The Friday school bell rang.
Students poured out of the teaching building like a tide, and the campus was filled with a boisterous noise.
Meanwhile, Mylène, Alix, Juleka, and Rose were like four steady pillars, firmly "pinned" to the open space not far from the classroom door, forming a small circle as they waited for their target.
Jaden leisurely packed his schoolbag and walked out of the classroom with Nathan and Marc. He immediately spotted the four girls, each with a different expression.
"What do you think it is this time?" Marc lowered his voice and nudged Jaden with his shoulder.
Nathan observed them meticulously. "Looking at their expressions Alya is the mastermind, Rose and Juleka are the assists, and Mylène... is the executor."
Jaden just smiled, looking as if it had nothing to do with him, and stepped toward them.
Seeing Jaden getting closer and closer, Mylène's breathing became a bit rapid.
"Mylène, don't be afraid! Just say what we discussed!"
Rose cheered her on from behind in a small voice, Her tone sweet and firm.
"Exactly! Do you want to miss this opportunity for nothing?"
Alix's tone carried an unquestionable urgency. She stood with her hands on her hips, looking like she'd step in if Mylène didn't.
Juleka didn't speak; she just silently reached out and gave Mylène a gentle pat on the back, the gesture conveying warm support.
Jaden stopped in front of them, His gaze falling on the obviously flustered Mylène, a gentle smile playing on his lips. "Is something the matter?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it was like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, causing ripples in the pool of Mylène's heart.
She subconsciously looked back and saw three pairs of eyes filled with expectation and encouragement.
Alix even pumped her fist at her. Mylène took a deep breath, as if using all her strength, and finally mustered the courage to look up and stare directly into Jaden's black eyes, which were as deep as the night sky.
"Ji... Jaden..."
Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's, with an imperceptible tremor. "Th-this weekend... there's... there's a charity event to help stray animals... I... I wanted to ask if you'd be willing to..."
At this point, her words got stuck, and her cheeks burned like fire.
"Willing to what?" Alix was jumping with anxiety behind her, wishing she could finish the sentence for her.
"W-willing to come help with me?"
Mylène closed her eyes and finished the sentence in one breath, then nervously gripped the hem of her clothes, waiting for the final judgment.
She didn't even dare look at Jaden's expression.
The surrounding air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.
Jaden looked at the girl in front of him, who was tense with nervousness; even her colorful dreadlocks seemed to have lost their vitality.
He had originally thought it would be something earth-shattering, but he hadn't expected it to be such a small matter. The smile on his face deepened slightly.
"No problem."
Mylène snapped her head up, her eyes full of disbelief. She stared blankly at Jaden, as if confirming she hadn't misheard.
Jaden nodded at her and repeated, "I said, no problem. What time? Where?"
"Ah! That's great!"
Before Mylène could answer, the three girls behind her erupted into an irrepressible cheer.
Rose and Juleka hugged each other, while Alix jumped up excitedly and rushed over to throw an arm around Mylène's neck.
"Mylène! You did it!"
"I told you! Jaden is the best!"
Mylène finally snapped out of it, and joy instantly flooded over her.
She gave Jaden a smile so bright it was almost silly and nodded heavily. "Mhm! Then it's a deal! I-I'll send you the time and place later!"
After saying that, she was flanked by the excited Alix and Rose and, like a victorious general, was ushered away, leaving only Juleka behind to give Jaden a shy wave.
Watching the four of them cheer and skip away, Jaden shook his head helplessly.
He could vaguely sense that behind this seemingly simple charity event, there might be some little plan of theirs hidden away.
But so what? It was nothing more than the pure and clumsy affection of young girls.
He didn't dislike this kind of well-intentioned approach.
Not far away, Marinette, who had seen everything, felt her heart leap into her throat.
She grabbed Alya's arm, her knuckles turning white.
"Alya, did you see that? The four of them are so happy!
Mylène... what on earth did Mylène say to Jaden? Did she... did she confess?"
"Don't worry, I'll be right back!"
The fire of gossip flickered in Alya's eyes as she rushed like a gust of wind toward the celebrating quartet.
She affectionately put an arm around Mylène's shoulder and said in a conversational tone, "Hey, Mylène, congrats! Seeing you all so happy, did you prepare some super romantic surprise for Jaden?"
"N-no..."
Mylène waved her hands with a red face. "I just invited Jaden to join a charity event this weekend..."
"Just a charity event?" Alya's tone Rose.
"Yeah."
Alix chimed in from the side, "We decided by drawing lots! This week is Mylène, next week..."
"Ahem!" Juleka hurriedly coughed twice, interrupting Alix.
How shrewd was Alya? She immediately understood what was going on.
She gave Mylène a thumbs up and instantly changed her expression, enthusiastically cheering her on, "Great job, Mylène!
Charity events are so full of heart! Jaden will definitely like it! Go for it!"
As she spoke, she winked and whispered a few more words with the other three. Although Marinette couldn't hear the specific details,
She could guess the gist from the way they looked at Juleka and Juleka's expression of both happiness and bashfulness.
Alya ran back to Marinette's side with satisfaction and reported the 'intelligence' in full detail.
"Whew—" Marinette breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling as if a heavy stone had finally been lifted from her heart.
"So it was just a charity event. That's good, that's good."
"What's good about it?"
Alya poked her forehead with a mischievous grin. "I've found out everything. This week is Mylène, and next week, it's Juleka's turn."
"Juleka?"
Hearing this, Marinette immediately looked at Juleka not far away.
She was currently whispering something to Rose, a smile that was hard to hide—a mix of anticipation and shyness—on her face.
Seeing this scene, Marinette's confidence returned.
She pulled Alya along as they walked toward home, analyzing as she went, "Juleka, well, there's nothing to worry about. What do you think Juleka could be hiding?
Given her personality and habits, the most she'd do is drag Jaden along to draw pictures or listen to her brother Luka's music. It'll be quiet and won't pose any threat."
Her air of strategizing, as if everything was under her control, made Alya want to laugh.
"You certainly seem very relaxed about Juleka."
Alya teased, "However, after Juleka, it's Alix's turn."
Hearing the name "Alix," Marinette's expression immediately became serious.
"Alix..." she muttered to herself.
A girl who loved rollerblading and all kinds of extreme sports, with a personality as fiery as a boy's—what kind of "romance" would she cook up with Jaden?
Marinette couldn't imagine it at all, and it was the unknown that was the most terrifying.
"Alright, alright, don't worry."
Alya patted her back comfortingly. "I've figured out why Alix backed out last time and gave her chance to Rose.
It wasn't just because Rose's situation was special at the time; more importantly, she hadn't even thought of what she wanted to do herself!
So she definitely got stuck, which is why she went with the flow and moved herself back in the queue to buy some thinking time."
Hearing Alya's analysis, Marinette felt it made a lot of sense. Her furrowed brows smoothed out, and she nodded.
"Then... Alya, what about you?"
Marinette suddenly stopped walking, her bright eyes fixed on Alya. "They all have plans. What's your plan?"
"Me?"
Alya blinked mysteriously and put her index finger to her lips in a "shh" gesture.
"My plan is the ultimate move. So, what you need to do now is just stay calm."
"But I really want to know!" Marinette pulled on her arm, acting spoiled.
"It's a secret." Alya laughed as she broke away and ran forward with a quick pace, leaving behind a jaunty silhouette.
At the same time, Jaden and his two best friends, Marc and Nathan, were sitting on a quiet park bench.
The setting sun cast long shadows of the three of them.
Nathan was quickly sketching the scenery before him in his sketchbook, while Marc held his phone, seemingly brainstorming a new story.
"So, what was the deal with Mylène looking for you just now?"
Nathan asked without looking up.
"It's nothing."
Jaden leaned back on the bench, hands behind his head, and replied lazily, "Just an invitation to a charity event."
"A charity event?"
Marc put down his phone and raised an eyebrow. "Why do I feel like things aren't that simple? It seems like they're hiding something from you.
Last week was a cafe date with Rose, this week it's Mylène's charity event, so next week... who will it be?"
After Marc finished speaking, he and Nathan both looked at Jaden with a 'don't play dumb, kid' expression.
Jaden sat up straight, feeling a bit helpless: "How did you guys know about the thing with Rose?"
"How did we know?"
Nathan stopped his pen, fished his phone out of his pocket, skillfully tapped on a video, and held it up to Jaden.
"My friend, you really have zero awareness of your current popularity."
On the phone screen, a familiar TV station logo flashed—it was Nadja's news program.
In the footage, Nadja was wearing her signature blue suit, reporting in her passionate and dramatic tone: "...Exclusive scoop! Recently, our reporter captured Jaden on an intimate date with another blonde girl at a cafe on the streets of Paris!
The footage shows the two talking happily, the atmosphere thick with romance!
Furthermore, does he have an unknown connection with Paris's Guardians—Ladybug and Cat Noir? This station will continue to track and report for you..."
The video footage showed the scene of Jaden and Rose in the cafe; although it had been blurred, anyone familiar with them could recognize them at a glance.
Jaden watched the impassioned female host in the video, his temples throbbing.
"It's that Nadja again!
Can't she stop secretly filming people's private lives?"
"Yeah."
Marc said indignantly from the side, "I remember several Dark Transformation incidents were caused by her news reports.
A few times at the scene, I even saw her rushing forward recklessly just to grab a scoop, only to be forcibly taken away by the police.
If Ladybug hadn't helped explain things for her every time, she would have been drinking tea in the police station a long time ago."
"Speaking of which..."
Nathan took back his phone and rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "That little girl named Manon, it seems like we haven't seen her in a long time, right?"
At the name 'Manon,' Marc and Nathan once again locked their gazes onto Jaden.
Jaden sighed helplessly, and meeting their inquiring looks, he had no choice but to explain.
"Since that 'Prince of flowers' incident last time, I have indeed run into Manon playing in the park a few times.
That little girl... how should I put it, she's very enthusiastic."
He thought of the girl with brown pigtails and a slight overbite.
At first, she sweetly called him 'Big Brother,' but once they got a bit familiar, she innocently declared she wanted to be his 'lover.'
She saw herself as an 'Angel Princess' trapped by an evil dragon, and he was the 'Prince' destined to save her in her life.
"But..." Jaden sighed again at this point.
Nathan immediately chimed in: "It couldn't be... that Manon's reporter mother, Nadja, was lying in wait nearby to'stake you out' every time, right?"
Jaden looked at him and nodded heavily.
"That's too much!"
Marc said, unable to contain his anger, "Worrying about her daughter is understandable! But this is clearly for her own news!"
"So."
Jaden spread his hands, "After several consecutive 'chance encounters' where she greeted me with all sorts of professional long-range equipment, I had no choice but to change locations.
That's why I came to this park with you guys."
He paused and added, "Though doing this might hurt that little girl's feelings, I've already asked Marinette and Alya to find an opportunity to explain things clearly to her. I hope she understands."
While the three of them were discussing, at the other end of Paris, in the bakery, a small storm was brewing.
"Welcome!"
Marinette pushed open the door to her home, and the familiar scent of baking bread wafted toward her.
She was just about to greet her parents when she discovered that besides her father, mother, and An Marinette, there were two unexpected guests sitting in the shop.
One was Nadja, wearing a sharp blue suit and sporting short burgundy hair.
The other was a little girl—Manon—who was clinging tightly to An Marinette's arm like a koala.
"...So, when will my Prince Brother come to save me?
This evil dragon (referring to Nadja) is so annoying!"
Manon was prattling on to An Marinette about her 'Princess and Prince' story.
An Marinette obviously couldn't explain, so she could only smile awkwardly.
Just then, Manon caught a glimpse of Marinette at the door out of the corner of her eye.
Her little head froze for a moment as she looked at the 'Marinette' on her left wearing a pink jacket,
then back at the 'Marinette' at the door wearing a black cardigan.
Two seconds later, her little universe exploded.
"You're a fake!"
Manon suddenly let go of An Marinette's arm, pointed her little finger at her, and announced loudly.
Then, she rushed to the door and grabbed Marinette's calf, burying her little face in her pants, her voice instantly taking on a sobbing tone.
"Sister Marinette! Waaah... there's a fake you here!
And Mommy is a big meanie too! She keeps following me and secretly filming my Prince Brother, and now Prince Brother hates me, he doesn't like me anymore! Waaah—"
The little girl's crying was loud and aggrieved, instantly attracting everyone's attention in the shop.
Nadja walked over with an embarrassed look, knelt down, and tried to explain: "Manon, don't be silly. Mommy was... it was for work back then, and it was also because I was worried about you..."
"I don't want to hear it! I don't want to hear it! You're the culprit who made Prince Brother ignore me!"
Manon cried even harder, her little shoulders heaving.
Sabine and Tom also gathered around, their faces full of concern.
Looking at the heartbroken little person in her arms, Marinette's heart softened.
She knelt down, gently stroking Manon's back, and comforted her in her softest voice: "Manon, be good, don't cry. Prince Brother doesn't hate you, and he certainly doesn't dislike you."
"Re... Really?"
Manon looked up, her teary big eyes like two moist black grapes with long eyelashes still wet, looking pitiful to the extreme.
"Of course it's true."
Marinette quickly tried to make it up, saying, "It's just... it's just that Prince Brother has been very busy with school lately, he has so much homework to do,
and he's been delayed by some very important things, so he temporarily hasn't been able to play with Manon. He misses you too."
"Is it really not because he hates my mommy always following him?"
Manon sobbed, confirming cautiously.
"Of course not!"
Marinette answered without thinking; she gently pinched Manon's cheek, forcing a most sincere smile onto her face. "How could Prince Brother hate an Angel Princess as cute as Manon? He likes you more than anything!"
Under Marinette's gentle soothing, Manon's crying gradually stopped.
She sniffled, wiped her eyes with the back of her small hand, buried her face deep in Marinette's arms, and said in a muffled voice, "I believe Sister Marinette."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that this little storm had finally passed.
However, no one noticed that the moment she buried her face in Marinette's arms, the corners of Manon's mouth curled up into a sly arc.
Exactly, how could her Prince Brother possibly hate her?
It turned out he was just temporarily tied up with other things.