At that moment, Shelk naturally made his way to the mayor, while Vivi, controlling both her main and alt characters, engaged in small talk with the others. She eyed the small cakes they were eating, feeling a bit tempted herself, but—

But the style just doesn’t fit!

No matter how realistic the game looked, it was still clear it was just a game. So when Vivi looked at the food, she couldn’t shake the feeling… What if this stuff is poisoned?

She needed to work up more courage. Just a little longer!

The only person available was Oracle, who teased over the comms, “While all the guys are finding excuses to bail, here I am, still at my post… The tracker on the train disappeared at Triangle Gorge. As for Two-Face, his men have retreated to Otisburg. That used to be Black Mask’s turf, but since he was imprisoned, his gang has been lying low. Now, every other faction is trying to carve out a piece of him. Two-Face is always unpredictable, leaving decisions up to a coin toss. If we act now, there’s no telling how he’ll respond—especially since we haven’t found his hideout yet.”

“At least we’ve narrowed down our target,” Vivi said, “Two-Face, he—”

Her voice suddenly cut off from the comms.

Everyone at the banquet saw it—the new Gotham vigilante, known as the “Nightwatch,” suddenly dashed to the second-floor window. She climbed out onto the balcony, and from beneath her sleeve, her signature grappling hook shot out. In her hand, a handful of coins appeared.

“Millie,” Vivi called, “Get the kids to close the other windows!”

Like a scattering of stars, the coins flew into the air. Vivi’s grappling hook struck one of them mid-flight, sending several coins speeding off in different directions—

The coins, glowing with a golden sheen, whizzed through the air, and the sound of bodies being hit and pained groans echoed from the shadows.

Her map lit up with the locations of Two-Face’s men—not underground, but on the surface.

After all the hard work she’d put in these past days, she was confident the underground now belonged to her.

Vivi didn’t have batarangs—

So she chose the weapon that suited her best: the coins she always had on hand, ready to throw at any time!