Jaden then nodded slightly at her, his smile still gentle.
He turned around and said to the classmates who were still surrounding Marinette, chattering and offering advice: "I have a few small matters to attend to, so I'll be taking my leave now. Goodbye."
His farewell was understated, yet he naturally extricated himself from the center of this whirlpool.
He strode directly towards Nathan and Marc, who were already waiting not far away.
"Let's go, see what good food there is in the cafeteria," Jaden's voice returned to its usual casual, slightly lazy tone.
"You, you really know how to protect yourself," Nathan shook his head with a smile, tucking his drawing board under his arm.
"That's not protecting oneself,"
Marc corrected him earnestly, "That's precise investment. He cast the most crucial vote at the most critical moment."
The three exchanged a smile; the unspoken understanding unique to close friends needed no further words.
They walked side by side towards the cafeteria, planning to enjoy a peaceful afternoon in the art classroom after filling their stomachs.
Behind them, the atmosphere in the courtyard, due to their departure, split into two distinct poles.
On one side was the lively hustle and bustle around Marinette and Alya, while on the other, there was a chilling low pressure around Chloé.
"What should we do, Chloé?"
Sabrina's voice carried obvious worry as she carefully observed Chloé's face, which was so gloomy it looked like it might drip water.
"Even... even Jaden has publicly sided with Marinette. If this continues, our chances... are a bit slim."
Chloé didn't answer immediately.
Her azure eyes stared fixedly at Jaden's retreating back, her nails almost digging into her palms.
How dare he? How dare he choose that clumsy, useless baker girl instead of her?
"He'll know,"
Chloé's voice was squeezed out through gritted teeth, cold and venomous, "He'll know how wrong the person he chose was."
She slowly turned her head to look at the flustered Sabrina, but a confident smile reappeared on her face: "Don't worry, Sabrina.
It's just a boring class election. That Marinette is no match for me."
"But..."
Sabrina was still uneasy. She adjusted her glasses and softly stated the facts, "Most of the classmates... seem to prefer Marinette.
Besides me... it seems... no one else will vote for you."
Originally, with Chloé's usual authority, no classmate would dare to compete with her. She and Sabrina should have been the only candidates, winning without a fight.
But now, the appearance of Marinette, this variable, completely disrupted her plans.
The "popular sentiment" of the classmates was clearly not on her side.
"Hmph, those foolish guys, do their opinions matter?"
Chloé scoffed disdainfully, as if she had heard the biggest joke.
She elegantly tossed her golden curls and confidently told Sabrina, "Don't worry, everything will be sorted out this afternoon."
"This afternoon?" Sabrina was a little confused. "Chloé, are you planning to hold election campaigning after school this afternoon?"
"Of course, there will be campaigning, but... not after school." Chloé's lips curved into a calculating arc.
"But... but don't we still have classes this afternoon?"
"Classes?"
Chloé chuckled, as if Sabrina had asked a very childish question. "That's simple.
Just call my dad, and there won't be any classes this afternoon."
She said it so lightly, as if canceling classes for the entire grade was as simple as deciding which macaron to have for afternoon tea.
Sabrina was dumbfounded, but her rationality still made her ask, "But... even if classes are canceled, will that get us votes? Everyone will just think..."
"Of course not by that."
Chloé interrupted her, a triumphant expression of having planned everything on her face.
"I will invite a celebrity to hold a unique autograph session at the City Hall, attracting the attention of the entire class.
When everyone is drawn in by the 'benefits' I provide..."
She paused, her azure eyes turning to Sabrina, her gaze cold and commanding.
"Sabrina, while everyone is at the City Hall, you go upstairs to Marinette's shabby bakery and steal all her hidden little secrets.
Diaries, design drafts... anything that can embarrass her in front of the whole school will do."
Stealing?
Sabrina's face instantly turned pale.
Although she had always followed Chloé and done many things to aid and abet her, "theft"... this had already crossed the blurry moral line in her heart.
"Chloé, this... stealing... perhaps we have other ways..."
Her voice was weak, with a hint of pleading.
"There are no other ways!"
Chloé's tone became stern. "This is the fastest and most effective way! Do you want to see me lose to that baker girl?"
She took a step closer, staring into Sabrina's eyes. "With a two-pronged approach, I refuse to believe we can't take down such a small class representative!"
Under Chloé's oppressive gaze, all of Sabrina's thoughts of resistance vanished.
She knew that if she refused, the fragile "friendship" between her and Chloé would immediately crumble.
In the end, she still nodded weakly.
"Okay, Chloé... I... I promise you."
"That's my good Sabrina."
Chloé smiled contentedly.
She took out her diamond-studded phone, skillfully found the number in her contacts noted as "Tool Dad," and dialed it.
The moment the call connected, the arrogance and harshness on her face immediately disappeared, replaced by a sickly sweet, coquettish tone: "Daddy—"
Paris City Hall, Mayor's Office.
Mayor Bourgeois was holding a cup of espresso, wearily looking at the mountain of documents piled on his desk.
When his phone rang, he glanced at the caller ID, sighed helplessly, but immediately adopted the tone of a loving father.
"Oh, my dear Chloé, my little princess, do you miss Daddy?"
"Daddy,"
His daughter's sweet voice came from the other end of the line, "I'm running for class representative in our class!"
"Class representative?"
The Mayor was a little surprised, but he immediately gave the most enthusiastic praise, "Oh! That's wonderful!
My daughter has grown up and knows how to serve her classmates, how caring! Daddy is so proud of you!"
Although he said so, he knew it clearly in His heart .
Knowing his daughter, she would only actively "serve the people" if the Seine River flowed backward.
There must be some other motive behind this.
"Tell me, my little princess,"
He put down his coffee cup and leaned back in his large leather chair, "What do you need Daddy to do for you?"
"It's simple," Chloé went straight to the point, "I need you to help me invite a famous celebrity to hold an exclusive autograph session for my classmates at City Hall this afternoon.
And while you're at it, cancel all our afternoon classes. No problem, right, Dad?"
"Of course, no problem! For my darling daughter's election, these are just minor matters!"
The Mayor agreed without hesitation.
After hanging up, Chloé triumphantly waved her phone at Sabrina: "You see, it's completely a minor matter."
With that, she walked towards the teaching building in her high heels without looking back, and Sabrina quickly followed.
Meanwhile, at City Hall, the Mayor's smile immediately vanished.
He first called the principal.
Principal Damocles, on the other end of the line, was flattered to receive a call from the Mayor,
but after hearing the request, he became very confused: "Cancel... classes? But, Mr. Mayor, this doesn't comply with school regulations and will affect the teaching schedule..."
"This is to cultivate students' civic awareness and social activity skills,"
the Mayor said in an unquestionable official tone, "Chloé's class will be having a special social practice activity at City Hall. So it's settled, Mr. Principal."
The principal wanted to say more, but the call had already been disconnected.
He could only helplessly put down the receiver and arrange this "absurd" matter.
Immediately after, the Mayor dialed another number.
In Bob's office, the renowned music producer was intensely discussing the details of the next commercial event with his team.
When his private phone rang and he saw "Mayor's Residence" on the screen, he jumped out of his chair.
"Quiet!"
He made a shushing gesture to his subordinates, then took a deep breath and answered the phone in the most humble and respectful tone: "Mr. Mayor! Hello! Hello! What brings you to call?"
Today's City Hall was not the City Hall of old.
The Mayor's power, in Paris, could be said to be absolute.
To receive a call from him personally was a great honor for Bob.
"Bob,"
the Mayor's voice was concise and powerful, "I need you to arrange a celebrity for an autograph session. The location is City Hall, and the time is this afternoon."
"This afternoon?"
Bob's heart skipped a beat; this request was too urgent.
But he dared not hesitate in the slightest, quickly agreeing: "No problem! Absolutely no problem, Mr. Mayor! Don't worry, I'll handle it perfectly for you!"
"Very good," the Mayor said, then hung up.
Bob held his phone, a layer of cold sweat on his forehead.
He immediately began to rapidly sift through the list of artists under his management in his mind.
Such a tight deadline, and it had to be someone important enough... A light bulb went off in his head, and he immediately thought of one person—Jagged Stone!
He unhesitatingly dialed the number of Jagged Stone's assistant, Penny.
In the penthouse luxury suite of the Grand Paris Hotel, Penny was looking helplessly at her "boss."
Jagged Stone, the rock superstar, was currently sprawled on the carpet like a child, playing with Fang with a diamond-studded guitar pick.
When her phone rang, Penny glanced at the caller ID, walked aside, and answered it.
After she hung up, Jagged Stone looked up and asked, "Who called, Penny?"
"It was Bob,"
Penny reported flatly, "He wants us to go to City Hall this afternoon for a signing event, which the Mayor personally arranged.
It seems to be to help a... class of students."
"A signing event? Boring."
Jagged Stone pouted, then lowered His head to tease Fang.
"He said they were students from François Dupont High School," Penny added.
François Dupont High School... The name made Jagged Stone pause. In His mind, two young figures appeared.
One was the blue-haired girl who helped Him design His unique Eiffel Tower glasses—Marinette.
The other was Jaden, who had a brief conversation with Him at the hotel, His eyes as calm as an adult's.
He sat up and stroked His chin.
"Is it that class from the hotel last time?"
"Yes."
A playful smile appeared on Jagged Stone's face.
"Alright,"
He stood up, clapping the dust from His hands,
"Then let's go. Penny, get Fang's special cushion ready, we're going to give those interesting little guys a rock 'n' roll surprise!"
Meanwhile, the student cafeteria was bustling with noise. Marinette and Alya, trays in hand, finally found an empty spot in a corner to sit down.
Marinette distractedly poked her salad with a fork, her mind still a mess, full of thoughts about tomorrow's election speech.
"Ding-dong."
Alya's phone notification broke Marinette's reverie.
She skillfully unlocked her screen, glanced at the message in the class group, and her expression instantly turned strange.
"Hey, Marinette, look," she handed over her phone.
On the screen was a notice just posted by Teacher Caline: [Urgent Notice: Dear students, due to special reasons, all afternoon classes are cancelled today. Please leave school in an orderly manner after lunch and be careful.]
"Afternoon classes... cancelled?" Marinette couldn't believe it. She rubbed her eyes to make sure she hadn't misread it.
After a brief moment of surprise, a wave of joy washed over her.
She stood up abruptly, as if clutching a life raft: "This is great! Now I'll have a whole afternoon to think about my election speech!"
This sudden "heaven-sent holiday" was undoubtedly a godsend for her, who had been fretting.
She quickly finished the remaining food on her plate, picked up her tray, and said to Alya, who was still eating leisurely, "Alya, I'm leaving! I need to go home and prepare!"
With that, she disappeared like a pink whirlwind out the restaurant door.
At the same time, in the art classroom.
This was one of the quietest corners of the entire school, with the mixed scent of turpentine and paint lingering in the air.
The floor-to-ceiling windows brought in the afternoon sunlight, cutting out geometric blocks of light and shadow on the floor.
Jaden, Nathan, and Marc each occupied an easel, completely immersed in their own worlds.
The rustling sound of brushes on paper was the only sound at the moment.
However, this tranquility was soon broken.
The wooden door of the classroom was gently pushed open, and two figures, out of place with the atmosphere, walked in.
"So you guys are here."
Lila's voice was as sweet as ever, followed by the expressionless Kagami.
"You..." Nathan stopped painting, looking at them with some surprise.
"Wow,"
Lila's gaze swept over the three easels, finally landing on Jaden's painting, her eyes sparkling with exaggerated admiration,
"I never expected, Jaden, that you not only have a good personality but can also paint! That's amazing!"
This compliment, however, always sounded a bit forced.
Kagami was much more direct. She walked to Nathan's easel, carefully examining the dynamic scene of superheroes battling in his painting, and commented succinctly, "The composition has great tension."
"I envy you guys,"
Lila walked to their middle, feigning distress with a sigh, "I'm not like that, I don't have a single artistic bone in my body. Can I observe from the side? I promise not to disturb you."
After receiving their tacit approval, she slowly paced around the art room like a curious child, occasionally letting out a perfectly timed exclamation or two, making her presence felt.
Kagami, however, ignored her.
To her, paintings were far more honest than people.
She believed that a person's painting could most truly reflect the inner self.
Paintings don't lie.
She watched quietly, and thought quietly.
Nathan's painting was filled with a longing for the superhero world and a passionate, youthful sense of heroism.
Marc's painting, on the other hand, was in a dark tone. In the picture, a thin figure was enveloped by a huge, symbolic shadow, full of suppression and struggle.
Finally, her gaze fell on Jaden's painting. It was a scene depicting Ladybug and Cat Noir fighting side by side.
However, unlike the other two, Jaden's painting gave her a strong sense of... "discrepancy."
"No... still not right..."
Jaden frowned, looking at the two figures already taking shape on the canvas,
Finally, He irritably tore the paper from the easel, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it into the trash can at His feet. There were already several similar paper balls in there.
He laid out a new sheet of paper and picked up His brush again.
Nathan and Marc, sitting nearby, exchanged a silent communication with a single glance.
(Nathan: He tore it up again.)
(Marc: It was clearly well-drawn, why is he never satisfied?)
(Nathan: Could it be... that 'heart ailment' is acting up again?)
Jaden felt their gaze and said without looking up, "It's not a heart ailment, I just feel a bit confused."
Hearing that it wasn't the "heart ailment" they were worried about, the two of them breathed a sigh of relief.
(Nathan: Good that it's not.)
(Marc: Then let's not disturb him.)
This unspoken understanding between the three made Lila, who was observing from the side, feel a bit left out. Her eyes darted around, and she decided to change her strategy.
She walked over to Jaden, looked at his new sketch, and said softly in a tone full of reminiscence and admiration, "It's Ladybug... Speaking of which, when I first arrived in Paris, she saved me once. At that time, there was a really scary Akumatized Person, and I almost got caught. Ladybug descended from the sky like a beam of light..."
She began to vividly recount a story that had never happened, of herself being bravely rescued by Ladybug.
She spoke with great emotion and rich detail, as if she had personally experienced it, trying to use this topic to bridge the distance with the three and elicit their resonance.
However, Jaden and the other two seemed not to hear her. Jaden's brush tip glided across the paper, and Nathan and Marc also refocused on their own creations.
They continued to communicate with each other using glances that only they understood.
(Nathan: This person... isn't she a bit noisy?)
(Marc: Hmm, and she seems to be deliberately showing off, without knowing the boundaries.)
(Jaden: Don't mind her, if she likes to talk, let her talk.)
None of the three reacted unusually to Lila's flawed "story"; they simply treated her as background noise.
This complete disregard made Lila feel more embarrassed than any direct rebuttal.
Just as she was about to run out of things to say, a clear, cool voice stopped her.
"Quiet."
It was Kagami.
She had walked behind Lila at some point, with a hint of impatience in her eyes.
Lila's performance was interrupted, and her face immediately adopted an innocent and wronged expression. She looked at Kagami, her voice laced with apology: "I'm sorry, Kagami.
I... I was just thinking about my friendship with Ladybug, and I got carried away... Did I disturb your appreciation of the paintings?"
These words both explained her behavior and subtly accused Kagami of being "unromantic," truly watertight.
But Kagami clearly wasn't buying it.
"If you're looking at paintings, look quietly."
Kagami's words were almost rude in their directness, "If you don't want to look, then leave."
Lila's expression froze.
She hadn't expected this seemingly cold Japanese girl to speak so bluntly.
After weighing the pros and cons, she decided to temporarily back down, obediently closed her mouth, and retreated to the side, continuing to observe silently with her green eyes.
"Ding-a-ling—"
The bell signaling the end of lunch break rang untimely.
Although there were no classes in the afternoon, the usage time for the art classroom was also over.
Nathan and Marc were the first to pack their things. After greeting Jaden, they left.
Jaden also put away His art supplies. Just as He was about to leave, Kagami called out to Him.
"Your painting,"
She stood in front of His easel, her gaze fixed on the paper with only a few sketch lines, Her tone certain, "That's not what you truly want to paint."
Jaden stopped, turned around, His face still wearing that gentle smile: "Oh? How can you tell?"
"Your painting is filled with confusion."
Kagami went straight to the heart of the problem, "The figures of those two heroes lack soul under your brush.
This is completely inconsistent with your usual calm demeanor, and the determination you showed when you told me, 'That's the choice I want.'"
She looked up, her clear, cool eyes meeting Jaden's, as if trying to see through His gentle facade.
"You're pretending. Because in your painting, I don't see an ounce of sincerity."