"That's great, you two are okay." Her voice still carried a slight pant from the battle.
Immediately after, her gaze fell on Alya.
As her best friend, her understanding of Alya was bone-deep.
At this moment Alya's flushed cheeks, darting eyes, and tightly pursed lips—
every subtle expression was conveying one message to her: something was up.
"But… Alya, what is this?" She stepped forward, asking with a hint of probing curiosity.
Alya's heart started to race again. She opened her mouth, but her mind was blank, completely unsure how to explain her disheveled and guilty appearance.
"Alya's under too much mental pressure. The situation just now… caused her to lose some emotional control."
A gentle and steady voice came to her rescue.
It was Jaden.
He took a step forward, subtly shielding Alya, blocking a small portion of Ladybug's overly sharp gaze.
his expression was so natural, His tone so earnest, as if he was merely stating a simple fact.
Ladybug's gaze shifted to Jaden. Seeing his calm and sincere face, most of her doubts dissipated.
Yes, that apocalyptic scene just now, let alone ordinary people, even she herself felt a lingering fear.
It was only natural for Alya to be so frightened that she lost emotional control.
"Then… alright."
She nodded, accepting the explanation. "Since you two are fine, I should go too. Goodbye."
"Goodbye, Ladybug," Jaden responded politely.
As the red figure disappeared behind the buildings with a few leaps Alya finally let out a long sigh, feeling her taut nerves finally relax.
She glanced at Jaden with some gratitude, only to meet his smiling, seemingly all-knowing gaze. Her face, against her will, turned red again.
"Let's go too," Jaden said.
"Where? To find Marinette!" Alya blurted out, then felt her words were a bit too eager.
Jaden smiled, not asking further, but naturally took her hand again.
That warm touch returned, making Alya's heart feel as if it had been lightly tickled by a feather, an itchy sensation mixed with a hint of sweetness.
She didn't pull away, letting him lead. Following his steps, her pace involuntarily quickened by a third.
The two walked side by side on the now quiet zoo path, sunlight filtering through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on them.
The thrilling chaos from earlier truly felt like just a dream.
"Um… Jaden."
After walking a distance Alya finally mustered the courage to say softly, "What happened between us just now… temporarily… temporarily cannot be told to Marinette."
"Hmm?"
"You know!"
Alya was a bit anxious.
"Marinette… her personality… although she usually seems very decisive, when it comes to matters of the heart, she sometimes overthinks things.
If she knew… I'm afraid she'd start imagining things, and then our relationship as three people would be completely ruined!"
Jaden's steps slowed. He turned to look at her, a hint of playfulness in his eyes: "So, Little Alya means for me to keep it from her for now?"
"Li-li-little… who's Little Alya!"
Alya's cheeks instantly flushed crimson like a sunset. She chided him indignantly,
"Don't call me that intimately! Although… although calling me that in private… isn't entirely out of the question…"
Her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible.
Jaden chuckled, his laugh deep and pleasant, making Alya's heart skip another beat.
"Okay, I understand."
His tone became gentle,
"You're just worried Marinette won't be able to accept the truth right away, right? Don't worry, I'll wait, wait until the right moment."
"Mm…" Alya nodded, a heavy weight lifted from her heart.
They quickened their pace, heading towards the stone cottage that had served as their temporary shelter earlier.
Just as they were about to arrive, Jaden's steps halted.
He released Alya's hand and gave her a look.
Alya understood, immediately composed her expression, took a deep breath, and tried hard to appear as normal as ever.
Not far away, a red flash, and Ladybug's figure disappeared into a secluded corner.
A few seconds later, Marinette emerged from the corner, a worried expression on her face, and hurried towards them.
"Alya! Jaden! Are you two okay?"
She rushed over, seemingly intending to give them both a big hug, but stopped halfway, unsure who to hug first.
"We're fine, what could happen to us?"
Alya took a step forward, embracing Marinette and patting her back, speaking in a relaxed tone.
In her heart, however, she was silently chanting: I'm sorry, Marinette… Jaden also walked over, smiling as he said, "Thanks to Ladybug, we're safe."
Ultimately, this emotional turmoil sparked by the Akumatization incident temporarily concluded in an atmosphere of outward harmony but underlying currents.
After they all went their separate ways, Nora, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, unceremoniously "escorted" Alya home, citing "it's too dangerous outside, you must stay home."
And Jaden, naturally, took on the task of walking Marinette home.
On the way home, the setting sun stretched their shadows long.
Marinette's hand was held by Jaden, and that dreamy feeling of happiness, which had continued from the zoo, made her feel as if she were walking on clouds.
Although she had noticed that Alya's expression was a bit off, immersed in the joy of romance, she naturally attributed it to "being scared by her father's Akumatization."
"We're here."
When the familiar scent of bread from Marinette's family bakery wafted over, Jaden stopped.
"Ah… are we here already?"
Marinette looked at the doorway with some reluctance, feeling that this journey was so short. "Time really flies…"
"Goodbye, Marinette." Jaden released her hand and waved to her.
"Mm… goodbye."
Marinette walked into the shop, looking back three times with each step.
As soon as she entered, she saw her parents, Tom and Sabine, looking at her with meaningful, gossipy eyes.
"…"
Marinette's sweet smile instantly froze, becoming a bit speechless,
"Jaden just walked me back from the zoo, that's all! We didn't do anything!"
"We didn't say anything,"
Sabine said with a smiling sip of tea, "You two just… went for a stroll at the zoo, right?"
"Right!"
"And came back holding hands?" Tom added from the side.
"…"
Marinette felt her cheeks starting to warm up again.
She didn't want to endure her parents' "interrogation-style" affection anymore, so she left a quick "I'm going to my room!" and rushed up the stairs to the attic like a whirlwind.
"This child, she's shy."
Sabine watched her daughter's retreating back, shaking her head with a smile.
With a "bang" as the attic door closed, Marinette finally let out a long sigh.
"What are they even talking about… that look…"
She mumbled, then flopped onto her soft bed.
"You looked so good just now, Marinette."
Tikki flew out of her satchel, doing a spin in the air.
"Ah! Tikki, don't tease me!"
Marinette buried her face in her pillow, her voice muffled.
But soon, she rolled over, lying on the bed, cupping her face with her hands, and giggling foolishly: "But… today really was… so sweet…"
She lay there for a while, then as if remembering something important, she scrambled out of bed and rushed to her desk.
"What are you doing?" Tikki curiously leaned closer.
"Writing in my diary, of course!"
Marinette picked up a pen and opened her pink diary with a password lock,
"Such an important day, I must record everything!"
She wrote and giggled foolishly, occasionally pausing to savor every detail of the day.
After writing, she dug out various colorful stickers and tapes from her drawer and began to decorate this new page.
"Everyone should have their own little secrets."
She said to Tikki while sticking on a heart sticker,
"So I'm going to make an even better storage box, to lock away my diary… and my feelings, all of them!"
Meanwhile, Jaden returned to his apartment.
As soon as he entered, an indigo light figure pounced into his arms. It was Duusu.
"I'm hungry…" She rubbed her small head against him, her voice soft and sweet.
"Mm." Jaden nodded, walked into the kitchen, "I'll cook right away."
He skillfully took out ingredients from the refrigerator and began to prepare dinner. Duusu floated beside him, watching him chop vegetables.
"Um… Jaden."
She spoke softly, "Actually… you don't have to make so much. I feel… I seem to have eaten too much lately."
Jaden's hand paused in chopping. He turned his head, looked at Duusu, and smiled: "Then, I'll make less in the future, okay?"
"Boohoo…"
Unexpectedly, this sentence seemed to touch a sensitive nerve in Duusu.
Her eyes instantly filled with tears, her small body trembled, and she directly pounced into Jaden's arms, looking at him tearfully.
"Don't you love me anymore?"
Her voice was full of grievance, "Are you… disgusted that I've gotten fat?"
Jaden was a bit exasperated: "How could that be? You are my Kwami, how could I be disgusted with you?"
"Then why do you want to make less? I don't care, I want to eat this, and that, and that too!"
Duusu immediately raised her small hand, pointing at the various ingredients on the cutting board, afraid that Jaden would go back on his word.
"Okay, okay, I'll make it all for you."
Jaden shook his head helplessly, "Kwami never get fat, right?"
"Mm-hmm!" Duusu nodded vigorously, her tears turning into a smile.
On the other side of the world, in Italy, inside a lavishly decorated girl's bedroom.
A brown-haired girl with braided pigtails and a pair of cunning green eyes was holding her phone, cooing in a sickly sweet voice.
"…Really? Mom! You really arranged everything?"
"Of course, my dear Lila."
A similarly gentle voice, yet with a hint of undeniable authority, came from the other end of the phone,
"I've already completed your transfer procedures. It's François Dupont High School, the best in Paris. You can go next week."
"Thank you, Mom! I love you so much!"
Lila's face bloomed into a brilliant smile.
After hanging up the phone, she picked up a fashion magazine from the table.
On the magazine's cover were the heroic figures of Ladybug and Cat Noir.
And in the blurred background shadow behind them, a large, purple butterfly symbol was faintly visible.
She reached out her finger and gently traced Ladybug's face, her green eyes sparkling with excitement and anticipation.
Paris. She had arrived.
A week passed in Paris, with its unique rhythm of "daily interruptions by Akumatized Persons."
For the people living in this city, it was just another routine day: Akumatization appeared, then was defeated, and Miraculous Restoration.
But for the students of François Dupont High School, whether today's classes could be completed smoothly was more like a Schrödinger's cat than the rise and fall of the stock market.
Jaden, as usual, was the first to enter the classroom, making his way to the last row by the window and sitting down.
He casually placed his backpack on the empty seat next to him, leaned back, sinking into the comfortable embrace of the chair, his gaze fixed on the rustling sycamore leaves outside the window, looking utterly lazy and at ease.
Soon, a second figure appeared at the classroom door.
It was Alya.
She walked in briskly, wearing a backpack. Her eyes lit up when she saw that Jaden was the only one in the classroom.
She instinctively looked back at the empty corridor, and after confirming no one was around, the caution of a reporter led her to an action completely different from her usual behavior.
Instead of heading to the seats she and Marinette usually occupied, she approached Jaden like a feline stalking its prey, lightening her steps and quickly sitting down in the seat next to him. This sudden closeness filled the air with a subtle, almost imperceptible hint of intimacy.
The wide desk became their perfect cover.
Hidden by the tabletop, a soft, warm hand quietly found Jaden's hand on his lap and gently clasped it.
"What's wrong?"
Jaden didn't turn his head, his gaze still on the window, but his voice held a hint of a smile as he asked softly.
"Nothing."
Alya's voice was very low, as if she were sharing a secret.
Holding his hand, feeling his unique warmth, a wave of satisfied delight rose in her heart.
Her gaze was alertly fixed on the classroom door, her body leaning slightly forward, posing as if she were earnestly discussing something with Jaden.
She knew in her heart that they were currently in a delicate, "clandestine" relationship.
Once someone entered, she would have to let go immediately and naturally stand up and leave, creating the illusion that "Alya was just talking to Jaden about Marinette, helping her friend out."
"Roni."
She called out softly again, this unique nickname she had privately given him, slipping from her lips with a hint of undetectable sweetness.
Jaden finally pulled his gaze away from the window, turning his head with a helpless smile: "I told you not to use that nickname."
"Why not?"
Alya retorted, unconvinced, tightening her grip on his hand.
"Should I call you 'Runi' or some other name? Those sound too ordinary, not fitting for you at all.
Only 'Roni' is the most suitable name for you."
Her eyes darted mischievously, and she changed the subject, with a touch of well-placed resentment and probing:
"Or are you saying... all those things you said at the zoo last week were fake?
You don't want to be responsible for me anymore?"
"How could that be?"
Jaden's voice was gentle, as if soothing a ruffled kitten.
He clasped her hand in return, gently stroking the back of her hand, the warm touch melting half of Alya's heart.
He gazed into her eyes, those brown eyes that always sparkled with vitality and light, now misted over by his gaze.
He didn't say anything more, just watched her silently, his gaze as if it could drown someone in boundless tenderness.
Alya felt a little flustered under his gaze, instinctively wanting to turn her eyes to the window.
"Turn around."
"What's wrong?" Alya's heart skipped a beat, but she obediently and slowly turned her head back.
Then, she saw Jaden's face constantly enlarging in her vision.
He slowly, slowly leaned closer to her, his warm breath already clearly brushing her cheek.
His eyes reflected her bewildered expression, and that focus and deep affection made her entire world begin to spin.
She knew what he wanted to do. Her heart was pounding as if it would leap out of her throat.
Reason told her to push him away, but her body was as if under a freezing spell, unable to move.
Just a second before their lips were about to touch, the keenness of a "veteran reporter" finally triumphed over the romantic feelings.
Her other hand shot up like lightning, her index finger gently pressing against Jaden's lips, stopping his further movement.
"Are you crazy?"
Her voice trembled almost imperceptibly from nervousness, but her face showed a feigned angry expression,
"We're in the classroom! Classmates could walk in at any moment!"
She gently pushed him back, creating a dangerously large distance between them.
Then, a victorious smile appeared on her face, which was flushed with shyness.
"If you want to... at least wait until after school, and arrange a suitable time."
Her voice trailed off, imbued with a coy sweetness, as if making a sweet promise.
Just then, the corner of her eye caught a glimpse of a figure moving outside the corridor.
"Alright! It's settled then!"
She immediately sat up straight, released his hand, and her voice returned to its usual volume, even deliberately raising it half a tone, saying loudly,
"I'll take care of this! I promise to help you ask Marinette out!"
These words were spoken with sincerity and full of the righteousness of a friend willing to go to great lengths,
as if the blushing, affectionate girl from moments ago never existed.
No sooner had she spoken than the classroom door was pushed open.
Alix, Mylène, Rose, and Juleka walked in together.
They had been whispering about something all the way, their faces showing excitement mixed with a hint of trouble.
"How about we just ask him to go rollerblading?"
Alix tossed her signature orange-red short hair, suggesting, "I can 'accidentally' fall into his arms while teaching him."
"No, no,"
Mylène immediately shook her head, her usually timid face full of disapproval,
"That's too deliberate. Jaden is so smart, he'll see right through it.
I think... we could organize an environmental volunteer activity, like cleaning up trash along the Seine River. That way, it's meaningful and we can spend time together naturally."
"Those are good ideas,"
Rose nodded, her golden short hair sparkling in the sunlight,
"What do you think, Juleka?"
The three instinctively turned their gaze to Juleka beside them... She was usually so quiet, so shy, and on such matters, the three felt she certainly couldn't offer any good advice.
"Why don't we... try... kidnapping him?"
Juleka lowered her head, her long black hair covering her face, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
The air instantly froze.
Alix, Mylène, and Rose, as if under a petrification spell, were all stunned, looking at Juleka in disbelief.
Kid... kidnapping?
Big sister, we just want to date, not make the news!
"Juleka! What are you talking about!"
Rose was the first to react, patting her head with a wry smile.
Just as the atmosphere was getting a bit strange, a light bulb went off in Rose's mind, and she suddenly remembered something.
"Ah! I remember!"
She said excitedly, "Last time at Juleka's houseboat, didn't Juleka and I teach Jaden to play guitar together?
He seemed to learn very quickly and was very interested!
We can tell Jaden that we'll continue this weekend! It can be like guitar practice for the weekend!"
This suggestion immediately received unanimous approval from everyone.
This method was both natural and ensured alone time; it was simply perfect!
The four reached a consensus and walked into the classroom in good spirits.
As soon as they entered, they saw Alya standing in the back row, loudly telling Jaden something like "I'll take care of it."
The four exchanged a look that said, "We understand."
See? Alya was helping Marinette again. What a good best friend.
They had no idea that this so-called "good best friend" was actually the one who was "sneaking ahead" the fastest by using her position.
They walked over, greeted Alya and Jaden, and then returned to their respective seats.
Alya returned a brilliant smile to them, as if everything was under control, and then sat back in her usual seat,
pulled out her phone, and began organizing her never-ending "Ladybug" blog.
Not long after, Nathan and Max walked in, chatting and laughing.
They went directly to the back row.
"Here you go,"
Nathan handed Jaden a new sketchbook, "The latest draft."
Jaden took it and flipped through it; it was a new chapter of the comic they were collaborating on.
The artwork was still delicate, and the story was captivating.
"Not bad,"
He nodded, "However, could you give me, your first reader, some input on the plot direction?"
"Of course not!" Nathan immediately refused, "That would take all the fun out of it."
"Want to play soccer together this afternoon?" Max invited from the side.
"Sure,"
Jaden stretched, "After all, sitting like this every day is a bit too lazy."
"So you *do* know you're lazy?" Nathan quipped from the side.
Jaden made to flick his forehead, and Nathan, startled, instantly shrank behind Max, shouting, "Don't even think about flicking my forehead! Max, save me!"
"Don't use me as a shield," Max said helplessly.
"Help me out, Max!"
Then, Nino, Kim, and Max also walked in together, and the classroom instantly became lively.
They heard about the soccer game in the afternoon and all expressed their desire to join.
Kim announced that he wanted to be the forward, while Max calmly stated that he could be the goalkeeper and do data analysis. Nino volunteered to be responsible for providing rap music and cheers for them on the sidelines.