21 Chapter 20 - Nostalgia

Two weeks have passed since Jason first visited Ai in the hospital. Slowly, he was gaining a better understanding of Ai. Her motivations, her personality, her values; he compiled all of them onto his mental profile of her.

But it wasn't just Ai. He had created mental profiles on everyone else. The kids in particular interested him the most because of their sometimes strange behaviour and actions.

Aqua was a normally quiet kid and was incredibly intelligent for his age. He usually only speaks when spoken to, yet the wisdom in his words and the maturity he would sometimes display would surprise him.

Ruby was of a similar case. Most of the time, she would act like a normal toddler who adores her mother a bit too much, but he'd sometimes catch her saying things a kid shouldn't be able to say or understand.

In both cases, Jason chalked it up to them just being strange kids, but he still held his suspicions just in case.

It had been a refreshing two weeks because he finally had someone to talk to who wasn't a floating metal ball.

However, he had not been idle between each visit.

He had done his research on the Lalalie Theatrical Company Ai joined in the past, which was also where she supposedly met her ex. Based on his findings, the one who was most likely to be Aqua and Ruby's father is Hikaru Kamiki. He left the company four years ago and his location was currently unknown, but based on past photos he found, Hikaru was the perfect match. Blonde hair, average height, thin frame, and a great resemblance to Aqua and Ruby.

In addition, Jason had moved into the condo next to Ai's. Ruby was jumping in joy at that news and took quite a while to calm down. Miyako and Saitou had been the one taking care of the kids at their place for the past two weeks and have been doing a great job. It helped that both Ruby and Aqua were very well-behaved compared to other children.

Jason had also visited Saki and her mother, making sure that she was doing well and fulfilling his promise of telling her more stories. He felt a great deal of pity for them because of the difficulties they were now facing. The bastard of a father was the main bread maker of the house, and now that he was in jail, Saki's mother was having a difficult time gaining money for their necessities. So, in order to help them, he had donated a substantial amount of money that would last them a few years. Though it took a lot of persuasion for them to accept it.

The money wasn't his, anyway. It was from all the drug operations he had cleaned up, and he still had a lot left, which he used to buy furniture for his new condo.

But the most important business he finished was his identity. He traveled to every government office and police station in Tokyo, creating what seemed like authentic documents and hacking into their database networks while creating back doors he could access whenever he wanted. Because of those actions, he now had access to a large amount of information at his beck and call.

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As the morning sun rose above the horizon, its golden rays pierced through the sky, casting a warm and gentle glow upon the world below.

Jason sat completely still in the middle of his newly furnished living room while holding a meditative pose. His chest rose and fell in a pattern. He was dressed in a simple white shirt that hugged his figure, emphasizing his muscles, as well as grey sweatpants.

His eyes slowly fluttered open as the sun's rays reached his face. 'The sun is up… I've been meditating for 12 hours, huh?'

For the past week, he had been meditating in order to sort the memories and knowledge that were his, his alternate selves, and from everyone else Joe included in his enhancement. But the amount of knowledge he received from Bruce alone was enough to make his head spin.

Bruce had in-depth knowledge of just about everything. Physics, quantum physics, chemistry, geography, magic… Every branch of science he thought would be useful in his crime-fighting. That's not even including all the languages, skills, and forms of combat he learned. What he was most surprised by is the fact that Bruce even had a few magic spells in his repertoire.

'And people call Batman the one with no superpowers,' he scoffed. 'Then again, I'm no slouch myself.'

Even without Bruce's knowledge, he still had Dick's (Nightwing), Tim's (Red Robin), Cassandra's (Orphan), Damian's (Robin), and Slade's (Deathstroke) knowledge inside his head.

'It took an entire week, but I'm finally done. The enhancement to my brain really helped sift through all that information,' Jason thought as he groaned and stretched his limbs, standing up from his meditative pose. He looked at the watch on his wrist. 'Ai is going to be leaving the hospital in a few hours. I should get some gifts for her. Wheatley, how is your exploration going?'

[Oh, you're done meditating? I'm finding watching and listening to humans interact to be quite enjoyable. There was that one human who—]

Jason muted Wheatley's voice. He felt sorry, but Wheatley had a habit of going on never-ending talks and he got tired of it after the few times it happened.

Shrugging his shoulders, Jason headed to the bathroom after taking out a red bath towel. Minutes later, he came out of the bathroom feeling refreshed and with a fresh set of clothes on him. He wore a black zip-up hoodie worn over a white t-shirt and paired with dark gray sweatpants.

As he headed towards the kitchen in order to make himself a meal, the doorbell rang.

"They're here already?" Jason muttered to himself.

Jason silently made his way towards the door. He could sense four distinct heartbeats and smells.

He opened the door with a smile. "I didn't expect you all to come here this early in the morning."

Saitou greeted him with a sheepish face as he held the hand of an excited Ruby. "Well, you know how Ruby is. She really wanted to come here and even woke up first among the four of us." He looked around discretely, his eyes shifting in each direction, and loudly whispered to Jason with a grin. "To be honest you, this is surprising because Ruby usually sleeps like a log."

"I can hear you, you know!" Ruby retorted and waved her hand with a bright grin. "Good morning, Jason-san."

"Good morning to you too, Ruby. Aqua. Why don't you all come inside? I was just about to prepare breakfast," Jason said as he gestured for them to come inside.

"Ah, please excuse us, then."

They all took off their shoes, entering the house with bated breaths and gasped when they saw the interior design.

Jason's living room had a grey sofa along with a polished wooden table in front. Both were placed on top of a dark grey carpet. A huge wall-mounted TV was directly parallel from the sofa, complete with a high-end surround sound system and the latest gaming console below the TV. His large wooden dining table with three hanging lights above it could fit a family of six, and his kitchen was completely stocked with new top of the line kitchen utensils and a high-end coffee maker.

Aside from all that, there were other ornaments and decorations, including some paintings on the walls.

Jason wryly smiled. 'Even though it started with trying to look like I have a normal life, I think I got too into it. I spent around fifteen thousand dollars buying all this.'

Miyako gasped in amazement, "Incredible! Did you arrange all this furniture yourself, Jason-san?"

"I did. Though it took a while to find the right ones. I think I went a bit overboard with the purchases. What do you all think?" Jason said, nodding to her question.

"What do I think?" Saitou repeated, "I think you have a talent for interior design."

"Thank you, but I just placed them in a way that looked nice. That's all." Jason said as he walked towards the kitchen.

"Jason-san," Ruby called as she tilted her head curiously. "Do you know how to cook?"

"I *did* say I was going to cook breakfast. You can turn on the TV and watch the news or watch a movie while I cook. Your choice."

"I'll watch you cook!" said Ruby as she grabbed Aqua and pulled him with her. "Come on, brother!"

Aqua followed along with an impassive face.

"You wanna watch? Alright," said Jason, taking off his jacket as both Ruby and Aqua sat on the stools.

Saitou and Miyako both shrugged and turned on the TV, watching the morning news or anything else that interested them.

Deathstroke had a surprising array of skills Jason didn't expect him to have. One of them was cooking at the level of a master chef.

'Thank you, Deathstroke. Let's put on a show, shall we?'

With the elegance and skill of a master chef, Jason began cooking a five-star meal. Since Ruby and Aqua were watching, he even performed some tricks, such as cutting the ingredients so quickly that the knife turned into a blur.

Within minutes, the tantalizing aroma of savory spices and sweet herbs filled the air, beckoning all four to the source of the delicious scent. As the sizzle of the pan mixed with the fragrant steam of a simmering sauce, the smell of good food grew stronger, its mouthwatering appeal irresistible to all who dared to catch a whiff. The fragrant bouquet of simmering meats and roasted vegetables intertwined, creating a symphony of smells that danced across the senses, promising a delicious feast for all who dared to partake.

"W-wow," Aqua said as he and Ruby wiped the drool that escaped their mouths. "I can't wait to eat whatever Jason-san is making."

Saitou and Miyako could smell the delicious aroma in the air as well, and they gulped in unison. 'I'm so glad I didn't eat anything before coming here.'

Around half an hour later, a meal composed of egg fried rice, japanese pork cutlet, and miso soup was set on the table where they all sat and put their hands together.

"Itadakimasu!"

As soon as everyone took their first bite, they all groaned in pleasure. They all only had one thought.

'Delicious…'

"I have decided!" Ruby put down her chopsticks and pointed at Jason, who raised an eyebrow as he chewed on a slice of pork. "Be our Papa!"

Everyone at the table immediately choked on their food, including Jason. They began patting their chest and drinking water.

'I did not expect that *at all*,' Jason thought.

"R-Ruby, you can't just say that," Miyako said with a nervous smile as Aqua stared at his sister with deadpan eyes. "You've barely known Jason-san for two weeks and he might already be in a relationship with someone else."

"Hmm." Ruby crossed her arms and put her head down in thought before pointing at Jason again. "Jason-san, *are* you in a relationship?"

"No, not real—"

"Then it's settled! You will be our Papa!" Ruby declared with utmost seriousness. "Ow!"

Aqua put down the hand he used to bonk Ruby on the head before sighing and shaking his head. "Don't just decide things for people without asking for their opinion. You haven't even asked Ai what she thinks."

'Did Aqua just give me approval…?' Jason wondered.

Ruby blinked. "Ah, you're right! Let's finish this quickly so that Mama can say yes to Jason-san becoming Papa!"

After finishing her sentence, Ruby began devouring her food and all of them could only shake their heads in exasperation.

Jason smiled as he took another bite. Nostalgia began to fill his heart as he watched all of them enjoy the food.

'It feels like I'm back at the mansion with Alfred and Bruce…'

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Author's Note:

I'm back. Here's the chapter for today and I apologize for the delay.

Starting from now, I will be uploading a chapter every two or three days since that's all my current schedule will allow me, but I was wondering if any of you would like me to set up a Patreon for an advanced chapter or two, unfinished drafts, or if you just want to give support.

Comment what you think and as always, thanks for reading!

And yes, there's a version of Deathstroke that can cook.