batman and red hood

As if to make up for the delayed growth period, Jason's growth rate was almost visible to the naked eye.

"Why do you need to measure again?"

Jason expressed dissatisfaction with his behavior of standing like a specimen wearing only a pair of shorts and repeating the behavior of being measured from head to toe by Alfred a week ago.

"Well... because you are now growing your body, and my professionalism will not allow you to appear in public wearing inappropriate pants and clothes, please turn around"

Jason turned around obediently, and then felt the coolness of the tape measure across his back.

Alfred looked at the numbers on the tape measure and recorded the latest data in the notebook in his hand.

Jason couldn't understand Alfred's persistence anymore. In his opinion, it wouldn't be a bad idea if the pants and clothes were a little shorter, and the current temperature didn't need to be wrapped up in full armor like the middle of winter.But he decided not to challenge Alfred's decision.

After measuring Jason from head to toe, Alfred left the room to make new clothes for Jason, including the school uniform.Although Jason's school is a public school, its predecessor was a private school, so it has a tradition of school uniforms. It is required to wear school uniforms three days a week, and school uniforms are required to go to school on major festivals.

Jason picked up the old trousers that were thrown on the bed and compared them, they didn't seem to be much shorter.After the new clothes arrive tomorrow, all these old clothes will be donated to charity for those who need it more.Thinking some kid just like he used to get the pants...

"...you have to work hard when you get to the new owner."

Jason walked to his closet, took out his old clothes one by one, folded them and said goodbye, then put them neatly into the box Alfred had prepared.

"Speaking of which, have I ever picked up Dick's clothes before?"

Jason, who was arranging his clothes, suddenly remembered that at the speed that Alfred made new clothes, Dick probably donated a lot.And he also went to the related welfare institutions under the name of Wayne to collect (steal) clothes...

"Clothes I donated? Wow, how can I remember the clothes I wore growing up, why are you asking?"

"It's nothing, Ah Fu just finished measuring my height and went to order new clothes."

"Just now? Didn't you just remake the whole suit a week ago?"

"Yeah, but Ah Fu said I'm growing up a bit fast"

Jason's words made Dick fall into silence. Jason's growth rate was indeed a bit too fast.Dick remembered that during his growth period, he only changed his clothes every two or three months.

"Dick?"

"Oh, you make me think"

Dick can't say that you grow faster than me, maybe Barbara is right, Jason's mother is probably not a short woman, Jason will grow up to be a possibility He is very tall, but he seems to have stopped growing, and he has not shown any signs of growing taller recently.

"By the way, I used to have a big red jacket with a hood that I liked very much, but it was donated later"

Dick tried his best to find out the previous clothing styles from his memory, and the one that impressed him most was this coat.

"Red? Suede?"

"Um...yes, suede"

"Has a white cloud-like pattern?"

"Yes, almost new"

"Just the cuffs are a little worn?"

"Yes...you got it?"

Jason has a deep memory of the clothes that Dick mentioned. It hangs on the innermost hanger of the welfare institution. It is very new except for a little wear on the cuffs. Compared with Jason's physique at that time, it is really too big. If received according to the procedures, this dress will only be allocated to older or stronger children, and it will not be Jason's turn.So he just took it away, he has been wearing that dress for a long time...

"...No, I just saw it in a welfare institution"

"Oh, it's a pity that you didn't get it. That dress is really good. I didn't wear it a few times. The cuff was hooked by a nail and then it was donated by Ah Fu. The dress is light and warm. After Ah Fu donated it, I wanted to buy another large one, but it was out of stock.”

Jason knew what Dick said.He wore that dress for a long time, until it was so badly worn that he could no longer wear it.

"Is this the only thing you remember?"

Jason interrupted Dick's rambling about his favorite dress.

"Please, I can't remember how many clothes I have worn. Anyway, I will replace them all in a new wardrobe."

"……Right"

Dick hung up Jason's phone and walked to the bathroom, looking at the face in the mirror that he had seen countless times:

“It's ugly”

Dick has always been watching Jason's progress.Dick had been watching the boy from Jason's first day at Wayne Manor.

He and he also came from the bottom of Gotham society, and Jason came from a lower bottom than him, those social classes that even Dick had never touched.

They are about the same age, the only difference is that he came to Bruce earlier than Jason and learned more from Bruce.That has always been his proud capital.

When the red-haired, green-eyed boy stood in the Batcave trying on his old uniform, Dick had to admit deep down that he was terrified that the boy would show up and take his place, from Bruce's side, From Bruce's heart.

When Bruce wanted Jason to be Robin, Barbara objected, and he objected deep down.

He's not wrong to use "can't involve another kid in this life" as an excuse to convince himself that he's not wrong.

When Jason took the uniform he handed to him, the happy expression also infected him. After feeling the joy from the heart, Dick thought he could finally let go of the title of Robin.

But after hearing Jason's progress time and time again, that feeling came back from the bottom of his heart, and made him face the fact that he couldn't let go of the title of Robin more than once.

Although Jason didn't learn from Batman, the society of Gotham became his teacher before Batman.

Dick sometimes automatically compares him to Jason when he first became Robin, and unfortunately, he loses completely.Dick Grayson, who had just become Robin, was a drag at all. He was kidnapped more than once, and was even given the nickname "the kid in charge of kidnapping" by the double-faced man.

Look at Jason again, just after he became Robin, he began to show his talent.After combining the experience that Gotham's cruel society taught him with what Batman taught him, Jason's progress can be described as flying.

He is jealous, even though he knows that this kind of jealousy is as ridiculous as a child's jealousy when he faces his parents' unfair distribution of snacks, but he just can't restrain the strangeness that emerges from the bottom of his heart.

He tried to convince himself that Bruce wasn't partial to Jason, but that Jason's past made him need more care.He also tried his best to let himself ignore Jason's talents, which Jason bought with his unbearable childhood.

But this couldn't change the growing anger in his heart.Right Jason?No, to myself.

Jason is improving every day, and his progress will become faster and faster as time goes by, but what about himself?

He kept saying that he wanted to stand on his own, but now all he did was move out of Wayne Manor and pretend that he no longer relied on Batman.

Jason's height will soon catch up to him, and by then, Dick Grayson will be useless in front of Jason Todd...

"It's ugly!"

Looking at the face distorted by jealousy in the mirror, Dick said with contempt.

He needs to start working on a plan, a plan to build his own system away from Batman...